The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
It’s been nearly two years since I read the last book in Rick Riordan‘s five-part THE HEROES OF OLYMPUS series — not because I wasn’t enjoying it; I simply got swamped by my never-ending To Be Read pile. But I’m back, and eager to finish what I started!
The House of Hades is the fourth book in the series, following on with the overarching story of seven young heroes working together to combat the rising power of Gaia,
February 1st, 2018. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3.5 | Rick Riordan | Children | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
The fifth book (not counting the prequel novellas) in Sarah J. Maas‘s THRONE OF GLASS series is easily twice as long as the first book, but has one thing in common: half the story is a really good action-fantasy-adventure, and the other half is an overwrought “love” story.
In the case of Throne of Glass, the bad half was more to do with frivolous teenage angst impinging on what was otherwise a pretty serious fight-to-the-death tournament,
January 31st, 2018. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Sarah J. Maas | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
I have to admit I’m still not completely sold on Sarah J. Maas‘s THRONE OF GLASS series, though the fact I’m still reading must mean the pros outweigh the cons. There’s been a pattern to my reading experience: every second book has been an improvement on its predecessor, which means I wasn’t too impressed by Throne of Glass, was pleasantly surprised with Crown of Midnight,
January 26th, 2018. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3.5 | Sarah J. Maas | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
This is the third book in Sarah J. Maas‘s THRONE OF GLASS series, detailing the journey of Celaena Sardothien throughout the fantasy world of Erilea; specifically her ongoing struggle to use her assassin’s training to pursue justice throughout the land. Given that she’s in the employ of the corrupt King of Adarlan, this requires a fair bit of subterfuge and deceit, for as we learned at the end of the previous book, Celaena is actually the lost queen of Terrasen and the heir to its throne.
January 25th, 2018. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Sarah J. Maas | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Glass Town Game by Catherynne M. Valente
Any book by Catherynne M. Valente contains both the unexpected and the unsurprising. You can always anticipate clever wordplay, a sense of whimsy, and prose that just stops short of purple, but in regards to content all bets are off. She can write anything, from a Wild-Western Snow White, to a brand new take on Arabian Nights, to a sci-fi, alt-history space opera mystery.
And in this case, the plot of The Glass Town Game (2017) almost defies description.
January 24th, 2018. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Catherynne M. Valente | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
When George R.R. Martin’s A Storm of Swords (2000) begins, the War of the Five Kings has just ended, and it looks like the Lannisters have won the realm. They control King’s Landing, Westeros’ capital city, as well as the fifteen-year-old King Joffrey. Stannis Baratheon is in retreat, and their remaining foes, the Starks and the Greyjoys, have turned on each other rather than allying against a common enemy. Basically, the bad guys have won, but A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE isn’t over.
December 14th, 2017. Ryan Skardal, Greg Hersom, Jason Golomb and Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | George R.R. Martin | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz
I read the first book in the ALEX RIDER series (Stormbreaker) several years ago, and since I enjoyed it so much, I’ve no idea why it’s taken me this long to get to its sequel: Point Blank, named for the elite boarding school high in the French Alps. Here the troubled sons of millionaires are sent in order to be tutored in isolation, away from any bad influences, though MI5 is concerned when two of the students’
December 13th, 2017. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Anthony Horowitz | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Keeping Place by Isobelle Carmody
This is the fourth book in Isobelle Carmody‘s ongoing THE OBERNEWTYN CHRONICLES, detailing the lives of telepathic Misfits trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. After the cataclysm known as the Great White destroyed all know civilisation, humanity has re-emerged across various cities and communities, ruled over by a totalitarian Council and religious fanatics known as the Herders.
The Misfits are those regularly used as scapegoats by those in power; their abilities to heal, coerce, mind-speak,
December 1st, 2017. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Isobelle Carmody | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
This is the third book in Isobelle Carmody‘s THE OBERNEWTYN CHRONICLES, marking the point where the series takes on a truly epic quality. Seriously, this instalment is twice the size of the first volume, and the next one is even larger!
Elspeth Gordie is one of many so-called Misfits that dwell in the safe haven of Obernewtyn, a place where those with psychic abilities (whether they’re telepaths, coercers, beast-speakers or far-seekers) can live in peace and secrecy.
November 30th, 2017. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Isobelle Carmody | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood was once, via a review of her work, once taken a bit publicly to task by Ursula K. LeGuin for not wanting her books (specifically The Handmaid’s Tale, Oryx and Crake, and The Year of the Flood) to be labeled “science fiction,” because, LeGuin speculated, Atwood did not want to be relegated to the genre ghetto. Atwood, however, responded that it was merely a definitional issue.
November 29th, 2017. Bill Capossere, Stuart Starosta, Rebecca Fisher and Kat Hooper´s rating: 5 | Margaret Atwood | Audio, Edge, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Oh, Marion, you say "but dark" as if it were a bad thing! 😂
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Oh, it IS, Marion! It is!
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