Mitchell
”Temeraire did not wake until the sun was slipping below the horizon; Laurence was nodding over his book. Temeraire nudged his cheek with a blunt nose to rouse him, and announced, “I am hungry again.” “
As someone with a newborn child, a novel about a talking newborn dragon is perhaps the perfect story at this moment. The hunger cues, curiosity and exciting moments I have seen in my beautiful daughter I related with in Laurence, besides the talking bit.
Also the wings.
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Audio read by: Simon Vance
The Books of Babel has got to be one of the most refreshing modern fantasy series in our time. It is uncommon for authors to replicate the novelty that is found in an introductory book of a series into its sequels—particularly in the second—and when a book like Arm of the Sphinx exceeds it's predecessor, you gotta wonder how the hell did that happen.
One thing that stood out in AotS is the shift in the POV. At first I thought the risk was going to be the unfortunate downfall. I was so happy to see how it gave the series a raw aspect that I didn't know I needed. If something happens to Voleta, I'm going to break some fingers (not mine, hopefully).
Overall, I thank the lord for this beautiful series.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
There is a lot I found fascinating about Bennett's prose from reading the first book in this series, Foundryside. He created a hard magic system that was inspiring to me as a writer, in turn I found insanely inspiring this time around with Shorefall.
This was a book series I have been etching to read more in and I was fortunate enough to read this before it's release, which at this point I'd say didn't disappoint.
In between the pouring of guts and steam-powered machinery in this story, there was only one moment where the pacing felt low and relaxed. Honestly, I expect a few slow downs with info dumps through an epic fantasy, and with Shorefall I felt it necessary to give a single moment to pause and look around at the alluring world. There is something particularly beautiful about ravaging politics and people who are on the edge of their demise.
The book was pretty damn awesome.
Gideon the Ninth is absolute gold. I saw there was a lot of hype for the debut series, looked into it, and thought the necromancer theme might not be for me, plus I wasn't sure where it fit in the fantasy category. But when I did get a chance to read a slice of it, I was hooked.
Set into the future, where death declares decree across 9 particular communities, whom praise skeletons and dead dudes. Half sci-fi, half grimdark, and another addition half, a Agatha Christie murder mystery, Tamsyn somehow manifests a story-driven plot in an unlikely perfect blend.
Immediately shelved as a pippity poppity.
Another popular book I've read without any knowledge beforehand.
Now, I've read Bardugo's ‘Six of Crows' duology, which was an absolute blast. The Ninth House was Leigh's debut book into the ‘adult' fantasy sub genre. I have a fascination with authors that dive into a different category, it helps me study author's prose for my own writing. In this case, both this book and ‘Six of Crows' felt like they came from different authors entirely, which is actually amazing.
When I started the book I was hyped when I found out the grittyness theme immediately. That is to say, there were a couple times where some of the flashbacks come off as info dumps rather than experiences, but the characters pushed me through them. It was the the last portion of the story that brought me to understand why there is so much love for the book.
2023 Update:
I've been rereading the Skyward series to prepare for the finale coming this November. I already knew the first book to be excellent, but Starsight was one of those books that I've forgotten how good it was. Sequels are always difficult to accomplish and upholding the premise that is setup in the first book and this one does a good job at that. Don't get me wrong, the pacing slows down in the middle a tad, but the conclusion is memorable and awesome.
__Original Review (2020):One of the greatest things about the Skyward series is how it's the easiest Sanderson books to recommend. It's not as long as the majority of his books, and in this case, it does a great job showcasing his world building and character development. It's pretty easy to become a fan of Brandon after reading this series alone.The greatest difference from Skyward to Starsight is its transition in the motif. Since I won't spoil what the theme of each book actually are, I'll say the change here is so diverse in a way that, in most cases, would usually compromise the development in the story and character arcs. Starsight didn't miss a beat.__
Audio read by: Suzy Jackson
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1st Read: Audio (2020)Re-read: ebook (2023)
2023 Update:
I was looking forward to rereading this short story again, but I chose the wrong format to relive it. GraphicAudio never seems to work right for me. The audio drama experience is something I'm trying to pick up every so often and in this case, I couldn't enjoy Sixth of Dusk this time around. I'll need to reread this physically next time to raise it back to 5 stars.
__Original Review (2020):A Sanderson short story that showcases a grim version of the Polynesian culture, which ties critically to the magic system in the novella, which, of course, is awe-inspiring. I shouldn't expect less from Brandon. I read this in the Arcanum Unbounded, and found it to be one of my favorites from that collection.I usually find myself in the minority of people who actually love a good short story. Some stories aren't meant to be looked into further. Much like one that can envelope a character's journey with a hint of color that would be able to give a luminous payoff in the end. That is exactly what I found in Sixth of the Dusk.__
Audio read by: Graphic Audio (full cast)
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1st Read: Physical [Arcanum Unbounded] (2020) 5⭐️Re-read: GraphicAudio [Audio Drama] (2023) 3⭐️
2024 Reread:
My god, this is by far one of the best conclusions I've read in a story. When I first read it years ago I Ioved it, but I don't think I really understood why until this reread. This series was the building blocks of the Cosmere and proves to be the most substantial universe I'll probably ever read.
Everything in this trilogy is pivotal; characters, plot, setting, everything. Its story meets its end here with such bravado and excellence. I could talk days about how this series amazes me.
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Audio read by: Michael Kramer
1st Read: audiobook (2019)Re-read: Blend (ebook/audiobook/physical) [2024]
