Karl Burnett

I really enjoyed this one! Set during a (not THE) renaissance in a world with some strong similarities to our world (albeit one with magic, flying machines and other races) the plot concerns the protagonist returning to a city to get revenge on the men who slashed her face open and left her for dead. Giulia, our fierce, spiky and single-minded ‘hero' sets out to on a path of vengeance but finds herself being pulled into the Machiavellian machinations of those who would rule the city.

I adore the Temeraire series of books with a passion, and am happy to spend time with Ms. Novik's characters, but sadly this was the weakest book in the series so far. The politics are a bit muddy, and a large chunk of the book is spent with the characters seemingly meandering about, initially with no real sense of purpose. It picked up towards the end, but there wasn't quite enough plot to fill the book.

This is not to say that I hated it, I for the most part found it enjoyable. The writing style is easy and entertaining and most of the characters are likeable and/or interesting. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series (I know it's out, I'm just waiting for the price to come down) and I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

I just hope Temeraire and Laurence get a bit more to do in it.

The Magicians is an interesting book - a postmodern take on Harry Potter and the Narnia books. The main character is highly intelligent, but depressed and lonely. Even when his dreams come true, and he gets to attend a magical school for potential wizards, he discovers that it isn't what he would hope it would be. The main theme of the book seems to be that contentment won't be handed to you, and you should make your own happiness. Or perhaps the theme is ‘wherever you go, there you are'.
Several reviews I've seen complain that despite the book telling us how academically clever Quentin (the protagonist) is, he doesn't seem especially intelligent. However I think Q is very much like some of the super-intelligent people I've met, brilliant at learning, lousy at reading people, social interaction and understanding subtext, and therefore is quite a unusual character in this kind of book.
I liked this book a lot, although occasionally I felt like it was giving me a kicking. Some of it is a bit predictable, but it was an enjoyable read that posed some fascinating questions and successfully brought a level of adult sophistication to an area that seemed to not mesh with that kind of Chabon-esque literature.
8/10

I started reading in the library while the kids were doing a crafting thing, and 55 pages in I knew that I had to take the book out and finish it. Halfway in and it's even better.

Finished. Can't wait to read the next one - an absolute blast (and I love the way Ryan has taken real events and people from history and myth and mixed them together into a kind of fantasy stew).

A really smashing book for older children. In the vein of Redwall etc, as it features anthropomorphic rabbits, but with elements of Big Map Fantasy and the sense of the beginnings of some impressive world-building. I particularly enjoyed the way that the emotional toll on the young heroes is shown (something that many fantasy novels for adults seem to conveniently forget about). An easy read but it sticks in the mind and I'm now eager to read the sequels. (Even though I am aware that I'm a bit older than the target demographic!)

I'm looking forward to reading this to my kids when they're a bit older.

An enjoyable book, and a great evocation of life and a young book addict. Although my childhood reading somewhat differed from Ms. Mangan's (due, most likely, to our different genders and interests) in the areas where we matched it was like a nostalgia bomb going off. This book was also filled with the kind of interesting facts and information about authors and publishing that I love to read.

(It was also nice to see that I'm not the only person that really does not see the appeal of The Cat in the Hat.)

An engaging mixture of Regency Romance and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (but lacking a little in the depth of the latter), this was an enjoyable romp. A little slow to get going but a refreshing change. It's nice to read a tale in this oeuvre with two main characters who are non-white. Most enjoyable, would recommend.
4.25 Quills.

A funny, interesting, engaging and brave book. Ultimately it's also heartbreaking.

It was great to read how her early internet experiences gave her the same sort of feelings that mine did, even though our entry points were different.

The crap she went through with the gamergate assholes is shared in detail and made me sick to my stomach.

3.5 stars. Fun, fast paced and interesting. Some details a little vague, particularly the way Babbages operate (sometimes they seem very much like modern computers, sometimes not). As other reviews have stated, the business with automatons being run on captured human souls seems like it should be more of an issue. All in all though a fun read and I'll definitely pick up book 2.