Category: Fantasy
Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
(Cover picture courtesy of The Royal Library.)
The path to the throne is broken – only the broken may walk it.
To reach the throne requires that a man journey. Even a path paved with good intentions can lead to hell, and my intentions were never good.
The Hundred converge for Congression to politic upon the corpse of Empire, and while they talk the Dead King makes his move, and I make mine. The world is cracked, time has run through, leaving us clutching at the end days, the future so bright that those who see it are the first to burn. These are the days that have waited for us all our lives. These are my days. I will stand before the Hundred and they will listen. I will take the throne whoever seeks to thwart me, living or dead, and if I must be the last emperor then I will make of it such an ending.
This is where the wise man turns away. This is where the holy kneel and call on God. These are the last miles, my brothers. Don’t look to me to save you. Don’t think I will not spend you. Run if you have the wit. Pray if you have the soul. Stand your ground if courage is yours. But don’t follow me.
Follow me, and I will break your heart.
Um, wow? There’s really nothing else to say about this. What a stunning conclusion to such an unusual trilogy.
First off, Jorg is his usual horrible/awesome/ruthless/sarcastic self. He really makes no apologies for who he is and doesn’t even try to become a better person now that his child bride Miana is expecting a child. The plot flips between his actions and adventures five years ago and his current trek for the Congression in order to become Emperor of the Broken Empire. It’s reminiscent of Don Carlo’s character in Ernani except without the whole vowing to be a better person if he becomes emperor.
What I did like the most about Jorg’s character is that despite his all-around awfulness, you get the feeling that he’s broken on the inside as well and is fully aware of it. Even with those limitations on his character he grows within those limits quite well. As the end draws nearer you can feel his need to fulfill the purpose Fexler told him about despite the consequences. And how he fulfills that promise and solves the whole Dead King problem is absolutely brilliant on Mark Lawrence’s part. The epilogue also sticks to how Jorg’s character is and imagines a realistic ending for such a broken man.
As usual the world-building in The Broken Empire trilogy is amazing. We get to see all kinds of new places, learn about the promised lands where the radiation from the nuclear bombs went off and see all kinds of new characters that have grown out of the dark underbelly of the broken empire. What I found particularly interesting were not only how certain religions survived, but also the cult of mystery that surrounds ‘mathemagicians’. In a place that has essentially reverted back to the Middle Ages I suppose advanced math would be sort of magical.
The plot wasn’t nearly as confusing as it was in King of Thorns. I found the switches between different points of view had a more natural transition and that the little subplots were better explained. Overall it was a little more fast-paced because of that and Mark Lawrence kept me guessing until the end. Even in the epilogue I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to Jorg until it was revealed within the narrative. Now that is the mark of a good storyteller.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff
(Cover picture courtesy of Bookyurt.)
Everything is made of steel, even the flowers. How can you love anything in a place like this?
Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped – and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie’s whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way. But she also discovers, unexpectedly, what it means to love and be human in a world where human is the hardest thing to be.
This second novel by rising star Brenna Yovanoff is a story of identity, discovery, and a troubled love between two people struggling to find their place both in our world and theirs.
After reading and hating The Replacement I was pretty skeptical about reading another Brenna Yovanoff book. But hey, the cover was awesome and the first chapter had a little more promise than her debut novel.
I liked the main character in The Space Between so much more than I did in her first book. Daphne lacks emotion and this time it’s not because of poor writing but rather that’s how her character should be (and is). She’s the daughter of Lilith and Lucifer and her rather alien perspective on the human world makes sense in that context. When she starts falling in love it’s interesting to see the war she goes through with herself as she tries to discover if she really is capable of love, unlike her half-sisters the Lilim. Overall I felt her love for Obie her brother was stronger than her love for Truman, but that’s really minor. I did enjoy Daphne as a character.
What I liked this time is Brenna Yovanoff’s world-building. She actually tried to explain certain elements and while she didn’t explain everything to my satisfaction, I could actually understand what was going on. I loved meeting Beelzebub, Lilith and Lucifer and thoroughly enjoyed how tired old heaven and hell tropes had new twists put on them. The ambiguous nature of both sides instead of the traditional good vs. evil was refreshing.
What I didn’t like, however, was the plot. It seemed to slow down to a crawl in the most unnecessary places and then was completely rushed where I wanted to know more. Some of the motives for the characters weren’t very believable to me, but I can’t tell you about that without any unnecessary spoilers. Let’s just say that I’m not surprised about Truman’s father but his father’s actions are poorly justified when we learn what they are. The ending was incredibly rushed and I’m still not sure I entirely understand it. Perhaps that’s just me or perhaps Brenna Yovanoff still needs to work on conveying her story more.
Would I recommend The Space Between? Sure, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. But should you go out, buy it immediately and read it all without taking a break? No, it’s not one of those books. It’s good, but not great.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
(Cover picture courtesy of Book Box Daily.)
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
Well I suppose that The Scorpio Races at least has good descriptions. That’s pretty much all the praise I can give this book.
This is the first book I’ve read by Maggie Stiefvater and it will very likely be the last. The Scorpio Races is a book that’s 404 pages long that tells a non-existent story. (Spoilers ahead.) Puck, or Kate as she’s properly called, is a young girl living on a mysterious island that has caipall uisce. Essentially they’re vicious, flesh-eating horses that live in the water. And the crazy people on the island (the ones that stay there anyway) race them on the first of every single November. Kate’s older brother is leaving for the mainland to make a better life for himself and his orphaned siblings but oh no, Kate can’t have that! She decides, on a whim, to enter the Scorpio Races in order to delay her brother’s departure…by one whole month. Yep, that’s her great plan. Maggie Stiefvater later inserts further drama about the house coming close to being foreclosed on but it just seems like a lame justification for Kate’s stupidity.
I should have liked Sean as a character but I couldn’t muster up the energy to give a crap about him. He works for an awful man because he wants to buy the horse he’s become attached to. That’s it. He often speaks with the mainland horse buyer George Holly, but Holly’s main purpose as a character is to offer exposition and generally pad the length of the novel. He serves no useful purpose, believe me. And it seems the only purpose Sean has in the end is to save Kate’s stupid butt when she decides to enter the Scorpio Races on a regular horse. Amongst flesh-eating caipall uisce. Does her stupidity have no end?
I nearly fell asleep by the time the races started. The races start on page 380 in a book that’s 404 pages long. The rest of the novel is meaningless ‘training’ sequences that always seem to end in forced, awkward ‘romance’ between Kate and Sean. It just seems like added drama rather than a genuine romance. I mean, if George Holly hadn’t said that Sean and Kate obviously had feelings for each other I really don’t think I would have noticed. There’s a fine line between subtle and non-existent.
Ugh, for a novel with a great premise, The Scorpio Races was a complete bomb. To be honest I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
I give this book 0.5/5 stars.
Echo Prophecy by Lindsey Fairleigh
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(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Discover what’s hidden–a powerful, mythic race, an ancient Egyptian prophecy, and a love strong enough to shatter the boundaries of time.
Alexandra Larson isn’t human…but she doesn’t know that. As far as Lex is concerned, she’s simply an ambitious and independent archaeology grad student with a knack for deciphering ancient languages, especially the various forms of Egyptian. When she’s recruited to work on her dream excavation, her translating skills uncover the secret entrance to an underground Egyptian temple concealed within Djeser-Djeseru–the famous mortuary temple of Queen Hatchepsut. Lex is beyond thrilled by her discovery…as is the enigmatic and alluring excavation director, Marcus Bahur.
As the relationship between Lex and Marcus heats up, a series of shocking revelations leave the young archaeologist reeling. Once Lex discovers the truth of her ancient Egyptian roots–the truth of her more-than-human nature–the people she trusts most make one final, terrifying revelation: Lex is the central figure of a four-thousand-year-old prophecy. She is the only thing standing between the power to alter the very fabric of time and an evil megalomaniac…who also happens to be her father. As events set in motion over four millennia ago lead Lex and Marcus from Seattle to the heart of Egypt, the fate of mankind depends on one thing: the strength of Lex’s love.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
As you guys all know, I’m an ancient Egypt fanatic. There’s just something about ancient Egypt that appeals to me, so it was pretty much a guarantee I’d pick up this book and at least give it a try. So did Echo Prophecy measure up to my expectations?
Absolutely! Lindsey Fairleigh knows far more about ancient Egyptian mythology, culture and language than I ever could have hoped for. She actually knows something about how hieroglyphs are translated and that there isn’t only one form of Egyptian (i.e. Middle Egyptian is an entirely different animal from New Kingdom Egyptian). I very nearly fainted when she actually used the properly translated names of the Egyptian gods like Heru, Aset and Set instead of the more commonly used Greek translations like Horus, Isis and Seth. I was just blown away by the way she incorporated the Egyptian mythology into the story and used it to create a believable explanation for the Egyptian gods.
As for the characters, I loved Lex. She was believable because not only does she react like a normal person would to finding out about a whole secret race, she is also flawed. Throughout the story she seems pretty unsure of herself until she gradually grows more and more confident. It’s a natural progression and I love Lindsey Fairleigh for doing it that way rather than having her accept everything all at once. Marcus was also a great character and I found that his actions were very well explained by his major secret. I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say that obviously Marcus isn’t everything he appears to be.
In the beginning the plot is pretty slow. That didn’t really bother me because it let me get my bearings for a little bit as Lex’s dreams became more and more frequent. But Lindsey Fairleigh didn’t dawdle for too long because soon everything was happening at once and Lex’s world changed completely. Despite the insanely fast pacing at some points, I never felt like the character development was forgotten. Even in the moments where there was huge suspense, everyone grew as a character either through their actions, words or when more backstory was revealed.
Even if you aren’t the biggest ancient Egyptian fan, I highly recommend Echo Prophecy. It’s a well-written, fast-paced novel with just enough romantic tension to keep the slow parts interesting. I can’t wait for the next book to see how Lindsey Fairleigh handles that huge cliffhanger she left at the end.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Sworn to Transfer by Terah Edun
(Cover picture courtesy of Terah Edun.)
Companion trainee Ciardis Weathervane has won the friendship of the royal heir and saved his claim to the throne. Yet her interference in the inheritance rights leaves more harm done than good. With the death of the Princess Heir, the Ameles forest – the home of the kith, is dying. The inhabitants of the forest, magic-wielding non-humans, are defiant. They have not forgotten their long struggles nor are they content to watch as the last of their lands perish. As humans begin to die in gruesome deaths, the Emperor dispatches the royal heir to the forests with the solution to the kith concerns.
With enemies closing ranks in Sandrin, Ciardis can little afford to leave the city’s nest of vipers to take on a new task. But she’s given no choice when her loyalty to the crown and courts are called into question.
To keep the Companions’ Guild happy and the favor of the Imperial Court, Ciardis will be tested in frightening new ways, especially when she’s faced with an obstacle that could risk the lives of her friends and the family she never thought she had.
This second novel continues the story of Ciardis Weathervane from Sworn To Raise.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from Terah Edun in exchange for an honest review.]
Some authors never improve, but Terah Edun is not one of them. Instead, in Sworn to Transfer she fixed pretty much everything that was wrong with the last book. The pacing was much better because everything was slowed down to a manageable but interesting speed and the villain wasn’t such a caricature as in Sworn to Raise.
What I liked the most about Sworn to Transfer is how Ciardis’ character has developed over time. You can tell that although she keeps getting in trouble with the Companions’ Guild for breaking protocol, overall she’s far more sure of herself and her powers. At the same time, things are a little more awkward between Ciardis and Sebastien. You can tell they’re starting to develop feelings for each other, but they’re still not sure just how to express them. At least they’re not falling in Insta-Love, but rather their love is growing organically.
What I really liked were the plot twists. The huge jaw-dropping twist at the end was completely unexpected but made sense. In addition to that shocker, there were several little turns of events that kept me reading late into the night. I don’t want to give anything away so let’s just say that every character has their secrets and they aren’t exactly eager to share them with Ciardis, the wild card in the Imperial Court.
If you enjoyed Sworn to Raise you’ll love Sworn to Transfer even more. The extended world-building, the character development and the evenly paced plot make it a huge improvement over the last book. And although there are some moments where the plot drags, when you finish the book you’ll be begging for the next one to come out.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.