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wordsofclover's Reviews (2.16k)
Reread: June 8-9, 2016
On a reread I enjoyed this book just as much as the first time. I was able to appreciate the solidness of the Empire and its links with our world - religion, priests, some form of technology in the past as well as mentions of Shakespeare, Socrates and Aristotle. Jorg was a great character as always. His character doesn't match up with a normal 14-year-old but considering everything he's been through and what a dick his dad is, it makes sense. I always love reading how he can take control of the Brothers and how all these grown men flinch away from him in fear. The necromancer's steps made more sense to me this time around, as well as the destruction of the Red Castle.
Originally read: February 25 to 26, 2013
There is just something about Jorg that you know you're really suppose to hate him but he really just amuses me with his cockiness and cruelty.
The book is good, not the best, but I didn't mind it too much. I think I was expecting a bit more from it, or a different kind of story-telling but I can't complain too much. It still entertained me.
Many people are going on about the first chapter in which Jorg and the brothers rape some farmers daughters. The level of disgust people are showing for this confuses me, as I have read so much worse(in Game of Thrones where Daenerys basically describes a raping she is witnessing, it left me feeling a bit sick). I think we just can't forget that Jorg is not a Prince Charming, all goodness and Light but he is a bad person, yet we still root for him. His innocence was sapped away by the thorns, and I can't help but feel sorry for him.
Prince of Thorns is very much a fantasy, with the same cruel characters and disdain of a character's life I have come to associate with the writing of George R.R Martin. It just lacks the small writing you always see in fantasy novels and pages and pages of often unnecessary detail. Which isn't too much a bad thing.
On a reread I enjoyed this book just as much as the first time. I was able to appreciate the solidness of the Empire and its links with our world - religion, priests, some form of technology in the past as well as mentions of Shakespeare, Socrates and Aristotle. Jorg was a great character as always. His character doesn't match up with a normal 14-year-old but considering everything he's been through and what a dick his dad is, it makes sense. I always love reading how he can take control of the Brothers and how all these grown men flinch away from him in fear. The necromancer's steps made more sense to me this time around, as well as the destruction of the Red Castle.
Originally read: February 25 to 26, 2013
There is just something about Jorg that you know you're really suppose to hate him but he really just amuses me with his cockiness and cruelty.
The book is good, not the best, but I didn't mind it too much. I think I was expecting a bit more from it, or a different kind of story-telling but I can't complain too much. It still entertained me.
Many people are going on about the first chapter in which Jorg and the brothers rape some farmers daughters. The level of disgust people are showing for this confuses me, as I have read so much worse(in Game of Thrones where Daenerys basically describes a raping she is witnessing, it left me feeling a bit sick). I think we just can't forget that Jorg is not a Prince Charming, all goodness and Light but he is a bad person, yet we still root for him. His innocence was sapped away by the thorns, and I can't help but feel sorry for him.
Prince of Thorns is very much a fantasy, with the same cruel characters and disdain of a character's life I have come to associate with the writing of George R.R Martin. It just lacks the small writing you always see in fantasy novels and pages and pages of often unnecessary detail. Which isn't too much a bad thing.
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Unwrapped Sky follows three different characters all living in a city called Caeli-Amur. Kata is a Philosopher-Assasin and in debt to one of the Houses that makes up the 'governing body' of the corrupt city. Boris Autec is a sub-officiate for one of the houses, raised up from a simple tramsman, and while trying to do the right thing may do an awful lot of bad things. Finally, Maxamillian is part of a rebel group attempting to initiate a revolution among the people against the houses. This story also included magic called thaumaturgy that warps users physically and mentally after years of use and a sister city beneath the sea with a giant library full of secret knowledge.
Overall I really enjoyed this though it took me a while to get into the swing of it. I really enjoyed all the characters particular stories, especially Kata who I think had one of the more interesting arcs. She starts off as a cold assassin but we quickly see she's someone much more than that - a person with deep feelings and someone trapped in their own position with no way out. Her journey to Max and how she ends up really becoming a seditionist was interesting to see and she really evolved as a character and came into her own as part of the group.
Boris Autec was also great just because of his warped way of doing things. He was so interesting to follow because it was clear he wanted to do things to help the poorer people in he city, and the people he grew up with, but in a way that wouldn't mean they were all slaughtered by the Furies. In doing so, Boris ultimately sacrificed everything he was and became more and more ruthless and evil while at the same time still holding this ideal of helping everyone eventually in his own mind.
I though Max's journey would be on of my favourite but ultimately he became the most boring character with little to no character development. He quickly became too involved with the journey to the library and seemed content to let everything else he worked for in the group fall to the plans of Ejan. What happens to Max near the end will definitely be interesting to follow in the next book but I think I would have liked him to eventually meet Kata again and see what happens between them.
The descriptions and world-building of Caeli-Amur was pretty good and I felt like I really got a good idea of how the city worked, how it was governed and which house controlled different sections. The history of the Aya and the gods and their links with the city and then the Elo-Talern and their control over the city as well were interesting, plus who exactly they were, to read about. I am looking forward to reading the next one.
Overall I really enjoyed this though it took me a while to get into the swing of it. I really enjoyed all the characters particular stories, especially Kata who I think had one of the more interesting arcs. She starts off as a cold assassin but we quickly see she's someone much more than that - a person with deep feelings and someone trapped in their own position with no way out. Her journey to Max and how she ends up really becoming a seditionist was interesting to see and she really evolved as a character and came into her own as part of the group.
Boris Autec was also great just because of his warped way of doing things. He was so interesting to follow because it was clear he wanted to do things to help the poorer people in he city, and the people he grew up with, but in a way that wouldn't mean they were all slaughtered by the Furies. In doing so, Boris ultimately sacrificed everything he was and became more and more ruthless and evil while at the same time still holding this ideal of helping everyone eventually in his own mind.
I though Max's journey would be on of my favourite but ultimately he became the most boring character with little to no character development. He quickly became too involved with the journey to the library and seemed content to let everything else he worked for in the group fall to the plans of Ejan. What happens to Max near the end will definitely be interesting to follow in the next book but I think I would have liked him to eventually meet Kata again and see what happens between them.
The descriptions and world-building of Caeli-Amur was pretty good and I felt like I really got a good idea of how the city worked, how it was governed and which house controlled different sections. The history of the Aya and the gods and their links with the city and then the Elo-Talern and their control over the city as well were interesting, plus who exactly they were, to read about. I am looking forward to reading the next one.
First read: March 13 to 17, 2014
Second Read: June 19 to 22, 2016
King of Thorns follows King Jorg fours years on from the events of Prince of Thorns. Now 18-year-old Honorous Jorg of Ancrath is the self-proclaimed King of Renar. But he has a problem in the Prince of Arrow's army at his foot door and has very little chance in defeatign them before they kill him, his new wife and all his men. But Jorg isn't Jorg without a few tricks up his sleeve. We also get to see some of the adventures 14-year-old Jorg got up to after he defeated his uncle and took the kingdom of Renar for himself which ended up with him connecting with some family, making new friends and new enemies and coming away with a box full of locked memories he was told never to open.
This was just another fun reread of Jorg's adventures for me. I had actually forgotten a lot of what happened in this book so I enjoyed going back and reading all of Jorg's tricks again. There is a lot of character development in this one and the change in Jorg's actions are very profound considering how reckless and angry he was in Prince of Thorns. Jorg isn't a mercenary anymore or a runaway prince, he's a King who needs to curb his vicious behaviour as a King needs friends and not just enemies. He now has the added responsibility of his people on his shoulders and in a way he cared for many of the Brothers, he cares and looks after them in his own way. He's gentler than he used to be, even in the way he deals with Gog, and feels more remorse for his own actions - hence, the locked box of memories. I really enjoyed Jorg's journey in this one. Though I hate Katherine and just want her dead. She's the worst. All hail Queen Miana (totally picturing her as another Lady Lyanna Mormont now!).
Second Read: June 19 to 22, 2016
King of Thorns follows King Jorg fours years on from the events of Prince of Thorns. Now 18-year-old Honorous Jorg of Ancrath is the self-proclaimed King of Renar. But he has a problem in the Prince of Arrow's army at his foot door and has very little chance in defeatign them before they kill him, his new wife and all his men. But Jorg isn't Jorg without a few tricks up his sleeve. We also get to see some of the adventures 14-year-old Jorg got up to after he defeated his uncle and took the kingdom of Renar for himself which ended up with him connecting with some family, making new friends and new enemies and coming away with a box full of locked memories he was told never to open.
This was just another fun reread of Jorg's adventures for me. I had actually forgotten a lot of what happened in this book so I enjoyed going back and reading all of Jorg's tricks again. There is a lot of character development in this one and the change in Jorg's actions are very profound considering how reckless and angry he was in Prince of Thorns. Jorg isn't a mercenary anymore or a runaway prince, he's a King who needs to curb his vicious behaviour as a King needs friends and not just enemies. He now has the added responsibility of his people on his shoulders and in a way he cared for many of the Brothers, he cares and looks after them in his own way. He's gentler than he used to be, even in the way he deals with Gog, and feels more remorse for his own actions - hence, the locked box of memories. I really enjoyed Jorg's journey in this one. Though I hate Katherine and just want her dead. She's the worst. All hail Queen Miana (totally picturing her as another Lady Lyanna Mormont now!).
Read from March 17 to 23, 2014
Read from June 24 to 25, 2014
A pretty satisfying conclusion to Jorg's adventures. I feel like some things about the Builders and Fexler were a lot more clear for me this time around than when I read it first as I was pretty confused back then. Great to see even more of the world through Jorg's trip to Vyene and then also his trip to Afrique and surrounding Middle Eastern countries in the flashbacks. Part of me wants more of Jorg but I know his journey had to end here.
Read from June 24 to 25, 2014
A pretty satisfying conclusion to Jorg's adventures. I feel like some things about the Builders and Fexler were a lot more clear for me this time around than when I read it first as I was pretty confused back then. Great to see even more of the world through Jorg's trip to Vyene and then also his trip to Afrique and surrounding Middle Eastern countries in the flashbacks. Part of me wants more of Jorg but I know his journey had to end here.
4.5 Stars
First read November 28 to December 4, 2014
Second read June 27 to 29, 2016.
While Prince Jorg and his not so merry band of brothers were making their way back to Ancrath to give Jorg back his thrones, Prince Jalan of the Red March was dealing with his own set of problems. Fond of drinking, gambling and bedding women, Jalan's main problems in life is avoiding his grandmother The Red Queen and her necromancer sidekick The Silent Sister and figuring out how to repay his growing debts to a man fond of breaking fingers. Then one day Jalal meets Viking Snorri Snagason and the two become entrenched in a spell of darkness and light meaning they can't be too far apart from one another. Jalan is now on a journey back to the snowy mountains of the North to help Snorri on a revenge mission while also hoping to figure out how to break the spells, with their lives intact.
I think I definitely prefer The Red Queen's War better than The Broken Empire trilogy (so far) as Jalan is basically everything Jorg could have been if Jorg didn't have such darkness in his past and so much baggage in his present. Prince Jalan has no wishes to be King, he's happy being a prince and simply living as Princes do. He's more inclined to run away from a fight than run towards it but at the same time he's possesses that same, warped kind of honor that Jorg has. He ends up becoming a pretty good companion for Snorri, he doesn't kill willy-nilly and he treats his horses with respect and love. I really liked reading his perspective on things and there's always a thread of humor throughout the story that keeps it light enough despite all the dead people rising and killing of quintuplets.
Being so fresh from my reread of The Broken Empire trilogy, I was really happy to be able to recognise the cameos of characters I met with Jorg like Taproot and his circus, as well as Jorg himself, Makin and the brothers (and one sister - Brother Emmer?).
I can't wait to finally get to The Liar's Key and the Wheel of Osheim as Jalan and Snorri are definitely one of my favourite partnerships to read about. I wouldn't mind more of Tuttugu too!
First read November 28 to December 4, 2014
Second read June 27 to 29, 2016.
While Prince Jorg and his not so merry band of brothers were making their way back to Ancrath to give Jorg back his thrones, Prince Jalan of the Red March was dealing with his own set of problems. Fond of drinking, gambling and bedding women, Jalan's main problems in life is avoiding his grandmother The Red Queen and her necromancer sidekick The Silent Sister and figuring out how to repay his growing debts to a man fond of breaking fingers. Then one day Jalal meets Viking Snorri Snagason and the two become entrenched in a spell of darkness and light meaning they can't be too far apart from one another. Jalan is now on a journey back to the snowy mountains of the North to help Snorri on a revenge mission while also hoping to figure out how to break the spells, with their lives intact.
I think I definitely prefer The Red Queen's War better than The Broken Empire trilogy (so far) as Jalan is basically everything Jorg could have been if Jorg didn't have such darkness in his past and so much baggage in his present. Prince Jalan has no wishes to be King, he's happy being a prince and simply living as Princes do. He's more inclined to run away from a fight than run towards it but at the same time he's possesses that same, warped kind of honor that Jorg has. He ends up becoming a pretty good companion for Snorri, he doesn't kill willy-nilly and he treats his horses with respect and love. I really liked reading his perspective on things and there's always a thread of humor throughout the story that keeps it light enough despite all the dead people rising and killing of quintuplets.
Being so fresh from my reread of The Broken Empire trilogy, I was really happy to be able to recognise the cameos of characters I met with Jorg like Taproot and his circus, as well as Jorg himself, Makin and the brothers (and one sister - Brother Emmer?).
I can't wait to finally get to The Liar's Key and the Wheel of Osheim as Jalan and Snorri are definitely one of my favourite partnerships to read about. I wouldn't mind more of Tuttugu too!
Big Little Lies is about a whole load of busybody parents, a bullying incident and a parent's night that turned into a police investigation. And it's the kind of story that really leaves you gripped from start to finish.
I'd heard a lot of hype about this book so when I saw it on my library's new app for eaudiobooks, I decided to give it a go. And I'm really glad I did...and I'm really glad I decided to listen to it on audiobook as I felt like the audio really dragged out some of the intense scenes and really gave me that OMG feel at parts.
All the characters in this book are wonderfully developed and I marveled at Liane Moriarty's ability to not only give our main three moms - Madeline, Celeste and Jane - strong personalities but also the other moms who got some interview tidbits near the end of each chapter like Gabrielle, Harper and so on. This book is full of the kind of parenting politics one would expect but also dread to combat in the playground and the way the mother's react with one another and deal with certain situations was remarkably frustration, they almost had me tearing my hair out at parts. It was an interesting arc to see Ziggy's bullying end up in the parents bullying Jane and Ziggy and really become even worse than the 6-year-old child that was bullying in the first place. I was really guessing all over the place about who could have been the tragic outcome of the Trivia Night and I love when a book has me jump from character to character like that. It makes it rather fun. I also had the same experience with trying to figure out who the real bully was.
This book touched on a lot of issues such as bullying, domestic violence, sexual violence and even child marriage and sex slavery (though can we talk about how STUPID Abigail was for a minute? Like how....HOW can she have thought that website was a good idea? Like really?)
I think this is going to be a great mini-series (I think it's going to be a mini-series over a movie?) and I can't wait to see all the characters come to life!
I'd heard a lot of hype about this book so when I saw it on my library's new app for eaudiobooks, I decided to give it a go. And I'm really glad I did...and I'm really glad I decided to listen to it on audiobook as I felt like the audio really dragged out some of the intense scenes and really gave me that OMG feel at parts.
All the characters in this book are wonderfully developed and I marveled at Liane Moriarty's ability to not only give our main three moms - Madeline, Celeste and Jane - strong personalities but also the other moms who got some interview tidbits near the end of each chapter like Gabrielle, Harper and so on. This book is full of the kind of parenting politics one would expect but also dread to combat in the playground and the way the mother's react with one another and deal with certain situations was remarkably frustration, they almost had me tearing my hair out at parts. It was an interesting arc to see Ziggy's bullying end up in the parents bullying Jane and Ziggy and really become even worse than the 6-year-old child that was bullying in the first place. I was really guessing all over the place about who could have been the tragic outcome of the Trivia Night and I love when a book has me jump from character to character like that. It makes it rather fun. I also had the same experience with trying to figure out who the real bully was.
This book touched on a lot of issues such as bullying, domestic violence, sexual violence and even child marriage and sex slavery (though can we talk about how STUPID Abigail was for a minute? Like how....HOW can she have thought that website was a good idea? Like really?)
I think this is going to be a great mini-series (I think it's going to be a mini-series over a movie?) and I can't wait to see all the characters come to life!
This story is set in Alaska in the 1970s and follows Ruth, Dora, Alyce and Hank over several seasons. They're all struggling with different things but their lives are all interconnected in different ways as they start to overcome their personal battles.
I really enjoyed this. It was a quick and easy read and I quickly was sucked into the town of Fairbanks and the way everyone knew everyone and how the neighbourhood looked after their own in their own special kind of way. There was a lot of love in this book from Dumpling's dad looking after Dora, Dumpling and everyone, Ruth and Selma and some other beautiful connections like the moment Hank and Ruth talk, Alyce and Sam and the whale and then the day Dumpling sat down beside Ruth and gave her the red ribbon. There's a really beautiful magic that just ties all the characters in this book and I'm not sure if it's the subtle way everyone's connected or just the way they think and express their thoughts and feelings. It's all very human, and very beautiful.
I really enjoyed this. It was a quick and easy read and I quickly was sucked into the town of Fairbanks and the way everyone knew everyone and how the neighbourhood looked after their own in their own special kind of way. There was a lot of love in this book from Dumpling's dad looking after Dora, Dumpling and everyone, Ruth and Selma and some other beautiful connections like the moment Hank and Ruth talk, Alyce and Sam and the whale and then the day Dumpling sat down beside Ruth and gave her the red ribbon. There's a really beautiful magic that just ties all the characters in this book and I'm not sure if it's the subtle way everyone's connected or just the way they think and express their thoughts and feelings. It's all very human, and very beautiful.
The Liar's Key follows on with Prince Jalan of the Red March and Snorri Van Snagson's journey as they managed to defeat the dead things at the Black Keep and find a special key that unlocks all doors. Now Snorri is determined to use that key to bring his family back to him, and Jalan knows that he may probably have to stop him before he gets everyone killed.
I liked this sequel to The Prince's Fool but I don't think I liked it as much as its prequel. There was a strange tension between Jal and Snorri for a lot of the book and it made me feel a bit uneasy as I was so used to their easy camaraderie from the first book which was full of stories and banter. I did like that Tuttugu came along as he was a character I instantly warmed to in the previous book. I wasn't too mad about Kara's addition to the group as I just felt Jalan acted, well like Jalan, too much around her. I felt like Jal took some steps back in this book too. His character had come on a little bit in the first book, he grew up a bit from the stupid Prince he was, but it seemed like he fell back into his old self so quickly from bedding so many women at the same time to being so obsessed with getting into Kara's pants. Come on man.
I think this book was lacking in some of the action scenes I had really enjoyed in the first as well, and there just seemed to be a lot of travelling and a lot of dream sleeping on Jal\s part too. I did really enjoy some of the flashbacks though. Does the Red Queen and her fat, gluttonous father remind anyone else of Queen Elizabeth I and King Henry VIII?
I like how the showdown with Kelem ended up though and i'm looking forward to reading the final part of Jal and Snorri's adventure!
I liked this sequel to The Prince's Fool but I don't think I liked it as much as its prequel. There was a strange tension between Jal and Snorri for a lot of the book and it made me feel a bit uneasy as I was so used to their easy camaraderie from the first book which was full of stories and banter. I did like that Tuttugu came along as he was a character I instantly warmed to in the previous book. I wasn't too mad about Kara's addition to the group as I just felt Jalan acted, well like Jalan, too much around her. I felt like Jal took some steps back in this book too. His character had come on a little bit in the first book, he grew up a bit from the stupid Prince he was, but it seemed like he fell back into his old self so quickly from bedding so many women at the same time to being so obsessed with getting into Kara's pants. Come on man.
I think this book was lacking in some of the action scenes I had really enjoyed in the first as well, and there just seemed to be a lot of travelling and a lot of dream sleeping on Jal\s part too. I did really enjoy some of the flashbacks though. Does the Red Queen and her fat, gluttonous father remind anyone else of Queen Elizabeth I and King Henry VIII?
I like how the showdown with Kelem ended up though and i'm looking forward to reading the final part of Jal and Snorri's adventure!
I was sent a copy of this book by O'Briens Press, Ireland, in exchange for an honest review.
Jane is struggling. Her sister is ill with cancer, her parents are always in the hospital or working and Jane feels numb to it all. She's kipping school and wandering aimlessly around town or watching her boyfriend play video games. Then Jane meets Farley and she begins to participate in life again and confronting the things pulling her down.
I'm a little bit undecided about this book. I found Jane a little bit of a flat character for the most book. Her state of mind throughout most of the book was quite worrying and hard to read. She was very numb and pretty emotionless about everything. And I feel like while this came across well in the story, it did mean the majority of the book was a little bit dreary and dull because it refected Jane's mood. She's dealing with a lot and feels like she's basically taken a step back from everything so she doesn't have to feel everything about her sister's situation, her granddad's death and her general family situation. She's on her own for a lot of the book and I did feel for her a bit and cry out for her parent's to notice that she wasn't quite well either.
I wasn't crazy about Jane's relationship with Farley. It seemed to come on very suddenly and I could never quite work out exactly how much older he was. She was 16 but said he looked around 20 which is a bit of an age gap for a teenage girl in my opinion. I wasn't crazy about their 'meet-cute' either if i can call it that, it was just a tad weird. I think Farley could have possibly been more developed, I felt like we got some snapshots of him and his life and I could have gone deeper.
I wasn't expecting the mental break near the end of the book and Jane's dialogue becomes really fast and crazy and her whirlwind thoughts came across really well. It was obvious she was in trouble and needed help. I'm glad it was dealt with though I was a bit uneasy how she explained she needed to 'rebuild' things with her parents. She was sick, just like Emma, and I feel like they needed to see that a bit clearer, particularly her mom.
Overall, I ended up liking this book a lot more. Would recommend anyone to may have liked the family drama and the 'forgotten sibling' theme of My Sister's Keeper and books that touch on mental illnesses such as depression and bi-polar disorder.
Jane is struggling. Her sister is ill with cancer, her parents are always in the hospital or working and Jane feels numb to it all. She's kipping school and wandering aimlessly around town or watching her boyfriend play video games. Then Jane meets Farley and she begins to participate in life again and confronting the things pulling her down.
I'm a little bit undecided about this book. I found Jane a little bit of a flat character for the most book. Her state of mind throughout most of the book was quite worrying and hard to read. She was very numb and pretty emotionless about everything. And I feel like while this came across well in the story, it did mean the majority of the book was a little bit dreary and dull because it refected Jane's mood. She's dealing with a lot and feels like she's basically taken a step back from everything so she doesn't have to feel everything about her sister's situation, her granddad's death and her general family situation. She's on her own for a lot of the book and I did feel for her a bit and cry out for her parent's to notice that she wasn't quite well either.
I wasn't crazy about Jane's relationship with Farley. It seemed to come on very suddenly and I could never quite work out exactly how much older he was. She was 16 but said he looked around 20 which is a bit of an age gap for a teenage girl in my opinion. I wasn't crazy about their 'meet-cute' either if i can call it that, it was just a tad weird. I think Farley could have possibly been more developed, I felt like we got some snapshots of him and his life and I could have gone deeper.
I wasn't expecting the mental break near the end of the book and Jane's dialogue becomes really fast and crazy and her whirlwind thoughts came across really well. It was obvious she was in trouble and needed help. I'm glad it was dealt with though I was a bit uneasy how she explained she needed to 'rebuild' things with her parents. She was sick, just like Emma, and I feel like they needed to see that a bit clearer, particularly her mom.
Overall, I ended up liking this book a lot more. Would recommend anyone to may have liked the family drama and the 'forgotten sibling' theme of My Sister's Keeper and books that touch on mental illnesses such as depression and bi-polar disorder.