Tagged: book 5
Sworn to Defiance by Terah Edun
(Cover picture courtesy of Terah Edun via email.)
Ciardis Weathervane returned to the imperial court of Sandrin to unite her foes. But her efforts hit a stumbling block. The imperial kind. She never thought that before rallying an empire, she’d have to fight the emperor himself.
An imposter sits the throne and the court she turned to for help is in turmoil. Ciardis hasn’t survived assassination attempts, torture and really bad luck to be taken down by her own ruler. So she devises a plan. But first she needs to get Sebastian and Thanar to agree. Each seems to love her in their own way. But neither is listening to her. Pushing them to put aside their differences, in an effort to ward off catastrophe, might be harder than displacing an emperor who would do anything to keep his throne.
Butting heads at court isn’t Ciardis’s only problem. With the princess heir’s threat looming she is forced to travel to the mythical city of Kifar, where it is up to her small group to stop the destruction of the entire city while heading a rebellion that could foment a revolution. It wouldn’t be the first revolution that Algardis has ever known. But with Ciardis Weathervane at its head—it would certainly be the last.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.]
When I realized that this wasn’t the last book in the Courtlight series as I had believed it to be, I’ll admit I got a little nervous. After all, where could the story possibly go from here? It seemed like Terah Edun was wrapping things up already in Sworn to Secrecy, the fourth book. And when there were several pages of backstory right at the beginning I was even more skeptical about this fifth book.
As usual with Terah Edun, my skepticism and anxiousness was for nothing. After the initial info dump things quickly picked up and just wouldn’t let go. I had intended to only read a few chapters before bed but once I got past the exposition (which was important) I couldn’t stop and ended up finishing the book at one in the morning. Yes, the plot was that fast-paced and there were that many awesome twists. But first I’ll start with the thing that surprised me most: the characters.
Once again the characters surprised me. Ciardis is finally demanding respect from others and not caring what they think of her (unless they’re trying to kill her). She’s started to master the commanding air of her mother and is becoming knowledgeable about the intrigues of the Algardis court. And finally, finally she’s made up her mind about where she stands with Sebastien. I won’t tell you which way she decided, but let’s just say that I was both surprised and pleased with her stance until the little complication with Thanar was thrown in. Sebastien too has grown up, even though he’s only sixteen years old. He’s finally starting to take responsibility as the prince heir and is even more determined to save Algardis from the blutgott that’s threatening to destroy their entire world. He’ll do whatever it takes, even journey to a city that’s been sealed off from the rest of the world for 50 years.
Once again Terah Edun took the time to expand on her world-building just a little bit more. We finally learn more about the special connection Ciardis and Sebastien have as well as the rather unfortunate consequences of the Thanar complication coming into play. This is quite literally the most heart-wrenching, complicated and realistic love triangle you are ever going to see. I swear it’s not the typical love triangle, mainly because Ciardis is a woman that finally knows her mind but even she can’t control people like Thanar. I also liked how we finally learn that there may be a way to stop the blutgott but that it’s way more complicated and dangerous than you’d expect.
Basically, I got everything I could have wanted out of this fifth installment in the Courtlight series: romance, character development, a complicated plot and an expanded world. You really can’t ask for more in a series and after that insane cliffhanger I’m so anxious for Sworn to Ascension, book 6.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Amazon Barnes and Noble Goodreads
Zombies vs. Robots: No Man’s Land by Jeff Conner
(Cover picture courtesy of PREVIEWSworld.)
Book #5 in IDW’s shambling series of original Zombies vs Robots prose collections. Fully illustrated by the fantabulous Fabio Listrani, this new anthology features fresh tales of rotting flesh and rusting metal, undead unrest and mechanical mayhem. Once again IDW expands the apocalyptic hellscape of its unique signature franchise. A world where brain-eaters roam and warbots rule is truly a No Man’s Land.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy of this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]
I normally would have never given an anthology like this a second glance. But I was invited to by the publisher so I figured I had nothing to lose. If I’m honest, I thought the whole thing sounded kind of stupid but I’ve always tried to keep an open mind about literature so I gave it a try anyway.
Am I glad I did? Well I haven’t exactly found my new favourite series but at the same time I’m glad I gave this book a chance. It wasn’t as awful as I was expecting it to be. Instead, there were some very intelligent, believable and well-written stories about a world where zombies roam and robots meant to protect people from said zombies have gone rogue. This isn’t a random collection of individual story threads like the disastrous V-Wars anthology was, thankfully. No, each story picks up where the other one left off in the narrative of the zombie takeover and robot intervention. In the beginning there are stories when zombies are just starting to become a threat and by the end we’re in a fully post-apocalyptic time.
Most of the stories were very well-written. Others could have been better, but there were no stories that truly stood out as bad. The pacing is very good for most of them and the overall plot arc is fast-paced. This isn’t the sort of book you’ll race to read in one sitting, but it is good enough to keep you reading for a while to find out what’s going to happen next in this world where zombies and robots roam.
The characters were generally well fleshed-out. There were some pretty stereotypical characters (like the ditzy girls in one story) but overall the characters were believable and changed as much as can be expected in the course of a short story. None of the characters stood out as truly memorable for me, but that may be more of a personal thing than an issue with the writing.
If you think the idea behind this anthology sounds interesting, I’d say go for it! It’s not the type of book I’m really into but for the right audience this could be a great thrill ride.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
The Ballad of Sir Dinadan by Gerald Morris
(Cover picture courtesy of Booktopia.)
Dinadan rode out of the front gate of his father’s home, promising himself that he would never again enter those walls.
Young Dinadan has no wish to do any of the knightly things expected of him. But he was born to be a knight, and knights, of course, have adventures. So after his father forces his knighthood upon him, he wanders toward King Arthur’s court in the company of a misguided young lad named Culloch. There Dinadan meets Sir Kai and Sir Bedivere, and the three find themselves accompanying Culloch on the worst sort of quest. Along the way, Dinadan learns that though minstrels sing of spectacular heroic deeds, honor is often found in simpler, quieter ways.
The first four books in The Squire’s Tales have had humour in them, but they never reached into the realm of laugh-out-loud humour. The Ballad of Sir Dinadan does because of Sir Dinadan’s attitude toward love and knights and because of the sheer craziness of some situations he gets into. This is the most cynical, irreverent take on the Arthurian legends and I absolutely love it. In some ways, it makes the first four books seem pale in comparison.
This is the first time we’re actually in the point of view of a knight. The problem is, he doesn’t want to be a knight. Dinadan is no good at sword fighting, jousting or wooing ladies. He is cynical to begin with because his father knighted him while drunk, but he is also hopeful that the world outside his childhood home will be better. But after an incident with a beautiful maiden, Dinadan turns full cynic and that attitude is proven correct time and time again throughout the story. The ineptness of Culloch, the horror of discovering what his older brother Sir Tristram is actually like and the folly of Queen Isuelt…wouldn’t you be cynical too?
The plot of The Ballad of Sir Dinadan moves along fairly quickly and is mostly driven by Dinadan, who seems to get himself into all kinds of trouble. He also solves a lot of problems and encounters a lot of people we now consider legendary in the Arthurian canon. To some it will seem like Gerald Morris is going out of his way to be irreverent toward beloved figures, but when you think about it, these people (if they really existed) were probably like that. I guarantee that Gerald Morris’ fifth book in The Squire’s Tales will change your view of at least one character. If you’re looking for a traditional happy ending, you won’t find it, but the ending isn’t tragic either. In the context of the story, it makes sense.
I give this book 5/5 stars.