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The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett

1/15/2018

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Goodreads Blurb:

As darkness falls after sunset, the corelings rise—demons who possess supernatural powers and burn with a consuming hatred of humanity. For hundreds of years the demons have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards—symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile. It was not always this way. Once, men and women battled the corelings on equal terms, but those days are gone. Night by night the demons grow stronger, while human numbers dwindle under their relentless assault. Now, with hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past. Together, they will stand against the night.
Second time around on this one...decided to reread it so I can jump into the sequels in time to finish the whole series.

My thoughts on round two? This is still a solid fantasy. Peter Brett's writing style is engaging, if a bit tedious at parts. I found the slow cycle between points of view (there are three in this book) to be jarring at first, but once I settled in to the story I enjoyed jumping between Arlen, Rojer, and Lesha. The magic system is interesting with demons rising from the Core every night to wreak havoc upon the people. 

I will say this -- I found that I just could NOT stand Lesha for about 90% of this book. I did NOT like the way Brett wrote her character - I took quite a bit of issue with it. Up until the final chapters it seemed as though Lesha was there primarily for sex (fantasies or otherwise). Characters were always marveling at her beauty (in a sexual fashion) or talking about how they wanted to have sex with her or she was talking about having sex for the first time or characters were always looking at her chest...and the list goes on. Then we have something happen to Lesha...(no spoilers). Lesha's character is redeemed slightly toward the end as she finally is doing something not related to sex. I mean...I understand what Brett was trying to do with her character. In his world system, women are bound into very traditional roles and they do not escape them. I think there's a way to present that without making it sound like every woman is written by a twelve year old boy.

All that aside...I did enjoy this the second time around and I'm looking forward to continuing. Like last time I finished this book, though, I feel like I just need a few interim books before I pick up The Desert Spear. I've heard the series only gets better from here and I am looking forward to see the evolution of characters and introductions of new ones.

Rating:

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Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

1/5/2018

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Goodreads Blurb:

Harry Dresden - Wizard

Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden has faced some pretty terrifying foes during his career. Giant scorpions. Oversexed vampires. Psychotic werewolves. It comes with the territory when you're the only professional wizard in the Chicago-area phone book.

But in all Harry's years of supernatural sleuthing, he's never faced anything like this: The spirit world has gone postal. All over Chicago, ghosts are causing trouble - and not just of the door-slamming, boo-shouting variety. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone - or something - is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc. But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry? If Harry doesn't figure it out soon, he could wind up a ghost himself....
In case you wanted to know how Jim Butcher writes descriptions of female characters:
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I came across that image/meme/whatever about halfway through this book and it was pretty much the most accurate thing I've ever seen.  I absolutely  can't stand the way Butcher writes women.  I'm curious if he matures somewhat in how he writes and characterizes women as the series continues to progress?

I'm still not sure I'm a Harry Dresden/Jim Butcher fan...BUT out of all of the books I've read (ok, it's only been three), this one has been the best one so far. The plot felt a little bit more cohesive and Harry didn't whine as much. Audiobook seems to be the way to go for me on this series...James Marsters does an excellent job portraying Dresden.  Ok, I'll be honest -- I will probably only "read" these via audiobook because James Marsters reads it.

Rating:

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Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

12/20/2017

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Goodreads Blurb: 
​
Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.

All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.

But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.
I'll confess...I'm "over" the fairy tale retellings.  BUT -- a retelling of Labyrinth?!  Sign me up for that one.  Before ever hearing him sing, I remember watching David Bowie as the Goblin King and Jennifer Connelly winding her way through the maze.

Wintersong does not disappoint.  I was hooked from start to finish.  As far as fairy tale retellings go I think it was fairly standard.  You knew you were reading about Labyrinth despite the changes throughout the story.  The movie is so vivid in my mind, however, that it was hard to allow Wintersong's characters to have their own uniqueness and appearance.  You say Goblin King and I instantly think of Jareth: 
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...not the Goblin King in Wintersong who's name plays a minor role in the plot line of the story.

Jae-Jones also focuses a lot on music and music theory...which is delightfully different from many young adult novels.  As a hobby musician who works in a music school, I really enjoyed seeing this light glimpse into music theory and composition.  

Wintersong was such a delight - both in its retelling of Labyrinth and in its freshness as a fairy tale retelling.  I am looking forward to the sequel which should be released in 2018!

Rating:

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Blood Song by Anthony Ryan

11/7/2017

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Goodreads Blurb:

“The Sixth Order wields the sword of justice and smites the enemies of the Faith and the Realm.”

Vaelin Al Sorna was only a child of ten when his father left him at the iron gate of the Sixth Order. The Brothers of the Sixth Order are devoted to battle, and Vaelin will be trained and hardened to the austere, celibate, and dangerous life of a Warrior of the Faith. He has no family now save the Order.

Vaelin’s father was Battle Lord to King Janus, ruler of the unified realm. Vaelin’s rage at being deprived of his birthright and dropped at the doorstep of the Sixth Order like a foundling knows no bounds. He cherishes the memory of his mother, and what he will come to learn of her at the Order will confound him. His father, too, has motives that Vaelin will come to understand. But one truth overpowers all the rest: Vaelin Al Sorna is destined for a future he has yet to comprehend. A future that will alter not only the realm, but the world.
What a great read. In Blood Song we follow Vaelin Al Sorna as he finds himself at a very young age unwillingly enlisted in the Sixth Order - a military branch of the Faith. We journey with Al Sorna as his connection with his classmates turn into the bonds of brotherhood. From the Sixth Order he begins a journey of political and military intrigue with twists and turns the whole way. 

I really enjoyed the character development and world building in Blood Song. Anthony Ryan spends his time honing each character, presenting a rich cast of people that the reader cares about. There is gradual world building throughout the story - no info dumps here. 

I am slightly concerned by the reviews for book two and three...it looks as though Ryan shakes up his storytelling technique and branches out to maybe bite off more than the book(s) can feasibly chew? I will still move on to Tower Lord, however, based on the strength of Blood Song...hopefully knowing that Ryan changes his storytelling technique ahead of time won't throw me out of the story? Hopefully? We'll see.

Fretting about the next books in the series aside (I'm probably just borrowing trouble), I really enjoyed this. Blood Song is the type of slow-burn fantasy that really holds my attention. This is military fantasy done right.

Rating:

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The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss

11/3/2017

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Goodreads blurb:

​Based on some of literature’s horror and science fiction classics, this is the story of a remarkable group of women who come together to solve the mystery of a series of gruesome murders—and the bigger mystery of their own origins.

Mary Jekyll, alone and penniless following her parents’ death, is curious about the secrets of her father’s mysterious past. One clue in particular hints that Edward Hyde, her father’s former friend and a murderer, may be nearby, and there is a reward for information leading to his capture…a reward that would solve all of her immediate financial woes.

But her hunt leads her to Hyde’s daughter, Diana, a feral child left to be raised by nuns. With the assistance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Mary continues her search for the elusive Hyde, and soon befriends more women, all of whom have been created through terrifying experimentation: Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherine Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein.

When their investigations lead them to the discovery of a secret society of immoral and power-crazed scientists, the horrors of their past return. Now it is up to the monsters to finally triumph over the monstrous.
The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter is such a fun take on the "classic horror" genre!  I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would.  Theodora Goss does a great job hearkening back to the classics while still creating a fresh and fun new story.  I was worried that I would be unhappy with how the classics were treated...I mean, there's a reason why they are classic stories, you know?  I worried for nothing, though, because Goss did well.   There were all the elements from the classic horror stories while learning about the new characters -- the daughters of these famous "monsters".

If I had one complaint with the story, it was the character asides sprinkled liberally throughout  the book.  I listened to the audio version of this story and was not initially aware that Goss was utilizing this tool to help build her characters.  Mixed in with the story are snippets of dialogue from the characters after all the drama went down...their voices as they "proof" the written text of the story.  It was a strange literary device and, to be honest, it threw me for a bit of a loop.  I wonder if the written text has some visual way of noting that these were asides and not part of the immediate plot?  In the audiobook version there is no warning or break...the narrator veers off into these out-of-story character asides with no differentiating between them and the main story.  It was confusing at first and took a while to get used to.  I eventually did get used to this device...but it took some time and I was not a huge fan of it for about the first fifty percent of the book.

That minor irritant aside, I do appreciate the risk that Goss took in writing her story this way. I think it ultimately paid off to help create more vivid characters.  We didn't have to spend as much time in the story itself creating these characters...the off-shoot narratives helped do that.  

The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daugher is such a fun read and I would easily recommend it to anyone who enjoys the classic monster-horror genre.  

Rating: 

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The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington

10/15/2017

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Back Cover

"It has been twenty years since the end of the war. The dictatorial Augurs - once thought of almost as gods - were overthrown and wiped out during the conflict, their much-feared powers mysteriously failing them. Those who had ruled under them, men and women with a lesser ability known as the Gift, avoided the Augurs' fate only by submitting themselves to the rebellion's Four Tenets. A representation of these laws is now written into the flesh of any who use the Gift, forcing those so marked into absolute obedience.

As a student of the Gifted, Davian suffers the consequences of a war fought – and lost – before he was born. Despised by most beyond the school walls, he and those around him are all but prisoners as they attempt to learn control of the Gift. Worse, as Davian struggles with his lessons, he knows that there is further to fall if he cannot pass his final tests. 

But when Davian discovers he has the ability to wield the forbidden power of the Augurs, he sets into motion a chain of events that will change everything. To the north, an ancient enemy long thought defeated begins to stir. And to the west, a young man whose fate is intertwined with Davian’s wakes up in the forest, covered in blood and with no memory of who he is…"

Such an enjoyable read! The Shadow of What Was Lost pulled me in right at the prologue and it was a fun ride from there. If you are looking for a fantasy book that has magic, quests, mystery, and some politics then I think this may be a great option. 

In Shadow we follow a group of Gifted friends - Davian, Wirr, and Ashalia - as they embark on a series of adventures following an incident at their school. Along the way they meet up with a mysterious young man named Caeden who has no recollection of his past but has troublesome rumors of murder following him. 

There are twists and mysteries unfolding everywhere and I did not really find any portion of the nearly 700 pages to be dull or dragging. Islington has a brusque writing style that leaves out flowery detail and instead relies on character dialogue to relay the world building, magic system, and character development. I may be in the minority, but I really don't have an issue with description when it comes to world building (as long as it is not delivered in the form of an info dump) and I did find myself missing the descriptive sections at the beginning of the book. I eventually grew used to the style, though, and ultimately think that it fits this book quite nicely. The brusqueness of his writing lends the story a fast-paced feel and I was flying through the story to find out more about the characters and the world. 

If I were being overly analytical I might place this story more at a 4.25 or a 4.5, but I easily decided to round it up to a 5 simply because of the ease in which the story drew me in and intriguing world and characters. I am very much looking forward to An Echo Of Things To Come!

Rating:

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VAmpires and werewolves and fae...oh my!

9/29/2014

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Silver borne by patricia briggs

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Whelp, this Monday finds me still chugging along in the Mercy Thompson series...and still enjoying every book.  I don't know if I'd label Silver Borne one of my favorite Mercy Thompson books, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.  

I was rather excited about starting this installment, to be honest, because I have decided my favorite plot lines in the series center around the fae.  I enjoy the werewolves and vampires and whatnot...but I do think I like the fae a bit more.  That said, I was surprised to find that this book was more about the wolves and pack politics and Mercy adapting to her new role as a pack member.  Oh, don't get me wrong...there was still plenty of fae stuff...but it seemed like this was one of those books that has to happen in the middle of a long series to keep the character development going in later books.  

Still.  I enjoyed it.  I have book #6 sitting in my Kindle at the moment...hopefully the good luck with this series keeps on rollin'!

Rating:

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wait...what happened??

6/24/2014

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Unwept by Tracy & Laura hickman

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If i could sum up Unwept in two words, it would have to be: 

                                 Delightfully Confusing.

I've read plenty of books where the author(s) do not do an adequate job with character development/world building/magic system/etc and I am left with an overall question mark about what the book was even about.

I'll be honest - when I started Unwept I was worried that scenario was going to happen again.  I hated that...I have fond, fond memories of Tracy Hickman's participation in the Dragonlance series and I have read and enjoyed a few of the books he has written in concert with his wife, Laura.  So, when I started Unwept with absolutely no clue what was happening...well, it was worrisome.

But I kept reading.

And I am glad that I did!  Unwept turned out to be a fun, surreal ride.  In this novel we meet Ellis who has no recollection of her past.  She comes to consciousness, waking from a horrific nightmare, finding herself on a train bound for a small, seaside town in Maine.  Everybody she meets seems to have knowledge of her and her past...but the can't (or won't?) give her the answers she is desperately seeking.  To make matters even more disorienting, Ellis is visited in the dark of night by a mysterious suitor who keeps trying to take her away from the small Maine town.  Unsure of what is going on, Ellis embarks on a journey to discover her past...but is she ready for the answers she may find?

The reader is definitely in the same boat as Ellis.  You discover Ellis' backstory along with Ellis.  At times this can be frustrating...I would have enjoyed a little bit of insider knowledge at the start of the story.  I think it would have made the book more enjoyable?  But, really...I don't know. Maybe it really is best to be on the same page as Ellis.  *shrug* 

I think this book requires a little bit of patience to wait and discover the story along with Ellis.  And the fact that Unwept starts a series should tell you that you're in for the long haul on this one.  I devoured this story and am looking forward to seeing how the next chapter unfolds.

Rating:

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Fool me once...

5/7/2014

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Divine by Mistake by P.C. cast

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Oh...I so wanted to like this book.  Diving by Mistake is my second foray into P.C. Cast's writing...and it's the second time I've had to put a P.C. Cast book down (the first book was Goddess of Spring).  

It's not that I didn't like the story...I mean, check out the back cover blurb:

The most excitement teacher Shannon Parker expected on her summer vacation was a little shopping. But then her latest purchase--a vase with the Celtic goddess Epona on it--somehow switches her into the world of Partholon, where she's treated like a goddess. A very temperamental goddess... It seems that Shannon has stepped into another's role as the Goddess Incarnate of Epona. And while it has some very appealing moments--what woman doesn't like a little pampering now and then?--it also comes with a ritual marriage to a centaur and the threat of war against the evil Fomorians. Oh, and everyone disliking her because they think she's her double.

Somehow Shannon needs to figure out how to get back to Oklahoma without being killed, married to a horse or losing her mind...  



I mean...sounds interesting, right?  I thought so.  Definitely not your run of the mill marriage-to-a-horse (turns out to be not as creepy as it sounds) romances.  Plus, I've seen Cast's writing style compared to Anne Bishop's as well...and since Bishop is one of my favorites, I definitely wanted to check Cast out.  Well, there are similarities between the two...namely the strong female lead (but Bishop writes stronger leads), sense of humor and fondness for animals.  But Cast's book didn't catch me like Bishop's books do.

With this book and with the previous Cast book I tried to read...I just couldn't finish it.  Not that the writing was painful and not that the plot was bad.  In fact, I started this book reading at a furious pace because it was funny, clever and really interesting.  Then it went from 80 mph to a standstill in about five pages flat.  It's like the book was stuck in mud spinning its wheels.  The switch from "I care about this character" to "yeah...whatever" happened almost as instantaneously as well.  What's weird is that the same exact thing happened with Goddess of Spring as well.

I have a feeling that the story/writing/everything picks back up eventually (because there's a lot of plot out there that needs to be wrapped up)...but I just couldn't make myself wade through the mire to get there.  

So...had to put this one down.  I would say, though...if the synopsis looks interesting to you then definitely check it out because you may not find the middle part to be sloggish like I did.  Maybe I just picked up her books at the wrong time?  Even though I didn't finish this one...still giving it two stars because of how much I did enjoy that first bit.

Rating:

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chasin' tail

4/16/2014

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autumn bones by Jacqueline Carey

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Ok, so I won't lie...I'm sick and tired of hearing about Daisy's creepy tail.  Oh and in this book, we get a description of it!  It's several inches long with blond hair that stands on end much like the hair on the back of your neck when you're alarmed.  

Gross, right?

All I can think about is a rat tail with some hair on it.  Seriously...go Google a picture of a hairy rat tail.  Actually, don't...who knows what you might end up seeing.

Other than the tail ...*shudder*... this was an OK book.  I didn't love it...but I didn't hate it either.  In Autumn Bones we delve a little deeper into Daisy's forays as Hel's liaison and her attempts to keep the eldritch under control in her little town.  It doesn't help that her boyfriend Sinclair turns out to be descended from a line of obeah men/women (ie. a family of strong Caribbean withes)....a family that wants Sinclair out of the States and back on the Islands with them where they think he belongs.  Soon Daisy is on a deadline to save her town from an evil duppy (ie. the ghost/spirit of Sinclair's dead obeah-man grandfather) before the veil between the living and the dead is torn down forever.

I remember really enjoying the first one (Dark Currents) and I definitely think a knowledge of the first installment is almost a must to really enjoy Autumn Bones.  My biggest issue with the story was that it slowed w-a-y down right at the climax of the plot.  I mean, why would it do that?  The set-up chapters were really easily to read and moved fast...but when the plot really started to pick up, it just got tedious.

So tedious that I was ready for it to just be done.

Oh and there's a tail-waggin' love triangle as well.  Not really original, but...whatevs.

That said...will I read the next one when it comes out?  Yeah, I will.  I don't know if I will it will be as "on top" of my reading list like this one was...and I still waited several months to read this one.    

Rating:

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    What I've Read Lately

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