Review: The Frontiersman's Daughter

The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I'm not sure what I think of this book. I enjoyed the frontier setting. There's plenty of detail to make you feel like you're there, and this is one time period it's hard to find good books about once you've read the Little House books.

Maybe I'm missing something (if I am, please tell me!), but a lot of the books set in the American frontier are 'inspirational', which often means written with a religious message instead of just for the enjoyment of the reader. The 'moral lesson' type of book can hamper my overall enjoyment at times, since that's not what I'm reading for. This is one of those, which is one reason I'm not sure I really liked it.

It's quite a long book, and really has three sections. The first is while Lael is a girl living on the frontier with her family. Then it goes off to the East coast with Lael being in school there for a while, and then back to the frontier with her as a young woman.

This felt a little disjointed to me, especially because Lael doesn't seem to know her own mind and is in love with enough men throughout that you're really not sure who she'll end up with (or who you want her to). The 'inspirational' part of the story influences the ending a great deal, since it starts to get quite preachy towards the end, and I'm not totally convinced or completely satisfied with the ending because of this.

I'm rambling, but that tells you how ambivalent I am about this book. Yes, it was ok. Yes, it annoyed me at times, and I found some of the plot to be contrived due to the inspirational motivation for the book. And yes, I did mostly enjoy it, I think, mainly because of the setting.



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Review: The Last Unicorn

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I read this mainly because I've heard it's a fantasy classic, and felt I should. It was indeed magical, and read like a true fairytale with a unicorn and other mythical creatures, a noble prince with quests, a wizard, and an evil king. I can see why it's a classic.

I'm only giving it 3 stars, though, because the emotional connection and immediateness of more modern fantasy isn't there, and it felt like watching the story from afar. The characters definitely felt emotions. Intellectually, I know they felt danger, love, hope, and despair. But I didn't feel involved or really invested in the characters myself. So based on pure reading experience, it's only a 3, but with recognition that it's still a really great classic fairytale.



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Review: Avempartha

Avempartha by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This wasn't quite as fun as the first one, as it's taken a turn for the darker. It's still very enjoyable, but it feels more like a warm-up for the next book - which I think I'm going to have to start right away. Much is left hanging at the end, and my curiosity is piqued!

There's more magic here than in the first, more tantalizing hints about the elves, and more involvement with dwarves and wizards, all of which made me happy. I am glad the main focus was with the thieves again, but with enough intrigue from the scheming Church of Nyphron to keep me wondering - and hoping that the underdogs will prevail. There's so much potential here, I can't wait to see how it develops.

Onward!



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Review: Arabella

Arabella by Georgette Heyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This is one of my favorites from Heyer so far. At the beginning, I was afraid this was going to be one of those big-misunderstanding-driven plots, but there was no such discomfort to endure in spite of the scrapes that Arabella gets herself into. It's purely fun, full of humor and indulgence. I believe the best character is the dog, and love the relationship between him and his owner.

Don't expect the most intricate of plots, however. I believe I still enjoyed Regency Buck more because there's that little bit of mystery and danger to spice it up. But I really liked the main characters in Arabella and enjoyed every minute of their interactions.



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Before They Are Hanged - Joe Abercrombie

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

There was plenty of action in Before They Are Hanged, at least in part 2. Part 1 was kind of slow at times. But whether it was full of bloody, bone-snapping action or not, I found it dragged for me most of the time. I skimmed, I took breaks to read other books and came back, and then I finally forced myself to make it through and be done with it.

I could somewhat appreciate the first book of this series, even though it wasn't really my cup of tea. But this second book was all grit and toiling, and everything going badly for pretty much everyone. I can't think of a single sliver of positive. Any hope that you might be foolish enough to feel is systematically squashed (although I didn't hope anyway because it was too bleak for me to feel anything).

It's too much for me. I can't continue. I don't even care what happens in the end anymore. All I feel is relief that I don't have to read it anymore, and some perverse satisfaction that I didn't quit and leave myself another 'didn't finish', which I hate doing. Unfortunately, I don't feel that perseverance paid off this time. The end really wasn't worth it to me.

I can recognize the value of this type of fantasy existing - the gritty, dark, realistic sort that at least offers a fresh approach for readers who are tired of the classic heroic style. I personally prefer the classic heroic style, though. I haven't tired of the good vs. evil, farm-boy becomes hero type of plot yet. I don't worry about it being repetitive because there's always something new about the world or the magic system or the characters. Those are a great escape. This is not. I will be cautious in the future about reading anything with the world 'gritty' in the description. This is not a sub-genre that I can dig into.

Review: The Snow Queen

The Snow Queen by Mercedes Lackey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I had seen lower ratings on this than on previous books in the series, so was a little worried that it wouldn't be as fun as the others were. I think I know where those were coming from, though. There's hardly any romance at all, and that was always a large part in the past. I believe it's a positive difference here, though. A romance honestly didn't fit anywhere, and Lackey didn't force the issue, so I respect her more for leaving it out.

Beyond that, this was a fantastic retelling of the Snow Queen in the context of the 'Godmother' kingdoms. Aleksia is a Godmother who takes on the role of the Snow Queen as part of her 'Tradition' magic management. I loved that this story went back to the nuts and bolts of being a Godmother.

But rather than just reiterating the devices of the first two books (the 3rd was a little different), Lackey takes this one in a new direction. There is a second storyline outside of the tradition, and it's a really great parallel to the Traditional story going on. Lackey manages to keep the story fresh this way. Very enjoyable! Highly recommended to pure escapist fluff happy ending fairytale fantasy fans.



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