Mar 23 2023

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80% DNF Q&A: The Warrior by Stephen Aryan

Title: The Warrior

Author: Stephen Aryan

Series: Quest for Heroes #2

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 1/5 stars

The Overview: The story of Kell Kressia continues in Book II of the gripping fantasy duology. Kell, two time saviour of the Five Kingdoms, is now the King of Algany. He has fame, power, respect, and has never been more miserable… Bound, by duty and responsibility, Kell is King only in name. Trapped in a loveless marriage, he leaves affairs of state to his wife, Sigrid. When his old friend, Willow, turns up asking him to go on a journey to her homeland he can’t wait to leave. The Malice, a malevolent poison that alters everything it infects, runs rampant across Willow’s homeland. Desperate to find a cure her cousin, Ravvi, is willing to try a dark ritual which could damn her people forever. Journeying to a distant land, Kell and his companions must stop Ravvi before it’s too late. While Kell is away Reverend Mother Britak’s plans come to a head. Queen Sigrid must find a way to protect her family and her nation, but against such a ruthless opponent, something has to give… -Goodreads

The Q&A:

This is a reviewing feature was borrowed with permission from Nikki @ There Were Books Involved. :)

Did you really give The Warrior a chance?

Oh yes. More than I should have, really. I made it 80% of the way through before deciding to throw in the towel.

Have you enjoyed other books in the same genre before?

As Fantasy is my favorite genre, I’d say yes. This wasn’t a case of not liking the type of story, but rather issues with the execution. Here are some great titles I thought comparable to the series:

Did you have certain expectations before starting it?

I enjoyed the first book in the duology (The Coward) enough to buy myself a copy of this book. I was reasonably sure I’d like it and was actually predicting it would be better than the first book. At the very least I expected it to deliver what was promised on the back of the book (we’ll get into that shortly).

What ultimately made you stop reading?

I got fed up. The whole premise of the story was that the fantastically enigmatic non-human main character called Willow needed help with something in her home country. I signed up for the experience of getting to see her culture and all of the cool world-building that entailed.

The trouble is, even as far in as 80%, there were practically NO insights into her people. We reached a town, but there were no descriptors of this town even just as a town, let alone how it differed from anything you’d find in human society. We also didn’t get any additional depth to Willow’s character more than just seeing a little more emotion from her. It was a massive disappointment.

Most of the book was about the two main characters discussing Willow’s problem, reiterating Willow’s problem, then traveling and camping while, you guessed it, talking about Willow’s problem. This would’ve been okay had there been other plot points and world-building nuggets to draw me along, but as it was it felt like a complete waste of pages.

Well, saying there weren’t other plot points is a bit inaccurate, which leads me to my “misleading book summary” gripe: there was a random character included in the story (Odde was his name) who as far as I read had the only compelling conflicts… of the supernatural variety. O_o say what? I tell you, it was so bizarre. There’s this random new character with a problem that didn’t fit into the structure of the world at all and yet he ended up with the most plot-progression and page count. I didn’t want a book about Odde. I wanted a book about Willow.

When it hit the 80% mark and became clear my desires for the story weren’t going to be realized, I set it down in disappointment. Folks, I made it 80 percent into a quick fantasy read and decided it wasn’t worth my time to see where it ended.

Was there anything you liked about The Warrior?

I liked the basic flow of the writing. It’s very accessible and one of the main reasons I enjoyed the first book. While that remained the same, everything else dropped in quality.

Would you read anything else by this author?

Ooooh this is harsh, but I took his other works off my TBR after my experience with this. I may try future books from him, but no longer have any interest in his backlist.

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

Despite how much I really didn’t like The Warrior, I’d still endorse The Coward as a fun, lighthearted fantasy read. I know a few people who liked The Warrior, but I just can’t get past the disappointment enough to feel comfortable endorsing it.

by Niki Hawkes

Mar 22 2023

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Book Review: The Coward by Stephen Aryan

Title: The Coward

Author: Stephen Aryan

Series: Quest for Heroes #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: Kell Kressia is a legend, a celebrity, a hero. Aged just seventeen he set out on an epic quest with a band of grizzled fighters to slay the Ice Lich and save the world, but only he returned victorious. The Lich was dead, the ice receded and the Five Kingdoms were safe. Ten years have passed Kell lives a quiet farmer’s life, while stories about his heroism are told in every tavern across the length and breadth of the land. But now a new terror has arisen in the north. Beyond the frozen circle, north of the Frostrunner clans, something has taken up residence in the Lich’s abandoned castle. And the ice is beginning to creep south once more. For the second time, Kell is called upon to take up his famous sword, Slayer, and battle the forces of darkness. But he has a terrible secret that nobody knows. He’s not a hero – he was just lucky. Everyone puts their faith in Kell the Legend, but he’s a coward who has no intention of risking his life for anyone… -Goodreads

The Review:

This was a massively enjoyable light fantasy read.

I forget that not everything I pick up has to be complex. Sometimes a straightforward companion-gathering adventure fantasy is just what the doctor ordered. I immediately latched on to Aryan’s writing style – there’s some sort of x-factor to it that just oozed “readability” off the pages. It’s rare I can comment on the writing style itself being such a fun element to a book and the accessibility of it would make it much easier to recommend to casual fantasy readers. I also like how he plunked the reader into a timeline AFTER some major things had gone down so we could get right into dealing with the aftermath. It was creative.

My favorite thing about the story was the subtle exploration of what a “coward” is and what truly constitutes as bravery. It gave me something meaningful to latch onto while reading. And while I don’t think the story ultimately landed at a profound finale, I still feel like I got enough out of it to warrant the effort.

The characters were great profiles. I particularly enjoyed Willow – a nonhuman protagonist who remains an enigma. Deciding to read on was based in no small part on my desire to learn more about her and her culture. I liked everyone else as well, but she’s the one I’ll be remembering long after I finish the series.

Recommendations: pick this up for a light and fun fantasy with great pacing and good bits of creativity.

Other books you might like:

Kings I’d the would

by Niki Hawkes

Mar 9 2023

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Book Review: Malice by John Gwynne

Title: Malice

Author: John Gwynne

Series: Faithful and the Fallen #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The Overview: The world is broken…. Corban wants nothing more than to be a warrior under King Brenin’s rule – to protect and serve. But that day will come all too soon. And the price he pays will be in blood. Evnis has sacrificed – too much it seems. But what he wants – the power to rule – will soon be in his grasp. And nothing will stop him once he has started on his path. Veradis is the newest member of the warband for the High Prince, Nathair. He is one of the most skilled swordsman to come out of his homeland, yet he is always under the shadow of his older brother. Nathair has ideas – and a lot of plans. Many of them don’t involve his father, the High King Aquilus. Nor does he agree with his father’s idea to summon his fellow kings to council. The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle, but now giants are seen, the stones weep blood, and giant wyrms are stirring. Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. For if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind’s hopes and dreams will fall to dust…and it can never be made whole again. Malice is a dark epic fantasy tale of blind greed, ambition, and betrayal. -Amazon

The Review:

I loved every single thing about this book.

It strikes me that I need to be careful what I say I don’t like in books. Because before diving in I would’ve told you I don’t have patience for books with a classic fantasy feel. That I’m “so over” familiar tropes like a-boy-with-his-sword and the-chosen-one. But everything about Malice was executed on such a high level that despite the inclusion of all familiar elements it’s still one of my favorite reads in ages. Everything about it was superb.

The writing style is sophisticated, bringing a classic tale into the modern era of storytelling. Gwynne has this masterful way of pacing things within each chapter, where even though the overall plot is ticking by very slowly, characters experience significant change per chapter in a way that makes you feel like the story is flying. It’s totally engaging and never feels like a single page is wasted.

Other than the adept writing style, my favorite thing about the book were the characters. So many great profiles. Usually when an author tackles so many, they run the risk of watering down each persona, but that wasn’t the case here. You’re following more than a dozen POVs (I didn’t actually count, but it feels close to that), all of which are rich characters. And I tell you, there was only one minor one I didn’t enjoy reading about. Those are great stats.

I also loved how high-stakes the story was. Other authors will try to sell you that their worlds are perilous!! But no one actually dies. In Gwynne’s worlds, things are every bit as brutal as promised, and that put me constantly on the edge of my seat, wondering who was going to make it and who wasn’t. Talk about an engaging read! It set a brilliant atmosphere, delivered on all the promises, and had me completely hooked from start to finish.

I will say the book took a lot more concentration than I thought it would. With so many people to follow, and being a perfectionist to boot, I wanted to make sure I knew who he was talking about with every reference. It took me forever to read, but was well worth the effort. I’ve discovered that if I lose track of characters to any degree when reading a book, I become less and less engaged and a snowball effect of dissatisfaction happens. Luckily that didn’t happen here.

Recommendations: Pick up this series for a classic fantasy story written in a modern, sophisticated writing style. There aren’t too many fantasy fans I would hesitate to recommend this to – it’s superb! With all of the characters to keep track of, it might be prudent to skip the audio on this one.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Mar 2 2023

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Book Review: The Wolf by Leo Carew

Title: The Wolf

Author: Leo Carew

Series: Under the Northern Sky #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3/5 stars

The Overview: The Wolf is a thrilling, savagely visceral, politically nuanced, and unexpectedly wry exploration of power – and how far one will go to defend it. Violence and death have come to the land under the Northern Sky. The Anakim dwell in the desolate forests and mountains beyond the black river, the land under the Northern Sky. Their ancient ways are forged in Unthank silver and carved in the grey stone of their heartland, their lives measured out in the turning of centuries, not years. By contrast, the Sutherners live in the moment, their vitality much more immediate and ephemeral than their Anakim neighbors. Fragile is the peace that has existed between these very different races – and that peace is shattered when the Suthern armies flood the lands to the north. These two races revive their age-old hatred and fear of each other. Within the maelstrom of war, two leaders will rise to lead their people to victory. Only one will succeed. -Goodreads

The Review:

I’m not sure how to feel about this book.

On one hand, you have an interesting premise for a story (Neanderthal vs Human), some really poignant scenes, and lots of political intrigue. On the other, you have a loose plot structure that felt a bit under-composed at times, a flat main character who won his victories without struggle, and a few unrealistic details here and there that were enough to pull me out of the story.

It’s a mixed bag.

And to boot it wasn’t anything like I was expecting. I pictured a very Shadow of the Gods (Gwynne) atmosphere and setting where the indigenous aspect was played-up and it felt very cold and miserable. It wasn’t like that in the slightest. Taking up a more classic fantasy “urban” approach with cobbled streets and bustling cities. It was drastically different than I thought it would be, but I’m not holding that against it. It’s what I get for not reading the overviews carefully before starting (they generally contain too many spoilers!).

Overall I’d say I enjoyed the process of reading this tale, and the scenes that were good were really good. There were just too many minor things that added up to keep me from really loving this one. I tell you who the most interesting character was: wifey. She had a shrewd intelligence when dealing with others that was super fun to read. I love savvy characters. There were a few other good ones, but I didn’t feel much of a connection to them because they didn’t face any meaningful inner struggles. The society as a whole kept me plenty interested because it was cool to see the different philosophies of lifestyle and morals between the two factions. So what I lacked in character connection, at least I made up for in good world-building content.

Somewhere along the halfway point, I started to lose the thread of the plot (thanks Sonja, for the wording), and could not longer see what we were working towards. The scenes during these parts were strong, but they lacked a connection to the whole that eventually left me feeling a bit disengaged. I kind of zoned out near the end, only to have to backtrack over an hour to get the setup I missed for a big event. Then the epilogue happened and it was one of the best tension-generating scenes I’ve read in ages.

And now I’m reading the second book.

Recommendations: pick this one up for an interesting politically-driven fantasy. It’s not perfect, but it sure is entertaining.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Feb 23 2023

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Book Review: Blade of Dream by Daniel Abraham

Title: Blade of Dream

Author: Daniel Abraham

Series: Kithamar #2

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4.5/5 stars!

The Overview: Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories endure. This is Garreth’s. Garreth Left is heir to one of Kithamar’s most prominent merchant families. The path of his life was paved long before he was born. Learn the family trade, marry to secure wealthy in-laws, and inherit the business when the time is right. But to Garreth, a life chosen for him is no life at all. In one night, a chance meeting with an enigmatic stranger changes everything. He falls in love with a woman whose name he doesn’t even know, and he will do anything to find her again. His search leads him down corridors and alleys that are best left unexplored, where ancient gods hide in the shadows, and every deal made has a dangerous edge. The path that Garreth chooses will change the course of not only those he loves, but the entire future of Kithamar’s citizens. In Kithamar, every story matters — and the fate of the city is woven from them all. -Goodreads

The Review:

This is shaping into one of my favorite ongoing series…

…and yet I’d have a hard time recommending it to the masses. It’s an incredibly slow-burn story that requires more patience than most fantasy novels. But it’s also one of the most beautifully written, immersive series I’ve ever read. Every single moment grounds you deeper into the culture or Kithamar, and experiencing this city alongside expertly constructed characters makes me feel like it’s a place I’ve actually been. The author doesn’t hit you over the head with lengthy descriptions of this world but instead let’s you discover it organically through the daily actions of his characters. It’s subtlety is profound.

Another thing I love is the unconventional construction of this series. Each book takes place over the same time span but from different perspectives. Normally whenever I know anything about what’s going to happen in a book, I lose investment, but this seems to be the sole exception! Each bit of new information adds depth to the story as you gradually work closer and closer to the most heated action. While the overarching plot is compelling, the selling point of the series is the deep immersion you get with the characters. All of them make mistakes and have flaws and feel like real people. If you don’t like the character profiles or aren’t totally interested in what they’re working towards, you’re not going to be into the book at all. I, for one, have been completely enamored from the very first page, loving every moment and gushing about it as often as I can.

Recommendations: pick up this series for an exhibition on great character work and a slow-burning plot that draws you deeper into Kithamar with each turned page. I loved it so hard. If you’re not into the characters or what they’re doing from the very beginning, as I was, you might find the pacing a struggle.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Feb 16 2023

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Book Review: Jade City by Fonda Lee

Title: Jade City

Author: Fonda Lee

Series: Green Bone Saga #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: The Kaul family is one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon. It’s the only place in the world that produces rare magical jade, which grants those with the right training and heritage superhuman abilities. The Green Bone clans of honorable jade-wearing warriors once protected the island from foreign invasion–but nowadays, in a bustling post-war metropolis full of fast cars and foreign money, Green Bone families like the Kauls are primarily involved in commerce, construction, and the everyday upkeep of the districts under their protection. When the simmering tension between the Kauls and their greatest rivals erupts into open violence in the streets, the outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones and the future of Kekon itself. -Goodreads

The Review:

Jade City was a decent start to a series.

Going into this book after hearing about it all over the Vlogosphere for a couple of years, I gotta say it was different than I expected. Between comparisons to The Godfather and the severely brutal Asian fantasy books I’ve read over the last couple of years, I actually avoided reading Jade City for a while because I wasn’t sure I was in the mood to brace for all of those gut-punches. Color me surprised to find the violence actually kind of mild.

This isn’t a bad thing – it makes the series more accessible and helps explain its wild popularity. It could be my general moods leaning towards grimdark lately that have me thinking I wish it had more grit, but that’s purely a preference thing. In that same vein, I also thought it would be more down-in-the-streets nitty-gritty, but it ended up being more of a white-collared political drama.

And I do love some good politicking in books. My favorite parts of Jade City were those slower moments where the schrewdness of the characters gained them some advantage or another. It was fun to watch them put their skills to the test. I also appreciated Fonda Lee’s professional background as a lawyer and how her knowledge of crime in general enhanced the story.

While I found all of the characters interesting profiles to read about, I can’t say as though I feel any particular connection to them yet. This may be the only reason I’m not singing praises for the series at this juncture. I’m not too bothered by it though. I’m guessing the magic of the series is in the trilogy as a whole rather than based on the merits of this first book. I look forward to seeing what the next two bring to the table.

One last thing – I wish the Jade magic had been explored more.

Recommendations: pick this book up for a highly character-driven political crime novel. It has just enough magic to add some flavor, but I wouldn’t call that aspects one of the selling points yet. I think a lot of people will (and have had) a lot of fun with this first book.

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