The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan and The Forever War by Joe Haldeman

I hope you all have had a good couple of weeks!  Two again.

The Dragon Reborn  by Robert Jordan

It's official, I love this series.  This one was far more interesting because Rand isn't in it as much.  I like the interaction between the stories.  Jordan does an excellent job of making the stories intertwine.  I'm a big fan.  I don't know how I feel about Moriane or the rest of the Aes Sedai, but I think I'm happy not knowing.  Can't wait for more!

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman

This is the first military novel I've ever read other than Ender's Game and I don't technically count that book.  After working with the US Marine Corps for about a year, it was an interesting read.  They didn't explain a lot of "things military," but I was able to follow most of it.

I enjoyed this book very much.  The premise is that it's a Vietnam War story but instead of across the Pacific, the soldiers go across the universe.  It helped me understand how the soldiers felt when they got home.  The country had changed, it was hard to re-assimilate into civilian life.  

Goes in my recommend pile, but only if you understand military life.  It doesn't explain all things military so it can be confusing.

Next up is Margaret Attwood's newest book.

Hobey ho!

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The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan and The Rose and the Thorn by Michael Sullivan

Hola all,

This should just become a regular thing, reviewing two books at once.  Once again, I've got two for you.

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

I am falling pretty head over heels for this series.  This book was kind of slow for a little while but the end was very good.  The plot line for this one is pretty apparent in the title.  They go on an adventure to find the Horn of Valerie.  When this horn is blown, it announces the return of the Dragon.  I enjoyed the dilemma that Rand and the other boys go through in this book.  You can really feel how they're trying to decide who they are, but are consistently getting pulled back into fate.  The collars for the women who can touch the One Power are probably the most terrifying things I've ever read about.  I feel like escaping that particular problem was entirely too easy though.  Jordan could have done lots with that plot twist.

Can't wait to read more.

The Rose and the Thorn  by Michael Sullivan

I am so incredibly sad that for right now my adventures with Hadrian and Royce are on hold.  I love this story very much.  At the beginning of the first of this series, Mr. Sullivan says that you can read his first series, or this second series in either order.  I disagree.  It's much more fun to learn about them after I already am in love with them.  Recommend reading in published order.

In this story, we learn more about Hilfred and how he becomes Arista's personal guard.  I enjoyed learning the full story behind those two a lot.  Hadrian and Royce are learning to become a team, but Hadrian really isn't okay with the way Royce used to live his life. He seems to have accepted it a little bit, but he still hasn't fully incorporated himself into the team. 

Again, cannot recommend this author enough.  That's all from him for now, but know for sure that I will be reading the next one.

Next up is book three from Robert Jordan!!

Hobey Ho!

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Eye of the World by Robert Jordan and The Crown Tower by Michael Sullivan

What an interesting summer I've had.  Lots of good times with friends, one big trip, and lots of reading.  This post covers two books again, my apologies.

Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

This story like many other fantasy stories follows the Tolkien theme pretty closely.  An orphan who gets into trouble, goes on an adventure with a scraggly man, gets attacked by hideous beasts, finds out there's magic that controls the world, etc.  That story is found in several fantasy stories throughout the genre (e.g., The Sword of Shannara).  However, with that being said, I loved this book.  I liked the twists he took on the standard fantasy novel and I cannot wait to read more.  The fact that this book is the beginning of an epic tale means there may be some deviation from Tolkien and I cannot wait to read it.

I like the interactions between characters.  They each have their secrets; some you know, some you don't.  I think that makes for a better story sometimes.  I'm impressed. 

I highly recommend this book.

The Crown Tower by Michael Sullivan

I am so excited to read more about Hadrian and Royce.  This is the first book in a prequel story, that I can only assume is going to have several books based on the introduction, about how Riyria first met.

The story is exactly how I imagined it as they told bits and pieces in the first series, with a couple holes filled in.  Mr. Sullivan has developed these characters brilliantly for me.  I can relate to both characters almost simultaneously.

This book also talks about a supporting character from the first series, Gwen DeLancy.  It gives a little background into a character that almost defines The Heir of Novron.  

It seems as though these books were written to be either read before or after the first series, however, my suggestion is to read them after.  There are a couple bits in this book that make you chuckle as you remember the first three.

Can't wait to read more.

Next up The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

Hobey Ho!

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Heir of Novron by Michael Sullivan

Hi!

I made it to Brazil and back.  The World Cup was amazing.  There are no words to describe how great the trip was.  I met so many new friends from around the globe and bonus, I didn't kill my roommate.  

Heir of Novron by Michael Sullivan

This is the last book in the Ryria Revelations and I think it was fantastic.  This is the story of two thieves.  Really really good ones.  In the world they live in, there are elves (who are treated like the scum of the earth), dwarfs (who were forced from their homes underground and put in concentration camps), wizards, humans and goblins.  Very, scary, goblins.  The elves apparently tried to take over the world of the humans before a man named Novron came around and saved them all.  Fast forward about 3,000 years and you get to this series.  

In order to obtain power, a man named Saldur has accidentally named a farm girl, Thrace, as the heir of Novron.  The heir is supposed to unite the kingdoms and save the humans from whatever dangers they face again.  Thrace, or Modina as they call her now, was traumatized by the loss of her father in the previous book.  This is where I think Sullivan does an excellent job.  I have a psychology degree and the way he wrote how agonizingly depressed she was was amazing.  You could feel her pain.  You wished you could help her.  You felt amazing when as Amelia nursed her back into mental health.  Man, did she make a comeback though?!  That was actually awesome.  Not even gonna lie, I read that part twice.

Later on in the story, the elves start taking over the human world again. Their only hope is to find this horn.  They're not sure why but it is.  So Arista takes the "real" heir of Novron, Hadrian, Royce, Alric, Mauvin, Magnus and a few others on this journey to find it.  So much happens on that trip.  It's probably about a 250 page trip, but you cannot put it down.  I was so enthralled in this book, I found myself reading through lunches.  Spending too much time in my hotel room, while in Brazil, reading.  It was written so so well.

I am a big fan of the two main characters.  Hadrian and Royce have such a unique bond that is so hard to write but Sullivan did an excellent job.  I fell in love with Hadrian.  I know it was in the last book, but Hadrian finds Arista in the street after a huge battle.  He falls to his knees to hug her and lifts her off the ground.  That part was written so well, I think about it all the time.  Royce is such a bad ass.  I want someone like him watching out for me all the time.

I loved the end.  I truly did.  It was awesome.  I don't want to spoil it like I did with my last post.  But the end was very good.  That's all I have to say about that.

This series is really good for people looking for something different.  It's on my "recommended" shelf.

Next up is the Wheel of Time series, The Eye of the World

Hobey Ho!

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City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare **SPOILERS**

Alrighty.  In the next couple days, I'm off to see the World Cup in Brazil.  It's going to be an amazing trip full of travelling.  You know what that means?!  Lots and lots of reading time... I can't wait I'm so freaking excited.

PS.  Don't read the review unless you've read the book.  Super spoilers (sorry!).

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

So, I'm not sure I had started this blog when I began this series last summer.  Let's do a quick opinion re-cap.  I had some trouble with the first four of these books.  They seemed rather predictable and to be frank, made me squirm a little bit.  If that was the emotion that Ms. Clare was trying to get across she nailed it.  If not, then I was squirmy.  Book five, however, was on point.  The characters came alive for me (finally) in that book and I was happy with the whole story.  Very captivating and unputdownable.  

This story was just as good.  I enjoyed this book better than the rest.  The way Simon had to give up his memories of the Shadow World was incredible.  It's one thing to kill off a character, anyone can do that.  It's another thing entirely to have them alive, but can't see or communicate with them. That part of the story made my heart hurt.  It would have been fine to keep him without the memories I think.  Or to end it with his band name "The Mortal Instruments".  That would have left a nice bit of wonder in my mind.  The way she ended it was good though too.  Seems like she may come up with a story for dear Emma as well.  Looking forward to more from the Shadow World.

Also, the prayer that Magnus said to summon his father made me shudder.  Very, very creepy.

All in all, the series gets a "meh" from me.  This book, along with the previous one, however is good.  

Off to Brazil in a few days!!! Can't take the e-reader with me, that's gonna get stolen if I do.  Going to have to read the old fashioned way.

Up next, the conclusion to Michael Sullivan's Ryria Series.

Hobey Ho!

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The Waste Lands by Stephen King and Creators by Tiffany Truitt

So, before I had the chance to review The Waste Lands, I finished another book.  Whoops.  So, we've got another post with more than one book.

The Waste Lands by Stephen King

This book will probably give me nightmares for a while.  We come back to the journey of Roland and his ka-tet.  He's falling down a slippery slope of insanity due to his actions through the 3rd Door.  This book has essentially two plot-lines.  The first both Roland and Jake trying not to go insane due to their double timelines.  The second is when they meet other people along their journey towards Blaine the Mono train.

I enjoyed this book though there are some seriously screwed up parts in it.  As I've said before, I will pick up this series in between other books I'm reading.  Otherwise, I might become as screwed up as Roland.  Gets a huge "recommend" from me.

Creators by Tiffany Truitt

This book is the final chapter of the Lost Souls trilogy.  Tiffany is a good friend of mine from college and I love that she has become an author.  This series is set in a dystopian world where women can no longer survive childbirth.  The first two books took us through Tess's journey escaping the Council (their corrupted government).  The Council has genetically created a set of super-humans called chosen ones.  These chosen ones are genetically perfect (i.e.,have super human strength) and have become the soldiers of this world.

This book was fantastic.  It ended in a pretty sad way, but even though it made me sad, it was perfect.  I put this in the "highly recommend" folder.  I look forward to see what she writes next!!

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare is next.

Hobey ho!

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Finally Back! Quick Reviews

I have plenty of excuses for why I haven't posted in a while.  I moved, I started a new contract, family stuff, friend stuff.  The point is, I don't have a good one.  So I apologize for that.  

I'm going to review all the books I've read/listened to since Dangerous Women.  I want to put out a disclaimer that some people may not like my opinions of these books, but that's what they are.  My opinion.

The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson

I fell in love with this series. It was recommended to me by a co-worker and I didn't think I would like it so much.  I loved it.  The magic mechanic with allomancy, feruchemy, and hemalurgy was so well thought out.  I want to be an allomancer now.

Quick review: This is one of the best series I have read in a long time.  Check it out, you won't regret it.

The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

Ho-kay. I am going to do this quick review in chunks because I have some incredibly strong opinions about it.

1. Divergent and Insurgent

These two books were great.  I love a good dystopian series (i.e., MaddAddam, Hunger Games).  The books were structured well. Triss and Four worked so well together.  Usually in YA series, couples are very one sided.  For example, in Twilight, Edward did everything and Bella sat in the corner and whined.  In Hunger Games, the same thing but it was Katniss taking care of Peeta.  In Divergent, they worked together.  Sure they had their fights, and Triss did what she wanted, but so did Four.  They worked together to accomplish whatever mission they were up against.  

Additionally, I loved the villains. There were a couple, Four's mom, Jeanine, and the spoiler villain who shall remain nameless. The best kinds of villains are the ones that think that what they're doing is for the greater good.  Villains who are just insane and just want to have world domination or to kill everyone are no fun. 

2. Allegiant

Here it comes.  I hated this book.  The first two were on-point.  This one was terrible.  Let me tell you why.  This was the first time that the story is told jointly from both Triss's and Tobias's points of view.  That is when I should have seen the red flags.  Then, we find out that their dystopian world is actually just a human genome project and once you leave the city.  THAT'S THE POINT OF A DYSTOPIAN NOVEL!  Its a dystopia for a reason.  You always think about that plot line when you're reading this genre, but it's never the way the story goes.  It's not cool, its not neat, its lame.  It's a forced ending because the author couldn't be creative enough to finish the story.  While I'm on that note, the way she ended the story was ridiculous.  She forced it that direction.  She didn't need to do it that way, she wanted it to end that way so she forced it in that direction.  It wasn't clever, it was forced.

Phew.  That's all I'm gonna say about that.  I get very worked up about it.  #endrant

Rise of Empire by Michael Sullivan

This series is so interesting.  There were originally six books that were then merged into three.  I am very interested to see how it ends.  A Marine friend of mine deployed to Kiev, Ukraine a couple months ago (three days before the crisis began) and he gave me these books.  I enjoyed this book.  There was more character development in this one and I feel like I could really relate to each character.

I recommend for anyone who's looking for their next series.

That's it for my quick review!  

Currently reading: The Waste Lands by Stephen King

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Dangerous Women edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

Hello there!

So a little wrap up from 2013.  I read 32 books last year and pretty much loved every single one of them.  I finished books I should have read ages ago (Ender's Game) and tried some new things (The Mortal Instruments Series).  I used to follow a list of books that had about 160-something books on it pretty religiously.  I ended up missing out on books that come out that year and I actually wanted to read.  So this year, I've cut the list in half, and I'll only be referring to it when I don't know what I'll read next.  That's probably not going to happen because I have Dark Tower to read and to finish Michael Sullivan's Ryria series.  Both are good but don't need to be read consecutively in order to stay on track with the story.  Anyway, on to the real reason I started this blog.  The book review.

Dangerous Women edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozios
So this book took much longer than expected.  Firstly, I moved into a new house so I didn't have as much time as I wanted.  Secondly, the holidays tend to screw up my reading schedule.  I have to say, when I heard that Martin had another book coming out that wasn't part of The Songs of Ice and Fire series I was upset.  Clearly, he needs to be working on that and not anything else.  Obviously this is a selfish statement and I can't expect Mr. Martin to be sucked into Westeros on a daily basis, he might turn into a white walker.

That being said, I enjoyed this anthology.  Like any anthology, some of the stories are more captivating than others.  Some of my favorite authors wrote a story for this anthology (i.e. Jim Butcher).  I also discovered some new authors that I would love to try out.  For anyone who's looking for a new genre or a new author to read, check out this book, it will help you filter out the things you're looking for.

Martin himself wrote the final story in this anthology.  It is set in Westeros and is the first Dance of Dragons war.  Let me tell you, this story is long and boring for those of you who don't like reading about war games or strategy.  It's basically an entry in a history book and frankly rather dull.  It does explain, however, a very important factor that leads up to the Westeros that we all know from the Songs of Ice and Fire.  It will be interesting to see if he makes a prequel series about it.

Anyway, this book gets positive remarks from me.  Check it out!!

Next time is Mistborn: The Final Empire

Hobey ho!

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