The Librain……retired

I seem to have developed a pattern of reading two and a half books per week at the moment. Not bad, I suppose, when I am also reading random stuff on Twitter and other sites, writing this blog, and watching a lot of TV on my iPad. I seem to have become addicted to the Lie to Me series!

The Poppy War by R F Kuang

My first read of the week was The Poppy War by R F Kuang, #01 in the Poppy War trilogy. The blurb is pretty long:

When Rin aced the Keju, the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies, it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard, the most elite military school in Nikan, was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.

In the end, after much thought, I gave the book three stars and wrote this review on Goodreads:

I don’t really know how to rate this book or how to write a review. The first third was a pretty conventional fantasy story and was reasonably satisfying, although slow in parts. I was enjoying the flavour of Chinese/Japanese history, as I haven’t read anything like this before. Then the plot began an acceleration into the darkest, bloodiest and gloomiest fantasy with the main characters becoming, well I am struggling to find the words, so bleak and unpleasant that I struggled to finish the book!

At one point in the book I had intended to award it the full five points. That was when I thought it was going down a particular path. By the end, I was left gasping and wondering whether I even want to read the sequels. I can usually cope with grim themes, but this book was almost too much even for me. I will have to think about the sequels!

Once again, I recommend reading other reviews on Goodreads and similar sites as many people are raving about the book. I can see why, as it is an amazing debut by this writer, but I have huge reservations. Also, I would like to warn librarians working with teens to avoid suggesting this book to the younger end. The plot starts with our “heroine” taking the exams for and entering a military school. This makes the book appear to be Young Adult, but it is definitely not! There are scenes of horrific sexual violence that make the book unsuitable for young people, in my view.

The Child by Fiona Barton

After The Poppy War, it was a relief to turn to the second book this week – The Child by Fiona Barton, once again part of a series: #02 of Kate Waters. Here is the blurb:

When a paragraph in an evening newspaper reveals a decades-old tragedy, most readers barely give it a glance. But for three strangers it’s impossible to ignore.

For one woman, it’s a reminder of the worst thing that ever happened to her.

For another, it reveals the dangerous possibility that her darkest secret is about to be discovered.

And for the third, a journalist, it’s the first clue in a hunt to uncover the truth.

The Child’s story will be told.

This is my review:

This was an interesting book to read. I enjoyed the structure of using the points of view from the three main characters, with their stories weaving throughout the plot. This was very well done and there was enough difference between their “voices” to follow this easily. The plot twists were good, but I did guess the ending, even though it was billed as a huge surprise. I will definitely read other books by this author and recommend this one.

Night Music by John Connolly

Now that I have finished this post I will return to my current book: John Connolly’s Night Music (Nocturnes Volume 2). He is one of my favourite authors and I can’t wait to read the next book in his amazing Charlie Parker series!

Happy Reading to you all!

Best wishes,

📖📚📖📚📖

I have finished two books this week and am about half way through a third. Fantasy seems to be my main genre at the moment. I think that our local Library has been buying in quite a lot in this area and I always check the new books stand first! They have been getting some fantastic books in recent months.

Mageborn by Stephen Aryan

My first book was Mageborn by Stephen Aryan, #01 in his Age of Dread trilogy. This is the blurb:

It’s been ten years since the battlemage war, where thousands died as mages sundered the earth and split the sky.
Habreel believes eradicating magic is the only way to ensure a lasting peace. He will do anything to achieve his goal, even if it means murdering every child born with the ability.
As deaths involving magic increase and the seat of magical learning – the Red Tower – falls under suspicion, two students and one lawbringer must do everything they can to combat Habreel and his followers, before magic disappears from the world for good.

This was a pretty good read, but I quickly realised that I should have read his earlier trilogy, Age of Darkness, first as it is set in the same world with some of the same characters. When, however, I checked our library service’s online catalogue, I found out that they haven’t purchased this earlier series, which is rather annoying. Anyway, I have reserved the next book in the Age of Dread series and will ask if they will buy the earlier set as well. It makes sense, after all!

Here is my three star review:

As I began to read this book, it became clear pretty quickly that I should have read the first trilogy beforehand! The book keeps alluding to previous events that are clearly very important to the plot and characters of this second series. Yes, I did manage to work out what was happening, but I did find it rather irritating at first.

The characters are really interesting and intriguing, although the rapid switching between points of view meant that I found the story hard to follow at some points. The plot, however, was good and I look forward to reading book #02. Now, if I can just persuade the library to buy the Age of Darkness trilogy!

The First Order by Jeff Abbott

I had a change from Fantasy with my second book of the week. The First Order by Jeff Abbott, Sam Capra #05, is an exciting and gripping thriller, but once again it would have been a better experience if I had read previous books in the series first. Here is the blurb:

THE FIRST ORDER

Two brothers. One dead, executed by extremists on a grainy video. The other forged into a top undercover agent. But now, Sam Capra has reason to believe that his brother, Danny, may be alive. And if Danny has been living a secret life these past years, where has he been–and what has he become?

Sam’s desperate search for his brother leads him into a modern heart of darkness: the Russian elite inner circle, a group of ruthless ex-KGB billionaires who owe fealty to Russia’s corrupt president, Morozov. One of these men wants Morozov dead. And Danny will be the one to kill him–on American soil.

To save his brother–and to save the world from certain war–Sam, along with his mysterious partner, Mila, must stop Danny from killing Morozov. The mission will take Sam from the slums of Pakistan to the hipster galleries of Brooklyn to the Caribbean playgrounds of the superrich. And as Sam untangles the secret past locked in his brother’s heart, he may be forced to make a choice between his brother–and the greater good…

And this is my short review on Goodreads, for three stars:

I think this may be another instance where my enjoyment of this book would have been enhanced if I had already read previous instalments. Nevertheless, the characters were interesting and in some cases likeable (Sam) and the plot flowed well with plenty of excitement and twists. I will almost certainly try more by this author, if our local library has the books in stock, but I will choose books from earlier in the series first!

The Poppy War by R F Kuang

When I have finished writing this post, I will return to my latest book: The Poppy War by R F Kuang. I will enjoy telling you about this book next week as it is proving to be very different from my usual tastes.

Happy Reading to you all!

Best wishes,

📚📖📚📖📚