30 in 30: Week One (and a half)
Urban Fantasy
An Artificial Night and Late Eclipses - Seanan McGuire
I'm quite fond of Seanan McGuire. Her plucky heroine, October "Toby" Daye, is just what you'd expect from an urban fantasy heroine. She's plucky, a little braver than smart, and full of surprises - even to herself. These were books 3 and 4 of the series.
Rating: 4 stars
Heart of Stone - C. E. Murphy
Another plucky urban heroine. The surprises in this book for me were that a.) she is resolutely human without a hint of magic, or even fighting skill, and b.) she's a lawyer. How often do you find a hero/heroine of a story who's also a lawyer? I also have to give the author credit for using an interesting combination of supernatural races in an a-typical way.
Rating: 3 stars
Epic Fantasy
The Unremembered - Peter Orullian
Though based on an interesting premise, and well-written, I got the feeling that this story didn't even reach a halfway point. I am interested to see where Orullian will take this story - he's got a great many threads he's trying to weave, and they're all interesting ones - I just can't quite make out the pattern yet.
Rating: 3 stars
Touchstone - Melanie Rawn
Pure Genius. Melanie Rawn departs from the normal path of "saving the world from ruin" fantasy in her plot, but for all that, her storytelling is incredibly powerful. The main characters of the story are by turns funny, infuriating, clever, and heart-wrenching and when I got to the end of the book I wanted to cry with frustration, because the next book in the series isn't likely to come out anytime soon. I want more!
Rating: 5 stars
The Legion of Fire - David Drake
This book has an almost dizzying blend of mythologies colliding with each other in a Roman-era-style world. Well-written, if perhaps in need of a little polish.
Rating: 3 stars
Changes - Mercedes Lackey
Perhaps I've read a bit too much Mercedes Lackey, as she is a prolific writer. Or perhaps I'm a little too comfortable in created world, Valdemar. It may even be that I was in a mindset that wanted something with a bit more depth. Whatever the case, I had a hard time really immersing myself in this novel. Still, there were some scenes towards the end that I felt were expertly written, and which caught me by pleasant surprise with their cleverness.
Rating: 3 stars
Kingdoms of Dust - Amanda Downum
The third installment in Amanda Downum's "Necromancer Chronicles" - Kingdoms of Dust was just as entertaining a read as the first and second books. The magic system is interesting to "see" in play, her characters are canny, experienced, and more than a little world-weary, as well as being a little older than I think the majority of fantasy characters tend to be. The world she creates is gritty, yet beautiful, and very believable. An excellent book and an excellent series.
Rating: 4 stars
Fantasy
Burn Me Deadly - Alex Bledsoe
A medieval-style fantasy setting, with a hero whose dry narration style seems very modern in its wording, wit , and sarcasm, Alex Bledsoe's "Eddie Lacrosse Mysteries" are entertaining little romps. He reminds me a little of Harry Dresden. (Though in my opinion, the Dresden Chronicles use the tone to much better effect.)
Rating: 3 stars
Steampunk
Black Lung Captain - Chris Wooding
Steampunk. Piracy. Treasures. And strange things going bump in the night. Black Lung Captain is the second book in Chris Wooding's Ketty Jay series. If you're a fan of Firefly - I think you'll find a lot to like in this series. I certainly do!
Rating: 4 stars
Non-fiction
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Mindy Kaling
I want to say all the good things ever about this book. But what I really NEED to say is: go find it and read it yourself! And then, when you have, tell me about your favorite chapter! :)
Rating: 5 stars
Mystery/Thriller
Prophecy - S. J. Parris
A work of historical fiction set in Elizabethan London, Prophecy builds itself around its main character, Giordano Bruno (a true historical figure) - an intelligent, well-lettered, excommunicated monk who works for Queen Elizabeth's spymaster. The book is beautifully written, the tone just right, and I quite enjoyed it.
Rating: 4 stars
The Rook - Daniel O'Malley
This book could have been classed as fantasy as well as a mystery/thriller. In fact, I'm not entirely sure that it belongs fully in any one genre of fiction. "The body you are wearing used to be mine." That's the opening line. Daniel O'Malley tosses the reader, as well as his main character, straight into the mystery and action - and manages to keep the pace throughout the story, without a stumble. Though there are supernatural or perhaps science fiction elements to the story - it reads like neither fantasy nor sci fi. The Rook is an amazing read - and I'm planning to add it to my bookshelf collection!
Rating: 5 stars
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