Boring. Boring. Boringboringboringboring. This novel is the start of an epic fantasy series and the entire time I was reading it I was either bored or annoyed, and frequently both annoyed and bored. Epic fantasy should not be boring. I don’t know, am I just past the stage where epic fantasy appeals to me? Surely that can’t be it, I’ve read epic fantasy in the recent past that didn’t irritate me. Perhaps I’m just getting picky in my old age. Yes, lets go with that. […]
The Woodcutters and Their Messes
Trix and the Faerie Queen is the second book staring Trix Woodcutter, and the sixth book in the books of Arilland. This is one where you will probably need to read at least Trixter to follow what is going on, but for someone who has read all of the previous books this is a nice addition. Trix Woodcutter is the youngest son of the Woodcutter family, not the youngest child as that honor goes to Sunday, but the youngest son. In a family with many […]
Have I mentioned how much I enjoy fairy tale retellings?
Tales of Arilland is a collection of short stories, ostensibly set in Alethia Kontis’s fictional world of Arilland where she has set her set of fairytale retellings. Like most short story collections this one is uneven, and the stories range from decent to quite good. While I don’t believe you need to have read the previous Arriland books, a series of fairytale retellings staring a very peculiar family-the Woodcutters, and in fact I think this could be a very good introduction to the series. Reviewing short […]
YYou’re the Chosen One! No… You’re the Chosen One! Wait who’s the Chosen One?
Rating: 4/5 Summary: After spending the summer apart, Titus and Iolanthe are eagerly awaiting the start of term at Eton. Planning a romantic getaway in the Crucible is a lot easier when Atlantis isn’t trying to kill you. Before their relationship can pass the physical barrier, they stumble upon another great elemental mage. Is Iolanthe the Chosen One or is this other mage the Chosen One? Titus is trapped between the two with only his mother’s visions to guide him and they haven’t been helping. […]
Disappointment returns but Addison helps a little
I have to admit: I liked the first book better. I think it’s because the concept of mixing old photos with the story was new but got old by the second volume, and Hollow City felt a little too reliant on the first novel. Hollow City picks up where Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children leaves off, with the children fleeing their safe zone, called a loop, in order to find another group like them who can help them get their guardian Miss Peregrine back […]
Immortals, Gangsters, and Bootlegging but no Capone
Baccano!: The Rolling Bootlegs is as the title suggests (‘baccano’ supposedly means ‘commotion’) a crazy story with a lot of characters and a lot of action. I have to admit, I’d seen the anime of this story already (I’m pretty sure there’s a manga too but I haven’t seen that), so I kind of knew who was who, but the novel version actually includes a lot of things that made more sense to me in this format, including the identity of the demon who provides […]