Beauvallet - Georgette Heyer

Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



This is quite different from Heyer's other books that I've read. It's set in Elizabethan times rather than around the Regency or Georgian eras, and involves England's conflict with Spain. Beauvallet is an English captain feared by the Spanish as a devil-worshiping pirate, although he is of course an honorable pirate who attacks Spanish ships in the name of the Queen and relies on luck, skill, daring, and a sense of humor.

I found that it had a really slow start - about 30 percent to set up the situation before any adventuring happened. This was necessary to provide a reason for Beauvallet to travel into Spain, where certain death awaited him if discovered. The reason is that he fell in love with a Spanish woman and would risk his life to carry her off. The romance was unfortunately sudden and not developed well enough for my liking. The first part of the book could have been used much better for this instead of being boring. But, once Beauvallet actually headed into Spain, it picked up, and daring escapes ensued.

Lady of the English - Elizabeth Chadwick

Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Chadwick really knows how to make history personal and alive. She makes you feel what was at stake for the people involved, know their losses and fears, and she fills in the gaps between the known facts so plausibly.

Lady of the English tells the story of two women very close to power but ultimately unable to wield it in a man's world. The two women are very different. King Henry I's wife, Adeliza, is soft, empathetic, and physically weak. She is just looking for peace and stability, but is very loyal. She is one of the few characters who finds moments of happiness and peace. Although there is sadness too, she is a welcome break from the darker struggles of the succession that consume the rest of the kingdom. Her story provides a strong contrast with Henry's daughter, Matilda, and her never-ending railing against everyone.

Matilda should have been Henry's heir but he passes her over because she is a woman. Her struggles against men throughout this are so frustrating, and the contempt that they show for her as a woman is horrifyingly accurate for the time. She was apparently considered a termagant, but Chadwick brings a different perspective, that of a woman fighting with everything she has to be strong for her son and her country against the mold placed on her by society. She takes quite a beating along the way, and sacrifices pretty much everything. This one quote gets right at the heart of it: “Do you think you are the only one with a pile of ashes in your hearth? I burned my dreams to build my nightmares.”

It was not always easy to read, and my hopes for Matilda to find some happiness in something were not met. I suppose that's what happens when the story is history. You can't invent happiness without leaving the facts behind.

Child of the Prophecy - Juliet Marillier

Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This is such a hard review to write because I loved this book so much. There is something about Marillier’s writing that is completely absorbing. I’ve only read her original Sevenwaters Trilogy so far, but each of those books has succeeded in captivating me with a full range of real emotion. The characters are so real, and their trials so heartbreaking and rewarding that I can’t turn away. She combines tragedy and desperation with hope and love - romantic and familial love, love of the forest or the sea, love of the old ways that are dying out. They are all bittersweet, some more bitter than others. At first, I wasn't sure I liked being made to feel all these things, but the experience is so rich that this is now one of my favorite series of all time.

Each book has a unique story, and each affected me at a level that few books have touched before. I usually avoid sad books because the emotion often feels contrived, but these are not tearjerkers. I really care about the characters and what is happening to them, and sadness is just part of their experiences. It’s so real. I’m in awe of Marillier’s ability to make me feel it and not make it feel cheap or fake.

I wasn’t sure if the first two books were just flukes, but with the third, Marillier has made it onto my favorite authors list, and books 2 and 3 are solidly on my favorites shelf. (Book 1 was still a bit too dark for me, in spite of everything I just said). I am now greedily hoarding everything else she has written, and am glad there are so many left for me to read. I just hope they are half as good.

Enough general raving. Now to the specific review. Child of the Prophecy was often not an easy book to read. I was frustrated at Fainne, at her naiveté and the weakness that led her to betray herself and everyone else who mattered. I wanted to shake her at times! I wanted to reach in and prevent her from making terrible mistakes, or do something to help her find her way.

But Fainne's growth and discovery from beginning to end was a journey that I found totally worth it. 100%. The last third of the book had me completely glued to the pages, hardly breathing. It had me fearing, grieving and hoping all in one. And the ending was perfect. It was magnificent. I had to go read it over again immediately. I want to do it again right now. I still don't want to move on.

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January 4, 2015

Loved it - review to come hopefully later when I have recovered my senses.

The Ladies of Mandrigyn - Barbara Hambly

The Ladies of Mandrigyn by Barbara Hambly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I really enjoyed The Ladies of Mandrigyn way more than I expected to. It's kind of an old school sword and sorcery type fantasy, written in the 80s, but I didn't think it felt too dated.

There are two main POVs. One is Sun Wolf, the captain of a band of mercenaries. His story is interesting because he is the only man in it for most of the book. There is a strong cast of women of all personalities and motivations, since all the men of Mandrigyn have been enslaved by an evil wizard. The women hire Sun Wolf to rescue their men, and what they learn from him challenges everyone's views of what women can and can't do or should and shouldn't do. There's definitely a feminist message in this.

The other main POV is Starhawk, a female mercenary and Sun Wolf's second in command. She is as tough a heroine as you could want, a true warrior. We actually get to see her kicking some butt instead of just being told that she's capable of taking care of herself. I really liked her.

They are both noble warriors without a lot of flaws or gray areas, and without much of the moral complexity that you find in fantasy characters these days, but they both learn important truths about themselves and their 'neutral' positions as mercenaries, so they grow in that sense. The evil wizard and his zombie-like creatures are completely evil, however. There's no doubt they need to be killed.

This is a trilogy, but I found that the first book can really stand on its own. The main conflict is completely resolved here, so it's on to new adventures in the next one.

Darker Still - Leanna Renee Hieber

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This started out kind of insta-lovish and cheesy, but the puzzle of the curse and the haunted painting were really interesting and I ended up liking it mainly because of that and the Gothic atmosphere. I was happy enough with the ending that I'm probably not going to pick up the rest of the series, though. I don't really need to see where else this goes.

I do enjoy this author's writing. Everything I've read by her has had great atmosphere. But I liked her adult series better, and I think I'll wait until she goes back to writing for adults again. This was too YA for me.

On the Edge - Ilona Andrews

On the Edge by Ilona Andrews

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



What do I say about this book? First of all, I liked it. I stayed up late to finish it. It was an interesting mash of things - small-town Walmart scenes with a main character who's just scraping by, alongside some pretty cool magic and fun side characters. I don't normally enjoy reading about children, but the two in this book are great. I love that they also take an active role instead of being part of the scenery that is Rose.

So, the Paranormal part of this I really enjoyed. There was quite a bit of gore in there, as well as an interesting magical premise. That made this a bit different for what is mainly a Paranormal Romance - it was probably one of the better ones I've read.

But, that is where I come to the downside. This is definitely a Paranormal Romance, confirmed by the fact that book 2 switches POVs to a different couple. So know that going in.

The romance was just OK. It didn't annoy me, so that's a plus. But it was very much a standard romance with a heavy focus on the physical attraction. When the guy is described as having chiseled features and rock hard muscles, etc., etc, ... the descriptions had my eyes rolling several times. At this point in my reading life, I'm kind of over this type of stuff. By the time all the descriptions of his physical attractiveness were out of the way, I think the guy's name should have been Thor. Except he wields swords and knives and not a hammer. Still.

Luckily, he is not just a physical beast, even though the romance focuses heavily on the physical attraction. I did end up liking him by the end, and he does prove himself in other ways to be the kind of guy Rose should be falling for.

If you like romances, you'll probably like this. If not, you might find it a bit much at times. But I found the rest of the story to be entertaining enough that it didn't really bother me too much.

Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I think I'm going to have to abandon this. I've already been skimming a lot, and I'm only at 46%. I'm finding it really boring and don't want to waste anymore precious reading time - or battery! I don't even feel like explaining what I don't like about it, I just want to be able to move on. Maybe I'll write more later.

This only confirms that my brother has completely different taste than me. This is not the first indication of that, though. Ha. We're opposite in so many things. Except he likes Fantasy too, so I forgive him.