The Leaning Pile of Books
Aug
07
2016

The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature where I talk about books I got over the last week–old or new, bought or received for review consideration (usually unsolicited). Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included.

Last week was super busy, mainly due to looking for a new place to live for the third time in about two years, so I didn’t get to write everything I had hoped, but I did put up some thoughts on Dragon Bones by Patricia Briggs and Magic Stars by Ilona Andrews (one of the two books I read from start to finish in Dublin!).

A few books came in the mail last week, and I did kill some time at the bookstore in between looking at places, which of course led to a few purchases…

Lady of Magick by Sylvia Izzo Hunter

Lady of Magick (Noctis Magicae #2) by Sylvia Izzo Hunter

The first Noctis Magicae novel, The Midnight Queen, was the Patreon book selection from the March poll of recent debuts. I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable story with likable main characters and fun family secrets so of course I picked up the next book when I found it in the bookstore!

The author and publisher’s websites have excerpts from both Noctis Magicae novels:

  1. The Midnight Queen
  2. Lady of Magick

The third book, A Season of Spells, is scheduled for release in December.

 

Sylvia Izzo Hunter brought “both rural Brittany and an alternative Regency England to vivid life”* in The Midnight Queen, her debut novel of history, magic, and myth. Now, in her new Noctis Magicae novel, Sophie and Gray Marshall are ensnared in an arcane plot that threatens to undo them both.

In her second year of studies at Merlin College, Oxford, Sophie Marshall is feeling alienated among fellow students who fail to welcome a woman to their ranks. So when her husband, Gray, is invited north as a visiting lecturer at the University in Din Edin, they leap at the chance. There, Sophie’s hunger for magical knowledge can finally be nourished. But soon, Sophie must put her newly learned skills to the test.

Sophie returns home one day to find a note from Gray—he’s been summoned urgently to London. But when he doesn’t return, and none of her spells can find a trace of him, she realizes something sinister has befallen him. With the help of her sister, Joanna, she delves into Gray’s disappearance, and soon finds herself in a web of magick and intrigue that threatens not just Gray, but the entire kingdom.

*National Bestselling Author Juliet Marillier

Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening written by Marjorie Liu and illustrated by Sana Takeda

The first issue of Monstress is gorgeous and an intriguing beginning to Maika’s story so I’d been looking forward to this volume, which collects the first six issues. I’d been putting off getting it since I knew I’d probably be moving soon and didn’t want to add to the books to move, but I couldn’t resist when I actually had a copy in front of me in the bookstore…

I read it last night, and now I can’t wait for volume 2! It’s excellent.

 

Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.

A Darker Shade Of Magic by V. E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab

I have been hearing that this and its sequel A Gathering of Shadows are fantastic, and Angie’s review of A Darker Shade of Magic convinced me I need this book in my life!

Tor.com has excerpts from both books:

  1. A Darker Shade of Magic
  2. A Gathering of Shadows

The third book, A Conjuring of Light, is scheduled for release in February 2017.

 

Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London – but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her ‘proper adventure’.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive — trickier than they hoped.

The Sandman: Overture by Neil Gaiman

The Sandman: Overture written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by J.H. Williams III and Dave Stewart

The Sandman graphic novel series is fantastic, and I haven’t read this origin story yet. Once again, it was impossible to resist picking it up when I came across the deluxe hardcover edition!

 

Twenty-five years since THE SANDMAN first changed the landscape of modern comics, Neil Gaiman’s legendary series is back in a deluxe edition!

THE SANDMAN: OVERTURE heralds New York Times best-selling writer Neil Gaiman’s return to the art form that made him famous, ably abetted by artistic luminary JH Williams III (BATWOMAN, PROMETHEA), whose lush, widescreen images provide an epic scope to The Sandman’s origin story. From the birth of a galaxy to the moment that Morpheus is captured, THE SANDMAN: OVERTURE will feature cameo appearances by fan-favorite characters such as The Corinthian, Merv Pumpkinhead and, of course, the Dream King’s siblings: Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, Destruction and Destiny.

Invasive by Chuck Wendig

Invasive by Chuck Wendig

This biopunk novel, set in the same world as Zer0es, will be released on August 16 (hardcover, ebook, audiobook). Tor.com has an excerpt from Invasive.

 

Michael Crichton meets Elon Musk in this gripping sci-fi tech thriller, set in the eye-opening, paranoid world of the electrifying Zeroes.

Hannah Stander is a consultant for the FBI—a futurist who helps the Agency with cases that feature demonstrations of bleeding-edge technology. It’s her job to help them identify unforeseen threats: hackers, AIs, genetic modification, anything that in the wrong hands could harm the homeland.

Hannah is in an airport, waiting to board a flight home to see her family, when she receives a call from Agent Hollis Copper. “I’ve got a cabin full of over a thousand dead bodies,” he tells her. Whether those bodies are all human, he doesn’t say.

What Hannah finds is a horrifying murder that points to the impossible—someone weaponizing the natural world in a most unnatural way. Discovering who—and why—will take her on a terrifying chase from the Arizona deserts to the secret island laboratory of a billionaire inventor/philanthropist. Hannah knows there are a million ways the world can end, but she just might be facing one she could never have predicted—a new threat both ancient and cutting-edge that could wipe humanity off the earth.

Additional Books:

Mini Reviews: Dragon Bones and Magic Stars
Aug
02
2016
Dragon Bones
by Patricia Briggs
304pp (Mass Market Paperback)
My Rating: 7/10
LibraryThing Rating: 3.99/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.03/5
 

Book Description:

A magical tale from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Iron Kissed.

Riding into a war that’s heating up on the border, Ward, the new lord of Hurog, is sure he’s on the fast track to glory. But soon his mission takes a deadly turn. For he has seen a pile of magical dragon bones hidden deep beneath Hurog Keep. The bones could prove to be dangerous in the wrong hands, and Ward is certain his enemies will stop at nothing to possess them.

Although I love Patricia Briggs’ renowned Mercy Thompson books, I hadn’t read any of her work unrelated to this series until Dragon Bones. It’s a fairly short, entertaining, somewhat traditional fantasy with warring kingdoms and magic, but the best part of all is the main character, Ward.

When the book begins, Ward has spent the last seven years playing a part. He pretends to miss the obvious and acts as though he doesn’t completely understand conversations, all because he’s terrified of his cruel father, the lord of Hurog. Ward’s father killed his own father in order to take his place as Hurogmeten, and after he beat Ward especially badly one day, he decided he had better not do anything to make his father believe he was a threat to his rule before he actually beat him to death. Soon after the book opens, Ward’s father dies and it may no longer be wise for him to hide his intelligence, although he’s not certain whom he can trust with the truth—and he has to prove himself capable of being lord of the place he knows he belongs.

I found Ward quite compelling, although he’s by far the most fleshed out character in the book. In general, he’s kind and sympathetic and seems to go out of his way to help those who need it, and he does his best to look out for both his sister and his brother. He also seems to have a sense of humor, and often finds little ways to give people their just desserts while seeming completely innocent and oblivious to the effects of his actions. Because of this, I didn’t find it quite believable that so many believed his act, although I do think it can be justified as plausible since some did suspect and Ward also was aware that many people would expect someone who looked like he did to behave the way he did. However, I did find it completely believable that after playing a role for so many years, Ward struggled with being himself.

The beginning and the ending fit together well (although predictably given the emphasis on the meaning of “hurog”) and Dragon Bones is an enjoyable novel. It’s a great introduction to Hurog despite occasional slow pacing, and I do now want to read the sequel, Dragon Blood.

My Rating: 7/10

Where I got my reading copy: I purchased it.

Magic Stars
by Ilona Andrews
64pp (Ebook)
My Rating: 6/10
LibraryThing Rating: 4.13/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.3/5
 

Book Description:

From award-winning author, Ilona Andrews, an original novella, set in the New York Times #1 bestselling Kate Daniels World and featuring fan-favorites, Derek, and Curran and Kate’s very independent ward, Julie.

Scarred, solitary Derek Gaunt has separated from his Pack, and is truly a lone wolf. With no family he answers to no one; but is fiercely loyal to a chosen few. So, when several of those close to him are murdered, he’ll stop at nothing to hunt their killer through the magic-drenched streets of Atlanta.

Never one to be left on the sidelines, equally determined—some might say stubborn—Julie Lennart-Olsen soon joins in his pursuit; and what began as revenge turns into a race to save the city. Their search pits them against powers they never imagined and magic so old, it predates history. It may cost Derek his life, but there are things for which even he would risk everything.

Magic Stars, a novella set in the world of Kate Daniels, focuses on Derek and Julie. If you’ve read Magic Shifts and were wondering what exactly Julie was not telling Kate, this is the book to read to find out!

Although I didn’t find the plot of chasing down a murderous villain all that compelling, I did think Derek and Julie worked well together and there were both fun and touching moments between them. In particular, I enjoyed reading about Julie. I’m not going to spoil anything, but it was quite interesting to learn what secrets she’s been keeping from Kate! It’s a pretty quick read with some entertaining Ilona Andrews-style banter, but I didn’t think it was nearly as good as the full length novels even if it did provide some insight into Julie (which is the only reason I’m glad I read it).

My Rating: 6/10

Where I got my reading copy: I purchased it.

The Leaning Pile of Books
Jul
31
2016

The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature where I talk about books I got over the last week–old or new, bought or received for review consideration (usually unsolicited). Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included.

Before getting to the latest books, here’s last week’s post in case you missed it:

  • Review of the July Patreon book, The Empress Game by Rhonda Mason (it had a fun premise with tropes I love, but I thought the world, characters, and writing were all rather bland)

Now, for the books of the week!

Eterna and Omega by Leanna Renee Hieber

Eterna and Omega (Eterna Files #2) by Leanna Renee Hieber

This gaslamp fantasy by Prism Award-winning author Leanna Renee Hieber will be released on August 9 (hardcover, ebook). An excerpt from The Eterna Files, the first book in the series, can be read on Tor.com, as well as an excerpt from Eterna and Omega.

If you’re from the US or Canada, you can enter to win a copy of Eterna and Omega on Goodreads. The giveaway ends on August 8.

There are a couple of book events in West Chester, Ohio, and New York City in August:

 

Leanna Renee Hieber’s gaslamp fantasy series continues and the action ramps up in Eterna and Omega.

In New York City, fearing the dangers of the Eterna Compound–supposedly the key to immortality–Clara Templeton buries information vital to its creation. The ghost of her clandestine lover is desperate to tell her she is wrong, but though she is a clairvoyant, she cannot hear him.

In London, Harold Spire plans to send his team of assassins, magicians, mediums, and other rogue talents to New York City, in an attempt to obtain Eterna for Her Royal Majesty, Queen Victoria. He stays behind to help Scotland Yard track down a network of body snatchers and occultists, but he’ll miss his second-in-command, Rose Everhart, whose gentle exterior masks a steel spine.

Rose’s skepticism about the supernatural has been shattered since she joined Spire’s Omega Branch. Meeting Clara is like looking into a strange mirror: both women are orphans, each is concealing a paranormal ability, and each has a powerful and attractive guardian who has secrets of his own.

The hidden occult power that menaces both England and America continues to grow. Far from being dangerous, Eterna may hold the key to humanity’s salvation.

Additional Book(s):

Review of The Empress Game by Rhonda Mason
Jul
29
2016
The Empress Game
by Rhonda Mason
352pp (Trade Paperback)
My Rating: 4/10
LibraryThing Rating: 3.5/5
Goodreads Rating: 3.75/5
 

The Empress Game, Rhonda Mason’s first published novel, is the first book in a science fiction trilogy sharing the same title. Although it features some tropes I enjoy and had potential to be a fun story, I found the writing and characters bland and did not find it nearly compelling enough to want to read Cloak of War, the next book, after its release in October.

Five years ago, Kayla Reunimon and her younger brother Corinth escaped their home world after the rest of their family was attacked and killed. Since then, they’ve been hiding on the seedy side of another planet, slowly saving enough credits to get Corinth the psi training he desperately needs. Their best hope of earning these credits is utilizing the fighting skills Kayla acquired as a princess from the Wyrd Worlds, and she enters the Blood Pits under the name “Shadow Panthe.”

As the undefeated champion of the Blood Pits, Shadow Panthe’s reputation spreads to other worlds—and Malkor believes she is the perfect fit when he is tasked with finding a body double who can win the upcoming Empress Game as Princess Isonde. Malkor and Isonde’s lifelong friend Prince Ardin, the Emperor’s heir, is not allowed to choose his own future Empress but must marry the woman who triumphs over all others in a fighting tournament. As the Empress Ascendant is a member of the powerful Council of Seven, Ardin, Isonde, and Malkor are willing to risk everything to ensure that Isonde ascends to this seat for the good of their Empire.

When Malkor first approaches her with his rather substantial offer, Kayla scoffs at the idea of impersonating Isonde and refuses, but Malkor vows not to give up, going so far as to track her to her home, break in, and stun her. Though Kayla still continues to refuse to take part in this dangerous plot, she quickly changes her mind when she realizes her past may be catching up with her—and she’d rather take her chances posing as Isonde at the Empress Game than be discovered by the one who seeks her.

In theory, The Empress Game sounds delightful. Switched identities and secret identities are some of my favorite tropes so the story of a princess in hiding pretending to be another princess (in a fighting tournament, no less!) could have been a lot of fun. There were times I found it readable even if not fully engaging, especially during the first half, but I was bored a lot during the last quarter. The more I read, the more every plot twist seemed orchestrated rather than natural, and I thought it was completely missing heart and memorable characters. The straightforward prose, uninspiring dialogue, and jarring use of “frutt” as a swear (especially grating considering other common English expressions and curses were still present) didn’t help. Furthermore, the worldbuilding was rather generic and very little focus was given to the universe at large.

I may have been able to overlook the bland writing and setting, but what really held it back was the lack of interesting dialogue, chemistry between characters, and compelling characterization. None of the characters had a dimension of their own, and even the main character did not have a lot of depth. She’s tough and protective and her ability to survive is admirable, but she seems to exist more to serve the plot than as a real personality. Her relationships are also mostly hollow, especially the romance: its obvious setup in the beginning feels forced and it never gets better.

The only character relationship I found intriguing was the mutual esteem that develops between Kayla and Isonde, which is, unfortunately, underutilized. At first, Isonde is hostile toward Kayla and skeptical that she’s a good fit for the role, but as the two begin to work together, they come to appreciate each other’s skills. Kayla respects Isonde’s political acumen, and in turn, Isonde respects Kayla’s ability as a fighter and lets her take the lead when deciding what’s best in related aspects of their plan. However, almost as soon as I as beginning to feel like this was a partnership to root for, plot drama intervened and separated the two. This was also disappointing because Isonde was one of the characters I would have liked to have learned more about due to her determination to see her vision for her Empire come to fruition.

The bones of the story had definite potential and parts of it were even entertaining, but I thought The Empress Game was too insipid to stand out. Keeping the story exciting seems to come first, and in my opinion, that’s its biggest issue. It prevented the characters from coming alive, got in the way of advancing one of the more interesting relationships, and failed at creating tension: I wasn’t on the edge of my seat when the characters were in danger because I just didn’t care that much. Considering that the world and writing were also unremarkable, The Empress Game was ultimately a rather lackluster book despite some fun parts.

My Rating: 4/10

Where I got my reading copy: I purchased it.

This book is July’s selection from a poll on Patreon.

The Leaning Pile of Books
Jul
24
2016

The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature where I talk about books I got over the last week–old or new, bought or received for review consideration (usually unsolicited). Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included.

This past week brought a couple of books, including one that sounds rather fun, but first here’s what happened last week in case you missed anything:

Next week there will be a review of the July Patreon book, The Empress Game by Rhonda Mason.

Now, for the latest book mail!

The Last Adventure of Constance Verity by A. Lee Martinez

The Last Adventure of Constance Verity (Constance Verity #1) by A. Lee Martinez

The Last Adventure of Constance Verity is available now (hardcover, ebook, audiobook). An excerpt from the book is available on the publisher’s website.

 

Constance Verity has been saving the world since she was seven, and she’s sick of it. She sets off on one last adventure to assassinate her fairy godmother and become the one thing she’s never been: ordinary.

Ever since she was granted a wish at birth by her fairy godmother, Constance Verity has become one of the world’s great adventurers. It all began at her seventh birthday party when she defeated a snake. She has become a master of exotic martial arts, a keen detective, and possesses a collection of strange artifacts gathered from her adventures. But Constance has spent the past twenty-eight years saving the world, and she’s tired of it. All she wants is to work in an office and date a nice, normal guy. And she is finally figured out a way to do it: she’s going to kill her fairy godmother and reset her life. The only problem, though, is that saving the world is Constance’s destiny. She’s great at it, and there are forces at work to make sure she stays in the job.

Then again, it’s also her destiny to have a glorious death.

Additional Book(s):

Mini Review: The Lyre Thief by Jennifer Fallon
Jul
20
2016
The Lyre Thief
by Jennifer Fallon
448pp (Hardcover)
My Rating: 8/10
LibraryThing Rating: 4.5/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.19/5
 

Book Description:

Ten years have passed since the events of the Demon Child books that left the god Xaphista dead, the nation Karien without a religion or king and the matriarchal country of Medalon ruled by men. But it is in the kingdoms of the south that things really heat up. When Princess Rakaia of Fardohnya discovers she is not of royal birth, she agrees to marry a much older Hythrun noble in a chance to escape her ‘father’s wrath. Rakaia takes nothing but her jewels and her base-born half-sister, Charisee, who has been her slave, handmaiden and best friend since she was six years old. And who can pass as Rakaia’s double.

These two sisters embark on a Shakespearean tale of switched identities, complicated love triangles…and meddlesome gods. Rakaia is rescued on the road by none other than the Demon Child, R’shiel, still searching for a way to force Death to release her near immortal Brak. Charisee tries to act like the princess she was never meant to be and manages to draw the attention of the God of Liars who applauds her deception and only wants to help.

Then there is the little matter of the God of Music’s magical totem that has been stolen…and how this theft may undo the universe.

Powerful magics, byzantine politics, sweeping adventure, and a couple of juicy love stories thrown in for good measure, The Lyre Thief is classic Fallon that is sure to appeal to her fans.

The Lyre Thief, Jennifer Fallon’s latest novel, is the first book in the War of the Gods, the third Hythrun Chronicles trilogy in both publication and chronological order. Although I suspect it would have been helpful to have read the Wolfblade and Demon Child trilogies beforehand, enough background was provided that I didn’t feel lost starting here—but I do want to read them now anyway because I found The Lyre Thief thoroughly enjoyable and want to read more of these books!

From the book description, I had a feeling The Lyre Thief was going to be my type of book since I love both tropes involving false identities and meddling gods, and both of these make it delightfully fun to read. When Princess Sophany realizes the secret she’s been hiding for over twenty years—that her daughter Rakaia was not fathered by the King of Fardohyna—may soon be revealed, she ensures that Rakaia is the princess chosen to wed a Hythrun noble in exchange for trade concessions. Sophany plans for Rakaia’s slave Charisee, an illegitimate but true daughter of the king, to pretend to be Rakaia after they leave the harem, allowing her daughter to escape before the truth about her parentage is discovered. Charisee, quite understandably, has some reservations about this idea, but after Rakaia flees in the middle of the night she decides she may as well make the best of pretending to be a princess and asks Jakerlon, the God of Liars, to keep her safe. To her surprise, she later receives a personal visit from her new god, who is quite pleased by her service, and Charisee does her best to follow his advice—after all, her life now depends on everyone believing her to be Rakaia.

Although The Lyre Thief follows several characters, Charisee and Rakaia are the two most prominent, and I enjoyed their stories the most, especially Charisee’s. She tends to blurt out what’s on her mind even when it may not be wise to do so, but she’s also quite clever and learns to use some of this honesty to her advantage when pretending to be Rakaia: as Jakerlon taught her, “the best lies are the stone cold truth.” Her tale is fun but also heartbreaking since she does have to keep up this pretense and sometimes the absolute truth is the one thing that will not be believed when she does try to open up.

Rakaia is a little more difficult to sympathize with in the beginning, especially given that shortly after she’s introduced she’s being condescending toward Charisee and they don’t spend enough time together before being split up to really show the friendship the other characters reference, but her sections ended up being my favorite after Charisee’s. At first, she’s hesitant to even eat tavern food after being used to palace cuisine, but she quickly accepts that she needs to deal with things like this if she wants to survive and discovers she quite likes not being a princess.

Even though I found the book as a whole quite readable, some of the other storylines were not as compelling as Rakaia and Charisee’s. I also very much enjoyed reading about High Princess Adrina and her stepbrother Kiam Miar, an honorable assassin charged with getting “Rakaia” safely to Hythria, but I didn’t find R’shiel quite as compelling in the present (her past sounded interesting). Her goal was finding a character from the previous books so this may have been more engaging had I read them and known more about the person she was so desperate to be reunited with. There are a couple of additional viewpoint characters in addition to those mentioned, and I did find it a little difficult to see how some of those not immediately connected to Rakaia or Charisee fit in at first; I think some familiarity with the previous books may have helped that come together sooner as well. There was also a tendency to tell instead of show a lot in the writing (and sometimes tell what was already obvious), but I was so drawn in by the story and the characters’ conversations that this didn’t bother me too much.

The Lyre Thief is incredibly entertaining and currently one of my favorite 2016 releases. The first thing I did after finishing it was check to see when the next book would be following, and Retribution is a 2017 release I’m very much looking forward to.

My Rating: 8/10

Where I got my reading copy: ARC from the publisher.