Okay, so, two and a half star book, for me. I waffled between two and three stars for ages, but I’m going with two, I think, for a couple of reasons. One, what is the arc here? It’s sort of Moiraine becoming a real Aes Sedai, but there isn’t really any emotional development on her part. She is the same person before she passes the test for the shawl as she is after. I liked that person for the first half, then she did some […]
I want a daemon!
I loved His Dark Materials trilogy so I was very excited when I realized that Philip Pullman had a new novel out. I was a little bit less sure if I necessarily wanted a new novel in the same universe but was definitely willing to give it a shot. As much as I love Harry Potter, I would at this point prefer to get another murder mystery from J.K. Rowling than another tie in to Hogwarts and that universe. As a result, I wasn’t sure […]
Before the Killer Tomatoes Attacked
I’m a huge reader of well-written urban fantasy series, the ones that have strong heroines whose magical powers help them navigate their worlds that are almost like ours except the supernatural is real. The Hollows series by Kim Harrison is a great example of that. The main character, Rachel, is a badass female witch who fights against elves, demons, and vampires, with her cool sidekick pixy and vampire bff Ivy. I was kind of sad when the Hollows series ended except it did seem like […]
Don’t expect a happy ending to this one
Spoiler warning! I found it impossible to review this book without revealing plot details that would probably be considered spoilery, so if you like to start a book without knowing much, probably skip this review. Also, this book is a PREQUEL, best read after you finish the full thirteen book series by Kim Harrison. As of me writing this, the first book is on sale for $2.99. In a world where humans are the dominant species, they are fully unaware that there are a number […]
If you love Our Lady of Skepticism, don’t read this.
I mean, I hate to be that person, but Hashtag Not My Scully (#NotMyScully). I wasn’t precisely looking forward to this book, despite being the owner of a beyond huge X-Files obsession that permeated my adolescence, but it seemed like a fun idea, if executed properly. I wasn’t as worried for the Mulder one in this pair of books, because his story as a teenager practically writes itself. Also, Kami Garcia seemed like a good choice. She knows the genre, and is successful in it. […]
Preachy Druids and Priestesses
I guess if you create a wildly successful new take on Arthurian legend, and your fans decide to adopt the religion you created* for the book, it makes sense to write yourself and your fans some new holy texts under the guise of science fiction. I mean, it’s the L. Ron Hubbard thing to do, and that seems to have worked out very well. (*I believe Bradley did research druidism, but it’s not like there’s a lot of living Druid from the time of the […]