Kristen
This was a strange book but definitely a memorable one. I didn't think I liked it at first and I definitely didn't love it, but I did find my thoughts returning to it after I'd read it. It will be staying on my bookshelf for that reason (plus admittedly, I'd be loath to get rid of it even so due to the lovely Kinuko Craft cover!).
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/11/review-of-biting-the-sun-by-tanith-lee/
Honestly, I have no idea how to rate this book. I had a wonderful time reading it and this may very well be the most FUN I've had reading a book lately, but it also doesn't hold together very well in a lot of ways. Getting the characters into amusing situations seemed to come before logic and characterization and the characters are one note... And yet, I could hardly put it down even though I had a lot of issues with it!
The part of me that loved how entertaining it was wants to give it 4-4.5 stars. The part of me that feels there were a lot of problems wants to give it 1.5-2 stars. So I compromised on 3 stars.
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/10/mini-review-crosstalk-by-connie-willis/
Though I didn't find it as compelling as Storm Constantine's Wraeththu books, Sign for the Sacred is a memorable novel about journeys, power, and perception. A couple of the storylines were slow at times, but I did enjoy reading Lucien's story since it revealed more about the central figure, the prophet Resenance Jeopardy.
My Full Review
Patricia McKillip's writing is lovely, and “The Gorgon in the Cupboard” is a thoughtful, impactful story–easily my favorite in this collection and the only one I found particularly memorable, although I did appreciate the rest on some level. The longest tale, the novella “Something Rich and Strange” had some beautiful writing and a great character, but I thought it was much too long for the story being told. The other stories were much shorter than these two, and my favorite after “Gorgon” was “Mer,” in which a witch just wants to sleep but ends up getting caught up in events involving a stolen wooden mermaid and a religious order of women dedicated to protecting cormorants.
3 1/2 stars
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Miranda and Caliban is inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest and is largely a prequel, though the ending follows events in the play. The plot from the story is embellished more than changed, and it flips perspectives so Prospero is the villain. It's beautifully written, atmospheric, and one of the better books I've read this year, although I would have liked a little more original in-depth characterization.
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Tomorrow's Kin is the first novel in a new trilogy expanding upon Nancy Kress' excellent Nebula Award-winning novella Yesterday's Kin. The first third is the previously published story, and the rest of the novel follows what happens after the end of the original novella. Though I did think the novella was the strongest part, I found the novel as a whole to be smart and engaging. I also enjoyed following the main protagonist, Dr. Marianne Jenner, a mother, grandmother, and geneticist who makes an interesting–but fairly unremarkable–scientific discovery that leads to her being among the first to meet alien visitors to Earth. Kress seamlessly blends science and fiction in this novel, and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next.
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Night's Master is a beautifully written, unusual novel: it spans centuries and consists of a variety of tales following several different characters, though they are all connected in that the titular Prince of Demons plays a role in all of them. It's not flawless, but I loved it and want to read more Tales from the Flat Earth.
My Rating: 8.5/10
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3 1/2 stars
Robin Hobb is one of my favorite writers of epic fantasy, and Assassin's Fate was one of my most anticipated books of 2017–I love the Realm of the Elderlings and I also loved the first two books in the Fitz and the Fool trilogy. Even though Fool's Assassin was a slowly paced novel, it kept me riveted because of the characters, and Fool's Quest was even better.
So it took me by surprise when I started reading this and found it all too easy to put down for more than half the book. Though a couple of interesting things happened, it just seemed to drag on and on until around the 60% point. After that, it picked up and was difficult to put down, but I ended up feeling like too many more interesting things were glossed over quickly after reading so many pages that, frankly, weren't all that compelling for the most part. The characters and their interactions are usually my favorite aspects of these books, and they also didn't seem as vivid in this installment.
I wouldn't have wanted to miss the conclusion to this trilogy, and there were some great parts (and I loved the dragons!). However, I don't think it is as strong as most of the other books in the Realm of the Elderlings.
Longer Review on My Website
The Floating Islands is one of those novels I wasn't quite sure how to rate: I LOVED the setting and story but also found the characters' narrative voices, dialogue, and pacing didn't entirely work for me. It's largely an uplifting, hopeful story (though there is grief and loss, it's more focused on moving forward) about two cousins: Trei, a fourteen-year-old boy forced to leave his homeland to live with his mother's family in the Floating Islands, and Araen??, a girl who sneaks out of the house dressed as a boy in order to attend lectures about cooking. It's at once familiar and unique and features magic, air and fire dragons, and food references (do not read while hungry). Though I had some reservations, I'm still very likely to read the eventual sequel since it did have so many strengths and parts that I thought were wonderful!
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The Lost Plot is the fourth book in the Invisible Library series, and like the three previous installments, it is delightful! These novels follow the adventures of Librarian Irene Winters, whose job requires using her quick wits to collect books for an organization existing outside of time and space.
In The Lost Plot, a political contest between dragons brings Irene and her apprentice, Kai, to an alternate version of New York City in the 1920s. It focuses on neutrality while delivering an incredibly fun adventure in which Irene contends with mobs, cops, a Fae sharpshooter, and dragons. Though I was a little disappointed it didn't follow up more on the revelations from the previous book, it had everything else I have come to expect from a book in this series and I found it immensely entertaining.
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Reread 8/5/2017: I'm changing my rating from 4 to 5 stars. The first time I read these books, I preferred The Queen of Attolia, but I loved The King of Attolia far more the second time I read it (even though they're both wonderful!).
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I seem to be in the minority since I loved the second book more, but this was still a wonderful, clever, fun book!
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3 1/2 stars
Despite a plodding beginning and some slow pacing overall, I rather enjoyed Daughters of the Storm and reading about the five different sisters who are the heart of the novel. Although they are not one dimensional by any means, I would have liked a little more dimension from the main characters, especially since this book is not heavy on plot or worldbuilding; however, I am very eager to find out what happens to these sisters in the next book!
Long Review on My Website
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a stunning, beautifully written masterpiece of fantasy with an unforgettable heroine at its heart. I recently reread it for the second time, and I still absolutely love this novel.
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Markswoman is the first book in a duology set in Asiana, a post-apocalyptic Asia in which justice is upheld by five Orders of Peace (or four Orders of Peace, depending on whom you ask since some do not believe the fifth Order containing Marksmen to be valid). The setting is fascinating and the first few chapters were engaging, but I thought it was ultimately hindered by an over-reliance on prophecy/mysterious instructions for the future to drive the plot and Kyra's actions.
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City of Lies, an epic fantasy, is one of my favorite books of 2018. Though it features poison, betrayal, and war, it's ultimately an optimistic book with genuine main protagonists who tenaciously pursue truth and justice while trying to unravel the mysteries of their city. I found it to lag at times, yet I loved the story and characters so much that the positive aspects more than made up for a bit of slowness???plus it was nearly impossible to put down during the last 30%!
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4 1/2 Stars
The Tethered Mage was one of my favorite books read in 2017, and I loved The Defiant Heir even more. It's extraordinarily fun with amusing dialogue and some quirky personalities, I enjoyed the growth of Amalia and Zaira's relationship, and it was fascinating to learn more about Vaskandar and Amalia's family on her father's side.
Full (Long) Review on My Website
Before Mars is part futuristic mystery set on a Mars base and part character portrait of the main protagonist. Though I found it quite riveting toward the beginning, I ultimately found it unsatisfying since the intriguing characterization and concepts aren't explored in enough depth for my taste.
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The Mortal Word is the fifth installment in Genevieve Cogman's delightful Invisible Library series, which follows the adventures of Irene Winters. As an agent of the Library that exists outside of space and time, Irene travels to various alternate worlds and collects (okay, steals) books to add to their reserves.
Though the first chapter and the last 80 pages or so are quite engaging, I think The Mortal Word is the weakest installment in the series so far. It has some fun parts, but the middle focusing on the dragon murder investigation seems rather slow at times for a few reasons (including a lack of the undercover shenanigans that Irene revels in!).
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3 1/2 Stars - Liked it but thought it was not as good as Tomorrow's Kin, especially the part comprised of the previously published novella Yesterday's Kin.
If Tomorrow's Kin excels at ideas and imagining how the world of Kindred could have developed its society, but parts of its execution could have been stronger and it was not as engrossing as the previous book in the trilogy. I thought its biggest weakness was featuring such a large cast of characters without providing enough satisfying character development or arcs. However, I did find the planet fascinating even if I would have liked to have learned more about it through observation rather than conversation, and the integration of science was well done.
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A Study in Honor has a great premise and I loved a lot of the ideas that went into this reimagining of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. I did think that Janet Watson's characterization was well done and that she herself was the highlight of the novel, but I also thought that her promising dynamic with Sara Holmes never quite gelled. Ultimately, I found it to be rather slow going much of the time since the investigation didn't particularly interest me, but I have also found that science fiction mysteries that are focused on the plot more than the science fiction aspects often do not work for me.
5/10 - It's okay
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Iron and Magic is a spin-off from the Kate Daniels series set between the ninth and tenth books in that series. Although this used to be a favorite, the most recent books have not been as good and I was leaning toward skipping this one. But I was somewhat curious about Hugh's story and I kept hearing that it should be read before the final Kate Daniels book, so I purchased a copy to read first.
I regret this.
Although it was nice to be in the loop when reading Magic Triumphs, it was not absolutely necessary to read this one first and I found it nowhere near as polished as even the later Kate Daniels books. The characters and story were uninteresting and rushed, the dialogue tried to be clever but failed miserably, and there were many typographical errors. There were a couple of minor things I liked (like the divine elephant!), but there was not enough I enjoyed to be worth reading this entire book.
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Thornbound is cozy and effortlessly readable, much like the first book in The Harwood Spellbook series. I did prefer Snowspelled because I didn't think this novella expanded on the world or characters much, but I did find it to be entertaining.
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Moontangled is a short novella dealing with the aftereffects of events in Thornbound for magician-in-training Juliana Banks and politician Caroline Fennell. During a ball at the college of magic, the two head off into the woods together, where Caroline breaks off their engagement for Juliana's own good. But when the fey of the woods interfere with them that night, each of them are determined to protect the one she loves...
This is one of those stories that hinges on miscommunication, and although part of me feels like two people this close might have communicated better/sooner, I did end up deciding it worked with the circumstances and their reactions. I did think it resolved too quickly and easily for the scope of the misunderstanding and thought the fey's “mysterious” intent was obvious from the beginning, but it is an entertaining tale.
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The Underwater Ballroom Society is a speculative fiction anthology containing stories with a variety of genres, prose styles, and themes but one shared element: each of them includes some sort of underwater ballroom.
My favorite story is “Spellswept” by Stephanie Burgis, a prequel to her Harwood Spellbook novellas with Amy as the main protagonist. Two stories unfold during a party in the Harwood's underwater ballroom: that of Amy and Jonathan's engagement and that of Cassandra's first public spellcasting. It's a delight from beginning to end, and I actually enjoyed it more than Snowspelled and Thornbound.
There were a few other gems in this anthology:
“The Queen of Life” by Ysabeau S. Wilce, an ode to the growth and wisdom that comes with age and experience with an eighty-two-year old woman as the hero
“Twelve Sisters” by Y.S. Lee, a sequel to the “Twelve Dancing Princesses” fairy tale in which the sisters try to correct their father's mistake in selecting the next king based on his ability to solve one mystery
“Penhallow Amid Passing Things” by Iona Datt Sharma, a well-written story about two women usually on opposite sides of the law who find themselves united for a common cause (with a bit of romance!)
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The Unbound Empire, the third book in Melissa Caruso's Venetian-inspired Swords and Fire trilogy, is one of those rare series finales I feel was done right. It's well-paced, successes feel earned, and it fits with the rest of the series: character arcs make sense and are satisfying, and it has the humor, heart, and thoughtful storytelling that made me love this series in the first place. (And more Kathe.)
The Swords and Fire trilogy is one of my recent favorite series, and I cannot wait to read Melissa Caruso's next trilogy set in the same world as this one.
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