Review: Cold Magic

Cold Magic by Kate Elliott

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Cold Magic is an alternate history fantasy, but unlike any I’ve read before. It takes place in England in the 1800s - I think, since there isn’t really an England or a Victoria as far I can tell. Some aspects of both Regency and Victorian society are there, including an alternate Industrial Revolution. All of Europe is still frozen in an extended ice age. There are mage houses and princes in conflict with serving classes and technology, and there is just a tiny bit of steampunkishness to it - there’s an airship, but that’s about it so far.

There are still Romans running around and Latin is still a spoken language, although their empire was defeated about 800 years earlier. There are also Carthaginians who have become a clan of spies, and a Napolean-like liberator who is imprisoned on an island. A version of America is hinted at - oh, and there are trolls! Trolls are apparently sentient descendants of another species that didn’t die out, just as there are still wooly rhinos in this world. It is fascinating, and also cold. You can really feel the cold.

Honestly, the world-building was one of the worst info dumps I’ve read in a long while even though the world is an imaginative one. I had to concentrate so hard for the first half to try to absorb all of the altered names and altered countries, wars, history, etc. It was almost harder having slightly familiar events than a completely new world would have been because my mind was trying to translate everything and register all the changes. And it was mostly conveyed through conversations. It was rough, but there was just enough atmosphere and interest in the main character to keep me ploughing through it, and I was glad I stuck with it in the end.

Once things started really happening, I kept being surprised by the turns events took. My expectations were constantly challenged as the story went off in new directions and unexpected adventures. I also started to put together how the world - and magic - worked in real situations and what parts of the history were important for understanding the immediate story.

I don’t know how, but once the plot started moving, this world got under my skin and I found myself wanting to get back to it while I was at work, and wanting to pick up the sequel without taking a break. Strange. It's not easy to get into and is not without its faults once you do, but I do recommend it if you enjoy a bit of a challenge, as well as alternate history / steampunk sort of fantasies.

If only the world-building had been less like being buried under a mountain of foreign terms! This is why I'm struggling with a rating, because I think I would give the story itself 4 stars, but the massive info dump is dragging it down. It was way more work to get into than it needed to be. 3 stars it is.

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Initial Review 9/27/2014:

I'm going to have to think about this one for a while. I ended up liking it, but have no idea how to describe it or even rate it right now.



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Review: Poison Princess

 

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Poison Princess is the first of a trilogy (update - the series ended up being many more books than three), with the last book coming out in January. It starts out with every YA Paranormal cliche in the book. 

Evie is a popular cheerleader with a football player boyfriend, trying to decide if she should sleep with him or lose him (the romance is definitely more on the mature end). She has a female best friend that she texts while watching their favorite tv show, and an overprotective mother. Enter mysterious bad boy on a motorbike who ends up being her reluctant partner in history, and the stage is set! 

Thankfully it doesn't continue this way. The paranormal aspect is that Evie has terrifying visions and has spent the summer in an institution being brainwashed and drugged out of them. She's trying to get back to her normal life, but now that she's home, the visions are getting worse. And, intriguingly, growing things seem to respond to her. 

 If you're about to turn away from this book based on the high school romance description, stop for a minute. The first hundred pages show this familiar scene, but this is not just a Paranormal Romance, it's a Dystopia. Everything changes in a flash. The beginning is there to show you what is lost when the apocalypse hits. The rest of the book is dark, violent, and full of confusion, desperation, and death. And yes, romance as well. 

 After the apocalypse, Evie remains soft and naive, and frustrating at times. She still fights the visions and doesn't want to learn what they show her. She can't take care of herself and doesn't really try to learn. However, she does start to change by the end. Romance is a big part of it, but although physical attraction is there from the start, it's more about the changing perceptions of two very different people, which I liked. And there is more to the story than that. Evie is trying to figure out what she is and what role she's supposed to play. It's clear from her visions that she has a role because of powers she doesn't understand, and that there are others like her out there, the Arcana. 

It's the search for answers and the dangers of the new world that drive the plot. I think if you can get through the highschool-ish start, this is a really good intro novel. It kept me reading until late at night. The idea of the Arcana is interesting, and Evie begins to grow a spine towards the end, finally exploring the strength of her powers. I'm looking forward to seeing what she becomes - hopefully a force to be reckoned with. It was just starting to really get going at the end, with enough of those answers and a nice cliffhanger to make me want to pick up the next book. My hope is that book 2 keeps ramping up the tension and action. We'll see what happens.

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Review: Rules of Murder

Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I was able to ignore the gushing faith references and get into sorting out the clues most of the time - until the mystery was solved by prayer. If it wasn't an ebook I would have thrown it.



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Review: God Is an Englishman

God Is an Englishman by R.F. Delderfield

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



God is an Englishman is historical fiction written in the 1970s about the Victorian era. I’ve always had a soft spot for this era, and only turned to historical fiction once I grew tired of re-reading my favorite classics of the period. Finally, I've found something that satisfies what I’ve been searching for ever since, something that goes beyond an individual or two who happen to be living in a Victorian setting.

This is different. It takes account of the sweeping social and economic turmoil of the Industrial Revolution while bringing individuals to life and capturing the energy of the age in a way that I haven’t felt since Dickens or Gaskell. But yet it has a tone and style completely its own, easy to read, and more direct in dealing with issues of intimacy in marriage or women’s roles, for example, than you get in the classics. (Don’t expect it to read just like a Dickens novel).

This first volume in the trilogy follows Adam Swann as he decides to leave the army and start a business back home. It may not sound very exciting, but I was surprised to find the details of Adam’s startup, from idea to fledgling to success, with ups and downs along the way, to be quite fascinating. Most historical novels focusing on the 1800s stick to the upper classes, and you wouldn’t even know the Industrial Revolution was going on at the same time. But here you get a very interesting picture of England, both urban and rural, with cotton mills and railroads taking over everything and changing the face of the country. You can feel the shifting energy and the clash of old and new. All of this is seen through the eyes of Adam as he puts his flexible mind to the question of how to succeed in the middle of it all while maintaining human dignity and avoiding exploitation. It’s an invigorating tale full of industry, hope, daunting challenges, and perseverance.

Although the business may seem to be the primary focus, Adam’s personal development is the true story. He learns, grows, and changes significantly as he is affected by people he deals with in his public and private lives, as well as external events that impact him.

He marries early on, and the story of his marriage is set alongside the story of his business. The marriage feels real with a full range of affection and distance, knowing and misunderstanding, trials, difficulties and surprises, and learning about the true nature of love. It manages to deal with these variations without growing cynical or using the struggles as an excuse to veer off into infidelity. Instead, they are opportunities for growth and increased understanding.

Aside from Adam, there are also two very capable women in the story who develop and grow significantly throughout the book. One is Adam’s wife, Henrietta. She starts out naive and shallow but with a spark of intelligence waiting to be coaxed into flame. She gradually blossoms and discovers depths and strength you wouldn’t expect, and I ended up actually respecting her.

The other one is Edith, a woman who works beside the men in Adam’s business and takes a special role in Adam’s development as well. Both of these women manage to break out of the mold of their rightful place in society, at least for a while, and I really loved how indispensable they became to Adam and his success. But the story does remain realistic enough that they end up back in the home, a quiet strength behind the men. This is not to say that the men aren't strong too. I liked that the men and women are essentially well-matched in strength and intelligence although their roles end up being traditional.

There are other less important characters as well. Adam’s handpicked managers each get a bit of the spotlight, and their stories add another dimension. I believe they are important in giving you a real feel for the time and place, adding geographical variety as well as interesting personalities. I have to admit that I skimmed some of these sections, though, because I wanted to get back to the main story and the details got a bit much for me at times. Still, they added an extra bit of flavor that I think was important looking back at the whole.

Essentially, this was really well done historical fiction. I cared about the characters, and I was not bored by historical details (mostly). At some points I wondered where it was going - there’s not much predictability in the sudden turns a man’s life can take - but overall there was momentum and motion and purpose, and satisfying change in the characters.

I’m still trying to decide if I want to read the second book. I really liked how this one ended, and sometimes it’s better to leave things alone. But as I find myself thinking about Adam and his family and his network, I am tempted to read on.



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Review: The Warrior's Apprentice

The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I would have rated this 4 stars except for a hiccup about 3/4 of the way through that had me wondering why I was reading something that turned more sad than I expected, and devolved into disgusting descriptions of an illness that I really didn't want to be imagining.

Otherwise, it was a fun adventure. I wondered how in the world Miles was going to fulfill all of his promises built on lies that got out of hand, and I enjoyed seeing his intelligence and insight finding ways to pull it all together. I'm looking forward to reading more of his adventures. Cautiously, though, since this is the 2nd of 4 books by Bujold that I've read that features sordid attention to medical detail. In my squeamishness, this is TMI for me, and tends to become the thing I remember most about a book - which is a shame, but I can't help it.



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Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Wow, this ended up being actually different. It started out with a girl walking to school being harassed by a beautiful boy she broke up with earlier, and I thought, oh no, here we go. But then it went off and became something entirely its own. It didn't stay at school for long, thank goodness, and the romance situation was not what you might expect with that beginning.

Instead, we get a world full of intriguing mythology, dark magic, an endless, hateful war between angels and chimaera, and a romance of a completely different sort. By the halfway mark, I didn't feel like I was reading YA at all, but like I was in a different universe.

The narrative is a bit disjointed at one point, like two stories were stitched together. When Karou finally discovers who she is and what it's all about, the story takes a huge detour, showing it all at once. It's not an info dump, but it's a completely different story line right in the middle of everything.

This is the point where the book gets really good, but it took me a while to adjust to it. Everything I thought I knew gets turned on its head, and this is where I came to care about what was happening to the entire world, both sides of the conflict, and all of the characters I met at the beginning. This is where things started to matter, and it really grabbed me.

Then how it ended - heartbreaking! I'm glad the next book is already out so I can find out what happens after that cliffhanger. I feel as if it's only just begun.



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Review: Stories of the Raksura: The Falling World & The Tale of Indigo and Cloud

Stories of the Raksura: The Falling World & The Tale of Indigo and Cloud by Martha Wells

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



First of all, for those of you who already know these gems that are the Raksura and love them, I found both novellas to be complex and surprisingly satisfying for their shorter length. They sucked me right back into the world, and I really loved them. There are also two short stories included, which were a fun bonus when I wasn't ready to let go yet, but they were too short for me. I just can’t be satisfied with such tiny snippets, but the novellas did feel complete enough to be filling little bites.

Now, if you are a Fantasy fan at all and you haven’t read the original trilogy yet, go do that right away! It starts with The Cloud Roads. I highly recommend the whole series. It is unlike anything else I've read, one of the most imaginative worlds I've experienced, and deserves so much more attention. If there’s one series that I believe more people need at least to try, it’s this one. It’s so different from any typical Fantasy that I have a hard time describing it. It's truly a breath of fresh air.

I really love the world of the Raksura - the individuals, their culture and even their mannerisms. When the trilogy ended, I was so sad to leave them all behind. But Wells apparently agrees with me that there is plenty of room for more, and delivered these new novellas to read. I'm desperately hoping there will be many more, including - dare I? - more full length novels. But for now, I am happy.

The first novella, The Falling World, takes place about six months after the end of the trilogy, so we get to see all of our old friends again. The scrape they get into has plenty of danger and suspense packed into it, as well as details of a more settled court life and politics between courts.

The second novella, The Tale of Indigo and Cloud, is a prequel that takes us back to the story of what happened when Indigo stole Cloud. This one focuses more on tense court politics, and we get to see the Reaches back when they were more populated and the courts were stronger. I was afraid I wouldn’t be as interested because it was all new characters (except for one surprise cameo appearance), but I loved it just as much.

So, if you haven’t read the original trilogy yet, start there, and then be thankful that you have some more crumbs to eat when you’re finished because these novellas are fantastic as well. I wanted to read slower so I could stay in the world for a while, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next lot.

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Sept 8, 2014:

I really loved these novellas and I'm sad to be finished with Raksura stories again. Review to come.

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September 2, 2014:

I might have to bump all my other currently-reading books for this tonight. So excited!

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March 7, 2014:

Wait - a new Raksura book??? This could save 2014.



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Updated Review: The Fairy Godmother

The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is the start to a really fun series - an imaginative take on fairy tales. The setting is an imaginary world with 500 kingdoms, each with a Fairy Godmother assigned to keep the magic of the Tradition in line so that evil doesn't gain a foothold and people get their happy endings. The Tradition is powerful magic that forces people down the paths of fairy tales when their lives begin to show signs of belonging to one of them. For example, in this tale, Elena is being forced into the role of Cinderella. Unfortunately for her, however, there's no prince in her kingdom to complete the tale properly, and Elena has an abundance of magic that could all go wrong. Instead, she gets adopted by the region's Fairy Godmother and becomes her apprentice.

Each book that I've read in this series is unique. The fairy tales are re-imagined, not just retold, and they benefit from a fresh setting within the larger context of a fully developed world and magic system. They are also perfect for when you need something light and fluffy to read with a guaranteed happy ending. There's not a lot of depth, but sometimes books like this are the perfect escape.

Note on content: this first book has a sex scene, but the following books are milder.



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Review: Outlander

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Updated review September 6, 2014:

I was really underwhelmed by Outlander, and actually disliked it at many points. A lot of people really love it, and it’s hailed as one of the great romance novels of all time. But maybe that’s my problem with it. At 750 pages, I expected more than just a romance novel. I’ve read enough romances that this one just seemed like more of the same, nothing special. It certainly didn’t engage my emotions. I watched Clare and Jamie “fall in love” and was not convinced. They had a lot of sex. A lot. A couple of times “wanting" was equated to “loving" and they wanted each other a lot, so maybe that was supposed to be proof of love. But I really just felt like I was observing from afar, not really impressed with either character, and not feeling the love between them. That makes or breaks a romance in my experience.

Another whole topic is the difficulty I had with Clare’s lack of fidelity to her husband in the other time period - and the argument that it doesn’t matter because he hasn’t been born yet. It matters. Just a little admission that she no longer loved him because of their separation during the war, drifting apart, etc., might have helped since it was hinted at in the beginning. But she never actually realizes it. She continues to claim that she loves her husband too. I think it’s fair to say I wasn’t too happy with this aspect of the romance.

So, the romance failed for me. What else was in those 750 pages? Not much, honestly. There were period details - sometimes so many that I wondered what the point was and where it was going, although those were the more interesting aspects of the entire book for me (life in the keep, etc.). This is why I gave the book 2 stars instead of 1.

Aside from that, there was a lot of violence. When Clare wasn’t being expertly handled or disciplined (seriously!) by her man, she was on the verge of being forcibly taken by others. There were cruel men, those with no control over their appetites, and gangs of drunken and beastly men. I lost count of the number of times she was almost raped. I guess Jamie was the only man allowed to be honorable in the time period.

If the danger wasn’t rape, it was something else like a witch hunt or wild wolves. If it wasn’t Clare being almost raped, it was boys and men actually being raped and tortured. The period is depicted as very brutal and uncivilized, which seemed a bit more medieval to me than 18th Century Scotland should have been - but I’m not a historian so I could be wrong. Whatever the case, if Clare wasn’t having sex, she or Jamie were meeting with horrific violence of some sort. And although danger should have made the book more interesting, I found that the story dragged on and on. A romance should not be so long if that’s all there is to sustain the story. 200 pages is about my limit on pure romance. And dark violence isn’t my thing either.

One thing I can say is that I now understand what spawned an entire genre of time-travel romance, and why Scotland seems to feature so prominently in them. I have to say I prefer the others I’ve read, even though they made my eyes roll too. At least they were shorter and skipped the rape and torture.

So, I pushed through because I didn’t want another DNF book this year, and I wanted to see what the hype was all about. I thought maybe I was missing something that would become clear later on. Not so much. I was sooooo thankful when I turned the last page that I could move on to something else. I will not be pursuing any of the sequels (the number of which astonishes me).

August 23, 2014:

I'll try to review this properly later, but for now I'm just glad I managed to finish it.



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Review: Bonfire Night

Bonfire Night by Deanna Raybourn

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



Nooooo! I just read on Raybourn's blog that this is going to be the last of Julia! I'm so sad. I was still hoping for more full-length novels in the future. Curse those publishers for tabling the series. Still, I'm thankful she wrote the novellas to help wrap it up for readers even though she had to publish them ebook only.



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Review: Legacy

Legacy by Cayla Kluver

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



This was really terrible. The writing was incredibly tedious and overly descriptive, and the characters were all painfully ridiculous and unlikable. I can't believe it ended how it did - frustrating after persevering to get such a non-ending. But I honestly don't care what happens to any of these people next. If I'd known how it was going to end, I might not have bothered finishing it at all. I wish I could get the hours back.



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