Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I am a hoarder of pleasure. If you looked at my house, you wouldn't know it because I don't really keep a lot of things, but what I do have I like to savor, and I always save the best for later. When I was a kid, I saved my chocolates at Easter and Christmas so long that my brother and sister started begging me to share. When I eat a meal, I always leave some of my favorite food until the end. And with books, I store up potential treasure-troves rather than reading them right away. I suppose I'm like a dragon with its hoard, happy to think about what's in store and afraid of using it up.

But there are a few anticipated times every year when I let myself indulge in some of the saved-up treats. Times when I know I'll have an entire day I can bum around without guilt and just read myself into oblivion. Thanksgiving break is one of them, and yesterday (Wednesday), after a couple false starts, I settled on reading The Girl of Fire and Thorns.

This was a real treat. It was easy to get into, the high fantasy world atmosphere was the kind I love to sink into, and the pace was just right for a day when I didn't have to stop reading. It had action and intrigue, and Elisa was a girl who really grew and changed throughout the book. I thought I knew where it was going with the romance a couple times, and was surprised at what actually happened. So it's not totally cliche - something to make me happy anytime I read a novel with a romance aspect. Now I'm not sure what's going to happen in the sequel, which I've already moved onto.

I've seen some other reviews that mention some flaws, like a lack of depth in knowing the characters and the relationships between them. I agree, and it's one reason I'm not giving 5 stars. I feel like there was potential for me to be more emotionally involved.

Another tiny thing that holds me back from a 5 star rating relates to how Elisa uses the stone in her navel, especially during the last fight. This scene was just a little too comical to imagine and took me out of the seriousness of the moment. Really, this was not a good mental image for a life-or-death battle.

Still, this had just about everything I enjoy in a fantasy while not being so serious and complex that it took me 200 pages to get into it.



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Review: Murder In the North End

Murder In the North End by P.B. Ryan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I should not start these books halfway through the evening, since apparently I have to read them in one sitting. I stayed up way too late last night eating this up. A good mystery with a couple false paths and one of my favorite sleuth partnerships.



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Review: Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story

Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story by Diane Setterfield

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I got about a third of the way through, and it was just too much of a struggle to carry on. I struggled to get through the Thirteenth Tale when I read it as well, but I thought it was maybe just my frame of mind while I was reading it. I don't think so - I think I'm just not a fan. And I liked the Thirteenth Tale better than this one so far.

The thing is, Setterfield's books sound like ones that I would like. Some historical fiction with family secrets, mysteries, and a bit of the paranormal. But something in the way they're written - they're actually not my sort of book. I can't put my finger on what it is. For this one in particular, there are too many people who have died already, and I don't believe the 'tragic' events from the synopsis have properly started yet. The overall feel is going from bad to worse. All the while I'm actually kind of bored. And I don't want to stay with it.

I have too many other books on my to-read list to get stuck in one that I have to force myself to read. So I'm not. I'm sure there are lots of other people who will love this book for the same reasons I don't.

**Received free arc for review.

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Review: The Sleeping Beauty

The Sleeping Beauty by Mercedes Lackey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I really enjoy the ways that Lackey finds to mash up fairytales and come out with a unique tale that works. I love the idea that fairytales are forced on people's lives by the Tradition and the Fairy Godmothers' job is to harness the extra magic and save people from their less desirable fates by forcing the nicer Traditional paths wherever they can. It lets you laugh at the traditional tales and enjoy the magical wonder of them without simply repeating what's been done before. This series is really humorous high fantasy set in a world where fairytales are a danger to people leading their ordinarily magical lives.

I turn to these books when I need something light and entertaining and that doesn't take itself seriously. As with the previous books in the series, Sleeping Beauty was what I needed - humorous, tongue-in-cheek, fluffy, and really quite silly. This might have been one of the sillier ones, in fact. I loved it for that.

It was more of a hodgepodge than the others so far, with an entire magical kingdom full to the brim with Traditional magic. It's not really a Sleeping Beauty tale, although there are bits and pieces of it in there. It's a mish-mash full of Heroes, challenges for the hand of a princess, seven dwarves, a huntsman, dragons, curses, unicorns, talking animals… the list goes on. How the Godmother Lily manages it all is a feat indeed.

There is a sweet romance, but it is not really the focus even though the goal is to win the hand of the princess. I saw another reviewer mention that the story focused more on developing a bromance, and I agree. It was more about the friendship between two of the suitors and the scheming of the Godmother than about the princess herself. It's also a romance without any explicit scenes, which I am thankful for since the first book in the series was a bit more detailed than what I usually like to read.

I do have to mention that in spite of all these magical events, it was still a bit slow in places. And although I found the hodgepodge of fairytales amusing, they made it feel choppy at times. Some of the solutions were a little too coincidental, because you can always throw in another part of a fairytale to fill a need that arises. Not that this prevented me from being entertained, but it's not for everyone.



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Review: A Spear of Summer Grass

A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I became a fan of Deanna Raybourn through her Lady Julia series (and am desperately hoping there are more full length novels coming in that series!). I picked up A Spear of Summer Grass knowing from reviews that it's nothing like the Lady Julia books and hoping I would love it anyway. I believe the mark of a good author is that they can write books that don't feel like clones of each other, or like attempts to recapture a magic that has succeeded before.

In this book, Raybourn accomplishes a completely new work. A Spear of Summer Grass has its own distinct purpose and feeling, almost like it was written by someone else. I was impressed that this colonial Africa felt completely alive to me, just as Victorian London is brought to life in Raybourn's other books.

The setting is Kenya in the 1920s. It's a brutal, vivid landscape. Delilah is a woman with scandalous moral views - she has had multiple husbands and lovers, and takes multiple lovers in this book. It's much more adult in that way, and I had a hard time liking Delilah because of her casual approach to such affairs. She is consistent, however, and she also grows up during her time in Africa. She encounters dangers of the wild and dangers caused by politics of white people in power. I really enjoyed her interactions with the Masai, and Delilah finally won me over with her independence, her views and actions on equality, and ultimately her selflessness.

Raybourn has demonstrated her ability to bring setting and characters to life in more than one flavor, and I admire her for it. Did I love it as much as Lady Julia? No. I've never been very interested in the 1920s as a setting - but she drew me into it anyway.



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Review: The Book of Lost Fragrances

The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



First of all, I hate it when I think there are 50 pages to go and it ends up being a Glossary. I turn the page and - oh no, that was the end! It totally messes up the level of commitment left over.

In spite of feeling like there should be more, this was an evocative, sensuous read. Looking back, I would rate the suspense story as a 3, but the language was thick with such vivid scenes that I felt it was more as I was reading. From the mouth-watering scent of Parisian bakeries to the stench of death in the catacombs, the descriptions are lush.

It is full of scents and elusive memories, echoes of past times and lost loves. Coupled with the mystical experiences of scent and memory, the modern-day struggles of the Tibetans and their reincarnated lamas become much more than political. The mystery and intrigues surrounding an ancient Egyptian artifact coalesce in Paris, a city with layers of history. This is a mesmerizing tale of suspense brought to life by the intricacies of perfume.



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Review: Venetia

Venetia by Georgette Heyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This lighthearted historical romance is just the escape I needed after an intense week. Venetia is a young woman who doesn't understand the fuss about propriety, and enjoys her independence. Damerel is a notorious rake who takes advantage of her seeming naivete. Combined they are full of laughter in a world that takes itself too seriously. A legitimate friendship grows between them, and it is understandable how they fall in love. I hate it when authors tell you that two people are suddenly in love without showing you why or how. Heyer doesn't do that in this case. An enjoyable, sweet romance.



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Review (Updated): The Magicians' Guild

The Magicians' Guild by Trudi Canavan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A deceptively simple start to a great high fantasy trilogy - one of my favorites. It's not epic, so it lacks a world-wide sense of peril and urgency. Instead, this builds the world (at this point just a city) and characters and mainly sets the stage. It's a low-key start that might not appeal to everyone. Consider this an introduction and hurry on to enjoy the rest.



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