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 The third book of the Tiffany Aching series, part of the larger Discworld series, finds Tiffany accidentally taking place in a Morris dance. She can’t help herself; she’s simply drawn in. Unfortunately, due to her folly, she finds that the Wintersmith is in love with her because she has taken the place of the Summer Goddess. Since Tiffany is in the mortal world, unlike the Goddess, the Wintersmith can follow her every move, and she must kill him if Spring is ever to arrive for her people. As always, there are plenty of sideplots in the mix, including a witch who sees her own death and the misadventures of the arrogant Annagramma, who finds that she needs quite a bit of help to actually be a witch.
Wintersmith was another enchanting book in the Tiffany Aching series – and a perfect read for when the world is covered in snow, as Tiffany’s is too. It’s full of the same insights and little wisdoms as the first two books were, although I would argue that it’s probably the weakest. Tiffany has much to distract her from the Wintersmith and after the beginning, which throws us into the mix of things, much of the rest of the book feels a bit slow (despite its short length). I still appreciated it all, but the plot definitely felt a bit looser than the previous ones. I did especially love the ending, though.
I probably mentioned it in my last review, but one of the things I appreciate the most about these books is how incredible wonderful all of the characters are. Pratchett doesn’t cut corners on any of them; even Annagramma, the witch who doesn’t really know what she’s doing, has several layers to her personality. She could have been a stereotype so easily, but Pratchett doesn’t take the easy route – he makes her a witch who is uncertain, who covers that up with arrogance, but who truly does want to do well. And, of course, there is Tiffany, who always has that edge of reality to her, as though she could just be a twelve-year-old I’d meet on the street. Plus, it’s impossible to not love the Nac Mac Feegles; the addition of Horace the cheese makes for some hilarious moments throughout this book.
I really enjoyed Wintersmith; it had me so eager to read I Shall Wear Midnight that I didn’t actually wait more than two days, although most of me was saying I should let the series last a bit longer. I would definitely recommend it to all fans of fantasy, but as always I think the series is best begun at the beginning (of this arc anyway) with The Wee Free Men.
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 When Inda hears that his home country is about to be under attack by the Venn, he immediately abandons his piracy to his friend, the Fox, and heads home to warn everyone he knows that danger is imminent. He takes just a few friends with him, unsure of his welcome; little does he know that his close friend is king and he is about to take charge of the army in the face of the Venn’s arrival. The stakes have never been higher as Inda prepares to adapt his sea tactics to a battle on land and in the process sets about winning the hearts and minds of King Evred’s men.
I am definitely not used to reading fantasy chunksters these days. I really enjoyed this book, but there were times when I wished it was going by just a little faster. In large part, these sentiments occurred when we saw what was happening with Fox and Inda’s former ship crew; it seems I still don’t get on particularly well with books set on boats, for whatever reason. I was much more interested in what was happening on land, with the characters that I’d genuinely come to care about.
Of primary interest to me here, of course, was the tension between Inda and his lifelong fiance, Tdor, and his current lover, a Venn dag (or sorceress). Inda and Tdor have to rediscover one another, which I really enjoyed watching, and decide where their relationship is going to go in the future – whether they will adhere to tradition or choose to go their own way. I won’t tell you what happens; for the very few of you who read this blog who also enjoy epic fantasy, I don’t want to spoil it for you.
I would say that I preferred this book to the last one, because I much preferred the war-like atmosphere and tension this one had to the last one, which if I recall was spent mostly on boats and with Inda engaged in piracy. Inda’s steady growth as a person and a leader, his relationships with those around him, and the perceptiveness of the other Marlovans were all more interesting, for me at least. Quite simply, this book suited the reader I am, and has me looking forward to Treason’s Shore, which I think is the conclusion of this series.
I would recommend King’s Shield, and the rest of the series (starting with Inda) to those who enjoy epic, doorstopper-sized fantasy. It’s a great world with some intriguing characters and I’m looking forward to spending a little more time there.
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 Siri and Vivenna, princesses of Idris, have lived in wary fear of nearby kingdom Hallandren for their entire lives. Their line originally ruled in Hallandren and now mainly exist on the larger kingdom’s sufference. Vivenna has been betrothed to the God-king of Hallandren, Susebron, since birth in an attempt to stave off war. At the last second, the princesses’ father sends Siri, his younger daughter, instead, knowing that war is coming and making the difficult decision of saving his elder daughter over his younger. Siri has been raised in a relatively colorless world and is shocked – and intrigued – by vivid Hallandren, with its strong use of magic, and her life as queen, or “Vessel”, as her sole duty is to bear an heir to the throne. Her sister Vivenna goes after her, determined to save her, but finds herself wrapped up in intrigue after intrigue instead, particularly with a mysterious swordsman whose seems to stalk her every step.
Warbreaker was the first of my list of books I must get read in 2010, and as I expect with pretty much all of them, I found myself wondering why I hadn’t started it sooner. It is long, but it’s a satisfying lengthy read, with excellent world-building and magic systems. This is precisely what I’ve come to expect from Sanderson; he creates fantasy that is out of the ordinary, not just a rehash of the apprentice’s quest with elves and wizards. While breaking out of the mold, he manages to retain a certain sense of wonder in his characters, a certain ability that makes it easy for us to relate to them even though their worlds are completely foreign. It’s never hard to slip into his books; there is no adjustment period, even when the world is completely new. Enough is always still familiar.
In this novel, magic is invested in objects through Breath. Each person is born with a single Breath. They can acquire more from others and, once they have enough, can bring certain things to life with commands or simply store their Breaths in inanimate objects. Gods in Hallendren are those who are mystically revived after death with a special kind of Breath. They need one each week to survive; those who give their sole breath to a God are rewarded though their lives are guaranteed to be drab afterwards. This sort of magic is blasphemous to the Idrians.
Sanderson doesn’t shy away from the tough questions in his books – another thing I really enjoy about him. In this particular book there is a God who just isn’t certain about his Godhood. He doesn’t feel special. He doesn’t think he acts special. In fact, he’s not sure any of his fellow Gods are actually anything but fortunate schemers, except of course for Susebron, who is so godlike that no one is even allowed to speak of him. He asks difficult questions of himself throughout the narrative and, I think, winds up proving himself in ways that we could learn from in our own world.
There was something about this book, though, that didn’t quite match up to Elantris or the Mistborn trilogy for me. Strange as it is, I think that in the end it just didn’t feel epic. I can’t really put a value on it, but it’s that certain extra that makes me fall truly in love with a fantasy novel, where it really, genuinely feels that the world is at stake and the characters are truly desperate. The plot, of course, does actually ramp up quite a bit towards the end, but it just failed to give me that breathless, must-read-more feeling. It was enjoyable and I had a great time reading it, but it remains in the “like” camp rather than the “love” camp.
Regardless, Warbreaker is a well-written fantasy novel with an intriguing, well-developed world. If you enjoy fantasy, Sanderson is an author you should definitely be reading. Now that I’ve finished off this one, I can go purchase The Way of Kings – and I don’t intend for this one to sit on the shelf for a year and a half.
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 The Mabinogion, a collection of medieval stories about Arthurian legend and a few other bits and pieces, is a landmark in Welsh literature. Most Welsh literature isn’t particularly well known, as the country has been dominated by English rule for centuries; as a result, these stories take on a special significance. In honor of them, the publisher Seren has commissioned new stories that weave the legend together with contemporary life. The Dreams of Max and Ronnie is the third novel in the series and, with its poetic prose and simultaneously gritty realism, is a fitting tribute to the original stories.
The book is comprised of two novellas. We start off with Ronnie’s dream. Ronnie and two of his friends, we quickly learn, are about to set off for to fight for their country in Iraq. I say for their country, but the book is in reality a protest against the war as well as a statement against many of the things that have come to have a disproportionate amount of meaning in our lives. Ronnie and his friends visit a woman called Red Helen in search of a hit before their tour. Said hit is so powerful that it knocks Ronnie out for three days, during which he has a strange dream. That dream is the closest remnant of the original tale; it’s interspersed with reflections on the modern day situation. Griffiths protests the lack of meaning in modern day British life; chapels are turned into holiday homes, people fight in wars without knowing or caring about them, traditional community standbys are overwhelmed by consumerism and celebrity imitations.
One of the parts I noted as particularly striking about this story was a section about tattoos. Essentially, whenever someone famous gets a tattoo that others think is cool or individual or unique, everyone else feels compelled to copy them – therefore making very little cool or individual or unique. I found this quite disturbing actually; it’s hard to express and develop your own identity when much about the world is the same. I’ve never understood the cult of celebrity, but people very close to me always seem interested in the goings-on of these people who have no real relevance to their lives. This is just one of the things about modern society that Griffiths appears to be against. I wouldn’t say my own views are quite so firm.
As a result, this isn’t an easy novella to read. It not only illustrates how terrified and unwilling Ronnie and his friends are about the war, it also is a very powerful expression of one particular viewpoint. If you don’t agree with what Griffiths has to say, I’m not sure you’ll be able to get past that and enjoy the book because it’s simply so overpowering and angry.
The second novella, comprising Max’s dream, was not nearly so clear in terms of theme for me. In this one, gangster Max has a dream about a beautiful woman, and decides he needs a companion. He proceeds to send out his cronies on a search for the perfect woman while he languishes in his dreams, becoming steadily more disgusting and less likely to be appealing to said dream woman. When they do find his ideal woman, she turns out to be completely different from his expectations, which naturally leads to issues.
For me, it was difficult to tease out precisely what this story was about. It is definitely not as powerful as Ronnie’s dream, which in some ways makes it easier to read. It also means that it doesn’t work as well in the many ways that Ronnie’s dream does; I found it quite crude at times, although I was pleased with how the story ended.
I think I would recommend The Dreams of Max and Ronnie as a whole, especially to British readers. Reading The Mabinogion and then branching out into these stories would be an excellent way to compare the Britain of the past with the Britain of today. I also think they won’t work as well for someone who isn’t as aware of British culture, current events, and celebrities in general. I suspect Griffiths’ views will also dovetail with general public opinion, so it’s well worth reading the book now while it’s all fresh in our minds and we can relate to it.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free for review.
 William Wolf hasn’t had an easy life. As a changeling, he’s been an outcast from birth. His parents both abandoned him and he grew up in a strict school where he learned to be nothing but a warrior. He sees things partly through a wolf’s eyes and much about his perception is black and white. When he meets Cerise, she’s dressed as a hobo and he’s not sure what to make of her. He doesn’t expect a world-weary girl from the Mire, trying desperately to find her vanished parents before they’re killed. In the Edge, almost anything goes, and as William and Cerise find themselves a common enemy, so do they find they have a few more romantic feelings in common as well.
While I still couldn’t say I’m as in love with this series as I am with the Kate Daniels series, Bayou Moon was a satisfying, well-written and plotted paranormal romance that had quite a bit to it. It’s hard at first to get to grips with William and Cerise; they are both very strong, almost polarizing characters, and while they’re immediately attracted to each other (well, once Cerise cleans up), they’re also immediately at odds. When they realize they are after the same person, they team up, and the true attraction begins to reveal itself. I was very eager to read more about William after encountering him in the first book of this series, On the Edge. Cerise isn’t mentioned in that book, so we have a little more to learn about her character and how she interacts with those around her.
Overall this book was quite a bit darker than On the Edge. The Mire, where Cerise lives, seems to be a harsher place than the rest of the Edge. Her family has been in a feud for her entire life. Overall, we get the impression that the Mire is dirty, muddy, and deadly, which perfectly suits the grimmer nature of the storyline itself. A book about a changeling raised without love and a fierce woman that scares those around her was never going to be a cheerful one. What matters is what Cerise and William can do to salvage their lives and eradicate the world from one particular deadly presence – and if they fall in love along the way, I’m certainly not going to complain.
With a gripping, atmospheric story and a sweet romance, Bayou Moon was a very good paranormal romance. It’s not quite set apart as brilliantly as the Kate Daniels series is just yet, but I’ll happily continue reading future installments (and anything else the husband and wife writing team of Ilona Andrews comes up with!).
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 The time has come for Tiffany Aching to become a witch. She leaves behind her beloved Chalk to help another witch, Miss Level, becoming an apprentice of sorts as she attempts to learn her new craft. Tiffany is frequently frustrated by her attempts to learn magic, especially her inability to ride a broomstick without being ill and her complete failure at making a shamble. But what she can do is step in and out of her body at will, which she does from time to time. She doesn’t realize, however, that leaving her body unoccupied is dangerous, especially when there’s something just around the corner waiting to seize it.
Following up on my earlier gushing over The Wee Free Men, I’m prepared to gush again about this book. If anything, this was actually better, which, I know, I sort of didn’t think could happen either. Tiffany’s out into the wider world of witches now, which threw a few more wrenches into this tale. She meets a number of other apprentice witches her own age, so we have all the rivalry and jealousy of the early teenage years to contend with, including one nasty witch who is convinced of her own importance and is happiest bullying everyone else around. It was a heartbreaking moment when Tiffany talked about her hat, which Granny Weatherwax gave to her in the previous volume, and no one believed her. I was so hopeful that she’d prove herself in the end and show off what she really could do.
As in the last, there were plenty of moments that were both funny and wise. Pratchett’s brand of humor can almost always coax a smirk out of me if nothing else. In this book the Nac Mac Feegle get a new kelda, but that also means that they lose sight of Tiffany for a short while – typically, just long enough for her to get possessed, at which point they must race to save her, if even they can do so.
What I think I actually preferred about this book was the fact that the plot was much tighter and seemed to have more purpose. There are still sidetracks, and I wouldn’t want it any other way, but there was certainly more tension here, more sense of progression. Tiffany is indeed growing as a witch. It’s incredibly difficult to resist completely falling in love with her and the entire book – and truly there is no point in doing so. I was reminded again and again that, like in many of my favorite stories, Tiffany is an ordinary girl whom extraordinary things happen to. She deals with them as she has to, but she feels like a real person in a variety of charming, human ways that truly seal this book’s appeal for me. I would definitely recommend A Hat Full of Sky to all fantasy fans – but make sure you read The Wee Free Men first.
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 Tiffany Aching is a girl who lives on the Chalk. She’s good at making cheese, she misses and loved her Granny Aching, and she’s also a witch. When her brother – who is a sticky, whiny baby – is stolen by the queen of another world, Tiffany takes it upon herself to go and save him. Armed with only a frying pan and a group of tiny men with Scottish accents, the Nac Mac Feegle, Tiffany sets off to save her brother and to embrace her newly discovered witchy heritage.
I’ve never been the world’s biggest fan of Terry Pratchett. There, I’ve said it; I have set out no less than three times before this to read the Discworld books and never quite caught on. I started at the beginning first, which I was assured was a mistake, though I thought the first two books were okay. Then a lovely friend, intent on correcting my error, sent me Mort which I liked well enough but which didn’t inspire me to read more. A couple of years later another generous friend sent me the Susan books, which again I enjoyed but didn’t inspire me to keep reading. As ever a glutton for punishment, I decided to give Discworld one last try; this time I was inspired by Nymeth who mentioned I Shall Wear Midnight with enough enthusiasm that I chose to give this last arc a chance. I was further encouraged by a number of others’ reviews, so I bought all three paperback Tiffany Aching books in one go and sat down to read this a couple of weeks ago. And, finally, on the fourth try, I was enchanted.
It’s hard to pin down just why this particular book was different. I recognized Pratchett’s sense of humor, which is always mildly amusing but never laugh-out-loud funny, so it wasn’t like this book was a vast step outside of the others. It could simply be that I’m older, that I’ve got a better handle on British culture after living here for over two years. Or, as I’m leaning towards, it’s Tiffany herself, a wonderful female character if I’ve ever encountered one. She’s clever, gutsy, strong, wise, but still human, still a little girl, still prone to confusion. She’s annoyed by her little brother, doesn’t want to take care of him, but she loves him and recognizes his importance all the same.
So much of this book struck a chord with me and I found I couldn’t stop reading. Tiffany’s feelings about her grandmother, the amusing Wee Free Men, the little ways in which Tiffany knows she’s a witch; I loved the series of thoughts in particular on this. She has thoughts about her thoughts, and then thoughts about those thoughts, which apparently only witches can do, and which somehow Pratchett manages to make not at all confusing but rather humorous. Tiffany is a heroine I think everyone girl could embrace; I kind of want to give them this instead of books like Twilight and the vampire romances that are so popular these days. All I know is, when I finished this book, the first thing I wanted to do was read A Hat Full of Sky, which I promptly did, and the only reason I’m writing this review instead of reading Wintersmith is because I didn’t want the stories to run out. I haven’t felt this way in a long time, and I missed it.
So anyway, now that I’ve gushed away, if you like fantasy or young adult literature at all, I highly recommend you read The Wee Free Men.
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 On the eve of World War II, Max and his family moved from their city house out to the shore, where it should be safer. Unbeknownst to them, it’s anything but, as strange things start to happen as soon as they move in. Max’s sister Irina’s cat appears possessed, various members of the family start having strange dreams, and Max encounters a sculpture garden where he swears the sculptures move. What’s going on, and what does it have to do with the previous family, whose son drowned in the ocean?
I had high hopes for this book. I was pretty sure I’d seen it reviewed enthusiastically around the internet, and my online book club chose it as a spooky read for the end of October. Plus, I liked Zafon’s other books, especially The Shadow of the Wind. I knew he could do atmosphere, so I was excited to find out what he could do with a spooky one.
Unfortunately, I was really disappointed in it. I knew it was a YA book going in, so that wasn’t really the problem, but it just seemed so simplistic, so irritatingly dumbed down in many different ways. I’ve read plenty of YA and I know it doesn’t have to be like this, which is part of the reason it struck such a wrong note with me. I felt almost like this was a children’s book, not a YA book, which would probably explain my feelings.
To start, for a horror book the story began almost painfully slowly. I really just was not interested in what happened to Max or his family. As the suspense crept up on him, I did get slightly more interested in the story, but I felt ready to put it down at any point. The suspense was also often ruined by the fact that the story contained vast amounts of info dumping. Every time Max talked to someone, it seemed they had a pages-long story to tell him about the past, which of course impacted the present day hugely. I kind of wished we’d actually flipped back and forth in time, rather than having large story-telling sessions which simply lost the flow of the narrative.
Then there were the characters. I found it hard to relate to any of them, but Max was difficult in particular. His reactions didn’t seem typical of a nine-year-old boy, at least no little boy I’ve ever known. He seems much too wise for his age, and the book is very reflective in terms of his emotions and reactions to things. For example, he immediately invites his sister to hang out with his new friend, and at one point smiles to himself because he catches said friend and his sister kissing – wondering if it’s been the first time it had ever happened for them, in a peculiar adult-like way that creeped me out. I actually thought he was a teenager, and was surprised to look back at the end and see that he’s only nine. I couldn’t believe in his character and that ruined it for me.
Sure, there are hints of atmosphere in places, and I was creeped out at points. I can see where his future talent was emerging. But overall, I was disappointed with this book. I may have felt differently if I’d approached it as a kid’s book, not a YA book, but honestly, I doubt it. It didn’t feel the way the reviews led me to believe it would, and in the end I found The Prince Of Mist disappointing. I doubt I will read another of Zafon’s books aimed at children; I’ll still happily read his adult books though!
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 Nick and Alan’s life has been unsettled for as long as Nick can remember. The magicians are after their mother, so they’re constantly moving. Their mother is mad and can’t stand the sight of Nick, though she can sometimes carry on ordinary conversations with others. To make things worse this time, two kids from Nick’s school show up, one of them with a demon’s mark on him. Jamie has no idea what to do, and his sister Mae is determined to protect him. Though Nick is quite happy to throw the other kids to the wind, Alan does his best to help, imperiling his own family in the process.
I wasn’t sure about this book at the start. It opens slowly. We know the family is in danger, but the why of it is a bit shaky, and it’s difficult to relate to Nick. He’s very cold and unemotional, especially at the beginning. He very obviously loves his brother, but he seems to have no feelings for anyone else. Mae and Jamie’s arrival is met with bitter distrust and even anger; he’s quite happy to leave Jamie to die and doesn’t really care how Mae feels about that.
As the book progresses, however, secrets are revealed that really do make everything start to come clear. In large part these revelations made the book for me, as I found myself speeding through to find out the truth. Alan has been hiding secrets from Nick. I knew there had to be some answer behind the myriad dropped hints, but I didn’t manage to guess all of it, and I quite enjoyed the way it was revealed.
Though I definitely enjoyed the book, and understood why it was so, I found that Nick’s coldness put me off really loving it. He’s meant to be exactly as he is, but I think I’m one of those readers that needs to at least relate to the protagonist of a book to love it. I can like it just fine, but I couldn’t bond with Nick. He’s not the main character in the next book of the series, however, so I think I may get on with that one better and might fall in love with it as I thought I should have fallen in love with this one.
If you’ve been enjoying a lot of paranormal YA, you can’t go wrong with The Demon’s Lexicon. The main character is a bit cold, but the story is entrancing. I loved that this focused on a relationship between two brothers, rather than a romantic one like so much YA in this genre does; it’s nice to have a change sometimes. I’m looking forward to the next volume in the series!
I am an Amazon Associate. I purchased this book.
 This review contains spoilers for the first book in the series, Of Saints and Shadows (my review).
Vampires have been recognized world-wide as allies of humans thanks to video footage of the fight against Liam Mulkerrin and demons airing on the television. Their instinctive distrust, however, is not easily set aside, and many humans still not only fear them but desire to place the blame for the world’s ills squarely at the feet of the vampires. Meaghan Gallagher and her partner, Alexandra Nueva, are the two biggest advocates for vampire and human friendliness, but they’re fighting a losing battle as not even all vampires want to cooperate. One such is Hannibal, who still wants to hunt. When Mulkerrin returns and Hannibal attacks, the vampires find themselves fighting a war on all fronts and struggling to maintain their ideology in the face of fierce opposition.
As with the first book in this series, I enjoyed this book – I actually think I enjoyed it even more. The politics of it, particularly in the beginning, were quite interesting, and as I already knew all the main characters, I found it much easier to get into it at the very start. I also knew what to expect in terms of violence, which I found made it a lot easier to take. I knew it was going to get bloody, and probably fast, so when it did, I had no problem with it.
In this part of the series, Meaghan Gallagher really takes the lead. I do cringe a bit every time I see her name – it looks almost like my name, enough to throw me off, but obviously not too many other people out there are going to have this problem! She was one of the main characters in the last book, but here she’s settled into her role as vampire and taken charge as the one who negotiates with the government and appears as the public face of the vampires. With her is her partner and lover, Alexandra, who mainly provides her with support and love. There are a few more couples in this book as well, so again it maintains the same level of graphic descriptions at times, though there was more fighting and less romance in this book.
What I really liked about this book was that it introduced some different and interesting characters. Golden uses a bunch of characters from history in different ways. Sometimes I don’t really like this, but for some reason here it worked. We have Buffalo Bill, we have Charlemagne, and we have another character I won’t name because I don’t want to spoil it. Charlemagne doesn’t pop up until a bit later in the book either, but it was pretty obvious who it was, so I won’t consider that a spoiler. They’re vampires, which means they’ve had an opportunity to change with the times and I can excuse their irregularities to some extent. The new characters added something, I thought.
Overall this was another good, action-packed installment of the series. It’s definitely perfect for those who enjoy fantasy and don’t mind a large number of battles – this series seems like the fantastical equivalent of Bernard Cornwell’s books, with stronger women. So, if you enjoy that sort of book, you shouldn’t miss Angel Souls and Devil Hearts.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free from the publisher for review.
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