Oct 5 2022

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Novella Review: Kraken’s Tooth by Anthony Ryan

Title: Kraken’s Tooth

Author: Anthony Ryan

Series: Seven Swords #2

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: THE GREAT MERCHANT CITY OF CARTHULA—RAISED FROM THE BONES OF A KRAKEN ON THE WHIM OF A GODDESS WHERE NOBLE HOUSES CALL UPON DARK MAGIC TO TRIUMPH IN THEIR ENDLESS AND DEADLY GAME FOR DOMINION… Landless one-time king Guyime, once called Pilgrim but known to history as the Ravager, has survived the fall of the Execration — an event that set him on a path to find the legendary Seven Swords. Guided by sorcery, Guyime journeys to Carthula in the centre of the First Sea to claim the mythical blade known as the Kraken’s Tooth. Aided by three companions — the beast charmer Seeker, a powerful sorceress and a scholarly slave — Guyime ventures into Carthula’s perilous underbelly to secure a prize guarded by ancient magics, cursed spirits, and lethal traps. But can he survive an ultimate ordeal crafted from his worst nightmares? -Goodreads

The Review:

I gave a fairly detailed review of Pilgrimage of Swords, so I’ll keep it brief here: I don’t know how Ryan manages to pack such rich word-building and depth into such a short book.

I’m really on board with the type of story being told in this series and have loved all the fun (aka perilous) adventures so far. Everything about this series is singing to me, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next! It’s a very bite-sized series and is a perfect refresher between denser reads.

Is the story good enough to merit $40 hardcovers? Probably not, but thankfully the ebook/audio combo is affordable. Unless you’re like me and must have all the hardcovers…

Recommendations: read them, they’re good.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Oct 3 2022

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Book Review: A Pilgrimage of Swords by Anthony Ryan

Title: Pilgrimage of Swords

Author: Anthony Ryan

Series: Seven Swords #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: It is two hundred years since the deity known as the Absolved went mad and destroyed the Kingdom of Alnachim, transforming it into the Execration, a blasted wasteland filled with nameless terrors. For decades, desperate souls have made pilgrimage to the centre of this cursed land to seek the Mad God’s favour, their fate always unknown. Now a veteran warrior known only as Pilgrim, armed with a fabled blade inhabited by the soul of a taunting demon, must join with six others to make the last journey to the heart of the Execration. Allied with a youthful priest, a beast-charmer, a duplicitous scholar, an effete actor and two exiled lovers, Pilgrim must survive madness, malevolent spirits, unnatural monsters and the ever-present risk of treachery, all so that the Mad God might hear his prayer and, perhaps, grant redemption. But can sins such as his ever be forgiven? -Goodreads

The Review:

Pilgrimage of Swords is a breathtaking start to another amazing world from Anthony Ryan.

I think Ryan has a split personality in his writing. One Ryan loves to tell adventurous novels with expansive world building and the sorts of discoveries that leave you in awe and wonder at what you’ve just experienced. This is very much the case with Draconius Memoria (my all-time favorite series). The other Ryan gives you deep, slow-burn character novels where the focus is almost completely on a single POV making his way in the world, as with Blood Song and Pariah. Pilgrimage of Swords falls into the latter category. Even though it’s a novella, he managed to cram a great deal of exploration and discovery within, and I can’t wait to see what sort of cool things we’re going to come across next!

I really didn’t think there would be enough substance in such a short book to win me over, but I was wrong – it was really good. The only thing that perhaps suffered is that I didn’t feel I had enough time to get to know all of the side characters, and even continued to mix a couple of them up until the very end of the book. They didn’t seem particularly fleshed out (or is it flushed out? I could make a case for both words, lol) and after finishing the book, I can sort of see why. But I could’ve gone for a few extra pages establishing character because then I may have felt more invested when stuff started happening to them.

What I liked most about the novella is how most of the cool things about this series were revealed gradually, providing a huge payoff at the end that instantly hooked me into wanting to read on. It seems like many books start out telling you exactly what the characters are struggling with and give you a road map on how they’re going to fix it. This novella is a beautifully written showcase on how to show readers rather than tell them the point of your story. I continue to hold this author in very high regard.

Recommendations: this could actually be a great introduction to Ryan’s works if you haven’t tried him yet. If you love stories with expansive world-building as much as I do, then this one is a must-read! I feel like he’s only just scratched the surface on what this new world has to offer, and what I’ve seen so far is epic!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 30 2022

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Tackling the TBR [84]: October 2022

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.

Here’s what mine looks like:

October 2022 TBR Tackler Shelf:

::sits down to compose this post::
Shit. Did I really miss posting a TBR for September?? That can’t be right…

I did it again!! And this time I didn’t even notice until this very moment. Obviously my current post organizing system is working splendidly… not.

Well, while August was a month dedicated towards tomes, September has been a delightful expedition into series novellas along with a whole bunch of other fun reading.

Around the beginning of the month I borrowed a reading system from Matt’s Fantasy Book Reviews (he’s a content creator on YT and GR) which entailed scheduling out reading based on the speed at which I usually consume content. I took a whole day and recreated my version of his spreadsheet and started tracking my daily reading pace. And it is AMAZING.

I’ve tried to do all of this before, but only with pen and paper, which doesn’t leave any room for rearranging or adapting and simple data tracking, so it has always been a major flop. But with the spreadsheet I’ve been able to completely customize my schedule to something dialed and wonderful while still being able to plop in mood reads here and there. I’m embracing my need to plan and leaning fully into this very structured new system. I ran it all last month and had SO MUCH FUN with books. It has effectively taken away my anxious need to read all the things right now, and allowed me to fully immerse into just the book in my hand. I love it.

So I’m continuing on into October with this new schedule, which has been constructed with my continual goal to complete series in mind. I do have a few new series starters planned for Patreon Book Club (Jade City) and my Read/Burn/Hoard series on Youtube (Howl’s Moving Castle), but otherwise everything is focused on advancing and completing series. And I must say, I’m particularly excited about the lineup in front of me! And because I have an accurate prediction of how long each one will take, this isn’t an ambitious list, it’s a realistic one given my time and reading habits. :D Curating my reading to this extent may be the best thing I’ve ever done for myself with this hobby.

Have a great month in reading!

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 6 2022

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Book Review: The Summer Dragon by Todd Lockwood

Title: The Summer Dragon

Author: Todd Lockwood

Series: Evertide #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 2/5 stars

The Overview: The debut novel from the acclaimed illustrator—a high fantasy adventure featuring dragons and deadly politics. Maia and her family raise dragons for the political war machine. As she comes of age, she anticipates a dragon of her own to add to the stable of breeding parents. Her peaceful life is shattered when the Summer Dragon—one of the rare and mythical High Dragons—makes an appearance in her quiet valley. Political factions vie for control of the implied message, threatening her aspirations, her aerie, her entire way of life. The bond between dragons and their riders is deep and life-long, and Maia’s desire for a dragon of her own to train, ride, fly, and love drives her to take a risk that puts her life at stake. She is swept into an adventure that pits her against the deathless Horrors, thralls of the enemy, and a faceless creature drawn from her fear. In her fight to preserve everything she knows and loves, she exposes a conspiracy, unearths an ancient civilization, and challenges her understanding of her world—and of herself. -Goodreads

The Review:

I wasn’t sure about the book at first. I started out on audio and had a hard time with the narrator (when she did adult male voices it came across like a kid making fun of her dad’s voice) so I switched to physical format and immediately things improved. It’s a switch I didn’t mind because the physical copy is gorgeous. Lockwood is an illustrator by profession and did all the work on this book himself. The images definitely added to the story, however all of them were placed a good dozen pages before the actual events, giving spoilers, which was annoying.

In any case, part 1 of this book was completely dragontastical. They played a huge role in the plot, most of the scenes involved them, and I loved how much the main character loved them. Although the plot was fairly simple and straight-forward, there were a lot of great action scenes and the villains introduced were compelling and unique. Had the book stopped after just part one, it would’ve been a solid 4-stars.

And then I got to part 2…

This section of the book just did not work for me. It went from dragon centric to this weird theological debate. Not my favorite topic for sure, but this one in particular lacked a lot of substance and depth. Add that to a bunch of retellings by the characters of what happened in Part 1, and I found my attention waning by the page. I pushed on for another 100 pages, hoping it would get good again, before finally getting fed up. From there I basically skimmed for major plot points through the end of the book. It’s not something I normally so, but I figured if something caught my interest again I’d jump back in fully. After getting the gyst of what the rest of the story had to offer, I’m glad I didn’t spend any more time on it.

I’d seen a few wary reviews for the book indicating it felt YA, and I can’t say I totally disagree. Especially if you caught the audiobook version. I think the simple plot was the reason for this. Granted, it was slightly more sophisticated that that, but overall when recommending this book I’d probably have more success handing it to a YA crowd than a SFF one. It was a bit darker and more violent than most YA, so in a way it would be a great transition novel between the genres. Note: it didn’t have any of the typical YA tropes, so my assessment is more from an overall presentation and “feel” standpoint.

Recommendations: if you love dragons and are in the mood for a pretty straightforward fantasy novel, this might fit the bill. Because I liked the illustrations and didn’t care for the narration, I’d suggest going the print route with this one.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Aug 29 2022

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Book Review: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

Title: House in the Cerulean Sea

Author: T.J. Klune

Series: N/A

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret. Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages. When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days. But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn. An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours. -Goodreads

The Review:

I went in skeptical… then came out a believer.

Truth be told it took about 50% into the book before I was totally hooked. Up to that point I was still enjoying the story, but didn’t feel the “magic” of it that so many claim to have experienced. It took time, but I got there.

The book was very nostalgic – evoking the same feelings I felt venturing into Harry Potter for the first time. It resonated with the beginnings of those books where Harry was still with the Dursley’s – the discovery that we’ve been living mundane muggle lives amidst wonderful magics in this world… that most people don’t acknowledge or talk about because it’s just not proper. The sense of discovery I felt seeing the magic come alive alongside this totally ordinary “muggle” of a main character was delightful.

Part of the reason it took a while for me to get on board was the pacing. Klune really took his time grounding the reader with the main character, building a slow momentum of development that eventually paid off brilliantly. It was honestly more slowly paced than I usually have patience to handle, but in hindsight the book ended up having a satisfyingly balance and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I am the last person to pick up on social commentary in books, but still noticed here a through-message of hope. Hope for those forced on the fringes of society because they are different than the masses. In here those differences were celebrated and I felt like the book did a good job giving the ostracized a voice. It was a subtle message – integrated organically through the characters – but one that shone for me, and I think if you’re going through anything hard, this book will put you in a much better mood.

Recommendations: despite a slow start, this book evolved into one of the most delightful things I’ve ever read. If you want a fun fantasy that will leave you in a better state of mind, this will do the trick. :)

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Aug 19 2022

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Book Review: Mistress of Dragons by Margaret Weis

Title: Mistress of Dragons

Author: Margaret Weis

Series: Dragonvarld #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 2/5 stars

The Overview: Welcome to the Dragonvarld… In Mistress of Dragons we are introduced to a world where political deception, greed, and avarice have lead to a violation of the “hands off” policy of the Parliament of Dragons concerning the affairs of men. Indeed that violation threatens more than policy and order it threatens the freedoms and survival of the entire human race. -Goodreads

The Review:

Unfortunately even dragons couldn’t save this from mediocrity.

The beginning of the story had me feeling like I was in for an excellent dragon book. But aside from that kickstarting scene, it didn’t contain a lot of dragon action. Granted, there were dragons in almost every scene, but they were in human form and may as well have been slightly more perceptive humans. I do tend to prefer my dragons to be more bestial, but even for human-shifting dragons, these were just okay at best.

The premise of the story sounded interesting, but in execution there were a lot of things that made me scratch my head in bewilderment. Foremost of which is why a human had to be involved in this “grand mission” at all and why the dragons didn’t just buck up and take care of business themselves? But I suppose if that were the case, how would the two main protagonists meet? It’s bothersome when a story feels contrived just to get a character from point A to point B.

I did enjoy the basic flow of the writing style. This is a very relaxed read and one I devoured quickly. I even found myself curious at the end to see where things were going to go next, and that just might get me to pick up the next one if I can find an audio copy on discount (I’m not curious enough to dedicate any of my precious physical reading time).

I read a few reviews before venturing in that cautioned of a possibly triggering scene within the book, which were accurate, so keep that in mind if you plan on reading it.

Overall I wish I’d like it more even though I picked it up knowing it didn’t have the best reviews. Both the plot and the characters were thin, but there were just enough interesting components to make me think I’ll pick up the next one eventually, but it’s definitely not a priority.

Recommendations: with all of the amazing dragon books out there, this is not the place to start. Pick this one up for a very light fantasy read that just happens to have some dragons.

Other books you might like: