the_pale_woman's reviews
444 reviews

I might categorize this as a cozy classic. The miscommunication didn't stress me out, and the obnoxious characters didn't annoy me as much as I was anticipating. So, really, this was kind of a chill read. Even the romance was mellow. 

One thing that really got me thinking about this book was trying to figure out what the characters weren't telling us. There are a few bits of gossip that get mentioned, and I have my own ideas about what's really going on there. By the end, I started to look at every character with a bit of suspicion, to be honest.

SPOILERS 

I have a suspension, Mr. Weston's original wife and Frank Churchill's mother killed herself when she was cut off from her parents and wealth. She died five years after the marriage. Austen would never say something like this out right, but the way her story was told suggested that we were getting the polite version. 

There is a possibility that Frank Churchill may have been involved in the demise of his grandmother. It is mentioned that she had a pattern of feigning illness to manipulate those around her. When she died, it was assumed that she had been genuinely unwell all along. However, Frank had several motives to want her dead. She exercised control over his life, managed his finances, and would have been an obstacle for a potential marriage with anyone, particularly Jane.

Mr. Knightly groomed Emma. He is almost twice her age, and when they get together at the end, he tells her that he's had his mind set on her since she was 13! While this isn't a theory pre se (because it was actually quite blatant), it does qualify as an issue too quickly glossed over. Then, thinking back over the book, you realize that this is the reason this guy is around all the time. It's not even romantic cause all he does is reprimand her and try to correct her behavior to his standards. Emma deserves every rebuke, but when it comes from someone who raised her and wants to marry her... it takes on a sinister quality.

This one has a creative narrative. It's explained before the book starts, but that didn't help alleviate any of my confusion as I was trying to listen to this as an audiobook. If I had been able to flip back and forth when I was questioning and figuring things out, this might have been a different experience. Maybe if I ever finish the rest of this series and find it worthy, I'll go back and give this another go.

This book provided an enjoyable and intellectually stimulating reading experience. After only two installments in the series, it is evident that there will be numerous recurring themes, symbolism, and allegory. This science fiction work effectively comments on cultural and political concepts without resorting to an overtly didactic or preachy tone. Instead, these ideas are subtly woven into the narrative, alongside action sequences, humor, and unusual plot developments.

I recommend this book to readers familiar with the science fiction genre. These books could serve as refreshing palate cleansers between more substantial reads. Lacking a continual plot line makes these easy to pick up and drop off whenever the mood strikes. 

This is easily my least favorite entry so far for a couple of different reasons. First, it really glossed over the world building of this particular setting and peoples. I felt rushed through explanations at the end. Second, it reminds me too much of that mini series, The Terror, which I did not enjoy. Mysterious and deadly ice lands are a setting I can easily say I have no interest in. 

That was quite a ride. This particular installment exhibits a notable propensity for abrupt and unpredictable shifts in narrative direction. It reminded me of the distinct sense of disorientation I experienced in the first book of the series. Just when I thought I knew the trajectory of the plot, it would abruptly deviate down some unexpected avenue. Most of the events here were unexpected, and that made it more exciting as the story progressed.

However, it's not all rainbows and sunshine. I have questions. I have theories. I'm not going to go into them, but I want to know when someone is going to create a good wiki so I can finally Google things to either dispute or verify my assessments.

One concern I have is that I have not yet had the opportunity to read all of the short stories and novellas in the series. While I did read the first one, "The Lesser Devil," I am concerned that I may be missing out on important information and context by not having read everything. While I do not particularly enjoy novellas or short stories, I understand that they may be necessary for a comprehensive understanding. I think I'm just bummed that there's so much to catch up on in formats I'm not hyped about. Beyond this hiccup, ultimately, my enjoyment of the series will depend on the quality of the final book. We will see.

I was a little surprised how comedic this was. Not that it was a comedy but it uses humor enough to balance the tense plot line. There's one moment between Horza and the AI of a shuttle craft that I especially enjoyed. I wouldn't describe this as absurd sci-fi but I think its close to the border. 

I know now that this series is a bunch of individual stories revolving around a dominant civilization in this universe, the Culture. I have a feeling this series is going to have a lot of political and cultural themes decorated with lots of wacky space adventures. Awesome. 

Bigger and better. This is exactly the entry this series needed. The multiple POVs were used to great effect here. After enjoying this chunky read, I better understood the hype for the series. 

There is one plot hole that got me all fired up. At the end of book two the knights of archyron find Calen. They fight with him and help save him. He finds out one of them is Haim, thought to be dead. Their leader is slain so at the beginning of book three they just bounce. Calen even begs Haim to stay but they all leave. Not a single knight is left to keep the line open with Calen. Then later after the knights work out their situations they're all like... "we got to find Calen. It's important that we protect him." You were right there! You were protecting him! You left like the job was done.

I liked Dayne well enough in book two to not distain the fact that his name is just a combo of two other character names in the book, Dahlen and Dann. 

I think getting his back story in this way was interesting but could these not have been interludes in Dayne's POV during book two? Yes it would have made the book a little longer but I would never complain about such a thing. Novellas are just not my jam. Why can't I just get a big series without all these littles? Though really I'm just being dramatic. Overall, I enjoyed this read. Belina most of all. 

Definitely an improvement from book one. I'm continually impressed by the scale of Cahill's ambition. The ambition to jam his story full of everything he loves in fantasy. My hope is that he keeps adding. Bring on the complexity. I can take it. 

I still think that some the characters need more work. There are a few that seem too similar to each other. In my opinion, they need something more than their plot lines to differentiate themselves from the pack. Some tick or quark. I want them to be more than men with swords. 

Traditional and ambitious. I'd recommend this to just about any fantasy reader. As long as you can like a story that pulls many of its fantasy elements from other much loved epics. Is it completely unique? No. But this is just the first book. These types of stories need time to build a world of their own. Wheel of Time was just an other Lord of the Rings before it took on its own life. 

I'm one of those readers who doesn't even read a synopsis before I dig into a book. So I was a little surprised after reading The Fall (prequel novella) to find that this is very much a traditional fantasy story. Farm boy and friends get mixed up in an adventure full of consequences. The Fall was all action where this was a lot of setup, which makes sense. 

For a first-time self pub, this feels extremely ambitious. It's a large world with many different characters, fantasy creatures, gods, and magic. Cahill has definitely put a lot of thought into the history and lore of this world. As a fantasy fan, I can't help but appreciate this. There really aren't that many large-scale fantasy epics currently being released, so it's just nice to see. 

Overall, I thought this was well done, but there are a few aspects of Cahill's writing that could improve. Specifically, I'd like to see more expansive and varied dialog. I'm exaggerating, but I started to feel like every conversation starts with...

 "Are you all right?" 

"Yeah, I'm all right. What about you?" 

"Yeah, I'm all right. What about so and so?"

After every scrap they all check in with each other too often for my tastes. Can they care about each others well-being a little less, please?

The other area that I felt could of been better, in my opinion, is that some of the characters lack a consistent and distinctive personality. I understand that finding a voice for all these characters would be a task but there so much going on with the world building that I want more complexity in the characters as well.