Review: Nil on Fire

Nil on Fire by Lynne Matson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't quite as jazzed with this book as I was with its predecessors, but I can tell you that it's not because there's any less action to go around. Far from it. My real issue, however, lies in the interjection of chapters that are meant to be from "Nil's" POV, focusing both on a number of new arrivals on the island and the island itself, who proves to be quite the diabolical genius loci. (That's the proper plural of that expression, right?)

That said, however, there's a nice array of characters new and old to go around (though I only wished we could have had more of Charley's and/or Thad's POV - I missed that from the first book), and of course all the action Matson's proven herself more than capable of serving us.

Sorry to see this trilogy go, but...ave atque vale, Nil.

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Review: Academ's Fury

Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Continuing the Codex Alera series, Academ's Fury showcases even more of the rising tensions in Alera as certain Lords (and Ladies) conspire to overthrow the First Lord and plunge the land into civil war...and meanwhile, Tavi's studying, and proving that just because he's got no furycrafting powers doesn't make him any less of a man. In fact, because he has no furies to rely on, he's more in the eyes of some...and more dangerous for sure.

For a series supposedly based on two "dumb ideas," Butcher knows how to keep things seriously entertaining.

I'll be revisiting Cursor's Fury soon enough - sadly, it appears that my library lost all its copies at some point in the three or four years since I first read these books.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Fall 2016 TBR

Once again, Joey of Thoughts and Afterthoughts has given us an interesting "Top Ten Tuesday" post: his fall 2016 TBR top picks. Now I've just gotta share mine - including a few books that came out BEFORE this fall, but which I still haven't had a chance to read because my library's so slow to get any copies in...but oh well.

10. Rick Riordan - The Hammer of Thor

I don't think I'll ever leave the world Uncle Rick began with Percy Jackson.

Hope he's worthy.

9. Lynne Matson - Nil on Fire

I'm starting this one pretty soon, actually.

"So light 'em up up up..."

8. Leigh Bardugo - Crooked Kingdom

I liked Six of Crows because of how different (and Legend of Korra-esque) it was compared to the Grisha Trilogy. This book will be just as cool, I hope.

But I'm a bit bummed this is the end.
Unless there'll be a modern-day series too?

7. Tahereh Mafi - Furthermore

I can't resist a good Alice in Wonderland retelling.

Ransom Riggs isn't the only one to #StayPeculiar.

6. Danielle Paige - Stealing Snow

Or a good Danielle Paige book - and since this one retells The Snow Queen? Even better.

#SmashTheMirror

5. Sabaa Tahir - A Torch Against The Night

Got to read a bit of this at Costco a couple of weeks back. Looks really good so far...

Die, Commandant. DIE DIE DIE!

4. James Dashner - The Fever Code

Finally, the awesome Maze Runner prequel we all need to tide us over while we wait for the Death Cure movie...

Also, I hear Brenda's in this one.
AWESOME.

3. Zoraida Córdova - Labyrinth Lost

Brujas. 'Nuff said.

Everyone's raving about this.
I will not be disappointed.

2. Sarah J. Maas - Empire of Storms

I've waited too long for this one, man.

Best cover image of Aelin yet, BTW.

1. Cassandra Clare - Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

And it's a sin that it's taken so long to put these stories in print.

I'm a shameless Simon fanboy, now and forever.

What do you guys think?

Till next time, Pinecones...

#FeedTheRightWolf

Remember - Denis Leary is always watching. Always.

Review: Jerkbait

Jerkbait by Mia Siegert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Ten thousand people look my way
But they can't see the way that I feel
Nobody even cares to try..."
-Styx, "Man In The Wilderness"

"Is there anybody out there who
Is lost and hurt and lonely too?"
-Coldplay, "Square One"

Thanks to the Wattpad4 bringing Mia Siegert in for an interview a few weeks back, I was inspired to try this book out after learning what it has in common with my very own Red Rain - the lead characters are twin boys, with one (Tristan here, Alex in my book) being straight and one (Robbie here, Gabe for mine) being gay, and (I found this out from reading the book) the straight twin in each pair having a bit of an artistic streak, with an interest in writing - and let me just stand up and be counted as another guy who writes fanfic, in addition to original work.

There, though, the similarities do pretty much end, particularly in terms of genre. Siegert's twins are identical; mine are fraternal. I write urban fantasy, Siegert writes contemporary. Siegert writes Robbie's coming-out story; Gabe is already out by the time my story takes place. My book is a murder mystery full of comic-book movie references; Siegert focuses on sports and musical references. I write Alex and Gabe with a very close relationship (largely as therapy because I've long felt incomplete without a brother - and I almost had one, but that's a story for another time); it's pretty vital to Siegert's plot that Tristan and Robbie are pretty distant, at least at first.

But I'm not here to just parallel Jerkbait and Red Rain - I'd also like to talk about how much I relate to Tristan. Like him, I've got parents who don't understand his artistic leanings. Like him, I'm painfully inexperienced with romance, and have often been mistaken for gay by my parents because of it. And like him, I've had my moments of questioning my sexuality too (probably more so for me, though.) As for Robbie, well, I can't help but want to hug the poor guy every other page, in between his repeated suicide attempts and the trauma he suffers in the book's final act.

Don't be fooled by the page number given on this book's GR page - it's actually about 100 pages less than that, not even 250. Perhaps because it's so bite-sized, it feels like the plot takes a long time to get going, and then rushes to the finish line afterwards. Characters are Jerkbait's strength, as many of them prove quite dynamic (although in the case of Tristan and Robbie's aggravating mother, the character development she does get is too little too late, and it does nothing to endear her to me.)

Let's just say, though, that you'd do yourself a great disservice by not reading Jerkbait, if only for its uniqueness - and for its always-compelling exploration of the twins' relationship.

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Review: Falling Kingdoms

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been seeing this series on store and library shelves for a while, and after years of not touching it (and a few months of serious Sarah J. Maas withdrawal while I'm painfully waiting for Empire of Storms), I've finally read this first book.

It does remind me a bit of A Song of Ice and Fire in terms of the surprisingly high violence level and focus on in-universe politics, with a touch of magic thrown in for texture. The book follows four primary characters, three of them being royals from two of the three kingdoms that comprise this nicely-built story world and one being a young man from the kingdom between the others, spurred to action because another royal shamelessly murdered his brother. The last of these, Jonas, is the most interesting, so it disappoints me just a bit that he goes underutilized throughout much of the book, with the various royals getting more focus. Cleo doesn't seem to add much to the story, and as for Magnus, I'm a bit creeped out by his attraction to Lucia...but then Lucia, she proves pretty surprisingly interesting about halfway through the book, when a big plot twist makes itself known.

So, for sure, I'll be picking up the second book...but I'm hoping for more Jonas, man.

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Review: Chorus

Chorus by Emma Trevayne
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This series...I dunno. It's got a cool twist on the dystopian genre as its premise, one that's actually had its own secret influence on my own writing with the concept of addictive music tracks. (Although my books, rather than try and emulate the idea of big business attempting to force musical drivel on the world for mind control - "Everything Is Awesome!"-style - simply make musical addiction a mental condition.) Unfortunately, I just can't get into these books like the premise demands, mostly because of the characters being virtually impossible to tell apart and the surprisingly paper-thin world-building.

I guess this series ends here, though? Oh well. I'm not planning on reading a third book anyway.

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Review: Furies of Calderon

Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been a while since I've read Codex Alera, so now that I'm also re-reading The Dresden Files, I figured it was high time I started re-reading Butcher's other big fantasy series as well. I forgot how exciting these books were, with all their elemental furycrafting fun and the pseudo-Roman politics at play. Everyone calls this the logical offspring of Avatar: The Last Airbender and A Song of Ice and Fire (even though the latter came out after this book and the former is in a medieval-inspired setting as opposed to ancient-Roman-inspired.) Everyone's not wrong.

Already I've got Academ's Fury waiting in the wings as well.

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