Review: A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

It really profoundly irritates me that I've had the opportunity to read this since 2014, when A Natural History of Dragons was first published. Did I read it? No. Did I even consider buying it? No. And this, people, is why I shouldn't be trusted with my Book Blogger Practising Certificate. 

Plot summary: All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world's preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.

Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.

I loved this book from the very first page. I was completely hooked by the premise which, for some reason, I'd never bothered to take in for three whole years, even though this is absolutely my sort of book. 

Lady Trent writes her memoirs from several decades in the future, when she's clearly an accomplished scholarly adventurer of some renown. In her twilight years, she has taken some leisure time to finally write an honest account in response to the hundreds of letters she receives from young fans, clamouring for details on her exploits. This results in a charming first person narrative that has the benefit of hindsight - the elderly Lady Trent looks back on her younger self with some fondness (and occasionally frustration) and muses on how the world has changed.

Not a day goes by that the post does not bring me at least one letter from a young person (or sometimes one not so young) who wishes to follow in my footsteps and become a dragon naturalist. Nowadays, of course, the field is quite respectable, with university courses and intellectual societies putting out fat volumes titled Proceedings of some meeting or other. Those interested in respectable things, however, attend my lectures. The ones who write to me invariably want to hear about my adventures: my escape from captivity in the swamps of Mouleen, or my role in the great Battle of Keonga, or (most frequently) my flight to the inhospitable heights of the Mrtyahaima peaks, the only place on earth where the secrets of dragonkind could be unlocked.  

This does not interrupt the action-filled plot in the slightest, however. In A Natural History of Dragons, Isabella (as she then was) tags along to the perilous mountain region of Vystrana, at the affectionate sufferance of her somewhat bemused husband. She's slightly out of her depth, but determined to prove that she can be a useful addition to the party due to her lifelong love of dragons.

Isabella's favourite topic is, of course, the natural history of dragons and the narrative spends some time discussing her theories on their anatomy and whether they have since been proved correct. However, as she's writing from a more advanced age, she recognises that are other books (including her own) that detail these issues and so she has chosen to focus on the more personal and exciting aspects of her adventures.

And hey, it's dragons! I'm more than willing to sit through discussions regarding the provenance of a dragon's fiery breath. It helps that the novel is interspersed with beautiful illustrations sketched by 'Isabella' herself. 

The overarching plot relates to the sudden aggression shown by the dragons in the Vystrana region and the potentially related disappearance of their pre-arranged guide. It's a really good story, with some really clever ideas and plot devices that I just didn't see coming.

In short, I have absolutely nothing negative to say about A Natural History of Dragons and I genuinely wish that I'd read this three years ago. I've actually already bought the next two books in the series and I'm eyeing up The Tropic of Serpents already. Definitely read this - it's charming, well-written and a great story.

Visit Marie Brennan's website, or find her on Twitter. 

Review: The Great Hunt (Wheel of Time series #2) by Robert Jordan

I seem to be having a bit of a Fantasy Summer. I'm currently alternating between the Wheel of Time books and the Belgariad series by David Eddings. Honestly, I'm having a great time of it, and reading the two (completely different) series means that I'm not getting bored either.

I read the first book in this series, The Eye of the World, last week and really liked it. I called it 'proper' fantasy and lauded the world-building and the characters, although I admitted it was sort of slow. Enter The Great Hunt, which is very much more energetic, and I loved it.

Spoiler-free.

Plot summary: The Forsaken are loose, the Horn of Valere has been found and the Dead are rising from their dreamless sleep. The Prophecies are being fulfilled - but Rand al'Thor, the shepherd the Aes Sedai have proclaimed as the Dragon Reborn, desperately seeks to escape his destiny.

Rand cannot run for ever. With every passing day the Dark One grows in strength and strives to shatter his ancient prison, to break the Wheel, to bring an end to Time and sunder the weave of the Pattern.

And the Pattern demands the Dragon.

Whilst there is still quite a lot of walking, it's an 800+ page high fantasy novel, so what did we expect, really? And it's walking with a purpose, so we'll survive. The difference between the books is that I can actually point to Things That Happened in The Great Hunt, which isn't strictly true with the first novel

So much is going on in this book and it's all just brilliant. Some of the events and subplots really grasped me, to the point where I genuinely gasped and did a little excited dance. It was very attractive, I assure you. I'm going to be vague, but I loved what happened to Egwene, and Nynaeve's trials were perfectly executed. There were some really dramatic passages about Garion Rand (oops, wrong series) being forced to accept his destiny. Which we knew he would because, hey, it would be a remarkably short series otherwise, but it was just wonderfully written.

It's strange, but it's simultaneously more action-packed but also more political than the first book. Part of the novel revolves around the different factions of the Aes Sedai and the significance of the different-coloured cloaks, and I found that really interesting. I liked seeing a bigger cross-section of their order than just Moraine and I imagine it's going to become very important in the later books.

What I particularly appreciate about these books, and what makes me grudgingly condone the sheer length of them, is that there's hardly ever an information dump. New places, characters and backgrounds are introduced gradually and I rarely find myself having to flick back to remember what's going on. It's rare in a book of this nature that I don't find myself confused at least once, but I never felt particularly overwhelmed here.

My one quibble with this series is the characters. Some of them are great - I love Perrin in particular. In my head, I see him as the guy who plays this person in Game of Thrones (I don't know the character's name because I don't watch it, but I've seen him everywhere) and he's the most pleasant and interesting of all of them. He doesn't really like using his axe but accepts that it is occasionally necessary, he's so patient with both Rand and Mat (which is more than I could manage) and his subplot is fascinating. 

I like Nynaeve too. She went through a particularly harrowing ordeal in this book and she came out the better for it. My mother says that she wants to choke her with her own plait, but I think she provides the common sense desperately needed by the rest of the group.

The rest of the characters are more or less completely unlikeable. Mat is bitter and whiny (I've been told there's a reason for that by multiple people, but I think my irritation is too firmly ingrained now), and I really, really want to hit him a lot of the time. Even the minor characters, like Ingtar, aren't great. Don't get me wrong, they're fully fleshed out with backstories and motivations, but it doesn't make me feel any sympathy towards them.

And Rand. RAND.

Watching Verin's smile, small and mysterious, Perrin felt a chill. He did not think Rand knew half what he thought he did. Not half. 

Look, I get it. He wants a quiet life back in Two Rivers, and lots of different people and forces are telling him that it just isn't an option anymore. I'd be pissed off too. But does he have to be so naive and stupid!? 'Nope, you've told me to do this because it'll save my life, but I'm going to do the opposite - that'll show you!' And repeat. It was really quite annoying. Like, really.

Luckily, there are enough interesting characters to offset the annoying ones, and the plotlines are so brilliant that I'd read this even if Mr Blobby were a character. It's a lengthy book, but unlike The Eye of the World, I'd argue that this one probably does need to be this long. So much happened that the pages just flew by. Whilst I really liked the first book, I really do think that The Great Hunt is so much better.

And yes, of course I've bought the next book, and yes, I am obviously already reading it.

Read my review of The Eye of the World, or another review of The Great Hunt at Lit Addicted Brit.

Review: The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time #1) by Robert Jordan

My over-riding question is - why didn't I read this sooner? I was aware of the Wheel of Time series, of course. It's one of those absolute fantasy staples and so, logically, I should have been champing at the bit to pick it up. Not so. I think I must have read the blurb of one of the much later books, been ridiculously confused and backed away slowly, intimidated and bemused. The lesson: don't judge a book by it's tenth installment.

Let's all bless Charlotte for rereading this series herself, and subsequently sending me a copy. It only took me four years to read it.

Plot summary: Life in Emond's Field has been pretty boring for Rand Al'Thor and his friends until a strange young woman arrives in their village. Moraine is an Aes Sedai, a magician with the ability to wield the One Power, and she brings warnings of a terrible evil awakening in the world. That very night, the village is attacked by bloodthirsty Trollocs - a fearsome tribe of beast-men thought to be no more than myth. As Emond's Field burns, Moraine and her warrior-guardian help Rand and his companions to escape. But it is only the beginning of their troubles.

I admit that The Eye of the World took a bit of getting into. Whilst it didn't help that I was trying to trudge through it after an exhausting 48 hour Scout Camp, it's quite slow to start. It begins with an unknowing farmboy going about his routine, as these things usually do, but it lasts a while. It is relevant and does provide some backstory for later events, but it's possibly not the best way to entice a new reader into the series.
  
It soon picks up though, and we're off into the wider world. The Eye of the World, and presumably the whole series, is what I call 'proper' fantasy. There's lots of dialogue, lots of sub-plots and lots of interesting characters. Not a whole lot of action, but the bits that are present are excellent and riveting.

The simultaneous best and worst thing about this book is the level of detail. I loved it most of the time, but occasionally I did get bogged down in the description of a solitary leaf. Nothing is missed out, which really helps from an immersion point of view, but there's no avoiding that this 800+ page book could have been an awful lot shorter. Would it have suffered from some hefty trimming? I'm not sure. The pages flew by because I was so riveted in the story, but I remain unconvinced that every single adjective was absolutely required from a plot perspective.

Speaking of, I love this plot. Or I'm sure I would, if I knew what it was. The Dark One is threatening to break free, which would be less than ideal... and that's it. The world-building is so thorough and the prose is so detailed, that there's only the vaguest of overarching plots so far, which is fine. This is off-set by some wonderful side-stories. Each of the nine (I think?) characters travelling with the party is equipped with their own backstory, motivation and sub-plot and they're all pretty great. I'm torn between Perrin and Mat as in whom I'm the most interested, although the Ogier is wonderful too.

There's a strange sense of realism throughout this book that really impressed me. I mean, there's magic and gods and whatnot so I'm not going for hyper-realism here, but a lot of things that usually annoy me about fantasy novels simply aren't present. For example, the characters discuss simply not blindly following the prophecy - they actually consider shirking their responsibilities, just like real people. Characters who inherit magical powers aren't an instant prodigy within a day - they're actually pretty rubbish, as they should be. It's possibly because the slow pace allowed time to expand on all these things, but I loved it. It's so rare in these books.

There is some romance of a sort, but it's very subtle and in no way overshadows the remainder of the book. If anything, I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.

I wasn't a huge fan of the ending, but considering that The Eye of the World is only the first part of an epic series and presumably exists pretty much solely as an introduction, I'll let it slide. It was the only part of the whole book that went over my head. It was slightly abstract and I'm not 100% sure I understood every single aspect, but I'm sure it will be explained in the next book.

In essence, I'm not convinced that this book needs to be this long or that any series requires fifteen books to adequately tell a story, but I did really love The Eye of the World. I'm completely willing to be convinced that the lengthy, weighty books are worth it and I've already ordered the second book, The Great Hunt. If you're a fan of epic fantasy, don't leave it as long as I did to pick this up.

Read Charlotte's review of The Eye of the World at Lit Addicted Brit. 

Review: Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

After I finished reading Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series (click for my review), I knew I was absolutely going to pick up some of this other books. But which!? Every time I was in a bookshop, they either had the entire second Mistborn series (which doesn't really appeal) or the second/third books of the other series, which weren't really much good on their own. Eventually I stumbled across Warbreaker or, as I can never remember the name of it, what has now become known (admittedly only by me' as 'Battle Purple.'

Plot summary: Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, the lesser god who doesn't like his job, and the immortal who's still trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago.

Their world is one in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a pantheon in Hallandren's capital city and where a power known as BioChromatic magic is based on an essence known as breath that can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people.

By using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished. It will take considerable quantities of each to resolve all the challenges facing Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris; Susebron the God King; Lightsong, reluctant god of bravery, and mysterious Vasher, the Warbreaker.

Damn it, I actually typed 'battle purple' into GoodReads to obtain the above summary. Shockingly, Warbreaker did not appear in my search results.

I loved this book. I possibly even prefer it to the Mistborn series, although I admit that my view may just be skewed by how much I disliked the ending. See my review for details, but just thinking about it is irritating me all over again.

Warbreaker has a completely different system of magic than the Mistborn books - instead of drawing power from previously ingested metals, those with the requisite ability are able to pull colour out of fabric to instruct inanimate objects to do their bidding. It's slightly more complicated than that (involving the creation of Lifeless soldiers, the amount of power being dependent on how many Breaths a person has, etc etc), but that's the gist. It was an interesting concept that is explained in wonderful detail, but not so much as to become overwhelming. My favourite thing about Brandon Sanderson's books is how intricate and evolved the magic systems he creates are. I have no idea where his ideas come from or how much time they take to flesh out, but they're amazing.

I particularly appreciated that when The Person In Question obtains new magical ability, she is not suddenly an expert, contrary to the Mistborn series and honestly 85% of all fantasy novels I've ever read. That Person is a bit crap with magic to begin with and it honestly takes them a while to get to grips with it. I see that as normal and it adds a little realism to the whole concept. Nothing annoys me more than YES, I HAVE POWERS AND SUDDENLY I AM THE MOST POWERFUL MISTBORN PERSON EVER. It's done well and it was notable for it. 

I really enjoy the tone of Brandon Sanderson's writing. It has a Proper Fantasy Sound - it's slightly formal with lengthy descriptions and lots of dialogue, but offset by some pithy conversations and unique magical systems. It's really engrossing and the books are  difficult to put down. He's very, very skilled, no doubt about it.

However, if you read my Mistborn review, you'll know that my primary issue with those books was the characterisation. The characters just didn't feel real and had a habit of altering their personalities to fit whatever attribute was required of them at that time. Luckily, Warbreaker is much less guilty of that particular fault. Siri, one of the two protagonists, is quite likeable but, more importantly, is fairly consistent throughout. She's independent, but not obnoxiously so, and her decisions rang true to what I would reasonably expect from somebody with herpersonality.

Vivenna, Siri's sister, is a tad more irritating. She's quite preachy and holier-than-thou. I understand that she's meant to be those things, but it grated occasionally. The writing isn't quite as consistent with Vivenna - as in the Mistborn series, she does occasionally change on a whim to do whatever the plot requires, regardless as to whether it made sense or not. It's fine though and honestly, I probably only noticed it because I was looking out for it.

There was only one time where this chronic fault really got to me. There's a twist mid-way through the book, and it made so little sense with regard to what we had known of the characters' mannerisms and personalities, that I kept waiting for it to twist back in a sort of double bluff. It didn't, and it left me confused and irritated. If you've read Warbreaker and know what I'm rambling about, please talk to me about this!

Other than that, I loved Warbreaker. I can't tell if this is a standalone or part of a series, as the ending could have it going either way. If it's a series, then I will definitely read the next book, but if not, it was rounded off with an interesting conclusion and I'm happy with that too.

I'd really recommend this book, regardless of whether you've read Brandon Sanderson previously or not. The plot is interesting, the tone is lovely and the magic system is engrossing. One day I'll get over my irritation with the characterisation and these books will be perfect!

Read my review of the Mistborn series here.  

Review: The Mime Order (The Bone Season series #2) by Samantha Shannon

I read the first book in this series, The Bone Season, (click for review) back in 2015, although it seems longer considering how little I can remember of it. Honestly, I just didn't like it at all. Quite literally the only thing I recall is how difficult it was to follow - I didn't understand the magic system or the class order, and I couldn't have told you what was going on with the plot either. So, with a dubious heart, I picked up The Mime Order... and it's way better. I really liked this book!

No spoilers for either The Bone Season or The Mime Order.

Plot summary: Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal prison camp of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the survivors are missing and she is the most wanted person in London...

As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on the dreamwalker, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city's gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take centre stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner.

Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided.

I skimmed the Recaptain summary for The Bone Season before I even opened The Mime Order, as I knew I wouldn't have had a cat's chance without it. There were no problems with their summary (honestly, that website is a Godsend) but it still didn't help all that much, so I just got cracking. To my surprise, The Mime Order is much, much easier to follow. I'm not sure if it's because all the world-building had been gotten out of the way in the first book (honestly, it was like a textbook at times) or if Samantha Shannon has simply learned from previous mistakes, but I didn't actually have much problem following the plot at all.
 
The world and magic system are still a bit confusing -the photo to the left details the voyant classification system and the many, many different terms are just casually thrown into the prose. However, unlike in The Bone Season, it's perfectly easy to follow the plot without understanding what a Tasseographer does, for example. I still don't know and the chart doesn't explain but hey, apparently that's fine.

It's just much more streamlined and simple than the previous book and I found myself drawn into the plot. It's quite a political story and it could be argued that not a lot really happens, action-wise, but it doesn't feel like that when you're reading. There's a lot of sneaky maneouvering going on and, to be honest, it was really interesting.

I appreciate the uniqueness of this series now. Whilst complicated, I haven't seen anything quite like this magic system before and I love the carnival-esque, gothic glory of the scrimmage and the voyant council. The heads of the rival gangs are magnificent, with different styles of villany and I'd happily read spin-off books about them all. I'd actually like to have learned more about Eliza about the spirit-painting (or whatever fancy name it's called) and the function of the other Seven Seals, as we didn't get to spend much time with them in the first book. There's a few twists at the end, some of which I saw coming but others which were really well planned.

If The Mime Order has one fault, it's probably Paige herself. Don't get me wrong, she's fine. Not annoying or whiny, or overly lovesick. The problem is that she's very naive and a bit sulky, and her relationships with other people aren't really explained. Her attitude towards Jaxon has changed suddenly, but she just seems a bit standoffish and ungrateful for no reason. It's not a massive flaw and it didn't stop me enjoying the book, but the lack of explanation did stand out on one or two occasions.

I actually purchased the third book, The Song Rising, before I'd even finished this one, which is an action I wouldn't have thought likely. The Mime Order finishes in such a dramatic, interesting way, however, that I just have to see how the story progresses. Now that I've read the second book, I would actually recommend getting hold of The Bone Season and starting this series. 

Read my review of The Bone Season, or read Charlotte's more positive review here.

(I've just reread my review and wow - I did not like that book!)

Review: The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson

I'd never actually read any of Brandon Sanderson's 'proper' fantasy, despite owning signed and dedicated copies, and considering how much I loved The Rithmatist. I knew I'd love them but for some reason it took me an inordinate amount of time to get round to picking them up. Still, several years later, here we finally are.

Book one: The Final Empire (no spoilers)

I loved this book. I wanted to be reading it every second of every single day. When I wasn't reading it, I wanted to be.

It's what I'd call 'proper' fantasy. There's a completely developed world with its own class system and politics, and the characters spend a lot of time sitting around discussing the latest plot development to really give you an in-depth understanding of what's going on. There's lots and lots of dialogue and scheming, with no sex and no pointless, graphic violence for shock value.

It is, on the whole, a political book. That's a good thing when the political system involves classes based on which metal you can burn to achieve special abilities e.g. pewter gives the user super strength and resilience, as an example. There's a rebellion in the offing and concerns are growing about the Lord Ruler, the mysterious tyrant who controls strange creatures to keep the population in check. 

There's not a whole lot of action, as the story mainly revolves around planning the afore-mentioned rebellion. I can't say resent the absence when the end result is an exceedingly well planned and well-thought out plot with enough twists and turns to keep anybody happy. The action that does occur is great, as parties use their different metals to strategise and off-set the abilities of their opponent.

The characters could perhaps use a little work. Kelsier wasn't quite rogueish enough, Clubs wasn't quite grumpy enough, etc. I could see what 'types' they were meant to fulfil, but none of them really went quite far enough to be interesting. They all seemed very similar with perhaps the occasional statement to remind you who they were meant to be. It wasn't enough to affect my enjoyment of the book... aside from Vin. She's the main character so you'd expect her to be the most rounded, but this is emphatically not the case.

Quite a big deal is made of the fact that she was raised to not trust anybody, to assume that everybody will betray her, etc. She thinks about it constantly, which gets a bit annoying. But then her actions and her behaviour don't gel with that, aside from her persistent sulking. Her character doesn't really make sense and her actions aren't consistent with her thoughts.

But whatever, this book is great and I loved it.

Book Two: The Well of Ascension

This book is much slower than the first book. I did still enjoy dialogue and world-building, but this book revolves around the establishing of a new government and it is mostly political. There's barely any action at all until somewhat near the end. It's good... but, you know, the world is built now. You can stop.

Speaking of the political attributes, there's all kinds of upheaval going on. Without being too spoilery, it's emphatically clear which side you're meant to be rooting for, but it wasn't completely sold to me that that side was in the right. I mean, I could absolutely see the point of view of the opposing faction and that made it difficult to really care about the end result. Ha. How's that for non-spoilery? :)

Ah, Elend. I really liked him in the first book - he was dry and sarcastic, and didn't really give a crap. Now he's all mopey and annoying... but not as bad as Vin. Bloody Vin. She makes stupid, stupid choices because she is also mopey and annoying. She doesn't really have a set personality - it just settles on whatever her character needs to be at that moment, she never seems real. Their romance is unnecessary and there's no 'spark,' or indication that they even remotely like each other.

Oh oh, you know what really annoys me? Yes, I know there's a lot of things. But in this case I'm talking about that stupid 'oh, I know I just got my powers but now I'm a genius with them'  thing. It pops up all the time and I just don't see it as necessary.

Two things saved this book, however. The first is the kandra storyline, of which I would happily have read an entire series on its own. The kandra are essentially a race of shapeshifters, but their Contract and their backstory is riveting and nothing short of genius. I found it absolutely fascinating and I loved it.

The second is  a huge twist about three quarters of the way through, and it was so huge and so revelatory that it saved my somewhat lagging interest in the whole thing. I texted Charlotte to read this book based entirely on that one twist.

I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. It was a twist, I suppose, but a very convenient one for everybody involved. It was immediately evident what the last book in the series would involve, and just how many problems this little quirk would solve.

Book Three: Hero of Ages

This book... this book I actually struggled to finish. I was frustrated with all the faults I've already highlighted, but 've since realised that the over-arching problem is a lack of subtlety. Nobody can just be a Mistborn, they have to be THE BEST MISTBORN EVER. We were meant to hate the Lord Ruler, and now suddenly we understand him. Elend and Vin are super madly in love... apparently, but there's never ever reason given. There's just no build-up to anything and that is the problem with this series.

I loved the kandra more than ever. Their homeland, their legends, their tasks... it's fascinating. When I think back to the positive aspects of these novels, but mind instantly fixates on the kandra. Their existence is so well-planned and so perfect, which makes the rest of it all the more frustrating. I wish they had more airtime in this book, but we were too busy chasing after Super Elend.

The main problem with this book is that, instead of it being all battles and magic and creatures, it's all abstracty and religion-y. It stopped being the 'proper fantasy' I was raving about above and suddenly started lecturing me on theological principles. It just couldn't hold my interest, which I hated. Why change the tone of the book from what had previously made them so interesting!? 

I really, really hated the ending. I had to force myself to read the final chapters because I really didn't enjoy them, although I admit that it had been a long day at work. Still, I skimmed them at best. It felt like it tried so hard to be an epic, grand ending, but never stopped to think about whether it was good or not. It was unique, I'll give it that, but sometimes you have to wonder if the standard fantasy-esque endings are used time and time again for a reason.  

Some parts and very clever and develop in a way that I didn't see coming, but on the whole I wasn't overly impressed with this book. Evidently.

Conclusion

Whilst I have an overall positive view of this series, my enjoyment distinctly declined with time. The first book was excellent, one of the best fantasy books I've ever read, but that makes it all the more annoying when the second and third books couldn't follow through.

I do have good memories of this series as there were some really interesting ideas and some great twists. But for me to want to progress to the other series, the characters would have to be better developed and I'd need a much less trite ending.

Read my review of The Rithmatist, or visit Brandon Sanderson's website here.

 

Review: Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

I finished the second book in this duology, Crooked Kingdom, literally about five minutes ago and I have to talk about this series immediately. I feel sad, nauseous and a little bit giddy, all at the same time. This series, especially the second book, is the best I've read in a long, long time.

Plot summary: Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he'll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist:Break into the notorious Ice Court
(a military stronghold that has never been breached)

Retrieve a hostage
(who could unleash magical havoc on the world)

Survive long enough to collect his reward
(and spend it)

Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done - and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable - if they don't kill each other first.

I was dubious about starting this series as I did not like the Grisha books. The Shadow and Bone series wasn't bad exactly, but there was nothing particularly unique about it and it wasn't written overly well. I'm not sure if I finished the first book, but I definitely didn't carry on to the second. This series, written by the same author and featuring the same world, did therefore not exactly recommend itself to me.

Then Charlotte, whose opinion tends to echo mine in a lot of bookish things, read Six of Crows (review here), and she ended up buying it for me as a Christmas gift. Turns out that I'm really, really glad I didn't avoid these books just because I didn't like Leigh Bardugo's original serie, or I'd have missed one of my favourite books of the year so far. Admittedly it's only April, but I'm confident it'll stay a firm favourite.

I'm a sucker for books about close knit groups of wildly different people, all working towards a shared objective, bonding and bickering along the way. It's why I loved A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet so much, and other books like Theft of Swords. Six Crows and Crooked Kingdom do that perfectly. The way the relationships develop and change is so perfect and so subtle - I'm not sure I've ever seen characterisation performed so beautifully. The characters are so different, but the way their personalities interweave is wonderfully crafted.

My favourites were Kaz, the criminal mastermind with his own special brand of neuroses, Inej, the gentle but talented wraith and Wylan, the quiet demolitions expert scorned by his Father. However, and unusually for a book with changing perspectives, I was interested in every single one of the six characters. All of them. They were so wonderful and their perspectives so unique, that for once I didn't mind from whose viewpoint I was reading. It alternates every other chapter and, considering that means six perspectives, it's a difficult feat to stop the reader from getting frustrated.

Normally I hate romance in books like these - it's usually unnecessary and shoehorned in for the sake of it. Here though, it's more of a subplot of a subplot. It's so subtle and non-attention-grabbing that I actually felt the story was better for it, which is something I never actually thought I'd say. The end result of the relationships was never straightforward and yet it was always suited the couple involved to the nth degree. So, so perfect.

The story itself is wonderful too. Six of Crows is a simple heist (well, not so simple at all, but the premise is straightforward at least - 'steal some stuff') and Kingdom of Crows is a more complex plot where the characters have to deal with the less than ideal consequences of the aforementioned heist. Each book has so many twists and so many turns that I lost count of the time I wanted to gasp at how Kaz Brekker tricked me (and everybody else) again.  

The writing style is completely different to the original Grisha trilogy, to the point where I wouldn't have believed it was written by the same author. It's adult, it's complex and parts of it are simply beautiful. I don't know what happened between that series and this one, but it worked. 

Charlotte told me that Crooked Kingdom was even better than Six of Crows, but I didn't really get on board with that until close to the end. Because I read them so close together, they sort of merged into one book for me. Well, until the end of Crooked Kingdom. I CRIED. I actually sat there and properly cried. It's an actually perfect ending that suited all the characters. I loved that it wasn't perfect, that not everybody got a happy ending and that it wasn't what I had hoped would happen - it was better than that. It was brave and awful and amazing and... ARGH. It's perfect, for all the characters.

A third book hasn't been announced and, strictly speaking, the story has been concluded. However, there is scope for another book (or another hundred, fingers crossed) and I cannot wait for that day. I swear, the second that book is announced, I'm on it.

For a series I didn't even want to read, it's amazing. Hell, for a series I did want to read, it's still amazing. The prose is beautiful, the characterisation is masterful and I absolutely didn't want to put this series down for a second.

And look - I found a shop on Etsy that sells Six of Crows themed candles! You can buy a Matthias candle or a Wraith candle, and Novelly Yours have kindly offered to give all you lucky readers 10% off! Just use the code TAKEOFF10.

What has your favourite book of 2017 been?

Review: The Fate of the Tearling (Book Three of the Tearling series) by Erika Johansen

For once, I was quite lucky with the timing of the Tearling series. Usually, when I read the first book of a series, I lose all interest by the time the second book is released and the third may as well not even exist. However, I was able to buy the second book, The Invasion of the Tearling, immediately after I finished the first, The Queen of the Tearling, and then, lo and behold, the third book, The Fate of the Tearling, was released just a fortnight afterwards. I have actually managed to start and finish a whole series in one year. I'm sort of stunned.

My joint review of the previous books in the series are here.

Plot summary: In less than a year, Kelsea Glynn has transformed from a gawky teenager into a powerful monarch. As she has come into her own as the Queen of the Tearling, the headstrong, visionary leader has also transformed her realm. In her quest to end corruption and restore justice, she has made many enemies—including the evil Red Queen, her fiercest rival, who has set her armies against the Tear.

To protect her people from a devastating invasion, Kelsea did the unthinkable—she gave herself and her magical sapphires to her enemy—and named the Mace, the trusted head of her personal guards, Regent in her place. But the Mace will not rest until he and his men rescue their sovereign, imprisoned in Mortmesne.

Now, as the suspenseful endgame begins, the fate of Queen Kelsea—and the Tearling itself—will finally be revealed.

To summarise this entire review into one sentence - it just wasn't as good and the ending sucked.

Whilst I enjoyed this book for the most part, there's no getting around that it just felt flatter than the first two books, which I really enjoyed. Previously, the most impressive aspect of this series had been the characterisation. There were so many fascinating minor characters - Father Tyler, Aisa, Andalie, Brenna, the Mace - each with their own personalities and subplots, and they were an absolute joy to read about. 

Unfortunately, as this book spends more time following the past than ever before, these characters barely get a look in.  This time we're in the head of Katie, a young lady who lived in Jonathan Tear's New London, immediately post-Crossing (I kept picturing her as Katie from College Humor). It's quite interesting and it fit the tone of the story much better than when we were following Lily in the last book. Unfortunately, as previously, I'm less interested in the past and the almost unnecessary overarching plot, especially when it means that the really interesting characters get little airtime.

When they do show (which is rare), they've lost their sparkle. The Red Queen has changed completely and serves very little purpose, and the Mace seems a little bit wet behind the ears. There seemed to be a lot more milling around than previously, which is strange for the final book of a series. I wouldn't say I got bored of it exactly, but I certainly wasn't as eager to pick it back up as I had been with the other books.

It's a very... passive book. The huge majority of the narrative takes place in either the distant past or involves a lot of travelling and waiting for things to happen. And there is nothing, nothing, more passive in the history of literature than that ending.

I'm going to be vague to avoid spoilers, but suffice it to say that it wasn't good. I can get on board with endings that just don't go where I want them to, or that don't reach the 'right' conclusion, but this isn't that. It feels like the author built up so many subplots and so much drama, but then got the ending and just pressed the 'eh' button. There is no resolution of anything and it actually renders the whole series redundant. What happened to Father Tyler, Ayla or the Mace? Or anyone?

It's such a ridiculous ending that I sort of feel like there's no point rereading the series at any point because everything you experience is redundant. Why spend so much time building it up only to... well, not bother. Some other reviews have called it brave and unique, but I don't agree. It's lazy. 

Sometimes I can dislike an ending without letting it affect my opinion of the rest of the book, and I can't explain without being spoilery, but the nature of this ending means that this is impossible. It's not quite as bad as '... and I woke up and it was all a dream,' but it's close.

If you've read The Fate of the Tearling, I'd love to hear your thoughts on that ending.

Review: The Queen of the Tearling and The Invasion of the Tearing by Erika Johansen

I've not been reading all that much fantasy in 2016. It's not a conscious choice but more an unintentional leaning towards literary fiction. That's fine, I'm sure it'll skew back the other way next year (I'm reading Whatever the Hell I Want, did you hear?). It did mean, however, that I'd forgotten just how engaging and enthralling well-written fantasy could be. Enter, The Invasion of the Tearling.

Plot summary: Kelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret by foster parents after her mother – Queen Elyssa, as vain as she was stupid – was murdered for ruining her kingdom. For 18 years, the Tearling has been ruled by Kelsea’s uncle in the role of Regent however he is but the debauched puppet of the Red Queen, the sorceress-tyrant of neighbouring realm of Mortmesme. On Kelsea’s 19th birthday, the tattered remnants of her mother’s guard - each pledged to defend the queen to the death - arrive to bring this most un-regal young woman out of hiding...

And so begins her journey back to her kingdom’s heart, to claim the throne, earn the loyalty of her people, overturn her mother’s legacy and redeem the Tearling from the forces of corruption and dark magic that are threatening to destroy it. But Kelsea's story is not just about her learning the true nature of her inheritance - it's about a heroine who must learn to acknowledge and live with the realities of coming of age in all its insecurities and attractions, alongside the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly and fairly while simply trying to stay alive...

I'm going to review both books as a whole, as I didn't get round to reviewing The Queen of the Tearling earlier in the year. That said, there will be no spoilers for either book. 

The Good

I really like these books, although I do have some concerns as well. I actually left it a few days before starting this review, because sometimes my opinion of a YA-esque book (that isn't actually YA, not really, but I'll talk about that later) fades after a few days and I end up shrugging my shoulders and deleting the next installment from my wishlist after all. Instead, with Invasion of the Tearling, I've actually just gone ahead and pre-ordered it.

It's rare to find a light fantasy book that's both well-written and has a unique premise, but it's fantastic when it happens. The plot is definitely a page-turner - a new Queen, difficult decisions to make, a looming invasion... it's wonderful. The dialogue isn't stilted and I didn't feel I had to concentrate overmuch to unravel the world building, which is also very impressive.

Invasion of the Tearling is definitely slightly better written than Queen of the Tearling, however. It's not that the latter was bad, not at all, but there were far too many instances of 'Kelsea suddenly just knew...' or 'With a flash of intuition, she realised...' for my liking. Seriously, it's really frequent. But that was my only gripe with the writing in either book and that particular flaw doesn't crop up even once in Invasion of the Tearling. I love it when I can see an author develop between books.

I love the characters. Well, aside from Kelsea, but that deserves a whole paragraph to itself. My favourite is Father Tyler, the elderly priest inserted into Kelsea's Court as essentially a spy, but who finds himself racked with indecision. I also like the Mace, Andalie and the whole of the Queen's Guard. They're all unique and well-written, and I can't wait to hear more about all of them.
 
It looks like a YA book and it has the tone of a YA book (albeit better written), but I don't think it is. Kelsea is nineteen years old, a little out of the scope of teenage books, and there are some fairly graphic scenes of violence. There's also a sex scene but it's vague. It would probably fit into the New Adult category, as loathe as I am to say it. Why is that even a thing!? It doesn't really matter anyway - it's an adult plot with quite informal and casual prose.

The Bad

I wasn't a huge fan of the narrative suddenly jumping to the year 2050, in our world. It was ridiculously jarring to read The Queen of the Tearling and the first third of The Invasion of the Tearling, which are set in your typical high fantasy world (magic, dungeons, horses, torches, etc), and then suddenly the next chapter talks about cars and mobile phones. It's meant to be flashbacks to just before the Crossing, set in 2050 or so, but it just doesn't fit at all. There was nothing in either book to indicate this was going to happen and it felt grossly out of place and completely unnecessary.

The Ugly

So I'm not usually great at picking up on these things, but it was too sledgehammery in both these books (but especially The Invasion of the Tearling) to go over even my head. There's no getting past that these books set an appalling example for young women.

It's possible that I was hyper alert to the possibility when reading the second book, just because I was so shocked at this sentence in the first book:

Kelsea saw now that there was something far worse than being ugly: being ugly and thinking you were beautiful. 

The context of the above quote refers to an older women dressing far younger than Kelsea deemed that she ought, but I don't care. Who approved that sentence for inclusion in a novel that will cross the paths of thousands of impressionable teenagers!? That quote is absolutely disgusting and I was genuinely shocked when I read it. It's not okay.

So yes, I was potentially on the look-out. But even if I wasn't, there are some truly awful examples of how not to come of age.

Kelsea. I was really impressed by how she was described in The Queen of the Tearling. She was a little bit chunky, with a flat, pudgy nose and a sort-of okay complexion. Slightly short, to boot. Awesome. An average looking fictional heroine that we can all admire and feel better about ourselves. Except, in The Invasion of the Tearling, her magic gradually transforms her and now she's notably beautiful. Fuck you. The one thing about this woman that didn't make me want to scratch her eyes out, and then it's 'rectified.'

Let's see. The way she treats men is appalling. She essentially wants to hump all of them and has a bitch fit when they turn her down. "You're just like every other man!" she spat. Really, though? Because I'm pretty sure the stereotype is that they want to get in your pants. If this was a novel from the male perspective and a man was treating a woman like that, there would be outrage.

The bit that really got me though, is that Kelsea cuts herself. That's fine (well, not fine, obviously - but I mean in a literary sense) as perhaps teenagers who are already self-harming need to see it brought into the spotlight a little more. The Invasion of the Tearling seems to almost glorify it, however. The narrative frequently talks about the release it gives her and how good it feels... but then in literally one sentence towards the end she realises she shouldn't do it anymore (with no explanation) and that's that. It's shoved in almost as an afterthought and the benefits are pointed out in a way that borders on negligent.

Conclusion

I really like this series and I've pre-ordered the next book. I genuinely can't wait to read it. However, I do have some concerns about the messages contained within - and I will continue to think myself beautiful, thank you very much.

Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

This is the book Charlotte bought me for my birthday, and that I subsequently bought her for her birthday, and that we have referred to as 'that magic book' ever since. The title just will not stick in our heads even though we've both obviously gone through the processes of purchasing, receiving, opening and picking up said book. Strange. Pretty cover though.

Plot summary: Kell is one of the last travellers - magicians with a rare ability to travel between parallel universes connected by one magical city. There's Grey London, without magic and ruled by the mad King George III. Red London - where magic is revered, and where Kell was raised alongside the heir to the empire. White London - where people fight to control the remaining magic and magic fights back. And once there was Black London...

I think this book might have suffered under the weight of my expectations somewhat. I was so excited to read it. It looked so... different, such a unique and brilliant concept. And it is, I suppose. I love the idea of the three universes, all of which possess a City of London  and that one tavern, situated in the exact same space geographically and with the same river flowing through the middle. However, they all have different rulers, different politics and (key point coming up) different levels of magic. It's genuinely brilliant.

The problem is that the actual content is not so unique. Whilst the overall concept is great, the story is peppered with really, really tired fantasy tropes. I'm not going to list them as I can't do so whilst avoiding spoilers, but I did roll my eyes a few times when a plot point popped up that also popped up in the last twelve fantasy novels I read. It's fine, and the plot points in question weren't out of place or silly, it's just that I expected more.

The prose is good; the book is actually written quite well, content aside. The narrative flows and the dialogue is unstilted. I haven't read anything else by Victoria Schwab, but she seems to have a talent for writing at least.

The world-building is good, but could have been better. The three Londons are such an interesting idea that I'd have loved more time spent on developing them before the plot kicked off. It was that very concept that made me want to buy the book in the first place but then we never really got the detail that could have made it really wonderful. A slightly longer book would have been worth it, I think. Tell me more about King George! And White London! 

Is the character of... Lila... (I paid so little attention to her that I had to go back and check her name) really necessary? I can't help but feel that the book would be genuinely improved without her. I was hooked on the idea of sole, lonely traveller flitting between worlds and the blurb doesn't refer to the generic, strong, defiant-of-gender-roles character that no fantasy novel can do without. I could get on board with her if she served a purpose, but she doesn't. She's not particularly annoying but her presence changes the tone of the book into something much more YA-ish.  I will say that I appreciate the lack of romance - it could have been shoved in so easily and I respect the author for leaving it alone.

I quite like the ending - it's more subtle than most and it doesn't comply with the generic fantasy formula. I also like that it's actually a standalone book, which makes a pleasant change. No cliffhangers, no unfinished threads and no sudden revelations. The series does continue in the next book, A Gathering of Shadows, but this book is complete in itself. I can't decide if I'm going to buy it or not. I'm really, profoundly non-bothered about reading the story, but then the covers are so nice and they would look so pretty all lined up on my bookshelf...

I guess my main complaint about A Darker Shade of Magic is that it wasn't what I wanted it to be and I know that's not really fair. I was expecting dark and twisted, and featuring more of King George III, who was named in the title, after all. Instead it's fairly generic fantasy that is already starting to slide out of my head. It's just that an excellent over-all idea wasn't really developed properly, and was slightly dragged down by tired fantasy plot points. I enjoyed reading it, but I'm not sure I'll feel the need to pick it up again.

Read a more positive review of A Darker Shade of Magic at Ivy Book Bindings.