Sorry, Imaginary Readers

Sorry mortals, I am currently at university so my time to read is limited at best. I will try my hardest to keep updating as often as I can, but Unseelie educations are rigorous to say the least.


Snails and Puppydog Tails,

Adriana Ivy

Update

To my imaginary readers:

I am currently in the process of reading books that are either sequels or later in a series (Mistborn #3 and Tamir Triad #2).  Therefore, if I fail to post for a bit it isn't because I'm neglecting my reading, it's because I refuse to post entries about sequels if only because it isn't fair to someone who hasn't read the earlier books in a series. I will however post about companion books or ones where it isn't necessary to read the prior books first.


Snails and Puppydog Tails,

Adriana Ivy

The Shadow Reader (McKenzie Lewis #1)- Sandy Williams

McKenzie Lewis has an ability sought by both the Court Fae (variation spelling on 'fey' used in this book) and the Rebels: she can track fey based on the 'shadows' they leave behind. In the human world, McKenzie is trying to finish her English degree and get on with her life, but the fae have other plans for her. She has been working for the fae king for years and has been in love with his sword master, Kyol, for just as long. However, she is tracked down and kidnapped by the rebel fae who want to unseat the corrupt king and put one of their own on the throne. To do this, they need McKenzie's talents to find and gain control over the hidden portals in their world. McKenzie must decide who she can trust and whether or not her affections for Kyol can be replaced by the rugged rebel leader, Aren. Aren teaches her the forbidden fae language and opens her eyes to the corruption of the Court. The fighting begins to claim lives, both mortal and fae and McKenzie's decision could be the single thing that decides the outcome of the war.

Overall Merit: Let me start by saying, this is the perfect example of a misleading cover. I don't think McKenzie so much as touches a sword in the entire novel, in fact she spends most of her time getting injured and rescued by people who can actually use a weapon properly. This book did not gain points with me because to be honest, I didn't understand McKenzie's powers very well and from what I saw of them, they didn't seem very useful. The story was not that interesting or well thought out. Plus, it was totally predictable. I mean it wasn't an awful book or anything, but there wasn't even any good romance to make it better. Score- 6

Characters: I apologize in advance because this is going to turn into a rant about character names. McKenzie. What the bloody hell? If you must use a horrible spelling of the name, don't put random capitals in the  middle of it, it's distracting. What's wrong with Mckenzie, or Mackenzie? Personally, I prefer the vowel before the 'ck' it looks prettier and makes the name less irritating. McKenzie is a bad name in general, but Williams makes it worse with the pretentious spelling. I mean I've seen much worse names, but that's only because I can't pronounce them. To add to that, I didn't really like McKenzie very much, she didn't have much of a personality. Sure, she kept trying to escape from the Rebels and blah, blah, blah, but she didn't do all that much. She was a space filler, not a character. The two love interests weren't interesting either, Aren was ok, but Kyol was meh. I mean all the characters were just kind of flat. Score- 5

Blush Factor: I don't like love triangles at the best of times, however this one didn't bother me so much. Then again, that might have to do with the fact that the characters were all way too boring for me to care what happened to/with them. Aren was a bad boy, but not really and then Kyol was supposed to be a stoic, deadly swordsman, but again not really. McKenzie eventually chooses Aren, sorry to spoil it, but it was pretty predictable. Score- 6

Structure: This was actually a first person novel, which was somewhat surprising since that doesn't show up often in this genre. Nonetheless, the narrator (McKenzie) was not interesting enough to make me enjoy her perspective. It followed linear story structure and well there were virtually no plot twists. Then there was some weird stuff going on with humans who hunted faeries and I got confused. The weird relationship with technology didn't fly that well for me either. I wasn't convinced that the fae were actually fae, there wasn't anything very faerie-like about them at all. Williams did not ground her mythos well enough for the world. Also, what the hell are the weird electrical impulses that seem to run through fae skin? I was confused and not very pleased with the structure of this world. Score- 4

Plot: In one word: predictable. There wasn't much of a plot and the plot that was there wasn't interesting. I was pretty bored throughout the novel--thank Rhiannon it was short. Seriously though, nothing new happened here. McKenzie was kidnapped a bunch of times, there was a pathetic attempt at a battle at the end. Some sort of convoluted plot was concocted. Even the romantic tension fell flat. This book sort of had potential, but it definitely wasn't worth the money I spent buying it. Score- 4

Vervain says: "Human technology weakens fae magic."

The Bone Doll's Twin (The Tamir Triad #1)- Lynn Flewelling

For centuries, warrior queens protected the land of Skala until the king Erius usurped his younger sister's throne and brought plague and drought upon the land. To make matters worse, the enemy kingdom of Plenimar drains Skala dry. The king fights to ensure that his son and heir is the next to take the throne and to do this, any females born to the royal line have all perished by 'mysterious' means. All except his sister's daughter who was given male form by dark magic to protect her until the time she can ascend the throne. The child, Tobin grows to manhood, ignorant of his true identity and haunted by the demon spirit of the twin whose body he stole. Only, Tobin's father, two wizards, and a forest witch know the truth of his identity and they will have to be enough to protect him until he can stand on his own as the queen of Skala.

Overall Merit: This book is beautiful. I loved this book and read it without stopping for three hours until I was finished. Tobin is a haunting yet bewitching character and your heart bleeds for him as you see him struggle to fit a male mold even though instinctively he wants to play with dolls. Then there is the issue of his deranged mother and the hideous doll she carries around with her that binds the spirit of her child's murdered twin.  The magic is dark and deliciously twisted and the characters are fascinating. Flewelling has created a fantastical story with unique magic. Score- 11.5

Characters: Tobin is wonderful as is his friend Ki, who shows up a bit later in the story. The camaraderie they share is touching and I enjoyed every moment I got to spend with them. Even the antagonists have depth here. The king is a cruel and twisted man, who still has affection for his mad sister even though if he knew the truth of the children she bore he would have executed the girl without a thought. Lhel is creepy, but in a good way, I get a very New Orleans witchdoctor feel from her, which is something I've never gotten in epic fantasy before. The other wizards are interesting I suppose, kind of generic, but perhaps they play a greater role later on in the series. Score- 10

Blush Factor: There is a bit of explicit content here, but I wouldn't exactly call it romance. Score: N/A

Structure: I am not a fan of prophecies in general. However, this novel did something different in that the prophecy had already occurred and it was lack of fulfillment that was causing a problem. Props for that, it didn't make me wince the way most prophecy books do. This was primarily through Tobin's perspective, but it also took a side plot to Lhel and the wizard Arkoniel, which was interesting enough, and I look forward to seeing how that plays out in the next books. Score-10

Plot: The plot didn't progress a ton in this book, but I didn't expect it to. A first in a trilogy is to set the stage, introduce the characters, etc. Flewelling did an excellent job with all the necessary components and I am half-dying waiting for the next books to come in the mail. True the content is a bit twisted and grotesque so if that isn't your thing, too bad, read this book anyway. I got a good feel for the characters and the story kept a good pace. Loved this book, so happy I finally decided to read it. Score-11

Vervain Says: "The reason Tobin's twin haunts him is because the body/soul was not disposed of properly."

Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera #1)- Jim Butcher

In the realm of Alera when people come of age they are bonded with a fury (an elemental spirit). However, fifteen year old Tavi never bonded with a fury and therefore is a bit of an outcast and an unlikely hero. When an agent of the First Lord named Alera runs into him in the middle of the storm, she brings with her a war in which Tavi will prove instrumental in making sure that the 'good guys' win.

Overall Merit: This story was meh. It got really good reviews on Goodreads.com, but to be honest I didn't like it that much. I didn't connect with any of the characters and while the technical writing was strong and cohesive, the story didn't really interest me that much. The plot was complex and well thought out, but for whatever reason I did not like this book. It wasn't bad, like I didn't put it aside for an extended period of time, I just didn't love the story or the characters. Score- 6

Characters: The two main characters, Amara and Tavi were fine I guess. They weren't caricatures or anything, but I couldn't relate to them at all and I didn't feel like I was given enough access to their emotions. I didn't feel their fear or anguish and there was no real tension for me. I mean I rooted for them if only because as a reader I was supposed to, not out of any sense of loyalty or attachment. Between the two, I definitely connected better with Tavi, he was a more convincing character and a bit more sympathetic, but Amara was really hard to link with on any level. For one thing, I didn't know enough about her past and what her story was, heck I couldn't even tell how old she was! She didn't have enough inner turmoil to make her interesting. In terms of antagonists, I felt like there were too many and that made it confusing, but on the other hand, none of them were very strong. Score- 6

Blush Factor: Essentially N/A. This was barely there and what was there isn't worth mentioning.

Structure: Structure was fine. Solid. I swear I did actually read this book, I just have very little to say about it. It switched between three or four perspectives, but mostly stuck to Tavi and Amara, easy to follow. The story was pretty much straightforward. There were a few too many side stories going on and I didn't exactly buy them. Also, I felt like the elemental magic has been done to death and while Butcher tried to make it a bit different, it wasn't different enough to carry the story. Score- 7

Plot: Again. Standard fantasy. There wasn't anything interesting done here. Like really there was nothing interesting done here. This was a fantasy book that didn't bend any boundaries or create anything new. Sure Butcher tried with some weird extra humanoid, but he didn't explain the Marat well enough to make it worthwhile. I really wanted this story to have some kick, to bring in something unique, but I swear he just took a list of fantasy elements, slapped them together into a book, and called it a day. Score-6

 Vervain Says: "The Marat are essentially human, I'm still trying to figure out what makes them different."

Late Again, Sorry

I apologize for my lack of punctuality of late. I've been busy working on some writing of my own and reading more Brandon Sanderson novels. Since I've already written reviews on two of his books I'd like to address some new victims. Up next: Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher. I should post by the end of the week. I should have plenty of reading time since I'll be taking a trip tomorrow via Vervain who has graciously agreed to fly me to a distant witches' coven to visit with some old friends. What?! Unseelie Fey are entitled to friendship too.

Snails and Puppydog Tails,

Adriana Ivy

The Fairy Godmother- Mercedes Lackey

In the Five Hundred Kingdoms, everyone has a role to play, whether it be that of a normal peasant or noble, or something more important. This role is determined by a force called the Tradition. Once the Tradition decides that a person is useful or important, magic will culminate around said person and push them on a path toward their inevitable destiny. However, sometimes the logistics don't always work out correctly. Elena was supposed to be a "Cinderella" in her world. She has the evil stepmother and sisters to boot, but as luck would have it, the prince of her kingdom is eleven and not a viable candidate. So instead, she finds herself apprenticed to the fairy godmother of her kingdom and is poised to take over her position as soon as she learns how to control and use the magic that the Tradition has bestowed upon her.

Overall Merit: This was a fluffy book. It was fun to read and I did enjoy the world that Lackey created. This was my first Mercedes Lackey book so I don't know a whole lot about her writing style. To sum it up in one word: cute. The book was cutesy and headed for an inevitable happy ending, which I guess is to be expected in a world governed by fairytales. It wasn't anything so amazing, but I liked the concept of the world and it was a quick read. If you're looking for intense, well-written fantasy/characters/plot then this probably isn't your book, but I mean it was a very light read--'beachy' if you will (not that I know so much about beaches, Unseelie is sadly deficient)--so I finished it in a few hours. The main gripe I had was the romance. This romantic sequence pissed me off/confused me to the extreme. More on that in 'Blush Factor'. Score- 7

Characters: Not a whole lot of substance here. As I said, the characters weren't very well-written. I didn't get any real emotion from anyone and I didn't particularly care about Alexander or Elena. They weren't annoying characters, which always buys some points in my book, but they were flat. Elena was ho-hum not that interesting and her personality wasn't there. She never expressed any real emotion--same issue with Alexander. Sure, Lackey told me he was annoyed/wanted to throttle Elena, but she didn't show me his frustration. The other characters were basically sketches, thrown in to help the plot along, but they literally had no personality or were so stereotypical that they may as well have been stick figures. Score- 5

Blush Factor: *SPOILERS* Don't even get me started. This was one of the worst romances I have ever seen. First off, you knew that Elena and Alexander were going to get together as soon as she drags him away from his quest to 'punish' him. Then, he tries to sexually assault her, which I find is never conducive to any sort of kind feelings. After, when he becomes more civil, they start having freaky shared sex dreams and somehow along the lines end up falling in love. And finally, out of the blue he asks her if she's been having the same dreams as him and then when she says yes they go up to his rooms and have a weird variation of sex. What the Hell? Score- 3

Structure: I really did like the world, which is why I give some kudos to this book. I liked the pseudo fairytale setting and the magical rules of the world. Lackey gave good definition to her magic and the rules governing the world, which was amenable since so many writers neglect to do that. The story wove in and out of Elena's and Alexander's perspectives, which was standard, but I wished there had been more definition when the perspectives jumped. I got a line break and that was it, just a formatting issue, but still something to note. If you do decide to check out the book, do it for the world structure. Score- 8

Plot: I mean there was a plot, it wasn't a very good plot, but it was a plot all the same. I hated the ending, it was extremely rushed. It felt like Lackey was trying to avoid major conflict, realized that was impossible, and ended up putting it in at the end and sweeping it under the carpet as quickly as she could. The premise was decent, not super strong, but not awful either. Lackey could have done something much more interesting with the world. There really wasn't enough conflict. Elena mastered her magic in what felt like moments, Alexander was helped by fairies, and the final 'epic' battle was over in a few pages. No one died. Everyone lived happily ever after, even though the message that Lackey kept driving home in the book was that it didn't work like that. Score- 6

Vervain Says: "Fairy Godmothers are responsible for quest giving, testing heros, and keeping magic from running amok."