Jan 4 2018
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Tackling the TBR [30]: January 2018

tackling the TBR

It’s once again time for my favorite feature: Tackling the TBR! There’s nothing I love more than picking out which books to read next, and this slightly organized method of reading has really amped my enjoyment to the next level. Bring on the mantras!

Read the best books first.
&
Life is too short to read books you’re not enjoying.

However you put together your TBR for the next month, the goal is to reduce the amount of obligation in reading and increase the fun.

Here’s a look at how the system works:

1. Identify the titles that take top priority in your TBR.
2. Combine them all in your own Tackling the TBR post.
3. Throughout the month pick from that pile as the mood strikes you. <-November 2017 I’m trying something new and reading them in a specific, carefully pre-determined order.

Here’s what mine looks like:

January 2018 TBR Tackler Shelf:

I didn’t get through a handful of last month’s books, mostly because I decided on a whim to join the Buddy Read for When the Heavens Fall by Marc Turner. Dang book took me a full two weeks to get through (3 stars). In any case, my first TBR Tackler Shelf in 2018 contains series I’m trying to complete along with a bunch of books I’m reading with my FBR Goodreads group. We’re embarking on the Malazan Ultimate Reading Order adventure, which I’m super excited for, and continuing on a few series started in December (I’m most excited to continue with Staveley’s Unhewn Throne Trilogy). Overall, I have so many good reads planned this month, I doubt I’ll get through them all, but it sure will be fun to try! 

Niki’s Incomplete Series Challenge [Via Fantasy Buddy Reads]

Year-End Update:

Series Finished: 25
 Series Brought UTD: 21
Series Progressed: 56
New Series Started: 22
DNFed: 5
Abandoned: SOOO Many.

I’m thrilled with my progress in 2017 to reduce the number of open series I had going. I started my challenge with 129 incomplete series (O_o) and ended the year with only 45 open (24 of which are UTD). Of the new series I started in 2017, I’m only carrying 6 into the new year. My goal is to be under 10 series within the next few months and I hope to maintain that going forward. Here’s to a good year in reading!

 

 

What books are you Tackling this month? Even if you don’t specifically use my system, feel free to share your versions of how you manage your TBR pile (and the links to your posts if applicable) in the comments. :)

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 3 2018
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Book Review: Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Title: Fragile Eternity

Author: Melissa Marr

Series: Wicked Lovely #3

Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

The Overview: Seth never expected he would want to settle down with anyone – but that was before Aislinn. She is everything he’d ever dreamed of, and he wants to be with her forever. Forever takes on new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen. Aislinn never expected to rule the very creatures who’d always terrified her – but that was before Keenan. He stole her mortality to make her a monarch, and now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she’d ever imagined. In Melissa Marr’s third mesmerizing tale of Faerie, Seth and Aislinn struggle to stay true to themselves and each other in a milieu of shadowy rules and shifting allegiances, where old friends become new enemies and one wrong move could plunge the Earth into chaos. -Goodreads

The Review:

Okay, let’s keep it real. We all know I’ve had trouble getting into YA lately, but I needed something light to listen to while doing yoga. It turned out to be a rather insightful experience, however, because reading Fragile Eternity help me pinpoint a little better why YA just hasn’t been hitting the spot lately (and I don’t think it’s because I’m getting too old for it, thank the stars).

You see, I’m in a reading point in my life where I’m looking for more world building and event-driven novels. Good character development is important, but I need more than a strictly character-driven “are they going to end up/stay together” story to grab and keep my attention. As many YA plot structures are romance-centric, this would explain why I’m not loving them like I used to. Something keeps me reaching for them, and I genuinely like what I read, they’ve just been getting lower ratings because I’m in the mood for something more robust. Fragile Eternity was solely a romance/character-driven plot with a ton of introspection, communication, and zero world building and action. Nuff said.

Don’t get me wrong, the story was on par with Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange (which were also character driven), and I absolutely loved both of those (they’re among the strongest teen paranormal works, in my opinion). So if you love those, you’ll love this… unless you’re having a reading crisis like me. Although it would seem all of the interesting things about this world have been revealed by this point, so maybe Fragile Eternity was slightly weaker because it just maintained the status quo. Overall, it was a light read filled with plenty of teenaged angst, and I’m looking forward to half paying attention to the final two as I do yoga, lol.

Recommendations: This highly character-driven YA Paranormal Romance is something I wish I’d continued shortly after reading (and loving) the first two books. Wicked Lovely is one of the strongest in the genre and I still recommend it with gusto to older teens (and up). If you’re in the mood for a story as lovely as it its unique, this is the series for you.

Other books you might like:

 by Niki Hawkes

Dec 22 2017
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Book Review: Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Oathbringer

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Series: The Stormlight Archive #3

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars

The Overview: Dalinar Kholin’s Alethi armies won a fleeting victory at a terrible cost: The enemy Parshendi summoned the violent Everstorm, which now sweeps the world with destruction, and in its passing awakens the once peaceful and subservient parshmen to the horror of their millennia-long enslavement by humans. While on a desperate flight to warn his family of the threat, Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with the fact that the newly kindled anger of the parshmen may be wholly justified. Nestled in the mountains high above the storms, in the tower city of Urithiru, Shallan Davar investigates the wonders of the ancient stronghold of the Knights Radiant and unearths dark secrets lurking in its depths. And Dalinar realizes that his holy mission to unite his homeland of Alethkar was too narrow in scope. Unless all the nations of Roshar can put aside Dalinar’s blood-soaked past and stand together–and unless Dalinar himself can confront that past–even the restoration of the Knights Radiant will not prevent the end of civilization. -Goodreads

The Review:

While trying to compose a review that will do this series justice, the question becomes not whether Oathbringer was an amazing installment in the Stormlight Archive series, but how do I explain how fiercely I loved it without gushing like a fangirl? Suffice to say it’s on a pedestal. I can see so many of the brilliant ideas within it shaping fantasy works for decades to come. It truly is the next evolution in the genre similar to that brought on by the likes of Jordan and Tolkien. At least, that’s how I feel about it.

Expansive world building always wins me over, and I can think of very few worlds as impressive as Sanderson’s Roshar. Stormlight Archive is a series that encompasses many different cultures across this island continent. Sanderson provides a constant infusion of these races by highlighting their differences (and celebrating their similarities). This variety of humanity is easily my favorite element. I’ve experienced so many exotic places in this series alone – it truly is a wonder. It is world building like this that makes me ecstatic to be a reader.

I especially loved learning more about each culture through the diverse cast of characters within Bridge Four (even if I am just an “airsick lowlander”). I’ve always loved the characters in this series, but I think Oathbringer is the first book I’ve also appreciated their complexity/duality. They’re definitely not cookie-cutter profiles with mildly interesting back-stories, but deeply flawed individuals with more than just the external conflicts to overcome. If the first two books delved into Kaladin and Shallan’s past, respectively, then book three was an exploration of the events that shaped Dalinar. Even minor characters in this series are rich and interesting, and I eat up  all new information revealed about every single one of them. There were a few new characters that got to share the limelight in Oathbringer (brought in from the interludes in previous books) and I delighted in how they changed the dynamics of the story.

If I’m honest, I’ll admit that there were a few moments throughout Oathbringer where I wondered if the pacing was a little too slow (keeping in mind that I didn’t have a single issue with pacing for the first two 1000+ page novels). It had me considering if it was enough of an issue to take away from my enjoyment of all the other amazing elements. Ultimately, it wasn’t because every time I thought it, something profound would happen to reel me back in. Then the snowball climax of the story hit and all of my hesitations were swept away. The book felt different than the first two, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was weaker. My friend Liam, over at Thoughts of a Thousand Lives, summed up my internal debate perfectly: “…each of these books is different enough that it’s extremely hard to compare them. All three of them sit pretty equally with me because of that, and the quality of the writing, worldbuilding, and character development never varies at all.”

And that’s the crux of it – all of the things I’ve come to expect from a Sanderson novel were there in abundance. Overall, Oathbringer contained all of the plot advancement and amazing moments I’d hoped to get out of it. Multiply that with the fact that the tome itself is a gorgeous piece of art filled with sketches and diagrams that enhance the story, and you have a reading experience unlike no other. I applaud Sanderson’s ambition and commitment to this project, as I could see how he could have easily wrapped it up in this third book and left a few things unresolved (as many authors have done). What a delight that one of my favorite series on the market continues strong with many more novels to come. If you haven’t ventured into this series yet, you are sorely missing out!

I want to say a HUGE thank you to the publicists at TOR/Forge and Brandon Sanderson for sending me an early copy of Oathbringer for review. You made my year! :D

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Dec 20 2017
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Coming Soon: Child of a Mad God by R.A. Salvatore

Title: Child of a Mad God

Author: R.A. Salvatore

Series: Coven #1

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: February 6, 2018

The Overview: As the Blood Moon rises high upon the mountain of the Usgar a demon hunts. But this is not the demon’s story. This is the story of a young woman, the daughter of a witch, born under the Blood Moon, how she finds herself alone in a tribe of vicious barbarians, and how she came to know the world.

From the bestselling author who created Drizzt Do’Urden comes a brand new series that is sure to capture the hearts of lifetime fans, and ignite the passions of a whole new generation of fantasy readers. -Goodreads

Nik’s Notes:

R. A. Salvatore has been entertaining me with his Drizzt books since I was a teenager and I have nothing but overall positive things to say about his works. That said, I do think many of his female characters are either weaklings that need protection or so masculine they come across as men… but with boobs. That hasn’t really affected my overall experience, but with this newest series on the way with a female protagonist, I have high hopes that it will provide for me the only thing missing from this author’s repertoire – a relatable female character who is strong because of her femininity rather than despite it. I’m excited for this book, but I vow to make myself finish his Demonwar Saga before diving in (a series I’ve been “working” on for over a year… the first one was good, I just haven’t made time for the second). Here’s hoping I’ll like Child of a Mad God as much as his other books. :)

by Niki Hawkes

Dec 1 2017
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Tackling the TBR [29]: December 2017

tackling the TBR

It’s once again time for my favorite feature: Tackling the TBR! There’s nothing I love more than picking out which books to read next, and this slightly organized method of reading has really amped my enjoyment to the next level. Bring on the mantras!

Read the best books first.
&
Life is too short to read books you’re not enjoying.

However you put together your TBR for the next month, the goal is to reduce the amount of obligation in reading and increase the fun.

Here’s a look at how the system works:

1. Identify the titles that take top priority in your TBR.
2. Combine them all in your own Tackling the TBR post.
3. Throughout the month pick from that pile as the mood strikes you. <-November 2017 I’m trying something new and reading them in a specific, carefully pre-determined order.

Here’s what mine looks like:

December 2017 TBR Tackler Shelf:

I, amazingly, read almost 75% of last month’s TBR Tackler Shelf. It might be too early to confirm whether I like having a semi-set reading schedule or not, but November’s stats showed a remarkable increase in completion rate. Considering those stats also included a Stormlight Archive reread and 80% of Oathbringer, I’m stoked to see what December can bring. Per my Incomplete Series Schedule shelf on Goodreads, these titles are next in the docket and I’m stoked! I’ll be finishing off several series and starting a few that I’ve been eager to read for months now. Oathbringer and Murder of Crows should be checked off by the end of the weekend. I’m most excited for the 9th Kate Daniels book. ^_^

Niki’s Incomplete Series Challenge [Via Fantasy Buddy Reads]

November 2017 Titles Tackled:

Series Finished: 2
 Dragondrums – Anne McCaffrey
The Infinity Gate – Sara Douglass

 Series Brought UTD: 0

Series Progressed: 6
 Working for Bigfoot – Jim Butcher
Magic Stars – Ilona Andrews
The Dragon Reborn – Robert Jordan
Magic Shifts – Ilona Andrews
Bride of Death – T.A. Pratt
The Human Division – John Scalzi

New Series Started: 0

Abandoned: 1
Bard’s Oath – Joanne Bertin [DNF]

Rereads: 2
The Way of Kings – Brandon Sanderson
Words of Radiance – Brandon Sanderson

YTD Totals:
Finished Series: 15
Up To Date Series: 21
Series Progressed: 50
New Series Started: 18
Abandoned: 9

What books are you Tackling this month? Even if you don’t specifically use my system, feel free to share your versions of how you manage your TBR pile (and the links to your posts if applicable) in the comments. :)

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 17 2017
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Series Review [So Far]: The Licanius Trilogy by James Islington

 

The Shadow of What was Lost by James Islington
An Echo of Things to Come by James Islington
The Light of All That Falls by James Islington

The Licanus Trilogy [So Far]
by James Islington
 4.5/5 stars [for both]

What started out as a seemingly straight-forward classic adventure fantasy quickly evolved into a complex story with countless dynamics and twists & turns. I ended up liking it ten times more than I thought I would – it’s easily one of the best I’ve read this year.

I wouldn’t call this series an “easy” read, as it required more concentration than average, but it’s certainly worth the effort. I don’t pretend I always knew for certain what was going on when some of the time travel elements were introduced, but Islington quickly earned my trust in his ability to tell a good story and reveal things on a need-to-know basis. Instead of stressing about figuring things out, I finally just sat back and enjoyed the thought-provoking and entertaining ride.

The setting shared similar elements with series such as Sword of Truth and the Stormlight Archives, but they were integrated in a way that felt fresh and original. What’s more, I feel as though the author has barely scratched the surface of what this world has to offer in these first two books. I’m always a sucker for such in-depth world building, so I’m cautiously optimistic the third will blow my mind. It’s not just the world building that makes it unique, but also the overall atmosphere. The power plays and dynamics between the heavy-hitters in this series set an almost tangible ominous overtone. It was fantastic.

My only criticisms (which kept the overall rating from a solid five stars) are pretty nitpicky. The end of the first book had a lot of repetitive word choice that was noticeable enough to become distracting, and I think the pacing could have been a tad tighter. The second book had a bunch of flashback scenes which killed the momentum a bit. Even though the flashbacks usually advanced plot and built character, they made the book feel longer. However, what book two lacked in pacing it more than made up for with an absolutely killer ending. At this point I don’t think it’s fair we have to wait a year before the final book. ;P

Recommendations: As the Licanius Trilogy is responsible for some of my favorite reading experiences of the year so far, I’d recommend it to any fantasy reader who isn’t afraid of a slow-burn plot with lots of dynamics. My recommendation is especially strong to those who love the feel of classic fantasy but want something a little more complex.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes