User Profile

So, let’s talk about Tasha Suri’s truly excellent, The Jasmine Throne. I had put a hold in for this book at my local library. It then ended up coming in at the same time as another hold, so I had a dilemma—which book to read first? I turned to my Twitter comrades to make the choice, and they overwhelmingly pointed me toward The Jasmine Throne. I picked it up, and was not disappointed.

Suri is telling an engrossing story of loyalty and love, loss and persistence, biological family and found family, and perhaps most importantly of all, the nature of monstrous identity. To say all this might make it seem like this novel is of a more literary nature, but that’s not the case. Genre fiction can tell these sorts of stories, and Suri shows just how well the fantasy genre can do so. The two main characters, Priya and Malini both shine. Malini is the sister of the emperor, imprisoned for having the audacity not to willingly burn herself on a pyre at her brother’s whim. She’s a born leader, calculating and charismatic, but she finds herself separated from every ally and at the mercy of a maddened jail keeper. Into this helpless situation steps Priya, a lowly maid who is obviously something much, much more. But Priya isn’t sure about what she wants, about her own identity and motivations, much less the motivations of a captivating and imprisoned imperial daughter. While both characters and their development really shine in this novel, the setting is equally enthralling. The world is inspired by India, and I can’t get enough of it. I love fantasy worlds inspired by settings other than Europe, and India has such a rich history that I’m routinely disappointed that more publishers aren’t publishing stories that find inspiration there. But regardless of the specific inspiration, Suri has built a world that is at turns beautiful and terrifying. The magic that we see is truly unique, and I want to know so much more about it! For me, learning about the world was half the fun of this tale, and Suri does an incredible job of unveiling the world in natural and convincing ways, avoiding even the hint of infodumps or chapters devoted to exposition. There’s also a colorful and interesting cast of side characters that we get to know more and more as the novel goes on. I found each of them to have convincing motivations and there wasn’t a single viewpoint that I found myself wanting to skip. That’s excellent writing right there. Another aspect of Suri’s story that I adored was the way she subverted some all-too-common fantasy tropes. The dashing prince who rescues the damsel in distress? Not so fast! The prince is there, and certainly wants to rescue the girl, but that isn’t what happens in this story, and I love it all the more because of it.

So there’s plenty to love here and I think you should grab this book as soon as possible if you love fantasy stories, and especially ones that feel fresh, unique, and subvert genre conventions. The world, characters, or magic alone would inspire me to read this—but to have all three of them together and done so well? It’s a rarity. If I have any quibbles, they’re exactly that: small issues that didn’t overly affect my enjoyment of the story. The pacing was such that a lot happened just past the middle of the novel, and the final bit felt a little like setup for the next book. That longer than usual denouement worked out here because there was so much character development left for our main characters. But there were moments when I was thinking “Huh, this doesn’t feel like how stories are normally written.” Is that a bad thing? No! But it also took me out of the story a hair. How can I really criticize an author doing something unique, even in terms of pacing? Frankly, the largest actual criticism I have is that the old trope of the antagonist holding a knife to the throat of someone the protagonist cares about came up and I hate that trope. But even that wasn’t enough to truly dampen my enjoyment.

The Jasmine Throne, first novel in the Burning Kingdoms series, is one to read and savor as quickly as you possibly can. I can’t wait for the sequel!

8.8/10

4.4/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing

I was first introduced to Stephanie Burgis’ writing with her Harwood Spellbook series. That series, set in an alternative reality of England, had plenty of heartwarming romance and magical whimsy. I thoroughly enjoyed every novel and novella in that series. So, when Burgis offered me an advance copy of Scales and Sensibility I jumped at the chance. This one is more historical fantasy than alternate history fantasy, but Burgis continues to offer plenty of romance and whimsy—with more than a few nods to Austen. After all, you know what you’re getting when a novel starts with, “it was a truth universally acknowledged that any young lady without a dragon was doomed to social failure.”

What really drew me into this novel was the well-drawn main character. Elinor is someone who is very easy to cheer for. I cared about her and her plight from basically the first page. This was easy partially because she was obviously so ill-treated by her extended family. I was initially worried that the extended family would end up as caricatures, but as the novel went on Burgis’ deft hand wove believable motivations for them as well. Certainly we don’t see their motivations to the same extent as Elinor’s, but we see enough of them to humanize them. Before I get ahead of myself, however, let me return to Elinor. I enjoyed her character arc and she has quite a bit of a development in that arc. The aspect of her growth that I enjoyed the most was probably the fact that her change as a character comes very much in terms of her self-perception. I don’t know if we see that a lot in fantasy and I enjoyed having that as one of the primary ways in which Elinor grew and changed. It’s very relatable, at least for me, having a protagonist who doesn’t necessarily see themselves the way others do. The side characters were also well characterized. Scales and Sensibility is a romantic comedy, so it is true that many of the characters fit into archetypes (the handsome young suitor, the overwrought relation, the fashionable young miss from town, the plucky servant), but Burgis manages to craft the story in such a way that you aren’t bothered by the characters being representative of those archetypes.

I think, at it’s heart, this is a feel-good story. It’s a romance that lacks significant love triangles (and I can’t express enough how much I appreciate that. Love triangles have ruined many an otherwise good romance for me). I love the way that the tension in this story is drawn from other dilemmas. The various plot threads manage to come together for a very satisfying climax. Along the way there are plenty of laughs—I laughed out loud more than once, which isn’t common for me when reading—and there’s just enough magic and world building to keep things interesting.

Anything that I would criticize about this one really has more to do with genre than with actual failings of the story as Burgis has crafted it. Yes, I’d like more magic. But I don’t know how additional magic would have been fitted into this story. I’d love a more epic plot, but this is a romantic comedy, not a drama or epic fantasy. In fact, the laughs are something I really appreciated in this one. Too often I find that fantasy comedies attempt to get their laughs by straying into the absurd. They might be mildly funny, but the world rarely feels like it really holds together or makes sense. The world of Scales and Sensibility feels like it could function. It’s also a really funny story.

The first novel in Stephanie Burgis’ Regency Dragons series is sure to please fantasy of rom coms, fans of Regency romances, and fans of dragons. If you’re looking for something funny (without being absurd or slapstick) that manages a heartwarming romance in the midst of hopeful character development, then you ought to check this one out.

8.2/10

4.1/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing

It’s not easy to write a long series. It’s even more difficult to write a long series that stays fresh over the course of nine novels. In Bloodline, Will Wight reveals his skill in crafting action packed stories with plenty of emphasis on his characters, all while ensuring the story, characters, and world remain fresh. When you finish reading this one, the only question in your mind will be how soon you can get the next entry in the series.

By the time a series grows to nine books, there are often books in the series that feel like they drag. That isn’t the case with the Cradle series. Each entry is as action packed as the last. I’ve also found, particularly since Underlord, that Will has focused more and more on the characters. We’ve seen seeds that were planted in the early novels pay off in big ways. That’s definitely the case in Bloodline, where Lindon comes full circle and returns to Sacred Valley. There are lots of reunions and each of them are satisfying with just a hint of unsatisfying, as we empathize with Lindon. Many of the threads in this novel implicitly drive home the old saying, “you can never go home.” Will does all of this while keeping the plot moving quickly and including plenty of his trademark action. Engaging fights and witty, hilarious banter are a staple of the Cradle novels. It isn’t surprising that Will has managed to include those elements. What is surprising is that he does so while giving readers deep character moments and plenty of growth. Added into this, we’ve been learning about the magic and the progression of this world for nine novels and somehow Will continues to offer readers more reveals, more fun elements, and even leaves us with a couple questions at the end. I can’t wait for the next Cradle novel, and not only because of the plot—which continues to be fun and engaging, but because of how these characters are growing. Nearly everything that Wight has done in this novel is impressive. The magic stays fresh and fun, the plot moves along without being entirely predictable, the world continues to grow and expand, and most importantly the characters haven’t stagnated.

I have few, if any, real criticisms of this one. The only things that keep this from being a perfect score for me are minor and all about my preferences for what deserves to be called a 10/10. The prose is what we might call workman’s prose. There is nothing wrong with it. It gets the job done and there are moments where it does more, particularly in dialog, but it isn’t going to be mistaken for poetic. Frankly, it doesn’t need to be. The style of story we’re enjoying in Bloodline doesn’t need flowery prose. There is also a sense in which the novel may hold the horror of the events it depicts at arms’ length. Again, this isn’t a problem, but I think by letting us feel the pain of the events a little more, by letting in just a bit more darkness, there would have been that much more emotional payoff to the novel. Again, it isn’t required. The novel is excellent as it stands, but those small tweaks—for me—would have taken it from wonderful to truly exceptional.

Bloodline is wonderful. It’s another stupendous entry in the Cradle series and, if you haven’t given these books a try yet, you really need to. This latest entry further solidifies the Cradle series’ position as one of my favorite fantasy series ever. Bloodline is among my favorite Cradle novels. Go read it.

9.5/10

4.75/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing

I first heard about Antoine Bandele when his book, The Kishi, started getting some positive reviews among bloggers I follow. I’m always looking for unique and especially non-western settings (either creative secondary worlds or worlds inspired by non-western real world places and peoples), and it seemed like Bandele was an author working to provide those sorts of worlds. I haven’t managed to read The Kishi yet, but I knew I wanted to make sure Bandele was on my reading list for Self-Published Fantasy Month.

When I picked up By Sea & Sky I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I knew it was going to feature pirates. That was about it. But as the story progressed I was introduced to a wonderful, quirky cast of characters. The world itself was also interesting and engaging. But I also ended up finding interesting characters where I least expected them.

I love strong worldbuilding in my fantasy. I want to feel like the world the characters live in is active and changing. I want to have a sense that what I’m seeing is merely one story among many playing out in this world. The world itself needs to be deep and immersive. By Sea & Sky delivers on all those points. It feels immersive. There is a larger world behind what the characters are experiencing. There are histories to be explored, religions that come into play, and a strong feeling that this is very much a living canvas. I loved this aspect of the book. I also enjoyed not only the characters but how Bandele excels at character perspective. There are two main viewpoint characters, Zala, a somewhat reluctant pirate and Karim, an up-and-coming officer in the Vaaji navy. When we’re in Zala’s viewpoints, her side of the story makes perfect sense and you cheer for her. Yet the exact some thing is true when we’re seeing things from Karim’s perspective. Other authors try to achieve this same thing, but I don’t know that many succeed to the same extent that Bandele does. The best example of this sort of character perspective is probably the Elder Empire series by Will Wight, and he achieves this by writing two separate books. Regardless of who else does it well, if you enjoy books that show you multiple perspectives of a conflict, and it feels like both sides are right, then you’re going to find a lot to like in By Sea & Sky. To round out all of this, Bandele’s writing is often sharp and concise. This is a well written novel and the prose helps to keep the action moving along. The finale of the novel was tense and compelling.

While there was plenty I enjoyed in the novel, a few things took my out of the action from time to time. The first is simply that, while I loved the multiple character perspectives, I tended to find Karim’s story much more interesting than Zala’s. This isn’t a criticism so much as my own preferences. Yet in many ways the book feels like it wants to be Zala’s story, and so I found myself wondering if I was supposed to prefer Karim, or if I was missing something about the novel. Perhaps the most frustrating element of this was that I often found myself putting the novel down when the viewpoint switched from Karim to Zala. This meant that I ended up reading the novel in fits and starts. I’m not prepared to say that Zala as a character didn’t work for me, because I feel like she’s still a very well crafted character. I think it’s more that Karim has a tantalizing backstory that we aren’t given much information on. I feel like he’s in some way supposed to be the antagonist of the novel, but to me his story just feels more mysterious and interesting.

Even though I was much more engaged with one side of the story than the other, By Sea & Sky was an enjoyable read. You may have quite a different experience with the characters than I did, so I’d say this one is worth your time. This is especially true if you enjoy deep worldbuilding and non-western settings.

7/10

3.5/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing

I came across Ian Gregoire’s The Exercise of Vital Powers when it was an entry in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off. It took me entirely too long to actually read it. There’s no particular reason for this, outside of a towering TBR that I haven’t been able to tame for years. This book has interesting magic, an unlikeable—but very well-crafted—protagonist, and engaging emotional beats. I love stories where magic plays a big role, and that’s absolutely the case here.

I should also note that after receiving feedback through SPFBO, Gregoire revised the work, had it edited, and acquired new cover art. This review is based on this second edition of the novel. One of the things I think is wonderful about self-published novels is that authors can improve them in this way. So, without further ado, my review.

The first thing that jumped out to me about the novel was just how much fun I had reading it. I always read novels primarily for enjoyment, but in this case I had trouble putting it down from the very start. The Order is somewhat Jedi-like, and I really enjoyed a setting where an international organization of magic users played a significant role. The magic system itself was also interesting. It isn’t a hard magic system by any means, but the magic still plays a significant role and we understand how it works just enough to allow it to play that role. The larger history behind the use of Zarantar (the name for the magic in Gregoire’s world), the three possibilities for using it, and other details kept me engaged and looking for additional tidbits to be dropped. The world building in this regard is deep and well thought out. The novel also features a rather unlikeable protagonist in Kayden Jayta. There is also a secondary viewpoint character, the administrator of Kayden’s magic school campus, Fay Annis. While Kayden is certainly unlikeable, it’s obvious that we’re supposed to find her frustrating and difficult to relate to. Gregoire has done a fantastic job of writing an unlikeable character that I still enjoyed reading about! This is incredibly difficult to do, but I’m glad he managed it because I ended up enjoying the ride. One aspect of the novel that helped with this, I think, is that we get regular viewpoints from Fay’s perspective. This often tempers what we’ve seen from Kayden’s perspective and also gives us a perspective on Kayden’s actions that is not her own. As a much more well-balanced person, Fay also feels less frustrating to read about, or at least she did for me. The pay off, however, is some significant character development in the second half of the novel. If you tend to dislike difficult-to-like protagonists, I’d encourage you to give this one a try anyway, as the eventual character development is very satisfying.

While there were many aspects of this novel I enjoyed, there were also a few things that didn’t work for me. The first of those is that almost every male character in the story is, at some point or in some way, trying to get into a female character’s pants. I get that many men are pigs, and chauvinism is a real thing, but a little variety would have been nice. Not every male meets a female and begins immediately plotting how to get them to the bedroom. That just isn’t realistic. To make matters worse, there is one scene early on in the book where several side characters engage in a fight. The male characters are named, but the female characters are referred to as—and I am quoting here—“little miss sunshine” and “miss voluptuous vixen.” I’m not sure if it makes it better or worse that the viewpoint character who knows the names of the male characters but not the two female characters is herself female. The two characters are named later, and I think part of the point is to show the isolation of the main character, Kayden, but still, it did make me cringe, and not in a good way. From a more technical perspective, the prose can feel a bit expository at times, and there are some info dumps scattered throughout the novel that left me wishing the information had been imparted more naturally. A related critique is that there were a couple times when we’re told things rather than shown them, or told them while being shown them, and I think if we had simply been shown them it would have made what ended up being strong character development that much stronger. There were also instances where I felt like sentence structure was a little odd. Finally, Kayden can seem like a bit of a Mary Sue at times, especially in the early portion of the novel. That ends up being explained a bit in the second half, but the early going can be a little rough as a result.

While The Exercise of Vital Powers isn’t a perfect novel, there is something about it that kept me turning the pages. I was intrigued by the characters and magic, and the character development that takes place in the second half of the novel felt very satisfying. Some of the flaws are significant, and the unlikeable protagonist may turn off some readers, but there is still plenty to like in this one if you give it a shot.

6.5/10

3.25/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater is a delightful fantasy of manners. After a chance meeting with a faerie leaves her with only half a soul, Dora Ettings must learn to cope in a life devoid of strong, sharp, immediate emotions. Any hope of living a normal life seems dim indeed, until her cousin Vanessa contrives to introduce Dora to society in London. Filled with many tropes that will be familiar to fans of regency romance, Half a Soul transports readers to a magic-filled world with just the right blend of familiarity and mystery.

For me, what makes a romance story work best is when the characters are authentic and relatable. I need the story’s paramours to feel real as individuals, and for their relationship to feel believable. I want to feel for them and connect with the emotion they’re feeling, both in terms of growing attraction for one another as well as whatever other struggles the plot of their lives throws at them. Atwater manages this with near flawless precision. Dora is among the most interesting characters I’ve encountered, precisely because she experiences most emotions at a distance. Far from being hot-headed, she is nearly the opposite. Her lack of reaction gets her into trouble more often than not, and makes her stand out in a culture that values sameness and propriety. Yet through her eyes, we experience the plight of others, those she already knows well and those she comes to know. Somehow, Atwater crafts the story in such a way that we empathize and feel an immediate emotional reaction to the situation characters face even while Dora feels these things more distantly. As the viewpoint character, Dora obviously receives the lion’s share of the development in this novel. But there are plenty of other characters that are every bit as lovingly crafted. From Elias, the Lord Sorcier, to Albert the charitable physician, to Vanessa, the stunning debutante, Atwater gives us characters who learn and grow and change. This change is accomplished in a way that feels true to each of the characters core motivations. There is also a tremendous amount of wit crammed into this novel. One of my favorite elements of historical fantasy set in the Regency is witty dialog. Atwater delivers on this trope wonderfully and I often found myself smiling or chuckling at well placed barbs or turns of phrase.

There were a few things that I would have liked to have seen done differently in Half A Soul. For starters, the magic is somewhat nebulous. This is absolutely fine, but magic—and relative power as a magician—ends up playing more than a passing role in the plot, and so it might have been nice to see a little more explanation on that aspect of things. In fairness, plenty of folks prefer their magic nebulous, so this will end up very much a matter of preference. One might accuse one of the twists of coming slightly out of right field, but after reflection, I actually think all the twists were nicely foreshadowed. There is a subtly to it, but that’s the beauty of a light touch.

This is one of those books that I could see myself returning to for multiple rereads. It definitely has the feel of a comfort read, something wonderful to curl up with on a cold winter day with a good cup of coffee and a warm blanket. Again, the characters are what truly shines here, along with wit and banter aplenty.

Olivia Atwater has given us a gem in Half a Soul. A comfort read with wonderful characters, witty banter, and pacing that keeps the pages turning, this novel is sure to please those who love a Regency romance. I look forward to reading more of Atwater’s work, in this world or any other.

8.8/10

4.4/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing