The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang

3.5 Stars

The Poppy War - Book One

Well.  This book was touted as one of the best of 2018 and it is nominated for a 2018 Nebula award for best novel.  I didn't like it as much as the majority of people seem to have.  I have read 5 of the 6 nominees and this was my least favourite of them. (Spinning Silver is the one I've not read.)

First off, let me say that the book is well-written read for all that.

My problem lies with expecting to see something new and different, but all I really saw were the same fantasy tropes that have been around forever.  The orphan child with the mysterious background.  The Chosen One.  Hidden magical powers. Gods run amok.  I think the only thing that was was even remotely new was that the book is set in an alternate historical China, or that's what I felt it was.  I was disappointed, and even though, like I said, the writing was good, I found that disappointment colouring my read.

My other problem was with the protagonist, Rin, the orphaned peasant girl with the dark skin. This is her story, but I felt that things were just happening to her.  I don't know that I felt her grow from her somewhat naive 16 years of age at the beginning of the book to her beaten, tortured, suffering (according to her words near the end of the book), 19 year old self.  I was told that she did, but I never FELT it.  At one point, she's yelling at one of her close friends, crying out that she's suffered fro so long, been beaten and tortured and betrayed and near killed etc... so she deserved getting her revenge, and I thought... but were you really?  I was told she did, but....  I dunno, she never really came alive for me. 

And you know, this book is rather grim-darkish.  It's not promoted as such, but I think it really is. In the last third of the book, things get very violent and dark and at times just downright horrific.

So, anyway, I really didn't get what all the big excitement was about.  Will I read the second book that's due out this summer?  Probably, but I'm not in any rush. 

Age of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

3.5 Stars

Legends of the First Empire - Book Two

Let me begin by saying that I had no idea we were so far back in the history of this world when I read the first book.  Thinking it was just me, I asked my son who just read book one at Christmas what he thought the 'age' of the world was and turns out it's not just me.  *LOL*

Anyway, after the first quarter of the book being rather slow and um... explanatory?... the tale picked up and I adventured along with the familiar characters I had grown to enjoy from the first book.  And while there were adventures to be had and new locations to be explored, I felt as if this book was very much a setting of the stage for the next book.  Yes, the over-arcing plot lines advance and we get an answer or two or three to some things, but you can just feel that there's a lot more of this story to tell.

I very much enjoy the overall tone and flow of Sullivan's books and he creates characters that I fall in love with, so even though the plot and action of this book might have been a little slow, I still enjoyed it muchly and am looking forward to reading the next book!

Oh, and I have to shout out the cover artist, Marc Simonetti.  The whole series is terrific!

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

4 Stars

Book of the Ancestor - Book 1

Christmas book #5, a new trilogy and a success!  I had read the Broken Empire Trilogy by Mark Lawrence a couple of years ago and disliked it intensely.  I found it very, very dark with no hope offered anywhere and a plethora of unlikable characters, so having Red Sister on my list was a chance I took only after seeing more than a few reviews stating it was not as dark as the others and after a few trusted authors recommended it.

So...

The book is the story of little Nona Grey and her arrival at the Convent of Sweet Mercy at the tender age of nine and continues for the next couple of years.  Yep, when the book finishes, she's barely eleven.  And while normally I would avoid a nearly 500 page book about a kid, I fell into the story so easily and so quickly it would make your head spin.  *LOL*  Nona is fascinating.  She reminds of the character of Laura in the movie Logan. In fact, I kept imagining the actress who played Laura in my head as I read about Nona.  Might have a bit to do with the claws. 

Nona goes through her training, makes friends and enemies and comes to a lot of realisations throughout the book, and her journey kept me turning the pages quite eagerly.  Quite the contrary of the the story of Jorg in that other trilogy.  Yeah, there is plenty of dark in Red Sister, but it never feels hopeless.  And the characters, all of whom have flaws, believable flaws, worked like a charm.  Lawrence even kills off one or two that I was very fond of, but that worked too.  Couldn't hate him for it. 

And the world-building!  Fascinating! 

So, yes, I was really glad I decided to give it a try and am anxious to get to the next book, Grey Sister. Oh, and the cover illustration is quite glorious. :) 

A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne

4 Stars

The Seven Kennings - Book One

The second read of my Christmas presents, this was a brick, but a fascinating one indeed. I'd read Kevin Hearne before, the first of his Iron Druid books, and quite enjoyed it. (I intend to continue on in that series when the budget allows it.)  This book is the first of an entirely new trilogy, set in a new world.  And I was fascinated.

The world-building is terrific.  Magic or kenning that actually takes a toll on the human body even to the point of death.  The majority of the peoples are shades of brown with the pale-skinned folk being the minority of civilizations and I think there's only one king among the bunch.  Hearne does a masterful job of getting across the atmosphere and the feel of the different 'countries' and while they mostly have a familiar feel, I never felt they were copies of other creations.

It's the characters that really sold the book for me.  The story is told almost in serial form by a bard by the name of Fintan, who takes on the appearances of different folk within the story as he tells the story, a little bit every day.  Usually two characters, maybe three.  In between these story-tellings, we get the POV of Dervan, the scribe who has been tasked with recording all the stories Fintan tells, as well as keeping an eye on him for his friend, the leader of the Brynt people.

We meet two handfuls of characters who tell the story of the initial invasions of the giants and through their telling of the story we're given the base of the bigger story to come, I'm guessing.  Lots and lots of set-up happening, but because the characters were so engaging - even the baddies - it was a pleasure to read. 

So, I really, really enjoyed it and am looking forward to Book 2 - especially the further adventures of Abhi and his bloodcat, Murr and his stalk hawk, Eep. 

Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher

3.5 Stars

The Clocktaur War - Book 1

This was a good, fun, intriguing read, despite how long it took me to finish it.  I was suffering from a bad cold and could not concentrate for long periods of time.

That being said, I totally enjoyed the 3 main characters and their 'misfittedness'.  There is a lot of snark back and forth which made me chuckle.  And while one of the main characters is indeed a paladin, he's not insufferably upright.  Well, not really.  Just enough to make it fun.

The one glaring downfall to this book - for me - is that it ends rather abruptly.  Not exactly a cliffhanger, but honestly?... not many questions have been answered.  The book felt more like Part One of a two or three part novel.  Even in the author's notes, reference was made to the fact that it was originally 130K + in draft form so it was split into two.  Honestly?  I'd have preferred the whole thing.  So I docked a half a point for that, because things like that matter to me and my reading enjoyment.

Anyway, it's a fun, sometimes dark, swords and sorcery adventure with great dialogue and memorable characters and I WILL be picking up the second book.  :)

Tyrant's Throne by Sebastien de Castell

4.5 Stars

The Greatcoats - Book 4

I finished this a few days ago and promptly got sidetracked and forgot to write up my thoughts!  And it's not because it wasn't good,  because it was GREAT!

In this, the fourth book of the Greatcoats quartet, the tale of Falcio, Kest, Brasti et al comes to its finale and my goodness it's not what you'd expect.  :)   And just when you thought you knew everything about the land of Tristia it turns out that you knew next to nothing!  *LOL*  I felt like Jon Snow there for a bit.  :)  But what we discover... mama mia, it opens the door to all kinds of musings and ponderings!

I found this book a little more serious, a little deeper than the previous three and I wonder if that's down to us being inside Falcio's head as everything gets turned upside down and sideways.  Probably. But despite that, there was still the humour, still the swashbuckling, still the larger than life characters that I've grown to love over the past books.

So I loved the way that Sebastien wrapped things up.  The adventure, the politics, the ethical conundrums, the brotherhood, it was all there.  And the ending was perfect even if just a wee bit open-ended.  THAT made me happy, the hope of seeing our faves again.

I still love Brasti beyond all belief, I really think he's my favourite character.  Brasti, Monster and the latest addition, Chalmers - my God, I fell in love with Chalmers!

Anyway, incoherent as this is, I loved this book, I loved this whole quartet of books and I thank Sebastien de Castell for writing them!

A Turn of Light by Julie Czerneda

4 Stars 

Night's Edge - Book 1

The third of my Christmas books and I'm 3 for 3!  (I have one Christmas book left to read.) 

So, Julie Czerneda is a Canadian author, mostly of science fiction.  She's a favourite of my good friend, Ginette, and when I had read something about Julie and this book somewhere (I follow a lot of blogs) I mentioned to G that I thought I'd like to give her a try.  G said that she thought I'd like it.  She did.  So it went on my Christmas list and my son put it under the tree for me.

Now this book is a brick.  I mean, an 800-page brick!  And I have the mass market paperback edition so let me tell you that when one is used to reading on an ereader, it's a pretty daunting thing!  *LOL*  It took me a while (for me) to read.  2 1/2 weeks.  But not because I wasn't enjoying it, 'cause I was, but looking for a light and a comfy way to hold the book for an extended period of time and the smallish font is a bit of a chore!  *LOL*

Anyway... to the book.

This is not a book for someone who wants a quick, action-packed thrill ride.  This is a book to immerse yourself in.  A book to discover slowly, like that cliché of peeling back the layers of an onion.  A book to sink into until you become as at home in Marrowdell as Jenn and her family and her friends. 

There's something special about Marrowdell and as you go along in the book, you slowly begin to discover its delights and secrets bit by bit.  It could be frustrating if you weren't into that, but I found myself almost wallowing in the atmosphere.  Julie makes Marrowdell come alive. 

And the characters.  Oh, I loved most of them.  Absurdly, the character I could never really warm up to was the main character of Jenn.  She was just a little too young, a little too naive and impulsive, a little too... flighty at times?... for old lady me.  I didn't dislike her at all.  I just never warmed up to her.  The surrounding characters... honestly?  I think I liked them all!  I have a special soft spot for Horst.  And Kydd.  And Tir.  Then there's Scourge... the, um, big warhorse. *LOL*  And like my friend, Ginette, the TOADS!!! 

And you know... there's nary a prince, a duke, a queen or an emperor.  This is a story about normal (well....) country folk, farmers, millers, tinkers and an one-time soldier or two.   You know... it feels just like a Canadian book in some ways.  *LOL*

Oh, I enjoyed this!  And I'll read the second one as well as dip into Julie's science fiction tales. 

Where Loyalties Lie by Rob J. Hayes

3.5 Stars

Best Laid Plans - Book One

I'm of two minds about this book.  There were parts I really loved, but there were also parts that I really disliked.  Most of it was an enjoyable read if you're able to get your head around characters that really aren't one bit heroic - even the likable ones are rather horrible at times. 

Where Loyalties Lie is a very apt title for this first book in the series.  We meet a bunch of pirates, mostly captains, some more wicked than others.  Most of the book, in fact, sets up whole over-arcing plot, I assume, since the pirates we meet don't do much of substance other than cross into each others' orbits and on some occasions work together and others... not so much. I know this is in the same universe as some of Rob's earlier books, but I don't think one needs to read them first. 

So I'm reading a book about pirates, there's going to be lots of violence and blood and gore - I'm aware of this. Maybe it's the atmosphere of the week with all the Weinstein stuff, but I find I have little patience or tolerance for the violence against women in this book.  There's not a lot on the page, but there is some, including one awful scene were the Big Bad Pirate Captain feels he must teach his daughter a lesson.  I think I understand why the author chose to include this, but I question the need of it really. 

Another problem I had was a couple of times, the author made a point of showing (as opposed to not telling) something - how awful a character is for instance - and then a little later on in the book having a need to tell (as opposed to show) us again.  In case we missed it probably.  *eyeroll* 

In the end, as I said, there were parts I loved, parts I hated and many readable parts in between.  :)  Will I continue in the series?  Most probably.  I like Hayes' way of writing.

No Quarter by Tanya Huff

3.5 Stars

Quarters Book Three

I really enjoy reading Tanya Huff's Quarters books.  They're great fantasy fun, filled with engaging and diverse characters who go on adventures and end up saving countries and kingdoms.  :)  There are bards and assassins and nobles and the common man, someone for everyone.  And there is romance woven into the adventures and scheming. 

No Quarter is filled with all of those things.  It's really very much of a continuation of book 2, Fifth Quarter, as opposed to just taking place in the same universe with the focus on different characters.  We find out what happened to the twin assassins, Vree and Bannon, Karlene the bard, and Gyhard, the man who is looking for a body of his own.  It's also the story of Magda and Garrett, children of the main characters of book 1, Sing the Four Quarters.  We even spend some time with Prince Otavas (I may have that spelling wrong), another of the characters from #2.  Their paths intertwine to give us a wonderful solution to the simple problem of a man without a body. 

As I said to an author buddy of mine as I was reading, even though I enjoyed my read, I found myself wishing that maybe I had read these books when I was a teenager.  I'm pretty sure all the sexual identity diversity and openness would have left a positive mark on an impressionable me.  As it is now, at 60 years old, well, I sit and nod and think that these kids have the right idea.  *LOL* 

I'm looking forward to reading the 4th book, The Quartered Sea, at some point and seeing which of my friends from the first three books come along for the ride.  :)

Breath of Stone by Blair MacGregor

4.5 Stars

Desert Rising Book 2

This little series - 2 books so far - is one of my favourite fantasy reads EVER.  (Blair's other full-length novel, Sword and Chant, which I think is set in the same universe at a far different time is really good too!)  It's smart, non-formulaic, adult, thoughtful, fun, action-packed and dilemma-filled.  But not the kinds of dilemmas that are huge and bombastically dramatic, but more personal, character-driven and complicated in their effects.  It's darkish, but never grim.  Serious, real shit is happening, but there's always a wee bit of hope.  :)

Blair writes beautifully.  Her prose is simple, yet filled with impact.  You FEEL the desert and the heat and the cold.  And her characters!  OMG, they are so rich and well-rounded, filled with wonderful qualities and all too human flaws.  Even the bad guys of the tale have multiple dimensions.

Speaking of the characters, all my old favourites are back and we are introduced to some new ones along the way.  Also, we see changes in some characters who are coming into their own.  One of them, Layla, who I despaired of in the first book, has grown and has some substance now.  I love authors that can do that, make me enjoy a character I once disliked or had no time for.  :)  

When I think of this book and its predecessor, I tend to put them in the same corner of my mind with Guy Gavriel Kay.  Wonderfully written, diverse characters drawn with skill and depth, a way of writing setting and location that puts you RIGHT THERE and just... well, just everything that's good.  (And the covers are gorgeous!)

This is one of those books that makes me wish I could write reviews that are pithy and fabulous, but sadly, that's not my forté.  I wanted to gobble the book up as quickly as I could, but I also wanted to take a long time and savour ever little bit of the journey - I think I ended up somewhere in between.  I cannot recommend this book, this series, highly enough!  I think they're little known in fantasy reader circles and that's a shame.  Blair is one of my very favourite fantasy authors, along with GGK, GRRM and Katherine Kurtz so go READ THEM!!!  :)

Camber of Culdi by Katherine Kurtz

4.5 Stars

Book One of The Legends of Camber of Culdi

Every once in a while I get the urge to revisit old favourites and Katherine Kurtz's Deryni novels are definitely faves of mine.  I think the Camber books and the Heirs of Camber books are some of Katherine's strongest work.

Yeah, there's stuff in here that might be problematic these days - I mean, it was originally published in 1976 - but I can deal with that.  I'm happy to say that although I notice the problems over 40 years later (with a few rereads between), they don't impinge on my enjoyment of the book.

Magic, intrigue, memorable characters, tension, humour, tragedy, it's all here.  I still cry at certain passages and chuckle out loud at others.  (More crying than chuckling in this one.)

Yeah, still faves, even 40+ years later.  :)

Crescendo by Rachel Haimowitz

4 Stars

Song of the Fallen - Book 2

I've had this in my TBR pile forever it seems and I wonder why? I loved the first book - Counterpoint - a lot, but for some reason I never got around to reading this one. I shouldn't have waited so long. Why? First off, because I enjoyed it, but secondly, because it follows right on the heels of the first novel (they could really be two halves of a whole epic brick of a fantasy novel) and I had forgotten many of the little bits and bobs of the plot that would have been nice to remember reading this one.

As I said, I enjoyed this one a lot. An epic fantasy, elves, dark creatures, big battles, intimate fights, slaves and magic songs, at the heart of it is the love story between Freyrik and Ayden, man and elf. I liked that the love story, while being very very important, didn't overshadow the plot of the book, but was like one half of the whole.

I did get the feeling, however, that near the end, the author just wanted to be finished with the story. It felt a little rushed. I would have liked more of Rik with the elves and how that bridge got built. I'd have liked to see it instead of just being told about it. I would also like to have seen more of some of the secondary characters, especially the some of the elves that we only really get to meet near the end of the book. And I would also have like more depth to the solving of the problem of the 'dark elves'.

But, I did like it a lot. :)

Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan

4.5 Stars

The Legends of the First Empire - Book 1

I was so excited to hear about this book - the first in a new series by one of my fave fantasy authors - and thank all the little gods, I LOVED IT!

Age of Myth tells tales from long, long ago in the world that we've come to know over the Riyria books and they aren't quite as they've been handed down over the millenia!  *LOL*

On some levels, it's your typical big fantasy book, there are elves and dwarves and humans and demons and magic and mystics, but that's just a framework.  The world-building is great - very consistent with what I have come to expect from the Riryia books, which is a good thing.  The plot works for me - others might find it similar to other things they've read before and maybe it is.  Hell, I've been reading epic fantasy for over 40 years, so yeah, many parts are familiar, but... BUT I love the author's voice and the way he creates his characters - I LOVE the characters!  They have flaws, they're not all gorgeous and capable, they have secrets and some of them have plans... BIG plans.  And as for that plot, well, I can honestly say that almost all the important twists I didn't see coming until I was expected to see them coming.

One thing that I love about Sullivan's writing is his sense of humour.  I love it!  I actually chuckle out loud while I'm reading at times.  And it's not that the book is supposed to be funny, okay, it's not Robert Asprin here.  People are funny and Sullivan knows this, so his characters are funny at times. Malcolm and Raithe especially.  Apropos of the humour, seldom am I moved to highlight passages from books, but I did this one:

"It was what the tree said to do.  And if you can't trust an ancient talking tree, what was the point of having one?" 

I loved that!!

In the end, I loved my read and I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out this summer!  (BTW, Sullivan writes his whole series before he publishes the first book, so there are no worries about not getting the end of the tale!)

Sand of Bone by Blair MacGregor

5 Stars

Desert Rising - Book 1

I loved this book.  I was surprised by just how much I loved it.  It was truly a delicious read.  :)

I think the reason I enjoyed it so much was in good part because the characters were so beautifully drawn.  The good and the bad.  The main character would by Syrina, a young woman, descended from the gods, one of the ruling family of the desert who has been exiled to the remote and near barren Salt Hold for basically refusing to fall in line with her family's wishes for her.  At first I found her kind of vapid and shallow, her refusal to toe the family line having mostly to do with her own discomfort.  But the author shows us how Syrina grows, the choices she has and the ones she makes - not all of them wise or good, to be honest.  She was real, so I didn't roll my eyes at her.

Her antagonist is her brother Raskah - a nasty piece of work.  Cruel and violent, he's truly an awful young man.  Like a good villain should be.  :)  I was expecting his story to go one way, but Blair MacG took him another way, which both disappointed and delighted me?  *LOL*  I know... I guess I just wanted to be clever.  :)

The secondary characters, Pyrius, Shella, Riner, Ehren et al... were wonderfully drawn and full people, not types, if you know what I mean.  I have my favourites and while some of them survived, other didn't.  And that's a good thing!  The author does not play around and I've come to respect that.  Kill my faves!  Go ahead, but man... make it mean something in the story.  And it does.

This is one of those books that makes me wish I could write a really good and inspiring review filled with thoughtful insights and comments, but sadly, I don't have that talent.

The thing to take away is... I LOVED THIS BOOK!  :)

Twelve Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley P. Beaulieu

4.5 Stars

The Song of Shattered Sands - Book 1

I became enamoured of epic fantasy back in the 70s when the big thing to read was Lord of the Rings.  Elves and fairies and orcs and wizards and the like were de rigeur and I was totally along for the ride.  Still am, truth be told.  Today, however, things are finally changing and we're seeing more and more diverse worlds being built and mythologies and cultures being created.  It's wonderful!

Twelve Kings in Sharakhai gives us a desert world filled with nomads and tribes and kings and pit fighters and street urchins and zombies and blade-wielding elite woman warriors. It's refreshingly different from much epic fantasy that I've read.  There are hints of such a world in the Song of Ice and Fire books by George R.R. Martin and I think I might even see some inspiration from my favourite Guy Gavriel Kay, but make no mistake, Bradley P. Beaulieu has created something quite special and immersive, I think.

If I say that this is the story of a young girl coming into her own, starting her life journey, it sounds like the ubiquitous YA novel, but I think that'd be doing it a disservice.  I dislike YA and New Adult novels, they leave me - for the most part - searching for more substance.  But man, oh man, this book has some hefty substance!  It's a long read, but it's fascinating.  The characters are great, they have dimension and weight and substance and they all have flaws.  And while the long game of the plot seems to be something read before - the overthrowing of the current powerful folk - something tells me that it's not going to be so straightforward and the journey to the end game is going to be gripping.

Now, there are a lot of flashbacks in this book and that might give some pause, but while I am generally not a fan, I didn't mind them at all.  Alot of the plot has to do with the MC, Çeda's memories and the way the flashbacks play out, it's like we're remembering things along with her - things that didn't seem important but really are and the like.  I don't know how it's going to play out in subsequent books, but in this one, it works for me.

So yeah,  a highly-recommended read for lovers of epic fantasy and I'm definitely looking forward to the second book which I hope to get my hands on soon.  :)  (This book, is actually on sale at Kobo for $2.99 as I write this.)

Oh... and that cover!  It's GORGEOUS!!

Black Wolves by Kate Elliott

5 STARS

The Black Wolves Trilogy - Book 1

I.  LOVED.  THIS.  BOOK.

Black Wolves has been on many 'best of' lists since it's publication back in November of 2015 and I'm here to say it's totally earned.  :)  This is epic fantasy done right.  780 pages of it and none of it was tedious.  (That can happen a lot even in the best of epic fantasies.)

The setting of Black Wolves is an Asian-flavoured world as we're seeing more and more of lately - and that's okay because it's fresh and often surprising in unexpected ways.  Yes, it's reminiscent of Ken Liu's The Grace of Kings but I think a large part of that is that I've read few fantasies in this setting.  Kate Elliott's world-building is amazing!  She brings this world to life with deft artistry - really! - we learn through the actions, thoughts, speech and memories of the characters and it never feels burdensome and as a reader I was never tempted to skim.  

The characters were delightful and even the bad ones had depth and motivation and shadows and even lightness at times.  I LOVED that two of the main antagonists were a woman in her fiftes - late fifties, I would say, and a man of over seventy!  And they're both wonderfully vibrant and wise and rigid and biased... and their bones ache.  :)

The young characters were just as marvelous in their own ways.  We grow with them and feel their triumphs and their pains and their uncertainties and their sometimes blind beliefs.  They all rang true to me.  And there is still so much more to learn about them and more for them to grow (or not in some cases, I guess.).

I am in awe of the plot.  How the author managed all those twists and turns and didn't really give anything away until the story wanted it given away was masterful.  I was surprised time after time.  I had suspicions, sure, everyone will I think, but the few times my suspicions were confirmed there was always a little thing, a little twist that I had never even thought of!  Amazing plotting.  Amazing.

This is a terrific beginning to a new fantasy epic and I can't WAIT until the next book in the trilogy comes out!

If you loved A Song of Ice and Fire and The Dandelion Dynasty, you must read this book!  You won't be sorry.

Percepliquis by Michael J. Sullivan

5 STARS

Riyria Revelations - Book 6

This was a most satisfying end to a really good series. Some things I had suspected came to be true and others that I suspected did not, which is the way I like things. :)

Thinking back, it seems a long, winding journey from the first book to this one, but I loved the characters so much that it really didn't bother me one bit. I do like well-written epics with great characters.

And we really did come full circle more than many epics do. - I have to wonder if that's because Sullivan waited until all the books were written before publishing it? That might make it easier to tie up all the loose ends.

Royce remains my favorite character of all and boy, oh boy, does he run the gamut of emotions in this book and indeed, throughout the whole series. And Myron.. my goodness, he comes into his own in this book. In my mind's eye, he's Dr. Reid from Criminal Minds. *LOL*

I'm in one of those places where I couldn't give a good review of this book and the whole series if you paid me! *LOL* I can just say that I really, really enjoyed it. The ending was most satisfying and there is definitely a part of me that's sad to see it end. :)

The first book of the series was also the book that rekindled my Big Love for the fantasy genre which had been quiet for a few years.

Wintertide by Michael J. Sullivan

4 STARS

Riyria Revelations - Book 5

More questions, more answers. :) But never as many of the latter as there are of the former. In this, the 5th (or 1st half of the 3rd) of the Riyria Revelations, you can almost feel that things are working towards a climactic resolution.

We spend a lot of our time with Modina, the young empress and Hadrian, the warrior half of our core duo of Hadrian and Royce. Their characters grow and expand and even as we learn about some of the others... Nimbus, Arista, Royce, Amelia, Breckton etc... and how they all fit into this epic journey.

I enjoyed it so much that I dove right into the next book in the series right away, something I never do.

The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu

4 STARS

The Dandelion Dynasty - Book 2

I took a long while to read this one because, not only was it a big read, it was so delicious that I had to savour it, like a beautifully aged single malt.

I found the first half of the book somewhat slow, but the writing is so gorgeous that it really didn't matter. We have moved on to the next generation of characters from those that starred in the first book, Grace of Kings.

Ideas are put forward about culture and war and power and equality that make a person stop and ponder things for a while. It's never as simple as right and wrong, or black and white. The characters are multi-dimensional and all have flaws as well as good qualities and while there were times when I knew exactly what they'd do, there were other times when I was surprised by the paths they took.

And I have to say, I love how small things that happen in the beginning of the book, come back around and end up being something really, really important.

Ken Liu is a wonderful talent and he writes EXCELLENT books! I highly recommend this series if you're looking for something to sink your teeth into, something that tastes fresh and new and different. :) I can't wait for the third book!!

The Emerald Storm by Michael J. Sullivan

4.5 STARS

Riyria Revelations - Book 4

I loved this installment of the Riyria Revelations - book 4 if you're keeping count.

My favourite fantasy brothers-in-arms, Royce and Hadrian are back, this time, their travels taking them to sea on the ship, The Emerald Storm. We meet some new characters, Wyatt, Poe, Wesley who bring some surprises to the tale. :)

We also get to follow Arista as she takes on more of her mantle as a magic-wielder. And Modina and Amelia, empress and 'secretary', are back too.

While this book mainly centered on the high-seas adventure and some growth happening back at the empress' residence and the plots therein - it also felt like a big set-up for the next two books in the series (which I went and purchased as soon as I finished this one to make sure I had them in the ereader for when I wanted them. *LOL*). Oddly, this didn't bother me as much as it might have, I suppose because both plot lines were exciting and engrossing enough on their own.

This is classic epic fantasy done well and I'm enjoying the series immensely!