The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

 Title: The Alloy of Law

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Format: Audiobook

Narrator: Michael Kramer

Genre: YA Fantasy, NA Fantasy, High Fantasy

 I purchased this book and chose to do an honest and unbiased review.  The author neither requested nor is associated with this review.

 Goodreads Description:

Fresh from the success of The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson, best known for completing Robert Jordans Wheel of Time, takes a break to return to the world of the bestselling Mistborn series. Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds. Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of historyor religion. Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice. One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn, who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will. After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax has been forced by family tragedy to return to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties and dignity incumbent upon the head of a noble house. Or so he thinks, until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs. 

Here's What I Thought: 

This was actually a re-read for me. The first time, I read my physical copy. The second time, I listened to the audiobook narrated by Michael Kramer. Both times, I loved this book! I do want to make sure to mention that if you have not read Mistborn Era 1, you really should start there. Not only is it a great entry point into the Cosmere, Sanderson's multiverse the majority of his books take place in, but The Alloy of Law is the beginning of Era 2, set 300 years later, and will contain spoilers for the first trilogy. The first book, Mistborn (or The Final Empire depending on edition) also works great as a standalone. Then you don't have to feel committed to a huge series before you know if Sanderson is for you. 

Era 1 Mistborn is like most high fantasy. It takes place in an other-worldly, dictatorship type empire with limited technology. Most of the tech that is featured is dependent on the magic system. Era 2 Mistborn, on the other hand, is able to bring modern technology (at least more modern) to high fantasy without coming across as low or urban fantasy in itself. If you are interested in learning more about about the different types of fantasy and magic systems, check out this post. 

Before I get too much into the book itself, here is a quick rundown of the magic systems: Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy. Like all of Sanderson's magic systems, they're considered a hard magic systems. That means that there are hard and fast rules for it, as well as limitations. It is predictable and consistent. 

A person with Allomantic abilities, essentially ingests different types of metals to gain different abilities by "burning" the metal. A person was Mistborn if they could burn all of the metals. In Era 1, most people with Allomantic abilities were nobility and could only burn one metal. Feruchemy is the ability to store an attribute in a metal, referred to as a metalmind. In Era 1, Feruchemists were only found amongst the Terris people and could use all the different types of metalminds. Hemalurgy uses metal spikes to steal Allomantic and Feruchemical abilities and give them to another. Below is a reference chart which shows how each type of metal may be used. 

I have to say, I was skeptical when I first picked it up the first time. I was kind of indifferent to it in the beginning to the idea of parts of the book taking place in essentially the Wild West. I'm not one for Westerns, but I ended up really liking it as it was a nice change from typical fantasy. I loved seeing how people used Allomancy and Feruchemy in combination with things like guns and bullets. It was also interesting to find in Era 2, that there are no longer full Mistborns or Feruchemists. Instead, there are regular Allomancers, Feruchemists that can use a single Feruchemical ability, and Twinborn--someone with one Allomantic and one Feruchemical ability. Seeing how Wax and Wayne--both twinborns--use their abilities together in strategic ways was really cool, as the effects were not always what you would expect. 

Another reason I was skeptical of this series is I have a tendency to get very attached to characters. How am I supposed to love another story set in Scadrial, but without Vin, Elend, Breeze, Spook, Ham, Sazed, and Marsh? I was, thankfully, completely and absolutely wrong. I loved Marasi from the start. Wax and Wayne's banter is phenomenal. Steris, however, I felt bad for. Despite some of her more comical comments (and all of her contracts), her heart to heart with Wax at the end broke my heart. Upon my reread, I still felt this way, but I knew how much she would grow as a character, which made me incredibly happy. Steris is just so genuine, and Wayne's comments about her make me want to slap him. 

This book has something for everyone. Train robberies, love and loss, betrayal, familial duty, political maneuvering, explosions, and gun fights. As an added bonus, there are even excerpts from the broadsheets spread throughout the book that have fun Easter eggs for the book itself and even some broader overall Cosmere references. Michael Kramer, as always, delivers a top-notch performance, although the first audiobook was missing the broadsheet excerpts. It doesn't impact the story, but it takes away a bit of the fun. 

I initially wanted to give this book 5 stars. In so many ways, it is just plain wonderful. But there are many parts of this book that do not hold up to the same level of complexity that I have come to expect from Sanderson. Not in the sense of prose. Sanderson always has very simple prose, which I actually enjoy. More from the world building and character development aspects. Maybe it's because he felt that he already built Scadrial, that he doesn't need to be more elaborate? I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's just not the same level as the Era 1 books. It is fun and quirky with enough Era 1 references (I love how they portray Spook in Era 2 😂) and even a couple of cameos, however, to earn a solid 4 stars. 

Any Thoughts?

Sanderson is one of those authors that everyone seems to love or... They don't. His critics and fans alike often cite his simple prose as one of the reasons for their respective opinions. Some critics don't like him on principle due to things like race, gender, and religion. (I touched on my thoughts about him in my previous post here). Did you love it or hate it? Why? Drop a comment below and we can discuss.

About The Author:

Brandon’s major books for the second half of 2016 are The Dark Talent, the final volume in Alcatraz Smedry’s autobiographical account of his battle against the Evil Librarians who secretly rule our world, and Arcanum Unbounded, the collection of short fiction in the Cosmere universe that includes the Mistborn series and the Stormlight Archive, among others. This collection features The Emperor’s Soul, Mistborn: Secret History, and a brand-new Stormlight Archive novella, Edgedancer.

Earlier this year he released Calamity, the finale of the #1 New York Times bestselling Reckoners trilogy that began with Steelheart .

Brandon Sanderson was born in 1975 in Lincoln, Nebraska. As a child Brandon enjoyed reading, but he lost interest in the types of titles often suggested to him, and by junior high he never cracked a book if he could help it. This changed when an eighth grade teacher gave him Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly.

Brandon was working on his thirteenth novel when Moshe Feder at Tor Books bought the sixth he had written. Tor has published Elantris, the Mistborn trilogy and its followup The Alloy of Law, Warbreaker, and The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance, the first two in the planned ten-volume series The Stormlight Archive. He was chosen to complete Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series; 2009’s The Gathering Storm and 2010’s Towers of Midnight were followed by the final book in the series, A Memory of Light, in January 2013. Four books in his middle-grade Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series have been released in new editions by Starscape, and his novella Infinity Blade Awakening was an ebook bestseller for Epic Games accompanying their acclaimed Infinity Blade iOS video game series. Two more novellas, Legion and The Emperor’s Soul, were released by Subterranean Press and Tachyon Publications in 2012, and 2013 brought two young adult novels, The Rithmatist from Tor and Steelheart from Delacorte.

The only author to make the short list for the David Gemmell Legend Award six times in four years, Brandon won that award in 2011 for The Way of Kings. The Emperor’s Soul won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novella. He has appeared on the New York Times Best-Seller List multiple times, with five novels hitting the #1 spot.

Currently living in Utah with his wife and children, Brandon teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University.

What Do You Mean There Are Different Types of Fantasy?

If you are new to the fantasy genre or have only read the occasional book or series within the genre because of Booktok, then it may surprise you that, yes, there are many subgenres within fantasy itself. You may be surprised to learn this even if you are an avid fantasy reader, but just pick up books that look good. Did you know there are a couple different types of magic systems as well? Today, I am going to do a bit of a deep-dive into what defines fantasy, itself, as well as what makes each subgenre unique. Going in, just know that it is not uncommon for subgenres to overlap. A book can be high fantasy and grimdark fantasy as well as another can be low fantasy and cozy fantasy or vice versa. These are essentially description tags the book community uses to further distinguish types of books so readers might have a better sense of what they are picking up. 

Fantasy

What is fantasy? This seems pretty self-explanatory, but let's talk about it just in case someone doesn't know. Fantasy is an all-encompassing term to describe books that contain magical elements. It differs from science fiction as the elements will often defy the rules of our physical world in a way that cannot be attributed to advancing science and technology. The vast majority of the books discussed on my blog and all of the books listed below will fall into this category. For my purposes, I tend to think of this genre as a tree that branches out into many subgenres. Fantasy is the trunk. Hold on to this metaphor--I'll be coming back to it!

High Fantasy

High fantasy describes any book that is not set in real world history. The terms "high fantasy" and "epic fantasy" tend to get used interchangeably, but there are subtle differences. In my tree metaphor, I would consider high fantasy to be a main limb of the tree, as it's broader and more encompassing, whereas epic fantasy is a smaller branch off of that limb. Basically, if a book is set in a fictional world with a fictional history, it's considered high.

Examples: The Hobbit, Warbreaker, and Priory of the Orange Tree

Low Fantasy

Next on the list is low fantasy. No, it does not mean "lesser." Far from it actually! Fantasy books that are set around real-world places or events are considered low fantasy. These are the books that tend to have magic hidden in the real world. I would consider this to be another main limb of my fantasy tree, as there are many other subgenres that are similar, but again, this one is more general and less specific.

Examples: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Outlander, and Twilight

Epic Fantasy

Now that the "foundation" of fantasy is established, let's start digging into the more specific genres starting with EPIC FANTASY. Epic fantasy are books that have a very large, grand scale story revolving around an equally large cast of characters facing an ultimate big bad with the potential for world-ending stakes. The classic good vs. evil, if you will. These books are typically a part of a large series as there is often way too much to put into just one book. More often than not, epic fantasy books tend to be a branch off of the high fantasy limb in my fantasy tree, but that is definitely not always the case. 

Examples: Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings, and Storrmlight Archive

Urban Fantasy

Likewise, I would consider urban fantasy to be a branch of the low fantasy limb for obvious reasons. It takes place in the real world, more specifically, the modern real world. (Anyone else start singing "Real World" by Matchbox 20? No? Just me? Ok, moving on...)

Examples: Dresden Files, Shadowhunter Chronicles, and American Gods

Historical Fantasy

Like urban fantasy, this is often set in the real world, making it a branch off of low fantasy. Historical fantasy typically is a re-imagining of an actual historical event with magical elements inserted. There is usually a balance between realism and fantasy elements. 

Examples: Outlander, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and What the Wind Knows 

Sword and Sorcery

Honestly, I didn't even know this was a subgenre until I started looking into how many different types of fantasy there was. It's defined as a competent hero that fights their way to victory, often with exciting but violent battles. I feel like this is kind of summed up within the definition of other subgenres, but people like it as it's own thing, so who am I to argue? I could see this being a branch off of either high or low fantasy and even being an offshoot of a more specific subgenre as well. 

Examples: Conan, Game of Thrones, and The Name of the Wind

Dark Fantasy

This type of fantasy doesn't necessarily stem from high or low fantasy. What characterizes dark fantasy is the focus on a creepy atmosphere, rather than violence.

Examples: Coraline, The Graveyard Book, and Fairy Tale

Grimdark Fantasy

Again, grimdark fantasy doesn't require any specific setting as far as real-world or fictional. What makes grimdark grimdark is the overall tone. The setting is usually very grim (hence the term grimdark), the characters consist of anti-heroes, and there is often more violence. 

Examples: Lies of Locke Lamora, The Blade Itself, and The Poppy War

Steampunk Fantasy

Unlike all of the other subgenres, this one doesn't usually have a lot of magic or other fantasy elements in it. Steampunk fantasy is usually an alternative Victorian Era, or sometimes Wild West, setting. There is usually a heavy focus on technology, usually that is steam powered. Based on that, I would consider it a branch off of the low fantasy limb.

Examples: Infernal Devices, Boneshaker, and The Falconer

Science Fantasy

Science fantasy blends the elements of science fiction and fantasy. It tends to have heavy elements of technology, but will often have elements that are not explained by advancing technology and science. I would branch this subgenre off of low fantasy, as well.

Examples: Cinder, The Fifth Season, and This Is How You Lose a Time War

Portal Fantasy

Portal fantasy is kind of like a bridge between high and low fantasy. It is defined by characters traveling from the real world to a fantasy world through, you guessed it, a portal!

Examples: Chronicles of Narnia, Peter Pan, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Paranormal Romance

Paranormal romance would be a branch off of low fantasy as they are set in the real world with paranormal characters such as vampires, werewolves, and ghosts. As the name suggests, romance is also a key plot element.

Examples: Twilight, Vampire Academy, and Beautiful Creatures

Fantasy Romance

Fantasy romance is the romance subgenre that branches off of high fantasy. These books take place in entirely fictional worlds and also have a heavy emphasis on romance. 

Examples: A Court of Thorns and Roses, Shadow and Bone, and From Blood and Ash

Medieval Fantasy/Arthurian Fantasy

Books in this subgenre usually are more high fantasy type books, but they can be set in the real world as well. They are inspired by the Medieval time period and often center around myths and legends.

Examples: The Once and Future King, The Mists of Avalon, and The Farseer Trilogy

Cozy Fantasy

Cozy fantasy is just what it sounds like. Cozy. These books are lighthearted, low stakes, and low violence. The are the perfect palate cleanser after completing an epic fantasy. They are also perfect for if you just aren't into the intense high stakes the other subgenres have but still like to read about magic. This is another subgenre that can branch off of either high or low fantasy.

Examples: House in the Cerulean Sea, Legends and Lattes, and The Goblin Emporer

Fantasy Retellings

Another self-naming subgenre, fantasy retellings are fairy tales and myths reimagined. There is a huge trend right now of doing spicy retellings. 

Examples:  The Song of Achilles, Alice, and A Touch of Darkness

Magic Systems

Whew! That was a lot to get through. Honestly, there are many more subgenres than what I covered here, but I tried to hit the main ones that people like to talk about. Now on to magic systems. Thankfully, this section will be much shorter, as there are essentially two types: hard magic systems and soft magic systems. 

Hard Magic Systems

Hard magic systems have set rules and limitations. The magic is consistent and predictable. It's almost as if there is a scientific formula to how the magic works. By writers choosing to use a hard magic system, the characters will often have problem-solve within their set limitations to overcome obstacles. The reader will also get a deep understanding of the magic system. A strength of this magic system, in my opinion, is that characters cannot just magic themselves out of a situation and magic can't be used to move the plot forward (usually). I like the law and order of hard magic systems.

Examples: Allomancy in Mistborn, Surgebinding in Stormlight Archives, and Coporalki, Etherealki, Materialki in Grishaverse

Soft Magic System

Soft magic systems are the opposite. They typically have few rules, if any, and are used more to inspire awe and wonder. With soft magic systems, there is more sense of mystery than with hard magic. It's also easier to adapt to an ever changing story. Although I can definitely see the pros to soft magic, for me the cons tend to be deal breakers: Soft magic systems often lead to magic being used as a plot device. "Oh no! The character is trapped, but he got out because magic!" This leads to convenient endings, which frustrates me. Another drawback to soft magic systems is inconsistencies. Due to being able to adapt to the story, there are often inconsistencies that just get explained away with a wave of the wand. Personally, I like rules.

Examples: Gandalf's magic in The Lord of the Rings, and Naming in The Kingkiller Chronicles

Hybrid Magic System

I know... I know! I said there were only two sections here. But, there are actually three. The last one is a hybrid magic system. This is when the magic system has rules of what magic can and cannot do, but they are easily and frequently bent, if not flat out broken, to fit the needs of the plot. Then, when the rules of magic change, it's usually explained that suddenly it works because "reasons."

Example: the magic in Harry Potter

Conclusion

Although the definitions of everything above is accurate, some of it (primarily with my tree metophor) is my interpretation. Also, it should be noted that classifying many books as one thing or another is subjective, so if you don't agree with where I classified something, that is totally fine. Some of these subgenres are not ones that I would normally read, so I was at the mercy of Google for giving me recommendations for them. This was meant to be a "brief" rundown of different types of fantasy and different types of magic systems to help you make sense of what people like me are talking about. 

Let me know what you think of posts like this. Love it? Hate it? Want me to do more deep dives into elements of fantasy literature? Let me know in the comments below!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

 Title: Throne of Glass

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Format: Audiobook

Narrator: Elizabeth Evans

Genre: YA Fantasy, NA Fantasy, High Fantasy

 I purchased this book and chose to do an honest and unbiased review.  The author neither requested nor is associated with this review.

 Goodreads Description:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her ... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Here's What I Thought: 

Someday I am going to be consistent with my blogging. Since my last post, I not only continued with A Court of Mist and Fury, I have finished the entire ACOTAR series and I highly recommend it! Maybe I should go back and do posts on books I've read and not blogged about... That's a thought for another day. 

Well, I am officially an SJM fan. I tried to write her off as an author with one pretty good series, but one book into the Throne of Glass Series and I can already tell that that is not going to happen. Now, it has been a several weeks since I finished it and I have already finished several other books in the meantime (including others in the series), so after a nice little recap courtesy of the Recaptains so I don't jump ahead and spoil anything, bear with me. I will do my best to review this book with my true feelings at the time, and not hindsight 20/20. 

Note: I am doing the "romantic" reading order, which places Assassin's Blade after Heir of Fire.  

For the first book of a series and Maas's first book overall, it was good, but definitely not great. The premise of the story was good. There is a well-established big bad. There is a mysterious protagonist with a shadowy past. And let's not forget that love triangle! Although I could definitely have done without the love triangle, I'm kind of leaning towards #TeamChaol. Dorian is a prince and as sweet as he is, I feel like the prince always gets the girl. Anyways... This story seems to have it all. 

But...

It's weak. I wanted to absolutely love it, but I just couldn't. As fabulous as Celaena is, she is very one dimensional. She is the best assassin with the best aim, best agility, most expensive taste, and all the beautiful dresses. The love triangle between the best friends is cliche, at best. Seriously? Why do we always need a love triangle. Then, the good guy/bad guy (or girl) fake out was just plain predictable. Finally, from what I remember of the dialogue, it was "eh..." 

Despite all of this, I did enjoy the book. I even said so in the beginning of my review. I never expect the first book in a fairly large series, or any series for that matter, to be over the top spectacular. First books in a series tend to need a lot of world building and character introduction, as well as some sort of a plot, that it can be hard for authors to hit the mark in all of these things at once. Later on, once the world is established and characters have a chance to flesh out and the author finds their rhythm so to speak, that is when the great books come. That's why I rarely judge a series solely on the first book. Plus, I went into the series well aware that her writing starts out fairly immature, but she really grows throughout the series. 

I am (was 😜) excited to start the second book as I definitely see the potential for a great series. Also, how is SJM planning on tying everything together in the now confirmed multiverse?

 

Any Thoughts?

With any super hyped author comes polarizing opinions. I am actually surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did, as I generally don't love books that get blown up on all of the socials. Did you love it or hate it? Why? Drop a comment below and we can discuss.

About The Author:

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Crescent City, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the Throne of Glass series. Her books have sold more than twelve million copies and are published in thirty-seven languages. A New York native, Sarah lives in Philadelphia with her husband, son, and dog. To find out more, visit sarahjmaas.com or follow @therealsjmaas on Instagram. 

 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genre: Adult Fantasy, High Fantasy

 I purchased this book and chose to do an honest and unbiased review.  The author neither requested nor is associated with this review.

 Goodreads Description:

Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

Here's What I Thought: 

Some day, I am going to be consistent at doing reviews on books.  Today is most likely not that day, but some day. On the upside, I didn't just stop reading all together this time. I just stopped blogging. Maybe I should do an update post on some of the better books I read that I did not post a review for...

I finally caved and jumped on the bandwagon gave this book a try. Overall, I liked it but it definitely has problems. Plot-wise, it’s basically a Beauty and the Beast retelling which I liked. The plot moved fairly quickly, it was easy to read—well…. I’ll get to that later. I’m not going to go into a summary of the plot, because if you’re that curious, read it, as I do recommend it if your looking for something without a lot of depth. I give the plot itself 4 stars.

Time for characters:

Feyre is the main character and is essentially our Belle of the story. I found her character to be very flat and did not have much growth. Her inner monologue from when she killed the faerie in the beginning to when she killed the faeries at the end were almost identical. With that being said, I’m not saying that she should not have done it in the end, just that I expected more depth to her thought process due to growing through her experiences. The one thing I do love about her is that she did not come into the story as the innocent maiden fair. She had a life and a lover before Tamlin which is a nice change.

Tamlin, the Beast, is basically a jerk. Once his curse is revealed, it basically invalidates their entire “love.” He used her from the beginning, but now he suddenly loves her so? Um… No. I do have a bit of commentary that I would like to share that is an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think when he bit Feyre that it was strictly non-consent. She did tell him to let her go, but her inner monologue was very different. Granted, he did not know what she was thinking, but it is reasonable to assume that her bodily actions were more in align with her thoughts and he picked up on that. I am NOT saying that it was ok or excusing him, just stating my opinion that I don’t feel it was clear-cut non-consent. Other than that, his character was completely garbage and his wooing of Feyre was incredibly forced. He basically sat on his ass and watched while Feyre fought to save everyone.

I love Lucien. He reminds me of Cogsworth. In the beginning, I was not sure how I felt about him, but the more I learned about his past and the more I saw his sarcastic wit, the more I loved him. He is seriously too precious and deserves better than what he gets.

Alis, I don’t have much to say about other than she is sweet and reminds me of Mrs. Pots.

Rhysand is a bad boy and I can’t wait for more of him. He reminds me of a likeable Gustan. He is exactly the type of character that I always seem to be drawn to. Even after everything he puts Feyre through, he was still a gentleman at the end of it all. I still don’t know if it was strictly to his own benefit or not, but he does seem to genuinely care for Feyre. He certainly fought way harder to save her in the end than Tamlin. Their relationship seems to have more of a natural progression from hate to not hate. I don’t think Feyre is quite to liking him yet, but I certainly do.

Amarantha is the big bad. The notorious “She” throughout the book. In my opinion she was a good villain. She had a complex backstory and she was truly twisted. I liked her (as a villain).

A brief note on Feyre’s family, as they did not play a large role: I think her father is a worthless deadbeat; Elain is sweet, but seems insignificant; Nesta is kind of a bitch, but I do believe she loves Feyre.

Other than Tamlin and Feyre, I really like the characters and from that standpoint, I give it a 3.5 star rating. I’m hoping to see some major Feyre growth in the next book, although I don’t think my opinion will change with Tamlin.

Now for my major gripe with this book. SJM’s writing style. What editor let a manuscript go to print with that many em dashes and ellipses? It is EXCESSIVE! There is a minimum of one em dash on every page! Her use of ellipses is almost as bad. Is it really that hard to use a comma or a period or finish a thought? I know they are versatile punctuation marks, but use of punctuation should not effect the flow. Various writing styles normally don’t bother me but this was so over the top that I couldn’t help but notice. I felt like it was death by em dashes.

SJM also finds particular words or phases that she repeatedly uses over and over. As a nurse, talking about bowels doesn’t bother me, but I have no desire to read again and again how her bowels turned watery. She uses the terms “male” and “female” enough that I felt like I was back in biology class. There are other words. Man. Woman. Lady. Guy. The last word that stuck out to me was “inconstant.” It is just so awkward and it’s used again and again and again in the last quarter of the book.

All of this together drove me crazy. Enough so that I give the book 2 stars based on writing style. Put it all together and I give the book 3 stars. I like it enough to be starting the second book tonight, but it is far from the next great American novel, so to speak.

 

Any Thoughts?

Opinions on this series are pretty polarized. I am actually surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did. Did you love it or hate it? Why? Drop a comment below and we can discuss.

About The Author:

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Crescent City, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the Throne of Glass series. Her books have sold more than twelve million copies and are published in thirty-seven languages. A New York native, Sarah lives in Philadelphia with her husband, son, and dog. To find out more, visit sarahjmaas.com or follow @therealsjmaas on Instagram. 

 

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Title: American Gods

Author: Neil Gaiman

Narrator: Ron McLarty, Daniel Oreskes, full cast

Genre: Adult Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

I purchased this audiobook and chose to do an honest and unbiased review.  The author and HarperAudio neither requested nor are associated with this review.

Goodreads Description:

Days before his release from prison, Shadow's wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America.

Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, American Gods takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You'll be surprised by what - and who - it finds there...

 

 
Here's What I Thought: 

This was my first encounter with a Neil Gaiman book.  He is often revered and I was excited to read this book.  Especially since it strongly reminded me of The Library at Mount Char, which I loved. I purchased the 10th Anniversary full cast production version on Audible, thinking that having a full cast would give me the best experience, and that wasn't quite what I got.

This book was excruciating to say the least.  I have never been so bored in my life.  Seriously. People talk about how slow the Wheel of Time books are, but at least stuff happens to break up the slow parts. In American Gods, NOTHING HAPPENS! For like three fourths of the book, nothing happens.  Shadow and Mr. Wednesday drive somewhere talk with a god. Drive somewhere else, talk with another god.  Wednesday tells Shadow to lie low somewhere, then they take off again and talk to another God.  That's it.  That's all that happens. Driving and talking and sitting and waiting for 17 hours of this 19 hour audio book. Honestly, the parts I enjoyed most were when Shadow was lying low in Lakeside. I liked that little town, but maybe it's because I'm from the Midwest myself. 

I know the people that love this book really love this book and say it's about so much more than a road trip and the gods and Shadow. It's much deeper than that.  And yeah, that may be, but I was too bored to notice much beyond them driving back and forth across the country talking to people.  I am pretty sure I zoned out for most of this book, and yet so little happened, I was still able to know exactly what was going on. 

The one and only redeeming part of this book for me was the ending. Up until the end, I was set on a whopping one star.  The end, however, caught me by surprise (and no its not because I wasn't paying attention) with a big twist that did actually make me glad that I finished it as I was on the verge of DNF'ing, but felt like I already wasted 12 hours of my life, I have to finish it.  I truly did enjoy the ending and if the first chunk of the book could have been condensed into two hours worth of the audio book (you really could fit most of the book into two hours and still hit everything that happened) instead of 17, I probably would be giving this book 3 or 4 stars.  I enjoyed the ending that much.

Be that as it may, the book remains excruciatingly long and is tedious to get through.  Therefore, I give this book two stars.  I did go into this book knowing that it was one of Gaiman's more divisive books and you either loved it or hated it.  I was in the later.  I will not, however, let it deter me from reading other books by him as many who hate this book do, in fact, love his other books.  I feel the need to put a disclaimer here to take my review with a grain of salt.  As so many love this book and it is so divisive, you should try it for yourself before passing judgement for taking it off your TBR.

 

Any Thoughts?

Did you love it or hate it? Why? Drop a comment below and we can discuss.

About The Author:

 

I make things up and write them down. Which takes us from comics (like SANDMAN) to novels (like ANANSI BOYS and AMERICAN GODS) to short stories (some are collected in SMOKE AND MIRRORS) and to occasionally movies (like Dave McKean's MIRRORMASK or the NEVERWHERE TV series, or my own short film A SHORT FILM ABOUT JOHN BOLTON).

In my spare time I read and sleep and eat and try to keep the blog at www.neilgaiman.com more or less up to date.

Links: 

 https://www.neilgaiman.com/

Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo

Title: Midnight for Charlie Bone
Author: Jenny Nimmo
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

I purchased this ebook and chose to do an honest and unbiased review.  Jenny Nimmo and Orchard Books neither requested nor are associated with this review.

Goodreads Description:            

A magical fantasy that is fast-paced and easy-to-read. Charlie Bone has a special gift- he can hear people in photographs talking!

The fabulous powers of the Red King were passed down through his descendants, after turning up quite unexpectedly, in someone who had no idea where they came from. This is what happened to Charlie Bone, and to some of the children he met behind the grim, gray walls of Bloor's Academy.

His scheming aunts decide to send him to Bloor Academy, a school for geniuses where he uses his gifts to discover the truth despite all the dangers that lie ahead.

Here's What I Thought:

I frequently read YA and really enjoy a lot of those books.  I don't, however, normally read middle grade.  My reason for choosing to read this series is that the books were first released around the time that I would have read middle grade, but the series wasn't complete until I was well past reading this level of book.  I kept pondering the series and needed closure.  Hence, I will be throwing in a book or two of the series every now and then to find out how it all ends.

As I don't typically read middle grade, it's hard for me to fairly review it.  The plot was simplistic. The prose was clunky. Everything happened at a breakneck pace without much explanation of how we got from point A to point B. But as it's a middle grade book, this is exactly what I would expect.  The target age group doesn't have the attention span for a lot of detail. I mentioned in my review for The Dragon Reborn that I never use to have the patience for those lengthy descriptions and elaborations and it wasn't until I got much older that I truly had an appreciation for it. So these complaints make sense.

The other thing that I found myself doing that I just kind of think was funny was that I was identifying more with the adults and critiquing their reactions to children doing incredibly dangerous things.  Like, "Sure! There is nothing wrong with your 10 year old son running around town investigating an eight year old mystery of a stolen baby... That's totally legit parenting!" Or in Benjamin's case, "Yes, it's completely normal that you are pretty much living on your own at 10 years old because your parents seem to work literally 24/7." Needless to say, I did not have that reaction my first time reading this book when I was 11. This isn't so much an issue with the book itself, but just a note on how we really do grow up!

Despite these things, I really did enjoy the book. The magic system is interesting and I really wish it would take more of a center stage.  Those that are endowed with gifts are all descendants of the Red King, a magician with many talents--although his descendants only seem to inherit one gift. Charlie can hear photographs, Billy can talk to animals, Gabriel can feel emotions in clothes, Manfred can hypnotize, and so on. I think the concept of hearing pictures is so interesting because I really haven't seen it anywhere else.  I really hope that future books will expand on this magic system more. I also enjoyed the plot and solving the mystery of what happened to the baby that was traded for a suitcase.

I do think that there were several elements that were borrowed from other popular series such as Harry Potter. Bloor's Academy is essentially Hogwarts that allows muggles as long as they are geniuses. The Matron is a female version of Filch. Although Charlie does have his mother and nice grandmother, Grandma Bone and her sisters treat Charlie similar to how Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia treat Harry.  The only difference here is that Grandma Bone and her sisters treat Charlie like they do in the beginning because they believe him to be normal, whereas Harry is treated the way he is because he is not.  In both series, it boils down to the families not thinking Charlie or Harry are fit to be considered a member of the family (even after Charlie discovers he's endowed). I'm sure there are other similarities as well, but that's what I could think of off the top of my head and I am not trying to do an in-depth analysis.  So, there ya go! There are similarities between the two series. 

I give this book three stars because, although there are some elements that seem to be very Harry Potterish and it seems immature with a simplistic plot, it was exactly what I expected it to be with the bonus of an interesting magic system. And I did enjoy the story itself, as well. Take my review with a grain of salt as I don't normally read middle grade books.  I would recommend it as either a nostalgia read (us 90s babies seem to be all about the nastalgia don't we?) or as a book to read with your kids.

 

Any Thoughts?

What are your favorite nostalgia reads? Is there any book that you will be sure to read to your kids or future kids? I would love to hear what it is! Make sure to drop a comment below!          

About The Author:

Jenny Nimmo was born in Windsor, Berkshire, England and educated at boarding schools in Kent and Surrey from the age of six until the age of sixteen, when she ran away from school to become a drama student/assistant stage manager with Theater South East. She graduated and acted in repertory theater in various towns and cities: Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, Hastings, and Bexhill.

She left Britain to teach English to three Italian boys in Almafi, Italy. On her return, she joined the BBC, first as a picture researcher, then as an assistant floor manager, studio manager (news) then finally a director/adaptor with Jackanory (a BBC storytelling program for children). She left BBC to marry a Welsh artist David Wynn Millward and went to live in Wales in her husband's family home. They live in a very old converted watermill, and the river is constantly threatening to break in, as it has done several times in the past, most dramatically on her youngest child's first birthday. During the summer they run a residential school of art, and she has to move her office, put down tools (type-writer and pencil, and don an apron and cook! They have three grown-up children, Myfawny, Ianto, and Gwenwyfar.

 

Links:

 

http://www.jennynimmo.me.uk/

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

 Title: The Dragon Reborn
Author: Robert Jordan
Genre: High Fantasy

I purchased this ebook and chose to do an honest and unbiased review.  Tom Doherty Associates neither requested nor are associated with this review.

Goodreads Description:            

The Dragon Reborn—the leader long prophesied who will save the world, but in the saving destroy it; the savior who will run mad and kill all those dearest to him—is on the run from his destiny.

Able to touch the One Power, but unable to control it, and with no one to teach him how—for no man has done it in three thousand years—Rand al'Thor knows only that he must face the Dark One. But how?

Winter has stopped the war—almost—yet men are dying, calling out for the Dragon. But where is he?

Perrin Aybara is in pursuit with Moiraine Sedai, her Warder Lan, and Loial the Ogier. Bedeviled by dreams, Perrin is grappling with another deadly problem—how is he to escape the loss of his own humanity?

Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve are approaching Tar Valon, where Mat will be healed—if he lives until they arrive. But who will tell the Amyrlin their news—that the Black Ajah, long thought only a hideous rumor, is all too real? They cannot know that in Tar Valon far worse awaits...

Ahead, for all of them, in the Heart of the Stone, lies the next great test of the Dragon reborn....

Here's What I Thought:
I think these books just keep getting better! Seriously! I love this book more than the last two and I am so excited to start The Shadow Rising, but first I have a couple other books to read, sadly... (Not really, I'm excited to read those books too. There's just no Mat.)

My big complaint of The Great Hunt was there was so much Rand. Well, this book made up for that.  There was no more than a few appearances of our young Dragon, but they were definitely interesting to say the least. I don't think he has gone mad with the Power yet, but I think he may be teetering on the edge.

For this book, my big complaint is Perrin.  I loved Perrin in the first book. Even in the second book, I really liked him. He is just... I don't know... Solid, maybe? Plus the wolf thing is super cool, which is why he was so bad in this book.  Almost every single minute of his POVs was focused on first shutting out the wolves and then, when they weren't there, how lonely it was.  Pick a side man! You can't have it both ways.  Embrace and accept or shut it out and accept. Then, by the end of the book, when he wasn't fixated on shutting out the wolves, he was fixated on a certain "falcon" (who I wanted to throat punch, honestly.) Overall, he just fell out of rank as one of my favorite characters, which I was really disappointed about.

But...

I have a new favorite character.  In this book, I got my first POV from Mat.  My heart! Ugh, I do love that boy! I had to wait for his POV for about a third of the book, but it was worth the wait.  He is no longer tainted by that blasted dagger and he gets to show how amazing he is.  And what makes him even more amazing is that he doesn't see it at all. He sees himself as a selfish prankster because that how everyone else sees him.  But he's not! He is probably the most loyal friend our band of young would-be heroes have. His luck is also shaping up to be a very intriguing part of the magic system Jordan has been building. He has absolutely insane luck and it's definitely not natural. I hope there will be more light shed on it in the next book. Plus, he is really good with a stick. He puts Galad and Gwayne with their fancy swords in their place with nothing but a quarterstaff--one of the best scenes in the book, imo. I could go on and on about how great he is, but I won't.

Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne are still great, but they were very catty in this book.  I guess it's to be expected.  Egwene is no longer a child and Nynaeve doesn't accept that.  They did have some total kickass, girl power moments though, which was awesome.  Despite their cattiness, the thing that actually made me scream the loudest at them was how they treated Mat.  They don't deserve him as a friend. They just don't. 

I was also excited to see a few more interactions with Lan, Moiraine's Warder.  He doesn't speak often, but when he does, he has quick wit.  He is about the only one that not only talks back to Moiraine, but I'm okay with him talking back to Moiraine. Some of his comments to her had me dying of laughter and she would just be like, "Really?" Yes, Moirane. Really.  Lan might be bonded to her, but he ain't about to take any sh$!.

In this book, I finally got some solid encounters with the Aiel. They definitely deserve all the hype. They are not only fierce warriors, they have a super interesting culture.  I remember when I was younger, I hated lengthy descriptions. I was impatient and would internally scream, "I get it! Their clothes were... The setting is... They spoke like... Move on with it already!" As I have gotten older, however, I have really come to appreciate solid world building. At this point, I don't think many could beat Jordan at world building with his attention to detail and vast and diverse cultures. I'm excited to have more encounters with the Aiel, as well as other cultures that have yet to make an appearance. 

I hereby give this book four stars.  I absolutely loved it and I am now confident that this series will go down as one of my all time favorite series.  What held me back from giving it five stars was Perrin's non-stop internal monologue of "I can't give in to the wolves" to "It's so lonely without the wolves."  It really did become repetitive and detracted from not only his story, but his likeability.  He just seemed mopey and depressing. Now I'm off to start a Mat fan club! Not really, but that boy really does deserve one! Stay tuned for my next review for Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo.

Quote:
"I am no bloody hero."

            -Mat Cauthon              

About The Author:

Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the names Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.

Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served two tours in Vietnam (from 1968 to 1970) with the United States Army as a helicopter gunner. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. After returning from Vietnam he attended The Citadel where he received an undergraduate degree in physics. After graduating he was employed by the United States Navy as a nuclear engineer. He began writing in 1977. He was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.

He described himself as a "High Church" Episcopalian and received communion more than once a week. He lived with his wife Harriet McDougal, who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books; she was also Jordan's editor) in a house built in 1797.

Responding to queries on the similarity of some of the concepts in his Wheel of Time books with Freemasonry concepts, Jordan admitted that he was a Freemason. However, "like his father and grandfather," he preferred not to advertise, possibly because of the negative propaganda against Freemasonry. In his own words, "no man in this country should feel in danger because of his beliefs."

On March 23, 2006, Jordan disclosed in a statement that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis, and that with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years, though he said he intended to beat the statistics. He later posted on his Dragonmount blog to encourage his fans not to worry about him and that he intended to have a long and fully creative life.

He began chemotherapy treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in early April 2006. Jordan was enrolled in a study using the drug Revlimid just approved for multiple myeloma but not yet tested on primary amyloidosis.

Jordan died at approximately 2:45 p.m. EDT on September 16, 2007, and a funeral service was held for him on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. Jordan was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek, outside Charleston.