magic

May

17

Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, JK Rowling

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 0 comments

Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Goodreads)
Author: J.K. Rowling (website) (twitter)

Rating:

Harry Potter, along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, is about to start his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry can’t wait to get back to school after the summer holidays. (Who wouldn’t if they lived with the horrible Dursleys?) But when Harry gets to Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There’s an escaped mass murderer on the loose, and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school…

Details

Series: Harry Potter #3 of 7
Genre: Children’s fantasy
Published: Bloomsbury, 1999
Pages: 317

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Review

The Prisoner of Azkaban brings on a darker tone to Harry’s story that we see develop and grow over the rest of the series. The Dementors, in particular, lend a particularly terrifying aspect to this book and I think I might think twice before reading this one to the very small.

That said, Rowling is really coming into her own as a storyteller here and this is one of the most complex but enjoyable stories so far. There are elements that were changed a fair bit in the film adaptation, not always for the better.

Here are my thoughts from this re-read.

What I liked

Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs - the creators of the Marauder’s Map. In the interest of avoiding spoilers I won’t reveal their identities but I just love this little glimpse into the lives of previous mischief-makers at Hogwarts.
The Firebolt – Harry and Ron’s love for Quidditch really comes to the fore here as Harry takes his place as the star of the Gryffindor team. The Firebolt mysteriously appears at Christmas, and I love how everyone is in awe of it.
Professor Lupin <3 My favourite Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher! I’m so glad that Dumbledore decided he wasn’t a risk to the students and that the other teachers supported him. He’s such a lovely character, but as I was reading I just couldn’t help seeing him in my head as in the film, played by David Thewlis.

What I didn’t like so much

Dementors – so scary! I remember being chilled by them in my original read and then really terrified when I saw them in the film! Of course, they are a necessary part of the story, I just find them scary.
The scene in the Shrieking Shack – It’s been a while since I saw the film, but I didn’t remember this scene being as drawn out as it is in the book. They just all stand around and chat for a while, telling Harry the story of his parents and Pettigrew as though they weren’t about to execute their former friend. It just dropped the tension for me. Incidentally, I thought the section with Harry and Hermione using the time-turner had a lot more continuity in the film as well, even though all the same elements were there. Well done, screenplay writers!

The more I re-read in this series the more I remember why I loved it so much the first time around!

The Harry Potter series

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Published as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in USA) (1997)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)

May

02

Review: The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 5 comments

The Golem and the Jinni (Goodreads)
Author: Helene Wecker (website)
Follow @helenewecker

Rating:

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life to by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master-the husband who commissioned her-dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York harbor in 1899.

Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though he is no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free-an unbreakable band of iron around his wrist binds him to the physical world.

Overwhelmed by the incessant longing and fears of the humans around her, the cautious and tentative Chava-imbued with extraordinary physical strength-fears losing control and inflicting harm. Baptized by the tinsmith who makes him his apprentice, the handsome and capricious Ahmad-an entity of inquisitive intelligence and carefree pleasure-chafes at monotony and human dullness. Like their immigrant neighbors, the Golem and the Jinni struggle to make their way in this strange new place while masking the supernatural origins that could destroy them.

Details

Series: Stand alone
Genre: Historical and Paranormal Fantasy
Published: HarperCollins, April 23 2013
Pages: 496
My copy: the publisher via Edelweiss

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Not available on kindle • Barnes & Noble

Review

I was first attracted to The Golem and the Jinni because of the cover (see my recent Cover Lover post), but the blurb further intrigued me. It combines two genres that I love to read – historical fiction and mythological creatures.

The Golem and the Jinni is the story of two creatures of myth – a Golem created out of clay and animated with dark Kabbalist magic, and a Jinni of the Syrian desert, trapped for a thousand years in a metal oil flask. Each of them comes to America with migrants, and must try to find their way while keeping their natures secret. Luckily for them, each has a confidante in their respective ex-pat communities who helps them to integrate into society as best they can. They meet in New York at the turn of the twentieth century and each instantly recognise the otherworldliness of the other. This story is not just about their relationship, but also about the lives of those in the Jewish and Syrian ex-pat communities as well as others who call New York City home. Each has their own story of heartbreak and hope and their story threads are woven into the picture of immigrant life. It was a hard life for those who chose to leave their countries, families and all that was familiar and make a new start in a strange country, but the community banded together to help newcomers, and as long as you brought with you a willingness to work hard, things worked out just fine.

These are characters that stay with you after you’ve finished reading – the doctor who was possessed by a demon and cannot look at faces anymore, the coffee shop owner who knows all the business of her customers and oils the cogs of community life, the young heiress who cannot face the life of boredom that awaits her once she is married.

As the characters travel through the city of New York, it almost feels like the city is a character in itself. I’ve only been to NYC once for a couple of days, but I could feel the spirit of the city as I read about the Jinni walking the streets and visiting the different neighbourhoods.

Throughout the story the subject of religion is brought up at different points – from the Jinni trying to understand why these strange humans would bother believing in a ghost in the sky who grants wishes, to the agnostic Michael re-discovering the soothing sounds of his childhood in the Synagogue. This is by no means a religious story, but the different ways that religion manifests in people’s lives is explored in quite a profound way. The main feeling I took away from the story is that for many people, their faith is a constant – a comforting way to deal with everyday pressures, joys and tragedies. Thankfully, the different religious groups in NYC keep to themselves and there’s no actual religious conflict during this story.

The Golem and the Jinni has been compared to quite a few books, such as A Discovery of Witches, The Night Circus, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, but I really didn’t think it was similar to any of those. The pacing is spot on – quite comfortable for much of the story but gradually building with the tension. The romance element is very subtle, almost non-existent in fact, but still quite lovely.

Helene Wecker has created a beautiful story full of loneliness, self-discovery and magic. It is a perfect combination of folklore set in a historical setting. I found it very enjoyable and I’ll be looking out for Wecker’s future works for sure.

Warnings: Sexual situations (not graphic) but on the whole, quite squeaky clean.

What did others think of The Golem and the Jinni?

“It’s a magical tale, but the magic is not overt. It’s subtle, and lies more in the sense of wonder and creation than the fantastical.” - Let Them Read Books
“Absolutely stunning and captivating I cannot recommend the Golem and the Jinni enough.” – Kimba the Caffeinated Reviewer
“Both subtly magical, and mythical, The Golem and the Jinni excels at crafting a wide array of characters, as well as showcasing 19th century New York.” – Ageless Page Reviews

Apr

11

Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, JK Rowling

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 0 comments

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Goodreads)
Author: J.K. Rowling (website) (twitter)

Rating:

Harry, Ron and Hermione have returned to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their second year. (But Harry and Ron only just made it-they missed the Hogwarts Express and had to get there in a flying car…!) Soon the threesome are immersed in the daily round of Potions, Herbology, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Quidditch.

But then horrible things start happening. Harry hears evil voices. Sinister messages appear on the wall. But nothing can prepare the three friends for what happens next…

Details

Series: Harry Potter #2 of 7
Genre: Children’s fantasy
Published: Bloomsbury, 1998
Pages: 251

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Review

The second Harry Potter story is slightly longer than The Philosopher’s Stone, and so has room for more action. It actually takes Harry quite a while to get to Hogwarts at the start of this one, but once he’s finally there, there’s a lot to enjoy in this story.

Here are my thoughts from this re-read.

What I liked

The flying Ford Anglia. What a way to start this story – with an adventure on the way to school!
The Basilisk. An excellent baddie – for most of the book we have no idea what it is, just that it whispers things before striking and is able to petrify people. It’s the perfect mixture of creepy and intriguing! I almost feel sorry for it at the end – blinded and destroyed just for protecting its lair.
Moaning Myrtle. Poor Myrtle, forced to haunt the girls’ bathroom where she met her demise… Despite her depressing story she is quite a funny character.
Gilderoy Lockhart. Such an awesome character, he manages to charm everyone while remaining completely incompetent both as a teacher and as a wizard! I just can’t get the image of Kenneth Branagh out of my head, since he did such a great job of Lockhart in the film.

What I didn’t like so much

Harry, Ron and Hermione kept everything to themselves, even when asked expressly by Dumbledore whether there was anything Harry would like to share. At least they were actually on their way to tell a teacher when the final confrontation began, but through most of the story they insisted on finding everything out the hard way, searching through the library and poking around the castle. Of course, it would have been a much more boring story if they had actually told McGonagall or Dumbledore at the start. Perhaps it’s the adult in me being too sensible
Ginny. She’s still a squeaky little Harry fan girl in this one, barely making any appearances apart from the scene in the chamber of secrets. I’m looking forward to the more grown up kick-arse Ginny of the later books.
To be honest, I don’t have much to list under dislikes for this one. I really enjoyed re-reading it!

This one has to be my favourites of the series – an easy read but still fraught with danger and scary monsters. Bring on The Prisoner of Azkaban!

The Harry Potter series

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Published as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in USA) (1997)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)

Mar

08

Review: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, JK Rowling

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 7 comments

Title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Goodreads)
Author: J.K. Rowling (website) (twitter)

Rating:

Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That’s because he’s being raised by his miserable muggle aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he’s really a wizard, just as his parents were.

But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend Hogwarts school for witchcraft and wizardry and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright.

Details

Series: Harry Potter #1 of 7
Genre: Children’s fantasy
Published: Bloomsbury, 1997
Pages: 223

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Review

I first read the Harry Potter books some years ago (maybe… 2005?). Since then I’ve seen all the films numerous times, but I couldn’t remember much about the original book itself. It was a complete delight to discover that it was just as enchanting as I vaguely remembered it being!

There’s no way I could do The Philosopher’s Stone justice in a proper review so I’m going to split it up into the like/not like format. I’m trying to keep in mind that this is the first in a seven-book series, and that it has only 223 pages while later books are a lot longer and have much more complex plots (for example, The Order of the Phoenix paperback has 870 pages!).

What I liked

The simplicity. A few middle-grade books I’ve read recently have tried to cram everything from a very detailed world into a few pages. The Philosopher’s Stone gradually introduces the wizarding world to Harry, who has no previous inkling of its existence other than a few odd occurences. The plot is fairly basic and not too challenging, and the characters fairly dark or light in their alignment. That’s just perfect for middle-grade readers.
Hogwarts. There’s something about boarding-school books that appeals to me, even though I’m fairly sure the reality is far from glamorous. It’s something to do with living with your friends 24 hours a day, eating and sleeping all together that my inner tribal-community-self likes the idea of. Hogwarts has it all – it’s a castle, it’s full of wizards and witches learning magic and it has plenty of mysterious secrets. Did I ever tell you about the time I visited the castle at Durham and found out it had been converted into residence halls for Durham University? I was in Hogwarts-fangirl heaven!
Meeting the characters for the first time, the antagonism between the boys and Hermione at the start and the gradual bonding throughout the story is delightful. Perhaps it’s because it felt like re-uniting with old friends, but it was great to “meet” the Weasleys, Neville, Hagrid, Ron and Hermione, and of course to be introduced to Voldemort. He is certainly a very scary villain, but this is only hinted at in this first book.

What I didn’t like so much

The kids get sent off into danger. I mean, it didn’t help that Harry and co. dive into danger on numerous occasions – I’m not sure what makes them think that three eleven-year-olds are going to be able to save the school from some unknown assailant better than the staff of trained wizards and witches can, but I suppose that’s childhood bravado for you. That doesn’t excuse the fact that Dumbledore gave Harry his father’s old invisibility cloak. He was mysteriously out of the way for much of the action and yet appeared just in the nick of time to save the day. It feels like Dumbledore planned it that way all along. As someone who always thought of Dumbledore as a kindly old Gandalf-esque father figure, this rubbed me up the wrong way on this re-read.
The confusion over Snape. Through the whole book, Harry and his friends are sure that he is behind everything and yet at the end it’s someone totally unexpected Harry faces. Harry even finds out that Snape was trying to help him during the Quiddich match, but Snape doesn’t make any more appearances after the climax and we’re left wondering what that was all about. I just felt, as a couple of other Goodreads reviewers have stated, that Snape was targeted too much as the baddie and there could have been a few more hints as to who else might be involved.
Magic is very easy. I like a magic system to have consequences, to have transfer of energy of some sort. In Harry’s world you just wave your wand and say a few words and bam, someone’s dead or transfigured or the house is clean. It’s too easy. This is the one gripe I have about the way Harry’s world works.

There are plenty of critical reviews of this book and series, but basically what it boils down to is this: Despite the simple characterisation and storyline, Rowling has picked her audience very well. Even though millions of adults love it, this was meant as a children’s book and I feel it is perfect for middle-grade readers to enjoy. There is plenty of darkness in later books for children to grow into.

A very enjoyable first instalment in this longer tale. I’m looking forward to my Sprout being old enough to want to read this with me!

The Harry Potter series

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Published as Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone in USA) (1997)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)

Feb

11

Review: Bitter Greens, Kate Forsyth

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 9 comments

Title: Bitter Greens (Goodreads)
Author: Kate Forsyth (website)

Rating:

Charlotte-Rose de la Force has been banished from court by the Sun King, Louis XIV, after a series of scandalous love affairs. She is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of Bitter Greens …

After Margherita’s father steals a handful of greens—parsley, wintercress and rapunzel—from the walled garden of the courtesan, Selena Leonelli, they give up their daughter to save him from having both hands cut off.

Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1513 and still inspiring him at the time of his death, sixty-one years later. Called La Strega Bella, Selena is at the centre of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition.

Locked away in a tower, growing to womanhood, Margherita sings in the hope someone will hear her. One day, a young man does…

Three women, three lives, three stories, braided together to create a compelling story of desire, obsession, black magic, and the redemptive power of love.

Details

Series: Stand-alone
Genre: Fantasy/historical romantic fairy tale
Published: Vintage Australia, March 2012, tbp Allison & Busby in the UK, 25 February 2013.
Pages: 576

Paper copies: Amazon.co.uk (pre-order) • Book Depository (pre-order) • Booktopia (AU – available!)
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk (pre-order) • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Review

Bitter Greens is partly a heart-breaking retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale, and partly historical drama set in 17th-century France. I enjoyed every moment!

Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de la Force, a writer and great lover of the salon scene in Paris, has been banished to a convent by the Sun King, Louis XIV of France. The past twenty years of her life at court in Versailles has been filled with scandal and rumours of black magic, and during the course of Bitter Greens we hear about these stories through a series of flashbacks.

While working in the garden at the convent, Charlotte-Rose is told a story by one of the nuns. In Venice during the late 16th Century, a young girl, Margherita, is stolen from her parents by Selena (known as La Strega), a beautiful but dangerous witch. Margherita is locked in a high tower on an island and La Strega only comes to visit once a month with supplies, calling for Margherita to let down her long hair so that she may climb up. Each month, La Strega takes nine drops of blood from Margherita’s wrist and bathes in it to keep herself looking young and beautiful. Margherita longs for someone to rescue her.

The lives, loves and losses of Charlotte-Rose, Margherita and Selena are woven together in Bitter Greens. Each character, setting and emotion are described in such gorgeous detail I almost felt like I was watching a drama on TV rather than reading! I found it very compelling and found myself snatching moments to read whenever I could.

The only thing that put me off slightly at times was the way the story jumps back and forth to the different story arcs after many chapters. One moment I was happily absorbed in the story of Margherita and then was jolted back into Charlotte-Rose’s France. By the end of the book I was used to it, but at first it was a little jarring.

There have been some horrible moments in the histories of France and Venice, and some of that horror has been captured in Bitter Greens - the plagues in Venice that decimated the population, the slaughter of the reformée Huguenots in France and other, earlier persecutions.

Reading about how women were treated in times gone by makes me really grateful to those women who fought for equality during the twentieth century. Women like Charlotte-Rose and Selena did their best to survive and then make a difference in a world dominated by men. Nowadays, we modern women should never take our ability to work, vote and speak our minds for granted.

Bitter Greens is a fairy tale wrapped within a historical drama. With the character of Charlotte-Rose based on a real woman and the settings and events taken straight from history, it is obvious that a great deal of research and effort (and fun!) went into the making of this book. Well done, Ms Forsyth, you have created a masterpiece!

Interested in reading more about the creation of this book? All the Books I Can Read hosted a guest post from Kate about Vampire legends of Venice, and the author Elizabeth Storrs posted an interview with Kate on redroom.com, talking about inspiration and the art of Bitter Greens.

Warnings: Violence including towards children, graphic sexual situations (some abusive)

What did others think of Bitter Greens?

“Bitter Greens is a stunning novel. I was spell bound from beginning to end by the lush prose, magnificent characters and intriguing story.” – Book’d Out
“Forsyth demonstrates her skill as a Fantasy writer, with the storytelling every bit as enchanting as fairytales of old.” – Devoted Eclectic
“It’s the sort of novel that has so many elements that it will appeal across the board, to historical fiction fans, fantasy fans, even fans who enjoy a bit of the romance. But ultimately if you like a good story no matter what the particular genre, then this book is definitely for you!” – All The Books I Can Read

Feb

04

Review: The Water Witch, Carol Goodman

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 0 comments

Title: Water Witch (Goodreads)
Author: Carol Goodman (or her pseudonym, Juliet Dark)

Rating:

“You have only to call my name to bring me back”, he whispered, his breath hot in my ear. “You have only to love me to make me human”.

Callie McFay is the guardian of the last gateway between the world of Faerie and mankind. Seduced by a powerful incubus demon, she has succeeded in banishing Liam to the Borderlands but he still haunts her dreams, tempting her with the knowledge of how to bring him back. But loving an incubus usually ends in death for a human. For her own sake Callie must learn to control her desires and ensure Liam remains trapped for all eternity in his watery prison.

Only there is a more dangerous creature than Liam in the Borderlands. The Water Witch is also looking for a way back…

Details

Series: Fairwick Chronicles #2
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Published: Ebury Press, September 2012 (will be published February 13, 2013 in the USA by Ballantine – Random House)
Pages: 339
My Copy: The publisher via Netgalley

Paper copies: Amazon.com (pre-order) • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Please note: This review is for the second book in this series, so contains spoilers for the first book, Incubus/The Demon Lover. You may wish to go and read my review of that book instead!

Review

Note: The Water Witch was published in the US under Carol Goodman’s pseudonym, Juliet Dark.

Callie McFay is a doorkeeper – the only one who can open the last remaining door to Faerie in the woods near Fairwick. The society of witches called the Grove have decided that the door is too dangerous to remain open – it has been letting in all manner of creatures including the Incubus who attacked Callie a few months previously. They want it shut, for ever. Callie and the supernatural creatures who call Fairwick home do not agree and decide to do everything within their power to keep the door open.

US cover

Meanwhile, despite her best intentions, Callie is still desperately missing her Incubus lover, Liam. She travels to faerie and meets up with him there, but when she returns she starts having strange dreams again. Could Liam be back?

Water Witch is an enjoyable sequel to Incubus. We get to see the development of Callie’s powers, but the romantic aspects of the story that were in the forefront of Incubus are not so important in Water Witch. In fact, Callie has less actual sex with anyone and has more imaginary dream sex again. Also she falls for no less than three separate men over the course of this book. I’m starting to think Callie is… how can I put this delicately? Impressionable, perhaps?

The story is once again smart and quite funny at times. The secondary characters really develop well and bring out their interesting personalities.

One of the main problems I had with Incubus was that the story consisted of a few exciting events, interspersed with boring college life. Water Witch has none of that – in fact the entire story plays out within the space of a few weeks during the college vacation, so this book is free to contain pretty much all action. And it does!

Callie’s poor Incubus doesn’t get much of a go in this book, although there is some raunchy action early on in the story. Without giving anything away, Callie really frustrated me with her inability to see the obvious right in front of her. The second half of the story was really quite predictable and I found it a shame. Once again, we’re left on a cliffhanger so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens next!

Warnings: Graphic sexual content.

What did others think of Water Witch?

“It was an entertaining read, but very high on the cheese factor.” – The Book Stop
“I desperately wanted to know what would happen on each page. I was also hoping a heavy branch would fall on Callie’s grandmother.” – Fangs, Wands & Fairy Dust
“Callie Callie Callie… what are we going to do with you?? She seems to be a lovely girl, but someone you just want to smack upside the head for all the lousy decisions she makes!” – Book Chick City

Feb

02

Review: Besieged, Rowena Cory Daniells

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 2 comments

Title: Besieged (Goodreads)
Author: Rowena Cory Daniells (website) (twitter)

Rating:

Sorne, the estranged son of a King on the verge of madness, is being raised as a weapon to wield against the mystical Wyrds. Half a continent away, his father is planning to lay siege to the Celestial City, the home of the T En, whose wyrd blood the mundane population have come to despise.

Within the City, Imoshen, the only mystic to be raised by men, is desperately trying to hold her people together. A generations long feud between the men of the Brotherhoods and the women of the sacred Sisterhoods is about to come to a head. With war without and war within, can an entire race survive the hatred of a nation?

Details

Series: The Outcast Chronicles #1 of 3
Genre: High fantasy
Published: Solaris, June 2012
Pages: 670
My copy: For review from the Author, thanks!

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Review

It’s been a while since I read any high fantasy, since a lot of it these days tends to be quite dark and depressing. While still containing some violence and oppression, Besieged isn’t nearly as dark as other books in the genre and I found that made it all the more enjoyable a read. That, and the fact that the author lives in the same city as me. Hooray for local awesome talent!

How to describe this world? Chalcedonia and the nearby kingdoms are peopled by two races, who have lived in peace for the last several hundred years. There are the True-men, who are also called Mieren by the T’En. The other race is the T’En, also called Wyrds by the True-men. Tall and silver-haired, the T’En have violet eyes and six fingers on each hand. They also have strange abilities – while the men are physically stronger and are often gifted warriors, the women are very powerful and are able to segue to the spirit world. Some can see the future, while others are able to heal or read others emotions. All of the women can kill by separating a soul from its body, and for that they are feared.

T’En society is split into sisterhoods and brotherhoods, each with their ambitious leaders and hierarchy below. Men and women live separately, only coming together at festival times to select trysting partners. At other times, each group may take lovers from within their own sisterhood or brotherhood, or among the Malaunje – half-bloods who have the T’En characteristics but none of their power. Usually in servitude with the brotherhoods or sisterhoods, the Malaunje are despised and persecuted by the True-men. Malaunje can be born to True-men or T’En parents and no-one is quite sure why. True T’En babies are prized and carefully cared for, but all T’En babies, true blooded or not, are given up to the sisterhoods in their first year and cared for and trained until they are eighteen. The boys are then returned to their brotherhoods, while the true-blooded girls remain with the sisterhoods for further training and development of their gifts.

There are some, however, who are not happy with the control the sisterhoods and brotherhoods hold over society. All-father Rohaayel, the leader of a brotherhood, smuggles away a child to a secluded island, intent on bringing her up ignorant of the way T’En society works. Imoshen’s powerful true-blooded child would be able to challenge the leaders and bring about change.

Meanwhile, the Queen of Chalcedonia has just given birth to a half-blood Malaunje and the King is furious. Rather than destroy the child, high priest Oskane sneaks Sorne away to raise him and study the half-blood ways, to try to find a weapon that can be used against the T’En and their magic.

Those are just two of the storylines threaded together in this story – spanning a period of about thirty years, the story often jumps forward by several years between chapters. Each story arc follows the events from within the brotherhoods, the sisterhoods and from within Chalcedonia, as well as from Imoshen and Sorne’s points of view. The end result is a rich presentation of life from almost every angle – the mothers giving up their children, the wars ravaging the land, the manoeuvres for power within the T’En society and the loves, prejudices, affairs and betrayals of everyday life.

This is the first book by Rowena Cory Daniells that I’ve read, but I understand that her Last T’en series is set in the same world. I managed to catch up with the magic systems and societies without being completely in the dark, but I wonder whether the information overload at the start of the book might have been a little less overwhelming if I had read the previous series first! A glossary at the end may have helped understanding all the new terms as well.

I found the T’en societies fascinating – the way the Brotherhoods and Sisterhoods are kept separate and in fear and contempt of one another. I found it almost as fascinating that Imoshen, who was kept away all her life from the strict societal laws and expectations of the Celestial City, is able to see all of it and realise that it is wrong – that her people suffer and that there should be a better way to live. Despite all the horrors that are going on around this world, this is still a story of hope – of how just a few people can effect great change in society.

Once I got through the rather lengthy set-up early on in the book, I found all of the different story arcs to be very engaging and by the second half I found it very difficult to put down. Of course, this is only the first part in a massive trilogy so I am looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of the second book, Exile, very soon!

Warnings: Violence including towards children, sexual situations (some abusive)

The Outcast Chronicles

What did others think of Besieged?

“Besieged is a book that I think will appeal to all those fans of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.” – Ticket to Anywhere
“Fantasy adorers will consume this book. Besieged was intriguing in all aspects; it has fantastic characters and a fascinating plot.” – Book Probe Reviews
“If you enjoy stories laced with political scheming, you’ll love Besieged… In Besieged Daniells has created a rich and complex world and used it as the stage for an engrossing story.” – A Fantastical Librarian

Jan

24

Review: The Last Dragonslayer, Jasper Fforde

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 8 comments

Title: The Last Dragonslayer (Goodreads)
Author: Jasper Fforde (website)

Rating:

In the good old days, magic was indispensable—it could both save a kingdom and clear a clogged drain. But now magic is fading: drain cleaner is cheaper than a spell, and magic carpets are used for pizza delivery.

Fifteen-year-old foundling Jennifer Strange runs Kazam, an employment agency for magicians—but it’s hard to stay in business when magic is drying up. And then the visions start, predicting the death of the world’s last dragon at the hands of an unnamed Dragonslayer.

If the visions are true, everything will change for Kazam—and for Jennifer. Because something is coming. Something known as . . . Big Magic.

Details

Series: The Last Dragonslayer #1 of 3 (so far)
Genre: Middle grade fantasy
Published: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010
Pages: 283

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Review

Dragons? Sorcerers? Set in the English countryside? Everything about this book had me expecting to love it to pieces. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

Don’t get me wrong, the world Jasper Fforde has created in The Last Dragonslayer is an amazing one. Once-great sorcerers are forced to get work rewiring houses and charming moles out of gardens to pay their bills. The kingdoms of Hereford and Brecon are poised to go to war over the stretch of wilderness that will suddenly become available when the last dragon, Maltcassion, dies this coming Sunday (according to the soothsayers).

This world is an enchanting mixture of the modern world and a Potter-esque magical society, where strange beasts exist (I loved the Quarkbeast!) and magic-users must make sure to remember to fill in form B2-5C after casting minor spells. There are some very funny moments, as well as some thought-provoking ones about the state of society and the control of corporations and media.

The main problem I had while reading The Last Dragonslayer was that I had almost no attachment to the characters, and especially to Jennifer. They all carry on with their funny and silly banter, but show almost no emotion at all. Add to that the fact that the two foundlings, fifteen and thirteen years old, speak and act as though they are much older. The adult characters were all very comical and fit perfectly well into the story, but Jennifer and Tiger just seemed a little out of place and I felt the story was much less enjoyable because of that.

I couldn’t help but feel that would could have ended up as a really awe-inspiring story, didn’t quite make it because Jasper Fforde got a bit carried away with the silly. However, I’m pretty sure that that very thing will make it appealing to the middle-grade audience it’s intended for. I’m not sure I’ll continue with the series, but I’ll recommend it to my son when he’s old enough!

Warnings: Mild violence.

The Last Dragonslayer series

The Return of Shandar

(Expected September 2013)

Dec

20

Review: Incubus, Carol Goodman

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 1 comments

Title: Incubus (Goodreads) or The Demon Lover in the US
Author: Carol Goodman (or her pseudonym, Juliet Dark)

Rating:

Dr. Callie McFay travels to the small college town of Fairwick in New York State for a job interview. Despite it being her second choice she finds herself talked into accepting a job offer from the Folklore Department to teach a class on demons and vampires. She also finds herself drawn to an old house in the woods where Gothic novelist Dahlia LaMotte used to live and buys it on a whim, despite the seeming reluctance of the estate agent to sell it to her.

But on the night of her job interview, she had a very vivid erotic dream about a man made out of shadows and moonlight, and this dream becomes a regular occurrence when she moves into her new home. Callie starts to feel like a heroine in one of the gothic novels she teaches as slowly it dawns on her that things at the college – and in her home – are not what they seem. She learns that her house is supposed to be haunted by LaMotte’s former lover and her new – and rather strange – colleagues tell her an unfamiliar fairy tale about an incubus-demon with a human past who was enchanted by a fairy queen…

Details

Series: Fairwick Chronicles #1
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Published: Ebury Press, July 2011
Pages: 466

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Review

Note: Incubus was published in the US as The Demon Lover, under Carol Goodman’s pseudonym, Juliet Dark. It is called Incubus in the UK and Australia.

This is where all stories start, on the edge of a dark wood…

I started reading this book thinking it was a YA paranormal romance (perhaps based on the look of the cover?) – but from the first chapter it certainly is not! There are some quite erotic scenes all the way through, so be warned!

US Cover

Callie has had erotic dreams featuring a shadowy stranger since she was a teenager, but since coming to live in the town of Fairwick, a few hours drive from New York City, she’s been having more of them. Her supposedly haunted house is not all that it seems and the woods in the back yard are home to some strange and dangerous creatures. Then, Callie discovers there is also more to the staff and students at Fairwick College than meets the eye. Callie’s struggles now include a strange presence in her house plus fitting into supernatural society, not to mention the freezing weather.

The premise and folklore of this story are very well-designed and those who love Celtic mythology should enjoy the many references to fairies and other creatures. It reminded me somewhat of Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches in its paranormal society and academia, and the sexy parts were quite True Blood. The writing was lovely to read and contains plenty of references not just to literary classics but also to modern pop culture.

Unfortunately, the plot did not flow well. Callie seems to flit here and there, does this thing, then she does that. There are a series of exciting events that happen every now and then, but the rest is filled with rather drab day-to-day college happenings. I felt that quite a lot could have been removed without damaging the story, especially in the first half of the book. I was slightly baffled when Liam turned up, but it didn’t take me long to work out what was happening and after that the rest was quite predictable.

Callie didn’t seem like such a strong heroine and she doesn’t get much of a chance to try out her magical abilities, but I actually really liked Liam and I hope that the second book will bring more from him! I also enjoyed reading about the town of Fairwick and the staff and students of the college – the extra characters were the saving grace of this story, especially Ralph!

Despite the things I didn’t like about the story, I’ll read the second book in the series, The Water Witch – I’m very curious to find out what happens next.

Warnings: Graphic sexual content.

What did others think of Incubus?

“Steamy and nuanced, but ultimately a fairly predictable entrance into the already overcrowded paranormal romance genre.” – Kirkus Reviews
“If only it were just about the incubus, the story would’ve progressed and ended faster, but no; I was surprised toencounter a whole assortment of paranormal and magical creatures…” – 4 stars – My Library in the Making
“Such as the Gothic romances Callie references, this novel is rich in atmospheric prose and mystery. As a book lover and avid reader and hoarder of books, I can’t say how much I loved Callie’s constant references to literature and her talk of how many books she owned.” – 6/10 – All the Books I Can Read

Dec

13

Review: Touch of Power, Maria V Snyder

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 3 comments

Title: Touch of Power (Goodreads)
Author: Maria V Snyder

Rating:

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honoured for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader – an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own – is unequivocal in his demands; Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince, the leader of a campaign against her people.

As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for.

Details

Series: Healer #1
Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: Harlequin Teen, December 2011
Pages: 390

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Review

The blurb for Touch of Power sounds so awesome, and it has such glowing reviews from many trusted reviewers that I was sure I would love this book. Also, I’m a sucker for healer stories since I love to play healing characters in games whenever I can. I haven’t read any of Maria V Snyder’s other works so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I enjoyed reading it, but unfortunately, it didn’t blow me away. I’m having trouble coming up with the words to explain myself here so I’ll just break it down into what I did and didn’t like, à la Anya.

What I Liked

The magic system including herbology – There are eleven different types of magic, one of which is the healing power that Avry has. The other types are elemental magics such as fire, water or forest magic and it’s quite fascinating that there are so many permutations. There are also strange plants that kill some people while sparing others – I found the Peace/Death Lily parts fascinating and can’t wait to learn more about the plants of this world.
The storyline, past and present - The journey across the mountains to find and heal Prince Ryne has danger around every turn, and the non-stop action makes it difficult to put this book down. The history of the plague and the realms is given in just enough detail that we know what has been happening by about half way through. It would have been nice to hear a little more about what went on at the school for the young realm leaders, but we hear enough to understand the enmity between them now.
The characters in general – Avry is snarky but is very giving with her healing abilities. As the story goes on she grows into her responsibility as the last healer alive, and makes tough choices along the way. I loved Kerrick’s gang as well - they were funny and loyal. There’s not a lot to them, but they make the story very entertaining.

US Cover

What I didn’t like so much

The romance – While the romance was slow-burning, which I usually like in a story, there didn’t seem to be anything to bring Avry and Kerrick together. Kerrick spends most of the book being ice-cold and horrible to Avry, and she spends a lot of time being friends with the others but definitely not with him, no way, he’s a stone cold bastard, she hates him for sure, doesn’t she? Then at the end… well, I won’t spoil anything, but let’s say the romance didn’t do it for me. I actually felt at several points that Avry should get together with Belen instead – he seemed a much kinder and protective man!
Good/evil characters – Each of the characters were individually unique, but they were all either goodies or baddies. There was no ambiguity, they either were really nice people or just plain evil. Don’t get me wrong, I love a cold-hearted evil nasty baddie as much as the next person, but I think I like baddies to have some redeemable qualities or to think what they’re doing is the noble cause. The lack of grey areas gives the story a slightly fairy-tale feel and no-one has any deep, meaningful moments. In fact it’s all a little thin, as feelings go.
Some of the plot developments seemed odd to me. Why did Estrid just release Avry and the gang, with only Avry’s promise to return as an assurance? That seems slightly bonkers to me, especially since she originally wanted Avry to stay and heal her army. Also, killing off characters randomly – what’s with that?
Use of modern slang – Normally this doesn’t bother me since it makes the book feel more realistic (as much as a fantasy can be, anyway). In this case, I think it was the unfamiliar American slang that threw me – the innkeeper known as “Mom”, saying things are “just swell” in a sarcastic way, and others. While I know what those terms mean, they grated on my high-fantasy sensibilities a bit. I probably sound a bit stuck up saying that and it didn’t bother me that much, it was just something I noticed that bothered me a little!

Overall I did find Touch of Power an enjoyable read and I will be reading the second in this series, Scent of Magic, due for release December 18th (next week!).

Warnings: Some sexual scenes (not graphic).

Healer Series

Touch of Power

Scent of Magic

?

Taste of Death

(December 2013)

What did others think of Touch of Power?

“Touch of Power is very fast paced, and there’s action waiting behind every corner.” – 5 stars – Nina Reed
“I would strongly recommend Touch of Power to fans of fantasy with realistically strong female protagonists, and if you’re already a fan of Maria V. Snyder, don’t miss this one!” – 5 stars – Once Upon A Time
“Snyder expertly balances adventure, fantasy, drama and romance with interesting characters and a creatively imagined world for a wide audience.” – 4 stars – Book’d Out