The Secrets of Life and Death

Title: The Secrets of Life and Death
Author: Rebecca Alexander
Rating: Four Stars

I was initially a little spectacle when I began this book. I thought for sure it would dissolve into a trite vampire book. It is however, anything but. The storyline is actually very original and different. Two story lines are interwoven, making this book both historical fantasy and urban fantasy. I think all-together the book holds more of an urban feel.

We follow Jack, a regular English woman, despite the whole "being dead" thing. Her life has been suspended in the moment of her dying-- and she is living on borrowed time. Her life was preserved by ancient magic administered by her caretaker Maggie. Now Jack is trying to save another young girl with that same magic. Her life is complicated by a man named Felix. Felix is looking into the death of a girl Jack previously tried to save. He is a professor of archaic magic who consults for the police. It isn't long before Felix and Jack are wrapped up in a much larger conflict.

Our other story line follows Edward Kelley and his master Dee, an alchemist and occultist. They are in Poland trying to save the life of the king's niece. They soon get in over their heads in dark and evil magic. Dee and Kelley are faced with only two options, preform the dark magic or be killed.

The two stories are linked through time and magic. As the story unfolds you get a clearer picture of the evil that will unfold because of Dee and Kelley.

The story has characters that are Catholic, Protestant and those who practice various forms of witchcraft. I was glad to see that the book didn't turn into some sort of theological bashing on any belief system. The "bad guy" is clearly the woman sucking the life out of innocent people. I thought the Author navigated that very well.

The place where this book falls a little short for me was the characters. I liked all the characters fine, I just felt like they were lacking in some depth. Jack especially seemed a little wooden. I think a little extra character building would have taken this book to a whole new level.

Even though the book dealt with some of the old fantasy tropes, the author weaved these things into a entirely new and original story. With two different storylines interwoven, it could have felt choppy or confusing. However, the author deftly binds this story together.

Fool's Assassin-- Today is the Day!!

Book: Fool's Assassin
Author: Robin Hobb
Rating:★★★★★













 For anybody waiting for the newest Robin Hobb release, you're in luck! I thought I would share my opinion on why you should pick this one up!

First of all-- if you want to believe that Fitz lives out the rest of his days in happiness-- just don't read this one ;) I was surprised when I learned that Robin Hobb had another book for this series. Over the years I have enjoyed them all. I wondered though, what else there could be to say? Apparently, a lot. In fact at the close of the book it felt like all the others had just been the beginning. A lot of the information reader's think is true is called into question.

While the book centers on the everyday domestic life of Fitz, it is anything but boring. We are introduced to a new character Bee, his unexpected daughter.  We even get to see the world through her eyes at times. The perspective shift in the book was refreshing. I truly fell in love with Bee. She is a character I think readers will really connect with.

Bee is not the only new character. We are introduced to a few other new faces. It is always nice to see old ones as well. Because the main character and Chade age so slowly there is a chance for a lot of history to be built. The time span gives us the opportunity to really get to know Bee. The book brought plenty of new mysteries to be unraveled. Even though the plot seemed so clear to me, I found myself surprised at times.


The book is of course, in true Robin Hobb style. Whenever things seem to fall in place for a character, Robin is there is cut it all short. Whenever there is a chance on happiness, she is there to twist the knife. While I loved the book and think Robin Hobb an amazing author, I am wary about reading on in this series. These books have a tendency to go dark at times. The final line of the book was "Nothing warned me on the bright day that the darkest time of my life had begun." I just don't know if I want to meet a darker Fitz. He has been through very dark times, yet apparently it was only the start. I suppose I will have to leave it all in the author's hands. She has proven herself more than capable. I hope she continues to strike a balance between dark and light.

Doctor Who Tshirts-- Zebratees

I have been scouring the internet for a while to find the perfect shirt. Every time I see someone with Doctor Who memorabilia I stare fondly at them. Maybe if I was a brave person I would actually talk to them. However, being a introvert to the core I just think "hi friend". I saw this tee the other day and decided this was the the shirt---

I am in love. I found in on Zebratees.com they have a ton of Doctor Who shirts and other wonderfully nerdy designs--- AHH look at these ones. 

  

AND they are $9.. Each design is available for a week. The orders are then sent to the printer- which takes 10-30 days. I should be getting mine any day, the whole process took about 2 weeks for me. Probably not the place to order a tee if you need it right away. I'll snap a picture of mine when it gets here and review the quality/fit then.

The Immortals of Meluha

Book:The Immortals of Meluha

Author: Amish Tripathi

Rating:★★★★  
                                                                                                                                                

Set in 1900 BC we meet a young Shiva. He and his tribe leave behind their bloodthirsty lands and journey to Meluha. They find a utopian civilization. Society is ordered and scientifically beyond their time. Shiva's life turns upside down when he is named the people's savior. He alone is suppose to save the people from their evil neighbors.

I love when fantasy author's break the mold and set their novels in unexpected places. With such a rich cultural history, India makes a wonderful location. I thought Tripathi did a great job of educating the reader while entertaining. You learn a lot of new terms as you read.

There were parts of Shiva's journey that I really enjoyed and some that I didn't. I like that he wasn't made into a totally perfect, invincible character. He may be a very important figure, but he is also a man. He is not flawless. In the end he learns of his mistakes and takes personal responsibility for them. I thought that at times the attempts to make him human fell a little flat. A person isn't more human because they smoke marijuana and curse. I felt like he lacked some depth. He was given some personal vulnerabilities from his past- but it just felt a little disconnected. Sita's character as well. It would have been nice to hear about her journey from vikarma to regular society. I did think her character was very interesting though.

Where the book really started to catch my attention was the last quarter. The tension in the scenes of the battle was a great build up. You could feel something wasn't right. I usually hate cliffhanger endings, but this seemed like an almost natural place to end the first book. I don't know that it was a standout book for me, but it was entertaining enough.

*Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC, all opinions are my own. 

White Rabbit

Book: White Rabbit
Author: K.A. Laity

Rating:★★★★

                                                   

       What do you do when you can hear the undead-- but don't really want to hear them? You take a few snorts of fairy dust and become a "fake" psychic. So here we find our main character, Draygo, when he gets a famous client. Which is going great until she gets shot at his table, courtesy of her husband. This sends Draygo down the White Rabbit hole. He is joined by Saunders, a journalist who wants to get to the bottom of the white rabbit as well.  

         This book drove me crazy. From the moment it began I both loved and hated the main character. This is not the hero you want to sweep you off your feet, this is the one you want to punch in the gut. A fraud and boozer who can hear from the undead but shuts them out. The story is sort of a crazy ride, it does not pause to explain itself, just keeps going ahead. While the story is interesting, it also contains some deep questions. The reader has something to chew on when the book ends. 

         What I found irksome about this book is the thousands of loose ends. If you are looking for a story with a complete ending, where everything is fleshed out, this is not it. This made a little crazy. There were a few key scenes and components that just don't get explained. I still have so many questions. While I can say these things frustrated me, they didn't ruin the book for me. I definitely suggest reading this book with a strong cup of coffee, if you didn't want one when it started, you will by the end. Seriously, send Jinx my way.    
*Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc, all opinions are my own.

Of Bone and Thunder

Okay, another book for me to read. Chris Evans is the author of this book, out for your reading pleasure October 14th. I am sort of in love with this cover. It's gorgeous. This looks like another refreshingly different book. I can't think of another fantasy novel that is set in the period of the Vietnam War.

"Channeling the turbulent period of the Vietnam War and its ruthless pitting of ideologies, cultures, generations, and races against each other, military historian and acclaimed fantasy writer Chris Evans takes a daring new approach to the traditional world of sword and sorcery by thrusting it into a maelstrom of racial animus, drug use, rebellion, and a growing war that seems at once unwinnable and with no end in sight. In this thrilling epic, right and wrong, country and honor, freedom and sacrifice are all put to the ultimate test in the heart of a dark, bloody, otherworldly jungle.

In this strange, new world deep among the shadows under a triple-canopy jungle and plagued by dangers real and imagined, soldiers strive to fulfill a mission they don’t understand and are ill-equipped to carry out. And high above them, the heavy rush of wings slashing through the humid air herald a coming wave of death and destruction, and just possibly, salvation."

Books to Read

   After a little reading hiatus I have two new book to read. I guess it's time to stop watching old episodes of Heroes and get back to business. I'm pretty excited to read both of these books. Reviews to follow :)

This first book is a little departure from my usual epic fantasy favorites. It looks a little grittier. The book is White Rabbit, By K.A. Laity. Here is the description--
    
"Sometimes the shadows that haunt us are what lead us back to the light.


Disgraced former police detective James Draygo has sunk as low as his habit allows, working as a fake psychic despite his very real talents. When a media mogul’s trashy trophy wife gets gunned down at his tapping table he has to decide whether he can straighten up long enough to save his own skin. He may not have a choice with Essex’s loudest ghost bawling in his ear about cults, conspiracies and cut-rate drugs. Oblivion sounds better all the time…"

The next in queue is The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi. This one isn't available until December 2nd (thanks Edelweiss for the ARC). This one looks really interesting to me, very different.

"1900 BC in what modern Indians call the Indus Valley Civilization and the inhabitants called the land of Meluha: a near-perfect empire created many centuries earlier by Lord Ram--one of the greatest monarchs that ever lived--faces peril as its primary river, the Saraswati, is slowly drying to exctinction. The Suryavanshi rulers are challenged with devastating terrorist attacks from the east, the land of the Chandravanshis. To make matters worse, the Chandravanshis appear to have allied with the Nagas, an ostracized and sinister race of deformed humans with astonishing martial skills.

The only hope for the Suryavanshis is an ancient legend: When evil reaches epic proportions, when all seems lost, a hero will emerge. Is the unexpected, rough-hewn Tibetan immigrant Shiva that hero? Drawn suddenly to his destiny, duty, and by love, Shiva will attempt to move mountains and lead the Suryavanshi to destroy evil."