tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34713445240080899482024-03-05T22:31:30.590-05:00Escapist, RNCombining novels and nursing. What could possibly go wrong?Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-12598409534505308402012-11-30T15:03:00.000-05:002012-11-30T15:05:59.202-05:00Flame of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpfZFdoS6Z5537Kyz_OsvzqcpiT4AA3nEKufuUqJqcfcohopFWO0f4-K9w3oD9WwSuRoS1yP7lIt98kdlQOHJ30wk7N8o365WvRnmhCucPSs5ccZ1V5HDO03fxg6mmKEXa5Nd45u-5oI/s1600/flame+of+sevenwaters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpfZFdoS6Z5537Kyz_OsvzqcpiT4AA3nEKufuUqJqcfcohopFWO0f4-K9w3oD9WwSuRoS1yP7lIt98kdlQOHJ30wk7N8o365WvRnmhCucPSs5ccZ1V5HDO03fxg6mmKEXa5Nd45u-5oI/s400/flame+of+sevenwaters.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
<i><span id="freeText6909856262044012555">Maeve, daughter of Lord
Sean of Sevenwaters, was badly burned as a child and carries the legacy
of that fire in her crippled hands. After ten years she’s returning home
as a courageous, forthright woman with a special gift for taming
difficult animals. But while her body’s scars have healed, her spirit
remains fragile, as she fears the shadows of her past.<br /><br />Sevenwaters
is in turmoil. The fey prince Mac Dara has become desperate to see his
only son, who is married to Maeve’s sister, return to the Otherworld. To
force Lord Sean’s hand, Mac Dara has caused a party of innocent
travelers on the Sevenwaters border to vanish.<br /><br />When Maeve finds
one of the missing travelers murdered in the woods, she and her brother
Finbar embark on a journey that may bring about the end of Mac Dara’s
reign — or lead to a hideous death. But if she is successful, Maeve may
open a door to a future she has not dared to believe possible...</span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText6909856262044012555"></span><span id="freeText6909856262044012555">Flame of Sevenwaters is the 6th (!) book in the Sevenwaters series. I must say the magic has somewhat worn off in the last few books. Not that they're not charming, enjoyable reads, but they're not mind-blowing, gut-wrenching love stories anymore like the first one was. There's been a clear formula for at least the last 2 or so books now. Girl has given up on men. Mystical hilarity ensues. Girl finds shmexy leading man after all<i>.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText6909856262044012555">I think what really got me was the abruptness of Maeve's love interest. Out of the blue...and they just KNOW and then they're engaged. And that's not really how love works...and those aren't the love stories I like to read.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText6909856262044012555">All in all, as I said, this book was charming, but fluffy and read like YA. It was a quick, enjoyable, light read. While I probably won't read this one up again, I will pick up the next Sevenwaters book (if there is one).</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Bottom Line </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<b> To sum it up: </b>The Sevenwaters legacy continues.<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<b>Overall Rating</b>: 3 / 5</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<b>Buy or Try? </b>Try</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<b>More? </b>Standalone but 6 / 6 in series</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">
<br />
<b><i>Content </i></b></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">
<b>Plot</b>: 3 / 5</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">
<b>Setting</b>: 4 / 5</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">
<b>Characters</b>: 2 / 5 (somewhat flat and cookie cutter compared to Marillier's other works)</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">
<i><b>Style</b></i><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Fast<br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Prose</div>
<b>Fantasy factor</b>: Magical Realism<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flame-Sevenwaters-Juliet-Marillier/dp/045146480X" target="_blank">Amazon.com link</a><span id="freeText6909856262044012555"><i> </i></span><i><span id="freeText6909856262044012555"></span></i>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-47204098599280022612012-11-17T09:33:00.000-05:002012-11-17T09:33:56.943-05:00Oh Hey Guys...Long time no see.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtdNkjWq7J1KbXNQx1lFp3-zwcXv-cMjMIGRIKocrbyw_NfF2HKpx1aE_7LDG0HJZVGfW00yLtsVkwnlKKoUDZwXYxO_fwmosgdcPT0mu7WS6vWV_Ffnq1E6Dj4QLEF9LcmlM8Nz-hKk/s1600/flame+of+sevenwaters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtdNkjWq7J1KbXNQx1lFp3-zwcXv-cMjMIGRIKocrbyw_NfF2HKpx1aE_7LDG0HJZVGfW00yLtsVkwnlKKoUDZwXYxO_fwmosgdcPT0mu7WS6vWV_Ffnq1E6Dj4QLEF9LcmlM8Nz-hKk/s200/flame+of+sevenwaters.jpg" width="130" /></a>I left off reviewing books due to sheer exhaustion at my job...you'll notice that one month after I started work, I stopped writing.<br />
<br />
Nearly two years later I think I've at least gotten used to it (mostly). Either way I started jonesing for a space to review, and it's still here.<br />
<br />
Hopefully I will finish my next book soon...I am reading <i>Flame of Sevenwaters</i> by Juliet Marillier. Other reviews aren't all that great so far, but it's a quick read and worth a try, for nostalgia's sake if nothing else.<br />
<br />
Either way, it's good to be back. :)Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-88319967530635689172011-03-13T12:44:00.000-04:002011-03-13T12:44:21.430-04:00The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hioQd93vvOtFrGh-8bDYa-WHTCRGntr2K1zn95N5qx1Fm2la3GeusKM5PDtOTdyeJ_K_FOyIBt0MvmCatgtd9-n0vAsxI80TE_Vik2CnOiHWxP0ZqjCsMUDMjgfHDxWf3Z6vh8dPIwI/s1600/the+girl+who+chased+the+moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hioQd93vvOtFrGh-8bDYa-WHTCRGntr2K1zn95N5qx1Fm2la3GeusKM5PDtOTdyeJ_K_FOyIBt0MvmCatgtd9-n0vAsxI80TE_Vik2CnOiHWxP0ZqjCsMUDMjgfHDxWf3Z6vh8dPIwI/s320/the+girl+who+chased+the+moon.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><i><span id="freeText12284690796795996534">Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. For instance, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? Why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life.<br />
<br />
<i>Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.<br />
</i>Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth and in the hope of bringing back the love she fears she’s lost forever. In Julia, Emily may have found a link to her mother’s past. But why is everyone trying to discourage Emily’s growing relationship with the handsome and mysterious son of Mullaby’s most prominent family? Emily came to Mullaby to get answers, but all she’s found so far are more questions.<br />
<br />
<i>Is there really a ghost dancing in her backyard? Can a cake really bring back a lost love? </i>In this town of lovable misfits, maybe the right answer is the one that just feels…<i>different.</i></span></i><br />
<br />
I am a huge fan of Sarah Addison Allen's first two books. I am from the south, and her books are set in North Carolina small towns. Her descriptors make me nostalgic, and the magic in her books is a soft, domestic sort of magic. My favorite is still <a href="http://escapist-rn.blogspot.com/2010/08/sugar-queen-by-sarah-addison-allen.html"><i>The Sugar Queen</i></a>.<br />
<br />
This book just didn't have that magic touch, I thought. It seems more like a YA book, so it may be exactly what some people like. Those amazing descriptors are still in this book, but it seems a more shallow story, and it just didn't touch my heart like the previous two did.<br />
<br />
If you like southern fiction with a touch of down home magic, I definitely recommend Sarah Addison Allen's books. However, I would also recommend starting out with one of the others first, unless you're a fan of YA fiction also. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Bottom Line </b></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b> To sum it up: </b>A magical southern to the core story about family and getting back to your roots.<b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 3 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Try</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>More? </b>Standalone</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br />
<b><i>Content </i></b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 3 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Setting</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Characters</b>: 3 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><i><b>Style</b></i><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Slow<br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Poetry</div><b>Fantasy factor</b>: Magical Realism<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Chased-Moon-Novel/dp/0553807218">Amazon.com link</a>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-5251910873971308362011-03-13T12:30:00.001-04:002011-03-13T12:42:22.676-04:00Blackveil by Kristen Britain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyo1pg81AF9m-lj1VlGfzMG-l_G_sHb_177xUDitFbnuaSCWcRytcGTsEG7d4ugkDhO4G3Xgjbd9a5hs90nPXd73lUy9ujM4yi9iOrBQuIW_ABGzTOgWuUjNNA_Su1oL96vjkA5a-5jcs/s1600/blackveil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyo1pg81AF9m-lj1VlGfzMG-l_G_sHb_177xUDitFbnuaSCWcRytcGTsEG7d4ugkDhO4G3Xgjbd9a5hs90nPXd73lUy9ujM4yi9iOrBQuIW_ABGzTOgWuUjNNA_Su1oL96vjkA5a-5jcs/s320/blackveil.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">WARNING</span></b>: I try to avoid spoilers, but they are possible (even probable), since this is the fourth book of the Green Rider series. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Green-Rider-Kristen-Britain/dp/0886778581"><i>Green Rider</i></a> (review <a href="http://escapist-rn.blogspot.com/2010/08/hundred-thousand-kingdoms.htmlhttp://escapist-rn.blogspot.com/2011/02/green-rider-by-kristen-britain.html">here</a>) is the first. I recommend reading them in order.<br />
<br />
This review actually has some spoilers (clearly marked). I appreciated the warning on the crazy shit that goes on in this book, so I imagine there are some others out there too that prefer to know what they're getting into before taking on a book like this. <br />
<i>Once a simple student, Karigan G'ladheon finds herself in a world of deadly danger and complex magic, compelled by forces she cannot understand when she becomes a legendary Green Rider-one of the magical messengers of the king. Forced by magic to accept a dangerous fate she would never have chosen, headstrong Karigan has become completely devoted to the king and her fellow Riders. <br />
<br />
But now, an insurrection led by dark magicians threatens to break the boundaries of ancient, evil Blackveil Forest-releasing powerful dark magics that have been shut away for a millennium. </i><br />
<br />
I think the subtext "long-awaited sequel" has been on every Kristen Britain book since Green Rider. Here are the respective publication dates of each Green Rider book:<br />
<br />
Green Rider (1998)<br />
First Rider's Call (2003)<br />
The High King's Tomb (2007)<br />
Blackveil (2011)<br />
<br />
To be a Kristen Britain fan, one must be very patient to wait 4-5 years between books. That said, though, it's easy to be patient generally. Britain has always made an effort to wrap up at least some plotlines and let the reader have a sense of closure, even if the story is still ongoing. No such luck with <i>Blackveil</i>. Ginormous cliffhanger at the end, so if you have a problem with that I'd hold out for the next one to come out first.<br />
<br />
This book was a lot darker and more mature than previous books as well. Be prepared for travel into "ookey" territory more than the other books. Still on the PG-13 side though, imo. All in all, I enjoyed it immensely, more than the third book that's for sure. Aside from tying up some messy, random plotlines from #3, it was a cleanly written and a fast read (for such a long book that is.) I couldn't put it down. Very refreshing after #3.<br />
<br />
Once again, the romance aspects and character interactions make the book feel sort of light, but the rest of the plot is very dark and lends some depth to the book.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;"><b>THAR BE SPOILERS AHEAD</b></div><br />
So there are some odd things about this book. First, Zachary gets shot in an assassination attempt, and for the good of the country (mostly), his advisers decide to conduct a sham marriage between him and Estora, with Colin saying "I do" for the king, since he's out cold. There's some sort of ritual where some people have to watch the king and queen do it for the first time, and this ritual still occurs even though Zachary is delerious. Estora and Zachary are both drugged, and they have sex...Zachary thinking Estora is Karigan, and Estora being blackmailed by her cousin. It's really weird, and I think that surely there was some way for the story to go the same general way that didn't involve this weirdness.<br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #cc0000;"><b>END SPOILERS</b></div><br />
So other than some strange twists in the story, I really liked <i>Blackveil </i>a lot. It brought me back to the first two books, and there was never a dull moment, that's for sure. I could see hints of how the book series might end too, which was nice. I am hoping that the fifth will be the last. As much as I will miss new books, I think it's time for the series to conclude. <i>Blackveil </i>feels like the beginning of the end, and I hope not to get another "let's drag this out and make more money" book after this one being so much better than <i>The High King's Tomb.</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bottom Line </b></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b> To sum it up: </b>Exciting, dark, and memorable.<b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Buy</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>More? </b>4 / 4 so far. Unsure of how many there will be total...it was initially to be a trilogy.</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br />
<b><i>Content </i></b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Setting</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Characters</b>: 3.5 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><i><b>Style</b></i><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Fast<br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Prose</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Fantasy factor</b>: High Fantasy<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blackveil-Book-Four-Green-Rider/dp/0756406609">Amazon.com link</a><br />
<br />
<i><b>Challenges</b>: <a href="http://fantasyreadingchallenge.blogspot.com/">2011 Fantasy Reading Challenge</a><a href="http://www.midnightbookgirl.com/2010/12/2011-read-me-baby-1-more-time-challenge.html"></a></i> </div>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-3595964347702137112011-03-10T10:30:00.003-05:002011-03-13T12:42:46.466-04:00High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjms7-hqN0nZdN4F7A2r2AVMQd5wzXvP2r5ldRoDrL2EBMEu21Dr9zfdV-tk_DIzCvsfpbyBA6ugVC9-z2yM0L_ILJ8pJfKtKNTKqzqNPkc-17GkPcsJWhpGZrGizb2-oW76-7fv_lt794/s1600/high+king%2527s+tomb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjms7-hqN0nZdN4F7A2r2AVMQd5wzXvP2r5ldRoDrL2EBMEu21Dr9zfdV-tk_DIzCvsfpbyBA6ugVC9-z2yM0L_ILJ8pJfKtKNTKqzqNPkc-17GkPcsJWhpGZrGizb2-oW76-7fv_lt794/s320/high+king%2527s+tomb.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">WARNING</span></b>: I try to avoid spoilers, but they are possible (even probable), since this is the third book of the Green Rider series. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Green-Rider-Kristen-Britain/dp/0886778581"><i>Green Rider</i></a> (review <a href="http://escapist-rn.blogspot.com/2010/08/hundred-thousand-kingdoms.htmlhttp://escapist-rn.blogspot.com/2011/02/green-rider-by-kristen-britain.html">here</a>) is the first. I recommend reading them in order.<br />
<br />
<i><span id="freeText16440186586718859878">A thousand years ago the armies of the Arcosian Empire, led by Mornhavon the Black, crossed the great sea and tried to conquer the land of Sacoridia —and during Karigan G'ladheon's early years as a Green Rider, Mornhavon's spirit, sensing weakness in his prison walls and seeking vengeance, began to wake. With the ghostly help of the First Rider, Karigan had managed to drive off the spirit of Mornhavon—but for how long, no one could know. And now, the descendants of those Arcosians are ready to strike, reaching out to claim the land their forebears had tried to conquer. Worse, these vengeful enemies had spent generations honing their powers of dark magic—a force against which the Sacoridians had no defense…</span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16440186586718859878">I love this series. Really. I do. But it should have been a trilogy. I think someone was trying to get their money's worth out of this author, so she was signed up for a 90 bazillion book deal instead of what she had originally planned to do, which simply wasn't making them enough money. </span><span id="freeText16440186586718859878"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16440186586718859878">The Green Rider series was supposed to be a trilogy, as far as I know, up until the second book. In my opinion it shows. <i>First Rider's Call</i> reads like a good second book...things are coming together, almost ready to be tied up and brought together in the final volume.</span><span id="freeText16440186586718859878"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16440186586718859878">However, <i>The High King's Tomb</i> takes all of that and spins off in another direction. I felt like the plot of this one was kind of out of left field, and now that I've read the fourth (review forthcoming), I think this book was just a way to extend the series. It didn't really move the plot along, and more served to introduce more characters and plotlines that couldn't be resolved in just one more book.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16440186586718859878">Godbeings were introduced as well, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Again, it just did not seem like it went along with where the second book was going. That said, with the fourth book now out, the third book is a nice tie-in to the series, although it seemed to have more "filler" than the rest. Filler for this author, though, still makes for an entertaining read.</span><br />
<span id="freeText16440186586718859878"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Bottom Line </b></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b> To sum it up: </b>If you like this series so far, don't stop now. :)<b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 3.5 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Buy</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>More? </b>3 / 4 so far. Unsure of how many there will be total...it was initially to be a trilogy.</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br />
<b><i>Content </i></b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 2.5 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Setting</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Characters</b>: 3 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><i><b>Style</b></i><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Middlin'<br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Prose</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Fantasy factor</b>: High Fantasy<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/High-Kings-Tomb-Three-Green/dp/0756405882/">Amazon.com link </a><br />
<br />
<i><b>Challenges</b>: <a href="http://fantasyreadingchallenge.blogspot.com/">2011 Fantasy Reading Challenge</a>, <a href="http://www.midnightbookgirl.com/2010/12/2011-read-me-baby-1-more-time-challenge.html">Read Me Baby One More Time</a></i> </div>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-10308377408246636432011-03-07T17:49:00.008-05:002011-03-07T17:54:40.077-05:00First Rider's Call by Kristen Britain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGp1tLEM_3kP9mBwUIjLhzLYCb0fMj4eZas9ntbxundyqzpyw3XSPVdsUv3W9E9vOhPt8V3K-p5tg1b02l19pu6J79BOH1SjIcyBzBjmdKzjXFmJK1POsjfupGXp1n-RRu2_-5UjS7JTg/s1600/first+rider%2527s+call.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGp1tLEM_3kP9mBwUIjLhzLYCb0fMj4eZas9ntbxundyqzpyw3XSPVdsUv3W9E9vOhPt8V3K-p5tg1b02l19pu6J79BOH1SjIcyBzBjmdKzjXFmJK1POsjfupGXp1n-RRu2_-5UjS7JTg/s320/first+rider%2527s+call.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">WARNING</span></b>: I try to avoid spoilers, but they are possible (even probable), since this is the second book of the Green Rider series. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Green-Rider-Kristen-Britain/dp/0886778581"><i>Green Rider</i></a> (review <a href="http://escapist-rn.blogspot.com/2010/08/hundred-thousand-kingdoms.htmlhttp://escapist-rn.blogspot.com/2011/02/green-rider-by-kristen-britain.html">here</a>) is the first. I recommend reading them in order.<br />
<br />
<i>Karigan is a Green Rider, one of the king's elite troop of messengers, each of whom is called as magic in the blood answers an ancient summons. Since the breaching of the D'Yer Wall, which protects Sacoridia from the malignant forces of the Blackveil Forest, however, all the magic in the land has become unpredictable, including that of the Riders. With tainted magic escaping into the world, and Karigan herself poisoned by it, the last thing she needs is to start having visions and hearing voices--visions of the First Rider, Lil Ambriodhe, long-dead founder of the troop, and voices whispering of an age-old, unbreakable link between Lil and Karigan. Lil has seen Karigan's future and that of Sacoridia, and the land will come to no good end if Karigan and Lil together are unable to overcome the great evil that is about to enter the world.</i><br />
<br />
This book picks up about a year after the events of <i>Green Rider</i>. This book has always been my favorite of the first three (I'm working on the 4th now) because you find out so much about Sacordia. I love learning about the first rider and the history of Mornhavon the Black. The historical background helps the reader understand the "current" events better.<br />
<br />
Once again, the relationships are sort of weird and sometimes feel contrived. Generally, I don't notice, but there are some conversations, especially between Karigan and Zachary that left me wondering how their relationship got to where it is in this book. Perhaps we missed something in that year that is in between the first and second books. There is an awkwardness in the romantic portion of this book, and indeed in the friendships sometimes, that is certainly not evident in the rest of it.<br />
<br />
It's ok though. Really. This is one of my favorite books, and the plot is even better than the first Green Rider book was. As much as the characters stayed at their status quo for the most part, the plot became more intricate and the Green Rider universe became far more multidimensional.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bottom Line </b></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b> To sum it up: </b>More of the same, but in a really interesting un-put-down-able way.<b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Buy</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>More? </b>2 / 4 so far. Unsure of how many there will be total...it was initially to be a trilogy.</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br />
<b><i>Content </i></b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Setting</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Characters</b>: 3 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><i><b>Style</b></i><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Fast<br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Prose</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Fantasy factor</b>: High Fantasy<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/First-Riders-Call-Green-Rider/dp/0756402093">Amazon.com link </a><br />
<br />
<i><b>Challenges</b>: <a href="http://fantasyreadingchallenge.blogspot.com/">2011 Fantasy Reading Challenge</a>, <a href="http://www.midnightbookgirl.com/2010/12/2011-read-me-baby-1-more-time-challenge.html">Read Me Baby One More Time</a></i> </div>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-55966670948657589882011-02-24T12:00:00.000-05:002011-02-24T12:00:01.803-05:00King's Dragon by Kate Elliott<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZF01DkB8kcoY4yWOmZVQi23DVoyE4MMZ7sMjVliaOPgOQMazPAcOxpxF1ol08tyEARezyV1DVYLLJf1eXDcnaFZMg2oXWv7gCz7A_rN7ZyPJEDU_LPHi8KGCMGHfoVQK4gIwEWKZPL44/s1600/the+king%2527s+dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZF01DkB8kcoY4yWOmZVQi23DVoyE4MMZ7sMjVliaOPgOQMazPAcOxpxF1ol08tyEARezyV1DVYLLJf1eXDcnaFZMg2oXWv7gCz7A_rN7ZyPJEDU_LPHi8KGCMGHfoVQK4gIwEWKZPL44/s320/the+king%2527s+dragon.jpg" width="194" /></a></div><i><b style="font-weight: normal;">It begins with a civil war...</b>For though King Henry still holds the crown of Wendar, his reign has long been contested by his sister Sabella. there are many eager to flock to her banner, and there are ways to make even the most unwilling lord into a weapon pointed at the heart of Henry's realm. — Torn by internal strife, Wendar also faces deadly ra<span id="e_1292124143.09_content">ids from the north by an inhuman race, the Eika. And now terrifying portents are being seen; old ruins restored to life under the light of the full moon and peopled by the long vanished Lost Ones; dark spirits walking the land in broad daylight.<br />
<br />
And suddenly two innocents are about to be thrust into the midst of the conflict:<br />
<br />
Liath, who has spent her early years fleeing from unknown enemies, is a young woman with the power to change the course of history if she can only learn to master her fear and seize what is rightfully hers.<br />
<br />
While Alain, a young man who may find his future in a vision granted by the Lady of Battles, must first unravel the mystery of who he is -- whether the bastard son of a noble father, the half-breed child of an elfin lord, the unwanted get of a whore, or the heir to a proud and ancient lineage. For only when he discovers the truth can he accept the destiny for which he was born.<br />
<br />
Liath and Alain, each trapped in a personal struggle for survival, both helplessly being drawn into a far greater battle, a war in which sorcery not swords will determine the final outcome, and the land itself may be irrevocably reshaped by the forces unleashed...</span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="e_1292124143.09_content">I'm really not feeling much up for a long, drawn out review of this book. I've been slowly slogging through for a couple months...I broke my own "never read two books at once" rule because I just couldn't get into it. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="e_1292124143.09_content">I really couldn't tell you why. The characters were interesting and complex. The magic system was okay, the world was generic but that can be overcome. The writing was good. The story had potential (it is the first book in the series, after all). But I just...couldn't quite get into it. It was like you never got to the point of the book. There was no climax or turning point or anything...if there was, I missed it completely.</span><br />
<br />
Either way, I think some would love this book. I'm not giving it away just yet, because I felt like I was sooooo close to liking it. It just didn't do it for me, and I'm tired of it sitting there mournfully on my goodreads. Don't let my review of this book deter you from this author though. I loved her new book, <a href="http://escapist-rn.blogspot.com/2011/02/cold-magic-by-kate-elliott.html"><i>Cold Magic</i></a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bottom Line </b></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b> To sum it up: </b>I really couldn't tell you.<b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 2 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Try</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>More? </b>1 / 7</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b><i>Content</i></b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 3 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Setting</b>: 2 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Characters</b>: 3.5 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><i><b>Style</b></i><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Slow. <br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Middlin'</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Fantasy factor</b>: High Fantasy</div></div>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-47414482136699436462011-02-20T14:38:00.000-05:002011-02-20T14:38:34.259-05:00Green Rider by Kristen Britain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZ6hz9acPWNgsymkUyhiMoG93DZrKQ3l8W0cXA8B8zjh5pIDV2wiqDoVcymtMVcAk99_Ru5F5kgJL3PzZenwdcIPhRCSqiOm5ieXglE_9ju_JvqMuKhTkAqWiVJeExNqKUACUmE3otFM/s1600/green+rider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZ6hz9acPWNgsymkUyhiMoG93DZrKQ3l8W0cXA8B8zjh5pIDV2wiqDoVcymtMVcAk99_Ru5F5kgJL3PzZenwdcIPhRCSqiOm5ieXglE_9ju_JvqMuKhTkAqWiVJeExNqKUACUmE3otFM/s320/green+rider.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Yknow how there are some foods that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? When it's cold and rainy outside, you curl up with some tomato soup and grilled cheese (cut diagonally of course) under a blanket in front of a warm fire. Well this book series is like that for me. It was published in 1998, but I read it sometime in high school (2000-2004). A friend gave it to me, and I was skeptical...but it quickly changed into one of my favorite books, and Kristen Britain is one of those authors I always look out for new stuff from. Since her new book just came out, Blackveil, I decided to reread and review the entire series.<br />
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<i><span id="freeText16173579587859468909">On her long journey home from school after a fight which will surely lead to her expulsion, Karigan G'ladheon ponders her future as she trudges through the immense forest called Green Cloak. But her thoughts are interrupted by the clattering of hooves as a galloping horse bursts from the woods, the rider slumped over his mount's neck, impaled by two black-shafted arrows. As the young man lies dying on the road, he tells Karigan that he is a Green Rider, one of the legendary messengers of the king, and that he bears a "life and death" message for King Zachary. He begs Karigan to carry his message, warning her not to read it, and when she reluctantly agrees, he makes her swear on his sword to complete his mission "for love of country." As he bestows upon her the golden winged-horse brooch which is the symbol of his office, he whispers on his dying breath, "Beware the shadow man..." <br />
<br />
Karigan's promise changes her life forever. Pursued by unknown assassins, following a path only her horse seems to know, and accompanied by the silent specter of the original messenger, she herself becomes a legendary Green Rider. Caught up in a world of deadly danger and complex magic, compelled by forces she cannot understand, Karigan is hounded by dark beings bent on seeing that the message, and its reluctant carrier, never reach their destination.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span id="freeText16173579587859468909"></span><span id="freeText16173579587859468909"> </span></i><span id="freeText16173579587859468909">I haven't read this book in years, so I really wasn't sure if I would adore it as much as I used to. This time around, I read it with a more critical eye, but it was still very enjoyable.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16173579587859468909">I always think of this book as simple, bright fantasy, but really it's pretty dark in places. There is a definite horror element to it, but not so much that I wouldn't be able to read it at night. There are some legitimately creepy things that happen on Karigan's ride to the castle. The depth of the writing is somewhat inconsistent, but not to the point of being distracting from the story. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16173579587859468909">For example, the relationships that Karigan forms seem to come out of nowhere with people she just met. She's somewhat snarky and stubborn, and she is very determined to get out of the castle, so I'm surprised that everyone seems to like her immediately. In that way, it is a light read. But I feel like the lightness, for lack of a better word, of the people aspect is balanced out with the heavy darkness of the plot. It's not fluffy to the point of ridiculous, but just enough to make it so you're not slogging through horror after horror.</span><span id="freeText16173579587859468909"></span><span id="freeText16173579587859468909"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16173579587859468909">Britain has said that she likes to give her readers a sense of closure, and you certainly get that with this book. It's not the end of the story at all, but nobody's hanging off the edge of a cliff by a toenail. All in all, I enjoyed this book just as much as I always have. Any book following <a href="http://escapist-rn.blogspot.com/2011/02/broken-kingdoms-by-nk-jemisin.html"><i>The Broken Kingdoms</i></a> had an uphill battle ahead, so I think it was a good choice to reread a book I loved so much.</span><br />
<span id="freeText16173579587859468909"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Bottom Line </b></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b> To sum it up: </b>A good book for anyone who likes interesting adventures, a very evil baddy, and a strong heroine<b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Buy</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>More? </b>1 / 4 so far. Unsure of how many there will be total...it was initially to be a trilogy.</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b><i> </i></b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b><i>Content </i></b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Setting</b>: 3 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Characters</b>: 3 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><i><b>Style</b></i><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Fast<br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Prose</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Fantasy factor</b>: High Fantasy</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Green-Rider-Kristen-Britain/dp/0886778581">Amazon.com link</a><br />
<br />
<i><b>Challenges</b>: <a href="http://darlynandbooks.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-fantasy-reading-challenge.html">2011 Fantasy Reading Challenge</a>, <a href="http://www.midnightbookgirl.com/2010/12/2011-read-me-baby-1-more-time-challenge.html">Read Me Baby One More Time</a></i></div><span id="freeText16173579587859468909"></span>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-87155880828001035362011-02-05T23:11:00.000-05:002011-02-05T23:11:35.950-05:00The Broken Kingdoms by NK Jemisin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSD_WPIXvjhyphenhypheneowSMYf0ATp6VvomPfVRELs5ZVv0daaVEb0-7KyMwn4PSYJROeJEkfBcFJJddMOAPWT9cQiXrMsvZZRJuK2WP2qeHov6p9kNBgzb3ELnokEtFxBk6sn3VxKqI8PVzqnE/s1600/the+broken+kingdoms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSD_WPIXvjhyphenhypheneowSMYf0ATp6VvomPfVRELs5ZVv0daaVEb0-7KyMwn4PSYJROeJEkfBcFJJddMOAPWT9cQiXrMsvZZRJuK2WP2qeHov6p9kNBgzb3ELnokEtFxBk6sn3VxKqI8PVzqnE/s320/the+broken+kingdoms.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">WARNING</span></b>: I try to avoid spoilers, but they are possible (even probable), since this is the second book of the Inheritance Trilogy. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hundred-Thousand-Kingdoms-Inheritance-Trilogy/dp/0316043915"><i>The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms</i></a> (review <a href="http://escapist-rn.blogspot.com/2010/08/hundred-thousand-kingdoms.html">here</a>) is the first. I recommend reading them in order. <br />
<br />
I know it's only been a couple days since my last review, but I just could not put <i>The Broken Kingdoms</i> down. I thought about it when I was driving to work. I thought about it at work. I wished I could read it on the treadmill and at dinner tonight. And now I'm really sad that it's over. From the back cover:<i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>In the city of Shadow, beneath the World Tree, alleyways shimmer with magic and godlings live hidden among mortalkind. Oree Shoth, a blind artist, takes in a strange homeless man on an impulse. This act of kindness engulfs Oree in a nightmarish conspiracy. Someone, somehow, is murdering godlings, leaving their desecrated bodies all over the city. And Oree's guest is at the heart of it. . . </i><br />
<br />
<i>The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms</i> was only the second book I ever <a href="http://escapist-rn.blogspot.com/2010/08/hundred-thousand-kingdoms.html">reviewed</a> for my site. I remember enjoying it, but being slightly put off by the tone of the novel. I think, in truth, it may have been the protagonist was not one I could relate to easily. I found Oree a much more likable narrator. I was very impressed with the fact that although this novel is also narrated in first person, like <i>The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms</i>, Oree is very obviously a very different voice from Yeine. I imagine that it is very hard to pull off two distinct first person accounts.<br />
<br />
As in the previous novel, I found this world to be incredibly intriguing and complex, I think even moreso. I was a bit lost at the very beginning because it's been a good long while since I read the previous novel and this one takes place 10 years after the events of the first. However, Jemisin throws little "reminders" in there for recurring characters and continuing story arcs, so I was able to follow the plot without feeling the need to run out and read the first one again. That's a pet peeve of mine, given the enormous gaps there usually are in between series releases. It's also not a clumsily thrown in explanation either...very artfully done.<br />
<br />
As I had mentioned in my review of the first book, the author inserts a lot of sidenotes and afterthoughts into the narrative. In <i>The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms</i>, that was somewhat distracting. I didn't feel like the sidenotes and afterthoughts were necessarily relevant to the story. In this case, each seemed very pertinent and seemed shorter. This was probably one of the things that gave Yeine and Oree their distinct voices.<br />
<br />
I just love this series. It's a unique perspective on divinity and their interactions with mankind. I am especially intrigued by the gods' interactions and relationships to each other. I always finish these books and start to think about the nature of gods, their nature, and find myself comparing the theology to current, real world theology. I enjoy books that have meaning, and that cause you to walk away thinking. Although I must say, the emotional side to this story makes it hard to walk away.<br />
<br />
I think NK Jemisin has really hit her stride with this book. The third will be <i>The Kingdom of the Gods</i>, released in September (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7923006-the-kingdom-of-gods">click here</a> for a synopsis). I have a feeling I will be even <i>more </i>upset when the series ends.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Bottom Line </b></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b> To sum it up: </b>Gods + humans. Hilarity does not ensue.<b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 5 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Buy</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>More? </b>2 / 3 projected</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b><i>Content</i></b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 5 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Setting</b>: 5 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Characters</b>: 5 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">*Yes really. I waffled about giving out a perfect score out of principle, but I just didn't have anything to complain about at all.*</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><i><b>Style</b></i><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Fast<br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Prose</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Fantasy factor</b>: High Fantasy</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Kingdoms-Inheritance-Trilogy/dp/0316043966/">Amazon.com link</a><br />
<br />
<i><b>Challenges</b>: <a href="http://darlynandbooks.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-fantasy-reading-challenge.html">2011 Fantasy Reading Challenge</a></i></div>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-43391127270981242012011-02-03T13:22:00.001-05:002011-02-03T13:23:26.843-05:00Cold Magic by Kate Elliott<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWL7KCEzuHMXfpcCtWrrwbX1JYGNpOuQg7gQknKQhgTj1bIMLJZQQ9A9kZoBuJ4g496VZPoTkcAaj_4EUcCvuvLoEgOj_odcLuzx4-GxmrdQePbyA4uCoAQ58tEKyumkO8EOhdmYpW3UE/s1600/cold+magic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWL7KCEzuHMXfpcCtWrrwbX1JYGNpOuQg7gQknKQhgTj1bIMLJZQQ9A9kZoBuJ4g496VZPoTkcAaj_4EUcCvuvLoEgOj_odcLuzx4-GxmrdQePbyA4uCoAQ58tEKyumkO8EOhdmYpW3UE/s320/cold+magic.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>Long time no see, blog friends! A lot has been happening, so I haven't had much time to read. <i>Cold Magic</i> was a quick read, though...I had trouble putting it down. From the back cover:<br />
<br />
<i>The history of the world begins in ice, and it will end in ice. <br />
<br />
It is the dawn of a new age... The Industrial Revolution has begun, factories are springing up across the country, and new technologies are transforming in the cities. But the old ways do not die easy.<br />
<br />
Cat and Bee are part of this revolution. Young women at college, learning of the science that will shape their future and ignorant of the magics that rule their families. But all of that will change when the Cold Mages come for Cat. New dangers lurk around every corner and hidden threats menace her every move. If blood can't be trusted, who can you trust? </i><br />
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I've been waiting for Cold Magic for <a href="http://escapist-rn.blogspot.com/2010/12/random-business.html">quite some time now</a>, and for an epic fantasy, it's a very fast-paced read. 502 pages may sound daunting, but the action moves fairly quickly. I was pretty happy about that because I've been dragging through <i>King's Dragon</i> by the same author for a good long while now, and I just can't quite get into it. I had no such trouble with this book.<br />
<br />
The characterization is great as well. I was surprised as the characters' true personalities and nuances were revealed. While I can't say I <i>liked </i>all of them, I <i>believed </i>them. Their motivations and attitudes generally made sense, given their upbringings and current situation. As much as this is a fantasy story, the human element takes center stage. Cat and Bee's relationship, although they are cousins, is as close as sisters. There is a lot of betrayal and selfishness in this book, and you really see the dark side of humanity. Everyone, it seems, is looking out for number one. The bright spot is definitely the girls' love for each other. Things are what they appear to be with the two of them: they would sacrifice everything for the other. I think their relationship might be one of my favorite parts of the book.<br />
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Based on the cover and the synopsis, I can't say this story ever went as I expected. When I first started writing this review, I was going to open by saying that the back cover of this book was not very descriptive. However, reflecting on the book now, I can't say I fully grasp what's going on in this world entirely. The book cover describes how the book opens, but certainly not how it progresses.<br />
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Generally, in an epic fantasy, events tie together to one great event or danger. However, I felt like there was a lot happening in this book but there wasn't one coherent idea of what was going on in this world. Is it a political revolution? Is there something happening in the spirit world? Where's the magic/science clash that is described on the cover? Most of the book is taken up by Catherine's journey, and I think that may be one of the weaknesses of a first person narrative. Our perspective is as narrow as hers is, and I'm not entirely sure that's appropriate for a trilogy that touts itself as "epic" and has such a broad scope as this one appears to have. Elliott slowly reveals information, so I am hoping this will be something that will become more cohesive in the second book.<br />
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The world Elliot creates intrigues me. Her alternate history seems to be well-researched (to my untrained eye) and at the very least well thought out. The characters are interesting and several, including the heroine, are likable. Although the storyline of this initial book seems small-scale and somewhat disorganized, I look forward to the second book and the rest of the series.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bottom Line </b></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b> To sum it up: </b>A fast paced, epic-ish, steampunk-ish fantasy with loads of promise.<b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Buy</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>More? </b>1 / 3 projected. <i>Cold Steel</i> and <i>Cold Fire </i>will be the 2nd and 3rd books</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b><i>Content</i></b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 3 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Setting</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Characters</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><i><b>Style</b></i><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Fast<br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Prose, bordering into Poetry sometimes</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Fantasy factor</b>: Low Fantasy</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Magic-Spiritwalker-Trilogy-Elliott/dp/0316080853">Amazon.com link</a><br />
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<i><b>Challenges</b>: <a href="http://darlynandbooks.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-fantasy-reading-challenge.html">2011 Fantasy Reading Challenge</a></i></div>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-66761518767380696062011-01-16T16:26:00.005-05:002011-01-26T19:57:31.324-05:00Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by HP Mallory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjwBKYf5pekbp9zrQOWnGieWijVS5yTLJxOBytS1p_M5Xh4DY7rvs0Sbi3wxxVfk1HRC2cEP5BY1whopI-IFAOMVp2GAz4b5sAedFUwVi5WGwRPsE7XxTJJDUKdtK07rvzCtkTDM8IZU/s1600/fire+burn+and+cauldron+bubble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjwBKYf5pekbp9zrQOWnGieWijVS5yTLJxOBytS1p_M5Xh4DY7rvs0Sbi3wxxVfk1HRC2cEP5BY1whopI-IFAOMVp2GAz4b5sAedFUwVi5WGwRPsE7XxTJJDUKdtK07rvzCtkTDM8IZU/s320/fire+burn+and+cauldron+bubble.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>Since I have spent the last few weeks studying for the test that decided the course of the rest of my life (no pressure), I really needed something light and fun to read. Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by HP Mallory was just perfect for this purpose.<br />
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<i>Life isn’t bad for psychic Jolie Wilkins. True, she doesn’t have a love life to speak of, but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend. <br />
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Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she’s a witch and who just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery regarding the death of his client who also happens to be a ghost. Jolie not only uncovers the cause of the ghost’s demise but, in the process, she brings him back to life!<br />
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Word of Jolie’s incredible ability to bring back the dead spreads like wildfire, putting her at the top of the Underworld’s most wanted list. Consequently, she finds herself at the center of a custody battle between a villainous witch, a dangerous but oh-so-sexy vampire, and her warlock boss, Rand. </i><br />
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I don't really read paranormal romance very often, if ever, and definitely not one that clearly states on the front cover that it is a paranormal romance, but I read an excerpt and just had to read more. Even better, this is another book that was only $0.99 at Amazon for the Kindle...I didn't figure I had much to lose.<br />
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It was fun, fast-paced, and surprisingly complex. I was not expecting a romance novel to have the depth of world-building that this one has. The underground, secretive world of vampires, werewolves, fairies and witches have their own society. I found each of the species to be quite well developed.<br />
<br />
The characters are somewhat flat and predictable, especially the men, but I found I didn't mind all that much. You don't go into a rom com expecting Citizen Kane. Every woman hopes for a Rand to waltz into her life, and I enjoyed the relationship between Rand and Jolie for the most part.<br />
<br />
That said, I found Jolie to be somewhat inconsistent. I felt that she became whatever the author needed her to be at the time. At the middle of the book, she's trying to convince Rand to have sex with her spur of the moment in the woods. Then later, she turns down her new boyfriend citing the fact she's only done this once before, and she's just not ready. This same woman, who earlier in the book said she had no discernible sex drive and dressed conservatively is suddenly a provocatively dressing sex kitten who has at least four men who are trying to seduce her. This sexual tension between Jolie and...well...<i>everyone </i>was very sudden.<br />
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As previously mentioned, I do not read paranormal romance so perhaps this is a genre style, but at times, the sensual scenes, although they were widely spaced, seemed somewhat heavy-handed and artificial. It was especially noticeable toward the end. I felt the author couldn't decide between a trashy romance novel and a light fantasy read, so everything was just jumbled in together. Or an editor said "Hey. There's not enough smut in this, and that's what sells books. So fix it."<br />
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All in all, it was fun and entertaining. As far as paranormal romances go, it was <i>very </i>good in my opinion. I will definitely buy the next one because I really enjoyed the book, despite its flaws, and it was exactly what I needed: light and fun. HP Mallory has one other series started that I have my eye on as well. However, I think for my next book, though, I need something with a bit more depth. <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bottom Line </b></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b> To sum it up: </b>A light and fun read for a rainy day.<b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 3.5 / 5 </div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Buy. Can't beat $0.99 </div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b>More?</b> 1 / 2 so far. I anticipate at least one more book</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b><i>Content</i></b></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 4 / 5<br />
<b>Setting</b>: 4 / 5<br />
<b>Characters</b>: 3 / 5</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><i><b>Style</b></i><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Fast<br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Prose</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Fantasy factor</b>: Magical Realism<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cauldron-Paranormal-Romance-Wilkins-ebook/dp/B003UNL8OG/">Amazon.com link</a><br />
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<i><b>Challenges</b>: <a href="http://darlynandbooks.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-fantasy-reading-challenge.html">2011 Fantasy Reading Challenge</a></i></div>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-75585846319566916962011-01-13T21:56:00.002-05:002011-01-14T10:29:05.731-05:00Book Blog Hop<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/"><img alt="Book Blogger Hop" src="http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt34/crazybookblog/cfbmemebutton-2.png" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I haven't done a blog hop in a few weeks...since I took the NCLEX, my nursing boards, this week (and I'm feeling pretty good about it), I thought this week might be the week to try. :)</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Question</b>: "Why do you read the genre that you do? What draws you to it?"</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b>Answer</b>: I really don't know what it is about fantasy. I think there's only so many permutations of the same old story that you can have with regular fiction. In fantastical fiction, ANYTHING can happen. Rarely am I bored. I like escaping into another world. :)</div>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-61423778933389118752011-01-06T17:21:00.001-05:002011-01-06T17:21:31.591-05:00Hush Money by Susan Bischoff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHHdpxCjA_tjCw_rsEKbqZcAoN_wuhgL-COnRrJuvheSG2kRA7JLgH_i_OL9yX8Dv-VDA_rRQ3sRvf02AoeFZj9odBZmUmaabDcKXz9jQVg_dsI9P8ez5X-SAYA8ssKe_K_QTzDbPNwg/s1600/hush+money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHHdpxCjA_tjCw_rsEKbqZcAoN_wuhgL-COnRrJuvheSG2kRA7JLgH_i_OL9yX8Dv-VDA_rRQ3sRvf02AoeFZj9odBZmUmaabDcKXz9jQVg_dsI9P8ez5X-SAYA8ssKe_K_QTzDbPNwg/s320/hush+money.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>As soon as I knew I was getting a Kindle for Christmas, I started looking at cheap and free ebooks. This one is $0.99 at Amazon...not quite free, but as far as I'm concerned, well worth the money.<i> </i><br />
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<i>They call their abilities Talents, and that’s what they call themselves as well. Talents are people born with supernatural powers, feared by the population at large. Possession of an “unregistered ability” has become illegal, and those who are discovered are forcibly removed to government-run research facilities. They do not return.<br />
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And so the Talents try, as best they can, to keep their abilities secret–some more successfully than others. For some, keeping that secret begins to define who they are. That’s where Hush Money begins…<br />
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Be normal, invisible. Don’t get close to anyone.</i><br />
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All in all, this book was fairly enjoyable. It was a light, fun read. The characters are entertaining, and the plot moves quickly. The narration is easy to read, and Joss is sassy and fun.<br />
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However, it is very obviously a YA novel. The scope of the novel is very small, taking place in a fairly small town. We don't really find out much about the Talents on a national or global scale, which I would have found interesting. Also, the climax of the book was not so climactic...I expected a bit more after the build up of the rest of the novel. <br />
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Was it worth 99 cents? Yes. The time I put into reading it? Yes. Will I buy sequels? Yes. However, I would not recommend expecting too much out of this book...it was fun but not revolutionary. I think this would make a good beach read, or would be a nice way to relax when you're horribly busy or stressed out.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Bottom Line</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 3 / 5 </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Buy...it's only 99 cents<br />
<b>More?</b> 1 / ? Heroes Til Curfew being released 2011</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Content</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 3 / 5<br />
<b>Setting</b>: 2 / 5<br />
<b>Characters</b>: 3 / 5</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Style</b></i><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Fast<br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Prose</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fantasy factor</b>: Magical Realism</div><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hush-Money-Talent-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B003YCPGOG">Amazon.com link</a>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-13286938590729236592010-12-22T16:55:00.001-05:002010-12-22T23:27:26.304-05:00The Gentleman Poet by Kathryn Johnson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nyRxVWICGDcRCV4te04sq9KUzIZ2aZvY0JFBC7Y4MVq2UfTZ8KX4U8YZo7Ikntp3kvb8q-D_ZCLKohlSB-XHqlf9hSxvp0WWZ3SZjnmD7yV3QyyoDpEvNgQB2VP7m18JvD67I3Aqlw4/s1600/the+gentleman+poet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nyRxVWICGDcRCV4te04sq9KUzIZ2aZvY0JFBC7Y4MVq2UfTZ8KX4U8YZo7Ikntp3kvb8q-D_ZCLKohlSB-XHqlf9hSxvp0WWZ3SZjnmD7yV3QyyoDpEvNgQB2VP7m18JvD67I3Aqlw4/s320/the+gentleman+poet.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>If you look through my reviews, you will find very few books that have no mystical element to them. Generally, I stick to the fantasy genre, but <i>The Gentleman Poet</i> intrigued me, and I just had to try it. I found it through a meme. Both I and another blogger posted about books based on Shakespeare's <i>The Tempest</i> (what are the odds?). I happened to see it at the library in on the new fiction shelf this week.<br />
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<i>En route to the Americas in 1609, Elizabeth Persons, a young servant girl, sees her blinding headache as an ominous sign. Sure enough, a hurricane during the final leg of their journey tosses the ill-fated Sea Venture and its one hundred and fifty passengers and crew onto the dreaded shores of the Bermudas, the rumored home of evil spirits and dangerous natives. </i><br />
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<i>In the months that pass—time marked by grave hardship, mutiny, adventure, danger . . . and a blossoming love between Elizabeth and the wrecked ship's young cook—she despairs of their ever being rescued. But she finds hope and strength in a remarkable new friendship, forming a fast bond with the Sea Venture's historian, a poet traveling under the name of William Strachey. But Will is more than he seems. To many back home in England, he is known by a different name: Shakespeare. And he sees in their great shared travails the makings of a magical, truly transcendent work of theater</i>.<br />
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This book was an easy, fast read for me. The print is huge, and the book itself is much shorter than what I'm used to. Johnson's prose is beautiful but not flowery, and Elizabeth is a clever narrator. Her observations made me giggle in a few places, and she seemed to be a very real character for me. I think that was my favorite part of this book...I could picture all the characters with ease and they were very fleshed out and realistic. Their reasons for being the way they were made sense. Oftentimes, authors miss a plausible backstory to characters.<br />
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Dread Bermuda, where most of the novel takes place, is not the dangerous, horrible place the castaways expected. They rightly describe it as paradise, lush with vegetation, animal life, and mostly beautiful weather. Unfortunately, this is where things got somewhat unrealistic. Birds that are extremely tame come to investigate the newcomers and are subsequently killed. I think wild birds would always be suspicious of newcomers. Wild boars are made to seem easy to catch, herd, and kill. On the contrary, wild boars can be extremely dangerous animals. Elizabeth finds a plethora of plants that make excellent spices and not one she discovers is poisonous. While I don't know what spices and herbs come from where, I find it highly unlikely that the same plants that grew in England would grow in Bermuda, but somehow the protagonist comes across the exact same plants, or very close analogs. There are no subsequent hurricanes the likes of which wrecked them in the first place. In short, things just go way way too well for these folks.<br />
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I enjoyed the historical notes by the author, and Elizabeth's recipes recorded every few chapters. I like being able to get a "behind the scenes" peek at what historical data inspired this novel. However, I found the connection between the historical William Strachey and William Shakespeare to be extremely shaky. However, Johnson admits this herself, emphasizing that the book is not history but fiction. It is an artist's interpretation of historical record, and doesn't claim to be anything else.<br />
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Suspension of disbelief aside, this book was quite enjoyable. Nothing groundbreaking, but a fun way to pass a few hours. I would definitely recommend giving this one a go if you like interesting spins on history or literature. I look forward to future novels written by Johnson.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Bottom Line</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 3.5 / 5 </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Try<br />
<b>More?</b> Standalone</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Content</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 3 / 5<br />
<b>Setting</b>: 4 / 5<br />
<b>Characters</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Style</b></i><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Middlin'<br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Prose</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Fantasy factor</b>: Not fantasy</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gentleman-Poet-Danger-Shakespeares-Tempest/dp/0061965316">Amazon.com link</a></div>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-19066760791064874672010-12-18T10:46:00.000-05:002010-12-18T10:46:47.716-05:002011 Challenges!I had been tossing an idea for a challenge around, but alas, someone else had the exact same idea. So upon looking for challenges to participate in, I found some great ones. Click any of the buttons to go to the challenge site.<br />
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<a href="http://www.theunreadreader.com/2010/12/2011-show-me-free-challenge.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img height="200" src="http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/1158/showmethefree.png" width="186" /></a><br />
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Find free ebooks and read at least 12 by the end of 2011. There are drawings each month based on how many reviews you publish. Hosted by <a href="http://www.theunreadreader.com/">The Unread Reader</a>. I am getting a Kindle for Christmas, so I thought this would be a really fun way to start the year.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://darlynandbooks.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-fantasy-reading-challenge.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvTw6WjbFqBxBpliAs_XyiV5-f_ju0QKzU9qBJn547EbVuXJopxFy38bHEJI5mu6Svw8ucNDtR4eGP4foSPRMGkyrKFvFT1JTx71DxpZ_oeDcOs0y1WxqwuONqQ-hNOidGTS2Q7oOA8Y/s200/2011+Fantasy+Reading+Challenge.JPG" width="156" /></a></div><br />
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Read at least 3 fantasy novels by the end of 2011. This challenge has been ongoing for a few years, but this year it will be hosted at <a href="http://darlynandbooks.blogspot.com/">Darlyn & Books</a>. Needless to say this challenge will be fairly easy for me, so I'll be trying for the top level (Obsessed) with 20 books. In 2012, there will be 3 prize winners, and the winners' choice of $10 book prize will come from the other reviews.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a _blank="" href="http://midnytereader.com/2010/12/dusty-volumes-reading-challenge.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><a _blank="" href="http://midnytereader.com/2010/12/dusty-volumes-reading-challenge.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd388/midnytereader/dusty3-1.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeAoFGB0CHUPMH8DrmVdJ8NgrlOl2ST7cHCQzDeMQmL2ST0aLOUbtigLc_g-2jWJp6gh8WzuvGXEmKtK8FxHj4rF8jgTxNZgvDw7S2R2pHPeFyy8SZLyiQDNRgFOmHpbCbddrau19UQo/s1600/2011+dusty+volumes+reading+challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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<i> Brush the cobwebs aside, </i><br />
<i>Pull the book from the shelf.</i><br />
<i>Blow the dust off the cover,</i><br />
<i>Then immerse yourself.</i><br />
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Write up a list of dusty volumes, books written before 1960, that you hope to read in 2011. You are allowed to change the list whenever you need to, though. This challenge is hosted by <a href="http://www.midnytereader.com/">Midnyte Reader</a>. There will be giveaways, and there are ways to earn more entries. I'm looking forward to reading older books that I've been wanting to tackle for awhile, and I hope to add more to the list later.<br />
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<u><b>Here is my list of dusty volumes for 2011:</b></u><br />
Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake (1946)<br />
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier (1938)<br />
Katherine by Anya Seyton (1954)<br />
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (1932)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://midnightbookgirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-read-me-baby-1-more-time-challenge.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvovWhLH5IuwJSGkKUkYVvs2QR2qqfLyiYfMJ3bXlpixbXOL6X6TpmS_C9yuse3Nz2UhM_VMAZrrgHFoZSJWB-P9CI-JeYLrVqdKPjVSXiP5WP2M5DsMwSgqMlk6DChSJO-TQfdhsGS8/s1600/2011+readmebaby+one+more+time.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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This is the same idea for a challenge I had, so I simply had to participate. :-) The challenge is to reread a book that you have read before and review it. The challenge goes from 1 to 20 books, so there are a lot of options, and there will be prize drawings every 3 months. This challenge is hosted by <a href="http://midnightbookgirl.blogspot.com/">Midnight Book Girl</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you are participating in any of these, please comment so I can look for your reviews and entries! </span>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-78720445966714555572010-12-17T09:59:00.004-05:002010-12-17T10:21:36.211-05:00Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhVXIsBHvzg1Vb7ulTkwsCNi4XunlDN521ugD9RVmRYb1HKrIkbPQc9T2_j26ofc-ZzMmhimTXY98uX2jpFM29LK0_PBgzlLx9XLL8ifFjQOPvk1QyYCqf3tbhX0keJvb4mpfXOnV6os/s1600/seer+of+sevenwaters.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhVXIsBHvzg1Vb7ulTkwsCNi4XunlDN521ugD9RVmRYb1HKrIkbPQc9T2_j26ofc-ZzMmhimTXY98uX2jpFM29LK0_PBgzlLx9XLL8ifFjQOPvk1QyYCqf3tbhX0keJvb4mpfXOnV6os/s320/seer+of+sevenwaters.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Before I review this, I just want to clarify that the Sevenwaters series is one of my favorites, and Juliet Marillier is one of my favorite authors. I've had this on my wishlist since I heard there was another Sevenwaters book coming out.</div><br />
<i>The young seer Sibeal is visiting an island of elite warriors, prior to making her final pledge as a druid. It's there she finds Felix, a survivor of a Viking shipwreck, who's lost his memory. The scholarly Felix and Sibeal form a natural bond. He could even be her soul mate, but Sibeal's vocation is her true calling, and her heart must answer. <br />
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As Felix fully regains his memory, Sibeal has a runic divination showing her that Felix must go on a perilous mission-and that she will join him. The rough waters and the sea creatures they will face are no match for Sibeal's own inner turmoil. She must choose between the two things that tug at her soul-her spirituality and a chance at love...</i><br />
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As I said, I'm a huge fan of Juliet Marillier, but I felt like this book was fairly different from the previous Sevenwaters books. It was a lighter read, for one thing. Where the other books seemed to have an element of peril and danger, and no shortage of dark themes, <i>Seer of Sevenwaters</i> seemed to meander in safety for most of the novel. There is a lot of conversation. I know this sounds bad, but I got bogged down in all the philosophical discussion.<br />
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I did find myself becoming very nostalgic at the beginning and end of the book. It was like a Sevenwaters novel at those points: there was danger, romance, and the family from Sevenwaters that fans of Marillier will find familiar. I will say that it was nice seeing what happened to many characters from the other books, and visiting the island of Inis Eala.<br />
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However, I found the new main characters Sibeal and Felix to be bland and rather uninteresting, and the plot was formulaic. Boy meets girl, they fall in love but don't say anything, supernatural drama ensues, insert dramatic confession of love here. I had the entire course of the story figured out after meeting the shipwrecked characters, even the grand mystery of Svala and Knut (a couple from the Viking shipwreck), while the rest of the island was blissfully ignorant. I found that somewhat implausible as well, that an entire island of warriors and people with plenty of intuition couldn't figure out who the bad guy was and what was going on with these new people.<br />
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All in all, this was a book that could have been chopped in half...there was a lot of filler in between a relatively solid first and last few chapters. Marillier is an amazing author, so I admit this book came as quite a surprise to me. It made me long for Marillier's first few books, so maybe I'll reread those.<br />
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<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Bottom Line </b></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 2.5 / 5</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Try<br />
<b>More?</b> Standalone, but of a series of 5 books so far</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Content </i></b></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Plot</b>: 2 / 5</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Setting</b>: 4 / 5 (still love the setting, even through 5 books)</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Characters</b>: 2 / 5 </span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><b>Style</b></i><b> </b><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Slow<br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Middlin'<br />
<b>Fantasy factor</b>: Magical Realism</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seer-Sevenwaters-Juliet-Marillier/dp/0451463552">Amazon.com link </a></span>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-6978368763960216502010-12-06T13:09:00.000-05:002010-12-06T13:09:08.582-05:00Random BusinessFirst, I have a question for my bookish friends: How long do you give a book to impress you before you throw in the towel? How bad does it have to be for you to give it up? What if you intend to read it some other time?<br />
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Also, I have discovered interlibrary loans. Yay! I have requested <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Kingdoms-Inheritance-Trilogy/dp/0316043966/"><i>The Broken Kingdoms</i></a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Magic-Spiritwalker-Trilogy-Elliott/dp/0316080853/"><i>Cold Magic</i></a>...they should be in by the end of this week. :)<br />
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It is exam week but...meh. Priorities. :PEscapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-62725391062768019512010-12-05T12:20:00.000-05:002010-12-05T12:20:25.091-05:00The Child Thief by Brom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjvdSBX6QuyS374GSnXRqbIlkvE42MoLW1rgzaAL-sJ0mknWxJIuM1OvCgh7aAIEoJ7SrRvRPell_GWf2-HGyYSKV27EtWS6P8qH0-FcjYJ7iXlXAmOBQghpUi_z3KH31c0lhHb4nY9I/s1600/the+child+thief+by+brom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjvdSBX6QuyS374GSnXRqbIlkvE42MoLW1rgzaAL-sJ0mknWxJIuM1OvCgh7aAIEoJ7SrRvRPell_GWf2-HGyYSKV27EtWS6P8qH0-FcjYJ7iXlXAmOBQghpUi_z3KH31c0lhHb4nY9I/s320/the+child+thief+by+brom.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>This may be stereotypical of me, but I love fairy tales, and I especially love new twists on fairy tales. This particular novel is a much darker version of Peter Pan than the one you see in Disney movies, although the original tale hints at some darkness as well.<br />
<blockquote><i>Peter is quick, daring, and full of mischief—and like all boys, he loves to play, though his games often end in blood. His eyes are sparkling gold, and when he graces you with his smile you are his friend for life, but his promised land is </i><i>not</i> Neverland. </blockquote><i>Fourteen-year-old Nick would have been murdered by the drug dealers preying on his family had Peter not saved him. Now the irresistibly charismatic wild boy wants Nick to follow him to a secret place of great adventure, where magic is alive and you never grow old. Even though he is wary of Peter's crazy talk of faeries and monsters, Nick agrees. After all, New York City is no longer safe for him, and what more could he possibly lose? </i><br />
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<i>There is </i><i>always more to lose. </i><br />
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<i>Accompanying Peter to a gray and ravished island that was once a lush, enchanted paradise, Nick finds himself unwittingly recruited for a war that has raged for centuries—one where he must learn to fight or die among the "Devils," Peter's savage tribe of lost and stolen children. </i><br />
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<i>There, Peter's dark past is revealed: left to wolves as an infant, despised and hunted, Peter moves restlessly between the worlds of faerie and man. The Child Thief is a leader of bloodthirsty children, a brave friend, and a creature driven to do whatever he must to stop the "Flesh-eaters" and save the last, wild magic in this dying land. </i><br />
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I don't think I've ever read a book written by an illustrator before, and <i>The Child Thief</i> has several of Brom's illustrations throughout the book, including the cover art. They're beautiful, and really help the reader picture the characters.<br />
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That said, the prose does not suffer at all. When I first heard that Brom was an artist first, I was somewhat skeptical about his writing ability. Oh how wrong I was. This book was a page-turner without having a simplistic writing style, and moved along without skimping on description. Without the illustrations, I still had a good idea what characters and places looked like and I was never bored.<br />
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The characters and the plot were where Brom shone, I think. The plot twisted and turned until I wasn't sure who to cheer for. By the end, it's unclear who is the "good guy" and who is the "bad guy." Everyone (for the most part) thinks they're doing the right thing...but who really is? I love authors that are unafraid to deal with the sometimes ambiguous nature of morality. <br />
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The world Brom opens up to the reader is dark, there's no question about that. From the beginning, the dregs of society are the center of our outside world. Peter brings children into Avalon from horrible situations, but that's not even the worst, most graphic part of the book. People are flayed alive, intestines are eaten out of live people, there are horrible descriptions of rape, torture, and one character is crucified. This book is not for the faint of heart, and this is not an uplifting book for the most part. Be prepared for main characters to be killed.<br />
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The book ends on a relatively good note though, though it may not be a happily ever after ending. I didn't walk away feeling depressed though...that's a pet peeve of mine with novels.<br />
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While the book was dark and gruesome, to the point where I thought about throwing in the towel a few times, it is definitely worth the read. I am so glad I kept reading. Brom's exploration of a tale that was already sort of creepy was amazing. I enjoyed the fact that I had to think about the subjective nature of right and wrong. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>Bottom Line</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 4 / 5</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Try, merely because of the violence<br />
<b>More?</b></span> <span style="font-size: small;">Standalone</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Content </i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Plot</b>: 5 / 5</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Setting</b>: 4 / 5 </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Characters</b>: 4 / 5 </span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Style</b></i><b> </b><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Fast<b> </b><br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Middlin'<br />
<b>Fantasy factor</b>: Magical Realism to Low Fantasy</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Child-Thief-Novel-Brom/dp/0061671339">Amazon.com link</a>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-36120396665695018352010-11-26T01:22:00.000-05:002010-11-26T01:22:28.850-05:00Book Blog Hop<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/"><img src="http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt34/crazybookblog/cfbmemebutton-2.png" /></a></div><br />
Happy Thanksgiving all! I stuffed my face and enjoyed hanging out with my family. Life is good.<br />
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Question this week:"What is your favorite book cover?"<br />
Answer: For this one, I had to go through my librarything and goodreads to pick one out. I don't pick a book unless I like the cover ysee :P<br />
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Upon further review, I think I have to go with, much to my chagrin, Elfland.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqfrFhv4N80OjHUv3pWbEDFVravOqhBgE4BXRjKLShCtwKBLZK6Hq0X-GY0GF9mL4n92nL-xYXAVNXxuEbITi9OvocNlwrHx9c34Nr5ekz44aDcYduYA1_bQu1iCNzkP3x62jO8dhZBs/s1600/elfland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqfrFhv4N80OjHUv3pWbEDFVravOqhBgE4BXRjKLShCtwKBLZK6Hq0X-GY0GF9mL4n92nL-xYXAVNXxuEbITi9OvocNlwrHx9c34Nr5ekz44aDcYduYA1_bQu1iCNzkP3x62jO8dhZBs/s1600/elfland.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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I made it extra big so yall could see why I thought it was so beautiful. Unfortunately, <a href="http://escapist-rn.blogspot.com/2010/10/elfland-by-freda-warrington.html">I found the book to be lacking</a>.Still, can't beat Kinuko Craft.Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-81776218475402162762010-11-23T18:53:00.001-05:002010-11-23T18:53:43.778-05:00Bitten by Kelley Armstrong<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZk-JvYz6mZbrXOJZe-Qt0-87_zc0kbzFCAHBGfmLzaMuSq3asrfiaJEeN8bxSygdQT2-wgj1fU3EyrhgMRwgMp-CKzEkGxpF8tre4XCEff0BVAjIGzliUK4NNJzj-OKHKiQdtl80jb8/s1600/bitten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZk-JvYz6mZbrXOJZe-Qt0-87_zc0kbzFCAHBGfmLzaMuSq3asrfiaJEeN8bxSygdQT2-wgj1fU3EyrhgMRwgMp-CKzEkGxpF8tre4XCEff0BVAjIGzliUK4NNJzj-OKHKiQdtl80jb8/s320/bitten.jpg" width="195" /></a><br />
<span class="reviewText" id="freeText18401023031921145652">I feel like I'm supremely late on the uptake with this series. Originally, I was going to read this book for a challenge, but I didn't finish it in time. I had bought it forever ago from a used book store and I was happy to finally read one of the books I already own.</span><i><span class="reviewText" id="freeText18401023031921145652"> </span></i><br />
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<i><span class="reviewText" id="freeText18401023031921145652">Ever since her parents were killed in a car accident when she was five, Elena Michaels has longed for a normal family life. Smart, beautiful, and engaged to be married, Elena hopes to fulfill that dream when disaster strikes. Not only has her fiancé lied about his secret life as a werewolf, but he's made her one, too. She has no choice but to join him at Stonehaven, the upstate New York home of an elite pack of werewolves.<br />
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In an attempt to break away, she moves to Toronto to lead a normal life. Working as a journalist, Elena now lives with her new architect boyfriend, works out in the basement gym of their high-rise apartment, lunches with girlfriends from the office, and once a week, at four in the morning runs naked and furred through a downtown Toronto ravine, ripping out the throats of her animal prey. But when a band of outlaw werewolves threatens the Stonehaven pack, Elena's feral instincts drive her back there to join the defense. What follows is a war for territory, for pride, and ultimately for Elena herself.</span></i><br />
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I'm afraid this review will be awfully short. Despite sleeping until 10am this morning, I am still exhausted from the last few weeks...and I've taken Benedryl which knocks me for a bloody loop.<br />
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In any case, this book wasn't bad. I haven't read many vampire or werewolf books, so I can't say that I know how it rates next to other books of the same variety. I'll be honest, there was a little too much description of wolf fighting and playing for my tastes. It just got sort of dull after awhile. I understand the author was probably trying to build a relationship between the characters, but the fact remains that wolves don't have the depth of expression that humans have and it got rather routine.<br />
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I liked Elena all right. The first half of the book I wasn't crazy about any of the characters. They just seemed too smug and cookie cutter. At the end, when worlds collide, as it were, I found myself finding Clay far more endearing. It was like a switch turned on and all of a sudden he was trying to be likable or something. Still, the characters lacked soul for the most part. I felt like half the book was spent explaining stuff.<br />
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Also, the explaining got old after awhile. I felt like there was lost of background information, but not much reason for it. Pointless stories. I guess it was to flesh out the characters, but I would have preferred current actions to speak for themselves.<br />
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Overall, the book was sort of choppy and generic. I liked it, and there was lots of promise in this book... but I'm not in a hurry to read the next.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Bottom Line</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 3 / 5</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? Try</b><br />
<b>More?</b> 1 / 12 in the Women of the Otherworld series...different characters</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Content </i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 2 / 5</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Setting</b>: 3 / 5 </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Characters</b>: 3 / 5 </div><i><b>Style</b></i><b> </b><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Middlin' to Fast<b> </b><br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Prose<br />
<b>Fantasy factor</b>: Magical Realism<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bitten-Novel-Otherworld-Kelley-Armstrong/dp/0452296641">Amazon.com link</a>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-24470186691854020302010-11-16T08:30:00.001-05:002010-11-16T08:57:17.262-05:00Teaser Tuesdays: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/teasertuesdays31.jpg" /></div><br />
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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/">Should Be Reading</a>. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:<br />
<ul><li>Grab your current read </li>
<li>Open to a random page </li>
<li>Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page </li>
</ul>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) <br />
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Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZk-JvYz6mZbrXOJZe-Qt0-87_zc0kbzFCAHBGfmLzaMuSq3asrfiaJEeN8bxSygdQT2-wgj1fU3EyrhgMRwgMp-CKzEkGxpF8tre4XCEff0BVAjIGzliUK4NNJzj-OKHKiQdtl80jb8/s1600/bitten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZk-JvYz6mZbrXOJZe-Qt0-87_zc0kbzFCAHBGfmLzaMuSq3asrfiaJEeN8bxSygdQT2-wgj1fU3EyrhgMRwgMp-CKzEkGxpF8tre4XCEff0BVAjIGzliUK4NNJzj-OKHKiQdtl80jb8/s200/bitten.jpg" width="121" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><i>Elena Michaels seems like the typically strong and sexy modern woman. She lives with her architect boyfriend, writes for a popular newspaper, and works out at the gym. She's also a werewolf. Elena has done all she can to assimilate to the human world, but the man whose bite changed her existence forever, and his legacy, continue to haunt her. Thrown into a desperate war for survival that tests her allegiance to a secret clan of werewolves, Elena must reckon with who, and what, she is.</i><br />
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<u><b>My Teasers</b></u>: "If you decide to leave, have Clay drive you to Syracuse."<br />
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"Yeah right," I said. "I'd be more likely to get to the airport by thumbing a ride with the local psychopath."<br />
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-<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bitten-Women-Otherworld-Book-1/dp/0452286034/">Bitten</a> </i>by Kelley Armstrong, pg 49Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-70086041153572115462010-11-15T17:28:00.001-05:002010-11-15T17:28:55.250-05:00Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9sRsqEL_4N6P5cUgjyi2iqAjWN13X8C5k5AyMGa1p3eXPt1t1ZyTDPTDABndT1F7azPfkLmkRXPJVv9iDXXM1q78G9AATA74uQ3MOdVBUDcQ2lxFzr5wrJdynO0KxJtCULGdnYXAFkE/s1600/troubled+waters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9sRsqEL_4N6P5cUgjyi2iqAjWN13X8C5k5AyMGa1p3eXPt1t1ZyTDPTDABndT1F7azPfkLmkRXPJVv9iDXXM1q78G9AATA74uQ3MOdVBUDcQ2lxFzr5wrJdynO0KxJtCULGdnYXAFkE/s320/troubled+waters.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><span class="reviewText" id="freeText14756090689858225160">In comparison with the last book I read, this one flew by. It took me less than 48 hours to finish it. I find that I read books that I enjoy pretty quickly, despite whatever school mess is also due.</span><i><span class="reviewText" id="freeText14756090689858225160"> </span></i><br />
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<i><span class="reviewText" id="freeText14756090689858225160">Zoe Ardelay receives astonishing and unwelcome news: she has been chosen to become the king’s fifth wife. Forced to go to the royal city, she manages to slip away and hide on the shores of the mighty river. <br />
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It’s there that Zoe realizes she is a coru prime ruled by the elemental sign of water. She must return to the palace, not as an unwilling bride for the king, but a woman with power in her own right. But as Zoe unlocks more of the mysteries of her blood — and the secrets of the royal family — she must decide how to use her great power to rise above the deceptions and intrigue of the royal court.</span></i><br />
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<span class="reviewText" id="freeText14756090689858225160">Before <i>Troubled Waters</i>, I had read all of Sharon Shinn's Samaria books and enjoyed them very much. Again, Shinn creates a world that is very original and complex, just as I found Samaria to be. I found the world to be the most enchanting part of this book, actually.</span><br />
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<span class="reviewText" id="freeText14756090689858225160">The magical system is based on the 5 elements, although Shinn combined two different ideas of the elements. Generally, one hears about earth, fire, air, water and aether (soul) as the 5 elements, the Classical elements. The Chinese have another system: earth, water, fire, metal, and wood. It seems that the author combined these two...her elements are earth, fire, air, water, and wood. I found that to be somewhat confusing, merely because I have trouble understanding the Chinese system to begin with.</span><br />
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<span class="reviewText" id="freeText14756090689858225160">One of my absolute favorite elements was the quasi-religious system in the novel. At the temples, there are barrels full of coins marked with different blessings. When a baby is born, their parent is to ask 3 random people to pull blessings from the barrels. These will be the child's blessings through their life. Zoe's are Beauty, Love, and Power. There is a great side story in the book where a man asks Zoe for help pulling blessings for surprise twin girls. If you are in need of guidance, you pay a tithe and pull some blessings from the barrels that will give you direction. Certain blessings are tied into the different elements, but anyone can have any blessing, regardless of their affinity.</span><br />
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<span class="reviewText" id="freeText14756090689858225160">The book reminded me very much of Maria V Snyder's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Poison-Study-Maria-V-Snyder/dp/0778327116/">Poison Study</a>. Both writing styles seem similar, and the depth of the novels are about the same. While Shinn's world is very fleshed out, I found the characters to be less so, and the story to be somewhat simplistic. I stop short of calling them <i>all </i>two dimensional because the supporting characters were all very different and the story certainly kept me reading. However, I found I was able to accurately predict how the story would go most of the time. There were twists, but I could identify when they would occur, and make an approximation of what would happen. </span><br />
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<span class="reviewText" id="freeText14756090689858225160">Zoe has a love interest, and I felt that their love for each other was somewhat out of the blue. There was zero development of a relationship besides a lot of arguing. Zoe is a likable heroine, but a very predictable one I'm sorry to say, and I did not find her to be a very realistic character either. The supporting characters were well developed and interesting, but I got very little feel for Zoe other recklessness and impulsivity with absolutely no regret for any of her actions. Somehow, there are never any repercussions either.</span><br />
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<span class="reviewText" id="freeText14756090689858225160">The end was terribly abrupt and seemed thrown together. Huge event happens, but it's in the last 50 pages or so of the book. In the last 3 pages, 90% of the loose ends are tied together in a pretty bow. It was just really strange, because the book spends all this time building up, and the ending was just terribly rushed. It was almost like the author was gearing up for a trilogy or series, but then decided not to write the rest and just cram the next book or two into the last few pages.</span><br />
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<span class="reviewText" id="freeText14756090689858225160">That said, I really enjoyed this book. I really didn't mind any of the previously mentioned issues as I was reading. I was aware of them, but they did not impede my enjoyment. </span><span class="reviewText" id="freeText14756090689858225160">I had a really hard time putting it down because it was so exciting and entertaining. It was very refreshing to enjoy a book after the debacle of the last two I tried to read. </span><br />
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<span class="reviewText" id="freeText14756090689858225160">Reading back, my analysis seems pretty critical, but I would highly recommend picking this book up. I'm sad there's not more than one book in this world. If you're looking for something deep, insightful or dark and realistic, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a fun, light, absorbing read, <i>Troubled Waters</i> is a great place to start.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bottom Line</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 4 / 5</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Buy (I would read this again for sure)<br />
<b>More?</b> Standalone</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Content </i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 3 / 5</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Setting</b>: 5 / 5 </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Characters</b>: 3 / 5 (for all the varied characters)</div><i><b>Style</b></i><b> </b><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Middlin' to Fast<b> </b><br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Prose<br />
<b>Fantasy factor</b>: High Fantasy<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Troubled-Waters-Sharon-Shinn/dp/0441019234">Amazon.com link</a>Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-33531177235835421212010-11-13T19:34:00.001-05:002010-12-20T18:34:44.453-05:00Angelslayer: The Winnowing War by K Michael Wright<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSnz4aqbZiOku70TcCBBgb_MZ4IaQOXjxamUTM4DU6K8PknljzpDKumzVhC7HVMlGuA2e3b6Ib0TTnlhDwJqfzre6kS5ExlhgA7aJT1Ea80x_cRSctwWzG2rRCR4yikognQM5NhdB1ns/s1600/angelslayer+winnowing+war.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSnz4aqbZiOku70TcCBBgb_MZ4IaQOXjxamUTM4DU6K8PknljzpDKumzVhC7HVMlGuA2e3b6Ib0TTnlhDwJqfzre6kS5ExlhgA7aJT1Ea80x_cRSctwWzG2rRCR4yikognQM5NhdB1ns/s320/angelslayer+winnowing+war.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>The problem with obscure books is it's next to impossible to find a decent cover image. Nonetheless, I found one. I find the cover to be a little over the top, but I'd never heard of this author before and that doesn't happen very often with fantasy novels.<br />
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<i><span class="description">Set amidst an eerie and distant future, this novel tells the story of Etlantis-the mother city built in the shadows of Mt. Arom-and the possible end of the world. Believing in their right to rule the planet, the people of Etlantis sent ships to hunt the Western Seas. In them were the Nephilim-sons of Angels who had become addicted to human flesh and blood through the curse of Enoch. In the wake of their terror, the earth's human population has neared extinction. Unless the survivors can band together to destroy the monsters that ravaged their home, the end is all but certain. Featuring an imaginative range of characters and concepts, this is a harrowing vision of the line between heaven and earth.</span></i><br />
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<span class="description">I don't know about you, but I still don't get it the gist of the story from that description. Not to mention in my copy, it's partially covered up by a label.</span><i><span class="description"> </span></i><span class="description">Still, everywhere I turned, it seemed like there was a positive review of <i>Angelslayer</i>, so I gave it a go.</span><br />
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<span class="description">I'm sure you noticed my last review was a full month ago. I've renewed this book 3 times, and I incurred a 20 cent fine. But I was determined not to put two books in the "could not finish" pile in a row...regardless of how slowly it dragged and how very much I wanted to read something else. Needless to say, this will be a short review because I spent way too much time trying to read this book already.</span><br />
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<span class="description">The writing style is very flowery. The scenes are gory. The cruelty and mutilation exhibited by the bad guys is...nauseating. Truly nauseating. And I'm a nurse. There are people who are drawn and quartered (and still alive and talking), nearly decapitated, drained of blood so it can be made into fine wine, stripped of all organs, bones etc and still alive, dead but kept alive by demons for organs...it's a horror book, really. Pure and simple. The story was confusing at best, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out who was fighting for whom and why they were fighting in the first place. I skimmed the last 200 pages or so, at least.</span><br />
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<span class="description">I think people who like Guy Gavriel Kay a lot might like this book. Also, people who like really gory horror or long drawn out battle scenes. I just did not enjoy it.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bottom Line</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">(I am trying hard not to get wrapped up in the frustration of it taking so long to read and be objective)<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Overall Rating</b>: 1.5 / 5 </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Buy or Try? </b>Try<br />
<b>More?</b> 1 / ? It's supposed to be a series. We'll see.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Content </i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Plot</b>: 1 / 5 (lul whut?)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Setting</b>: 2 / 5 (again, whut?)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Characters</b>: 2 / 5 (Some weren't so bad I suppose.)</div><i><b>Style</b></i><b> </b><br />
<b>Pace: </b>Slooooow.<br />
<b>Descriptiveness</b>: Poetry<br />
<b>Fantasy factor</b>: High FantasyEscapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-59146111577070181712010-10-31T18:45:00.000-04:002010-10-31T18:45:57.760-04:00Happy Halloween!I'm sure you can all tell that I am back in hardcore school. I have a test every week and every day is full to the brim with classes/clinical. With that and trying to get things straight for the wedding next year, my reviews have suffered. I am still working on <i>Angelslayer</i>, it's just going slower than anticipated. Much slower.<br />
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That's the thing about school. You never really have any free time because there's always something you should be doing. Also hanging over my head, in addition to the tests, is a 20-30 page paper.<br />
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The good news is my venue is booked for my wedding, I got through the first clinical and will be done with the serious clinical paperwork this week, and I've gotten all my information together to write that horrid paper.<br />
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Today is also the last day of the <a href="http://ripvchallengereviewsite.blogspot.com/2010/08/rip-v-challenge-review-site.html">RIP V Challenge</a>. I met my goal, Peril the First, but I didn't complete my entire list unfortunately. Whenever I have a chance, I plan on visiting more of my fellow participants.<br />
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Either way, Happy Halloween, Happy Samhain, Happy All Hallow's Eve. Hope yours is more exciting than mine :)Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471344524008089948.post-53930387220698207362010-10-19T07:42:00.000-04:002010-10-19T07:42:06.194-04:00Teaser Tuesdays: Angelslayer by K Michael Wright<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://shouldbereading.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/teasertuesdays31.jpg" /></div><br />
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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/">Should Be Reading</a>. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:<br />
<ul><li>Grab your current read </li>
<li>Open to a random page </li>
<li>Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page </li>
</ul>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) <br />
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Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!<br />
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<u><b>My Teasers</b></u>: When the bolt discharged from the tip of Uriel's blade, it was like a sky storm rippling over the waters; it spread outward, separating into lightning-like serpents searching in a dozen or more directions, all at once, simultaneously, they struck every target. heads exploded with whips and pops, some with cracks of thunder, explosions blew sprays of sea and blood into the air.<br />
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-<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Angelslayer-Winnowing-K-Michael-Wright/dp/1933836539">Angelslayer: The Winnowing War</a> by K Michael Wright, pg 316<br />
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I couldn't find a big enough cover image, but if you look at my sidebar, there is a librarything widget which has this book on it.Escapisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09408164871118904620noreply@blogger.com3