Category: Book Review
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?
Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?
I’ve been tempted by this book for almost a year now, when it really took off amongst the book blogs of the world. There has been an incredible amount of hype about Grave Mercy and it seems a very popular book with my fellow bloggers. So we must ask ourselves, once again, does it deserve all of the hype?
Yes. Actually, it does. The hype almost doesn’t do it justice.
Set in the Middle Ages with a few modifications, Grave Mercy is just one of those books that when you start, you can’t stop. The intrigues of Anne’s court and council, the tension between Ismae and Duval and the fast pacing of the plot make for a great read. I spent a whole afternoon on this book, something I rarely do anymore because of time constraints, but I just could not put it down. Ismae herself is a great, believable character who escapes a terrifying arranged marriage and eventually finds herself taught and indoctrinated in the ways of St. Mortain, the old god and new saint of death.
So is this an historical novel or is it completely set in a fantasy world? I had to look this up, but apparently Robin LaFevers did all her research and set the story in 15th century Europe and stayed true to the politics of the time. The only made up part would be the specific ‘saints’ or ‘gods’ mentioned in the book and the group of female assassins. (Obviously, the divine/magical elements are made up as well.) Other than that, Grave Mercy is actually pretty historically accurate, which if you’re a lover of history adds that extra layer of enjoyment.
I love political thrillers to some extent, so I really appreciate all of the political intrigues Robin LaFevers included. Betrayal, hidden allegiances and secret contracts all ratchet up the tension and drive the plot forward as Ismae tries to navigate the tricky politics of the times while trying to figure out her own feelings for the handsome Gavriel Duval, the duchess’ half brother. As you’re reading this, just remember that not everyone is as they seem and some characters will really, truly surprise you.
It’s hard to explain what makes Grace Mercy so great, but I think it’s a combination of very three dimensional, relatable characters, a fast-paced plot and rich mythology woven into the time period where it takes place. Not only that, Robin LaFevers is an excellent writer who knows how to balance dialogue and description without boring her readers to death. The cliffhanger at the end is also a good incentive to read the next book, Dark Triumph which stars Sybella instead of Ismae.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Short Story: A Goddess’ Curse by Luciana Cavallaro
(Cover picture courtesy of Smashwords.)
Hera, Queen of the Gods, is the most powerful goddess on Mount Olympos. Beautiful, sensual, and merciless, she is a goddess renowned for her jealous rages and for inflicting horrors on hapless victims. She’s the protector of women, virtue, family and marriage yet her husband, Zeus, has had countless affairs. She puts up with it. Why? Is she really malicious or a product of circumstance?
For the first time ever in a candid interview, Hera shares what it’s like to be a goddess and wife to Zeus, the King of the Gods.
Drake Dabbler, chat show host, sees his exclusive interview with Queen Hera as a sure road to a Daytime Emmy… He should have been more thorough in his research.
[Full disclosure: Luciana Cavallaro sent me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]
I definitely had my doubts about A Goddess’ Curse simply because it was focusing on Hera, who is renowned throughout Greek mythology for fitting the jealous woman stereotype. Her treatment of Zeus’ lovers was well-documented as was her part in the Trojan War. So when I started this short story I was wondering if Luciana Cavallaro would go for the Ice Queen interpretation or something a little more sympathetic.
As it turns out, she decided on a combination of the two. Learning about Hera in her own words through an interview with an over-zealous TV host is interesting, but the reactions she gives said TV host are priceless. Not only do you get to see her side of the story in her own words, you get to see flashes of her personality in her interactions with other characters. I like Luciana Cavallaro’s interpretation of Hera and I absolutely love how she stays true to the goddess’ character by revealing her actions at the end of the story. I don’t want to spoil things, but what she does is very, very similar to what happened to some of Zeus’ lovers.
There really isn’t much more to say. Both Drake and Hera were great characters who had interesting interactions, the plot was fast-paced and Luciana Cavallaro covered pretty much all of the topics of interest in the interview. I’m starting to love the way she lets famous women tell their stories because telling them in third person but having the characters do an interview is very insightful. Honestly, I wish we had a whole novel from Hera’s point of view. Yes, A Goddess’ Curse was really that good.
I give this short story 5/5 stars.
The Cult of Me by Michael Brookes
(Cover picture courtesy of M.R. Gott’s Cutis Anserina.)
For years he dwelt apart. With his unique ability he invades and destroys their lives. Now, bored of the game he decides to enact a bloody last stand, but while preparing his plan in prison he discovers he’s not as unique as he once thought.
[Full disclosure: Michael Brookes sent me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]
Well, I certainly can’t accuse Michael Brookes of relying on clichés too much because just when I thought I knew how things were going to end, he changed everything up. Yes, there was the whole villain reluctantly working for the good guys to save the world aspect, but there are so many twists on this trope that I can’t fault him for that.
The story starts off with our unnamed narrator in prison, feeling very smug about himself. Through events at the prison and flashbacks (but never in the same chapter so it isn’t confusing!) we learn that he has incredible psychic powers. He can control people’s minds and even kill people with just the power of his own mind, which he discovered on the night of his mother’s murder. The flashbacks that happen every other chapter allow us to slowly realized what caused him to acquire his present smug, brilliantly evil attitude. From a psychological standpoint, it’s fascinating.
I wasn’t really sure where Michael Brookes was going with this until he delved into the whole coming apocalypse angle. That wasn’t that surprising or unique. However, his approach to the apocalypse was in that the man trying to bring it about is one you’d never, ever think of on your own. The best part about this scenario is that Michael Brookes presents it so that both readers who are familiar with the Bible and readers who aren’t can understand it. You don’t have to be a theologian or even Christian to help piece together the puzzle.
My only real complaint about The Cult of Me was that things could have been proofread better. There are times where quotation marks face the wrong way or shouldn’t be there and missing periods, which are more likely run-on sentences. Still, I wasn’t so distracted that I didn’t enjoy the book and I think Michael Brookes has a great idea here going with The Cult of Me. I can’t wait to see what the next book brings after that huge cliffhanger.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
*Not currently available.
The Redheaded Stepchild by Kelly I. Hitchcock
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Cady O’Donnell is The Redheaded Stepchild, the heroine without any grandiose heroic actions. In this disjointed collection of short stories, we follow Cady as she tries on every hat in the this-is-your-life store to see what fits and works best in the adventures she shares with her special head of hair. Each chapter acts as a screaming independent connection between the most formative years of her life, as she meets, lives with, and loses one of the most influential people in her lifetime. Set in a rural community in Minnesota, The Redheaded Stepchild is an archetype of life in small-town America and a testament that the broken family is the new whole family, just as Cady O’Donnell shows how the unwanted stepchild can be a everyday hero.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from Kelly Hitchcock in exchange for an honest review.]
Sometimes, after reading fantasy and science fiction you lose sight of the fact that normal life makes good fiction as well. The Redheaded Stepchild is just that: a tale about normal life out in rural America, which is also applicable to rural Canada. And as someone who grew up in a very rural area, I can say with absolute certainty that Kelly Hitchcock portrays rural life incredibly well without any embellishments.
Our heroine Catherine, or Cady for short, isn’t a kick-butt action heroine that you find in a lot of sci-fi and fantasy. She’s just an average girl trying to deal with a dysfunctional family situation. Her family’s poor but not starving, her father is divorced and has remarried and she’s going to college to make a better life for herself. No, nothing truly unusual or overly dramatic here. But that doesn’t mean The Redheaded Stepchild isn’t interesting. What it does mean is that you get a slice of normal characters trying to deal with normal life, a true rarity in fiction. It sort of puts things in perspective as we watch Cady grow up through several disjointed short stories. (Of course everything is tied together in the end, but I found it was an interesting way to tell Cady’s story.)
Really, what else is there to say? Cady was a great character with a believable character arc, the plot was not fast-paced but it was interesting and Kelly Hitchcock’s quality of writing is excellent. The Redheaded Stepchild probably isn’t for everyone, but if you’re tired of fantastic stories and want a slice of normal life, this would be a great book for you.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
The Scarlet Bastards by Sean Mac Úisdin
(Cover picture courtesy of The Island Scrivener.)
The Scarlet Bastards is the first in a series of memoirs from a retired jawan of the United Nations Off World Legion – a man by the name of Alexander Armstrong. He joined as a youth, fleeing the comfort and tedium of his teenage existence in 2098 – or as he characterized it, “in a fit of teenage pique” and was sent to the UN colony of Samsāra in orbit around Delta Pavonis, some twenty light years from Earth. A dumping ground for the downtrodden, the unwanted, and the forgotten, Samsāra with its nearly 100,000 Terrans and 250,000 Gliesiun refugees was a backwater hell – a technological and infrastructural wasteland where the tundra camel reined and a law-abiding and organized society was almost non-existent.
[Full disclosure: Sean Mac Úisdin sent me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]
I’m not sure what it was, but The Scarlet Bastards never made the jump from ‘okay book’ to ‘great book’. This could be because it’s not something I would normally read or maybe it really is just good, but not great. There were some things I absolutely loved about Mac Úisdin’s book, but there were some other elements that I didn’t like.
I’ll start with the former. I absolutely loved the idea of a spoiled Canadian boy setting off on an adventure to what turns out to be the United Nations’ most ragtag army ever. The premise was excellent and overall it was executed well. There was plenty of humour, but also some poignant moments, which is actually quite a bit to pack into one novella that’s only 50 pages long. As for the characters, you have your gag characters like MacShaka, but also your somewhat serious characters like Alexander himself. Alexander as a narrator has an interesting enough voice and does mature quite quickly throughout the story, so I appreciate the effort Mac Úisdin has put into character development.
At first I really loved the world of Samsāra, but because of some of the slang words used by MacShaka and other characters who had been there for a while, I don’t feel I got everything that I should have. The descriptions of what the army was wearing and some of the dialogue was so dialect and slang ridden that I really had no idea what was going on sometimes. Yes, adding character quirks and local slang is important, but when it’s overused it gets both confusing and annoying. And while the dialogue in The Scarlet Bastards never reaches the annoying stage, it is rather confusing.
Maybe it was the fact that this book was never meant for someone like me, but I don’t think this is a series I’ll be continuing. However, if the blurb sounds interesting to you, go ahead and read it! It might just be a matter of personal preference on my part.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.