Title: A Plague of Giants Author: Kevin Hearne Pub. Date: 3-Oct-2017 Rating: 5 Stars
A Plague of Giants is the first book I have read by Kevin Hearne and I fell in love with the story and the author. It is high fantasy, and the first book of a proposed trilogy. The author used a unique way to tell the story, one you will either hate or love, and it worked so well.
The story is about two invading forces of Giants, one in the north and one in the south. They invade the land of Teldwen, made up of six nations. This invasion has become known as the Giants’ War. The story is told by Fintan, a Raelech bard, who has been gifted with magical powers (called a keening) that allows him to project his voice across vast distances and gives him an eidetic memory to be able to recall all the details of an event so that he can accurately relate the event. Continue reading “A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne”
Title: The Scholar Author: J. J. Anders Pub. Date: 21-Nov2017 Rating: 5 Stars
The Scholar by J. J. Anders is the first of two books in The Genoa Chronicles. It is a YA fantasy story about Anna a young girl who has never fit in on Earth. She knows she is different, all she has to do is look in the mirror and see her white hair and translucent skin to confirm this. She also has this unique magical gift where she can acquire all the knowledge in a book just by touching its cover.
Despite searching all her life, Anna has never found another like herself. She has absorbed knowledge from books in libraries all over the world and successfully avoided capture by the military in her quest to learn about herself. It appears her luck has run out, or maybe she has become complacent, because she has been spotted in the library and must flee to avoid capture. Just as the military surrounds her and Anna thinks all is lost, a young man, Leian, comes to her rescue. Continue reading “The Scholar by J. J. Anders”
Title: Crown of Stars Author: Sophie Jaff Pub. Date: 6-Jun-2017 Rating: 4.5 Stars
Crown of Stars is the second book in the Nightsong Trilogy. It can be read as a standalone, which I am thankful for since I have not read the first book. It is a mix of fantasy and psychological thriller and is a true good versus evil story. The plot shifts between Margaret in the 17th century and Katherine in the present.
Margaret is the daughter of a Traveler and has inherited supernatural gifts from her. The community is afraid of her and has shunned her. After her mother’s death, her father remarries and it is soon evident that Margaret will have to leave. She is finally able to secure a position as an alewife in the house of a young, wealthy lord whom she falls for. Tragically, her mother’s killer is now seeking her and she becomes determined to defeat him even at the cost of her own life. Continue reading “Crown of Stars by Sophie Jaff”
Caraval is part fantasy, mystery, and romance all within a young adult wrapper. It is the first book of a series and, be warned, you are left with a huge cliff hanger on the very last page. If you hate cliff hangers you might want to wait until the sequel is out to read this one. That aside, this book is a suspense ride worth taking. It is full of twists that will keep you guessing all the way to the end.
Scarlett and her sister Tella live with their cruel father on a small remote island. Not only is he a cruel man, but he is a powerful man and they are desperate to escape his clutches. Scarlett thinks by going through with an arranged marriage she will finally be free of him. Then just days before her wedding a letter arrives with three tickets to the fabled Caraval. A yearly dramatic performance/game in which members of the audience can participate, if they so desire, with the winner receiving a magical prize. Continue reading “Caraval by Stephanie Garber”
Title: Haire Suite Author: Piers Anthony Pub Date: 21-Dec-2016 Rating: 4 Stars
Hair Suite, a novella, by Piers Anthony is the sequel to Hair Power. You do not have to read Hair Power in order to enjoy the sequel. If you have read anything by Piers Anthony, you already know his works are witty, humorous and full of puns. Hair Suite most definitely follows in this vain.
The Hair Suits are a small group of people who have been given extraordinary powers by alien Hair Balls. I am laughing as I am writing this, since my image of a hair ball involves cats and vomit. The puns is what makes Piers Anthony’s work so humorous. Anyway, there is another alien power that has arrived on Earth called Chip Monks. The Chips introduce themselves to the Hairs and form a partnership with them to defeat a third alien power that is headed to Earth and could be a major threat to both the Hairs and the Chips. Together they need to eliminate the threat and save Earth for themselves.
As previously stated, this is a humorous light read and typical Piers Anthony. I would go so far as to call Mr. Anthony’s work the slapstick of the fantasy genre. He is poking fun at numerous things and there are a lot of sexual undertones in the book some might find offensive. It is totally silliness and I had a good laugh. If you liked the Xanith series you will like Hair Suite.
I received a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
I was hooked by the end of the first page. I loved, loved, loved how this book pulled me in to the world. In fact, I loved most everything about this book. The settings, the characters, the plot are all well thought out. Be prepared, this book was rather dark and very Machiavellian and in some ways reminded me of Game of Thrones. That said, the story was fresh and I loved that the setting was in the UK and not some totally made up world. The flow and speed of the story was really great and there were several twists that I did not see coming. I always love when a good book can surprise me and that does not happen very often.
The UK described in the book is ruled by the Equals, the aristocrats, who weld magic that is called “Skill”. The commoners or “Un-Skilled” are required to spend ten years of their lives as slaves with no rights and they are considered chattel. The story revolves around two families, the Hadley family, who are commoners, and the Jardine family who are the most powerful “Skilled” family.
The Hadley’s plan is to do their slave days as a family and they have been assigned to the Jardine’s estate of Kyneston. From the start their plans go array, when the car comes to pick them up the Hadley’s, soon to be seventeen year old, son Luke is not assigned to the estate, but to the slave town of Millmoor. Millmoor is a notoriously brutal factory town where the work is long and hard and many do not survive. As a slave Luke has no rights; therefore, he must go on to Millmoor and hope his family can correct this error. What ensues is nothing short of tragic.
The Guiled Cage is the start of a great new trilogy. I predict that it will be the next big epic YA fantasy series and I can’t wait to read the second installment.
Disclosure: I received an ARC copy from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for me honest review.
