Category: Fantasy
Wilde’s Meadow by Krystal Wade
(Cover picture courtesy of Krystal Wade via email.)
Happy endings are hard to find, and even though Katriona is in the middle of a war with someone who’s already stolen more than she can replace, she aches for a positive future with her Draíochtans.
Armed with hope, confidence in her abilities, and a strange new gift from her mother, Kate ventures into the Darkness to defeat a fallen god.
Losses add up, and new obstacles rise to stand in the way. Is the one determined to bring Encardia light strong enough to keep fighting, or will all the sacrifices to stop those who seek domination be for nothing?
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Wilde’s Meadow is like an opera. Not because it’s melodramatic or the plot is ridiculously convoluted, but because it has grand themes and memorable characters. It’s reminiscent of Aida what with all the tragedy and sacrifice in the last part. But, unlike most operas, the ending is not abrupt and it is quite satisfying from a fan perspective and a critical one.
As many of my Twitter fans know, Krystal Wade has taken great pleasure in tormenting me about Wilde’s Meadow. When she told me she cried while writing the last part of the novel, I was pretty concerned. I rarely get attached to characters in a series on this level; I think the last series that I was this emotionally involved in was Harry Potter. Yes, the Darkness Falls series is that good.
By this point in the series there really aren’t that many new characters, but many of the old ones go through surprising changes, especially Perth. Out of everyone, he surprised me the most. But it was, as usual, Kate whole stole the stage (as she should). Her love for Arland, her desire to help Encardia, her friendship with Flanna…all of these actually feel real to me. Kate is three dimensional along with all of the other characters, something that a surprising number of authors can’t even manage.
Need I really say anything about the plot? It’s the last book in a trilogy; of course it’s fast paced. Krystal Wade spent a lot longer building up to the climax than I thought she would, but for whatever reason it still worked. Just when you think the book is over, she throws another plot twist at you and the suspense ratchets up another notch. This is one of the very few books where I could not predict the ending, which is a refreshing change in fantasy. I won’t tell you if it ends well for the lovers, but let me say I can see why Krystal Wade cried while writing some parts. I almost cried reading some parts and I don’t get emotional over books very often.
If you’re looking for an amazing fantasy trilogy with memorable characters and a satisfying (if not completely happy) ending, I would highly recommend the Darkness Falls trilogy.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
(Cover picture courtesy of The Akamai Reader.)
The land of Terre d’Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good…and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.
Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with a very special mission…and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel’s Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.
Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is a courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundation of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair…and beyond. Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear.
Set in a world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess, this is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Not since Dune has there been an epic on the scale of Kushiel’s Dart—a massive tale about the violent death of an old age, and the birth of a new.
Okay, you should not read this book or this review if you:
- Are under 16
- Thought Fifty Shades of Grey was too much to handle
- Think this book is only about sex
Trust me, Fifty Shades of Grey has absolutely nothing on this. You’ve been warned.
Yes, Kushiel’s Dart has sex in it. A lot of sex. Is that what it’s only about or is it even the main focus? No. That’s why it’s generally classified under ‘fantasy’ rather than ‘erotica’. You can read it for the sex, but you’ll enjoy it so much more if you read it for the characters, world-building and insanely complicated politics.
Jacqueline Carey’s world-building is fantastic. She has imagined a world in which the Roman Empire (called the Tiberian Empire now) executed a man called Yeshua ben Yosef whose blood mingled with the tears of the Magdalene and combined in the womb of Mother Earth. Thus Elua was born and he traveled around the known world with his companions, who eventually settled down in their respective areas, which are the different provinces and regions. The precept they passed on was, of course, ‘love as thou wilt’, which is why in most places the Servants of Naamah, the love goddess, are looked at with reverence and not disgust.
I’m vastly oversimplifying things here, but that’s the gist of the origin of Terre d’Ange and the other countries. Kushiel’s Dart takes place in an alternate Earth where the Roman Empire still fell, but the aftermath was very, very different. Terre D’ange, Skaldia, Alba…these countries are all so vividly described that you can picture yourself there. They all have different traditions and cultures, which shows the true depth of Jacqueline Carey’s world-building.
Kushiel’s Dart is over 900 pages and while you may think that’s excessive, I will tell you for the most part, it was necessary. Phèdre’s backstory was well established and when she is fully grown, we are able to understand the world she lives in and can actually follow the complicated politics of Terre d’Ange. Trust me, I wouldn’t call them complicated if they weren’t, but they really are. Kushiel’s Dart is a book where you need to pay attention to every detail, no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time. It’s also a book you can read over and over again and still discover something you hadn’t noticed before.
Phèdre herself is a great character. She can be ruled by her desire for pain/pleasure, snobby about other cultures and jealous of Alcuin. But she is very intelligent and when she experiences the cultures of the Skaldi and Albans she gives up her preconceived notions about them. Yes, she can be jealous of Alcuin at times, but she never really shows her jealousy and feels bad about it because Alcuin is her friend. It is Phèdre who makes the book and without a narrator as strong as her, even the best world-building wouldn’t save Kushiel’s Dart.
So if you’re looking for an intelligent, well developed world with a great narrator that just happens to have some sex in it, you’ll love Kushiel’s Dart.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Puppet Parade by Zeinab Alayan
(Cover picture courtesy of Zeinab Alayan’s website.)
The life of a puppet master is never ordinary. Oliver Deere knew this when he ran away from home to take up the trade of puppetry, but he had no idea just how much his life would change.
After his puppets come to life and flee town, Oliver meets up with a masked girl who hides a mysterious past. As they travel together in search for Oliver’s lost puppets, they find that the line between puppet and master is becoming much less clear – and much more deadly.
As Oliver and his companion enter the strange world of The Parade, they begin to realise that their journey will lead them to discover the truth behind a dangerous villain’s path, and in the end, discover more about each other.
[Full disclosure: Zeinab Alayan sent me a free ebook in return for an honest review of her novel.]
When I saw the title Puppet Parade I must admit I was skeptical. Why? For no logical reason, really. I just thought it sounded stupid.
Yes, I judged a book by its title. I’m a terrible person, I know.
However, once I actually started reading Puppet Parade I was pleasantly surprised. Zeinab Alayan has a very nice, easy to read writing style and although she slips from past to present tense once or twice (especially near the end), I didn’t find nearly as many mistakes as I would have expected in a self-published novel. The only error that really threw me off was in the beginning where there was ‘nut’ instead of ‘but’ on page 8.
Sophie and Oliver really are great characters. In normal novels a man and a woman travelling together would pretty much fall in Insta-Love, but that’s really not the case with this odd pair. Zeinab Alayan took time to fully develop their personalities as they journeyed together through the mysterious Parade and discovered that despite its outward appearances, it had a much more sinister purpose. Sophie’s backstory is pretty incredible, but Puppet Parade does seem to be based in a fairytale-like setting so it does make sense in the context of the story. Oliver can be pretty eccentric but really is an interesting character who is very determined to protect Sophie, even before he admits to himself he has feelings for her.
The world of Puppet Parade is a refreshing break from all of the high fantasy I’ve read lately. Yes, it is fantasy, but it really doesn’t stick to any of the traditional fantasy tropes and clichés. It seemed to be pretty cliché at first, but Zeinab Alayan put an incredible twist on the mysterious world of the Parade that made sense, but was surprising at the same time.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
The gold thread shimmers in the fading light.
It promises Charlotte Miller a way out of debt, a chance to save her family’s beloved woolen mill. It promises a future for her sister, livelihood for her townsfolk, security against her sinuous and grasping uncle. It might even promise what she didn’t know she needed: lasting hope and true love.
But at what cost?
To get the thread, Charlotte must strike a bargain with its maker, the mysterious Jack Spinner. But the gleam of gold conjures a shadowy past—secrets and bonds ensnaring generations of Millers. And Charlotte’s mill, her family, her friends, her love…What do those matter to a powerful stranger who can spin straw into gold?
In her brilliant debut, Elizabeth Bunce weaves a spellbinding fairy tale, spun with mystery and shot through with romance.
A Curse Dark as Gold completely exceeded my expectations, something that is incredibly rare in a fairytale retelling. Elizabeth Bunce gave the heroine of the story, called Charlotte in this version (usually she has no name) a lot more depth than the traditional Rumpelstiltskin legend does. And Rumpelstiltskin himself, although he’s never called that, is surprisingly sympathetic. He is a villain in the traditional sense of the word, but in this version there are no set roles; it is very ambiguous, especially at the end.
Elizabeth Bunce also added enough plot twists to give the plot depth while keeping readers in suspense. Throughout the story, you really get the feeling that this is Rumpelstiltskin but it’s different enough that you are in doubt about the traditional happy ending during the climax. What impressed me the most about A Curse Dark as Gold was how Elizabeth Bunce chose to set it in a fantasy world similar to Britain as the Industrial Revolution was kicking off. Of course, that would explain why the mill was so important and was threatened with closure because of the new, more efficient machines in the city.
I thought Charlotte fell in love with Randall a little too quickly, but that’s probably because I’m not a romantic. Other than that, I really had no complaints about the characters, which is incredibly rare in a fairytale retelling. If you had to read just one fairytale retelling, I would recommend this one. Try it; you won’t regret it.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Queste by Angie Sage
(Cover picture courtesy of Queste Wiki.)
There’s trouble at the Castle, and it’s all because Merrin Meredith has returned with Darke plans for Septimus. More trouble awaits Septimus and Jenna in the form of Tertius Fume, the ghost of the very first Chief Hermetic Scribe, who is determined to send Septimus on a deadly Queste. But Septimus and Jenna have other plans—they are headed for the mysterious House of Foryx, a place where all Time meets and the place where they fervently hope they will be able to find Nicko and Snorri, who were trapped back in time in Physik. But how will Septimus escape the Queste?
Queste, like all the books in the Septimus Heap series, is filled with nonstop action, humor, and fantastical adventure as Septimus continues his journey of Magykal self-discovery.
As you may remember, I wasn’t overly fond of Magyk, the first book in the Septimus Heap series. Still, I kept on with the series because it showed potential and now that I’ve read the fourth book, I’m certainly glad I did. With each book, Angie Sage’s writing got better, the characters became three dimensional and the world-building improved greatly.
Queste follows Septimus and Jenna as they try to bring Nicko and Snorri back to the present. The only problem is that Septimus has drawn the Questing Stone and must go on a Queste. Questing had been abolished because too many Apprentices died while on their Questes, but a loophole exploited by a villainous ghost revives them. In Queste, Angie Sage created a lot more suspense than she did in her previous three books. It suits the maturing writing style throughout the series, which allows fans to grow up along with the books.
Angie Sage rotates between different points of view, which can be confusing in the wrong hands, but she handled it well. Queste is a bit more dark than the other three books, although it still has some of that humour Angie Sage is known for. I would highly recommend this book for kids ages 8-12 who love fantasy.
And yes, I would even recommend it to adults and teens who love a bit of light reading once in a while.
I give this book 4/5 stars.