Tabitha Tomala
Casey's grandfather disappeared shortly before he was found dead in Lamplight, California. Known for being a cruel man, Casey isn't surprised he died. But when Casey is given his grandfather's journal, he learns of a cult obsessed with finding God in a Higher Place. One his grandfather was actively participating in. Casey suspects the cult played a part in his grandfather's death and starts his journey to Lamplight, California. Eager to find out what, or who killed his grandfather. But a higher place isn't the only thing his grandfather found. The God of Doom, Moros, begins whispering in Casey's ear, making him question everything he knows about life and death. Like his grandfather, Casey is no kind man and is the perfect vessel for a God of doom.
Jezebel is a girl with startling purple eyes. She has been journeying in the Higher Realm for three years, following what is called the Fairy Path. She seeks entrance into the fairy library to gain knowledge and discover her purpose. Along the way she encounters residents of the higher realm, learning their traditions and culture. And while the journey has been peaceful, the danger is lurking around the corner as Moros sets his eyes on Jezebel. If she isn't careful, she will endanger everyone around her in her quest for knowledge.
Together these two characters will decide the fate of humanity.
One of the main goals for Cody Larkin was to establish this as a sequel, but also a standalone book. He did an excellent job providing readers with enough information for this to work as a standalone. He also dropped hints at the previous novel that will intrigue people to backtrack and find out what else happened in Lamplight prior to this story.
This book is for someone who enjoys debating the Nihilism philosophy. Casey's story is heavy with talk of higher powers and whether or not his life meant anything. However, I easily grew bored and my mind drifted as he held debates in his head. It seemed that every time he did something new, he had to question the purpose of it all. I am not one for large philosophical debates, so, unfortunately, most of his storyline was not interesting to me. The only parts I did grow interested in were when he showed his darker side. The side that knew its way around a gun and how to take down multiple targets at once.
Jezebel, on the other hand, has everything handed to her in the first half of the book. It seems the girl can do no wrong and there is no conflict in her story until you are well over one hundred pages into the book. Once the reader starts learning about her eyes and what happened in Lamplight, California before her journey, things start to pick up. Jezebel is also a heroine who always needs saving. Not my favorite type of female.
Also, be prepared to read a story that is heavy on dialogue and not a lot of action. Large amounts of information are told to the reader by characters instead of being shown. With large chunks of exposition, it was hard to process everything going on and retain what I needed for the story. I will highlight though, that Cody's descriptions of fairy are beautiful. As I read about each new area Jezebel visited, it was like seeing a painting in my mind full of vibrant colors and life.
I recommend this book for those who enjoy fast kindled romances and philosophical debates.
The setting is an alternate world Tokyo run by criminal Clans. The main character, Max, is a traveler from another version of Tokyo taking up residence in a high schooler's body. Filled with gun battles, magic, and political drama, it was an interesting concept that fell short.
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Miriam Black has reached rock bottom. The shriveled up piece of hope that once dangled inside, has officially turned to dust. Now her nights are spent getting drunk off cheap wine and stalking the neighborhood to see who she can steal from next. Until FBI Agent Grosky tracks her down. It seems someone created a subreddit for a woman called the Angel of Death. A woman who looks a lot like Miriam. She's become an urban legend. Cell phone footage shows a grainy image of Miriam with a flock of birds at her call. And that's not all, they've tracked her all the way back to the Caldecott School murders. Furious that she's been exposed to the world, the final blow comes when Grosky informs her there is a copycat killer on the loose. One that is dressing like Miriam and reenacting her crimes. The past will come back to haunt Miriam as she hunts down the copycat, and the trespasser comes to collect his due.
The rules are changing in this second to the last installment. Wendig makes you question everything you've started to piece together. How the abilities work, who the trespasser is, honestly I'm not sure what to believe anymore. It makes me need the last book, wanting to see how everything ties together. It's a bold move, but I have no doubt Wendig will be able to pull it off.
Miriam always leaves me craving more. Maybe it's the carnality of it all, the animalistic way she deals with her problems. She is a severely damaged character and I can't get enough. I keep waiting to see if she can finally find some shred of redemption for everything she has done, killing and destroying book after book. It seems every time she finds some semblance of balance, she's knocked right back down. But she keeps standing back up ready to fight.
As eager as I am to see how Miriam deals with the new challenges she is left with at the end of this book, I don't want it to end.
A fun, steady read filled with dark magic, elementals and political intrigue.
Alex Verus prefers the quiet life, running his magical shop and staying far away from the political struggles between light and dark magic users. As a precognition mage, he's pretty good at staying out of trouble. After all, seeing the future is his specialty, but even Alex has his limits. When his associate, Luna, ends up with a magical cube both groups of mages want, events begin to spiral out of control. In his efforts to save Luna, Alex will be pulled into a battle between both sides, one that will force him to confront his dark mage past. Alex will have to choose a side, as he and Luna are dragged into a mess they might not survive.
Benedict Jacka did Alex's powers justice. While Alex can see every future featuring him, it still doesn't make him invincible. Although he definitely does have the upper hand in most situations, even some decisions are too split second for Alex to predict. While I wondered how a character with only precognition abilities would fend off offensive magic, I wasn't disappointed as Alex entertained me with his quick thinking and unique techniques.
Unfortunately, this does not receive 5 stars because the battle between the two sides was taxing. Despite the fact they ultimately wanted the same thing, both sides kept dragging Alex farther away from the end point. They'd share insults and threats, then throw him back out to complete the task. While it showed the ins and outs of the two political sides, I would have preferred to get right to the point.
I recommend this for fans of the Harry Dresden series. The flow of writing and interlaced humor remind me of Harry. In fact, Alex even hints at knowing the famous wizard.
In Aeland, if you are a witch, your only choices in life are to be sentenced to an asylum, or bound to a storm-singer. As a bound witch, you are no more than a battery. Forced to sustain a storm-singer as they use their power to manipulate the weather. For years, witches have been seen as nothing more than tools to be used. Destined to be a battery for his own sister, Miles ran away to enlist in the military. When his camp was destroyed by the enemy, he faked his own death to escape the watchful eyes of his father. A father who would do anything to enslave his own son.
Miles hides in plain sight, working in the psychiatric ward of a veteran's hospital. With his ability to heal, he can see the injuries sustained by the soldiers coming home from war. Many of his own patients suffer from battle fatigue and experience voices in their heads telling them to kill. To Miles, the mental strain appears as a brown cloud in his patient's minds. Able to lock the disease away with magic, he cannot perform miracles for every patient. He must use mundane means to diagnose and treat it, or else be ousted as a witch. Until a dying witch is brought to Mile's hospital and a witness sees the man grant Miles his power before he dies.
This is not a novel for those who prefer reading magical battles with a fast paced plot. It is instead, an even paced mystery filled with magic. Not only does Miles have to figure out what is happening to his patients, he is also tasked with finding clues to the unknown witch's murder. Of course the star witness, Tristan, joins Miles in the search. Reading the two of them together reminded me of Sherlock Holmes and Watson. They feed off of each other, and make quite the pair as the risk taking Tristan endures the careful and methodical methods of Miles.
Miles was unfortunately, a flat character. The most reaction seen out of him was when he had to explain how he wanted something better for his life. Even reading about the duty he felt towards his patients, it seemed to fall short. When he ended up with a romantic interest, it didn't even feel real, more like something he acknowledge and accepted without passion.
Even though the main character wasn't interesting enough, the rest of the world drew me in. While most of this book focused on the storm-singers and witches with the ability to heal, I want to know more about the other witch abilities. I am also intrigued by the ending of this book and what changes will occur due to the chain of events.
An intense and violent novel, that reflects the horrors of genocide and how ignorance bred from fear can devastate a nation.
Zelie lives in constant fear. As a child she watched as her mother was brutally beaten and killed during The Raid, a mass genocide orchestrated by the King. Now as a young adult, her family is still spat on and overtaxed by the monarchies guards, all because of her heritage. Zelie's mother was a Reaper, a maji able to communicate and work with the souls of the dead. During The Raid, the King eradicated all maji able to channel the power of the gods, and severed their connection to magic. But Zelie's hair is pure white, a sure sign that if magic ever returned, she too would be able to harness the power of the gods. Because of this, she and the diviners that are left are treated like objects. But the gods have other plans, and Zelie is about to be thrown into the last desperate struggle for magic.
Despite growing up as royalty, Princess Amari has never seen the diviners as less than human. Her oldest friend and chambermaid Binta, is one such diviner. But when the King comes into possession of a maji artifact, one that can awaken magic, Amari will witness her father's cruelty. Horrified at his actions, Amari will escape the palace with the artifact and come face to face with Zelie. Young and naïve, Amari will have to come to terms with her actions and become the Queen she never thought she could be.
Beaten down both verbally and physically, Prince Inan is being groomed for succession. Taught to hold the safety of Orisha over his own desires, the King has also instilled in Inan the need to keep a strangle hold on magic. When Amari runs off with an artifact that could bring back magic, he must track down his own sister. But will duty force him to slaughter his own kin? Conflicted, broken, Inan will struggle with his mission and the deadly secret he harbors. A secret he is only just learning himself.
Together, this cast of characters will either bring hope and magic back to the world, or destroy an entire culture and race.
This was a fast paced adventure, where the characters are forced to come to terms with their imperfections. I enjoyed the depth of character development and watching each of them struggle with their inner demons. Creating three complex characters is no easy feat, especially with the depth of world building Tomi Adeyemi had to do as well.
Poverty and oppression are brought to life throughout the novel. Your heart will ache as you watch the brutality and injustices inflicted on the diviners. And it is a harsh reflection of the actual world's police brutality against innocents. You will see a rich culture come near extinction, and cry out for its salvation.
The only reason I did not give this a five-star rating was the fact I would not allow my teenager to read this novel. It is filled with genocide, attempted rape and violence. Adults would connect better with the concepts, and be able to understand the politics governing the actions of the characters, yet it was marketed to young adults.
Nora has a secret. Ten years ago it forced her to leave everything behind and start a new life. But the past catches up to her when she is invited to Clare Cavendish's hen party.
Clare was the best friend she abandoned. The last thing Nora expects to find is an invitation to her hen party. Nora knows she won't be able to leave the past buried if she goes, but anxious and riddled with guilt, she arrives at the hen with her childhood friend Nina.
Out in the woods, where cell reception is spotty and the nearest neighbor is miles away, Nora will discover that Clare's future husband is none other than her childhood sweetheart James. The boy she left behind. Forced to relive painful memories, the hen party will escalate into events that will make Nora wish she never tried to confront her past.
The opening of this book took me in. Nora is running through the woods, chasing after someone. She's scared, branches are tearing at her and she runs into the road, flinging her arms out to stop an oncoming car. Chapter one begins and she is covered in blood, being treated at the hospital with no memory of what happened, or how she ended up in the road.
The story switches between Nora recovering in the hospital, and her memories of the night. The intensity of the hospital scenes are what kept me reading, as Nora wrestles with a mix of emotions trying to figure out why the police are interested in her and the struggle she has trying to piece everything together.
The plot, unfortunately, was predictable due to the character's personalities. I knew who the antagonist was before anything happened, and there were too many cliché moments. The only landline phone stopped working and the characters pulled out an Ouija board, which put the group on edge with its messages.
I also didn't find Nora to be a very likeable character. I enjoyed Nina's quick wit and sharp tongue, more than Nora's demure nature. She let everyone poke fun at her and tear her down as if she were still in high school. Despite this, I didn't put the book down because I wanted and needed Nora to step up and be a better person. The Nora in the memories was radically different than the Nora lying in the hospital, and I wanted to see how that transformation happened. I wasn't displeased as I saw it unfold.
In a Dark, Dark Wood was a quick read and I would recommend it to people who want to read a light mystery. I would be willing to give Ruth Ware another try, as this was her debut novel. I'd like to see how her writing style evolves with a new novel.
Sloan Stolar is trying to leave behind her haunted past in California. As an assistant at a busy law firm in Washington, she doesn't love her job, but things could be worse, a lot worse. Kept late one night at work, she meets a man who with a single touch, will forever change her life. A single act of kindness will bring violence and pain to her doorstep.
A man with pure black eyes now stalks her dreams, turning her sleeping hours into an endless nightmare. Confused and afraid, Sloan tries to come to terms with her new reality. Suddenly passing her latest art exam isn't the most important part of her day, now she has to do all she can to simply survive. She desperately wants to tell someone about the man who's become obsessed, but who would believe her? Especially when that same man has supernatural powers.
This book has a character with the most realistic reaction to the supernatural I have read in a while. Sloan battles with herself to accept the reality of the supernatural, slowly accepting what is happening to her isn't some mental break. And the inner torment she has at being alone in this situation was heart breaking. It really hit home for me.
I would have liked to see Sloan's past be a bigger part of the book. There are moments where it influences her, but it's not enough of a presence. She does seem to have a sort of PTSD from her home life in California and incorporating more symptoms of it would have been an interesting read. While I understand it isn't he focus of the book, it is a large part of who she is and it is only mentioned in full once.
The writing style was simpler than I was used to, and some of the dialogue was clunky and didn't read well. The swears Sloan dropped also seemed a bit overdone, like they were being put on the page just to shock readers. I'm also not a huge fan of sudden romances, even in crisis situations, so when Sloan suddenly finds love it fell short.
The book was a quick a read and I appreciated the new take on good and evil, though the explanations of it were rushed towards the end. Sloan isn't able to do a lot of information hunting in the book, and the reasons stated were believable, but I still would have liked to see more answers founds out by Sloan, rather than an exposition right at the end. Sloan, for the most part, does have her questions answered, but it was hard to take it all in.
I can't say I am interested in reading the next book. I do think people who enjoy fast paced love stories would enjoy this and anyone who needs a quick supernatural read.
He's just an overgrown fire lizard!
He'll never be a real dragon!
The white dragon Ruth was never supposed to survive. Small for his size and stuck in his egg, Lord Jaxom saved his life. Now the young boy who isn't quite a Lord Holder, and the dragon who never should have lived have a life time bond. While Ruth pays no mind to the insults thrown his way, Jaxom is determined to prove his friend is just as good as the great bronzes.
The first half of this novel I have to admit dragged on. It mostly focused on Jaxom and Ruth exploring their capabilities as dragon and rider, which was entertaining, but there wasn't a huge amount of conflict. A few political spats from the Lord Holders and the familiar threat of thread, but aside from that not much happens until the exiled Southern Riders decide to meddle in the affairs of the North.
The Southern riders are old and dying. We've known this since book two. Exiled due to their greed and treatment of Pern, they have been a long overdue thorn that has decided to burrow in deeper. The hot headed and egotistical T'ron chooses to commit a heinous crime that nearly sets dragon upon dragon. This is the first conflict we see, where Jaxom and Ruth begin to prove themselves and is a turning point for the plot.
The Northern riders begin expansion into the Southern Continent, far away from the Southern Weyr so as to avoid further conflict and in search of a lost rider. Jaxom and Ruth soon stumble upon fire lizards who can give the riders clues to their mysterious ancestors and a curious ability only Ruth can use. As the Northerners begin to dig into the past that surrounds them, the bits and pieces they uncover start to unravel the mysteries surrounding the ancestors. I do wish the two stories, that of Jaxom and Ruth's realization of their self worth and the expansion of the Southern Continent had been split into separate books. I don't feel like Jaxom and Ruth went through enough trials to become who they are by the end of the book. It was more like they overcame school yard bullying than anything else, which in itself should be rewarding, but it fell flat.
I am also not one to enjoy politics, even if they are fictional. The plot structure could have also used work, as it sometimes jumped to a person's POV that was summing up what happened in the previous novels and the current one. None of this summary was needed and interrupted the storyline.
I'm not willing to give up on Pern just yet. I do want to know more about the ancestors and if the current inhabitants of Pern can deconstruct and figure out all that has been left behind. I also know there are a few books that take place during the original trilogy and I would be interested to know what has been happening in the other Weyrs.
The local haunts have begun to disappear. Of course they are only ghosts, remnants stuck on a loop according to the Society. They could care less if a lamp post stopped flicking on the Haint's tour. But is simple a part of Grier's new life? Hardly. She knows something is going on, and she's not going to let her local haunts go quietly. In between necromancy training with Linus and getting her ass handed–I mean self defense training with Taz, Grier launches her own investigation. Along the way Grier will have to dodge knives thrown by an angry spirit and a police investigator who thinks the bruises on her face (thanks Taz) are caused by an abusive relationship. We will uncover more about the old Grier before Maud's death, but only enough to wet our appetites and leave us begging for more. There is so much mystery surrounding Grier, but it's all the ooey gooey goodness we have to wait for in the center of the series. And yes for all those Boaz fans, you will see plenty of him even though he's taken up a new profession. I highly doubt he's going anywhere for long. Don't mind me gagging with Amelie in the corner while Grier and Boaz act like doe eyed puppies. Grier is doing her best to settle into the new mantle wrapped in chains around her and it will be interesting to see her toe the High Society line as the series progresses. Politics are not her strong point, but she's going to have to be a fast learner, or else be eaten alive by the rest of the Society. As much wonderful drama I am sure it will create, I feel sorry for her. I appreciated learning more about the way magic works with Linus' lessons and the addition of a few more critters to the Necromancy world. I hope Hailey Edwards continues to expand the world view a book at a time and does not get lost in the romancey bits. The hinted at love triangle will be an exhausted plot point if she exercises the option in the next book. Let's see more answers to our expanding questions and Grier putting her new found skills to the test!
Plenty of mystery to go around in this one! Grier has been recently released from the hell hole of a supernatural prison, where she was drugged into submission. Accused of killing her necromancer mentor Maud, she has no recollection of what happened the night she died. Armed with her zombie parakeet, a haunted house and the two best friends she had to leave behind, Grier struggles to readjust to the real world. I enjoyed the haunted house! She was one of my favorite characters. Giving life to an object is difficult, but Hailey Edwards did it tactfully, utilizing the parts of the house with skill. Now I could have done without all the sexual tension, I rolled my eyes every time her childhood crush dropped hints, but I know there are readers out there who enjoy it. To be honest I just skipped those parts. The story line itself was great. I'm hooked and want more.
The first half of this book, as the team struggles through the ether was great. Plenty of tension, character development and mystery. The amount of demon names threw me though, and I can honestly tell you it was confusing trying to keep them all straight. This book, like its predecessors could have benefited from a healthy dose of editing as it progressed into the second half. I'm not one for politics in my books, and this series has loads of it. The second half of the book mainly deals with the common theme of racism and the political battle waged between rulers. I am much more an action seeking reader. Give me battles, twist and turns, heart wrenching scenes. Not politics.
It is extremely hard for a sci fi novel to entertain me, and this one totally did! A nice air of mystery carries on as the story line progresses and you begin to piece together what has happened to the world and how three seemingly random individuals fit together. I appreciate the fact that the scientific verbiage was kept to a minimum and was not presented in a confusing way. Most sci fi I put down because it goes over my head with the wording used. I was eager to pick this book back up every time and couldn't wait to see how everything resolved itself! The only thing a bit jarring was the epilogue, talking about characters not really introduced in the book.
The concept surrounding this story is an interesting one. An orphan raised by a blacksmith discovers he as the ability to summon demons. In this world summoners are useful tools on the battlefield and put into training to help repel the growing horde of orcs threatening to overtake the realms. Filled with magic, political unrest and plenty of action, I did however find it to be too predictable of a plot. Was it an entertaining read? Yes. A sit on the edge of my seat page turner? No. Nothing really gripped me, I sort of coasted along, taking breaks in between chapters to read other books. The characters aside from learning more about summoning, never really changed. And while the racism portrayed to the dwarves was brutal, it didn't feel real enough. It was harsh and blunt, which isn't always the case. Every character seemed to be racist in the exact same way. There was a lot of potential in this book, but if you're going to give me a world filled with war and political unrest, go all the way. Don't pull your punches and make the main character suffer and experience what this awful world has to offer and have him see through his pain what he can do to improve it. Don't just beat him up and have him whine about. I'm going to keep going and see if the true potential surfaces.
Where in the world do I start with this review? Leigh Bardugo floored me with her characters and world building. Mind blown! If you start this book, be prepared, buy the second one ahead of time. You will do nothing else but read it until you're at the end and then immediately start the next. Reading this book is like being given all these pieces to a large puzzle through multiple point of views, and each chapter is another piece sinking into place until you start seeing the pictures they form and it's a pop and flash of realization as the whole thing comes together. You're going to meet six kids who are about to try and pull off the largest heist in the history of this world. It's dangerous, the odds are stacked against them and a mix of secrets and past bad blood surround them, but holy hell is it a ride. They might be young, but the chemistry between characters flows so well, that you don't even doubt what they're doing. Ketterdam is a merchant's city, where the rich get richer and the poor are stepped on. Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Wylan and Jesper are all broken or damaged in some way, struggling to survive in this city of the rich. As the story unfolds you will see how each came to be in the dregs of Ketterdam and how even though they each struggle, together they are strong and if they pull of this heist filthy rich. There's magic, heart wrenching scenes, and too many edge of your seat chapter endings that make this book unable to be put down. The character development is just stunning, watching each character evolve in their own way and fight their own demons was mesmerizing. And the world building! Despite how many different cultures that are introduced nothing is confusing or over done. You're given just enough on each to have it all make sense. Well done Leigh Bardugo. I'm jealous, but well done.
Well Kitiara, considering how you were in The Chronicles, this origin story took me by surprise. It started off well enough, showing how she helped raise her half brothers due to her mother's illness and segwayed into how she eventually came to work with mercenaries. Kit led a tough life and wanted nothing more than to adventure away from her boring home life, find her missing father and become rich and powerful. The pace did slow down a bit once she became enamored by a passing royal during one of her stints home in Solace and it was sort of an eye roll moment for me, but she never once became a love sick puppy which I appreciated. It would have ruined her tough as nails attitude. I enjoyed reading what little there was about Rasiltin in this book. Hands down he will be my favorite book character of all time. I was hoping to see more of how Kit became drawn to the Dark Queen's forces as we see her in The Chronicles, and how in the world she came to be a dragon rider. I'm guessing in the Preludes series there will be more on this. Overall it wasn't bad. I felt Tina Daniell did a pretty good job of sticking to Kitiara's personality and keeping her choices mostly within the realm of what I felt Kit would do, but some of the plot points needed work.
I was tempted to give this 2 stars, but I felt it wasn't fair because D.B. Sieders is a talented author, just not my typical style in the fantasy genre. I read this because I was given an advanced copy of Chasing the Dead, a short story based in this world. I felt giving a critique to the short story wasn't appropriate unless I knew more about the series because it was clearly targeted to those who already experienced Soul Brokers. Any books that focus on romance bits are not my cup of tea, thus my main problem with Waking the Dead, and it was slower paced than my usual read. I would say this was more so light fantasy, focusing on the relationships of the characters more so than the ability Viviane had to harness a living person's anguish into energy. I did appreciate how strong of a main character Viviane was, and how the author portrayed the hardships of caring for a disabled sibling. You don't see situations like that very often, especially a character who has a sensory processing disorder.
I was given a copy of this short story in return for an honest review. I think D.B. Seiders is a talented author, but not one for me. I would advise you to read the first Soul Broker book, Waking the Dead, before attempting to read the short story. I was extremely confused as to what was going on until I read it once again after reading the first book of the series. I did appreciate the flipped point of view, as this short story takes place right in the beginning of book one, but I felt it was too short. I would have loved to see more of Darkmore's life and his opinions over Vivian's choices. I do recommend D.B. Seiders' books to those who enjoy light fantasy and romance.
I really needed to read this. I love the show, I love the actors and actresses not only for their characters, but also for their genuine kindness and caring. I've planned to read it for a while and I finally had the chance to pick it up at the bookstore. It came into my life when I needed a reminder to always keep fighting. Those of us who feel the connection with this wonderful fandom should read this book. Even those who have no idea what the show is, who roll their eyes every time Supernatural takes over tumbler give it a read, you'll understand why it's so important to so many people.
After the loss of his wife, Dieter Harmon moves his family to Montana to start over. But as he begins to build his veterinarian business, he’ll find there’s something amiss at the local ranches. Vicious animal attacks are claiming livestock. Ranchers are convinced the Yellowstone wolves are to blame. When Dieter happens upon the body of a photographer near the national park, he begins to side with the ranchers. The further Dieter becomes involved in the investigation, the closer he comes to becoming a prime suspect on Jack Corey’s list. And Chief Park Ranger Jack Corey will do anything to make sure his wolves aren’t to blame.
James Marshall Smith chose the perfect point in history to introduce this story. Hybrid is set during the early days of the Yellowstone Wolf Project. Not only was he able to build into the story fear of the unknown monster, but he also drew in political apprehension from ranchers and families living near Yellowstone. Together these two elements created a solid story and connected to character actions.
And the fear of the unknown monster isn't the only thing that makes this a horror novel. The livestock kills were brutal. Listening to the audiobook, each description turned my stomach. There were moments I had to pause the book. When introduced to the creature actively hunting humans, I felt the build-up of terror as it stalked them, lurking ever closer until it chose its moment to strike. Capturing the victims' last moments from their point of view was an effective way to up the horror scale.
There were parts of Hybrid I felt needed a bit more flushing out. I would have liked to see Dieter working through the loss of his wife before the beginning of this story. While his decisions surrounding his children were related to her loss, there wasn’t a lot of time spent on his emotional state. A few flashbacks and reactions were based on her death, but I felt as though it wasn't fully integrated into the story. Dieter did not evolve as a character beyond her loss due to the events of Hybrid.
The prologue is also the biggest giveaway to what is happening within Hybrid. If the prologue were to be omitted, the fear of the unknown would have been much better. There would have been an overarching mystery of supernatural versus natural. With the way Hybrid is written, readers can easily put together conclusions and know what is occurring. But take the prologue away and readers would have been able to constantly guess if they were correct and feel more satisfied as they finally pieced together the correct answer in the end.
Hybrid focuses on the fear of the unknown, and the aptitude to blame creatures of the same species due to the actions of one. While it isn’t a fast-paced read, the pacing is consistent right until the end. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy horror novels with a literature writing style. If you enjoy Stephen King’s writing, you may also enjoy this.
Originally posted at www.behindthepages.org.
Reading this was like seeing old friends again after a long absence. The Dragonlance Chronicles started my adventures into the world of Krynn back in high school. I felt that returning years later to read how the companions met one another was fitting. In this first book we meet Flint Fireforge and Tanis Half Elven. Flint is a guest metalsmith for the Speaker of the Sun and Tanis as many know, if your familiar with the series, is the product of tragedy after the Cataclysm. An orphaned boy of half royal blood, taken in to be raised among the Speaker's children. We see the hardships that fall on Tanis as he is ridiculed for being half human, and my heart breaks for him. As the story progresses we see the bond between Flint and Tanis grow, from a simple act of kindness when Flint gives him a handmade toy into a steadfast friendship. But trouble waits for Tanis, as he grows older and is accused of murder. The only thing standing between his exile from Qualinost is Flint's determination to prove him innocent. This was a slow building book, as the reader is shown Tanis' whole childhood, but it serves to show the basis of his personality we see in later novels. I also never tire learning about the different elven races in Krynn, so the ability to read more about Qualinost's culture and coming of age traditions interested me. Flint's humor does break up the long stretches and his faithful donkey causing laughable mayhem. A definite read for fans of the original trilogy that started the Dragonlance World.
Watching Sinon struggle with guns in the anime is nothing compared to reading about her PTSD and flashbacks in the light novel. It's chilling to know what she had to experience as a child to save her mother and what it took away from her. I also appreciate the fact Sinon is so different than the other female characters in the series so far. Not to say the others aren't strong or confident, but Sinon carries a rough and defensive edge that makes her unique. She's tough as nails in GGO, trying to overcome the struggles she faces outside of the virtual world. While the GGO world itself doesn't impress me since I'm never one for gun games, Kawahara once again showcases his skill for bringing together characters from different worlds, both virtual and real, and developing relationships between them. The kinship Kirito and Sinon find from their haunted pasts shows through much better in the light novel. I can't wait to read the next.