Category Book Reviews

Apr 29 2016
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Book Review: A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

a natural history of dragonTitle: A Natural History of Dragons

Author: Marie Brennan

Series: Memoir of Lady Trent #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 2.5 stars

The Overview: 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. 

The Review:

I’ve been stalling on writing this review because I have so many conflicting emotions about it – it has been hard to get my thoughts straight. Up to about a third of the way through the novel, I was certain it was going to be one of my new all-time favorites. Every last element sang to me in a way that only a handful of novels ever have:

  • A young girl who dreams of studying dragons in a society that considers that a very unladylike endeavor.
  • A memoir narration from this girl many decades later indicating that she broke through all of the societal constraints and is now considered the foremost expert in the field.
  • A sweet love story where she meets someone willing to accept and share her passions.
  • The promise of adventure as she sets out to study her first specimen at an exotic location.
  • And of course, an abundance of dragons!

All of these elements were in line with my personal passions – books, dragons, and nature – and brought them together in a way that made me lose myself within the pages. It was magical!

But, alas, the magic didn’t carry through the entire story. ::sobs::

There were several issues that arose as the novel progressed, and I lament because ALL OF THEM could’ve been avoided with a different outlining strategy/focus on the author’s part.

The major one was the main conflict of the story. In a book about a dragon-nut going on a wild adventure to study dragons in a way never before attempted, I feel strongly that the main conflict SHOULD HAVE REVOLVED AROUND THE DRAGONS. Instead, the dragons remained on the periphery of the story and were only loosely related to what drove 2/3 of the book. It focused on a mystery surrounding a small village, a larger village, some old ruins, a handful of bandits, and some politicking between all of them – none of which had absolutely anything meaningful to do with the dragons and, frankly, could have been easily adjusted to omit the dragons altogether. What an opportunity wasted!!! I’m still agonizing over it.

The second issue was with characterization… particularly that of the main character. She was a bright woman who wanted nothing more than to study dragons. This obsession made her a bit reckless at times when dragons were concerned, which is consistent with her character (and an element I appreciated). What isn’t consistence is how she kept making harebrained decisions when no dragons were involved at all. Stupid stuff. Stuff that leaves you going “no half-intelligent person would do that! What is wrong with this woman?!” It was frustrating, to say the least. The only thing I can figure is that the author orchestrated these odd decisions because she couldn’t figure out another way to advance the plot and get the character from point A to point B any other way. But that’s just me theorizing…

Ugh. Overall, I both fawn and agonize over A Natural History of Dragons, and am really nervous to pick up the second one. I’ll keep in mind that Brennan has the ability to dazzle me and what was done well was done brilliantly enough to give me hope going forward.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Apr 25 2016
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Book Review: The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

Title: The Glittering Court

Author: Richelle Mead

Series: The Glittering Court #1

Genre: Teen Fiction

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court. Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

The Review:

Richelle Mead has been one of my top authors for several years now, and I’m pretty sure I’ve read all of the 25+ books she has on the market to date. Most people know her for her YA “Vampire Academy” series, which is ironically my least favorite of her works even though I still enjoyed it (until it hit book #4, then it was pure magic). No, I very much prefer her urban fantasy “Georgia Kincaid” series or even “Bloodlines” – a spinoff to the “Vampire Academy.” Specific series aside, I can claim with confidence that Richelle Mead has never let me down, her books always ranging from “really good” to “omg, this is one of the best things I’ve ever read in my entire life.”

“The Glittering Court” (so far, at least) drifts closer to the “really good” category.

It’s much different than anything she’s done to date, but still had excellent, well-developed characters, great pacing, and an entertaining storyline. The basic premise involves an establishment that teaches eager young women to become proper noblewoman for the purpose of being sold as brides newly settled land across the sea. The main character, a young countess of a failing household, sees the Glittering Court as an opportunity to escape the obligations that bound her life and start anew. And then the fun begins!

The whole book was a delightful read, especially the portions that took place in the Glittering Court, which reminded me fondly of “The Selection” series by Kiera Cass – one of my all-time favorites. The remaining portion had a very alternate-history feel that seemed almost interchangeable with England’s colonization of “The New World.” It’s rustic frontier atmosphere was a stark contrast to the earlier glitz and glam. Oddly enough, all of these elements worked really well together and I liked the wide variety it had to offer.

Overall, it was highly entertaining from start to finish. I’m not sure I’m totally excited about where the story is headed next (The Glittering Court itself being my favorite element from this book), but I trust Richelle Mead enough to be confident that it’s going to be fabulous, whatever direction it takes. Mead has this brilliant way of building incredible momentum throughout her series, escalating everything to a point where you’re simply breathless, exhausted, and elated by the end. I can’t wait to see if she does the same with “The Glittering Court” series.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Apr 21 2016
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DNF: Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Title: Queen of the Tearling

Author: Erika Johansen

Series: Queen of the Tearling #1

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: DNF

The Overview: An untested young princess must claim her throne, learn to become a queen, and combat a malevolent sorceress in an epic battle between light and darkness in this spectacular debut—the first novel in a trilogy.

Young Kelsea Raleigh was raised in hiding after the death of her mother, Queen Elyssa, far from the intrigues of the royal Keep and in the care of two devoted servants who pledged their lives to protect her. Growing up in a cottage deep in the woods, Kelsea knows little of her kingdom’s haunted past . . . or that its fate will soon rest in her hands.

The Q&A:

This is a reviewing feature I’ve been eyeballing on one of my favorite book blogs There Were Books Involved for a couple years now because I think it’s an excellent way to talk about an unfinished book fairly. I’m incredibly grateful because Nikki (the brains behind the blog, who has a most excellent name)  kindly allowed me to steal the idea and questions for my own blog. As my list of “amazing books to read” continues to grow, I find I have less and less time and patience to devote to the books I’m just not enjoying. I never would have considered DNFing a book ten years ago, but then I came across a quote, “Read the best books first, for you might not have the chance to read them all,” and have since made it my personal mantra. So let the Q&A begin!

Did you really give Queen of the Tearling a chance?

Yes, but admittedly not nearly as much of a chance as I could have. I made it about 20% before putting it down (which, when you’re not enjoying the book, is actually pretty far in my opinion).

Have you enjoyed other books in the same genre before?

Absolutely! In fact, some of my all-time favorite books come from the Teen Fantasy genre:

Did you have certain expectations before starting it?

Yes – since reading Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (and in the process discovering my new favorite teen book), I’ve been clamoring for anything to come close to being just as good. After reading the overview, I’d hoped Queen of the Tearling would be that book. Sadly, it didn’t even come close.

What ultimately made you stop reading?

It’s a long story that I feel compelled to elaborate, but at the crux of it, the author lost my trust in her ability to compose a solid story very early on. Everything about her storytelling was one big contradiction after another. Here are a few examples:

  • While the young queen is traveling with a group of soldiers, the author has one of them warn her that assassins are on their trail… Then in almost the same breath the author describes the soldiers casually sitting around the fire drinking. All without a hint of irony.
  • The author makes a big deal out of how reluctant the soldiers are to serve this new queen, but half a chapter later has them practically commit suicide on her behalf without any indication of the change of heart.
  • Finally, we get a big old description of how well the main character can ride a horse (and the girl even defends herself on this account profusely), only to have her balk later on and say she has never ridden a galloping horse before (personally, I think the author needed a reason for her main character to get thrown from the horse, but couldn’t come up with anything better).

These are just a few examples, all of which contributed to my growing discontent with the story. My biggest issue was with the soldiers. They were really unbelievable. I’ve read dozens of fantasy novels with soldiers from all walks of life and in all sorts of odd situations (most recently within The Game of Thrones – an excellent example of the variety of militaristic units and soldier behaviors) which is why I did not find these soldiers even remotely realistic. They did some very un-soldier like things that seemed very illogical and counterintuitive – which wouldn’t have been a big deal if the author had acknowledged (and possibly expanded on) it within the text. Unfortunately, I got the impression the author didn’t know what she was talking about and couldn’t bullshit convincingly.

I realize I sound like a fantasy snob with this assessment, but when you read enough of a certain genre, you can’t help but build up certain standards on the elements within it, and with that comes a certain expectation of consistency. These soldiers weren’t abnormal or a creative new take on an old idea, they just weren’t well-developed, lacking common sense, knowledge, and training. It was clear by the way it was written that it was a lack on the author’s part rather than the characters’.

Okay, I think I’ve beaten that topic to death. Moving on…

Was there anything you liked about the book?

I’d like to say I really liked its concepts and characters, but even 100 pages in, I didn’t notice anything unique about the story. I did find the main character kind of interesting before she started contradicting herself.

Would you read anything else by this author?

Sadly, no. The author has fully and truly lost my trust in her ability to take me on an enjoyable journey.

So you DNF’d the book – would you still recommend it?

Normally, if I don’t like a book, it’s based on personal preferences regarding the storyline. In this case, my colossal issue is with poor execution of craft, which I don’t think I could stand behind in recommending it to anyone.

by Niki Hawkes

Apr 19 2016
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Book Review: The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

Title: The Fifth Season

Author: N. K. Jemisin

Series: The Broken Earth #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: This is the way the world ends. Again.

Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze — the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization’s bedrock for a thousand years — collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman’s vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries. Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She’ll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.

The Review:

“The Fifth Season” by N. K. Jemisin first came across my radar when one of the authors I follow casually mentioned that it had a lot of great world-building. In fantasy, I find the more expansive the world-building, the more I tend to become immersed in the story. It has the power to leave me feeling like I’d done more than read a good book, I also had an experience with it. This is probably why I value world-building so highly when evaluating speculative fiction titles. Anyway, when “The Fifth Season” was announced as a nominee for the 2015 Nebula Awards, I knew I had to read it asap.

And it was one of the coolest books I’ve read in ages!

One of my favorite things about the book (and there were many) was the story construction. It was unconventional and totally unlike anything I’ve ever read. Jemisin wove together three POVs (one of which was written in 2nd person) that at first seemed unrelated, but you still got the sense that they’d eventually come together brilliantly (which they did). Jemisin broke rules left and right, deviating from what we are taught makes up solid story construction, and it was fantastic! She clearly knew enough about the rules of writing to break them and still have a solid piece of work to present. If I ever teach a class on writing technique, “The Fifth Season” will be one of my favorite books to have students analyze – it really was that well-done.

Jemisin created a world in which the very earth itself rises up against its inhabitants. The people are at the mercy of the various “seasons” which decimate the population whenever (and wherever) they strike. With such unstable environments, you’d think working together for survival would be everyone’s primary concern. People will be people, however, which means there was no shortage of politicking, power-seeking, and discriminating to be had. It was a fascinating composition of elements that somehow managed to be both foreign in presentation yet completely relatable in concept.

For example, prejudice is very prevailent through the book, but the targets are those gifted with the talent to sense and manipulate movement within the earth. It’s a subtle representation, but definitely makes you aware of the unfairness of each situation based on unjustified things beyond the victim’s control. It’s an aspect I really loved about “The Fifth Season” because it helped make the story thought-provoking and not just downright entertaining. The book also showed diversity in sexual identity and orientation, which you don’t come across too often in fantasy works. I applaud the author for not discriminating in her character construction and reminding us that, at the end of the day, were all just people doing our best to survive and find a measure of happiness.

Overall, I can see why “The Fifth Season” is getting so much attention and think it totally deserves every bit of it. It provided everything I want from a fantasy novel while shattering boundaries and disrupting the status quo at every turn. If I had any complaints, it’s that I’m craving to understand how this world works even more, and the second book (“The Obelisk Gate”) doesn’t come out until next August – woe is me! Fair warning: sexual content and language.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Mar 31 2016
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Book Review: Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

September 22, 2015

Title: Walk on Earth a Stranger

Author: Rae Carson

Series: The Gold Seer Trilogy #1

Genre: Teen Fantasy [ish]

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more. She also has a secret. Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it. When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

The Review:

As Rae Carson is responsible for my favorite Young Adult book of all-time, “The Girl of Fire and Thorns,” I knew I had to read everything she published next. “Walk on Earth a Stranger” had all of the elements I loved from her first series: excellent characters, fantastic settings, and immersive writing that draws you in completely. While “Girl of Fire and Thorns” will always sit on a pedestal for me, this first book in the “Gold Seer” trilogy gave it a good run.

My favorite thing about this writer is how she develops and crafts her main characters. In a market inundated with female leads who start out already good at everything, Carson’s heroines are anything but typical. It’s refreshing because these girls (Elise for “Girl of Fire and Thorns” and Lee for “Walk on Earth a Stranger”) are so much more relatable. They have flaws and insecurities like the rest of us, and experiencing how they cope with different trials celebrates their inner strength and fortitude and inspires me to overcome my own obstacles. Both leading ladies have magic, but it’s always their strength of character that gets them through the day. My favorite things about Lee in this novel are her resourcefulness and ability to make the best of some very tough situations.

Great characterization aside, another thing “Walk on Earth a Stranger” has going for it is the setting. This historical landscape immerses you in early America when the California/Oregon Gold Rush began drawing people west by the thousands. Not only was it interesting to read what came across as a well-researched timepiece, but it also made me incredibly nostalgic about things from my childhood (most notably “Little House on the Prairie” and that old “Oregon Trail” computer game I used to play in grade school… does anybody else remember that?), but represented in an edgier fashion.

I have to admit historical fiction is not my genre of choice, and even though “Walk on Earth a Stranger” had a few fantasy elements, they were nowhere near as integral to the plot as I would have liked. Well, perhaps the elements were indeed integral, they just weren’t always at the forefront. For that reason, I wouldn’t recommend this book with fantasy as a main selling point. Genre aside, at the end of the day it was still an engaging story that will have you clamoring for the next one (coming out September 27, 2016):

like a river glorious by rae carsonTitle: Like a River Glorious (Gold Seer #2) 

The Overview: After a harrowing journey across the country, Leah Westfall and her friends have finally arrived in California and are ready to make their fortunes in the Gold Rush. Lee has a special advantage over the other new arrivals in California—she has the ability to sense gold, a secret known only by her handsome best friend Jefferson and her murdering uncle Hiram. Lee and her friends have the chance to be the most prosperous settlers in California, but Hiram hasn’t given up trying to control Lee and her power. Sabotage and kidnapping are the least of what he’ll do to make sure Lee is his own. His mine is the deepest and darkest in the territory, and there Lee learns the full extent of her magical gift, the worst of her uncle, and the true strength of her friendships. To save everyone, she vows to destroy her uncle and the empire he is building—even at the cost of her own freedom.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Mar 25 2016
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Mini Book Review: In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis

In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis

Title: In a Handful of Dust

Author: Mindy McGinnis

Series: Not a Drop to Drink #2

Genre: Teen Dystopian

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The Overview: Lucy’s life by the pond has always been full. She has water and friends, laughter and the love of her adoptive mother, Lynn, who has made sure that Lucy’s childhood was very different from her own. Yet it seems Lucy’s future is settled already—a house, a man, children, and a water source—and anything beyond their life by the pond is beyond reach. When disease burns through their community, the once life-saving water of the pond might be the source of what’s killing them now. Rumors of desalinization plants in California have lingered in Lynn’s mind, and the prospect of a “normal” life for Lucy sets the two of them on an epic journey west to face new dangers: hunger, mountains, deserts, betrayal, and the perils of a world so vast that Lucy fears she could be lost forever, only to disappear in a handful of dust.

The Mini Review:

Not a Drop to Drink is easily one of my favorite YA novels, so I was understandably nervous In a Handful of Dust wouldn’t live up to my high expectations. But it did! And I’m thrilled. :-)

While Not a Drop to Drink was Lynn’s story, this one was Lucy’s. I think I enjoyed Lynn’s POV a tad more, but Lynn is so involved in this novel it hardly mattered. In contrast to the first book, we got to see more world building and how the lack of water affected more than just Lynn’s neck of the woods(which I liked) and that went a long way towards keeping the story fresh and exciting. There were also a couple of moments so poignant I’ll remember them forever. In a Handful of Dust was gut wrenching, beautifully written, and exciting from start to finish; a more than worthy sequel to one of my favorite books. Mindy McGinnis is a wonderful writer and I look forward to devouring anything she writes next (I’m currently working on A Madness So Discreet and am looking forward to The Female of the Species out September 20, 2016 and Given to the Sea releasing sometime in 2017).

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes