fantasy | Lost in a Good Book

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (#1)

20 Aug 2024 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Fantasy, LGBTQIA Tags: Audiobook, fantasy, moira quirk, tamsyn muir, the locked tomb, three stars

Published: 10 September 2019(print)/ 10 September 2019 (audio)
Publisher: Tor/Recorded Books
Pages: 448/16 hrs and 50 mins
Narrator: Moira Quirk
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Fantasy
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars

Gideon the Ninth is the most fun you’ll ever have with a skeleton.

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.

Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as necromantic skeletons. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.

Everyone has been talking about this book and after reading it I can say it was…ok. I liked it, it is an interesting premise: necromancers, interplanetary adventures, and swordfights all with a modern aesthetic in terms of language, swearing, and attitudes of the kick arse characters. That probably made it a bit more accessible to a non-fantasy reader like myself, but it is still a heavy fantasy with guilds and the art of necromancy to wrap your head around.

Gideon is an intriguing character and as you meet others who have been summoned to this trial they are their own kind of unique which makes for an eclectic group which brings its own challenges and delights.

Harrowhark’s goals and intentions and clear, as are Gideon’s, and seeing the pair interact is amusing since it’s initially begrudging and one of servitude. After a while the pair soften towards one another, especially as the perils around them become clear and they grow closer.

I will say one of the downsides was it is long, or at least it felt long, and I got a smidge bored. I wasn’t very invested in what was happening after a while, despite the strong start and our introduction to Gideon. I will say I enjoyed the fighting at the end, it was enjoyable and engaging after the saggy middle.

I agree Muir is a good writer and you can easily picture what plays out on the page. The writing is vivid and when there are fight scenes or action it’s hard not to become intrigued. I did it as an audio and ?? was a good narrator, they definitely helped me get through it, I think reading it I would have put it down a lot more.

I can see why people enjoy it, it is certainly different and has great magical elements. The guilds and factions, the war etc are all a lot that could be further explored and probably are in the rest of the series. I do not read a lot of fantasy so I am probably not the best judge, and I have definitely read a lot worse.

With three stars I didn’t hate it, it was good, but I will say I wasn’t invested enough to pick up the next one, despite the very creative cliff hanger.

You can purchase Gideon the Ninth via the following

QBD | Dymocks |Wordery

Blackwell’s | Fishpond

Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Long Lost Review: Scarlet (#2) by Marissa Meyer

09 May 2024 Leave a comment

by Amy in Fantasy, Long Lost Reviews, Science Fiction, Young Adult Tags: #llr, fantasy, long lost review, Long Lost Reviews, marissa meyer, science fiction, the lunar chronicles, young adult

Long Lost Reviews is a monthly meme created by Ally over at Ally’s Appraisals which is posted on the second Thursday of every month. The aim is to start tackling your review backlog. Whether it’s an in-depth analysis of how it affected your life, one sentence stating that you only remember the ending, or that you have no recollection of reading the book at all.

Published: 13 February 2013
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 454
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

This poor series has been sitting unreviewed properly for years because I wanted to post reviews in order and this one never wanted to be written. I am now trying to drag up my memory of this book to do a quick one to get it done. It’s definitely an ongoing theme because it took me forever to get around to reading it in the first place after I read Cinder but it didn’t disappoint.

I enjoyed how we are still in the world of Cinder while also branching out and exploring other characters. It was an interesting approach to have a sequel that’s still so connected with the first book characters while also introducing new people and a whole new story. Being set in the same world I thought there’d be references, but the changing perspectives captures a great look at various corners of the world and Meyer brings them together remarkably well.

The Cinder side gives a great plotline as we see her become a fugitive; and after the events in book one it’s great to see her story continue. I enjoyed the slow reveal and the pacing as everything is revealed. Scarlet’s story is also full of amazing twists and the way Meyer lays hints and clues pulls you along. Scarlet is a great character, she is fiery and passionate and I enjoyed seeing her with Wolf and their dynamic together. I loved how Cinder’s story and Scarlet’s come together, it is skilful storytelling, and I loved how they are each the main character of their own story, they have their own stories right up until their lives intertwine.

I love how Meyer has connected these fairytales in new and brilliant ways. The science fiction and fantasy come together so well and it’s incredible to see her imagination work. It is a fascinating story and one that reveals more about each of the characters old and new, as well as shows readers more about the world’s history and the challenges they face.

Every Heart A Doorway (#1) by Seanan McGuire

07 Mar 2023 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook, Fantasy, LGBTQIA, Wayward Children Tags: Audiobook, cynthia hopkins, fantasy, four stars, seanan mcguire, Wayward Children

Published: 5 April 2016 (print)/5 April 2016 (audio)
Publisher: Tor.com/Macmillan Audio
Pages: 169/4 hrs and 45 mins
Narrator: Cynthia Hopkins
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

In a premise that reminded me of Miss Peregrine initially, the story is about a girl who arrives at a boarding school for people who have travelled through portals into different worlds – lands of Nonsense, Logic, Fairy – and returned home changed and unsatisfied. Not that that’s what their families are being told.

The story captivates you from the beginning and I was drawn into this world of pretences and misleadings about Eleanor and this boarding school and what it actually did. As the story goes on you learn more about the worlds and the school, about children who have returned from their travels through doorways and how they are coping with being thrust back into their old lives whether by accident or through no choice of their own.

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and the tone McGuire has used – it’s fun and talks to the reader in conversational tones, not nonsensical or anything but matter of fact and with a mix of logic and nonsense while maintaining the seriousness. It’s hard to describe exactly but I loved it immensely.

The mystery was clever and I loved how there was surprises and shocks that come almost immediately changing any theory you may have even started to develop. Each character’s personality brings something to the story and it was hard not to marvel at McGuire’s imagination at these unique characters and their own histories and experiences.

I loved each of the characters we’re introduced to. I don’t want to spoil each of their journeys because I think discovering them is half the fun but I will say there is great representation, there is celebration of the quirky, the unusual, and while kids will always be kids, seeing a place that tries to promote and encourage unusual hobbies, to keep safe those who were cast out, and to embrace the different, was delightful.

I listened to the audiobook which was an excellent decision because it really heightened that unique writing style, and by the end of the book I was enraptured and was surprised how despite being only a short novella it was the perfect length. McGuire told a wonderfully interesting story and gave us detailed and fleshed out characters, a complicated mystery as well as introducing us to this entire new fantasy reality all while keeping it at 175 pages. It’s hard not to marvel at such a feat and I am definitely excited to explore this series and see what else McGuire has in store.

You can purchase Every Heart A Doorway via the following

Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

The Librarians and the Mother Goose Chase (#2) by Greg Cox

20 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Fantasy, Mystery, The Librarians Tags: fantasy, four stars, greg cox, mystery, The Librarians

Published: 25th April 2017
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Genre: Mystery Fantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Stories have power.

In 1719, Elizabeth Goose published a collection of rhyming spells as a children’s book, creating a spellbook of terrifying power. The Librarian of that age managed to dispose of all copies of the book except one, which remained in the possession of Elizabeth Goose and her family, temporarily averting any potential disaster.

Now, strange things are happening around the world. A tree-trimmer in Florida is blown off his elevated perch by a freak gust of wind, a woman in rural Pennsylvania is attacked by mutant rodents without any eyes, and a college professor in England finds herself trapped inside a prize pumpkin at a local farmer’s market. Baird and her team of Librarians suspect that the magic of Mother Goose is again loose in the world, and with Flynn AWOL–again–it is up to Cassandra, Ezekiel, and Stone to track down the missing spellbook before the true power of the rhymes can be unleashed.

I adored the movies and television series The Librarians so finding out there were further adventures in book form was a pure delight and they did not disappoint. They were written while the show was airing with the understanding we know who these characters already are, but they are also whole new adventures for them to go on and mysteries to unravel.

Delving into the realm of nursery rhymes and other literature as if it were real or based on fact has always been a fun topic, I loved seeing it in Jasper Fforde and I loved it here. Of course the history of nursery rhymes is filled with half-truths and unknowns which makes it perfect for the Librarians universe.

All the characters are here – Jenkins, Baird, and the three new librarian recruits and Cox has depicted them as they appear in the show. Their mannerisms, voice, thoughts and style all correspond with the people we’ve been introduced to and even if this is your first introduction to them, there are enough scatterings of information and backstory that you can pieces together who these people are. This is book two officially but can easily be read out of order, as I did while I tracked down book one. There are references to past cases but whether they are in the previous book, in the show, or that happened off screen is unknown but it helps to add to their experience, backstory and their mission.

For a book with some good action scenes, all of which are well written and quite vivid, it is also a slow story of research and piecing together many clues with side quests that prove distracting in a good way. You definitely sense their frustrations of trying to fix one problem when other smaller problems keep popping up to hinder their progress. The Librarians was always about action and drama and chaos and Cox brings this to the page very well. The distribution of research and investigation, coming together into one bigger plot is great and it lets you play along and try and solve the mystery as well, working out what things mean and what piece of information is important.

What I love about these kinds of books is its connection to reality; they try to link it to real people, provide reasons and history about the various artefacts while also keeping the magical element of the Library. Every story, myth or riddle is based on a truth is a good way to look at the Librarians universe and logic so to have rooms filled with tridents and treasure chests, things manifested from rhymes, stories and legends is wonderfully clever and I love it.

The climax and resolution is incredibly clever because it plays on what you know, if you know the Librarians history, but it also allows the possibility of multiple other events and outcomes and trying to work out which one Cox will choose is a fun game on its own. I’m so glad this book lived up to my expectations and gave the perfect balance of mystery, adventure, as well as humour and being delightfully cheesy at times as well. A great addition to the Librarians collection.

You can purchase The Librarians and the Mother Goose Chase via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Never and Forever (#4) by Cressida Cowell

19 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Fantasy, Junior Fiction Tags: cressida cowell, fantasy, four stars, junior fiction, wizards of once

Published: 22nd September 2020
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Genre: Junior Fiction Fantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Xar and Wish are on the final leg of their journey. First stop: The Mines of Unhappiness. Here, starvation is never far away for the Magical creatures who toil in its horrible depths. Xar and Wish must escape and fast; Xar needs to take control of his ever-growing Witchstain, and Wish must achieve her Destiny. But the Tazzelwurm is in their way, a grotesque monster who threatens to block every entrance.

Time is not on their side, but the forests are calling them. Will their combined strength be enough for the BIGGEST quest so far; to defeat the Kingwitch once and for all?

With this being the final book in the Wizards of Once series I am a little sad it’s ending. I liked reading about Wish and Xar and their mismatched merry band of adventures but Cowell gives them a fitting send off and brings together everything that has been building up over the last three books. There are perils and sacrifices, magical powers and other things even more powerful at play and seeing our young heroes face these challenges and go against the odds is fantastic.

The whole series is about finding one’s true worth and capabilities and with the right guidance, gentle encouragement and positive reinforcements it shows how powerful that can be. The negativity of parents and evil doers in the story have been pushed against from the start and the contrast with characters who have faith and trust in Wish and Xar are a great example of nurturing giving the best results.

There are a lot of lessons learnt in this final story and the misjudgements and criticisms by characters are altered – which have been pointed out through the whole series by the narrator and other characters, but having it acknowledged is an important step. Cowell doesn’t do an immediate flip of opinion, she uses the characters to admit mistakes, realise where they’ve gone wrong, but she doesn’t redeem them entirely either which I found a great move because one small action can’t change a lifetime of habits.

Wish is still a stubborn and determined force as the fight to defeat the Kingwitch continues and it’s great to have her courage grow and see her seek guidance from those around her. Xar is wonderfully flawed in his own way – yet he is loyal and brave and seeking the approval of those around him. Cowell’s done a great job through this whole series showing that trying and failing is not worth nothing, and that the adventure and the experience can change you for the better despite any misgivings or mistakes. She also never makes us forget they are still children but the mission and the importance of success is a strong driving force and doing the right thing is what matters.

The unknown narrator once again is fantastic in their observations about children and adults, about responsibilities and doing the right thing. We do find out who this unknown entity has been the whole time and while it was an interesting surprise, I didn’t feel it overly remarkable.

I read the paperback version this time round and got to experience Cowell’s illustrations throughout. Her style is fascinating because it is simple but rough and complicated and I love her designs of the characters and creatures. With the paperback you miss out on the delightful David Tennant narrating but you get the two page spread of illustration and Cowell’s use of dark pages and sketches.

It’s a gripping and satisfying conclusion to this series. There are a lot of players by the end but Cowell balances it well and each gets their own ending and role to play. It wouldn’t be a Cowell story with some heartbreaking moments amongst those of triumph and while I didn’t start crying, there is no doubt she has power in her words that on the surface look whimsical and silly, but look closer and you can see commentary about love and justice, about bravery and believing in yourself. Also the failures of adults and the imperfections of the world and family.

I know there are mixed reactions to the final chapter and I’m torn about how I really feel about it – I liked it in some ways but I understand the criticism as well. It shoehorns the story but it is also a nice hint at future events. I agree on some level it was unnecessary but I can see what Cowell was trying to do. I only wish she’d known that her stories are wonderful and powerful enough without needing to end it how she did. In a way it takes away all the effort, creativity and uniqueness of the previous books.

Overall though, it is a beautiful story of found family with magic and adventure from the beginning until the very end.

You can purchase Never and Forever via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible