Book Review: The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

Goodreads Summary: For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city's most accomplished artist.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death

Review: 
I must say, this story was action-packed! Brent Weeks wove together a story of so many different people over quite a length of time (around 10 years) and although I don't think it was polished to perfection, I was still positively entertained. 

Let us begin with the characters, Azoth (later known as Kylar) and Durzo are two very rough characters for obvious reasons, killing people for a living does that to you. But it was still very interesting to see the relationship that grew between them, as well as seeing the different ways they handled important things in their lives; especially love, and even their view of life itself. I felt that both characters were well written, however I did have an issue with the way that the story jumped through their lives, at times it felt quite choppy and I would have liked to see more of their development through the years rather than just getting snippets. 

The side characters were even better than the main, in my opinion, since I found myself caring more about their well-being. I especially focused on Logan and Regnus Gyre, as well as General Agon, and I would have liked to have seen more from their perspectives. 
  
The plot, oh the plot. I think that this book could have been so much more, the plot was actually incredibly intriguing, but it didn't actually make sense until the end, and I was confused with most things for the entire book. In some books it is interesting to be confused for most of the book, and can make the book even better, but my confusion with this one was simply because things were not better explained. I just wish that the world-building had been a bit stronger.

This book is also incredibly dark and gritty, which may be appealing to some, but made it so that multiple times I had to set this book down and take a breather, so definite warning for that.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I am very curious as to what happens next, so I will certainly be picking up the next two. 

4/5 stars!

Book Review: Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Goodreads 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.
  
Review:
To say that I adored this book would be one of the biggest understatements of my life. This book changed me. 
It is no surprise to anyone that I am a huge fan of Fantasy; I devour it. I have read so much that sometimes it is hard for Fantasy authors to bring something new to the table because I feel like I've read it before (yet I still have so much to read). But every time I pick up a Brandon Sanderson novel, I know I am in for something new and exciting. 

Elantris was perfect. Perfect world-building, perfect characters, perfect plot, perfect ending! It was everything I could have hoped for in a Fantasy novel and I don't know if anything could surpass it.  

1,000,000/5 stars

Bout of Books 10.0 Read-a-thon TBR

Bout of Books 10.0

Whoo! Read-a-thon time! This is my first Bout of Books read-a-thon and I am super excited to join in on the fun!
You should go and sign up as well on the Bout of Books blog!

For those who don't know what I'm talking about:

"The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team"

A video will up up later today to show off my TBR for the read-a-thon! 

Need to Read in 2014: Fantasy

Despite the fact that I never like to set aside books that I have to read, each year I have a few books that I definitely want to get to. So I decided to start a series of it (that may be turned into a video series as well). I've decided to show books based on their genre, and we're starting with my all time favorite; Fantasy!!

You can click on the cover of the book to be directed to the Goodreads page to see what it's all about 

 1) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
I have heard nothing but good things about The Kingkiller Chronicle, and I would really like to read the first two books before the third comes out.










2) Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
I'm always looking for Fantasy standalones, and this one sounds perfect. Plus, it's Brandon Sanderson, and I want to read everything this man has ever written.

3) The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb
DRAGONS! Need I say more?












4) The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
I want to read this for pretty much the same reasons as Elantris except for the fact that this is not a standalone. But oh boy am I ready to jump on this 10 book series at the beginning!











5)  The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin
I'm going to be honest, I don't know much about this trilogy. But the premise for the fist book sounds so intriguing, and I love a Fantasy book with an awesome female protagonist. (Plus, the covers are gorgeous!!) 










6)  Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
This really seems like a breath of fresh air to me, since so much Fantasy has a sort of European feel to it, and this debut novel apparently has a "Middle-Eastern" sort of setting, so GIMME!












7) Blood Song by Anthony Ryan
This sounds like an amazing start to an epic Fantasy series (apparently the the writing and story are reminiscent on Rothfuss and Sanderson's works)











8) Elvenblood by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey
The first sequel on this list, and for good reason. It's been years since I've read The Elvenbane, but I loved it so so much, the world was just so lovely to be in, so I need to pick up the sequel.











9) Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock
 This sounds so wonderful I want to cry













10) Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
The only YA on this list, but holy moly I am so ready for this book. This is the third book in the Throne of Glass series and to be honest, this is one of the very few good YA fantasy series. The cover was released today and oh my is it beautiful. This is also the only book on this list that has not been released yet, so I'll have to wait till September.  

What I'm Currently Reading

I have never been a fan of making a "to be read" list for any given month, but I still like people to know what it is I'm reading, and what I may or may not decide to pick up next. 

So here I have gathered together the books that I am reading at the moment, as well as what i think of them so far, as well as a couple books that I have sitting on my bedside table that I would like to get to soon, however it is possible that I will change my mind and throw them back on the shelves. \

Who knows.

So here it goes; the list. 

Prophecy by Ellen Oh

I received this books in a giveaway from Epic Reads (they are a part of HarperTeen, in case you weren't aware) and considering I am a huge fan of Fantasy, I decided to pick this up right away.

It has been compared to Graceling by Kristin Cashore (and by compared I mean that people have been saying that the two are almost identical) which I recently read and disliked extraordinarily. However, I am really enjoying Prophecy, I am about half way through and already I feel that the plot and world building are much better than Graceling. The only comparison I can find is that the two main characters are a bit similar. They are both outcasts, killing for the kings, and have weirdly colored eyes. But the comparison stops there. Already in Prophecy I enjoy the character of Kira very much, and I do not find her at all obnoxious or bitchy. I look forward to seeing how the reast of the book turns out, and I think I will be picking up the next book in the series as well.

Sidenote: I think that it also works for Prophecy that it is the first book in a trilogy, it gives everything a little more time to develop and I enjoy it very much, it is very cool to see something so heavily based in Fantasy and Korean history.

This is why I think that maybe Graceling fell short for me, it may be the first in a series yet the other two books are companion novels, so Katsa's story is short and not very well developed, especially being a Fantasy novel.

Nocturnes by John Connolly

This is one I have been reading for a while (which is understandable, considering it is a collection of short stories).  I originally purchased it because I enjoyed his other work, The Book of Lost Things, and I was expecting something a little similar, if not a fairy-tale retelling, then at least something fantastical. But this book is scaring the crap out of me. Don't get me wrong, I love it so far, but I can only read a little at a time, and never before bed.
So needless to say, it's going to take me a little while to get through it.

Books I may or may not pick up soon...

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

I think it's about time that I start the Discworld series.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I want to read this for three reasons~

1) I have heard many good things about it

2) It has been sitting on my shelf for some time

3) I only just found out that he is married to Tahereh Mafi so....I need to support this amazing couple. 

 

Book Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

Goodreads Synopsis:
I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die

Review

I should start by saying that I have never been a huge fan of Oz, including both the original works as well as those inspired by them, the only exception being Wicked by Gregory Maguire. However, Danielle Paige was able to achieve something that I didn't feel was possible, she made it feel fresh and new, she made it her own.

Somehow, Oz felt different in this book. Yes, it was dark and gruesome and ruled by a tyrant in a blue gingham dress, but somehow that wasn't the only difference. It felt fantastical and new, yet still felt like it had deep roots and history. I'm not quite sure how to explain it, but the world building was subtle, yet incredible.

The characters were not the greatest, however, since this is the first in a trilogy I expect many of the characters to undergo some extreme character development, and then I'm sure they will all be well-rounded individuals. (Also, may I just say, I was so worried there was going to be a horrible love triangle in this book, but that was luckily cleared up in the last few pages. Phew!)

The plot is just superb. I am so glad that I read the prequel novella, No Place like Oz, because it showed how Dorothy came to be back in Oz and how she became so corrupted. So going into this novel, I felt like I had a good understanding of the extremity of things.

Also, it is such a breath of fresh air to see the reversal of roles between witches, with good vs. wicked being flip-flopped. I am so very excited to see Amy take down this good witch from Kansas, as well as her bubbly witchy friend.

All in all it is a wonderful start to a series and I can't wait to read the rest.

5/5 stars *****