Tag: Books

Review: Amberlough

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9780765383815Title: Amberlough (2017) – Preview Excerpt
Author: Lara Elena Donnelly

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader preview in exchange for an honest review.

This excerpt represents the first quarter of Amberlough and I’m unsure whether it piqued my interest enough to continue with the full novel. Amberlough City is a lush cityscape filled with rusting pipes, cigarettes, and sex. The setting is fascinating, but I never quite connected with the political narrative that drives the main story. Ultimately, I got the exact same amount of plot detail from the description on Goodreads that I did from this sample, so it is tough to judge how useful this excerpt is. The relationships are titillating and the characters unique, but I am not sure the story gripped me enough to see it through to the end. How cool is that cover, though?

★★★ out of 5

Review: Avempartha

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avemparthaTitle: Avempartha (2009)
Author: Michael J. Sullivan
Pages: 331
Series: The Riyria Revelations #2

Michael J. Sullivan’s books are fantasy comfort food  — likable characters, charming dialogue, clean plots, and unexpected twists all make for something infinitely enjoyable. Avempartha is no different. The second book of the Riyria Revelations series finds Hadrian and Royce, our intrepid rogues, tasked with breaking into yet another tower. This time they contend with a mythical flying reptile (not a dragon!) and the helpless villagers of a nearby town that have drawn the ire of the beast.

Despite hitting many of the same beats as the first novel, Avempartha charts some new territory — unforeseen information about the past of Hadrian and Royce is revealed, an unknown peasant girl rises to prominence, and the Church of Nyphron misuses their authority to further their (somewhat) noble aims.

I was disappointed that Myron, the naive monk from The Crown Conspiracy (see review), is nowhere to be found, but Esrahaddon, the 900-year-old wizard, is elevated into a supporting role, and his hidden maneuvering and prevarication makes him a compelling foil for Hadrian and Royce. The presence of princess Arista and peasant girl Thrace brings more visibility to the female characters of the world, but they are mostly used as the pawns of others and don’t have much of their own agency.

Sullivan has built a familiar, yet unique world that has deep mythical roots. Knowing that the lore is being fleshed out in his prequel series The Legends of the First Empire (see Age of Myth review) ensures that I don’t gloss over any passing mentions of the history of the world. I am more than happy to continue the Riyria journey in the present day and I look forward to moving on to Nyphron Rising.

★★★★ out of 5

Review: The Crown Conspiracy

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146902Title: The Crown Conspiracy
Author: Michael J. Sullivan
Pages: 324
Series: The Riyria Revelations #1
Read via: Kindle

Review: Michael J. Sullivan writes some really delightful fantasy stories. Having now finished two of his novels (see my review of Age of Myth) I have a better sense of his overall writing style–charming characters, witty dialogue, swift-moving plots, adventure, humor, wizards, political intrigue, etc. I’ll take that combination any day of the week.

Something else I noted in my prior reading of Sullivan was his ability to construct interesting side characters. Myron, the wide-eyed monk, is another instant classic. Similarly, Royce and Hadrian, the novel’s protagonists, are a very charismatic duo. Their absence from any scene immediately makes it less compelling.

There is certainly a sense of a “long game” being set up in The Crown Conspiracy that will span the six novels of the series, and I’ll certainly be following things through to the end to see how it all unfolds (assuming the books maintain this level of quality).

★★★★¼ out of 5