fantasy

Fantasy Book Review – The Last Keeper by J.V. Hilliard

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Synopsis:

A young boy’s prophetic visions.
Blind at birth, Daemus Alaric is blessed with the gift of prophetic Sight. Now, as a Keeper of the Forbidden, he must use his powers of the Sight to foil the plans of a fallen Keeper, Graytorris the Mad.

An elven Princess with a horrifying secret.
Princess Addilyn Elspeth travels from Eldwal, the magically hidden home of the Vermilion elves, to begin her life as a diplomat to the human capital of Castleshire. During her journey, she stumbles upon a mystical creature foretelling ill tidings.

A terrifying force of evil.
Daemus’ recurring nightmare vision threatens to catapult him into a terrifying struggle that will leave the fate of the Keepers—and the realm—hanging in the balance. Daemus and Princess Addilyn must set out to face the menace that threatens their very existence.

Will the entire realm fall to its knees?
The Last Keeper is the first book in The Warminster Series. With gripping, epic action and heart-pounding adventure, you’ll love this new adventure series.

When I first started reading this book, I was in the beginning of a pretty bad reading slump. I couldn’t focus. There seemed like there were a lot of characters and I just couldn’t keep track of who was who. I had to stop as I knew I wasn’t doing this book justice by continuing. When my focus did return, I decided to start this book over from the beginning, which I’m very glad I did. The way I felt about the book completely changed. There weren’t too many characters, how could I not keep track of them in the first place? I don’t know if was because I’d already read the beginning that I absorbed more on the second attempt or if I was just back to normal in terms of reading. I’m going to go with the latter as what I hadn’t read the first time continued to feel fresh and exciting.

From the beginning, I didn’t quite know what to expect, which was great. As the first book in a series, there is a lot of set up going on, introducing characters, establishing the world and it’s rules. Thankfully, I didn’t feel like I was being told about the world. The author has an amazing was of describing things that feels natural and really helps a visual person like me picture the characters and events. Everything feels incredibly natural and the words just flow so well.

The characters are all very interesting and I have to say that I really love the diversity of the races in this world. There are people with crimson eyes or blue skin. Although there are what is known as trollborn – which are basically half breeds – that are sometimes looked down upon or discriminated, there are so many of them that it isn’t as horrible as it could be. I’m not really explaining that correctly. There are some that would say “trollborn” with scorn but most don’t. They are simply a part of the world as a whole.

If there was one think I didn’t like, it was how often the point of view would change during tense scenes. For instance, in the middle of a battle, the POV would constantly switch after a couple of paragraphs from one side of the battle to the other, from one character to another. I think this novel could have benefitted from showing less of what the villainous side was up to. Sometimes, as the reader, I prefer not to know everything . It can be too much information and I lose track of what character knows what.

Overall, this is an excellent novel. I never found it predictable, it was exciting, tense and emotional. It also ended on quite the cliffhanger so I’ll be needing the next book sooner rather than later.

My rating for The Last Keeper is 4 out of 5 stars and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh and exciting fantasy novel.

Thanks for reading!

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!

Fantasy Books with Companion Animals

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Companion animals in fantasy books is a fairly common trope I’d say. Animals, that are magical in some, that bond with a human (or other race of) character. Animals choose people for a purpose. So what are some books that feature companion animals?

Heralds of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey

The Heralds of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey (and other authors) is probably one of the best examples I can think of of companion animals in fantasy books. The Companions themselves are beautiful white horses with blue eyes that choose people to be Heralds. The Heralds then travel the land acting as judges and settling disputes. They also fight in wars when required.

Companions and Heralds also share a telepathic link, so they are in contact with one another even when not physically together.

In the vast world that is the Valdemar series, there are others types of companion animals as well, including birds and cats. These animals don’t “choose” their people to be anything more than just people. They simply exist together as companions.

This is a very long series, with well over 20 books published and more continuing to be released. If you have a hankering for companion animals in fantasy books, the Valdemar books are a great place to start!

Crossroads Trilogy by Kate Elliot

Another great example of companion animals in fantasy is the Crossroads Trilogy by Kate Elliott. In this trilogy, giant eagles choose people to become Reeves. The Reeves, much like the Heralds of Valdemar mentioned above, travel the land acting as judges and settling disputes as needed.

Unlike the Valdemar series, the eagles and Reeves don’t share a telepathic connection. They are bonded though, because if an eagle dies it’s Reeve dies too. Though if a Reeve dies, the Eagle can survive and choose another Reeve.

If you’re looking for Urban Fantasy, I would highly recommend checking out The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. The main character, Atticus, has an Irish wolfhound that he has bonded to telepathically. As the books are told mostly from Atticus’s perspective, we are often treated to his conversations with Oberon, his dog, to much delight. Oberon is actually the best character in this series. He’s smart, funny, and sarcastic. What more could you want in your companion animal?

I’m going to include the Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb here, though these books may not quite fit with what some might think of as companion animals. The Realm of the Elderlings is made of a few separate trilogies that extend off one another. In the first trilogy, the Farseer Trilogy, the main character, Fitz, has the ability to bond with animals and share a telepathic connection with them. This power isn’t common in this world and is actually considered to be taboo by most. People discovered to have this ability would be persecuted. Fitz is able to hide his ability while still having canine companions, most notably the wolf Nighteyes.

The Rain Wild Chronicles is a bit different. This part of the series is all about dragons coming back to the world. A group of people are recruited to help the dragons find a more suitable place to live as where they hatched can’t sustain them. Though the people do bond with the dragons, there is no telepathic connection and the dragons see the humans as servants more than actual friends.

I’m sure there are many more examples out there of fantasy books featuring companion animals that I have yet to read. Dragon Riders of Perne for instance or the Inheritance series ( I only read Eragon).

What are some fantasy series you’ve read with companion animals? Have you read any of the ones I’ve listed here? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!

Thank 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.

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!

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!

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?

Fantasy Books with Dragons

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What do you think of when you hear the word “fantasy?” Does it make you think of magic and far off places? Heroes going on epic quests? Fantastical creatures? Dragons?

Years ago, I was reading advice published from a fantasy author to aspiring authors. Her advice to those wanting to break into the genre was to never write about dragons. Why? It’s overdone, she said. I remember reading this and feeling a bit confused. Why shouldn’t fantasy authors write about dragons if they want to? Aren’t dragons a staple of the fantasy genre? Aren’t they popular for a reason?

I can also understand that some fantasy novels may throw dragons into their stories because of some sort of expectation that a fantasy novel or series should have dragons in it. I’m sure there was a point in time where every fantasy book had at least one dragon thrown in there are one point or another. After all, Tolkein had a dragon, so shouldn’t all fantasy have dragons?

Well, the answer to that would actually be no. And I think that is the beauty of fantasy, you don’t have to have certain things to have a successful novel. Authors are literally making it all up in their heads! They can do anything they want. So, you want dragons? Yes, have dragons! You want other mystical creatures, great! There are no set rules.

Now, you may think that you don’t want to read or write a book just like every other book currently out there. You want something new! Something unique. And why shouldn’t you? No one is forcing you to read or write about dragons but, admit it, you are a fantasy fan you and love dragons!

Like many other magical creatures, the role of dragons has changed over the years. At one time, dragons were only a monster to defeat, an obstacle for the hero to over come in order to carry on with his quests. Knights would rescue damsels in distress who had been kidnapped by dragons (because everyone knows dragons love maidens). They’ve gone from being evil or an enemy to companions and even gods.

I personally love to read novels about dragons. I’d love to read even more! Got any recommendations for me?

What are some of your favorite dragon books? Let me know in the comments!

Book Review – The Horsemen – The Watchers #2

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Synopsis (From Amazon):

With the First Seal broken, The Watchers will stop at nothing to ensure the remaining Six Seals fall.

Beth May and John Gideon have a tougher task at hand this time around. However, with a couple of friends joining the team to ensure the safety of humanity, they will do all they can to stop The Watchers from succeeding.

As sickness ravages nations and war rages in the streets, will our team be able to step up to the task and prevent the apocalypse?

Ok, so I devoured this book in about 3 hours. Now, this isn’t a particularly long novel, but I had no intention of reading the whole thing at once and really, that’s not something I normally do. I didn’t know exactly what time it was, but I could tell from the fading light outside the window that it was getting later in the evening. I knew I probably should go to bed, as it was a work night, but at one point I was just like “screw it, sleep is overrated.” I’m really glad I didn’t stop reading.

The characters in this series are great! I especially love Beth and Neala. These are two kick ass women who don’t need help from anyone but aren’t afraid to accept it when offered. They are strong, confident and intelligent. They both have a lot of mystery about them, especially Beth, who has lived a long life and has a lot of history that has yet to be revealed. I want to know so much more about Beth!

I enjoyed so many elements of this book. It’s fast paced, it’s funny, and emotional. The characters are great and you feel a real sense of the danger they are in. The author also has a great way of creating an atmosphere. Especially around Azazel.

There were a few things I didn’t love. The point of view bounces around in first person between the characters. Yes, the name of the character is at the beginning of the chapter to indicate who is speaking but I would often forget who’s head I was supposed to be in. I would think it was one person, realize it was another and then have to rearrange how I was picturing the whole scene. Then there’s the mysterious third person narrator. Who is this? Are they watching the team from somewhere unseen?

Then there’s the last few chapters. I don’t want to spoil anything, but holy freakin crap, what just happened? Ok, I seriously need the next book! Like now, please.

Huge thanks to the author, Carl Novakovich, and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My rating for The Horsemen is 4 out of 5 stars and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a fast paced, exciting read. Oh and don’t forget to read the first book in the series, The Tomb.

As always, thanks for reading!