Tag Archives: fantasy books

Nov 9 2014
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October 2014 Recap!

Review Recap

 October was a rough month for the obsessive bookseller. Some of you might know that I’ve been dealing with a crippling dual-wrist injury and I had a particularly bad flareup right at the beginning of the month. I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to keep my new job, so the blog kind of got put on the back burner while I focused every energy I had on getting better. I am not totally healed yet, but things are looking better.

In addition to all of that, I lost my Grandmama… Like I said, it has been a really rough month. I might do a small tribute post for her later to celebrate the life she had, but for now I’d like to just talk about the number one thing we had in common: our love of books.

Books Read:

I have a love-hate relationship with the books I read this month. The top row was fantastic – I especially loved The Assassin King – but the bottom row left a little to be desired. I didn’t like The First Confessor or The Magician’s Apprentice at all, and the other two were solid three-star books but left a little to be desired (don’t hurt me! I know many, many people who loved both). I am actually a little proud of myself because all of these books at one point or another were on my “books I REALLY want to read” list, so at least I’m consistently picking up high-priority titles… Life’s too short to do anything else.

Books Reviewed:

Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs – 5/5 stars!

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer – 4/5 stars

Well, if I was going to review only two books I guess these are as good as any. I think the covers of both are gorgeous and they are both paranormal werewolf books that I’d highly recommend, so there you have it.

Top Ten Tuesday Features:

Top Ten Series I Want to Start!

 I think I am finally at that point where most of the TTT topics are starting to repeat themselves. I’ve been participating in the feature for well over a year now and, although the topics are worded differently, the books I would choose are nearly identical to the lists I did ages ago. Because of this, I probably should consider dropping the feature unless it’s a topic I’m really inspired by. It’s actually my most popular feature, but I can’t help but think a lot of those are just “hey, I’m commenting on this post so hopefully you will come comment on mine” type of visits that really aren’t helping anybody out. Although, I have met some amazing bloggers through the feature… Hell, I don’t know. I guess a lot will depend on how fresh the topics are going forward. I think I’m making this a lot more complicated than it has to be.

Waiting on Wednesday Features:

Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins
The Heir by Kiera Cass

 Okay, so I admit my lack of activity with this feature has less to do with what I’ve been going through and more to do with the lack of upcoming titles on my book horizon Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of books coming out that I want to read between now and next May, but I’ve kind of sort of already featured them all. For the record, The Heir is very near the top of that priority list.

That’s my month in reading… How was yours?

by Niki Hawkes

Oct 20 2014
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Top Ten Series I Want to Start!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 Hey, everyone! The Obsessive Bookseller has rejoined the world… Have you missed me? And it looks like I chose the right moment to make comeback because I love talking about the books I am most looking forward to reading.

Top Ten Series I Want to Start!

You may recognize couple of these titles from this month’s Escape Reality Book Club Nominations, and that’s no coincidence –  I nominated them because I am dying to read them! Especially The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong because I’ve since discovered it ties into her urban fantasy “Women of the Otherworld” series (which I am loving). I am also excited to start shifting my reading attentions away from YA and more towards fantasy and science fiction. I’ve found I’ve lost a little patience with angsty teen love stories (as much as I love them) and am craving slightly more robust epic adventures. Not to mention I’ve now read most of the teen books I was excited to get my hands on, with the exception of the five series listed above. Of all the books on the list, I am probably most excited to read Shaman’s Crossing by Robin Hobb. It’s the only series of hers I’ve yet to explore, and with the second Fool’s Assassin more than year away, I’m going to need something to keep me occupied! 

So, those are my top picks… What new series are you eager to discover? 

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 28 2014
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September 2014: Review Recap!

Review Recap

 As usual, I read a lot more books this month than I actually posted about… This made me think that maybe I should include a separate category for “read” books to go alongside my “reviewed” books. I’ve seen a lot of other bloggers do this, and I actually kind of like it, but have been hesitating to do it myself because of an irrational fear that no one will want to read the reviews if they already know what’s coming. The key word is “irrational” because I’m so far behind in reviewing the books that it really doesn’t matter. Although, there are a few books that I reviewed immediately, so then there’s the problem of “double dipping.”

 I think I’m putting far too much thought into this.

 Anyway, here’s a look at this fantastic month of reading and reviewing:

 Books Read:

 While I didn’t get a lot of reviewing done, I certainly got a lot of reading done. The two week vacation certainly didn’t hurt me on that front. I LOVED all of these books, so it’s really difficult to pick a favorite, but I think I’d have to go with Silver Shadows. Interestingly enough, my least favorite read this month was Heir of Fire (Gasp! Blasphemy!). It just goes to show the caliber of books I’ve been picking up lately.

 Books Reviewed:

Dualed by Elsie Chapman – 2.5/5 stars

Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine – 4/5 stars

Defy by Sara B. Larson – 4/5 stars

Spirit’s End by Rachel Aaron – 4/5 stars

Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey – 4.5/5 stars

Sadly, I didn’t review nearly as many books as I plan to, but with the release of the first issue of our magazine (The Creative), the amazing cruise to Alaska, and my commitment to my new office job, I’m cutting myself a little slack. As much as I love Rachel Aaron, my favorite book reviewed this month was Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey.

 Waiting on Wednesday Features:

October 21, 2014
The Dagger’s Path by Glenda Larke
The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

 This is a no-brainer – I’m most excited for the conclusion to the Bloodline series! Although, Glenda Larke is easily a close second!

 Top Ten Tuesday Features:

Top Ten Underrated Fantasy Authors!

Top Ten Books I’m Taking on My Cruise!

Top Ten Fantastic Authors I Need to Read More From!

Top Ten Books on My Fall 2014 TBR!

Escape Reality Book Club:

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

 My Review

 Adventures Beyond the Book Blog:

 I went to Alaska, and it was amazing! I’m going to do a full post for this as soon as I can get through my 4000+ pictures, but here are a few teasers:

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Looks amazing, eh?

 Did you have a good month in reading? Did you like seeing the books I’ve read alongside with the ones I reviewed?

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 27 2014
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Stacking the Shelves – September 2014 Edition!

Stacking the shelves

Hosted by Tinga’s Reviews

I have to admit, of all of the memes my fellow bloggers participate in, Stacking the Shelves is my favorite. I love seeing the books other readers are bringing home and especially love getting peeks at all of the ARCs floating around out there (I don’t get physical copies often, so it’s nice to live vicariously through those that do). Because I’m doing a self-imposed Read 4, Buy 1 challenge, I only participate in STS once a month – let’s face it, no one needs a play-by-play of the single titles I’m getting every couple of weeks. This month, however, could of been a different story because I broke my rule (*sort of) and I broke it in style!

New Hardcopies:

 Considering I only purchased a couple “new” books this month, I can think of many other authors I’d be THIS excited to add to my collection! And two of them are SIGNED!!!! The Kim Harrison one will have to wait until I’m caught up in the series (I’ve been savoring them), but I am ready and eager to devour this short story collection by Patricia Briggs! And, of course, I’ve already read and loved the Rothfuss. :)

“Used” Hardcopies:

haul3

 *You see, there is an addendum in my R4B1 challenge (which I added, of course) which states that I may break the rules and buy books if 1) I find them at a screaming deal or 2) they are among the half-dozen titles I’ve been searching for to complete certain series within my hardcover collection. Thank goodness for this amazing bookstore in Seattle, because I found almost ALL THE THINGS I have been looking for, and at a bargain to boot!! So, technically I cheated (from a financial standpoint), but technically all of these titles fall into that “addendum” category so I’m letting it slide…

It amazes me how us book-lovers can rationalize away potentially destructive behaviors… Books are definitely my drug of choice.

The Used Bookstore of All Things AWESOME:

And this is where I sold my soul. Seriously, this bookstore went on for miles! The photo on the right is ALL Science Fiction/ Fantasy, and there was even more behind me! I was in heaven. :-)

Library Books:

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Four books really isn’t that many to have checked out at a time, so why have I been so stressed? Oh, yeah! It’s because I went to request-crazy and put another 10+ books on hold (which will be trickling in within the next month). Reading new books before I buy them is a part of my strategy to cut back on book buying (and it’s working), but I still occasionally feel like library books fall into that deadly “obligation” category, regardless of how awesome they are. In any case, I’m stoked to read anything by Ann Aguirre, and Shaheen over at Speculating on SpecFic has me all pumped about The Falcon Throne (read her review and you’ll see why), so I’m still excited about this month’s haul.

ARCs:

 Seriously, what would I do without Netgalley and Edelweiss? While these books may not be at the top of my priority list, I’m definitely excited that I have the opportunity to read them!

 Well, that just about does it for my adventures in book buying this month – I hope you enjoyed going on that mini journey with me. I just have one more question: what books stacked YOUR shelves this month? :-)

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 22 2014
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Top Ten Books on My Fall 2014 TBR!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

These TBR posts are my favorites to compose because I get to go sit in front of my collection of books and decide which ones I’m looking forward to reading the most. Any time I have an excuse to go stare at my shelves is a good time. Since I got so much good reading done on my Alaskan cruise, I decided to designate a few spots to releases that haven’t quite hit the shelves yet (but ones I plan to pick up immediately). Here’s a look at my:

Top Ten Books on My Fall 2014 TBR!


 The one I’m probably most excited to read at the moment is Fortune’s Pawn, as it’s written by the same author who created the awesome Eli Monpress series (Rachel Aaron writing as Rachel Bach).

What books make the top of your TBR?

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 21 2014
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Book Review: Spirit’s End by Rachel Aaron

Spirit's endTitle: Spirit’s End

Author: Rachel Aaron

Series: The Legend of Eli Monpress #5

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Eli Monpress is clever, he’s determined, and he’s in way over his head. First rule of thievery: don’t be a hero. When Eli broke the rules and saved the Council Kingdoms, he thought he knew the price, but resuming his place as the Shepherdess’s favorite isn’t as simple as bowing his head. Now that she has her darling back, Benehime is setting in motion a plan that could destroy everything she was created to protect, and even Eli’s charm might not be enough to stop her. But Eli Monpress always has a plan, and with disaster rapidly approaching, he’s pulling in every favor he can think of to make it work, including the grudging help of the Spirit Court’s new Rector, Miranda Lyonette. But with the world in panic, the demon stirring, and the Lord of Storms back on the hunt, it’s going to take more than luck and charm to pull Eli through this time. He’s going to have to break a few more rules and work with some old enemies if he’s going to survive.

Spirit's end 2

The Review:

If you are a fantasy-lover and have not yet had the pleasure to read The Legend of Eli Monpress, you are missing out. This series has some of the best world-building of any series I’ve ever read. Combine that with great characters, a cool magic system, originality, an engaging plot, and a fantastic writing style, and you can begin to see why I hold this author and series in such high regard. Aaron is such a great writer that, in my opinion, there’s not a single element storytelling from a craft standpoint that she doesn’t do brilliantly.

With that said, you would think composing this review would be a walk in the park, however, I’ve stalled on writing it longer than any other book this year. I loved how it wrapped up all of the conflicts of the series. It was a beautifully epic series that deserved an epic ending, and that’s exactly what it got. I feel really guilty for saying this, but I think the ending may have been just a tad bit too drawn out. It essentially took up a full third of the book, making me hold my breath uncomfortably for a really long time. There was so much momentum going into this last book that I don’t know how Aaron could have done it any other way. I wanted to know what happened badly enough to devour it in one sitting, but definitely had one of those Lord of the Rings (film) moments where I wasn’t sure if it was actually ever going to end. As with the LOTR, although it felt drawn out, I couldn’t tell you which part I felt she should cut… it was all essential to completing the plot and everything needed time to fully flesh out (not to mention the dozen or so amazing characters that needed proper resolution). Anyway, I think you can see why I’ve had such conflict over this one. Let’s suffice to say, now that I’m finished with the series, I eventually loved where it ended. We ‘ll leave it at that.

I’m actually kind of sad it’s over – I thoroughly enjoyed these characters, some of which are now among my all-time favorites (Nico, I’m talking to you). This is one of those books I will definitely go back and reread, if for nothing else than to study the craft because, seriously, Aaron is brilliant. The good news is, I just found out she published a space opera trilogy under the name Rachel Bach, so you’d better believe I will be devouring those as soon as I can get my hands on them!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes