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125075884X
| 9781250758842
| 125075884X
| 3.99
| 25,492
| Feb 02, 2021
| Dec 28, 2021
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really liked it
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https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/10... 3.5/5 stars I’ve been meaning to read this book but life happens and I forgot. Anyway, I was at the library the https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/10... 3.5/5 stars I’ve been meaning to read this book but life happens and I forgot. Anyway, I was at the library the other day and it was on the “Reader’s Choice” table so I grabbed it and read it in short order. This book is a SciFi, which some might find daunting, but it is one of the most accessible SciFi books I’ve run across in a while. Winter’s Orbit is easy to slide into. It’s warm and comfortable, like buttery popcorn while watching a Friday night movie. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need. It was extremely easy for me to get into the story being told, and feel engrossed in the characters and their trials. With some lighter world building, readers who might find SciFi daunting will probably enjoy the ease with which world-specific terms and political machinations are presented to readers. You don’t need fact sheets or diagrams in your head to grok this one. Instead of focusing so much on the world and all the details of it, Maxwell focuses on her characters, their relationship with each other, and their relationship with the world around them. Prince Kiem, a playboy and in and out of trouble, gets thrust into a marriage with newly-widowed Jainan. However, we soon learn that not everything in that previous relationship was what it was presented to be, nor was the death of his previous partner, Prince Taam. With a peace treaty between two powers on the horizon, and this marriage essential to solidifying the deal, a lot rides on the union. So of course it’s going to have problems. There were a few things that pleased me about the romance and the mystery at the center of this book. First, I need to talk about representation. There are a lot of LGBTQIA+ characters and themes in Winter’s Orbit, which delighted me. More, I enjoyed seeing these parts of the book as a natural aspect of the world rather than something that needed fanfare. Normalization like this can be a powerful thing indeed, and I think the author went about it very well. The romance itself didn’t overwhelm the plot, rather they both advanced hand in hand at a natural pace without feeling forced or overly dramatic, and maybe this is both the book’s greatest strength as well as its greatest downfall. Presented to us is a universe perched on the edge of a galactic war, and I never really felt that intensity. It was painfully easy for me to forget how dire the situation actually was. While things are happening and intrigue is present, it never really resonated with me because that aspect of the plot just wasn’t present enough to come through as much as I would have preferred. That being said, the situation was constantly changing and evolving, and the fact that Maxwell managed to keep the Big Danger both personal and ever-present without overwhelming everything else needs to be lauded. Part of what will attract people to this book is the fact that the conflict is so easy to absorb. Romance, I think, is likely why readers will pick this one up. SciFi romance is always a plus. Maxwell hits all the sweet spots on the romance (though romance readers will find the beats a bit off, which is to be expected as this is not strictly a romance book). This is a slow-burn and an arranged marriage, two tropes I tend to have a very hard time with on the get-go. Knowing that I went into this one pretty skeptical, and I was surprised by how easy it was for me to keep reading. However. So many of the issues between the protagonists could have been sorted with ten minutes of conversation. They spent so long being awkward and assuming things about each other, that by the time the relationship actually did strike off, I was filled with this really weird mix of "finally" and "seriously?". I have a real issue with miscommunication tropes because they are just so easy to avoid if people sit down and speak directly. A lot of that aspect of the book came off as "for the sake of the plot" rather than a natural evolution of the relationship, and that was unfortunate. Due to how much of the book they spend not talking or only surface-level talking, by the time they do hook up I was almost stunned by the fact that they were, in fact, attracted to each other. What I wanted were fireworks and I just didn't quite get that. The ultimate result of these two points did dramatically impact my overall enjoyment of the book as a whole. Did I like it? Yes. Will I read it again? Maybe. If there’s a time when I want to turn my brain off and just enjoy a relatively comforting, predictable read, then this is absolutely a book I will go to. However, at the end of the day, it just fell a little short of its target. Entertaining, yes, but about a half-note off on some aspects which left me feeling, overall, like this was a bit discordant. That being said, I love science fiction and I think it can be quite intimidating to new readers. This book would serve as a great entry point for those looking to explore the genre. It’s comfortable and a bit softer. The author keeps her world just built enough to really highlight the characters in it, and her direct, no-nonsense prose works in her favor to keep this from ever getting too bogged down in the minutiae. Is it worth reading? Yes, but know what you’re getting into first. This isn’t going to break the genre, but if you need something comfortable and warm, a soft blanket during a snowstorm, then pick this one up. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Oct 06, 2022
not set
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Oct 06, 2022
not set
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Oct 06, 2022
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Paperback
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1951607015
| 9781951607012
| 1951607015
| 4.23
| 7,281
| Jan 18, 2020
| Jan 18, 2020
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it was amazing
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https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/08... It seems like everyone who talks about this book says something like, “I don’t read/enjoy romance but…” And lo https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/08... It seems like everyone who talks about this book says something like, “I don’t read/enjoy romance but…” And look, I get it, we all have tastes and flavors and preferences and the like, but this book is a whole lot more than just romance, so sit back and let me tell you all the ways this one delighted me. Reign & Ruin was a pretty unexpected book. I honestly didn’t realize it won the SPFBO until like… the day I checked it out on Kindle Unlimited. I’m just so busy, I’m not really tapped into that kind of thing anymore. I saw the cover art floating around a lot, and I knew a lot of readers I respect have read and enjoyed it but I basically knew nothing else before I started reading. I like to go into books as ignorant about them as I possibly can be, and so I didn’t know what the book was about or really anything about it until I started reading. I think in a lot of ways, this was a benefit. I had no preconceived notions. (Well, I had one, but we’ll get into that shortly.) I thought the cover art was interesting and I’ve followed the author on social media and that’s about all I knew. This left the book a lot of room to captivate and surprise me, to enchant me with the story itself. Here we follow two characters. One is Naime, who is the heir to the throne of Tamar. We find her on the cusp of change. Her father, the sultan, is slowly sliding into dementia and Naime knows her future and the future of her land hangs in the balance. However, as a woman, whoever she ends up marrying will rule rather than her, and so we get a front row seat to what many women throughout history have faced: the bartering of her life for the happiness and security of others. On the opposite side is Makram, the younger brother of Sarkam’s ruler and leader of the military. Buttoned-up and somewhat aloof (at first), Makram is a character that I quickly loved. His surface is so controlled, but there’s a seething storm beneath that façade and emotional depths to him that really rounded him out nicely. Torn between family loyalty and personal obligation, Makram secretly travels to Tamar to meet with Naime. Insert political machinations here. The characterization truly shines in Reign & Ruin, which is necessary, especially when you are dealing with romantic elements. Readers need to fundamentally care about the characters involved to care about the relationship that forms. One of the first things I noticed about Evans was how well she balanced their internal and external journeys. The emotional landscape is just as vivid and carefully crafted as the external one. Weighed down by family, loyalty, and obligation, both of these characters struggle with the face they must show the world, and the people they are beneath their facades. This personal touch, the care put toward exploring all of the layers that makes someone who they are, had me instantly invested. Naime and Makram are different people at the end of the book than they were at the start. Not literally, of course, but figuratively as Evans does a magnificent job of pushing them to points where they are forced to grow and evolve past who they thought they were, straining the limits of self as they rise to the challenges they face, neither saving the other but rather complementing each other well. The ending, due to this felt extremely satisfying because I was so invested not just in their external arcs, but the emotional ones as well. I mentioned a few paragraphs up that I went into this book with one preconceived notion, and that sort of held out and sort of didn’t at the same time. Due to the cover art, I knew I was getting a court-style fantasy. I expected it to be a typical European court-style fantasy but I was quickly surprised (and delighted) to find myself in a world with realistic Middle Eastern notes. Evans fleshed out all the aspects of her creation perfectly, making sure elements worked together when necessary and added just enough friction at other points to keep things interesting. Due to situations in the book, this isn’t really a light read. It’s not something you need to brace yourself for either, but there are deeper themes at work here and these deeper themes are my playground. This is where I was happiest. One such theme is balance, and it reverberates throughout the book, impacting everything from the magic to the politics, to the characters themselves (as well as giving the book a really interesting yet subtle play between past and present). Along with that, Evans touches on dementia, PTSD, bigotry, misogyny, and more. Don’t misunderstand me: this book is not what I’d consider to be dark, but it was unexpectedly heavy in some regards and I loved the caring, poignant way Evans fearlessly explored some of these deeper, more difficult themes. Naime is not a woman who needs to be rescued, and Makram knows that, which is part of what made their romance so delightful. By the time the book gets to that point, it felt more like a natural evolution of two people rather than anything else. I absolutely adored how Evans stayed true to both characters and their strong personalities. While romance was had, it wasn’t always easy. The author knew how to build atmosphere with carefully chosen words and descriptions, and while that impacted the book throughout, I really felt it keenly in what develops between our two protagonists. Focusing primarily on the romance really isn’t being fair to all the other aspects of the book. Yes, this is a romance, but it’s so much more than that as well. This is a tale about lives becoming entwined as people desperately try to do the right thing for them and those they care about, about risks and rewards, and yes, balance. It’s a story with a whole lot of soul, and high stakes. The action happens mostly with intrigue and relationships, whether romantic, familial, or otherwise. The world is vividly crafted with meticulous attention to detail and the characters are so real, they breathe on and off the page. Yes, here be romance. But here also is transformation, the evolution of individuals as they break the ties that bind them and become who they are meant to be, and it ended in such a way that left me eager to read more. Reign & Ruin ultimately is a human story with a vivid emotional landscape matched only by the politics and turmoil the characters navigate. Evans holds nothing back, but neither does she glorify in pain and darkness. As in all things, this book is an exploration of balance, and it is in the careful execution of this amazing tale where Evans truly shines. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 21, 2022
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Aug 22, 2022
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Aug 21, 2022
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Paperback
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1250810183
| 9781250810182
| 1250810183
| 3.63
| 46,644
| Aug 02, 2022
| Aug 02, 2022
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it was amazing
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https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/08... Somehow, I managed to nab an arc of this book about a hundred years ago. I read the entire thing in two days, https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/08... Somehow, I managed to nab an arc of this book about a hundred years ago. I read the entire thing in two days, and then I went online to gush about how amazing it was and realized the book didn’t publish for months yet. So, I sat on all my thoughts. I recently realized the book published and I’d forgotten to gush about how much I loved it (I’ve been so busy it’s ridiculous), so here I am. Better late than never, right? I don’t even really know where to start with this one, which is surreal because books are my livelihood and I always seem to know what to say about them. This one, though, crosses a lot of streams, all of which I love, and it left me with so many thoughts. How do you discuss a book that defies explanation? Basically, living on the fringes of UK society is a secret group of people known as book eaters. They consume books for food, and then retain the knowledge they gain by eating said books. This subset of society is dwindling, and Dean shows how they’ve survived. It’s a secret society wherein women are bound by strict rules, obligations, and marriage contracts. Devon Fairweather is the only daughter of an ancient clan. When her firstborn daughter is seized and she gives birth to a son, who is a mind eater (an even darker subset of book eaters), she sees the writing on the wall and goes on the run with her son, Cai. However, her search for freedom is not all it is cut out to be, and soon Devon finds herself mired in a situation where the cost for freedom might be too high, and the promise of of it might not be all she’s anticipating. While she and her son try to live among the humans, Devon is forced to do ever darker things to survive. There’s a whole lot of soul searching in this book, and crossroads where decisions must be made, and no matter which way you go, it’s going to hurt. The thematic threads in The Book Eaters highly appealed to me. The cost of freedom, the battle to liberate oneself from an extremely restrictive upbringing, and the relationship between choices and consequences are the lifeblood that run through this book. Explored in many different ways, these themes give the book a soul that is undeniable and unavoidable. Not only are we reading a story that is entertaining and engrossing, but we’re exploring fundamental parts of the human experience, made even more dramatic through the world Dean has created. Told in alternating bursts between the past and the present, Dean uses a distinct narrative style to show how past choices impact present decisions with some delicious and delicate layering that added so much dimension to the story without ever being overwhelming. I loved the choices Dean made in how she wrote this book. She didn’t just want to tell a story, but she made fundamental decisions in how she told the story that made the story itself that much better. This is what I mean when I tell authors they need to make narrative decisions. Don’t just fall into the plot, but make a distinct choice in how you navigate your book’s terrain, because as Dean shows, those decisions can push your story to a whole new level. Showing the impact and relationship between past and present as a narrative style was nothing short of inspirational. Devon is an amazing character to follow, and watching her change and grow throughout the book is that much more dramatic due to the interplay between past and present. This is the artistry of character development, and the subtle grace of character-as-plot. It was… magnificent. Here, we don’t just see a woman pushed to her limit and left to flounder, but we understand what pushed her and we see the results of all that pushing. Dean takes us on a subtle emotional exploration as Devon descends into disillusionment and then her fight for both her and her son’s freedom. We witness the transformation of self through both choice and pressure. It was profound and captivating, and done with such a delicate hand, but with such purposeful intent. Perhaps my favorite aspect of this book, however, is the atmosphere. Gothic horror is something I love, but I read very little of because I think it’s hard to get right. I wouldn’t call this horror, per se, but I would absolutely call it gothic, and Dean knows exactly when to make those gothic notes sing, and when to pull back and let implication reign. This isn’t a light book, so I would advise readers who enjoy more uh… happier and jovial tales to probably be aware. Go into it with the right mindset. This one will make you hurt, and it will make you uncomfortable, but sometimes that’s the point. And oh, that atmosphere. It truly does reign, filling each page until Devon’s world, her story, were more real than real, and I couldn’t tell where the book ended and I began. All of this works together to create a nearly flawless story that explores themes that profoundly resonated. I loved how Dean dove into aspects of self, motherhood, love, and control. Ultimately, as someone who edits full-time, reads a whole lot, and writes my own books, the thematic exploration of how stories can shape our minds and even our realities was hit my soul just right, and resonated with me in a way that very few things have thus far. The Book Eaters was an absolutely brilliant debut. Stunningly written and crafted with such purpose and intent, it truly shines. This book deserves every bit of praise it is receiving and more. I don’t know what Sunyi Dean has in store for her literary future, but I recognize a star when I see one. This is an author to watch. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 16, 2022
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Aug 16, 2022
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Aug 16, 2022
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Hardcover
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4.26
| 1,372
| Dec 02, 2022
| Jul 2022
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it was amazing
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This is, hands down, one of the best books I've read all year. I mean, it is SO FREAKING GOOD I CANNOT EVEN. Working on it was an absolute honor. One o This is, hands down, one of the best books I've read all year. I mean, it is SO FREAKING GOOD I CANNOT EVEN. Working on it was an absolute honor. One of those books that just reminded me why I do what I do for a living. Really cut all the way into my soul and planted itself there. I will write a full review a little closer to publication. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 06, 2022
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Jul 06, 2022
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Jul 06, 2022
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Kindle Edition
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0593237633
| 9780593237632
| 0593237633
| 4.07
| 4,826
| Aug 09, 2022
| Aug 09, 2022
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it was amazing
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https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/07... Ah, this year has been a thing that’s happened. I’m going to try to get in the habit of writing at least one r https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/07... Ah, this year has been a thing that’s happened. I’m going to try to get in the habit of writing at least one review a week from now on, but I’ve been extremely busy and I just haven’t had time. So, here I am. Now, before I actually start the review, I need to be a bit honest about my relationship with this series. I’m actually editing these books. I did not edit this specific book, but I am editing books two (I’m almost done with it now and it’s un-freaking-believable) and three. Before I could work on book two, I had to read book one so very early on, Wesley Chu emailed me an early draft of The Art of Prophecy, and that’s what I’m going to be reviewing here. The Art of Prophecy was a book I knew less than nothing about before I started reading. I enjoy going into books ignorant. I read so much (and edit so much) that unless I do, I end up predicting most of the story before I even start to read, which diminishes my enjoyment. So, not knowing what this was about was really a benefit. Soon, it became obvious that this was a book unlike any other. Here, we are introduced to Jian, the “chosen one” but instantly you’ll realize that this particular chosen one isn’t like any of the chosen ones you’ve probably come across in fantasy. Jian, the Champion of the Five Under Heaven, lives a lavish life where he is granted his every wish and has a bevy of servants and teachers whose job is to hang on his every whim and only challenge him just enough. Taishi (one of my favorite characters ever, full stop) arrives to evaluate Jian’s training and realizes that he’s woefully underprepared for what he is to face. Taishi sets about changing Jian’s life, his training, his… everything. As you can imagine, there are growing pains as Jian and Taishi seem to rub each other wrong for a good chunk of the book, but Taishi is determined, and her stubborn nature and fundamental belief in her task, and in Jian, keeps her going when most everyone else would have probably given up. (I also really love her wry wit, which tends to lift a scene exactly when it needs it most.) Jian, however, is a character I wanted to hate but ended up loving almost instantly. He starts out the book spoiled, yes, but Chu works him in such a way that even his haughty nature is endearing, and when his life starts changing, his confusion and turmoil is genuine and heartfelt. The transformation he undergoes might be the most obvious in the book, but I’d venture to say The Art of Prophecy is, at its core, about people challenging the roles that have been thrust on them and while Jian might be the most obvious in that, he is far from the only one undergoing fundamental change. Mixed into this is the Grass Sea, which is some of the most intense, incredible worldbuilding I’ve ever seen. Harkening unto elements of the Great Khan and reincarnation, it’s easy to see where some of the cultural and mythological backdrop was inspired from. Chu, however, makes it his own, transforming it in a way that could only exist in his mind, in these books. The Grass Sea, quite honestly, really does it for me. Here is where Chu flexed his creative muscle. You’ve got creatures the likes of which you’ve never seen before, cities, technology, cultural elements that frankly worked out so well, and in such unexpected ways, they kind of blew my mind. Sali, our point of view character in the Grass Sea, is fantastic. With a very “takes-no-shit” attitude, Sali has a way with walking into a room and just owning it (she also has one of the coolest weapons I’ve ever read in fantasy). Sali is one of those characters I could sink into so easily, and yet while she has a hard edge and she’s prone to uh… hurting people who cross her, she has a spine crafted of loyalty and love to her people and those she cares about. She has her own moral core, and her raw humanity is what makes the Grass Sea, this incredible, strange place that Chu created, so intensely captivating and immersive. Qisami is a character I almost hesitate to say too much about because half the fun with her is the introduction. Suffice it to say, she’s a fantastic character, well-placed to show some other aspects of society readers won’t really pick up on in the other threads quite as clearly. She has an extremely unique voice, and a dry sarcasm that speaks to my soul and her arc in the second book is one of my absolute favorites. Lushly written, Qisami is the knife hidden in the pages of this story, and she slices whatever she touches. She is positively brilliant. Now, the fighting. I’m not big on fighting, battles, weapons, etc. I can edit that stuff all day, every day but on a personal level, I tend to disengage. Imagine my surprise when the fighting, training, and weapons ended up being some of my favorite parts of the book. Honestly, the fact that I loved the fighting so much was probably the most shocking aspect of this book for me. I went into this book thinking, “the fighting will be cool but I probably won’t care about it as much as the other parts of the story” and now I’m at the point where I crave these battle scenes, these moments of training, these stunning shows of martial prowess. It’s hard for me to really explain why the fighting in this book works so well. Part of it is down to description. Chu knows exactly when to lean into a scene, and exactly when to pull out and let the reader fill in the gaps. He gives the reader enough information to be able to “see” all the parts of the battle and understand it without ever going overboard with too much information (which can be overwhelming), or not enough information (which can be confusing). He strikes a happy middle ground, giving enough to pull even those who don’t have a clue (me) effortlessly through the scene without losing any of the chaos and frenzy that make fights so compelling. More, these fights are pure magic and artistry, a choreographed dance and it’s absolutely stunning to behold. There are some moments where the silver screen unfurls in my mind and I can actually see it like I’m watching a movie. Sometimes it gets so acute when I’m editing, I get full-body goosebumps and have to pull away for a few minutes to catch my breath. These books would look incredible on a screen. Incredible. When they get optioned for television/film, I reserve the right to say, “I told you so.” Now, I don’t know if I can really explain what a big deal this is. Other editors might be nodding along if they read this paragraph, but one of the biggest issues I run across when I edit fantasy is muddy battle scenes, and that’s probably why I sort of just turn off and mentally disengage when I read them now. Battle scenes take forever to edit, because there are so many pieces of them and so many ways to lose the clarity and intensity in a scene. A lot of writers get a bit lost in the details and as an editor, picking apart all the threads that create the knot that is an action scene can be… hard. But I never had an issue with any of that with Chu’s scenes, more, he managed to infuse them with magic and wonder that, while never losing track of what the scene actually is, turned it into something almost transcendent. It’s a physical battle, yes, but each of these characters is engaging in a similar internal battle as well, and Chu operates effortlessly on both planes. I tell a lot of my authors to remember “You have five senses and your characters do too. The more senses you engage in a scene, the more real it will be to your reader.” That’s another thing Chu excels at, and it’s part of what makes this book shine so bright. He engages all of the reader’s senses, and it makes this strange, dynamic, complex, vibrant world he’s crafted feel more real than real. This realism trickles through everything, from the characters to the plot itself. I genuinely cared, because Chu thrusts his readers into a world that is just as real and dynamic as their own, and engages all of their senses in so doing. I am invested in Taishi, Jian, Qisami, and Sali, because they are so real to me, and so is the world they live in. Perhaps my favorite part of the book lies in the core of the story told: the growth of the characters. At its heart, this is the kind of story I really, really enjoy. It’s about people thrust into certain roles and archetypes, and then defying them, outgrowing them, pushing themselves past the limits they’ve had imposed upon them. As events get rolling, everyone grows and changes. Everyone challenges the structure and norms of the life they’ve been living. I’d dare say, this is a coming of age story that spans all age groups. At the end of the book, no one is who they were at the start, and it’s that journey that Chu portrays so incredibly well. He not only created this dynamic, vibrant world but he filled it full of people who are messily growing and pushing beyond the roles they’ve been thrust into. Perhaps Jian’s evolution is the most obvious, but Sali, Qisami, and Taishi are powerful characters, whose growth throughout the book is masterfully worked and impressively executed. So, where does that leave us? The Art of Prophecy blew my mind. Every part of this book impressed me, from the worldbuilding to the character dynamics, to the fight scenes and the weapons (Reader, I think I fell in love with Sali’s weapon of choice. I’ll let you read the book to find out what it is, but it is the coolest weapon I’ve ever read in my life and I want one really, really bad). This is the kind of book that shows you what fantasy is capable of when written by an author who is a master of his craft. I cannot wait for you to read it and love it as much as I did. 5/5 stars ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 02, 2022
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Jun 02, 2022
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Jun 02, 2022
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Hardcover
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3.73
| 40,107
| Aug 03, 2021
| Aug 03, 2021
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really liked it
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https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/05... I am an editor. The main genre I edit is fantasy. What you may or may not know, is that the second genre I mai https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/05... I am an editor. The main genre I edit is fantasy. What you may or may not know, is that the second genre I mainly edit happens to be erotica. Don’t ask me how that happened, it just did. Now, I don’t read erotica. It doesn’t really appeal to me as a genre, and I generally struggle with it. That might be why I’m good at editing it: I don’t get distracted by the sex. Anyway, I like to know what’s going on in the genres I edit, so when I have an erotica novel coming down the pipe at me, and I know generally what it’s about beforehand, I typically try to find a popular book or two on Kindle Unlimited to read so I can sort of educate myself about what’s working in the genre regarding this particular trope, and what to watch out for as I edit. Which is how I found myself reading Morning Glory Milking Farm. I had an erotica coming down the pipe. It had a certain trope. I went on KU to see if I could find anything somewhere in the same neighborhood as what I was about to edit and uh… yeah. There I was, reading a book about a bunch of minotaurs getting milked at Morning Glory Milking Farm on their lunch breaks, after work, before work, etc. Their spunk is then used for medicine, and they get compensated for their time. Love happens, and there’s a happily ever after. It’s an erotica, so there’s graphic content and plenty of equally graphic details, dirty talk, etc. is all present. Why am I writing a review about this book? I got into a conversation today with one of my (epic fantasy) authors. I made a snarky comment on someone’s Facebook post and a second later a message popped up, “I saw your comment on (insert person here’s) post. Have you read Morning Glory Milking Farm? It’s an erotica but also a satire on modern ills like crushing student debt, healthcare, and etc.” And you know what? It is. The book, when you get down to it, is pretty genius, as it does somehow manage to tackle a lot of complex issues in a way that never strays from lighthearted. And there are graphic scenes on nearly every page (I mean, she works on a farm where dudes get strapped to tables and… yeah) to keep those who enjoy that kind of thing hooked. I guess the main reason I’m writing this review is to showcase how sometimes you can find really unexpected treats in seriously unpredictable places if you stray out of your comfort zone a bit. Satire is an art, and it can be hard for people to nail it down. Terry Pratchett was, in my estimation, one of the greats when it came to satire and the ability to poke holes in serious issues without being extremely offensive about it. As he famously said, “Satire is meant to ridicule power. If you are laughing at people who are hurting, it’s not satire, it’s bullying.” That’s the line that people often cross, sometimes without meaning to. It’s hard to pin down, and with such minefields as social media around, it’s harder and harder to be able to say anything about any topic without offending someone, somehow, even unintentionally. An author who can manage that is skilled indeed. And maybe that’s what surprised me most about this book. It’s smutty and graphic in all the ways readers of erotica want, with a bad-mouthed, hard-working minotaur love interest who is coming out of a divorce and a woman who is working at a milking farm for said minotaurs to make ends meet. There are moments throughout the book which were flat-out funny. Training new employees on how to uh… do their job, for one (I could almost feel how awkward that entire situation was, which was fantastic). And then there were some interesting requests by some of the clientele which kept things uh… quirky. The interest between Violent and Rourke is slow at first, but soon their attraction is evident, and all the right romance/erotica beats are hit at the right points in the story. All of that is as it should be for an erotica book. Where the author takes this erotica and elevates it a bit is all the other details she wove in there so effortlessly. Rarely have a I seen a world in erotica built this well. Here, humans and other species you hear about in urban fantasy or paranormal books live side-by-side, are friends, have neighborhood block parties. From minotaurs to vampires, you’ll find a lot of beasties and creatures in this book, all of whom coexist peacefully, living their lives as best they can. It’s all so… normal. There are no show-stopping sexpots in this book (Or maybe I’m just not attracted enough to men in general to notice. A distinct possibility.). In fact, the mundanity, the normalcy, the shocking amount of “this is just the way this world works” was a factor of the story that kept it well-rooted and easy to relate to. Entertaining, even. I wasn’t so much reading about this other world, as I was reading about a world I fundamentally related to, because aside from the fantasy creatures sprinkled throughout it, it’s essentially the world I live in. Perhaps it was the “other” of nearly everyone in this fantasy-esque modern world that made the common problems they all faced stand out more, and perhaps that is why this book worked so well. The erotic factors were so perfectly balanced with this fascinating worldbuilding where not a detail was overlooked. More, the issues that the satire worked so well with—the crushing student debt, the need for healthcare, the cost of living—were covered in such a way that the fundamental humanity of all those facing these issues leveled the paranormal playing field. It’s hard to talk about these issues, especially now, when they seem to polarize everyone so quickly, yet somehow Nacosta managed it. It’s more than just adding romance and sex to the plot, though. I was truly fascinated by the worldbuilding, by the details, by how the author managed to take a book that was lighthearted and fun, never lose that lighthearted, fun aspect of it. Yet still manage to talk about real world issues that dramatically impact people’s lives and the decisions they make. I wish I could say something about Nacosta’s signature wit or something clever like that, but the truth is, I have no idea who this author is or what they have written aside from this book. I stumbled upon this on accident when I was doing some “homework” reading before an edit job landed on my desk, and this one fit the bill. I read picked it randomly and read it in one sitting, staying up far too late to finish the story. It’s erotica at its core. Minotaur men get strapped to tables and… yeah. So yes, there is graphic content. There is dirty talk. Fluid is both a noun and a verb in this one. Nothing is glossed over. But that wasn’t what kept me rooted to my chair. What kept me turning pages was the substance, the snark, the wry, witty humor, the Pratchett-like satire, the flawless writing, the detail-laden worldbuilding. How unexpected the entire book really was. Admittedly, I’m not a big erotica reader, but this one came out of left field and delighted me in a way no erotica book ever has before. The last thing I expected was to read a book about milking minotaur men and leave it thinking about how healthcare and tuition costs impact things like job performance. So, uh… yeah. I’ve been running this website for twelve years, and now I’ve written my first erotica review. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 09, 2022
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May 09, 2022
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May 09, 2022
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Paperback
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1250245281
| 9781250245281
| 1250245281
| 4.34
| 58,885
| Sep 07, 2021
| Sep 14, 2021
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None
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Notes are private!
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2
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Mar 23, 2023
Apr 28, 2022
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May 05, 2023
Jun 19, 2022
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Apr 28, 2022
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Hardcover
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0578879239
| 9780578879239
| 0578879239
| 4.20
| 1,176
| Apr 21, 2021
| Apr 16, 2021
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it was amazing
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https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/04... Idols Fall is the conclusion of the Iconoclasts series, which has truly become one of my favorite fantasy seri https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/04... Idols Fall is the conclusion of the Iconoclasts series, which has truly become one of my favorite fantasy series out there. This book starts out with a bang and doesn’t really let up until the very end. Here, you see the true majesty of the series in its entirety. Before going further, I will say to avoid spoilers, I’ll be pretty vague about specifics in this review. You do need to read the previous two books before you read this one, but they are all amazing so that news should really excite you more than anything else. Part of the reason I have put off writing this review is because I don’t really know what to say. Sometimes you read a book, a series, that just wows you so much you’re left speechless. It took me a while to process the book, the series. Took me even longer to really grasp how much I enjoyed it. Idols Fall really is the culmination of a sprawling masterpiece. The series itself took me places I didn’t expect, in just about every respect. What truly amazed me about the conclusion, however, was how many threads Shel managed to weave together, aspects of the plot that I didn’t even really realize needed a conclusion until Shel neatly braided them into the plot. Small details I noticed in passing in previous books ended up being huge, fundamental points of the plot. I had a lot of “Ah ha!” moments while reading this one. I didn’t expect that kind of subversion, and I quickly realized that’s what I loved most about the book, about the series as a whole. Shel has managed to take nearly every fantasy trope and spin it so it was completely his own thing. He did this so masterfully, I didn’t even realize it was happening until I stopped reading and thought about the story itself, and all the elements of it. Shel is busy subverting throughout the series, but it really shows here in Idols Fall, and the book is so powerful for it. I have never thought Shel’s writing anything but the best. He’s got tight prose, a knack for knowing when to lean into poetic description and when to use words like a hammer. His fight scenes are… I mean, amazing. I really struggle with fight scenes, both in editing and in writing. I have a hard time processing them if there’s too much battle-specific lingo. It sort of feels like I’m reading a math equation after a certain point. Shel’s fight scenes, his tense moments, the character arcs that require inner battles as well as outer, are all done with such poise, such mastery, it really blew me away. In fact, I’ve had a few edits since I’ve read this series, where the authors struggle with this sort of thing, and I’ve recommended all of them a few books to read for a good example of technique. I’m more of a character reader than anything else, so let me focus on that for a minute. Throughout this trilogy, we’ve followed characters who have spanned the gamut of the human condition. Ultimately, I think Shel’s characters are absolutely amazing. The way he’s managed to make them so real, and yet balanced their development with the plot itself makes this one of those Goldilocks Zone series that will appeal to plot-based readers and character-based readers alike. However, it’s the characters that really made the plot matter to me. Their struggles, emotional landscapes, the way they had to make impossible decisions, and then push, push, push through the fallout. Here, in Idols Fall, we have the culmination of a long, fraught arc. Shel doesn’t shy away from showing both the emotional highs and lows of his characters. With a careful hand, he addresses pain, but there’s also moments of levity. What I enjoyed most, though, was seeing how much the characters evolved over three books. Somewhere in this journey, they stopped being random characters and turned into people I knew, worried about, and cared for. Throughout this series, Shel has unashamedly pushed his characters to the breaking point, and then let them break. Some of them pick up the pieces, some don’t. None of them are who they were in the first book. Everyone changes, evolves, and it’s these evolutions, sometimes subtle and sometimes overt, that really put the characters over the top for me. Just as dramatic as the plot themselves, Shel doesn’t overlook anything in their construction. The balance between character development and plot was nothing short of masterful. I have a really hard time finishing series, to be honest with you. Even when I edit, if I like the book I’m working on a lot, I will honestly delay editing it until I absolutely cannot delay it anymore. Why? I don’t want it to end. I’m the same way when I read. I have a really, really hard time driving myself toward “the end” because “the end” is almost physically painful. I don’t want it to end. I don’t want to leave these people behind, and I certainly don’t want to stop exploring this world, which is so rife with conflict, darkness and light. I felt that keenly with Iconoclasts. I just did not want it to end, and now that it has, I’m overjoyed that I read it, and also a little sad that I’ll never get that “first read” experience back again. The fact of the matter is, this is less a review of a book and more a review of a series. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I read this. I saw a lot of my friends reading these books and raving about them, but I just wasn’t sure. I decided to take a chance, and I think that’s one of the best decisions reader-me has made. Shel is an incredible author who knows how to tell a story, subvert tropes, layer in absolutely unforgettable atmosphere, and play tension like a fiddle. I don’t really know what to say other than that. Idols Fall was the culmination of a journey that took me through some extreme highs and some unforgettable lows. Shel gave the world a gift with this series. If you’re a fantasy reader, do yourself a favor and read these books. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 26, 2022
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Apr 26, 2022
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Apr 26, 2022
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Paperback
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B09R9FSZB5
| 4.09
| 253,098
| Feb 22, 2022
| Feb 22, 2022
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it was amazing
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https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/03... Recently, I needed something… different. Something a bit lighter. Something that gave me hope in humanity. My https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/03... Recently, I needed something… different. Something a bit lighter. Something that gave me hope in humanity. My kids were sick, and then sick again. I’ve got people trapped in a war zone in Ukraine. My mother has cancer. So yeah, I needed something lighter. Something a bit different. A warm hug, as opposed to my usual. I was settling in for some “me” time one night (“Me time” involves either a true crime podcasts or a book). I wasn’t in the mood to hear about murders, so I opened up my audible app, and started scrolling through the hundreds of books I have in an attempt to find something that was more comfort, less brutality. I happened upon this book, which I’d apparently picked up at some point and promptly forgot about (sorry). I thought, “Yeah, this feels right…” and downloaded it. Legends and Lattes isn’t a long book, but you’ll kind of wish it was. You won’t want it to end. It’s not huge, pulse-pounding, or incredibly intense. Here, you have a gentle little thing. The audiobook is about six hours long, give or take a bit, and it’s narrated by the author, who happens to be a well-known voice actor. It was the easiest thing in the world to turn this on and listen while I did my art stuff and unplugged from the day. So, if you’re an audiobook fan, this one is worth adding to your collection. This book is a bit different, in that it’s low stakes—“cozy fantasy”—which the author says up front. Here, we follow the story of Viv, who has spent her life adventuring. Viv, however, is sick of all the get-up-and-go, the worrying, the life so she retires and decides to follow her dream and open a coffee shop. And basically, that’s the story. From top to bottom: a day in the life of a small business owner. There it is, only it’s so much more than that too. Viv is a fantastic character to follow. Her voice is unique, as is her perspective of the world, and her dogged determination is really something to behold. Here, you’ll follow her story as she opens up a coffee shop, and all the ups and downs that entails. Soon, Viv finds herself converting an abandoned livery into a café, along with friends she meets along the way. The banter was fantastic and kept the book light and seriously engaging. This lifestyle change, however, is a pretty big deal. Dare we say, a reinvention. Going from an adventuring life to this new stable, business-owner life is quite a swing, and Viv has a few growing pains that Baldree handles with a delicate touch. While Viv might not completely believe in herself, she believes in her idea, and for a while, it’s that belief in that specific idea that really keeps her going and pushes her ever forward. However, it’s not hard to see that there’s something about Viv that is just special, and I say that both in reference to how she’s written, and also because she’s a character who really stood out to me. It’s Viv’s personality, the fact that she seems to shine no matter where she is or what she’s doing, that attracts people to her. Soon, she’s got friends, and there’s a whole crew of secondary characters who flow in and out of the book. She gathers around herself a little ocean of people, and starts developing a support system, and dare I say it, a found family of sorts. Maybe it was the normalcy that I loved most about this book, as it’s not something I see a lot in fantasy. In Legends and Lattes, fantasy creatures are everywhere, from orcs to a succubus, you’ll recognize each of these trope-laden creations in this book but what makes them special is how mundane they are written (and thus, Baldree subverts the tropes). Yes, they are fantasy characters and magic is a thing… but Viv is an orc opening a coffee shop which she plans to run in her retirement. One of her friends is a succubus who feels bogged down by her history. I just can’t remember the last time I read a book where these extraordinary characters were given such ordinary concerns and reader, you have absolutely no idea how much I loved that aspect of this book. It’s this mundanity, this fundamentally grounded spin on a secondary fantasy world that really makes this book glow, because I related to every part of it. Someone I know could fit each character role in this book. They are so extraordinary ordinary, which allowed me to connect with the story in a way that I usually don’t. Yes, there are some wrinkles in the book as things unfold, and yes, there are some (low-stakes) complications to navigate, but it never steps away from being what it is at heart: cozy. That coziness is just magnified by how relatable the characters are. No matter how fantasy this fantasy is, at the core of it, this might be the most “human” book I’ve read in a very, very long time. Reader, there was kindness in this story, and my soul really needed that. So, as you can see, I loved Legends and Lattes and I have literally nothing bad to say about it. It’s exactly what I needed, and exactly what I wanted. This is a warm hug on a cold day. Written with care and attention, Baldree’s delicate touch and vibrant characters make this story shine. More, I think this is what the world needs right now. Books have their own kind of magic. Legends and Lattes was positively enchanting. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 30, 2022
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Mar 30, 2022
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Mar 30, 2022
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Kindle Edition
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unknown
| 4.29
| 547
| May 03, 2022
| May 03, 2022
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it was amazing
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https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/05... This is the fourth book I’ve edited by Rob Hayes, and while I’ve enjoyed all of them, this has to be my favori https://www.bookwormblues.net/2022/05... This is the fourth book I’ve edited by Rob Hayes, and while I’ve enjoyed all of them, this has to be my favorite so far. Here, we have the same old Eska, but she’s different as well. Time has passed, and Eska is older and wiser. She’s still grumpy, sarcastic, abrasive, but she’s also matured a bit like a finely-aged wine. The Eska in Sins of the Mother is not the Eska you’ll remember from previous books. I mean, she is, but she’s not at the same time. Hayes took great care developing his character, and this is really where the book shines. Eska’s characterization is nothing short of perfection. She’s older, and time has tempered a lot of her brashness, but she’s also got this edge of emotional vulnerability throughout the novel that really nailed it for me. Here, you see Eska’s brash actions, but Hayes lifts the curtain a bit, and shows us the vulnerable woman haunted by past decisions and deeds, and how that has impacted her over the years. Eska has turned into a bit of mythology in the decade she’s been away, and the struggle between who people think she is and who she actually is fills a lot of her personal arc and thrusts her into no small amount of emotional turmoil. I loved this aspect of Eska, and Hayes knew just how to lean into it, how to make it sing without hitting it too hard. This is just one example of what he does so well. I was blown away by how complex this new, older Eska is. Her voice remains true to who she is, and who she has always been, but there’s… more to her now. And so much of what she experiences, what she thinks and feels, were things I profoundly related to. It was nothing short of breathtaking, how he took a character I already loved so much and somehow pushed her over the top and made her even better. I said no few times when editing this book, that Rob Hayes could teach a masterclass on characterization based on Eska in Sins of the Mother, and I stand by that. She was… brilliant. More, though, you’ll see some familiar faces. Old friends return, and they are all a bit different as well. Time has passed, and it’s left is mark on everyone. The care Hayes took with developing each of his characters, determining how that time would change them, especially after what has happened in previous books, really shows off his capabilities as an author. There’s a lot of substance here, a lot of things to sink your teeth into. Decisions and actions never happen in a vacuum. In Sins of the Mother, Hayes follows a lot of these changes, both personally and politically, and sees where they end up after everything has had a few years to really settle in and stew. Rob Hayes has always excelled at battles, and it’s no different here. He works tension like a song and uses battles to power the crescendo. The result is this wham-bam gut-punch of action and plot that will certainly keep you rooted to your chair. With attention to detail, and Eska’s missing arm, her age, and the like, the battles aren’t always how you’d expect a battle to be written, and that’s part of the beauty here. Throughout, Hayes remains true to his characters, and throughout, you have moments of emotional and physical tension that pull plot threads together in surprising, unforgettable scenes peppered throughout the book. There’s never a dull moment. After releasing numerous books and a myriad of series, Hayes knows what he’s doing, and it’s easy to let him take the wheel and steer. I always trust him to guide me, and it always pays off. I cannot even predict what will happen next, but I’m dying to find out. Sins of the Mother takes the series in a new, unexpected direction. The ending closes some doors (painfully) and then opens another. It’s impossible to predict what is going to happen next, but I cannot wait to find out. Eska has always been a character who has straddled numerous lines, and that doesn’t stop, even to the bitter end. There’s a lot that Hayes hinted at in previous books in the series which will come into play here. In fact, I was nothing short of shocked by how well Hayes wove together plot threads from previous books, and how things I didn’t think were important ended up being pivotal. That ending is where all the magic happens, and the ingredients all come together to make something truly magical. Sins of the Mother packs an unforgettable punch. Hayes works masterfully on numerous different levels, pushing the plot and characters toward a tension-filled ending that truly left me reeling and wanting more. Eska, however, is where the story shines. She’s still Eska, but she’s also more somehow, and I felt that “more” in my soul. I have always loved Eska, but I didn’t truly feel like I profoundly connected with every aspect of her until this specific book. There is one more book in this series, and I know I’m going to have a love/hate relationship with it. Eska has taken me places and left a mark. There is no recovering from her, and I’m already dreading the fact that at some point, her story is going to end. But for now… Sins of the Mother is what happens when an artist has mastered his craft. I don’t know where Rob Hayes will take me next, but I know as long as his name is on the cover of a book, I will read it and I will love it. It’s impossible not to. The guy is that good. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Mar 28, 2022
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Mar 28, 2022
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Mar 28, 2022
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my rating |
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3.99
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really liked it
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Oct 06, 2022
not set
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Oct 06, 2022
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4.23
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it was amazing
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Aug 22, 2022
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Aug 21, 2022
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3.63
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it was amazing
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Aug 16, 2022
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Aug 16, 2022
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4.26
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it was amazing
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Jul 06, 2022
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Jul 06, 2022
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4.07
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it was amazing
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Jun 02, 2022
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Jun 02, 2022
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3.73
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really liked it
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May 09, 2022
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May 09, 2022
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4.34
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May 05, 2023
Jun 19, 2022
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Apr 28, 2022
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4.20
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it was amazing
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Apr 26, 2022
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Apr 26, 2022
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4.09
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it was amazing
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Mar 30, 2022
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Mar 30, 2022
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4.29
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it was amazing
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Mar 28, 2022
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Mar 28, 2022
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