Book Review: Shadow Ops: Control Point by Myke Cole
Posted on February 10, 2014 Leave a Comment
Shadow Ops: Control Point by Myke Cole (Ace)
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Shadow Ops
Publication Date: January 31, 2012
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Shadow Ops: Control Point is military science fiction, but definitely not the kind I had been expecting. And honestly, if I’d known earlier just what kind of excitement I was going to be in for, I probably wouldn’t have let this one hang out so long on my to-read list.
YA Weekend: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Posted on February 9, 2014 Leave a Comment
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of The Grisha
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (June 5, 2012)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Once in a while, a great book like Shadow and Bone will come along and remind me of why I read YA — and why overlooking this category of fiction would be a big mistake. It’s another one of those titles which had hung around on my to-read list for much too long, and now I wish I’d listened to the glowing reviews and picked it up sooner. It has everything I look for in a YA novel: a likeable protagonist, a sweet and believable romance that’s not insta-love, and a pace for storytelling that’s just perfect.
At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to a girl and a boy, two orphans who became friends with each other when a kind nobleman took them in. Years later, both Alina and Mal have ended up in the army and are preparing to cross the Fold, a wasteland of darkness where savage creatures called Volcra lurk, ready to swoop down on any unsuspecting travelers. Well, of course they get attacked by Volcra during the crossing. Without understanding how, Alina manages to save the life of her best friend Mal by unleashing a brilliant flash of light as bright as the sun, driving away the creatures.
Anyway, this book doesn’t waste time getting to the meat of the story. It turns out Alina is one of the Grisha, and a special one at that. Grisha are what you would call the sorcerers of this world, except I would say that their magic is more like a science — acts of magic are actually the Grisha manipulating and altering matter at its most basic level. It’s an interesting system, and I also find it fascinating that the Grisha have their own social structure, politics and culture. When it is discovered that Alina is the Sun Summoner with the power to control light, she is whisked away to learn the ways of the Grisha, and I had the pleasure of learning all about their society through her eyes.
The world of Shadow and Bone has a sort-of Russian flavor, and yes, the way of the Grisha court has some of your usual YA trappings. Normally, I’d be calling for more world building and further expansion into the book’s ideas, but I’m actually quite amazed and how much it was able to convey. Especially when you consider how this was a relatively short novel and a really quick read. The story finds its momentum early on and it just keeps going like that all the way to the end, and I don’t think I would have traded that for anything. Everything you need to know is there, and I liked how we don’t get any unnecessary detail or lengthy exposition weighing things down.
But it’s the characters that made this book such a joy to read. Alina’s a tough girl, and even though she can get a tad too sentimental at times, she’s proven herself to be quite capable. Her romance with Mal actually feels natural, and I liked the fact that it was the result of a long-term friendship that grew deeper over time. It makes their relationship more genuine, and I could better understand their intense feelings for each other. Since finding a YA romance that I actually like is quite rare for me, it makes a big impression whenever it does happen.
It also helps that this book was exactly what I needed at time. If you’re ever in the mood for a quick YA fantasy with a decent romance and a bit of adventure and intrigue thrown in, this will do the trick nicely. I found it very enjoyable!
#MisLT : The Miserere Livetweet Event!
Posted on February 8, 2014 Leave a Comment
Don’t tell Teresa Frohock, but I totally have a crush on her.
I’m just kidding. She already knows and I can’t wait for her to see what I got her for Valentine’s Day!!
But seriously. Lady Frohock’s Miserere: An Autumn Tale has been on my to-read list for a while, and, with its recent arrival in my mailbox, the time has come for me to sink into its dark depth. But that’s not all. You see, since I began following Lady Frohock on Twitter, I’ve discovered that she is a wonderful, fun and funny person. I’ve been dying to do something unique with her for BiblioSanctum, but wanted to get to know her better through reading her work first. Then, the other night while I was busy spamming her Twitter feed, an idea struck me: What if I livetweet my Miserere read???
Lady Frohock is such a good sport – she thinks this is a great idea and we’ve been throwing around some ideas today, with plans to use the hashtag #MisLT to document our journey.
We’d love to invite others to join us! Conveniently, Miserere: An Autumn Tale, is currently on sale on Amazon. Go! Git it! (Not sure if this book looks right for you? Tor.com understands why you might feel that way, and explains why you shouldn’t.)
If you’re interested in joining the fun, leave a comment that includes your Twitter handle, and be sure to use the hashtag #MisLT for your spoiler-free Miserere Tweets. We’ll be starting our read this Monday, February 10, 2014 and continuing through to the end of the month.
Mogsy’s Book Haul – Blades and Shorts
Posted on February 8, 2014 Leave a Comment
Time again to feature the books that came in over the last couple weeks! And in case you missed it, I’m also doing the Review Copy Cleanup challenge, so hopefully a lot of these will be reviewed in the coming days. Is it just me, or do many of the titles seem very edgy this time? As the header states, sharp things seem to be this month’s theme.
Astra – courtesy of Jo Fletcher books, I’m really looking forward to this one. After my wonderful first experience reading Naomi Foyle’s Seoul Survivors, I’m really interested in seeing what else this author has in store for me.
Traitor’s Blade – currently working my way through this one now, and I’m enjoying it. Like, A LOT. I went in with super high expectations too, so that’s saying something. The book also came tied up with a sealed invitation to “join the Greatcoats”, which I thought was cleverly presented.
Broken Homes – I’ve made it no secret how much I love the Peter Grant series. I tell urban fantasy readers that it’s like Dresden Files if Harry was a policeman and British, and highly recommended if you like Dr. Who-style humor. This one was courtesy of DAW books, and you can already see my review here.
Moth and Spark – I feel very grateful to Penguin Viking for this one. I’ve always wanted deep, fulfilling romances in my high fantasy, but I’ve pretty much given up on looking for a book with the perfect combination of the two, because I’ve never found one. That is, until this came along. Keep an eye out for my review later this month, I can’t wait to share it.
The Emperor’s Blades – this one generated a lot of excitement last year and finally came out last month to great acclaim. I had a feeling Staveley would be winning many fans with this one, and I was right. Readers of epic fantasy should check this one out, and here’s my review for those interested in seeing my thoughts. My thanks to Tor Books!
Lumiere – a wonderful looking YA title self-published by the author, who contacted me through Goodreads to see if I would be interested in reviewing it. I readily accepted! Check out the description to see why, it looks right up my alley and that cover is enchantingly gorgeous. Definitely going to have to fit this one into my reading schedule soon.
And now for the digital titles, and the second half of my post title shall be explained! Yes, we have a lot of short stories/anthologies/novellas this week to feature. Normally, what I like to do is gather them up and tackle them all together in one big shorts-filled weekend, and looks like I’ll have to plan for one again very soon.
Kaiju Rising – I was a Kickstarter backer for this anthology, and the e-copy of this book was delivered to my inbox a couple weeks ago right on schedule. As badly as I want to read this one, I may just wait until my physical copy arrives. Because…just look at the pure awesomeness of that cover!
John Golden, Freelance Debugger – I was actually sent a copy of this by the author back when it was still going to be self-published, but then Ragnarok Publications picked it up. I’m so glad, because this book deserves all the attention it can get! I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: best idea for an urban fantasy EVER! I could go on and on, but it might be easier to just check out the review!
Hope’s End and Forsworn – last year I really enjoyed Promise of Blood and this year I’m really looking forward to The Crimson Campaign. Brian McClellan has also written a few short stories set in the world of his Powder Mage series, so I decided to pick a couple of them up. Hope’s End was actually a freebie the author offered up on his website on his birthday so that was nice of him!
La Santisima – Teresa Frohock is one of my favorite authors, and her work deserves a lot more attention, in my opinion. If you haven’t read her book Miserere yet, I highly recommend it. While I wait impatiently for her next project, I picked up La Santisima, her short story that she made available for free on Smashwords. So what are you waiting for, check it out!
Blades of the Old Empire – Ah, here we are with the blades again. I got this Angry Robot book through NetGalley, and I’m actually reading this one right now as well for my RCCleanup, so a review will be incoming.
Lockstep – Another NetGalley title. Tor is torturing me with all the great books coming out from them in the next few months! This is only one of the many titles I’m interested in. I know I’m drowning in review copies right now, but it’s so hard to resist these amazing looking books.
Book Review: The Waking Engine by David Edison
Posted on February 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
The Waking Engine by David Edison
Genre: Science Fiction Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Tor (February 11, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Not for the first time, I wish I had a system in place for giving two ratings to a book: 1) An objective rating in which I give a book stars based on its own merits, uninfluenced by my personal feelings, and 2) A subjective rating which is based on how a book worked for me personally, or how well it meshed with my personal tastes. This is going to be a very tough review for me to write, simply because I’ve never read a book like this, where those two ratings could not be any more different, but I’m also glad I have the chance to explain why.
Book Review: Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch
Posted on February 6, 2014 8 Comments
Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 4 of Peter Grant
Publisher: DAW (US: February 4, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
New rule: if you are an urban fantasy starring a London policeman-turned-wizard named Peter Grant, then I MUST READ YOU. Let’s just say I have waited a long time for this! After devouring the first three books last spring, I was left with a void that only this series’ dry wit and magical action could provide, and now book four has finally made its way to the US.
Ben Aaronovitch does not hold back for Peter’s latest adventure, which involves our favorite magician-constable working to solve yet another string of odd deaths happening around the city. The first red flag goes up when a chance car accident leads him to a murder victim, who may have a link to the mysterious “Faceless Man.” That’s the big baddie that Peter and his supervisor Nightingale have been hunting over the course of the last couple of books.
As such, Broken Homes probably wouldn’t be the best jumping on point if you’re new to the series, albeit the central plot within the bigger picture is still wildly entertaining. When it is discovered that the odd deaths are all connected to a controversial housing estate “designed by a nutter, built by charlatans, and inhabited by the truly desperate”, Peter and his fellow investigators come up with an insane plan to get to the bottom of the mystery. What do they do? They move in and go under cover. Trouble ensues. And with that, tons of amusement for readers.
Here’s why I think it would be a good idea to at least tackle the previous book first before reading this one: if you’re not familiar with the overall story arc with the Faceless Man, the first half of the book will probably feel pretty slow. I personally was interested in the investigations because a lot of it had to do with uncovering the identity of the enemy and trying to capture him, but without that context I think a lot of the happenings will feel disjointed or only tenuously connected.
But as someone who has been following this series, I think it is clearly starting to come into its own. With that comes a greater appreciation for the little quirks only found in these books, like London’s rivers personified as semi-divine spirits, Peter’s esoteric interests into the city’s architecture or even his frequent funny jabs at the Metropolitan Police. All this made even some of the more low-key bits of the book very fascinating and engaging — such as the scene with the spring celebration, or descriptions of Peter’s magical training sessions.
However, I have to say the second half of the book — which includes the subsequent build-up to the climax — and ending is simply phenomenal. As the main protagonist and narrator, I thought Peter would always be my favorite character in these books, but Nightingale may have just given him a run for his money. His anachronisms and total fail with modern technologies notwithstanding, the guy is awesome. You might think you know wizarding duels, but you don’t — not until you read about the one near the end of this book, with Nightingale versus the Russian Night Witch. I think I may have a crush.
Then, there’s the climax and the shocking “twist”. I put the quotations there because I’m not sure how truly surprising it is if you’ve been following the series and the characters. It was shocking yes, but it wasn’t completely unexpected. The clues leading up to it weren’t entirely subtle, though that might just be me. All the same, the excitement and snappy pace in these final chapters will make you ache for more, and leave you desperate to find out what happens next.
Sigh, which leads me back to this familiar place, of pining for the next book. The waiting does not get easier!
Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Posted on February 5, 2014 3 Comments
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic
Series: Throne of Glass #2
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication Date: August 2013
Author’s Info: sarahjmaas.com
Wendy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
As much as I enjoyed Throne of Glass, one thing that bugged me (other than Celaena’s arrogance) was the fact that Celaena is supposedly the renowned and feared Adarlan’s Assassin, but beyond her own boasting, she didn’t do anything assassiny. Crown of Midnight initially made me believe I was finally getting to see what I wanted to see, but we quickly find out otherwise. The King’s Champion proves herself conniving, with questionable negotiations, but she certainly doesn’t prove herself deadly. It made me wonder if Maas was having trouble truly associating her character with the more negative aspects of being known as Adarlan’s Assassin – namely, the assassin part. This is remedied half way through the book when she unleashes her darkness in a way that I can only describe as Mary Sue the Ninja. The scene, which I could probably re-enact with Catwoman in a Batman: Arkham Asylum challenge map, was a bit too over the top for my liking.
My second problem with this book (other than Celaena’s arrogance), is the heavy focus on cloying romances. Celaena, now moved on from her romance with Prince Dorian, is paying more attention to the captain of the guard, Chaol Westfall, which, on top of her arrogance, results in a book that spends far too long being the kind of YA book that I don’t particularly enjoy.
Having to deal with all of this for half the book made it very difficult to continue, but I generally try to finish what I start. Fortunately, the actual plot picked up and started to move along at the half way point with Princess Nehemia’s plotting, the slow, seeping return of magic, and Queen Elena’s mysterious absence. We finally get to focus on the dark past Celaena is running from and the destiny she is trying her hardest to avoid.
The big revelation at the end still has Mary Sue smatterings, no matter how often Maas reminds us of what Celaena has lost and what she suffered as a slave in the mines, but it is still interesting enough for me to consider continuing. At the very least, circumstances seemed to have caused her to mature a bit. While I don’t want her to lose her arrogance completely, as it is part of her coping mechanisms, I do hope the swagger is toned down a bit for future installments – which I still am intrigued enough to want to read.
Waiting on Wednesday 02/05/14
Posted on February 5, 2014 Leave a Comment
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
This is the way the world ends. Again.
“A prince with a quest. A commoner with mysterious powers. And dragons that demand to be freed—at any cost.
Prince Corin has been chosen to free the dragons from their bondage to the Empire, but dragons aren’t big on directions. They have given him some of their power, but none of their knowledge. No one, not the dragons nor their riders, is even sure what keeps the dragons in the Empire’s control.
Tam, sensible daughter of a well-respected doctor, had no idea before she arrived in the capital that she is a Seer, gifted with visions. When the two run into each other (quite literally) in the library, sparks fly and Corin impulsively asks Tam to dinner. But it’s not all happily ever after. Never mind that the prince isn’t allowed to marry a commoner: war is coming to Caithen.
Torn between Corin’s quest to free the dragons and his duty to his country, the lovers must both figure out how to master their powers in order to save Caithen. With a little help from a village of secret wizards and a rogue dragonrider, they just might pull it off.”
Book Review: Dreamwalker by C.S. Friedman
Posted on February 4, 2014 1 Comment
Dreamwalker by C.S. Friedman (DAW)
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Dreamwalker
Publication Date: February 4, 2014
Author Information: Website
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
To my surprise, Dreamwalker turned out to be a pretty big departure from C.S. Friedman’s previous works. Still, I was no less charmed by the remarkable story and characters than I had been before I realized this was a book more geared towards the young adult audience. After all, YA fantasy has so much to offer these days, and as someone who enjoys reading this category quite a bit, I found Dreamwalker to be a promising start to what has the potential to become a great new series.
I was hooked right away with the introduction to the Drake siblings, Jessica (“Jesse” to her friends) and her little brother Tommy. The book starts off by throwing them into some pretty heavy situations, and I don’t doubt for a second that this had something to do with why I was so taken with these characters. Jesse and Tommy’s father, who doesn’t actually appear in this novel, still casts a dark shadow on the family even years after he walked away from them, by claiming that Jesse is another man’s child. To prove to him that this is not true, Jesse’s mom takes her to get a paternity test.
Yikes, what an awful situation for anyone let alone a teenager to find themselves in, but Jesse’s composure and steadfast support for her mother made me appreciate her more as a protagonist and narrator. But of course, these problems are just the beginning. When the DNA test results come back, that’s when Jesse’s true mettle will be tested. What would you do if you discovered that you weren’t the person you thought you were? What would you do if you found out you might not even be part of this world? A new term has gained significance with Jesse: Changeling. Desperate to make sense of her life, Jesse goes on the search for answers and instead finds many others who are in similar situations like hers.
The family’s problems have touched Jesse’s brother Tommy’s life as well, though they have affected him in different ways. I have to say his obsession with gaming in the wake of his father’s departure broke my heart a little; having spent years playing online games myself and in doing so meeting people who have used this hobby as an avenue of escape, I understand all too well how someone could turn to virtual worlds and internet friends in order to drown out painful feelings. It could happen to anyone, young or old. For me, it is another point to Jesse’s character that she doesn’t judge her brother, and instead tries to share in his interests by letting him use her weird and disturbing dreams as inspiration for his roleplaying campaigns.
When a stranger comes poking around the Drakes’ lives and Tommy is kidnapped however, Jesse begins to have the dreaded suspicion that it is all because of her and her dreams. Her mission to get her brother back is what leads her and her new friends on a journey to another world, one that the author has done a phenomenal job of creating. I really enjoyed the premise of this novel, which explores parallel universes and alternate realities. In doing so, Friedman also addresses important social issues like race, poverty and human rights. Overall this is a fun and adventurous novel, but there are definitely some weighty topics of discussion in here.
Perhaps my only issue with the book is how jumbled it feels at certain times, perhaps due to the frequent switching of first-person to third-person between some chapters. This doesn’t usually bother me in other books, but for some reason it is quite noticeable here. My guess is it has something to do with chapter length and how short some of these third-person intervals are. Some parts of the plot are also resolved too neatly, or too conveniently. For example, at one point in the novel Jesse and her friends meet a character who essentially hands them everything they need to succeed in their quest, though how that character managed to obtain the tools and information in the first place is not really addressed.
There are also lots of ideas in play, and how they all relate to each other does make itself apparent until much later in the book, so the first half of the story may feel a bit disjointed. Personally I don’t mind stories like this, which are like mysteries that I know will unravel in time. As such, this was a fast read for me because I found I couldn’t stop myself from turning the pages. Every person you encounter is a question, because you don’t know whose side they’re on. I just couldn’t wait to see how all the puzzle pieces would fall into place, and the ending was sadly over much too soon. I was actually a little surprised at how quickly it wrapped up.
Even so, the ending leaves things wide open for more of Jesse’s story (though it is not a cliffhanger, thank you!), and I know I will want to be there to see what happens next. I think as long as you go into this with the knowledge it is going to be different from the author’s other books, Dreamwalker may yet surprise you. This is C.S. Friedman tackling the young adult fantasy genre, and I feel she did an impressive job.
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