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The Inklings Digest 9
Currently Reading
Oh, man, it’s good to be back. I have a lot to catch everyone up on. First, I’m currently reading Heat of the Everflame (Look at me, continuing series for the first time in my life). There’s something about this so wonderfully readable. I’m also currently reading The Sign of the Slayer. By currently reading, I mean I have taken a look at the first page. Definitely planning on starting today, though.
Recent Reads
There’s a good amount to catch up on. I read Incidents Around the House by Josh Mallerman. It was really good, but I also don’t see it being as good as everyone else says. It didn’t give me the creep factor I heard was there, but I still had a really good time with it and the narrator is phenomenal. I moved into finished American Rapture while I was on the plane. This book is bleak and I loved it. We watch a girl as she tries to navigate this terrifying new world she’s found herself in, as well as her own faith. Her entire world has crumbled around her and it’s a devastating read. This does not have the same vibes that Maeve Fly has, but it’s just as good.
I also read This Delicious Death, which was okay, but not good. I don’t know what I was going into it expecting, but I got teen ghouls instead. The Nightward was a better read and so interesting with its intricate world building. Definitely would recommend. Paradise-1 was an amazing read and I, luckily, somehow have the ARC for the second, which I’m starting within the next day or two. We got so much in one book. It did feel occasionally long and sluggish, but those moments didn’t last because, holy shit, is this book action packed. We had zombies at one point, a cult obsessed with living in the dark, mommy issues. Truly, it had it all.
Sugar by Mia Ballard has a review on here and it was an interesting read. The first bit had me. It reminded me of Pearl with our delusional main character explaining her reasons for having committed murder. But it lost me in the second half. I don’t have much to say about the Pumpkin Spice Cafe either. It was fun and cute, exactly what I was looking for when I started reading it. How to Dungeon Master Parenting was wonderfully informative and interesting to read. There’s definitely some advice in there I’ll take into my own parenting style. I also read Happy Place by Emily Henry, who always knows how to get me. This wasn’t my favorite that she’s written, but I love all of her stories. The couples we follow were complex and dealing with engaging and, unfortunately, relatable mental health issues. Loved it. Then, I just ended the week with Home is Where The Bodies Are. Easily forgettable and not my thing. It is well written, but I guessed the ‘twist’ at the beginning of the book.
Week’s Plans
I have a few books to finish up. I’m getting back into the gym this week, but we’ll see how that goes as I think I’m coming down with a cold. It’s been rough getting back into my daily life coming back from Alaska. I fell in love with it there and definitely want to die there when I’m old. It’s beautiful and cold and everything I love. I had a blast being there. My husband (I finally get to call him my husband) and I found ourself looking up homes for sale while we were there. I’m trying to get myself settled back into the swing of things here. I’m in a big mood for the reading reading, so I just wanna get into that. I have no idea what I’m going to be picking up next, but I feeling great about it. I’ll see you guys next week! Thanks for tuning in.
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The Inklings Digest 8
Currently Reading
Funny enough, I have done little to no reading this week. I’m still reading Paradise 1 and American Rapture. I have moved on to the second book to spark of the Everflame called Glow of the Everflame. I have no plans for starting anything else until I finish what I currently have going on.
Recent Reads
We can keep this one short and sweet. I read and finished Spark of the Everflame and I did have a really good time with it. It was easy to consume and didn’t take me long at all to finish. Now, there were definitely times when I was reading and the characters got on my last nerve. Diem occasionally (often) feels like someone the story happens to rather someone actually moving the story forward. And I have no idea how old she is, but she definitely reads as 16 or 17. I’m assuming not since this is an adult book, but she was quite irritating. She’s been better in the second one so far.
This Week’s Plans
I’m getting married this week! That’s why I haven’t been reading a lot – or at all – but I should be able to finish at least 2 amidst all the last minute fixes. I’ll also be traveling for about 16 hours Sunday, so I anticipate getting some reading done then. There probably wont be a book review coming this week and I may skip next Monday’s post, as I will be in Alaska. But, I plan on being back the 21st, with a post all about how Alaska is. We’re incredibly excited. I have a few family members who used to live there and absolutely loved it. My partner and I had been debating moving there for a while, but decided we’d try it out first before making that ultimate decision.
Anyone whose ever said wedding planning is easy is a liar. I tried to make it as easy as possible and there’s still so much to do. My week is packed with making sure I have everything, completing school work (I’m still in college), and I did not take any days off work this week because I’m not the smartest person there is when it comes to time management. I have a tendency to pile it up until someone tells me I can’t possibly fit anything else into my week. It’s been exhausting, but worth it. I hope yall have a great two weeks. I’ll see yall on the 21st.
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Inklings Digest 7
Currently Reading
I’m currently reading Paradise 1 by David Wellington for my physical read. Holy shit, am I enjoying it right now. I’m reading Glow of the Everflame by Penn Cole and have gotten about 20% through. There’s so much about this series that I have so many negative things to say, yet it still has me in a chokehold. I’ve also read the first chapter of American Rapture my CJ Leede. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this one and I’m so excited because 1) I love religious trauma exploration and 2) I also had an ARC of Maeve Fly, which I really enjoyed.
Recent Reads
There were a lot of reads this week! I read Camp Slaughter by Sergio Gomez, which was gory and fun. I finished Knight’s Shadow by Sebastien De Castell, which did indeed make me cry a smidge. I then DNF’d both Heir and Fathomfolk about 50% through each. I have no idea what it was about those that I couldn’t get into, but it was rough. You Better Watch Out was a Christmas slasher I read as an ARC (to be published October 15th) and it was not good. It definitely felt like it would have been better as a movie, which I never say. But the characters were so flat. I just didn’t care. I guess it made sense, but I didn’t care. Luckily, it was immediately followed by Model Home by Rivers Solomon. Holy shit, this one was phenomenal. This is a haunted house story with a twist to it that absolutely broke my heart. I finished the week with Blood of the Old Kings, which was good, but I feel like I wasn’t in the right mood for it. My week had been so poor, that I don’t think much could’ve gotten me back into the right mood at that moment. I’m going to try it again before I finalize my thoughts. The last book of the week was Spark of the Everflame, which arguably wasn’t great, but I loved it. And I’ve been told it gets better and I do see that with the second so far.
Week’s Plans
I just want to finish my current reads. I’m really enjoying Paradise 1 so far and was lucky enough to receive the ARC for the sequel. I do want to make an effort for the rest of the year to continue/complete more series and my ARC’s. I’m getting married in a little less than 2 weeks, which is super cool. I made really cute bookmarks to hand out to wedding guests and I am in love with them. I also got my first Twisted Retreat box today, which was really cool. I loved all the items and the book design is unbelievable.
That’s been it for this week. Thanks for tuning in and I’ll see you next Monday!
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Falcio and the Greatcoats: A Journey of Heart and Magic
Information:
- Goodreads: Average of 4.24 out of 13,300 Ratings
- Age Category: Adult
- Genre: Fantasy
- Series: Greatcoats book 2
Summary:
Within the first book, we meet Falcio, Breast, and Kest, three Greatcoats that are trying to follow their late king’s last orders. Without knowing it, they’ve been hunting for King Paelis’ heir, a young girl named after Falcio’s Wife. Finding her doesn’t mean their task is done, though. Now they have to protect this girl from everyone who wants her dead (basically everyone) all while Kest is dealing with his new title, Falcio is paralyzed for longer and longer, and knights, assassins, and basically every other obstacle one could imagine stands in their way.
Review + possible Spoilers:
There is so much that I love about this series and Sebastien’s writing in general. He has a way of making me actually giggle and then completely and totally ripping my heart out. I laughed reading this and cried reading it. Castell somehow writes in a very lighthearted manner, but is still able to convey all the emotions.
I cannot explain in enough detail how much I love Falcio, Kest, and Brasti. Falcio is so singularly focused on following through with his King’s commands that he can’t tell just how many people follow him – not because of his King but because of who he is. It’s so interesting to see a main character who isn’t the fastest and strongest. Kest is a better swords man. Brasti has better eyesight. But Falcio is able to talk things out and think them through. It’s so fun seeing how they work as a team because they each know exactly what they’re able to offer. And I like getting to see that the king, despite Falcio’s Rose tinted view of him, was still just a man. He was not perfect. In fact, he was weak and occasionally conniving. He made calls that were for the better of the population but not the one going on the mission. Which is a great quality for a King to have, but not a quality of someone who is perfect and fair and just 24/7. What happened to Dalianna wasn’t fair. But it made sense strategically.
I will say, though, that I do not like the ‘romance.’ I do not like Ethalia. You want me to get behind the woman who raped this man in the first book? Yeah, he liked it later, but that doesn’t change how he still said no. Repeatedly. And, because it was what was ‘best’ for him, she ignored his rejection. I didn’t enjoy that scene and I don’t enjoy her character now. I’d much prefer him with Valiana instead, if there has to be a romance at all.
The world is so interesting. I would like to know more about the magic within the world, but Falcio hates magic, so we’ll only see bits and pieces. Its still interesting. I especially want to know more about Saints and Gods. What makes up the difference? I hope Kest is still able to be the Saint of Swords. I love that the power can’t seem to make up its mind now that he’s missing a hand.
I’m definitely curious to see what the rest of the series holds. The Greatcoats Lament was heartbreaking. Things seem to relatively (kind of, maybe) be settled as far as who the heir is. But now Valiana has a new role she is playing and numerous dynamics have changed. I loved it. It was fantastic. I cannot wait to read the second.
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The Inklings Digest 4
Currently Reading
I am still reading quite a few books. This, again, was not be my best reading week, but I do still feel like I read quite a bit. I finished four books. I’m now halfway through Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I’m also halfway through A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan. I’m roughly 30% into Knight’s Shadow by Sebastien de Castell – whose quickly becoming one of my all time favorite authors.
Recent Reads
I made an oopsie with A Darkness Returns. This book talks a lot about two other series Feist has written, so I found myself incredibly confused for a lot of it. I do definitely want to read these two series though, so at least I was introduced to something new.
I have also finished The Goblin Emporer and really enjoyed that as well. The writing is beautiful and reminds me of Robin Hobb, but somehow in a more cozy manner. Don’t get me wrong, Maia goes through a lot. There’s some murder and attempted murder. There’s loneliness and we get to see Maia trying to find his place in his new life. He’s got grief and confusion and so many people telling him what he should do. It was just so sweet following Maia as he learns how to be Emperor and all of the complications that come with that.
The Devil in Silver is fucking phenomenal. The true horror is the very real terror of being mistreated by supposed ‘treatment’ facilities while being held against your will. It was a gut wrenching read, but was so perfectly written. I was shocked to enjoy this as much as I did because I did not like Lone Women in the slightest. I found that one to be slow and irritating. This book made me cry. Twice. Anyway, review for this one to come soon.
Lastly, I read How to Feed a Hungry Werewolf. This one was not one of my favorites at all. It felt immature to be an adult read and I didn’t like a single character, which sucks when you’re reading a romance. Those kind of rely on you liking the characters.
This Weeks Plans
I’ve had a busy past few weeks and that is not changing this week. This past weekend was my Bachelorette party, where my bridal party and I solved two of those true crime cases that you can buy off Amazon. It was so much fun and also a huge part of why I didn’t read as much this past week. Honestly, finishing up wedding planning in general has gotten in the way of my reading habit. The wedding is October 12th, so we’ve been pretty busy. I’m not sure how my reading will be this week due to having to work extra hours at work – I’m a counselor for those struggling with substance use disorder and I’m also in school to become a therapist. On top of that, I have a surgery on Friday – so I’d honestly be happy if I could just finish the three books on my currently reading, but I do also need an audiobook to listen to while doing general household chores ( I find housekeeping basically impossible unless I have an audiobook for company). This is one of my first months that I haven’t set an actual TBR, so I’m just going with the flow of things. I’ll be honest, I’m a bit nervous about the surgery, but I do look forward to what reading I am able to get done this week.
As for reviews, you can expect at least 3 reviews this week. First, I will be posting a review for a book I wasn’t the biggest fan of, How to Feed a Hungry Werewolf. Then I will reviewing The Devil in Silver, because I absolutely have to talk about it. And, hopefully, I will either have a review ready for Alien Clay or A Tide of Black Steel. Is there one in particular you’re most excited for? Can’t wait to find out.
Thanks for tuning in! I’ll see y’all next week.
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The Inklings Digest #2
Currently Reading
I’m currently reading a couple books. I’m about 5 chapters into the Goblin Emperor (Really enjoying it), halfway through The Lake House Children, 4 chapters into Alien Clay, and about 1-2 chapters into A Darkness Returns. I do tend to prefer to keep multiple going at once, as I feel it helps keep up my reading habit, as I have multiple options depending on what mood I’m in.
Recent Reads
The Hunted Heir by Holly Renee was published on the 20th. I read and devoured that in a few hours, so I’m now back to just waiting for the next release. Really, really liked it, but did struggle a little with the characters feeling a little different. They also make silly decisions, but I don’t go into these books expecting the most sound decision making. I got about 20% into Evocations by ST Gibson before I just decided to DNF it. Here’s the thing: I am okay with reading poly relationships, but they aren’t my go-to. I have to thoroughly like and enjoy every single person in the relationship and that just wasn’t in this one for me. Very much preferred her A Dowry of Blood. Yes, it’s a more toxic view of this dynamic, but I loved or had high interest in each character. I feel as if Evocations is character driven, so that aspect of not liking any of them really put a damper on that reading experience.
I then finished The Claw and The Crowned by Sarah M. Credit. Apparently I was in a Fanro mood. Really enjoyed Claw and the Crowned. There was the same issue of characters making silly decisions, but, again, smart people aren’t the reason I come to these books. I did have a good time with this one. Our main character is seen as nothing more than a body and she really struggles with that. It ends in her being pregnant and having a child and that’s where it kind of lost me. I have a very specific pet peeve with books that have the characters have children, but only at the end of the book. Typically, when I see this trope used, there’s still so much for the author to wrap up and show us, that the baby then kind of goes to the background, constantly being taken care of by a friend or family member. And I do get the sense of a family and being surrounded by loved ones, but I just don’t like it because we only see the baby in background with someone else. We don’t see the parents actually interacting with the child, bonding with it, or really spending any time with it at all. They don’t appear to be changed in a way that feels realistic for me. I do understand that I am asking for too much, there would have to be a whole other book of the parents and family just being parents and family. But I feel like these endings are supposed to feel like ‘Auntie helps take care of the baby’ but it typically feels more like ‘Auntie is raising the baby in place of the parents’ instead for me. I just don’t like it.
I also finished Better Than Fiction by Alexa Martin – it was super cute but not really something that’s going to stick in my head. I read Wrestling with Werewolves by Hazel Mack and, let me tell you, this cozy little monster romance series is so fun and such a fucking blast. But this installment was not my favorite. And I ended the week with Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh . It was good, I was interested, but paranormal romance isn’t my favorite and I did not realize that the series was more episodic and following a different couple every book. That isn’t usually my favorite, I like to see growth that’s really difficult to see within one 300 page book. But I do definitely see myself reading the series whenever I need a pallet cleanse.
Week’s Plans
The goal is to finish my current reads. I do think I’ll be able to finish two by tomorrow evening. I would also like to get to at least 2 other books. I really want to read Near the Bone by Christina Henry and something else, I’m not sure yet.
As for book reviews, I plan on reviewing Alien Clay, The Lake House Children, A Darkness Returns, and possibly the Goblin Emperor. I am still working towards opening a bookstore. The building I found has already been leased to someone else, unfortunately, but that’s okay. I’ve been learning the differences between LLC and Sole Proprietorship and different ins and outs of running my own business. It’s been a lot of information to take in while still being in school for becoming a therapist and actively running a substance use treatment group. It does feel like I’m trying to do too much in one go, but I am also having a lot of fun with it.
Thank you for spending time with me and I look forward to yapping with you next week.
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Nightstrider – Sophia Slade
Information
- Goodreads: 4.28 out of 463 Ratings
- Age Category: Adult
- Genre: Fantasy
- Series: Nightstrider, book 1
Summary
Para Warwick, a night terror, dreams up nightmares to serve him in the Reverie. His right hand man, Nightstrider, decides she’d rather have revenge. Throughout this story, we follow Wren (Nightstrider), Ila, Caine, and Alaric. Ila is a queen forced to marry Caine, who happens to be Warwick’s mortal son in the Wake. Ila is also a weaver – someone who can cross the boundary at will and is solely focused on protecting each world and a specific little girl who has the power to stand against Warwick himself. Ila finds herself working with Caine, Wren finds herself working with Alaric, and the two pairs find themselves all working towards the same goal. This is an interesting world with interesting magic that I hadn’t quite seen before.
Review
I thought this was going to be a fantasy romance – and there does seem to be two couples beginning that process – but the ‘romance’ is not the main focus. And I loved and appreciated that. Instead, we focus on each of these characters, the world we’re in, and the job we’re trying to do: save a little girl who’s trapped in a box.
The character work is so interesting and fun. Caine, Warwick’s oblivious son, is paired with Queen Ila, a weaver who is desperately working against his father. We get to see Caine come to realize what kind of person his father actually is and we get to see Ila realize that not everyone is as bad as she thought they would be. Each of them faces their bias’ at the hands of the other. Caine is a sweet cinnamon roll though.
Wren (Nightstrider) is paired with Alaric. Wren is Warwick’s right hand man seeking revenge while Alaric used to be his right hand and rebelled. He’s been assumed dead. Wren is grieving someone who was taken from her and so is Alaric – you can definitely figure out the twist that this becomes, but I don’t think that made it less impactful. I genuinely teared up. Alaric fights for the rebellion, but they still see him as just a nightmare. He finds someone like him in wren and wants to give her a chance at a better life, but she just wants to die. This is my favorite pairing, obviously.
That being said, there were a few times when the characters made such dumb decisions that I was so confused because it did not align with their reputation. For example, Alaric is a big baddy, okay? You can’t become the Para’s right hand man without being badass. Now riddle me this: how did this badass get so flustered watching Wren fight that he lost the one thing he was told to protect at all costs? There were a few times like that where I felt pulled out of the story because it just didn’t make sense.
I love this world. It’s new and interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything dealing with night terrors or nightmares in this way before. And throughout the story, it leads to people questioning what exactly makes a person. Just because Wren and Alaric are nightmares, does that make them less than Ila? Kips, which are dream beings who aren’t Luminae (hero’s of a dream) or nightmares, are often viewed as expendable because they don’t have anything ‘special’ to them. There’s also play around who is specifically bad or good. A lot of people have a hard time seeing the grey area – Luminae, Dream Breakers, and Weavers can all be bad people despite often being pegged as the hero’s. Just like Nightmares can be good, despite constantly being pegged as bad. That being said, some of the nightmares are so creepy and unsettling. I loved it.
The mission to save this child was interesting and fun to read. It almost made me think of playing hot potato. Hear me out. This child is literally in a box. And this box gets passed from hand to hand as each side desperately tries to snatch it. We grow to see that there’s an even bigger plot going on and our main four are in the center of this. But then we get to the end and the ending makes it all feel almost useless. We spend the whole book with one single goal – and fail. Horribly.
I am definitely curious to see the next box. I’ll admit, I’m already desperate for it. Despite not quite liking how it ended, I still have to admit that I utterly fell in love with each and every character and the world and do really want to know what happens from here.
I’d love to know your thoughts if you’ve read the book!
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The Midnight Library – An Exploration of Life Choices, Regrets, and learning to want to live.
Information:
- Goodreads: 4.00 out of 1,855,934 Ratings
- Age Category: Adult
- Genre: Contemporary
- Series: None
Summary:
Nora’s life sucks. She’s backed out of everything that had the potential of benefiting her life, her brother doesn’t talk to her anymore, and her cat just died. So, she decides to kill herself. Ups doing that, Nora find herself greeted by a familiar figure and is given the option to see how her life could have been different had any choice been made differently. This is a book about a depressed woman exploring ways that she has or could have found new love in living.
Review:
“Between life and death, there is a library…and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you made other choices. Would you have done anything different if you had the chance to undo your regrets?“
The book begins with a countdown to Nora’s death. Her life is in shambles. She goes throughout her day in a melancholic way, feeling as if there is nothing worth living for. She got scared of her band and their potential, so she quit. Now her brother, the only one she had left, isn’t speaking to her. His best friend says she’s got a fear of life, and that hits. Her cat died earlier that morning and she was told by a lovely guy who had once asked her out for coffee. Their interaction was awkward and stilted. Nora also ended her engagement to her long-term boyfriend, Dave. And, ya know what? She just doesn’t know if it’s worth it anymore. So she ends it.
“Dear Whoever, I had all the chances to make something of my life, and I blew every one of them. Through my own carelessness and misfortune, the world has retreated from me, and so now it makes perfect sense that I should retreat from the world. If I felt it was possible to stay, I would. But I don’t. And so I can’t. I make life worse for people. I have nothing to give. I’m sorry. Be kind to each other. Bye, Nora”
Nora finds herself in a library, confronted by her old librarian. And she’s told about the midnight library. Obviously, there’s still a piece of her interested in living a bit, or she wouldn’t have ended up in the library. So we get to see her try on different lives she could have lead. She sees that her marriage would have been unhappy if she had went through with the wedding, her best firmed would’ve died if she had actually given up everything and moved to Australia with her, her brother would have overdosed if she had continued on with the band. But she also could’ve been an Olympic swimmer. She could’ve been in Antartica on an adventure, determining why the ice was melting so quickly and attempting to find a solution. She could have married Ash, the guy who asked her out for coffee. They could’ve had a beautiful little girl.
‘While the Midnight Library stands, Nora, you will be preserved from death. Now, you have to decide how you want to live.’
Throughout the book, we watch Nora find different reasons to live and different reasons not too. Why live if she’s going to be on antidepressants in every single life? But isn’t the love and adventure worth it? The writing is straightforward, to the point. It isn’t flowery, but I feel as if that’s what helped make it more impactful. This book isn’t saying much that I don’t already know, but it was impactful and poignant nonetheless. Nora is valid in her frustrations. We are all valid in our frustrations with life and our depression and our suicidal ideation. Yes, unfortunately, suicide does occasionally seem like the best or easiest answer.
By watching Nora work through this, the reader gets to work through it as well. What’s the sort of life you’d love the most? What would it take to want to live again? There are some characters who don’t. They’d rather continue hopping from one existence to another, never having to settle for one life and never having to cope with their regrets. Nora finds a life she loves, though. The one in which she went on that coffee date with Ash and fell in love, got married, and had a child. She loves it so much that she’s angry when she gets ripped from that life and back to the library. Yet, it’s because of her unhappiness and imposter syndrome that she was taken away. It was her life, yes, but she felt like an imposter. She jumped into the middle of her life, without seeing how she built the connections she did.
I think it’s easy to see that I loved this book. Nora is a great main character. She had so much potential but was so afraid of everything. I feel as if many people could relate to her story in one way or another. We all wonder how our lives would be different if one thing changed; or, at least, I know that I do. This book was a fun way of looking into that. It’s comfortingly written. Reading this made me feel as if I were sitting on my couch, snuggled in a blanket with a book and a warm cup of coffee, while listening to a thunderstorm. Matthew Haig deals with heavy topics in a cozy way. He doesn’t always add something new to the conversation. The “Just find a reason to live” is something I’ve been told often throughout my own mental health journey. What Haig has done that’s so wonderful is he’s actually given me examples of what that would look like. And he has shown that, no matter if our choices were ‘better’ or not, mental health isn’t something that can simply go away because of specific choices. It’s there. It’ll likely always be there, just like Nora and her depression. But we can learn how to cope with it. We can learn to not just live with it, but thrive with it.
Let me know what you thought of the book in the comments and thank you for turning in!
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Rogue Sequence – Zac Topping
Information
- Goodreads: 4.19 out of 16 Ratings
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Series: Not Listed, but the ending leaves room for one
- Age Category: Adult
Summary
This is what I like to call ‘dad fiction.’ Think of Avengers, Orphan X, that kind of stuff. I love it – even though I’m not a dad. Ander Rade was offered the opportunity of a lifetime = to be turned into a genetically modified super soldier. After the shitty life full of misery and pain he’d had, he didn’t even hesitate to say yes, to finally have a bit of power for himself. And things were going great, until that one mission that just didn’t sit quite right in his tummy. Coincidentally, that same mission lead to his imprisonment and forced him into the brutal fighting pits. And after years of being in the fighting pits, things have naturally changed in the world that he was unaware of, including one of his old teammates and issues with his modifications. It doesn’t help that who he is, a mod, is now illegal. Rade is presented with another option: help on this mission to get out of the pits. Kind of hard to say no. Full of action, spies, modified super soldiers going at each other. It’s a blast. It’s dad fiction at its finest.
Review
Reading this felt like watching a super cool spy movie. It’s more no-thoughts-head-empty-only-action — and I am okay with that. I had a fun time. It’s not overly emotional or thought provoking. This isn’t that kind of book and that’s not what it’s going for. We’re following Ander Rade as he hunts down an old friend and deals with the complexities of not knowing whose side he is fully on because every corporation is corrupt and every person is grey with multiple agendas.
We’re mostly following Ander and Moreno, but there are a few side characters who are just as interesting, even though they are (admittedly) less explored by the author. I like Moreno, who seems like the only person in this world who actually has and hold to her morals. Rade is still learning what his morals are after spending years killing in the fighting pits and even more years killing anything that his boss told him to without thinking it through. Watching his deconstruction of everything he’s ever believed as he’s hunting down a man who left him for dead is so interesting and a good read. That being said, we don’t really know either of these characters in full depth. I’m sure we’ll get to learn more in the next book – and there has to be a next one with how things were left off.
The world in this book is fascinating. It’s our world, but in the future where people have been genetically modified to become super-soldiers – but then the world decided these people were too dangerous and unfair. The governments decided they actually didn’t want super soldiers on either side. Now, each soldier is hunted down and also unable to fix their declining mods. They’re dying a slow death with no one to help them through it. Moreno is on a special team that uses cool suits specifically to hunt down these soldiers and still be able to hold their ground. It’s cool. There weren’t many moments when reading this that I felt pulled out of the world – I was invested and I was in.
The plot within the book is exactly what I was looking for. Rade is hunting someone down and learning about corruption all along the way and makes exactly one friend while doing so (Moreno). If you want a book that feels like Orphan X, Burn Notice, or anything else that I would classify as action-packed dad fiction, this is exactly the book for you. Don’t expect more from it, though. This is not the book that delves into the human existence or thoroughly explores heavy themes, so you’ll be disappointed if you expect those. The writing for this book is great. It pulls the reader in and makes the reading fun. It’s fast paced and fits in with what the book is – meaning it isn’t overly flowery. The writing is just as quick and cutthroat as the story is, which made it even more of a fun read. It felt like the writing, plot, characters, and everything else easily flowed into what the story was; nothing felt as if it were clashing or out of place.
Overall, this was such a fun read and one of my newest favorite dad fiction books. I’m hoping that there will be more within this, just like Orphan X. I think this will be a super fun and engaging series to read anytime you need a break or need to see some cool action scenes. A ton of fun, and who doesn’t love some good dad fiction every now and then? What are some of your favorite dad fiction reads? Please let me know, I’m always looking for more!
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The Sword Unbound
Information
- Ratings: 4.19 out of 36 ratings
- Genre: High Fantasy
- Age Range: Adult
- Series: Lands of the Firstborn
Summary
Alf and his friends saved the world from the dark lord 25 years ago. That means all the bad things are done and over with, right? Not exactly. As seen in the last book, there have been invisible hands pulling strings that are working directly against our crew. Those hands helped build up the 9 twenty-five years ago, now it seeks to bring them down. We follow Alf, Olva, and Bor as they go through this world and fight against these invisible strings pulling them – some more so than others. Not only are they dealing with that, each has also been elevated to a new status: Olva is Queen and mother to the uncrowned king, whose going, whose going through some strange things of his own as his is not the only soul held within his body. Af is once again The Lammergeier, a title he has never held comfortably. He still has Spellbreaker and is bidden to protect his family and Necrad with it. Bor is just going with the motions, which has led to him facing how he has been pulled in numerous ways by invisible hands. Poor guy is struggling with his actions within the last book, but doing nothing to actually change as a better person.
Review
Alf is consistent in his desperate need for having his friends a ll get along. The man doesn’t want to fight, he just wants everyone to talk and get along. This can get really annoying. He has tried so many times to just have everyone talk everything out and consistently fails in that endeavor. It is always going to shit for his and he is simply never learning his lesson. Still, I kind of love it to be honest. He’s just so simple in his need to just be with all of his friends and have everyone get along that, even though it gets annoying and can feel lot like he’s just going in circles, there’s also something so sweet about this big dummy trying his best. Alf is still struggling with his reputation as the Lammergeier – it’s interesting to see how much he hates the title is also protective of the reputation he’s built. He doesn’t want it but he doesn’t want it being ridiculed and torn down either. Olva is also interesting in this book, maybe a little more so with how she comes to terms with her role as the ruling Queen of Necrad. No one else is taking care of business, so she may as well, right? Each character goes through a journey of figuring out who they are and what they are willing to do for their side. Yes, let’s use the evil creatures of Necrad – it doesn’t make us evil, we’er just using what we have for the greater good. Are you still good though? It was also really interesting to see how each person handled learning that their religion is what what they initially thought it was. Some refuse to believe it, some begin to actively fight against it, and some continue within their faith because they feel that they still need and love their faith even if it isn’t completely true. I absolutely love the world within this series. It feels classic and fun, but adds in new flavors here and there. It’s so fun and interesting with a pretty soft magic system – I’m sure the magic has rules, but those are only known to Blaise. There are so many cool. creatures such as vampires, elves, dread worms, wizards, wraiths, and more. Each of these creatures have incredibly interesting origins, though, with the Elves being at the root of it all. I think the miasma was interesting and continued to add more of that classic fantasy feeling for some reason. It was just wonderful. Unfortunately, the pacing and plot twists felt too predictable for me and I don’t know if how they were handled by our main characters really made up for it. It was pretty easy to see that the Dark Lord tagged along with Pier into Alf’s nephew – who was honestly so flat and boring that I’ve genuinely forgotten his name. Bor ending up with Spellbreaker was surprising and interesting to see and I wish Alf hand’t left the sword b behind, but I get it. It’s what his character has been leading up to. He is allowed to rest now. I kind of love that he ended up back at home with his sister and just living his simple life. His arc was interesting, I just wanted it to be different, honestly. I wanted the Lammergeier and I got the man behind the name struggling with his role and his title. It was still great to read, though. This was overall a super fun and interesting book Even with the issues I had, I still found it so engaging and quick to read. I definitely want to do back and read more from the author.
Thanks for tuning in and absolutely let me know of any book recommendations you have! And let me know what you thought of the book as well.
