Review: The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

The Way of Shadows (The Night Angel, #1)
by Brent Weeks
Published by Orbit
Adult, fantasy

The perfect killer has no friends. Only targets. For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art. And he is the city's most accomplished artist, his talents required from alleyway to courtly boudoir.

I was fascinated and excited when I read the blurb for The Way of Shadows and all the praise it has. I have been looking for a good book about assassins and the blurb promised just that.

Weeks is talented story teller, I give him that. However, any and all character development is abandoned for the sake of intricate plot. The characters are caricatures and card board copies. Everything is told to the reader, nothing is shown and there isn't really any development - no one changes, and this book takes place over years, and the main character grows from young child to an adult. This lack of depth made it impossible for me to care for any character; they are so flat and it's hard to understand people's motivations, so it's difficult to care. There are also so many characters and new ones introduced in every few chapters. In the end, I liked one character and felt indifferent to most; two or three I actually hated. For me, that's not enough to enjoy the story. No matter how intricate plot or how many twist and turns, if I don't care for any of the characters and what happens to them, what is the point?

Then there's the obsession with virginity. I cannot underline how many times virginity is connected to loyalty and good character in the story. All the despicable characters are either whores or promiscuous. It's not even about female characters being either virgins or whores, it applies to the male characters as well. Logan and Kylar are both virgins, and it's made seem like that makes them good and loyal, because they are saving themselves. It feels absolutely frustrating, because it shouldn't be what is held important. Both also have this puppy love for their chosen girls, which is a pet peeve of mine. Kylar is an assassin, who kills on order and doesn't ask questions, but he has this naive love for Elene, ever since they were children. It's even more frustrating, because Elene has absolutely no personality, she's dull and boring.

Calling an assassin with talent a wetboy... who thought it is a good idea? Sure, reader will get used to it after six hundred pages, but I still dislike the word so much. It doesn't inspire fear, just snickers. Of course, it's not a big problem compared to complete lack of characterization and all the telling not showing. The pace is also a little bit off; the start is slow, then it picks up, only to be slowed down again. There's a lot of talking and politics, and not enough action until the last hundred pages where most of the action is crammed into.

The story is not bad, but I didn't care for the characters. I certainly won't be continuing with the series, especially after the ending has the story going in the direction and relationship that I don't want to read about. I just don't care enough. Such a disappointment, because I expected assassins and intrigue, but there isn't a lot of assassinations, Kylar's training is mostly off page, and the focus is more on courtly politics.

2 of 5 stars

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Stacking the Shelves (83)

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and is all about sharing the book you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
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ARC Review: The Oddling Prince by Nancy Springer

The Oddling Prince
by Nancy Springer
Published by Tachyon Publications
eARC
Young Adult, fantasy

In the ancient moors of Scotland, the king of Calidon lies on his deathbed, cursed by a ring that cannot be removed from his finger. When a mysterious fey stranger appears to save the king, he also carries a secret that could tear the royal family apart. 

The kingdom's only hope will lie with two young men raised worlds apart. Aric is the beloved heir to the throne of Calidon; Albaric is clearly of noble origin yet strangely out of place.

The Oddling Prince is an odd mix of middle grade, young adult and fairytale; it reads like a middle grade, but the ages and themes are clearly young adult, and it all feels like whimsical fairytale. It is confusing mix, but it works once you abandon all the expectations that comes with those particular genres. It's whimsical fairytale - sometimes the actions of characters or plot twists won't make sense, but it's told in such way that it makes reader to forget it.

The setting drew me in, and it's what I loved most. It's never really specified when the story takes place, but it's ancient Scotland. There's moors, forest, raging sea and ever changing wind. Springer's descriptions are so vivid that I could feel the wind, smell the sea, and see the moors. Absolutely wonderful, I wish more books would take place in Scotland, especially in the medieval times or even earlier.

The Oddling Prince stars Aric, who's a prince of the kingdom of Caldor, and Albaric, who's mysterious fey that arrives just in time to save the dying king. Both are very likable characters; Aric is loyal, kind and fierce, and he takes Albaric in with such loyalty that it amazed me. Albaric is more careful and has less confidence, but he's so adorable. Aric and Albaric have a strong connection and it's great to see how they react to things and how they grew.

So why I didn't fell head over heels for The Oddling Prince? The plot is a little all over the place, there are many twists and turns and it feels like the story never takes a breather. It is also quite convenient; all hardships are solved quickly and the stakes are never high. It's thoroughly enjoyable story, the setting and main characters are great, but the plot is little weak and nothing is brilliant. A good story, but not mind blowing. I do recommend it if you're looking for whimsical fairytale or want to read a book set in ancient Scotland.

3 of 5 stars

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(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)

#Mythothon Sign Up & TBR

Mythothon is a month long readathon that will run from 1st to the 30th November in everyone's own timezone and it is hosted by Foxes and Fairytales. Head over there to find out more about the readathon and to sign up, if you're planning to join.

Anything goes - books, novellas, graphic novels, audiobooks etc.

To live up the name of the readathon, there are prompts in Ancient Greek style, which everyone can tackle how they want. I'll include both the graphic and the lay down of the prompts before going through my partial TBR. There are few books I'm sure I'll read, and everything else will be decided by my ever changing mood during the month. So I'm not sure which prompts I will do - we'll find it at the end of November!

Prompts

Zeus, King of the Gods, God of the Sky - Read a book at least 400 pages long.

Hera, Queen of the Gods, Goddess of Marriage, Mothers and Families - Read a book about royalty.

Hebe, Goddess of Eternal Youth - Read a Middle Grade or Young Adult book.

Poseidon, God of the Sea - Read a book which features the sea - mermaids, pirates, surfers etc.

Hermes, God of Travellers and Thieves - Read a book set in a country not your own.

Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty - Read a book with a beautiful cover.

The Hydra, Multiheaded Serpent - Read a book with more than one POV.

Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow - Read a book with your favourite colour on the cover or in the title.

Ancient Greece - Read a book set in the past.

Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth - Read the first book in a series.

Dionysus, God of Wine - Celebrate this year by reading a 2018 release.

Achilles and Patroclus - Read a book with an LGBT+ protagonist.

Free Choice.

Homer - Read a retelling.

Hephaestus, God of Fire and Smiths - Read a book with a disable character.

Ares, God of War - Read a book with a compelling antagonist or a written from the villain's POV.

Echidna, Mother of Monsters - Read a book about monsters - dragons, zombies, serial killers, etc.

Herakles - Read a popular book.

Gaia, Primordial Earth Goddess - Read a book which was published at least 5 years ago.

Artemis, Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt - Read a book with an animal on the cover or in the title.

Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, Strategy and Crafts - Read a book that's not the first in the series.

Persephone, Goddess of the Underworld and Springtime - Read a book which is less than 200 pages.

Apollo, God of Prophesy, Plague and Poetry - Read a collection of poetry or short stories.

Hades, God of the Underworld and Riches - Read a book which you got for free.

Demeter, Goddess of Agriculture - Read a book with a nature world in the title (e.g. leaf, wind, flower)

My partial TBR

I haven't really decided the prompts as I can fit most of the TBR to at least two prompts. However, as soon as I saw Achilles and Patroclus as a prompt, I knew I was going to reread The Song of Achilles and use it for that prompt - how could I not? I've also pre-ordered Stephen Fry's Heroes, which I'll likely read and use for Homer prompt, because that's poetic if anything.

If you're joining the readathon, let me know, I'd love to check out your TBR post!

Top Ten Tuesday: Villains!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week participating bloggers can create lists of topic given by the host, and share them with others!

I've been quite vocal about my love for antiheroes and villains, because heroes and villains are all about perspective and point of view. I prefer the antihero type, who are not straight up evil conquers of the world, so you won't see Voldemort in this list.
This is not the first time I'm listing my favourites. However, it's been few years since I did this last time so a refresh is in order!
Captain James Hook, from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie I've been fascinated by Captain Hook since childhood; I love pirates, but more than that, the contrast between Peter, who'll never grow up, and Hook, who's grown up stuck in the world of children, is interesting. It's all about perspective in this case - in Hook's story, Peter is the villain as he certainly isn't innocent. Besides Peter Pan, I definitely recommend Christina Henry's Lost Boy, which is an origin story for Hook. It's captivating and one of my favourites!

 

And two of my favourite movie/TV show portrayals of Hook;

Victor Vale, from Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Victor is the perfect epitome of antihero and I love him. It's so fascinating how Schwab deals with the moral grey areas and who is hero and villain. No one is innocent and good in Vicious, but it was intriguing how I rooted for Victor but absolutely despised Eli from the beginning.

Holland, from Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Schwab did it perfectly; Holland was fascinating villain in the beginning, but I didn't particularly like him. That is, until everything was flipped and all I could do was feel for Holland and love him.

Lucius and Draco Malfoy, from Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

I always liked the Malfoy family: Lucius is charismatic and just so Slytherin, and Draco is a boy who makes bad decision but isn't truly villainous. Both are compelling antiheroes/villains in their own right, and I just loved it.

Heathcliff, from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Basically everyone is an antihero in Wuthering Heights, but Heathcliff is especially villainized by many of the characters. He's different, has a mean streak and taste for vengeance, but all of that makes him such compelling character and I just love him.

Hades, from Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

Or one could say, almost any portrayal of Hades from the Greek myths to retellings. Hades is the god of underworld and just that makes him feared and the bad guy, even if his antics aren't any different from the other gods. I love how Riordan's portrays Hades, how he's isolated and plays into the image others have of him. He's not a villain and even an antihero is a stretch, but he's a grey character and I've always rooted for him. 

President Snow, from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

President Snow is terrifyingly fascinating, especially since I never could be sure if he was truly evil mastermind or misunderstood. He's not a good person, but definitely interesting antagonist. I didn't particularly like him, but I was fascinated by his character. Definitely a solid villain for a story!

Cruella de Vil, from The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith

Cruella kills puppies for fur coats, which is pure evil, but she's charismatic and I found her insanity fascinating. Definitely a great villain, even if I don't like her much (because she kills puppies and that's just cruelest thing ever.)

Review: S.T.A.G.S. by M. A. Bennett

S.T.A.G.S.
by M. A. Bennett
Published by Hot Key Books
YA, contemporary, thriller

Nine students. Three bloodsports. One deadly weekend.

It is the autumn term and Greer MacDonald is struggling to settle into the sixth form at the exclusive St. Aidan the Great boarding school, known to its privileged pupils as S.T.A.G.S. Just when she despairs of making friends Greer receives a mysterious invitation with three words embossed upon on it: huntin' shootin' fishin'. When Greer lean that the invitation is to spend the half term weekend at the country manor of Henry de Warlencourt, the most popular and wealthy boy at S.T.A.G.S., she is as surprised as she is flattered.

But when Greer joins the other chosen few at the ancient and sprawling Longcross Hall, she realises that Henry's parents are not at home; the only adults present are a cohort of eerily compliant servants. The students are at the mercy of their capricious host, and, over the next three days, as the three bloodsports - hunting, shooting and fishing - become increasingly dark and twisted, Greer comes to the horrifying realisation that those being hunted are not wild game, but the very misfits Henry has brought with him from school...

I was so excited to read S.T.A.G.S. and I went in knowing nothing but the tag line - that it was nine students participating three bloodsports during one deadly weekend. It's also set in England and posh boarding school, which sounds promising itself. I wanted to love the story and feel for the characters, and to try figure out who the culprit is. However, that's not what happened.

The story is about Greer MacDonald, who wins a scholarship to attend prestigious St. Aidan the Great School. Greer is in for a rude awakening, because no one talks to her and she fails at making any friends. She gets so excited when she receives invitation from the most popular kids at school to attend a weekend full of hunting, shooting and fishing at a manor in the Lake District. Sounds great, right? Well, the problems don't lie with the plot outline. It's the execution: character development is non-existent, there are too many movie references (the author uses them to describe everything, which can be confusing if you haven't seen the movies), and the narrator, Greer, addresses the reader directly multiple times. It's also a confusing mix of modern and "medieval" - the popular kids refuse to use any technology and they are called "medievals" and people who use modern technology are "savage". The lack of character development leaves everyone one dimensional and very arch-typical. 

Main problem that S.T.A.G.S. has is foreshadowing. It's not subtle and there is a lot of it. First chapters tell reader exactly who is the bad guy, foreshadowing it so properly that it ruins any suspense, any mystery. It's all handed in right away, which makes the book a bit pointless. If I already know who the bad guy is, how am I going to feel surprised or betrayed? It just makes Greer feel silly character, because she seems to believe anything that a charming handsome guy says. Personally, I think the story would have been so much better without any foreshadowing - then there would have been suspense, mystery, and possibly surprise. Now it is just a thriller without any suspense or momentum, which makes it a failed thriller and more contemporary YA. It does try to be clean YA as much as it can, while foreshadowing that horrible things will happen soon.

Overall, I am very disappointed. There was plenty of potential and the tag line is intoxicating (Nine students. Three bloodsports. One deadly weekend.) but the book does not live up to it as the execution is messy. Bones of the story are good, but it needed way more fleshing out and editing - and removing all the foreshadowing.

2 of 5 stars

I aim to keep my reviews spoiler free on my blog, but I had so much to say about the ending. I included a spoiler section on the review on Goodreads, which you can access here, if you want to see what I have to say about the ending. Be warned that the spoiler section reveals two crucial things about the ending, so only read it if you have already read the book or want to know how it ends.

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Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon Wrap Up

Here's my TBR post for the readathon, just if you want to see how much I didn't read and how I deviated from the TBR I set for myself.

I knew it was going to be difficult and I wasn't going to get much reading done; I worked first three hours of the readathon on Saturday and the last few hours on Sunday. Naturally I needed proper sleep and I didn't prepare food and snacks, so cooking took time. I also picked up wrong book; S.T.A.G.S. was not a fast paced read. Still, I read 317 pages and finished one book - I surpassed my goal of three hundred pages. Overall, I'm satisfied with how I did.

To recap, I read 290 pages of S.T.A.G.S. and 27 pages of The Way of Shadows;

Closing Survey
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
No hour was more daunting than another. I think it was because I had work both on Saturday and Sunday so I missed both the beginning and end, which are usually most daunting for me. This time I just read when I had time, be it lunch at work or at home afterwards.

2. Tell us ALLLL the books you read!
Short list this time; I read S.T.A.G.S. from beginning to end and 27 pages from The Way of Shadows, which I was middle of before the readathon.

3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners?
Anything fast paced, I usually like middle grade and mysteries/thrillers that keep me turning page after page. Riordan is always a good choice, and recently I devoured The Last Chance Hotel by Nicki Thornton - it would have been a perfect book for a readathon!

4. What's a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you happy?
Just keep doing the amazing work you guys do - the readathon twitter and hashtag is always full of encouraging and nice people!

5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-tho again? Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep?
I'll definitely participate again - I even checked and next one is during my Easter break so university won't be a problem then. If I have time, I'd love to volunteer!

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon TBR

This is the fourth time that I can participate on Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon; it is one of my favourites and I'm happy that this year I've been able to participate both in April and October, as well as the reverse on in July.

Dewey's site has already some warm up posts up, and there's plenty of information about the readathon. To sum it up, the readathon is pretty chilled and there isn't any challenges that must be completed and not really rules - but plenty of good tips!

The important part is that the readathon will run from Saturday 20th October to Sunday 21st October. The start and end time of the readathon depend on which time zone you live, and you can check yours from the website.

In UK time zone the start is 1pm on Saturday and then it ends 1pm on Sunday.

Besides this TBR post, I'll do a wrap up on Sunday when the readathon is over.

This time around Dewey's is going to be a little bit tricky for me: I'm working half day on Saturday, and I'm working on Sunday afternoon so I'll miss both the first and the last few hours of reading time. I'll also need plenty of sleep in order to function properly at work. Still, I aim to read as much as I can and my personal goal is to read three hundred pages - and hopefully finish one book. I'll include a few books in my TBR, just so that I have options when the readathon starts, and just in case that I have time/energy to read more than I anticipated.

I'm not the best one to post updates during readathons but I'll try to be active on Twitter and post on my reading updates. So if you want to follow those, you're more than welcome to check out my twitter page - and hopefully you'll say hello and join the readathon! :)

Review: The Last Chance Hotel by Nicki Thornton

The Last Chance Hotel
by Nicki Thornton
Published by Chicken House
Middle Grade, fantasy, mystery

Seth is a kitchen boy at the remote Last Chance Hotel. His father has long ago left, leaving him imprisoned until he is old enough to set out on his own. If there's any hope he has, it's to be the greatest chef that ever lived... just like his father. 

One night, a band of magicians begin to arrive to participate in a secret meeting - - a Prospect Selection Procedure to determine the most talented magicians in the world, judged by their leader Dr Thallonius. Seth has one task: to make Dr. Thallonius the greatest dessert he's ever tasted. Then, maybe he will help Seth find a way to freedom. 

But when the doors to the private meeting open, and Dr. Thallonius lay dead on the floor, the group blames the dessert, which means that it's Seth who will pay the price. But Seth knows he's innocent, and only has so much time to eliminate each suspect and prove his innocence.

The Last Chance Hotel tells the story of kitchen boy Seth, who dreams of becoming a great chef, but who cannot reach his potential as his employers and host family are not nice to him. However, things change when a band of magicians come to the hotel for a secret meeting and their leader dies. Now Seth has to prove his innocence by figuring out who the real suspect is. It's a cosy mystery and has Agatha Christie feel to it, although it is not gruesome and it's suitable for kids.

I enjoyed the mystery immensely. Seth's sympathetic character and the secondary characters are fascinating, especially Dr Thallonius, Inspector Pewter and Seth's cat Nightshade. The setting's charming: an old hotel in the middle of the woods, which used to attract visitors but now it's mostly empty. The hotel itself presents a mystery and hides many secrets, and it's captivating to follow Seth as he uncovers them.

The Last Chance Hotel creates a world and introduces intriguing cast of characters; it's only problem is not going deeper with either of them. It's not a glaring problem and it didn't hinder my thorough enjoyment of the story, it's just something that could have been improved upon. In that sense, the book felt like a great start for a series, which could expand the world, the characters and delve more into Seth's parents and past. I certainly hope there'll be more, I'd love to read a sequel!

If you're up for a great mix of magic and cosy mystery, then I wholeheartedly recommend The Last Chance Hotel to you.

4 of 5 stars

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Book Tour + Giveaway: Pisces Hooks Taurus by Anyta Sunday

Pisces Hooks Taurus (Signs of Love, #4)
by Anyta Sunday
Self-published
Release day: October 16th, 2018
Length: 285 pages

It's a time for searching, and a time for finding, Pisces: keep casting your line and you will hook what you're looking for.

Zane has it all planned out: land the perfect Meet Cure, fall in love, and live happily ever after. Should be simple enough if he put his mind to it. A little creativity and some thinking outside of the box, and voila, he'd be married to the woman of his dreams.

It would be perfect.
And it would be before his visa ran out.

But why are his feelings running wild now that the pressure's on? Why is his picture-perfectpla turning into a muddled mess of morphed metaphors he can't make sense of anymore?

Just as well he's met an English professor to help. And even though their first meet is everything but cute, this down-to-earth teacher may just be the realist Zane needs to ground him and give him a shot at love after all.

Don't cast your line too wide, Pisces. Your perfect catch may already have bitten.

~ - ~ - ~

Pisces Hooks Taurus (Signs of Love #4) is an MM opposites-attract romantic comedy featuring an unapologetic romantic and a broken realist.

More wit, banter and bad puns - and even more heart-stopping slow burn!

Can be read as a standalone.

Get your copy

Here you can read my review of Pisces Hooks Taurus!

Excerpt:

When they finished eating, Zane and Beckett entered a kitchen littered with a weekend’s worth of dishes. The room smelled like spoiled banana. Beckett grumbled Leah’s name, and Zane turned on the water.

Leah would have left this until tomorrow? “I’ll wash, you dry?”

Beckett first took out the trash and opened the windows. Fresh air cleansed the room as they worked.

Zane daydreamed about the story he was outlining and startled when Beckett cried, “What are you doing?”

Zane looked into the sink. “Scrubbing this clean?”

“With a wire scrubbing brush? That’s a very expensive nonstick pan.”

He frowned. “And I want to clean it.”

“Good Lord. Have you never washed dishes before?”

“I am literally doing what I’ve done every other night since moving in with you.”

Beckett paled. “You’ve scrubbed this pan with that before?”

“What do you expect me to do? Lick it clean?”

“Use a washcloth.”

“Do you know how disgusting those are? Like, two hundred thousand times dirtier than the toilet seat.”

Beckett paused, tone shifting. “Which is why you only use it for the dining table?”

“Exactly.”

“Please use the dishcloth on my pan.”

Zane dropped the metal scrubbing brush and thumped around passive-aggressively as he found a clean dishcloth.

Beckett nodded. “Thank you.”

That little thank-you grated Zane the wrong way. He sullenly scrubbed the pan and put it on the drying rack. He plunked the next pot into the water, splashing bubbles onto his face, neck, and shirt.

He sighed. Served him right.

Beckett set down the plate he’d dried and turned Zane around. With his dishtowel, he dabbed the bubbles off Zane’s chin and neck.

Their eyes locked, and Zane felt the frustration bleed from him. “You missed a spot,” he said, and shifted Beckett’s hands to Zane’s shirt.

Beckett shook his head and dabbed him some more.

“Our first fight.”

Beckett’s hands stilled.

“It’s a milestone, Becky. We have to celebrate.”

“Celebrate fighting?”

“Celebrate making up.”

“Will this be a thing every time we’re annoyed with each other?”

Zane smirked. “I hope so. I’m sure some fights will take longer to get over, but that’s cool. The celebration is always in proportion to the effort needed to make up.”

Beckett resumed drying the dishes. “Two hundred thousand times dirtier?”

Zane nodded. Disgusting but true.

Beckett frowned. “Maybe just use your hand?”

“I don’t know,” Zane teased. “The things my hand does might make the pan dirtier.”

Beckett dropped his very nice, expensive pan. He caught it against his thighs and stowed it in the cupboard.

The ticklish glare Beckett sent him made the rest of the cleaning fly by.

When they were done, Zane threw himself on the armchair. “Now we celebrate.”

Beckett tossed the dish towel into the laundry room. “How?”

“After you start that laundry, I’ll let you talk about books, Becky.”

Beckett’s laughter trickled down the hall. A few minutes later, he returned with Pride and Prejudice. He cracked open the first page, and pacing before him, all grace and proper pronunciation, Beckett read aloud.

Author bio

Heart-stopping slow burn.

Anyta Sunday is a big, BIG fan of slow-burn romances. She loves to read and write stories with characters who slowly fall in love.

Some of her favorite tropes to read and write are: Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Clueless Guys, Bisexual, Pansexual, Demisexual, Oblivious MCs, Everyone (Else) Can See It, Slow Burn, Love Has No Boundaries.

Anyta writes a variety of stories, Contemporary MM Romances with a good dollop of angst, Contemporary lighthearted MM Romances, and even a splash of fantasy. Her books have been translated into German, Italian, French, and Thai.


Connect with Anyta: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
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