Friday, April 25, 2014

Heaven's Queen (Paradox #3) by Rachel Bach

In Heaven's Queen, the last book of Rachel Bach's Paradox trilogy, the romance between Devi and Rupert is fully developed while the action continues and Bach ties up the loose ends.

Heaven's Queen begins exactly where Honor's Knight ends, just as after Devi and Rupert finish off Ripper's xith'cal clan and jump into hyperspace, with Calsdwell and the surviving crew jumping to a different, unknown location. Unfortunately, they've lost a whole year during the jump and that everyone thinks Rupert and Devi, along with the phantom-killing-virus plaguing her, are dead. Devi and Rupert land on an a faraway agricultural moon, but don't have much time to relax or enjoy their anonymity before Devi's old friend and long-time Paradoxian lover Anthony shows up at their hiding place making demands on her emotions and ordering her to go home. Devi's not about to put up with that, so she furiously and rather callously dismisses Anthony. His discovery, however, means she and Rupert need to run fast because the Eyes won't be far behind and who knows if Caldswell is around to honor their deal to save the daughters and not make a lab rat out of Devi?
"Smart or not, embarrassing or not, the truth was that I still had feelings for Rupert. In my defense, though, what was not to love? He was handsome, thoughtful, a fantastic fighter who respected my abilities, a good cook, and a great kisser. He was also a sly operative, something I deeply respected because I was anything but, and he was so, so loving."
This is where Bach further develops Devi and Rupert's romance by having them spend time alone. Devi analyses her feelings for Rupert which I found repetitive as she continues to go back and forth between love and distrust. But, the intimacy during this time serves to create a bond and they begin the process of opening up to each other. This is reinforced after the Eyes briefly catch up with them and after Rupert gets hurt, Devi comes clean with him, finally cementing a strong relationship. The two of them are basically in this "alone" state until about page 163 when they seek help and all hell breaks loose again.

Both Devi and Rupert go through big changes throughout this series. There is marked character growth for both, but neither loses what made them attractive in the first place, particularly Devi. She continues to be the cocky (I-can-do-anything-better-than-you, move-out-of-my-way) Paradoxian soldier who runs into battle and kills without hesitation, but has a code of honor and, most importantly, a conscience. She also continues to be a concrete thinker and poor at solving puzzles or mysteries, but I love that by taking the direct approach, somehow, Devi gets her answers. After all, she is the hero of this piece. Rupert has to make some tough decisions, and although when necessary he is still the cold killer, we see more of the vulnerable man in this last installment. I believe that those who love a healthy dose of romance with action packed science fiction will definitely enjoy this turn of events.
"I obeyed two authorities: my officers and my king. I was a loyal subject and a good soldier, but I was no one's slave, and like hell was I going to let this virus make me one."
Since this is the end of the series, there is much going on with the overall storyarc. Like saving the universe by solving the big mystery, figuring out what to do with the deadly virus infecting Devi, saving the daughters, dealing with crazy Maat, the Eyes, and all those aliens -- the phantoms, lelgls, and xith'cal. Bach ties these threads together with surprising alacrity. Also surprising are the actions of key secondary characters, which provide this last installment with a bit of unexpected excitement and intrigue. The pacing in this installment, however, is not as fast as in the first two, with the real action coming in toward the last third of the book.

Heaven's Queen is a solid ending to the Paradox trilogy. There is a definite focus on the romance, which goes on the "pro" column for me personally, specifically because I don't feel that this aspect of the story takes away from Bach's execution of the overall storyarc. The slower pacing toward the beginning served as a build-up to the action, and the ending was Devi-fabulous. What is sorely missing from this series? Paradox, the planet for which this series is named. None of the action takes place there and I was left wanting a more solid view and understanding of the Paradoxian culture and its people. Having said that, this series as a whole is a thoroughly entertaining, delicious space adventure, with a great female as the hero or central character and an overall storyarc that begins light and fun but gains strength as the trilogy moves along. Recommended to both science fiction readers who enjoy fun action, adventure, monsters, aliens, and a little romance.

Category: Science Fiction/Action Adventure
Series: Paradox
Publisher/Release Date: Orbit/April 22, 2014
Grade: B

Visit Rachel Bach here.

Trilogy -- Overall Grade: B (Click on titles to read reviews)
Fortune's Pawn #1
Honor's Knight #2
Heaven's Queen #3

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Bookish News: SF, Awards, Sales + Links!

Hey, it's Earth Day! The one day per year that serves as a reminder that we all share a beautiful planet we need to care for. Check out earthday.org for information about their "Green Cities Campaign" -- learn, act, impact!


It's April, so it's also time for awards and/or nominations. In the science fiction realm, both are making a big splash at the moment. The British Science Fiction Award (BSFA) winners were announced and the winner(s) for Best Novel were Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (Orbit) tied with Ack Ack Macaque by Gareth L. Powell. I've only read the Leckie novel but it is a favorite.


And, Countdown City by Ben.H. Winters (Quirk Books) won the 2014 Phillip K. Dick Award for distinguished original science fiction paperback. This award is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the Philip K. Dick Trust. Countdown City is the second book in Winter's The Last Policeman trilogy. So far I've really enjoyed the first two books and am waiting impatiently for the last one, World of Trouble, to arrive at my doorstep!

Last, but certainly not least, the Hugo nominations have been announced and I'm looking forward to the final results in a few categories. I've only read one book from those nominated: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie in the Best Novel category, and I have one of the nominees for Best Novella in my TBR, Wakulla Springs by Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages, so I don't have a lot invested, but made a list of books to read instead.

However, I'm dying to find out who wins for Best Professional Artist -- I'm a big Dos Santos fan, although this year I'm leaning toward Julie Dillon. I'm also excited to see two long-time favorite Fanzines as finalists: A Dribble of Ink with Aidan Moher and The Book Smugglers with Ana and Thea. Finally, I always enjoy reading what Foz Meadows has to say at Shattersnipe: Malcontent & Rainbows, so I'm glad she's on the list under Best Fan Writer. Congratulations to all! See complete list of nominees here.

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Speaking of nominations, Weightlessbooks.com is offering a sale on digital copies of all eight Lethe titles nominated for the 2014 Lambda Literary Awards. If you're interested, click here to buy them at $4.99 each. I took advantage and purchased one of the two books from that list I missed reading last year, Like Light for Flies by Lee Thomas.

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Personal bookish news: I'm still going through a serious reading "slump." At the moment I'm just reading short stories, here and there, from different anthologies. But so far, I have only finished four books during the entire month of April although I've started reading countless books. I'm really frustrated at this point and don't know what to do. Rereading is not working, neither is adding new books to my TBR (been there, done that!) I'm just going to relax about it and continue to read what grabs me. Hopefully that will work sooner or later.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Adiós Gabo! García Márquez (March 6, 1927 - April 17, 2014)


Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez, born March 6, 1927 in Aracataca, Colombia, winner of the 1972 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature, best known as the father of magical realism, and his great works One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), Autumn of the Patriarch (1975), and Love in the Time of Cholera (1985), died yesterday, April 17, 2014.

Gabriel García Márquez has always been one of my all-time favorite authors. At the tender age of eleven, his works were my introduction to Latin American literature and magical realism. When I first read Cien Años de Soledad or One Hundred of Solitud, Macondo was a place that my mind and heart immediately recognized, so that perhaps it inhabited a very personal inner space in my memory longer than it should have. I was too young to really understand the complete scope of his novel at the time, yet I was so dazzled by it! I have since reread the novel many times in Spanish, and later the English translation.

For many years, in my eyes, works by other talented authors did not measure up to this giant's talent. But then, nothing compares to that first author who opens the mind and heart of a youngster to something new and brilliant, and for me, García Márquez will forever be incomparable.

Adiós Gabo!


"Muchos años después, frente al pelotón de fusilamiento, el coronel Aureliano Buendía había de recordar aquella tarde remota en que su padre lo llevó a conocer el hielo. Macondo era entonces una aldea de veinte casas de barro y cañabrava construidas a la orilla de un río de aguas diáfanas que se precipitaban por un lecho de piedras pulidas, blancas y enormes como huevos prehistóricos. El mundo era tan reciente, que muchas cosas carecían de nombre, y para mencionarlas había que señalarlas con el dedo."
MACONDO


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

TBR Review: A Light at Winter's End (Cedar Springs #3) by Julia London

In 2010 I enjoyed reading One Season of Sunshine (Cedar Springs #2) by Julia London, so when the last book of the trilogy, A Light at Winter's End released in 2011, I purchased it right away. Unfortunately as you can see, it has been sitting in my TBR for a long time. I thought this would be a perfect choice for April's TBR Challenge read since the theme happens to be contemporary romance.
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A Light at Winter's End is not what I would consider a pure contemporary romance, but a combination of contemporary romance and women's fiction. It is my opinion that London maintains a good balance between the romance and fiction throughout this novel.

Two years after Wyatt Clark (Summer of Two Wishes, Book #1) lost his wife Macy to first husband Finn, he's back at Cedar Springs, Texas, but he is not the same man. Wyatt has basically become a hermit whose days consist of working his ranch, living in an unkept house, and keeping company with his dog. The only ray of sunshine in Wyatt's life is his baby girl Gracie whom he sees on weekends as arranged with ex-wife Macy, now pregnant with Finn's child. So Wyatt is no longer a refined land developer, but a rough cowboy numb to the world around him, still traumatized by Macy's choice. A clueless Macy who "just wants to be his friend." (By the way, this woman got on my nerves, kind or not she needed to back off!) That slowly changes after Holly Fisher and her nine month old nephew Mason move to the old Fisher family homestead that borders Wyatt's ranch. So that's how it all begins for Wyatt, who starts by giving Holly tips on how to care for Mason and quickly becomes aware of her beauty and sparkling personality. He begins to thaw out after a scorching kiss takes them both by surprise during a play date with the babies.

But this story is written from three different perspectives: Wyatt's, Holly's, and her sister Hannah's. There's a reason for that. Holly's story really begins along with Hannah's and later becomes tangled with Wyatt's. As in One Season of Sunshine, Julia London really focuses on how family dysfunction and the resulting heavy baggage affects all kind of relationships (including romantic ones), and fills this novel with some seriously flawed characters.

Peggy Fisher dies after a long struggle with cancer and leaves the Fisher homestead to Holly in her Will. Holly's sister Hannah resents this turn of events, particularly since she took care of Peggy throughout the long-term illness while Holly, a struggling country music songwriter, worked in Austin and from her point of view didn't help often enough. But the resentments, distance and hostility between the sisters really began long ago. All of it fed and encouraged by their mother who early on placed unattainable high expectations on "smart, perfect" Hannah, and expected nothing from "lazy," Holly -- demeaning them both and simultaneously building bitter resentment all around.

"Smart, perfect" Hannah's life is not so perfect. An alcoholic addicted to prescription pills, she dumps her baby son Mason on Holly after hitting bottom and making the decision to go to rehab. But, she takes off without explaining to Holly where she's going or why. Holly is livid! The baby's father doesn't want to take responsibility either. So after losing her day job, Holly and Mason end up at the old Fisher homestead where she can write her songs and take care of the baby. Holly meets Wyatt and the two slowly begin to build a relationship that includes the babies, Mason & Gracie.

"Lazy" Holly has been going from job to job and man to man for most of her adult life. She's irresponsible and a perennial procrastinator with a list of personal insecurities a mile long. But the one thing she takes seriously in her life is her music. Forced to take care of Mason, and with Wyatt's help, Holly finds that she is capable of more than she thought, and not only falls in love with gorgeous Wyatt, but with baby Mason and the idea of a family that will include them all. When Hannah returns from rehab, Holly refuses to give the baby to Hannah -- the addict who abandoned her son. Wyatt in the meantime gets caught in the middle, and being loving, understanding and supportive of Holly doesn't seem to be enough for her.

And here is where the different perspectives come in handy, because we get all sides of this not-so-pretty story. For Wyatt, it's a matter of "here we go, my heart is going to be ripped out again," but he never stops being a fantastic character. Holly and Hannah, on the other hand, take turns being sympathetic and hateful characters -- neither is wholly likable in this novel. Neither seems to be capable of understanding or wanting to understand the other. I questioned more than once whether these sisters ever really cared for each other at all -- they were both that self-involved and unforgiving. In this instance, London's characterization is excellent. These are three-dimensional characters, no question about it. I'm just not sure readers will be able to connect with them without taking sides.

Wyatt and Holly's romance is sweet and you can tell that he falls in love with her, and she with him. But, and this is a big but, the reasoning behind their final conflict felt thin. It felt as if it was placed there just so that Hannah could make her big move, and the happy ending for Wyatt and Holly, although truly sweet and romantic, was rushed and the weakest part of this novel. I like Julia London's books, I do. She keeps me engaged and brings excellent issues to the table that she fully develops, -- in this case addiction, family dysfunction, and second chance at love -- her romances tend to stay on the realistic side of the scale, and her characters are not black and white. London doesn't tie up her endings in a pretty bow either, unfortunately in this case things were rushed to do so, and that didn't quite work for me.

Category: Contemporary Romance
Series: Cedar Springs
Publisher/Release Date: Pocket Books/February 2011
Grade: B-

Visit Julia London here.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Review: The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

"Better to build new bridges, he thought, than to pine after what's been washed away. He dipped his pen again and wrote with printed legibility across the bottom of the page, Edrehasiver VII Drazhar. Edrehasivar VI had had a long, peaceful, and prosperous reign some five hundred years ago.
Let it be an omen, Maia though […]" -- Page 38
The court intrigue in The Goblin Emperor is complex and detailed, but I was really captivated by the main character Maia. Kate Addison's goblin emperor, His Serenity Edrehasivar VII Drazhar, or Maia, is an honorable young man grossly unprepared for a position he was not educated to fulfill. Stuck in a position he never wanted, Maia is lonely and looking for a friend in a place where there are no friends to be found. Instead there are those who may or may not be loyal to the emperor, or who do not or cannot consider Maia as an individual.
"If he could simply have lain down and died of grief, he would have. His mother had been the world to him, and although she had done her best to prepare him, he had been too young to fully understand what death meant---until she was gone, and the great, raw, gaping hole in his heart could not be filled or patched or mended. He looked for her everywhere, even after he had been shown her body---looked and looked and she could not be found." Page 50
The fourth wife of Emperor Verechibel IV of the Elfs, the Empress Chenelo Drazharan, a Goblin princess and Maia's mother, was banished or relegated from the Utheileneise Court by the Emperor when the legal consummation of their marriage resulted in her pregnancy. The Empress Chenelo died when Maia was eight years old, leaving the fourth and youngest son of the emperor to be raised in solitude and neglect by the resentful and abusive Cousin Setheris.

Immediately after his father and three brothers die together on an airship crash, the unprepared and unschooled eighteen year old Maia becomes Emperor of Ethuveraz, ruler of the Elflands. His insecurities show when he arrives at court where he finds intrigue, enemies, and contempt from some, while others just curry favor. The entire novel takes place in Maia's world while he navigates the dangerous and tricky pathways of court politics, betrayals, assassination attempts, an arranged marriage, and in the process learns who he is and the type of ruler he wants to become.

Following the complex pathways of the court intrigue with Maia as he puzzles it all out, slowly growing from an indecisive, self-conscious youth gaining strength and determination to become a peaceful, compassionate ruler makes for some fantastic reading. But, The Goblin Emperor's ultimate success comes from Addison's characterization of Maia as the lonely, brokenhearted young man who needs a friend, the optimistic, hopeful Maia whose understanding of other individuals comes from the heart, his own experiences, and inner strength.

And here is where those all important secondary characters come into play. Addison surrounds her main character with villains, yes, but also with other secondary characters who throughout the novel showcase Maia's character growth. Most of the relationships he forges with them are not entirely positive, and some are downright hostile in the beginning or in their entirety, yet some of these secondary characters propel Maia forward, they make him analyze his situation and himself, discover his own beliefs and grow as a person and as an emperor. For example, Maia's complex relationship with Cousin Sethersis is key in his growth as emperor, yet their personal relationship never goes beyond hostility and heartbreak. Other key secondary characters are Maia's personal secretary Csevet Aisava, bodyguards Beshelar and Cala, as well as his two sisters, his young nephew and heir Idra, his goblin grandfather, and finally his fierce fiancée Ceredin.
"His memory of his father, the only time he had ever seen him, was of the Emperor Varenechibel IV, tall and distant, with glacial eyes and a face as white and cold as marble. He remembered the white robes stiff with embroidery, the moonstones on his father's hands, braided into his hair, hanging from his ears. He remembered the black bands, the only token of mourning the emperor had deigned to wear for his fourth wife, like smears of ink across the whiteness of his person. He remembered his father's bitter mouth, and his smooth silken voice: The damned whelp looks just like his mother. -- Page 21"
Addison adds interest and gives depth to the story by incorporating pertinent social issues to her fantasy without overwhelming the story with them. For example, she weaves in heteronormative bias toward homosexual relationships, as well as strong female characters who carefully navigate gender bias in a restrictive social and cultural environment. Additionally, class and religious differences are incorporated. However, it is racism that is often emphasized through Maia's narrative as Addison utilizes the differences in coloring between elves and goblins and the elves' reactions to goblins, beginning with grey skinned Maia and his mother, and extending to other characters as they appear throughout the story.

Writing style is also quite important in this fantasy. The story is narrated from Maia's first person point of view, however the most unique aspect of the story is that all of Addison's characters use the royal "we" to communicate, with the antiquated "thou" thrown in for good measure and "I" used only to make a very personal statement and to emphasizes some powerful moments in this novel. This style works quite well and the story flows without any of the clunkiness you might expect. If anything interrupts the flow at times, it is the way in which the elven names are used. There is a long cast of secondary and peripheral characters with names and extended family titles that after a while become confusing. There is a "List of Persons, Places, Things and Gods" at the back of the book, but again, referring to it can interrupt that all important reading flow.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Anderson (aka Sarah Monette) is a standalone fantasy with light magics, steampunk elements and a strong focus on court intrigue and characterization. This fantasy stands well on its own, with its story of vulnerable, sympathetic Maia and his idealistic views of a peaceful and prosperous future. I absolutely love that about this book! Having said that, I can see fans clamoring for more Maia, wanting to know more. However, for me, this beautiful, refreshing fantasy with its captivating main character is already a favorite. Highly recommended.

Category: Fantasy
Series: None
Publisher/Release Date: Tor Books/April 1, 2014
Grade: A-

Visit Katherine Addison here.

Monday, April 7, 2014

What have I read lately? Goblin Kings, Witches, Lords & Virtues

Happy Monday! How's everyone? I've had an unscheduled week off from blogging, but here I am again. I've been busy for the past couple of months and my reading and concentration are shot. There's a bit of "reader's block" going on and I'm having trouble choosing and/or finishing books at the moment, although I've finished a few.

What have I read? Last week I read Shadow Spell (Cousins O'Dwyer #2) by Nora Roberts which turned out to be a pretty average, predictable read for me, as opposed to The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison which was excellent! I will review this book soon, but people, this fantasy is a must read! Maia, Maia, Maia . . . While that was a great reading experience, we all know what happens after we finish an excellent book. Nothing satisfies. I ended up rereading What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long, a historical romance I loved, to see if maybe that would boost my interest in romance? In historical romance? But. . .

What am I reading now? Nothing. Instead I am anxiously awaiting for books due to release on April 8th!

How was my March reading? Well, not fantastic as you'll see below. It is pretty much a list of popular hyped up books of which a couple worked for me. My top reads of the month were Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and Murder of Crows, The Others Book #2 by Anne Bishop, but my FAVORITE was really my reread of Voyager by Diana Gabaldon. I still love that book!

I also ventured into some dystopian YA by reading Divergent by Veronica Roth. That was a really quick read that I found entertaining. I really liked dystopian Chicago as the setting, and the premise along with the young characters kept me interested until the end. I was particularly taken with the idea that a society would come to the conclusion that the best way to function would be to split into factions depending on "virtues" (mind you, only ONE virtue, as if humans would ever be able to eradicate the rest from themselves!)-- intelligence (Erudite), bravery (Dauntless), selflessness (Abnegation), honesty (Candor), and those who believe in peace (Amity). Of course the young protagonist, Beatrice or Tris is a Divergent, someone who possesses more than one virtue (imagine that) and therefore a danger to society as is. I wasn't quite sure what to make of a dystopian world-building where no real back story is given in the first novel of the trilogy about what happened to get society to that point. Who the heck came up with this brilliant idea? How or why did society end that way? I suppose the details are given later in the trilogy, and even though the story is kind of romantic/cute in an extremely violent sort of way, I'm not sure I'm interested enough to find out by reading the other books. I heard the movie was good. :)

Also, following my Gabaldon read and reread last week, I read Lord John and the Private Matter. Lord John Grey is an interesting character to me since he is the one gay character that Gabaldon portrays in sort of a positive light in her Outlander novels -- he is honorable and as straight forward as he can be given the times, laws, and dangers that a homosexual man faced during those times. This book is a sort of military mystery that Lord John solves with help from his brand new valet Tom Byrd and a few military comrades. There are details about Lavender House, an underground club where homosexual men gather, but there is also blackmail, murder, and dangerous liaisons. This is not as great a book as Gabaldon can write. The facts and details are there, but it is missing emotional impact. So this was a good, but not great read for me.
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Total books read: 7
 Contemporary: 2
 Historical Fiction/Romance: 3
 Urban Fantasy: 1
 Fantasy: 1



Top Reads of the Month:
Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon: B+
Murder of Crows: A Novel of the Others (Book #2) by Anne Bishop: B+
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: B-
Divergent by Veronica Roth: B-
Lord John and the Private Matter (Lord John Novel) by Diana Gabaldon: C

Re-read:
Voyager (Outlander #3) by Diana Gabaldon

Upcoming Review:
Satisfaction by Sarah Mayberry