Bluejay

In Arrows of the Queen, first book of a trilogy, Mercedes Lackey introduces the world of Valdemar.
I read all the three novels in a row, and in my opinion, they could have been squeezed between one pair of covers, omitting some flash backs the two sequels had.

The writing is more suitable for YA level, but some "grown up" themes probably forced these novels into the adult fantasy shelves.

The story is way too one dimensional Cinderella tale for my taste. At times it felt that the author had written a bunch of separate scenes and slapped them together forgetting the necessary glue in between to knit together a solid story. It was too predictable and naive to be truly enjoyable.

Prior to reading this book I searched for other reviews and noticed that people either loved or hated it. I ended up with rather mixed feelings after finishing the novel.

Donaldson brings The Land alive with beautiful, metaphoric descriptions. That is the strength of his work. Personally, I didn't find the anti-hero protagonist Thomas Covenant as repulsive as many other people have, on the other hand I couldn't spare much sympathy for him either, but while bitter, angry and arrogant, he feels so very human.

The beginning is strong and despite the very dark mood, I wanted to follow Thomas through his struggles. Unfortunately in the middle the story loses a lot of momentum. Towards the end it gets more wind in it's sails and the action packed finale satisfied me.

Lord Foul's bane is not an easy book. I surely missed a lot that was hidden behind the poetics and metaphors and overall darkness was at times exhausting. I was reminded of Tolkien's stories although Donaldson's style couldn't be more different.

I'd recommend this for everyone who is mature enough to read adult fantasy, just because it's so different from most novels that I've read. Hate it or love it, but have a taste of something unusual.

The book started with an action scene, grabbed me along and didn't let go till I had finished the last page, wanting to get my hands on the next part immediately.

The Blade Itself is one of the best fantasy novels I've read in a long time. Although it probably would lose the contests of fine style and epic scope to some other great books, I think it's undeniable that Abercrombie is a great storyteller.

Although the characters are almost cartoonish caricatures and humor blossoms even in the most grim scenes, under all the lightness runs a darker undercurrent, a hint of what the future might bring to the heroes and heroines of the story.

[this review is based on the audio book version, read by Bernadette Dunne. Blackstone Audio Inc.]

Legacy continues exactly where the first part, Beguilement ended and is not really a stand alone novel so I would recommend reading (or listening) the first part before taking up this one.

I listened both parts while doing household work, jogging, working etc. and didn't have any problems following the story. The language is clear, crisp and flowing, plot well paced and not too twisting for a relaxing read.

I would label these novels as romantic fantasy. Most of the time the reader/listener follows conflicts between people and they ways of life instead of battles against fantastic monsters.

Enjoyable, if not extraordinary.

The story flows, mostly smoothly, seen through several different eyes. At times I felt overwhelmed by the flood of information about the world's background and descriptions of the peoples, places, cultures and social structures etc.. All that reminded me of Steven Erikson. The glossary in the end of the book sure came handy..

Bakker's characters are fleshy and realistically flawed although they might have inhuman abilities. He has a gift of language but goes over the top sometimes and comes across a bit pretentious. This was really
a problem in the first part of the book but after the rough start it got a lot better. First I wasn't a huge fan of those quotes in the beginning of each chapter, but when I got used to the authors style and dry sense of humor, I actually went back and re-read them several times.

The novel is the first part of Prince of Nothing trilogy, almost like an overlong prologue.
I might sound critical, but really, it was a great reading experience and built up a lot of expectations for the next two installments.

[this review is based on the audio book version, read by Bernadette Dunne. Blackstone Audio Inc.]

This book could be easily placed on the romance shelf instead of fantasy. Anyway, it's a pleasant story. Easy to read (or listen to), perfect for little light read between heavy epics.

This was my first experience of Bujold's writings and I 'll be checking out her other novels too.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel. I like both Pratchett and Gaiman very much, but their styles are so different that I was tiny bit biased despite of all praising reviews.. But the mix turned out to be extremely funny and piercingly clever, making a joke of heaven and hell (and pretty much everything in between.)

It sounds more like Pratchett but I can see how Gaiman added some depth and darkness into this blend. I wouldn't recommend this for religious fanatics or (too) serious Neil fans.

Ineffably good! ;)

The Lies of Locke Lamora is entertainment in a same sense as big Hollywood blockbusters. You go see one without expecting a larger-than-life classic movie experience.

That's the way this novel should be read, without too much seriousness. It's hip, it's fun and has has more "fucks" than a mafia flick. Witty heroes and maniac villains, goofy sidekicks and dumb extras, this one has it all.

Recommended, especially for those who are looking for something else than epic war dramas.

Great novel, but didn't quite earn the fifth star from me. Reading it took unusually long, the complex world (and especially it's vastly explained history) takes some concentration to comprehend.

Erikson creates poetic descriptions even of the most gorey scenes which almost makes you forget you're not reading about pretty things. He also kicks it up a notch in the humor and romance departments, giving some needed relief in the midst of non-stopping battles, guts and severed body parts.

Highly recommended, although I personally need some "lighter" read for a change before picking up the next entry of this series.

I had read several reviews of this novel saying that it's a little bit hard to get into at first BUT definitely worth reading. I have to agree.

Struggling through the first chapters took a while. Not that the plot wasn't interesting but Erikson's style was new to me and that combined with the overwhelming pace, amount of characters and the whole new and detailed world took some time to get used to.

Soon I was reading through the night and walking the book in other hand during the day. If the rest of the novels in this series (which went straight to the top of my reading list) are the same quality, I will suffer from serious sleep deprivation in the near future..

I actually read this book (or more like half of it) in Finnish a long time ago and decided to give the Discworld another try in the original language.

Although this fist novel of the series is relatively short book, it's not a fast read, at least if you want to catch all the jokes. And there's plenty. I never thought Death could be so funny.

I would have given this maybe 3,5 stars if it was possible, but ended up choosing 4. I will bankrupt myself purchasing the rest of the series.

After reading the previous book from Feist (King's Buccaneer, part II of Krondor's Sons) and not liking it at all, I had serious doubts about this one.

For a reader who has followed Feist through his previous series, this one offers little that is new.
Although it is clear that this is not exactly a stand alone novel, the biggest problem was that I just didn't grow fond enough of the characters to care about what happens to them in the sequels.
Feist tells bluntly what happens and why, not leaving much room for surprises. The narrating style makes me suspect that the author thinks his audience is a bit dense..

Shadow of a Dark Queen is not a terrible book (but not terribly good either) and kept me entertained enough to read all 500 pages of it.