Reviews Results
Book Review: The Summer Country
The Summer Country
By James A. Hetley
This was yet another random pick from the New Fiction section at the library. Generally I love a good modern-day crosses paths with Irish Fae-lands story, but in this case I did not. The main female character was an idiot, all the other characters were flat and unconvincing, and the ‘love’ story had no depth or believability. And while I don’t need my fantasy to be clean and prim, not by a longshot, this was unnecessarily brutal in parts, in ways that didn’t serve the story. I kept reading because I hoped the book would eventually redeem itself… but it didn’t.
I give it 1/5 stars.
Series Review: War of the Roses
War of the Roses
The Serpent & The Rose; The Golden Rose; The Last Paladin
By Kathleen Bryan
I enjoyed this series quite a bit. It’s got some of your usual fantasy trappings (beautiful noble lady falls in love with common man, knights and magicians and devious villains), but also some pleasant surprises. The world is obviously based on a fantastical Europe (where Britain = Prydain, Ireland = Eriu, etc.), but did not try to stay too close to reality or history or even known folklore. The story takes place in the equivalent of France, but aside from similarities in linguistics it’s not a France we’d recognize, and does not play on any of the classic European legends (with one notable exception in Prydain’s Myrddin, but even that Bryan gives a new twist). The structure of magic (and the different schools therein) was refreshing, and for once the author didn’t feel the need to overexplain the mechanics of it; the mages themselves don’t always know how their magic works (particularly in the cases of main characters Averil and Gereint), so the reader doesn’t know either. That sounds like it could be annoying, but was actually an enjoyable bit of mystery.
Without giving away too much of the plot of the book, I’ll say that the main struggle the characters face (aside from their forbidden love) is that in order to save the world from the doom that threatens, they have to get an entire nation to put aside ages-old traditions and ways of thinking – themselves included. The people of Lys (particularly the mages) are so set into one way of thinking, one way the world must be, that they don’t even acknowledge that other ways (and threats) are possible. And so great tragedy strikes in the first book, revealing the villain and overhanging evil, and setting the main characters on their path. Averil and Gereint spend much of the series trying to persuade everyone and themselves that in order to save their world, it has to change; people have to change. I’m simplifying for the sake of brevity, but it’s an interesting choice for the main plot/motif of a series, and I found in this instance that it was particularly engaging and believable.
I give it 4/5 stars.
Book Review: Ice Song
Ice Song
By Kirsten Imani Kasai
I was very intrigued by this book from the blurb on the back, which prompted me to check it out from the library. And then it was nothing like what the back leads you to believe. For a novel whose main character is a gender-bender (literally), she spends awfully little time as her male counterpart. He doesn’t even show up until more than a third of the way into the book. I did think it was a neat twist that her two halves don’t share memories – talk about confusing. But the rest of the story left me with a dissatisfied ‘Hrm.’
For one, it kept switching from being science fiction to a macabre kind of fantasy novel. And I don’t as a rule have a problem with cross-genre or mixed genre, but in this case it just didn’t work. For another, occasionally the author would throw in a whole little subplot that didn’t serve ANY purpose whatsoever (particularly the Zarina/Elu bit – no point to it, which the author seemed to realize as it abruptly cut off). Also, I really wanted to like the main character, but sometimes her reactions just didn’t make any sense (and had nothing to do with her gender-changing abilities). To round it out, the end was very unsatisfying as well. Without giving it away, lets just say a LOT of loose ends weren’t tied up, and even the immediate fate of the surviving characters was left in question. Call me old fashioned, but I like a little bit more of a resolution in my endings. Overall, it was an interesting idea, just not executed as well as it could’ve been.
I give it 2.5/5 stars.
Book Review: The Ordinary
The Ordinary
By Jim Grimsley
I picked this book up from the library because it had a very interesting premise: There is one world that is very science-oriented, logical, over-populated and high-tech. There is another world that is flat, plentiful, and where magic is a proven reality. And suddenly there is a gate between the two. Talk about narrative tension! The beautiful dichotomy sets up an intriguing ‘what if’ story, with likeable characters, engaging plot and just enough mystery and suspense to keep you guessing. My only critique is that the ending seemed to wrap up too quickly, and at the same time left me wondering what happens next (post-book). I won’t say too much more here, for fear of giving something away, but this is a read I definitely recommend. It makes me want to go read his other book set in one of those same worlds, Kirith Kirin.
I give it 4/5 stars.
Book Review: Descent into Dust
Descent into Dust
By Jacqueline Lepore
This was a random choice from the new fiction shelf in the library. As vampire novels go, it was about average. It was entertaining, there were some thrills and scares, and it’s certainly set itself up for a series. The plot was done moderately well; it was somewhat predictable, but there was a darker/creepier tone to the book that helped me ignore that as a reader. I particularly liked how Emma, the protagonist, as known to have a mother who went mad, and so everyone around her is waiting for signs that she, too, is going mad – added some nice tension between her and other characters. The core idea (a vampire hunter who is half vampire herself) is nothing new, and in fact I think Jeaniene Frost does a much better version of that in the Night Huntress series. I do give Ms. Lepore kudos for somehow pulling off a character named Valerian Fox, though his back story definitely needs some work – I would hope that is addressed more in the future books of this series. Also, she spends a bit too much time trying to impress the time period upon the reader, in a kind of stilted way. It doesn’t make it feel authentic or natural, but ends up being a bit distracting, like she’s trying to prove she did her research. I think she should’ve focused a bit more on character development and relationships instead of setting. The most developed and interesting character in the book was a little girl of about 8 years old, which is a problem when she’s not the narrator. But overall, an easy mostly enjoyable read, perfect for a rainy afternoon when you just want to knock through a quick novel.
I give it 2.5/5 stars.
Wading through series…
I’m in the middle of two series right now: the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, and the Twilight Reign series by Tom Lloyd. I’ve just finished the second book of each, and am taking a break to read some other things for a little bit before I tackle book 3 of each one.
Of the two, the Dresden Files are my definite favorite so far. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a wise-cracking narrator/protaganist. Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a wizard after my own heart. Sarcastic hard-ass on the outside, big old chivalrous, fight-for-good softie on the inside. It’s classic detective fiction meets all things paranormal/fantastical. The characters are well-rounded and engaging; the plot is believable without being predictable, and moves along at a nice pace; the narration is great. I’ve yet to find something I don’t like about this series, other than book 3 not being available at my library yet.
That’s not to say that the Twilight Reign series isn’t good; it definitely is. I read a LOT of fantasy, so when I say this series does something new and interesting, I hope that carries some weight. The whole series is based around the concept of white-eyes, beings who are human but amplified through the attention/favor of a god. They aren’t elves; those have a separate place in the story, though they haven’t shown up much yet. The plot is very intricate, and the character list quite long – this is definitely one of those series that would benefit from including a map of the world, and a list of the cast of characters. It includes neither, so I do get a bit lost sometimes as to who/where the chapter is focusing. But I’m intrigued enough so far that I’ll keep reading the series, just to see where it goes.
Book Review: The Devil You Know
The Devil You Know
By Mike Carey
This book started out so promising. It had a wise-cracking protaganist with a great name (Felix Fix Castor). It had good pace, good mystery, and some interesting characters, and of course a dash of the paranormal, as Felix is an exorcist. Even Felix’s approach to exorcism was unique (he plays a whistle, of all things). And then the story goes and gets itself wrapped up in Eastern European crime and an unbelievable choice as the ‘bad guy’ and it lost my interest. There was also some confusion due to UK slang, and the author assuming the reader would be as familiar with London neighborhoods as he is. Overall, though, it was still an enjoyable read. Felix’s voice as the narrator, and a surprise twist with a succubus at the very end saved it from being too disappointing.