And with this book, thus concludes one of my absolute favorite modern fantasy series. From start to finish, the Divine Cities books are gems of worldbuilding and memorable characters, so let's talk about that finish.
Wonder Woman Delivers on the Power and Courage It Promised
I don't do a lot of movie reviews here, but we need to talk about Wonder Woman, readers.I've been nervous about this movie ever since it was announced.
Book Review: Skullsworn
After I finished reading The Last Mortal Bond a few months back, I was thrilled to discover that Brian Staveley would be releasing a standalone story about Pyrre Lakatur, everyone's favorite death priestess and assassin. So here we are, a few weeks after Skullsworn's release. And let me tell you - it does not disappoint.
Book Review: Ninefox Gambit
Oh. My. God. I have found my new favorite science fiction novel. All right, let's back up. I don't normally read a ton of science fiction (she says, three of her last four reviews being science fiction). I tend to gravitate more toward fantasy in books, sci-fi in TV. So I'd been debating buying Ninefox Gambit for a while.
Book Review: The Killing Moon / The Shadowed Sun
Full disclosure: after I read (and loved) The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate, I bought literally all of N.K. Jemisin's novels. So when they arrived, I went back and forth between the Inheritance trilogy and the Dreamblood Duology.* What decided me? Well, I love Egyptian...everything, so the fact that the Dreamblood books are loosely based on Egypt convinced me to pick those up first.
Book Review: Waking Gods
Sleeping Giants was one of my favorite books of 2016, so you can understand my enthusiasm for Waking Gods. I even timed the other books I was reading so I finished one at lunchtime the day Waking Gods came out, leaving me room to pick it up right away.
Book Review: The Fold
I'm a big fan of Peter Clines' Ex-Heroes series, so, given that I'm an author-loyal reader, I decided to pick up Clines' novel The Fold - my first non-Ex-Heroes experience with his writing.
Book Review: Caliban's War
No, I still have not watched The Expanse TV show. But as promised, I picked up Caliban's War pretty quickly after reading (and greatly enjoying) Leviathan Wakes, and I have to say - it was a much better read.
Book Review: The Grace of Kings
I promised this review a few months ago, after reviewing Death's End (translated by Ken Liu), and I'm here to deliver on that promise. So without further ado, let's discuss The Grace of Kings. Hoo boy.
Book Review: The Wrong Dead Guy
So I wasn't really expecting a sequel to The Everything Box; The Wrong Dead Guy caught me a little off-guard. That said, I loved the concept of the Men-in-Black-esque DOPS, even if I didn't love all the characters, so I figured I'd give this one a whirl. Plus, mummies. I mean, duh.
#RevPit Author Bio
I'm getting ready to submit my manuscript for Prisoner of Fate to Revise and Resubmit, a contest where the prize is five weeks of working with a professional editor. As part of that, we're doing a blog hop with writer bios, in the hopes of getting to know each other (and letting the the editors get to know us).
Book Review: Crossroads of Canopy
Picking up a debut author's novel is like rolling the dice. Sometimes you get something really amazing; other times, you end up disappointed by the little things that prevent it from reaching its full potential.This time, after reading Thoraiya Dyer's Crossroads of Canopy, I'm sitting somewhere in the middle, but closer to the former.
Book Review: A Conjuring of Light
As I wrote a few weeks ago, A Conjuring of Light was my most anticipated book of 2017. Both of Schwab's previous books in the series were wonderful reads with a fully developed world(s), nuanced characters, clever magic and terrifying villains. It will shock no one to learn that the conclusion to the Shades of Magic series is no different.
Book Review: With Blood Upon the Sand
You might conclude from my review of Twelve Kings in Sharakhai that I loved the book and the world Beaulieu created. You would be correct. So it will come as no surprise to learn that on the release day for With Blood Upon the Sand, I waltzed to my local B&N, impatiently made them go get a copy from the back, and then waltzed back home to start reading it (despite the enormous stack of "To Reads" currently sitting on my shelf).
Book Review: Leviathan Wakes
Over Christmas of 2015, I went home to visit my parents like I usually do. As part of that visit, I typically raid their DVR (since I refuse to pay for cable channels I don't want) to catch up on shows I'm interested in. My dad, who shares my tastes, mentioned SyFy's new show The Expanse was good, so I enjoyed two episodes.Then I promptly forgot to watch the rest and went home.
Book Review: Prince of Thorns
When I picked up this book, I thought for sure I'd whiz through it in a few days. It's not very long, and I'm a rather fast reader.Then I ground to a halt within the first few chapters.
Book Review: Twelve Kings in Sharakhai
Believe it or not, I almost walked past this one. While I do keep up with my favorite authors and read recommendations, I find a lot of new books/authors simply by skimming the SF/F section at my local Barnes & Noble. They had Twelve Kings in Sharakhai, but the title didn't grab me. I bought other books, I left. This happened two or three times before I finally picked up the book, read the blurb and decided to give it a whirl.
Book Review: Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis
Many years ago, Anne Rice was my introduction to vampires. I don't read extensively in the genre (since I'm not huge on romance), but Rice's vampires were always these tragic, heart-rendingly beautiful figures that I couldn't help but fall in love with. (For the record, Marius is my favorite.) I've read several, though not all, of her Vampire Chronicles over the years, and I was pleased with the recent Prince Lestat, enjoying the dive into vampire history.
#SonofaPitch - Round One Entry
This is my first time participating in #sonofapitch, and I'm extremely excited to hear your feedback! Below are my current query letter draft (minus bio and comparisons) and my first 250 words. Bring on the feedback!
Book Review: Goldenhand
Before we begin, some context: I picked up Lirael at a book fair in seventh grade because I liked the cover and the description on the back. That book resonated with me in a way no other book had up until that point, except possibly Harry Potter. Lirael was like me, someone who found solace in books, someone who felt like she didn't quite fit in with others. Since then, I've found myself re-reading the Old Kingdom trilogy almost once a year, and each return to the Old Kingdom feels like going home.