Poisoned Blade by Kate Elliott

Poisoned Blade by Kate Elliott

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Hardcover: 468 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release date: August 16th, 2016

Series:  Court of Fives #2

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Jessamy is moving up the ranks of the Fives—the complex athletic contest favored by the lowliest Commoners and the loftiest Patrons in her embattled kingdom. Pitted against far more formidable adversaries, success is Jes's only option, as her prize money is essential to keeping her hidden family alive. She leaps at the chance to tour the countryside and face more competitors, but then a fatal attack on Jes's traveling party puts her at the center of the war that Lord Kalliarkos—the prince she still loves—is fighting against their country's enemies. With a sinister overlord watching her every move and Kal's life on the line, Jes must now become more than a Fives champion...She must become a warrior.

Like the first book, I really enjoyed this second continuation. However, being a second book, you do have to understand certain key elements from the first, one most notably being the royal lineage. I was so confused by how everyone was related that it brought me out of the story quite a lot. Before starting this one, the reader should re-read the first and make a family tree chart for the royal family! It does not so much fall into a typical second book pitfall as the character and plot development are well fleshed out and the action doesn't slow, but there are moments where events pass by so quickly that you might not be quite sure what exactly has happened.

In Court of Fives, Jessamy wanted to be a Fives adversary to live her dream, but in this book, her dream has come at a price and the stakes are much higher for survival. She's a Fives Challenger but she also must keep her status and win more Fives competitions to stay in Lord Gargaron's good graces. Since the political conflicts are ramping up - like the war with Saro-Urok; a possible plot by Prince Nikonos and Lady Menoe to kill the royal family and Kalliarkos; another plot by Lord Gargaron to put Lady Menoe and Kalliarkos on the throne; and the hints of rebellion by the Efeans - Jessamy is caught in the middle with her father's marriage to Lady Menoe, her love for Kalliarkos, her Efean heritage, and her duty as part of Lord Gargaron's Fives stable. With her mother and siblings in hiding (except for the missing Bettany), Jessamy also has to assume responsibility for her family and supply them with money, keep them safely away from Lord Gargaron and his soldiers, and search for Bettany if she can. But most direct plans are thwarted, and she must rely on the Efean rebellion to help them. When Amaya joins Lord Gargaron's household in disguise to help her friend Denya, spy for news, and supply an income, Jessamy finds an ally to search for Bettany and in convincing Lord Gargaron to travel around so she can become a better Challenger. However, in doing so, she unknowingly stumbles into the thick of all the building political machinations. Her unique view has put her at an advantage few others can see, and she must take the step from pawn and small rebel to being a leader and she discovers her mistakes can have disastrous consequences.

Another key element is her relationship with her father and her understanding of his actions. As a military leader and under Lord Gargaron's orders, he had to wed Lady Menoe and set aside his former family, but when hard pressed, he acknowledges Jessamy as legitimate and is proud of her accomplishments, which is significant. Since she encounters a bit of his past in visiting the garrison where he was a spider scout, she comes to understand a bit of why he's made the choices he has, and why his relationship with her mother was so important and different than everyone else's. In examining her father's choices and that of her siblings, she also finds Bettany and how far one might go when you really sacrifice your family for your beliefs...

This book also brings her back to Kal and despite being on different sides, she discovers they are still allies. Since Kal is absent from Jessamy for much of the novel, there is even less romance than the last book. This situation with Kal, I expect, will also be a big part of book three, Buried Heart, coming August 2017. Really looking forward to it!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Brown Books for Young Readers, Court of Fives, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, Kate Elliott, Library, Little, Poisoned Blade, race, Review, we need diverse books, young adult  1 Person left their mark

Court of Fives by Kate Elliott

Court of Fives by Kate Elliott

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release date: July 12, 2016

Series:  Court of Fives, #1

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

In this imaginative escape into enthralling new lands, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott's first young adult novel weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege. 

Jessamy's life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family she can be whoever she wants when she sneaks out to train for The Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom's best contenders. Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an unlikely friendship between two Fives competitors--one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy--causes heads to turn. When Kal's powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes's family apart, she'll have to test her new friend's loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.

This fantasy was so good! I definitely did not expect to like this book as much as I did. It was compelling and action-filled. The characters were engaging. I loved Jes and Kal the best. The whole book revolves around Jes' conflicts and her choices based upon a few events. Running the Fives has been her dream that has always been out of reach. With her father's status as great military leader and his already taboo marriage to an Efean woman that he refuses to put aside, meaning she and her children still have his loyalty which is unheard of for a Patron man and makes him and his wife legendary among the Efeans, Jessamy is cautioned even more to be inconspicuous and obedient. In fact, none of the girls are to ever draw attention to themselves, hard because of their mixed race/status, the attention of Jessamy and Bettany being twins/cursed, Maraya having a club foot, and Amaya being exceptionally beautiful. This makes having a mixed race a key element of the book, which should draw some attention in YA and be part of #weneeddiversebooks movement. It's rare to have a YA fantasy deal with mixed race issues so prominently.

When their family status and future is most insecure than it has ever been due to her father's lord dying, Jes still pursues her dreams with the possibility of ruining everyone else's, which one could argue shows both courage and stupidity. It doesn't hurt that she's met Kal, who she is attracted to, not just for his looks, but because he's smart, honest, and a talented Fives runner who also happens to be a lord. But then when her mother and sisters are shamed as her father's star rises by being taken in to Lord Gargaron's household, Jessamy also faces the hardest choice -- to continue with her one chance to run the Fives in front of her father or be a dutiful daughter and go with the rest of her family.

Having always thought her father was rather hard to reach and would deny her despite her dreams, Jessamy continues with her plans but loses to Kal on purpose; however, Lord Gargaron knows of her cunning plan and forces her into a deal to run for him which also increases her father's status. But when she finds out that her mother and sisters are missing, Jessamy sacrifices her chances as a Fives adversary to possibly be discovered rescuing her family, showing that when faced with the worst odds, she will choose her family's lives over her own. It's quite a turn from selfishness to sacrifice for Jes, but then, if you consider that Jessamy decided not to run the Fives originally, she likely would have been missing with her family and no one would have been in a position to attempt to save them, much less find powerful enough allies to make a difference in their fates. This is one of the reasons that this book is really inspiring because choices of one young teen girl (who starts out selfish yet brave) comes to be the savior of her family, at least in the short term. We'll see what happens in the next book!

The setting was a mix of ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman society (think playing Age of Empires or Civilization) and myth. For more on the elements Kate Elliott used to create Court of Fives, visit "The Book Smugglers" site. This was a pretty clean read except for the bit about Kal pretending Jes is his mistress to give them more time together to plot and plan. Does contain some romance, but not very much, so this can definitely be read by middle grade readers or upper elementary readers. An interesting bit is how the premise is modeled after a variation of Little Women, which I hadn’t realized up until now. All in all, worth a read! If you'd like to read an excerpt, visit Tor.com. Stay tuned for my review of book 2 coming soon!

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Posted by Tynga at 14:25

 Action amp; Adventure, Brown Books for Young Readers, Court of Fives, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, Kate Elliott, Library, Little, race, Review, we need diverse books, young adult  2 People left their mark

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas | Second Look

I recently read Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas.  I know, I know: I'm waaaay behind the game on this series!  I'm kicking myself for not trying them sooner; they're excellent.  On the plus side, I get to binge-read them now, since I waited until so many were released to start reading them!  This is a Second Look on Tynga's Reviews- Tynga herself reviewed this right after it was released in 2013.  You can read her excellent review here.

WOW.  I feel like I've just been on the most amazing roller coaster!  The book's official summary hints at a secret being revealed, but there's no way you could see this one coming.  It's a whammy.  It's going to be so hard to write this review and tell you about this amazing book without telling you the secret!  You will need to go read the book so that we can discuss in the comment section.  ;)

I wholeheartedly agree with Tynga's assessment that the characters really make this book great.  (And the first book, and the third, which I've just started reading.)  Celaena is the most kickbutt heroine I've ever read, I think.  Remember in the first book how hard she worked to overcome immense odds to get herself in shape to win the king's contest?  Now that she's the king's assassin Champion, she isn't slacking!  He has her killing people left and right.  She's dispatching them completely silently- no one in the whole kingdom has any idea how they're happening.  One thing is changing about Celaena, though: she's allowing herself to be slightly (very, very, very slightly) more open.  We readers definitely get to know a lot more about her; Chaol and Dorian get to know her better as well.  I think I mentioned in my first review, of Throne of Glass, that I love how "real" Celaena is.  She has hobbies (books!) and interests (warcraft and martial arts) and favorite foods (chocolate and candy!).  Often this type of book will have a main character with a goal/mission, and that's all they ever focus on.  Maybe they'll have a little romance on the side.  I can't remember ever before reading about how much a character enjoys unwinding with a good book!  I love that.

Chaol and Dorian continue to get rounded out as well.  Especially Dorian!  I think we got to know sweet, tough, chivalrous, smart Chaol in Throne of Glass.  By the end of Throne of Glass I was 100% "Team Chaol."  Even though the books have an almost medieval-type feel to them, I don't feel like Chaol ever looks down on women just for being women.  He might look down on someone who "simpered" or acted foolish, but he totally respects Celaena, and encourages her development.  To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure how to feel about Dorian by the end of Throne of Glass.  He was already showing signs of being quite a complicated person.  That's good- no one likes 1D characters- but it also complicated my feelings toward him.  In Crown of Midnight, however, Celaena isn't the only one with a secret:  we also learn a very interesting fact about Dorian in the second half of the book!

Throne of Glass wrapped up nicely.  Sarah J. Maas almost could've simply ended there.  (We'd all be clamoring for more, because she built an awesome world with an awesome main character, but the plot wrapped up for the most part.)  So there was a blank slate for Crown of Midnight.  I had no clue what to expect!  The opening was just a tiny bit slow, but once it picks up (about a third of the way in) it REALLY picks up!  If anyone were able to make this into a movie, it'd gross millions.  There's action and adventure and fighting and subterfuge oh my!  Then, at the very end, the much-anticipated huge reveal!  I cannot stress enough:  you need to read this book!  You'll be totally surprised by the secret!

I listened to Crown of Midnight as an audiobook, and it was great.  The reader spoke clearly and at a good, even, natural pace.  I love doing sci-fi/fantasy books as audiobooks so that I don't have to think about how to pronounce all the totally-foreign-to-me place and person names!

I definitely recommend this book!

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 action, Action amp; Adventure, Bloomsbury Children's, Fantasy amp; Magic, Girls amp; Women, heroine, Library, Review, Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass, YA, young adult  5 People left their mark

The Witch Must Burn by Danielle Paige

The Witch Must Burn is the second book of the prequel trilogy to Dorothy Must Die.  It's not necessary to have read Dorothy Must Die or No Place Like Oz in order to enjoy this one, but you can read reviews of them by clicking on the titles.

No Place Like Oz, the first prequel in Dorothy Must Die: Stories, was kind of dark.  Dorothy was the quintessential nasty, angsty teen... to the umpteenth degree!  So it was really refreshing to get into The Witch Must Burn, told from Jellia's point of view.

Jellia is a servant, the head ladies' maid, in Dorothy's castle.  Even though she's just a teen herself, she's still old enough to remember what Oz was like under Ozma.  Right from the beginning of the novella, the reader can sense her depression regarding Dorothy's rule.  She misses Ozma, and worries about her.  She despairs that things could ever improve again.  On top of that, she still has to work for the very mercurial and often mean Dorothy, and keep a big secret.  (You know I never give things away in my reviews!  You'll have to read the book to find out more!)

My heart went out to Jellia!  She's trying so hard to please Dorothy and to shield her subordinates from Dorothy's wrath.  She's not a naively blind follower, though- she knows that Dorothy is in the wrong.  She just doesn't know what to do about it.  Yet.  (*wink wink nudge nudge*)

If you've read Dorothy Must Die, you'll know what needs to be done.  Even if you've read it, though, you'll still be surprised at the path that Jellia takes to get there.  I know I was!  It was heartbreaking in places, but always inspiring, what with Jellia's never-say-die attitude.  There were even a few parts that were almost reminiscent of mad scientist horror tales, so it was a perfect October read for me.

The only small quibble I had was with the reader (I listened to the audiobook of The Witch Must Burn)- she just wasn't my taste.  I can't exactly put my finger on anything in particular that was wrong; I think the accent just wasn't my cup of tea.  It wasn't bad enough to distract me from the story or anything, so there's a good chance that other people will love the narrator.

 

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Danielle Paige, Dorothy Must Die, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, General, Harper Collins, Library, Retelling, Review, Romance, Wizard of Oz, YA, young adult, Young Adult Fiction  Leave your mark

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein

This week I decided to go old school.  There is a lot to be said for reaching back into the past and maybe even finding the origin of some familiar story lines.  We have a lot to be thankful for from such authors as Robert Heinlein  who were the pioneers of modern science fiction literature.

Even though this book has a definite 'pulp' feel to it, it goes well beyond the usual 'pulp' science fiction.  This is one of the earliest examples of "hard science fiction" I have run across.  Admittedly it is only hard science fiction in relative to the time it was written.  There are many descriptions of technologies that are either outdated or science went a completely different way than the author predicted.  I did think that, with some subtle tweaking, the story could be adapted to the screen.  The largest problem it would have is being compared to the Expanse Series.  It would be a bit unfair since this book precedes that series by decades.  This just goes to prove that this book and those like it have inspired much of what we read today.

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress does not rely only on the science or even the setting to entertain the reader. The overarching plot is well supported by a cast of characters.  It contains many of the same archetypes that are the staple of many stories.   There is political intrigue of a sort but, it is not quite as heavy as something like A Game of Thrones.  It is interesting enough to keep the narrative moving and interesting.

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein is tour through what our past thought our future would be.  If you look past some of the misplaced tech and period speech patterns you will find a great story and an unique glimpse into what might be.  There is no real rough language to speak of but, there is some mature subject matter that earns this one a mild PG13.

 

 

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Fantasy, Macmillan, Moon, Review, Robert A. Heinlein, Science Fiction, Space  Leave your mark

Cibola Burn Expanse Book 4 by James S. A. Corey

This is the 4th book in the Expanse series by James S. A. Corey.  Not only has it spawned numerous books in the series (starting with Leviathan Wakes) but also a TV show on the SyFy channel.  Since this is the fourth installment of that series, I will likely be touching on major plot points from the earlier books and the series (also known as Spoilers). So, if you have not started reading or viewing this series but think you may, turn back now and get started already! It's an excellent series in both print and video.

Those who have read this series thus far probably remember the black goo that turned people into 'vomit zombies' and took over a couple of settlements in the 'Outer Planets'?  It's what led to James Holden and three of his crewmates/friends claiming by right of salvage a Martian warship.  It also brought the already strained relations among Earth, Mars and the Outer Planet Alliance to its boiling point.  All of which was rendered mundane when the origin of the black goo was discovered and a gate that was a shortcut to many habitable worlds was found.

Cibola Burn begins at that gait and just within.  The discovery of a world suitable for humans was too much for two factions to deal with and tensions are high once again.  This is actually the continuation of a story that always seems to be on the brink of resolution but never makes it.  That is not meant in a negative way.  In reality, life is only resolved when it is over and this story has plenty of life left in it.  This part of the story is merely the next logical steps after what has happened previously.

This book does take a bit of a departure from the rest in two ways.  One is in the setting.  The number of different settings is reduced and the nature of one of them is very different indeed.  The other difference is that more POV's from characters other than the major four occur in this book.  One the more unusual characters gives us insights that were missing and we didn't likely realize it.

Cibola Burn is an action filled story that not only gets the heart pumping at times but also forces us to engage our minds and emotions.  This whole series has intense violence at times, frank sexual discussions and liberal use of language so, it gets a mild R rating from me

 

 

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Hard Science Fiction, James S.A. Corey, Orbit, Purchased, Review, Space, SyFy, The Expanse  Leave your mark

Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits: A Novel by David Wong

Hard Science Fiction is a world that takes itself seriously while giving us a fantastical glimpse into a future that may come.  In Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits, David Wong takes Hard Science Fiction and makes it part of a punch line. Sometimes it's a punch-line to a sophomoric joke to be honest.  It proves my 'Life is a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Theory' yet again.

Some may remember David Wong from John Dies at the End , a very irreverent and hilarious comedy that breaks every rule of story telling, science fiction and sometimes even good taste.  In Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits, David Wong goes for a completely different approach.  Well, maybe not completely different.  We still get treated to the edgy humor that made him famous only now the presentation is a bit different.

The setting being in the near future is not the most significant change.  That would be, in my opinion, the shift to a mostly strong female lead character.  I say mostly strong because she is not overly endowed with the grit or determination as we see with so many lead characters, gender not withstanding.  Dirty Harry squinting while delivering the cleverest of one-liners or cheeky puns has become such an over done trope, I can practically write half the lines in my sleep.  Instead of all that we have Zoey who escapes all of that by being believably human.  In these days of superheroes and antiheroes, Zoey is a good example of the Un-hero.  She has a cast of friends, enemies and associates that help her reach her ultimate destination but, much of her actions, reactions and inaction are hers and hers alone.  Many of the real bad guys may come off as two dimensional but, this story seemed to be mainly Zoey's story and much was likely sacrificed to the that end.  There may be some other spoilery explanations that I won't go into here (because they would be......)

Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits is a fast paced (moderately)hard science fiction with a sense of humor.  It has very rough language, mature subject matter and intensely graphic violence all of which earns this one an R rating from me.

 

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Action amp; Adventure, body augmentation, David Wong, Humorous, Macmillan, Purchased, Review, Science Fiction, superhuman  Leave your mark

Reliquary by Sarah Fine

One thing I look forward to when a new book by a new author comes out is the possibility of a new magic system to explore.  In Reliquary by Sarah Fine, we get introduced to one of the more unique systems of magic.  Some are practitioners and some are merely sensitives

This is a story brought to us through the eyes of our main character, Mattie Carver.  She's a young lady who has her life planned to perfection and we all know what happens to well laid plans.  As her plans start go awry, we get to learn more about Mattie, her fiancé Ben and his brother Asa.  These are the characters we get to learn the most about as the adventure unfolds.  There is a lot of self realization for Mattie as she navigates the underworld of magic and tries to learn its rules.  When it comes to her fiancé and his brother and even some of her family members, Mattie is more adept at finding questions rather than answers.

The story itself has a decent flow.  It does suffer from pacing in some spots.  Part of that comes from the action scenes.  The narrative for many of the action scenes are overly verbose.  In an effort to get the details of the scene, we lose the  tempo of the struggles in depth of the description.  Unfortunately, some of the spots where a bit of detail would be welcome wind up a bit thin.

Reliquary by Sarah Fine is a urban fantasy that reads like an adventure/romance novel.  It explores not only the discovery of magic in a mundane world but, the beginning of the adventure of Mattie's self discovery.  This book has much violence (though not gratuitous) very frank discussions of sex and sexuality as well as some grown up language.  This is a definite R rated.

 



 

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 47North, Action amp; Adventure, Magic, Netgalley, Review, Romance, Sarah Fine, sexuality, Urban Fantasy  Leave your mark

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Tiger Lily is a more grown-up, darker re-telling of the Peter Pan story.  Tinker Bell is the narrator, and the book begins slightly prior to the traditional Peter Pan story.  It is so neat to get to see more about Tiger Lily and her family, and to learn the origin of the lost boys and Captain Hook and why no one ages in Neverland.

Yes!  You learn about the aging-not-aging thing in Tiger Lily!  You'll have to read the book to find out how it works.  ;)

Tiger Lily is told from Tink's point of view, but it mostly follows Tiger Lily, so that's interesting.  Tiger Lily is 15 and coming of age in her tribe over the course of the book.  We learn that she is an orphan who was adopted by the tribe's shaman, Tik Tok.  This book has really got something for everyone: Tik Tok is a cross-dressing single guy.  That puts a unique spin on the family and tribal relationships that are explored.  Tiger Lily has a fierce love for Tik Tok, who is a sort of outsider in the tribe.  His hut is farthest on the edge of the village, and as shaman he has power but no close friends.  Tiger Lily is also quite a loner, with only two acquaintances.  It's almost painful at some points to read her interactions with these two- the reader sees both how cold Tiger Lily can be in her reactions and conversations, and how hard Pine Sap and Moon Eye try to draw her in.

There is also a political relationship between the tribe and the Lost Boys- they agreed years and years ago to keep to their own areas.  No one from the tribe enters their part of the forest, and the Lost Boys never come near the village.  That is, until the day that Tiger Lily wanders across the boundary.  (This is one of the bigger deviations from the Disney version of events, wherein Peter is friends with the Indian chief.)  The main plot of the book follows Tiger Lily and Peter's love story.  This was also something that I was conflicted about.  Peter has been in Neverland as long as he can remember; unlike the other Lost Boys, he doesn't remember a time when he was ever in England.  He doesn't remember arriving on the island.  He's also perpetually stuck at 15.... yet for all his years of living, he's still incredibly naive and immature.  Tiger Lily is too, but with her it makes sense:  she's 15, and has only been 15 for a matter of months.  You would think (I thought) that Peter's many years of living would give him much more wisdom than is portrayed.  Some of the Lost Boys came across as having more common sense than their leader!  In fact, Peter came across as more immature than 15 even, at times.  This made it hard to root for him and Tiger Lily.  Between Tiger Lily's ice queen stoicism and Peter's immaturity, sometime I was left wondering if they really even liked each other very much.

Their love story played out very realistically.... for what it is.  I mean, there's the whole island-outside-of-time-and-space aspect, of course, and mermaids.  But other than how that affects their maturity and relationships (the mermaids are on Peter's side), the two fall in love just as awkwardly (and sometimes adorably) as any other teens.  The pressures from family and friends affect them in just the same way.  And they react to outside cultural events just like other teens.  That's what I mean when I say that the relationship plays out "realistically."  :)  The plot also progresses at a good speed- there's a nice steady cadence to it, and the ending isn't rushed.  Despite my occasional misgivings about Tiger Lily and Peter's budding romance, I found that I couldn't put the book down- I had to know how it turned out for them!  I think I could say that it's Peter Pan on the rocks with a twist of Romeo and Juliet.  If you're even the slightest Peter Pan fan you'll want to read this book!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Fairy Tales amp; Folklore, HarperTeen, Jodi Lynn Anderson, Love amp; Romance, Peter Pan, Purchased, Review  1 Person left their mark

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

The Library at Mount Char was not what I expected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  I picked it up because of the word "library" in the title.  Yup... I'm a sucker like that.

Turns out the "library" at Mount Char is NOT your typical library and it's inhabited by folks who are NOT your typical librarians.  Carolyn and her adopted siblings live in the library with a man they call Father and they spend their days studying thousands of tomes that collectively contain all the knowledge of the universe.  Plus some.  Their knowledge extends into the very, very distant past and into the future.  It includes how to practice medicine, and how to heal completely (even from death).  It includes all the languages of the earth, past and present, and also the languages of the animals.  The catch is that no one person gets to know it all.  They each have their own "catalog" to study.  Carolyn, the main character, studies languages.

This is how it's been for decades.  Then one day the siblings find themselves barred from the library, and Father missing.  Is he within the library, which the librarians can't reach?  Or is he dead?  Carolyn, the only sibling left who still speaks enough English to get along in the outside world, starts formulating a plan to get back into the library and find out what happened to Father.  To do this she'll play on all of her siblings' strengths.  So right off the bat there's a lot of magic/fantasy elements:  there's this force field going on that's preventing the librarians from getting near the library, a force field that only affects some people and affects everyone in different ways.  Also, who is this Father guy?  Is he God?  The back-of-the-book synopsis kind of led me to think so, but you'll have to make up your own mind after you read the book.  He's definitely not the same God that Christians know, but is he a god?  Perhaps.

So that's the plot, much boiled down.  There's so much more going on.  I think The Library at Mount Char could have been twice as long, and I'd probably still want more info!  No big plot points are left unanswered, but there are enough characters and enough back story to leave the reader wanting more.  For example, there are two people mentioned throughout the book, Nobununga and Mithrangani, who are never explained.  Who are they and why do all the librarians fear them?  Where did they come from and why did they show up?  I also wanted to know a lot more about the library and how it was set up and what all the librarians studied.  The Library at Mount Char is written from Carolyn's point of view; I would totally read a companion book from Michael's or Jennifer's points of view.  (They're other librarians.)

The book's blurbs are right:  this is definitely an "unputdownable" page-turner.  Each page reveals another bizarre twist or wacky character.  You won't be able to put it down until you know what on earth is going on.  Just as you think you're starting to figure out a character, everything gets turned on it's head!  Occasionally I'd have to go back and re-read a paragraph to make sure my eyes didn't deceive me.  Like when Daniel is first described... did I really read that a 6'+ guy was running around in a purple tutu?  Yup.  And that was one of the least bizarre reveals.  I can't think of any other examples that wouldn't give away big plot points.  Carolyn herself is described as wearing a Christmas sweater with bike shorts and galoshes.  (Normal clothing choices are not, apparently, part of any of their courses of study...)

And last but not least: the writing style.  Most excellent!  Scott Hawkins has a way with words.  I can't put my finger on any concrete examples, but there were definitely passages that felt very Stephen King-esque.

Everything in the book is building toward a HUGE battle for control of the universe, and you won't want to miss finding out about the plans and the battle itself and the aftermath!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Crown Publishing Group, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, Library, Publisher, Review, Scott Hawkins  Leave your mark

Strange and Ever After by Susan Dennard

Strange and Ever After is the third book in the Something Strange and Deadly series.  For the first two books' reviews, click here:  Something Strange and Deadly | A Darkness Strange and Lovely.  There won't be any spoilers for Strange and Ever After in this review, but there may be spoilers for the first two books.

Strange and Ever After wraps up this trilogy really well!  The characters remain true, and continue to show growth; the setting is awesome; and the pacing feels just right.  Sometimes finales to trilogies or series can feel a bit rushed or even anticlimactic--this wrap-up feels excellently planned.

I definitely recommend that you begin at the beginning with this trilogy in order to truly know the characters.  Susan Dennard doesn't waste any time or words on character descriptions or background before rushing right into plot in this novel.  In fact, Strange and Ever After opens mere minutes after A Darkness Strange and Lovely ends, and the reader is immediately thrown into the midst of the Spirit Hunters clique as they race across the sky in an airship.  (The airship is described to be very similar to a zeppelin.  Very cool.)  I love hearing Daniel and Joseph's Creole accents in my mind as I read, and picturing the lovely Jie.  I love that Dennard doesn't phonetically write out the Creole accent... that style of writing always slows my reading pace!  I appreciate that she trusts her readers to remember who has what accent.  At the outset of this book, I didn't actually care overly much for Eleanor, the main character.  Most of the time I don't end up caring for books where the main character isn't overly likable, but not in this case- in this case, Eleanor undergoes so much believable character growth that I ended up liking her, and the book, all the more for the rough start.  Dennard also gives us character growth in Oliver.  Yes, she manages to write maturity and emotional growth into a paranormal being!   That is talent, my friends.

Not only are all the characters lovable in their own ways, the setting alone would be enough to recommend this book.  Egypt!  The settings for this trilogy keep getting better and better.  Victorian Philadelphia, Paris, and now Egypt!  High society with balls and gowns + steampunk inventions!  Rich history + zombies and magic!  What more could you ask for than an adventure involving crystal pulse pistols used to fight hordes of reanimated mummies?

Finally, I can also say that this finale reads really smoothly in terms of pacing.  I read it in one day and was never bored; never tempted to skip ahead.  I was also never overwhelmed, and never had to reread a passage for missed details.  There was a really well-written huge battle that did not have a predictable end- I was on the metaphorical edge of my seat the whole time!  Then there were great details in the final chapter that let you know where your beloved characters end up.

I would love to see more books from this world!  Ms. Dennard, can we get a spin-off series?

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Action amp; Adventure, ancient Egypt, Edelweiss, HarperTeen, Magic, Review, Something Strange and Deadly, steampunk, Susan Dennard, young adult  Leave your mark

Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillian by Richard Roberts

At a time when we have plenty of examples of the anti-hero (e.g. Batman, Deadpool, The Punisher)  Richard Roberts gives us a view of the other side.  Instead of a hero that sometimes bends or breaks the rules, we get a villain that winds up committing some heroic actions in the middle of nefarious plans.  That is part of the premise for Richard Roberts' book Please, Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain.

This is a book that I believe did a very good job of straddling the line between reality and comic book fantasy.  It often brought to mind some sort of combination of The Incredibles and Big Hero 6.  The book maintains a certain level of accuracy with it's setting of modern day Los Angeles, CA but, with the added conceit of superheroes being real and out in the open (for the most part).

We get introduced to this world through the eyes of Penelope (Penny) Akk, our main character and daughter of two well respected superheroes.  When she begins her story she's 13 years old and her powers have not yet developed.  As the story progresses, not only do we get to learn more about her powers as they develop, we also learn more about Penny as well as her two best friends Clair and Ray. Of course, being only 13 years old, we get to see these three learn themselves as they navigate the treacherous world of adolescence.

Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain is a good example of Young Adult fiction that actually is not too young and not too adult.  It is a good read for a younger teen that could actually spark discussions or at least a few interesting questions among the family.  The violence in it is milder than most Young Adult fiction so, I wouldn't hesitate giving this to somebody of middle school age.  I'd have to give it somewhere between a PG and PG13 rating.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Curiosity Quills Press, Fiction, Purchased, Review, Richard Roberts, Science Fiction, superhero  Leave your mark

Alight: Book Two of the Generations Trilogy by Scott Sigler

Alight is the second book in the Generations Trilogy by Scott Sigler. In this review, I will likely bring up points about plot points both crucial and obscure, otherwise known as spoilers.  If you have not started reading this series but, intend to, I suggest you come back once you have read the first book.  If you're not sure you want to start this series, check out my review of Alive by Scott Sigler.

We first met the main characters, Em (M.), Bishop, and their friends on the day they consider their birthday.  Having emerged from containers they first think of as coffins and for some of their number, it is an accurate description.  Those that survived wind up feeling like 12 year olds in much more mature bodies.  As they learn about where they are they learn who they are: bodies to be hosts to the conscientiousness of their makers on a spacecraft.  The big problem? The bodies don't want to be overwritten and in the end, leave the spacecraft for the nearest planet.

As with most second books in a series, there is quite a bit of character development going on here.  This story almost requires quite a bit of growth of the characters we already know an Scott Sigler delivers.   We start to see the answer to the question that has been on all their minds:  Will they their own per persons or are they just a copy of the grown ups that made them.  Of course there are new characters introduced to us but, I don't want to say too much to avoid spoilers.

All of this self discovery does not get in the way of a very good story.  These kids have quite a bit to deal with figuring out how to exist in a new environment and all that comes with that.  Along with all the new problems they have many of the same unresolved issues they had while trying to leave the ship.

Alight by Scott Sigler is exactly the kind of follow up the first book Alive.  It not only advances the story, it also gives it somewhere to go.  All of this happens while the characters grow and become more than they were.  There is quite a bit of violence and hints of mature conduct but, it still stays in the lighter side of PG13 for me.

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Posted by Tynga at 01:04

 Action amp; Adventure, Generations, Purchased, Random House Publishing Group, Review, Science Fiction, Scott Sigler, young adult  1 Person left their mark

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

This book was SO GOOD!!!  I hate that I have to wait until September for the sequel!  A coworker of mine recommended this to me, and I'm glad I took her advice.  I was hesitant to try it, because I've never read any of the Grisha books.  Let me reassure you that you don't need to have read the Grisha books to fully enjoy this spin-off series starter.

This review may be boring- I found nearly nothing wrong with it.  This review will just be a fanfest.  :)  It's got everything from it's metaphorical head down to it's metaphorical toes!  First, the book design itself.  It's got an AWESOME cover graphic, incorporating the crow wing and the cityscape.  I love it.  Then you've got the page edges.  You know how many Bibles have gold page edges?  This book has got black page edges.  It looks very cool.  Then there are the maps.  Don't you love books with maps of their worlds?  Six of Crows has two maps:  one of the Grisha world in entirety (very helpful if you've never read a Grisha book) and a detailed one of the city where the heist takes place.  Further, the book is split into a few parts, and each part has a two-page spread that's a black-and-white celestial-feeling image.

But don't let me convince you to judge a book by it's cover!  Six of Crows has also got a ton of plot, setting, and character "meat."  The story is super engaging:  a sorta street urchin Robin Hood-type character puts together a fantasy team from the dregs of society to pull off a huge heist and, in a way, save the world.  Or, at least, society as they know it.  I didn't have to read too far to make the connection with the classic movie Ocean's Eleven.  The first part of the book consists mostly of introduction of the main characters, with a little insight into their back stories.  There is also development of the world in which they live, and the society in which they operate.  All of the teens who join Kaz's crew (the Robin Hood-type main character) live in "the Dregs," which is a slum area in the Grisha world.  These teens have very, very little to lose and much to gain and a ton of guts.  Their heist "assignment" isn't to steal money directly, but something that is worth lots of money.  If they pull it off, they will all receive payments that will set them up for life.  The catch?  This heist is super dangerous, and is widely considered (by others outside the group) to be totally impossible.  As I read the book, I kept thinking that the characters were going to fail after all.  Everything that could go wrong, did.  I couldn't put it down!  I was so nervous for them!  I won't spoil it, and won't tell you whether or not they do finally succeed.

Then there are the characters.  As the synopsis on the back of the book says, there's a criminal prodigy, a convict, a sharpshooter, a runaway, a spy, a Heartrender*, and a thief.  None of these are particularly "warm and fuzzy" sounding, right?  But they are!  By the time you've learned some of their backstory and their reasons for doing this heist, and see their devotion to each other, you'll love them.  There wasn't a single one I disliked!  Each chapter is told from a rotating point of view, so you really get into their heads (and hearts).  Yes, they're rough around the edges, but with reason.  I just wanted to bring them all home and give them warm cookies.

*Heartrenders are explained in this book, in case you're new to the Grisha world.  Turns out some characters in this world have the ability to manipulate matter and/or physiology.  Magic!

So just as my coworker said to me:  "You need to read this."  Heed her advice!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Dregs, Fantasy amp; Magic, Grisha, heist, Henry Holt amp; Co., Leigh Bardugo, Library, Review, young adult  3 People left their mark

Calamity: The Reckoners Book 3 by Brandon Sanderson

This is the review for Calamity: The Reckoners Book 3 by Brandon Sanderson.  This is, obviously, the third book in this series and this review will likely contain spoilers.  If you have not yet read, though plant read, this series, read Steeheart and start the journey.  Otherwise, please continue to read!

At the end of Firefight, the second book in the series, we were left with a much damaged band of Reckoners.  The cell that was in charge of the city Babilar (formerly known as New York City) is nearly annihilated and the one-time patriarch, founder, leader of all the Reckoners, and father-figure to David, Prof , has let the darkness of Calamity take him over.  Also taken out was the Epic Regalia who was in control of Babilar.  Final count, Prof is gone, Megan is on the Reckoner's side and the Reckoners are on the run.

The series up to this point has been action packed and full of twists and turns.  This installment is no different.  We start off with the new leader of the remaining crew, David.  Yes, the kid who was barely allowed to join after pulling a dangerous stunt to get their notice, now runs the operation.  We get a good idea how that happened as time goes on.  David uses his leadership to keep the Reckoners and the story going.  Brandon Sanderson has always been a master at pacing and it really shows in this series and especially in this book.

One thing a reader can usually look forward to in a book sequel is character growth and that is exactly what we get this time.  Not only do we witness David's growth within the group but also with him as an individual.  David isn't the only one who grows.  We actually get some good looks into the lives and motivations of some of the others like Abraham, Cody and Megan.

Calamity: The Reckoners Book 3 is a very exciting and entertaining book that could be used to round out this series.  I think Mr. Sanderson hinted or outright said so but, I can see a way he could keep things going if he chose to.  This is marketed as a YA book and I would give it a PG13 due to it's violence.  There's no really objectionable language or mature content to worry about.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Brandon Sanderson, Dystopian, Purchased, Random House Children's Books, Review, superhuman, The Reckoners, young adult  Leave your mark

Near Enemy by Adam Sternbergh

I very recently read and loved Shovel Ready, the first Spademan novel, so I was not surprised at all to end up loving Near Enemy!  (Yes, you read that right:  this is a sequel.  Check out my review of Shovel Ready HERE.)

Near Enemy begins very much the same way Shovel Ready began... and it also starts off much differently.  The story begins with Spademan getting a call- just a name, no other info, no introductions, then a click.  Spademan waits a few minutes for the money to clear his bank account, then begins looking for the person behind the name.  That's the similarity.  The difference?  At the end of the day, Spademan now has a "family" to go home to!  Mark has moved in with him, and he's also helping to look after Persephone and her daughter.

In Near Enemy, Spademan is supposed to "take care of" Lesser, a guy who creeps about in the limnosphere, peeping on other people's dreams.  No one would miss a creep like that.  However, when Spademan arrives at Lesser's apartment, he arrives at just the right moment, when Lesser wakes up screaming.  He was creeping on a guy's nasty orgy fantasy when all of a sudden a woman in a burqa shows up and blows up the guy, killing him.  Remember the rules from Shovel Ready?  You're not supposed to be able to die in the limnosphere.  Suddenly Lesser and Spademan are hearing reports of others getting blown up in the limnosphere by the same strange woman.  Just as in Shovel Ready, Spademan is intrigued enough to keep Lesser alive and investigate these strange doings.

There are so many things to love about these books:  they're super snarky (totally my favorite sense of humor), dystopian (taking place in a not-so-distant future after someone nuclear bombs NYC), and mysterious.  Adam Sternbergh manages to keep me guessing all the way to the end!

I gave a very short excerpt in my review of Shovel Ready.  Sternbergh uses the same composition tactics in this book- no quotation marks and no declaration of who's speaking.  But it works!  I wasn't sure about it at first, but I got used to it really quickly.  And y'all, I'm someone who is usually overly bothered by unconventional composition.  I read a book once in which the author would use two or even three exclamation points at the end of sentences and it totally distracted me from the entire point of the book.  For whatever reason, Sternbergh's lack of quotation marks didn't distract me at all.  It even feels right- the conversation in the book is very sparse, as is the landscape, so it seems perfect to have the physical type on the pages be sparse also.

I do so hope this turns into a whole mystery series.  I've really come to like Spademan, and I want to hang out with him more.  The mysteries in the first two books are so completely different from each other as well- no formulaic mystery here!  In Near Enemy, the mystery lies with a female Middle Eastern suicide bomber in the limnosphere... kind of like terrorism 2.0.  As I've mentioned, these mystery aspects to the story are really well plotted out, keeping the reader guessing.  Spademan is a truly reluctant hero:  who would guess that the hit man would turn detective/rescuer?

If I hadn't already given Shovel Ready five of five stars, I'd rate Near Enemy even higher than it.  (Alas, not mathematically possible.)  Perhaps because I already "knew" the main character, and was therefore all the more invested in his story?  I would've never guessed that I'd enjoy two books with a hit man as the main character so much!

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Adam Sternbergh, Crown Publishing Group, Dystopian, Free, Mystery, Noir, NYC, Review, Spademan  Leave your mark

Meridian by Josin McQuein

A quick heads-up:  Meridian is the sequel to Arclight.  You can read my review of Arclight HERE, and there may be slight spoilers for Arclight in the review below.

When Meridian opens, the Arclight community is relatively stable.  Folks are back to somewhat regular routines.  Anne-Marie is now a teacher, Tobin is a perimeter guard, and Marina works in the Arbor.  Everyone knows now what Marina was, and what she is now, and most are ok with it.  At least they tolerate her.  And Marina is discovering that she may not have been 100% "cured" anyway.  For about 8 pages, the reader thinks that things may have finally settled down in the Arclight.  Marina even seems moderately happy when working in the Arbor, and with Tobin.

Then everything goes nuts again.  Of course!  It wouldn't be a very exciting book if Marina and Tobin and Anne-Marie simply grew up and lived happily ever after, right?  Before you can blink an eye, Tobin and Marina start having horrible, horrible nightmares.  In them, the Fade form a flood and drown them.  Anne-Marie's brother, Silver, and Dante all start to turn Fade.  What is going on?  The Fade are supposed to be somewhat neutral now- they keep to their own place in the Dark, but they're not active enemies, either.  So why are people starting to turn again?  How are the Fade even getting into the Arclight, with the perimeter back up and running?

This is a NONSTOP book.  Every time you start to think that the characters have the next challenge figured out, NOPE.  There they go again- change in plan, change in challenge.  In Arclight, they thought they'd figured out the Fade in general- turns out (in Meridian) that there might actually be an even bigger threat.  One that even the Fade they know are frightened of.  On a positive, there might also be other human survivors out there.  I'm reflecting back on the book this evening, and I don't think that any of the main characters sleep at all for the last 2/3 of the book.  That's how much action is in there!

(On sort of a side note to all the action... a coworker recently challenged all of us to come up with a list of YA books that don't involve romance.  While Tobin and Marina definitely care about each other, there is absolutely no time for any romance in this book.  I think there was one quick kiss.  No handholding, no declarations of love, no monologues about how beautiful the other is.)

As I wrote in my review of Arclight, Marina is a difficult character to connect to/empathize with.  It took me most of Arclight to start to empathize with her, and I never really came around to fully liking her.  Same in Meridian... maybe she's just hard to read?  But her actions and words never came across as very emotionally available.  She comes across very cold and indifferent.  Perhaps also there's just too much going on.  Only half of the chapters are from her point of view (the other half are from Tobin's), and there's so much plot going on that character development takes a backseat.  I couldn't even physically describe most of the secondary characters to you, they're so underdeveloped.

On the plus side- lots of plot!  As I mentioned, tons of action.  There's also plenty of description of setting.  Y'all, this is a very dark book.  Literally.  Most of it takes place at night, of course, and the characters are being pursued/attacked by clouds and swarms of dark nanites.  These are described as being black, like grains of iron, that drip off of the Fade and off of the trees and puddle in the ground.  I'm so glad that the author spends time on description.  The whole theory of sentient nanites that can be in a person's blood or in their skin, or even operate independently, is so foreign to my worldview that I needed the descriptions to be able to picture it at all.  There is, however, very little explanation of the theory or origin of the nanites in Meridian; you'll need to read Arclight first to understand.

Overall, not a bad read.  I definitely flew through it, because I couldn't put it down in the midst of all the action!  However, there was very minimal character development or growth, so that takes a few half-stars off my rating.  Also, the ending really feels like it sets up a third book, but the author's website makes no mention of any more Arclight books.  Bummer!

[inlinkz_linkup id=611473]

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Arclight, Dystopian, Greenwillow Books, Josin McQuein, Publisher, Review, Science Fiction, YA, young adult  Leave your mark

The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn is loosely based on the tale of 1001 Nights, but it's also so much more!  True, it opens with the focus on Shahrzad, who is the latest bride of the Caliph of Khorasan.  He has been taking brides and killing them the morning after the wedding for months now.  One of those past brides was Shahrzad's best friend, and her plan is to survive long enough to avenge her.

I felt that The Wrath and the Dawn got off to a bit of a slow start.  There were quite a few characters to introduce, and the story took a predictable route with Shahrzad telling Khalid (the caliph) tales at night to keep him interested, and to keep herself alive.  However, there was also the intrigue, with Shahrzad being quite the revenge-seeking fireball, and with a secondary plot following Shahrzad's male relatives as they plot ways to help her from afar.

Also the setting!  It's not every day that I read a book set in the Middle East.  I loved loved loved reading the descriptions of the clothes and the palace and the social mores!  Even Shahrzad's handmaid is beautifully described in glittering silks and flowing mantles.  I never thought I'd be a fan of a desert setting until I read Renee Ahdieh's descriptions of it.  Maybe it's partly due to the fact that I'm writing this review right after a rare ice/snow storm in my neck of the woods (southeast US), but I so longed to be in the sun and the sand!

After the first somewhat predictable third of the book, the story takes a bit of a turn from the original 1001 Nights.  The action picks up, with multiple attempts on Shahrzad's life... surprisingly, not by Khalid!  Then there is also the development of a love triangle.  Personally, I'm not a huge fan of these, but they do tend to up the intrigue a little.  And the reader gets to pick a "team!"  (I changed "teams" a few times through the course of the book; it's not as clear cut as other books have been.)  On top of all that, there is the secondary plot line with Shahrzad's father, uncle, and second cousin, who are trying to help her avenge her friend's death.

Now, you may be asking yourself why I'm reviewing this book on this site.  Tynga's Reviews is all about fantasy and the paranormal, right?  Guess what?  There's MAGIC in The Wrath and the Dawn!  You must be patient; it doesn't make an appearance right away.  And I won't give any spoilers, but the magic becomes more and more prominent to the storyline, up to a can't-put-down climax!  So that's why The Wrath and the Dawn (and, I imagine, it's sequel) fit on Tynga's Reviews.

I'll wrap up by mentioning the climactic end... it's a doozy!  I read well past my bedtime because it was too exciting for me to put down, or to fall asleep while reading.  Then the book stops.  Bam.  With so much more that I need to know!  I'm so so so glad I read this book after the sequel has been released so that I don't have to wait to find out what happens next.  So just a warning:  you may want to go ahead and get both books from the library at once; you'll be glad you did!

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 1001 Nights, Action amp; Adventure, Fantasy amp; Magic, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, Magic, Middle East, Purchased, Renee Ahdieh, Review, The Wrath amp; the Dawn, young adult  1 Person left their mark

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

The Blood of Olympus is the fifth and final Heroes of Olympus book, and boy does the series go out with a bang!

Just as in the previous books, the action picks up immediately where it left off in the book before.  The demigods are still traveling the world in the Argo II with the Athena Parthenos statue, trying to complete their mission in time to stop Gaea from awakening.  Every time Rick Riordan would remind us readers how many days were left, I'd get more and more nervous!  How on earth would these teens get back to Athens in time?  And on top of that, they start hearing about an impending war between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, and they decide that the statue must get back to Long Island!

This young-YA series continues to impress me.  There are many characters, and many personalities, and much mythology, but I didn't struggle too much to keep up.  (I listened to the first four books on CD, and the first half of the fifth book... didn't realize until I picked up the hard copy to finish the story that there's a really handy glossary of characters and gods in the back of the hard copy.)  The pacing of the series is great; perhaps because Riordan has had practice laying out series?  I never felt overwhelmed with too many characters or plot points being introduced at once.  By the time you reach this fifth book, there are a lot of characters, but they're well-developed, so you feel like you know them.  I also love the "cameos" in this final book!  The Amazons make a brief appearance, for instance.  That's fun.

Speaking of characters being well-developed... the main characters all show remarkable growth through the series, but none of it feels forced.  A few natural relationships form, deep friendships are forged, and all of them mature.  Occasionally, younger-YA or MG books have moments in the ending that feel very "after-school special," but this book didn't.  Riordan trusts his readers to pick up on the growth and changes without being overly explicit.  I appreciate him trusting me like that.

As I mentioned in this review's opening, The Blood of Olympus ends on a huge bang.  It doesn't wrap up overly neatly too quickly.  (It is younger-YA, so it does eventually wrap up pretty nicely.)  There's lingering tension, even after the battle ends.  I won't tell you anything about it, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ending!  It was so right for this series.  I can totally see the readalike comparison to the Harry Potter series as far as writing and action go.  It's hard to describe, but Riordan manages to stage a huge battle with many Greek and Roman gods and demigods, where some campers even end up slain, without being gratuitously gory or descriptive.  It's amazing.

And finally, I both listened to and physically read this book.  (My audiobook checkout expired before I reached the end of the story!)  The narration is done by Nick Chamian, who did the previous four books as well, and he continues his excellent storytelling.  I would definitely recommend the audiobook... except that there's that great glossary of gods/terms in the back of hard copies!  I don't know... that throws a small kink in my audiobook recommendation!  No matter what format you choose, I do recommend that you try this series!

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Disney-Hyperion, Heroes of Olympus, Library, Mythology, Review, Rick Riordan, YA, young adult  5 People left their mark

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes is the second book in the Mortal Instruments series, so there will be spoilers in this review for the first book, City of Bones. You've been warned.  Also, this is kind of a "Throwback Thursday" type of review.  Here on Tynga's Reviews, we've already reviewed books #3, #4, #5, and #6; but not #2!  Here we go...

(A quick aside on the cover: the focal point is Clary's chest. Does that bother anyone else?)

City of Ashes opens with Jace being investigated and massive death and destruction in the City of Bones. A very harsh Inquisitor is investigating Jace because the Clave worries that Jace took the second Mortal Instrument, the Soul-Sword. Is Jace guilty? Did he help his father, Valentine, take the sword, which would still make him culpable? On top of the drama at the Institute, someone is killing NYC Downworlder children. Clary and Simon join up with the Shadowhunters to solve the mystery before any more Downworlder children die, and before Jace is locked up for a crime he may or may not have committed.

I was totally torn over this book. I loved most of the storyline, and I thought the pacing of the action was great. I listened to this book on CD, and even though it was much longer than some other books I've listened to recently it felt like it flew by. I also really liked how even though this is the second book in a six-book series, it didn't feel like a "bridge." It definitely had it's own conflict which developed and was resolved (for the most part). It's not a stand-alone; you'd want to have read City of Bones in order to understand how the characters fit together, but it didn't leave me hanging at the end. I appreciate that.

There is so much action in City of Ashes! A werewolf fight in a nightclub to a meeting with fairies to prison escapes... The reader never gets to sit still and catch their breath. I will say that Cassandra Clare did a great job of squeezing in a few feelings in between all the action, so that we can see relationships blossom between characters. But we never linger on feelings. The only down side is that in order to squeeze in those feelings, Ms. Clare did more telling than showing. As in, the characters state out loud or in their thoughts how they feel, instead of demonstrating those feelings. Oh well. Can't be perfect, and it's not terrible.

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Audio, Cassandra Clare, downworlders, Fantasy amp; Magic, Library, Review, shadowhunters, The Mortal Instruments, young adult  4 People left their mark