Flame of Sevenwaters - Juliet Marillier

Flame of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

No, it's not the same caliber as the original Sevenwaters trilogy, but that's a pretty high standard to live up to. The later three books are more along the lines of YA Fantasy, not as complex or deeply emotional, but still superior to others in their class. I ate all three of them up, and I still hope she'll come back to this world again at some point because it will be like coming home again.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Harry Potter is Harry Potter, but I struggled to like this final book for several reasons. They're the same things that bothered me the first time I read it, but the final confrontation and brilliant revelations and reversals of certain characters wiped them from my memory back then. Now the second time, I find that these reasons linger.

1. So many deaths. Right from the beginning, starting with (view spoiler)[Hedwig (hide spoiler)]. Somehow that really got to me this time!
2. So much speculation about Dumbledore and his true motivations and shortcomings. I do like how this was resolved in the end, but didn't enjoy the maligning of Dumbledore, or Harry's doubts about him.
3. So much time spent with only Harry, Ron and Hermione running around the forest. I miss their interactions with other characters and the wizarding world.
4. No Hogwarts until 75%. This is kind of the same as the previous point except that Hogwarts simply deserves its own line. I've realized that the setting is a huge part of my enjoyment of this series, and I was impatient with the book until the story returned there. I missed all of the extra characters - teachers, ghosts, portrait-dwellers, fellow students - as well as the magic of the castle itself.

I still love the series. There's nothing else like it. It's darker than I would have liked, even knowing where it was going the second time around, but like I said, I just wanted to live at Hogwarts and not watch the whole world being destroyed, along with so many people that Harry could possibly consider family.

The ending is really great. It's one of those endings that is actually epic, and some of the minor characters have great moments in the battle at Hogwarts. But I found this finale bitter enough that I might avoid any future re-reads and stick to the earlier books for the nostalgia of simply hanging out at Hogwarts.

Tigana - Guy Gavriel Kay

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I first heard about Guy Gavriel Kay shortly after joining Goodreads, and have just finally managed to get around to reading my first book. It won't be the last!

Tigana was a wonderful reading experience. Complex, nuanced characters captured my heart and I hoped against hope that everyone could somehow be saved in the end. It was beautiful and tragic, full of loss, hope and redemption. I wanted to spend more time in the aftermath and follow them all home. It finished too soon.

Owl and the Japanese Circus - Kristi Charish

Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was refreshing to read an Urban Fantasy that wasn't a mystery, but rather an archeological adventure. Even more refreshing was a heroine who, although not inclined to think before acting or speaking, does learn from mistakes and begins listening when her friends ask her not to rush in without a plan. There's also a vampire-hunting cat that offers some comic relief, and a bit of romance where the two involved actually speak to each other like mature adults when they're upset... so all around refreshing.

The Gathering Storm (Crown of Stars, #5) - Kate Elliott

The Gathering Storm by Kate Elliott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Gathering Storm seriously cut into my reading stats for the year! At almost 1000 pages, it took me a month to read (I did take a break around the middle). This series has definitely reached sprawling epic category. But if you like this kind of thing and have the patience for it, it's really brilliant. Not enough people know about this series.

There are a lot of characters and timelines to keep track of in this book. I'll admit to being a bit fuzzy on some of them, and on their locations at times. Travel through the crowns means that months and sometimes years pass in days for some characters, and it can be hard to keep track of who is when and where. That didn't really bother me, though, since it is all about moving players into position for the anticipated cataclysm, exploring varying goals for the event.

I am still enjoying many of the points of view, but there are a few that I find myself wishing would hurry along. Zacharias, the self-proclaimed coward of an apostate monk. Ivar and his band of heretics. Strong Hand, who is just so inhuman that I have a hard time relating to him or caring about his Eika empire consolidation. But I'm sure that'll be important at some point.

I do know some readers don't have the patience for such a character-driven story, but I still find myself savoring it. The world feels so real, and the characters are finely nuanced. The character development is a real strength of this entire series. You never know how fortunes are going to change in the blink of an eye, and how a character will react to their new circumstances. It's just so well done - great writing and insights into human and non-human natures.

One character in particular who I thought was fairly static was transformed throughout this book and their growth ended up being pivotal. And Alain - poor Alain just goes from misery to misery on top of being back in his native time and losing that other life (which I'm thankful gave him a reprieve for at least one book). I hope things start looking up for him now because he's suffered more than enough.

But most importantly, the moment all of this maneuvering is aiming at does finally arrive! The cataclysm occurs, and although I won't tell you whose plot succeeded, I can tell you that destruction on a massive scale was inevitable either way. I can't wait to see what happens In the Ruins because nothing will be the same. Except for human nature with all its resilience, its hope, and its less admirable qualities.

Murder on Bank Street - Victoria Thompson

Murder on Bank Street by Victoria Thompson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Murder on Bank Street, we finally find out who killed Sarah's husband. These are not the most complex mysteries, but are perfect for a quick weekend read after a hectic and draining week, and do offer some surprises. The familiarity is comforting, and I like to see how the relationships develop, and I like that there are different types of relationships that are explored. Although, this is possibly the slowest developing romance I've ever read, and I'm really impatient for that to finally happen! At least there was just a fraction more between Sarah and Malloy than in the last couple of books or I might have thrown something in frustration. I almost did after the final scene, which was not at all satisfying enough. :)

I like how the side characters are getting more involved, but missed Sarah's strength and involvement in this one. Instead, Maeve becomes a more important character and really takes center stage, and I like the direction it seems to be taking with her. The Pinkerton detectives are another interesting development that I hope the series continues to explore. I've been wondering how this series could stretch on as long as it has, and maybe it has to do with expanding to other characters. I'm still perfectly happy to keep going and find out.

But once Sarah and Malloy get together, it had better be worth the wait - and on the page - or I really will throw something.

To Defy a King - Elizabeth Chadwick

To Defy A King by Elizabeth Chadwick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. I didn't like this as much as the others in the series, partly because there were so many characters that I didn't like - it's during King John's reign, so I guess you have to expect some of that. Chadwick got me feeling angry about lots of characters - King John, of course, and his nephew, Ida's son, but also Roger Bigod, who really disappointed me. I thought he was made of better stuff after quite liking him in For the King's Favor. Now that I look back, I realize there were hints in that book of who he would become.

I also felt Mahelt's frustration at her powerlessness in the face of men, her isolation from her family, and her struggles to meet the very different expectations of her marriage family. I liked that she didn't give up in spite of everything, and didn't lose her spirit. Not for lack of being squashed! It was realistic for her time, but I don't have to like it.

The other reason I didn't like this as much is that Mahelt's viewpoint was really limited. She wasn't able to take as active a role in the Bigod family as her mother did in the Marshal household. Much of the real action took place either by messenger, or in her husband Hugh's point of view, which was still peripheral. I'm glad I had read The Scarlet Lion because the central events were more directly explored there from William Marshal's point of view.