Kristen

I'm so conflicted - by Goodreads standards this is 1 star (didn't like it). By mine it is 2 (didn't like it but there were some things I liked about it so I wouldn't say I hated it and can't see anything positive about it). Since this is Goodreads, I'll go with 1 to fit with their rating system with the caveat that it's a 2 star book by my own ratings system.

Basically, I really liked the foundation for this story - the Jewish history and lore and the feminist leanings - but found I didn't really like the execution. It was enjoyable for a while, but about halfway through I realized I wasn't all that interesting in finishing it (although I did so I could review it). It had an interesting premise and mythological basis, but the plot, writing, and characters didn't really live up to my expectations.

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2010/12/review-of-lady-lazarus-by-michele-lang/

All the Windwracked Stars was a great book, but By the Mountain Bound was even better. I thought this final installment in the trilogy was just about as good as the middle/prequel volume. It had some beautiful writing, characters with a lot of depth, and I especially loved how Elizabeth Bear took parts of Norse mythology and really made them her own. Lovely books, and someday I am going to have to reread them all back to back to get the most out of all the connections.

Full Review

The Drizzt books are not great works of literature, but they can be fun if you like to play D&D.

This trilogy was written after the Icewind Dale trilogy, but comes before any of the rest of the books. I would recommend reading this one first since it is a good starting point and the writing is at least somewhat better than the writing in the Icewind Dale trilogy.

I really wanted to like this one, but the more I read, the less I liked it. It had a somewhat interesting premise, but I thought it dragged a lot. Plus the characters were flat, especially the very over-the-top evil villain who likes snakes and can't remember the name of anyone beneath her even if she's been around them a zillion times. Some contrived scenes and cheesy dialogue didn't help things, and I'm not planning to continue the series.

Everyone seems to really like this book and I wanted to give it a chance since it was the start of a series, but it just wasn't for me.

Detailed Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2011/12/review-of-blood-rights-by-kristen-painter/

Miserere: An Autumn Tale is an excellent debut novel and a great character-driven, dark fantasy book. It has strong world-building and well-developed main characters, both of which are handled in a way that sets it apart as different from a lot of fantasy. The strength of this book has certainly put Teresa Frohock on my radar as an author to watch.

A battle between heaven and hell is a very familiar basic plotline, but one of the things I really appreciated about this novel was that it was not the usual take on this sort of story. Other than one very short part, it is not set on earth, but a completely different place with its own set of rules. Woerld is a very complex place where all religions work together to keep the Fallen in hell where they belong.

Another aspect of the book I appreciated was that the main character, Lucian, was a 40-year-old man who actually acted his age. Likewise, the woman he betrayed in the past, Rachael, is also a mature woman worthy of respect for her strength of character and fairness. These two characters really made the book for me, and I'm excited to read the next book when it is available.

Detailed Review

2 1/2 stars - It was an ok book

Overall, I thought Songs of the Earth was a rather flawed book, but the series has potential if the issues with pacing and characterization can be worked out. It had a strong opening and ending, but the middle was rather unevenly paced with a lot of familiar elements that didn???t have enough spark to make the book stand out. The writing was decent, but considering the rather dull main character and a storyline that couldn???t always maintain my interest, I ended up feeling like on its own The Songs of the Earth is all right. I can???t say I enjoyed it, but I can???t say I didn???t like it, either.

Full Review

I enjoyed Syvlia Izzo Hunter's debut immensely. The characters aren't terribly complex and are clearly “good” or “evil” and sometimes the path it follows is a bit predictable, but I found it to be incredibly charming and engaging nonetheless. It has a likable cast, family secrets, hidden identities, a conspiracy, and a rather drama-free romance.

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/03/review-of-the-midnight-queen-by-sylvia-izzo-hunter/

This collection contains 21 short stories, novelettes, and novellas; an introduction by the author; and an afterword written by the author following each story. Nancy Kress selected her own favorites from her work, although she wasn't able to include a couple of her favorite novellas due to length. It's a wonderful collection of stories, I am in awe of the amount of intriguing ideas and characterization Nancy Kress can pack into a short story!

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/09/review-of-the-best-of-nancy-kress/

Carol Berg is one of my favorite fantasy authors, and although I didn't love it quite as much as the first half of this duology, Ash and Silver was a satisfying conclusion. Though there were some interesting parts in the beginning, it took a little while for this one to completely pull me in–but once it did get going, I couldn't put it down! The characters, world, and the exploration of memory were all well done and made this a memorable read: one of my favorites released in 2015.

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/02/mini-review-ash-and-silver-by-carol-berg/

After I read the opening of Winterwood, I thought I was going to love it, but I soon found myself bored by it. It's not that nothing happened; it's just that what did happen didn't interest me and I wasn't invested in the characters. I loved that Ross was a privateer captain respected by her crew, but there was very little characterization and the investigation in the story wasn't that compelling even though I had been looking forward to reading about Ross digging into old family secrets from the past. There were some intriguing parts, but this just wasn't to my taste.

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/03/mini-review-winterwood-by-jacey-bedford/

This character-driven debut kept me turning the pages. Though it contains darkness and tragedy, it never seemed overly grim or completely hopeless to me. It is a book to read for the characters' journeys rather than the plot, and I especially loved Lin and Rianna and their determination. I did feel like it had the potential to be superb but just missed the mark for various reasons: some cliches, a rushed ending, a tendency to overexplain, and some underdevelopment. However, I enjoyed reading it very much and will definitely be keeping an eye out for future books by Ilana C. Myer!

Actual Rating: 7/10

The Long Version: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/03/mini-review-last-song-before-night-by-ilana-c-myer/

Bone and Jewel Creatures is set in the same world as the Eternal Sky trilogy, but other than the shared setting they are unrelated. This novella focuses on the 96-year-old wizard Bijou, who also appeared in the prequel novella Book of Iron. Although it's not absolutely necessary to do so, I am glad I read the prequel first since it provided more background on the conflict in this story.

This isn't a book to read for the plot, which is slow moving, but one to read for the lovely writing, the imagination that went into Bijou's menagerie of bone and jewel creatures, and the two major characters. Bijou herself is a wonderful, and it's also partially told from the perspective of a feral child who's been living with jackals that is very different from viewpoints I've encountered in my reading before.

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/04/review-of-bone-and-jewel-creatures-by-elizabeth-bear/

Masks and Shadows is an enjoyable historical fantasy novel with a grand conspiracy, music, and romance set almost entirely within Eszterh??za Palace in Hungary in 1779. I loved the oft-overlooked setting and Charlotte's personal journey and found it to be an incredibly readable, absorbing story. Since it had a LOT of characters, it didn't have as much in-depth character development as I would have liked, but I did think it was definitely worth reading!

3 1/2 stars - a solid, enjoyable book that I liked

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/05/review-of-masks-and-shadows-by-stephanie-burgis/

I LOVED the beginning of this but ended up finding the actual story a little underwhelming by the time I reached the end. However, Binti is a wonderful character with lots of courage, tenacity, and heart, and I would be interested in reading more about her since she was easily my favorite part of the book!

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/07/mini-review-binti-by-nnedi-okorafor/

The Lyre Thief is the first of Jennifer Fallon's books I've read but it won't be the last since it is thoroughly enjoyable! It follows several characters, most of whom are quite interesting, but the highlight is following Charisee pretending to be Princess Rakaia. I loved Charisee, who is kind, outspoken, and clever; her story is both fun (especially when conversing with the God of Liars, who takes an interest in her situation) and heartbreaking. I'm really looking forward to the second book in the War of the Gods trilogy!

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/07/mini-review-the-lyre-thief-by-jennifer-fallon/

Dragon Bones is an entertaining, fairly short fantasy story with a great main character. Ward has been pretending to be someone he's not for years since he fears his father, but after his father dies he has to prove he's capable of taking his father's place. The beginning and ending tie together quite satisfactorily, and despite some slow pacing, it's a fun book.

3 1/2 stars - Liked it and definitely want to read the next book!

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/08/mini-reviews-dragon-bones-by-patricia-briggs-and-magic-stars-by-ilona-andrews/

Although I didn't find the plot of Magic Stars particularly compelling, I did enjoy reading about Julie and learning about some of the secrets she's been hiding from Kate. It's pretty short so I thought it was worth reading for the details of what was going on with Julie in Magic Shifts and had some fun reading it while drinking a latte in Dublin!

Full (but brief) Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/08/mini-reviews-dragon-bones-by-patricia-briggs-and-magic-stars-by-ilona-andrews/

Though I found myself rereading parts because the writing didn't always flow well* and the ending was rather abrupt, I enjoyed this tale of adventure and discovery. I love intelligent animal companions so I really liked reading about the bond between the main character Simsa and Zass, the injured zorsal she rescued and trained. Simsa is a determined character, and I'd like to read the sequel about her.

Rating: 7/10

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/08/review-of-forerunner-by-andre-norton/

* This may be at least partially due to Moving Brain. Since I've been preparing to move for the third time in just under two years, I've had a lot of difficulty concentrating on reading and writing reviews!