I received a copy of The Godborn by Paul S Kemp free to review via Netgalley. I should preface my thoughts by noting that I am not very familiar with Kemp’s The Twilight War trilogy and when reading this book I often felt as if I were a new reader to the Wheel of Time who had picked the series up at book four. I had the impression that a lot of assumptions of previous knowledge about the world have been made and I often found it difficult to keep up. I suspect that if you are already up to speed, you will have quite a different experience reading this book than mine. This is reflected in the low rating I gave this book. The Godborn tells of Vasen Cale’s quest to reunite the shards of Mask’s divinity which had been split among three people and to prevent Shar’s reincarnation which would lead to world destruction. At least that’s what I think it was about. I wasn’t very clear. What I liked The premise. I felt the idea of pieces of divinity having to be collected and reassembled interesting and well done. What I disliked Lack of focus. The Godborn…
I received a copy of The Godborn by Paul S Kemp free to review via Netgalley. I should preface my thoughts by noting that I am not very familiar with Kemp’s The Twilight War trilogy and when reading this book I often felt as if I were a new reader to the Wheel of Time who had picked the series up at book four. I had the impression that a lot of assumptions of previous knowledge about the world have been made and I often found it difficult to keep up. I suspect that if you are already up to speed, you will have quite a different experience reading this book than mine. This is reflected in the low rating I gave this book. The Godborn tells of Vasen Cale’s quest to reunite the shards of Mask’s divinity which had been split among three people and to prevent Shar’s reincarnation which would lead to world destruction. At least that’s what I think it was about. I wasn’t very clear. What I liked The premise. I felt the idea of pieces of divinity having to be collected and reassembled interesting and well done. What I disliked Lack of focus. The Godborn…
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…
The Woken Gods by Gwenda Bond tells the story of Kyra Locke, a young woman living in a world where the mythological gods of legend have woken and are living in our society. Rick Riordan this is not; you will not find Bond’s Set in biker’s leathers happily munching on a hamburger in a diner. Bond’s gods are inhuman, deadly and barely kept in check. They do not even pretend to a veil of humanity. Kyra must work to prevent that fragile balance – and the world – from being destroyed. What I liked Strong narrative. Bond takes us through the story at a brisk pace, keeping the narrative tension high. The writing style is smart and efficient and kept me hooked on the story. Great characters. Everyone should have a best friend like Bree! I particularly appreciated that the kids were smart enough to realise there was no way they could defeat the bad guy on their own – it’s a bugbear of mine when young teenagers save the world on their own! I also thought the relationships between the characters were nicely written. The world. I did enjoy the world Bond has created – the gods were far…
The Woken Gods by Gwenda Bond tells the story of Kyra Locke, a young woman living in a world where the mythological gods of legend have woken and are living in our society. Rick Riordan this is not; you will not find Bond’s Set in biker’s leathers happily munching on a hamburger in a diner. Bond’s gods are inhuman, deadly and barely kept in check. They do not even pretend to a veil of humanity. Kyra must work to prevent that fragile balance – and the world – from being destroyed. What I liked Strong narrative. Bond takes us through the story at a brisk pace, keeping the narrative tension high. The writing style is smart and efficient and kept me hooked on the story. Great characters. Everyone should have a best friend like Bree! I particularly appreciated that the kids were smart enough to realise there was no way they could defeat the bad guy on their own – it’s a bugbear of mine when young teenagers save the world on their own! I also thought the relationships between the characters were nicely written. The world. I did enjoy the world Bond has created – the gods were far…
I received a free copy of Dream of Time by Nancy J. Price from Netgalley to review. It tells the story of modern day wife and mother Robin from San Francisco who, when she sleeps, inhabits the body and life of turn of the century Jennie diMedici. It relates her attempts to prevent tragedies and crimes using knowledge gleaned from her present day life. What I liked The basic concept. I loved the main idea and felt it was very well thought out and executed. Price wove Robin’s two lives together very well and I enjoyed her attempts to correct the past. I liked the way limitations were built into the time travel scenario so that Robin couldn’t just fix everything straight away. The fact that there were consequences in Robin’s present for the actions she took in the past also helped to up the stakes. The relationship with Travis. “Jennie’s” relationship with Travis was beautifully written and very touching. It felt very real, and I enjoyed watching them build up trust and love. The techniques they used for communicating across the years was particularly inventive. The Victorian setting. The Victorian setting for Robin’s alternate life was wonderfully described. It is…
I received a free copy of Dream of Time by Nancy J. Price from Netgalley to review. It tells the story of modern day wife and mother Robin from San Francisco who, when she sleeps, inhabits the body and life of turn of the century Jennie diMedici. It relates her attempts to prevent tragedies and crimes using knowledge gleaned from her present day life. What I liked The basic concept. I loved the main idea and felt it was very well thought out and executed. Price wove Robin’s two lives together very well and I enjoyed her attempts to correct the past. I liked the way limitations were built into the time travel scenario so that Robin couldn’t just fix everything straight away. The fact that there were consequences in Robin’s present for the actions she took in the past also helped to up the stakes. The relationship with Travis. “Jennie’s” relationship with Travis was beautifully written and very touching. It felt very real, and I enjoyed watching them build up trust and love. The techniques they used for communicating across the years was particularly inventive. The Victorian setting. The Victorian setting for Robin’s alternate life was wonderfully described. It is…
As I mentioned in my Clockwork Angel review, I had problems getting into City of Bones. I have now read it all, or rather listened on Audible, and I have to say my initial reactions have not really altered much. What I liked The worldbuilding. This, for me, is the highlight of the book, and probably what will keep my coming back for more. Clare has done an excellent job in defining her world and the history and beings in it. I loved hearing about the Nephalim, the Moon’s Children and Night’s Children and look forward to hearing more about them. The pacing. This was something I thought worked better than in Clockwork Angel. The plot setup was done efficiently and well, and the narrative tension was well maintained. It’s amazing how well the old trusted and true “good guys need to prevent the bad guys from getting their hands on the McGuffin” works! However, it does depend on the execution though, and I felt Clare did this excellently. The importance of this particular McGuffin, the Mortal Cup, was clearly defined as were the consequences of its falling into the wrong hands. What I didn’t like The main characters….
As I mentioned in my Clockwork Angel review, I had problems getting into City of Bones. I have now read it all, or rather listened on Audible, and I have to say my initial reactions have not really altered much. What I liked The worldbuilding. This, for me, is the highlight of the book, and probably what will keep my coming back for more. Clare has done an excellent job in defining her world and the history and beings in it. I loved hearing about the Nephalim, the Moon’s Children and Night’s Children and look forward to hearing more about them. The pacing. This was something I thought worked better than in Clockwork Angel. The plot setup was done efficiently and well, and the narrative tension was well maintained. It’s amazing how well the old trusted and true “good guys need to prevent the bad guys from getting their hands on the McGuffin” works! However, it does depend on the execution though, and I felt Clare did this excellently. The importance of this particular McGuffin, the Mortal Cup, was clearly defined as were the consequences of its falling into the wrong hands. What I didn’t like The main characters….