Book Review: Elantris (Elantris #1) by Brandon Sanderson

October 12, 2020June 24, 2020 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 638 pages
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: May 1st, 2005
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened, leper-like, powerless creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and crumbling.

Arelon’s new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping — based on their correspondence — to also find love. She finds instead that Raoden has died and she is considered his widow. Both Teod and Arelon are under threat as the last remaining holdouts against the imperial ambitions of the ruthless religious fanatics of Fjordell. So Sarene decides to use her new status to counter the machinations of Hrathen, a Fjordell high priest who has come to Kae to convert Arelon and claim it for his emperor and his god.

But neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspect the truth about Prince Raoden. Stricken by the same curse that ruined Elantris, Raoden was secretly exiled by his father to the dark city. His struggle to help the wretches trapped there begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon, and perhaps reveal the secret of Elantris itself.

A rare epic fantasy that doesn’t recycle the classics and that is a complete and satisfying story in one volume, Elantris is fleet and fun, full of surprises and characters to care about. It’s also the wonderful debut of a welcome new star in the constellation of fantasy.

AMAZING. PER USUAL.

I’m never surprised that I always end up loving any book by Sanderson. Occasionally with a favorite author, you run across a book that just doesn’t click, 13 books later, and I DO NOT HAVE THAT ISSUE. I love them all.

This was no exception. Elantris is one of Sanderson’s older titles that I *think* some claim is a lesser novel of his? While no Stormlight Archive, it’s still a superb read. I listened to it on audio and thought the narrator was great too.

One of my favorite parts was the romance (who’s surprised?). It’s nothing major or anything, but the lost loves finding one another was precious and just sweet. I adore Sarene and Raoden as characters. Talk about a power couple. Both strong, courageous, and didn’t take a thing laying down. One of the best character arcs was for Hrathen. He went from someone I hated, to someone I understood and appreciated as a POV in Elantris. All three of these characters had points-of-view and it really gave angles to all sides of Arelon and Elantris.

I loved the magic system and the way the world worked in general. I thought it was interesting how heavily the world’s religions played into the characters and the nation itself. It was a solid combination of all of these that kept up the intrigue and mystery.

I hope one day we do get a sequel because there’s clearly plenty more story lines that Sanderson could pursue. This one ends without any cliffhangers and with a great close out that doesn’t leave you hanging.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy
Language: none
Romance: some kisses
Violence: poison, sickness, physical, demons, swords; not overly gory

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: August 2020

August 31, 2020August 31, 2020 GoodeyReads4 Comments

Is 2020 over yet? Asking for a friend.

In the reading world, I did get through quite a few books, with some five stars. So that’s something! A lot of upcoming releases as well.

Favorites this month: You Have a Match, From Blood and Ash, and Heart Bones
Least favorites: Harley in the Sky, Between Shades of Gray

Hitching the Pitcher (Belltown Six Pack #1) by Rebecca Connolly, Sophia Summers, and Heather B. Moore – (☆☆☆)
[ARC] Brass Carriages and Glass Hearts (Steampunk Proper Romance #4) by Nancy Campbell Allen – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
[ARC] Crazy Stupid Bromance (Bromance Book Club #3) by Lyssa Kay Adams – (☆☆☆☆)
Intertwine (House of Oak #1) by Nichole Van – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
[ARC] You Have a Match by Emma Lord – (☆☆☆☆☆)
From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout – (☆☆☆☆☆)
The Royal We (Royal We #1) by Heather Cocks – (☆☆ 1/2)
Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Brown – (☆☆☆)
The Extra (The Extra Series #1) by Megan Walker – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover – (☆☆☆☆☆)
[ARC] Kingdom of Sea and Stone (Crown of Coral and Pearl #2) by Mara Rutherford – (☆☆☆ 1/2)
The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5) by Diana Gabaldon – (☆☆☆☆)
Jade City (The Green Bone Saga #1) by Fonda Lee – (☆☆☆☆)
Adorkable by Cookie O’Gorman – (☆☆☆)
[ARC] Mistletoe and Mr. Right (Moose Springs, Alaska #2) by Sarah Morgenthaler – (☆☆☆☆ 1/2)
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys – (☆☆☆)
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett – (☆☆☆☆)
Bright Raven Skies (Sweet Black Waves #3) by Kristina Perez – (☆☆☆☆)

What were some favorite books you read in August? Lets talk in the comments!

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Book Review: The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

August 20, 2020April 6, 2020 GoodeyReads2 Comments

Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: YA Historical Fiction / Magical Realism
Length: 336 pages
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Release Date: March 3rd, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two siblings. Two brilliant talents. But only one Mozart.

Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish–to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she’ll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in 18th century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age–her tyrannical father has made that much clear.

And as Nannerl’s hope grows dimmer with each passing year, the talents of her beloved younger brother, Wolfgang, only seem to shine brighter. His brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until one day a mysterious stranger from a magical land appears with an irresistible offer. He has the power to make her wish come true–but his help may cost her everything.

In her first work of historical fiction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu spins a lush, lyrically-told story of music, magic, and the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.

A BIT DULL.

I did a buddy-read for this and I think that was more interesting and fun than this book was.

The writing was gorgeous and easy to follow. That was never my issue, I didn’t click with the story as a whole. Magical realism + historical fiction are a hard combination to mix. I usually don’t like them, and this was no different. I found it a unique premise and clearly saw the effort put into this. A lot of research into Mozart’s history was accomplished to make this book what it was. I would have loved a historical fiction based off of Mozart’s life without the fantasy aspects.

I mostly felt disconnected from the story. I did feel some depth with Nannerl and truly saddened by her inability to stand and do what she wanted just because she was a woman (with respect to the time period). She didn’t really ever do anything about this though, which I guess as I’m writing this, falls in line with the historical aspects (based off of the author’s note, not my own research).

It was a younger YA than I was thinking and honestly it needed some more flair for me to be into it. With the characters mostly very young the entire book it wasn’t like they could do much anyways (other than practice the claiver). I was underwhelmed and sped read to get through it. I struggled to even write more for this review because I don’t feel like I have anything to say about it.

Overall audience notes:

Young adult historical fiction / magical realism
Language: none
Romance: a kiss
Violence: general sickness (small pox, etc.)

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Book Review: The Last Wish (The Witcher #0.5) by Andrzej Sapkowski

August 14, 2020April 2, 2020 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: Fantasy [Short-stories]
Length: 359 pages
Author: Andrzej Sapkowski [Translator: Danusia Stok]
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: January 31st, 1993 (This edition: May 1st, 2008)
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Geralt of Rivia is a witcher. A cunning sorcerer. A merciless assassin. And a cold-blooded killer. His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good… and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

THE LAST WISH
The International hit that inspired the video game THE WITCHER.

NOT A GREAT START.

Ooomph. Not at all.

I’ve been really excited to try out this series and see what all the hoopla is about it. There’s a lot of people talking about these books! After figuring out this was the book I should start with I snatched it at the library and dove in.

And was blindsided. Nothing was quite as I expected. First of all, I was completely thrown into the trenches without any explanations to where I was and who was what. I kept reading hoping things were going to make more sense, but they never did. I got about 150 pages in and turned on the TV show to see if that would help. And honestly, it did. I felt I had a better frame of mind as to who was who and the scattered timelines throughout the book. So, if things are confusing, try that!

While all of that was helpful, I still didn’t get the point of telling short stories to introduce The Witcher. Some parts of stories were interesting and held my attention, but otherwise, this was a book I mostly skimmed. I still want to read the official first book to see if a real story changes my mind about the series.

I enjoyed Geralt as a character and liked his wit and humor. The messes he and Dandelion would get caught up in were fun. Some of the monsters were interesting and gruesome. I can totally see how this would function as a video game.

Overall audience notes: