Book: Shadow And Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Published June 2012 by Henry Holt And Co.|Pages: 368

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Grisha #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Goodreads|Follow Leigh Bardugo On Twitter

Goodreads Summary: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

I have no clue why it took me so long to read Shadow And Bone.  Seriously.  I really liked it, and pretty unique.

One interesting thing: Alina’s power that comes to life when her best friend is injured. Alina being the one to save Ravka, looking back, wasn’t that surprising, but what did surprise me was her power being used for evil instead of good.  Although…why was it dormant for so long?  What is it about this moment that triggered her power to come alive?  And as for Mal being an unusually good tracker…is he just really good at it, or is there more to it than we get in Shadow And Bone?

Bardugo created such an interesting world that I wanted to know so much more about Ravka and the Grisha.  She also gives the reader enough details to understand this world and what’s going on, but we also weren’t inundated with details.  There was quite a bit of information to take in at the beginning, but it was also done in a way that made you really interested.  And it helps you understand some of what goes on later in the book.

The Darkling.  He sounds so ominous, and is so charming…and is charming until he’s not.  He is a man who wants power, and has finally found the person who can change that.  By the way, The Fold is one crazy and dark place, and the plans that the Darkling has in store for everyone…oh my goodness!  I am having trouble wrapping my mind around this, and right now, it’s a little hard!

There’s something historical-feeling about Shadow And Bone, and there was something very Russian about some of the names and how Ravka was described.  Actually, it’s a little nice to have read a fantasy novel that feels Russian, as opposed to the more European feel that’s associated with a lot of fantasy.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed Shadow And Bone!  I was pulled in so fast, and I am very much looking forward to reading Siege And Storm. I didn’t fall in love with Shadow And Bone, but I am glad that it lived up to all the hype and positivity surrounding it.  Shadow And Bone gets 4 stars.

Book: Blood Of The Lamb by Sam Cabot

Expected Publication Is August 6, 2013 by Blue Rider Press|Expected Number Of Pages: 432

Series: None

Genre: Adult Mystery/Thriller

Goodreads|Follow Sam Cabot On Twitter

Goodreads Summary: The Historian meets The Da Vinci Code in this exhilarating supernatural thriller set in Rome. Rival groups are searching for a document that holds a secret that could shatter the Catholic Church.

While in Rome, American Jesuit priest Thomas Kelly is called upon to reclaim a centuries-old document stolen from the Vatican. An enigmatic letter leads him to the work of a 19th century poet, where Thomas discovers cryptic messages that might lead to the missing manuscript. His search is unexpectedly entwined with that of Italian art historian Livia Pietro, who tells him that destructive forces are threatening to expose the document’s contents. As they’re relentlessly chased through the heart of Rome by mysterious men who quickly demonstrate they would cross any line to obtain the document for themselves, it becomes clear to Livia and Thomas that the pages hold a deep, devastating, long-buried truth. Livia, though, has a secret of her own: she and her People are vampires. But all this pales in light of the Secret that Thomas and Livia discover together—a revelation more stunning than either could have imagined.

Blood Of The Lamb…I definitely liked it, but I didn’t really pick the best time to read it. I did finish Inferno (the latest Dan Brown book) recently, so the whole conspiracy theory, missing document with interesting, life-changing information was still fresh on my mind.

I was definitely reminded of a Dan Brown novel, so the comparison to The Da Vinci Code is pretty spot-on, as is the comparison to The Historian.  The Catholic Church making a pact with vampires was unexpected, but also interesting.  And here’s the weird thing: it was pretty believable.

One thing that I didn’t particularly like was the multiple perspectives.  While I liked seeing the different groups involved in hunting down this document, it also made the book seemed more convoluted and complicated than the book really was.  There were only a few times when it felt like too much was going on, which may have added to the book seeming complicated.

It also took me while to get into Blood Of The Lamb, especially because you learn of the agreement between the Noantri and the Catholic Church early on, and all that’s left of the mystery is where it is.  And maybe a couple of other things, including the ending which was unexpected, and certainly a story in and of itself.  I also found these vampires pretty interesting.  They can eat, go out into the sun, and are spread all over the world, but have a few areas where they are heavily concentrated.  I also found the structure and “rules” pretty interesting.  In some ways, it seemed to mirror the Catholic Church, which makes sense given the agreement.

Livia and Thomas figuring out where the agreement was hidden wasn’t always interesting, and it made the book seem a little slow in places.  But overall, it was a pretty interesting read, with two things that don’t seem like they’d work well together…but they do!  I also thought Livia and Thomas were a little bit on the unforgettable side, but they also did what you’d expect from this kind of story.  Which isn’t a bad thing, even though their actions were pretty predictable.

It wasn’t as dark as I was expecting, considering there’s a document floating around that could prove to be very dangerous in the wrong hands.  There is a certain element of darkness, but definitely not to the degree that I was hoping for, given the cover and the summary.

Final Thoughts: I enjoyed Blood Of The Lamb but found that the multiple narrators made the book seem much more complicated than it really was.  The scenes where Livia and Thomas were in different churches felt a little repetitive but it wasn’t repetitive enough to be annoying.  Blood Of The Lamb gets 3 stars.

Book: The Companions by R,A, Salvatore

Expected Publication is August 6, 2013 by Wizards Of The Coast|Expected Number Of Pages: 384

Series: The Sundering #1

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Goodreads|R.A. Salvatore On Twitter

The Companions is a free e-ARC from netgalley.com

Goodreads Summary: This latest installment in New York Times best-selling author R.A. Salvatore’s beloved fantasy saga, The Companions moves Salvatore’s signature hero Drizzt into a new era of the Forgotten Realms. As Drizzt’s fate hangs in the balance, he reflects on the lives of the trusted allies who stood by his side throughout his early life–the friends now known as the Companions of the Hall. Meanwhile, the first stirrings of the Sundering begin.

The Companions isn’t the book for me.  I think I went into this book not completely sure of what would happen, and as much as I wanted to like it, I couldn’t.

For me, The Companions felt more like a random collection of moments in the lives of the characters than anything else.  I do think I was expecting something a little more epic and focusing on a quest, and was surprised that it was more introducing us to the characters.  I was actually surprised to find that this book is Dungeons And Dragons inspired.  I’ve never been into role-playing games or anything, so it’s entirely possible that I’m not part of the target audience for it.

One of the interesting things about The Companions is that you don’t have to read any of the other books set in this world, and it’s not too hard to follow.  But I think one reason why I didn’t like it is because I didn’t have that back story, so it was hard to stay interested in what was going on.  I did get an okay sense of who they were, but unfortunately, nothing about them stood out to me.

I’m not really sure what else to say about The Companions.  I definitely think this world has the makings to be a really interesting one, and I wish I got to see more of that.  The idea that Drizzt and his friends were reincarnated and meet up by the end of the book…for reasons I could not tell you about…it’s sort of interesting, but I can’t remember why this happened.  I don’t think I’ll be continuing with this series (or reading the previous ones) but hopefully it’s something that’s explained more in the other books.

Final Thoughts:

There were a few things in The Companions that were sort of interesting, but unfortunately, it’s not the book for me.  The Companions gets 1 star.

Book: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen

Published March 2008 by Villard|Pages: 200

Where I Got It: Borrowed it from a friend!

Series: Mouse Guard #1

Genre: Graphic Novel

Goodreads|Check Out David Peterson On His Blog Or Follow Him On Twitter

Goodreads Summary: Saxon, Kenzie, and Lieam, members of the fearless Mouse Guard, are dispatched to find a missing merchant mouse. Their search through dangerous terrain for the missing mouse reveals much more than they expect, as they stumble across a traitor in the Guard’s own ranks.

Mouse Guard is so freaking adorable it’s not even funny!  I just loved it.  You can’t go wrong with sword-wielding mice.  You really can’t.

The artwork was amazing, and the colors were so beautiful.  The colors very much reminded me of fall, and made everything seem so warm and inviting.

The mice in Mouse Guard have their own world, and I especially loved some of the extras at the end.  There are all sorts of jobs that they have, and the maps of their territory were great.  Some things are really easy for them, but there are also a lot of really scary and dangerous things for them too.  Like crabs.  They are very menacing creatures.  And weasels, who are menacing in their own right.

There’s a lot of intrigue and even betrayal, which I never expected, but it also made Mouse Guard interesting.  They are not your average mice, and you can’t help but root for them.  And…mice totally worked, because I can’t picture this story being told by (and focusing on) any other animal.  I can’t fully explain it, but it just works.  

I just love the entire world of Mouse Guard.  It’s a pretty simple story, but that is one of the cool things about Mouse Guard.  It’s right to the point, and I felt like Petersen really put a lot of work and care into this story.  Mouse Guard gets 5 stars.  

Book: Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Published august 2012 by MIRA|Pages: 400

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Glass #2

Genre: YA Fantasy

Goodreads|Check Out Maria V. Snyder’s Blog

Goodreads Summary: Student glass magician Opal Cowan’s newfound ability to steal a magician’s powers makes her too powerful. Ordered to house arrest by the Council, Opal dares defy them, traveling to the Moon Clan’s lands in search of Ulrick, the man she thinks she loves. Thinks because she is sure another man–now her prisoner–has switched souls with Ulrick. 

In hostile territory, without proof or allies, Opal isn’t sure whom to trust. She can’t forget Kade, the handsome Stormdancer who doesn’t want to let her get close. And now everyone is after Opal’s special powers for their own deadly gain… 

I am really intrigued with this series.  Things are not going well for Opal, who is now under house arrest after the events of Storm Glass. And let me tell you, things have ended on a really interesting note.  Which makes me want to read the next one.

I’m really drawn into this world, where there are so many different kinds of magic, and how there isn’t necessarily someone else who has the same talent as you.  Like, Yelena has this awesome Soulfinding ability, and so she’s the one who’s helping out Opal when she is convinced that Ulrick and Devlen have switched bodies.  And naturally, no one believes Opal until the end of the book, when we learn what really happened with that part of the book.

There’s quite a bit of sarcasm, which made me giggle throughout the book, but I also love that there’s a certain sense of darkness in the series.  Now that I think about it, there’s a pretty good balance between the two.

I definitely want to talk about Opal, who seems to have lost some of the self-confidence she had at the end of Storm Glass.  But I still really like her as a character. One of the more interesting parts of the book was her finishing up her studies and wanting to have more of a say in how her glass messengers are used.  You’d think she’d be on the committee or whatever, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.  But I like that she’s finally taking a stand and speaking up a bit more about them, as she’s the only one who can make them.  I still think it’s cool that it’s a way to see who has magic, and that they’re used to communicate.  At the same time, I can also understand why people are really interested in her abilities and how people would want control over her glass messengers.

You really see Opal struggle with who to trust and no one trusting her, which does explain her behavior throughout the book.  She may have been a bit on the whiny side, but it didn’t bother me…because I can totally see why she acted the way she did.

Final Thoughts:

You can’t help but get pulled into this world where people make glass messengers and find souls.  I think Opal’s an interesting character who has some interesting abilities…and I so want to see how things turn out for her.  Sea Glass gets 5 stars.

Book: Gale Force by Rachel Caine

Published August 2008 by Penguin|Pages: 320

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Weather Warden #7

Genre: Adult Paranormal

Goodreads|Rachel Caine On Twitter

Goodreads Summary: Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin is on vacation when her Djinn lover, David, asks Joanne to marry him. She’s thrilled to say yes, even if some others may be less than happy about it. 

Unfortunately, Joanne’s pre-marital bliss is ended by a devastating earthquake in Florida. And she can’t ask David and his kind for assistance. Because the cause of the quake is unlike anything Joanne has ever encountered-and a power even the Djinn cannot perceive.

I really am such a fan of this series!  It’s a really fun read, and the craziness surrounding David and Joanne’s wedding and Bad Bob making an appearance…okay, I’ll admit to being surprised by that, and I totally didn’t see it coming.  But…he came back in a way that wasn’t annoying, and Bad Bob reappearing totally wasn’t cheesy. Actually, I found it pretty believable, which is good, because it totally could have gone the other way.  (I’m glad it didn’t).  

Gale Force was a lot harder to put down than some of the other books, and I think it’s because there’s only two books left.  Things keep getting worse for the Wardens, and you can’t help but wonder how things are going to end up.  We do see Luis Rocha make an appearance, which made me a little happy, because I really liked him in Outcast Season.  Which makes me wonder if there’s going to be more of a connection between the two series, and if we’ll see any of the events in Outcast Season.

The stable anti-matter was totally creepy and the Dijinn not being able to see it made it even creepier.  Seriously.  It’s creepy.  And part of me wants to how that particular development will work out…but at the same time, I don’t want to know.  Chasing Bad Bob and putting a stop to the insanity…I so hope things work out for the good guys. Admittedly, they are stretched pretty thin, and with Dijinn who are unable to detect the anti-matter, things are going to get really interesting really fast.  Well, more interesting than things already are.

Final Thoughts:

I’m not sure what else to say about Gale Force.  I totally loved it, and things are getting really intense in such a good way.  Gale Force gets 5 stars.