Michael
I think Mission to Disaster might be my favourite of the middle grade novels between phases one & two and has benefitted the most from my reread of phase one.
It was really interesting to see the book as a sort of overdue epilogue for the events of phase two with the battle of Dalna and Night of Sorrows. To see the small growth in the relationship between the Dalnans and Jedi was good and how while the Path are no longer in power their effects on the people still linger in their distrust.
Vern continues to be great as usual, no surprise, but this is more of Avon’s story to be honest. Her side of the story, getting kidnapped by Kara Xoo’s tempest is the more compelling part with Avon showing how good she is under pressure but also balances just how afraid and nervous she is as a literal child in this situation.
Having read the Starlight Stories now as well it was fun to see the crossover their aswell with Velko and the disappearance of Ghal, reading those short stories definitely helped flesh out that side of things.
Looking forward to finally starting the Phase 2 reread now.
I think Mission to Disaster might be my favourite of the middle grade novels between phases one & two and has benefitted the most from my reread of phase one.
It was really interesting to see the book as a sort of overdue epilogue for the events of phase two with the battle of Dalna and Night of Sorrows. To see the small growth in the relationship between the Dalnans and Jedi was good and how while the Path are no longer in power their effects on the people still linger in their distrust.
Vern continues to be great as usual, no surprise, but this is more of Avon’s story to be honest. Her side of the story, getting kidnapped by Kara Xoo’s tempest is the more compelling part with Avon showing how good she is under pressure but also balances just how afraid and nervous she is as a literal child in this situation.
Having read the Starlight Stories now as well it was fun to see the crossover their aswell with Velko and the disappearance of Ghal, reading those short stories definitely helped flesh out that side of things.
Looking forward to finally starting the Phase 2 reread now.
Added to listOwnedwith 32 books.
Added to list2024 Readswith 15 books.
Pages to Fill is a short story to add a little bit of backstory to Viv’s old team she would adventure with, it’s an interesting piece of extra characterization for the gang but because it’s set before L&L it means a lot of what you read the original for isn’t present here at all. It really just reads like a normal fantasy for the most part.
There are hints of the tone of the original at times, the wonder of Viv entering the Gnome Athenaeum put a smile on my face, there’s always a joy going into a library/bookshop for the first time.
The bounty plot was fairly standard but with a satisfying enough conclusion for a short story of this length and having the chance to walk around Azimuth was fairly interesting; seeing the tiny city described through the lens of seven foot Viv lead to some solid comedic moments.
A solid extra chapter to the original and I’m still very much looking forward to getting to the next book by Baldree soon after.
Pages to Fill is a short story to add a little bit of backstory to Viv’s old team she would adventure with, it’s an interesting piece of extra characterization for the gang but because it’s set before L&L it means a lot of what you read the original for isn’t present here at all. It really just reads like a normal fantasy for the most part.
There are hints of the tone of the original at times, the wonder of Viv entering the Gnome Athenaeum put a smile on my face, there’s always a joy going into a library/bookshop for the first time.
The bounty plot was fairly standard but with a satisfying enough conclusion for a short story of this length and having the chance to walk around Azimuth was fairly interesting; seeing the tiny city described through the lens of seven foot Viv lead to some solid comedic moments.
A solid extra chapter to the original and I’m still very much looking forward to getting to the next book by Baldree soon after.
Yep, cozy fantasy DOES really sum it up well. A book that just makes you feel all warm inside to read. I don’t even like or drink coffee but it made me want to boil the kettle and make myself some.
Viv and Tandri are great and their relationship was super cute towards the end. Their joy of slowly building up the shop was infectious, especially when faced with another treat from Thimble (best character).
Getting to know each of the regulars, one by one, just made the shop come alive; from the awkward bard, Pendry, to the at-first annoying scholar Hemington, to the cryptic old gnome, Durias, and finally Hob, the lovely old grouchy craftsman. All of them were so lovable that by the end they felt a bit like a family.
My favourite part would probably be each time the menu would get updated and we’d get to read the whole thing, slightly longer every time. Always put a smile on my face to see that on a page. ~Finer tastes for the working gent & lady~
Yep, cozy fantasy DOES really sum it up well. A book that just makes you feel all warm inside to read. I don’t even like or drink coffee but it made me want to boil the kettle and make myself some.
Viv and Tandri are great and their relationship was super cute towards the end. Their joy of slowly building up the shop was infectious, especially when faced with another treat from Thimble (best character).
Getting to know each of the regulars, one by one, just made the shop come alive; from the awkward bard, Pendry, to the at-first annoying scholar Hemington, to the cryptic old gnome, Durias, and finally Hob, the lovely old grouchy craftsman. All of them were so lovable that by the end they felt a bit like a family.
My favourite part would probably be each time the menu would get updated and we’d get to read the whole thing, slightly longer every time. Always put a smile on my face to see that on a page. ~Finer tastes for the working gent & lady~
Midnight Horizon is a mixed bag for me. I think the character work is really solid with some great dynamics at play (mostly from pre-existing characters) but the actual story feels a bit all over the place and messy at times.
Ram and Reath’s friendship is the saving grace here. They are great together as a true pair of dumb and awkward teens out in the city for the first time. Ram’s constant optimism and enthusiasm plays well with Reath who is a bit more serious but still up for the journey and every scene they are in together is genuinely a joy to read. At the same time, Kantam and Cohmac are also a good pair bringing a more serious and mature side to the book while grounding it more into the wider THR storytelling.
The new characters are a bit of a mixed bag. I liked Crash but I felt like her crew was introduced way too quickly with such out there names that it was hard to keep track of them and their personalities.
Just like Into the Dark, I can’t say im a fan of these interspersed flashback chapters with Kantam. Slows the pace down and didn’t add much for me.
Midnight Horizon is a mixed bag for me. I think the character work is really solid with some great dynamics at play (mostly from pre-existing characters) but the actual story feels a bit all over the place and messy at times.
Ram and Reath’s friendship is the saving grace here. They are great together as a true pair of dumb and awkward teens out in the city for the first time. Ram’s constant optimism and enthusiasm plays well with Reath who is a bit more serious but still up for the journey and every scene they are in together is genuinely a joy to read. At the same time, Kantam and Cohmac are also a good pair bringing a more serious and mature side to the book while grounding it more into the wider THR storytelling.
The new characters are a bit of a mixed bag. I liked Crash but I felt like her crew was introduced way too quickly with such out there names that it was hard to keep track of them and their personalities.
Just like Into the Dark, I can’t say im a fan of these interspersed flashback chapters with Kantam. Slows the pace down and didn’t add much for me.
An interesting setting for a fantasy such as this with its upper-class, old school faux-British background. The book is full of fun British-esque location names which I enjoyed for some reason such as Scirland & Gostershire.
Isabella herself is clearly the standout of the book. Her constant state of enthusiasm about all things dragon is really endearing to follow. The way she will explain how she feels in terms of dragons just creates a contagious level of passion to learn alongside her.
There is quite a slow start and the book does take a rather long time to get going but once they start the expedition in Vystrani, I was definitely invested in the journey and just as excited to learn more about these creatures and solve the mysteries they came across.
The final act of the book surprisingly turns into somewhat of a whodunnit as all of the pieces start coming together that while I still enjoyed it a lot, was not what I was expecting and would have maybe liked more focus on the dragons themself rather than humans.
Maybe the strongest thing I can say is that the world had me so invested that each time Isabella would bring up a research paper or book she had read, I just wished it actually existed and could read it myself which I think marks a very strong connection to the book.
An interesting setting for a fantasy such as this with its upper-class, old school faux-British background. The book is full of fun British-esque location names which I enjoyed for some reason such as Scirland & Gostershire.
Isabella herself is clearly the standout of the book. Her constant state of enthusiasm about all things dragon is really endearing to follow. The way she will explain how she feels in terms of dragons just creates a contagious level of passion to learn alongside her.
There is quite a slow start and the book does take a rather long time to get going but once they start the expedition in Vystrani, I was definitely invested in the journey and just as excited to learn more about these creatures and solve the mysteries they came across.
The final act of the book surprisingly turns into somewhat of a whodunnit as all of the pieces start coming together that while I still enjoyed it a lot, was not what I was expecting and would have maybe liked more focus on the dragons themself rather than humans.
Maybe the strongest thing I can say is that the world had me so invested that each time Isabella would bring up a research paper or book she had read, I just wished it actually existed and could read it myself which I think marks a very strong connection to the book.
I love this book so much. It's near perfect to be honest. Old people just get me more sad than anyone else and this story has the ability to make me cry every time, whether it's reading the book itself or either of the film adaptions. Im always left a mess at the end
I love this book so much. It's near perfect to be honest. Old people just get me more sad than anyone else and this story has the ability to make me cry every time, whether it's reading the book itself or either of the film adaptions. Im always left a mess at the end
After the first couple of chapters, I fully expected a tale of a grumpy old woman softening over time, similar to Ove, you must understand. That’s not what Britt-Marie ended up being.
Her story was a lot sadder than that. A story of a woman without purpose who's been taken for granted and ignored for her 60+ years, and the run down town for her to belong. Britt-Marie isn’t some grumpy old woman, she just has to find the confidence to follow her own thoughts away from the people that never “needed” her.
Britt-Marie is a joy to follow throughout. Her little quirks like the way she says what she thinks, for better or for worse, with all the sincerity that she thinks it comes across as. The way she sticks to her lists and methods and ideals throughout and these aren’t treated as a flaw to be fixed but rather just a part of her.
I definitely was not expecting it to turn into such a sport focused story, with a lot of the situations throughout surrounding football but I am by not means disappointed. There’s some classic Backman tear jerker moments at times that landed well and I finished the book thoroughly loving everyone in that town (especially Sami, but not Kent).
After the first couple of chapters, I fully expected a tale of a grumpy old woman softening over time, similar to Ove, you must understand. That’s not what Britt-Marie ended up being.
Her story was a lot sadder than that. A story of a woman without purpose who's been taken for granted and ignored for her 60+ years, and the run down town for her to belong. Britt-Marie isn’t some grumpy old woman, she just has to find the confidence to follow her own thoughts away from the people that never “needed” her.
Britt-Marie is a joy to follow throughout. Her little quirks like the way she says what she thinks, for better or for worse, with all the sincerity that she thinks it comes across as. The way she sticks to her lists and methods and ideals throughout and these aren’t treated as a flaw to be fixed but rather just a part of her.
I definitely was not expecting it to turn into such a sport focused story, with a lot of the situations throughout surrounding football but I am by not means disappointed. There’s some classic Backman tear jerker moments at times that landed well and I finished the book thoroughly loving everyone in that town (especially Sami, but not Kent).
Name one hero who was happy...They Never let you be famous AND happy... I'm going to be the first
I had a good time with this one. I think the best choice that Miller makes is definitely centering the book on Patroclus rather than Achilles. Doing so means we get this lack of understanding of Achilles himself which results in a sense of otherness from him giving him that feeling of being “more than” and slightly above humans like Patroclus. This choice did surprise me at first as I had assumed it would’ve been from Achilles POV and then towards the last few chapters was surprised that we stuck with the Patroclus POV.
Another benefit to the focus on Patroclus for me was that when you get to the section of the book that focuses on the battle of Troy, it’s a lot more grounded and smaller scale that you’d expect, focusing more on individuals at camp rather than the battle itself which I appreciated.
Following the stubbornness of Achilles and watching him struggle with the idea of his death and being remembered could be frustrating at times but you always understood where is was coming from and it kept things compelling throughout for me.
It’s impressive just how quickly Miller was able to make me hate Pyrrhus though. Pops up for the last chapter or two and is insufferable the whole time.
Name one hero who was happy...They Never let you be famous AND happy... I'm going to be the first
I had a good time with this one. I think the best choice that Miller makes is definitely centering the book on Patroclus rather than Achilles. Doing so means we get this lack of understanding of Achilles himself which results in a sense of otherness from him giving him that feeling of being “more than” and slightly above humans like Patroclus. This choice did surprise me at first as I had assumed it would’ve been from Achilles POV and then towards the last few chapters was surprised that we stuck with the Patroclus POV.
Another benefit to the focus on Patroclus for me was that when you get to the section of the book that focuses on the battle of Troy, it’s a lot more grounded and smaller scale that you’d expect, focusing more on individuals at camp rather than the battle itself which I appreciated.
Following the stubbornness of Achilles and watching him struggle with the idea of his death and being remembered could be frustrating at times but you always understood where is was coming from and it kept things compelling throughout for me.
It’s impressive just how quickly Miller was able to make me hate Pyrrhus though. Pops up for the last chapter or two and is insufferable the whole time.
This one is from the pile of books i’ve been receiving from Polish scammers for free and just read it on a whim to clear down the TBR honestly so I might not have gone into this with the most enthusiastic mind, but it’s also just generally not the sort of book I'd read anyway.
I do think it’s good for stories for this to be told though. It’s just that as a kids book, there's not much to be gained from it now for me. It’s the sort of thing I'd rather read an article on than a story like this as it doesnt give the time to get attached to anyone.
Probably great for a kid who’s first learning about issues such as Apartheid but didn’t grab me at all. You get the basics like the Pass Law and segregation of buses to whites only but not enough is really said about them apart from one admittedly good scene of the police at the train station rounding up innocent people who forgot their pass.
This one is from the pile of books i’ve been receiving from Polish scammers for free and just read it on a whim to clear down the TBR honestly so I might not have gone into this with the most enthusiastic mind, but it’s also just generally not the sort of book I'd read anyway.
I do think it’s good for stories for this to be told though. It’s just that as a kids book, there's not much to be gained from it now for me. It’s the sort of thing I'd rather read an article on than a story like this as it doesnt give the time to get attached to anyone.
Probably great for a kid who’s first learning about issues such as Apartheid but didn’t grab me at all. You get the basics like the Pass Law and segregation of buses to whites only but not enough is really said about them apart from one admittedly good scene of the police at the train station rounding up innocent people who forgot their pass.
Added to listStar Warswith 56 books.
Added to listOwnedwith 30 books.
Added to list2024 Readswith 9 books.
Name one hero who was happy...They Never let you be famous AND happy... I'm going to be the first
I had a good time with this one. I think the best choice that Miller makes is definitely centering the book on Patroclus rather than Achilles. Doing so means we get this lack of understanding of Achilles himself which results in a sense of otherness from him giving him that feeling of being “more than” and slightly above humans like Patroclus. This choice did surprise me at first as I had assumed it would’ve been from Achilles POV and then towards the last few chapters was surprised that we stuck with the Patroclus POV.
Another benefit to the focus on Patroclus for me was that when you get to the section of the book that focuses on the battle of Troy, it’s a lot more grounded and smaller scale that you’d expect, focusing more on individuals at camp rather than the battle itself which I appreciated.
Following the stubbornness of Achilles and watching him struggle with the idea of his death and being remembered could be frustrating at times but you always understood where is was coming from and it kept things compelling throughout for me.
It’s impressive just how quickly Miller was able to make me hate Pyrrhus though. Pops up for the last chapter or two and is insufferable the whole time.
Name one hero who was happy...They Never let you be famous AND happy... I'm going to be the first
I had a good time with this one. I think the best choice that Miller makes is definitely centering the book on Patroclus rather than Achilles. Doing so means we get this lack of understanding of Achilles himself which results in a sense of otherness from him giving him that feeling of being “more than” and slightly above humans like Patroclus. This choice did surprise me at first as I had assumed it would’ve been from Achilles POV and then towards the last few chapters was surprised that we stuck with the Patroclus POV.
Another benefit to the focus on Patroclus for me was that when you get to the section of the book that focuses on the battle of Troy, it’s a lot more grounded and smaller scale that you’d expect, focusing more on individuals at camp rather than the battle itself which I appreciated.
Following the stubbornness of Achilles and watching him struggle with the idea of his death and being remembered could be frustrating at times but you always understood where is was coming from and it kept things compelling throughout for me.
It’s impressive just how quickly Miller was able to make me hate Pyrrhus though. Pops up for the last chapter or two and is insufferable the whole time.
A terrible idea executed brilliantly has to be better than a brilliant idea executed terribly. I mean, look at pelicans!
Tress of the Emerald Sea was my first taste of a Brandon Sanderson book and what is apparently the Cosmere Universe(?) and I have to say I am very happy with this as an entry point. Im already a sucker for pirates, One Piece is my favourite story of all time, and the absolute coziness I felt reading this was great!
Tress and the crew that we follow here are all great. Tress herself is an optimistic and naive joy to follow early who slowly grows into a more capable leader to this ragtag bunch. For the crew itself, Fort is an easy standout with how much I loved the guy and his big brother energy as he supports Tress through his trades.
The world that's built up here I found really interesting with how much was done with a simple "what if ocean but spore" idea. The different colours of ocean and spore were fun to learn about and there interactions with water made for fun ideas like not being able to cry tears of joy on deck for fear of growing the spores, just a bunch of fun little ideas.
I was instantly sold on the relationship between Tress and Charlie at the beginning so was a bit sad to see them separated for so much of the book but what we did get was still good. Hoid i’m split on though, I enjoyed him as a tongue-in-cheek narrator but any time he was in the story I was just annoyed at him and his humour fell flat for me.
A terrible idea executed brilliantly has to be better than a brilliant idea executed terribly. I mean, look at pelicans!
Tress of the Emerald Sea was my first taste of a Brandon Sanderson book and what is apparently the Cosmere Universe(?) and I have to say I am very happy with this as an entry point. Im already a sucker for pirates, One Piece is my favourite story of all time, and the absolute coziness I felt reading this was great!
Tress and the crew that we follow here are all great. Tress herself is an optimistic and naive joy to follow early who slowly grows into a more capable leader to this ragtag bunch. For the crew itself, Fort is an easy standout with how much I loved the guy and his big brother energy as he supports Tress through his trades.
The world that's built up here I found really interesting with how much was done with a simple "what if ocean but spore" idea. The different colours of ocean and spore were fun to learn about and there interactions with water made for fun ideas like not being able to cry tears of joy on deck for fear of growing the spores, just a bunch of fun little ideas.
I was instantly sold on the relationship between Tress and Charlie at the beginning so was a bit sad to see them separated for so much of the book but what we did get was still good. Hoid i’m split on though, I enjoyed him as a tongue-in-cheek narrator but any time he was in the story I was just annoyed at him and his humour fell flat for me.
After the first couple of chapters, I fully expected a tale of a grumpy old woman softening over time, similar to Ove, you must understand. That’s not what Britt-Marie ended up being.
Her story was a lot sadder than that. A story of a woman without purpose who's been taken for granted and ignored for her 60+ years, and the run down town for her to belong. Britt-Marie isn’t some grumpy old woman, she just has to find the confidence to follow her own thoughts away from the people that never “needed” her.
Britt-Marie is a joy to follow throughout. Her little quirks like the way she says what she thinks, for better or for worse, with all the sincerity that she thinks it comes across as. The way she sticks to her lists and methods and ideals throughout and these aren’t treated as a flaw to be fixed but rather just a part of her.
I definitely was not expecting it to turn into such a sport focused story, with a lot of the situations throughout surrounding football but I am by not means disappointed. There’s some classic Backman tear jerker moments at times that landed well and I finished the book thoroughly loving everyone in that town (especially Sami, but not Kent).
After the first couple of chapters, I fully expected a tale of a grumpy old woman softening over time, similar to Ove, you must understand. That’s not what Britt-Marie ended up being.
Her story was a lot sadder than that. A story of a woman without purpose who's been taken for granted and ignored for her 60+ years, and the run down town for her to belong. Britt-Marie isn’t some grumpy old woman, she just has to find the confidence to follow her own thoughts away from the people that never “needed” her.
Britt-Marie is a joy to follow throughout. Her little quirks like the way she says what she thinks, for better or for worse, with all the sincerity that she thinks it comes across as. The way she sticks to her lists and methods and ideals throughout and these aren’t treated as a flaw to be fixed but rather just a part of her.
I definitely was not expecting it to turn into such a sport focused story, with a lot of the situations throughout surrounding football but I am by not means disappointed. There’s some classic Backman tear jerker moments at times that landed well and I finished the book thoroughly loving everyone in that town (especially Sami, but not Kent).
What could've been a pretty standard format of some short letters sprinkled with life lessons is pretty well elevated by Backman's fun and sincere levels of snark and sarcasm in a surprisingly funny little package of a book.
What could've been a pretty standard format of some short letters sprinkled with life lessons is pretty well elevated by Backman's fun and sincere levels of snark and sarcasm in a surprisingly funny little package of a book.