Sep 17 2021

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Book Review: Thunderhead by Neal Schusterman

Title: Thunderhead

Author: Neal Schusterman

Series: Arc of the Scythe #2

Genre: YA Fantasy

Rating: 3/5 stars

The Overview: Rowan has gone rogue, and has taken it upon himself to put the Scythedom through a trial by fire. Literally. In the year since Winter Conclave, he has gone off-grid, and has been striking out against corrupt scythes—not only in MidMerica, but across the entire continent. He is a dark folk hero now—“Scythe Lucifer”—a vigilante taking down corrupt scythes in flames. Citra, now a junior scythe under Scythe Curie, sees the corruption and wants to help change it from the inside out, but is thwarted at every turn, and threatened by the “new order” scythes. Realizing she cannot do this alone—or even with the help of Scythe Curie and Faraday, she does the unthinkable, and risks being “deadish” so she can communicate with the Thunderhead—the only being on earth wise enough to solve the dire problems of a perfect world. But will it help solve those problems, or simply watch as perfection goes into decline? -Goodreads

The Review:

Thunderhead did a great job at maintaining momentum for the series. No middle book syndrome here!

One of the better YA I’ve read lately, the Arc of the Scythe offered an interesting concept: humanity has figured out how to eradicate natural causes of death, so now Scythes must systematically decide who to “glean” to control the population. As mentioned in my review of Scythe, the process each reaper establishes to help them decide who to kill is incredibly fascinating to me. What would make that sort of job bearable? One of the characters said it best: find a way to glean and still be able to sleep at night (paraphrased).

As mentioned, this second book did a great job at maintaining the momentum of the story, especially in the second half where the happenings practically careened to the end. It made me want to pick up the final novel sooner than later. The lack of character depth remains an issue, but at least they’re expressing interesting motives to compensate.

I’ve been evaluating books and storytelling in general long enough now to pick out certain story construction patterns. Big publishing houses know what plot structures sell more, so they push for those elements in their WIPs. During the first book, something happened that truly surprised me, something that didn’t fit the formula, which I loved. Unfortunately, events in this book reversed the shocker from the first book, making the story as a whole just as cookie-cutter as the rest of the lot. It was a little disappointing, but at least for that short time I believed I’d read something different. That’s a more technical writing critique than I usually get into, but it was important enough in my reading experience to include it.

Recommendations: Overall, this is one of the better YA series I’ve read. Look here for an interesting concept and a slightly darker theme than most YAs. I hear Schusterman’s Unwind series is even better, so I’ll be looking into that eventually.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 2 2021

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Tackling the TBR [73]: September 2021

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:

September 2021 TBR Tackler Shelf:

: Empire’s Ruin by Brian Staveley

: Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

: Memories of Ice by Stephen Erikson

: A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie

: You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo

So many amazing titles this month! I doubt I’ll have a chance to get through them all with how busy things have been, but if I manage even half of them I’ll be happy. My most anticipated release of the year in Ryan’s Pariah will claim the highest priority. Most of these are darker fantasy novels so I added a lighthearted middle grade novel by Elizabeth Haydon to give myself a break from all the bleakness.

Things are really rolling. I’ve been working on my new Booktube channel which I’ve been wanting to start for YEARS. I started slow with a few posts at the beginning of the year, but now I’m finding it a very satisfying creative outlet and am committed to keeping it going. I’ll have a more official post about it later in the week, but suffice to say it’s a cool new adventure for me.

Last month I finished all but one of my TTTBR lineup, which is amazing. Here’s hopping I carry on strong in August (getting this post up on time seems a great first start, lol).

Have a great month in reading!

by Niki Hawkes

Aug 10 2021

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The Obsessive Bookseller is now on Booktube!

I’ve been talking about it for years, and now I’ve finally started my own channel on YouTube.

My most recent video. :)

I’ll still be sharing reviews and other bookish posts here, but I’m glad to have another creative platform to share my love for speculative fiction. :D

Aug 5 2021

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DNF Q&A: The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

Title: The Curse of Chalion

Author: Lois McMaster Bujold

Series: World of the Five Gods #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: DNF

The Overview: A man broken in body and spirit, Cazaril, has returned to the noble household he once served as page, and is named, to his great surprise, as the secretary-tutor to the beautiful, strong-willed sister of the impetuous boy who is next in line to rule. It is an assignment Cazaril dreads, for it will ultimately lead him to the place he fears most, the royal court of Cardegoss, where the powerful enemies, who once placed him in chains, now occupy lofty positions. In addition to the traitorous intrigues of villains, Cazaril and the Royesse Iselle, are faced with a sinister curse that hangs like a sword over the entire blighted House of Chalion and all who stand in their circle. Only by employing the darkest, most forbidden of magics, can Cazaril hope to protect his royal charge—an act that will mark the loyal, damaged servant as a tool of the miraculous, and trap him, flesh and soul, in a maze of demonic paradox, damnation, and death. -Goodreads

The Review:

When trying to make a decision on whether or not to read something, it can often be much more helpful to look at the low star ratings than the high ones. To that end I’m going to be including more DNF reviews in my lineup. I have a Q&A format here that I adapted from Nikki at http://www.therewerebooksinvolved.com (with permission), and I think it’s a great way to discuss the book constructively. Here goes:

Did you really give Curse of Chalion a chance?

I went in pretty open-minded and even liked the first chapter or so, but once I started becoming dissatisfied, it became a practice of actively looking for reasons to justify calling a DNF. This is perhaps not fair to the book, but had it been anything other than a pick for a book club I run, I’d have just set it down as soon as it became clear I wasn’t digging it. I think I made it about 35%.

Have you enjoyed other books in the same genre?

Yes! Slow-burn, politically-driven fantasy novels rank among my favorites:

Did you have certain expectations before starting it?

My expectations were hopeful but not too terribly high. I remembered the author’s Sharing Knife (I only read the first one) as a relationship-heavy book with very relaxed and flowy writing. I expected much the same here, but was hoping the romance wouldn’t be quite so prominent (it wasn’t, but it still absorbed too much of the narration for my tastes). I’d also heard so many great things about her scifi Vorkosigan series that I was hoping she was consistently good all around.

What ultimately made you stop reading?

Ultimately, it came down to the childlike, irrational decisions made by the characters. For a novel that was supposed to be ALL about the characters and the politics, the characters came across every surface-level and their actions basic. The politics were equally simple. She lost my faith in her ability to give me something of substance early on and I didn’t find anything to convince me otherwise as I kept reading. None of the happenings in how these characters behaved was realistic to me, and in comparison to dozens of other fantasy novels with similar elements, this one came across very juvenile.

Is there anything you liked about the Curse of Chalion?

The character profiles at the beginning were fun, but they never evolved past just being just profiles. The first chapter was great. The writing was fluid. That’s about it.

Would you read anything else by the author?

I’m still holding out for Vorkosigan, but my enthusiasm has waned considerably. I’m definitely now at peace with not continuing with any of her fantasy works.

So you DNFed the book. Would you still recommend it?

That strongly depends on how well I can gage what someone wants out of a fantasy novel. If it’s a relaxing, easy read, this one might fit the bill. My personal tastes crave books with a lot of depth and dynamics these days, but I remember back when an easy-flowing fantasy book was just what the doctor ordered. So yes, to the right audience. Particularly those who enjoy romance novels but want something a little more robust. This author is a great hybrid of the two genres.

by Niki Hawkes

Aug 3 2021

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Tackling the TBR [72]: August 2021

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:

August 2021 TBR Tackler Shelf:

: Empire’s Ruin by Brian Staveley

: Wurms of Blearmouth by Steven Erikson

: The Pariah by Anthony Ryan

: A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie

: The Thief Queen’s Daughter by Elizabeth Haydon

Last month I finished all but one of my TTTBR lineup, which is amazing. Here’s hopping I carry on strong in August (getting this post up on time seems a great first start, lol).

Have a great month in reading!

by Niki Hawkes

Jul 23 2021

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Book Review: Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie

Title: Sharp Ends

Author: Joe Abercrombie

Series: First Law World #7

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!!!

The Overview: Violence explodes, treachery abounds, and the words are as deadly as the weapons in this rogue’s gallery of side-shows, back-stories, and sharp endings from the world of the First Law. The Union army may be full of bastards, but there’s only one who thinks he can save the day single-handed when the Gurkish come calling: the incomparable Colonel Sand dan Glokta. Curnden Craw and his dozen are out to recover a mysterious item from beyond the Crinna. Only one small problem: no one seems to know what the item is. Shevedieh, the self-styled best thief in Styria, lurches from disaster to catastrophe alongside her best friend and greatest enemy, Javre, Lioness of Hoskopp. And after years of bloodshed, the idealistic chieftain Bethod is desperate to bring peace to the North. There’s only one obstacle left — his own lunatic champion, the most feared man in the North: the Bloody-Nine. -Goodreads

The Review:

This was one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever read!

It’s a short story compilation for the First Law world, and for starters, I usually don’t have patience for short stories unless they’re for series I’m loving (this qualifies). And even then I usually prefer to read them in tandem with the series so I don’t forget details.

The book was hysterical. I laughed too many times to keep count and even felt compelled to share certain passages with other people (my mom is reading it now even though she’s only read the Blade Itself lol). That feeling of reading something I’ve loved and now need to share with others is the compulsion that caused me to start my book blog 10 years ago and there are only a small number of titles that have evoked this reaction. Sharp Ends is now among those all-time favorites. I ordered a hardcover.

I am completely rubbish at remembering character names in series these days. I read so many it’s just not worth the effort to me to retain those details beyond how long it takes me to devour a book. The problem comes when trying to revisit series after a long break or even just when discussing it with others. It’s a trade off… my brain is full. But it struck me as profound while reading this book that I was able to recall almost every single one of Abercrombie’s side characters with vivid clarity, which made the stories just as vibrant as if they’d been included in the series. It’s amazing to me because this author is clearly good enough to bypass my shitty memory and give me the rare experience of feeling truly immeshed in a series. Granted, I read these books fairly back to back compared to most, but even so, I’ve been known to forget names the instance the book gets finished (or even while I’m freaking reading it, so I have to backtrack). It’s just another piece of evidence that Abercrombie belongs on my favorites lists.

Sharp Ends is listed as book 7 even though it bounces around the timeline a lot. There are some series prequel scenes, some alternate viewpoints for memorable scenes throughout the series, an alternating set of stories following the same two characters (my personal favorite of the bunch), and there are a few that take place after the last time we’ve seen some of these characters. It definitely should be read as the 7th installment to avoid spoilers. One of the highlights in the audio format was an interview with Joe Abercrombie and audio narrator Steven Pacey. It was a total delight, and I busted a gut listening to it. The only story I didn’t care for was the satire (the writings from the bloke Costca hired to overinflate his exploits). It was fun, but I usually don’t have patience for the style. But I’ll admit to always wondering what he was writing throughout the story…

Recommendations: clearly, this is an Obsessive Bookseller favorite and I’d highly recommend it if you’ve read the first 6 books in the series. I found it wildly entertaining.

Other books you might like: