Short Book Reviews // The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist isn't a fantasy book, but it's the latest book I've read. I picked it up as a quick in-between read because I've always thought I should read something from Paulo Coelho, and Google recommended it when I asked for "the best self-help book when you feel like nothing's working out for you" (or something like that; I don't remember the exact wording of my search anymore).

I set a goal to read this book during September, but I didn't quite achieve that. I finished it yesterday and have somewhat mixed feelings about it. 

If I reviewed The Alchemist purely as a fiction book, I'd say it's a nice little story, easy to read, and as easy to forget. It's a story about the boy who chases his Personal Legend, following omens through the desert. He meets many people and learns a lot along the way. All in all, a cute story that would serve well someone who's only at the beginning of their reading journey, as it is short-ish and doesn't require much of the reader. It also served me well in the situation I am in, struggling with grief and guilt and the overall feeling of being an utter failure. If there's any book I could finish at the moment, it's The Alchemist.

However, I chose to read The Alchemist as a self-help book in a situation that feels hopeless. It turned out that I'm much like the Boy; I, too, chase my Personal Legend. Only, the Universe definitely doesn't conspire in my favour. (If nothing else, at least now I know where all that talk comes from...) Oftentimes, it feels that the Universe does the exact opposite, trying its hardest to prevent me from achieving my dream. 

That, of course, isn't true. I know, and The Alchemist confirms, that all the Universe does is exist. The only one who can help a person achieve their Personal Legend is the person themselves, and they are also their biggest obstacle on their way to their treasure. 

"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."

That's very true, and I wouldn't have needed to read a book to figure it out. The Alchemist is full of the same kind of wisdom, stuff that is self-evident but often difficult to admit to oneself. It's easy to blame outside factors (one's parents, the society, the Universe...) when things don't go as intended. The harsh truth is, however, that in the end, the only one responsible for a person's success or failure is the person themselves. I knew that before I read The Alchemist, just as I knew that to achieve my dream, I must shake the thought that it's impossible to begin with and that I'll fail anyway, no matter what I do. Unfortunately, that's much easier said than done. 

So, in a nutshell, The Alchemist is a sweet little book that offers a lot of wisdom or lots of platitudes, depending on the reader. Unlike Google, I wouldn't recommend that you read it as a self-help book, but simply as a work of fiction. 

Short Book Reviews // Heir of Novron by Michael J. Sullivan

If you want to familiarise yourself with the series before reading the review, visit this page, because my Short Book Reviews don't include summaries of the books.

Heir of Novron includes books five and six of Riyria Revelations, an epic fantasy book series by Michael J. Sullivan -although Book Five, Wintertide, appears to be rather a long prologue to the last book in the series, Percepliquis, than a story of its own. I'll review the two as one, as I read them as a unit. 

I wish I could say I loved Heir of Novron. While reading Theft of Swords and Rise of Empire, I was intrigued by the multifaceted plot, which delivered a surprise after another, and I expected the story to grow even more complex, giving me a proper pause at the end. I'm saddened to say that the last two books in the series don't meet my expectations. 

The plot of Heir of Novron chugs on like a train on a plumb rail, bringing the reader safely to the expected destination. It's good, solid fantasy, but it's also lazy writing. Even though it became clear at the early stages of Wintertide that Heir of Novron isn't holding the rattling twist I expected, I clung to the hope it would yet come until the last few chapters. Unfortunately, the ending was just as I supposed it would be, and that's almost always a bummer. If the journey to the inevitable end included unexpected turns, I might be satisfied. It doesn't, and though Riyria Revelations had all the makings of a remarkable work of epic fantasy, the last two books ensure the series drowns in the vast ocean of average stories. Heir of Novron is entertaining and easy to read, but it left me cold. I gave Theft of Swords and Rise of Empire four stars each, but I can't grant more than three to Heir of Novron. 

However, as always, I recommend that you read the books and make up your own mind. A book review is always a personal opinion, and though I was disappointed with the ending of this series, you may well have an entirely different view. 

Short Book Reviews // Rise of Empire by Michael J. Sullivan (Part Two)

If you want to familiarise yourself with the series before reading the review, visit this page, because my Short Book Reviews don't include information about what happens in the books.

Book Four of Riyria Revelations, Emerald Storm, by Michael J. Sullivan, is the best in the series so far. It kept me engaged till the end and managed even to move me to some measure, which is quite a remarkable achievement for any work of fiction nowadays. 

There's more action in Emerald Storm than in the first three books, making it a gripping read. Some of the plot twists made me almost hate the author and wonder whether he hates his characters, especially the female ones. Is there truly no limit to the suffering of those poor women? Not that the male characters aren't getting their share of difficulties and pain, but not one of the female characters seems to be struggling towards a happily-ever-after.

Regardless, I would've given Emerald Storm five stars if not for the tediously detailed descriptions of managing a sailing vessel. I know, as a fiction writer, that fiction writers sprinkle their stories with hard facts to make them more plausible, but (here it comes again, the infamous and ominous but) there's a difference between sprinkling and loading. Sprinkling is fine. I don't mind learning a few facts and a handful of new words about a specific subject, even from a fantasy book. However, when I read fiction, I want it to remain fiction from beginning to end, instead of occasionally turning into an instruction manual on anything. I know many epic fantasy readers, perhaps even the majority, like a book the better, the more generous in factual details it is. Yet to me, lessons on fencing, sailing, playing chess, and whatnot are nothing if not distracting at their best and totally off-putting at their worst. The sailing blaah-blaah-blaah in Emerald Storm verges on being off-putting. If the book weren't so damn good aside from the aforementioned bits, I would drop it into my three-star pile.

All in all, I enjoyed Emerald Storm and could scarcely wait to move on to the next book in the series. I'm currently reading Heir of Novron and regret to say that, at least for now, book five, Wintertide, hasn't managed to impress me. Let's not write a review on an unfinished read, however. Who knows what surprises lurk on the pages I am yet to turn, so it would be most unfair to judge the whole book by the first fifteen chapters. 

Short Book Reviews // The Broken Tower by Kelly Braffet

It's been a week (? Or more-time runs so fast, I seem unable to keep up with it.) since I finished reading The Broken Tower (The Barrier Lands 2) by Kelly Braffet. I read it as an eBook and was annoyed many times because I had to put the tablet down and do something else. If it were possible, I'd have devoured the book in one go as I did with books I loved when I was a kid/teenager. But I'm an adult (What does that even mean?) and have responsibilities that I must prioritise over pleasures.  

The Broken Tower continues the story started in The Unwilling (the first book of The Barrier Lands) of three young people, Judah the Foundling, Lord Gavin of Highfall, and Lady Eleanor, who is Gavin's betrothed, bound to each other by the ties of love, friendship, and magic. I'm under the impression that The Broken Tower is supposed to be young adult fantasy, but I wouldn't recommend it for readers under 18. The book contains scenes that are brutally violent and, to be honest, quite disturbing. No sex, though, so if you're okay with gore but not with erotic scenes, go for it. 

You'll find a short description of the book here. I googled for the author's website or something else a tad more extensive, but this Risingshadow page was the only non-commercial site I could find. (The reason why I try to avoid sharing commercial links is that I don't want to direct you to purchase the books on a specific platform. Most books are available on various platforms in multiple formats, and I believe in giving people the full freedom of choice instead of nudging them in one direction or another.)

But to the review now. It's no surprise to anyone at this point that I loved the book at least as much as the first book in the series. If things went bad for the characters in The Unwilling, in The Broken Tower, they go even worse. That's not why I enjoyed The Broken Tower so much -I'm not a sadist, after all- but there is a beauty to a story that keeps taking a turn after another towards more misery. We are used to stories developing towards the better, aren't we? Most books have a happy ending, or at least things don't go to the dogs for all the main characters. So far, The Barrier Lands seems to be an exception on that account. There are moments that cheat the reader into imagining, the sun is finally starting to shine upon the MCs, yet, in the next chapter, they find themselves even more screwed than they were before. 

I've been complaining that I can no longer relate to the book characters. However, I can still emphatise with Judah's defiance and dedication to her loved ones. She ends up doing some pretty gruesome things to protect her friends and dodge the fate that other people are trying to force upon her. Some might think she's going too far, even mark her as one of the least likable characters in the story, but I understand her choices because I'd act the same if I were in her place. Afterwards, I'd be horrified for what I've done, just like Judah is, but the outcome would be the same.

I don't want to spoil it for you by revealing too much of the plot, so let's stick to more general notions. The story is written in the third person from the points of view of various characters, some of whom had only a minor role in The Unwilling. I like this type of structure a lot (and use it in my own books, as well). I think it gives the story more depth and keeps it more interesting. 

When it comes to language, The Broken Tower isn't the easiest book to read. In many places, the phrase structure is confusing and complicated. I had to read several sentences twice or thrice to figure out their meaning, but largely, the language is eloquent without getting overly embellished. 

To wrap it up, The Broken Tower isn't a light read, but it's definitely worth the time and concentration it requires. The plot is rather straightforward, save for a couple of twists, but because of the number of characters and events, the reader needs to focus fully on the story to keep up with it.

Short Book Reviews // Rise of Empire by Michael J. Sullivan (Part One)

I finished reading Book Three of Riyria Revelations, Nyphron Rising, by Michael J. Sullivan, and though these books come in packs of two, I saw it best to write the review on this one before starting Book Four, because -and I am a tad ashamed to admit this- I don't think I'll remember much of Nyphron Rising once I've finished the fourth book. I mentioned in my review of Theft of Swords (which contains the first two books of Riyria Revelations) that this series, despite being intriguing, isn't one to linger in my head for long. If you want to know more about the series, visit this page, because my Short Book Reviews don't include information about what happens in the books.

I enjoyed Theft of Swords, and Nyphron Rising turned out to be even more captivating. I struggled to put my tablet down at times (I'm reading the series as eBooks). Since the first page, the story anticipated a major plot twist, and on the last page, it was finally provided. Between the beginning and the end, a lot was going on. Theft of Swords is, in my opinion, a fast-paced book, but Nyphron Rising rolls on at a breakneck speed. Still, it manages to provide a few brief moments of quiet, much needed to balance out the avalanche of twists and turns the story takes. 

Regardless of keeping me hooked, Nyphron Rising failed to move me. Just like Theft of Swords, it's gripping and entertaining (and written better than the first two books), but doesn't provoke emotions. There are good characters, but no Joffrey Baratheons and Tyrion Lannisters. Despite many of them suffering greatly, I cannot feel their pain, nor can I rejoice for their victories. The sad truth is that even among the main characters, anyone could die, and I wouldn't mourn for them. I suspect I'd even remember them once I turned the page. I am starting to wonder whether I should read something else before continuing to Book Four, to make sure the fault isn't in me, rather than the characters, for they are all well-written with full backgrounds and everything else needed to make a parade of excellent book characters, they just lack that something that makes an imaginary person relatable. 

Nonetheless, Nyphron Rising is a quick and entertaining read that should provide enough action even to the less patient readers. I'll rate it four stars and look forward to reading The Emerald Storm, Book Four of Riyria Revelations.

Short Book Reviews // Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

What a captivating work of epic fantasy this is! It's been a while since I've struggled to put a book down, but Theft of Swords (Books 1 and 2 of Riyria Revelations) by Michael J. Sullivan gripped me from page one and kept me intrigued and entertained until the end.

(Because I'm not going to write a summary of the book, you may want to visit this page for a broad description.)

Theft of Swords has pretty much everything I require of a good fantasy book. If it offered a splash of romance in the bargain, I would give it five stars. As it has everything else that one would expect of a work of high fantasy, likable heroes, battles, conspiracies, it earns four stars from me. 

I have a soft spot for roguish heroes, so the main characters, Hadrian Blacwater and Royce Melborn, a duo of thieves who grow into Robin Hood-like characters as the story progresses, stole my heart at first sight. There are many other good characters in Theft of Swords besides them, but unfortunately, I found none of them too relatable. That's the other flaw the book has; it fails to arouse emotions. It's one of those stories that I liked a lot while reading, but that will slip off my mind in a span of days, leaving no trace. Regardless, it's a solid work of fantasy with a set of well-written characters, a complicated enough plot to keep you interested, an elusive wizard, and an almost invincible monster. 

Language-wise, Theft of Swords is easy to read (except for a few sentences I read half a dozen times, and still, they made no sense to me) with little embellishment. Yet, the author manages to picture elaborate scenes with only a few words -a skill I both admire and envy.

I also appreciate Sullivan's way of world-building. Instead of a massive info-dump that would just overwhelm the reader, he expands the world along with the story, sharing a new piece of information when required. I would also give the author credit for adding a glossary of names and places at the end of the book (I'm thinking I should steal the idea for my own books.).

All in all, a go-to if you're looking for a finished epic fantasy series that'll keep you entertained without mentally draining you.