And Another-

Can't forget this one!

Doctor Who Teaser

   The countdown for Doctor Who has begun! Next month it finally begins. Honestly, I'm a little nervous. Every time a new Doctor comes on the scene, I'm nervous.. But this time the change seems so much bigger. Going from Matt Smith to Peter Capaldi is a huge jump. I guess that's the point of the show though-- what keeps it fresh. It is always changing, developing, showing new sides of the Doctor. They seem to be hinting that Twelve will show us the Doctor's dark side---


 

The Key to the Realm

    Summer is in full swing in my part of Oregon. I can hear the tractor making hay outside, my grass has turned a hideous shade of brown and I think a trip to the river is in order. Nothing like reading in a nice shady spot at the river! I feel like I have read a few okay books lately. I'm really looking for a standout to fall in love with. I guess I better keep reading.

Book: The Key to the Realm
Author: Roberta Trahan
Rating: ★★★★

                                                            
This is the sequel to The Well of Tears-- which I reviewed a bit ago. I thought this sequel improved upon some of the pitfalls from the first book. I thought both stories were fun, engaging reads. The author switched a few things up with this book a bit. Some of the story-lines that were moving in an obvious direction in the last book changed. Not so much that it was disorienting though. I think Trahan really listened to some of the critiques of her previous book and improved this one.

   I was glad to see the bedroom scenes omitted. It really would have had no place in this book anyways. The book adds even more characters and new story-lines. This only worked because most of the other non-essential characters were not present. It still felt like A LOT of characters. I think that kind of watered down the story she was trying to tell. You just didn't have much of a connection to them. Somebody dies, somebody betrays-- oh well. I thought this was a missed opportunity. Especially when Glain learns who betrayed her.

    I enjoyed the story being told through Glain's eyes. It was a smart choice to let Alwen's perspective go.
I did feel like the villain got neutered at the end. The main thing I dislike about the books is still the same, it just lacks creativity in the magic department. I get that it is suppose to be a historical setting, but the magic she added could have been a little more original. What is it with fantasy writers and enchanted forests??? Instead of creating an interesting magic system it was just a jumbled mix of every magic form. We have shape-shifters, mythical dog-beasts, evil-spirit things the list goes on and on.. I'm guessing she pulled a few of these from myths, since the book has the historical side? When a book contains every magic imaginable, it just loses its potency. What is going to show up next?? Vampires, zombies? I guess at least she hasn't stooped so low :) Maybe I'm just getting too picky.

     I don't regret reading either book. They were entertaining enough. Will I buy them so I can reread them? probably not.

The Well of Tears-

Book: The Well of Tears
Author: Roberta Trahan 
Rating:★★★★



I stayed up late last night finishing this one! It was an enjoyable read. I thought the author showed a lot of promise and skill.

Unfortunately the book wasn't all that original. It relied heavily on a lot of familiar fantasy tropes. It was like 10 different fantasy books smooshed into one. I wish the author had chosen to set more bounds on her magic system, or even created a magic system. It was just kind of a vague mishmash. Between that and the unimaginative worldbuilding, this book kinda fell flat on that level. There were a lot of characters. I felt like the author could have cut the whole Tribe of t he Wolf King or MacDonagh clan out. While the relationship between Alwen and Bledig was a nice touch it just went too Diana Gabaldon for me. It felt like some dimension should have been cut while other areas developed better. It stretched too thin, more depth was needed. 

BUT that didn't make it a bad book. I still enjoyed reading it. I wanted to know what happened next, I was interested in the characters. The sex scenes I could have done without. Not that sex and fantasy don't mix, I just think it can head into paperback romance territory if an author isn't careful. Sometimes it's more powerful just to close the scene than reveal every detail.

Now perhaps I sound a little critical-- and I don't feel bad about that. Because I think this author has a lot of potential. She could write a really amazing book. I just wish I heard her voice a little more, and less of other authors. I feel like in a few months, I wont even remember what this book was about. It wont stick with me.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the book in exchange for my review. 

Half a King

Book: Half a King
Author: Joe Abercrombie
Rating:★★★★★

                                                                                                                                               


    I was very excited to read this ARC provided by NetGalley. The book will be published July 15th.

    We begin the book in Yarvi's teachers chambers. We are on familiar ground with this fantasy trope. The wizened old woman teaching her student. Things continue in a predictably boring manner. Yarvi, who has no plans to become king, is now elevated to that role. His kind old uncle offers him support and his daughter. His daughter Isriun, just happens to be the perfect woman for Yarvi. I was beginning to wonder if it was Joe Abercrombie I was reading. Was there a mistake? Then Yarvi is thrown off a tower by uncle and left to die.. and I knew I had the right author....
     Now Joe begins to weave a very different type of tale. This is not about a king, but a slave. We follow Yarvi as he rows across the shattered sea. He plots to return home, take the thrown and exact his revenge. On his journey he finds friends and enemies.
    I love how in all Joe's books one can never be quite sure who is an enemy and who is a friend. Often times the character you have picked out as a villain becomes a friend. He has a great strength for showing just how human and complex people are. In life people are rarely as straight-forward as good and evil.
   I think this went a step further in this book. One of the main themes was "the lesser evil and the greater good." This is a concept that changes with each persons perspective. In many instances the villain is acting from this sentiment. So sure that the evil they commit will work towards the greater good. Some characters pay for these choices with their lives.
   There are lots of surprises for the reader in this book. Even when you think you have the book figured out, it twists again. Even to the very end. I did guess the main twist. Even though, it didn't make reading it any less dynamic. The final explanation of what happened took me by surprise.
   Yarvi's character really grew on me. At first he was so self-loathing and sulky I wasn't sure. He is no soldier. It is more than just his crippled hand, it's who he is. He doesn't have the stomach for fighting and killing. I thought the way the author dealt with this was very smart. Yarvi doesn't become the invincible super character. He just is who he is. He doesn't delight in killing, it makes him sick. He does fulfill his vow though. He isn't the same Yarvi as at the start of the book, but he doesn't change into another person.
   In the end the joke was on me. It was a set up after all. Here I thought Joe was losing his touch, instead he was skillfully setting up a great adventure. I think it made the book even more poignant. The book was tied up nicely in the end. After reading a few HUGE books I found it a refreshingly short read. I can see it as a stand alone book or a series. If more are written, I will be reading them.

The Queen of the Tearling

Book: The Queen of the Tearling
Author: Erika Johansen
Rating:★★★★

                                                           

     My latest read was a fun one! This book will be available to purchase July 8th. I received the ARC through Edelweiss. I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel. I had never hear of Erika Johansen or this book. Now I'm asking myself-- why not? It's was so good.
      We begin the book with Kelsea. For nineteen years she lived in isolation. Raised by foster parents who teach her all they can (except for anything to with her mother). She is the heir to the Tear throne. When her nineteenth birthday comes, it is time to take her crown. With many out to keep that from happening, she is hunted all the way to the throne, and after. She finds many things are not what she expected. Her country is poor, her people starving and her mother was no saint. She has navigate the injustices in her land while trying to keep her head. A formidable evil, the Red Queen threatens to make war on her land. Kelsea has inherited a rather big job.
    The book itself is a classic fantasy setting--- but it's actually a dystopian book as well. This instantly sets it apart. At first the dystopian element seemed lacking. As the book progresses though, your knowledge grows. It was a really interesting addition. I have a feeling that in future books this will become more important.
    Female main characters are something a lot of fantasy writers struggle with. They are often one-note, beautiful, invincible, and stronger than any man. I thought that this author did an amazing job writing this character. She was very real. Plain and just a little tubby. Kelsea had her strengths and her weaknesses. She was guided by a strong sense of justice and was willing to make personal sacrifices to fulfill it. I think writing a strong female character takes a deft hand. I was surprised and pleased by how much I like Kelsea.
     I can actually say I didn't skim any parts of this book. I didn't want to miss a thing. The plot is full of intrigue. It keeps going and it doesn't stop. All the supporting characters were very strong. None seemed unnecessary. The villain is formidable, fear inspiring. But not invincible.
     The romance element was done with a light touch. It is obviously something that is going to be built on. I feel like this was a very balanced book between light and dark. There is obviously a dark element. Instead of overpowering the book these just make the good parts of the book all the better.
    I really hope that the author is writing a sequel to this book! I will buy it. I think a sequel will add a little more depth where this one lacks. There are so many mysteries that I want to know the answers to. These are the sorts of questions that will keep me reading.     

The Goblin Emperor--

Book: The Goblin Emperor
Author: Katherine Addison
Rating: ★★★
                                                     

   Maia is half goblin, half elvish. He is the product of a unhappy, detached political marriage. After his mother's death he lived in near isolation. Raised by his cruel cousin Setheris, he never dreamed of becoming king. When his father and brothers are killed, Maia finds himself in that exact position.
  He is whisked away to an unfamiliar court with a very big task. His family has no love for him and he in very much alone. He has no friends and certainly no one to trust. The book follows him as he navigates the tough political waters.   

  The book was not without some bumps along the way. To me, the purpose of developing a culture with specialized names, language, titles, landscape is to create richness in a book. It brings to life a new world, where obviously things are different. That it is one of my favorite things about fantasy books, and a mark of a skilled fantasy author. These things help us visualize this foreign landscape. A book that lacks creative world-building falls flat. On the other hand, a book that is too specialized... Is just annoying.

  Instead of enriching book it often just left the reader confused. I found it very hard to imagine the scenes of the book because I never had any idea who the people were. It's impossible to tell whether a character is male or female until the author specifies. The names give nothing away. Some of the names are almost identical. The author includes for us 16 pages at the end of the book listing all the people, places and gods. I found this when I had finished the book-- and at that point I just didn't really care. This all explains how to tell gender/status. These nuances become totally lost to the reader with every thing else one has to figure out. I think the author needed to mindfully choose which part she wanted to go crazy with. If you are going to have 10,000 characters, give them names that are easily distinguished and more familiar. Or, if you want the crazy names, do less characters.  

  I thought this really held the book back. Sometimes I would just skim a paragraph because I had no clue what was going on, or who was talking. I think this will turn a lot of readers away. It was at times, just tedious to figure out who was doing what.

  BUT here is the good news-- the book was actually pretty interesting. The story-line kept the book moving right along. The main characters struggle endeared me to him. Even though it relied on elves and goblins, the author made the races her own. I am glad that I stuck with the book and finished it. I hope Katherine keeps writing interesting books-- but maybe streamlines her ideas.