Book Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Inheritance Trilogy #1), by N.K. Jemisin

Genre: Fantasy
Date Published: February 2010
Publisher: Hatchet Book Group Orbit
# Of Pages: 427 pgs/

Goodreads

Synopsis: Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle.

My Rating:

 ★★★ 1/2

.....For being unique

Book Review: Inheritance (Inheritance #4), by Christopher Paolini

Genre: Young Adult Epic Fantasy
Date Published: November 2011
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 849 pages/31 hours

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: It began with Eragon... It ends with Inheritance.
Not so very long ago, Eragon — Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider — was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.
Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chance.
The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?
This is the spellbinding conclusion to Christopher Paolini's worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

My Rating:

 ★★★★

.....For being a good conclusion(?) to an epic series.

Book Review: The Bear And The Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy #1), by Katherine Arden

Genre: Russian Historical Fantasy
Date Published: January 2017
Publisher: Del Rey
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 323 pages/11 hours 50 minutes

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: A magical debut novel for readers of Naomi Novik's Uprooted, Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, and Neil Gaiman's myth-rich fantasies, The Bear and the Nightingale spins an irresistible spell as it announces the arrival of a singular talent with a gorgeous voice.
At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind--she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.
After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.
And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.
As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed--this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.

My Rating:

 ★★★ 1/2

.....For being a pleasant surprise

Book Review: Brinsingr (Inheritance #3), by Christopher Paolini

Genre: Young Adult Epic Fantasy
Date Published: September 2008
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 748 pages/29 hours and 40 minutes

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: Oaths sworn... loyalties tested... forces collide.
It's been only months since Eragon first uttered "brisingr", an ancient language term for fire. Since then, he's not only learned to create magic with words — he's been challenged to his very core. Following the colossal battle against the Empires warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still, there is more adventure at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.
First is Eragon's oath to his cousin, Roran: to help rescue Roran's beloved from King Galbatorix's clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength — as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices — choices that will take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.
Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?

My Rating:

 ★★★★ 1/2

.....For showing how much the author's writing has matured since the first installment.

Book Review: Eldest (Inheritance #2), by Christopher Paolini

Genre: Young Adult Epic Fantasy
Date Published: 2005
Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 668 pages/23 hours and 30 minutes

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: Darkness falls... Swords clash... Evil reigns.
Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesméra, land of the elves, for further training in magic and swordsmanship, the vital skills of the Dragon Rider. It is the journey of a lifetime, filled with awe-inspring new places and people, each day a fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and Eragon isn't sure whom he can trust.
Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle back home in Carvahall – one that puts Eragon in even graver danger.
Will the king's dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life...

My Rating:

 ★★★★

.....For doing a good job of continuing the story

Book Review: Eragon (Inheritance #1), by Christopher Paolini

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Date Published: June 2002
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 500 pages/16 hours 20 minutes

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders?
When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands. . . .

My Rating:

 ★★★★★

.....For being impressive because a teenager wrote it

Book Review: The Goose Girl (Books Of Bayern #1), by Shannon Hale

Genre: Young adult fairy tale retelling
Date Published: August 2003
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 383 pages/10 hours

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: She was born with her eyes closed and a word on her tongue, a word she could not taste. Her name was Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, and she spent the first years of her life listening to her aunt’s stories and learning the language of the birds, especially the swans. And when she was older, she watched as a colt was born, and she heard the first word on his tongue, his name, Falada. But does she fit the quota of Ruling Queen? Her mother seems to think not, and she is sent off on the start of her adventure. But can she trust everyone she travels with? And what will life be for her when she arrives at her destinations?
From the Grimm’s fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen, Shannon Hale has woven an incredible, original, and magical tale of a girl who must find her own unusual talents before she can lead the people she has made her own.

My Rating:

 ★★★★★

.....For being a wonderful retelling that is 100 times better than the original tale

Book Review: The Two Towers (Lord Of The Rings #2), by J.R.R. Tolkien

Genre: Classic Fantasy
Date Published: November 1954
Publisher: George Allen & Unwin
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 322 pages/16 hours 40 minutes

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Synopsis: The Two Towers is the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic saga, The Lord of the Rings.
The Fellowship has been forced to split up. Frodo and Sam must continue alone towards Mount Doom, where the One Ring must be destroyed. Meanwhile, at Helm’s Deep and Isengard, the first great battles of the War of the Ring take shape.
In this splendid, unabridged audio production of Tolkien’s great work, all the inhabitants of a magical universe - hobbits, elves, and wizards - spring to life. Rob Inglis’ narration has been praised as a masterpiece of audio.

My Rating:

 ★★★★★

.....For continuing to be a masterpiece in fantasy literature

Book Review: The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Genre: Fantasy
Date Published: September 21 1937 (2002 this edition)
Publisher: George Allen & Unwin (Houghton Mifflin this edition)
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 366 pgs/ 11 hours

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Synopsis: (J.R.R. Tolkien’s own description for the original edition) “If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler. The period is the ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men, when the famous forest of Mirkwood was still standing, and the mountains were full of danger. In following the path of this humble adventurer, you will learn by the way (as he did)—if you do not already know all about these things—much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves, and get some glimpses into the history and politics of a neglected but important period.

“For Mr. Bilbo Baggins visited various notable persons; conversed with the dragon Smaug the Magnificent; and was present, rather unwillingly, at the Battle of the Five Armies. This is all the more remarkable, since he was a hobbit. Hobbits have hitherto been passed over in history and legend, perhaps because they as a rule preferred comfort to excitement. But this account, based on his personal memoirs, of the one exciting year in the otherwise quiet life of Mr. Baggins will give you a fair idea of the estimable people now (it is said) becoming rather rare. They do not like noise.”

My Rating:

 ★★★★★

.....For continuing to be such a wonderful classic!

Book Review: Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy
Date Published: June 2009
Publisher: Tor Books
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 592 pages/25 hours

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: Warbreaker is the story of two sisters who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, the lesser god who doesn't like his job, and the immortal who's still trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago.
Their world is one in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a pantheon in Hallandren's capital city and where a power known as BioChromatic magic is based on an essence known as breath that can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people.
By using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished. It will take considerable quantities of each to resolve all the challenges facing Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris; Susebron the God King; Lightsong, reluctant god of bravery; and mysterious Vasher, the Warbreaker.

My Rating:

 ★★★★

.....For being a really good and creative read

Book Review: Alloy Of Law (Mistborn #4), by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Epic Fantasy
Date Published: November 2011
Publisher: Tor Books
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 332 pages/10 hours and 51 minutes

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Synopsis: Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.

Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history--or religion. Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice.

One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will.

After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax has been forced by family tragedy to return to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties and dignity incumbent upon the head of a noble house. Or so he thinks, until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.

My Rating:

 ★★★★★

.....For a great continuation of a fascinating world

Book Review: The Hero Of Ages (Mistborn #3), by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Epic fantasy
Date Published: October 2008
Publisher: Tor
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 760 pages/27 hours 26 minutes

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Synopsis: Killing the Lord Ruler to end the Final Empire was obviously the right thing to do, wasn't it? With the return of the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists, increasingly heavy ashfalls, and ever more powerful earthquakes, Vin and Elend are no longer so sure. Long ago, Ruin--one of the primal beings who created the world--was promised the eventual right to destroy all things. Now that Vin has been tricked into releasing him from the Well of Ascension, Ruin apparently intends to collect.

The conclusion of the Mistborn trilogy fulfills all the promise of the first two books. Revelations abound, connections rooted in early chapters of the series click into place, and surprises, as satisfying as they are stunning, blossom like fireworks to dazzle and delight. It all leads up to a finale unmatched for originality and audacity that will leave you rubbing your eyes in wonder, as if awaking from an amazing dream.

My Rating:

 ★★★★★

.....For making me cry at the end

Book Review: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1), by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Epic Fantasy
Date Published: July 2006
Publisher: Tor books
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 541 pages/24 hours and 45 minutes

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with color once more?
In Brandon Sanderson's intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage — Allomancy, a magic of the metals

My Rating:

 ★★★★★

.....For being loads of fun!

Book Review: The Emperor's Soul (Elantris Series), by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy
Date Published: October 2012
Publisher: Tachyon Productions
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 175 pages/3 hours 55 minutes

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Synopsis: Also available in Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection.

A heretic thief is the empire’s only hope in this fascinating tale that inhabits the same world as the popular novel, Elantris.

Shai is a Forger, a foreigner who can flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skillful magic. Condemned to death after trying to steal the emperor’s scepter, she is given one opportunity to save herself. Though her skill as a Forger is considered an abomination by her captors, Shai will attempt to create a new soul for the emperor, who is almost dead.

Probing deeply into his life, she discovers Emperor Ashravan’s truest nature—and the opportunity to exploit it. Her only possible ally is one who is truly loyal to the emperor, but councilor Gaotona must overcome his prejudices to understand that Shai’s forgery is as much artistry as it is deception.

Brimming with magic and political intrigue, this deftly woven fantasy delves into the essence of a living spirit.

My Rating:

 ★★★★★

.....For being an excellent novella!

Book Review: Elantris (Elantris #1), by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy
Date Published: May 2005
Publisher: Tor Fantasy
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 492 pages/28 hours 45 minutes

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Synopsis: Elantris: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened, leper-like, powerless creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and crumbling. The Shaod became a curse.
Arelon's new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping—based on their correspondence—to also find love. She finds instead that Raoden has died and she is considered his widow. Both Teod and Arelon are under threat as the last remaining holdouts against the imperial ambitions of the ruthless religious fanatics of Fjordell. So Sarene decides to use her new status to counter the machinations of Hrathen, a Fjordell high priest who has come to Kae to convert Arelon and claim it for his emperor and his god.
But neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspects the truth about Prince Raoden. Stricken by the same curse that ruined Elantris, Raoden was secretly exiled by his father to the dark city. His struggle to help the wretches trapped there begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon, and perhaps reveal the secret of Elantris itself.
Elantris is fleet and fun, full of surprises and characters to care about. A welcome breath of fresh air, it is a rare epic fantasy that doesn't recycle the classics and is a complete and thoroughly satisfying story in a single volume. It's also the wonderful debut of a welcome new star in the constellation of fantasy.

My Rating:

 ★★★★

.....For being a great debut novel.

Book Review: Oathbringer (Stormlight Archive #3), by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Epic Fantasy
Date Published: November 2017
Publisher: Tor Fantasy
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 1243 pages/55 hours

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: The eagerly awaited sequel to the New York Times best-selling Words of Radiance, from epic fantasy author Brandon Sanderson at the top of his game.

In Oathbringer, the third volume of the New York Times best-selling Stormlight Archive, humanity faces a new Desolation with the return of the Voidbringers, a foe with numbers as great as their thirst for vengeance.

Dalinar Kholin's Alethi armies won a fleeting victory at a terrible cost. The enemy Parshendi summoned the violent Everstorm, which now sweeps the world with destruction and in its passing awakens the once peaceful and subservient parshmen to the horror of their millennia-long enslavement by humans. While on a desperate flight to warn his family of the threat, Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with the fact that the newly kindled anger of the parshmen may be wholly justified.

Nestled in the mountains high above the storms, in the tower city of Urithiru, Shallan Davar investigates the wonders of the ancient stronghold of the Knights Radiant and unearths dark secrets lurking in its depths. And Dalinar realizes that his holy mission to unite his homeland of Alethkar was too narrow in scope. Unless all the nations of Roshar can put aside Dalinar's blood-soaked past and stand together - and unless Dalinar himself can confront that past - even the restoration of the Knights Radiant will not prevent the end of civilization.

My Rating:

 ★★★★★

.....For being just plain awesome!

Book Review: Crucible Of Gold (Temeraire #7), by Naomi Novik

Genre: Historical Fantasy
Date Published: March 2012
Publisher: Random House
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 325 pages/9 hours and 56 minutes

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Synopsis: Naomi Novik’s beloved series returns, with Captain Will Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire once again taking to the air against the broadsides of Napoleon’s forces and the friendly—and sometimes not-so-friendly—fire of British soldiers and politicians who continue to suspect them of divided loyalties, if not outright treason.
For Laurence and Temeraire, put out to pasture in Australia, it seems their part in the war has come to an end just when they are needed most. But perhaps they are no longer alone in this opinion. Newly allied with the powerful African empire of the Tswana, the French have occupied Spain and brought revolution and bloodshed to Brazil, threatening Britain’s last desperate hope to defeat Napoleon.
And now the government that sidelined them has decided they have the best chance at negotiating a peace with the angry Tswana, who have besieged the Portuguese royal family in Rio—and thus offer to reinstate Laurence to his former rank and seniority as a captain in the Aerial Corps. Temeraire is delighted by this sudden reversal of fortune, but Laurence is by no means sanguine, knowing from experience that personal honor and duty to one’s country do not always run on parallel tracks.
Nonetheless, the pair embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that force them to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Incan empire, where they face new unanticipated dangers.
Now with the success of the mission balanced on a razor’s edge, and failure looking more likely by the minute, the unexpected arrival of an old enemy will tip the scales toward ruin. Yet even in the midst of disaster, opportunity may lurk—for one bold enough to grasp it

My Rating:

 ★★★★

.....For improving on the re-read

My Thoughts:

The last time I read this, I gave it 3 stars. This time however, I think I'll upgrade it to 4 stars.

There is a lot going on in this novel, so I can understand why I didn't like it so much the last time, but I can that this time around it was easier, and more entertaining, to follow.

Temeraire is a forever enjoyable character, along with Laurence (he's loosened up quite a bit in this novel). And I think I like Iskierka even more in this novel, she's such a fiesty character with so much gumption. It was very amusing watching her make all sorts of rash decisions without consulting anyone.

I can definitely see how much Laurence has changed in this novel. He's not as rigid about following orders as he used to be, and he's more outspoken about what needs to be done. It was nice to see that.

Anyway, I'm two books away from finishing the series, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. On to the next book!

Book Review: Tongues Of Serpents (Temeraire #6), by Naomi Novik

Genre:Historical Fantasy
Date Published: July 2010
Publisher: Del Rey
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 274 pages/9 hours and 47 minutes

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: A dazzling blend of military history, high-flying fantasy, and edge-of-your-seat adventure, Naomi Novik’s Temeraire novels, set in an alternate Napoleonic era in which intelligent dragons have been harnessed as weapons of war, are more than just perennial bestsellers—they are a worldwide phenomenon. Now, in Tongues of Serpents, Naomi Novik is back, along with the dragon Temeraire and his rider and friend, Capt. Will Laurence.

Convicted of treason despite their heroic defense against Napoleon’s invasion of England, Temeraire and Laurence—stripped of rank and standing—have been transported to the prison colony at New South Wales in distant Australia, where, it is hoped, they cannot further corrupt the British Aerial Corps with their dangerous notions of liberty for dragons. Temeraire and Laurence carry with them three dragon eggs intended to help establish a covert in the colony and destined to be handed over to such second-rate, undesirable officers as have been willing to accept so remote an assignment—including one former acquaintance, Captain Rankin, whose cruelty once cost a dragon its life.

Nor is this the greatest difficulty that confronts the exiled dragon and rider: Instead of leaving behind all the political entanglements and corruptions of the war, Laurence and Temeraire have instead sailed into a hornet’s nest of fresh complications. For the colony at New South Wales has been thrown into turmoil after the overthrow of the military governor, one William Bligh—better known as Captain Bligh, late of HMS Bounty. Bligh wastes no time in attempting to enlist Temeraire and Laurence to restore him to office, while the upstart masters of the colony are equally determined that the new arrivals should not upset a balance of power precariously tipped in their favor.

Eager to escape this political quagmire, Laurence and Temeraire take on a mission to find a way through the forbidding Blue Mountains and into the interior of Australia. But when one of the dragon eggs is stolen from Temeraire, the surveying expedition becomes a desperate race to recover it in time—a race that leads to a shocking discovery and a dangerous new obstacle in the global war between Britain and Napoleon.

My Rating:

 ★★★★

.....For being enjoyable and making me want to read more.

My Thoughts:

My Thoughts: Like with the previous installments, this book improved on the re-read. It still isn't my favorite in the series, but it was still pretty enjoyable, especially the beginning and the ending.

The middle was the slowest bit (but not too slow). The 2-month flight across the continent of Australia didn't have much going for it, in my opinion, although there were some occasional parts that were exciting to read. I also enjoyed reading about the hatching and harnessing of Kulingile; it's one of those triumphant stories about overcoming the odds, which I feel saved the middle section of the book.

Temeraire is still my favorite. It's clear that Naomi Novik is using him to include modern ideas in a historical setting. He's our gateway to understanding what early 19th-century life is like, and he's such a fun character to follow. I'm glad Novik has continued to write parts of the novel from his point of view, and I hope she'll continue to do so (I can't remember, it's been two years since I read the series).

All in all, a fun read in a new place. The culture comparisons continue to be interesting, the action still grabs my interest, and I want to read the rest of the series. So, on to the next one!

Book Review: The Gunslinger (Dark Tower #1), by Stephen King

Genre: Sci-fi Horror?
Date Published: June 1982 (revised edition published June 2003)
Publisher: NAL
# Of Pages 340 pages

Goodreads

Synopsis: In The Gunslinger (originally published in 1982), King introduces his most enigmatic hero, Roland Deschain of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting, solitary figure at first, on a mysterious quest through a desolate world that eerily mirrors our own. Pursuing the man in black, an evil being who can bring the dead back to life, Roland is a good man who seems to leave nothing but death in his wake.

My Rating:

 ★★★

.....For being thoroughly confusing

My Thoughts:

Ummmm......huh. It's hard to say what I think about this book. I'm more confused than anything else.

The book is short, which is a new experience for me when it comes to reading a King novel, and I think I would have preferred some length. However, I do know this is part of a series, so I'm hoping that the subsequent novels will answer my (many) questions.

I also don't like the main character, Roland, aka the gunslinger. He's too stubborn and determined for me to like him, especially with how he handled the situation with the boy Jake.

And I'm confused about the man in black. He's a villain, but he gives advice? That entire last chapter was odd and threw me through a loop. Once again, I'm hoping for more answers in the next few novels.

Overall, when it comes to me and Stephen King books, it's either a hit or a miss. This time around, I think it's more of a miss. (If you're wondering which books were hits for me, they were Bag Of Bones, The Shining, and Needful Things) I will read the rest of the series (because I can't leave it open-ended like this), and I'm hoping it'll get better from here.

Book Review: Victory Of Eagles (Temeraire #5), by Naomi Novik

Genre: Historical Fantasy
Date Published: January 2008
Publisher: Del Rey
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 352 pages/10 hours and 29 minutes

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: Naomi Novik's triumphant debut, His Majesty's Dragon, introduced a dynamic new pair of heroes to the annals of fantasy fiction: the noble fighting dragon Temeraire and his master and commander, Capt. Will Laurence. Now in the latest novel, they soar to new heights of breathtaking action and brilliant imagination.
It is a grim time for the dragon Temeraire. On the heels of his mission to Africa, seeking the cure for a deadly contagion, he has been removed from military service - and his captain, Will Laurence, has been condemned to death for treason. For Britain, conditions are grimmer still: Napoleon's resurgent forces have breached the Channel and successfully invaded English soil. Napoleon's prime objective: the occupation of London.
Separated by their own government and threatened at every turn by Napoleon's forces, Laurence and Temeraire must struggle to find each other amid the turmoil of war and to aid the resistance against the invasion before Napoleon's foothold on England's shores can become a stranglehold.
If only they can be reunited, master and dragon might rally Britain's scattered forces and take the fight to the enemy as never before - for king and country, and for their own liberty. But can the French aggressors be well and truly routed, or will a treacherous alliance deliver Britain into the hands of her would-be conquerors?

My Rating:

 ★★★★

.....For being thoroughly entertaining

My Thoughts:

I think this is one my favorite books in this series.
Once again you've just gotta love Temeraire; he's such a great protagonist whose opinions make you laugh without him intending to be funny. And now you finally get to read the story from his point of view. For the first time in the series, Naomi Novik splits the narration between Laurence and Temeraire, rather than just Laurence. And personally, I prefer Temeraire's POV. He's considerably more open-minded, while Laurence has too much a sense of duty to his country.
The plot is more fun in this novel as well. Previous installments involved a lot of travelling to distant countries, which sometimes slowed the plot down. This time, however, Temeraire and Laurence are staying quite firmly in England while Napoleon takes over London (pretty sure this never actually happened in our real history, but hey! Things change when you get dragons involved). There's a lot more action, and a lot more politics, which kept my interest for the entire novel.
I also loved Temeraire's triumphs in this book. He's finally able to make progress on establishing more rights for his fellow dragons, going so far as to create an army of unharnessed dragons to help defeat Napoleon. I think that's why I really like this book: after watching both Laurence and Temeraire lose so much, it was nice to see a bit of a win for a change.
Overall, this one was fun to read, albeit a little sad at times (I blame Laurence for that). But still a good read. Still think this is a great series, so if you haven't read it yet, go back to the first book ([book:His Majesty's Dragon|28876]) and check it out!