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In Mistborn, Brandon Sanderson creates a dismal, dark world, peopled mostly with oppressed, down-trodden skaa slaves and a handful of high nobility. Main character Vin has a desperately hard life, but it doesn’t take long for her to learn that she has much more power than she expected, and become involved with a crew that threatens to overthrow the government and free the skaa.
This book is the first in a trilogy, which I’m happy to discover has actually been completed, though not entirely published. It serves as a complete story in itself and also a tantalizing introduction into the world. Sanderson’s characters are easy to care about and often playful despite their generally dire circumstances. The world is a fairly dark and depressing place, but the book’s message springs free of these constraints and lightens the entire story. Vin is a great character. Her personal transformation is very well done and very believable, which is always one of my favorite aspects of any book. I adore good character development, and Sanderson is good at it.
I also really liked the way the book was plotted. The hook is very successful and even the slower bits in the beginning about Allomancy all feel educational and not drawn out at all. Sanderson notes in his annotations that it may have been a bit slow, but I didn’t feel that at all. I was interested, because some of the scenes beforehand really made me wonder how the system worked.
Speaking of the magic system, it’s very original, logical AND creative. It made a lot of sense to me once it was explained and really enlivened the battle scenes.
Great book, I’m looking forward to the next.
Ephemera is a fragmented, strange world, each landscape different, and each person with the ability to travel to the landscape where his or her heart most resonates. In this world resides Sebastian, a half-incubus who feeds on sex, but who also longs for something more. Meanwhile, at the Landscapers’ School, a girl whose heart is tempted by the dark unleashes an ancient evil. Glorianna Belladonna, a “rogue” landscaper cast out by the school, is Ephemera’s only hope.
I liked this book. No one is ever going to call Anne Bishop an amazing writer, but her books are addicting and absorbing. This classifies as “dark” fantasy, probably because of the sexual themes, but I honestly didn’t find much dark in it, and instead embraced many heartwarming scenes and really wonderful characters. It’s slightly erotic, but not as much as the Black Jewels trilogy. I did find some characters’ transformations a little too abrupt, Lynnea’s in particular. I suppose that can be attributed to her inner personality finally emerging, but I think in real life it would have taken more than a day. I really did like her character, though, even if she was on the “too good to be true” side. I can forgive a few of those since the book embraces characters with both a light and a dark side, like Belladonna and Sebastian.
I liked very much that despite being half of a duology, this book had a definite climax and conclusion. The battle is not yet won, but there is a satisfaction to the ending that means I want to read the next book, but I don’t have to do it immediately. Convenient, since Belladonna is still only out in hardcover. This is something that I really enjoy in series books because it makes each feel both like an entire book and a part of a whole.
This is a book that I would highly recommend to fantasy fans, but not really to anyone else. It does show that the “light” is better, but there aren’t many merits beyond that a non-fantasy reader would enjoy, in my opinion. It is definitely very enjoyable in general though, a book that could easily become a comfort book.
This is the third book in the Deverry series, which I believe has 11 or 12 books now. In short, not precisely a series to get involved with if you aren’t prepared for the long haul. As a big fan of Robert Jordan etc., it never bothers me when a series is long. It does bother me when the series seems to deteriorate in quality, because at that point I’m invested in the story and feel a need for completion, but don’t feel a desire to read the book.
Rhodry and Jill, my favorite characters, spend most of the book apart. Perryn drives me mad, and overall the story progresses but in a frustrating, bleak way. Nothing is going in a positive direction. There are no light moments, nothing to break the tension, something I’m getting increasingly tired of. There should be a balance to prevent a book from being too depressing, if you ask me, particularly if it’s fantasy, a genre (imo) not meant to be thoroughly depressing. Even the time interlude, a constant staple of the last two books, drifted off without any conclusion. The entire book was nothing but a relentless narrative with no cheer; everyone is always leaving everyone else, being frustrated, and going off to war.
To be honest, I’ve liked other negative books, but usually they’ll have some other quality to recommend them, such as excellent writing or compelling characters. I believed this series had potential in the first book, which I unexpectedly loved. The second was not as good, but still okay. This one was not. The writing was conventional and bland and the characters used the same absurd curses every few pages. The story has some potential, I have to say. It is interesting, but it’s mired down in bad writing and poor plotting. It is as though Katharine Kerr’s editor really went through the first book and made it excellent, and by now has simply given up and let her continue without any assistance.
At this point I’m not sure it’s worth it to continue with the series. I don’t like the cliffhanger, but I also don’t want to read 400 more pages of poor writing, plus however many volumes are left in the entire series.
I have to start off by saying that I adore this book. It is one of my all-time favorite books, and reading it again has only confirmed its status in my mind.
Phedre no Delauney (accents are included in her name, but I’m not sure how to write them here) is the only anguissette in living memory, doomed to experience pleasure and pain as one, marked by the god, Kushiel, with a dart in one of her eyes. Her world is a complex one, where everyone is playing a high-stakes political game. She is raised in the Night Court, where all Naamah’s servants – courtesans – are trained, but later learns how to use her patrons to the utmost from Anafiel Delauney, who owns her marque. There is also a great deal of adventure, war, love, and sex throughout this amazing long novel.
Phedre is a phenomenal character; a whore with a heart full of love, ready to give at any opportunity. She sacrifices, and sacrifices again. I have to say, though, that Joscelin has always stolen the show for me. The conflicts inside him and the way he develops are fascinating, and I love the end result. I could easily fall in love with almost all of Carey’s characters, but it isn’t as though they are perfect. They all have flaws, and they all feel real, which makes me love them even more. Except for Melisande, who I despise, with good reason, but at the same time, she is admirably intelligent. Read the book, and you can see what I mean.
That’s not to mention the complex, sweeping plot that encompasses the novel. It’s a bit slow in the beginning, while Phedre is learning and explaining much of her backstory, but once it picks up, it doesn’t stop, and draws the reader in. There isn’t anything I can say that isn’t spoiler-filled, and I would hate to spoil this book for anyone. It is over 900 pages long, but I wouldn’t cut out one word, especially because Carey’s prose is stunning and a sincere pleasure to read. I love the way this woman writes.
One warning, though. This book includes graphic, sexual scenes, often including violence. That said, it isn’t as though the encounters are described in excessive detail, and they are far from the center of the book, though important information is learned through them. If that puts you off at all, you should probably stay away.
This book is the first in a trilogy, and the next two are just as excellent as this one. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone who enjoys a deep, compelling, emotional read.
Temeraire and his crew finally leave China, on an unexpected mission to take three much-desired dragon eggs back to Britain. Along the way, they face starvation, feral dragons, deaths, and Napoleon Bonaparte’s legendary army.
Again, Novik seems to struggle with an escalating plot. Battles happen and at first glance the book may seem action-packed and fast-paced, but the problem is, the reader is never quite sure where the plot is going. It does not begin to build to a conclusion until Temeraire gets involved in the war once again, and I think that’s where the failing in these books lie. There is action, but the book does not compel the reader to discover what happens next – it simply plods along. We’re aware of the mission, but I at least am not driven to discover what happens next. There are few moments of humor to break the tense nature of a war narrative; the reader grows fond of Temeraire, Laurence, Granby, and so on, but the book lacks any sort of human figure that is not either strait-laced and honorable or consumed with vengeance and evil. There is one ambiguous character, but he quickly resolved into one of these two categories.
As for the dragons, I have been hoping that they would seem less like children and more like the intelligent beings they supposedly are. For all Temeraire’s intelligence, he is surprisingly naive about the world, despite Laurence’s frequent attempts to teach him. He reacts like a child in many ways, and though he is a young dragon, the more experienced dragons have never seemed any more mature, except for several of the Chinese dragons. With this in mind, I find Temeraire’s ideas for the betterment of dragon-kind almost silly. Undoubtedly they are not treated as well as they could be, but Novik does not portray them on the same level as her human characters, and how could dragons be truly independent if they are so reliant on their captains anyway? Think of Levitas, who remained loyal to Rankin until the end, despite Rankin’s poor treatment of him; he’d never have gone away from his captain even if he could. It is, apparently, against dragon nature, so how could they be as independent as Temeraire wishes? Naturally, the British society Novik portrays could do with a great deal of improvement, but I find that she tells a lot more about the dragons’ intelligence than she shows. Doesn’t happen in this book.
As with the others, I find this a cozy read; it feels comforting, what with the relationships between dragons and captains and between the humans. Virtually everyone is friendly, as long as they are on Laurence’s side. As a contrast to this, the book is depressing, as even the one “victory” our heroes can claim is marred with grief. There are barely any light moments, which makes the stolid narrative hard to bear. Perhaps this is the way war goes, but it isn’t quite the way to write an enthralling fantasy novel. It also ends on a cliffhanger with basically only negative resolution to the little plot Novik has going. I think these stories have great potential, but they could use some improving; more comic relief, more character development, steadier plot. Perhaps we’ll see that in Empire of Ivory. I’m sure it doesn’t help that I’m not fascinated by military history, but I’ve read plenty of books with battles in them, and this one just doesn’t dwell on the personalities involved to make me really feel the risks.
This book is the last in the Sevenwaters trilogy and features an entirely different sort of heroine than the first two did. Both Sorcha and Liadan were quiet, efficient, almost ethereal, healers, with extraordinary resolve and capabilities. In contrast, this book’s heroine is Fainne, a sorceress who has yet to develop such strengths, and spends much of the book confused and conflicted. In another change, this book does not revolve around romance, but around friendship and family instead. The romance is there, but very subdued and with no positive moments. It is Fainne’s love for her father and for her new family which inspires her, as well as her potential romantic partner, who is for the most part her friend.
In this book, the focus is on completing the prophecy largely introduced in Son of the Shadows. Fainne is an essential part of the story, as it is in her power to maintain or destroy the child of the prophecy, Johnny. She is watched at every moment to make sure that she does not fail in her task.
As a result, this book is depressing, with no light moments from beginning to end. Fainne is constantly struggling due to various circumstances around her, but worst of all, it’s hard to care for her. She is strong, but she does commit some horrible crimes, without receiving much blame for them. She pushes away those she loves, frustrating the reader because she never gets a break and never lets anyone in.
The entire trilogy is very well-written, but I think this is actually the weakest link. The fairy tale sense is completely gone, as is the feel of destiny; even though everything is still governed by the prophecy, it can be changed by human interaction. Perhaps this is because Fainne herself is a sorceress and thus has more control over these things. Moreover, there is even less sense of a right, true love in the romance department; Sorcha and Red felt destined to be together, and Liadan and Bran were similarly fated. Fainne’s love is less constant and much less moving, even though she denies it every step of the way. It is easy to see where it has come from, but it just didn’t touch me.
What I did like is the surprise at the end, which ensures that the book’s conclusion is not one that the reader is looking for. It was a welcome plot twist and I didn’t see it coming, which I always appreciate.
Overall, Daughter of the Forest is by far the best in Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters trilogy. This book is also a decent read, if only to finish the story, but do not expect it, or the one before it, to match the wonderful, fairy-tale feel of the first.
Son of the Shadows focuses on Liadan, the daughter of Sorcha (the heroine of Daughter of the Forest), and her life and love as she struggles to reconcile her feelings for a man who is viewed as an enemy by everyone she holds dear. It reveals more of the overarching plot of the trilogy, but doesn’t have the same magical, heart-wrenching quality as Daughter of the Forest. It seems more a love story than a fairy tale, maybe because Liadan is not destined for Bran, while Sorcha and Red were obviously meant to be together. I did like, though, that it was obvious why everyone liked Liadan. Juliet Marillier does an excellent job of showing and not telling when it comes to her characters, and even backs up her description of enchanting Niamh with her behavior. I really enjoyed the return of many of the characters from Daughter of the Forest and their continuing roles in this tale. Marillier’s writing is also excellent and extremely absorbing.
For some reason, though, I just didn’t feel as moved in this story as I did in the first, but perhaps the last, Child of the Prophecy, will return to that fairy tale, surreal quality.
Satisfying conclusion to an absorbing and enjoyable trilogy. Everything wraps up, except for one small detail which Ms. Flewelling says we can learn more about in Luck in the Shadows. Excellent, I already own that book, and I love it when authors tie all of their works together in small minor ways. Not big ones that require me to read every book they have ever read, but small ones that add recognition to otherwise fresh stories.
I didn’t really enjoy the polarization of good and evil, though.
*spoilers*
Tamir (formerly Tobin) and Ki and all those on her side become visibly blessed by the gods and don’t really struggle all that much in the quest. The evil side is a little less defined; Niryn has been obviously vile from the beginning, and if anything this book confirms his ridiculous and unsympathetic ambition. We are given a glimpse into his childhood and can see why he wants to rise in power, but not really why that makes him so evil, although I expect the wizard who took him over may have had something to do with it.
Tamir becomes comfortable with her gender here and her doubts evaporate. She is never uncertain, like she was before. At times, she doesn’t even feel like Tobin, and I think the author may have lost the link between them. It also seems that the characters swear and make obscene gestures far more often here than ever before, which may be because they are growing older, but doesn’t fit with who they were before.
This is a trilogy where the side to root for is obvious, and everything is laid out before the reader. It’s engrossing and it’s easy to care for Tamir and all of her friends, particularly Ki. The ending is satisfying, if a bit too predictable. I would definitely reread these books.
Unlike most middle books of trilogies, Hidden Warrior keeps up the pace of The Bone Doll’s Twin and ensures reader interest throughout. Even though the reader knows throughout that Tobin is going to return to his female form eventually, it’s still a surprise when he does, and tension is present throughout the entire book.
While reading, I couldn’t find any faults. Tobin’s transformation is brilliant; his doubts beforehand are well executed. His awkwardness at so many things is uncomfortably true to life. Ki, Tobin’s squire, is very lovable. I have to say that many of the characters are probably too good to be true, but it’s easy to care about them, which is more important. Many of the characters have multiple sides to them, especially the “usurpers”. It’s easy to see their motives. The sense of rightness over Tobin, that she is the next in a long line of warrior queens, is consuming, and she has the reader cheering for her by the end.
The plot is very swift, and the book ends with an unexpected idea – for me at least – that I am looking forward to seeing Tobin overcome.
Not much else to say on this book, except that I can’t wait to read the last book of the trilogy!
After a slow start in Medalon, Jennifer Fallon reached her stride in Treason Keep, and with Harshini really shows that she can write. I have some minor plot qualms, but I really enjoyed this book.
The major qualm is something that I read in other reviews before I began the book, and I found it to be true; the gods are used often as a deus ex machina. In the previous two books, R’shiel could call on them and they sometimes listened to her, but here they obeyed her without question and allowed her an easy out most of the time. While this is bad, I think it’s also understandable. The gods need R’shiel to do what they cannot, and naturally they want to convince her to continue, so helping her is the obvious choice for them. Moreover, their power is definitely shown in the previous two books, so it isn’t as though the reader is unaware that they can perform these feats. It is more a problem that R’shiel uses them when she should be using her own intelligence to get herself out of a bad situation. If she was relying on herself, the book would have been better, because the heroine would have been stronger.
That said, R’shiel has become practically omnipotent in this book, and she has grown quite a bit. She is the demon child, after all, destined to destroy a god, and we get the idea that she has finally settled into and accepted her destiny. I like that she doesn’t always have the answer, even though she thinks she does. She’s much more human that way.
My favorite character is undoubtedly still Adrina, who is surprisingly lovable and obstinate and clever. She really shows her intelligence and doesn’t rely on anything but her mind and her will, which in contrast to R’shiel is very striking.
This is the first book of the trilogy with writing that didn’t make me cringe in parts. Treason Keep was undoubtedly better than Medalon, but Harshini swept me along so that I didn’t even notice if there was any awkwardness, a sure sign that Ms. Fallon has improved.
Overall, I found the book very engaging, the characters endearing if sometimes a bit flat (Mandah in particular), and the resolution satisfying. Jennifer Fallon is not a master of fantasy yet and I wouldn’t list these books among my favorites, but I liked them. Some reviewers declare that she is very good at balancing political entanglements, but I would ask them to read George R.R. Martin or Jacqueline Carey before making such a grandiose statement. There are politics, but not nearly on the level those authors can muster up. I would call the Demon Child trilogy an entertaining read, but not one that is likely to stick in the mind for very long.
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