BOOK REVIEW: Spear by Nicola Griffith

Ten years ago, I read a review of Nicola Griffith’s Hild and immediately bought the book. Unfortunately, it has been sitting on my shelf, unread, ever since. (I should have taken it out of the library so I’d have a deadline!) 

Instead of reading Hild, I dove into Nicola Griffith’s new book, Spear. This is a superb literary queer re-imagining of the Arthurian Perceval legend.

The Perceval character, here called Peretur, is a girl who was raised by her mother in a cave in the wilderness. She grows up swift and strong and attuned to the natural world to a magical extent. But as comfortable as she is in her wilderness home, she finds herself more and more pulled to the world beyond the isolating limits of what her mother allows. When she overhears strangers talking of King Artos and the city of Caer Leon, her longing to make her way there, to discover herself, is too strong to deny. She cuts her hair and dons a knight’s armor and sets out.

In true Arthurian epic fashion, Peretur goes questing to earn the right to join King Artos’ fellowship. Her gender is something of a non-issue. She excels at knightly deeds as a matter of course and she is attracted only to women so there is no male love interest to get in her way.

Peretur wants to fight alongside Artos’ knights, but she has a more important destiny. Talk of a Holy Grail has erupted at Artos’ court. Many knights want to undertake the quest, but Peretur alone know where to find the magical vessel — and how dangerous it will be once found.

This novel is beautifully written and artfully constructed. Now, I really have to read Hild.

BOOK REVIEW: Daughter of Sparta by Claire M. Andrews

I just finished another YA adventure based on Greek mythology, Daughter of Sparta, by Claire M. Andrews. 

Daphne (and her two brothers) are outsiders in Sparta, brought up by adoptive parents to be warriors but never quite belonging. During a critical Spartan contest, a race which will determine the success or failure of their yearly harvest, Daphne is lured into the woods where she meets the goddess Artemis. The goddess has a task for her. Daphne must retrieve nine items stolen from Olympus by a traitor to the gods. Without these items, the gods’ powers will wane and the Olympians will fall. 

Daphne is to be aided and guided by Artemis’ brother, the god Apollo. Since Artemis has enslaved Daphne’s favorite brother to ensure cooperation, Daphne hasn’t much choice but to do the gods’ bidding.

She (and Apollo) embark upon a series of dark adventures, encountering a plethora of Greek gods and goddesses, legendary heroes and heroines, and mythological creatures/monsters. The Olympians know who their enemy is, but not which of them has betrayed the family to that enemy. It’s Daphne’s job to find out. Daphne has to decide who to trust and who to fight. 

Trained by the Spartans, she has the speed and strength of a warrior. At first, she puts her faith in her training, but slowly learns her powers are superhuman. Unfortunately, no one will explain to her why. Much of the questing is performed on a need-to-know basis, which helps build suspense even though it doesn’t always seem logical.

The adventures come at the team fast and furious. (In addition to Daphne and Apollo, this team includes a friend/boyfriend of Daphne’s who has been turned into a wolf, and, for a period of time, the Greek hero Theseus.) The pace is fairly quick, though at times it feels like too much is crammed in and threads are left hanging, making it apparent there will have to be at least one more book to complete the tale.

Daphne is an admirable character and her supporting cast is entertaining. It’s a fun book to read and held my attention throughout as each new villain or ally entered the picture. The world-building was intricate and credible. However, it is a typical superhero story in that there was never really any doubt that Daphne would succeed in overcoming the increasingly dangerous difficulties thrown at her. For me, the battles tended to blur after a while. Nevertheless, it was a clever way to tie together many Greek myths.

BOOK REVIEW: Game of Strength and Storm by Rachel Menard

It’s been a while since I’ve read a YA novel, so I decided to dip my toe back in with the YA fantasy adventure Game of Strength and Storm by Rachel Menard. 

Borrowing from Greek mythology and infusing the story with modern twists, the author spins a nuanced tale of good versus evil.

Gen (Genevieve) is the daughter of a Mindworker and a Mazon. Mindworkers are able to empathize with/read the minds of other creatures (even other humans to some extent) by feeding them the blood, hair, or saliva of a Mindworker. Mazons (analogous to Amazons) are women with exceptional strength – at least, they were until their whole race was murdered by a race of giants because of a long-standing feud. Gen survived because she was only half Mazon. Her father was then accused of and jailed for the slaughter of a group of these giants using his mind-controlling talents. Gen is certain he is innocent and is willing to do anything to free him and restore his good name.

Castor is the daughter of the Lord of Storms, ruler of Arcadia. The Arcadians are able to control weather. They are also able to bottle and sell small bursts of this power. They are powerful and exceptionally greedy, giving little thought to the havoc caused by the product they sell. One example of the havoc was the slaughter of the Mazons by the giants, who could not have succeeded without utilizing the Arcadian’s weather vials. Castor wants nothing but to take over Arcadia after her father’s death. Her lust for control of the country’s wealth and power has warped her completely. However, the law of the land is that only a male can inherit. So her father’s heir is her twin brother, Pollux, a kindly musician who uses his storm powers for good and for entertainment. Castor views him as weak. She will do anything to force a change in the law so that she will be her father’s heir.

What can these two young women do?

Their world is ruled by the two-headed empresses, who hold a lottery each year to help consolidate their power. The ten lottery “winners” are invited to submit wishes to them. Rarely, the wishes are refused. Usually they are granted but at a cost.

This year, Gen and Castor win places in the lottery. Each submits their wish. The empresses propose a competition. Ten tasks (a.k.a. the labors of Hercules) are set before them. Whichever of them completes the most tasks will win and that wish will be granted.

Gen utilizes her great strength and her ability to recruit animals to aid her. Castor uses ruthlessness and control of the weather. Gen has something else on her side – Castor’s brother Pollux, who is in love with Gen.

The novel pits the two against one another in a desperate race. It’s a fun adventure tale that also explores themes of loyalty, love, and how far one will go to win when the stakes are desperately high.

BOOK REVIEW: The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter by Michael J. Sullivan

 I found a bright spot in the gloom. Michael J. Sullivan wrote a fourth book in the The Riyria Chronicles that I somehow missed: The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter.

Many years ago, I discovered the superb high fantasy trilogy, The Riyria Revelations, starring the entertaining duo Royce Melborn (assassin) and Hadrian Blackwater (mercenary) who have teamed up as thieves for hire. The unstoppable pair save the world piece by piece, one adventure at a time. The books are fast-paced, excitement-packed, and delightfully funny. The wisecracking friendship between the two is what makes the books addictive. 

So, when I finished the trilogy, I was thrilled by the release of prequels, The Riyria Chronicles, which filled in the backstory of how the two met and began their journey together. After the third, The Death of Dulgath, it seemed the series went on hold and, though I mourned, I eventually moved on. 

Fortunately, I stumbled on this fourth book and quickly purchased it. Now I’m hooked all over again.

A wealthy whiskey baron from a city once terrorized by Royce (in his early life, when he went by the name “Duster”) hires him to find out what happened to his daughter, Genni, who married a duke from the city of Rochelle. She has disappeared and is believed dead. The grieving father suspects the duke wed her for her dowry then had her killed. If that’s the case, he wants revenge, bloody revenge. He knows “Duster” is capable of devastating a city; he’s done it before.

The pay is good. Royce is willing. Hadrian goes along, expecting, in his cheerfully optimistic way, to find the woman alive.

It should have been an easy job, but they enter a city full of nobility awaiting the appointment of a new king. The old king, along with his whole extended family, has supposedly drowned at sea in a storm. In such a situation, the bishop gets to appoint someone. He intends to appoint himself, but first he needs to get rid of his competition, which is all the nobility of the land, in one fell swoop. To accomplish this, he enlists help from a few of the downtrodden of the town, who possess some dangerous magic. Royce and Hadrian not only have to find the woman and rescue her, but they have to do it before the demons are unleashed. The race is on!

Once again, Sullivan provides a rollicking adventure. The trademark banter between the protagonists is there, but more muted than in some of the previous books. There is some interior monologue that gets a little too earnest as Royce seeks to understand the changes being wrought in his own psyche after so much exposure to Hadrian. It’s necessary character development, but steals a bit of the mystery of Royce.

This book was actually published back in 2017. I’m not sure how I missed it until now. The author has been working on a new series that takes place in the same universe but centuries (millennia?) before. I’ve read one of these, The Age of Myth. While it is great fantasy, it doesn’t have Royce and Hadrian and the humor is missing, so I haven’t followed the series. I’m just hoping Sullivan will find inspiration and time for a book five in the chronicles.

BOOK REVIEW: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

Having been so impressed with Jasper Fforde’s Early Riser several months ago, I bought one of his earlier books, The Eyre Affair, which is book one in the A Thursday Next Novel series.

Set in England in an alternative 1985, this young adult novel follows Thursday Next, a thirty-something-year-old special operative in the Literary Detective Division. Generally, her job involves chasing down counterfeiters and plagarists, fighting copyright infringement, etc. Nothing as exciting as her father’s job. He’s in the Chronoguard, watching out for timeslips and rents in the spacetime continuum, things like that.

In this world, England and Russia have been fighting over the Crimea for a hundred years. Thursday (and her brother and her brother’s best friend who was the love of Thursday’s life) were in the military at one point. The battle that they were in was botched, her brother died, and, afterward, Thursday’s relationship died too. Long story.

The plot of this book includes an evil mastermind with strange superpowers, a seemingly all-powerful corporation that pretty much owns England, and an absent-minded but brilliant inventor (who happens to be Thursday’s uncle), as well as a slew of special operatives in Thursday’s division and other more dangerous and secretive divisions. Their lives intersect when one of the uncle’s inventions allows the evil mastermind to kidnap characters from works of fiction. If he can steal the original manuscript and manipulate (or kill) the character, changes ripple through every copy ever made through time. Naturally, as a literary detective, Thursday must prevent him from doing this dastardly thing.

As in Early Riser, the setting  is crazy and takes a while to sort out. There are quirky characters galore and a galloping plot. The protagonist has a snarky, funny voice. However, I didn’t enjoy this novel anywhere near as much as Early Riser. Maybe the style didn’t seem as original this time around. Or maybe the humor seemed too forced and the plot a bit too sloppy. It was a quick, fun read, but I don’t think I’ll be chasing down the next book in the series.

BOOK REVIEW: Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

One of my New Year’s resolutions (like everyone else) is to tackle my TBR pile.

Long ago, I decided I should read Ursula K. Le Guin, so I bought Lavinia, which can be shoe-horned into the historical novel category. It sounded like something I would enjoy. Nevertheless, it sat neglected on my shelf. When Le Guin died last year, I meant to read it soon, but it has taken me a whole year to buckle down and read it.

What a gorgeous book!

It could be described as Vergil fan fiction. The story is told by Lavinia, daughter of the king of the Latins, who became the bride of Aeneas at the end of his long journey from conquered Troy. Aeneas is the founder of the Roman people. (Aeneas’ mother was the goddess Aphrodite.) In Vergil’s The Aeneid, Lavinia is a passive character who never speaks. She’s simply there to be claimed. Le Guin gives her a voice.

The novel is written in the first person but is not told linearly. It has a dreamy, otherworldly feel to it, the right atmosphere for mythical people who live very close to their gods.

While on a visit to a sacred place in the forest, Lavinia communes with Vergil, a poet who lived long, long after the fall of Troy, but who comes to Lavinia in a vision as he is dying, to tell her of the poem he is creating – a poem that essentially creates her. She understands her own fictionality. This fictionality makes her immortal, which allows her to tell us her story. Because she has heard the story from the poet, she knows how it will turn out. This time twisting adds to the mythological quality of the tale.

Lavinia is her father’s only living child and they are devoted to one another. (Her mother is another story.) She is obedient and pious. When she reaches marriageable age, she is sought after because she is the daughter of the king. The leading contender for her hand is her cousin Turnus, but the thought of having to marry him depresses her. Fortunately, she learns from her poet that she is destined to marry Aeneas. Unfortunately, she also learns that the peace of her kingdom will be shattered because of this and the war will be terrible. It’s horrible knowledge to have. And yet, the inevitability of what will come to pass gives her strength and acceptance.

Everything happens as the poet foretells. Lavinia knows there is nothing she can do to prevent the tragedy. Moreover, she wants to wed Aeneas. It’s a difficult position to be in because she doesn’t want to be the cause of a war but she is content with the outcome.

Aeneas and the Trojans fight Turnus and Lavinia’s own people, and Lavinia is the prize. The novel does not sugarcoat the horror of the battles and the reader feels it intensely, maybe even more intensely than Lavinia. She’s not detached, but she knows things her people do not. She even knows things Aeneas does not. It’s an odd reading experience because I’m hoping the worst of the poet’s predictions will not happen, even though of course they will.

I love retellings of ancient myths and legends and Lavinia is an example of how to do it with originality and beautiful prose.

BOOK REVIEW: Tyrant's Throne by Sebastien de Castell

I received this book for free from Netgalley. This did not influence my review.

The Greatcoats are back. Fans (of which I am one!) of Sebastien de Castell’s fantasy adventure series have been awaiting the release of the fourth and final book, Tyrant’s Throne. Naturally books 1, 2, and 3 should be read first. Then you’ll be pleased that Falcio val Mond, the "First Cantor," and his brothers-in-arms, Kest and Brasti are still together and still determined to save the kingdom of Tristia from. . .well, from everything.

After the last book, Saint’s Blood, it was difficult to see what else de Castell could find to throw at the heroes. They had already battled evil aristocrats, brutal magical foes, and even gods. Despite deep bonds of friendship and loyalty to their dead king’s ideals, and, most importantly, the entertaining banter among the three leads, the series had become increasingly dark and violent. When this novel opened with a threatened public rape, I almost gave up on it without reading further. But I read on past and the story improved, thankfully.

Tristia is still being governed, loosely, by Valiana the Protector of the Realm, Falcio’s adopted daughter. And they are still awaiting the coronation of the heir to the throne, young Aline. But the nobility, each in their own little domains, are unwilling to see a female rule over them.

In the midst of the political maneuvering, Falcio gets to hankering for the clarity of the good old days when his role was to simply pick up his sword and fight for his beliefs. There is too much ambiguity in politics. He finds himself in too many situations where he is tempted to betray the king’s rule of law in order to do what he thinks is best for his loved ones and the kingdom–at least in the short term. Fortunately, his trusted comrades are there to keep him from abandoning the faith.

Tristia is, as always, faced with numerous threats from within, but the more immediate concern is a new threat from without. The barbarians from over the mountains, fierce warriors who intermittently terrorize the border dukedoms of Tristia but who haven’t been considered much of a threat because of technological and strategic inferiority, have found a new warlord. He provides them with weapons and teaches their armies to fight with discipline. They are coming over the mountains and the divided dukedoms of Tristia are in no way prepared for the fight.

Falcio is no soldier. He doesn’t lead armies, he fights alone or in his small band of Greatcoats. This new battle is one that he’s not sure he wants to undertake. Worse, he has to band together with the worst of his old enemies to fight the new ones. Is such a compromise worth it? Is Tristia worth it?

In some ways this book goes back to the basics: nothing magical or supernatural and the story is better for it. The straightforward adventure is a fitting end to a thrilling series.

BOOK REVIEW: Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves

I received this book for free from Netgalley. This did not influence my review.

I finally had a chance to do a little reading, so I picked a YA fantasy: Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves. This entertaining, suspenseful novel is set in the mid-1800s in an alternative fantasy world of England and Hungary, where the ruling elites maintain their status and power not only through bloodlines and money, but through magic. Years ago, a spell was cast by a small cadre of the nobility to concentrate access to magic in the hands of a few. The "Binding" prevented outsiders who might have magical talent from ever learning how to use it. While the rationale behind the Binding made some sense (it also trapped dangerous magical monsters within the spell so that they couldn’t harm humans), in practice it led to grave abuse of power.

Lady Anna Arden is a young woman from a well-placed magical family destined for high English society. However, at her confirmation she was unable to perform a spell and was declared Barren. Since then, she has been kept from the public eye. However, at her sister’s debut in society, Anna inadvertently breaks her sister’s spell, causing considerable damage and raising alarms throughout "The Circle," the ruling body. Her talent is unique and potentially dangerous. It’s a type of anti-magic that threatens their entire way of life if she can’t be controlled.

Anna’s parents and grandmother whisk her off to Hungary, her grandmother’s home country, in the hopes that the scandal will die down and The Circle will lose interest in her. Instead, Anna becomes embroiled in a plot to break the Binding spell and free access to magic to the masses. This does not go over well with those in control.

This is a well-done fantasy with intricate world building and a quasi-historical setting that Eves brings to life with a bold sympathetic heroine, a strong love interest, and new friends who are fully rounded characters. Newly released, this is billed as Blood Rose Rebellion #1, so I look forward to the next installment!

BOOK REVIEW: The Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan

I received this book for free from Netgalley. This did not influence my review.

Fantasy fans of Michael J. Sullivan’s Riyria books will be thrilled by his newest offering: The Age of Myth. This first book in a new series takes us back to the world of Elan created in Sullivan’s first two series (The Riyria Revelations and The Riyria Chronicles). The new series takes place 3000 years earlier and shows the "true" history of the land, events that are alluded to in previous books.

A whole new cast of characters is needed, so readers may miss the wonderfully entertaining relationship between Royce and Hadrian, the heroes of Riyria. But The Age of Myth is peopled with fascinating, complex characters as well, both human (Rhunes) and elves (Fhrey.)

The Fhrey are powerful and warlike. They’ve conquered the other races (men and dwarves) and confined them to suboptimal places in Elan. The Rhunes live in outer barren lands as subsistence farmers, hunting in the few spots allowed them.

However, the Fhrey are having political problems that threaten the fabric of their advanced civilization. One group, the Miralyith, have discovered how to use magic. With this incredible power, they dominate the other elves. Some of the Miralyith consider themselves gods and relegate the other groups to a lower status, approaching that of Rhunes, whom they consider little more than animals. Conflict between elf factions is inevitable, but is expected to be limited by the unbreakable rule that elves cannot kill elves.

Events of the epic are set in motion when a Rhune named Raith crosses a forbidden river to hunt in the more promising lands of the Fhrey. He encounters one of them and, after a violent confrontation, kills him with the help of one of the Fhrey’s slaves, a human named Malcolm. The elves come after the humans seeking revenge. Raith and Malcolm seek refuge in a small village of humans that is having troubles of its own.

The leader of the human village has recently been killed by a vicious bear that appears to be hunting down the townspeople. They have elected a new chief, but many of the people are more comfortable following the widow of the old chief, Penelope.

The first elves to find Raith are led by Nyphron (a familiar name from the Riyria books.) He’s not a Miralyith and he has an agenda of his own. When Miralyiths start showing up, the stage is set for a clash of civilizations.

The Age of Myth introduces us to the conflicts and major characters of what promises to be another superb fantasy series from Michael J. Sullivan.

BOOK REVIEW: The Death of Dulgath by Michael J. Sullivan

Hurray! Hadrian and Royce are back in the third novel of the Riyria Chronicles, the prequels to the Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan. I’ve been waiting a long time for this, as well as Sullivan’s next fantasy epic, The Age of Myth.

The Death of Dulgath picks up three years after The Rose and the Thorn. Hadrian and Royce, criminals for hire, are making a living, more or less, in their chosen field. Partners in crime, they rely on their friend Viscount Albert Winslow to scare up lucrative jobs that keep them from petty thievery. This newest assignment is unusual to say the least.

The Earl of Dulgath, one of the oldest noble families in Avryn, has died, leaving only a daughter to inherit. Someone is trying to kill her. A skilled assassin, Royce is hired not to kill Lady Dulgath but to inform her protectors how he would do it if it was his job. They want to use the information to help guard their charge.

The money is promising, so Royce and Hadrian set off for a far-off corner of the empire, ostensibly to save an innocent woman’s life.

Of course, things are more complicated than they seem. While engaging in their typical banter, exasperating one another as their friendship continues to grow, Royce and Hadrian meet the lady in trouble as well as an old acquaintance of Royce’s from his criminal guild days, a feisty female performer named Scarlett Dodge. Hadrian is impressed. Scarlett is even more determined to protect the lady than they are. Strangely, Lady Dulgath is unconcerned with the assassination attempts. She seems more interested in Royce.

Who is Lady Dulgath? And how does she know so much about the stranger who is NOT supposed to kill her?

Naturally, danger surrounds the heroes as they sort out who is behind the assassination attempts. It’s no great mystery, but the bad guys still have to be thwarted. The assignment is more difficult than Royce and Hadrian expected.

Like the other Riyria books, The Death of Dulgath is wonderfully entertaining. It isn’t as complex or thrilling as the first three (Revelations), but, like the other prequels (Chronicles), it fills in backstory in this fascinating world. And watching the relationship develop between Royce and Hadrian never grows old.

This series is highly recommended, and I can’t wait to start The Age of Myth.

BOOK REVIEW: Saint's Blood by Sebastien de Castell

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Netgalley. This did not influence my review.

Falcio, Kest, and Brasti are back in Saint’s Blood, the third installment of the four-part fantasy adventure series Greatcoats by Sebastien de Castell. If you enjoy swashbuckling fantasy with violence, friendship, pathos, and humor, start off the adventure with Greatcoats #1: Traitor’s Blade followed by #2: Knight’s Shadow.

In this latest tale, the few remaining Greatcoats (a band of king’s lawkeepers) are attempting to restore order to Tristia, which now being governed by Valiana, the Protector of the Realm, the young woman Falcio has adopted as his daughter. Meanwhile the land awaits the coronation of the fourteen-year-old Aline, heir to the throne. After all the horrors endured protecting Aline while pretenders battled to kill her and rid themselves of interfering Greatcoats, Falcio learns there is another, even more terrifying foe to face.

Someone is killing the Saints (mystical protectors of the people–there are saints for just about everything). Desperate pilgrims are swarming about. The church has gathered its own force of Knights and brought back the dreaded Inquisitors as well. Falcio and his crew have to find out who is behind this latest threat, while keeping themselves and the Protectress and princess alive–not to mention the woman Falcio loves has been elevated to sainthood and is now on the murderer’s hitlist.

Avoiding spoilers, things go from bad to worse for Falcio, the Greatcoats, and Tristia in general, but the dedication of the hero inspires the rest. Despite the seriousness and bleakness of the themes, the three buddies hold onto a shred of humor, which is what make this series such fun. The plotting is farfetched but this is fantasy, not realistic fiction. It’s meant to be a gripping page-turner and it succeeds. There is one more book planned in the series, and I look forward to seeing how the Greatcoats will ultimately prevail. Or not?

BOOK REVIEW: The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

A whole slew of library books on hold all became available at the same time. I’m going to try to put a dent in the pile.

The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg is a fast-paced magical adventure. Ceony Twill has just graduated from magic school and has to start her apprenticeship. In this London-based fantasy world, magicians have to pick the man-made element that they will be "bonded" to. In the future, any magic they perform will have to use that medium. Ceony had wanted to be a Smelter and work magic with metal. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of Folders, magicians who use paper, and so she is assigned, against her wishes, to the tutelage of Magician Thane, a Master Folder.

Just as Ceony is becoming intrigued by the intricacies of paper magic, and a bit intrigued by her strange, kind, and somewhat mysterious teacher, things rapidly go downhill. Thane is somehow involved with the special force of magicians who hunt down Excisioners, practicers of dark magic, whose chosen medium is flesh. In the midst of one of Ceony’s lessons, an Excisioner bursts into Thane’s house and, before Ceony’s eyes, rips out Thane’s heart and carries it off.

Ceony, not yet fully trained but apparently extraordinarily gifted, sets off after the Excisioner. The two battle over and in Thane’s heart. If she is not quick, Thane will die. If she fails, they will both die.

The premise of this book seemed very original, even if some of the parts of it felt a bit derivative. It took me a couple of chapters to be drawn in, because the characters didn’t have much of a spark for me, but the chapters moved quickly enough that I kept thinking "well, one more." And then I was well into the book and wanted to see how they worked through to the ending. It’s a fun read, and the idea of magicians bonding to one particular medium was a nice twist. But I wasn’t pulled into the world enough to move on to the next book in the series.

BOOK REVIEW: A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston is a spellbinding YA fantasy. I love retellings of old classical stories, so this new adaptation of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights) caught my attention. It’s beautifully done.

The heroine is unnamed. In fact, most of the characters are unnamed except for the king, Lo-Melkhiin. Others are referred to by their relationships to the protagonist or to the king. Names of other important characters have to do with the tasks they perform. It lends an air of other-worldliness to the fantasy. That, and the other first person voice in the story is that of the demon possessing Lo-Melkhiin.

It is the demon who has turned the king into a powerful man, able to rule in a way that keeps the men safe and enriches them. But their prosperity has a price. The king is entitled to a bride, and he has had more than three hundred of them, all of whom died within days to weeks of their marriage. The demon destroys them, sucking power from their fear and from what he has done to the king.

The men in his domain have grown used to the need to sacrifice their daughters. The rule is that he can only choose one wife from each of the villages and can not return for another until he has taken one from every village in the land. The women are not so resigned.

When he comes to the village of the heroine, everyone expects that he will take her sister, a girl of striking beauty. But the protagonist tricks him into taking her instead. This sacrifice is the beginning of her power, because the sister left behind builds an altar to her. As time wears on, the story of her bravery builds, and all the women in the land are sending her power with their prayers.

She needs this strength to resist the demon. Day after day, she lives to see another and her power grows. But so does his.

Although expecting the story to conform to some degree with its model, and that the protagonist will win, preserving her life, there is enough divergence to keep the story compelling. The demon is brutal, remorseless, and strong. If there is a good man left inside Lo-Melkhiin’s body, he is cowed enough by all that has happened that the heroine can expect no help from him.

Magic permeates the story. It’s woven in well enough that the use of it does not come across as a deus ex machina to resolve the crisis. The language is lovely and helps bring the reader into this strange, magical world. A retelling that is original enough to be more than a retelling—fantasy readers should enjoy this charming tale.

BOOK REVIEW: A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is a page-turner of a romantic fantasy for young adults/new adults. A fairy-tale reworking of Beauty and the Beast, the protagonist is the nineteen-year-old human Feyre, who has been forced by poverty and the uselessness of her father and older sisters to become the provider for the family. For this reason she has taught herself to hunt. One day, in desperation, she kills a wolf that is clearly more than a wolf—it’s a fairy. And one of its kind comes to claim retribution.

Feyre is hauled off beyond the wall that separates the fairy world from that of the humans, a tenuous boundary meant for mutual safety. Although the fairy has promised not to kill her, she expects to be enslaved. She doesn’t expect the beautiful castle she finds there or the civilized treatment she receives. The fairy who has captured her is not a beast after all, but a handsome member of the High Fae named Tamlin. At first, she wants nothing more than to go home. It’s the one thing he denies her. But as time passes, and she learns more about the world of the fairies, she discovers that the land is under a curse. Tamlin is doing everything in his power to protect his world and to protect her. It isn’t enough. Feyre steps up her game.

There’s a lot going on in this story: fairy legends, rivalries between courts, ancient rituals, and a growing passion between Tamlin and Feyre. There is also a cynical yet delightful sidekick, Lucien. And there is a handsome, sexy nemesis to challenge Tamlin, one who works for the evil queen who put the land under the curse in the first place. Feyre, human as she is, has to find a way to deal with all these different fairies. Clever, spunky, and determined, she refuses to give up. The odds seem overwhelmingly against her, so it’s a fast-paced, enjoyable read watching her fight.

BOOK REVIEW: Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Now I seem to be bouncing back and forth between historical fiction and fantasy. I’ve gotten a bit hooked on fantasy’s adventure and escapism. Looking for what to try next, I decided on some YA fantasy. Kendare Blake’s The Goddess War series sounded particularly intriguing with its link to Greek mythology.

Book One is Antigoddess. The immortal Greek gods are dying. They have lived for thousands of years among mortals, losing contact with the other gods, letting their various powers atrophy from disuse. Although the cause for the current change in their situation is unclear, each of them is dying a slow, painful death unique to their particular character. Athena is being drowned in feathers growing in her lungs which work their way painfully to the surface. Her half-brother, Hermes, is wasting away. Athena and Hermes have some sympathy for one another, so they set off together to discover the cause. While they don’t learn what is behind their illness, they do discover that there is a war going on, rival gods banding against one another. This is not so surprising–the gods have always skirmished, wreaking havoc on the mortals along the way. Except, previously, the gods themselves did not suffer. This time, the gods are dying. One side must kill the other in order to survive. And Athena and Hermes have not been picked to join the gods who seem to be on the stronger side.

There is more to the puzzle. The gods are looking for Cassandra, once the prophetess of Troy, now a teenage girl living in small town New York, impressing the other teenagers with an uncanny ability to guess things before they happen. Athena doesn’t know why she needs to find Cassandra, only that she has to find her before Hera and Poseidon do. For Cassandra, things are going to get real ugly, real fast.

The premise of this novel really appealed to me and I think Blake did a great job of modernizing a Trojan War plot. She pulled together a number of characters from the old myths and assigned them new roles with a twist.

For the old Greek gods and the mortals mixed up with them the war isn’t over yet–and I’m going to have to read on to see what happens next.

BOOK REVIEW: Knight's Shadow by Sebastien de Castell

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Netgalley. This did not influence my review.

Time for something fast-paced and fun. After reading Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell, I was eager to get to Book Two in the Greatcoats Series: Knight’s Shadow.

I don’t want to spoil Book One, so it’s a bit tricky to move on with a summary of the plot. However, we pick up with the adventures of Falcio val Mond, First Cantor of the now disbanded and all but defunct Greatcoats of the late King Paelis of Tristia and his compatriots, Kest (best swordsman in the universe) and Brasti (best archer and rogue.) They are still determined to carry out the wishes of the king; however, the wishes remain a bit foggy and are, at any rate, impossible.

Falcio barely survived the final encounter of book one which involved poison. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem he will outlast the poison’s effects. So, the race is on. The enemy, Duchess Trin, as well as the Dukes who are rallying to her cause, are determined to stamp out any last resistence to their rapacious governance–meaning the Greatcoats. Kest and Brasti are having troubles of their own. New recruits to Falcio’s cause are of unreliable competence or dubious loyalty. And Falcio has his own demons to overcome–in addition to the fact that he’s dying.

Generally, the second book in a series serves as a bridge between the wonderful book one that draws readers in and the third book that is either the grand finale or else the book where things really heat up. But in this case, the whirlwind adventure was even more exciting than Traitor’s Blade and the solidification of the friendships and exploration of the characters’ psyches made it an even more satisfying read. It does get darker, with elements of torture, graphic rape, and sadism that were uncomfortable to read, but by that point in the story this was an integral part of the plot and the scenes were relatively short–short enough to skim over and get the gist of what was going on.

I understand this is to be a four-part series and I eagerly await the next installment. I love "buddy" stories and these three swashbucklers fit the bill with their loyalty to one another, humor, and dedication to their cause. For fans of fantasy, action/adventure, give Sebastien de Castell’s Greatcoats Series a try!

BOOK REVIEW: Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell

The stars aligned to get me to pick my latest book. I have a stack of should-reads, but I was in the mood for something fast-paced and fun, something adventurous. Ever since reading The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan, I’ve been on the lookout for more fantasy of the same sort. (Game of Thrones is on the list but too daunting because of its sheer volume.) So I was excited to find a recommendation for Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell. I bought the book. My son read it and enjoyed it. Then it sat on my shelf.

However, book 2 in the author’s Greatcoats series, Knight’s Shadow, became available on Netgalley and I received a review copy. I can’t read book 2 before reading book one! So I settled in for my weekend read.

Traitor’s Blade is a rip-roaring tale of loyalty to a cause and to a dead king (and good friend) against all odds. The protagonist, Falcio Val Mond, is one of the last of the Greatcoats, magistrates of the king. In fact, Falcio was the Cantor, the leader of the Greatcoats. Their duty was to administer the king’s law throughout the land, protecting the people from the injustices of the rapacious Dukes. The Dukes didn’t like that much. They killed the king and dispersed the Greatcoats, convincing the people that the Greatcoats were nothing but traitors.

Falcio now roams the countryside with two fellows, Kest (the greatest swordsman in the history of forever) and Brasti (a bowman who never misses) trying to honor the king’s last request: find his Charoites. Falcio is happy to try, except he doesn’t know what they are or where they might be–some sort of treasure hidden within lowly loyal noble households. He has to hurry, because the Dukes are doing their best to stamp out every last bit of loyalty to the memory of the king, and that includes hunting down the last of the Greatcoats.

For starters, someone murders the man who has just hired Falcio and company as bodyguards, and then frames them for the murder. Things go downhill from there.

This novel is fun. There is nonstop adventure. Falcio nurtures a deep wound and a strong sense of honor that push him onward despite obstacles that seem insurmountable. His fellows have issues of their own, but cling to the Greatcoat ideals out of loyalty to either the king or possibly to Falcio. The reader will likely figure out the secrets before Falcio, but we’re not under the same pressures he is! The book delivers what is promised and I’m eager to move on to book 2!

BOOK REVIEW: The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan

I had a little time off and managed to get some reading done. I wanted to read something just for fun, so I chose a book that I’ve been saving: The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan. A while back, I read the trilogy The Riyria Revelations and fell in love with the books and the world Sullivan created. I was thrilled that he went back and wrote prequels, The Riyria Chronicles, so I hurried out and bought them too. I read the first book, The Crown Tower, right away These are pure escapist fantasy adventure fun. The problem was, I was then left with only one remaining book. I couldn’t bring myself to read it all at once because once I finished, there would be no more!

Well, more than six months passed, and I thought I may as well read it now.

This novel picks up a little while after The Crown Tower leaves off. Royce and Hadrian, the ill-matched team of thief and assassin, are recovered from their previous adventures, thanks to the seer/prostitute, Gwen DeLancy. They’ve moved on. However, they haven’t ever really thanked her properly and Royce, in particular, can’t forget her. So, they are on their way back to Medford.

Meanwhile, in Medford, a young servant in the castle is working his way up to the position of castle guard, just like his father. Reuben Hilfred is clumsy and ill-trained, but one thing he has going for him is his utter devotion to the princess, Arista. This all becomes important later, and throughout the series.

When Royce and Hadrian reach Medford House, Gwen’s brothel, they are surprised to be turned away. Gwen refuses to see them. They soon learn that it’s because she has been severely beaten by an important nobleman. Because Gwen fears how the pair will react if they find out, she tries to hide her injuries from them. She’s right to be concerned. Royce wants revenge. On the other hand, she has no need to be concerned. This is, after all, Royce and Hadrian.

There is more going on than meets the eye. While Royce and Hadrian are avenging the wrong done to Gwen, there are more sinister forces at work in Medford that are setting the stage for a larger battle in the Empire. This book fills in some of the gaps between The Crown Tower and The Riyria Revelations. Once again, because it’s a prequel, we already know what will come down the road. And we already know the skeleton of what will happen in this book. Still, it’s worth the read to have the stories fleshed out. Hilfred was a minor character in the later books. Here, his backstory brings him more fully to life. The same is true for the nobleman in the thieves’ circle, Viscount Albert.

If I have one complaint, it’s that there is comparatively less of Royce and Hadrian, with more attention paid to the other characters in the series and more time setting the blocks into place for the rest of the plot. The story is always most entertaining when we are watching the interplay between Hadrian and Royce and there wasn’t enough of that in this book. But maybe that’s just because it’s the last one available and I’m already missing them.

If you like fantasy adventure, this series is wonderful. The best place to start is with Theft of Swords. It’s better to read them in the order they were published rather than the chronological order. Enjoy!

BOOK REVIEW: The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan

So it seems I have a bit of an addiction. After reading Pere Goriot, I went to choose my next book. We were heading out on vacation, so I had some plane and car time to fill. I packed my next Back to the Classics challenge book, but for the plane ride, I took along The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan.

I recently finished the Riyria Revelations trilogy and found that I wasn’t ready to emerge from that fantasy world just yet, even though the story was over. Sullivan must have gotten a lot of positive feedback from fans, because he continued with the story, but backtracked. He wrote a prequel—The Riyria Chronicles. There are two volumes to this part of the story. Book 1 is The Crown Tower and Book 2 is The Rose and the Thorn.

The Crown Tower tells the story of how the two protagonists, Hadrian and Royce, are first thrown together. Arcadius, a professor of lore (magic) at the university, has enough sway over them both to compel them to complete a task for him—an impossible task. They have to steal a book for him that is kept locked in an impregnable fortress, the Crown Tower. Hadrian and Royce are strangers, but it doesn’t take long for them to realize how much they dislike and distrust one another. But they can’t succeed unless they work together. It’s a blast watching how they do.

Having read the first trilogy, I know how the story will end. The characters are familiar ones. I know the outcome of their mission because the outline of the plot was given as backstory in the Revelations trilogy. But that doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. It was fun to spend more time with these guys and have the details of their past fleshed out.

I have The Rose and the Thorn left, but I’m holding off and reading something else first. It’s the last of the books and I don’t want them to end!

BOOK REVIEWS: The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan

I haven’t posted in a while. I’ve been so caught up in what I’ve been reading (a lengthy fantasy trilogy: The Riyria Revelations) that I haven’t been able to (or wanted to) come up for air. It’s a wonderful experience, being so immersed in another world, and one that hasn’t happened in quite some time. I’ve been fortunate to have taken two long car rides the past two weekends, which gave me a lot of time to indulge the obsession. I could not put these books down.

It was more than a year ago, maybe two, that I read a review of Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan over at Confessions of an Avid Reader. Although I don’t read much fantasy, the genre is a cousin in a way to historical fiction so I do read some, and the review stirred my interest. I think it was something about the relationship between the protagonists that caught my eye. I love a good "buddy" adventure with strong male protagonists. So I bought the book.

Needing a book for my long car ride and being a little behind on my TBR pile challenge, I decided to bring along Theft of Swords. Wow! Those hours in the car sped by. Not only that, but I had to stop at a bookstore before we set out on the return journey to buy book two of the trilogy (thankfully it was in stock at Barnes and Noble!) and, since book three was also in stock, I bought that too. I turned the last page last night.

Now I have the task of three reviews in one. Since I don’t want to put in any spoilers, the reviews will be pretty superficial. Here goes.

In Theft of Swords, we meet the heroes, or anti-heroes, of the tales, Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater. Royce is a thief, perhaps the most accomplished thief in the whole empire. He is partnered by Hadrian, a mercenary, a swordsman of unparalleled skill. Royce is an orphan who grew up in bitter poverty and has a very cynical view of the world. He has his own idea of right and wrong and is loyal only to Hadrian and to whoever has recently paid them the most. Hadrian is more of an idealist and has a conscience. He can kill anyone but that doesn’t mean he will. As the book opens, they are engaged in one job that is fairly routine for them, but that is strewn with exciting obstacles to thrill the reader, and one that turns out to have more political consequences than were initially apparent. Immediately after that job is complete, another presents itself. A simple task. Stealing a sword. Unfortunately, as they are stealing the weapon, they are caught in a room with a murdered king and are framed for the assassination. This sets off the adventure. A whirlwind of political intrigue, scheming sorcerers and witches, familial/dynastic betrayals, elves and dwarves, fantastic beasts, ancient lore and prophecies–and Hadrian and Royce have to puzzle and battle their way through it all, relying on their instincts, their unique skills, and each other. They get things wrong along the way, which makes the perils even more threatening, and the book even harder to put down. The conclusion is satisfying but the story is addictive.

Rise of Empire is a fairly typical "middle" book for a trilogy. It was the slowest of the three and may be the one with the most world-building and explanations. But these were necessary to put the meat on the bones of the tale. It filled in a lot of Hadrian’s backstory and gave clues to Royce’s backstory as well, although the clues are not subtle. This is not a book that you have to ponder over or read paragraphs multiple times to figure out what you might be missing. It’s escapism and adventure. The line between the good guys and bad guys does keep shifting, but as long as you stick with Hadrian and Royce, you’re on the good side. Again, the adventures keep on coming. The powerful empire is taking over and the kingdom that Royce and Hadrian had helped to save in book one is once again threatened. But the empire that's rising is evil and there is more at stake than the kingdom of Melengar, so Royce and Hadrian have their own reasons for taking on the series of tasks that keep the plot flying. Complicating things, and adding to them, are the emotional entanglements. Royce, the cynic, is deeply committed to a woman named Gwen. (She is a seer and, a bit of a cliche, she is a prostitute with a heart of gold.) Between Hadrian and Gwen, Royce’s embittered heart is beginning to soften. And, of course, the reader is rooting for Hadrian to find a love interest also. This book ends with cliffhangers all around, so I barely paused between book two and book three.

Heir of Novron is the final book. Here, the empire is winning and will mark their victory by putting to death captives who Hadrian and Royce care about (or at least, who Hadrian cares about.) When Hadrian goes to the rescue and is also captured, Royce must make an attempt to rescue Hadrian. We’ve seen them in death defying situations before. We know they’ll get out. The question is how, and the entertainment is in seeing them outwit or outfight their opponents, or in watching them fumble through by doing the unexpected. Or, even being rescued in some unlikely way by an outside force. However, the evil empire isn’t the worst of their problems. The elves are on the march and they are unstoppable. It looks as though the human race is about to be wiped away. The evil lurking behind the empire is the only thing possibly standing in the way of the elves, that and the empress who doesn’t know how to stop them. But the empress has enlisted the help of Hadrian, Royce, a wizardress, and a few others who have aided or been aided by our heroes in past adventures. They have one final impossible task to perform. Is it their destiny to save the world? Or is it all in a days’ work for them? Because as a reader, I was pretty sure the world was in no real danger if they were on the job. But it was a close one. And it makes for vastly entertaining reading.

The author has also written a series that is a prequel. When I catch my breath, I’m going to have to read that too.