Ink and Bone (first novel) was really interesting with a great concept and an interesting group of characters. Book 2, Paper and Fire, was also pretty good, since it added backstory and complexity to several characters and to the narrative scenario overall. I don’t like the third installment of the series, Ash and Quill. The first half is filler, scheming around but nothing really being said or done. In fact, some of the key characters become irritating or questionable to the point of unlikable. The […]
Some moments are beyond imagination.
Okay, I’m back. I haven’t lost my mind, or my grip on reality. Everything’s fine. It took me a long time to read this final installment of “The Dark Tower” series. Sure, it’s super long, but it’s shorter than a few of the other installments. I just truly didn’t want it to end, so I stretched it out, found distractions and procrastinations, and delayed the inevitable. This final chapter is less full of revelation, and doesn’t so closely ressemble a conspiracy theorist’s corkboard with pushpins […]
A different sort of fantasy – I wanted to like it more than I did
The former Chinese colony of Malaya (current day Malaysia) is now under British rule, but the Chinese population there still try their best to stick to their ancient customs. Li Lan’s family was once wealthy, but after her mother died from chickenpox, her father tried to cover his grief by taking opium and now they are nearly bankrupt, with very few promising marriage prospects for Li Lan. One day, however, her father claims that the wealthy and influential Lim family have offered her a ghost […]
Gonna Leave This in The Desert
I think before I start this review I need to begin with two disclaimers. The first, I’m not a fan of Stephen King. I’ve read a couple of his books and they just doesn’t wow me. I don’t hate his books, but I don’t really read them unless they’re one of the few choices in some beach rental and I’ve forgotten any other reading material. To give you an idea, I stopped reading Salem’s Lot about halfway through because I got bored and didn’t feel […]
That was…Fine
I read The Name of the Wind because Lin-Manuel Miranda is going to be involved in the tv and movie adaptations of this book. From the press release: “Lin is an incomparable talent and a huge fan of the trilogy and, working closely with Pat, his creative oversight of the franchise will bring an incredible level of detail and continuity to all of the projects.” First of all, it’s not a trilogy. It’s only got two books so far. I found the book….fine. Certainly not one of […]
Satisfying Conclusion to a Comfort Read
These two books are the concluding books of Emma Newman’s Split World series. I read All Good Things before A Little Knowledge because I mistakenly thought that I’d already read the fourth book. Oops. I like this series a lot, but the fact that I could pick up All Good Things and not be lost at all kind of highlights one of the issues I have with it, which is that it is needlessly drawn out. The side stories that happened in A Little Knowledge […]