Gautam Surath
For a first book Cameron does a great job of story telling. The world building is compelling and the magic system is adequate though not very well explained. What I found different is the depth that he managed to impart into characters that had minor to no roles in the overall arch of the story line. It really does make the world come alive. If there was any downside it was in the over descriptive nature of the writing. It makes it tough to read in parts in some ways similar to reading a Stephen King book. But let that not take away from this fantastic effort for a first book. Onwards
This is my second attempt at Miles books and I did not finish this one either. The first was The Red Knight I believe. There must be something about his writing style that just does not suit will with me. It's erratic and the place extremely slow. Like I finished 50% and there was no noticable progress in the plot while at the same time to many characters added. That's as far as I go on this journey.
So we finally reach the end of the the journey and Sebastien does not disappoint. There is always another trick till there is none. All in all superb world building, fairly intricate plots and sub plots and some really memorable side roles. The reunion we have been waiting for arrives and it ticks all the boxes. Sebastien sets the standard and I expect a lot more to come in the future.
Wow! Wow! Wow! James Islington take a bow. A series closure for the ages. Could not have hoped for better. We come a full circle and as is to be expected with time travel plots, this gets pretty complicated. But James comes out of it with great finesse and Zvealar is a fantastic introduction in solving some of the confusion. But the last 20 pages are just mind blowing and cap off what has been a superbly paced tale. Its probably too late but be warned that you should have revised book 2 before you read this one! What a way to end the year
This series was rated even higher than Murderbot so I had high hopes from it I guess. What does come across very clearly is that Martha excels at world building and first book of Raksura surely does not disappoint in this regards. But for me it misses the emotional spectrum completely. You never really develop a relationship with moon and so the whole book feels like a third party narrative of fact. Given its highly rated maybe not my cup of tea
When I heard lift had a whole book to herself, I just could not wait to get my hands on it. Its a character you can see Brandon went to town with and the town was really pretty. And this story did not disappoint in the least. We journey through a couple of Kingdoms and meet some characters old and new. Probably the best character we meet though is her Spren and you can see why they are so matched. The humor which is becoming a large part of Sanderson's repertoire is the highlight in this book and suitably so. And just so that you don't think its frivolous, he caps it off with the Words chosen by Lift. Onwards!
Phew! Now that was a long read and that is a complement to Peter. If you can get a reader to slog through 800 odd pages without putting a book down you must be doing something wrong. And this despite not having a very complex world or story line. The tale just comes alive in the telling and its the everyday progress of the characters that keeps you engaged resulting in the story not slowing down at any point. The book really comes alive in the last 50 pages and it manages to deliver some goose bump moments at the end. If you plan to lie in bed or a beach for a week without a care in the world, this is your companion.
Evan Winter does a great job at story telling and builds a strong world with a nice magic system. Tau is a nicely crafted if character and his development is fairly interesting to follow. His friends while given some pages never really form a strong support cast. The strongest component of the book is the magic system which is fairly unique in that magic is invested through others and dragons are a part of that system. However, I am unlikely to move further into the series as I never developed a bond with Tau. It feels like a very emotionless journey as you follow him and in the end you are left unsatisfied. ‘Would still recommend it as a worthy read as it may be more up your alley than mine.
I can understand why this has got such high ratings given the way Paul ends the story. Truly inspiring and every Batman fanboy must have loved this take on the role of Batman in someones life. However, there were a couple of times I found myself skipping through the pages to get to the better parts and in that lies the reason for a 3 star rating. All in all a must read for Batman fans but missing something which I cannot identify
This was a good break from regular fantasy. Don't get me wrong this still has world building and a fascinating world it is too. Its still got some interesting magic and some strange worlds. But lets not any of that sidetrack us from the main focus of the book that are its characters. Senlin itself is very well written but I was amazed that Bancroft was able to craft his wife so nicely that the whole premise of the book does not seem stretched. So go ahead and read through the pages and enjoy a relaxed ride up the tower of a totally different kind
Wow! That was a ride. What a ride! Sam has probably given me the read of this year and it was an amazing experience sharing the seat with Sal the Cacophony. Sam Sykes delivers a character to cherish and the story telling is top class. We come across a range of characters who grow on you slowly and if you are looking for a flawed character who has seven shades of black then this could have been the alternate title. And while the cast takes center stage lets not take anything away from the settings where all the action happens and the history on how they were created. All in all highly recommended and can't wait for the next in line!
I have ever only read one book by Neil Gaimen before and that was American Gods. It was pretty good but just not my kind of book. I could see then though that Neil was a true story teller. Nothing could have stregthened this belief more than this book. The short stories interweaved with smaller stories leave you wanting more on every step and its almost impossible to stop with Volume One. While Sandman may be the key protagonist, this journey is so much more. It has some great characters and some really likable interludes. One of the best I have read this year for sure. Onwards!
Another book that was a major let down from the expectations set by the blurb. The concept had so much potential that I was really taken in for the first 200 pages. Once the mystery is revealed, it was an utter disappointment. Without spoilers, all I can say it it really needed to be more thought out. But its still pretty quick and has its twists, so go ahead and read it if you are looking for answers to the unexplained. Just don't be too unhappy when you find them!
As nice as this saga has been I do wish to see its conclusion now. It's been woven over the 5 books so well that I can't wait to see how Sebastien is going to resolve the conflicts. But it should not take away from how well written this series continues to be. This story line appears to be a detour but a good one. The continued development of his relationship with his sister and his new relationship with the queen make a nice sub context. But lets cut to the chase shall we!
If you are in the mood for a fast read this one will meet all your requirements. There is a surprisingly good plot, couple of memorable protagonists and a fair amount of action. Get on your flight, start reading and be surprised that you have landed. That's the gist I guess. And no you will not remenber the name of the book or author when you put it away
There is a lot to like about this series. It sets up well, the world is not very complicated and the ingredients of what should be a page turner all exist. For some reason though I really struggled to get through it. The plot plods along at most times and at some it does not even do that. Too many POV's and characters also make it a difficult to pick up easily. In the end I am not very keen to pick up the next installment. If I do its just to see what this is such a high rated series.
Its a nice touch to give the Grim Knight a separate arc. He is an intriguing character and reminder to us about what the principles of Batman stand for. However, we must say that he has been successful where the Bat has failed and in his world ended up doing much more good than the Bat. Maybe there is a parallel series here? Onwards