Gemma

Leviathan Wakes ???????????????Caliban's War ???????????????

I might possibly have a new favourite series!

The plot picks up a while after the first book ends and introduces a few new point of view characters along the way. I really loved the writing in this series so far, I find it a really exciting combination of description and plot. The additional points of view were hit and miss, but none were bad. I simply got attached to some characters more than others.

There is a cliffhanger in the final section of the book that has me dying for the next.

I think I can break down how I felt let down by this series into a few areas.

World building - This series was always pitched to me by a brief description of the magic in the world and I picked the series up based on that description. It always went something like this, “the magic in the world is based on the spectrum of visible light, and the Prism is the only man who can use the full spectrum”. That's enough for me to be interested, but not enough to read 1400 pages (across two books) and feel like I understand the world. The magic system in the first book was not explained clearly; and it really didn't help matters when the political system or ruling system was barely explained to boot. This left me feeling like I only knew the bare minimum to get by throughout this book.

Characters - Every character in this book feels like an over exaggerated caricature of some kind of trope or stereotype. I think that could be done well in books which are satirising the traditional epic fantasy tropes, but this series does not seem to be. Gavin is literally a religious icon, he is so gorgeous that every woman he encounters wants to shag/marry/have babies with him. He is smart, beloved and inspired loyalty in the empire that he possibly rules. I say possibly because, as I said in the world building section, the ruling system of this Empire really doesn't make sense. All the women are introduced by their relevance to Gavin's genitals.

Writing - The first book was the worst culprit for this, and the second made an improvement on the writing. However, although I had issues with the Night Angel trilogy, the writing in his debut trilogy was of a better quality than this series. My issues are mostly repetitive sentence structure, strange switches between 1st and 3rd POV and an odd balance between description and plot that didn't work for me.

All in all, a disappointment. I think I will complete the books I already own in this series and then move on from Brent Weeks as an author.

The second book in my re-read of the series. They are entertaining and great to read, especially as palate cleansers better longer or denser books.

I enjoyed this book but it didn't give me all the elements I felt were missing from the previous one so I'm dropping a star rating.

A Game of Thrones ???????????????A Clash of Kings ???????????????A Storm of Swords: (Part 1) Steel and Snow ???????????????A Storm of Swords: (Part 2) Blood and Gold ???????????????

I am so glad this book was split into two volumes in the UK because I had such incredibly different reading experiences with each volume. The first volume got a three star review from me which translated roughly into a slow moving book with insufficient plot to distract me from the repetitive nature of GRRM???s writing. I wouldn???t give any of the books in this series less than three however because they are of a decent quality when it comes to the technical aspects of writing and plotting.

As you can expect, this second volume really ramped up the plot. I checked, and events which occur in this volume span season three and four of the tv show. Plot points I did not remember or new ones that are ignored in the show have begun to show themselves and I am excited and ready for the next book.

Also this book completes my personal challenge of reading 50% of ASOIAF in 2018, as I was counting each volume individually.

I first read this series when I was in secondary school, a couple of friends and myself read the first two books pretty quickly and loved them. I think my fourteenth birthday party was watching the movie with those friends (we almost universally hated it) and I never got round to finishing the third book. At this point, there are four books in the series and a set of short stories due to be published. It's been around ten years since I read the series and I never finsihed it, so I decided I would begin a re-read to finally catch up.

Wow, my memory was exaggerating how good this first book was. I want to stress that the author wrote this book around the age I was when I read it, and I do feel that his age should be taken into account. Eragon as a book has not been fleshed out, and a lot of the story felt bare. There where time skips to get to the next plot relevant moment, and a lack of development in the setting or characters. Another reviewer pointed out the heavy influnces of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, which I can definately agree with. I would also like to highlight the audiobook, which is how I read it. The audiobook probably ruined a large chunk of my enjoyment as the narrator gave Saphira an inexplicable voice and made a small portion of the characters Welsh?? I would not reccomenf the audiobook.

I think the series gets better in the later books, and I will report back with reviews as I intend on finally finishing this series.

Feast for Crows is the fourth installment in this series, and I found it to be a strong book. If I was the type to give half stars it would be four and a half stars, and if I had read it when it was published after such a long wait I would have thrown it across the room in disgust at the afterword.

This book focuses on Kings Landing, and A Dance with Dragons focuses on the north and all of the other characters missed out in the fourth book. If I had realised that I might not have read the entirety of the fourth book before the fifth and split my time between the two evenly. The writing was great as ever, and I really enjoyed continuing on with characters we had become close to over the series. Some of the new characters bored me, but others were really enjoyable for me.

In particular, while Adrienne as a character doesn't interest me much, the role Dorne played in this book and some of the history which is revealed was incredibly interesting to me. I can't wait to see more of them. Similarly the Greyjoys are always a delight for me in any of the books, and their increased focus was a real treat.

The ending was a bit lackluster personally. I think the book might have been served better if the last two chapters had been switched around for a more devastating note to end on. However, I think this was because so many characters had shared the same or similar names that I completely forgot the significance of Pate the pig boy until I googled it at the end of the book. The similar names is one of my biggest issues with this series as it gets broader. A lot of significant hints are snuck into short moments to be referenced later, and because I lose track of all of the minor characters I don't benefit from those moments.

Highly recommend any fantasy fan to read this series. I cannot wait to complete the series in time for the next season of the show to air.

A Game of Thrones ???????????????A Clash of Kings ???????????????

This is the furthest I have made it through the series so far, and I enjoyed this book so much. I genuinely don't have any complaints. We got deeper into the plot, and explored deeper into the world and it was all great to read. I flew through the book.

One small note, I finished the book using my library because I could login and read from work (it's dead in the evenings). I have been putting off finishing the book because I was at 93% which would have left around 60 pages to go and I wanted to read it all in one sitting. Turns out the appendix and acknowledgements start at 94% and I could have finished it in work a week ago....

I think I will be quitting the cosmere. I like the idea of Sanderson books but his characters and humor are not to my taste and I find it makes me slumpy when I read these books. I still own Stormlight so I'll give that a last shot but likely won't continue past the ones I already own.

A fantastic teen fantasy novel about a young girl assuming the role set out for her in youth to follow in her father's footsteps.

I always enjoyed Garth Nix books in the past, but I was worried they wouldn't feel as compelling now I'm older. The novel was fast paced and very interesting, I only wish there had been more.

The third in my series of short reviews for A Series of Unfortunate Events. This one was fine, but over quickly and I would have liked more. I read these such a long time ago that my memory is fuzzy, but I think the later books get longer and more satisfying.

We are now at the point where I no longer remember the plot of the books at all because the film only covered the first three books. I'm looking forward to finishing this series this year.

Technically DNF @ 75%

I get that its probably considered sacrilege to actively dislike a Brando Sando book, but I can't lie about this one. Elantris is failed by such a strong reliance on the “I'm not like other girls” brand of feminism and unrealistic main characters.

We have two main characters: Sarene, the Princess of a neighbouring country who is betrothed to the Raoden, the Prince of Kae. Sarene travels from her home to marry the Prince who sadly is struck by the Shaod and must be sent into the city of Elantris where all the others cursed by Shaod magic have to live. Raoden immediately upon learning the new rules of life in Elantris decides to pick the city up by its bootstraps and turn this curse into a positive. He is relentlessly positive after being told he's essentially a zombie with no hope for a future. Also, every person he recruits to his cause to make Elantris great again seems to magically have the skills he needs. The one of those scenes goes:

Raoden: Hey, wanna join us?
Recruits: Yes, sounds good. What can we do for you?
Raoden: Well if only I had someone skilled enough to build a roof.......

The Cruel Prince ???????????????The Wicked King ???????????????

I read the sequel to The Cruel Prince immediately after finishing the first book in the series. I think that speaks volumes for how much I enjoyed this series as I finished both books within a few days of starting the series.

The Wicked King maintained the quality I found in the first book. The fae were still as tricky and cruel throughout the story, the plot kept on being complex and surprising, and I really enjoyed a lot of consequences from the first book coming to land in this one. Jude had gained power for herself over the course of the first book, and some of the trades she made to get herself this power helped her in the second one - but quite a few came back to bite her in the ass.

Another YA series I would highly reccomend, and the ending of the second book was fantastic!

Another solid entry into the Mortal Engines Quartet.

By the third book in the series, sixteen years have passed. Hester and Tom are in their thirties, and we focus on their daughter, Wren. I found Wren to be a really enjoyable character who combined some of the most enjoyable qualities of both her parents. The book remained a consistent pace to the previous one, and in terms of quality I felt it was equally as good.

Other reviews have touched upon it, so I will be brief, but Hester does not remain as lovable as she was as a child. In the earlier books, Hester was an understandable asshole who had redeemable qualities. She felt strongly for Tom, and that motivated her to make (mostly) good decisions. In this book, she is bizarrely jealous of her own daughter. It really screams of those stories of monster-in-laws who hate their daughter-in-law they are ‘loosing' their son to. It really didn't seem how I thought Hester would become, but hopefully book four may salvage her character.

Read for my IRL Bookclub.I don't really pick up historical fiction, so I was pushing myself out of my usual interests. I was completely wrapped up in the main relationship in the book (and I loved discussing it with my book club).

I have remembered this series for years, and finally decided I wanted to re-read it this year.

The plot focuses on the war between the Guard and the Order of Chaos, as the Order try to create chaos by changing history. Our main character has been training with the Guard since he was a young boy and has finally graduated to become a trainer himself. To his dismay, his pupil is his ex-best friend's annoying younger sister.

This first book was a pleasant surprise, as it had more depth and detail than I expected. I also enjoyed the mixture of adult and teen heroes working together. Over the next few books, I expect the plot to develop further and become more complicated.

I really really enjoyed the second book!

The humour is dry and well balanced. The additional characters added in to expand the plot kept things fresh and Kitty was a great focus point.

I feel like the plot is fairly well wrapped up, so I???m curious to see what book three has in store for me.

Another nice re-read from childhood. It felt a bit lacking in character development (some aspects of side characters where just dropped from thin air), but the plot is interesting.

At the very least, every British person knows of the Hitchhiker???s Guide. Adapted from a radio play, this book is one of the best representations of British humour I???ve ever read. Douglas Adams has created an expansive world with only a few hundred pages and managed to set up an engaging cast of characters to boot.

Arthur Dent wants peace and quiet, a cuppa and to enjoy an unremarkable Thursday by himself. That whole plan goes out the window when he discovers the local council plans to bulldoze his house to make way for a city bypass ??? and his whole week is ruined when he discovers that an alien species plans to destroy Earth to create a hyperspace bypass.

If you have only watched the film of the book, I would urge you to pick this up. The film changes a few plot points and I personally feel like the book is a much better experience. If you enjoyed Monty Python, Fawlty Towers or other classic comedies; I really recommend this book!

This is a complicated review to write. I cannot, in any possible way - no matter how small, say that this is a bad book. It is written so well that at parts I had to stop and think about it. The characters feel real, fleshed out and like defined people.

It's really the type of book I'd expect from Jonathan Dee, whose list of achievements feels too long to list. I devoured this book in multiple, massive sessions. The prologue for me was boring and felt like a struggle to get through. I couldn't reconcile the nameless narrator with the descriptions of the two men on the blurb, and I certainly did not like him. While that last point turned out to be a recurring theme throughout the book, the prologue is a brief low point that with hindsight was a good opening chapter.

This is not a book about the growth of one person, or the journey people go on. It's a deep look at the ways different people can be selfish for all of the different reasons they can be selfish. In certain cases, a seemingly selfless act has selfish consequences. I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would and I think it was down to the outstanding portrayal of the characters. They had flaws that felt human and understandable - I even felt like I recognised characters from my own life in the novel.

I strongly recommend this book if it interests you. Even if its out of your usual reading selections (it was very far out of my usual choices).

When it comes to this series so far, I adore the books while I'm reading them and have no interest in picking them up otherwise. For me this makes a difficult book to rate.

The writing is more like poetry than any other book that I have read. It is this quality that gives the book such a vivid atmosphere and strong characterisation. The audiobook was a fantastic addition to my reading experience as it added to the atmosphere that the book built and kept me immersed in the story.

While I found the first book to be a little slow, the pace of the second book kept increasing until the finale kept me on the edge of my seat.

I would really recommend this series.

3.5 stars

When I picked up The Roanoke Girls, I was in a rut with many aspects of like. Particularly reading, as I was completely failing my reading challenge and couldn't seem to finish any book I picked up.

The Roanoke Girls is a compelling, creepy read that is different to the thrillers I've read before. In a refreshingly new take on a mystery novel, I both knew the creepy twists that were coming and simultaneously was desperate to find out more.

If that doesn't intrigue you, I finished the book in under 2 hours.

I picked up The Essex Serpent in an effort to start reading more literary works. That effort paid off, and the habit persisted even if the original book did not. I began this novel in early January and am finally calling it quits in July at 70%.

There is nothing to fault with the novel itself. The characters, setting and relationships are all interesting and I genuinely enjoyed reading the book every time I picked it up. The brush of the unknown, magical elements within the story really improved the concept. I'm giving the book a solid four stars due to how much I enjoyed the book when I originally started it. However, after having left it for so long the plot was hard to remember and my interest in the book have faded, so it remains an unfinished four stars. I have every belief that a reread will be a successful four or five stars.

Sharp Objects is my first Gillian Flynn novel, but not my fist experience of her work. I watched Gone Girl and was hopelessly confused. Not by the plot, but I had read a review before seeing the film that desibed it as a feminist work of art. After seeing the film I had to conclude it was one of the greater thrillers I'd seen, but that blogpost about its feminist contributions must have been satire.

I read Sharp Objects for my bookclub, on my suggestion. I was expecting a typical detective style thriller where the big twist was that the reporter we were following was much more closely connected to the story that we expected. A lot of thrillers follow this pattern, but I really wasn't expecting the twists and flavour that Flynn put on that storyline. The plot took such a rapid increase in tension towards the end of the book that I flew through the pages. The story was captivating and horrifying; I almost didn't believe the ending once I had read it.

For this book, I would have to say that while I enjoyed the reading experience I would have preffered a longer book. I think that some of the plot elements would have benefitted from more time before the reveal, and that Flynn's writing was so gripping that I could have easily read double that pagecount. I'd like to go on to read all of her stories, especially as I hear so many great things said about her as an author.

I genuinely loved this book for many different reasons. Firstly, I know the history of how the States came to be (a little), but the specifics of it all isn't something I'm familiar with. I really enjoyed and appreciated a closer look into the life, and variations of a life, you might expect living in different states in that time period. I love the closeness we feel to Cora, in fact, I found her to be an endearing character. I really resonated with her struggle with her relationship with her mother, the sudden moments of anger she felt and admired how human she felt at times.

Similarly, the book struck a really strong emotional chord with me throughout. I really feel like this book was the one that made me feel the most this year.

This is the first book in a long series which currently has five books out. I have collected the first four books in paperback since I was gifted the first by a friend when I was 16. I have read Weeks first trilogy, and loved the first book. The other two had disappointed me for different reasons, but there were a few common threads. I found the women to be ridiculous caricatures whose plot seemed to revolve around their potential for sex. This was one of the most upsetting parts about the original trilogy for me, because I feel fixing that issue would have massively improved the series for me.

Unfortunately, Lightbringer has started with the same issues as far as I can tell. There are a similar amount of women to men in this series, so I am not trying to imply that women aren't present. The issue I find with this series is that 3/4 women who are properly present in the plot are only relevant due to their connection to the Prism. Particularly, due to how much he wants them, or doesn't want them. There is the lover scorned years ago, kept apart by secrets that cannot be divulged. This character is described as incredibly capable and has a position in an elite force. But the character is treated with sexist jokes I would expect from a 70s sitcom. Another character is literally a sex slave.

The red stepped forward, pulled off her mask, and stepped out of her robe. She was young, athletic, beautiful, and also naked. Kip???s eyes widened. He tried to hold them to her face. Somber ceremony, Kip. Orholam???s watching, Kip. Straight to hell, Kip. p. 321

I think the idea I'm trying to paint here is clear, so I will move on.

Another problem I found with the book was the writing. In the author's debut series I found the writing to be enjoyable, and I don't remember noticing anything otherwise. In this series the sentences are short; blunt and the structure of the sentences feels particularly repetitive. I think the audiobook was possibly exacerbating this issue, so it possibly was just my reading experience. Also, characters would occasionally express a thought in first person without any indication; italics, quotation marks or any another punctuation. I thought this was poorly done as was a jarring change from the third person narrative.

It is also worth noting that one of the main characters is fat, and about 2/3 scenes he is in reference his weight actively. It seems ridiculous, I know more about this kid's weight than anything else about him. He barely has a backstory or a personality. It is fair so say that the terrible characterisation of women and this main character isn't special, because I don't really feel any if the characters have any characterisation that isn't directly related to the plot. We know a lot about one of the MC's backstory because the plot needed us to, but we don't know much else.

The magic system of the book was the most exciting thing about the book as I began it. It remains the most interesting part of this book, but it isn't really compelling me as much as I thought it would. I will be continuing on with this series as I have been gifted the books over the years, but I felt really disappointed by this book. A lot of reviewers are very positive of this book and mention it improves upon the Night Angel trilogy. I disagree and think the Night Angel (while it has problems) is done better, but it could be that later books will change my mind.