Review: Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook

Title: Heart of Steel
Author: Meljean Brook
Series: The Iron Seas #2
Format: Paperback
Pages: 311
Genre: Romance, Steampunk
Publication Date: November 1st, 2011
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Rating: 8.5

Summary:
From Goodreads: Return to the gritty, alluring world of steampunk with the New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Duke.

Growing up in the dangerous world of the Iron Seas, the mercenary captain of the airship Lady Corsair, Yasmeen, has learned to keep her heart hard as steel. Ruthless and cunning, her only loyalty is to her ship and her crew-until one man comes along and changes everything...Treasurehunter Archimedes Fox isn't interested in the Lady Corsair--just the captain and the valuable da Vinci sketch she stole from him. When it attracts a dangerous amount of attention, Yasmeen and Archimedes journey to Horde-occupied Morocco- and straight into enemy hands.

Why did I read this book? I read and loved the first book in the series, The Iron Duke.

Source: Review copy provide by Penguin Canada

My Review
This book was one of my most anticipated releases last year due to my love of the first novel, The Iron Duke. Even though I’ve had Heart of Steel for a while now, I kept putting it off because I was just a little afraid it wouldn’t live up to the high expectations The Iron Duke set. That fear was definitely unfound as Heart of Steel lives up to the steamy romance and steampunk adventure established in The Iron Duke and in some cases surpasses it.

There’s definitely going to be some comparison between the two novels. They are both set in the same world but follow two sets of different characters. This time around it’s Yasmeen, captain of the Lady Corsair airship and fierce fighter and adventurer. Her love interest is the infamous Archimedes Fox, legendary raider of ruins left by the zombie infestation. He also is the star of a series of novels written by his sister about his adventures.

The Iron Duke left me with a bigger impression, perhaps because everything was entirely new to me (even the author). However, I think I enjoyed the characters and romance more in Heart of Steel. Mostly that comes from my love of the character Yasmeen. She’s so badass yet so believable in her faults. She’s a loyal yet ruthless mercenary and possesses a heart of steel – no man has loved her and lived to enjoy it. Until Archimedes Fox, who is determined to win her heart even if it costs him his life. Yasmeen won’t sacrifice her independence for him, though. What’s great about Archimedes is that he never asks her to stop being who she is: a great captain and strong fighter. Even stronger than him.

The other part of the plot is that Archimedes is on the hunt for a treasure that can repay a huge debt and Yasmeen is thrown into things when she finds herself hunting for revenge. Chaos ensues including many zombie brawls, attempted assassinations and run-ins with many contraptions that really solidify this as my favorite steampunk series.

I also preferred the kind of story this was: an adventure. There’s a lot of treasure hunting going on throughout this alternate Europe. This really appealed to me especially since Brook’s Horde-occupied world is so dark and rife with danger. That also means that most of the time is spent on or near airships and really, you can’t get much cooler than a story set on an airship.

Rating: 8.5
Overall, I’m super pleased with this latest edition to the Iron Seas series. The romance is sweeter, the characters fiercer, the adventure more thrilling. It’s a great companion to the previous book and really fleshes out the world even more. I definitely recommend to romance and steampunk readers. There are references to the first book’s characters but this can be read as a standalone (but why do that? The Iron Duke is a great read in itself). The next book comes out this year as is titled Riveted. I'm not sure who will star in that one, but I’m hoping for more of the character Zenobia, the sister and writer of Archimedes Fox.

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Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Author: Laini Taylor
Series: ?
Format: ARC
Pages: 420
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publication Date: September 27th, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Rating: A

Summary:
From Goodreads: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Why did I read this book? I was midly interested in this book after receiving it at BEA, but what really piqued my interest was all the rave reviews.

Source: ARC from BEA 2011

My Review
This is one of those times where I'm going to have to reign in all my giddy fangirlishness and try and make this sound like a proper review. But I really, really want to squee all over this page but I suppose that's not the best way to get people interested in reading this book...

I would say there are two major things about Daughter of Smoke and Bone which easily makes this an awesome read: world building and the prose. I never heard of Taylor before, but she surprised me with this world she geniusly created. It's set in Prague and centers round Karou, our aquamarine-haired protagonist who loves art and whose adopted family is a set of chimaera. Her father-figure is Brimstone, a creature part man, part stag and who knows what else. Karou often runs errands for him, using the portal of to his workshop as a means to travel around the world. She picks up teeth for him, all kinds of teeth. She doesn't know what he uses it for, but he often trades wishes to clients who bring him teeth of various species. In this world, wishes are like a currency, the lowest being a scuppy, that can only manage something like turning hair a different color.

But this world is hidden from ours and Karou is the only one who seems to know it exists, until she meets another mysterious player, Akiva. Akiva's a seraphim and somehow connected to this other world, but he is also her enemy. The seraphim are at war against the chimaera and so there's natural tension between him and Karou, but they also can't help but be attracted to each other.

I really loved Karou's world as we see it through her life. However, she's been kept in the dark about her past and so have we and much of the story is about her discovering who she is and where she came from. This was expertly done by Taylor who provides a thrilling action-packed story filled with the glamour of Prague and the magic of a world elsewhere.

The only issues I had with this novel is how prominent the romance became after the first half of the book and the fact that the book doesn't really end. We are left to wait for the second book to find out what happens in Karou's story.

Rating: A
I definitely recommend Daughter of Smoke and Bone to readers looking for a magical story. It's a great read for young adults and adults alike. I hope to read the next novel in the series and to get closure on some of the events and also hope to see the romance fleshed out a bit more. 

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Review: Shadow Kin by M.J. Scott

Title: Shadow Kin

Author: M.J. Scott
Series: The Half-Light City #1
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 324
Genre: Gaslight Fantasy, Romance
Publication Date: September 6th, 2011
Publisher: Roc
Rating: B-

Summary:
From Goodreads: On one side, the Night World, rules by the Blood Lords and the Beast Kind. On the other, the elusive Fae and the humans, protected by their steadfast mages...

Born a wraith, Lily is a shadow who slips between worlds. Brought up by a Blood Lord and raised to be his assassin, she is little more than a slave. But when Lily meets her match in target Simon DuCaine, the unlikely bond that develops between them threatens to disrupt an already stretched peace in a city on the verge of being torn apart...

Why did I read this book? I really was interested in reading a fantasy that seemed to offer a different kind of world. I was also attracted to the idea of the main character being a wraith.

Source: Publisher, by request.

My Review
This novel opens with Lily, a wraith and assassin to the Blood Lord Lucius, attempting to kill the sunmage Simon DuCaine. She fails, and finds herself flirting with the idea of leaving the Blood Lord's domain, although she feels like she doesn't have much of a choice in the matter. She was abandoned to him by her mother because of her being born a wraith, a creature despised by most of better society. The Blood Lord keeps her captive against her will and she struggles with the choices of leaving him, for fear of her safety and for those who might help her.

This is how the plot is set up. We are also given the world Lily lives in, which was definitely different than I thought it would be. I thought this was a urban fantasy, but it turns out it's more of a gaslight fantasy; it's set in a partly-familiar world, almost Victorian, but contains many magical and paranormal elements like vampires, mages, fae and werewolves. I really enjoyed this surprise and came to really love the world Scott created. All the species that co-exist in the city, including humans, get along through a treaty set up and monitored mainly by the fae. The novel also includes these politics, since the Blood Lord is not abiding by the rules set by the treaties and so he's becoming a bigger and bigger threat, especially to humans. This is a concern of Simon, the sunmage, and also a reason he wants Lily to help him expose the Blood Lord and his crimes.

The things I liked most are the unique world-building (as I mentioned above) but also the romance. I think Simon and Lily have pretty good chemistry and while they were two star-crossed lovers, a wraith and a sunmage, I believed in their romance. I especially liked Simon, he's a sunmage, but also a healer. I thought it was fun that the female was the assassin and the male was a healer, despite the trope of the woman always being a healer in fantasy.

There was a few things I had problems with. First, the novel is in two first person point of views: Lily's and Simon's. While I don' have anything against it personally, I just found I was often confused of who's head we were in and when the point of view changed, I was mildly disoriented. The other problem I had was Lily's weakness towards the Blood Lord and her lack of confidence. I understand she's had a bad past (which was almost a little too contrived in itself) but I would have liked to see her empowered more by the end of it.

Rating: B-
Overall, I really enjoyed this debut from Scott. Scott has created a fascinating society that includes an array of magical creatures and pulls it off expertly. While I had some conflictions with the point of view and the main character, Lily, I was really absorbed in the romance between her and Simon and the politics of the Half-Light City. It's a great gaslight adventure and I look forward to the sequel, Blood Kin, out next year.

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Mega Manga Challenge (10): Peach Girl, vol.2 by Miwa Ueda

Title: Peach Girl 
Author: Miwa Ueda
Demographic: Shojo
Series: Peach Girl #2
Format: Manga
Pages: 184
Genre: School Life, Romance
Publication Date: December 7th, 2004
Publisher: TokyoPop
Rating: C

Summary:
From Goodreads: The dastardly Sae has gone too far! First she sabotaged Momo's blossoming relationship with Toji, now she's trying to embarrass Momo in front of the school at the swim meet. Can anyone help Momo? Well, "Wiley" Kiley seems eager to help, but can Momo trust that he's really looking out for her best interests, and not just trying to get into her pants? And poor Toji-will he ever see through Sae's veil of lies and be able to trust Momo? The Peach Girl soap opera gets is about to get a little meaner in volume 3 of Miwa Ueda's high school drama.

Why did I read this book? For the Mega Manga Challenge!

Source: Bought

My Review
In my review of volume one I said I shouldn't like this manga like I did because of all the annoying high school drama it portrayed. In this volume, I think it annoyed me even more. Momo and her boyfriend Toji are constantly believing what other people (mainly Sae) say about each other and never just talk to each other. I guess that's part of the plot, that Sae is constantly manipulating everyone, but everyone's common sense is sacrificed in return for that drama. It came to the point of being unbelievable. In fact, I think the only one who knows what Sae is doing is Momo, but since everyone else listens to Sae, she looks like the idiot.

Rating: C
This volume had a lot more drama and a lot less of the humor that volume one had. Sae is controlling everything and it's fustrating to see how all the characters can be so influenced by her. I want Momo to just dump Toji and get on with her life if he's going to constantly listen to Sae over her, or I want Momo to just get Sae to back off. I hope these things happen in the next volumes because I don't know if I will continue reading the series if it's all silly drama like this. I would recommend this only if you seriously enjoy high school drama.

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Mega Manga Challenge (8): Peach Girl, vol.1 by Miwa Ueda

Title: Peach Girl
Author: Miwa Ueda
Demographic: Shojo
Series: Peach Girl #1
Format: Manga
Pages: 184
Genre: School Life, Romance
Publication Date: Januaryy 1st, 2000
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: C+

Summary:
From Goodreads: It's not easy being beautiful. The envy, the jealousy, the vicious rumors spread by your best friend. That's life for young Momo. While everyone thinks that Momo is a wild party girl, the reality is that she is shy and honest. Can Momo confess her love to her classmate Toji, or will her best friend Sae steal him away. It's a bittersweet drama of growing up and fitting in that will charm girls everywhere.

Why did I read this book? I found all 8 volumes on sale at my local comic book store so I snatched them up! I always wanted to read this manga.

Source: Bought

My Review
I really think I shouldn't like this manga as much as I did because it containa a lot of things I find very annoying, usually. Firstly, this manga deals with one girl's (Momo) struggle to accept herself when she's not considered traditionally beautiful. That's an okay start, but Momo is really concerned about what boys think, in particular, Toji, her crush. I wanted her to be less obsessed about what he thinks and what her schoolmates think. I also thought Momo let's Sae (her friend turned rival) control and push her around too much to the point where Momo believes everything Sae says and it really creates a lot of drama. Momo's pegged as a slut by her schoolmates because she has skin that easily tans in the sun and so she's darker than most other girls. I liked how Momo stood up for herself, saying that just because she dresses or looks a certain way it doesn't make her a slut.

I hope that in future volumes Momo learns to accept herself, but not only that, for there to be less emphasis on being or looking a certain way in order for boys to like you.

Rating: C+
Overall I was really into the story despite my many misgivings with how some of the characters act. I think the artwork is beautiful and I also thought that Momo is a good heroine to root for. She stands up for herself yet she struggles with what other people think of her a little too much. I would recommend this for people interested in a quirky school life drama, but beware you might be annoyed by some of the obsession with being liked by boys despite who you are.

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Review: Darkship Thieves by Sarah A. Hoyt

Title: Darkship Thieves
Author: Sarah A. Hoyt
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 502
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Publication Date: January 5th, 2010
Publisher: Baen
Rating: A-

This book is part of the 2011 Women of Science Fiction book club hosted by Dreams and Speculation.



From Goodreads: Athena Hera Sinistra never wanted to go to space. Never wanted see the eerie glow of the Powerpods. Never wanted to visit Circum Terra. Never had any interest in finding out the truth about the DarkShips. You always get what you don’t ask for. Which must have been why she woke up in the dark of shipnight, within the greater night of space in her father’s space cruiser, knowing that there was a stranger in her room. In a short time, after taking out the stranger—who turned out to be one of her father’s bodyguards up to no good, she was hurtling away from the ship in a lifeboat to get help. But what she got instead would be the adventure of a lifetime—if she managed to survive. . . .

I actually finished this book more than a week ago and when I sat down to write this review, I realized this book left a pretty good impression on me. It's one of my favorite science fiction romances to date.

The book is about Athena, who runs into trouble on board her father's ship and manages to escape - only into the ship of a darkship thief named Kit. Athena is a headstrong and brave female heroine that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about. She was incredibly real to me and totally kick-ass with realistic flaws. Kit, her love interest, is also just as enjoyable. I loved the interactions between these two. I really liked how the romance was portrayed: it didn't feel rushed or unbelievable. You really grow with the characters. I also really appreciated how the romance didn't turn into an angst fest, like sometimes they do.

The romance isn't the only good thing about this book and if you aren't into romance too much, you shouldn't let my gushing deter you. It isn't heavy. You can completely enjoy this book if you don't mind a bit of romance. One thing that impressed me throughout Hoyt's story was the fact that there's just so much going on in it (and not in a bad way). There's space travel, visiting of other world(s), genetic engineering, and a history shaped by politics and betrayal on Earth. It's really quite interesting and kept me turning the page to find out what else was going to be revealed.

Overall, I think this is a stellar science fiction romance and cannot recommend it enough to those interested in that genre. If you're not, I'd still say give it a try; there's a lot here to sink your teeth into. Apparently there's a sequel coming out this year called Darkship Renegade. I'll definitely be picking that up. A-

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Review: Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre

Title: Wanderlust
Author: Ann Aguirre
Series: Sirantha Jax #2
Pages: 312
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Publication Date: August 26, 2008
Rating: C+

Here we are with the second book in the Sirantha Jax series, Wanderlust. It takes place just after the events of Grimspace. Jax accepts a diplomatic mission to the planet Ithiss-Tor on behalf of the Conglomerate. The centers on Jax and the crew's journey just trying to get to Ithiss-Tor; they meet a lot of trouble along the way.

What I really liked about Grimspace is the fast-paced and action-packed story filled with really cool characters. I suppose this stays the same in this installment, however, I didn't enjoy it as much as Grimspace. I really think it came down to Jax. In the first book, Jax is tough, strong and hard to like sometimes, but I always enjoyed her point of view. In Wanderlust , I've never been so bored and annoyed by her thoughts and personality. She's suffering physically because of the effects of grimspace, and that's understandable, but I felt like she really brought the story down. Who wants to read a book about the main protagonist being debilitated and in a really bad mood all the time? I even felt this way about her emotional state. She was just really negative all the time and I felt it was hard to connect to her or to even care about her problems because they seemed to go on and on and on.

This issue was echoed in the story as well. It seemed everything always went wrong. So many small plot points were shoved into the story to, in my opinion, lengthen and try to make the story more interesting but I thought it felt like the author throwing everything in but the kitchen sink. When the crew tries to do anything, leave the planet, visit friends on another one, there's always something going wrong. I think this was distracting and tedious. This, coupled with Jax's personal problems, really made the book hard to enjoy to the extent I did Grimspace.

Well, I did finish the book of course and there are a couple reasons why. One of them is Vel, the bounty hunter than can cover his mantis form with a human one. I really was intrigued by him in the last novel but he only showed up at the end and we didn't get to see him much. In Wanderlust he has a bigger part and I really enjoyed seeing him and Jax interact. I kind of wish there was more of that and less of her and March having problems for the sake of having problems (at least that's what it seemed like). Another reason I enjoyed Wanderlust was Jael, a new character. He's a bred human which gives him some special abilities. I really liked seeing this new friendship for Jax especially after the troubles with March.

As you can tell, I wasn't into the romance. I don't think I ever really liked March. I don't entirely see where the relationship is going or why they are so attached to each other. However, I don't think this defines the story for me so it's not a deal breaker.

Overall, the book has some good aspects but compared to Grimspace, it's a lot weaker. I will definitely read the next in the series, Doubleblind, because I heard good things. Apparently Wanderlust is the weakest of the series, so I am excited to continue. I recommend reading Wanderlust if you're interested in reading the whole series and if Grimspace is any indication, it will be great.

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Review: Geist by Philippa Ballantine

Title: Geist (A Book of the Order)
Author: Philippa Ballantine
Pages: 294
Genre: Fantasy
Publication Date: October 26, 2010
Rating: B+

From Goodreads: Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists...

Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers. They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity. With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.

But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.

And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to?

Geist really had me from the first chapter. In it we see Deacon Sorcha Faris and her husband, Kolya trying to find and get rid of a geist in a crowd of civilians. Sorcha is an Active of the Order, a fierce combatant who uses gauntlets inscribed with powerful runes in order to fight the undead. Her husband, and Bonded partner, Kolya, is a Sensitive who are equipped with a Strop around their eyes and are there to guide their Active partners. I really loved this aspect of the world building. There are evil paranormal forces that are watched and dispelled by these Deacons of the Order, who are stationed around the land. They are forces of good in a world where geists can erupt from the Otherside at any moment. The story takes place in a familiar setting of a medieval-like time but progressed enough to have pistols and dirigibles. I enjoyed that part too. It was familiar yet different from what I've seen in other fantasy novels.

After a terrible and shocking geist attack leaves her husband badly injured, Sorcha is given a new temporary partner, Merrick Chambers, to work with on the mystery of the unusual geist attacks. Chambers is a young, newly ordained Sensitive who is Bonded to Sorcha despite his reservations. I really liked Merrick; he offered a fresh and interesting perspective, being so new to the world of the Deacons as we are. He does go through some ups and downs in the story, but by the end, I really liked him.

On Sorcha and Merrick's mission to the town of Ulrich, they are met by a captain named Raed and his crew who are not what they seem. They find their fates attached when they make it to Ulrich and find trouble waiting for them. On this journey we see Sorcha and Raed grow somewhat closer together (and definitely attracted to each other) into what becomes an unusual romance. Yes, she is married, but her relationship with her husband has been almost nonexistent for two years. I wasn't too bothered by this, but perhaps others would be. I appreciated the unconventional romance; however, it wasn't the thing I liked most about this story.

My least favorite part was Sorcha herself. She smokes cigars, is a pretty cold person on the outside, and is the best at what she does. I didn't connect with her for those reasons, although it didn't deter me much from enjoying the story.

Overall, I really liked Geist. The unique and exciting world building made this a great read for those who like undead and/or paranormal creatures in a different setting. There’s a lot of action (which I definitely love) and good story. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys those things. The romance, on the other hand, could be improved upon. The sequel, Spectyr, comes out next year and I will definitely be reading it.

A review copy of this book was provided by Ace.

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Review: Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

Title: Grimspace
Author: Ann Aguirre
Pages: 312
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Publication Date: February 26, 2008
Rating: A

From Goodreads:

By all accounts, Sirantha Jax should have burned out years ago…
As the carrier of a rare gene, Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a talent which cuts into her life expectancy, but makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. But then the ship she’s navigating crash-lands, and she’s accused of killing everyone on board. It’s hard for Jax to defend herself: she has no memory of the crash.

Now imprisoned and the subject of a ruthless interrogation, Jax is on the verge of madness. Then a mysterious man breaks into her cell, offering her freedom—for a price. March needs Jax to help his small band of rogue fighters break the Corp monopoly on interstellar travel—and establish a new breed of jumper.

Jax is only good at one thing—grimspace—and it will eventually kill her. So she may as well have some fun in the meantime…

Grimspace is a great, fast-paced adventure story staring Sirantha Jax. She's fiesty, smart, and has a few issues. After the crash, she finds herself under the protection of Folly's crew, who also, by chance, needs a jumper. She has lost her memory and is on a mission to find out the truth. On the way she meets a great cast of characters including her love interest, March. There's Dina the tough engineer, Loras the savant, Doc the ship's doctor, and March the pilot. I felt like this whole crew was reminiscent of that of Firefly (which is a good thing). I really thought the characters were interesting and different and offered a lot of banter and tension between each other.

This book reads fast and it helps that the first person narrative is provided by Jax. It's not the easiest ride being in her head, but it certainly adds to the experience. She develops a romance with March that I thought was sweet and not too overwhelming. My only problem was I thought that they seemed to fall for each other seriously in the short amount of time that is spent in the book.

I'm still testing the waters with a lot of science fiction, especially space opera because I tend to find it comes off a bit heavy, but for Grimspace, it's the opposite. It's a great adventure with the right amount of everything. There's action on every page, ending in what is obviously an opening for a sequel.

Overall, this is the perfect kind of adventure story for me. There's a great female lead, a good romance that's not too heavy, and tons of action. I recommend this to anyone interested in those things. I've already bought the sequel Wanderlust and can't wait to get to it! A

You can read an excerpt on the author's website or listen to a sample of the audio book.

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Review: Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold

Title: Beguilement
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Series: The Sharing Knife #1
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 361
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Publication Date: April 24th, 2007
Publisher: Eos
Rating: 6

Summary:
From Goodreads: The Hugo Award-winning author of "Paladin of Souls" and "The Hallowed Hunt" returns with an enthralling new romantic fantasy--the first volume in an epic two-volume saga.

Source: Bought

My Review
This book is the start of a series about the relationship of the main characters, Fawn Bluefield, a young, Farmer girl, and Dag, an old patroller of the Lakewalker people. They are separated by culture and come together through the fight against an evil blight bogle, or malice, and find themselves on what I suppose will be a long journey together.

I wanted to read this book because I was looking for a good fantasy romance. I had heard this book was a little lighter on the plot and heavier on the romance and it's true, but I didn't have a problem with that. The book follows Fawn and Dag through an adventure early in the book and from there it tappers down in action but continues with strong character development.

I thought the world Bujold created was interesting: two main cultures, the normal Farmers and the Lakewalker people who hold some kind of magical abilities. There are hints of a long and interesting history of these people but it is very brief in description and I had only wished we heard more of it. Her writing is also great; I had no problem with it and enjoyed the author's voice immensely.

So why does it only get a 6? I had some issues in the beginning of the book. I thought some romantic elements were very cliched, such as the fact that Fawn is young, naive and ignorant of the world and then Dag enters the picture and opens her eyes, treats her like a princess, and Fawn becomes a better woman at his guidance and encouragement. I don't like this particular trope because it's just really old fashioned. I would have liked to have seen a stronger female character in Fawn. Things get better by the second half when we are passed that stage in their relationship and the plot moves on. I think in the end I enjoyed it overall; it had me laughing a lot (in a good way) and by the end I really felt like I would like to read the next installment, Legacy.

Rating: 6
I recommend this for anyone looking for a good fantasy romance, as long as you don't mind a lot of damsel-in-distress moments.

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Review: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

Title: To Say Nothing of the Dog
Author: Connie Willis
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 493
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance, Comedy, Historical Fiction
Publication Date: November 18th, 2009
Publisher: Bantam
Rating: 9

Summary:
From Goodreads: From Connie Willis, winner of multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards, comes a comedic romp through an unpredictable world of mystery, love, and time travel...

Ned Henry is badly in need of a rest. He's been shuttling between the 21st century and the 1940s searching for a Victorian atrocity called the bishop's bird stump. It's part of a project to restore the famed Coventry Cathedral, destroyed in a Nazi air raid over a hundred years earlier.

But then Verity Kindle, a fellow time traveler, inadvertently brings back something from the past. Now Ned must jump back to the Victorian era to help Verity put things right--not only to save the project but to prevent altering history itself.

Why did I read this book? This is the March Challenge in Calico Reactions Book Club!

Source: Bought

My Review
This is my first time participating in calico-reaction's book club, and I have to say what a great start! I decided to participate even though I have limited time to read because I wanted to read more scifi and having a community to discuss it after just made it more appealing.

To be honest, when I started the book, I thought it was definitely funny and entertaining, but I really couldn't get into the actual story. I had trouble reading more than one chapter at a time (which is unusual for me). Ironically, the first part of the book which mimics Willis' inspiration, Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome in which there are in fact about 100 pages about three men in a boat - to say nothing of the dog - was in my opinion the most boring part of the book. Nonetheless I was held by Willis' talent in writing passages that evoked visions of the past and present. For instance, one of my favorites was: "She was a delicate blossom, capable of growing only in a single time, adapted only to the select hothouse environment of the late Victorian era: the untouched flower, the blooming English rose, the angel in the house. She would be extinct in only a handful of years, replaced by the bicycling bloomer girl, the cigarette-smoking flapper and the suffragette." (p.94)

I noticed my attention piqued when the plot moved into the mystery aspect, and also when Ned Henry and Verity Kindle began to have scenes together. I thought the mystery was so well done, although I did catch some hints and guessed right on a couple things, nothing prepared me for the ending in which Willis reveals a very thought out and masterminded conclusion. As for Ned Henry, I can't really describe Willis' skill in creating and maintaining such a distinct narrative voice through that character. I feel like I know the guy. Some of my favorite parts were when Ned was time-lagged and had the tendency to sentimentalize, which was quite charming and hilarious.

Rating: 9
I think this book is great fun and also contains an impressive plot and that it could be good for fledgling scifi readers (like me). Also, anyone who is interested in Victorian history should read this too as most of it takes place in that time. I hope to read more of Connie Willis in the future.

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