JLeighBralick

Lovely, as always...might try to write up a review later, but suffice to say that Ms. McAllister has woven yet another delightful tale about the Mistmantle characters we love so much. Beautiful and heartfelt storytelling at its finest.

4.5 stars.

This has to be one of my favorite John Flanagan books to date. I love the ocean and sailing and everything that goes with it, so that right off was a huge draw for me. Plus I love the Skandians from the RA books, and it was fun to see the return of some familiar characters. Some of the things that I found mildly annoying about the writing in the RA books are much less noticeable in this book, and some of them are gone altogether. There's still a little bit of head-hopping, and the occasional repetition of information or over-explanation of emotions/thoughts/etc. But as I said, much less than in his earlier writings.

But this book is so much more than just a fun sailing novel in a great setting. Where this book really shines, I think, is in its study of leadership, maturity, and heroism. This isn't just an underdog story about the kids who have everything going against them fighting to win, although that's the shell of the plot. Hal is a true leader...but he doesn't start out there. He has failings, doubts, and weaknesses, and he has to grow into his role as a leader. He and his friends make dreadful mistakes and have to accept responsibility and face the consequences. All the outcasts have their failings, and throughout the story they come to realize how damaging their actions can be to their friends, as a team. They have to learn to look inside themselves, to discover their strengths and their worth, and use these things not to glorify themselves (like the despicable Tursgud) but to better themselves and their friends.

One of my favorite parts of this story was Thorn's character. He has to walk this path of discovery all over again for himself, just as his young friend Hal does. The history of his friendship with Oberjarl Erak is heart-wrenching and beautifully insightful into the hearts of both these men...into the meaning of sacrifice and valor and trust. One thing I didn't particularly care for was the token romance. There's a brief mention of some possible romantic interest very early in the book, and then...Nothing happens with Lotte until the very end, when she kisses him out of the blue! I mean, what?? Did we even need her in the story???

I loved that the Brotherband training wasn't smooth sailing (uhh...no pun intended) for the outcasts. Neither were their obstacles simply token problems to keep them from rising easily to victory. All of their struggles resulted from the weaknesses or flaws of the individuals, and each failure brought them closer to wholeness. And the ending. Oh my. Heartbreaking and exhilarating...and so frustrating! I mean, it wasn't frustrating in how Flanagan handled the ending, the way sometimes endings are all wrong. No, by no means. It was a brilliant ending. But just the events that happen right at the end had me in this downward spiral of anguish as I could just feel what was coming and I knew I couldn't stop it....Aghh. I can't wait for the next book. Well done, Mr. Flanagan.

I'll try to write a longer review later...but suffice to say, Sanderson proves himself once again to be a true master of storytelling. I loved seeing how those beloved characters continued to develop and grow, and of course, the plot twists and turns were stunning as ever. As soon as I finished it I was running to my bookshelf to grab The Hero of Ages. After having to set the book aside to tackle some projects of my own, I picked it up yesterday and read straight through. Phenomenal. Can't wait to see how he concludes Vin and Elend's story in THoA.

I'm not often a fan of angel stories...at least not the sort that have been coming out lately. Too often they're over-the-top cliche and predictable and...squishy. O.o But this one caught my attention, and after reading (and loving) the sample on Amazon, I decided to go ahead and get it.

Initial Thoughts

1. A present tense POV that I don't completely hate from sentence 1? That's a first. Maybe that's why I decided to give the book a chance. I don't know how she did it, but Susan Ee actually makes this work. Maybe it's because she follows the rules of the game she chose to play. She doesn't fill us in with lots of background detail when it has nothing to do with what's happening at the moment. She waits till something comes up in the plot, and then the narrator gives us an appropriate and appropriately brief bit of backstory. And for once I actually buy it.

2. A YA paranormal story with a female protagonist whose name is NOT something like "Heaven" or "Sky" or "Ever" or "Eternity" or "America" or something equally "symbolic" or something? Win.

3. This chick kicks butt. And no insta-love. Win. Win. This makes a happy J. Leigh.

4. I'm still not sure about the whole angel thing. But I'm thinking I'm going to pretend it's no different than him being a centaur or a faun or something mythical like that, and let Ee create her mythical being as she chooses.

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Update

Okay. I just finished this book. It reads fast...and it was obviously pretty addictive, since I picked it up this afternoon and finished it tonight.

Still, I have some fairly mixed feelings about this one.

First. There were some aspects of the world-building and conflict that I had trouble accepting. For instance, Raffe says early on that if you want to kill an angel, you have to use an angel sword...but apparently the only reason is because the wounds take longer to heal? In the end it doesn't seem to make much difference since there seem to be a lot of angels lying around killed by gunfire after the attack on the aerie. Also. If the war is still going on, why the heck are the angels having parties 24/7? They decide suddenly to attack earth (presumably because God tells them to) so they destroy almost everything...but not really everything...all in one fell swoop, and then they for some reason start second-guessing themselves and for the next six weeks they sit around and bicker with each other? Which...happens in the midst of this 24/7 lounge party? And after only six weeks they're consorting with humans (and conversely, the humans are consorting with them)? Are we to believe that they destroyed every single bomb and missile in the world, and have the luxury of lounging around for a while? Except that the resistance seems to have gotten its hands on some pretty powerful explosives...somehow?? Enough to take down a skyscraper?

Second. So...I guess I'm getting that angels are exactly like mortal humans except they can heal (sometimes) and fly (with varying proficiency) and are lighter and stronger and longer-lived than we are. Not to mention that they seem to have really plebeian tastes...speaking angelically, of course...and unsophisticated senses of humor. Not that I was expecting thee's and thou's or anything, but some of the angelic dialogue just felt really juvenile. You'd think that beings that have existed for thousands of years would...I don't know...act a little less human? I mean, they eat steak and take showers and watch TV and bleed blood. Plus they all talked like high-schoolers, or college students at best, except on the rare occasion. And really? Agnostic angels? To me that was just one more notch in the whole "they're basically flying people" feel I got.

Third. I really enjoyed the dialogue and the banter between Raffe and Penryn....except when I remembered that this was a post-apocalytpic world populated with murdering angels and flesh-eating monsters, and that Raffe is, as previously mentioned, a God-knows-how-old angel and the archangel Raphael at that. I guess this is where my dissatisfaction with angel stories comes in. If Raffe had been a human? Ooh, would I ever be a fan. He's just the right amount of teasing and gentle and tormented, kick-butt and fiery and flawed.....for a human.

Fourth. I'm not a squeamish person. Things don't gross me out much at all. I had a "Huh" moment at the end of the book...but mostly owing to the twist, and not so much because of the description. I can see how some people might be a bit grossed out by some of the descriptions, but, that's kind of a matter of taste. I kind of appreciated that Ee lets her characters actually suffer real, debilitating pain, and that she apparently knows her stuff in how she portrays the fight scenes and the injuries. Props to her for that.

Fifth. For the most part, I really liked how she handled the relationship between Raffe and Penryn. Except in rare instances, I really despise insta-love scenarios. This felt much more believable. HOWEVER. I have to say I'm dreading how it will progress from here, because Ee has basically set up a scenario where Raffe would have to betray everything he's stood for, and become what he has always despised, to continue down that path. And if he does, I will end up despising him. But I would despise the story if it can't work out.

Sixth. If his sword was that smart, she should have known Raffe had received his demon wings against his will. Really. Or, if she really did get fooled by the wings enough to turn against him, then she should have guided Penryn's hands to attack the being with the bat wings rather than the one with the angel wings.

Seventh. (Phew!) Sometimes the plot felt a little squishy. Not terribly so, but just enough to make me wonder if dangerous events and obstacles were being strewn about simply to add tension, or if they were really necessary for the action of the story. For all that, it was a light, fluffy, enjoyable read (if you can call post-apocalyptic piranha monsters and mass-murdering angels light and fluffy). Some editing errors and some repeat phrases, but all in all a well-written book on a technical level. And it was fun.

I definitely give props to Ee for marketing her book so successfully.

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. I was a little skeptical about having "finished" the series and then going back and getting some little vignettes like this...I was afraid it would be kind of anti-climactic. In a small way it was, as all such things inevitably are, but all in all, I found the stories delightful and entertaining as always.

At points I wondered if the stories were meant to be read all at once, because Flanagan tended to be a bit more repetitive in his explanations of things than usual — and I have to say that's one of the things that has always bothered me a bit about these books. Granted, for the intended audience, maybe the explanations are understandable (especially going from book to book), but here it felt a little excessive. For instance, I think that in nearly every story we are told that people hold the Rangers in awe and are rather daunted by their presence, or that Rangers and their horses have a special bond. I guess it was just felt a little awkward when I'd read the same explanations just a few pages before.

One of the final stories really tore my heart...had me crying like a baby. I was afraid that the book would end on that note, but luckily we get a sweet lift in the last story. And as for that ending...yes. Kind of bittersweet, in a way, because it does seem to close the book on this set of stories, but it definitely had me smiling.

I think my favorite tale had to be "The Hibernian." Now that is a series I would love to see Flanagan write. Especially if he branched out and wrote it for a somewhat older audience. Oh, if he did that, I would be in heaven.

Probably a 3.5 on this one. Maybe 3.75. ;-) I don't really feel I should judge it against the rest of the series, because it's not a full-length novel, but still...3.5 should be about right.

My nephews gave me this book to read, as they often do when they find something they really enjoy. I haven't read many good books set in ancient Egypt, so I was eager to see how well this one was written.

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing and uniquely voiced -- I thought the author did a lovely job of creating a sense of the very different culture explored in her story. The dialogue was appropriately...foreign, but still understandable for young readers, and I enjoyed the wealth of information she provides about Egyptian culture and things like goldsmithing. I truly felt like I could feel ancient Thebes as I was reading, both its charms and its horrors.

I did have a few qualms with the book. The most basic is that most of the novel is written in narration, deep in Ranofer's perspective...which some young readers might find overwhelming. (Not my nephews, but they're just sophisticated like that.;) We get some brief passages of fun dialogue, but they certainly don't make up the bulk of the story.

It also started rather slowly, building up our sense of Ranofer's terrible predicament gradually over several chapters before really launching into the "action" -- although, I think the story seems to be more about Ranofer's growth as a character than about chasing thieves, and so ultimately I don't really find the beginning inappropriate, let alone unskillful.

At any rate, for perhaps the first third of the book I was quite frustrated with Ranofer. I really wanted him to do something daring or brave, or even just curious. But then I really got a sense of why McGraw did what she did, in showing how this timid, weak child grew and matured into someone who could bravely take the risks he needed to in order to change his life and stand up for justice. I think that is an incredibly important message for young readers. Sometimes courage isn't about not feeling any fear at all, it's about being willing to step past that fear and do what it is necessary anyway.

The other (minor) quibble I have is how abruptly McGraw introduced an alternate viewpoint very late in the book, after staying strictly in Ranofer's POV for the majority of the book. I wouldn't have minded so much if she had done so occasionally earlier in the story, but just adding another POV at the end felt a little contrived. That's a writerly complaint though, and I don't really think it detracted from the story very much at all.

On the whole, I thought this was a lovely story of courage and growth, and would definitely recommend it for young readers and those still young at heart.

I may be strange for saying this, but I'm actually one of those people who liked the Neverending Story movie. (The first one, that is.) When I was little I seriously had a crush on Atreyu and wanted to be the Childlike Empress. I didn't discover the book until much later on. It's been a while since I've read it, but I remember being in absolute awe as I followed the adventures of Atreyu (a very green Atreyu) and Bastian.

There was so much life, so much vibrancy in that book. It painted a whole world unlike anything I'd ever imagined. Sometimes books draw you into new worlds and they're amazing and beautiful, but at the same time almost mundane. You've imagined something like it yourself already, or seen a variation on the theme in a hundred other books. But sometimes you get a world that is so spectacularly new that it just makes you sit back and wonder how anyone could possibly have imagined it up. Hiyao Miyazaki's creations are like that for me....and so is this book.

This book seriously deserves more recognition than I think it gets.

There were so many things that I loved about this novel. While I've never been a fan of really hard sci-fi fiction, some of my favorite movies and TV shows are sci-fi (for instance, the new Star Trek movie, Firefly, Serenity, the Sarah Connor Chronicles). I've just never been able to find a book that seemed to fit my very picky tastes. The qualities I love most about those movies and shows I just mentioned are the great characters, the witty dialogue, and -- for Firefly and Serenity -- the intriguing universe it showed us.

Then I read Silesia. A-mazing. Finally a book that gave me everything I wanted. I absolutely love the characters...from Sahara, who is more wounded on the inside than the outside when we meet her, to Jared, who I have a secret crush on (don't tell anyone)...to Rafe and Brytnoth. Each one of the characters is unique. Each is compelling and sympathetic, and I loved their relationships and listening in on their conversations. I always found myself wanting to know more about them. And the beautiful thing was -- there always was more to know! Also, in some stories, the author introduces a second (or third, or whatever) viewpoint character, and I have a really hard time engaging in those plot lines, instead wanting to skip ahead to another character's segments. Not here. Even when I was dying to know what was happening to another character, I didn't want to leave the character I was currently following. That's a rare achievement.

One of the other things I loved about this book was the world...or universe, rather. I love how the author wove in elements of mythology and fantasy in the most unexpected ways. Every scene was so richly envisioned, I felt like I was walking with the characters...whether through the desiccating desert or the beautiful city of Albadir, or gloomy ruins or a gruesome prison.

There was only one bad thing about this novel. It ended. Now I have to wait for the sequel to find out what happens next! Grrr...

I'm having a hard time deciding what exactly I thought about this book. I enjoyed reading it -- read it in one day -- but somehow the story left something to be desired. Many of the characters were intriguing. Some were likeable, others not so much.

I didn't care much for Will...I wanted to, but an author can only push the limits so far on annoying/off-putting/infuriating qualities before the reader stops caring. Clare had almost gotten me to the point of caring about him, but then, what happens at the end when he callously discusses "arrangements" with Tessa...that was just too much. I don't know if we'll learn in the rest of the series what happened in his past to make him the way he is, but even the darkest pasts can only excuse so much in the reader's view. If you had a character who was a serial killer, and then reveal that he became a serial killer because of some tragedy in his past, that still doesn't make him an admirable or likeable character, you know?

My other problem was Tessa. I just never could get attached to her character. We get snatches of her past, but there isn't enough depth there for us to really understand her now. We may know what her biggest motivation is...but we don't learn nearly enough about her family relationships until much too late in the book. She comes across kind of like one of those clockwork automatons. She has one single-minded purpose, and we hardly ever see any real reaction from her to the events that happen. The most we ever see of her personality is concerning boys...and even then, all we ever really get is a slight feeling of disappointment, or a physical reaction. Maybe once or twice she entertains the question of whether or not she should care about someone...then quickly dismisses it. We never actually see how or why she moves from fearful mistrust of the Shadowhunters to trust -- or rather, she only seems to start trusting(?) them when she discovers she can use them much the same way she fears they will use her. Another emotional response I don't get is when she learns the truth about her brother...shouldn't her reaction be a lot stronger than it is?!?

I did love Jem's character. He was wonderfully drawn, and I cared about him from almost the first moment. Henry was great, too. I wanted to like Charlotte, but I could never get a good read on her. I started out thinking she was maybe in her late 30's, but then all of a sudden, late in the story, we find out she's 23. Huh? Maybe it's all the times her face is described as "pinched" which is really a horrible depiction...ugly, not at all flattering. In fact, too many characters' faces are too often described that way. Made me think the whole story was populated by sickly, twisted, puckered-up faces. Yuck. I also had a slight problem with Clare constantly calling Jem and Will "boys". At that time, and especially with the kind of responsibilities they had, they would be considered men. Young men, maybe, but not boys.

The story itself was entertaining. I liked the steampunk/paranormal feel. And the plot twists were suitably surprising and well-thought-out. The feel of London very much reminded me of the time I spent there, so that was enjoyable. I was annoyed that we never learned what the clockwork angel was. For a book with that as the title, you'd think we'd have a bit more of a clue of its origin and purpose. Tessa's too, for that matter.

Overall, a fun read...I will probably finish the series because of the characters I did care about.

Wow. I kind of wish I had discovered this book a whole lot earlier.

I really, really enjoyed this story. The characters were rich and well-imagined, and all of them endearing in their own way. Vin was so believable as a heroine, and Kelsier...well, he was just amazing too. In some ways he reminded me a bit of a cross between Howl in Howl's Moving Castle and Spike from Cowboy Bebop. I don't know why. But I love those characters.

There were so many things about this story to love. The unexpected premise, the unique system of Allomancy, the dismal but richly explored world, the unlikely group of heroes, the complexities of the plot -- intrigue, roguery, corruption, betrayal, failure, success...delicious. From fairly early on I thought I had figured out some secrets about the background story...and then...just when I thought my presumptions had been confirmed...Sanderson blew them all away. That was absolutely fabulous. I love being surprised.

There were times when the descriptions of Allomantic battles got a bit tiresome, just trying to keep track of all the Pushing and Pulling on this or that object with this or that metal. But even without trying to keep all the exact particulars visualized in my imagination, the accounts still gave me enough anchor to see some truly spectacular battles.

On the one hand, I did feel a little bit betrayed by the way the story played out. Somehow I was expecting this to be the sort of story where the heroes are completely...I don't know...normal, or even a little less noble than the average run of men. But this isn't just a crew of cunning, talented, and resourceful thieves. There is something special about them that sets them apart from others. But that might just be a problem caused by my expectations. I'm not entirely sure where I got those expectations in the first place. But they are such believable, such real characters that I can get over it...in fact, I might have been disappointed if my expectations were met.

Now I can't wait to read the next book...especially with the question we are left with at the ending of this one. Fabulous.

One of my favorite books in the series. One of the things I've always enjoyed about Ranger's Apprentice is Flanagan's ability to present a multitude of different "real" cultures within his fantasy world, in a way that is accessible to young readers. There has always been a bit of anachronism in the stories, but I've been able to excuse that because it's a fantasy world, not historical fiction. Nihon-Ja is presented in lush, vivid realism -- I use the term realism in the sense that fantasy worlds should have realism -- and the character of Shigeru is one of my favorites in the series.

I loved seeing almost the full cast of the series taking part in this one. Selethen, one of my other favorites, makes an appearance, which made me quite happy. One thing that bothered me a little bit was the interplay between Alyss and Evanlyn, which, for their ages, seemed a little immature. For two highly-trained, diplomatic, world-experienced young ladies, their bickering came off as a little childish. Maybe that was the point. As another reviewer pointed out, we don't get quite as much of the internal dialogue this time around. For most of the characters that didn't bother me, since I felt like I knew these characters so well, I could guess what they were thinking during any given exchange. The head-jumping had always bothered me ever so slightly, anyway.

All in all, this was exactly what I hoped for from the conclusion to this series. An exotic new land, a careful account of a new culture, old favorite characters and new favorites, and closure on some of the big questions of the series. I'm really quite sad that the series is over. But all good things have to come to an end, and this series, like any other, could run the risk of becoming stale and predictable if it were dragged out indefinitely. There were already elements creeping in that felt a bit worn-out, but luckily nothing so bad as to make the later books any less enjoyable.

I'll miss our Rangers and warriors, barbarians and rulers. I'll miss the vivid world John Flanagan shared with us. I hope this isn't the last we see from this talented author -- I look forward to reading whatever he writes next!

Besides the Lord of the Rings, this was probably the first real fantasy trilogy that I read. I've gone back and read it many times since then, and I think it will always be one of my standards for excellent fantasy.

There's something about Mary Stewart's Merlin that is just captivating. He's flawed, enigmatic, strong, admirable, calculating, naive, and wonderfully human. I confess I've always been a little in love with him. Mary Stewart makes his growth from child to the wise old Merlin so believable. Somehow she manages to show the mystery of his life and powers through his own eyes. I'm still not entirely sure how she did that, but it will never cease to amaze me.

Another thing that I absolutely loved about this trilogy was the refreshing historicity of it all. This isn't a fanciful rendering of a stars-n-moon caped Merlin the Magician, but a gritty depiction of early Britain, caught in the middle of the shift from paganism to Christianity. The scenes are all depicted so well that I could literally feel myself inside them. It's been years since I've reread these books, but I can still feel the warm stones under my feet from the Roman pipes under the floors.

I can't rate or review my own book! But I have read it. Many, many times. :)

I really wanted to love this book. Most of it I did love. I'm not a fan of eroticism, so those parts of the book really turned me off, and left my overall impression/memory of the book much more negative than it should have be. But aspects of the political intrigue, the characters, and the world were fascinating. It really made me think more critically of my own fantasy writing -- and for that, I'm glad I read this book.

My main problem with this book -- besides the explicit eroticism -- is that the story tries so hard to be "gritty" and "dark" and "real" that it leaves us with very few likable characters, and even fewer admirable ones. And that isn't realistic. Maybe I just have a higher opinion of humanity than Mr. Martin, but most people aren't the kind that will back-stab, murder, rape, and ruthlessly destroy their fellow man just to scrabble at power.

I don't believe that fiction has to "shock" readers in order to be influential, or thought-provoking, or even interesting. Gratuitous sex scenes are a cheap means of attracting readers, and insult our intelligence and our capacity to care about a story that doesn't explicitly describe anatomy and its functions. Yes, maybe it's "edgy" and "realistic" -- these things do happen. So what? Just because it happens, does that necessarily make it good subject matter for fiction?

I've never understood why authors insist that they have to have this or that erotic scene in order to portray some aspect of a person's character. That's a cop-out. It's a lame excuse. And if someone really relies on that to make a point, in my view they must be lacking in ingenuity, subtlety, creativity, and insight into human nature.

But, to backtrack...this whole "gritty realism" thing. What is the fascination with anti-heroes that's so prevalent today? Is it just a sign of the nihilism and pessimism of our culture, that we can't or won't believe that genuinely good, heroic, admirable characters can exist? Or that they can do any good for the world if they do? Give me true heroes. Give me stunning displays of excellence and selfless heroism. God knows we need a little of that. It's not escapism. Just because we have blindfolds on doesn't mean the world is darkness.

John Flanagan really comes into his own with this second book. The story is more involved, the characters more complex, the storytelling even richer than the first book. When I finished this book, I could see that this series was just going to get better and better.

My nephews got me into these books, and since I write YA fantasy, I figured I should read them! I'm a huge fan. Flanagan knows how to tell a story. His characters are beautiful, flawed, and believable. He teaches the young reader without sounding like a textbook -- and his medieval-styled world is actually realistic (something that can't be said of all fantasy, sadly!).