Hello fellow bibliophiles!
In what seems to be a common occurrence these last few months, events once again sidelined my book reviews. I am happy to note that I have managed to stay ahead of my 2020 reading goal. Slowly and surely approaching 37 out of the 45 book commitment for this year.
Life has decided to reach a calm stage for the moment. So, who am I to squander this opportunity to put my thoughts to blog post? Read on for the trials and opinions of the summer’s first selection.
Library of the Unwritten
This novel has four stars on Goodreads, and has been positively reviewed by my own friends. An event which I am still struggling to understand. The bottom line, I couldn’t finish it. I wish I could say I made it half way through, but the truth is I gave up at about the 1/3 mark.
I enjoyed some of the supporting characters, but the heroine was a disaster. She was unlikable, annoying, and her personality was a complete turn-off for me. I was rooting for her to disappear within the first few chapters.
It was clear that Hackwith spent a lot of time designing the world and was trying to give this information to the reader. However, this made the narrative rather distracting. It toggled back and forth between quick events/decisions made by the characters with dense world-building and background information. This transition continually interrupted the pacing of the story.
I can understand why this might appeal to some readers (and those friends who wrote reviews). For me, the story fits very well into a fantasy world, and reminded me of tv shows like Supernatural. (Which I love!) I truly appreciate the story premise and I think that the narrative had great potential. As the wife of a writer, I enjoyed the details and juxtaposition around storytelling and how narratives are brought to life by their authors. Sadly, right now this novel was not for me.
The Royal Ranger: Red Fox Clan and Duel at Araluen
I am reviewing these books together as the story arc spans both installments of the Royal Ranger series.
Previously, I have been on the fence about this offshoot of the Ranger Apprentice world. I adore the original series, as well as the Brotherband Chronicles. The worlds and characters are well-written and engaging. As I read each new novel, I find that I am constantly invested in the success of their adventures.
For the Royal Ranger, while I continued to enjoy the world, I felt as if there was something missing. I wish I could easily pinpoint what that “something” was, but so far I have had little luck. Knowing me, it could have been something as simple as transitioning to a new series. That being said, with these two novels, I once again found myself diving directly into the world with familiarity and excitement. I enjoyed the interplay between the characters and the reintroduction of beloved ones from other books.
I loved that you learn just how much the Ranger Corps has continued to challenge and encourage Maddie’s growth. It is clearly shown in how her character carries herself and interacts with others within the narrative. It was fun to see Maddie rise into the role of a lead heroine. By the time I began Duel at Araluen, I was firmly in her corner.
If you have never explored the Ranger Apprentice series, I would highly recommend starting with the first novel Ruins of Gorlan. A lot of world-building is completed within the first series, and sets the reader up to understand the background of recurring characters and scenes.
Honey Badger Chronicles
I have been reading Laurenston’s shifter series for years. For the most part, I have had positive experiences with her work, and I enjoy reading them from an escapist standpoint. They require absolutely no forethought and provide an easy, stress-free read.
Unfortunately, the Honey Badger Chronicles were not my favorite stories. The characters were just there. Historically, I feel that Laurenston has done a better job of building characters in previous novels, and this narrative fell short. Each of the three novels felt very rushed. The story was on fast-forward and a lot of detail was missed. I did not find myself laughing out loud as I have done with other books. While the sisters behaviors were understandable given their history, it was also extremely distracting. Laurenston really dove into the tropes and archetypes present in the sister’s personalities, which ultimately failed to make them as interesting. The changes in temperament, narrative pace, and dialogue left me with a whiplash effect from one event to another.
I would not discourage Laurenston fans from reading this series. But, for new readers, I would suggest starting with a different book first. These novels lacked details when secondary characters were woven in and out. Background knowledge on world-building and character personalities help a lot when understanding the Honey Badger Chronicles story line.
Toil & Tomes 