Tag Archives: fantasy

Mar 25 2014
Image

Top Ten Authors I Would Love to Meet!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week was supposed to be attributes to the top ten things on my bookish bucket list. Since over half of the things were desires to meet my favorite authors, I decided to switch it up a little:

Top Ten Authors I Would Love to Meet!

They all take turns as my favorites, depending on whom I’m reading at the moment. But the person I’d most like to meet right now is:

1509081_10201504142674724_612125518_n

Seriously, though, they’re all amazing authors. I would be willing to travel across a few states to meet these authors. Everyone of them is among my all-time favorites, and I hope to one day include them all in the “top ten authors I’ve met” list. :-)

Here’s a list of some of the authors who would have been included on my list, had I not already had the pleasure of meeting them:

Patricia Briggs

Dan Wells

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Brandon Mull

David Farland

Rachel Caine

Just to name a few… :)

by Niki Hawkes

Mar 20 2014
Image

Book Review: Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb

Dragon HavenTitle: Dragon Haven

Author: Robin Hobb

Series: Rain Wild Chronicles #2

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Fifteen dragons have set off on a dangerous trek up the Rain Wild River, in hopes of rediscovering their lost haven, the ancient city of Kelsingra. Accompanying them is a disparate group of rejects from Rain Wild society, including strong and defiant young Thymara; wealthy dragon scholar and Trader’s wife Alise; and her companion, the urbane Sedric. These human keepers yearn also to create a new home where they can decide their own fate. But is Kelsingra real or merely a fragment of a glorified past buried deep in the dragons’ shared memories? As they forge ever deeper into uncharted wilderness, starvation, flashfloods, and predators imperil them all. But as dragons and humans alike soon learn, the most savage threats come from within their own company . . .

Dragon Haven 2

The Review:

You could safely say Robin Hobb is one of my favorite authors, perhaps even my #1. Since I have gushed over how much I love her books in several past posts (and will continue to do so for the handful of titles I’ve yet to read) I’m going to keep this review relatively short. If you would like a full geek-out about the Rain Wilds series, check out my review of Dragon Keeper.

What can I say? Hobb gets better and better with every book, and Dragon Haven (book 2 of this series) was no exception! I love the progression of the story, the characters, and (most notably) the dragons. I particularly excited about these books because they are finally revealing some answers to questions I’ve had since books 2 or 3 of the Farseer trilogy. It’s that slow, ever present discovery process that makes these books so much fun to read. Add that to the fact that all of the mysteries seem to be centered around dragons, and you can see why I’m in love.

Hobb’s books have been my go-to books for years now – they’re always the ones I pick up when nothing else sounds good. You could even say I’ve been savoring them. However, with the release of The Fool’s Assassin (the beginning of a new trilogy) looming before us sometime in August, I admit I’ve been clipping along faster than usual to try to catch up. It’s bittersweet because I’m not sure what I’ll do with myself once I’ve finished all of the books (maybe go back and reread them?).

Part of the reason I love Hobb’s work is that every novel has an abundance of great characters. Every POV is relatable in one way or another, always adding their own unique momentum to the story. Multiple perspectives can be rough on a reader because it can make it difficult to get emotionally attached. This is so not an issue with these novels. I always want to know more about the character in question, mostly because they are all just so human. They have flaws and charms just like real people, which makes them incredibly interesting and fun to read about.

Overall, Dragon Haven was another strong novel from an exceptional author. I will continue to talk about her with anybody who will listen (and will hopefully one day have the chance to meet her).

Recommended Reading: as far as high fantasy is concerned, in my opinion you can’t get any better than Robin Hobb. I do find her books interesting to recommend, however: on one hand, my passion for them really comes out when I talk about them, but on the other, I’m aware that it does take a few books to see that earth-shattering momentum start to build and I get concerned that some readers might not have the patience. I’d say, if you don’t mind slowly developing (though never boring) fantasy novels, this is a great series to immerse yourself in. I’d recommend starting with The Assassin’s Apprentice. :-)

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Mar 11 2014
Image

Coming Soon: Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb

fools assassinTitle: Fool’s Assassin

Author: Robin Hobb

Series: The Fitz and The Fool #1

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: August 12, 2014

The Overview: FitzChivalry—royal bastard and former king’s assassin—has left his life of intrigue behind. As far as the rest of the world knows, FitzChivalry Farseer is dead and buried. Masquerading as Tom Badgerlock, Fitz is now married to his childhood sweetheart, Molly, and leading the quiet life of a country squire. Though Fitz is haunted by the disappearance of the Fool, who did so much to shape Fitz into the man he has become, such private hurts are put aside in the business of daily life, at least until the appearance of menacing, pale-skinned strangers casts a sinister shadow over Fitz’s past . . . and his future. Now, to protect his new life, the former assassin must once again take up his old one. . . .

fools assassin

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

 As excited as I am for all the new amazing books coming out within the next year, the release of Robin Hobb’s new book The Fool’s Assassin is by far the one I am most looking forward to! Her body of work contains some of the most profound and memorable moments in my reading history and was partially responsible for giving me the kickstart I needed to start this book blog. I can’t wait to see where Hobb takes these characters next!

 If you have not yet read this author, I would recommend starting with the Assassin’s Apprentice. :-)

What book are you waiting on?

By Niki Hawkes

Mar 7 2014
Image

Book Review: The Lascar’s Dagger by Glenda Larke

lascar's daggerTitle: The Lascar’s Dagger

Author: Glenda Larke

Series: the Forsaken Lands #1

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: March 18, 2014

Rating: 5/5 stars

The Overview: Saker appears to be a simple priest, but in truth he’s a spy for the head of his faith. Wounded in the line of duty by a Lascar sailor’s blade, the weapon seems to follow him home. Unable to discard it, nor the sense of responsibility it brings, Saker can only follow its lead. The dagger puts Saker on a journey to distant shores, on a path that will reveal terrible secrets about the empire, about the people he serves, and destroy the life he knows. The Lascar’s dagger demands a price, and that price will be paid in blood.

lascar's dagger

The Review:

I want to start out by saying how much I love Glenda Larke. She has the best world building of any fantasy writer I’ve ever read and it only seems to get stronger with each book. She’s taken me from stone cities to tropical islands to port cities to desert oases – basically anywhere that sounds interesting and exotic. If that weren’t awesome enough, she also tells her stories beautifully, creates complex an interesting characters, and provides epic adventures. In short, she is amazing.

When I talk about the world building, I’m not just talking about the setting, but rather something that is more all-encompassing. Larke weaves together multiple nations with their different cultural and religious backgrounds so seamlessly you’d think she was pulling information straight out of a history book. It’s just so thorough… it blows my mind. The depth of her world creations is astounding, but even more so is the way the cultures in her novels evolve as they start interact with one another. And another thing, they’re always so darn original. There are elements that have certainly been done before, but never as vibrant and evoking as when Larke does them.

While the worlds alone are reason enough to pick up Larke’s books, her characterization is just as strong. It’s not just that they’re interesting and well rounded, but that they always seem to have compelling conflicts. The trials they face, whether internal or external, are always an integral part of the stories – and done so well that I become immediately invested. In The Lascar’s Dagger, several POVs contributed to the overall arc of the story, and I found myself hard-pressed to decide which perspective I enjoyed following more. They all had different motives driving their actions, but somehow managed to get me feeling their successes and failures as if they were my own. I think the character that I felt the biggest connection to was Sorrel. Without giving too much away, let’s suffice to say that I found her perseverance inspiring and am most excited to see where her her courage and resilience take her in the next novel – there is so much more to her than meets the eye.

In case you didn’t get the memo from my highly praising review, Larke is one of the best fantasy authors I’ve ever read. My only disappointment is that she dwells on a different continent, so I’ll probably never have the chance to meet her. She has a lifelong fan in me, and I vowed long ago to pick up anything she writes the day it comes out (imagine how tickled I was to get access to an early copy of this novel – thank you, Netgalley!).

Recommended Reading: if you are a fan of high fantasy and have not yet read any of Larke’s books, you are sorely missing out! I recommend The Last Stormlord the most, but my true love is The Isles of Glory trilogy.

Other books you might like:

 by Niki Hawkes

Feb 25 2014
Image

Top Ten Fantasy Series I’d Like to Reread

Top ten Tuesday pink

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I wanted to do a top ten fantasy books post, but I had so many outstanding books to choose from that I couldn’t narrow it down. Instead, I decided to present:

Top Ten Fantasy Series I’d Like to Reread

I loved all of these books the first time around, but it’s been so long since I’ve read them (10+ years) that I can’t speak to exactly why I loved some of them. I remember general things, but none of the specifics that usually helps me recommend books. Others were so good that I remember them vividly and can’t wait to experience them again. Either way, there are some killer books on this list.

 I know rereading these series will cut into all the new books I can get through (which is why I haven’t already read them five times over). It’s that constant battle between the thrill of the unknown versus guaranteed awesomeness…. this year I hope to have reread at least three of these.

What books are on your reread list?

Jan 23 2014
Image

Book Review: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

The Way of KingsTitle: The Way of Kings

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Series: Stormlight Archive #1

Genre: fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them. One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

The Way of Kings

The Review:

Having read (and loved) many of Sanderson’s other works, I was interested in reading this one, but hadn’t planned on picking it up any time soon. However, as every Sanderson fan I came across told me with passion that Way of Kings was the “best one yet”, I finally couldn’t stand it anymore and had to see what they were all raving about. And you know what? They were right. Not only is Way of Kings one of Sanderson’s best, but it is also one of the most rich and vibrant fantasies I’ve ever read. There were so many good things about this novel that I hope that by talking about just a few of them I can convince a few people to read it.

One of my favorite elements of this book was the world building and overall atmosphere. It was so evoking that I was able to immerse myself in it 100% every time I picked it up. It had that all-encompassing “epic” feel that I haven’t come across since classics like Wizard’s First Rule (Goodkind) and Magician: Apprentice (Feist). What helped make the story feel grand was the people of this world. There were multiple cultures throughout the novel, each with thorough, interesting histories that added a sort of flair to each of the characters.

Speaking of characters, every perspective was compelling, and I thoroughly enjoyed following each of their stories. I’m often hesitant reading books with multiple POVs because there’s always a risk that I won’t enjoy reading about a few of the characters (I have a friend who skips entire passages when this happens just so she can get back to the characters she likes). This was not an issue with Way of Kings. All of the perspectives were interesting, and they all added something special to the overall arc of the story.

As great as Sanderson is at characters and world building, he is also a master of creating cool magic systems. I enjoyed learning about the stormlight-based system in Way of Kings, but feel as though we’ve only just scratched the surface of its potential in this first novel. I’m eager to learn more about it as the series continues, as I’m sure we will. What I haven’t appreciated from this author before is a focus on magical creatures. There are a particular kind of magical beings, known as spren, who take countless different forms and added a great deal of wonder to the story.

As a side note: talking someone into reading of books they’re not interested in is something I never do – life’s too short to read books that don’t excite you, and it always irritates me when people try to push their own reading tastes on me. My hope with this review is to convince those few who love fantasy and were already eyeballing Way of Kings to pick it up sooner than they might have otherwise. A 3000 page novel is a hard sell and I’ll be the first to admit it’s incredibly slow-paced; however, not once was it ever boring. I find myself wildly impressed that someone can write a novel of this size without wasting a single page on needless description or repetition. It was truly superb, and has solidified Sanderson as one of my writing idols.

Overall, I am thrilled the Stormlight Archive series is going to be a multiple book saga and an eagerly counting down the days until Words of Radiance comes out – rest assured I’ve already purchased a copy and will be starting it as soon as I can get my hands on it!

Recommended Reading: I will be recommending this novel to anyone who loves high fantasy – it has everything I desire in that genre of novel and then some. At the moment, Name of the Wind is probably still my favorite fantasy, but Way of Kings is not far behind! I would happily recommend it any day over Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones… Just saying.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes