Really enjoying this collection of vignettes from the life of an accidental necromancer. The stories don‘t always wrap up nicely and the villains are not all punished. The MC is an archivist and it shows; the resolution of each story is about information rather than justice.
so-soI wasn‘t sold on this book until the last few chapters. The complex political machinations are intriguing but there‘s not really enough info given for the reader to parse character motivations. The ending made me want to hear the rest of the story but that may be the problem; the whole book feels like a set up.
pickThe dysfunctional characters are the best part of this book. I love a fucked up narrator and Camille is definitely that. I found the plot predictable but I could be jaded from years of reading books with “shocking twists”.
pickI loved the misanthropic android MC. As an awkward as fuck introvert I found it really easy to identify with someone who wants to spend all day binging tv and gets annoyed whenever their job forces them to talk to people. The plot wasn't very strong but it felt like the book is intended to be more about character development so it's worth reading if you like shy murderous robots.
Forgot that I preordered this until it showed up on my kindle. This series is a nice light pallet cleanser in between all the Mark Lawrence and GRRM I've been reading lately.
panStarted out promising with a morally grey thief training an apprentice in a city built on the ruins of a dead culture. It also features polytheism which usually helps avoid reductive good vs evil themes.
Unfortunately it slogs toward a more and more stereotypical setup with every page. The villains turn out to be literal demon pedophiles and the series is poised to turn into a battle between angels and demons for control of earth. BORING!
pickRed Sister has great characterization and brutal murder, two of my favorite things in fiction. The hints of sci-fi in a mostly fantasy setting work pretty well and made me want to read the next book to see how the space faring roots of the civilization play out. The plot felt scattered at times and the book feels more like a set up for the series than a self contained story.
I passed on this book initially after reading the sample on kindle. But I loved NeverNight so much I decided to give Stormdancer another try and I'm glad I did. The setting is post-apocalyptic steampunk sort-of-Japan and draws on Japanese myth. Plus there's an animal sidekick, which is one of my favorite things in fiction.
pickI appreciated the fast pace of this series and the magic system. I'm a little bummed that some of the backstory reveals I'd been hoping for since book 1 didn't get any resolve. We got Holland's background info but not much about Kell's origin or how Lila lost her eye. The ending was pretty satisfying but also felt a little too neatly tied up with everyone getting basically what they wanted.
pickJust finished listening to this on audible. I liked the magic system and the morally grey main characters, but wish there had been more exploration of personalities and motives, especially for the villains. I definitely plan to continue the series.
Starting this series on audible. I've been trying to only read complete series since so many unfinished ones look like they'll stay that way. (Quietly weeping for The Winds of Winter)
Reading this while I wait for The Bone Witch to come out next week.
NeverNight is my favorite read of 2017 so far. It feels like a fleshed out version of Arya's story from ASOIAF with an animal companion and a constantly escalating shitshow of impending doom.
so-soThe prologue was the best part of the book and set up a mystery that does eventually resolve but in an anti climatic way. The horror elements aren't fully explored or explained. Basically a vengeful ghost story with a lot of incidental casualties. If you want revenge horror read The Girl From The Well instead.
