The Watchers - Jon Steel

one sentence summary
An unlikely group team up to fight against evil...

review
I really wanted to like this book, I loved the style of the writing, I loved the descriptors of the setting but I HATED all of the characters. I know I was supposed to feel sympathetic and relate to them but I didn't. I tried to, but they were such crap I couldn't get over it. The plot was interesting but Steele let the details get in the way, the story could have been better told at half the length (much like my opinion on LotR). The pacing we terrible, 100 pages of descriptors followed by 5 pages of moving the plot forward, rinse repeat. It was so frustrating because I wanted to enjoy it but just couldn't

4/10

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making - Catherynne M Valente

one sentence summary:
September is 12 and she is tired of her boring old life so goes on a grand adventure.

review:
This is a brilliant story, it reminds me of a cross between Phantom Toll-Booth and Caroline. It is so well written that even though it is a children's book I am going to have to recommend everyone take the time and read it. The characters are all unique, there are no stereotypes or tropes to be found on the pages of this thrilling little story. The writing it self is beautiful, with poetry like prose on every page. With each new character comes a new adventure. Do yourself a favour and read this (also a great gift if you don't know what to get a 7-10 year old or for a baby shower... every kid should have this on their book shelve).


10/10

Darkness Series - Harry Turtledove

one sentence summary:
WWII with dragons and magic instead of tanks and bullets.

review:
this idea was very good but the novels were far to long and drawn out. I enjoyed parts of them but other parts were nearly boring. The romantic side to the story was terribly written, but the one conniving bitch character was really well done. For the most part the solder and general characters were interchangeable and didn't really have much texture. I wouldn't recommend these UNLESS you love LOTR and also enjoy detailed military fiction.

5/10

Storm Front - Jim Butcher

one sentence summary
Wizard for hire works as a detective and solves mysteries in modern day Chicago.

review
I enjoyed this story but the writing didn't flow as well as I was expecting it to. I think that will get better in the next books. Dresden is a very strongly developed character who we genuinely want to see what happens next to.

8/10

Earth to Hell - Kylie Chan

one sentence summary:
Emma's adventure continues as she raises Simone and hopes one day to be reunited with her beloved John.

review:
less than ideal, this novel doesn't live up to expectations. I was hoping that it would continue the story where the first trilogy left off, but instead it jumps forward in time and  the only character that is even recognizable is Emma. I found it frustrating how little they had bothered to sort out in the 8 years between the books, it is as if their lives froze (so as to not miss any plot points) but 8 years went by. *sigh* such a disappointing read, but I will read the next two in hopes they get better.

5/10

Blood Lite - ed. Kevin J Anderson

one sentence summary
a collection of short, often witty, paranormal stories.

review
these stories range in quality from "why the hell did I waste my time reading that" to "wow, listen to this..." with the majority being in the first category. I was disappointed by most of the stories but Butcher's was really good and Snell's was interesting (if not particularly well executed) but that was pretty much it for good writing. The more I know the author the more disappointed I was in their story.

2/10

Dark Heavens Trilogy - Kylie Chan

one sentence summary
A nanny enters the world of mythology when she agrees to care for the daughter of a god.

review
This is a great series, the mythology is so well researched and described that it is easy to fall under the spell of the story and believe the unbelievable. The series gets stronger as it continues forward, the third book being the most well written. I enjoyed the characters for the most part, the only really weak link is the character of Simone, a little girl wise beyond her years. For the most part she is believable but she is also the only catalyst that dispels the suspension of disbelief that is so crucial to fantasy writing and she does it more than once. Aside from that I look forward to this series continuing.

The Crystal Cave - Mary Stewart

one sentence summary:
the story of Merlin before he was the great Wizard we all know him as.

review:
A wonderful take on the Merlin myth. We are introduced to a young Merlin and follow him as he enters adulthood. Filled with family drama and suspense, mystery and intrigue this is a well written, entertaining read. Stewart did a fantastic job of flushing out not only fantastic characters and relationships but also a fascinating country complete with politics and details that are often overlooked in "Arthur" stories. A great mix of verifiable fact and familiar myth. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys long, detailed historical novels and/or the Arthur legend.

6/10

The Princess Bride - William Goldman

one sentence summary
 The movie is a classic everyone has seen, the book is better.

review:
This story has everything, drama to action to love and adventure. It tells a compelling story using a fantastic vocabulary built around amazing characters and their adventures. I recommend everyone go steal a fourth grader (boy or girl, doesn't really matter) and read this novel out loud with them. If you haven't read it yourself do it now or forever consider yourself deprived of one of the best stories ever. It is a highly entertaining fast paced read with easy to follow intersecting character lines. I have heard criticism that the female protagonist isn't strong, and isn't a good role model, this is true, she isn't but you can use her as a lesson on what not to do in life, and as an adult look at her as one of those stupid annoying females that we all know far to many of. This is a parody after all, you do have to be able to laugh at the characters in their over the top trope ness. In conclusion if you haven't read it read it now...

10/10

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - J.R.R. Tolken

one sentence summary:
there is a ring that must be taken on a long journey and then thrown in a volcano.

review:
This is the epitome of fantasy writing, they made the genre more popular, first when the novels were published and then again when they were made into films. In my opinion they are well written but long winded, the details go on for pages, so much so that it gets a bit boring from time to time. The plot is good, the action is detailed and the characters are all endearing. I recommend this only to fantasy fans and never ever as an introduction to the genre.

5/10

The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales - The Brothers Grimm

one sentence summary:
Before there was Disney fairy tales were much more gruesome.
review:
I happen to know a lot about the brothers Grimm and I can tell you that they did not come up with all of these stories on their own, rather they collected all the folk tales in Eastern Europe and wrote them down, thus they get all of the credit. I do not recommend these for children unless you stop reading and add your own happy endings because none of the true endings of fairy tales are happily ever after ones. These are all timeless classics and I believe no library is complete without them in it. Translated into almost every language these are all brilliant stories. Personally, I have a beautiful copy that was given to me by one of my mom's friends at my baby shower.
10/10

The MaddAddam Trilogy - Margaret Atwood

one sentence summary:
what happens after the plague changes life as we know it?
review:
these novels are rather brilliant. The writing is superb and the characters are so well drawn out that even the most unbelievable attributes become logical. Atwood always writes with unforgettable voices and this is no exception. The world she as created is a beautiful as it is terrible. I highly recommend these to anyone who enjoys good writing / post-apocalyptic dystopias / Canadian authors. They are typical in tone of Atwood, that is to say a bit dark but with their own twisted humour thrown about for good measure. I would say of this series that the world she created surpasses the characters (which is a-typical of her work as usually the characters are the strongest point... on the other hand the world she created is almost like a character onto itself, especially as it is further flushed out in the third instalment.)
8/10

if you enjoyed this check out Huxley, Bradbury and Iain M Banks

A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin

One Sentence Summary:
An epic fantasy about rivaling kingdoms and the greed for power that runs through the ruling and exiled families.

8/10 (only because not everyone would enjoy the whole series)

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1)
One Sentence Summary:
The Stark family tries to hold onto power and secure positions for their allies

Review:
This is the first book in an epic series, in it you are introduced to a world where summer can last a life time and very few people are left alive who remember the last winter. Snow is a thing of legend. In the land of Westeros families are battling for power. You will meet characters you come to love and characters you come to hate (my favourite is Daenerys... I want to be her BFF). Martin describes the world in such detail that at times I got lost in it. The strongest element of his writing is the characters, the plot is a bit muddled in the first book because of how many characters are introduced, it gets a bit confusing at times (use the maps and family trees in the front of the books to keep on track).   

10/10

Notable Quotes:

"A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." 

"There is only one god and his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: “Not today."

"Fear cuts deeper than swords."

"Wind and words. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy."
A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2)
One Sentence Summary:
The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros are still fighting for power.

Review:
I didn't think the second book was as strong as the first. It introduced more politics between the kingdoms. I find the subplots hard to keep track of so that may be the reason why I don't like it as much as the first which focused more on character. Also there are no happy endings (or beginnings) in this volume, nothing really "good" happens. The plot set up in the first novel is expanded up on in the second, the civil war bringing to a conclusion various points that were left open after the first volume in this epic. That being said the plot does continue to develop toward a climax it just pairs down to fewer threads. Well worth reading if you liked the first one at all.

8/10

Notable Quotes:

"There's no shame in fear, my father told me, what matters is how we face it."

"People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it's served up." "The brightest flame casts the darkest shadow."

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3)
One Sentence Summary:
The civil war is still going on and chaos is wracking the remaining kingdoms of Westeros 

Review:
I got so angry reading this volume I quit reading more times than I care to admit. But I always went back to it because I wanted to know what happened next. Martin did such a great job of making me care about the characters that even though I hated half of them I kept reading to see what happened to the other half. Martins writing style is stronger and the Kingdoms continue to hurtle towards an epic conclusion.

8/10

Notable Quotes:

"All these kings would do a deal better if they would put down their swords and listen to their mothers."

"My sister has mistaken me for a mushroom. She keeps me in the dark and feeds me shit."

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4)
One Sentence Summary:
The competition for power continues.

Review:
My least favourite Martin had too much material so made two books out of the one manuscript, for this one he chose to use the point of view of all of the people I hate. So while it is well written it kept making me irrationally angry. I want Cersei to die in a fire. 

7/10

Notable Quotes:

"The man is as useless as nipples on a breastplate."

"I prefer my history dead. Dead history is writ in ink, the living sort in blood."

"We all dream of things we cannot have." 

A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5)
One Sentence Summary:
Everyone is still vying for power and trying to come to terms with their losses and gains

Review:
This is my favourite book in the series so far, because it has Daenerys as a point of view character and I missed her after finishing A Feast of Crows. Well written, though Martin is beginning to get a bit repetitive, but this many pages in it is to be expected. The plot keeps moving but the descriptive terms are beginning to be recycled.

9/10

Notable Quotes:

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one."

"Keep walking. If i look back I am lost."

"she would die as she had lived, with an axe in her hand and a laugh upon her lips."

If you enjoyed this you should read:

The Kingkiller Chronicles - Patrick Rothfuss
The Wayfarer Redemption - Sarah Douglass
Kushiel Legacy Series - Jacqueline Carey

The Kingkiller Chronicle - Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind

This was a penetrating work of fantasy and I loved it. Rothfuss is a brilliant writer and the voice he gives to Kvothe is very accessible even though Kvothe has had many more adventures than one lifetime allows. Basically Rothfuss creates a world you don't want to leave and characters you want to be friends with in real life. I don't want to say any more so go read the book and find out for yourself.

9/10

If you enjoyed this you should read:

The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch
A Song of Ice and Fire Series - George R R Martin
The Shannara Series - Terry Brooks