Readalong - Novels of the Change 3.1

Cover art by: Jonathan Barkat; Photoshop credit: Stephen Fischer

     

We are now halfway through the final novel in the Nantucket series, which is the third novel in our Novels of the Change reread/ readalong.  In this post we will be discussing chapters 1-14 of On the Oceans of Eternity.  If you missed it here’s a the post with the description of the readalong project.

   

 So far On the Oceans of Eternity has been less fighting and more about the exploration and rebuilding that I enjoy.  Alice Hong and her evil Dark Sisterhood are now experimenting with germ warfare, which I find fascinating and horrifying all at the same time.  Swindapa and Marian are still the best couple with the most adorable family.  I found the descriptions of historically famous cities mesmerizing.  I still find myself wishing we could know more about how things are developing on the island of Nantucket.  But there are so many story lines and different characters that we can’t see everything.  I still find myself getting occasionally confused trying to follow the different storylines, but I find them interesting enough that I don’t mind.

Discussion Question: (If you are reading along and want to join the discussion feel free to answer these questions, or pose your own questions, in the comments.)

Now that we are almost done with the Nantucket series how are you hoping things are going to end? 

** Join us  next week for a discussion of chapters 14-end of On the Oceans of Eternity, and remember to find out when the next discussion will be posted and for more regular updates on BookGirlR’s reading progress follow us on twitter @bookgirlr **

Nightshades - Review

Title:  Nightshades

Author:  Melissa F. Olson

Synopsis: “Alex McKenna is the new Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Bureau of Paranormal Investigations—the division tasked with investigating crimes involving shades.

“Or vampires, as they’re more widely known.

“Children have been going missing, and agents are routinely being slaughtered. It’s up to McKenna, and some unlikely allies, to get to the bottom of the problem, and find the kids before it’s too late.”

Review:  A fantastic beginning to what I hope is a new series.  Nightshades introduces us to a world in which vampires exist among humans, a fact which has only fairly recently been revealed to the wary humans.  The Bureau of Paranormal Investigations has been created to deal with vampire (or shade as they are called) crime.  The story follows new agent Alex McKenna as he investigates a series of disappearances and murder.  While rather short, it’s really a novella not a novel, Nightshades introduces readers to what has the possibility to be a deep and well thought out new world.  My hope is that future novels in this series will be longer and give the characters more depth. 

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review via NetGalley.**

Publisher: Tor

If you like this book you may want to read:

Generation V by M.L. Brennan (Check out  BookGirlR’s review here)

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet - Review

Title:  Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet  

Author:  Charlie N. Holmberg

Synopsis:  “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from.

“When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.

“During her captivity, Maire is visited by Fyel, a ghostly being who is reluctant to reveal his connection to her. The more often they meet, the more her memories return, and she begins to piece together who and what she really is—as well as past mistakes that yield cosmic consequences.”

Review:  When I started reading Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet I wasn’t sure what to expect.  All I knew of the novel was that the main character could infuse what she bakes with feelings.  I sort of thought it was going to be magical realism similar to Sarah Addison Allen, and I thought a novel about a woman who owns a bakery and makes magical baked goods would be awesome (if anyone knows of a book like that please let me know).  This is not that novel.

     Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet is a fantasy novel.  It’s set in a fantasy world where magic and gods are real.  It starts out with Maire in her bakery, but swiftly turns darker.  Most of the town is slaughtered by bandits and Maire is sold into slavery.  There are some brutal violent bits, I started to get afraid there was going to be rape (I don’t handle those scenes well and I would have quit right there) but there is not. 

     Even though it is not the story I thought I was going to be reading, Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet has the excellent writing that I have come to expect from Holmberg, strong well developed characters and careful world building.  I definitely recommend fans of fantasy read this novel.

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review via NetGalley.**

Publisher:  47 North

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Paper Magician (Paper Magician Series #1) by Charlie N. Holmberg

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Readalong - Novels of the Change 2.1

Cover art by: Johnathan Barkat Photoshop Credit: Stephen Fischer

     After a bit of a break we have finally finished Against the Tide of Years.  In this post we will be discussing the entire book, as opposed to half like we did with Island in the Sea of Time which means we are now 2/15 of the way through our Novels of the Change reread/ readalong (although there is a new novel coming out in September 2016 which will change our goal to 16; here’s the link to the new book on Amazon) If you missed the previous discussions you can find them here (1.1) and here (1.2); and the description of the project here.   

    I did not enjoy Against the Tide of Years as much as I loved Island in the Sea of Time.  Part of what I loved about Island in the Sea of Time was the description of how the Islanders adapted to being in the past.  Against the Tide of Years starts 8 years later and by now the Islanders have pretty much figured out how to survive and are exploring their world.  I did feel that this second novel in the series spreads itself way too thin.  There are multiple story lines going on.  Many groups of people are doing different things.  It did get a bit confusing at times.  I also feel that this novel was all about war, war and more war.  We did not get to see into the characters lives nearly as much as we did in Island in the Sea of Time.  It’s still interesting, seeing the characters developing their fledgling nation.

Marian and Swindapa’s family is adorable.  They are by far my favorite characters.  Alice Hong is the most evil character in the entire novel.  Seriously, she frightens me.  I’m still greatly enjoying the historical aspect of these novels.  Reading about historical events and wondering what changes will occur because of the Islanders, and Walkers, influence is fascinating.

Discussion Questions: (If you are reading along and want to join the discussion feel free to answer these questions, or pose your own questions, in the comments.)

BookGirlR revealed her favorite (and the scariest) characters .  Who are your favorite characters from this novel and why?

What was your favorite part of Against the Tide of Years?  Why?

As we move ahead into the final novel of the Nantucket series what are you hoping to see happen? 

** Join us Saturday  7/23 for a discussion of chapters 1-14 of On the Oceans of Eternity, and remember for more regular updates on BookGirlR’s reading progress follow us on twitter @bookgirlr **

Besieged- Review

Title:  Besieged

Author: Rowena Cory Daniells

Series: The Outcast Chronicles #1

Synopsis:  “Sorne, the estranged son of a King on the verge of madness, is being raised as a weapon to wield against the mystical Wyrds.  Half a continent away, his father is planning to lay siege to the Celestial City, the home of the T’En, whose wyrd blood the mundane population have come to despise.  Within the City, Imoshen, the only mystic to be raised by men, is desperately trying to hold her people together.  A generation long feud between the men of the Brotherhoods and the women of the sacred Sisterhoods is about to come to a head.”

Review:  I’m going to be upfront about something right away; please don’t judge me.  I bought this book because I fell in love with the cover.  Look at it.  It’s beautiful.  Can you blame me?  It was when I started reading Besieged that I realized this novel is beautiful inside and out.  I became emotionally invested in the lives of the characters.  If I hadn't been able to finish reading this in one day I would have worried about the characters while not reading.  The fantastic world building and political intrigue in this epic fantasy novel will keep you reading for hours that feel like seconds.  I read Besieged in one day and immediately ordered the second and third in the series.  I highly recommend reading Besieged.

Publisher:  Solaris Books

If you like this book you may want to read:

Exile (The Outcast Chronicles #2) by Rowena Cory Daniells

The Sentinel Mage (The Cursed Kingdoms Trilogy #1) by Emily Gee (Read BookGirlR’s review here)

The Warded Man (The Demon Cycle #1) by Peter V. Brett (Read BookGirlR’s review here)

Please Be Respectful

Many of you have noticed that I've been gone for awhile.  I appreciate the kind emails, fellow book lovers wondering where I've been.  I wasn't okay for a little while.  I had a bad encounter with a fellow book blogger who took offense at the fact that one of my reviews (my opinion of a novel) was different from hers.  She sent me an email so nasty that I seriously considered deleting my blog and quitting doing reviews.  But I have decided not to let her win.  I'm back.  I'm going to finish the S.M. Stirling  Novels of the Change read-a-long, and I will continue to post honest reviews of the books I am reading.

For the record: I don't care if your opinion of a novel if different from mine, and we can even talk about it.  But when you start calling me inappropriate names, and flat out tell me that my opinion is wrong, that is not okay.  I welcome an open conversation about books on this blog, but we need to be respectful of the opinions of others.

**You can expect reviews later this week, and the next installment of the Novels of the Change Readalong on Sunday 7/17 when we will finish reading book 2 of the Nantucket series Against the Tide of Years.**