Tag Archives: fantasy books

Apr 22 2014
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Top Ten Female Characters That Inspire Me!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 I have been so eager for this post that I started putting it together weeks ago. I just couldn’t wait to pay homage to my all-time favorite female characters, and thought it would be fun to figure out what I admired most about each of them. I’ve summed it up into a single attribute that represents what each of these characters inspired in me. Enjoy! :-)

Top Ten Female Characters That Inspire Me!

While I picked the attribute that most represented these amazing literary ladies to me, by no means are any of them limited to just one. :-) If you’d like explanation as to why I chose an attributes, or want to know which books they are from, let me know in the comments section and I’ll be sure to respond.

Which female characters inspire you?

by Niki Hawkes

Apr 18 2014
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Book Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

girl of fire and thornsTitle: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Author: Rae Carson

Series: Fire and Thorns #1

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. Elisa is the chosen one.  But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.  Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess. And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake. Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young. Most of the chosen do.

The Review:

For one reason or another, this book didn’t have much initial cover appeal to me, so I passed it over early on without taking the time to find out what it was about. Foolish I tell you – FOOLISH! It wasn’t until I jumped aboard the Throne of Glass bandwagon that I started noticing the many cross-references between the two series. Then I randomly found and purchased a signed copy of the third book and decided I should probably borrow the first one from the library to see if I even liked it (yes, I’m utilizing the library now for the first time in my entire life… unemployment will do that to you). Anyway, after a massive reading binge, I’ve decided Girl of Fire and Thorns just might be among my all-time favorites – I loved it!!! Books two and three will be telling, but for now, lets suffice to say I’m completely thrilled about how much I enjoyed book one.

It had everything I expect from a great YA novel. Heck, it had just about everything I expect from a robust high fantasy novel, too. Great, relatable characters, a unique world filled with interesting cultures, magic, an epic adventure, and fantastic pacing! I laughed, I cried, I yelled, and I seethed – basically, I was completely invested from page one and felt every victory and loss as if they were my own. It’s always nice when a book is written so well that it can draw you out of reality, and this one did so in a way that will stick with me for years.

Elisa, the protagonist, is definitely what I would call an atypical heroine. Often, champions I’ve read about in other books start out with a solid set of skills, sporting flaws that are superficial or easy to overcome (such as not knowing how beautiful they are, or being too impulsive… you get the idea). I actually can’t immediately think of a female lead with so many things to overcome as Elisa at the beginning of the book. As a heavily protected Princess, Elisa had very few skills that would allow her to be self-sufficient. What’s more, she was also dealing with the emotional damage of feeling unloved, unwanted, and worthless. These feelings caused her to seek comfort from wherever she could find it… primarily in food. Overcoming these things took no small amount of effort, and because of that, Elisa is my favorite component of this book. She was compassionate, smart, courageous, and adaptable and, although she had magic, it was those endearingly human traits that let her do extraordinary things, touching my heart in the process. I truly loved going on this journey with her, and look forward to seeing where it takes her next!

The world building was probably my second favorite element of the story. I love it when authors imagine up multiple cultures, give them some swords and religious convictions, and throw them together and to see what happens. I find it fascinating to see how they develop and react around one another, and I have the feeling I’ve only just scratched the surface of the cultural convictions this series has to offer. And, oh my gosh, the setting! With everything from tropical forests to desert wastelands, the settings were vivid and exciting. I don’t know if this is what the author was going for, but I felt like I was experiencing landscape similar to Central and South America, and it was wicked cool.

Overall, this is one of those books I want all of my friends to read because I’m just bursting to talk about it. I liked Girl of Fire and Thorns so much, I immediately ordered it and the sequel in hardcover for my collection. It has similarities to things I’ve read before, but there were enough unique elements to make me feel like I read something fresh and original. If you need me, I will be devouring the second and third books in the series…

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Apr 8 2014
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Top Ten Most Unique Books I’ve Ever Read!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

  I’ll admit I had a little more trouble than normal compiling this particular top ten. In my opinion, the uniqueness of a book strongly depends on how many other books you’ve read within that genre. So one book that I found unique may be just like another one that you’ve read and vice versa. Although, I guess all of these posts are subjective, so I don’t know why I am taking exception to this week, haha. Anyway, here are the ten awesome books I landed on:

 Top Ten Most Unique Books I’ve Ever Read

All of these I found unique one way or another, whether they had a different writing style, point of view, setting, or plot, each one stood out to me as fantastically atypical. If I’m not mistaken, I rated all of them at least four stars or higher, and some of them are among my all-time favorites… Quite possibly because of the uniqueness.

 What’s the most unique book you’ve read and loved?

by nikihawkes

Apr 6 2014
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Book Review: Kushiel’s Scion by Jacqueline Carey

kushiel's scionTitle: Kushiel’s Scion

Author: Jacqueline Carey

Series: Imriel’s Trilogy #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Imriel de la Courcel’s blood parents are history’s most reviled traitors, but his adoptive parents, the Comtesse Phèdre and the warrior-priest Joscelin, are Terre d’Ange’s greatest champions. Stolen, tortured, and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood, third in line for the throne in a land that revels in art, beauty, and desire. It is a court steeped in deeply laid conspiracies … and there are many who would see the young prince dead. Some despise him out of hatred for his birth mother Melisande, who nearly destroyed the realm in her quest for power. Others because they fear he has inherited his mother’s irresistible allure – and her dangerous gifts. And as he comes of age, plagued by dark yearnings, Imriel shares their fears.

kushiel's scion 2

The Review:

I want to start off by saying that Carey’s Kushiel’s trilogy (the first set of novels that comes before this trilogy) is easily one of my all-time favorite fantasies. Those books affected me so profoundly that I was incredibly sad to see them come to an end… Until I realized that Imriel’s trilogy picks up right where Kushiel’s left off. It’s always wonderful to find out that a journey you thought was over is, in fact, just beginning! Only now, we are reading from Imriel’s perspective rather than Phedre’s, which is a change that only furthered my excitement for this new adventure. I fell in love with Imriel in the last book and was incredibly curious to see the world and the other beloved characters through his eyes. So, as you can see, I went into this novel with high expectations (risky, I know) and was not disappointed in the least!

While I loved the Kushiel’s trilogy for its epic love story and adventure, I love this one mostly for the inner conflicts and strong character development (although by no means did it lack love or adventure). The story follows the journey of Imriel as he learns about himself, his allies and enemies, and the world. His growth throughout the novel pulled at my heartstrings. Watching him try to overcome the horrors of his past while simultaneously trying to find his place in a world of intrigue (one he would not have chosen for himself) was profound. While it’s a little early in his journey for a true love story to develop, there is still plenty of adventure and excitement to be had within these pages. It’s one of those novels that had me up until the wee hours of the night just to see how everything played out.

This novel, much like its predecessors, was incredibly sexual, but not once did it ever feel dirty. The sex is more like an integral part of the plot and character development rather than a ploy to make the novel more risqué. Because of this, the love/sex/relationships remained secondary to the overall arc of the story. This is why, even though it has elements you’d find in a romance novel, it’s still read more like an epic fantasy than anything else. Although I don’t mind an occasional romance, reading about characters and relationships within a complex plot structure and robust world always seems more gratifying. I’ve come across very few who achieved that beautiful balance as well as Jacqueline Carey.

These novels are also very political. You should know that I find politics in general incredibly boring. What’s amazing is that Carey incorporated them into the story with abundance but managed to make it interesting and often… dare I say it… downright entertaining. As profoundly not boring as the politics are, it requires a bit more focus from the reader than your average fantasy novel. Because the payoff was so high, the extra effort to remember all the foreign names and political agendas tied to them didn’t bother me in the least (the trick is to relax a little bit – Carey usually reminds you what each person was involved with in the past when she brings them up again).

Overall, there’s not a single bit of this novel I didn’t like. I will say it is difficult to recommend because of the risqué subject matter, generous politics, and incredibly slow-developing plot line. If you think you can handle all that, I suggest starting with Kushiel’s Dart… :)

Other books you might like:

by nikihawkes

Apr 3 2014
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Book Review: The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

assassin's bladeTitle: The Assassin’s Blade

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass Novellas

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan’s most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin’s Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas – together in one edition for the first time – Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn’s orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.

Assassins Blade

The Review:

Wow. I really loved this book…

If you read my review of Throne of Glass, you might remember that I had a few… well, not issues exactly, but there were a few things that kept me from really feeling connected to Celaena, the heroine. After reading this compilation of prequel novels, I am happy to say that ALL of the concerns I had have been completely laid to rest!

For example, I could not figure out why Celaena didn’t seem to have any major emotional damage from having endured a salt mine prison camp for a full year. In Assassin’s Blade, it became clear that she had been through so much worse, so the mine kind of paled in comparison. Also, while growing up she had extensive training on enduring hardships, which would explain how well she managed to cope. It all makes so much sense now…

The most important element I was missing was Celaena’s connection to the other characters (specifically the male leads). She always seemed guarded, never following through on the feelings she obviously had for the two, and I could never see a compelling motive as to why that might be. Suffice to say, if I had gone through the things I read about in Assassin’s Blade, I would be pretty guarded too.

Anyway, you can see how much of a difference this book made with my enjoyment of the author. While each story was beautifully written  (and stood solidly on their own), it was really cool how well they built off of one another. It made me feel like I was reading a robust novel rather than a compilation of short stories. It was superb, and I almost wish I had read it first because now I want nothing more than to go back and reread Throne of Glass with my newfound perspective on this character and her world. Seriously, if you only mildly enjoyed the first novel, give these prequels a try – it will make all the difference!

So what now? I am eagerly trying to get my hands on a copy of Crown of Midnight so I can see what happens next! Assassin’s Blade has made me an UBER fan of this series, and I don’t think I’ve been this fan-girly for a teen series since Hunger Games. If you could take one thing from my experience, read the prequel first! You won’t regret it. :-)

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Mar 29 2014
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March 2014: Review Recap!

Review Recap

So, evidently I’ve fallen a little more behind on book reviews than I thought I had. Normally, I average about seven book reviews per month and this month have barely gone over half that. I have excuses, of course. Most of which involve me having a lot more fun than normal. :-)

In any case, here’s a look at the books that were reviewed this month:

The Lascar’s Dagger by Glenda Larke
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Salvage by Alexandra Duncan

The Lascar’s Dagger by Glenda Larke – 5/5 stars!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – 4/5 stars

Selvage by Alexandra Duncan – 4/5 stars

and my favorite:

Dragon Haven

Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb – 5/5 stars!

It was, all things considered, a killer month in reading… Possibly my highest review average ever. Although, when you take into account that there’s only four of them, that’s not really an impressive sample size.

Waiting on Wednesday Features:

Invaded by Melissa Landers
Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb
June 17, 2014

 Even though I am dying to read Invaded, I am most excited for the new Robin Hobb book!

A Q&A with Dan Wells:

dan-wells-01

That pretty much sums up my month of posting… I’m earnestly hoping for something a little more robust for next month, but will see what happens. Although, the Dan Wells interview was probably the coolest thing I’ve ever featured on my blog… So there’s that. :-)

by Niki Hawkes