series – Page 2 – The Spine View

A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer

A Vow So Bold and Deadly is the third book in The Cruse Breaker Series. While I adored the first two books, I was disappointed with this one. It is still a good story, and series, just not on the same level as the previous two books.

Book three brings together the prior two books and this book is about the fate of not only the kingdom of Emberfall but of Syhl Shallow too. There are several big questions the book will answer. First, will the two kingdoms really wage war on each other now that we know Grey is the true heir of Emberfall? Will Lia Mara be able to hold her throne? Finally, Will Rhen ever defeat Lilith?

The book is not badly written nor did it have big plot holes. No, nothing as damaging as that. I just lost interest in the story and the plot was very slow in the beginning. Then to top it off, there were unresolved issued. It left me wondering if there will be another book. I thought it was a three book series. Maybe I am wrong.

I enjoyed that we finally got to read about all four characters in one book and from their own POVs no less. However, I came to detest Lia Mara. I wanted to tell her to grow a pair. All the self-doubt and whining got old. I would have preferred to have seen more growth for her character. She was strong enough to kill her mother; therefore, at this point in the game, she should not be second guessing herself at every turn. We all wonder at times if we are doing the right thing or not; however, her fears left me with mammoth doubts about her capacity to rule. Ugh!

Lastly, the interaction between characters did not feel genuine. I never got this feeling in the previous two books. I think this is partly due to the pacing in the first half of the book. There was not much going on and all the talk and preparing for war got a bit tiresome. A good subplot would have made things more interesting and would have given the characters a chance to interact meaningfully.

The thing I liked most about the story was the ending. Even though I wish it had been a little meatier after spending so much time on the lead up to it. In truth, the ending felt almost anticlimactic. Yet it suited the story. Not everybody gets everything they want in life and the characters had to accept compromises and come to terms with them. That is the way life works and so was very appropriate.

As I stated at the beginning, this book is not terrible. However, it is not on par with the previous two. I still loved the series and well gladly read other books by the author. If you like fantasy and retellings this is a good series to read. I encourage you to give it a try and sincerely hope you enjoy.

The Ice Lion by Kathleen O’Neal Gear

The Ice Lion is a dystopian story about climate change in the worst case scenario. Written by an expert in the field of archeology, there is a ring of truth to this fictional story of the struggle to survive in a frozen world. I found it to be a fascinating and terrifying look at what the future might hold for life on Earth.

The story is set in a future a thousand years off. The Earth is now in the grips of an Ice Age. In a last ditch attempt to preserve some higher life on Earth, scientists have recreated humans from the last Ice Age along with the prey and predators that they hunted and where hunted by. Now these early humans struggle to survive in a world that is still growing colder and is extremely hostile.

The Sealion Clan struggles to eke out a living in this world and predators like the Saber-Tooth Tiger and Dire Wolves are not their only enemies. They complete for resources with other tribes of humans. It is a very dangerous time to be alive.

The star of the show here are the characters. The author made characters that I liked. I understood and identified with them, though it took me a bit to like Lynx. The trials they were put through and how both Lynx and Quiller characters grew as the story progressed was done nicely. At first, I was not a fan of Lynx. However, the author was able to build his character and I began to see that there was more to him than what was on the surface. Not an easy thing to do and I appreciate the subtlety that took.

The plot was fast paced and there was lots of action to keep me excited about what was going to happen next. Though there were not any large plot twists to make you gasp, there were a few surprises that worked nicely in keeping the story interesting.

My only grip is with the world building. I wanted more. I felt the story would have worked better if I understood more of the events leading up to the recreation of prehistoric life. There were a few hints but not enough to slack my thirst for more information. Just a bit more additional information woven into Arakie’s story would gone a long way to making the story even better.

Despite that I didn’t get as much world building as I like, this is still a solid start to the series. I have no reservations in recommending it. Just note, this is not your typical Sci-Fi story and thus I feel it is best suited to those readers that like a mix of both the Fantasy and Sci-Fi genres within the same book. In addition, the book is a great pick for readers of Young Adult fiction. I am looking forward to the next installment and hoping I will learn more about Arakie’s past.

I received a free advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

I have been waiting for this book and now it is finally here. I can’t help but be excited! I have wanted to know more about Cassian since he was first introduced into the story. Now that his story is intertwined with Nesta’s, I am more intrigued. Note that I have not a Nesta fan; yet, I am coming around to like her, a little bit anyway, after this book.

Nesta is angry with being forced into the cauldron and becoming High Fae. She is angry with her sister Fayre, she is angry at Cassian and most of all, she is angry at herself. She has a lot to be angry about and all this angry is destroying her from the inside out. She turns to drinking and men to deal with it all. Yet, we know she is not dealing with it and so does Fayre.

After Rhysand and Fayre receive an astronomical bill for one of Nesta’s particularity bad night of excesses, Fayre says enough and cuts off Nesta. No more funds to act like the spoiled brat she has become. Instead, Nesta will live at the House of Wind and will train every morning with Cassian and work every afternoon in the library. Will this be what Nesta needs or will it only lead to more trouble?

The best part of this book is the character development. Kudos to the author for taking a character I love to hate and turning her into something so different I couldn’t help but reverse my opinion of her a little bit. As I said earlier, I am still not on Team Nesta, but I do feel much different about her. I understand her better and can see how she became the spoiled brat and how her nature has worked both for and against her. I loved that in this book she has learned how to control the aspects of her character that even she does not like. She still has a ways to go, but I feel she has finally found her place and she is beginning to accept herself and love herself. This needed to happen for her to move on.

There is not a lot in the way of plot in this book. It is totally a character driven story and that is okay. The descriptive prose and the characters more than made up for this. There are also no big plot twists. However, there are a few unresolved things so I know there will be more in the future. I am totally excited about more books in this world because I am just not ready to let these characters go yet.

I highly recommend this book for lovers of fantasy, especially epic fantasy. However, you need to read these books in order. The story continues to build upon past events and you will not grasp everything going on if you have not read the prior books. If fantasy is your thing and you have not read this series, you are missing out on an exceptional tale.

The Vatican Cameos by Richard T. Ryan

What’s not to like about a Sherlock Holmes mystery. He is a genius detective and uses his keen powers of observation to unravel the deepest of mysteries. When he is presented a problem to solve, he is like a blood hound on a scent and never stops until he has found his quarry. The author has highlighted this and many other talents of Holmes in this wonderful tale of cat and mouse.

When a group of cameos, carved by the famous Michelangelo, is stolen from the Vatican, the Pope sends a courier to Bakers Street in London to employ Holmes to recover them. It is stressed to Holmes that this is a delicate matter and he must tell no one about the robbery because the cameos have been hidden for 400 years. They were carved to represent the seven deadly sins and images of members of the Curia at that time were used. If the public were to know of these cameos, it could cause a scandal that would shake the foundations of the church.

One of the things I liked about this book is that the story felt different. I liked that the setting was not England and that it involved a religious artifact. The author has a sharp imaginative and I appreciated that he took a well known and loved character and brought him to life and gave him an interesting challenge.

I also loved all the historical information in the book. There were little tidbits I enjoyed, such as the origin of the saying, “Don’t buy a pig in a poke”, to the historical information about the two time periods in which the story takes place.

The pace of the book was excellent and I loved how I was pulled into both the 1901 world of Holmes but also the 1501 world of Michelangelo. The author moved the story seamlessly through both time periods and weaved intrigue into both. I was totally hooked from the start and read it in only two days.

If I could I would give this book a 4.5 rating. Since I listened to the audio, and I had to take into account both the narration and story into my score, I choose four stars as my overall score (I reserve a five for books I loved and could read again). All in all, it is an enjoyable read and I recommend it to all lovers of Holmes mysteries and mysteries in general.

The narration was good. I liked the tonal quality and the speaking voice of the narrator. I appreciated that he tried to capture the essence of each character. One very small negative thing was the laugh, it did not always fit all the characters and by the end got on my nerves. I know it is kind of being nitpicky but I would have preferred no laughter. I give the narration 4 stars.

I received a free audio version of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Leviathan Wakes by John S. A. Corey

This book, Leviathan Wakes, might still be on my wish list if not for a friend, and fellow bibliophile, gifting me a copy for Christmas. She knows how much I love a good Sci-Fi story and this one delivered. So glad she choose this book because after watching the first season of The Expanse I was wanting to read the books before watching further episodes.

At this point I would normally give a short synapses of the book. However, given that it is already a TV show, it feels unnecessarily redundant. I want to point out that though the TV show is close to the book there are a few differences. I liked the book better, no surprise there, and I understood the characters better in the book.

The authors (Corey is a pseudonym for Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) put a lot of work into the world building. The politics and racism in the book are spot on for what you would expect in the future where humans have inhabited the entire solar system. Earth looks down on people not born on Earth and the Belters, those born on asteroids or space stations in the Asteroid Belt, are at the bottom of the list.

While this book is not hard core Science Fiction, it still ticked all the boxes for me. Told from two POVs, Jim Holden, captain of an ice hauler, and Detective Miller on Eros station in the Belt. The characters were portrayed realistically. The two are polar opposites and once their paths become intertwined the story gets riveting. The character development is as strong as the plot and together they make for a book that is hard to put down.

I highly recommend this book to all those who love Science Fiction. I can see why it won so many awards. Totally looking forward to book two.

The Last Watch by J. S. Dewes

The Last Watch, by J. S. Dewes, has a Battlestar Galactic vibe. If you crossed that, with something like, The Expanse it would make a fairly accurate description of this epic space adventure. It is an excellent blend of characters and action that makes it a thrilling read and has established Dewes firmly in the category of authors to watch in the Sci-Fi world.

Told from two POVs, Cavalon Mercer the disowned royal heir and Adequin Rake the commanding officer of the decommissioned battlecruiser, now jail of sorts, Argus. The ship sits on the edge of the universal, literally. The edge, called the Divide, is the point where the universal has quit expanding. The job of the Argus and her crew, along with similar other vessels, is to guard the Divide against their enemy the Viator.

There is just one problem, the universe has started to collapse and it will swallow everything in its path. There is no one else at the Divide and no way to reach the Core to get help. Therefore, this ragtag bunch of criminals and misfits maybe the only way to stop disaster.

Though this is a debut novel, it reads with much more sophistication than I expected. The characters are well rounded and the author gets you inside their heads so that you not only understand them, but you have empathy for them. Even the minor characters you understand their motives and actions. For example, you know why Griffith is serving aboard the Argus. It was no surprise to me what he revealed to Rake at the end, though she refused to see it. However, I think deep down she knew and was just afraid to admit it to herself.

The plot was fast paced and I found myself caught up in the action. In a couple of places I was biting my nails over the suspense. I also liked the twists and most were unexpected. However, one negative thing, though minor, I suspected some of the things that happened in the end. Yet, I felt this did not detract from the story in the slightest.

There are so many directions the next book could go in. I really want to find out more about the other characters, like Puck. I want to understand the underlying politics better and lastly I want to know more about the Viator. I am so looking forward to book two. Not looking forward to the wait! I want the second book NOW!

This is an all-around great opening to a series and I highly recommend this book for all loves of Sci-Fi. It will especially appeal to those that like Space Opera. I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

I have been waiting on the edge of my seat ever since I found out there would be a sequel to Ready Player One. All that waiting for nothing, just terribly disappointed with Ready Player Two. I am so disappointed I almost don’t know where to start because almost nothing worked for me in this story. Ugh!

Let’s talk about Wade first. His character totally changed in the second book. All he did was whine until something like the last 10 pages. He was also rather shallow and self-absorbed in this story. I get that the author wanted to “grow” the character, but it felt like Wade actually regressed. He was no longer the poor kid from the ghetto that everyone could root for. Instead, he acted like the spoiled rich kid that was not getting his way. The result was I was not able to connect to his character any longer.

I really loved the 80s cultural references in the first book. However, in the second book I hated them. I felt like Cline just went through all the 80s and picked as many as he could and haphazardly put them onto the page and wove the story around them. What was he thinking? This is a classic example of the saying, “less is more”. I especially felt this way when the story reached Prince’s (the pop singer) world. It was way overdone.

Then we get to the plot. Why, oh why could we have not explored some new territory here? But no, we had to have another egg hunt. You would think at least Cline could get that part right. Wrong… so very wrong. Not only where there way too many 80s references, there was also the idea that no one could solve the first riddle, including Wade, for several years then all of a sudden he can solve all of them in just a few hours. Granted he got help with all of them, especially the first. What happened the genius riddle solver from book one?

There is some good news here. I read a couple of five star reviews; therefore, some people loved it. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. In fact, it appears that I am in the majority. In summary, I found this one to be a hot mess.

The Memory of Souls by Jenn Lyons

Pub. Date: 25-Aug-2020
Rating: 4.5 Stars

The Memory of Souls is the third book in this epic fantasy by Jenn Lyons. It was definitely worth the wait for this book. An amazing adventure story and without a doubt my favorite so far.

As with the first two books in the series, the story is told as a narration of events. Kihrin and Thurvishar are attempting to record the current events as they occur. The account picks up right where the previous book leaves off. Our heroes now know that the god Vol Karath is awake, though he is still imprisoned. They also know that at least one of the chains that binds him has been severed.

Even from his prison Vol Karath is able to cause massive destruction and chaos. The eight immortals have tasked Kihrin, Teraeth, Janel and Thurvishar with persuading the Monal Vane’ to give up there immortality. There is a ritual, once performed, will make them mortal and in the process strength the chains that hold Vol Karath. This ritual is the one that made the other immortal races mortal.

The Vane’ are strongly against this but if Vol Karath does escape, the entire world will be destroyed. Yet, everything has a cost and boy is that the case in this book.

I would love to say more about the plot but then I would be giving away some of the best parts. I want readers to be as surprised as I was with some of the events. For example, I learned a lot more about Kihrin, Janel and Teraeth’s past lives and it was very revealing and ties some stuff together for me.

This is probably one of the most complex series I have ever read. Not only is the world building complex but the characters are also. For the most part I loved it, but there were a few times when I had a hard time keeping up with who was who. Especially with all the reincarnations and body changes going on. I had to go back a couple of times and reread parts to cement everything in my mind. I wished I had taken notes as I went along then it would have been easier.

The characters are richly developed in this series and before I even picked up this book I thought that the author could not do much more to enhance them. She proved me wrong. There were new tidbits and interesting secrets that were revealed throughout the book. I loved how she parses them out and keeps the reader engaged. This is what makes this series so captivating. I can honestly say there is never a dull moment.

I recommend this book, and the whole series, to lovers of epic fantasy. For those readers that love an intricate and complicated plot with memorable characters, I think you will especially appreciate these books.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Angel Warrior by John W. Wells III

After I finished reading this book I was thinking about what I liked about books when I was younger (a lot younger). The main thing was adventure. I loved stories that had magic and characters that I pulled for and got swept into their story. This is totally what happened to me when reading The Last Angel Warrior. Definitely a great adventure tale for young (and older) readers!

The story follows Kalib Andrews as he approaches his sixteenth birthday and discovers that there are, among other things, demons and magic in the world. A stranger tries to kill him one evening walking home from his job at the local diner. That same evening he sees a stranger with yellow eyes outside of his bedroom window. Then things get even creepier when a new teacher at school has the same symbol on a charm that they both wear and was a patron that asked too many questions when Kalib served him at the diner. This teacher seems just a little too interested in him. Then did I mention his parents tried to kill him just a couple of days later.

The world is not what Kalib thought it was. Then he finds out he is actually the last Angel Warrior. Whatever that is! Kalib will need to figure everything out soon because there is a prophecy that says he will be killed and his blood used to release a goddess from a prison of magic on his sixteenth birthday.

There was a lot of action in the book. Loved that! You know something big is going to happen from page one. Therefore, I was invested in the outcome from the very beginning. The action and mystery elements are the main star of the story. They are what made the book for me. The author was able to surprise me a couple of times with events I was not expecting. The unpredictability of the story was another plus.

There was not a great deal of character development which I missed a little. Yet I can’t fault the author because the type of development I like would bore a younger reader to dead. So taking into account the intended audience, I think there was enough to hold the story together. I also liked the various characters and how they interacted. The theme of true friendship was subtle but well done.

This story was described as young adult, but it read and felt more like a middle grade tale. Which was OK, since I read both. However, if you don’t care for stories geared toward the younger side of young adult this may not be the book for you. If that does not matter, then I recommend this to you. Lastly, there is no foul language or inappropriate scenes in this book making it suitable for readers as young as 8 provided they are not bothered by a story that is a little scary.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for me honest review.

The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

Octavia Butler is one of the masters of Science Fiction and this book is a great representation of her work. It is a dystopian story, set in the near future, about a girl that is just nineteen when her world is turned on end by the destruction of her home and family.

Lauren has grown up in a world in which climate change, poverty, drugs, and racial divides are magnified and the result is a society that is crumbling. Crime is rampant and a new drug called Pyro is the drug of choice. The drug is called pyro because addicts set fires just to watch them burn and the high they get from the drug is reported to be better than sex.

Despite Lauren’s community being walled and patrolled, it is broken into by these addicts and they set fire to the entire neighborhood. Lauren is forced to flee and becomes separated from her family. She manages to meet up with two neighbors who inform her that her family was killed in the attack. The three of them strike off to the north to what they hope will be a better life.

Really great story! The world building and characters are well done. The plot is very well thought out and moves along nicely. This is Science Fiction as its best.

The only negative thing I have to say is that the character was a little too prophetic for her years. I think Butler was trying to show that in this type of society children grow up fast. That might be true to some degree but it just didn’t work that great for me.