Nick
There was so much I loved about this book. The nostalgia seriously rocked my world, and though I didn't get all of the music references (not much of a music buff), it all reminded me of my early childhood days. Landline phones, mix tapes, summer lakes and creepy stories. Yes, my friends and I played with ouija boards. .
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Back to the book. It had terror, nostalgia, comedy and sadness. My heart strings were seriously pulled at times and I loved how much I cared for the characters. I was terrified for them, and I would definitely recommend this to any child of the 80's or 90's. I really hope to see more like this from the author!
There was some nervousness when it comes to finishing and/or continuing a series with a different author other than the one who created it. I wasn't too too nervous as I've heard amazing things about Sanderson. There was even some things I was hoping he could improve upon. Don't get me wrong, as Jordan created this AMAZING world that I will always love. But the last half dozen books, it felt like all his female characters had the same, catty personality. It was starting to irk me. .
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Well, I had nothing to fear, because Sanderson gave me back the feeling I had when I picked up the first book. The plots were fantastic, the characters were in-depth and he didn't overwhelm me with 20 character perspectives. The world always got me excited when I picked up another book, but Sanderson really added something to Jordan's world that I hadn't seen in a while. I am ECSTATIC to see what happens in the last two books!
I'm not shy about admitting that this series leaves me with some bias. It just hits me with everything I love about sci-fi. I've also shown that each installment seems to replace the last one as my new favourite. This is no different. In fact, I think this one takes it to a new level. Especially the perspectives that we now get to read. I mean, I learned so much more about the rest of the Rocinante crew! Something I've been desiring for a while, and it left me riding a rollercoaster of emotions. .
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AHHH! I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH! I'm not twitching, you're twitching! Anyway, back to my point. This one keeps the gut-wrenching action going, and really had me more invested in these characters than ever before. This is not an installment to miss.
I love my books about marine biology, ecology and history. What this book did right, was spot on. Unfortunately, I had to filter through a bunch of unnecessary info to get to it. It felt as though about a third of the book was taken up by him referencing, quoting and telling the history of Herman Melville (author of Moby Dick). I got so tired of hearing about him, that I was skipping whole pages sometimes to get to the good stuff. I know his work was strongly influenced by actual experience in and around the whaling industry, but I didn't buy a book about Melville, I bought it about whales. Sure, they go hand in hand a lot, but maybe the book should be called “History of whales and Melville”. Beyond that, it was extremely well written. I loved the way he romantic described whales and his experience with them. There was a lot of good history on the whaling industry and he goes pretty in depth to some of the whales biology. All in all, I'd recommend it, as long as you're also a HUGE Moby Dick fan.
What can I say about this book? I loved it! It seemed like the only ending that could have happened with this trilogy. It's difficult for me to explain how much I loved it without sounding like a fanboy. But honestly, the series as a whole has been pretty amazing. It feels like a universe has been created that I'll love to jump in to every time. And I'm glad he has another trilogy and novellas out to help that addiction. This book had it all. It really rounded off some things I was curious about. But it left enough mythos so that the world has A LOT to show us. I can not recommend this series enough!
I was especially excited when it came to the comparisons this book was made to Firefly. So of course I was ecstatic to buddy read with my fellow book addict, Holly! Head over to her account to see her review. Seriously, folks, they really hit the nail on the head with this one! It has crazy Firefly vibes and I love it. Now I'm going to keep it spoiler free, so don't worry. Now I'm not the most avid lover of mixing fantasy and sci-fi (except for my beloved Star Wars. The Wars are life!), but this is the type of book to convert me. They kept reasonable limitations on the magic system, which by the way is maddeningly awesome! Between that and the space battles, the one on one fights, the Indiana-Jones-style treasure hunting, and the characters that had me legitimately caring for what happened, I can not praise this book enough!!!
I've seen quite a bit of mixed reviews with this one. So I was always curious what I was going to think of it. I really enjoyed it! I'm always a big fan of books/movies that know that the monster you can't see is more terrifying than the one you can. So a novel about a creature that drives you crazy if you look at it? Right up my alley! Only critique I felt about it was that it was too short, and the characters didn't feel fleshed out enough. Beyond that, I truly loved this book and will recommend it to many a horror fan!
I swear, this series just keeps getting better and better. I always find myself wondering what type of chemistry the story will take, and how they can up the stakes, and these guys never disappoint. The authors seriously know what they're doing with sci-fi. The environment is different than it has been in previous books, and the levels of danger are higher. Despite Caliban's War having my favourite character extras, I would say this is my favourite book to date. Can't wait for the next!
Where did this series come from? Seriously, I never thought that Flintlock Fantasy could be so amazing! It just keeps escalating the awesome with every book. The world is created in the first one, and now this book gives you more reason to love all the characters. It even takes you to another country to see just how diverse this universe is. I'm not going to spoil anything, but the actions was great, the stakes were worse, and my attention couldn't be any more locked in. Seriously loved this book. I mean, magic and muskets? Sold.
The first book in the series set a good pace for understanding the world and really gathering what a Blade is. Though this book, the second in the series, mostly involves a country that's at war with them, was so good! The Baels are a dynamic, honourable, and brutal people. I'm blown away by how much I enjoyed their society more than the Chivics. Except for the the Blades. Blades are pretty much like Jedi, without the Force. Badass swordsmen that are the best around. Even the weakest Blade is better than your average swordsman.
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That being said, this story went through a few different generations and really brought more understanding to the magic system and politics that Duncan has created. As much as I enjoyed the first book, this one makes me want to binge the rest of them. I'm surprised I don't hear more about this series, because it feels like a hidden gem.
This story had everything I wanted out of a ghost story; ouija boards, creepy shadows, inhabited objects, characters that feel real & react naturally, and a truly amazing ending! In fact, the only flaw I can think of is that it wasn't long enough. I want more! It made a fantastic novella, but I truly believe that it could have been fleshed out even more to full novel. Maybe I just wanted it to because I loved everything already. I would have loved to get more backstory and personality from the other characters. But as it stands, this has turned me in to an immediate fan of Ania Ahlborn. Picking up everything of hers now!
Wow. This book blew my mind. I'm so enamoured by everything that McClellan has created in this world. The magic system is just so unique! This is my first forte in to a Flintlock Fantasy novel, and it did not let down at all.
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The characters were enthralling, whether it was because of their admirable qualities, or because they were heavily flawed. Their feelings were just relatable. Maybe not in the world context, but in how they reacted to each other. I don't want to forget the little sprinkles of comic relief here and there that I always enjoy in a good story.
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The ending was so greatly done too. It really has me so excited to read the next one. Which I am in May, wooo! For any hardcore fantasy lover, or someone new to the genre, you need to pick this one up!
This is the Hill I was expecting to read. You can really tell the level of writer he truly is. I was BLOWN AWAY by how much I loved this book. I don't want to compare him to his father, because he is an talented author in his own write, but this book gave me the exact type of experience that made me one of King's biggest fan's. That being said, this story was unique, enthralling and had me reading late in to the night. It made me laugh, gave me chills and tugged at my heart strings all at once. It's my first Joe Hill book and now I'm hooked for life. Hill is not an auto-buy. What a horrifying and beautiful story!
3.5/5 - I really wanted to love this as much as Ready Player One, but there were so many elements of it that seemed forced and didn't have the same flow. The characters had WAY less diversity in their personalities. That being said, I loved the idea for what Armada was as a story. It may not have been unique, but it was a type of story I LOVE. Definitely one where you get that geeky love, but not the homerun that Ready Player One was, in my opinion.
There's so much I can say about this books. I loved Shadow. I loved his depth, his mannerisms, the way he thought about things and the person Gaiman made him be. The others characters were unique and believable. It found my heart and tugged at the strings and kept me interested from the first page. It leaves me both satisfied and wanting more. I loved it.
What can I say? Dan Simmons continues to impress me. This had a lot of parallels to Stephen King's IT, and that's not a bad thing. It's like Simmon's own take on the ‘kids vs monster' story, much like Stranger Things does. And regardless of how many times I come across a story like this, I love it. I actively seek them out, even. Simmons has a style all his own, which not everyone will enjoy, but I did. I love the detail and history he brought. I love how much the kids' characters were flushed out. I really ended up rooting for them! I really don't want to ruin anything, so I'll just end by saying that this is the best Simmons I've read so far, and I can't wait read the other in this series. Keeawee!
Another dip into the world of Odd Thomas and it was just as good as the first. It was more of a thriller than a mystery this time around, but by no means did this take away from it. Dean Koontz really created an admirable and likeable character in Odd, and I surprise myself by how much I love this character!
The setting felt amazing and appropriately creepy. The villain was a perfect contrast to Odd. The moral war that Odd has with his decisions and actions is to well done. Also, there's one chapter close to the end that really wrenched at my heart! Damn you Dean and giving me the feels!
It leaves me wanting to immediately pick up the next book and get right into this world again. Though I'll space them out for now, as there's only so many books and I want to spread it over some time. Bravo Dean! I loved it!
This book had me in it's grips from page 1. It was hilarious (I actually laughed out loud a couple times), action packed and thought provoking. Not everyone will agree with me, but I felt it was simple and well paced in just the right way. Sometimes books work because they go in to a lot of detail building a world and their characters, but this book benefits from the opposite. It gives you just enough to move forward, and I never felt like it was dragging on too much. It was VERY difficult to put down. It also had one of the best endings I could have asked for. A must read.
I had big expectations going in to this book, and it surpassed every one of them. I never lost interest. Not once. The only thing I'm disappointed in was that I didn't get to read it cover to cover. All the 80's pop culture references really fed my nostalgia, and what I didn't recognize, I found myself looking up. He also really did a great job of building the world and creating it's own history. Every geek should read this book.
Hands down one of the best books I've ever read. I think it pulls at you more too if you are or ever have been a dog owner. I never wanted to put it down and invoked strong reactions from the very beginning. I feel equal parts hate and appreciation to my friends that encouraged me to read it. Not only am I incredibly impressed by the depth of the story, but I must admit it got to me. Even gave me a better appreciation for racing. A must read.
I enjoyed the research the author did writing this book. I felt I learned a lot about a creature I knew very little of and enjoyed the history and passion he portrayed in his writing. The only reason I didn't give a better rating had to do with how repetitive it was. Despite my enjoyment of the book, there were a lot of times I found myself struggling to push through facts that were repeated, sometimes across several chapters. Despite that, I'd still recommend it to anyone who is a patient reader and wants to know more about this all too amazing animal.
