Tag Archives: fantasy

Book Review of An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors (The Risen Kingdoms #1), by Curtis Craddock

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I borrowed a copy of Curtis Craddock‘s An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors from my local library.

Description from Goodreads:
In a world of soaring continents and bottomless skies, where a burgeoning new science lifts skyships into the cloud-strewn heights and ancient blood-borne sorceries cling to a fading glory, Princess Isabelle des Zephyrs is about to be married to a man she has barely heard of, the second son of a dying king in an empire collapsing into civil war.

Born without the sorcery that is her birthright but with a perspicacious intellect, Isabelle believes her marriage will stave off disastrous conflict and bring her opportunity and influence. But the last two women betrothed to this prince were murdered, and a sorcerer-assassin is bent on making Isabelle the third. Aided and defended by her loyal musketeer, Jean-Claude, Isabelle plunges into a great maze of prophecy, intrigue, and betrayal, where everyone wears masks of glamour and lies. Step by dangerous step, she unravels the lies of her enemies and discovers a truth more perilous than any deception.

Review:
This is my first book of 2018 and I think I made a good choice. To be fair, I picked it up because it is labeled book one AND the author’s bio says this is his first book. So, I was guaranteed not to yet again pick up a first book, only to discover that it’s first in a spin off. *happy sigh*

I greatly enjoyed it. It is much more a book of court machinations than the magic and steampunk I was expecting, but I still liked it. I liked the repartee and the humor. I liked Isabelle and her Musketeer. Though he did seem to happily dedicate his life to her on a mere whim, and I wondered why. I liked the intrigue and mystery. I liked the ending, though it all came together a little conveniently.

To be honest, I notices several missing letters (things like ‘they’ written as ‘the’), but mostly the editing was pretty good as was the writing. It’s readable, reliable, rational, relatable and several rounds starting with the letter R. I can’t wait for more of Craddock’s work.

Book Review of The Chronicle of the Three: Bloodline, by Tabitha Caplinger

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I won a copy of Tabitha Caplinger‘s The Chronicle of the Three: Bloodline through Goodreads.

Description:
Zoe thought the loss of her parents would be the most difficult thing she’d ever have to endure. When she began seeing things she couldn’t explain in her new home of Torchcreek, Virginia, she was sure the grief was driving her mad. Instead Zoe discovers she is part of an ancient bloodline, one destined to defeat the powers of darkness from condemning the world. But Zoe, the daughter of the three, isn’t just another descendant–she’s the key to humanity’s salvation.

In this first installment of the Christian fantasy trilogy The Chronicle of the Three, Zoe Andrews learns that not all shadows are harmless interceptions of light. Some are a more sinister darkness that wants to torment the soul.

Review:
Mechanically, this was fine except for a couple repetitions (I swear a dozen single tears rolled down cheeks and you’d think people who woke up with the sun in their eyes EVERY MORNING would buy some curtains). But the story was rushed and didn’t progress smoothly. Plus, it was full of cliches—the chosen one, the prophecied one, the heroine who is never told of her specialness, the deus ex mechina powers and skills, etc, etc, etc.

Add all that to the fact that it turns out to be Christian fantasy. I didn’t know this when I picked the book up and wasn’t thrilled with the discovery. (Though if I’d read the author’s bio I would have guessed it.) Not only because I’m not a fan of Christian fiction, but also because I didn’t think it was well integrated into the plot. Sure, there were angels and demons, but the use of the mythology doesn’t equal evangelicalism. All the encounters with God and talking about faith does, or rather it did here, and it felt very shoehorned into the story.

All in all, not absolutely horrible. But I’m not particularly interested in continuing the series.

Book Review of The Stone in the Skull (Lotus Kingdoms #1,) by Elizabeth Bear

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I borrowed a copy of Elizabeth Bear‘s The Stone in the Skull from my local library.

Description from Goodreads:
The Gage is a brass automaton created by a wizard of Messaline around the core of a human being. His wizard is long dead, and he works as a mercenary. He is carrying a message from a the most powerful sorcerer of Messaline to the Rajni of the Lotus Kingdom. With him is The Dead Man, a bitter survivor of the body guard of the deposed Uthman Caliphate, protecting the message and the Gage. They are friends, of a peculiar sort.

They are walking into a dynastic war between the rulers of the shattered bits of a once great Empire.

Review:
It took me a really long time to get into this and then, once I did, it ended on a cliffhanger. So, my overall experience was a bit meh. Apparently this is a followup to a previous trilogy; something I didn’t know when I started it and might have contributed to my feeling disconnected from it for so long.

Having said all that, and having had an overall less than compelling experience with the book in general, I have to admit that the writing is beautiful, the world seems like it’s probably interesting, and I liked the characters a lot. Bear is still and amazing writer.