Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

 Another Cosmere novel by Brandon Sanderson and another one of his "Secret Projects." 

"Yumi comes from a land of gardens, meditation, and spirits, while Painter lives in a world of darkness, technology, and nightmares. When their lives suddenly become intertwined in strange ways, can they put aside their differences and work together to uncover the mysteries of their situation and save each other’s communities from certain disaster?"

General Thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. It is right there under Tress of the Emerald Sea in favorites of Brandon Sanderson's books, well, books in general. The world is amazingly different, Hoid is the narrator again though he makes less actual appearances than before, and this is a love story. I almost always enjoy a good romance. 

<<Spoilers Ahead>>

Plot: I think the jumping between bodies is really intriguing. I loved watching Your Name (which I highly recommend) and it very  much had a bit of that in there. Yumi's magic is very different, who would ever think that stacking stones was a form of magic? Brandon I guess. And Painters' ability to fight nightmares through art is cool too. I particularly liked the ending when they figure out what is going on and how they both fight for what they want. I think the nightmares, and what the nightmares actually are is simplistic but it works in the creepy area well. I do wish Yumi's fight at the end was longer, but it ended well. 

Setting: OH! The crazy contrast between their worlds is amazing. I think the descriptions, which were needed to be blunt, they were well done and gave us the differences between where they come from and how Yumi and Painter actually work in their societies. So strikingly different, especially the dramatic Night and Days, light and darks. I like the neon lights that fill Painters world. It's all just so different. I also love the fact that when Yumi discovers what TV is she is hooked by the moving pictures. 

Characters: Yumi and Painter are so fun. I just love each of the characters presented here. Design particularly. I can't wait to read more about her and Hoid (#FMoash, the stupid jerk.) There is just too much to say about these characters, that I don't know what to say. They really pull through in this story, like many of Brandon's other books. 

Spice: 2/5 Spicy Chilis. It is a light romance where most of it is emotional. When they switch bodies, they don't see themselves as the other person, but themselves standing an as that person. So it's not perverted, which is nice. One or the other is almost always a ghost so it's not like they could even kiss or anything. 

Writing Style: I love the way Brandon writes in general and this is no exception. The fact that Hoid is our narrator, and the fanciful storyteller he is, just makes this so much better. I would love to have more books on this world, just to look at the magic system, but I doubt that will happen. Brandon has too much left on his plate. I am probably bias at this point, but I love the way he writes. It makes it easy to enjoy the story he is telling. 

Overall: I very much enjoy this book. It is one that I will most definitely be reading again and again. 

King of the Murgos

King of the Murgos is the second book of David Edding's Malloreon series. 

"In this second book of The Malloreon, Garion and Ce'nedra continue the quest begun in Guardians of the West. In their party travel the immortal Belgarath the Sorcerer, his daughter Polgara the Sorceress, and the little Drasnian, Silk.

"Garion knows that it is the mysterious figure Zandramas who is responsible for the abduction of his infant son, and he and his companions journey many miles and encounter many strange beings in their search for him.

"Their way leads through the foul swamps of Nyissa, ruled over by the Snake-Queen, and on into the dark kingdom of the Murgos, where human sacrifices are still made to the dead god Torak. Further on, however, even beyond those forbidding lands, they must face the ultimate danger - not only to themselves but to all mankind..."

General Thoughts: This has been my favorite book in the Malloreon series so far (of the four books I've read at this point) and I think that has to do with the titles namesake. He and Silk are hysterical. The tense situation in country coinciding with the humor that Silk and the King bring to everything is just amazing. It made the slight drudge which was the first part of the book worth it. 

<<Spoilers>>

Plot: The new plot of this series to is walk across the other side of the world to save the day. As if the first series didn't do enough travel. While the traveling isn't bad, it seemed to have lost it's engagement for me. Maybe the Belgariad has a nostalgia factor that this one just doesn't, but it seemed a bit more arduous than it had before. But at least we are well on our way to saving the baby Prince, which is strikingly similar to finding the orb in the first place. Hmm... I wonder why. I wish there was even some point of a "Hero's Journey" like there was in the last one, but no one seems to be learning anything new or developing as a character. Sure we learn new things about them, but Pol stays the same, Garion stays the same, even Silk stays the same. What to people learn? How do they grow? 

Setting: Most of the setting is the plot I think. Travel and find the boy to save the day. But we get to travel on the other side of the world into more uncharted territory that we definitely didn't get in the first series. New and unexplored cultures but with a new religious turmoil what with Torak dead and them still sacrificing people for nothing. Being in unkind territory does give us antagonists we wouldn't have gotten otherwise, which is cool, and new friendly characters which are better--in this context. 

Characters: This is what really makes this book: the characters. Sadly there is no Barak and some of the other main characters from previous series don't make much of an appearance. But Silk and the King are the real winners here. Their conversations were the most engaging part. Belgarath, Polgara, Garion, and Ce'Nedra are okay, but they don't hold a candle to Silk throughout this whole series. The Queen of Drasnia begins to make an great appearance too amongst the Western Kings. And Sadi is an interesting character too, though not a favorite. 

Spice: 2/5 Spicy Chilis. "Curtains Fall" on this one, but there is so little of anything remotely spicy, that I dropped that down. At times it feels like flirting is hard for them. 

Writing Style: David Eddings can make this journey hard to get through. Much of it is travel with "oh something happened a hundred miles after the last time anything happened. It is very scene oriented where nothing happens until dominos fall, if that makes sense. It can be very dry unless they decide to stay someplace for a longer period of time, like the Murgos palace or Salmisras palace or a camp, but in this book much of it seems to be moving and traversing the world to save Geran, but although important stuff happens, it doesn't feel like it. 

Overall: Though the ending was good, the meat of it was a struggle. And I'm having a hard time even wanting to finish the rest of the series, though that is has some other reasons too. The nostalgia is what is carrying me though this and even then it seems to be running out of gas. 

Sorcerer In The North

The firth book in John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series, Sorcerer In The North is a new story arch with Will as a new official Ranger. 

"Several years have passed since the apprentice and his master, Will and Halt, first met, and Will is finally a full-fledged Ranger with his own fief to look after. The fief seems sleepy?boring, even?until Lord Syron, master of a castle far in the north, is struck down by a mysterious illness. Joined by his friend Alyss, Will is suddenly thrown headfirst into an extraordinary adventure, investigating fears of sorcery and trying to determine who is loyal to Lord Syron. As Will battles growing hysteria, traitors, and most of all, time, Alyss is taken hostage, and Will is forced to make a desperate choice between his mission and his friend."

General Thoughts: It was a good story and fun to see will having to do things officially on his own without Halt's all knowing help. It is a slower paced book compared to some of the others, but I still enjoyed it. 

Plot: The plot, like many of the other Ranger's Apprentice books are simple: go figure out what is going on at this fort, but be secret, because that's what Ranger's do. It's kind of cool how he had to be in disguise and be secret. Of course by the end he gets found out and his comrade Alyss gets caught, but that is beside the point. Now things will amp up because he needs to save her too. It had a good cliffhanger that had my son and I wanting to go to the next book quickly. 

Setting: It is kinda weird how each of the countries just happen to be similar to European countries. Almost to the T. The Skandrians are similar to Scandinavians, the Scoti are the Scottish, the country they go to in the third book is totally France. It almost feels like cheating to take a caricature of each country and run with it. 

Characters: The people I remember best are Alyss and Will obviously and how they had to work together. I liked that Will got himself a dog -- a dog very much like my own in fact. I remember the BBEG was being charming in a "I rolled high on my charisma" kind of way and how he hated being around all of his subordinates that he chose as sell swords. A few were somewhat memorable, but not many. 

Spice: 1/5 Spici Chilis. There is some flirtation going on, but that is about it. They are too busy dealing with problems at hand to get too flirty, though flirting does happen. 

Writing Style: This I think is John Flanagan's biggest problem: he over explains. I can often over look it because I enjoy the characters and I get excited as Will goes adventuring, but sometimes it can feel longwinded. And it's been the same thing in all of his books so far. Even still, I enjoy them. 

Overall: I enjoyed this book. The second one is better with more goings on, but it was a good book. Not great maybe, but good. I think the characters are what really pulls it through. 

Tress of the Emerald Sea

Tress of the Emerald Sea has become one of it not my top favorite Brandon Sanderson book. This is one of his "Secret Projects" and is a standalone Cosmere book.

"The only life Tress has known on her island home in the emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and see the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a singe drop of water can mean instant death?"

General Thoughts: Brandon Sanderson has a way of creating the most amazing worlds. Spore oceans where you can instantly die just by breathing it in. Crazy! He always has a way of capturing the most amazing and extremely bazar ideas and making something entertaining and thought provoking. And the fact that he wrote this for his wife makes me so happy.

Plot: In the Postscript that he wrote at the end of Tress, he said he wrote this out of the question of "What if Buttercup went after Westley?" Speaking of The Princess Bride, Brandon takes us on a trip in a crazy Cosmere world where a girl goes to find the man she loves and becomes a pirate long the way. But because there is no hard magic system on this planet, we have a crazy planet (somewhat similar to Sixth of Dusk if I remember correctly). The story is told through the voice of Hoid who we see jumping worlds all throughout the Cosmere and sticking his fingers into all kinds of pies. 

Theme: Much of this book, I think is about standing up for yourself and not letting the world pass you by. So much of Tress' life has been hearing of everyone else's adventures and watching them as they leave, but now she gets the opportunity to go and do something for herself to save someone that she loves. Step out of your comfort zone and make it bigger. 

Setting: As said before, Brandon has a way with words and worlds. Each of the worlds I've read about have been so extremely different. Ash falling from the Sky, the sun killing everything every day, ghosts that will kill you in a Forest called Hell, a different forest that will kill you, sand that is magic, violent storms that cleanse the world and light it at the same time, and many others in the Cosmere let alone the others that aren't there (such as chalk drawings in a steampunk world that try to kill you, and where superheroes are the bad guys.) This is no different. Different colored spores that can blow up, kill you by breathing them in, and a menagerie of other things. It was fun to escape into this different world. 

Characters: Our narrator is Hoid and I loved having be so. He is also a character here, but not as prevalent as one might suppose. Tress and her new crewmates were fun and different. And they were all just a joy to be around. 

Spice: 1/5 because it's an adventure romance and I think they might kiss at the end. But I could be wrong about that. 

Writing Style: I love the way Brandon Sanderson writes. He is my favorite author and there are very few books of his that I don't like. They are easy to read, some might say too easy, and it flows so well. He isn't as eloquent and poetic as some might right, but when it really counts he pulls out all the stops. He writes a lot of words and not all of them are perfect, but they paint such amazing pictures in my head that I don't mind. 

Overall: It's one of my top three books of his. I will most definitely be reading it again soon. 

The Lost Metal

The last book in the Wax and Wayne series in the Misborn world of the Cosmere by Brandon Sanderson. 
 

It's now been six years since Elendel's world has been opened. Meeting the people from the south and trying to keep political schisms at bay has proved difficult, but somewhat doable. Wax and Steris have taken more control of the political sides of their lives and grown their family, while Wayne and Marsi work as constables as partners. But happenings happen and they find out that Wax's sister has big plans with her secret society which includes blowing up Elendel with equivocally a nuclear bomb. Why would Telsin want to do this? What would this "protect" the rest of the world from? And how much bigger is the cosmere than they think?

I can only be okay with the ending, because HE was okay with the ending. That is all I'm going to say about it. 

I loved that Brandon brought so many more worldhoppers into the series. They introduced so much more than we even have in the Cosmere books to begin with. Seeing some of my favorite characters, not just Hoid, in more of their glory than we ever had before makes me so happy. 

It was fast paced and constantly moving forward while still letting things be explained. It took me a while because I knew what was coming (stupid spoilers) and I didn't want it to happen, but it never felt like it was bogged down. 

I love the characters. All of them. They make me happy. I don't know how to say more. 

The books in this series are smaller comparatively so they are easier to binge and love over and over again. Which means I probably will do that sooner rather than later. 

Grip of the Shadow Plague

 It takes a really good writer to make the reader cry for more than five pages over and over again and when you think you've got a handle on your emotions just to get kicked in the emotional teeth again. Thanks Brandon Mull. I needed a salty shower just on my face this morning. 

Kendra and Seth are still at their grandparents house for the summer. It is too risky to send them home yet because the Society of the Evening Star is still out to get them. And now it seems that even Fablehaven isn't safe anymore. Now creatures of light are turning dark from this unknown plague and they don't know why. Kendra has also been issued an invitation to join the Knights of the Dawn and help them retrieve more artifacts. Kendra and Warren go down to Arizona with other members of the Knights of the Dawn. The others at Fablehaven have found that not only has this dark plague attacked the creatures, but it can also turn human's into shadows that now only Seth can see. More and more creatures at Fablehaven are being infected and there are very few sanctuaries left for anyone. 

This was a very good book. There were times when I most defiantly didn't want to put it down and I wanted to read on even if my son wasn't too thrilled about it. (Yes I might have dragged him to the book against his will, but I really wanted to know what was going to happen.) It was well written with good pacing that kept us well engaged. There was a part that I pretty much knew for sure what was going to happen (which I was right), but it didn't stop the emotions from flowing over their banks. Well done Mr. Mull.

I've come to very much love these characters. I still have my suspicions about one or two of them, but I'm very intrigued to see what will happen to them in the future. All of them have their own personalities that they stick to and are endearing. I loved the development of new characters that we got to interact with, specifically a mustached twirling gent whom I like very much. 

I very much am excited to read the next book and will probably try to make my son listen to some of it during Christmas break even though "reading is just before we go to school, mom!" We'll see, my son, we'll see. 

Street Magic

 The second book in the Circle Opens series by Tamora Pierce follows Briar and his teacher Rosethorn into Chammur where they work their Green Magic to help revitalize the "tired" ground. Chammur is a place that has had people living on it for centuries that is built into the rock that surrounds it. It's more than just the farm soil that's tired. 

While traveling through the market, Briar spots a girl shining stones and embowing them with magic. When he asks her about it, she runs. He tries to find her over the next few days while familiarizing himself with the local gangs. Being once part of a gang, he gets rolled into their problems. Between finding Evvy, finding her a teacher, teaching her the basics of stone magic and how to meditate, and the gang wars that surround him, he has his hands full. 

I really enjoyed this book. The differences and difficulties of walking into different cultures is an interesting path Briar leads. 

I enjoyed the simplicity of the text while having a set of complicated characters. The stone mage, Evvy, reminded me a lot of Toph Beifong from Avatar: the Last Air Bender. Both "stone mages" that are hard, firm, and determined. The characters all throughout the series were great, though there seemed to be a lot of them that only got mentioned a very few times, yet still important, but then were quickly gone after a little while (for very good reasons, mind). Many flowed in and out of the story--sometimes making it hard to remember who they were exactly.

I've gotten to really love Briar and his companions (new ones included) and I think that is a signature of Tamora Pierce. She puts so much life and vigor into her characters that they come alive and I want more and more of them.  

This book was also an audiobook that I listened to and it was very well done. I had now qualms with any of them and enjoyed their performances immensely. 

I'll have to get to the 3rd book later because it isn't available at my library currently, but I will get to reading it sooner rather than later. 

Magic Steps

Magic Steps by Tamora Pierce is the first book in The Circle Opens series, which is also the sequel series to The Circle of Magic. 
 

The four children, now middling teenagers, have now gone their separate ways with their teachers. Tris and Niko, Daja and Frostpine, Briar and Rosethorn have all left Winding Circle temple to go see the world and learn more about their magics leaving Sandry and Lark at home. Sandry goes to look after her uncle who had a heart attack and doesn't know the meaning of rest. After a bit of recovery and a small horse ride, they spy a boy performing magic by dancing. Pasco has a family of Herriers, the city guards, and his family thinks his dancing is a useless waste of time because none of them knew it was magic. Now that Sandry has found this boy who needs to be taught and none of the teachers at Winding Circle know Dance Magic, she has now become Pasco's teacher. To compound her troubles, there has been murder in the city by invisible hands that are using an almost unheard of type of magic-- Unmagic. Magic the devours magic like a whirlpool sinking boats. 

This was well written and had a very good plot to it. It was well plotted out and was easy to follow along without getting to tangled with new evidences and procedures that were given to us. 

Pasco irked me at the beginning for being a lazy teenage boy with all the excuses and trying intentionally to make things hard for Sandry--though this has my own heavy biases and is probably actually okay. Sandry's arch in becoming a teacher though unwanted at the beginning was well done and made for an interesting background alongside the murders in the city. The mystery of the murders and Unmagic was engaging as well and kept me wanting to come back for more. 

The audiobook was also read by Tammy and a whole cast of voice actors who did a pretty good job for the most part. There was one actor, though, who was very obnoxious because he sounded robotic--thankfully he only had a few lines though. 

I enjoyed this book. It reminded me very much of Daja's Book in that the plot and characters were gold. It was, again, very well done. 

I can't wait to get onto the next one. 

The Book Thief

 Death is an interesting narrator. 

During WWII Death was busy carrying souls to "the great conveyor belt in the sky." For Liesel , she was adopted by a German husband and wife in a small German town. Death visits her only a few times throughout her life to take the people around her and finds her own story and curiosity gets the better of him. Liesel is not only dealing with the death of her brother and the abandonment of her mother, not being able to read, and simply growing up, but her new family agrees to hide a Jew in their basement and the air raids start.

As I said before, Death is an interesting narrator. He gives us a different kind of impending doom and anticipation throughout the story because he already knows his schedule of dates with everyone. He tells us on occasion that this person is going to die, or s/he doesn't live very long after this or that. The narration is exceptional at humanizing the world in the story and making me cry. (PSA: Don't try running while listening to the ending of the book, you won't be able to breathe, which is needed when being on a treadmill. 

Characterization is on point and we easily love most/if not all of the characters in the story. Upon reflection, I do wish Liesel herself had a little bit more going for her besides liking books, stealing, and being against Hitler. Just a quirk or two. Everyone else seemed to be so well thought out (not that she wasn't, I just suddenly want more from Liesel). 

WWI/I stories are always hard. Maybe because it's so "fresh," we know so much about it, and there is more of a human element  because photographs and videos and documentation are so easy to come by. And if people are "lucky," they still have soldiers and family members who were witnesses so are still alive--though the number of living WWII vets is dwindling as the years go on. There are monuments, there are museums, there are very prevalent stories of people who were there. That being said, I become very picky about the WWI/I stories that I read because I know I will cry my eyes out and that is an emotional rollercoaster that is simply exhausting. This is one of the few books about that time period that I'd willing read over again. The characterization and the love I have for them, hits well and hard. 

I saw a review for this saying that Death is ridiculous and his narration style is obnoxious. He has a very flowery use of metaphors and similes, it is true. I happen to enjoy his descriptions. They are different, but Death is different from everyone else. So I give it to him.

I very much enjoy this book, but can only read it occasionally (this time it was an audiobook and that was fantastically read!). The movie is pretty good, but they take Death out of it all together, which made me sad and turned it into "just another WWII story." 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Number 7! Ah, the tears. Only good writing works this way. 

Harry, Hermione, and Ron aren't going back to school... at the beginning of the year anyway. They are on orders from Dumbledore to find Voldemort's Horcrux's and destroy them. Harder said than done. Between running away from Death Eaters, searching, not knowing where to go, infiltrating the Ministry while Harry is the most wanted man in the country, and then realizing that the Deathly Hallows are important too... they've got their hands full. 

This one is my first legit read though of the book. I've seen the movies a bunch of times and listened to the other books on audio, but this is a first. I very much enjoyed it. 

I think one of my favorite parts was Kreacher's Tale. You really feel for him and are reminded that every nasty person has a back story and often times if you take the time to get to know them or their story, they'll turn out to be a decent person. Not all the time, if they choose to be that way, but there is potential for everyone and that most of the time all they want to be is understood. Kreacher is awesome and I love how he ends up leading the House Elves at the end. 

I do wish though that we had been able to spread the narrative a little. Instead of solely watching it through Harry's eyes, to have gotten  other's points of view. Especially during the Battle of Hogwarts. Throughout the series we've loved everyone that is in Hogwarts at the end--the good guys anyway. I wish we'd gotten more of the individual battles for Lupin and Tonks, of Kingsley, Hagrid, Molly and Arthur, and all the others. Obviously Harry can't be everywhere, but I'd have loved to get POV changes. Even POV changes when we weren't at Hogwarts at the end. To know more about what the Weasley's were doing, what the DA did in an attempt to steal the sword, Fred and George when they were still manning their shop. And most definitely more at the end. To see how everyone coped or didn't with the losses they received. Even if it was just bit and snippets of weddings, of internal changes, of grief... A page. Three paragraphs. A small bit of dialog. Something just a bit more so then we can close with them and have a more finite resolve. 

But boy was it a great book. Before reading the series, I knew that there was a giant fandom for the Wizarding World. I know some fandoms can go crazy (I'm looking at you Supernatural) but now I understand why. The books were great, well done, and well made. In my opinion, there is very little lacking in the series. No, Harry Potter is not a happy book, but it is one that discusses many things that touch many people in many ways and hopefully helps us to grow. Those books are the best ones to read. 

It will probably be a series I'll reread like so many before me. Enjoy. 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

This book was dramatically let down by the movie. Just saying.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was comical and actually got me to sniffle with tears in my eyes. Cedric Diggery is actually a very awesome person (hence the tears) and Mrs. Weasley is by far my favorite character in the Harry Potter series. Period.

Harry, before returning to school, has crazy dreams, his scar hurts, goes to the Quiddich World Cup and sees Death Eaters and almost get stunned and put in prison. Hooray for the summer holiday! When school starts, the school is informed that they will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament. Someone puts his name in the drawing for it and is considered a champion in the Tournament. Is someone trying to kill him again? Obviously, the answer is yes. He has to survive the tasks and school ground and school assignments. Go Harry! But, of course, dark forces as encroaching upon the quickly dwindling happiness that happens at school.

The characters are beyond brilliant. J.K. Rowling does and excellent job with her character development. The ending was very powerful where we were just as shocked with Harry about what happens in the graveyard, then have just as much heart ache as Harry does when realization sets in (particularly for me with Dumbledore's speech at the end), and I defiantly felt the love of Mrs. Weasley who, like I said, is my favorite character. We were right there, with Harry, feeling the same things. But then everyone else there was growing too. Ron and Hermione growing as people throughout the World Cup and the Tournament. Friendships are tried and unregistered love is too. Then others as well are given enlightening moments that make their character bloom. Neville, I'm looking forward to you. Obviously.

It is a long book with many things happening, and the fact that they are all interconnected (either in series or simply the awesomeness that is the book) makes them a great read. Plot is very well done here with a major twist at the end for those who are reading it for the first time. There are long, almost info-dump, of explanation at the ending between many of the characters but they were very needed and did explain so much. Rather similar to a "so who dun it" moment at the end of a mystery novel where the detective explains or the bad guy confesses.

In the end, it was a great book. I finished the last 25% in a day (hooray for quarantine). It was very binge worthy. I'm taking a quick break from Harry Potter (mainly because my husband is asking me to read something), but will be back for Umbridge soon. Bwahaha. I can't wait.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second book in the Harry Potter series.

Harry has had the worst summer and now there a house-elf in his room telling him he shouldn't go back to Hogwarts. Well, that's not happening. Getting away from the Dursley's is a must. Between getting bailed out of the Dursley's house, missing the train and hitting a Whomping Willow on school grounds, he'll make it to school even if he is nearly expelled for it. But then there is more. Strange things keep happening. Harry is hearing voices, finding new abilities, and students all over the school are being attacked. Harry and his friends must find out what the Chamber of Secrets is, what is inside it, and how to kill this monster before someone dies...like last time.

I've discovered something about J.K. Rowling, she really likes her alliteration. Reading it in my head, I didn't notice so much, but reading it aloud to my son had me tongue timed at times. The constant repetition of letter sounds, while sounding nice and someone fun, had my dyslexic brain and tongue spinning. It takes a bit of a poet to keep that going and I think she did a good job at it.

I think the story is well laid out with funny tidbits and great (sometimes intentionally obnoxious) characters who move the story along well.

I don't really have anything bad to say about it. The fact that my 7 year old is really enjoying it too is always a bonus. Way to go Rowling!

Guardians of the West

Guardian's of the West is the first book in the Malloreon, a sequel series to David Eddings' Belgariad. This is one where it is best if you read the Belgariad first otherwise there are major spoilers.

The story starts with Polgara, Durnik, Errand, and Belgarath travel down to the Vale. Now that the Evil God Torak has been defeated and the prophecy of the Child of Light vs the Child of Dark has been completed, things can become peaceful. They are able to live, for the first time in millenia, in peace without having to worry about Kal Torak waking up and ruling the world in darkness. However, small things begin to happen. People appear, have mysterious and odd conversations, then vanish. The East is very unsettled and in the midst of internal conflict and wars on a mass scale. There is talk of a strange dark stone and evil forces moving again. But their lives have been so focused on Torak and the Mrin Codex's prophecy that maybe they missed something. Is there something more moving out there now that Torak is dead and gone? Garion and Ce'Nedra are in Riva with trials of their own, marriage conflicts (brought to you by a clash of personalities), and the country grows restless without an Heir to the Rivian throne. There have also been murders in the castle and attempted assassinations, each time with so little information to go off of. Who is doing this? Why are they after the baby? What is this newly discovered prophecy that is throwing this world into an upheaval again?

This book starts off very slow. I started reading it years ago but I got through about half the book and nothing "super exciting" was going on so I put it down. (Apparently right before things really got interesting. This is the first book in a large series and so needs a bit of introduction. It also sets up the fact that years are passing between the death of Torak and the wiggling changes that this new prophecy and the workers behind it are implementing. This book goes to show that sometimes it just takes time for real dangers to hit and that sometimes those dangers, if left unnoticed or unchecked, can suddenly grow into all wars.

It also brings back the love of old characters. All of them I have loved throughout the whole Belgariad series many make their appearances here and seems will continue to do so as the series goes on. By the end, we are informed that many more new characters will find their way into the story and we're left with wondering "who are they?"

This book is written rather like The Hobbit where there isn't much in the way of description of surrounding areas. Hardly any at all. Much of the book is conversations and dialog with funny, snarky comments. Much is left to the imagination of the reader in terms of setting and other descriptions. This, I think, is mainly do to the time in which is was written, where Edding's lets the (now considered) cliches run themselves. He's not trying to break the troupe or cliche because fantasy was still fairly new and weren't considered cliche much.

I do really like the fact that women (in the very male ruled society) are still able to put their foot forward. Polgara is highly respected. A king dies and his wife takes over until their son can grow up and claim the throne, where she runs more of the campaign than the rest of the men do so it seems, and she is very prominent in all of the counsels that they have. Vella makes a return and has a fowl mouth that made some gentlemen blush yet can stand on her own feet and defend herself while being sold (which is Nardak custom). But then we also have many other different women throughout the books, casting different personalities and none of them were looked down on or belittled because some where more compassionate or powerful or sneaky or overcome by sea sickness. I think it would be interesting to read articles based on the women in his stories. There is a lot that could be said here.

In the end, now that things are moving forward a bit more dramatically, I'm very interested on where the rest of the story is going. Where it's not just black and white, good vs evil, one big bad guy where we know where we're going. But there is more of a mystery too it which can make it more exciting. I'm ready to read on.

Entwined

I picked this book up years ago and after reading through the first couple of pages gave it back to my local library (go support your libraries, ladies and gents. It's worth it!). I knew I wanted to read it again or at least give it a try, but when my library was "weeding" the books they were going to get rid of this one. So for $0.50 I snagged it, hoping I'd get to it eventually. Well, I got to it eventually, lol.

This is a fairytale retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. Azalea is the eldest of eleven princesses whom she loves and takes care of while their mother is deathly ill. Their mother is pregnant and sick and on the night the youngest is born she dies. The girls and the King grieve in different ways, but all are subjected to mourning for a year. Merry Christmas, everyone. The thing that the girls love most is dancing and because of mourning they are denied this. They get scolded and reprimanded for sneakily doing it in defiance of their father, knowing "Mother would have let us do it." The castle they live in is a magic one and they find an enchanted room in their fireplace where a man with magic has been imprisoned by the same magic he uses. He invites them all down every night to dance and enjoy themselves. They greedily take the opportunity. Between arguments with their father, grieving over their mother, being forced to be alone in mourning, and the occasional "political business" where gentlemen would strut around trying to entice the princess into political marriages, they dance.

I really enjoyed the ending of this book. The beginning was a bit cheesy, which is why I didn't get very far the first time, and the middle was a little elongated more than it really needed to be, but the ending was very well done. Highly intriguing and engaging where I finished the last 200 pages in a day--where as I somewhat struggled picking it up in the middle. It was worth it in the end. I'll definitely be keeping this book on my shelf and will probably read through it again later.

The driving force of this book was more to do with Father/Daughter relationships more than "I love this boy" which is different than most YA books out there. Yes, there is romance, but moral of the story is family. They learn to grieve together and it's not something that happens over night. That build up of Parent/Child relations is what took the middle of the book so long. It was needed and important for the end, so I'm glad it was there, but it might drag a bit for some. Family is first. Loving family first where boys and potatinal marriages are second. Different and good.

There is a struggle some authors have in keeping different character (especially lots of different characters) separate and distinct. Heather Dixon does a good job with this. All the girls are flower names, but they are all in alphabetical order so then we as the reader can at least guess as to where they land in age. Azalea is 17 or so all the way down to baby Lilly. We can keep them in order because of their names. There are also a lot of gentlemen who come and go throughout the story and, through their names as well, we are able to keep them separated as well as given a bit of their personalities. Lord Teddie is rambunctious, Lord Bradford is practical and a good political while still being kind, Lord Fairweather is constant and stiff. Names and personalities here were well straightened out for the most part, which is hard to do with so many people.

The setting was fun, and the magic in the world was simple, yet different. The large portion of magic at the end, the climax and resolution of it all, was set up well enough but there was one part I had a problem with due do lack of explanation--which gave its excuse of it possibly being "Old Magic" therefore mysterious. Slight cop out, but I guess it works.

The only thing that I can complain about is the slight cheesiness of the dancing toward the beginning. It got better as it went on and it might have to do with the fact that I'm not a dancer, really, and don't get the fascination so much. Good for them if they do, but it was kind of cheesy to me. The reader can get over it and it's not so bad, just push on and it gets to be better.

In the end, it's a really good book. Heather Dixon did a really good job at portraying this story which often gets over looked for other "princess classics." Read it and enjoy.

Enchanter's End Game

The last book in the Belgariad is Enchanter's End Game. This is a very quick paced book that I finished in only a few days.

Garion, Silk, and Belgarath make their way across Gar og Nardak and to Mallorea to defeat Torak at the same time Ce'Nedra, Polgara, and the other Kings of the West march on Mishrak ac Thull to then get their boats to the Eastern Sea so they can take out Mallorean ships full of enemy soldiers. Battles commence and David Eddings' does it pretty well.

Eddings was able to have all of the many characters work well together and have sound endings and battle sequences. People they have met, even way back in Pawn of Prophecy, make appearances and have grown up/stayed the same (as needed).

Although this is the conclusion of the series, it still lets people have their bits of final growth that they need to complete their character arcs. Most of the building has happened in the previous books and so it's able to be more plot based, as opposed to the character and culture driven motives Eddings had in this world exploration--though obviously there was a wider overarching plot throughout.

Enchanter's End Game is very much based on moving armies and fighting battles, which in my opinion is fine because we have very solid characters and now he's letting them do their own thing. He's letting them finish out the story as it is needed to be.

I really like the big final battle with Torak. We know it's coming and we've known it since the beginning, pretty much. And I wasn't disappointed. Eddings set it up so then we understood the trials that Polgara would have--though the curveball that was thrown in caught me off guard the first time even though there was foreshadowing in PoP *wiggles eyebrows* --Torak's intimidation factor was brought and done well, and we got to see how most everyone was needed there. I'm still struggling with Ce'Nedra or Errand's part at the end and what important role she needed to play there... but everyone else made sense and fit well with all of the Prophecy. It was a nice bow without it being "bad." I do also like the good vs evil parallels. It was well done.

I have loved this series since I was in early high school and still very much enjoyed it. This series is a good one for beginning fantasy readers or those who are looking for a simple, light read. It is an older series, published in the 1980's and some may say that it doesn't transition well into the present. I can see why they would say that, but it is still enjoyable. Things happened throughout the series where it could be registered as a cliche or a troupe but it's not because it's from the classic season of fantasy which made the cliche before they were cliches. (I hope that makes sense.)

In the end, I've enjoyed it and am glad I got them. When reading them, keep in mind that they are from an older generation and to come at them as you would to Charles Dickens or Jane Austen or even Tolkien.

Elantris

While Brandon Sanderson is probably my favorite author, Elantris is not my favorite book. Good book, especially towards the end, but not my favorite.

The city of Elantris was once a shining beacon to all the surrounding countries. The walls glowed. The people glowed. They had magnificent powers to heal, to teleport, to do anything it seemed. They were Gods! Until they weren't. Suddenly, one day, Elantris fell. It darkened and the Elantians seemed almost like zombies. Their hearts stopped beating, their hair fell out, their bodies covered with bruise-like abrasions, and they stopped glowing. The Gods fell.

Ten years later, people still enter Elantris but only those who have been touched by the Shoad. Those who would have turned into glowing Elantians now turn into bodies that have died who's minds haven't realized their dead. Prince Raoden wakes up on morning and finds that the Shoad has taken him and he is forced to go to Elantris where the dead walk. Princess Sarene travels from her home country to marry Prince Raoden only to find his funeral happening later that day with her marriage binding and complete. She is married to a dead man she's never met. (Hooray for her.) Hrathen also come to the city just outside Elantris with orders to convert all of the heathen and do so before three months or his home country will come to slaughter them all. Not happy prospects for anyone.

Between political intrigues, survival, and crazy priests the people of Kae have their hands full, whether or not they know it.

I found that buy the end of the book I really like all of the characters. Raoden was the one that got me through the slower parts toward the beginning. Hrathen was a very intriguing character because of the internal battles he ended up fighting and I did enjoy his playing with Sarene in their own verble chess matches.

This book was one where you had to jump into it and start treadding. Brandon is much better at this in Mistborn and is far more quick at it. Some people said that you can maybe skim through the first half and by the time you get to about 55% to 60% really start focusing, and I found that to be pretty much the case.

Especially toward the beginning, I was very confused to the whole bunch of characters that were thrown at me and I wasn't sure who I was supposed to be remembering. They seemed to be just names that flew past my eyes in a blur. It took a good portion of the time to get people fully impressed in my brain or even figure out who they were for the most part. Kiin was easy and Roial easier later on, but many of the others were hard.

I think Elantris, the place, is a very interesting one full of mystery. I think that is why I liked Raoden so much. The people he interacted with and the city itself drew me in very much. The Aeo's were interesting and as we went on they made far more sense, though they were still simple.

I did have some questions toward the end. It is part of the Cosmere so "There is always another secret." If you have more questions, check out coppermind.net and it should help you out a lot. Though Spoilers, you are warned.

This will be one that I'll reread again probably because I missed a lot and it took me forever to actually complete the read. (Life can suck at times.)

Garden Spells

After a need for a good, happy book,  I was recommended Garden Spells and wasn't disappointed.

Claire and Sydney never got along as kids. After high school Sydney left and Claire found solace in the old family home with her Grandmother and the somewhat magical garden with an annoying apple tree.  Ten years later, new neighbor moves in next door who won't leave Claire alone and suddenly Sydney is back with a bag full of mysteries and a sweet little girl named Bay.

Old towns have legends and the people in small towns have ways about them, also known as stereotypes.  Nearly everyone in town has a family stereotype and the Waverley's, Claire and Sydney, carry the weird gene. Claire has this uncanny way with food that can make people feel a certain way. Have an awkward conversation? Have some Lemon Verbena in your muffin. Want to see better? Have some Honeysuckle. Etc. Rather smart move for a caterer. But for Sydney, going back to a small town with old faces you'd rather forget is hard, but far safer than where she had been.

I thought it was a good book. Not something I'd recommend to a teenager whereas there are parts toward the end where there is slight descriptive nudity. All sexy times are curtain closed but there are some moments that lead up to it and lots of talk about sex, but nothing descriptive or erotic--thank goodness.   It's slightly beyond the PG-17 range. I most definitely would be blushing if I was reading this at 17, like I did with the Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.

The characters were good, engaging all around and surprisingly the apple tree was one of my favorite characters. Claire and Sydney were fun and well developed as well as the other side characters. All the other characters got their moments and segments of chapters which helped bring the whole story and town community to life. Which makes the story more fun all around.

I enjoyed the book and if I chose to read it again would probably skim past some parts about 3/4 of the way though, but the rest of it was well done and I enjoyed the storyline.

School Rumble

School Rumble is a part slice of life, part romantic comedy with an engaging story. At the beginning of the series, there are lots of small incidents that happen and as the story goes long the plots of the different characters interweave more and more. It isn't some high flying adventure or much of a gut wrenching romance, but it is a story that is light hearted and funny. I feel it very much resembles what high school romances end up being: twitterpated hearts, communication problems, secret crushes, group get togethers, and more.

Harima, the glasses-guy on this cover, was a deliquitent, the big, scary man on campus. But then upon seeing/helping Tenma, our pig-tails girl here, he found himself in love with her and got himself back to school. But the big, aloof manly-man can't be seen in love with a ditz like Tenma. But he must confess and let his choice be heard! Right? Only everything always seems to go wrong. And Tenma is in love with another, more somber boy in class named Karasima. Yes, it's a love triangle, but not an annoying one.

I think the thing that I like most about this series is that it's light and charming. Harima is such a fun character who is very determined and willing to push through anything "for the woman I love." He gets himself into entertaining situations which often made me laugh. And although Tenma can be obnoxious at times you can shake your head at her misunderstandings and move forward. Hanai, Yakamo, Makoto, Akira, Lara (Lala), Karin, and most of the other characters that are Harima/Tenma/Karasima's classmates and friends are all funny. They each get ample amount of time "on screen" and are developed fully as characters. School is not just a "whirling romantic comedy" about our main two characters, but it's about the entire class. Everyone is important. Everyone has their own backgrounds. I was able to find something I like about (most) everyone. There were one or two characters that I didn't care for in that they were overly perverted, which I do dislike, but they were only a small part and I could quickly skim/skip over them. Everyone else was fantastic.

My favorite set of chapters was a war that they had over deciding what they would do for their school festival. They sneak into the school at night, armed with bebe guns and fight it out. I get with the school shootings and things, that some people night not care for it such situations, but it was very comical. Not in funny, "haha" way, but in the intense atmosphere that they all created. I found it entertaining both in the manga and anime. But that's my own opinion. Most of the rest of the series wasn't nearly as intense, again it was light.

The only thing that I disliked really was the ending. I wanted firm confessions of love and solid relationships, and while we got some there were some relationships that I felt didn't get the ending that I wanted to have. There was a build up to it, but then the characters let themselves fall a bit flat in proving that relationship and solidifying it. At parts it was kind of a let down.

Still, read it. Enjoy it. And down get bogged down by the shortness of the chapters.

Dengeki Daisy

A great series of amazing characters. 

Dengeki Daisy is about a high school girl named Teru who lives on her own since her brother passed away from cancer. However she is not alone. She has Daisy. Her brother gave her a phone before he died and said that when she needed someone to talk to, talk to Daisy. At first she didn't want to, but as the mental need arose she began emailing him. Daisy has been her biggest support through her hardest times and she's never seen him in person. 

Enter Kurosaki. The janitor and groundskeeper at Teru's high school. Through some forced persuasion, he gets Teru to help take care of the school grounds. They start becoming friends and their punky relationship is one of the funniest things. The way they act around each other is hysterical. 

This series has computer hackers, gun fights, kidnappings, cute and amazingly funny romances, and secrets from the dead. Each of the characters is unique and has their own stories, which is sometimes hard to get. Teru's brother is such a good guy and I wish he was around for all of them. 

I think my favorite part in the series was when Kurosaki was trying to leave and Teru, in her own mischievous way, gets him to come back. Teru is a much different character than most of the other typical "shoujo mangas" heroines. Instead of being clingy and having little stars or flowers every time something cute happens, she often does something to change the subject or bops him on the head or something obnoxious. And what's awesome is that Kurosaki does the same thing back to her. Their relationships if funny and different. And they still have very cute moments to make your inner-chick-flick watcher squee. 

The premous of the stories and their adventures are different too. They are more high stake and the fact that computer hacking is even a thing makes it engaging and, again, different. Throughout most of the series there was always something that kept me going. If life hadn't gotten crazy, I would have finished it a month ago. I will warn that, for me, volume 14 and bits of 15 were slow in my opinion. There was lots of meetings that didn't seem to really do anything. But if you push through you'll very much enjoy the end. 

I very much enjoyed the series. 

Castle of Wizardry

The fourth instalment of the Belgariad by David Eddings is a longer one. It is not my favorite one, but it is still good.

Garion and the rest of his traveling companions have retrieved the Orb of Alder and venture back to safe territory. Killing Murgos and finding armies along the way. They make stops at remembered placed, but as they enter farms and caves, Garion finds that they are different. More like they are the same and he is different. He has grown in the year he's been gone traveling with Aunt Pol and Belgarath. Suddenly he also finds himself a King to a country he doesn't know and people trying to murder him on a supposedly safe island away from those who'd do him harm. Ce'Nedra isn't being helpful either. But then bigger decisions have to be made and prophecies must be fulfilled.

As I said, it's not my favorite. There seems to be a lot more traveling happening and not as much storytelling going on. Events happen, but they have more of a diplomatic feel to them instead of action adventure. This series is written differently than most, especially nowadays, and goes slower. These events, diplomatic though they may be, needed to happen in order to further the story on. Slow going, but push through it and enjoy the last book.

As always the development of the characters is what holds me on, although I've become more and more intrigued by the final battle with Torak and what will happen in the future.