The Well’s End by Seth Fishman
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
There are so many things I don’t like about this book that I’m not even sure where to start.
First, the minor: I found out about this book because of several illustrations that Kate Beaton made for it. Most of the articles about these illustrations fail to mention that they do not appear in the end product.
Second, the characters. Only a couple of them are more or … (Read more)
Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I absolutely love Freddy!
Though nominally this book is about Kitty – her predicament, her coming to London, her getting tangled up in other people’s problems – none of this would happen, or get resolved in any satisfactory way, without the quiet, simple, and unassuming help of a character who, normally, would be relegated to the sidelines, being the helpful best friend or that guy in the background.
The story … (Read more)
Newt’s Emerald by Garth Nix
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book is a fun, fast read but as, other commenters have said, the best word to describe it would probably be “cute”.
The plot is set into an alternate-history regency with magic, and is pretty much a fast-paced action romp with simple but relatable characters.
The most distracting issues is that, because of its macguffin nature, one of the main plot points (the main character disguises herself as … (Read more)
Disclaimer: I got a copy of the game as a backer of the production Kickstarter, and my name appears in the credits. This review contains spoilers.
Well, I finally finished Resonance. Yes, it took a long time.
A bit of history:
Resonance is one of the earliest projects I backed on Kickstarter, if not the first. I didn’t know Vince Twelve, but he had very good references, and the trailer looked good, and he asked for very … (Read more)
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I understand this isn’t my kind of book. I only bought it because it was from JK Rowling, and only finished it for pretty much the same reason.
The first part felt awfully long and sluggish, as we’re presented with a huge cast of characters at the same time, all with their own peculiar families and problems and goals, and each of them is given screen time. The … (Read more)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Likeable goblin military rascals, an elf veterinarian, misguided magic, and a lot of good intentions that go awry are the basic recipe for this novella, whose only fault is being too bloody short because these characters deserve a whole book or more. (Also, worst kept secret in history, T. Kingfisher is really Ursula Vernon writing under her “not a writer of children’s book” persona)
Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
There are a lot of succulent ingredients in this book: steam power, the railroad, industrial revolution and cultural revolution, lots of recurring characters, and of course a generous helping of the Moist von Lipwig charm we all love.
Unfortunately it doesn’t all seem to gel together much. Things just sort of… happen, one after the other, rather than be tied together with a nice bow. The characters, too, seem … (Read more)
When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This series just keeps getting better.
By remaining in Stain’d-by-the-Sea we’re allowed to follow Snicket’s cracking of a new case while at the same time reinforcing his ties with the cast of characters and finding out more about the overarching mystery of Hangfire and the Bombinating Beast. This makes ATWQ somewhat more palatable and less frustrating for those (mostly adults, at least in my experience) … (Read more)
The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Time is the only magic, and it’s sometimes a sad magic, because only a day passed for September but it felt like an eternity to read. I’ll admit, maybe I didn’t give this book all the attention it deserved (real life got in the way, so I read it in stretches and patches), but it felt like it … (Read more)
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really liked this book. Schmendrick the wizard and Molly Grue are two lovely characters and, while I didn’t really care much for the fate of the unicorn, it was a delight following them in their adventure. Haggard and the Red Bull make for fantastic villains, one not so much evil as disillusioned, the other impossibly vast and terrible. The first part in the carnival is especially … (Read more)
