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 // Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

I finished Tress of the Emerald Sea, a young adult fantasy adventure/romance by American author Brandon Sanderson. The book is about Tress, a window washer who lives on an island called the Rock in the middle of an ocean of emerald spores.

When I acquired the book, I didn't pay attention to the fact that it's a young adult novel. I've nothing against those, but it became evident pretty quickly that I don't belong to the targeted audience. Nonetheless, I finished the book and found it enjoyable enough. 

The world Sanderson builds is intriguing. It's not a fantasy world I'd go for if I investigated the books I intend to read before purchasing them, but I don't. For instance, I never read any reviews of the book beforehand. And as often as not, I also skip the blurb. Yet, it turned out to be a world into which I wouldn't mind taking another peek. In short, the story takes place in a universe divided into several oceans of spores, each ruled by a moon of its own. The occupants live on islands, leaving which is difficult because the spores are dangerous.

The heroine of Tress of the Emerald Sea does leave her home island, however, to rescue her beloved, Charlie, who's been captured by the Sorceress of the Midnight Sea. Her voyage across the Verdant and Crimson Seas is captivating even for an adult reader, regardless of the plot being somewhat predictable and the characters being one-dimensional. As could be expected, the characters are either Good or Bad; there's not much of a middle ground. If this were an adult fantasy book, I would consider that a major failure, but as TotES is a young adult book, I'll just skimp over it. 

All in all, I liked Tress of the Emerald Sea. It's an entertaining, easy-to-read story. Not something that'll dwell in your head for years, or even weeks, but worth considering if you're looking for a light-weight adventure sprinkled with the hints of a romance.

As a curiosity, this is the first Sanderson book I've read. Would I read more from him based on TotES? Yes. What's funny about it is that if I were me back in the day, when I was a young adult, I would've given up on the book when the talking rat made his entry and condemned the story as childish and the author as someone whose work I won't be wasting more time on. The boundaries of my imagination have, fortunately, widened since then, allowing me to find a talking rat an asset rather than an annoyance.

Short Book Reviews: Among the Pines by Matt Anderson

If the last book I reviewed wasn't my pint of mead, this one definitely is. I read Among the Pines as an E-book and loved it from the first word to the last. Among the Pines is a collection of horror fantasy short stories by Matt Anderson, a US indie author, and it's hands down one of the best books I've read. 

This might well become the shortest of my Short Book Reviews because I really don't have anything but praise to say about this work. The language is in its own league, bringing the stories to life with haunting precision and captivating richness. One rarely finds a match for it even among traditionally published books, let alone popular ones.

The author finds his inspiration in folklore, mythology, nature, and science and weaves them into a tapestry that captures you from the first thread and haunts you long after you turn your gaze away. The stories are like pictures painted with the brightest, yet darkest colours, paintings that morph from seemingly innocent scenes to nightmarish visions of chilling peculiarity. Among the Pines is one of those books that make picking up your next read insanely difficult because nothing seems good enough in comparison. 

If this isn't enough to convince you that you should give this one a chance, feel free to check the review I left on Goodreads just after I finished it.

If one must name a weakness in this work, it's the cover. Even if I didn't choose a book by its cover, many others do, and those people are likely to skip Among the Pines -to their own loss. Don't be one of them and get the book to see for yourself whether my verdict is fair or not.