A Star-Reckoner's Lot | Darrell Drake

*This book was given by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Ashtadukht is the worlds worst Star-Reckoner. Her attacks have a tendency to be volatile. But she was meant for this life when, from a very young age, she proved her intelligence and integrity before the great king. This book follows Ashtadukht's adventures to find vengeance for her husband while saving people in her kingdom from evil and trickster divs.

Review:

This book was an interesting journey. Despite this being a fantasy book, this isn't like my usual reads. The setting is Iran and the culture and references are general unknowns to me. To Drake's credit, it didn't take too long to get into the world and follow the story.

The characters in A Star-Reckoner's Lot are interesting, to say the least. Drake uses his research of divs to create some interesting looking and interesting sounding creatures. Waray was greatly my favorite character and it was easy to visualize her half-human, half-reptilian features. Her jokes and pranks were quite entertaining, then again, I wasn't on the receiving end. Tirdad was an incredibly strong and noble character who goes through quite a bit of growth throughout the book. Heck, even some of the side characters were given good lines: "I'm a whore, not a politician. I'm not heartless."

I will admit the pacing felt a little off to me. I don't know if it's the ebook format or the writing, but there would be a jump forward in time and a realization that a character had had that you, as the reader, just had to accept. The progression of Ashtadukht's character in her quest for revenge  makes sense after you've thought about it, but can be confusing at the time of reading.

Overall, I have to say that this was an entertaining adventure. Not for everyone given some of the sexual references and scenes, but definitely entertaining and interesting. 4 hoots!

                Hoot!Hoot!

                Hoot! Hoot!

Icon of Earth | Demethius Jackson

*I received this book as a Kickstarter prize.

Summary:

This book picks up immediately where Hero of Legend left off. King Maebus is mortally wounded and it is up to Kelm to save him. Fable sets him, Normandy and Leoden on the path to Warlord Damian's fortress to find The Icon of Earth, known in legend for its healing powers. Meanwhile, Empress Saraya has taken over The Realm, looking for a temporary home for her nomadic kingdom. Unfortunately, the sun is dying, putting a wrench in her plans and adding urgency to Kelm's. 

Review:

I don't hide the fact that I love this world. I even bought a copy of Candle of Crest, written entirely in verse form.* I was more than happy to participate in the Kickstarter campaign to get Icon of Earth published. I have to say, though, the book I received, is worth so much more than I donated. 

Icon of Earth loses nothing from the first book that made me love the world. It's fast-paced without plot holes, incorporates world building with the action of the story, and has strong characters that show their character without exposition dumps. Yes, this book has a couple almost-romances but one is vital to the story and the other takes a back seat to the vital elements. 

The overall feel of this book is so positive. This is a great read for people who are tired of the idea that a "good" book has to be sad and hopeless the whole way through. Yes, Kelm occasionally wishes to give up, but as this book points out, with the right circle of supportive people, you can survive anything. And if you always look to the past, you'll never be able to see how great the future can be. 

This book was such a joy to read. I highly encourage anyone who has any interest in the fantasy genre to pick up this series. Jackson is a talented writer and I look forward to him keeping his promise:

                Hoot!Hoot!

                Hoot! Hoot!

                      Hoot!

*Please see my review over on Blogger's Bookshelf. 

Kickstarter Promo - The Adventures of Aero-Girl: A Girl and Her Gorilla

Earlier today I was asked to look at Issue 1 of The Adventures of Aero-Girl in an effort to raise support for Issue 2 on Kickstarter. As someone who doesn't have much money, I only support those causes that I feel are worth my time and the time of others. With that in mind, I highly encourage everyone who enjoys a good romp on the silly side, or who likes comic books with female leads, or who likes just plain old fun to go to Kickstarter and support this.

Issue 1 was an absolute delight and did a brilliant job setting up the world it takes place in. The work of all four artists only adds to the joy of reading. After reading the bad guys' names and getting a look at them I was worried that the story would only be a family friendly version of The Goon by Eric Powell, but I was happily proven wrong. It's a great story in its own right and I would love to read more.

Now, I know the tone of this post may seem incredibly calm, but don't let that fool you. I want this Kickstarter campaign to succeed as much as Bronies want Season 5 of MLP on Netflix.