Lazy Sundays: Saskatchewan in Winter

This year we were pretty lucky in my area not to have such an early snow, unlike last year when we had snow on the ground since October 17th.  We didn’t really get much snow until mid-November and it’s been pretty icy ever since.  Add to that the fact that my car is rear wheel drive and driving can be pretty interesting.

But one of the only good things about winter is that winter in Saskatchewan is extraordinarily pretty.  We have all of the picturesque fields, the snow-covered hay bales, and most importantly of all, tons of hoarfrost.  Today I braved the cold so I could share some of the beautiful scenes with you guys:

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013I didn’t go to get any closeups because the snow is up to my knees in the fields (even though you can still see some of the quack grass and weeds poking up) and it is miserably cold.

So what are you guys up to this Sunday?  What’s the weather like where you are?

The Rose Master by Valentina Cano

The Rose Master by Valentina Cano(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

The day Anne Tinning turns seventeen, birds fall from the sky. But that’s hardly the most upsetting news. She’s being dismissed from the home she’s served at since she was a child, and shipped off to become the newly hired parlor maid for a place she’s never heard of. And when she sees the run-down, isolated house, she instantly knows why:

There’s something wrong with Rosewood Manor.

Staffed with only three other servants, all gripped by icy silence and inexplicable bruises, and inhabited by a young master who is as cold as the place itself, the house is shrouded in neglect and thick with fear. Her questions are met with hushed whispers, and she soon finds herself alone in the empty halls, left to tidy and clean rooms no one visits.

As the feeling of being watched grows, she begins to realize there is something else in the house with them–some creature that stalks the frozen halls and claws at her door. A creature that seems intent on harming her.

When a fire leaves Anne trapped in the manor with its Master, she finally demands to know why. But as she forces the truth about what haunts the grounds from Lord Grey, she learns secrets she isn’t prepared for. The creature is very real, and she’s the only one who can help him stop it.

Now, Anne must either risk her life for the young man she’s grown to admire, or abandon her post while she still can.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

One of the things that stood out for me from the beginning in The Rose Master was the writing.  Valentina Cano has a beautiful descriptive writing style that just sucks you into the world of her story.  Of course it’s not as verbose as the writing style of the time, but it is different enough from most styles that you get a sort of authentic “gothic mystery novel” feel.  Which is probably what she was going for, considering the plot and the subject matter.

The characters ring true both to the modern reader as well as to the times they live in.  Anne is a servant at the age of seventeen and when she’s sent away to Rosewood Manor she’s on her own for the first time in her life.  So you can imagine her terror when it seems like there’s something funny going on at the manor, what with the odd noises, mysterious bruises on the staff members and an absentee Lord.  One of the things that I admired so much about the book is that Anne is brave and resourceful without resulting to the modern ‘kick-butt action girl’ trope that would ruin the authentic Gothic feel.  She’s not helpless, but she is bound by her upbringing and the expectations of the times.  I don’t want to give much away but when she finally does meet our mysterious Lord Grey, she definitely does grow out of that enforced timidity.

The plot is not fast by most modern standards but it is fascinating.  Valentina Cano sucks you into her world with her writing and she is a master of suspense.  Even if you’re like me and could pretty much predict the next events, you just had to keep reading to see how they would unfold.  She creates an air of mystery, suspense and more than a little horror throughout the novel that I really admire her for sustaining.  Sure, there are some happy parts between characters, but there’s always that ominous other lurking about on the sidelines.

Even if you’re not a huge Gothic novel fan, I can’t recommend The Rose Master enough.  It is just so beautifully written and Valentina Cano does a wonderful job keeping her readers in suspense.  The characters are so well fleshed out, both major and minor, that you can’t help but fall in love with them.  I particularly liked Anne; she’s a very memorable main character.  Basically?  Just go and buy this book.  I think you’ll love it as much as I did.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Harbinger by Lee French and Erik Kort

Harbinger by Lee French & Erik Kort(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

Adjusting to her new life as a soul-bound agent of the Fallen has Chavali pushing herself harder than ever before. Between learning to fight, dealing with idiots, and climbing stairs – lots of stairs – she has little time to waste on thoughts of the future. Or the past.

When another agent fails to report in, Chavali is sent on the mission to discover her fate. Ready or not, she saddles up for a new adventure with new dangers.

The search takes her to Ket, a coastal city slathered in mystery. There, she faces ghosts from her past and demons of her future as she seeks answers. All she seems to find are more questions.

Plague, murder, lies, espionage…this city harbors much more than meets the eye, and maybe too much to handle.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]

One of the only real things that disappointed me in the last book was that we never explored the origins of the Fallen.  I was expecting French and Kort to go into their mysterious origins a little bit but that never really happened, unfortunately.  Their world-building was just as good as it was when they wrote the first book, but in some ways Harbinger brings up more questions than it answers.  Still, I could really appreciate the time and effort they both put into fleshing out the city of Ket, where all of the main action takes place.

In the first book Chavali went through huge changes as a character.  She does that here in book two but not to the same degree, really.  What’s interesting is that with Harris she learns mercy and with Colby she learns that not everything is black and white and seeing the world that way can be a significant hindrance.  And what was far more interesting to me personally was the way she interacted with people, helping them with their problems in an honest sort of way and caring about someone besides herself.  That’s definitely a marked difference from The Fallen.  She’s no saint, but I did love the way her character developed so naturally throughout the book.

The best and sometimes worst part of Harbinger is the plot.  It’s the best thing because it’s much more complex and fast-paced than that of the previous book.  It’s also the ‘worst’ thing because sometimes it’s too complex and there are far too many new names brought up without sufficient backstory.  That’s not necessarily a major thing because it doesn’t detract from the overarching goal (find Elise and find out why she died) but it does make things more than a little confusing at some points, especially when you get everyone’s spies involved in the group’s business.  I would have liked for either a little more fleshing out of each character or just fewer minor characters just to keep the plot straight.

Still, I did enjoy Harbinger on the whole.  I loved Erik Kort and Lee French’s world and their world-building.  Their major characters were much more fleshed out this time around and Chavali really is turning into a different person as one of the Fallen.  My only real complaints were the lack of new backstory discovered and the introduction of too many minor characters without really fleshing them out.  But the question is: will I be reading the third book?  Of course because I want to see what happens to Chavali and the gang; I’ve come to care for them as characters.

I give this book 3.5/5 stars.

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The Fallen by Lee French and Erik Kort

The Fallen by Lee French & Erik Kort(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

For hundreds of years, the Blaukenev clan has wandered across Tilzam, from one end to the other and back. Each wagon carries history, love, laughter, pain, sorrow, and secrets. Their greatest secret of all may be Chavali, the clan Seer.

Spirits claim/use/save/damn her.

With her gift/curse, nothing surprises her anymore, no one keeps secrets from her. She, on the other hand, has more than enough secrets to keep. Secrets of her own, secrets of her clan, secrets of the world, secrets she even keeps from herself.

There are always people who want secrets.
Some will do anything to get what they want.

The Fallen is the foundation of the story of The Greatest Sin, of a world adrift from its God that desperately wants Her back. Chavali’s comfortable, predictable life will be ripped apart and burnt to ashes as she’s forced into the middle of that struggle. Change, she hates it passionately. It hates her right back.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]

One of the things that surprised me the most about French and Kort’s world is how vivid it is.  Even though we only see a limited bit of it through Chavali, the rich lore of The Greatest Sin as well as the obviously well thought out traditions of Chavali’s people all combine to make it a wonderful fantasy world.  I personally would have liked to learn way more about the other countries and the Fallen themselves, but I think that’s for another book entirely.  Still, both authors reveal enough about the world that you feel curious about it, but not lost.  And that way there’s no huge info-dump right at the beginning; instead there’s a natural learning curve as the book goes on.

The characters were nothing stellar, but they were fairly good.  Chavali can be temperamental and rude but I can sort of understand why when people keep touching her and passing on their thoughts without her permission.  Especially when those people are particularly repugnant or are like Keino and want things that she can’t and won’t give.  Still, Chavali was a very sympathetic character and when you consider just how much she changes from pampered seer to member of the Fallen, you realize she is fairly easy to relate to.  Haven’t we all lost some arrogance at one point in our lives?

I can’t reveal too much about the plot without giving away some pretty important spoilers, but let me just say that while it’s not predictable, it’s not completely unpredictable.  There are familiar tropes that will allow you to predict what happens next but at the same time, French and Kort mixed things up a bit by introducing the Fallen and revealing more about Chavali’s tribe.  So while it’s not an on the edge of your seat plot, it is interesting enough that I wanted to read it in one session.  All in all?  I’d have to say that The Fallen was pretty good and I can’t wait to start on Harbinger tonight.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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The Mad Reviewer’s 2014 Holiday Book Buying Guide (Part One)

Yes, it’s that time of year again: time to recommend books that I loved.  Particularly new books that I just read this year.  In this Part One I’ll be recommending fantasy, science fiction and speculative fiction.  And then in Part Two I’ll be recommending the remaining major genres: historical fiction, romance and just a miscellaneous category.  All links go to my actual reviews of the books where you can find links to Amazon, Barnes & Noble and sometimes Goodreads in the newer reviews.  Enjoy!

FANTASY FICTION

Aranya by Marc Secchia1.  Aranya by Marc Secchia

When the blog tour for this book went around, I almost didn’t join up because I thought it sounded stupid.  But I would have lost out if I hadn’t because Aranya is one of the most unique, well-written and diverse fantasy worlds that I’ve ever encountered.  It has dragons, shapeshifters, people of many different cultures, vivid characters, beautiful writing and a believable fantasy world all jammed into one action-packed story.  I fell in love with it from the first page and I just cannot recommend it enough.  Everyone needs to buy this book.

Goddess Born by Kari Edgren2.  Goddess Born by Kari Edgren

I picked this one up because the head of one of the blog tour companies I’m affiliated with absolutely gushed about it.  We generally have the same taste in books so I couldn’t pass it over.  Like with Aranya, I’m glad I didn’t.  Selah, the main character, is just one of those characters you’ll never really forget and Henry is also very unique.  Putting them together into what’s not necessarily the best situation where both of them face rape and possibly death if they separate makes for a lot of tension, but it also gives them common ground.  They start to trust each other, become friends and eventually it turns into love but Selah is keeping a secret that could break them apart.

The Devil's Concubine by Jill Braden3.  The Devil’s Concubine by Jill Braden

I recommended this one last year as well and I really just can’t recommend it enough.  Jill Braden has created a diverse fantasy world in The Devil’s Concubine and her main character QuiTai is perhaps one of the best female characters I’ve ever seen in fiction.  She’s almost always one step ahead of her enemies but sometimes things don’t go exactly the way she wants to.  She’s ruthless and beautiful but also caring and gentle, paying for the schooling of Ponongese children in Thampurian schools and fighting for Ponong’s independence (in subtle ways, mind) from their Thampurian masters.

Prophecy of the Most Beautiful by Diantha Jones4.  Prophecy of the Most Beautiful by Diantha Jones

This is another return recommendation and Prophecy of the Most Beautiful certainly deserves it.  Diantha Jones has created a vivid fantasy world of gods and goddesses based on Greek mythology…and it’s a world that’s in great danger as the main character Chloe becomes the Pythia of prophecy.  Will the world as the gods know it end?  Or will Chloe lose everything she holds dear?  You’ll be on the edge of your seat for this first installment in the Oracle of Delphi series!

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin5.  A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

If you’ve ever thought about reading the books the famous TV series is based on, you really should just read it.  It’s an interesting take on a quasi-Medieval fantasy world that’s not all roses and rainbows.  George R. R. Martin glamorizes nothing about the period and even goes to great lengths to show how horrible it is but at the same time, creates some great characters.  He writes some of the best female leads in fiction and there is a reason that the book series was adapted into a television series: it’s just that good.

SCIENCE FICTION

Partials by Dan Wells1.  Partials by Dan Wells

Ooh, a science fiction book aimed at teens that contains actual science!  It’s a shocker, I know, but I was actually fairly impressed with the first installment in the Partials Sequence.  You’ve got believable characters, more plot twists than you can count and an interesting post-apocalyptic world where not everything is as it seems.  With lots of moral ambiguity and just a little romance, you really can’t go wrong with Partials.  I guess in hindsight I should have seen the main plot twist but it’s really how that particular plot twist came about that’s more interesting to readers than the nature of said twist.

Feed by Mira Grant2.  Feed by Mira Grant

This is not a new book at all, but I just can’t recommend it enough.  It’s a new take on zombies, one where two man-made viruses designed to help man combine to create—you guessed it—zombies.  Only this isn’t your typical zombie novel; it’s more of a political thriller that happens to have zombies because Feed takes place 26 years after the event called The Rising.  How has humanity changed because of zombies being a constant threat, a threat that can arise every time someone dies?  And what happens when some people decide they know better than everyone else and try to mold the world to fit their ideal?  Find out in Mira Grant’s amazing novel!

Captivate by Vanessa Garden3.  Captivate by Vanessa Garden

Captivate was one of the biggest surprises of the year for me because (and I’m not sure why I thought this) I thought this would be a book about mermaids.  That’s not quite the case, although mermaids certainly were the inspiration for the whole underwater city.  Captivate does in fact have a love triangle, but it’s much, much more realistic than so many out there in YA fiction.  It’s actually kind of natural but in the end Miranda makes a choice, something that also rarely happens in just the first book of a YA series or trilogy.  So if you’re looking for YA with some romance, but want something a little less stereotypical, Vanessa Garden’s debut is for you.

Feyguard; Spark by Anthea Sharp4.  Spark by Anthea Sharp

Spark is book one in the Feyguard series, a spin-off series to the main Feyland trilogy Anthea Sharp wrote.  It can be read as a stand-alone novel, though, and that’s in part because it is very well written.  Spark herself is a pretty awesome main character as the premier gamer in the world as well as a member of the Feyguard, sworn to protect mortals from slipping into the world of the Fae through the Feyland game.  This isn’t the most science-intensive science fiction, but the incredible technology of Anthea Sharp’s future world is enough to even make a non-gamer like me drool.

Crewel by Gennifer Albin5.  Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Within YA, Crewel and the sequel Altered stand alone in their uniqueness.  The plot isn’t necessarily entirely unique, but Gennifer Albin hits upon such an unique idea that it’s disorientating at first.  A world where fates are spun like thread seems more fantasy than science fiction, but there is an actual scientific explanation.  It also makes you really ponder the idea of free will vs. controlling factors (be they a deity or really terrifying science).  And if you’re like me and hate YA characters that can’t seem to keep their mouths shut ever, you’ll love Adelice.  She can actually control her emotions and knows when and when not to say certain things.  What  novel idea!

SPECULATIVE FICTION

The Color of Rain by Cori McCarthy1.  The Color of Rain by Cori McCarthy

This is the kind of gift you’d really only give to your closest friend because (and I don’t say this lightly) there’s a ridiculous amount of trigger warning content within.  There’s rape, physical violence and some pretty awful decisions that the main character Rain has to make, all in the name of a possible cure for her little brother’s terminal illness.  It’s a dark story, but also one of beauty, forgiveness and redemption.  Trust me when I say that it’s not for the faint of heart, but that it is an excellent book.

Cameron's Law by Mia Darien2.  Cameron’s Law by Mia Darien

This is sort of urban fantasy/speculative fiction.  What would happen if humans found out about supernatural creatures like vampires, werewolves and shapeshifters?  If your answer was “kill them”, you’d probably be right.  And then what if in that world, supernatural creatures then obtained the same rights as humans?  Well, that’s the world Sadie Stanton lives in, where her boyfriend Cameron was murdered for being a supernatural creature and where she fought to push through legislation declaring personhood for all supernatural beings.  One year after, things are heating up in the town of Adelheid as murders seemingly perpetuated by vampires and werewolves keep cropping up.  Will Sadie be able to get to the bottom of things?

The Genesis by K L Kerr3.  The Genesis by K. L. Kerr

I read this one last year, but it’s really stuck with me and that’s in part because of the main character Catrina.  The Genesis is set in a futuristic world where a corporation keeps kidnapping and killing vampires in the search for the key to their immortality.  Catrina becomes a vampire in this rather dark world but instead of going into complete denial about being a vampire like so many other narrators, she tries to learn everything she can about it.  Shocking, I know.  The only thing that’s a little annoying in this book (to me anyway) is that we don’t really know much about Catrina.  However, this book is only the first in a series so I guess we’ll learn a lot more about her in the future.

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence4.  Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

I recommended this one last year and I’m going to recommend it again.  Prince of Thorns is a dark fantasy/science fiction novel that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world that is very clearly our own.  (Jorg reading old Latin philosophy in original Latin being the first clue.)  Our main character Jorg is ruthless, utterly vile and will stop at nothing to become Emperor.  And he’s only 14 years old!  Normally a character like Jorg would repulse me but he is very compelling and when you learn his backstory bit by bit, it’s no wonder that he’s so horrible.  But he’s also brilliant and strategically minded, meaning that the whole book is a fast-paced and interesting read.

immortalrules5.  The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

In a world where vampires rule and humans are their slaves, one teenage girl named Allison Sekemoto is scrounging on the edges of society to survive.  Rather than submitting to the vampires’ bloodletting twice a month she decides to run to the outskirts of the city and scavenge for food.  Only, her life gets turned upside down when she is attacked by feral vampires and is saved by a regular vampire who then turns her so she can survive.  She has to figure out not only how to survive as a vampire but how to reconcile her bloodlust with her code of ethics that’s strictly against killing for blood.  Julie Kagawa is one of those writers that gets better with time and by the end of this trilogy, you’ll look at vampires just a little differently.

If you don’t see your favourite genre here, stay tuned this week for part two, which will contain my historical fiction, romance and miscellaneous genre recommendations.  Did you see any new books that you might check out?  Or are some of your favourites already on here?