Tracy – Page 16 – Cannonball Read 17

Continuing the Grishaverse

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

July 8, 2024 by Tracy Leave a Comment

I enjoyed both of these books, especially Crooked Kingdom, though I didn’t think they were a drastic improvement over the Shadow and Bone trilogy, which surprised me a bit since so many people seem to prefer this duology. I think they’re almost equally good, with the duology slightly edging out the trilogy. In Six of Crows, we meet Kaz Brekker, who essentially runs a crew called the Dregs. He gets the opportunity of a lifetime when Jan Van Eck offers a lot of money for […]

SO Glad I Continued the Series – This Was Perfect

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

June 28, 2024 by Tracy Leave a Comment

Oh my goodness, I don’t even know where to start. After Gideon the Ninth, I thought I would eventually give this sequel a try, but I wasn’t super interested. Except then I kept thinking about it and decided not to wait, and that was the best decision ever. This book is just so good. All I want to do is gush. Harrow is now a Lyctor but a “broken” one with no memories of Gideon. She and Ianthe are training with the other remaining OG […]

Getting the Band Back Together

Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

June 24, 2024 by Tracy Leave a Comment

This was an engaging fantasy adventure featuring middle-aged men, which is a nice change of pace, although it does make the story a bit “bro-y” at times (e.g., comments about “whoring” around). Eames uses the conceit of a band of mercenaries being comparable to a rock band/boy band. They have fans who know of them and are eager to meet them, and they even have people who book mercenary gigs for them. It’s a fun gimmick. The story is told from Clay Cooper’s perspective. He […]

Not What I Was Hoping For, but I’m (Probably) Not Giving Up

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

June 18, 2024 by Tracy 2 Comments

I don’t think I’ve read a science fantasy book before, so this was a cool first for me. It also had more horror elements than I typically read, and I found the darkness didn’t bother me (mostly). I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I’ve realized that I tend to have trouble explaining my feelings on 3-star reads and the mix of things that worked and didn’t work for me, but let’s give it a go. Gideon Nav is an orphan living in the […]

Skillful Language, Elusive Impact

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

June 13, 2024 by Tracy Leave a Comment

You can read this book quickly, but don’t. Take your time. This book calls for attention. There is so much wordplay, sometimes intricate and subtle, which calls for re-reading sentences or paragraphs. I’m sure that I missed quite a bit both because of the depth of wordplay and because I only have so much patience, but the authors are just so skillful in their use of language (e.g., “Who’s infecting whom? We know from our hoarse Trojans, in my time”). The novella follows Red and […]

Intro to the Grishaverse

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

June 10, 2024 by Tracy Leave a Comment

I’ve been wanting to read the Six of Crows duology and decided to start with the Shadow and Bone trilogy so I’d be more familiar with the Grisha and could enjoy references to past events. I was a little hesitant because a lot of people don’t seem to like the trilogy, but I enjoyed it. It wasn’t fantastic, but it was fun. I thought the pacing was pretty good throughout, and I appreciated the mix of plot-focused and character-driven story. In Shadow and Bone, we […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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