Kristen
Carol Berg is one of my favorite fantasy authors, and although I didn't love it quite as much as the first half of this duology, Ash and Silver was a satisfying conclusion. Though there were some interesting parts in the beginning, it took a little while for this one to completely pull me in–but once it did get going, I couldn't put it down! The characters, world, and the exploration of memory were all well done and made this a memorable read: one of my favorites released in 2015.
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/02/mini-review-ash-and-silver-by-carol-berg/
Sana Takeda's artwork is absolutely stunning. It's hard to assess the story from the first issue since it's an introduction and not that long, but I am really curious about Maika's past and her connection to the monster. I'd like to read the collection containing the first six issues that is coming out later this month.
Full (But Still Brief) Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/07/mini-reviews-monstress-1-kingfisher-and-golden-son/
Reread in July 2016.
The Winter Long is entertaining, but I didn't think it was as good as most other books in this series. The big revelations in it were not as major as those in Late Eclipses, and potential obstacles are overcome much too easily (although I do keep wondering if I'm being lulled into feeling a false sense of security before everything bad in the universe happens in a later book). It was enjoyable and fun to read, but I didn't find it as memorable as earlier books in the series.
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/01/mini-review-the-winter-long-by-seanan-mcguire/
Warchild remains my favorite of the three Warchild books, but this one is also excellent and my next favorite after that one. It's the most raw and character-driven of the books so far, and Yuri is an interesting character to follow. I am beyond excited that a fourth Warchild book, The Warboy, is in progress.
4 1/2 stars - Loved it
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/11/sci-fi-month-review-of-cagebird-by-karin-lowachee/
N. K. Jemisin is a phenomenal writer, and I've been a fan of her work since reading her debut novel The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Although I didn't love The Fifth Season as much as most of her other books I've read, I thought it was brilliantly done. The writing is amazing, the characters complex, and the world unique. However, it did seem to be setting up the following books in the trilogy and sometimes the pacing was slower than I would have liked so I didn't find it quite as gripping as some of her other novels.
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/03/mini-review-the-fifth-season-by-n-k-jemisin/
In Midnight's Silence, a dark fantasy novella set in Barcelona, Spain in the 1930s, is an intriguing beginning to a new series. It's very much about the choices of the main character, who is complex and multi-dimensional. The world is also compelling, particularly the angels who are not at all angelic! While I did find parts of the beginning slow, I enjoyed it overall and am looking forward to finding out what happens next in Without Light or Guide (coming November 3)!
3 1/2 stars (liked it)
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/10/review-of-in-midnights-silence-by-t-frohock/
Once in awhile, I read a book that I appreciate immensely yet do not enjoy reading immensely. Objectively, I admire its wonderful qualities, yet it???s missing that special spark that keeps me eagerly turning the pages. Sorcerer to the Crown is one of those books, and I'm rather mystified as to why I didn't love it because there is much that is really well done.
Complete Mini Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/11/mini-review-of-sorcerer-to-the-crown-by-zen-cho/
Despite being a momentous book in the series, I was disappointed in the last book, but this one had more of the great dialogue, narrative, and mythology that I love about this series. However, I do think the characters are starting to seem static, and I do wish that potential obstacles for the characters were not so easily removed. 7.5/10
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/10/review-of-magic-shifts-by-ilona-andrews/
I almost didn't finish reading Truthwitch because I didn't enjoy reading the first quarter of it at all. Although it did get better, I didn't find the world or characters particularly compelling, and I was actually more interested in learning about characters other than the main characters. I went back and forth on my rating because later parts did keep me reading even if I didn't love it, but I ended up deciding on “it's okay” since I wasn't particularly impressed by anything about it.
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/01/mini-review-truthwitch-by-susan-dennard/
This Gulf of Time and Stars was my first Clan Chronicles book. It took a little bit of time for me to get into, mostly because a lot of the humorous scenes toward the beginning didn't mesh with my own sense of humor but also because I didn't understand a few things early on due to not having read previous books. However, it made more sense later and I did enjoy it–and now I do want to both read the earlier books and find out what happens next!
7/10 - Liked it
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/11/sci-fi-month-review-of-this-gulf-of-time-and-stars-by-julie-e-czerneda/
This collection contains 21 short stories, novelettes, and novellas; an introduction by the author; and an afterword written by the author following each story. Nancy Kress selected her own favorites from her work, although she wasn't able to include a couple of her favorite novellas due to length. It's a wonderful collection of stories, I am in awe of the amount of intriguing ideas and characterization Nancy Kress can pack into a short story!
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/09/review-of-the-best-of-nancy-kress/
The first book in this trilogy, Radiant, was an impressive debut novel and a very unique book. Like the first book, Defiant had too much narrative at times, but I enjoyed it just as much as the previous book. While I found the first book more memorable, I found this one more compulsively readable so it evened out in the end. I especially loved that Defiant delved more into the fascinating world the author has created.
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/09/review-of-defiant-by-karina-sumner-smith/
This collection contains four short stories, three set between Black Dog and Pure Magic and one set before both books. There is also an essay on genetics in general and one on how genetics impact the world.
The stories were enjoyable, but the only one that really stuck with me was the prequel. However, I did appreciate the collection more after I'd read all the stories and was able to reflect on all of them, particularly how they did work together to characterize Grayson.
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/08/review-of-black-dog-short-stories-by-rachel-neumeier/
I loved Fool's Assassin but I LOVED Fool's Quest and found it immensely satisfying as a long time reader of these books. It's been a long time since I enjoyed a book this much (I believe the last book I found this compelling was Karin Lowachee's Warchild, which I read nearly 2 years ago).
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/08/mini-review-of-fools-quest-by-robin-hobb/
Robin Hobb is one of my favorite fantasy writers, and I was incredibly happy when I first heard the news that she was writing more about the two characters in this trilogy title. While this was a slower book that spent a lot of time setting up the rest of the trilogy, I loved every moment of it even before Exciting Things happened at the end. I am in awe of Robin Hobb???s ability to make me care about her characters so much that I want to read everything about them whether they're involved in interesting events or just going about their everyday lives at home.
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/08/mini-review-of-fools-assassin-by-robin-hobb/
I waffled between a 2 1/2 (it's okay) and a 3 (liked it with reservations) with this one but ended up settling on 2 1/2 after much thought and some rereading. The beginning was tedious, but later parts of the book were better and even fun, though I was never excited about reading it. There's potential, but I thought the execution could have been much better.
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/07/mini-review-of-darkwalker-by-e-l-tettensor/
This debut novel about a spy who collects books from alternate worlds for the Library, an organization that exists outside time and space, is so much fun. I was very glad to see the announcement today that it will be released in the US next year!
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/07/review-of-the-invisible-library-by-genevieve-cogman/
