Short Book Review // A Time of Blood by John Gwynne

A Time of Blood is the second book of Of Blood and Bone trilogy by John Gwynne. In a nutshell, A Time of Blood is an action-packed work of dark/epic fantasy, set in the Banished Lands, where the eternal war between Ben-Elim, divine creatures come to flesh, and their demonic foes, the Kadoshim, rages, affecting everyone in the world. It is a multi-POV story, an individual voice given to a variety of characters, best suited for adult readers, I think, as it's fraught with violence. Although I don't know whether it's written as adult fantasy. It has a young adult fantasy vibe to it, which, together with the overall (grim)darkness of the book, is confusing. For more information about the book, visit the author's website.

A Time of Blood continues straight where the first book, A Time of Dread, ended. It introduces a new main character and, through her, presents the point of view of the adversary of those who stand for the Ben-Elim. That's something I didn't expect, as the first book was written solely from the POV of those standing against the Kadoshim, and is the main reason why I devoured the book despite the few flaws that otherwise might've made me give up on it.

Things I find off-putting in A Time of Blood are smallish, yet I found the first of them especially frustrating: repetition. There's a LOT of returning to the events in the first book and repeating the facts about the characters and their pasts. About two-thirds of the book is plagued by rehearsing the same things over and over again. It's the second book in a series, so a certain amount of reminding the reader about the key points and previous events is necessary, but in A Time of Blood, it reaches the point where it makes you wonder whether the author is repeating the past events merely to add bulk to the story. 

Another feature in the story that I don't like is a few too many miraculous escapes from impossible situations. If this type of fantasy was right up my alley, I probably wouldn't pay any attention to it, but I must admit that the trilogy isn't quite my horn of mead. It's a bit too action-heavy for me, and the writer side of me seethes with frustration at seeing how much richer and more multifaceted this series could be if the author had put down the sword and axe every now and then, giving more room to the other levels of the story. However, I enjoyed A Time of Blood, and I'm already a hundred pages in A Time of Courage, the last book in the trilogy.

The underlying theme that no one is purely good or evil, and even the most horrid of deeds are done because the person behind them believes they're acting for the greater good, speaks to me. It also happens to be one of the themes I focus on in my books, which is why it makes me hail Of Blood and Bone that much louder.

All in all, A Time of Blood is a good read. It kept me encaged from start to finish, even managed to make me feel slightly sick at times. If it were purely adult fantasy, not adult fantasy written so that it doesn't need to be age-restricted, I'd say it's a great book. 

 

Short Book Reviews // A Time of Dread by John Gwynne

The older I get, the more selective a reader I become. As a teenager, I read almost everything I could get my hands on, waded through every shelf in the local library, except the horror and mystery sections. I also had a principle to finish every book I've started. I forbade myself from picking up a new read before I'd finished the previous one. Although even that rule had an exception: I am yet to finish The Brothers Karamazov by Fjodor Dostojevski, which my friends gave me for my eighteenth birthday. Nowadays, I don't think twice about giving up on a book partway through if it doesn't seem right up my alley, though I try to read more than one or two chapters before doing so. 

I started A Time of Dread (Of Blood and Bone #1) by John Gwynne (for background information, check the author's website, as I still don't write summaries or copy+paste information that anyone can google themselves in three seconds) in the late summer and was about to give up on it before I finished the first chapter. Because I had done that to several books during the summer, I forced myself to keep reading, thinking that at this rate, I'll never finish another book in my life. The first ten or so chapters felt like trying to consume a cooled-down cup of coffee, merely because throwing it away is against my principles. I felt utterly detached from the world and characters, even though Gwynne puts up just the kind of fantasy setting I like best, and there is more than one main character to find your favourite among. 

At the beginning of September, I actually put A Time of Dread aside to read The Alchemist. Then my dog died, and reading anything at all was the last thing on my mind for a while. I returned to books about two weeks ago, finished The Alchemist and decided to give A Time of Dread another go. I gobbled down the remaining forty-plus chapters in three days and can't even begin to comprehend anymore what felt so off-putting about the book when I started it.

Quite a long way to say you shouldn't give up on a book only a few pages in, not even only a few chapters in, but read at least twenty percent of it before you do. It's not always worth the time, but sometimes patience is rewarded.

A Time of Dread certainly turned out worth the second chance I gave it. Though the level of gore is a tad too high for my liking in general, I enjoyed the story immensely. Gwynne's writing style is something that I needed some time to get used to, but it works very well for this type of fantasy that's heavy in action and battle scenes. The characters that I couldn't relate to at all on my first attempt to read this book became so dear to me that towards the end, I struggled to continue reading because I didn't want to see them get hurt. That's something that hasn't happened to me in a long time, not after I listened to The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, which I very nearly didn't finish simply because I felt I couldn't bear the inevitable unhappy ending. 

To keep this short as the title promises, I am captivated by Gwynne's world and will definitely read the whole series, Of Blood and Bone, and probably give The Faithful and the Fallen a go as well. I am a person who picks up books at random, without doing much research beforehand, and it occurred to me only after I'd finished A Time of Dread that I might've been wise to start from The Faithful and the Fallen, as Of Blood and Bone is technically a sequel to it, although designed so that it can be read as a standalone series. 

If you enjoy multi-POV epic fantasy jampacked with suspense and bloodshed, A Time of Dread is for you. The pool of blood is deep, the island of mauled bodies in the middle is high, so if you're sensitive to gore (as I was back in the day before watching The Game of Thrones, after which any amount of violence in fiction hasn't affected me), you might want to keep a bucket within arm's reach while reading it. Sounds like I'm joking, but I'm actually (all but) serious, because the scenes that include violence are so well written that I could smell the stench of death and fouler things. It's not all blood and spilt guts, though. There are quiet moments, too, and deep bonds between the characters, interesting and adorable creatures (I love the talking crows of Dun Seren, though usually I find talking animals in what I deem as adult fantasy off-putting), and a world that unfurls as the story progresses. Also, even as it's an epic fantasy, A Time of Dread isn't overly political, nor does it contain info dumps. Definitely a book worth adding to your to-be-read list.

What is it with these middle-aged, bearded men that they're so damn good at writing fantasy? And why, oh, why can't I be a middle-aged, bearded man, because if I were, perhaps my book would have a few readers, too. 

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.