Review: The Wings of Dragons

Title: The Wings of Dragons

Series: The Dragoon Saga #1

Author: Josh VanBrakle

Genre: High Fantasy

Back Cover:

Left-handed people are chaotic, dangerous, and devil-spawned. So declares Lodian history, but teenage prankster Iren Saitosan, the kingdom’s only known Left, thinks that’s an exaggeration. When he accidentally almost kills Lodia’s heir to the throne, however, Iren becomes an unexpected addition to an assassination squad. The appointment is suicidal, and Iren’s chances aren’t helped when he learns that his new sword imprisons a serpentine dragon. Adding to his problems, someone on the assassination team is plotting treason. Iren soon finds himself trapped between competing loyalties as a former ally launches a blood-soaked plan to avenge the Lefts, a vengeance one thousand years in the making. Against a backdrop of friendship, betrayal, and explosive magic, Iren will need to uncover the forgotten history of Lefts and dragons if he hopes to survive.

Review:

I picked this up because I like dragons, plus the Left thing sounded pretty unique. Then the author promised Japanese mythology (which is totally awesome), and I was hooked.

Iren was lacking in social skills and very naive, especially in the beginning. I enjoyed him, but I thought he seemed a lot younger than 17. But as the story went on and he actually got to do stuff, he matured and grew into his awesome skills. I liked him more and more as the story progressed.

There are other characters that I could mention, but I won’t. Half the fun is trying to figure out who’s on what side. Character A’s a good guy. No, they’re a traitor. Wait, they’re not a traitor. Yes, they’re a traitor, but they betrayed the bad guys. Character B is a good guy. Maybe they’re a traitor…? Nope, definitely not a traitor. What the holy heck they were a traitor the whole time?! And so on and so forth for just about every major character except Iren.

Okay, so the assassination team plot? Not all that important. The sword that’s given only a passing mention? Hugely important. The assassination team thing acts more like a catalyst to get things started, and then something Iren has to do that keeps him from discovering the important stuff. It’s secondary to the what-the-heck-is-going-on questions that Iren has. And trust me, there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye.

The mythology seemed a little wonky at times. It was like a cross between Japanese and traditional high fantasy, and the two didn’t always mesh quite right. When they did, it was absolutely awesome. When they didn’t, it wasn’t overt, but I got this sneaky feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

After the ending of The Wings of Dragons, I have no idea what book two will be about. But I’d still be up for reading it. I have a feeling that whatever Josh VanBrakle comes up with, it’s going to be great (and I bet I’ll have no idea who the good guys are).

I recieved a free review copy of The Wings of Dragons from the author. His generosity in no way influenced, or sought to influence, this review.

The Dragoon Saga:

1. The Wings of Dragons
2. The Hearts of Dragons
3. The Flames of Dragons

Review: The Crystal Ordeal

Title: The Crystal Ordeal

Series: Legends of Leone #1

Author: M. G. Dekle

Genre: High Fantasy

Back Cover:

At a very young age, Leone Verrat learned that her ability to cast simple magical spells was limited by a very peculiar handicap. Even though she earned barely passable grades, an unknown benefactor still saw fit to recommend her for Morgan’s Ordeal, a test necessary for any respectable career. She is soon inextricably linked to her theatrical Ordeal partner, Falchion, as they must brave the dangers of the test together. They both quickly discover that the Ordeal is the least of their concerns as they find themselves in the middle of an ancient power struggle.

Review:

I don’t read much high fantasy, but mainly because I’m not a big fan of traditional high fantasy plots and it’s hard to find a good original twist. The cover wasn’t the greatest, but the Morgan’s Ordeal thing sounded pretty unique, so I figured I might as well try it.

Leone was enjoyable. She tended to be a follower more than a leader, but she could hold her own in an argument or (mostly) in a fight. Between her faint geekiness, her almost completely boring past, and her rather unique magic usage, she would have been a great character…if she wasn’t overshadowed by the awesomeness of Falchion.

Falchion was the reason I enjoyed this book so much. He was adventurous and outgoing and offbeat and quirky and crazy, but he was hilarious. Some people do trust falls – Falchion does trust leaps. Off two-story buildings. Into giant walls. He was downright insane, but in such an endearing way.

I couldn’t read The Crystal Ordeal after ten at night, because Falchion would make me laugh so hard I’d wake up the rest of my family.

As for the traditional high fantasy plot – I didn’t have to worry. Once the strange and fascinating Morgan’s Ordeal part is over (it doesn’t take up nearly as much of the book as I was suspecting), it moves in to more strange and super fun plots, like escaping walled cities and running from guards and trying to figure out what the heck is going on. Because something really weird is going on, and it leads to all sorts of fun and excitement and danger.

High fantasy magic systems are almost always complicated. This does such-and-such in this case, but that over here, and this there, and if the opponent does/says/has this…you get the picture. That’s not a bad thing. But the Legends of Leone magic system was refreshingly simple: objects can be used to cast spells, using the object’s properties (a spiderweb can make a sticky spell or a rope spell or a net spell or whatever else the magician can think of that has to do with spiderwebs). It took me about a chapter to get it, then I just enjoyed watching Leone do fun magic stuff.

When I first pulled up the book on my ereader, I hoped I wouldn’t end up wading through 200+ pages of substandard writing. By page 75, I didn’t want this book to end. I wanted more of the story, and especially more of Falchion.

Leone was fun. Falchion was epic. I enjoyed the original take on high fantasy. And I sure as heck can’t wait to get my hands on book two!

I received a free review copy of The Crystal Ordeal from the author. His generosity in no way influenced, or sought to influence, this review.

The Legends of Leone series:

1. The Crystal Ordeal
2. Currently untitled

Review: King’s Mark

Title: King’s Mark

Series: The Orphaned City #1

Author: Stephanie Herman

Genre: High Fantasy

Back Cover:

Nearly a century ago, the immortal King disappeared. Now, his Marked servants are hunted as demons and his land is falling into chaos. Three Marked have survived: a river princeling, an exiled mercenary, and a street urchin. Faced with overwhelming odds and blessed – or cursed – with a magic they cannot control, these three must fight to save the people and land they love.

Review:

The summary of King’s Mark was vague, but I picked it up on the interesting premise – Marked people with special powers. I wasn’t sure how good it’d be, but I figured what the heck, I’d try it.

Leti, the river princeling, was sheltered and naive. I’m not sure how old he was, but I’d guess eleven or twelve. He was innocent and trusting and…well, child-like. He wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t my favorite of King’s Mark‘s point of view characters.

Chay was my favorite. I loved her determined, never-give-up attitude and her loyalty to her group of orphans. Her situation as a “streetfly” also intrigued me. And I was extremely curious why she pretended to be blind. Her whole gritty, rough part of the story was awesome.

Del Nyla, the mercenary, was only okay. I kind of liked her kick-butt manner and skills, but she sometimes came across as too rough to be likeable. She had a softer side, though, but that’s practically ignored until the very end. I honestly think I would have liked her better if the author had focused more on her soft side – maybe pitted it against her assassin attitude.

I loved the plot. In the beginning, there’s three characters living totally different lives, and I had no idea how they were going to come together. But they did, into a conspiracy and rebellion. Betrayals, battle scenes, tangled plotlines up until the very end…I loved it. And I loved how Chay shone (have I mentioned she’s awesome?).

I also loved the idea of the King’s Marked – people born with dark, tattoo-like marks and special powers. That’s the gist of it, although there’s a whole lot more details that fall into place throughout King’s Mark. It was brilliantly imagined and explained.

This was a long book, but I think it could have been longer. Del Nyla and Maro especially could have benefited from some extra character development. I think Del Nyla should have worked more with Chay and Leti. And I wouldn’t object to reading more of Chay (have I mentioned how awesome she is?).

King’s Mark is one of those books that makes me glad I don’t use a rating system. It’s too hard to rate. I loved Chay; I could take or leave the rest of the characters. I loved the plot and the idea, but I think the author could have done more with the emotional angle. Overall, it’s a pretty equal mix of good and not-so-good. But I don’ t regret the read.

I received a free review copy of King’s Mark from the author. Her generosity in no way influenced, or sought to influence, this review.

The Orphaned City series:

1. King’s Mark

Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Title: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Series: Fire and Thorns #1

Author: Rae Carson

Genre: High Fantasy

Back Cover:

Elisa is the Chosen One. But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable, and can’t see how she ever will. On her sixteenth birthday, she becomes the wife of the handsome king of a country in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the Chosen One, not a failure of a princess. And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her.  Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young. Most of the chosen do.

Review:

The Girl of Fire and Thorns was on my top five most-anticipated books to read this year since I read the first chapter online. But in the back of my head, there was this little lingering doubt that it wouldn’t be as good as I’d expected.

I didn’t have to worry.

I loved Elisa. She was fat, insecure, studious, and pretty darn sure she was a failure. And she always underestimated herself. I loved seeing her overcome her insecurities and surprise herself at what she was capable of.

Alejandro – the king Elisa marries – wasn’t a major character, and I didn’t mind that very much. He was a fine person, but he was a not-so-great king and a somewhat insensitive husband. While I didn’t hate him, I also didn’t like him very much.

I feel like I should mention some more characters, but the only other ones are either minor or would probably make me include some spoilers.

The plot was brilliant.  The synopsis was suitably vague, so I had no real idea of what to expect – and so I was totally surprised when what I thought would be a little detour turned out to be huge and basically launched the main plot. War, danger, secret missions, and everybody believes Elisa can solve their problems. I loved it!

The Girl of Fire and Thorns has some very religious themes – mainly because the Chosen One is chosen by God and has a Godstone jewel in their bellybutton (a little weird, sure, but you get used to it). It has a somewhat Catholic feel, but it also feels like a totally different religion.  That could be because of the magic, though. And I enjoyed learning the little details related to the Godstone and what it means to be a Chosen One.

There’s so much more I want to say about the brilliance of this book, but I’m afraid if I say too much more, I’ll spoil it for you.

I could go on and on, but you probably get the point – I loved The Girl of Fire and Thorns. I definitely can’t wait to get my hands on The Crown of Embers, the second book in the series – even though I’m not really sure what it’ll be about, since The Girl of Fire and Thorns wrapped up so neatly.

The Fire and Thorns series:

1. The Girl of Fire and Thorns
2. The Crown of Embers
3. The Bitter Kingdom

Review: Silksinger

Title:  Silksinger

Series: Dreamdark #2

Author:  Laini Taylor

Genre:  High Fantasy

Spoiler Warning:  This book is the second in a series, and will probably include spoilers of the previous book, Blackbringer.

Back Cover:

Whisper Silksinger is no warrior.  She’s a weaver of flying carpets.  The last of her clan, Whisper has nothing but a teakettle and the ember inside.  This ember – all that is left of the Azazel, one of the seven Djinn who made the world – must be protected at all costs.  Fleeing the devils chasing her, Whisper joins a caravan and finds herself drawn to Hirik, a mercenary and caravan guard who carries  dangerous secrets of his own.  And in their wake follows Magpie Windwitch, determined to find Whisper before the devils do.  For if the Azazel dies, all of creation will die with him…

Review:

Once I discovered that there was a sequel to the completely awesome Blackbringer, I couldn’t wait to read it.  I didn’t even bother to read what it was about until I got it.  But when I did, I got a little worried – it seemed like the plot would focus more on this Whisper person and Magpie would be an afterthought.

I shouldn’t have worried, though.

For starters, I loved Whisper.  She was the complete opposite of Magpie – quiet and timid and gentle and not good at fighting.  And normally, I wouldn’t go for that kind of character.  But she had her own, different strengths, and somehow, I liked her anyway.

Magpie was still a major part of the story.  In fact, I’d say there were more chapters focusing on her than on Whisper and Hirik.  And she was the exact same Magpie I enjoyed so much in the first book – brave, stubborn, and not very good at giving up.  I absolutely loved following her around for a second book.

Hirik is a more difficult character to discuss.  His secret is so huge – and kept a secret for so long – that it feels like he doesn’t start being actually Hirik until it’s revealed.  What I’m trying to say is, he goes to such lengths to hide his secret that it kind of hides his personality, too.  And since his secret isn’t revealed until late in the book – and after that, he spends a lot of time unconscious – it doesn’t seem like he had enough book to be developed in.  If there’s a third Dreamdark book, though, I’d love to see more of him.

I had hoped to see more of Talon, but I think there was less of him in Silksinger than there was in the previous book.  For most of the story, he was just there, tagging along with Magpie.  In fact, the only time I recall him actually doing something was when he didn’t trust Dusk the apothecary.  It’s unfortunate, really, because I enjoyed him in Blackbringer and hoped his character would be more developed in this book.

There were pretty much two basic plots – Magpie’s find-Whisper-before-the-devils, with a more sinister underlying villain who doesn’t get discovered until about halfway though, and Whisper’s protect-the-Azazel.  But even though neither of the plots were complicated, they certainly seemed that way.  I think it had something to do with the characters.  There were a bunch of different narrating characters, and each character’s narration acted like a plot thread, needing woven back into the story at some point.

Silksinger was all third person, so the different characters’ narration wasn’t drastic, but I think every major character – except Talon – got some page time.  Whisper, Magpie, and Hirik all had major parts of the story, and even a devil and Dusk the apothecary did some narrating.  It wasn’t confusing, and Laini Taylor managed to pull it off quite well, I think because some of it seemed more plot-related than character-related.

This book was set almost exclusively in the Sayash Mountains, and I loved the change of scenery.  The Sayash Mountains had a more exotic feel, with caravans and bazaars and other random things that had a feel somewhere between desert and Oriental.  I enjoyed Dreamdark and the surrounding area in Blackbringer, but it was so much fun to see a new faerie lands.

Honestly, once I finished Silksinger, I felt a little cheated.  The book wrapped up well on its own, but it also started so many new plot threads that it left dangling – too much to even fill in with imagination.  After the ending, I think Laini Taylor has to write a third Dreamdark book at some point, because it’s cruel to start a whole new plot thread and then not write a book to wrap it up.

The Dreamdark series:

1. Blackbringer
2. Silksinger

Review: Poison

Title: Poison

Author: Bridget Zinn

Genre: High Fantasy

Back Cover:

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Review:

I wanted to get this post done last Friday, but the book got lost in the mail somewhere and didn’t come in until yesterday. (In case anyone was wondering, the cover really is more beautiful in person.) Anyway, I hadn’t planned on picking it up until I finished the book I was reading, but I had about ten minutes until I was going to go to bed, and I wanted something lighthearted and fun.

I would advise not starting this book right before going to bed. This is more of a devour-in-one-sitting book, even if you have to pull an all-nighter to do it.

I loved Kyra. She was the now-popular strong, I’m-responsible-for-everything heroine … except not. She had more of a lighter, un-broody (if that’s a word) feel to her. Her potions skills made her awesome, her foibles made her human, and her takes on things made her just plain fun. She is absolutely hands-down the best human fantasy heroine I’ve read in ages.

Fred was also completely awesome. He was clueless sometimes, very distractable, and had definite quirks. He was also laid-back, not easily riled up, and laugh-out-loud funny. He wasn’t exactly the dreamy romance type (unless you go for goofy guys), but he would have been a fantastic big brother.

I thought the basic plot would be pretty simple – the princess is evil, kill the princess, along with Kyra’s emotional arc with killing her best friend. And that’s how it started. And then we meet the pig. And Fred. And learn some secrets about Kyra. And get a hint that all is not what it seems with the princess. (Half the fun of this story is finding out the details bit by bit, so I’m trying my best to avoid spoilers.) The plot took so many hairpin turns and loop-the-loops that I totally did not know where it was going. And the big reveals – about Fred, about what was up with the princess, even a major secret about Kyra that was brilliantly hidden until the end – took me completely by surprise. And I loved every second of it.

This is not a book to read late into the night if you have a roommate. I share a room with my sister, and kept her up half the night cracking up. Poison is full of one-liners and off-hand comments that made me not only laugh hysterically, but go back and read it two or three more times and laughing hysterically again because it was just that funny.

I considered donating this book to my local library. But I honestly don’t think I can part with it, I love it that much (which is saying something. Out of all the hundreds of books I’ve read, I’ve only found a dozen – now thirteen – good enough to own). Maybe I’ll buy the library its own copy. Because Poison is too fantastic not to share.

Review: Blackbringer

Title: Blackbringer

Series: Dreamdark #1

Author: Laini Taylor

Genre: High Fantasy

Back Cover:

While most faeries spend their days in oblivious tranquility, Magpie Windwitch is all that stands in the way of the devils that escape into the world. But when the ancient evil of the Blackbringer is unleashed, Magpie may be in over her head. This hunt will take her back to the forest of Dreamdark, a place of legends and Djinn, cunning imps and tattooed warriors, new friends and new enemies. Magpie must unravel the mystery of the greatest threat her folk have ever known and defeat the impenetrable darkness that threatens to unmake the world.

Review:

I loved Blackbringer when I first read it – so much that I checked out two other books with it, but instead of reading the two other books, I read Blackbringer three times.  This book had it all – action, humor, magic, a kick-butt heroine, a thoroughly evil and seemingly unbeatable baddie, talking animals, a hint of romance…I picked it up on a whim, to see if it’s as great as I remembered.

The short answer: Heck yes!

I’m going to try and make this review as sparse as possible, because half the fun of the story is discovering everything for yourself.

Magpie (the kick-butt heroine) was just that – a fantastic kick-butt heroine.  As the only faerie who hunts devils, she’d had a lot of adventures and knew a bunch of fun skills (both physical and magical).  And the whole adventuring thing was so normal for her, I loved it when other faeries’ jaws dropped over something or other.  She had a stubborn streak and could be short with people, but I just loved her.

Talon was also a fun character – not quite as fun as Magpie, mind you, but still fun.  His life wasn’t as adventuresome as Magpie’s, but he had some special talents of his own, and I enjoyed watching him join Magpie’s quest to defeat the Blackbringer.  He wasn’t frequently a point-of-view character, but I’m hoping to see more of him in the future.

Magpie and Talon were the main characters, but there were so many other, only-slightly-less-main characters that I also loved.  Poppy, Snoshi, the crows, Vesper (great secondary villain)…if I listed them all, this review would be huge.

Plot…well, for me at least, plot took backseat to how much I loved the characters.  That’s probably because this is a reread, though, and I knew how it would end.  I don’t want to say much, for fear of giving too much away (it isn’t until about halfway through the book that you discover exactly who/what the Blackbringer is), but I will say that there’s plenty of tension and will-the-good-guys-win? moments – enough to keep your attention on the very slim chance the super-fun characters don’t hold your attention.

One of the main things that made this story so fascinating was the setting – more specifically, the faerie culture.  If you asked me, I couldn’t tell you exactly what made it so unique.  But the whole culture seemed both very similar and utterly foreign at the same time.

The system of faerie magic was so well-thought-out and unique.  There were still the standard spells and potions, but their main source of magic was glyphs – special, sometimes intricate symbols that could be held in the mind and combined with other glyphs to do any number of things.  I loved it mainly because it sounded so simple and was so different than most other magic systems.

In case you can’t tell from me repeating the word all over the place – this book was a super-fun, magical adventure.  I just recently learned that there’s a sequel out, Silksinger, which I fully intend to read as soon as I can get my hands on it.

The Dreamdark series:

1. Blackbringer
2. Silksinger

Review: Throne of Glass

Title:  Throne of Glass

Series: Throne of Glass #1

Author:  Sarah J. Maas

Genre:  High Fantasy

Back Cover:

Celaena Sardothien hates the king with all her heart, and if she had a choice, she would refuse his offer.  But when it’s between a competition to become the king’s Champion or the death camp of Endovier, there isn’t really an option.  The Crown Prince provokes her, and the Captain of the Guard protects her.  But when her fellow competitors start dying gruesome deaths, Celaena’s fight to win becomes a fight for survival.

Review:

I was really excited to read this book, if for no other reason that assassins are awesome.  That, and the Champion competition sounded interesting.

And I liked it just fine, but I didn’t love it.

Celaena is a difficult character to describe.  She definitely has a hard, assassin-like personality, but she also has a softer side.  She also seemed a little more trusting than I thought an assassin should be.  I liked her as a character, but I didn’t love her.

I really liked Chaol, although I’m not sure exactly why.  He wasn’t in a whole lot of the book – at least not when he wasn’t training Celaena or getting angry at her for doing something she wasn’t supposed to.  He was protective, and stubborn at times.  Even though he wasn’t major as far as page time goes, he ties with Celaena for favorite character.

Dorian drove me insane at the beginning of the book.  Towards the middle, I didn’t mind him so much.  And at the end, I just didn’t care.  He wasn’t really a unique personality (even though he was quite good at witty banter), and I didn’t care one way or the other about what happened to him.

The main thing I didn’t like about this book was the love triangle.  I didn’t like how huge of a plot element it was, and I found it absurdly obvious which guy Celaena ended up with.  I did enjoy the witty banter that came with it, and I doubt the plot would have been nearly as complicated without it, but I didn’t really like it.

Other than the fact that the romance was such a huge part of it, I enjoyed the plot.  The competition was interesting, even though some of the tests were glossed over or only mentioned in retrospect.  The murder mystery part was also interesting, even though it was solved sooner than I expected.  (Actually, I didn’t seen why Celaena didn’t see how absurdly obvious the answer was.  But I digress.)

Overall, I enjoyed the book.  It wasn’t as great as I’d hoped, but it wasn’t terrible either.  It was just … good.

The Throne of Glass series:

1. Throne of Glass
2. Crown of Midnight
3. Heir of Fire
4. Queen of Shadows
5. Empire of Storms
6. Tower of Dawn
7. Kingdom of Ash (October 23, 2018)

Review: The Glasswrights’ Progress

Image from mindyklasky.com

Title:  The Glasswrights’ Progress

Series: Glasswright #2

Author:  Mindy L. Klasky

Genre:  High Fantasy

Warning:  This review will probably contain spoilers of the previous book in the series, The Glasswrights’ Apprentice.

Back Cover:

Two years have passed since the Glasswrights’ Guild was shattered.  Now, living in the palace of Morenia’s new king, Rani is determined to rebuild it.  But a betrayal from within snares Rani in a deadly plot to conquer Morenia.  The bloodthirsty King Sin Hazar has an army like none other – utterly dedicated, completely obedient…and entirely comprised of children…

Review:

After reading the awesomeness that was The Glasswrights’ Apprentice, I raced to the library and snatched up this book.

But unfortunately, the sequel didn’t live up to its predecessor.

Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book.  But just liked.  Didn’t love, didn’t think it was awesome.  It was a good book, but it didn’t blow me away like The Glasswrights’ Apprentice did.

My main problem was with Rani.  She just seemed … passive in this book.  She said she wanted to rebuild the Glasswrights’ Guild, but it’s been two years since book one and she hasn’t done anything.  As far as the book says, she didn’t even think about escaping the army camp – not until Mair discovered King Sin Hazar’s plans.  I’m not sure what her overall goal was in the book.  To get home, maybe?

Another problem was with the storylines.  In the beginning, the book alternates chapters with Rani and a woman named Shea.  And I enjoyed both storylines equally.  But when the two storylines meet, Shea just drops off the map, and Crestman, a secondary character from Shea’s storyline, takes center stage.  I can see why Mindy Klasky added Shea’s storyline, but I wish she’d either made it Crestman’s storyline or given Shea a bigger part in the second half of the book.

One thing I do love about Mindy Klasky’s writing, though, is her brilliance with settings.  I mentioned in my review of The Glasswright’s Apprentice how the amazing setting had a lot to do with why I loved the book so much.  And I think the amazing setting had a lot to do with making this book good.  The setting for the majority of the book was the country of Amanthea, which has its own geography, customs, and intricate caste system.  Especially in the middle, the setting was the best part.

This was a good book.  Not epic but not terrible, better than “meh” but not really great.  Just … well, good.  I’m not sure if I want to read book three, The Glasswrights’ Journeyman, or not.

The Glasswright series:

1. The Glasswright’s Apprentice
2. The Glasswright’s Progress
3. The Glasswright’s Journeyman
4. The Glasswright’s Test
5. The Glasswright’s Master

Review: The Glasswrights’ Apprentice

Image from mindyklasky.com

Title:  The Glasswrights’ Apprentice

Series: Glasswright #1

Author:  Mindy L. Klasky

Genre:  High Fantasy

Back Cover:

Everything is measured by birth, and moving up in society is almost impossible.  That’s why Rani Trader’s merchant family sacrifices everything to buy her an apprenticeship in the Glasswrights’ Guild.  But being in the wrong place at the wrong time leaves Rani accused of the Royal Prince’s death.  Branded a traitor, Rani doesn’t know where to turn or who to trust – but she is going to clear her name.  Somehow.

Review:

I didn’t have high expectations for this book.  It was one of those I’m-grabbing-this-off-the-shelf-because-it-looks-slightly-better-than-the-other-books-in-the-adult-section kind of decisions.

And so I got my expectations knocked over and trampled on by the awesomeness that is The Glasswrights’ Apprentice.  The book starts with a suspiciously angry instructor and a murder.  And it just gets better from there.

Rani was an interesting character.  Normally, she wouldn’t be the kind of character I would really like – I prefer characters a little spicier than her.  But somehow, Mindy Klasky managed to make me like Rani anyway.  I enjoyed following her as she tried to solve the prince’s murder (although her belief that her brother could do no wrong grated on my nerves sometimes).

Normally, this would be the point where I mentioned other characters.  But even though there were a lot of characters in the book, Rani was the only one in all of it.  So, moving on…

The way they did their names was really awesome – you could tell what caste somebody was by counting the syllables in their name.  One syllable was the Touched, the casteless people.  Two syllables were traders and merchants.  Three syllables were guilds-people.  Four syllables were soldiers.  Five syllables were noblemen and royalty.  Rani tended to jump castes during the book (am I the only person who draws the connection between Rani and Jair?  Maybe that’ll play out in future books).

Funny thing – the entire plot would not be something I would normally read.  First, Rani’s trying to find the instructor she suspects killed the prince.  Then she’s trying to keep her identity secret so she doesn’t get executed for the murder, and then she’s trying to find her brother.  But somehow, it managed to hold my interest for the whole 300+ page book.  I think the amazingly well-developed (and highly interesting) setting helped with that.

I did have one thing that bugged me – any time Mair or the other Touched showed up.  Not that I had anything against them, but they had a funny accent to their speech, and Mindy Klasky wrote it like it sounded.  Which meant a lot of apostrophes.  Which meant it was a whole lot slower to read than the rest of the story.

I loved this book.  Now excuse me while I go find book two.

The Glasswright series:

1. The Glasswrights’ Apprentice
2. The Glasswrights’ Progress
3. The Glasswrights’ Journeyman
4. The Glasswrights’ Test
5. The Glasswrights’ Master