The Bone Season is Samantha Shannon’s debut dystopian novel and tells the story of clairvoyant Paige and her experiences as a prisoner of the alien Rephaim. I actually found this review quite difficult to write. It has been rescheduled time and time again. This is because, although I have read The Bone Season I’m still not entirely certain how I feel about it. It probably didn’t help that the hype machine was in full flow for this novel claiming that Shannon was the next J.K. Rowling. That set an impossibly high bar for the novel. What I liked The unique world building. The world of The Bone Season feels fresh and unique. There are layers within layers. The novel starts in a dystopian future version of London in which clairvoyance is illegal. This society is nicely described, but then we get another layer of the world of the Rephaim and Emim. The relationship between Paige and Warden. It was pretty clear that Shannon was setting up a romantic relationship between Paige and her keeper, Warden. Initially I was very resistant to that; it seemed such an imbalanced relationship with Warden’s having the power of life and death over Paige. Shannon…
The Bone Season is Samantha Shannon’s debut dystopian novel and tells the story of clairvoyant Paige and her experiences as a prisoner of the alien Rephaim. I actually found this review quite difficult to write. It has been rescheduled time and time again. This is because, although I have read The Bone Season I’m still not entirely certain how I feel about it. It probably didn’t help that the hype machine was in full flow for this novel claiming that Shannon was the next J.K. Rowling. That set an impossibly high bar for the novel. What I liked The unique world building. The world of The Bone Season feels fresh and unique. There are layers within layers. The novel starts in a dystopian future version of London in which clairvoyance is illegal. This society is nicely described, but then we get another layer of the world of the Rephaim and Emim. The relationship between Paige and Warden. It was pretty clear that Shannon was setting up a romantic relationship between Paige and her keeper, Warden. Initially I was very resistant to that; it seemed such an imbalanced relationship with Warden’s having the power of life and death over Paige. Shannon…
Hello, my name is Azrael. I am an archdemon and easily the most powerful character in a novel called “The Final Requiem.” You probably have not heard about the novel yet, and that is perfectly fine. The novel has not been published yet. The creator of my world, Joe Donahue, is looking to try to self publish the novel sometime in the next couple weeks. It is turning out to be a very exciting and stressful time for him. It is turning out to be a very monotonous and boring time for me. He has been having me write a constant stream of these things he calls guest blogs so that you mortals can read them. It essentially amounts to me writing what I think about the book in the hopes that people will read it. Sometimes, if it is not for a blog that typically does book reviews, it will be me talking about whatever that blog usually talks about. The end result is always hoping that it will lead more people to read the book. Personally, I think the fact that the book gives people the opportunity to bask in the brilliance that is me should be enough…
Hello, my name is Azrael. I am an archdemon and easily the most powerful character in a novel called “The Final Requiem.” You probably have not heard about the novel yet, and that is perfectly fine. The novel has not been published yet. The creator of my world, Joe Donahue, is looking to try to self publish the novel sometime in the next couple weeks. It is turning out to be a very exciting and stressful time for him. It is turning out to be a very monotonous and boring time for me. He has been having me write a constant stream of these things he calls guest blogs so that you mortals can read them. It essentially amounts to me writing what I think about the book in the hopes that people will read it. Sometimes, if it is not for a blog that typically does book reviews, it will be me talking about whatever that blog usually talks about. The end result is always hoping that it will lead more people to read the book. Personally, I think the fact that the book gives people the opportunity to bask in the brilliance that is me should be enough…
Longbourn by Jo Baker is the retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice from the point of view of the Longbourn servants. I received a copy free to review via Netgalley. I should start by saying straight off that this retelling doesn’t have Austen’s sharp insight and witty dialogue, but that would be a lot to ask of any writer. That is not to say it’s not an enjoyable read nevertheless. What I liked Meeting old friends again. I’ve always loved Pride and Prejudice and Austen’s characters and enjoyed meeting them again from a fresh perspective. Baker has done well in maintaining the essence of the characters. Jane is still as sweet and lovely, Lydia is still immature and naive, Darcy is still aloof, Wickham is still a slimy piece of work. What I did enjoy about this interpretation was the added depth we got to some of the more minor characters. Yes, Mrs. Bennet is still a drama queen, but we get more of a sense of the unhappiness beneath her need for attention. Likewise, Mr. Collins; although he remains smarmy, we see more of the young man struggling to cope with an elevated position without the necessary experience…
Longbourn by Jo Baker is the retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice from the point of view of the Longbourn servants. I received a copy free to review via Netgalley. I should start by saying straight off that this retelling doesn’t have Austen’s sharp insight and witty dialogue, but that would be a lot to ask of any writer. That is not to say it’s not an enjoyable read nevertheless. What I liked Meeting old friends again. I’ve always loved Pride and Prejudice and Austen’s characters and enjoyed meeting them again from a fresh perspective. Baker has done well in maintaining the essence of the characters. Jane is still as sweet and lovely, Lydia is still immature and naive, Darcy is still aloof, Wickham is still a slimy piece of work. What I did enjoy about this interpretation was the added depth we got to some of the more minor characters. Yes, Mrs. Bennet is still a drama queen, but we get more of a sense of the unhappiness beneath her need for attention. Likewise, Mr. Collins; although he remains smarmy, we see more of the young man struggling to cope with an elevated position without the necessary experience…
Despite my rant yesterday, and despite having received no shipping notification my Kobo Aura 6 inch ereader was delivered to my door this afternoon. I’ve played with it for a little while and here are my first impressions. It is a gorgeous device. I really like the industrial design that the screen is flat without a bevel. It makes it feel very tablet like – and avoids messy crumbs being caught! eReaders aren’t normally noted for their look, but I really love what Kobo has done with this. From other reviews I’d seen I’d been concerned about the reflection of light on the screen, but it didn’t seem to be any more noticeable than on the Glo. The screen is really lovely, too. Comparing it to the Kobo Glo, it’s an incredible difference. You can see some pictures here: The Kobo Aura is on the left. and compared to the Kindle Paperwhite (2013 edition) The Aura’s Comfort Light is warmer to my eyes than the Glo’s and certainly much more even, and in comparison the Glo’s screen seems somewhat muddy. Page turns are the same on both devices. This is hardly surprising, given that they both have the same…
Despite my rant yesterday, and despite having received no shipping notification my Kobo Aura 6 inch ereader was delivered to my door this afternoon. I’ve played with it for a little while and here are my first impressions. It is a gorgeous device. I really like the industrial design that the screen is flat without a bevel. It makes it feel very tablet like – and avoids messy crumbs being caught! eReaders aren’t normally noted for their look, but I really love what Kobo has done with this. From other reviews I’d seen I’d been concerned about the reflection of light on the screen, but it didn’t seem to be any more noticeable than on the Glo. The screen is really lovely, too. Comparing it to the Kobo Glo, it’s an incredible difference. You can see some pictures here: The Kobo Aura is on the left. and compared to the Kindle Paperwhite (2013 edition) The Aura’s Comfort Light is warmer to my eyes than the Glo’s and certainly much more even, and in comparison the Glo’s screen seems somewhat muddy. Page turns are the same on both devices. This is hardly surprising, given that they both have the same…
[book-info title=”Emerald Green” author=”Anthea Bell (translator), Kerstin Gier”] Hey guys, Tor has an excerpt of Emerald Green on its website for your delectation – check it out here.
[book-info title=”Emerald Green” author=”Anthea Bell (translator), Kerstin Gier”] Hey guys, Tor has an excerpt of Emerald Green on its website for your delectation – check it out here.