Tag Archives: fantasy

Feb 26 2015
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Book Review: Guardians of the West by David Eddings

Guardians of the WestTitle: Guardians of the West

Author: David Eddings

Series: The Malorean #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 2/5 stars

The Overview: A sequel to THE BELGARIAD, Garion has slain the evil God Torak, and fulfilled the prophecy. But suddenly another prophecy is foretold. Again a great evil is brewing in the East. And again Garion finds himself caught between two ancient Prophecies, with the fate of the world resting on him…. 

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The Review:

If my best friend ever sees this post I am going to be in big trouble! David Eddings is her all-time favorite author I feel like this review is going to come across as one big slap in the face. I certainly don’t mean it that way, but I also just did not enjoy Guardians of the West as much as I thought I was going to.

I read the Belgariad (the first five books in the saga) at least a decade ago and really liked them, so much so that I reread a couple of them before diving into this series (the Malorean). I knew the Malorean took place chronologically after the Belgariad, but had I known the storyline started almost immediately, containing all of the beloved characters from the first series, I would’ve picked it up a hell of a lot sooner. And I bet I would have enjoyed it a lot more, too. Back in the day, Eddings was one of the best fantasy authors I’d read. Now however, I still think he is a wonderful author, but he is nowhere near the top of my list.

I should start out by saying that I really enjoyed the essence of the story, and that’s probably the only reason why the book received two stars. So, while I thought it had great story elements, I did not enjoy some of the aspects regarding character. This was definitely a plot-driven novel, and I felt myself missing that inner growth and character development I’ve come to expect. Don’t get me wrong – the characters were all a lot of fun, maintaining the basics that made us fall in love with them in the first series, but I don’t remember a single passage where they were explored more than just on the surface level. It was kind of a bummer.

A similar issue revolved around the main character, Garion. The first series portrayed him as a humble boy destined to rid the world of evil. He asked a lot of questions and always had the knack for figuring things out. In this series that inquisitive nature was still with him, but there were several places within the story where he was so frustratingly dense I wanted to smack him. It was all things regarding his wife (and women in general), and I have a suspicion the author was going for comedic effect (i.e. even a really smart man can’t comprehend women). The problem is, in my eyes it regressed his character all the way back to when he was a juvenile. Then when the plot needed him to be his old, logical self, he was miraculously back to normal… and he wasn’t the only one I noticed this with. I could sum up all of my issues by saying: the characterization was inconsistent.

The final nail in the coffin was the pacing and plot structure. A whole lot of dialogue happens and a whole lot of tangents occur, but the basic plot points that make up the arc of the story filled up very little of the text. I have no problem with slow moving books, but unless a majority of the scenes are advancing the plot or developing character, I seldom enjoy them. And here I am, back to that character thing again – it really does make all the difference.

I wish I could say I liked this one a lot more than I did. I probably will not be continuing on in the series for a very long time (if at all). The good news is, I think this is yet another case where my opinion will be in the minority. If you’re in the mood for a decent fantasy story without a lot of depth, this would be a great one to try, although make sure you start with Pawn of Prophecy (which I actually really liked).

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 27 2015
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Book Review: Elvenbane by Andre Norton & Mercedes Lackey

ElvenbaneTitle: Elvenbane

Authors: Andre Norton & Mercedes Lackey

Series: Halfblood Chronicles #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: Two masters of epic fantasy have combined in this brilliant collaboration to create a rousing tale of the sort that becomes an instant favorite. This is the story of Shana, a halfbreed born of the forbidden union of an Elvenlord father and a human mother. Her exiled mother dead, she was rescued and raised by dragons, a proud, ancient race who existed unbeknownst to elven or humankind. From birth, Shana was the embodiment of the Prophecy that the all-powerful Elvenlords feared. Her destiny is the enthralling adventure of a lifetime.

The Review:

The first half of this book is a perfect case study in how “telling” versus “showing” can be wildly entertaining. The authors took a lot of time to build this world and explain the dynamics between the races within it, and I found myself devouring the pages, eager to learn as much as I could. It was such a cool concept for a story – all-powerful elves who came to the world from another realm and basically took over, forcing the humans to cater to their every whim. Enter the shape-shifting dragons, also fleeing another world, who were trying to keep their existence secret from the elves but couldn’t resist dabbling in their affairs. Then put a halfbreed girl in the middle of all of this, and I’m on board.

It was unique, to say the least, and the best part was the spin on traditional race roles within fantasy novels. Not to mention the abundance of dragons! Sure, they behaved more like humans than dragons, but there was enough dragon lore involved that I didn’t mind it. Watching a small girl grow up among them was easily my favorite segment of the entire novel. It really is a shame it only lasted a couple of chapters…

The thing that knocked this book off of its five-star rating for me is that I got about 80% through it, then had to stop and figure out what the arc of the story was supposed to be. You see, the authors took a couple of weird tangents – ones I enjoyed reading, but I couldn’t figure out how they advance the plot or developed character. Now, I love tangents as much is the next girl, but to have them loaded near the end of the book? And to have them be so jarring? I kept thinking maybe I had missed something only to flip back a page and realize: nope… It really did just take a left turn. Had it been any other time during the novel, it would’ve been okay, but in this case it pulled me out of it when I felt I should’ve been the most engaged. I’m betting it had something to do with the difficulties of coordinating a book between two authors. This is the only time I’ve noticed a definite discord within a dual-authorship involving Mercedes Lackey, so it was probably a fluke.

Overall, I liked Elvenbane because I’ve never read anything quite like it. It had so many great ideas that, despite trouble with pacing near the end, I will be picking up the sequel. If you already read a ton of fantasy/dragon books, I’d recommend this one. However, if you’re new to the genre I’d have you read some of my favorites first.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 13 2015
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Coming Soon: Fool’s Quest by Robin Hobb

fool's questTitle: Fool’s Quest

Author: Robin Hobb 

Series: The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy #2

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: August 11, 2015

The Overview: None listed on goodreads yet… odd. BN says: After a devastating confrontation, FitzChivalry Farseer is out for blood—and who better to wreak havoc than a highly trained former royal assassin?

It should say: these are the best books ever. Read them.

… but start with Assassin’s Apprentice or else nothing will make sense.

 Hosted by Breaking the Spine

This is currently my most anticipated adult release of 2015. Fool’s Assassin was easily one of the best books I read last year (Not to mention that Robin Hobb is one of my favorite authors EVER!). For some reason, I thought Fitz’s story was over with the conclusion of Fool’s Fate, so I am absolutely delighted that the story continues on. And you know what? It’s getting better and better! It’s one of those epic sagas that gains momentum with each book, and I highly recommend them if you love fantasy as much as I do. It’s going to be agony waiting for August.

by Niki Hawkes

Jan 3 2015
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Book Review: Kushiel’s Justice by Jacqueline Carey

kushiel's justiceTitle: Kushiel’s Justice

Author: Jacqueline Carey

Series: Imriel’s Trilogy #2

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4.5 stars

The Overview: Imriel de la Courcel’s blood parents are history’s most reviled traitors, while his adoptive parents, Phèdre and 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 beauty, art, and desire. After a year abroad to study at university, Imriel returns from his adventures a little older and somewhat wiser. But perhaps not wise enough. What was once a mere spark of interest between himself and his cousin Sidonie now ignites into a white-hot blaze. But from commoner to peer, the whole realm would recoil from any alliance between Sidonie, heir to the throne, and Imriel, who bears the stigma of his mother’s of his mother’s misdeeds and betrayals. Praying that their passion will peak and fade, Imriel and Sidonie embark on an intense, secret affair.

The Review:

This is one of those epic fantasies you remember for the rest of your life. The story is so beautiful and profound that I find myself getting completely swept away every time I pick it up. And it’s not just what the author is saying, it’s how she’s saying it. I get lost in her words.

The first book in this trilogy (Kushiel’s Scion) offered an incredible emotional journey of self-discovery where Imriel struggled to find himself and his place within the world. Kushiel’s Justice’s profoundness came from external conflicts – how his decisions affected the people around him. It struck a different chord, but it was still beautiful to read about.

This book also involved a lot of travel, with immersion into many different cultures. While the emotional story was compelling, it was this adventure to new lands and new people that I found the most exciting. Carey weaves such a realistic picture that I would dare call the places I got to visit and her books downright breathtaking.

Okay, I think I’m done gushing now. This is the type of series I could literally go on for hours about, but I’ll spare you. I can’t guarantee that anybody else will love it as much as I do, but it’s books like this that make me so grateful that I’m a reader.

All things considered, this was an amazing book. The only reason it didn’t get five stars is that I’m down to splitting fine hairs, and I happen to like the first one just a bit more. This author is quickly escalating towards becoming one of my all-time favorites, and I hold her work in the highest regard. If you pick them up, be prepared for the adventure of a lifetime! But be warned of some very explicit content.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Dec 29 2014
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2014 Reading Recap!

heart-book-facebook-cover

 The end of the year is finally here! And I’m celebrating by putting together the post I’ve been most looking forward to: the annual book review recap!

 I started a book blog for a couple reasons, but one of them was because it is a great way to keep track of all the fantastic books I’ve read (one that didn’t involve a journal and printouts of the covers – the method I was using before I discovered the wonders of blogging).

Sharing my love of books has become a passion all its own, and I have discovered some profound things in my own reading habits that I may not have otherwise. Most notably, I have come to truly appreciates the idea that life is too short to read boring books. This epiphany hit me in early 2013. It was eye-opening because I realized the books I was most looking forward to reading were getting left on the shelf in favor of books I felt like I was obligated to read (does anybody else have that problem?). Anyway, I made the decision to read the books I was most excited for first rather than last and, as this post will illustrate, it has made for one of the best years of reading I have ever had!

So without further ado, here’s a look at The Obsessive Bookseller’s year of book love:

1 Star: didn’t like it at all

1.5 Stars: didn’t like it, but it had some merit

2 Stars: it was okay

2.5 Stars: it was a little better than okay, but I’m not sure if I liked it or not

3 Stars: I liked it

3.5 Stars: I liked it, but not quite as much as a 4 star book

4 Stars: I really liked it!

4.5 Stars: I really, really liked it!

5 Stars: I LOVED it!!!!

I read 89 books this year (9 books more than last year) totaling 38095 pages (6948 pages more than last year). And I enjoyed every minute of it! I’d like to note that next year will probably show fewer books but more pages. I am finally a little worn out on YA novels and have already started to shift my focus towards Fantasy and Science Fiction. Bring it on!

As you can see, 2014 was definitely filled with more good reads than bad ones. I still can’t believe how many five-star books came out of this year – I could fangirl over them for hours.

I’d like to note that most of the books in my 2 star category were ARCs, which is why I also had a goal to stop requesting so many. It took about three months of effort to stop asking for every title I thought I might want to read. Incidentally, that has also helped me enjoy reading this year – less obligations!

What did your year of reading look like?

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 29 2014
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Book Review: The Last Dragonlord by JoAnne Bertin

The last Dragon LordTitle: The Last Dragonlord

Author: JoAnne Bertin

Series: Dragonlord #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3/5 stars

The Overview: First published in 1999, the Queen of one of the Dragonlords’ subject realms has suspiciously drowned and two regents vie for control of the vacant throne. At the same time, a secret society led by a sinister image has dark plans of its own. Linden realises that the deadly magic that holds him may make him the last dragonlord…ever.

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The Review:

I first read The Last Dragonlord and its sequel about ten years ago but decided to reread them because the final book in the trilogy (The Bard’s Oath) came out last year, and I’d been waiting so long for it that I’d totally forgotten what had happened in the first two books. I normally have pretty decent book-recall, but I didn’t seem to remember much of anything about this one other than that I liked it. While I enjoyed the story throughout this reread, it was not nearly as good as I remembered it. This was probably one of the first dragon books I read, so that may have positively influenced my initial rating, but since I’ve now become Dragon Obsessed, I can name at least a dozen titles I liked better.

That’s not to say that there was anything wrong with this book, necessarily, just a handful of things I thought could’ve been better. It was an incredibly unconventional story, which worked both for and against the author. On one hand, nothing about it followed along the same old cliché story lines, so that in itself was refreshing, but the choices that were in it place were just a little too odd for my taste.

To start with, Linden, the hero of the story, was kind of an ass. I found him selfish, impulsive, and severely lacking in compassion and common sense. He definitely didn’t inspire any confidence in his ability to handle the broad conflicts, and I found myself unable to really get behind him. The good news is that all of the other characters (at least, the ones on the “good” side) were absolutely delightful. So, even though the main protagonist was kind of a flop in my book (pun intended), all of the other interesting characters kept me reading long after I would have thrown in the towel. There were a ton of different POVs from which the story was told, which may have helped me ignore Linden, but I’m still on the fence as to whether I liked them or not.

You see, the story starts out by bouncing around a dozen different perspectives – all within the first fifty pages. I found it frustrating and a bit difficult to keep track of them all as the story progressed… that is until I finally started seeing some of them on a consistent basis. So on one hand it’s great because if you have a character you don’t like, you’re not with them for very long, but on the other hand all of those perspectives means there’s not much left for the reader to discover. And that brings me to my next observation:

The interesting thing about this book is that the first third of it was a perfect case study in dramatic irony (when the audience knows something characters do not). I’m typically not a fan of that writing tactic because it takes away almost all feelings of suspense and discovery, and I wind up impatient and antsy for the characters’ knowledge to catch up with my own. It kind of keeps the reader at an arms distance because, while the characters were feeling the stress and tension, I already knew what was really going on so it didn’t affect me as much. On top of that, there were quite a few scenes that didn’t really add to either character growth or plot advancement, so I had to wait even longer for the characters to figure out the things that I’d learned a hundred pages ago. Needless to say, reading this book was a bit more of a struggle than it could have been. 

I have a whole bunch of reasons why I didn’t value the book is highly as I could have, but I finished it, so that should speak to some positive attributes. I enjoyed the overall arc of the story, the writing itself, and the creativity and vividness of the scenes and the people. While this won’t go down as the best book I’ve ever read, it still sits comfortably in the “enjoyable” slot, and I will definitely be continuing on to reread the second and finally get the conclusion I’ve been craving with the third. If you’re in the mood for something dazzlingly unconventional, The Last Dragonlord definitely fits the bill.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes