Hollow Kingdom is unique take on the zombie apocalypse from the perspective of the animals left behind. The cast of characters was fun and relatable, but they sometimes feels formulaic. I enjoyed the story, but it was predictable at moments and pacing of character development felt rushed in some places and glacially slow in others. Overall an enjoyable read and a worthy addition to any zombie aficionado.
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In yet another installment of extraordinary kids do extraordinary things but still have a fatal flaw because reasons, Jonathan Renshaw’s Dawn of Wonder creates a serviceable world and interesting characters that didn’t leave me disappointed, but also not excited to read the next installment.
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Recommendation: Must Read
The Stone Sky, the final book in the The Broken Earth trilogy is a satisfying conclusion to the series, but not a feel good one. The underlying feeling of despair and fatalism remains. While the ending was positive, it was still dark and bitter. All of the story threads are neatly wrapped up, this is far from a fairy tale ending. It has a feeling of, “We passed this hurdle, but the race isn’t over.”
5/5 Stars – Great character development, snarky dialog and epiphanies for both the reader and the character make The Obelisk Gate a sequel that exceeds the original and left me excited to read more.
5/5 Stars: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin is a wonderful, dark view of a world on the brink of collapse. She brings a unique perspective to the fantasy genre that you won’t find in any other author. While the book at the beginning is confusing and there are lots of pieces that you don’t necessarily understand, The Fifth Season tells a dark story of a desperate mother and desperate world on the brink of collapse–and it doesn’t pull any punches.
City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
City of Miracles is everything I’ve come to expect from Robert Jackson Bennett–dark, entertaining, moving and altogether human in a way that most fantasy writing never achieves. A must-read unique story in a genre often defined by dogmatic tropes. I can’t wait for Bennett’s next project.
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A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Good action scenes and some good character development can’t overcome the trope-like behavior of major characters, overdeveloped but never realized plot-device characters, and a long list of frustrating unresolved subplots.
The Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Blood Mirror continues the story of Kip and friends, but I felt like I was missing more of the story than I got, and it ended abruptly without a resolution to any of the story arcs.
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 Stars – Great world and great story, but rushed and a little bit stereotypical at times.
I decided to tackle this as a series instead of individual books. I had attempted to start Stormdancer 3 – 4 times since its publication date, and for one reason or another, it never stuck. This time, I picked it up for and vowed to power through whatever my block was, and I’m glad I did. On the other side, I found an amazing, unique world, a believable government, and somewhat stereotypical characters. Overall, it wasn’t the best story I’ve ever read, but it was fun, entertaining, and time well spent.
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