Tag: fantasy books

Book Review: Lord of Chaos (The Wheel of Time #6) by Robert Jordan

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 1004 pages
Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: October 15th, 1994
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In Lord of Chaos, the sixth novel in Robert Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time(R), Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, builds his army of Light even as sworn enemies–and supposed allies–move against him.

Now ruling Tear, Andor, and Caemlyn, among other nations, Rand is recruiting all men capable of channeling to be trained as his Asha’man soldiers. The warrior Aiel clans have pledged loyalty to Rand, acknowledging him as their chief of chiefs, even though the Shaido Aiel remain a threat.

Split into two factions, the Aes Sedai of the White Tower and their rebel counterparts both seek to ally themselves with the Dragon Reborn. Rand knows all too well the manipulative nature of the Aes Sedai, no matter which side of their internal war they stand upon. But even he cannot predict just how desperate, cruel, and treacherous they can be.

And in the shadows, the Forsaken and the Dark One are conjuring even more chaos…

INVESTED AGAIN.

I finally feel after finishing this that I am back to being invested (and understanding) of everything happening. Though the book is THICK the review won’t be because these type of epic fantasy books are too hard not to spoil.

Character progression wise I like that there was a difference in general. Some positive and some I’m just curious about. And yay for Perrin being back too! Now that I can better remember everyone I like how things are currently going.

I do not love some of the quirks of Jordan’s writing. Especially about the women. I don’t know, there’s some things that make my head tilt.

Highly recommend listening to these books. The audio is amazing and makes moving through these books a much smoother process.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: large scale battle themes, physical and magical altercations, loss of life, kidnapping, near death experiences

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Book Review: The Book That Wouldn’t Burn (The Library Trilogy #1) by Mark Lawrence

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Length: 576 pages
Author: Mark Lawrence
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: May 9th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A boy has lived his whole life trapped within a vast library, older than empires and larger than cities.

A girl has spent hers in a tiny settlement out on the Dust where nightmares stalk and no one goes.

The world has never even noticed them. That’s about to change.

Their stories spiral around each other, across worlds and time. This is a tale of truth and lies and hearts, and the blurring of one into another. A journey on which knowledge erodes certainty, and on which, though the pen may be mightier than the sword, blood will be spilled and cities burned.

I AM INTRIGUED.

I have never read a Mark Lawrence book (though I’ve always been meaning to do so) and I felt like this was a great introduction and a series I definitely want to continue with. I love books about books and this was very interesting. While a lot of the world building and magic system clicked for, I do feel like I was missing those last few pieces (and maybe that was me listening on audio issue) to fully grasp what was happening. There was SO MUCH time warping situations and I am notoriously baffled by those.

I did love the characters. It’s dual POV between Livira and Evar. I was smitten with these two. There’s a slow and subtle romance between them that crosses time and who doesn’t love a star crossed union? And I really enjoyed them on their own too. I love seeing that growth and exploration of self over a book. I am very curious about how this connection will continue to play out and grow in the future books.

This was a great fantasy series starter and a hidden gem to me that I’m glad I took a chance on. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high

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Book Review: The Fire in the Glass (The Charismatics #1) by Jacquelyn Benson

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 498 pages
Author: Jacquelyn Benson
Publisher: Vaughn Woods Publishing
Release Date: February 1st, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

London, 1914. Lily’s visions could stop a killer… if she’ll trust a reclusive aristocrat with her darkest secret.

A monster stalks the gaslit streets of Edwardian London, draining the blood of the city’s mediums. Lily Albright knows who’s next.

Lily is plagued by visions of the future she can never change. When a mysterious fiend threatens someone she loves, she’s determined this time will be different.

But she can’t do it alone. To save a life, Lily must reveal her darkest secrets to someone she has little reason to trust—the reclusive Lord Strangford, a man haunted by his own unusual powers.

From the glittering galleries of Bond Street to the rookeries of Southwark, Lily and Strangford plunge into a dark conspiracy that lies at the heart of England’s rising eugenics movement. To thwart it, Lily must face a past rife with betrayal—and embrace the power she has spent her entire life trying to escape.

TOO LONG.

I found a lot of this really interesting and somewhat in the veins of Stalking Jack the Ripper. I am coming to realize I really enjoy historical fantasy books. I like the old world vibes with a bit of magic thrown in.

I enjoyed both Lily and Strangford as our main duo. It’s very much a slow burn romance between them as they both learn to release some of their long held secrets and hurts to each other. I was looking for a bit more romantic build up/interactions with them, but as I see this is a series I think there’s plenty of room to continue the romance.

This book is easily 100+ pages too long. Even listening as an audiobook (at 3x speed) I noticed that things weren’t happening. When the action scenes came up, they were good. When soft moments came up, also good. It was some of the in-between that felt dragged out along the plot lines.

I do have plans to read the next book because I’m curious if it upticks from here. It’s got a concept I like seeing and good themes too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate-high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: human experimentation, loss of life, murder, near death experiences, alcohol and drug use, absent parent, blood/gore, anti-Semitic remarks, sexist remarks, physical altercations, sexual assault

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