Review: The Scarlet Lion

The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Scarlet Lion, sequel to The Greatest Knight, follows William Marshal and his family now that he is married and a noble landowner rather than just an honorable knight navigating the shark-infested waters of Medieval politics. The political skills he learned as a knight come in handy, but his own life is no longer the only one at stake, and family fortunes change as quickly as kings in this time period.

This book deserves a 5 star rating. It's amazingly written historical fiction - well-researched, accurate as far as what is known about the people and time, and well-imagined as to what is not known. At the same time, it's written in a way that makes me care about the people and what happens to them. I had my heart in my throat with fear for William and his family, and loathed King John for his jealous vindictiveness. He really made my blood boil. And since the story had to stick to history (and I didn't know how it was going to end), I was more afraid for William than I would have been if it was strictly fiction. Imaginations are often not as cruel as reality can be, and I often feared the worst.

So I'm rating this 5 stars even though I can't say I enjoyed it. My ratings are usually based on my enjoyment while reading, but this one is in a different category - it is so well written that any emotional discomfort I experienced pales beside my awe at the way Chadwick brought the people and time alive enough to make me feel so terrified for them.

It was a great book, but I was relieved when it released me. History is a scary thing to resurrect, especially the brutal Middle Ages. I can handle the violence of battles where the greatest fear is merely a bloody death, but the political knives being stabbed into the hearts of our heroes and heroines are not for the faint at heart. And yet somehow I know I'll be back for more of Chadwick's works, willingly letting myself be run through the wringer again. They're that good.

(Review updated 7/29/2014)

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Review: Threats of Sky and Sea

Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellision

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Often in Fantasy, a humble hero or heroine will have their world turned upside down with a warning to flee some danger that is searching for them, and they get away just in time. But what happens when the warning doesn't come, and the heroine is captured? That’s what happens to Bree in Threats of Sky and Sea, and she is torn away from the humble world that is all she’s known, alienated from her father whom she realizes has lied to her, and thrown into a dangerous world at court under a cruel king. This world is so far beyond anything she’s prepared for, and how she learns to survive is the scope of this first novel. Learn she does, though, and she discovers much more than she bargained for.

Bree finds few friends at court, and most of them are spying on her or are in deeper danger than she is. It is not about political intrigue so much as Bree attempting to keep her head by not angering the capricious king too much, and trying to avoid other non-fatal physical abuse as much as possible (without much success).

I liked the magic system. It's based on the four elements: earth, air, fire and water. If someone is going to be an Elemental, the ability manifests when they turn 16. The king conscripts all who manifest, searching the realm for any who try to escape. So the dangers of court include hostile fire wielders and those who can spy on conversations carried on the wind. That's in addition to a king who is almost mad with power, who is known to send people to their deaths on the slightest whim.

There would have been too much hostility for me to be able to enjoy the book, except there is one character who is solid, honest, and a ray of light in an otherwise dark place. There’s also a tiny bit of a romance to lighten things up. It’s not the focus of the story at all, and at times I actually wished there was a little bit more build-up to it.

The ending did not surprise me, but it was suspenseful and dire, and it has me hoping for much more in the next book.

I normally don’t start new series before I know when they’re going to end. I hate waiting for sequels and have this fear of being left hanging forever in case they don’t get finished. But, I’ve been changing my mind lately and have started several this year. This one looked interesting and was available on NetGalley, so I went for it. And… I’m rewarded with a bit of a cliffhanger! Although it is a logical stopping point, now where is book two when I need it? I am looking forward to seeing what happens next, and how Bree grows into her discoveries. I have a feeling it’s all going to change.

**Received free arc for review.



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Review: The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I'm so glad I'm finished with this book! It had its great moments, but for a 1200 page book, they were too far between. Much of this was a real slog to get through. There are long conversations about who knows what, and it's often overly descriptive to the point of needing to skim to get to the next scene. My mind wandered a lot, and I had to force myself back on track. I even took a break about half way through and read and couple of other books. I feel like I've been reading it forever.

Like I said, it had its moments. The prison and escape, and then the hammer of vengeance falling on the guilty and taking a few others with it - those parts were good. A lot of what came between was boring setup with a lot of new characters whose viewpoints weren't as interesting as the Count's, and whose importance takes a long time to discover. In the meantime, they're going to parties, attending festivals, and dining with friends. Talking, talking, talking of the society of the day.

While we're thrown in with these strangers at parties, the Count becomes this mysterious figure who we only see observed by others looking on events with a strange smile, or mysteriously knowing and anticipating everything everyone does. He becomes an exotic god, not the person we got to know in the prison at all. It's not until near the end that we return to his viewpoint again, and he betrays some human emotion.

I have to admit that the way he orchestrates the fall of his enemies is brilliant - obviously that is why this is such a well-loved classic. But I guess complex revenge isn't enough for me. There are times when the Count put his true friends through hell by withholding information from them that was really cruel for someone who is supposedly not punishing them along with everyone else. Especially at the end, I thought he took it too far, and so the ending was not as satisfying to me as it could have been.

Overall, I found this to be overrated. I would have enjoyed the story a lot more if it was significantly trimmed. My patience didn't come to fruition until the last 200 pages, and right now I'm not sure if it was worth it. I wish I'd found an abridged version to read - or just watched the movie. It is far, far too long for the payoff.

I'm so excited I can read something else now.



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Review: Alias Hook

Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



4.5 Stars. I didn't love this quite as much as some of my other 5 star books, but it was so much better than many that I’ve rated 4 stars. Days after finishing, I'm still looking back and thinking, wow that was good, so I'm going to round up to 5 stars.

Alias Hook was a fantastic re-imagining of Peter Pan. I absolutely loved it. It's not just a retelling or a fleshing out of the original tale, but completely turns the whole legend on its head. Jensen turned everything around in such a believable way. I feel like she thought of everything, the picture was so complete. I felt like I was in Neverland, and this was the true story of Peter Pan. It's so well done, so realistic, and the flipped take on the old story makes so much sense when you're looking at everything from an adult's perspective.

Neverland still feels magical, because it's still a fantastic place full of magic and legends like mermaids, fairies, and pirates. But it also feels real, treacherous and sad, with everything subject to the whim of a cruel boy who can never grow up. I can still see many of the scenes in my head, the world is so lushly described.

The story is told from the perspective of Captain Hook. He is a weary, desperate man under a curse that forces him to play his part as the adult villain in Neverland. He has been killed by Peter many times, but can never die, never find release from this endless childhood and endless parade of children who consider killing him and his men the best kind of sport. Now something in Neverland is finally changing, and Hook may finally have a chance to escape the curse if he can only figure out what the chance is before it's too late.

The idea of how Neverland works, with the Lost Boys and Wendies always changing, but Hook and Peter staying the same, was intriguing. I instantly felt sympathy for this man who may have started out a real pirate and a ruthless rogue, but who never deserved the 200 years of torment that he's endured under Peter Pan's tyranny. The story of how Hook got to Neverland, how his hand was lost, and of all of the losses over the years that gradually wearied him of this game of war and death, appealed to me right away. And I hated Peter immediately too, that ruthless, almost insane goblin of a child. I’m happy to say, I got exactly what I wanted for Hook out of this tale, and actually gained a measure of pity for Peter by the end, rather than just hating him. There’s emotional complexity to it, and it’s not all just black and white like fairy tales and retellings often are.

There is some romance in the book, and there are a couple of more explicit scenes so that I would only recommend this to adults. Those scenes and the romance are probably what bring my rating down from the full 5 stars. I felt that matters turned to the physical too suddenly. I prefer emotional and sweet romances where you see how a couple falls in love rather than them deciding to jump in bed all of the sudden. So that aspect didn’t appeal to me so much. At least the two people involved talked to each other and got to know each other first, and the romance doesn’t take over the story. It does fit as part of the whole, even though it brings a more modern view of relationships into it - a minor complaint that is completely based on my preferences in this area. It’s saying a lot that this one aspect didn’t detract from my appreciation of the book much at all.

Highly recommended, especially to those who enjoy classic tales retold. This one’s a gem!

**Received free arc for review through NetGalley.com. Many thanks to the publisher for a book I probably wouldn't have picked up otherwise.



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Review: Murder on Astor Place

Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I've been needing another historical mystery series to add to my bag, and I believe I've found one in the Gaslight Mysteries. Murder on Astor Place is a solid start to a series set in early 20th Century New York. As usual with this type of mystery, getting to know - and liking - the sleuth and their world is the most important part. Here, the amateur sleuth is a midwife, but we discover that Sarah's social background is not cut-and-dry, and the reasons why she became a midwife add a lot of depth to her character. I really liked her. She's tough and stubborn, but is also capable of changing her mind and realizing when she's in the wrong. I'm looking forward to seeing how she progresses in the rest of the series, which by the way is not finished yet.

There's also a grumpy, disillusioned detective that Sarah is forced to work with, and I liked him as a counterpart. Although I didn't actually like him very much to start with, I think he has a lot of potential as another complicated character with room to change. I'm fairly sure he's going to end up being a romantic interest eventually, but it is very subtle so far, and there's a long way to go. There's barely the beginnings of respect without even what could be called friendship at this point. I like that there's room to grow instead of everything being a done deal already.

Although I said the sleuth and the depth of her world is the most important part, obviously the mystery does need to hold together and keep my interest as well. Here, the mystery tied in very closely with getting to know Sarah's background, so the investigation revealed a lot about her while my mind was searching for clues. I ended up being mostly surprised at the solution, and enjoyed discovering all the pieces very much. This is a series I'm definitely looking forward to following.



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Review: The Season

The Season by Sarah MacLean

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



3.5 stars. This is a sweet Regency romance with just a dash of danger involving French spies, lots of balls and parties, a jealous-yet-honorable suitor in denial, three girls who don't want to be on the marriage mart because they have brains and want something else out of life besides a society marriage - and no bodice ripping. It's a mild love story in the YA category, although it doesn't really feel like a YA novel except for some simplicity in the plot. A fun, clean read if you're in the mood for it.



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Review: The Key

The Key by Marianne Curley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This was an entertaining end to the trilogy. The two POVs offered in this book are Matt and Rochelle. They aren't my favorite narrators out of the lot. I kind of missed the characters from the two previous books, but I can see why the focus shifted to these two.

There's not a lot of time travel since the conflict comes to a head in the present. I didn't really miss it that much, though, since this series has never really spent much time on the actual time travel.

I tried not to get hung up on a couple of things - insta-love abounds in this one even more than the second book, and the big question of who the traitor is gets out of hand. I felt like the various suspicions, while creating suspense and drama, were also unrealistic and caused a lot of unnecessary grief. All they would have had to do was remember the actual prophecy to help them narrow the field... just saying. But I suppose you have to have a story, right? And it did keep me guessing.

Just a quick heads-up for those of you who think you're on a lighthearted adventure where all ends well. This ended up being more tragic than I expected - not everyone survives. But I was ok with the ending for the most part, probably because the POV shift made me not care so much. There was plenty of suspense and danger throughout, and it was a lot of fun to read.



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Review: The Dark

The Dark by Marianne Curley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I liked this one so much better than the first. It continues on a year after the events of the last book, but gets right into the action. It really never stops. I'm glad I continued with the series.

This entire series has a huge case of insta-love, though. Everyone seems to have a soul mate, and the way they discover their soul mate is by being unable to look away from each others' eyes when they first meet. When I read the first book, I thought it was going to avoid this kind of thing - but it turns out the two who would have fallen in love otherwise weren't soul mates, so they didn't.

This series was a lot of fun, just not without its flaws. And at least it gets away from high school and teenage drama after the first book.



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Review: Cast in Shadow

Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Cast in Shadow is the first in a series (9 books so far) that I’ve been waiting to start for a long, long time. I still don’t know how long the series is going to be, but I figured there are enough books out that I could get started and see if the wait has been worth it, and oh yes it has. I'm going to have to pace myself on this one so I don't have to play the waiting game for too long.

It is a High Fantasy, but with a definite Urban Fantasy feel. It takes place in a single city, with several different races: Humans, Leontines (Lionish), Aerials (Hawkish), Barrani (flawless immortals), and Dragons (also immortals). There are a couple more, but those are the main ones we meet in this book. Each is complete with its own culture and characteristics, making this a vibrant, interesting world.

Kaylin is a Hawk (not to be confused with the Aerial species), which is a sort of police force in the city. Her interactions with her co-Hawks of various races are what really makes the story come alive with both humor and tension, setting an atmosphere that I found addictive without really being able to explain why.

The story starts as Kaylin gets pulled in on a case involving deaths of children that are similar to deaths that occurred in her orphan past, a past she has tried to ignore. What exactly happened is a mystery for a large part of the book, but once we know what happened, the question becomes why, and how to stop it from happening again.

A lot of things are a mystery, some because they aren’t revealed all at once, and some because the world-building is difficult to understand at times. Sometimes, I felt like I was missing basic background information that prevented me from following everything as it was revealed. I didn't always understand as much as Kaylin did during her discoveries - explanations and experiences that she accepted as just another piece of the puzzle were confusing to me. There was a definite feeling of being in the dark at times.

So the world-building doesn’t spell it all out, but I liked what I did understand enough that I just went with it and got the gist of things. I hoped my understanding would fill in later. And it did, more through the events than the explanations. By the end of the book, I felt like I pretty solidly knew what was going on, how the world was set up, who was in it, what the magic was - mostly. There’s still a lot that I need to learn more about, but I think I’ve got the basics down, and having plenty left to learn promises more fun reading the series.

I don’t want to put other readers off with this, because I really liked the book and can see a lot of potential in the series. This is more a warning that it could be easy to get frustrated at first. Just don’t get bogged down in trying to decipher the meaning of every detail straight away. Because even though not everything is totally clear, it becomes clear as the action fills in the picture for you. I learned much more about the world through Kaylin's relationships and through seeing what happens than anything else, which is a great way to learn how a world works. I really got into it, caught by the atmosphere and attached to the characters.

After the last page, I felt a bit lost, and had to go read the beginning of the next book to fill the void. Only the beginning though, because I’m not going to rush through these all at once. This is a series to savor, and I intend to make it last.



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