King of Scars (King of Scars Duology #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Amy       
Lynnie    

fantasy, young adult

King of Scars is the first in a spin-off duology from the Shadow & Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo for fans who wanted more of Nikolai. It picks up a few months following the events of the trilogy.

Amy's Review

It did deliver more Nikolai. However, I was often confused about other characters who I couldn’t remember from the S&B books (Lynnie later helped me realize they were from a different series) and the convoluted political/superpower climates. 

Bardugo did not make me care as much about the characters in this novel as in the original series.  I didn't really enjoy Nina’s point of view and I inwardly groaned every time there was a Nina chapter. She was an annoying character and her storyline was clunky and too forced. I can see how she’ll play a role in the next novel but I really disliked having to switch out of Nikolai’s and Zoya’s stories to be in her world.

Overall, I felt this novel was too long (because I was bored with it halfway through) and I doubt I’ll read the sequel. 

Lynnie's Review

Holy cow, this book took me forever to read.

I was really looking forward to a Nikolai-centered story as he was one of my favorite characters in the Shadow and Bone series. I had complained in my review of the third book of that series that Nikolai had been, essentially, taken out of the narrative and, unfortunately, I didn't really get the Nikolai I was expecting back. Sure, occasionally we glimpsed his charm and sass, but it wasn't enough to make me care at all about this story, unfortunately. It was nice to see Nina from the Six of Crows series but I was never drawn into her storyline and sometimes it felt forced.

I was generally just bored and had a hard time being motivated to read. I'm glad I finished it but I may have spent my final hours in the Grishaverse.

   

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Amy  

historical fiction

Bluet, from Troublesome Creek, KY, loves her job as a Packhorse Librarian. But her father is hoping to find her a husband so that she has someone to care for her when he’s gone. However, it’s been tough attracting men because she has an unusual medical condition that makes her skin (and her family’s skin) blue. Unfortunately, her skin color makes her the target of many ill feelings in the small town.

I’d read another book about the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky by Jojo Moyes. The two novels were different stories with many similar historical topics, which is what I expected. The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson, however, was as much about Bluet’s unusual medical condition as about the librarians. The protagonists of both novels had to rise above their town’s negative opinions of them, to navigate relationships, and to survive the hardships of women traveling alone in dangerous conditions. While I enjoyed the blue skin storyline and learning about this ailment through excellent research on the part of the author, she admits at the end of the novel that she fudged the timeline of the discoveries around the “blue people of Kentucky” in order to fit into the Packhorse Librarian historical timeline.  That bugs me. The blue people were not treated until decades later in reality.

Richardson does not shy away from harming her characters. There were several instances where I felt the misdeeds done to Bluet were gratuitous and unnecessarily brutal. In fact, the novel is melodramatic overall. Bluet was well-drawn--her personality and kind heart shone through.  I enjoyed her story and wanted to know how things would turn out. I wasn’t ready for the ending but it was true to the history.

The audiobook is narrated by Katie Schorr and she did a great job with voice acting. However, her voice repertoire is small.  I’ll give her a B+.

   

Lynnie's Favorite Books of 2020

2020 may have been a crazy year, but one thing was terrific about it- the books that 2020 brought into my life. 

I read fewer books than in 2019- only 50- but part of that is because I read fewer cookbooks and comics.  I had 6 books that I did not finish this year, but I rated 74% of the books I read 3 stars or higher on Goodreads, which makes me happy to see; I love a good book!  I only gave 5 stars to 3 books this year, and one of them was a LOTR book that I re-read so it doesn't really count.  Once again, I barely read any young adult fiction during the year and none of those that I did read made my favorites list, after 2 years in a row of this happening, it might be time to admit that YA no longer has the draw for me that it once did. 

Without further ado, here are my favorite books from 2020 (organized, but in no order); these are the books I've been recommending to friends when asked.  Make sure you click on the title for our full blog review of each book.  

Best Fiction: 

The Starless Sea by Erin Morganstern

This is one of my five star books from the year and it's on Amy's favorites list as well. The Starless Sea is a novel about stories, how they are created, and how they are interconnected.  

Told through a series of short stories that at first do not seem to relate to one another (trust me, they do) The Starless Sea jumps from the current life of Zachary Ezra Rollins, who finds his own story in a mysterious library book, to other tales of monsters, pirates, time, fate, magical libraries, and secret societies, among others. As Zachary tries to learn more about the book in which he is a character, he is led on an adventure that he could not have imagined in his wildest dreams.

The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate

The Book of Lost Friends is a tale of past and present, based on real records and facts. Set on the same property in Louisiana, Hannie tells the story of what it was like to live as a former slave and share cropper in 1875, while Bennie's story takes place in 1987 as she tries to connect to her students, her new town, and the ghosts of the past.

 

 

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

Nothing to See Here and its combustible children is a dark, quirky, and original story. The characters in this novel are wonderful and they suck you into their world quickly and totally. I needed to know what would happen next and was amused throughout. 

 

 

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

The Flatshare is a completely delightful few hours of reading. It's a ridiculous story, but I absolutely loved every single minute of it. The characters were charming and colorful, the side plots were engaging (I hated the villain, as one is supposed to, but he was almost too much of a cartoon villain sometimes), and I found myself completely wrapped up in the drama of Tiffy and Leon. 
 

 

Best Nonfiction

Burn it Down: Women Writing About Anger edited by Lilly Dancyger

This was my other 5 star review. The 22 essays in Burn It Down are diverse not only in the demographics of their authors, but in the experiences they discuss. Essays are about how anger is expressed, or often withheld based on a variety of inner calculations that most other people, particularly men, never consider. Women who are black, transgender, suffer from invisible illness, are visibly disabled, come from dysfunctional homes, experience sexual and/or physical violence, and even the anger that comes when our bodies enter menopause all experience and embrace the anger of not only their circumstances but of themselves. The inextricable link between anger and sadness, fear, and guilt is discussed throughout the book.  

The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler 

Wherever you fall on the spectrum of abortion/adoption debate, this is an important book to read.

I was interested in this book for many reasons, but particularly because my mother was adopted in the 40s and we really only learned her true adoption story after her death. I was curious to hear the stories of women who had limited choices and even less agency over themselves and their bodies. It was a heartbreaking book and I often found myself in tears at the stories of these women. 

Best Comics

Locke & Key (all 6 volumes) by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez (artist)

As I finished the final pages of Locke and Key, I found myself thinking back to how much all the characters have grown since the series began. I was particularly struck by Tyler- a forlorn kid, understandably full of regret and guilt in the first volume, he has grown into the man of Keyhouse both in appearance and action. The graphics add so much to the story, making this a much-read series. 

 

Here's to another great year of reading ahead in 2021.  In case you're curious and looking for more reading ideas, here's a link to my favorites lists from 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Also don't forget to check out Amy's Favorite Books of 2020 too. 

Amy's Favorite Books of 2020

 

Here are the best books I read in 2020. (These are not books that were necessarily released in 2020.) As of today, I’ve read 90 books (including 54 audiobooks) this year. That’s a new record number of books for me! This isn’t surprising considering all the extra time spent at home in the time of COVID-19. I’ve needed the escape offered by a good book more than ever.  I also started but chose not to finish another 13 books. 

The most interesting aspect of my Favorites list this year is that 4 of them are by one author, Amy Harmon. I had never read her novels before this year but she is an amazing storyteller with a very diverse repertoire of genres! I considered condensing her best novels into one slot on my list but, since I gave them each 4-1/2 stars (when only 8 novels of all those I read this year attained a rating that high), I decided they each deserved their own slot on my Top 10. Incidentally, I read another 7 of her novels this year which were all enjoyable too!  Don't miss my favorite audiobook narrator of the year at the bottom!

To read my full review of any books listed below, just click on the title.

 

MY FAVORITE NOVEL OF 2020

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, fantasy: Zachary Ezra Rawlins discovers an unusual story from his own life described in a library book and is, understandably, thrown for a loop. This brilliant novel follows Zachary through a magnificent adventure and is told via multiple shorter stories within a larger story. This novel is wondrous, magical, charming, enchanting, and creative. Erin Morgenstern has outdone herself in conceiving this concept and successfully creating a world which is completely imaginary and real at the same time. This book about stories includes several significant themes and symbols (and textures, tastes, and scents to tingle all the senses). But the main theme is impermanence—how good stories always include change, as does life. I cannot remember the last time a book got under my skin like this one did. After listening to the audiobook from my public library, I purchased it on Kindle so I could read it again!

THE OTHERS IN MY TOP 10:

What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon, historical fiction/fantasy: After the death of her grandfather, Anne goes to Ireland to spread his ashes in the loch, per his wishes, and finds herself mysteriously sent back in time to 1921 in the midst of Ireland’s struggle for independence.  The characters were enchanting and the setting was atmospheric. I’d never read anything about this time in Ireland’s history and the perspective was educational. The story was so romantic, poetic, and heartfelt.  The ending was just right. I loved it!

The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate, historical fiction: This novel tells two tales set in Louisiana: the first from 1875 told by an 18-year old girl born into slavery and the second from 1987 told by a 27-year old woman in her first year of teaching English at a school for disadvantaged children. Both women’s stories are compelling and self-sufficient. However, the thin link between them grows a little thicker with the telling until the reader is finally rewarded with the connections at the end. I learned about the Lost Friends news column which was an opportunity for separated slave families to reunite or learn about their relatives’ situations. The novel was full of adventure and heart-filled spirit.

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, fiction: This is a heartbreaking family drama centered around three siblings of Pakistani heritage, raised in London. Their family had suffered great loss during their childhood.  The story is told in five segments, each from a different person’s point of view.  The structuring of this novel was very well done.  Each point of view moved the overarching story forward but also enlightened previous segments.  All of the points of view were interesting and educated me about lives and cultures very different from my own. The pacing was perfect. The ending was one of the most stunning endings I’ve read. 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, post-apocalyptic: It’s 20 years after a deadly pandemic. The disease spread at an astounding rate and killed patients the same day symptoms appeared. Most people on Earth were dead within a month. The novel spotlighted the lives of a few survivors in order to give the reader a rich impression of their pre- and post-pandemic realities. The author focused her story not on the disease itself but on the survivors. And it was a more hopeful view of the world than many other pandemic novels. I appreciated this since I was reading it while living through a pandemic. It made me think a lot about the uncertainty of our future and what I would do in a post-pandemic world that looked totally different than my world today.  The story had many different layers.

Making Faces by Amy Harmon, fiction: Everyone in town is surprised when Ambrose, the handsome star high school wrestler, decides to join the Army instead of taking advantage of wrestling scholarships. He and four friends go to Iraq but only Ambrose survives to return home, with physical and mental scars. Meanwhile, Fern has had a crush on him forever and is not bothered by his altered face and, with the help of her cousin/best friend, tries to get past Ambrose’s barriers. I adored the characters and their interactions. The skeleton of this story was exactly what I predicted. But the muscles and sinew Harmon attached to the framework were so impactful and touching. She masterfully illustrated ways that people might deal with tough situations. It was a heartwarming and sincere tale.

The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon, fantasy, young adult: Lark, unable to speak since a young age, lived with her father. Her mother had been able to make predictions and was killed by the king when Lark was young because “gifted” people were not allowed to live.  Since then, Lark had been trying to grow and thrive in her stilted existence. However, once she crossed paths with the new, young king everything changed. While this novel had much in common with many fantasies set in a kingdom , this one had imaginative scenarios, fabulous pacing, and loveable characters that kept me hooked.

A Different Blue by Amy Harmon, fiction: Blue Echohawk, a senior in high school, is simply trying to stay afloat with the help of her tough-girl persona. She’d been abandoned by her mother at two years old, raised by a kind man until she was 11, and had been living with the man’s neglectful half-sister ever since. A new teacher joins the school staff and begins to help build her confidence. I adored the characters and the believable situations and the mysteries. It was a feel-good story about acceptance—both from others and yourself—which included so much sexual tension in the second half that it felt like a fun beach read.

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins, fiction: This novel described the harrowing journey to America made by Lydia and her 8-year-old son, Luca, after they barely escaped execution by a drug cartel which killed their entire family in Acapulco, Mexico.  It was tough to read at times. It illuminated the way cartels are destroying central American cities, convincing migrants to head for presumed safer conditions in America. If they were to stay in their hometowns, they would face being killed or forced into working for/being slaves to the cartel leaders. This was very eye-opening, gripping, and suspenseful.

The Dry by Jane Harper, mystery: Aaron Falk, an Australian federal agent, travels to his small home town in an arid region of the country to attend his former bet friend’s funeral. But, because of Falk’s past troubles and because of unusual circumstances surrounding his friend’s death, Falk ends up staying in town to assist the local police chief with his investigation.  This novel grabbed me from the start and never let go. I had to know what happened in both the past and the present.

 

BEST AUDIOBOOK NARRATION

January LaVoy narrating Hideaway by Nora Roberts, women’s fiction: LaVoy was outstanding. She had SO many individual character voices and even excelled at male voices! I was so impressed. Her acting was great but her repertoire was truly stunning. I appreciate her talent!

If you're hungry for more, here are my favorites from 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Also don't miss Lynnie's Favorites of 2020! We have two favorites in common--The Starless Sea and The Book of Lost Friends!

--Amy

Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon

Amy  

historical fiction

Where the Lost Wander is one family’s story of western migration in the 1850s.  The May family is part of a large wagon train traveling the Oregon Trail.  John Lowry is half-white half-Pawnee and has never felt comfortable in his own skin.  In helping the train leader on the journey, he becomes close with the May family.

Right up front, I’ll say this is my least favorite Amy Harmon novel of the eleven I’ve read.  The main problem with it is that much of it is just boring details about the actual travel and surroundings. Sure, it’s important for the author to paint a picture of the setting and she did that very well.  The problem is that, as a proportion, there was way too much scene/journey description and not enough about the characters and their challenges.  Truly, I struggled to get through the first half of the novel and I’ve never had any problems getting into any of her other novels.  The other big problem is that she starts the novel with the terrible attack that takes place about ¾ of the way through the novel’s story.  So, you already know that many of the characters die and this is how the author expects to hold the reader’s interest--to keep reading and find out where things went wrong and what happened to Naomi May.  But the story was so slow paced that even that question wasn’t motivational enough for me.  Mostly, I only kept reading because of my respect for the author.

As with her other novels, the characters are wonderful and she is good at allowing the reader to get inside her characters psyche/motivations.  But, the storytelling itself was too slow-paced for the small reward at the end. I understand this was a personal story for her as it is mostly about her husband’s ancestors and I appreciate that. But it doesn’t hold a candle to any of the other novels of hers that I’ve read.

   

We Live In Water by Jess Walter

 Amy     

 Lynnie

 

 

We Live in Water is a short story collection. 

Amy's Review 

 

The running theme is that these are stories about people who are down on their luck and wish their lives could be better somehow. One story is set in the distant future but the others are all extremely real and current. They are heartbreaking, authentic, depressing, and thought provoking. I admired the spirit of many of these unfortunate people. Their stories have hope which is sometimes misguided but heartening. The stories also contain some kindness and humor. But, mostly it’s a view of the harsh realities many people face in a tough world. Jess Walter’s typical quirkiness is evident but muted by the grittiness. I appreciate his ability to paint a picture, as always.

 

Lynnie's Review

 

This was an interesting short story collection, but as I look back on it there isn't really a single story that stands out to me. Was I interested in each tale? Yes. Did I want to continue reading? Also yes. But, I was rarely inspired to read more than one story per day because the stories were kind of sad and dark overall & this time of year isn't really when I'm looking for that sort of reading.

As a collection it's solid though, particularly if you're looking for some realistic stories.

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

Amy  

romance

In Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev, Trisha is a neurosurgeon whose patient, Emma, has a brother named DJ who has dropped everything and moved to California to take care of Emma as she fights a brain tumor.

This was one of those romances in which the damaged people overshadow the romance itself. I loved the beginning, disliked the middle, and accepted the ending.  Truthfully, though, I found the novel infuriating most of the time.  I appreciated the quirkiness and sense of humor of several characters.  But Trisha was such a mess that it made me squirm.  She was unable to communicate effectively due to her own mental immaturity, her upbringing in a fairly closed family, and her family’s inability to talk through forgiveness and blame. Trisha’s and DJ’s interactions often exhausted me. It was painful to watch them misinterpret each other over and over and over. The situations in which they found themselves, due to their own or other irrational characters’ actions, often felt contrived. It was a comedy of errors. The “bad guy” was pretty ridiculous too.

So, while tension often makes for a good story this one was too over the top for me. Given the title, I had been expecting something a bit less crazy. Having said all that, I didn't dislike it. I just couldn't see past many irritations.

   

Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #2) and Ruin and Rising (#3) by Leigh Bardugo

Amy          

Lynnie  

 

young adult, fantasy, action-suspense

Continuing where the first novel in the series left off, Alina and Mal find themselves on a boat, hostages of The Darkling, with destruction and ruin left in their wake.

Amy's Review 

Siege and Storm was a very solid second-of-a-trilogy which brought the story forward, introduced charming new characters, and was also full of suspense and action.  I loved it! This is very unusual for a second series novel and I give kudos to Leigh Bardugo.  Clearly, this is her best series. I’ve tried two of her other series which were written after this one and did not feel the desire to continue reading either of those series.  But I can’t wait to read the final novel in this one! I love these characters and the world in which they exist. I love the pace of the novel and the details and the creativity.

As with most series, there isn’t much new to review but I will say that this novel carried on another unique tradition. The first novel ended 56% of the way through the Kindle file with other end material taking up the remainder of the file. This novel filled only 63%. Again, how bizarre!!!!  I read a lot of Kindle files and have never seen the novel take up such a small percentage of the total file. I will make sure to look at the 3^rd novel before beginning so I can be more mentally prepared. Although, in honesty, with both the first and the second, I could tell the novel was nearing the end due to the heightened action and suspense. So, it wasn’t so much of a surprise as a disappointment since I was thoroughly enjoying both novels when they abruptly ended. :D 

Lynnie's Review 

The nice thing about reading a series long after it's been released, is the ability to read the next book while the story is still fresh in your mind. I read a few books between Shadow and Bone and this book and I was glad to get back into the Grishaverse to see what Bardugo had in mind for Alina and Mal.

Thankfully, I was not disappointed! Prepared for second-in-a-series filler I was pleasantly surprised by the action in Siege and Storm. The story moved forward in important ways, our characters continued to develop, and new characters were introduced, all of whom I generally loved. As in any good war story, not all of our favorites survive, but it never felt gratuitous. One interesting thing is that this book made me far less enamored with Mal both as a character and as a partner for Alina, though I'm still interested in learning more about his journey. For the record, I am currently 100% on Team Nikolai! I am eager to see what Bardugo has in store for this cast of characters next.

Bardugo's world-building is really wonderful. She's descriptive, creative, and her characters are wonderfully witty. Can't wait to read Ruin and Rising to see how the story ends. 

Amy     

Lynnie  

young adult, fantasy, action-suspense

In the conclusion of the trilogy, Alina and Mal must find a way to locate the last amplifier and destroy the darkling.

Amy's Review

Ruin and Rising was a fantastic conclusion to The Shadow and Bone Trilogy.  I love the rare trilogy that can maintain its momentum through all three novels.  Kudos to Leigh Bardugo!

The momentum and action of the prior two novels, as well as all the terrific characters, continue in this novel.  The highs and lows felt right and I was happy to keep reading to find out how things would turn out.  I thought the ending was terrific.

Really, I don’t have much new to say about this series that I haven’t already said in reviews for the earlier novels.  But, I did enjoy it very, very much!

Lynnie's Review

It was lovely to spend some time back in the Grishaverse again. Bardugo has created some really wonderful characters and communities and it's fun to read about their interactions and adventures.

This was a fitting ending to the Shadow & Bone trilogy, but my biggest complaint is that my favorite character (Nikolai) was essentially taken out of this story, which bummed me out to no end. That's not to say I was disappointed in the story telling or even the conclusion, I just missed his voice and witty banter. Having learned that he has his own duology, though, I've been placated and am looking forward to reading those.

Bottom line is that if you enjoyed the first two books in this series, you will enjoy this one as well. It wraps the story arc up nicely and was a fun, fast read.

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

Amy  

fiction

Home Fire is a heartbreaking family drama centered around 3 siblings of Pakistani heritage, raised in London. Their family had suffered great loss during their childhoods—first the disappearance of their father who ran off to be a jihadist, then the death of their grandmother, and then the death of their mother when the older daughter was 18 years old and the twins were 12 years old.  Now that the twins are 19 years old, the family’s story is told in five segments, each from a different person’s point of view. 

The structuring of this novel was very well done.  Each point of view moved the overarching story forward but also enlightened previous segments.  All of the points of view were interesting and educated me about lives and cultures very different from my own. The pacing was perfect. I thought it was going to be a sort of romance at the beginning but that is not what the novel is about. Kamila Shamsie’s story-telling technique. Particularly regarding touchy subject matter, was impressive. I liked the characters enough to want to keep reading to find out how things turned out. The ending was one of the most stunning endings I’ve read recently.

The story makes the reader think about the ways people are motivated and the forces that cause people to take action.  Manipulation, belief systems, cultures, desperation, parenting, idealism, finances, relationships, family histories, burdens, freedoms, and self-worth all inform peoples’ choices and behaviors.  Issues regarding immigration, multi-ethnicity, and citizenship are raised. The reader also gets insight about how young people can be recruited and radicalized by groups like ISIS. It is also a cautionary tale about what could go wrong when political motivation supersedes humanity. It was a very worthwhile read.

The narrator, Tania Rodrigues, was spectacular. She has a wide range of accents and her voice acting was pretty darn perfect.  A+

   

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

Amy   
Lynnie

science fiction, action-suspense

Kira is a scientist about to embark on a future in which she is more in control of her destiny when she stumbles upon an incredible discovery and her life changes forever. She must move forward with care since the balance of the world is in her hands.

Amy's Review

This is a completely different type of novel for Christopher Paolini, the genius behind the Eragon series. Although, upon a little more thought, the adventures of both Eragon and this novel begin when an innocent person stumbles upon an extraordinary life form. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars takes place in space in the distant future.  After a brief introduction which is engaging but painfully obvious in its impending tragedy, the pace is suddenly thrust forward at warp speed and doesn’t let go. 

Paolini does an incredible job explaining action-filled, otherworldly scenes. However, he does not get into female characters’ heads very well. Kira, the main character, never felt believable. In fact, she experienced trauma after trauma and handled most of it like a stoic.  This from a person who went on too long about her romantic relationship at the beginning of the book as if she was a person with too many feelings rather than not enough.

About halfway through this very long novel (almost 900 pages), it was beginning to lose momentum for me. I mean, there was still plenty of (too much?!) action but, in addition to not buying in to Kira’s character, it got a bit convoluted and complicated. And a particular scene written in all italics did a lousy job of explaining the existence of a type of alien. Rather, it was bizarre and too lengthy. After I’d read a bit further and Kira’s interpretation was revealed, I had to go back and re-read that section to try to make sense of it. That definitely helped. But I thought that, for such a pivotal moment in the story, it should have been written much more clearly.

I decided to go with it but by about the 75% mark, I was honestly ready to quit the novel. It started feeling silly.  Silly conversations. Silly situations. Everything had become so unbelievable and far-fetched that it had lost me.  Alas, after investing this much time in it, I was curious to see how the author would wrap everything up.  And then around the 90% mark it started getting completely ridiculous.  I started skimming pages because all the detail was not necessary and it was obviously going to be a very long “fight”. I really only needed the highlights and the outcome.  It was just too unbelievable for me to truly enjoy. 

Finally, the end of the novel was really good (after the long fight was over) and actually touching.  But I think I would’ve liked this novel more if it were about 1/3 shorter. It was simply too much. And then I barely had the desire to glimpse the addendum at the end. I wasn’t interested in learning how the author could defend the science and it was very dry material.  In my opinion, fictional novels should not require glossaries or detailed background data.  Any information needed should be shared in the story itself.  If I ever DO feel the need to refer to reference material, I’m not enjoying the novel enough for it to matter.

Lynnie's Review

This book took forever for me to read, partly because it was long, but mostly because I was rarely inspired to pick it up. Honestly, I should have abandoned this book about 25% in, but it’s the end of the year & I felt like I had time to meander in a book for a while.

For a book that was literally filled with action, it was weirdly dull & predictable. Aliens, military, rogue civilians, fight... regroup... repeat. Also, in Paolini's world, it's not enough to have multiple types of aliens; within each type (family?) of alien, there are multiple varieties- it’s like Paolini could not decide what he wanted so he added every single idea that came into his mind. It was distracting & the minutiae of his details ended up taking away from the actual story.

Paolini also did not do a great job of writing a female lead character- at no time did she seem believable & at one point in the story he spent nearly an entire chapter dealing with a subplot of her period in the most ridiculous way. It felt very much like he was saying, “look at me, I can write about a woman & her body” even though it leant absolutely NOTHING to the plot & was just... odd. I liked several characters throughout, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the plot.

Overall, I could see what Paolini was trying to do with this story, but in the end I didn’t care.

 

 

   

Under Currents by Nora Roberts

Amy  

fiction

The beginning of Under Currents was so difficult to read because it involved details about the spouse and child abuse happening in Zane’s family. It was brutal and terrible.  I had to put the book down for a while.  I just wasn’t sure I wanted to read something so depressing and hate-filled. But I re-read the book description and felt hopeful that I might’ve already gotten through the worst of it by the time I had to set it down. Thankfully, I was correct.

While I found many of the characters endearing and enjoyed the setting, and feel the premise is a worthwhile topic, this novel was odd. It was published in 2019 and Nora Roberts has written hundreds (!) of novels, but this felt very much like someone’s first attempt at a novel to me.  This is only the second book I’ve read of hers.  I really enjoyed the first one I read which was her most recent novel, Hideaway.  It didn’t feel like these two novels were written by the same person. The lines between the story segments were almost visible to me.  I could practically demarcate the riveting full-formed sections, the rushed half-assed sections, and the flimsy dialogue attempting to tie everything together. It just did not feel well crafted overall.  Parts were heart-felt and emotional and others were stiff and seemed slapped in there to fill gaps clumsily. Some segments had lots of attention to detail and others were just brief summaries.  There was this big character development and then the characters’ actions were quick and short-lasting. I guess the bottom line is that I felt the purpose of this novel was simply to cover the topic of domestic abuse rather than to create a meaningful character-driven, or even story-driven, narrative.  The story felt invented to make a point. I was never able to forget that I was reading a novel. It didn’t feel real. And the “mystery” was entirely predictable too.

The topic of domestic abuse is very difficult to read about. Heck, it’s hard to think about.  I would imagine that this book is triggering to some people and this needs to be noted. And, despite all my trouble with this novel, I do feel the topic of domestic abuse was handled well. It was raw and ugly but also sensitive, supportive, and hopeful.

   

The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, and Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archives #1, 2, & 3) by Brandon Sanderson

Amy  

fantasy

Centering on three main characters (Kaladin, Dalinar, and Shallan) this epic fantasy revolves around people and creatures who share a hazy past of mystical heroes and villains. The three central characters begin to realize that the old stories might actually be true. The Way of Kings is about good vs. evil, battling kingdoms, and tensions among diverse belief and racial systems. But in the midst of the chaos and unrest, these three people begin to understand new things that make them believe life as they know it is changing.

I almost gave up on this one before the story could really begin because it started with a long, boring fight scene that lasted for the first hour of the audiobook. I hate reading about/listening to battle scenes. I did not appreciate that Brandon Sanderson chose to open a novel that way. Thankfully, after this opening, we were introduced to some interesting characters and situations.  But, of course, with a book mostly taking place on battlefields, there were still too many battles to slog through in this novel for my taste.

The Way of Kings has a huge cast of interesting characters.  All the creatures and supercharged abilities which Sanderson invented were wonderfully creative.  I thought he did a great job of world-building--describing completely alien vistas, creatures, and objects, not to mention cultures and customs.  Aside from all the battles, I thought he crafted the story well.  The mysteries were told in an engaging order, in alternating protagonist settings, compelling me to keep reading to find out about some of the characters’ pasts and all of their futures. I look forward to reading the next book in the series to see how these characters fare.

The male audiobook narrator, Michael Kramer, also narrated the Mistborn series by Sanderson. As with that series, he’s a pretty good voice actor but has an annoying monotone “narrator” voice. This novel also had a female narrator, Kate Reading.  She, too, had an annoying monotone “narrator” voice, sadly.  Her voice acting was alright but I didn’t like the tone she used for Jasnah’s voice. Also, she committed the unforgivable crime of not pronouncing one of the secondary characters’ names the same way that Michael Kramer did. Since he was the lead narrator, this was a production failure on her part.  Together, I give them a B as an ensemble.

Amy   

fantasy

Wow! Sometimes I can’t understand what Sanderson’s hints (at chapter beginnings and during interludes) are supposed to tell me in Words of Radiance.  But he’s created such lovable, engaging characters that I can’t stop reading. I have to find out what happens to them, even if I feel a little lost at times. These are huge novels with tons of characters and an epic storyline. And he does them very, very well.  I am alternatingly charmed, alarmed, angry, and delighted by them.  I am invested in their future even though their reality is so fantastical that I’m unable to explain it to others.  At its core, this is a tale of good vs. evil. But I just love it when Sanderson is at his best. This is one of those times. Can’t wait for the next one to make it through the library queue!

This one had the same narrators as The Way of Kings and I enjoyed them much more in this one.  Thankfully, Kate Reading fixed her pronunciation of Sadeas' name!  And her repertoire was more impressive in this novel than the first one.  I'll give them A- this time.

Amy  

fantasy

Another humongous novel in the Stormlight Archives epic fantasy, Oathbringer delivers lots of action, character growth, nefarious plotting, backstabbing, heroism, friendship, and rivalry. As has been apparent in this series from the beginning, sometimes things are not as they initially seem. I appreciate the way Sanderson makes the reader think about how things are interpreted. His fantasy serves to make the reader think about situations based in our own reality.

Admittedly, sometimes in these novels, I get lost and don’t understand the explanations for crazy things happening.  However, as I understand the general gist of things, I don’t let it disturb me too much.  Obviously, there is a lot of wiggle room between good and evil in these characters.  I think that’s the point. Every good person has some bad sides and every bad person has some good sides. But the fantasy world these characters inhabit is pretty far-fetched which makes it hard to follow at times. It’s not that Sanderson doesn’t build worlds well. It’s just that he doesn’t hand deliver clear explanations all the time. When dealing with belief systems and scenery that are completely “out there” I wish he’d provide a little more clarification. On the other hand, sometimes, he dives into what appears to be a lot of detail for no apparent forward motion of the story. Then I zone out (especially when listening to an audiobook) and probably miss a few things of importance. I felt like this novel, more than any other I’ve read by him so far, seemed to gain and lose momentum quite a bit.  It felt like it had a lot of stops and starts in terms of holding my interest. But then the ending was more engrossing than any of the previous novels. I couldn’t put it down.

The narrators have both really grown on me after listening to them for hours and hours. I read some of this novel on Kindle and listened to some of the audiobook.  Michael Kramer, particularly, really showed off his voice repertoire in this one and I was blown away by the variety of voices.  Kate Reading also has improved very much since the first novel.  Aside from some annoying “narrator voice” sections, I thought they did a great job.  I’m moving them up to a solid A. Unbelievably, I forgot to look up their websites for my review of the first two novels in this series and just realized that they are married!  They share a website. They’ve won me over.