Monthly Archives: February 2016

Book Review: The City & the City, by China Miéville

the city and the cityAbout the book:

When a murdered woman is found in the city of Beszel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks to be a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. But as he investigates, the evidence points to conspiracies far stranger and more deadly than anything he could have imagined.

Borlú must travel from the decaying Beszel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own. This is a border crossing like no other, a journey as psychic as it is physical, a shift in perception, a seeing of the unseen. His destination is Beszel’s equal, rival, and intimate neighbor, the rich and vibrant city of Ul Qoma. With Ul Qoman detective Qussim Dhatt, and struggling with his own transition, Borlú is enmeshed in a sordid underworld of rabid nationalists intent on destroying their neighboring city, and unificationists who dream of dissolving the two into one. As the detectives uncover the dead woman’s secrets, they begin to suspect a truth that could cost them and those they care about more than their lives.

What stands against them are murderous powers in Beszel and in Ul Qoma: and, most terrifying of all, that which lies between these two cities.

Review:

I had the audio version of this, and because of that, I now have a neat yard and folded laundry. I found things to do to keep busy while I listened so that I could keep listening. But it wasn’t until the end that I finally really got intrigued. It took quite a while to get my head around the two cities and the idea of unseeing. But even up to that point, before I was sucked all the way in, I was interested. This was my first China Miéville book, but I’m definitely coming back for more.

Book Review of Captive Prince, by C.S. Pacat

Captive PrinceI borrowed C. S. Pacat‘s Captive Prince from my local library.

Description from Goodreads:
Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos. But when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.

Beautiful, manipulative, and deadly, his new master, Prince Laurent, epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.

For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else…

Review:
My Goodreads & Twitters feeds are FULL of this series, so of course I had to follow trend and pick it up. I was pleasantly surprised. I can’t say I loved it, but I sure did like it. And that’s an accomplishment because slave romances are not my thing. I find them uncomfortable and rarely erotic.

I liked the clash of cultures. I liked that there isn’t any sort of insta-love. Heck, these two don’t even like each-other. Slow burn is an understatement for the romantic element of this book. I liked the subtitles at play between the other characters. There are some truly heartbreaking moments here, but they aren’t all overt and in your face. I appreciated that. It is a cliffhanger, which sucks, but I happily give this two thumbs up. I’ll be looking for the sequels.

Sir Edric's Temple

Book Review of Sir Edric’s Temple, by Thaddeus White

Sir Edric's TempleI received an e-copy of Sir Edric’s Temple from the author, Thaddeus White, in exchange for an honest review.

Description from Goodreads:
When Sir Edric Greenlock, the Hero of Hornska, is summoned to attend the King in the dead of night he fears imminent execution. Committing adultery is frowned upon in King Lawrence’s domains, especially when it’s with Lawrence’s wife. The King, however, has something else in mind. Priceless royal treasures have been stolen, and the King dispatches Sir Edric to retrieve them in a mission that could optimistically be described as suicidal. 

Accompanied by his pathologically loyal manservant Dog, the prudish elf Lysandra, and a man called Colin, he must travel to the Unholy Temple to retrieve the royal treasures from a mysterious thief

Review:
I can say this book was funny. It had good dialogue. It was well edited. (There was a time or two where I doubted the use of a word, but it wasn’t often.) So objectively it’s a fine book. Unfortunately I found the main characters so disgustingly off-putting that it completely ruined the book for me. Yes, his utter contemptibility is supposed to be so complete as to be a joke in itself, but I just wanted to be done with him and no longer subjected to his vileness. He’s like a 41yo dude-bro, convinced of his own superiority and lacking any respect for women beyond his ability to break their body parts down for his own sexual satisfaction. Ick. The problem for me was that this was the primary running joke of the book. So, it’s basically asking me, the reader, to engage in and laugh at women in the age old tradition of paternalism everywhere. Ummmm, no thank you. I get it. It’s “a joke”….at my, a woman’s, expense. I could do without it, thank you. [Cue the “lighten up, don’t be such a bitch” retorts.]