Review: Journey of Wisdom

Journey of Wisdom by Shawna Thomas

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Journey of Wisdom picks up right where Journey of Dominion left off, which is good because it was just getting interesting. I was happy to find that the story continues to develop in the kingdom of Greton even after llythra leaves, resolving some of my qualms about where matters stood at the end of the last book. This point of view is transferred to the prince as well as to Bredych (can’t wait to see him fall). We also get some scenes from Mohan’s perspective, and I feel like the added points of view bring a bit more complexity and interest to the story than just what Ilythra is doing. I think I would have liked the 2nd book better if this was the second half - taken together it’s a definite improvement!

A lot more happens in Journey of Wisdom, and I’m also liking Ilythra much more. She is maturing, learning from her mistakes, and getting stronger - and not falling into bed with everyone. I like her friendship with Mohan and with her horse, and I'm enjoying the addition of the Siobani. I'm looking forward to seeing how all the threads converge in the last book, and am hoping it includes the return of some of the peoples from books 1 & 2 as well.

There is still some awkwardness or lack of polish in the writing. At times there's too much detail, and at times not enough, and sometimes I would get a bit lost in a sentence or two. I'm not sure how to put my finger on it, but it’s not quite the level of quality of books that I normally read and I think it could use a better editor. Still, I like the story well enough to look past these shortcomings, and I believe the books are priced fairly at $2.50.



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Review: The House at Riverton

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’m rating this book low not because it’s not good, but because it’s not the kind of book I enjoy. It’s actually quite well done for a first novel, but I definitely like Morton's later books better. I enjoyed the Downton Abbey-esque atmosphere of the servant’s point of view before it all starts going to hell (which is worth giving it an extra star I suppose).

What I didn’t like about it is the pervasive sense of impending doom. You know that disaster is its way, just not exactly how it comes about, and it takes its time getting there (I was impatient with the pacing at times). You see the lives of all the characters disintegrating, you know nothing can be changed and want to make different decisions for them, and finally you find that no one gets a happy ending, not even Grace, the maid who is now telling the story in her old age. It’s a story of hopelessness and being trapped in roles dictated by society that end up ruining everyone’s lives. Not my cuppa tea.

I was especially frustrated with Grace in the past. She is completely unable to go outside of the mindset that she’s not to get personal with her employers, even when she’s explicitly invited to do so. She longs to be seen as a friend by her mistress, but doesn’t return any of Hannah's confidences.

***Spoilers follow***

In fact, she hides silly things like the fact that she isn’t learning to read shorthand - was merely smuggling a fiction book into the house, a much lesser crime. She allows Hannah to think she is her friend and confidant while holding back from her. This ends up having a huge impact on the outcome, and I just want to go back and tell her not to be so stupid.

***End of spoilers***

It was just too bleak for me, and I hated how it ended even though I knew some kind of terrible doom was coming. I did not relish the feeling I had at the end when I learned the twist, and felt like I needed to wash the bitter taste out of my mouth. I haven’t felt like that about a book since reading Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles, the quintessential tragic train wreck of a story. The difference here is, there were so many small tragedies all the way through that added up to one big tragedy, while Tess was only tragic towards the end.

But because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean others won’t enjoy it. If you like a good gothic tragedy and historical fiction set around World War I, you might like this.


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Review (Updated): The Queen of Attolia

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Updated review 2/17/2014:

Queen of Attolia is full of political intrigue, the sort between nations at war, not really between individuals for the most part. The maneuvering is mostly at a distance, either with armies or secret attacks. I much prefer to be in the thick of the action instead of hearing about it by courier, so the first half moved very slowly for me. I also hated what was going on with Eugenides - I can't believe what happened to him at the beginning! One reason the first half is so slow is that he's dealing with what happened and he's not in the thick of things. It's not a very pleasant time - and with no clues as to what else he has on his mind.

I couldn't really start to enjoy it until the second half of the book when the action started to get more personal. And there was finally the twist I'd been waiting for, so I wasn't disappointed there.

The thing is, although I do like twists, there needs to be something to occupy my mind beforehand. Without any clues at all I find it kind of boring until the 'aha' moment arrives. This is the same difficulty I had with The Thief, and unfortunately it was repeated here. Since my rating is usually a subjective sense of how much I enjoyed the actual reading experience, it'll have to be 2 stars - being bored and fidgety is not my idea of 'liking' a book even when I can look back and see what the author did and be impressed. It's a shame, but I might not pick up the next book.



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Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Well that was definitely something different. It's hard to explain my impressions and thoughts about this book, so I'm afraid I'm going to ramble on too much. But there are things I wished I'd known when I was deciding to read it, so I'll give it a shot.

What I did like was the mythology of the three gods, and the result of their wars with each other. Their current dilemma of being trapped in mortal form was a really interesting twist, and two of the gods were the most compelling characters in the book.

Because the mythology is the most developed aspect, the entire book feels like reading ancient mythology, wondering from a distance what the gods will do in their capriciousness. The unpredictable nature of the gods creates chaos, and a sense of the unattainable. Even what romance exists is part of that overall feeling. Everything else that is unrelated to the gods or mythology is unimportant, out of focus, and lacks detail.

Unfortunately the part where the gods meet the mortals is where my interest completely waned. The world and the other supporting characters were not very well developed, the narrative style was jarring at times, and there wasn't really much of a plot. Yeine, the heroine, just runs around without a clue what to do, clearly out of her depth. When she does act, it creates huge problems that merely feel like a side-note to pass the time until the actual event we're waiting for occurs.

For a book with a title like The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, I expected there to be a lot more about those kingdoms, but that wasn't what it was about at all. In fact, my knowledge of the kingdoms, and even the city outside of the fortress, is very vague. And within the fortress itself, I can confidently imagine a couple of rooms. The world-building was far too vague for me, in spite of the history info dumps at the beginning.

I also had difficulties relating to any of the characters. There are mainly capricious gods and vicious humans, none of whom we know very well. For a long time I was just watching events unfold, and hoping they would hurry and get to the point, which I knew would probably not be until the end. So yeah, I was speed-reading quite a bit.

I also didn't really connect with Yeine, even though it was from her point of view, and I didn't like that she was essentially alone. There was no one who proved her ally until the end, and she didn't really prove herself to anyone else either. I guess too many of the characters were bad guys or ambiguous. So it wasn't exactly a comfortable, warm read.

There is a bit of romance. Actually that might be the main storyline, but it was hard to tell until afterwards. The big clue being that more time was spent on it than much of anything else. The relationship is something different and inherently untrustworthy, though, so not the kind of romance I usually enjoy.

I can't deny that the last hundred pages held my attention, prior speed-reading aside. There was a payoff for finishing, with a cool showdown, a couple of twists, and the kind of changes that make me wonder what the world will look like in the follow-up novel. But I'm really still not sure what I think on the whole, or if I care enough to read the next book. Although it was something different, which is usually good, I don't think I liked it all that much.

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Review: A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



This definitely felt like Twilight for adults to me. It's not just the taboo, over-protective, sophisticated, you smell too good to me, vampire romance. It's the slow focus on 'getting to know each other,' with food and wine, yoga and car rides. The family introductions, learning of old secrets, the fact that vampires don't just drink human blood and can go out in daylight - all of it was reminiscent of Twilight.

What was different was the mostly European setting (a bit more fitting than Washington for vampires), the atmosphere of historical discovery, and the fact that Diana is a witch from a long line of witches who refuses to do magic. She is also a historian, an alchemical scholar. When the focus is on the mystery of the manuscript she is studying, you can feel the history and smell the musty libraries. There's a depth to the ages and a background of centuries that make this something different.

If only it wasn't soooo long, and those interesting historical discoveries not so few and far between. It's about 600 pages, and maybe 20% of it is the interesting stuff or actual action breaking into the ordinary days. The rest of it is lengthy conversations over wine and tea, and the minute details of everything that Diana encounters or thinks of during her day. The details do provide quite a vivid picture of the scenes, but often it was too detailed, which was distracting and I found my mind wandering.

I'm in a bit of a conundrum because of the 20% that was interesting. I want to know what happens with the book and the magic and the fate of all creatures. Unfortunately I know that there are two more books just as long with just as much extra padding to slog through if I'm going to persevere to the actual happening. And most irritatingly, this book ends on a cliffhanger so that I have no closure at all. I may be forced to read the sequel for that reason alone.



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Review: Sumerton Women

The Sumerton Women by D.L. Bogdan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Sumerton Women begins with a girl of eight, Cecily, suddenly orphaned when her entire family dies of an illness. She becomes a ward of the Sumerton family, where she experiences mostly suffering and loss with a few breaks for happiness. Every relationship is touched by sadness or tragedy or misunderstanding. Although Cecily manages to bring new life to the family, after a while she gets sucked into it herself and the brightness that she brings to the story dulls, especially in the last half when her falsely pious 'sister' takes center stage.

The story takes place during the reign of Henry VIII, and the family is affected by Henry's whims, their potential fortunes shifting with each of his wives. With a nun whose Priory is dissolved and a priest who welcomes the chance for reforms, the consequences of Henry's attitudes towards the Church become personal. I enjoyed the opposing viewpoints of the Catholics vs the Reformists, both falling on dangerous times. What I almost couldn't bear was the bitter, self-righteous vengefulness of the daughter who continually ruins everyone's lives - and is 'spiritual' for all the wrong reasons.

This was an emotional story full of tragedy, loss and bitterness. It was engrossing, but too often depressing. There were at least a couple breaks from the despair, and the historical aspect was interesting enough, so I decided to raise my rating to two stars.

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Review: The Mage's Daughter (Nine Kingdoms, #2)

The Mage's Daughter: A Novel of the Nine Kingdoms by Lynn Kurland
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What started out as a fluffy fantasy romance with a fierce, stubborn, sword-wielding heroine turned into a soggy romance with a blubbering, weak-kneed heroine. I lost count of the number of times that Morgan blinked away hot tears or realized her cheeks were wet, or dissolved into uncontrollable weeping, or felt like weeping but managed not to. She was a completely different person from the first book. I can understand that she had some difficult changes to become used to, but I would have expected her toughness in everything else to carry over into how she handled her more emotional crises.

It's unfortunate that the copious amount of tears got in the way of the rest of the story, because it was actually better than the first book in many ways. The world is more detailed, we learn more about the Nine Kingdoms, who populates it, and how the magic works.

I especially enjoyed learning more about the earning of Weger's mark and the way that Miach pursues Morgan. Miach becomes an even more interesting and humbly impressive hero now that we are able to get to know him more. Unfortunately the romance does stall the action for quite a while, though (coinciding with a lot of the weeping and talking and running away from issues). It took over too much for my liking, but once it came back to the actual plot I enjoyed it again.

Just like with the first book, this is merely an installment that does not stand on its own at all. It's a meandering building towards... something. Something that we've known was happening since the first page but have been blindly trying to understand. By the end of this book, we finally know what that is. And - that's where this ends, with the confrontation postponed until the next book.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Miach, but I hope Morgan gives me a reason to like her more in the last book. Hopefully, she will pull herself back together and become a worthy heroine who saves the world without drowning it in tears. She needs to toughen back up to take care of the evil she faces and not just hide her face in Miach's shoulder all the time.

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Review: Star of the Morning (Nine Kingdoms, #1)

Star of the Morning by Lynn Kurland
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is an enjoyable Romantic Fantasy series, but it's definitely more on the Romance end of the scale so you have to be in the right mood for it. I found myself wishing the world and secondary characters were a bit more defined, and that the magic and adventure were more prominent. But the huge focus is definitely the relationship.

To illustrate the lack of detail, at one point I was reminded that one of the characters is a dwarf, and only because he was referred to as a dwarf. Even now I can't remember which character it is. He was just as nondescript as the other supporting characters. There was also little explanation of the magic system or the makeup of the Nine Kingdoms. You just have to figure it out as you go along, but even the areas that they travel through lack much detail. (This does improve a little bit in the second book). So it's not the most intricate fantasy world. But still I liked it. Just be aware that this is definitely fluff, and not the highest quality stuff. Sometimes that's just fine.

If you don't like Romances, you should probably avoid this. If you do, this one is made more interesting by the magical setting and the quest that is the backdrop for a sweet romance.

You also should know that the ending is really only the beginning, and both this book and the next one have cliffhanger endings. I ended up wanting to read them all straight through as if the trilogy was a single book.

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Review: Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1)

Across the Universe by Beth Revis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Across the Universe was quite different than what I expected. For some reason I was anticipating more of a space opera but it ended up being purely Dystopia. It takes place on a space ship, but other than that it is about a far future society that is completely contained within that ship.

It is an interesting view of what would happen on a 300 year voyage to colonize a planet, with the colonists all frozen while the caretakers and their descendants run the ship. It's impossible to anticipate all that might happen on such a long voyage, and something goes badly awry. Amy, unfrozen 50 years before her time, struggles to adjust to an unrecognizable, hostile society that has gone wrong, built on secrets and lies. She's stuck on a claustrophobic - and creepy - ship where she has no place and her appearance sparks chaos.

Although it's a fascinating story and I do want to continue on, it's a bit too bleak for my tastes. 3 stars.

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Review: A Million Suns (Across the Universe, #2)

A Million Suns by Beth Revis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As the second installment in a Dystopia, this was very well done. I can't say I liked it, but it was good.

A Million Suns offers a very realistic view of what happens to the society on board the Godspeed after liberation from its pacifying drug and dictator. It shows what happens without a good plan for replacing those controls on the people with something more constructive. As the members awaken, the society disintegrates and chaos ensues. It's a horrifying view of the baser side of humanity when unchecked by laws or ideals.

Although I understand the direction it took, I was still disappointed by the fact that none of the people on board exhibit any positive signs from their liberation. They give themselves over almost entirely to the instinct to rule themselves without regard for others. They are all still like animals, all dangerous, none with nobler instincts (aside from Elder, who was already in a different class). But in spite of the depressing realities, the tension, the secrets and mystery, made this a riveting read. I only wish there had been some lighter moments. I'm looking forward to the final book - but hoping there will be more humanity in the society that emerges.

When I finished, I wasn't sure how to rate this. Based on actual enjoyment it would only be 2 stars because it's more depressing and dark than I usually like. But it was really good, easily worth 4 stars if only I'd enjoyed it more. So 3 stars seems a decent compromise.

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Review: Princess of the Midnight Ball

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is a good retelling of the fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. It is full of the despair and pain of the curse that the princesses suffer. Their silent suffering permeates the kingdom. It is well done as a YA level story, but not exactly a fun tale even with the touch of romance.

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