Take a photo of a barcode or cover
bookmeanderings's reviews
339 reviews
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen
3.0
This was fine. It had an entertaining story and an art style that I liked. Worth the read.
Pile of Bones by Michael J. Sullivan
4.0
I really enjoyed this little short about Suri, Minna, and Tura living in the woods before the events of the Legends of the First Empire series. Just a fun story and for those of you like me who hold Suri as one of their favorite characters from that series, I think you will enjoy it.
Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
5.0
4.75 stars
“It can be a terrible curse for a man to get everything he ever dreamed of. If the shining prizes turn out somehow to be empty baubles, he is left without even his dreams for comfort.”
Wow, now that is what I am talking about! The Last Argument of Kings takes the character and plot development of The Blade Itself and the political intrigue and tense action of Before They Are Hanged and blends them into a finale that brings The First Law trilogy to a riveting and satisfying conclusion.
Ever since I read the Shattered Seas trilogy around 2 years ago I have really wanted to get to this series, but it kept getting put off for one reason or another. Thankfully, I finally got it on audiobook and the narrator sucked me in with the quality and atmosphere of his narration of the story. I would like to thank Hachette Audio for the listening copy of this book. Receiving this in no way affected my review.
“Rules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose.”
If you are looking for characters that you can root for and a tidy ending where everything is right with the world, this book may not be for you. However, if you like compelling, albeit morally gray and sometimes downright evil characters, a gritty and merciless world, and a plot with a few surprises, check it out.
I don’t want to repeat myself too much from the reviews of the previous books in this series, so I will just say simply that the character development in this book was utterly brilliant once again. Jezal and Glokta especially take the cake in terms of their arcs and personalities, but Collem West, Ferro, Logen, and Dogman all had their moments to shine. Joe Abercrombie is officially a master at crafting characters that are interesting and compelling, even if they aren’t great people.
“People would far rather be handed an easy lie than search for a difficult truth, especially if it suits their own purposes.”
I loved the prose in this book. Abercrombie’s writing style perfectly captures the gritty world of The First Law. While the writing style does have a gritty, almost blunt feel at times, it also manages to capture each POV character’s moral struggles in really interesting and creative ways. Using the inner monologues of Glokta, Logen, and Ferro and the actions and words of Jezal, Dogman, and Collem West, Abercrombie is able to help us picture and understand the unfair and harsh world that he has created.
The plot in this book is paced in a way that kept me glued to the metaphorical pages. Abercrombie strikes a wonderful balance between the action of battles and high stakes political intrigue that had me guessing at each mystery and worrying for our “heroes.”
I don’t know what else to say that hasn’t been said already. If you like grimdark fantasy even a little bit, you should absolutely read this series. If you have already read this series, comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts!
“It can be a terrible curse for a man to get everything he ever dreamed of. If the shining prizes turn out somehow to be empty baubles, he is left without even his dreams for comfort.”
Wow, now that is what I am talking about! The Last Argument of Kings takes the character and plot development of The Blade Itself and the political intrigue and tense action of Before They Are Hanged and blends them into a finale that brings The First Law trilogy to a riveting and satisfying conclusion.
Ever since I read the Shattered Seas trilogy around 2 years ago I have really wanted to get to this series, but it kept getting put off for one reason or another. Thankfully, I finally got it on audiobook and the narrator sucked me in with the quality and atmosphere of his narration of the story. I would like to thank Hachette Audio for the listening copy of this book. Receiving this in no way affected my review.
“Rules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose.”
If you are looking for characters that you can root for and a tidy ending where everything is right with the world, this book may not be for you. However, if you like compelling, albeit morally gray and sometimes downright evil characters, a gritty and merciless world, and a plot with a few surprises, check it out.
I don’t want to repeat myself too much from the reviews of the previous books in this series, so I will just say simply that the character development in this book was utterly brilliant once again. Jezal and Glokta especially take the cake in terms of their arcs and personalities, but Collem West, Ferro, Logen, and Dogman all had their moments to shine. Joe Abercrombie is officially a master at crafting characters that are interesting and compelling, even if they aren’t great people.
“People would far rather be handed an easy lie than search for a difficult truth, especially if it suits their own purposes.”
I loved the prose in this book. Abercrombie’s writing style perfectly captures the gritty world of The First Law. While the writing style does have a gritty, almost blunt feel at times, it also manages to capture each POV character’s moral struggles in really interesting and creative ways. Using the inner monologues of Glokta, Logen, and Ferro and the actions and words of Jezal, Dogman, and Collem West, Abercrombie is able to help us picture and understand the unfair and harsh world that he has created.
The plot in this book is paced in a way that kept me glued to the metaphorical pages. Abercrombie strikes a wonderful balance between the action of battles and high stakes political intrigue that had me guessing at each mystery and worrying for our “heroes.”
I don’t know what else to say that hasn’t been said already. If you like grimdark fantasy even a little bit, you should absolutely read this series. If you have already read this series, comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts!
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
5.0
Needless to say really, but I loved it. Even on a re-read there is so much to love. The characters, the worldbuilding, the incredible, fast flying, intense action, the subverted expectations, etc. All so wonderfully well done and a joy to read.
I think instead of an actual review I'm gonna read them all and do a "Why you should read Mistborn Era 1" blog post.
I think instead of an actual review I'm gonna read them all and do a "Why you should read Mistborn Era 1" blog post.
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
5.0
"I write these words in steel, for anything not set in metal cannot be trusted."
4.5 stars. This book has a slower pace than The Final Empire. Even though it is focused on political intrigue, the solving of an ancient, prophetic mystery, and character development for most of the book it is still fantastic. The execution of these three things is some of the best I've ever seen. High stakes, world altering events, and mindblowing revelations will be seen. Not to mention the last 100 pages or so have the typically heart stopping, breakneck pace that Sanderson is now known for. Even though this has always been my least favorite of Era 1, it is still a great entry.
'"Good men don't become legends," he said quietly.
"Good men don't need to become legends." She opened her eyes, looking up at him. "They just do what's right anyway."'
4.5 stars. This book has a slower pace than The Final Empire. Even though it is focused on political intrigue, the solving of an ancient, prophetic mystery, and character development for most of the book it is still fantastic. The execution of these three things is some of the best I've ever seen. High stakes, world altering events, and mindblowing revelations will be seen. Not to mention the last 100 pages or so have the typically heart stopping, breakneck pace that Sanderson is now known for. Even though this has always been my least favorite of Era 1, it is still a great entry.
'"Good men don't become legends," he said quietly.
"Good men don't need to become legends." She opened her eyes, looking up at him. "They just do what's right anyway."'