Strangely enough, after decades of not encountering one, this another book set in a matriarchal society, stumbled upon immediately after finishing its predecessor. Unfortunately it suffers from much the same flaw as The Empath and the Solider in the it styles itself a matriarchal society, but almost exclusively uses the framework of a patriarchal society […]
Tethered Spirits has several strong points: solid prose, decent characters, several strong ideas, a good plot that supports its action elements with some mystery/questions, and strong use of its cored idea/inspiration. But it also suffers from some significant technical flaws.It’s takes nearly sixty percent of the book to pass before the narrative actually starts and […]
There was a lot I liked about The Thirteenth Hour, and muiltiple levels: the characters are dynamic, likable, and full of personality, the world building is complex and immersive while also being well implemented, the narrative is consistently humorous while also landing the darker moments, themes, and events so that you can properly empathize with […]
Fun, solid romance, with decent characters.This is through and through a lighthearted romance, albeit one assisted by magic and dragons. The comedy is decent and present but didn’t particularly work for me, and the characters are likable but without particularly compelling subtext or archs. The prose is decent, the pacing quick, and the plot perhaps […]
The concept of having to live in a world continuously ravaged by cataclysmic storms, and not just one but a variety, is a fun, interesting, and ultimately cool idea. The idea that these storms power the magic system is again solid (albeit the author doesn’t quite distinguish enough from the Stormlight Archive.) The book doesn’t […]
Enjoyable, mostly lighthearted and consistently amusing, Small Miracle is just a fun relatively short read. The characters are full of personality (Gadriel, our MC, especially) and immensely likable, with strong motivations and many scenes and interactions where their personalities and those motivations are put on display.The inspiration taken from Good Omens is immediately evident, but […]
The Tale of the Young Witch is a story I wanted to like more than I did: the beginning is strong, delivering potent motivation to our primary character that I could buy into, there is a strong aesthetic/setting in the age of steam, and you have the underlying themes of the destructive potential of prevalent […]
Godeena is complicated to review: the world building is strong, particularly the canvas of inter-galactic warfare and politicking, and the bones of the plot itself are excellent, from collecting disposable convicts from a prison megalopolis to explore the ruins of world controlled by a psychotic and malignant deity, all tied to themes of redemption and […]
The Rogue’s prose and characters are solid, and the pacing for the first half is good, but as the narrative progresses and starts to build toward the climax it began to feel like it needed more time to mature. That might sound weird, but neither of our two main characters have any real connection to […]
There’s quite a bit i liked about Crystalborne Sigils, the magic system is comprehensible and detailed but versatile, the pacing is smooth and consistent, and the characters decently complex. It’s strongest element is probably the first odd third of the book, where we are introduced to our characters and the setting.The Atturei empire is prejudiced […]
Four Puppet Kings and a Fool is either a book of intense right wing political allegory, or one the drew inspiration heavily from conspiracy theory, and I lean more towards the former. There manufactured pandemics where the main character rails against lockdowns, there’s a secret cabal of satanic/alien worshippers intent on crashing the economy and […]
A bad place to be a Hero starts slow, needing to introduce our three primary characters, their motivations, quirks and various criminal situations before the plot kicks fully into gear, where upon the story becomes more of a mystery.The mystery elements of the book are solid, with various leads, a couple twists, several hi-jinx and […]
Actual rating 2.5While competently written, A Touch of Light is a book that just failed ever really catch my interest. I think there are several reasons for this and I’ll start with the characters.The characters are solidly constructed, given decent personalities, individual motivations, a fair bit of complexity, but they’re not likable. Not because they’re […]
Open Sorcery is a book based on the premise of Magic operating like coding in a modern world setting. It executes this premise excellently, both from the feel of how the spells are crafted arduous over a period of days or weeks, to how the magic system as a whole was implemented into and affects […]
The Stone of Farewell improves on the Dragon Bone Chair simply by virtue of beginning more immediately, the conflict has already begun and the characters must endure or attempt to influence it according to their situations. (As opposed to the lengthy beginning a set up in the first book that, while necessary, was slow.) Simon’s […]