Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce

Quartet Title: Song of the Lioness

Author: Tamora Pierce (American, 1954- )
Originally published: 1983-1988

Page count: 1,206 total

Dates read: 6/9/24-6/16/24; 6/20/24-6/29/24

2024 book goal progress: 

11, 12, 13, 14 out of 24

Read my other book reviews for my 2024 goals HERE.

1. Alanna: The First Adventure (1983) - 274 pages

Description:

Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So, one day, they decide to switch places; Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy named Alan, heads to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page - to become a knight.

The road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies. Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's first adventure begins - one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

First sentences:
"That is my decision. We need not discuss it."

Favorite quotes:
" 'Tis not my opinion that matters. The only way you'll win is if you think you're ready."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 4.9/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Mini-Review:

This was a little disappointing since it was written for kids. I first read it when I was a kid myself, so my opinion was a bit skewed. It's simple, direct, and predictable. Alanna starts the book being about 10.75 years old and ends a little before her 14th birthday. The fact that the knights, who are supposed to stand against anything wrong, are all friends with the King of Thieves, just isn't believable/logical. That the King of Thieves is just a friendly guy who's only a few years older than the main character is also very far-fetched. Nonetheless, I still plan on finishing the series for nostalgia's sake.

2. In the Hand of the Goddess (1984) - 264 pages

Description:

Still disguised as a boy, Alanna becomes a squire to none other than the prince of the realm. Prince Jonathan is not only Alanna's liege lord, he is also her best friend - and one of the few who knows the secret of her true identity. But when a mysterious sorcerer threatens the prince's life, it will take all of Alanna's skill, strength, and magical power to protect him - even at the risk of revealing who she really is.

First sentence:
"The copper-haired rider looked at the black sky and swore.".

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 5/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Mini-Review:

Again, this was OK. These are children's books and Tamora Pierce's first books, so she becomes a better writer later. Hopefully, the books published after this initial quartet will have improved writing. This book starts about a year after the first book finished, so Alanna's about 15 and it goes until she's about 18.5 years old. The romance seems very forced and I'm having a really hard time rooting for either of the potential love interests. She seems to overcome all her very extreme obstacles very easily - everything is just too pat, perfect, and predictable. As I said, though, I still intend to finish this quartet.

3. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (1986) - 284 pages 

Description:

Newly knighted, Alanna of Trebond seeks adventure in the vast desert of Tortall. Captured by fierce desert dwellers, she is forced to prove herself in a duel to the death. Although she triumphs, dire challenges lie ahead. As her mythic fate would have it, Alanna soon becomes the tribe's first female shaman. Alanna must fight to change the ancient tribal customs of the desert tribes - for their sake and for the sake of all Tortall.

First sentence:
"Alanna of Trebond, the sole woman knight in the realm of Torall, splashed happily in the waters of an oasis, enjoying her first bath in three days."

Favorite quotes:

"You won't always be able to stand between another person and his fate. You mustn't think you can look after the world."

"It does not hurt men to know women have power, too."

"You're brave to admit you don't know everything and then do something about it."

"Have you ever noticed that when you try to deny some part of yourself, things fall out so you need that part more than any other?"

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 5.4/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Mini-Review:

Some logical things just didn't make sense for certain characters or plot points. An example is that the timeline has gotten a bit muddled. The book mentions multiple times that the beginning of the third book is both 4 weeks after the end of the second and 6 years after the end of the first book, but those timelines don't line up. Due to other clues, I'm inclined to go with the third book being 4 weeks after the end of the second book, which means it's 4.5 years (5 max) after the end of the first book. The third book spans a year when Alanna is about 18.5-19.5 years old.

This book started pretty bad, but about a quarter in it actually got pretty decent. I really liked some of the characters, though some were also very whiny. The characters are one-dimensional and caricature-like, there is no depth, subtlety, or complexity to any character. I don't like how the prince, Jon, was written in this book, but I've started to really like George, the King of Thieves. George's personality/character in no way fits what he would have to be like as the King of Thieves, though. I enjoyed the feminism and cultural progression represented in this book.

4. Lioness Rampant (1988) - 384 pages 

Description:

Having achieved her dream of becoming the first female knight errant, Alanna of Trebond is not sure what to do next. Alanna must push her uncertainty aside when a new challenge arises. She must recover the Dominion jewel, a legendary gem with enormous power for good - but only in the right hands. She must work quickly, for Tortall is in danger, and Alanna's archenemy, Duke Roger, is back and more powerful than ever. In this final book, Alanna discovers that she indeed has a future worthy of her mystic past - both as a warrior and woman.

First sentence:
"On a March afternoon, a knight and a man-at-arms reached the gate of the Marenite city of Berat."

Favorite quote:

"It always comes to this. A god can guide a mortal, nurture, and teach. And yet there comes a moment when the god must stand away from the fosterling and let the inevitable happen. That's how the universe is fashioned. There are moments when only a human can affect the outcome of events."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 4.1/10 - ⭐⭐/5
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Mini-Review:

This was a disappointing ending to the quartet. Almost everyone ended up with a romantic partner. Death was brushed over and not dealt with. They traveled through a war-torn country with minimal issues. They traveled to the Roof of the World in about two months, which was supposed to be the furthest explored area on maps. It was all very pat and predictable.

The timetable was not particularly clear in this book. My guess is that it started about 2 months after the end of the third book and lasted about 5 months, so she's about 20 in this book. The second half of the epilogue time jumps another 3 months ahead.

Overall Review:

Overall, this is more of a kids (maybe middle school) book. I wouldn't consider this a young adult series, never mind an adult series. It's pretty direct, straightforward, and predictable. The editing/grammar also isn't good - there are multiple errors in all four books. It doesn't quite hold up to what I remember as a kid, but I recommend it for those who have kids and want to share fantasy with them!

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Tamora Pierce have the last words:

"Ye'll be happy only when ye learn t' live with who ye are."

-Alanna: The First Adventure

"Why do boys say someone acts like a girl as if it were an insult? Alanna shook her head, smiling a little. In the three years she had been disguised as a boy, she had learned that boys know girls as little as girls know boys. It didn't make sense - people are people, after all, she thought - but that was how things were."

-In the Hand of the Goddess

" 'You are a terrifying creature. You do not take your place in your father's tent, letting men make your decisions. You ride as a man, you fight as a man, and you think as a man.'

'I think as a human being,' Alanna retorted hotly. 'Men don't think any differently from women - they just make more noise about being able to.'

'Have you not discovered that when people, men and women, find a woman who acts intelligently, they say she acts like a man?' "

-The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

" 'I know I'm a hero. I think about marrying, though, if I could do it and still see the world. It wouldn't be such a bad thing. Not if it was someone I liked and loved. Someone I could laugh with. I want to be a warrior and a woman. I want to travel and serve the king. Who says I can't have a little bit of each?' When she realized what she'd said, she began to grin. 'That's right - why can't I? And I've done pretty well I think!' "

-Lioness Rampant

Greymist Fair by Francesca Zappia

Title: Greymist Fair

Author: Francesca Zappia (American, 1993- )
Originally published: 2023

Page count: 284

Dates read: 5/22/24-5/28/24

2024 book goal progress: 9 out of 24

Read my other book reviews for my 2024 goals HERE.





Description on back of book:
Two roads lead into a dark forest. They meet at Greymist Fair, the village hidden in the trees, a place kept alive by the families who never leave. The villagers of Greymist Fair know that the woods are a dangerous and magical place, and they avoid stepping off the path at all costs.

One day, Greymist Fair's young tailor, Heike, sets out on the road in search of the red berries she needs to dye her fabrics. But what she finds will lead her to the heart of the forest

First paragraphs:
"A road leads into a dark forest. It passes through a village some travelers never see. The village is not meant for everyone. To outsiders, it's a place of darkness and whispers, threatened by bright-eyes creatures that live in the wood. Its people are friendly, but insular; its routines familiar, but not inclusive.

A tall man in a dark cloak walks the road. Death follows on his heels. Greymist Fair is their home, but only one of them is welcome. The man is a doctor, a healer. Death can only ever be themself. Curious eyes and spiteful hearts follow them through the forest but do not touch them; the road is safe. The doctor and Death don't waste any time; there are many who need the doctor's help."

Favorite quotes:
"The memory felt like a berry dying on the vine; even now its innards were rotting away, leaving only a husk. It felt like someone else's memory from another time."

"We all make mistakes. The good people try to fix them. Sometimes you can't fix them, and you have to live with what happens. Then you just pray to all the gods you know that you don't have to live with it alone."

"When he reached the far edge of the forest, the trees dropped away suddenly, as if they had hit an invisible barrier they couldn't cross. Foothills rolled away into the foggy distance. There was not another living soul as far as he could see, neither animal nor human, and the effect was what he imagined being a ghost might feel like."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 7/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 8
Atmosphere   - 8
Writing Style - 6
Plot                - 7
Intrigue          - 7
Logic             - 6
Enjoyment     - 7
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:

I had expected this to be an adult fairy tale and was a little disappointed to discover that it was more of a teen/young adult novel. It was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed the story and all the different characters. I liked that each part of the book, of which there are 9, is from a different character's perspective, but I wish we got to know the characters more deeply. The story still seemed a bit light and almost shallow, which I think is due to it being a teen book. 

I wish the story had more of an overall dark grit to it, as well as being a little more philosophical. Nonetheless, it does have a good representation of personified Death and could be a good way to approach a discussion of death with someone in their teens. There's magic, but it's more of a presence and the little it's actually used is never really explained, which is a bummer. If you're a teen/young adult or like reading those types of stories, I highly recommend this one!

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Francesca Zappia have the last words:

"Death comes for us all, eventually. Forgetting your fear of it can help for a time, and you can live, but Death is not evil. We will all go with Death one day. We don't have to fear them until then, but we also shouldn't ignore them. Death exists just as we do."

American Gods by Niel Gaiman

Title: American Gods

Author: Niel Gaiman (English, 1960- )
Originally published: 2001

Page count: 586

Dates read: 4/6/24-4/17/24; 5/1/24-5/15/24

2024 book goal progress: 7 out of 24

Read my other book reviews for my 2024 goals HERE.




Description on back of book:
Shadow is a man with a past. But now he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life with his wife and stay out of trouble. Until he learns that she's been killed in a terrible accident. Flying home for the funeral, a strange man in the seat next to him introduces himself. The man calls himself Wednesday and he knows more about Shadow than is possible. He warns Shadow that a big storm is coming and from that moment on, nothing will ever be the same.

First paragraph:
"Shadow had done three years in prison. He was big enough and looked don't-fuck-with-me enough that his biggest problem was killing time. So he kept himself in shape, and taught himself coin tricks, and thought a lot about how much he loved his wife."

Favorite quotes:

"There's never been a true war that wasn't fought between two sets of people who were certain they were in the right. The really dangerous people believe that they are doing whatever they are doing solely and only because it is without question the right thing to do. And that is what makes them dangerous."

"Fiction allows us to slide into these other heads, these other places, and look out through other eyes. And then in the tale we stop before we die, or we die vicariously and unharmed, and in the world beyond the tale we turn the page or close the book, and we resume our lives."

"The house smelled musty and damp, and a little sweet, as if it were haunted by the ghosts of long-dead cookies."

(More at the end of the blog!)

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 8.6/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 10
Atmosphere   - 9
Writing Style - 9
Plot                - 8
Intrigue          - 8
Logic             - 7
Enjoyment     - 9
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:

Wow. This is the best book I've read in a long time. I love all the mythology tied to it, though I wish it went a little more in-depth about the new 'gods.' I had to look up some of the mythological figures, but I enjoyed doing so. I didn't figure out the main plot twist, which made perfect sense once it was revealed. I was definitely suspicious that things weren't lining up correctly, but I didn't guess what it was. I liked that the story kept me on the edge of my seat and was able to surprise me. I did guess another twist at the very end, but that's because I was looking up the old mythologies and it kind of gave it away. The book had a good ending and tied up all the loose ends. I highly recommend it. I'm definitely interested in reading the second book and the other two related novellas.

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Niel Gaiman have the last words:

"Gods die. And when they truly die they are unmourned and unremembered. Ideas are more difficult to kill than people, but they can be killed, in the end."

"None of this can actually be happening. If it makes you more comfortable, you can simply think of it as a metaphor. Religions are, by definition, metaphors, after all: God is a dream, a hope, a woman, an ironist, a father, a city, a house of many rooms, a watchmaker who left his prize chronometer in the desert, someone who loves you - even, perhaps, against all evidence, a celestial being whose only interest is to make sure your football team, army, business, or marriage thrives, prospers, and triumphs over all opposition. Religions are places to stand and look and act, vantage points from which to view the world. So none of this is happening. Such things could not occur. Never a word of it is literally true."

"Native Americans figured that maybe there's something at the back of it all, a creator, a great spirit, and so we say thank you to it, because it's always good to say thank you. But we never built churches. We didn't need to. The land was the church. The land was the religion. The land was older and wiser than the people who walked on it. It gave us salmon and corn and buffalo... and we were the children of the land, just like the porcupine and the skunk and the blue jay."

"A trail of lightning speared across the clouds, and Shadow wondered if that was the thunderbird returning to its high crags, or just an atmospheric discharge, or whether the two ideas were, on some level, the same thing. And of course they were. That was the point, after all."

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Title: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store

Author: James McBride 

(American-African-Jewish, 1957- )
Originally published: 2023

Page count: 327

Dates read: 4/18/24-4/28/24

2024 book goal progress: 6 out of 24

Read my other book reviews for my 2024 goals HERE.




Description on back of book:

In 1972, when workers were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him, it was Chona and Nate Timblin, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill, who worked together to keep the boy safe.

As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.

First sentence:
"There was an old Jew who lived at the site of the old synagogue up on Chicken Hill in the town of Pottstown, Pa., and when Pennsylvania State Troopers found the skeleton at the bottom of an old well off Hayes Street, the old Jew’s house was the first place they went to."

Favorite quotes:
"She spent hours reading about socialists and unions and progressives and politics and corporations, fighting about a meaningless flag that said 'I'm proud to be American,' when it should have said, 'I'm happy to be alive,' and what the difference was, and how one's tribe cannot be better than another tribe because they were all one tribe."

"American history is not meant to be pretty. It is plain. It is simple. It is strong and truthful. Full of blood. And guts. And war."

"Now there's man's understanding and there's women's understanding. There is white folks' understanding and Negroes' understanding. And then there is just plain wisdom. Every child that breathes their first on this earth will drive their fist through the air and strike nothing. But all children are born with will."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 5.7/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 6
Atmosphere   - 6
Writing Style - 6
Plot                - 6
Intrigue          - 6
Logic             - 5
Enjoyment     - 5
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:

It's an OK story that deals with racism (immigration, Africans, African-Americans, Italians, Irish, Polish, Greek, etc.), ableism (deaf, cerebral palsy, institutionalism, etc.), sexism (strong female characters not considered the norm), religious discrimination (mostly anti-semantic, but others, too), and classism (very big money differences between communities). It was a bit more complicated and convoluted than needed. It ended on a positive note... but justice was never really made. It's not a bad story, but... it wasn't all that good either.

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let James McBride have the last words:

"The odd group of well-wishers slowly... tromped forward, a ragtag assortment of travelers moving fifteen feet as if it were fifteen thousand miles, slow travelers all, arrivals from different lands, making a low trek through a country that claimed to be so high, a country that gave them so much yet demanded so much more. They moved slowly... moving toward a common destiny, all of them into a future of American nothing. It was a future they couldn’t quite see, where the richness of all they had brought to the great land of promise would one day be zapped into nothing, the glorious tapestry of their history boiled down to a series of ten-second TV commercials, empty holidays, and sports games filled with the patriotic fluff of red, white, and blue, the celebrants cheering the accompanying dazzle without any idea of the horrible struggles and proud pasts of their forebears who had made their lives so easy. 

The collective history of this sad troupe moving down the corridor would become tiny blots in an American future that would one day scramble their proud histories like eggs, scattering them among the population while feeding mental junk to the populace on devices that would become as common and small as the hot dog... a future in which devices that fit in one’s pocket and went zip, zap, and zilch delivered a danger far more seductive and powerful than any hot dog, a device that children of the future would clamor for and become addicted to, a device that fed them their oppression disguised as free thought."

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Author: Stieg Larsson (Swedish, 1954-2004)
Originally published: 2005

Page count: 463

Dates read: 1/29/24-3/17/24

2024 book goal progress: 4 out of 24

Read my other book reviews for my 2024 goals HERE.




Description on back of book:

A spellbinding amalgam of murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue. It's about the disappearance 40 years ago of Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden...and about her octogenarian uncle, determined to know the truth about what he believes was her murder.

It's about Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently at the wrong end of a libel case, hired to get to the bottom of Harriet's disappearance...and about Lisbeth Salander, a 24-year-old, pierced and tattooed genius hacker possessed of the hard-earned wisdom of someone twice her age, who assists Blomkvist with the investigation. This unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism - and an unexpected connection between themselves.

Trigger Warnings:

-Sexual abuse

-Religious fanaticism and human sacrifice

-Abuse of power

-Manipulations, mind games, and threats

-Extreme violence and other crimes

Note: These are trigger warnings for the book, but this review does not discuss them.

First sentence:
"It happened every year, was almost a ritual."

Favorite quotes:
"Friendship - my definition - is built on two things. Respect and trust. Both elements have to be there. And it has to be mutual. You can have respect for someone, but if you don't have trust, the friendship will crumble."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 6.6/10 - ⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 8
Atmosphere   - 7
Writing Style - 6
Plot                - 7
Intrigue          - 10
Logic             - 5
Enjoyment     - 3
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:

I read this book in high school, over 15 years ago (wow, I'm getting old). All I remembered was Salander's mini-story at the beginning of the book and absolutely nothing else (I honestly question if I finished the book the first time around), other than a general weariness due to extreme violence, which led to a hesitancy to reread the book. I decided that was a long time ago and I've changed/grown a lot since then, so I was going to give it another chance. I wish I hadn't. This is an incredibly disgusting book.

I was sickened by most of the book, nonetheless, I got sucked in and it definitely was a page-turner for me. The description says it's a love story, but it most definitely is not. There are 3 non-traditional lovers, and none of them turn into actual love interests... and none of them are all that interesting.  Some choices of the protagonists seemed illogical, and other choices I vehemently disagree with. We're introduced to sooo many characters that are only around for a brief time and then not really mentioned again (Detective Morell anyone?). Also... I really wanted to like Salander, but I just couldn't... and, thinking about it, there isn't any character in the book (of which there is an incredibly large cast) that I particularly liked. Salander's dragon tattoo was mentioned in passing, but had no significance in the book, and don't understand why it turned into the title of the story since I also wouldn't consider her the main character either.

The ending was not satisfying and the book overall was unnecessarily long. The main mystery was enough of a story that could then be broken into the stories of finding out the truth about 2 particular people. On top of the main mystery, though, there's the story of the: magazine Millennium, businessman Wennerstrom, and Salander has two mini-stories of her own, one towards the beginning and one at the end. All of which felt like unnecessary fluff and filler by the time I finished the book. When I got to the ending, I simultaneously thought, 'That's it?' and 'Thank God I've made it to the end. That was way too much.' By the time the main mystery was solved, it felt like a chore to finish reading about Wennerstrom. The main mystery should have been its own sick story... and then if Larsson wanted to make a story out of the other pieces, they should've been their own book. The book definitely draws you in, but, honestly... I don't recommend it.

Personally, I avoid much of the news due to it being incredibly depressing, and I can't do anything about it (government, economy, climate, crime in general, etc.). This book, though fiction, read like a true story to me. I believe that things like this exist and I couldn't help but think of Epstein, as well as other, still living, billionaires of the world today... and what their unknown activities are. I also thought of the American government trying to censor freedom of speech by banning TikTok (a Chinese company), controlling Facebook/Twitter (American companies), and more. My final quote touches on that a bit.

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Stieg Larsson have the last words:

"It would be deplorable if the special interests had the power to silence those voices in the media that they find uncomfortable."

Replace 'special interests' with government and/or billionaires/big business. Translation:

It would be deplorable if the government, billionaires, and big businesses had the power/money to silence the voices in the media that can point out their shady business practices and/or outright criminal activity. (Keep in mind that much of the media today is run/controlled by those billionaires in question.)

Storm Breaking by Mercedes Lackey

Title: Storm Breaking (Mage Storms #3)

Author: Mercedes Lackey (American, 1950- )
Originally published: 1996

Page count: 451

Dates read: 1/29/24-2/27/24

2024 book goal progress: 3 out of 24

Read my other book reviews for my 2024 goals HERE.



Description on back of book:
As mysterious, magic onslaughts ravage Valdemar and the Kingdoms of the west, the western allies, have traveled far to locate the ancient ruins of the Tower of Urtho, Mage of Silence, and excavate his legendary Vault, a hidden stronghold of some of the most powerful magical weapons ever devised. They know now that the mage storms are an "echo" through time of the prehistoric Cataclysm which permanently warped their world more than two thousand years ago. If they don't find a way to stop these magical vibrations they will culminate in another Cataclysm - this time destroying their world for good.

But Urtho's Vault is not the only thing buried for centuries below the Dorisha Plains, and camped in the ruins of what once was the workplace of the most ingenious mage their world has ever known, the desperate allies soon realize that their solution may lie beneath their feet. The saving of their world just might be accomplished by the work of a man who has been dead for millennia!

First sentence:
"Karal lay as quietly as he could, keeping his breathing even to avoid jarring his head."

Favorite quotes:
"Fleas at court! Well, they were not the only bloodsucking vermin here, only the most honest about it. In some ways, he would have preferred fleas to some of the other vermin he had to deal with on a daily basis."

"When it all comes down to it, what is done for the cause of Good is done in the name of every Power of the Light."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 7.9/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 9
Atmosphere   - 8
Writing Style - 8
Plot                - 8
Intrigue          - 7
Logic             - 7
Enjoyment     - 8
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:

This was a great ending to a great story. It follows 3 different story lines and I wish we got a glimpse of them all in the aftermath at the end. I guess the next trilogy will mostly be dealing with all the aftermath and how the 3 different groups faired. The solution to the problem was found through people of a variety of nations, cultures, and ways of thinking coming together to work on a common goal. It was a combination of magic/mages, math/science, politics/governament, and religion/gods. This is a beautiful example of unity at its finiest - if only it wasn't fantasy, the real world would be a much better place. 

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Mercedes Lackey have the last words:

"Please remember that religions are made up of people, most of whom have very little control over what their priests decree is doctrine. Keep in mind that given that the priests and the people have free will and the means to exercise it, gods may not always be able to control their priests either. So what the priests say, and the people believe, is not always the whole truth. Any God is far more than His people make Him. It is the responsibility of the priest to lead them to that understanding, so that they do not attempt to limit Him to what they know."

Storm Rising by Mercedes Lackey

Title: Storm Rising (Mage Storms #2)

Author: Mercedes Lackey (American, 1950- )
Originally published: 1995

Page count: 400

Dates read: 1/11/24-1/26/24

2024 book goal progress: 2 out of 24

Read my other book reviews for my 2024 goals HERE.

Description on back of book:
In Storm Rising, mysterious mage-storms are wreaking havoc on Valdemar, Karse, and all the kingdoms of the West, plaguing these lands not only with disastrous earthquakes, monsoons, and ice storms, but also with venomous magical constructs - terrifying creatures out of nightmare. Both Valdemar's Heralds and Karse's Sunpriests struggle to marshal their combined magical resources to protect their realms from these devastating, spell-fueled onslaughts. But as the situation becomes bleaker and bleaker, the still fragile alliance between these long-hostile lands begins to fray. Unless Valdemar and Karse can locate and destroy the cause of the storms, they may see their entire world demolished in a final magical holocaust.

First sentence:
"Grand Duke Tremane shivered as a cold draft wisped past the shutters behind him and drifted down the back of his neck."

Favorite quote:
"Sejanes cackled and slapped Master Levy on his back. The old man was stronger than he looked; the Master engineer actually staggered for a moment. 'Hiding arrogance behind false modesty, boy? Don't bother; we all know we're in elite company, and you're included in that.' "

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 7.6/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 8
Atmosphere   - 7
Writing Style - 7
Plot                - 8
Intrigue          - 8
Logic             - 7
Enjoyment     - 8
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Although, instead of Elspeth, it was Firesong who annoyed me with some poor character choices this time - though it was supposedly resolved by the end. I really like Karal and I'm enjoying reading this trilogy through his eyes. The truth spell was finally brought back and I question why it wasn't used in the first book. Some non-paired Companions are communicating and working with non-heralds, which is unheard of, but I like the twist. I appreciate the overall theme of this trilogy regarding the challenge to look beyond your own prejudice and assumptions about others.

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Mercedes Lackey have the last words. The quote below is a little longer than usual, but it doesn't have any spoilers.

"As Karal squeezed her hand, he allowed himself a moment of annoyance. 'Now tell me this - what good does it do to be a Priest or to be able to talk with Avatars if neither your God nor the representatives of your Goddess are going to give you any clues?'

Natloli chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment. 'I've been listening to you and An'desha talking about the God Vkandis and the Goddess Star-Eyed, and I wonder if this isn't another one of those cases where there are many choices and, since none of the choices are detrimental, They aren't going to help. I mean - They watch while people kill people and let people die all the time, and only take a hand in things once in a while, when it will make a big difference down the road. The rest of the time, people have to do what they feel they should, and accept the results. It's that "free will" thing again.'

He groaned, 'I could do with a little more guidance and a little less free will!'

'I couldn't.' Once again, she surprised him. 'I want to make my own decisions, and if they're all the wrong ones, then I'll learn from them. I want to be an adult, not a child. I don't want to be led along the safe path! The safe path is never new, and the safe path never teaches you anything others don't already know!'

Had she always been like this, or had her enforced idleness given her time to think about these things? He was astonished at the clarity and fearlessness of her outlook. 'A lot of people wouldn't agree with you,' he replied, answering her as seriously as she had spoken. 'A great many people would rather have the safe path, and be taken care of. They'd rather have all their answers assured, neatly packaged, with "the end" put on the last page.'

'Then they can look for that neat package, but it's a false one, and they're only fooling themselves.' Her eyes were shining, and her color heightened with excitement. 'There is no end to questioning, except decay. And I'm not ready to sit down and rot, and neither are you.'

'You're right, I'm not.' "