Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs

I am honestly not sure how I feel about Smoke Bitten. It contained a large amount of relationship drama, which I hate, but which is also largely resolved at the end... and that relationship drama is one of the worst things, too: people not talking to each other. Or one party refusing to talk to the other. Even Mercy comments about the communication issue, so... yeah. The rest of the story, however, was actually pretty good. I was kept guessing as to who the smoke monster actually was until he was revealed... although I was reasonably sure I had the correct being once bargains were mentioned (thanks Once Upon a Time).

Smoke Bitten had a longer "run time" as far as the sequence of events goes. Took place over a longer time period than usual, anyway, so not so much with the exhaustion setting in. This definitely served to draw out the tension, although there weirdly wasn't a lot of that, either, I felt. Like, it was kind of lurking in the background, but Mercy and Adam and the pack were able to go about their business as per usual for the most part.

But yeah... I don't really have a lot to say about this one. It was alright, pretty solid, gave us a little more insight to the fae. Mostly centered on Mercy and Adam working on Adam's big ol' issue... which sound dirtier than it is.

Favorite Line

"Not all relationships that end are failures." - Zee Adelbertsmiter

Crimson Death by Laurell K. Hamilton

Originally Posted to GoodReads: September 24, 2017

Soo... I understand that apparently every book in the series is supposed to explain how things work at the beginning in order to catch new readers up to speed but... this is the 25th book in the series and those of us who've read the entire series don't need it and it's annoying. If a new reader is truly interested, they'll go back and read the rest to bring themselves up to speed... or else google things.

That said, I enjoyed a good portion of Crimson Death... after getting past the half of the book that was re-treads and continuing drama. The actual new content was pretty awesome. I like that the second Triumverate is getting some spot-light.

The second half of the book, the part that I was most interested in, felt rather rushed. I enjoyed the Irish mythos stuff and the mystery-solving, but... the climax of the book was so rushed I didn't realize things had happened or that they'd happened for real. Also, not sure the official reason of Anita and her team actually being in Ireland was addressed after the climax. That part's honestly confusing as hell.

Overall, I enjoyed Crimson Death enough to get through it in less than a week. Crimson Death does not lack for pacing.

Long Hot Summoning by Tanya Huff

Originally Posted to GoodReads: September 23, 2013

Spoilery Reread Review

As I get more and more of these reviews under my belt, I realize there are just some books I can't go into very in depth at all. That's not necessarily because they're bad, but because I don't really have much to say about the intricacies of character and plot. This last installment of The Keeper's Chronicles is one of those books that's really brilliant, but you have to read it to understand exactly why.

The story starts out fairly simply with Diana's first real Summons following her graduation from high school. It then expands to include Claire, Dean, and Austin before splitting off into the A Plot and the B Plot. The A Plot follows Diana, Claire, and Sam while the B Plot follows Dean and Austin. The story rattles along between the A Plot and B Plot until it hits a refrigerator and further splits into the C Plot and D Plot. The C Plot follows Claire and eventually Lance while the D Plot follows Sam and Arthur. Everything eventually melds back together following a pink explosion and we end up with: "Oh. Happy endings all around, then."

Despite the somewhat convoluted plot explanation I just gave, Long Hot Summoning is fairly easy to follow. Add in the usual Pop Culture references, literary references, and Rules and you end up with a mostly satisfying read. I don't exactly understand the connection between minivans and Hell, but that didn't detract from the story at all.

I highly recommend picking up Long Hot Summoning, especially if you liked Summon the Keeper and The Second Summoning. You won't regret it.

Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs

Storm Cursed has a lot more government shenanigans in it that I was expecting… which was, like, none. Most urban fantasy books that have such far-reaching, public “fantasy” world stuff like this one keep that back-room government stuff off the stage, so to speak. We get told things happen, but not actually shown any of the inner workings. I’m not sure whether I like it or not.

All the witch stuff is also interesting. We’re definitely lacking in world-building on that front. I don’t even think we’ve gotten a description of the white, gray, and black distinctions before. I’m very glad Adam and Mercy have taken a hard stance against black witches. Don’t need any of that mojo around.

The somewhat revelations about Sherwood, or at least his wolf, are… interesting, to say the least. A witchborn werewolf isn’t something I’ve ever come across in any of the books I’ve read. Harry Potter does not count because reasons. But anyway, that whole thing was tragic, in its own way.

I definitely enjoyed the twistiness of Storm Cursed. I had fun reading it and I feel that it’s another solid Mercy entry.

Favorite Lines

"Epic," she said with a wry glnce at Ben. "Epic it is. I think I will probably quit apologizing." Then she said, "I suppose I'll find some other way to irritate you." - Mary Jo

"Just because something is stupid doesn't mean it is not true," said Stefan

"Sometimes there us no way to make things better. There is only making it through." - Mercy Hauptman

"Politicians have to lie," Adam said. "It's written into their black souls. It's only a problem when they begin to believe their own lies."

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Originally Posted to GoodReads: September 21, 2013

I had honestly forgotten I'd wanted to borrow my sister's copy of Divergent until she came into my room and handed it to me. I didn't even start reading it right away. I was, after all, in the middle of two other books. However, once I started Divergent, I couldn't put it down. Divergent took me three nights to read. Not because it's short, but because the pull of the story made it hard to stop reading.

But here's the thing, I never became emotionally invested in any of the characters. If I'm not emotionally invested, then I don't usually keep reading. This time I was much more interested what was going on in the wider world of Divergent than any of the character drama. The tiny bits we got were intriguing. I wanted more. I didn't get it. I'm going to blame that on Tris. She wasn't nearly as curious or intuitive as she should have been as a main character. She's isolated, confused, and reacts more than acts throughout the entire book.

It really bugs me, now I think about it, that I have no emotional bonds with any of the characters. Emotional bonds are what usually keep me reading a book or watching something. It's what I tend to focus on while reviewing, too. But I have nothing to say about any of the characters of Divergent or what happened to them. I am ambivalent to them all, even, and perhaps most disappointingly, Tris. I should care about the main character and I don't. That signals a problem.

I am now going to talk about the end of Divergent, because it above all else bugs me. The story had finally started to pick up. There was actual tension going on. And then it just stopped. There were some speculations on Tris' part as to what the next step would be and she expressed uneasiness about her situation and the people she was in it with. And then it just stops. There isn't an actual resolution. There aren't any mysteries solved. Just nothing. Done. Huh?

The copy of Divergent I was reading had a chunk of the next book, Insurgent, in the back. I took a peek at it and, well, it picks up directly where Divergent left off. It's like someone had taken a larger book and chopped through the spine only to recover both halves as different books. Again: Huh?

My recommendation, if you are at all interested in reading Divergent is to have Insurgent on hand. I'm not even sure if it's out yet, to tell the truth. I also don't really care at this point. I most likely won't be picking up Insurgent. Divergent just didn't grab me like it should have. Yes, I finished it quickly, but that had more to do with the pacing than anything else.

A Harry Potter Rant

In today’s edition of “my brain won’t let this go,” we are presented with the question of whether still being obsessed with Harry Potter makes you a trans hater or not. (Spoiler: I land in the company of not) My brain has been worrying with these thoughts like a dog worrying a bone because someone on Threads essentially said that if you are still obsessed with Harry Potter you hate and are hurting trans people. I did not care enough at the time to screenshot the post or remember the name of the poster and I don’t care enough to go looking for it. Pretty sure it’s a sentiment shared by a lot of people due to J.K. Rowling’s views on trans people, so trying to find the exact post would be insane.

Anyway, my basic thoughts are actually neatly summed up by a quote from the Harry Potter books:

“The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.” - Sirius Black

Meaning: you can still enjoy Harry Potter and have zero problem with trans people. Like me. J.K. Rowling can go take a hike off a cliff for her views on trans people, but that doesn’t mean I have to stop enjoying her most popular work… the entire series of which I owned before her nonsense became public! I honestly find black and white thinking like this very reductionist.

At this point, I feel like my views are going to be expressed through repeatedly condemning J.K. Rowling’s views in every single Harry Potter related blog post I do and through my wallet. I’m not purchasing any official Harry Potter/Wizarding World merchandise, including the books. I’ve asked that any remaining Harry Potter items on my wishlists are purchased used rather than new. Whether or not the purchasers will listen is ultimately up to them, but I feel like I’ve done my part. I've barely bought any Harry Potter merchandise to begin with, so this isn't actually making much of a difference, if any.

It really, really sucks when an author you’ve looked up to for a good chunk of your life turns out to have some trash views. It sucks when it’s anyone you’ve looked up to, really. The problem is Rowling specifically is that she was a big part of our lives for so long. I was in Junior High when I fist discovered Harry Potter and I was pretty much hooked from then on. I know I'm not the only one who's had Harry Potter around for most of their life. We had the books, we had the movies, and there’s still Harry Potter stuff coming out to this day for us to consume. Most Millennials can tell you what their Hogwarts House is and put more stock in that than even their Zodiac signs. It’s hard to separate from that kind of thing.

You can see from this blog that Harry Potter is not the only thing I have read or am reading, but Harry Potter was definitely a gateway into the kind of books other media I’m into now. My dad handing me “The Hobbit” at 12 definitely didn’t stick. Harry Potter was far more accessible, even if I was borrowing it from a friend and hiding it under my covers from my mom at the time.

Also, can we just take a moment and acknowledge that Rowling wasn’t the first and definitely isn’t the last in a long line of disappointing public figures/creators? Orson Scott Card, Joss Whedon, and H. P. Lovecraft are just a few of the names that come to mind off the top of my head. Rowling just happened to have blown up a whole generation with her work and we refuse to let it go even as we condemn her.

And we go condemn her. The fandom has condemned her. The actors who played her iconic characters have condemned her. So why is it that I hear more about J. K. Rowling than anyone else? Because of the trans thing or because a whole generation and then some grew up on Harry Potter? Because our fandom is still so very alive and kicking?

I really feel like the best thing we can do right now is to stop giving Rowling our headspace. Separate the Harry Potter fans from her in your head. We are not one in the same. I might not be as obsessed with The Wizarding World as I once was, but it's still a part of my life and part of me.

Also: How much are we really hurting Trans people by continuing to enjoy a media franchise? Like, really. I feel like there are actual, hurtful things we could be doing. Continuing to read books and watch movies and talk about a series that has zero actual representation of LGBTQ+ people in it doesn't seem very hurtful to Trans people or the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. And yes, I am of course aware that Dumbledore is gay and they pretty explicitly said so in the latest Fantastic Beasts movie, but that's barely there and I don't feel like it counts for much at this point. But anyway, I feel like I would be hurting Trans people much, much, much worse by, I don't know, voting against their rights or something. All I'm doing is continuing to enjoy a series that is very near and dear to my heart while always, always condemning the views of the author. That doesn't make me a bad person. Seriously.

Trans men are men. Trans women are women. Harry Potter fans don’t share every single one of their views or values with the author.

 

You can pry my Slytherin Crest from my cold, dead hands.

Exile's Honor by Mercedes Lackey

Exile’s Honor is an interesting book. I very much enjoyed it. Looking at Valdemar through both and outsider’s and a very privileged individual’s eyes was interesting. I say Alberich is privileged because he is both Herald and Weaponsmaster’s Second, here, and very quickly becomes so. He didn’t have a super hard time of it in Valdemar, despite the prejudice against him.

The rest of this review will be of the particular parts, as each is a sort of novella encapsulating different events.

Part One

There is a lot of introspection here. Alberich has to grapple with his new country, which he once though evil, and his new place in the world. It all goes rather well, all told, but he spends a lot of time thinking about everything. It’s not uninteresting, just a lot.

I also will find it eternally interesting to get peeks into something other than Valdemaran society. Getting a bit or insight into how Karse is run and how their armies function was definitely interesting.

Part Two

So, Alberich’s inheritance of the “Herald Spy” stuff would probably have been more interesting if the whole Mags and Family storylines hadn’t been inserted into the chronology. At this point, I have had quite enough of the lackluster tales of spy Heralds. This is purely a feeling brought about by reading the Valdemar series in chronological order at this time.

The “memory transfer” stuff is super interesting. I think telepaths are underrated, as far as actually being used for stuff other than glorified messengers.

Part Three

Of course Sendar’s speech made me tear up. Of course it did. How could it not?

Lackey does an amazing job conveying exactly how big a deal this fight with the Tedrels is. Selenay’s thoughts on the matter are enough to make my heart stop. Alberich’s lend a different feel, but no less… well, less. Alberich is more concerned with the fighting skills and the reasons people are fighting than the sheer size of the forces. It definitely feels different from the war in Brightly Burning. The whole thing with making Selenay into a symbol honestly had me teared up the entire time.

I will say, once the Heralds reach the camp, I was very impatient for them to actually get to the battlefield, but that might just be a me thing.

So, something about Lord Orthallen is pulling at my brain pan. I didn’t read this series on my first read-through, so it’s not remembering him from that. I think he or a relative may have appeared later, to try to mess with Elspeth, but I don’t remember. I do have an extreme dislike of him, though.

The last battle was intense. I probably would have been in full-on tears if I hadn’t been at work. Really evocative writing on Lackey’s part. As was Sendar’s funeral and Selenay’s coronation. I definitely teared up a little more during those. 

Favorite Lines

"Honor was never taking the easy way when it was also the wrong one. Never telling a falsehood unless the truth was painful and unnecessary, or a lie was necessary to save others. Never manipulating the truth to serve only yourself. Protecting the weak and helpless; standing fast even when fear made you weak. Keeping your word." - Alberich

"Still, only a fool wishes to stop learning." - Alberich

In Other News

I finished another OviPets project! This one is Spadamon, based on the Digimon of the same name. Spadamon are Lepus and took me 7 months to complete. They are part of my Child Digimon Project.

Scarlet Adventures #7

The first part of the Pokemon Scarlet/Violet DLC: The Teal Mask is out and I have been having some fun running around Kitakami Island. Take a look!

Just loving this scenery

Floaty Geodude and his Floaty Fist Hat

Excuse me, why at BOTH of HootHoots legs visible? My eyes are offended.

I just love the way they labeled the restrooms with different Pikachu tails and the head for the unisex.

Loving this hairstyle

I kind of want this Magikarp fountain

Thought Slugma looked silly with that big ol' Rock hat

Pokemon Scarlet: The Teal Mask Storyline Review

The first part of the Pokemon Scarlet/Violet DLC: The Teal Mask was released this week and here are my hot takes on the relatively short story-line.

I really dislike Kieran as a character. I’ve never liked his kind of character, all weak and snivel-ly. Aaand then he went and did that “listening around corners and not calling you on your not-exactly-a-lie thing for no actual reason…” Spare your nonsense, sir. You can call anyone on their shit at any time instead of being passive about it. Kieran is setting up to either be a villain or and annoying rival in the next part of the DLC. I'm not a fan. I feel like having a character who's whole identity seems to be wrapped up in whether or not he can defeat the player and then having extreme negative reactions when he's inevitably beaten is just messed up. I should not be made to feel bad because I'm playing the game and am ostensibly the main character who will always kick your ass. Not what I'm here for.

This is straight after Kieran overhears the conversation you had with his grandpa and then mentally accuses you of lying when you don't tell him what the talk was about.

 

Carmine, I also can’t stand. Though she’s definitely got tsundere vibes, she’s also just a bitch on top of it. Literally the line: “I was being kind. It’s not like I hit him or anything,” came out of her mouth in regards to how she treated her brother. Seriously??? Abusive much? Ugh.

Also, I’m really not sure exactly why the grandfather things Kieran is too young to know the truth about the ogre. Seems like just a reason for annoying drama, which it was.

I really cannot stand the characters from this story-line and I’m glad to have finished with it. Time to fill out my Pokedex with very easily evolved Pokemon… because everything’s over level 60. That was a weird choice. I probably didn’t need the Pokemon to be normal levels, but I still feel like 60+ was a weird choice.

I am not a fan of the Legendaries for this DLC. It honestly feels like Ogrepon was the only one who had any real design and thought put into that design. Okidogi is essentially Doggo Hulk and not in a cute way. Munkidori and Fezandipiti just look odd, in my opinion. Do not like.

Munkidori, Okidogi, and Fezandipiti

 

I am incredibly happy to be able to change out of the school uniform. I may not be a gigantic fan of the Jinbei, especially as you're made to run around in a Green one the entire storyline and green is not my favorite color... but I'm reasonably happy with the Dark Blue one you can get right after from Kieran and Carmine's grandmother. I really just want a clothing option that's casual. Just jeans and a t-shirt. That's all I really want.

 But yeah, The Teal Mask was alright. I really just felt like I was running between locations over and over while collecting the thousands of items that're littered around the place, but it was reasonably fun. Now to go off and actually catch me the unappealing Legendaries...

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Originally Posted to GoodReads: September 16, 2018

I find myself almost at a loss for words, to be completely honest. Also, the words I am thinking have very little to do with the book itself... seeing as I came to the book through the TV series. Same basic story only embellished and more fleshed out from the get-go in the TV series... that’s not to say it was better, just that I kept expecting things to go certain ways because I watched the series first.

But anyway... The Magicians is pretty good. Runs through time at a really fast pace until Book II, where it starts to crawl. The main villain isn’t really villainous and just sort of appears out of nowhere. Twice. There isn’t a sense of urgency at all, until the latter sections of Book III. And then everything’s explained really quickly in Book IV and it’s just... odd. The Magicians is odd.

Of course, now I’ve written all that, I’m just gonna say it: the TV show did it better. The pacing was better the story flowed better and the characters were better. Still gonna read the next book when I get my hands on it, but so far I’ve been more affected by the TV version. *shrug*

Addition after writing quotes: Ya know, this book is actually kind of depressing. Everyone is miserable and drunk most of the time. There’s just no joy anywhere and it’s just... ugh. I have a feeling if I hadn’t watched the TV show first, I’d never have finished the book because it’s just so depressing. Ugh. 

Favorite Lines

"Quentin did a magic trick. Nobody noticed." - Narrator

"The dead ones are a lot less trouble."

"Quieter."

"Exactly." - Jane Chatwin and Quentin Coldwater

"It's kind of you to ask. I sacrifice a virgin schoolgirl every other fortnight by the light of a gibbous moon, using a silver scalpel forged by Swiss albinos. Who are also virgins. Clears my lungs right up." Eliot

"Some people need their families to become who they're supposed to be. And there's nothing wrong with that. But there are other ways to do it." - Eliot

"You do realize it's all right to have nice things somethings, right?" - Alice

"The problem with growing up," Quentin said, "is that once you're grown up, people who aren't ground up aren't fun anymore." - Quentin Coldwater

"But somewhere in the heat of magic that boundary between word and thing ruptures. It cracks, and the one flows back into the other, and the two melt together and fuse. Language gets tangled up with the world it describes." - Henry Fogg

"Being brave was easy when you would rather die than give up. Fatigue meant nothing when you actually wanted to suffer." - Narrator

Dead Ice by Laurell K. Hamilton

Originally Posted to GoodReads: September 16, 2017

Re-read review. Most likely spoilers.

I don't remember my original thoughts on Dead Ice but my current biggest thought is that the professional parts of Anita's life are getting more shoved to the side in favor of the interpersonal parts. While that's not necessarily a bad thing, the balance between the two is hard to strike well. Affliction was the best one as far as balancing these things out goes, in my opinion. Dead Ice isn't bad at it, either. There's definitely a lot going on here and the mystery aspect set up at the beginning is put on the back burner for what seems like a large chunk of the book and then resolved rather quickly and almost too abruptly at the end.

Anita's power-ups are really the main focus of Dead Ice. Technically not just hers, either, but I think Micah and Dev's power-ups come through her so... it's mostly Anita. The main power-up is dealt with very well and I almost wish the whole FBI thing wasn't even included because the life-like/flesh-eating zombie thing was a lot more interesting.

Of course, the interpersonal stuff between the ever more complicated poly-group is once again going through some changes/rough patches. Asher's once again on the shit list for being dumb and the tigers seem to be thinking more politically than romantically, which bugged me the first time and still bugs me. You guys are anticipating living long enough to have more than one commitment ceremony if you feel like it, prophecy of ridiculous be damned. Let those who are sure get on with it and butt out. Oh, and Richard's being less of a dick than usual, so I guess that's nice. I haven't liked him for a long time and that opinion hasn't changed.

Other random notes:
- Dev and Nicky are my favorite comic-relief duo.
- I love Echo and Fortune.
- Kane can go die in a ditch for all I care.
- Random metaphysical show-downs are kind of fun.
- Can one of the wererats just bite Anita already or something?
- Narcissus' manipulations hinge on exactly one thing and I thought it was weird he kept bringing up that one thing over and over.

So anyway, I enjoyed Dead Ice and think it probably could have been two books just based on Anita's power-up thing and the mystery, but it's not too cluttered for all there is in it.

Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs

Anyone else find it extremely annoying when old vampires decide to be ridiculously extra when they largely just want to talk instead of, I dunno, using the usual means of human communication that don’t involve kidnapping? Like really, you used to be human. Why can’t you just walk up to someone and start talking to them or call them, like everyone else does? Hell, the fae have more manners that you. What the hell?

That said… Silence Fallen was a trip. And I don’t just mean because Mercy and Adam went to Europe. Coming more solidly from the Anita Blake fandom, I am much more used to weird metaphysical things happening to end vampire conflicts, so having this one largely ended with a physical fight was interesting. Having essentially a full, multi-species delegation from the Tri-Cities go over to Europe was fun. I’m much more attached to Marsilia now.

I’m really not sure I have much more to say about Silence Fallen. I mean, Mercy’s figuring out more about her powers, as one does. We got vampire shenanigans. More Coyote interference… apparently. I dunno, it was solid, just not a lot to talk about that’s not either spoilers or vampire shenanigans… which also… spoilers.

Oh! And Honey is amazeballs. Like, I’ve been growing to like her more and more as the series goes on, but Silence Fallen definitely cemented her as one of my favorite characters.

So… yeah, that’s it.

Favorite Line

"If you are taken by your enemies," he said, "don't wait to escape. The hour you are taken is when you will be at your strongest. Time gives them the opportunity to starve you, to torture you to break you and make you weak. You have to escape as soon as you can." - Charles Cornick

In Other News

The first part of the new Pokemon Scarlet/Violet DLC has been released. I'm going to be spending my off-hours playing that for a bit. Definitely planning to do a couple of "Scarlet Adventures" post about that, so stay tuned.

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

The last paragraph is one big spoiler, so avoid it if you haven’t read the book.

I am honestly not sure how I feel about this one. I feel like it shows a more realistic side to the female teenage experience, but it also shows a stereotypical teenage experience. The kind of experience you might have had if you were living in small town America but isn’t actually found in most of the country. Or at least not anymore or in my experience. I could be wrong. My experience definitely wasn’t anywhere neat this, but I’m also far from typical so… I don’t know.

The Female of the Species was alright. It wasn’t hard to get through and the characters were engaging enough. I’m not a super fan and I don’t really have much to say about the story or the characters that I haven’t already. I feel like it’s a good read for older teens, I guess.

This is where I’m going to talk a bit about the ending, so, ya know, SPOILER WARNING.

Alex dies in the end. I can’t say I’m super surprised. It really stinks of that “well, she murdered people so she has to receive punishment” thing that happens… mostly in horror movies, I guess, to the people who have sex. Whatever, it stuck with me and I can’t say I’m a big fan. Not sure if I needed Alex to have a happy ending, but I was expecting her to be arrested rather than straight up dying so… yeah.

Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs

A Spoiler Free Review

First, having seen the cover before I read Night Broken, I was very concerned about the big ol’ fire doggo. Having now read Night Broken his presence makes much more sense and I am less concerned. Hopefully, that holds up for later… which I can now confirm, having finished Fire Touched.

I was so, so happy to see the Pack meeting. So happy to see that Honey has Mercy’s back. I’m not sure how I feel about Adam straight up being done with how people are treating Mercy, but I also definitely agree that the wolves are too dangerous for constant disagreements about her so… yeah. Interesting but clearly necessary development. Was not expecting that.

I enjoy Mercy as a character… which shot straight to love when she quoted The Princess Bride. And speaking of love, I love Baba Yaga so much. She’s awesome. She really only cemented herself as one of my favorite Mercy Thompson characters throughout Fire Touched, though I won’t say any more about that.

Fire Touched had a lot of world building going on. Had to give the Pack a new role in society or, more accurately, cement the role they’d kind of taken over. Had to get the Fae back into the world and not just stuck on the reservations. Had to explain Underhill. Even had to expand the world a little with more development on Thomas Hao. It was definitely more of a world building book that I was expecting, given how relatively insular the Mercy books have been up til now.

Fire Touched was definitely a good read and gave a lot to look forward to in the coming books.

Favorite Lines

"Neutral doesn't work," Charles said. "When you watch you allies commit atrocities and do nothing, who is more reprehensible? Those who rape and plunder or those who could have stopped it but do nothing?" - Charles Cornick

"You say fae, I say witch, and I'm bigger than you -- so I can call myself what I want." - Baba Yaga

"Don't ignore your experts," - Mercy Hauptman

Reviews Batch 11

Paper Towns by John Green
Originally Posted to GoodReads: September 3, 2014

Paper Towns was absolutely awesome. I learned from it, laughed, and stayed up a lot longer than I should have reading it.

 

 

Affliction by Laurell K. Hamilton
Originally Posted to GoodReads: September 6, 2017

You know a book is going to blow you away when you're laughing and crying happy tears within the first chunk of it. I think Affliction is going down as my favorite Anita Blake novel.

Also, even though I totally called how it was going to end, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride there.

 

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
Originally Posted to GoodReads: September 14, 2021

Beautiful

Absolutely beautiful. I loved it. There were happy tears. I should probably make a mental note that things starting out similar in tone/cadence to Harry Potter are probably going to be very good.

Got me through a couple of tough days at work. I like to hope more people are like Linus than not. We all need that kind of acceptance in our lives.

I thought the story was sweet and amusing. I enjoyed the different takes on the Magical Youths, a good chunk of which I hadn’t encountered before even as a voracious reader of fantasy. And I do mean the species of the characters. It’s nice to get away from the “norms” of creatures. Also the way they were handled personality-wise was excellent.

 

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
Originally Posted to GoodReads: September 19, 2018

Better than the last one but geeeeez that schmaltzy ending... which, in all honesty, seems really tacked on. Like, "Oh hey, wanna write another book? Make sure to write an ending that'll lead into the next one!" Kind of an ending. I dunno, it was alright. *shrug*

Oathblood by Mercedes Lackey

My review of Oathblood is broken into small reviews of each story in the order I read them in.

“Sword Sworn”
      Another tick in the “female protagonist has been raped” column. Despite that, I did enjoy this one. Getting to see some Shin’a’in culture was fun as was getting to see Tarma and Kethry’s first meeting. Hardly a meet cute, but well done. I’m also weirdly glad it was in short-story form because I imagine the slow planning of taking down Tarma’s bandits would have been hell to read. And actually (having forgotten pretty much all of this series) I’m glad to have read this because it makes the info dump at the beginning of The Oathbound much more palatable.

“The Talisman”
      Takes place in the middle of The Oathbound after the whole Wethes thing. Slightly amusing and slightly sad. It would be a very stuck-in-her-own-beliefs person who somehow managed to figure out how to shapeshift.

“Friendly Fire”
      Kind of funny. Murphy’s Law indeed.

“A Tale of Heroes”
      Sounds like the “wheelbound” have an interesting belief system. Balancing your good and evil… kind of like a carbon footprint kind of a thing… except with gods. Glad Landric and Fallon were suited to each other.

" 'That was then, this is now,' " her hawk-visaged partner quoted. " 'The moment is never the same twice.' " - Tarma

“Keys”
      This was actually included in The Oathbound and just furthers my opinion of it being a bunch of short stories strung together. It’s alright as a stand-alone story, too.

“Turnabout”
      Another story that was included in The Oathbound. Now I’m kind of pissed. “Can I recycle or what?” Lackey asks in the preface to this one. Yes, yes you can, but this is annoying, especially as Oathblood came out a decade after The Oathbound. Boy and I glad I got this as part of a Humble Bundle.

“The Making of a Legend”
      Alright, as these things go. Not super interested in the minstrel/Bard who embellishes on Tarma and Kethry’s adventures. Not super interested in what actually went down, but it was alright.

“A Woman’s Weapon”
      Kind of fun, though quick.

“Wings of Fire”
      Keyjon reminds me of The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. Wings of Fire was an enjoyable little adventure. It’s always nice to run into the Tayledras.

"It is not power and wealth that corrupt, my lady, but the lust for power and wealth. When that lust takes precedence over the needs of others, corruption becomes true evil." - Stormwing K'Sheyna

“Spring Plowing at Forst Reach”
      So, my entire life I’ve been told my dad had the “female” spelling of the name “Lauren.” It’s nice to see another dude with the same name.
Sucks about the horses attitudes, but it was kind of fun “watching” Tarma, Jodi, and Beaker work them.

“Oathblood”
      Includes a very long, seriously boring lecture on long-term revenge that show-cases Tarma’s teaching skills outside of combat. I honestly felt like this tale of kidnapping and rescue went on a little long, or maybe I was just very done with this series while I was reading. No idea, but… yeah. It was alright. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I’d been in a better overall mood.

In Other News

I finished another OviPets project a few days ago and forgot to post about it.

Anyway, my Draconis variant of Monodramon is finished! Monodramon took me approximately 10 months to complete. They're part of my Child Digimon project.