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Fantasy Book Review – Traitors Gate – Crossroads # 3 by Kate Elliott

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Synopsis: In Spirit Gate and Shadow Gate, Kate Elliott took readers to the fascinating world of the Hundred, a land teeming with an array of cultures, gods, and conflicts blighted by the shadow of chaos and destruction. Now, with the same intensity and dramatic sweep that has brought this epic to life, Elliott returns to the exquisitely crafted cities and landscapes of the Hundred, in a thunderous conclusion to the saga.

In the darkness of war and destruction, forces gather to reclaim the peace: Those immortal Guardians who still serve justice seek a means to end the devastating reign of one of their own; a hired outlander army struggles to halt the advance of the horde that has despoiled vast lands and slaughtered countless people in its murderous wake, while still guarding against a burgeoning threat from an aggressively expansionist empire; and the eagle reeves who have long been the only law enforcers of the Hundred struggle to reorganize after a devastating massacre has decimated their numbers. But even as these forces give hope to those who would live in peace, a terrible danger looms: a traitor with Imperial ambitions, the most dreaded, least anticipated threat of all…

In the unfolding drama of political upheaval and violent change, nothing is certain, as alliances dissolve and power shifts with the unpredictability of a desert sandstorm. A riotous epic with the vast breadth and excitement only masterful storyteller Kate Elliott can summon, Traitors’ Gate will leave her many readers begging for more. 

From the very beginning of Traitors Gate, this did not feel like the conclusion to a trilogy. To me, it felt more like the third book in an ongoing series. There was just so much that was happening, new characters being introduced and conflicts that needed to be resolved. Despite this novel being close to 900 pages, I kept wondering through out how the author was going to resolve everything. Well, I wouldn’t really say that she did. This trilogy could easily become longer series. In fact, I would love to read another book in this world continuing from Traitors Gate.

As for the book itself, I think this has to be the best of the three. There was a lot more action, sense of danger and tension between characters. Shai in particular really comes into his own. In the beginning of Spirit Gate, he was a quiet recluse. By the end of Traitors Gate he’s become strong and confident. Putting himself in danger time after time to protect innocent lives. His adventure alone would be a worthy tale.

Unfortunately, I feel like this book (and the whole trilogy really) suffered from having too many characters. There were certain characters that I was far more interested in than others and I felt like the ones I actually cared about didn’t get very much page time. Marit and Kirit, for example, I didn’t get nearly enough of. I really wanted more about the Guardians in general. They were far more interesting than some of the other characters, but perhaps the author meant to keep an air of mystery around them.

One thing that really bothered me, not just about this book but the whole trilogy, was the prevalent misogyny. Men can basically do whatever they want in some cultures in this world. A man can literally go to a woman’s father and just buy her as a wife and there’s nothing she can do about it. She can’t say no. In one culture, the women aren’t even allowed to show there faces outside and their names can’t be spoken to outsiders. If her face is seen by a man not her kin, she’ll basically be disowned. It irritated me throughout that men, especially those in positions of power could just buy or take a woman if they wanted.

And the slavery! I’m sure the author was trying to show how horrible slaves are treated and that it is wrong and bad, but the things that happened to some of them was stomach turning. Did she have to go so far as to include pedophilia?

Kate Elliott knows how to keep readers on the edge of their seats, ending chapters in such a way that you have to keep going. So many times, I was like “omg, I can’t believe that just happened!” There were so many unexpected things here.

Overall, I think Crossroads is a great fantasy trilogy that any fan of the genre would enjoy. My rating for Traitors Gate is 4 out of 5 stars and I would recommend it to fans of fantasy who also enjoy political intrigue and multiple points of view.

Have you read this trilogy? What did you think?

Thanks for reading!

Book Talk – How Many Characters is Too Many?

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I have been reading fantasy novels basically as long as I could read. For the sake of argument, I’ll say I’ve been reading adult fantasy novels for over 25 years. In that time, I’ve read several hundred books and I’d like to share something that has really come to bother me in the last little while.

How many characters is too many characters? 10? 20?

Fantasy is often made up of sweeping epics that can get quite long. It’s fairly normal for a fantasy novel to have 500 – 1000 pages. In a lot of these novels, there are a lot of characters. Though some may die throughout the series, there’s always more being introduced. As I’ve been reading my current book and going through these different characters points of view, I’m wondering, was that really necessary? Is this character actually adding anything to the overall story here? Would it have made a difference if this character never existed?

Epics like A Song of Ice and Fire, The Wheel of Time, Dragonlance, etc, have so many characters that it becomes difficult to keep track of them all. And when you go to a new chapter and suddenly you’re following a new character (and a character you don’t even like) it can be somewhat jarring. It can take you out of the story as you now have to adjust what this person is doing instead of the person before.

Honestly, this is one of the biggest reasons why I only read two books of the Song of Ice and Fire series. I didn’t like most of the characters, which means I didn’t care about them, so I didn’t care about the story. I only actually liked two or three characters and naturally one of them dies by the end of the first book. I couldn’t keep going.

I can only think of one series (that I’ve read) that has a first person point of view that stays with the same character. Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy series sticks with the same character from beginning to end for each of the 3 trilogies that make up the series. You never see what other characters are doing except from the main character’s perspective. This may be one of the reasons I love this series so much. Do you know of any others? I’d really love to know!

This turned into more of a rant than I had intended. I would like to know what other people’s opinions on the subject are. Do you prefer to read from the first person point of view of only one character, or do you enjoy getting into the minds of various different people? Let me know in the comments.

2022 – A Year of Reading (and not)

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2022 has officially come to an end and I wish I could say that it was an amazing year for reading and that I got through more books than I ever have before, but that would be an absolute lie.

I had set a goal of 52 books ( 1 book a week) for 2022 and sadly only made it to 31. I fell into a pretty significant reading slump around September. I just couldn’t get myself into reading. Instead, I wanted to make something. So, first I decided to try cross stitch. That was something I thought I would never have the patience for but in the end, I really enjoyed it. It can take quite awhile to finish a project, if it isn’t something small. Plus, I’ve found it difficult to find patterns I like and actually want to do. Funnily, while looking for something else, I found a small bag packed full of embroidery floss. I don’t think I will ever need to buy more in my life lol.

Not long after that, I also got back into crotchet. This was something I hadn’t done in well over a decade, but suddenly I just really wanted to. I decided to make scarves and stuff for my friends for Christmas, which then took up most of my free time. I’m still working on a few projects but I’m not quite as gung ho about it as I was a month or so ago.

Throughout this time I kept thinking about reading. I had a book I had started that was good but I just couldn’t get myself to sit down and read it. I’ve learned over the years that I can’t force myself out of a reading slump. I will always get tired of reading at some point and become really focused on a different hobby. So, I just go with the flow and do whatever it is that I feel like doing at the time.

I’m feeling more like reading now and I have set a goal of 50 books for this year. I’m also hoping to spend more time on this blog in 2023. I’m sure I’ve said that before and I think the new year always makes me feel optimistic about things and I make plans that don’t always work out.

What are your reading goals for 2023? How was 2022 for you? I’ve love to hear about what your goals are and what books you have planned on your TBR.

Thanks for reading!

Fantasy Book Review – Shadow Gate – Crossroads #2 by Kate Elliott

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Synopsis (from Goodreads): The captivating, bestselling Spirit Gate swept readers into the turbulent world of the Hundred, where the peace and order of life under the protection of the immortal Guardians has given way to chaos and violence. In the face of a vast horde of marauders led by a rogue Guardian, the bravery and resourcefulness of a lone eagle-reeve and others who risk their lives for the common good have prevented death and destruction from overwhelming the Hundred.

This review will contain spoilers if you have not read book 1, Spirit Gate

The first novel of this trilogy started by introducing the character of Marit. She was a very likable character and I thought she would be at least one of the main characters of the book. Unfortunately, Marit dies early in the book and the focus shifts to her lover, Joss, and introduces other characters soon after.

While there is nothing wrong with this, it wasn’t what I was hoping for and I found it somewhat disappointing. So, when Shadow Gate opens once again with Marit, I was pleasantly surprised and realized that she was a lot of what I found lacking in the first book.

While reading Spirit Gate, I didn’t feel a strong connection to the main story and the characters. With Shadow Gate, I started to feel that connection more as back stories about what were initially side characters were slowly revealed. Turns out, I really like the secondary characters better.

The characters begin to feel more developed in this book as well. Characters i didn’t particularly care for in the first book were suddenly more interesting. Shai, in particular, gets more character development as he starts to come out of his shell and really come into his own. New characters are introduced and old ones return.

I have to say that I enjoyed this book much more than the first one. Though to be fair, I was entering a reading slump as I was reading the first one and my brain just wasn’t into reading at that time. I think I have finally come out of that slump and will be back to regular reading this year.

My rating for Shadow Gate is 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy novels, though you should read book 1 first.

Thanks for reading!

Book Talk – Reading Slumps

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Reading slumps. Every reader has experienced them at one time or another. Maybe you just finished a book, or a series or trilogy and you don’t know what to read next. Maybe you start something new and it just isn’t what you’re in the mood for. You stare at your book shelf (or digital library) and try to decide what to read, what looks good. Nothing appeals to you in the moment so you walk away. But then you stay away.

Now you find something else that grabs your attention. Maybe it’s a TV show, or a jigsaw puzzle. It could be anything. But what does this mean? Well, I’m sorry to say, you’re in a reading slump. So, what should you do about it? There are all kinds of lists and videos by booktubers, booktokers on what to read to get you out of a reading slump. You can certainly try any of those. You may find something you really like.

But, you’re here reading this and not one of those lists, so what is my advice? How should you get yourself out of a reading slump? By not doing anything!

Reading, like all hobbies, should be done because you enjoy it. Forcing yourself to read when you really don’t want to isn’t going to accomplish anything. Instead, do what makes you happy in the moment. Perhaps you’re interested in trying out a new hobby. Or maybe that pile of jigsaw puzzles gathering dust suddenly needs your attention. It doesn’t matter what you do instead as long as you get enjoyment out of what you are doing.

There was a time when I would feel guilty when I was in a reading slump. I’d look at my bookshelf at all my unread books and know that my yearly goal wasn’t going to be achieved and feel like I should be reading, but I just didn’t want to. I’ve learned to get over that. Life is too short to force yourself to do something you don’t want to do.

I am currently in a reading slump, and since this is a book blog, it means I’ve also been in a blogging slump. I wish I could believe that my readers have missed me but I know that I don’t have many readers.

So, what have I been doing instead of reading? Well, I started doing cross stitch and I recently got back into crocheting, which I haven’t done in over a decade. With wanting to do that, I decided to make gifts for my friends this year so I’ve been busy getting that done before the holidays.

I did start reading a new book yesterday and got about 100 pages in (total around 700 pages) so I’m feeling pretty good about that. I’m hoping I can keep that going as I did enjoy reading again. So, hopefully, I’ll be back with a new book review in the near future.

Thanks for reading!

Unpopular Opinion Book Tag – The Lord of the Rings

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Let me start this by saying that I have absolute respect for J.R.R. Tolkein and what his books have done for the modern fantasy genre, however, in my opinion, these are not good books.

I first read these books when the movies came out so I would have been in my late teens/early twenties. I’d read a few fantasy series before this so I wasn’t new to the genre. Reading these books was an absolute slog! I don’t think it has ever taken me as long to read a single book as it did to read the Fellowship of the Ring. there was nothing intriguing about it, nothing to make me want to keep reading or pick it up again. That novel sat in my night stand for months waiting for me to read it and I just couldn’t. Every time I looked at it, I cringed.

Somehow, I did eventually read all 3 of the novels. That was only because at that time in my life I refused to not finish a book. I honestly wish I’d never picked these books up. They were so bogged down with needless description and no sense of urgency whatsoever. I didn’t care about the characters in the least or the story. Honestly, couldn’t the golden eagles have taken the ring and just dropped it into Mordor? Problem solved. Story over.

The endings went on forever. Yes, endings. There were several endings that just kept adding needless information that I really didn’t care about. And when they put all that into the last movie it was painful to sit through in a movie theatre. It was boring and I didn’t care.

I know the Lord of the Rings is a beloved classic and J.R.R. Tolkein is considered the “father of modern fantasy” but I honestly believe that if he hadn’t ever written anything, someone else would have come along and written an epic fantasy series that would take the world by storm and everyone else would copy for generations to come.

And now, with the new show, Rings of Power, it feels like the producers or anyone who benefits from this production are just milking the franchise for all it’s worth. I haven’t watched any of it so I won’t comment further on that except to say that people getting upset about black elves and dwarves need to get over it already.

It’s unlikely that anyone will actually read this post so thankfully I won’t have hordes of die hard fans screaming at me and sending death threats in the comments, but if anyone should read this and is interested in friendly discussion, I’m always open for that.

Thanks for reading!

Songbird (Griffinsong #1) By J. Victoria Michael – Book Review

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Songbird by J. Victoria Michael is about a young woman named Irenya who is suddenly transported to another world. Unable to return the same way she came, she has to try to find another way home.

For a book less than 300 hundred pages, I was expecting this to be faster paced. It started out well enough when Irenya suddenly goes through a portal and finds herself in another world. She is naturally confused and afraid, especially when met with hostility. The people of this new world are wary of her, thinking her some type of invader. She has to endure a few nasty things that make her fear and hate the archprince, who rules the castle she has ended up in.

When she fails to leave this new world by way of the mirror she came through, she immediately falls into depression. I can understand her initial fear and confusion and even her depression at not being able to leave like she wants but her crying and whining about her situation goes on for literally months.

Irenya finds some solace in music and singing but also refuses to play for her hosts for a significant amount of time. What bothers me the most about her is how she just takes for granted that these people are feeding and clothing her for basically nothing. She isn’t expected to do any type of chores (though she does occasionally help in the kitchen) or manual labor to earn her keep. All she really does is learn how to ride a horse and play music. She constantly jumps to conclusions about people, especially the archprince, and doesn’t take the time to really learn anything about the world she’s in.

After being there for a few months, she does start going to the library to learn a little, but honestly, her efforts are weak at best. I found the pov’s of other characters (brief as they were) far more interesting than Irenya’s.

It wasn’t until about halfway through or maybe three quarters that the plot starts to pick up. The ending felt rather abrupt but made sure I’d be interested in the next book. I really hope to see Irenya grow as a character, to see from the point of view of the people around her and realize that she could be more grateful to them. I am curious where this story is going and will read the next installment.

My rating for this book is 3 out of 5 stars. I’d recommend it to people who enjoy portal fantasy, slow pace and an unreliable narrator.

Have you read this book? Let me know what you thought in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

Monthly Wrap Up – August 2022

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Wow, tomorrow is the first day of September! Where has this year gone? Seriously, wasn’t it just Easter?

Well, in terms in reading, August wasn’t the best month. I only finished two books, but they were both fairly long books so I’ll cut myself a little slack there.

Lately, I’ve felt like I want to make things. So, I’ve started doing cross stitch and really want to get back into crocheting, which is something I haven’t done in many years.

So, as I have a tendency to do, I’m obsessing over those two things, pending most of my evenings working on my current cross stitch project and spending other free time looking up patterns online. This also means I’m spending all my money on getting supplies for these new projects. Thankfully, I was able to borrow a few things from friends and family so I don’t have to buy everything.

I haven’t completely ignored reading, though. I still try to read at least one chapter a night. In September I may focus on a few shorter books to sustain me while I continue with the cross stitch and crochet stuff.

So, how was August for you? What are your plans for September?

Fantasy Book Review – Spirit Gate – Crossroads #1 by Kate Elliott

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Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

For hundreds of years the Guardians have ruled the world of the Hundred, but these powerful gods no longer exert their will on the world. Only the reeves, who patrol on enormous eagles, still represent the Guardians’ power. And the reeves are losing their authority; for there is a dark shadow across the land that not even the reeves can stop.

A group of fanatics has risen to devour villages, towns, and cities in their drive to annihilate all who oppose them. No one knows who leads them; they seem inhumanly cruel and powerful. Mai and Anji, riding with a company of dedicated warriors and a single reeve who may hold a key to stopping the deadly advance of the devouring horde, must try, or the world will be lost to the carnage. But a young woman sworn to the Goddess may prove more important than them all . . . if they are not too late.

I have just finished reading this and to be honest, I’m not sure what I think of it.

I expected the giant eagles would be something more along the lines of the Companions in the Valdemar series. I thought they would have some type of bond or telepathic connection with their Reeves, but they don’t. The only similarities are that the eagles choose their Reeves and Companions choose their Heralds. It’s also never really explained how exactly an eagle chooses a person to become a Reeve.

I felt like this book lacked enough action to truly keep me engaged. My mind wandered often while reading. A lot of the narrative just feels like a long set up before getting to the point. I’m not sure what the point even was. The journeys of the different characters do bring them together as the plot intertwines.

As for the characters, I like Mai and her husband Anji. Mai is beautiful and therefore not expected to be smart. Most of her life she has molded herself to what she believed others wanted her to be. Once she is married and leaves her hometown, she is suddenly free to become who she truly is. It’s also nice that Anji is a good man who never forces her into anything.

Mai’s uncle, Shai, who left with his niece and her new husband hasn’t really grown on me. Sometimes he was just kind of whiney and I didn’t care much for his POV. Reeve Joss is a broken man who is grieving the loss of his lover even after 20 years.

One thing I did really like is that the cultures were based more in Asian cultures than western ones. A woman with blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin is thought to be a demon or the spawn of a demon because her colouring is so unusual. The majority of the people, including all the main characters, have darker skin tones, hair and eyes. In a genre that often defaults to a more mid-evil Europe type of settings, this was refreshing.

There was nothing in particular that I disliked about this book, but I would have liked more action, more sense of urgency to keep me more engaged as I read. The ending of the book was certainly enough to guarantee that I will read the next book. I just hope the next two books are more engaging.

Oddly, there is no type of magic system here. It is mentioned that there is some type of magic around the eagles to help them choose Reeves but what exactly that magic is or where it comes from, isn’t mentioned.

My rating for this novel is 3 out of 5 stars. I’d recommend it to those who enjoy a slower paced fantasy with little to no magic.

Thanks for reading!

Book Talk – Fantasy Fun- Unicorns

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Unicorns.

Beautiful, majestic creatures synonymous with purity. The legend around unicorns doesn’t vary much by country, or really since they were first believed to exist. Many believed that unicorn horns contained magical properties and could cure any illness. Therefore, unicorn horns were widely sought after, and fake ones were often pedaled as the real thing. It was believed that a young maiden could entrance a unicorn, that if she sat calmly a unicorn would come, lay down and put it’s head in her lap. This was supposedly the method used to capture unicorns.

Now a days, unicorns are every where. I don’t think I can go into a store of one kind or another and not see something with a unicorn on it. Granted, these unicorns are more the cartoon-y type ones as opposed to the majestic, graceful ones. Not that there’s a problem with this. I myself have several of the TY unicorns, in varying colours.

Where I don’t see unicorns very much is in fantasy novels. As I was thinking of writing this article, I realized I could only think of 3 instances, that I’ve read, of unicorns in books. The Last Unicorn, The Obsidian Trilogy and The Twelve Kingdoms. And to be fair, in the Twelve Kingdoms, they are Kirin, the Japanese version of unicorns.

A quick search on Goodreads for the word “unicorn” brought up mostly children’s and middle grade books about unicorns. There was very little that I could see that would be YA or adult fiction. Why is this? Are unicorns not a staple of the fantasy genre? When you think of “fantasy” do unicorns not come to mind?

Do you know of some fantasy fiction about unicorns? Do you want to see more unicorns in fantasy novels? Why do you think unicorns are written about as much as some other fantasy creature?