Fallen Gods | James A. Moore

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

In this sequel to The Last Sacrifice, we continue the stories of Brogan McTyre, the most wanted man in a dying world and his struggle to escape capture from kings, slavers and demons while trying to find a way, any way, to defeat the gods that are destroying said world. The demon, Ariah, furthers his plans for world conquest through his most obedient servant, Beron. The kings of the world seek help from a new god/demon, Theragyn. And sorcerers from other countries have arrived to help.

Review:

I remember finishing up the first book and thinking that the author did a great job of summarizing the various plot lines and setting the stage for the second book while keeping it all interesting. I was pleased to find he continued this trend with the beginning of this second book. At no time during the book did I feel like I was getting an exposition dump. That did make it a little difficult to get back into the minds of the characters, but ultimately ended up making the overall book a much better read.

Similar to the first book, this is not for the faint of heart. There are a number of torture scenes that left me feeling queasy. They don't go into vivid detail but enough that, if you're squeamish at all, you may want to pass on this series. If you can stomach these kinds of things, I think you'll enjoy the read.

Despite the unnerving aspects of the book, Moore makes sure to include some much needed humor when needed. Stanna naming her sword The Bitch always made me chuckle. Niall's awkwardness was more endearing than annoying. Brogan's discomfort at traveling with a good friend's wife, who also happens to be a witch, was some much needed levity.

There are many character perspectives per chapter, but the transition from character to character, chapter to chapter, is easily followed. At no time was I confused about which character I was reading. And there are so many characters to read about and root for. Don't get me wrong, the bad guys are still bad guys, but there are so many more and intriguing characters in this sequel. I'm so glad we actually got to meet some of the rulers of this world. I really want to more about the enigmatic Jahda. That guy alone was enough to keep me reading! But Moore writes so many other characters that make you feel for them. It's awesome!

Another aspect I love about the multi-character perspective is that it's a great way to provide background while also giving the reader plenty of action to follow. When King Parrish is unable to explain how he and his Marked Men are changed by Theragyn, the reader is not left in the dark because we were given Morne's perspective during a fight and we saw how being a Marked Man affected her.

And, again, Moore proves he knows how to end a book. I was nervous that this book would end and I'd be disappointed because I didn't have the answers I was looking for. I still don't have the answers, but at the end of Fallen Gods my mood wasn't one of frustration but rather "I am so ready for the next book!" Seriously, the next one is promising to be glorious. If the world is actually going to end, it ain't going down without a fight and I want to read that fight!

I happily give this book 4 hoots and encourage you to read this, after you've read the first one that is. This isn't a standalone sequel. But the adventure thus far has been well worth the time.

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Grace of Kings | Ken Liu

Summary:

The islands of Dara have recently come under the rule of one Emperor for the first time since the people's ancestors first landed. Unfortunately, the Emperor's rule is tyrannical and inspires several uprisings. The only successful uprisings are led by Mata Zyndu, who looks and fights like a hero of legend, and Kuni Garu, a former gangster who never had any direction in life. Unfortunately, though their campaigns are successful, there can only be one winner and friendship and the bonds of brothers-in-arms cannot survive.

Review:

This book was an enjoyable distraction from reality. It drew me in so well that, when I had to put it down for a spell, it felt like I was waking up into a different world. The characters are fully developed and feel very real and human, even the gods of Dara. I'll admit, I had some problems warming up to Kuni Garu as he reminded me of some people that I don't like, but his genuine kindness and concern over the well being of his people brought me around.

I do wish that the technology of this world was better explained. The islands of Daru boast many engineers as well as magic, though magic is usually reserved for the gods. But there was one scene where a metal detector was used and it caught me off guard. I had thought the technology was rather Renaissance Age(ish) so a metal detector really threw me off.

There is a lot of drama throughout this story, as one would expect. A few times I wanted to smack a character or two for causing or succumbing to said drama. Yet, this seems to fit with the overall theme of the book; the flawed hero. While Mata Zyndu embodies the heroes of old with his build, manner, and belief in might makes right, this sends his lands into a kind of chaos of their own. At the same time, while Kuni Garu's style keeps as many alive as possible, his character is far from perfect or honorable.

While I wish the ending was different, I respect Liu's choice to end it the way he did. Especially since it really seems like it's the only way it could end without feeling cheap. Liu sets up for a sequel quite well, though I'm not sure I'll be reading it. This book held my interest throughout, was quite endearing, and threw me a few surprises. But, I'm not really one for court level drama and politics and, from what I could determine with the ending of this first book, that's what the next book is going to be.

I happily give Grace of Kings 3.5 hoots and encourage anyone interested in fantasy, war, drama, etc. to pick up a copy.

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Monstress | Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda

Review:

This book is truly an exemplification of the term "hauntingly beautiful". Liu's storytelling and Takeda's art style combine to create a world that looks so beautiful, but harbors many dark secrets. And considering the dark things that are open knowledge, that's saying something. I had some trouble at first because I don't like kids getting hurt, even kids that aren't human, but the payoff of continuing was worth it. 

There are a lot of things going on in this book. Many smaller stories entwined in the larger one. Fortunately it's easy to keep track without stumbling over plot holes. If anything, finding out how these stories are linked actually adds to the intrigue. 

This volume is a great start to, what I hope will be, a long series. I want to know more. Plus, I only threatened to not read the second volume if anything happened to my favorite character. You'll know who she is. She's the adorable one. 4 hoots!

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The Last Sacrifice | James A. Moore

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

In the world of the Five Kingdoms, it is common knowledge that the Grakhul will come at any time and take people to be sacrificed to the gods, leaving behind heavy, ornate coins in place of the people. Always four of them. Brogdan McTyre was on his way home from his mercenary work when he was told that all four of his family, (wife, son and twin daughters) were taken. Mad with grief he gathers a small army and disrupts the sacrifice. The gods are not happy.

Review:

This was a very good read. During the first few chapters I was worried it was going to be considerably bloodier than I like, and there is plenty of blood throughout, but after a while it took a back seat to the story and characters. Moore does a wonderful job of world building and establishing characters. Just about every chapter had a section dedicated to one character or another's perspective, but not in a confusing way. I was never unsure of who I was reading about. 

The Last Sacrifice has a steady pace and has an excellent exposition to action ratio. I was never bored while reading this and I never felt like I was missing out on something. There are a lot of individual stories mixed up in the overarching story line so the fact that I didn't get them confused is evidence of Moore's skills.

Probably my favorite part of this book is how Moore ended it. I've gotten tired of authors trying to get me to read the next book by ending the first one with a cliffhanger. Moore does an excellent "here's where things stand" chapter and trusts that the bigger story is interesting enough to get you to want to read the next one. He is correct, for me anyways. I am quite interested in finding out how Brogan is supposed to kill the gods before they destroy the world. 

This book is not for everyone. It's more of a book for people interested in fantasy, with a tolerance for bloody fight scenes. Four hoots!

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The Shackled Scribes | Lars Teeney

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

Author's Summary:

"The Broxanians have been enslaved by the Olgoikhorkian Masters to exploit the Broxanian talent for rune-scribing. In exchange, the rune-scribes are compensated with the sweet, golden liquid, Ichor, that the giant worm-like Olgoikhorkians secrete from their glands. The Ichor also happens to be highly addictive and psychoactive. The system has worked for millennia. However, the Great Fern Jungle that surrounds Futharkia is dying, being bleached white by some unseen force."

Review:

This ain't a book for everyone. The description doesn't quite do justice to the scenes where the Ichor is harvested or given, nor the Broxanian reaction to said Ichor. It's not quite graphic, but the imagery is there. If you were grossed out by the episode of Futurama with the Slurm factory, you won't like this.

That being said, this was an, overall, entertaining read. It was certainly fast paced and the world piqued my interest enough that I wish there had been more information. I'd love to actually see some of the rune designs that the main characters, Tialina and Cyesko,  come up with. For all the "ick" factor that parts of the book contains, there are also some pretty scenes. The natural beauty of the Fern Lice village, Tialina's feathers and the runes. That cover image does not do the descriptions justice.

Because the story is so fast-paced, I'm glad it only focuses on three characters, Tialina, Cyesko and Chingus; the good, the bad and the ugly. Despite their differences, each of their stories is about their personal quest to rise among the ranks. Of course, this doesn't mean that you'll like them or be willing to justify their actions, but it's an interesting parallel, nonetheless.

I do recommend that Teeney go through the book again with a proofreader's eye. There were some notable errors that kept pushing me out of the story.

Other than that, this was an enjoyable read. Not entirely my cup of tea, but definitely entertaining. 3.5 hoots!

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Wonder Women | Sam Maggs

*Image and book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

This book is a collection of mini-biographies of women who did amazing things, against incredible odds, but were almost never acknowledged for any of it. Covering women who contributed to science, exploration, medicine, espionage, and innovation the reader gets an interesting trip through history. Complete with Q&A sessions with contemporary women in these fields.

Review:

I'm always happy to read more books about influential women of history. Generally I stick to the sciences, but I found myself completely enthralled by all of the stories I read. The Women of Espionage section was particularly interesting because of the varied types of personalities encountered (who'd have thought that a party girl would make for a brilliant double agent?) It's actually really delightful to see the varied personalities represented in this book. Some of the women are the born-tough types, others grew into their strength. Some of the women are pure tomboys, others still enjoyed their femininity. Some were brainy geeks, others were physical activity geeks. Some were extroverts, others were introverts. This all adds up to the overall message of this book: you can do whatever you set your mind to.

Yes, it seems like an overly optimistic message, and usually I end up just feeling bad about myself for not living up to the standards these women have set. This time, however, a couple hours after finishing the book, I found myself thinking more positively about myself and my abilities. I started looking at things I could do to use more of my potential so that I actually could follow in these women's footsteps. 

The tone of the book is rather casual. It reads like someone was talking to me over drinks, complete with snarky comments in parentheses. If I had known girl talk could be so informative, I may have partaken in it more growing up. 

Personally, I plan on buying this book for myself and a copy for my Mom, who could've used the message of the book when she was younger, but can still be inspired by it. If you've ever been shot down or told you can't do something because of who or what you are, I think this will be a good book for you. Like with me, it may not hit you right away, but this is an inspiring book that can help you see that everyone can do something great. 5 Hoots!

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Homeland: The Legend of Drizzt Book 1 | R. A. Salvatore

Summary:

Drizzt is a drow elf noble born with a strong, innocent heart, thrown into a world of corruption and backstabbing. The only true law of the kingdom of Menzoberranzan is "don't get caught." But Drizzt's heart longs for honor and admires bravery. How is he to survive Menzoberranzan?

Review:

I've been tempted to read Salvatore many times before but it was never a high priority for me. I picked up this book in an attempt to learn a little more about the world of Dungeons & Dragons. As it turns out, this is only a small segment of a much greater world and I have a LOT more reading ahead of me. The good news is, I am completely engaged in this series. I was looking for some high fantasy to break me out of my non-fiction streak and Homeland was a great choice. 

Finally I understand why my friend Catharciss completely geeked when she saw I was reading this. Salvatore is a talented author. The entire book is very fast paced but never did I feel I missed something nor did I feel there wasn't enough character development. As my husband can tell you, I was reading while dishing up my dinner because I needed to know the fate of my favorite character. 

Homeland was such an engaging read and for all the right reasons. The story was fairly simple, there were only a few surprises, but that's because the rules of Menzoberranzen are explained, not through an exposition dump so much as a battle scene that serves as the example. Kinda like a tutorial level where you learn as you go. 

I happily give Homeland 4.5 hoots. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've already bought the second book in the series and need to see how it goes.

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Alice | Christina Henry

Summary:

Alice once went for an adventure in the Old City only to return to the New City covered in blood with no memory of what happened, blabbering about a man with rabbit ears. She was placed in an asylum and started talking with man named Hatcher through a mouse hole between their rooms. Hatcher also has vague memories of the Rabbit and when they escape the asylum, they had back to the Old City in search of answers. Most importantly the answer of how to stop the Jabberwock. 

Review:

This book is not for everyone. It is a very gripping book, I would put it down only with much reluctance, but it's not for everyone. There is a lot of blood, right from the start, with some very graphic depictions of violence. The majority of the violence is bloody, gruesome, and nausea inducing. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

That being said, I thought this was a really well written version of the Alice in Wonderland story. The plot was well thought out. The characters were fully developed and easily related to. The dialogue was entirely natural and I felt that there was nothing left unanswered by the end of the story. I was even quite happy with the ending. I give Henry full credit for building an interesting world. I had no idea where I was or what time period I was in the entire time.

So, if you're interested in a violent retelling of a classic story, or at least have a strong stomach and are a fan of dramas, mysteries, thrillers, and the like, I recommend this book. This isn't my particular genre, I probably won't read it again, but it's good for those with a strong constitution who are fans.

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*This book was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

Synopsis:

Onyesonwu is an Ewu child. Ewu are almost always the result of an Okeke woman being raped by a Nuru man. Onyesonwu is also a girl. Girls are considered lesser and are not expected to be able to control magic. And yet, Onyesonwu grows up tall, strong in body, spirit and magic. And it is her destiny to free the the Okeke from slavery and genocide at the hands of the Nuru.

Review:

If I had things my way, I never would have put this book down. Throughout the reading, I knew the book would be at least a four. When I read the ending, I had to push it to a five.

Onyesonwu is an incredibly strong female lead. She has so many prejudicial obstacles thrown at her, but rather than let them drag her down, she makes her own voice stronger. She does not follow the narrative norms of her world's Great Book. She is the lead while her male companion, Mwita, has the lesser magic. She is the loud warrior, he is the quiet healer.

Okorafor touches on so many topics in this book: war, racism, rape, and the ignorance of the people removed from these things. It was ignorance that led to so much of the hate in this book. An unwillingness to see another's perspective, or an acceptance of things, "because they are tradition." Even when the people of her home village are confronted with images of the war, the Elders say not to worry, it'll never reach the village. And the ignorance continues.

But Onyesonwu does not care for ignorance. As Okorafor states, "Onyesonwu's very essence was change and defiance." The ending of this book left me shaky and feeling as though I'd shed a hundred tears, though my eyes were dry. This book is not for everyone and can get quite graphic, but I give it a full 5 hoots and will be looking for more books by Okorafor.

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Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

Holy wah. It is a good thing that I have been working on building a tolerance to scary stuff, otherwise I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight...or ever go back to work. Horrorstör is filled with so much of the same corporate speak you hear at almost any job, but the story adds a dark tone on top of my own, and the main character's, cynicism. I doubt I'll be able to attend a company meeting without plotting all the available exits first.*

I picked up this book because there were so many people saying it was incredibly scary, couldn't put it down, etc. You know what? They were right! Admittedly a lot of the scariness is gore based, not my preference, but oh well. There was still plenty of psychological scariness, especially when the Warden took over and you got to read some of his original documentation. His speeches about work and mindless labor as the only ways to reform gives you another viewpoint for when a tough manager is putting you through the wringer. 

This book definitely plays on the idea that crap jobs are soul crushing. That underneath the "We Are Family" mottoes, there is a much darker aspect to the company. The author really plays into it with the furniture descriptions at the beginning of each chapter. They start out innocently enough, but after things really go south in the book, they are a good source of dark humor. Where else are you going to ready such light-hearted descriptions of torture devices? 

Be forewarned, almost every conceivable fear/phobia can be found in this book. There are, of course, the classics: claustrophobia, achluophobia**, agoraphobia, zemmiphobia***, etc. But there are others to be on the lookout for! If you have a phobia of any kind, I'm almost positive you will find some kind of representation of it in Horrorstör!

All in all, I gladly give Horrorstör 4 hoots out of 5. It was an engaging read that had me genuinely scared! 

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*Because I totally never do that anyways...

**Fear of the dark.

***Fear of rats.

Tales of the Hidden World by Simon R. Green

I have to say, I have never read any of Green's books but if they are as interesting and diverse in topic as this collection of his short stories, I will have to start going through his archive. This collection covered so many fantasy/sci-fi sub-genres that you are almost guaranteed to find at least one story in here that you will enjoy.

There are stories in here about using science to fight magic, self-sacrifice, pirates, death, witches, demons, Satan, zombies, souls, war, cannibalism, and more. It makes it difficult to write a sufficient review of the book as a whole. I will say, however, that when you are able to enjoy reading so many different types of stories, it speaks very well of the author's abilities. Regardless of whether or not you have read Green's previous books, I do recommend this one as well. This is a great way to introduce yourself to Green's style of writing. His shorts at the end of each story also help to give you a sense of how the story came about.

Of course, there is a lot of blood and fighting in this book, but it's nothing too much and fits the needs of the stories. Many of the stories can be on the scary side, but it is no more difficult to handle than Lovecraft.

Overall, I am very happy to have this book in my collection and I give it 4 hoots.

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