Review: Champions: At Fire’s End by Charlotte Jain

Champions: At Fire’s End
(Champions #1)
Charlotte Jain

Publisher: N/A
Publishing year: 2017
ISBN: 9780992586935
Language: English
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Rating: 1.5/5

Note: I’ve received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way. 

The Titan and the Olympians are at war. To resolve this endless battle, four mortals are given the power to control the elements so they can fight amongst themselves. Teenagers April and Kyle are two of these Champions. Controlling fire and water respectively, they must uncover the identities of the other two Champions and fight them to the death. Unfortunately, with their powers taking a heavy toll on their bodies, time is running out.

This book begins with a note on the mythology in the Champion series, stating that the author has been inspired by Greek and Roman mythology, but that the mythology is freely adapted. The Immortals are named after various Greek gods. Athena embodies wisdom, Hades is Lord of the Underwold, and the twins Apollo and Athena wield bows. These similarities are superficial. Still, I believe it is necessary to point this out; it’s not so much a twist on modern mythology as the synopsis promises, but simply characters sharing names and some other superficial traits. I wish I was able to tell more about these characters, but unfortunately, they are just there. Three of them guide the main characters, but the others don’t leave a lasting impression other than being uncaring Immortals. This feels like a wasted opportunity.

Which brings me to the other problems of At Fire’s End: it was very unpolished. The plot gets right into the action, which on itself wouldn’t be a problem if there wasn’t so much confusion. The exposition doesn’t happen until halfway in the story, when Kyle and April finally inform the other two Champions of their predicament, which is way too late. Though the characters go to a normal modern school, the world isn’t fleshed out either. Considering the world represents the stakes, the lack of fleshing out eliminates the urgency. What are the effects of the war on the population? Are there other supernatural creatures than the Furies they fought? If so, why weren’t they mentioned until they appeared? Why weren’t the Furies mentioned until they appeared? Where did they come from? The story was scattered and there was barely any foreshadowing, which leads to terrible pacing and the feeling things happened just because.

Even the main characters aren’t fleshed out well, which makes it difficult to care about them or their struggle. Their interactions seem overly dramatic and forced, which is underlined by the big chunks of speeches the characters blurt out in the middle of supposedly intense situations. Disregarding the issue of ‘time and place’: character exposition happens almost solely in these speeches. Despite the drama, the characters still remain shallow. I never got a real sense of who they were, what they were like, and how they would develop or change throughout the story. There was a lot of telling, but no showing. Kyle was supposed to be cunning, but I never once saw a situation where this cunning quality was displayed. Instead, Kyle makes some very rash and illogical decisions, which even disproves what we’ve been told.

The story was told through the POV of both Kyle and April, but their voices were not distinct at all. The other two Champions, Kim and Noah, barely got any exposition or development; again, they were just there to be the other Champions. I couldn’t help but wonder: why should I care about these characters? This is, unfortunately, a fatal flaw.

That is not to say that there wasn’t some promise. I did like the aspect of the characters genuinely struggling with their powers; that these powers were taking a toll on their bodies and that the characters had to be trained. The idea itself is also interesting enough, but the execution makes for a tedious and confusing read. If the pacing would be fixed, the setting and characters fleshed out more, and the story overall be more polished, then Champions: At Fire’s End would be a lot more engaging.

The Charm of Battered Paperbacks

When working on my master thesis on Arthurian fiction last year, I read Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur for the second time. I had the Penguin classic edition, which consisted of two volumes. As I did the first time, I did most of my reading in the train while commuting to class or work. As it is, bags are not very book-friendly. My copies already looked battered after the first time I had read them, so you can probably imagine how they looked after I finished reading them. And then came the searching for citations, marking pages with colorful sticky notes, putting pages spread-eagled on the surface of my desk because I needed to do some typing…the spines had multiple cracks, pages came loose, the covers had multiple scuff marks because they took a tumble from my desk more than once…

Considering they were practically falling apart when I had finished my thesis, I replaced them with a very pretty Barnes & Noble leather-bound edition. Here’s a picture, as an alternative to the shabby paperbacks I no longer own:

Though I’m very happy with this fancy hardback edition (it even has illustrations!), I did feel some regret replacing my battered copies. I’m not even the overly sentimental sort. They might have been nearly falling apart, but they were read twice, and they were loved, and it showed. This one? Hasn’t been actually read yet. And I probably won’t anytime soon; as much as I love Le Morte D’Arthur, it isn’t exactly easy reading material.

Whenever I hear people (customers, co-workers) at work about keeping books pristine, or see a blog post or video stating that people can’t stand cracked spines or ‘abused books’, I keep thinking about those battered paperbacks of Le Morte D’Arthur. Of all my other paperbacks that brave my bag and get put back on my shelf battered and bruised after I finish reading them. Of my copy of Great Expectations that has water damage because I dropped a glass of water on it by accident (imagine having to blow dry your book at 2AM; it generally makes for a funny story). Of all the paperbacks with cracked spines on my shelves, because they’ve been read as opposed to the paperbacks that haven’t been read yet. You can actually pick them out if you look at my bookshelves, and I love that you can see that they were read.

So, most of my read paperbacks are not in pristine condition. I don’t willfully abuse my books, but they inevitably look ‘read’. Bigger books have cracked spines at the very least. Does this matter? Does this mean I don’t love my books? I think this notion not loving it is a bit silly. Of course I do! To each their own; nothing wrong with cherishing your pretty hardcovers (or paperbacks), and I’m not saying pristine books aren’t loved. But cracked spines and scuffed covers don’t mean books are ‘abused’.

I think battered copies have a certain charm. They look read. Loved. When I traveled, to work, to class, to another country, they went with me. And all the wear and tear, all of that reading and loving and accompanying me during travel, shows that I read and loved them.

Of course, there are ways to handle books to prevent the cracking of the spine, but where is the fun in that? I hold/read them the way I do because I prefer reading them that way. I could put them in a plastic bag to prevent damage by travel, but why bother? I see books as things to be used. To be enjoyed, yes, loved, but also to be used. To be read. For instance, A Storm of Swords is my favourite installment of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. It also looks the most battered of my copies of the series (all of these paperbacks are small bricks). It’s bound to get worse when I get around to reading it a second time. And that’s fine. If a book gets even more battered after reading it multiple times, it only shows that I loved it, right?

That’s not to say that I don’t have pretty, pristine books on my shelf. I used to get fancy hardcovers a few years ago, because they look good on my shelf. I sometimes still get them if I don’t feel like waiting for the (mass market) paperback. However, I’m more inclined to read those fancy hardcovers only at home, because I don’t want them to get damaged. But because I don’t have a lot of time these days, and my spare time has to be juggled with other hobbies and obligations, I do most of my reading in the train and during break times at work. This means that hardcovers tend to sit on my shelf for ages until I finally get to them (especially because borrowed books are also read at home; they’re not mine to batter, so I keep them as pristine as possible). I don’t have such reservations with paperbacks.

So ultimately? I get a lot more use and love out of those battered paperbacks. Their shabby state shows that I’ve read them and loved them. To me, that’s the point of buying and reading books.  And replacing a battered copy with a pristine hardcover, like I did with Le Morte D’Arthur? I had to resort to using tape to keep the pages together, so there was little choice, but I probably won’t do that again…

Review: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Apologies for the radio silence; life caught up with me for the past few weeks. But this isn’t supposed to be a “sorry I haven’t posted much”-post, so here’s a new review to make up for it!

Doctor Sleep
(The Shining #2)
Stephen King

Publisher: Hodder
Publishing year: 2013
Pages: 499
ISBN: 9781444783247
Language: English
Genre: Horror
Rating: 3/5

I always enjoy reading books by Stephen King. I love how he builds his stories and develops his characters; King does not do flat characters. They may not always be likable, but you usually get a sense of their motivations and why they do what they do, even if you sometimes see that train wreck that resulted from their actions coming from a mile a way. Yes, that tension. Stephen King is a master of building tension, of having a story go along with a threatening sense of foreboding looming in the background up to the point where everything goes to shit in the last 100 or so pages.

Yes, you could say I’m a fan of Stephen King.

Which brings me to Doctor Sleep, which is a sequel to The Shining.  Always wanted to see how Danny Torrance fared after the traumatic events at the Overlook Hotel? Well, you’re about to find out. Danny, now Dan, has been drifting for decades, following his father’s footsteps into alcoholism to drown out his gift. It’s certainly tragic to see how Dan deals with his demons, so it’s with relief we see that he eventually settles down at a nursing home where he helps people pass on. At one point, however, he meets Abra Stone. With the brightest ‘shining’ he has ever seen, she’s powerful, but she also attracts The True Knot. These supernatural people live off the ‘steam’ that kids like Abra produce when tortured and killed. Of course, at one point, Dan has to confront his own demons if he wants to save Abra.

As a story of Dan dealing with the aftermath of the events in The Shining, Doctor Sleep works well. Like his father, he became an alcoholic. A lot of the narrative is dedicated to Dan’s reflections; why he’s drinking, his mistakes during a life of drifting and his attempts to make things right again while fighting the temptation of the bottle. There are frequent references to The Shining, so you can’t really read this book without reading its predecessor.

As a horror story? Doctor Sleep falls flat. The premise is promising enough and the stakes are clear, except The True Knot is just not very threatening. Of course, they kidnap kids. They torture them. They are untouchable because they are rich bastards. They have set their sights on Abra and they aren’t necessarily incapable. Mostly. Okay, most of them die very quickly for supposed villains. I think the character known as The Crow came the closest to being a threat, however. The rest? Abra manages to outsmart them and she’s a teenager. A brilliant teenager, but a teenager nonetheless. Especially with the help of Dan, who does his fair share of outsmarting The True Knot as well. Helped by the supporting cast, Dan and Abra have comparatively little difficulty in overcoming their obstacles. Even the leader of The True Knot, Rose the Hat, falls flat. She becomes increasingly unhinged and vengeful, but she and her gang are pretty easily defeated. Their silly names could have been a contrast to the threat they should have been posing, but now they just seem difficult to take seriously.

And because there is no threat, no tension, and no real sense of foreboding, I wasn’t worried for the main characters. There weren’t even any scares. For a novel by Stephen King, I had expected a bit more, especially for a sequel to The Shining. As a story about Dan coming to terms with his past and his inner demons, Doctor Sleep was an interesting story and worth reading. As a horror story with unsettling moments and that sense of foreboding looming over you? Doctor Sleep unfortunately falls very short.

Review: The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan

The Waking Fire
(The Draconis Memoria #1)
Anthony Ryan

Publisher: Orbit
Publishing year: 2016
Pages: 679
ISBN: 9780356506364
Language: English
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5

I’m always up for an interesting story involving dragons. Honestly, who doesn’t love these powerful fire-breathing lizards? Though the inclusion of dragons doesn’t necessarily guarantee a compelling fantasy novel, but with excellent world building Anthony Ryan thankfully succeeds in his next fantasy series.

Contrary to most high fantasy, or at least most fantasy involving dragons (there are exceptions, I know), Ryan’s world does not involve monarchies or knights in shining armour. Though there is a neighbouring empire and (of course) the threat of war, the country the protagonists hail from has done away with obsolete practices of kings and nobility, and is instead ruled by corporations. That doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is fine and dandy; there’s corruption, there are people living in slums, and the dragons (drakes) are exploited in breeding pens or are nearly hunted to extinction in the name of profit. Basically: capitalism.

What’s the point in exploiting these dragons? Well, their blood has magical properties that certain gifted people are able to use; they’re called blood-blessed. Depending on their affinity and which type of drake the utilized blood comes from, the abilities can range from powering ships to telepathy, to increasing muscle output. It’s an interesting magic system that comes with clear limitations and boundaries for the characters, something that I can always appreciate. The existence of these people and their abilities make Drake blood a valuable commodity, and the economy of this world thrives on harvesting these creatures for their blood. Moreover, the technology of this world is reminiscent of the late 19th century with steampunk elements, which also sets this fantasy epic apart from other works involving dragons. It’s a very unique combination.

The Waking Fire has three protagonists. The first is Clay, a thief from the slums who is secretly a blood-blessed and is forced to go on an expedition to find the mysterious White Drake. The second is Lizanne, a spy who has to infiltrate an enemy country to further the agenda of the Ironship Trading Syndicate she works for. Finally, there is Hilemore, the second lieutenant on a navy ship who finds himself having to work with a badass female pirate. Both Clay and Lizanne have ample character development. Clay goes from a largely self-serving thief trying to leave the mission he’s forced to undertake to wanting to save the world, and Lizanne begins to question her mission as well as her mentor. These characters also frequently interact with one another, which allows for their storylines to intertwine.

Unfortunately, Hilemore appears to be more of a loose end. Not only does he get fewer chapters compared to the other two characters, but his storyline does not feel as connected or even as important to the rest of the plot. His interaction with the female pirate Zenida is interesting and it sheds light on events taking place elsewhere, but it doesn’t have a whole lot of impact. Moreover, his lack of screen time does not showcase any character development other than an honourable navy officer being forced to work with a pirate. The significance of this character might change as I expect him to become more involved, but it’s still a pity his story felt a little underwhelming compared to the others. And while I’m nitpicking: I also felt a certain reveal by the end of Clay’s story involving a certain character and the White Drake was not as well-reasoned as I would have liked, but I can’t say much without spoiling anything.

Still, The Waking Fire is a compelling read. Though Ryan has done a great job with building his world and its magic system, I think the greatest element is the sense of mystery. The built-up is slow, but tension continues to rise as the novel progresses. This is especially evident in Clay’s storyline; though the other characters experience the consequences of all the strange events that are happening, it’s Clay who draws closer to the mystery behind the White Drake. The pacing is crucial to pulling this rising tension off and Ryan has done this perfectly. This mystery, along with the fluid writing style, made it impossible to put this book down.

However, I can’t help but wonder whether this element will hold up for the second installment of this series, The Legion of Flame. One of the draws of The Waking Fire was the mystery behind the White Drake and the strange occurrences happening everywhere. By the end of The Waking Fire, the mystery has been largely resolved, which seemingly ‘only’ leaves our main characters to find a way to save the world. I suppose I’ll have to read Ryan’s second installment to The Draconis Memoria to find out whether the series has more in store than initially expected. In the mean time, if you’re looking for an original take on a high fantasy novel involving dragons and a real sense of mystery, The Waking Fire is a recommended read!

On Readathons and Reading Challenges

Ah, Readathons and reading challenges. I’ve seen plenty of them around even before I started this blog; people are doing them on BookTube and I occasionally stumble upon them on GoodReads. A friend/co-worker of mine loves doing them as well, and yes, the themes are quite fun and interesting, varying from Pokémon to a reading challenge dedicated to diversity. Posts by Nerd in New York and Drizzle Hurricane Books inspired me to write my own opinion about Readathons.

But, before we get started: what’s a Readathon or a Reading Challenge? Well, basically, it’s a challenge to encourage you to read as many books as possible. During a Readathon, you usually do so in a certain amount of time. There’s also a Bingo or a list format that earns you a mark/list-filler whenever you read something that suits the topic. Sometimes, these challenges have a theme, which can vary from reading books about LGBT to reading books with blue covers.

There are pros and cons to reading challenges. The obvious pro is: you’re likely to get more reading done! The competitive spirit motivates you to read more books, which is a good way to get through that endless TBR pile. It also allows you to connect with people who also participate in the challenge, as you’re probably reading the same kind of books which encourages discussion and exchanging recommendations. Finally, a challenge can make you read books you wouldn’t have picked up otherwise, which can not only broaden your horizon and let you step out of your comfort zone, but also lead to unexpected favourites.

So yes, I can obviously see the merit in doing a reading challenge or Readathon. It’s a fun way to get through your TBR pile!

Still, I don’t do them.

Okay, there’s one exception, and that’s the annual reading challenge on GoodReads. I pick a number of books I want to read that year, and I try to read that amount of books. However, that still allows me to select whatever book I want to read, and I tend to pick a number that I know is realistic for me.

And that brings me to the reason behind me not doing any other reading challenges or Readathons: because a lot of these tend to have a theme, I’d feel pressured in reading a certain type of book. I tend to pick a book based on what I want to read next, and I feel a themed reading challenge would eliminate that sense of spontaneity. I also like to keep things varied, which makes me switch genres a lot. Not very compatible to a themed challenge — if I were to read, say, 7 thrillers one after another, I’d be sick and tired of thrillers before I reach the 7th book. Basically, for me, a Readathon or reading challenge would needlessly pressure me into reading books I feel like I have to read, rather than reading what I want to read. In other words, a very fast way for me to get into a reading slump.

And, knowing me, I tend to want to read books ‘not allowed’ for the challenge when I do participate in one.

Moreover, as a rule, I don’t own enough books to match a certain theme. A library subscription costs money in my country, and buying everything is even more expensive. As it is, I unfortunately don’t have a magic tree growing money in my back yard. And honestly, I don’t need even more excuses to buy more books. My space isn’t endless, either. But I’ll leave the discussion about space management for another day!

And finally, I don’t have the time to read a lot of books in a short amount of time. My job, other hobbies, and my social life tend to interfere from time to time.

But, like I said, nothing wrong with Readathons or challenges, or the people who love participating in them. I like the idea and some of those themes certainly do seem fun. Plus, the excitement of others is fun to see in the community! I just prefer not to do them myself.

What about you? How do you feel about reading challenges?

Review: Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

Half a King
(Shattered Sea #1)
Joe Abercrombie

Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publishing year: 2014
Pages: 376
ISBN: 9780007550227
Language: English
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3/5
This review was originally written for ToTen Magazine.

In a kingdom that values physical strength and skill in battle, the crippled Prince Yarvi is the royal family’s embarrassment. His maimed hand doesn’t allow him to hold a shield properly, much less avoid another beating on the training ground.  He was more than ready to renounce his right to the throne and spend his life as a minister, but when his father and older brother are murdered, Yarvi has no choice but to take the crown. His reign proves short-lived when he is betrayed by his family and left for dead. He survives only to be sold as a slave, manning the oars on a merchant ship with only a single good hand. He swears vengeance on those who wronged him, but that road isn’t without its hardships and sacrifices.

Half a King is part of a trilogy, but this novel stands well on its own. Though the novel hints at an underlying concern that might appear in the trilogy’s subsequent books, most issues are wrapped up in a neat little bow. That said, this is very much the story of an underdog. Despite the character’s flaws and his initial cowardice, you can’t help but root for the disadvantaged prince Yarvi as he attempts to survive and even navigate an unkind world. It’s satisfying to find that Yarvi manages to utilize his training and his wit to reach his goals. He really comes into his own and grows as a character, which is the best part of the book.

Interestingly, Yarvi’s growth makes him cunning and pragmatic. He screws people over. He lives in a hard world, so he consequently grows into a harder person because of his experiences and the goals that he wants to achieve. Having sworn an oath, Yarvi comes to realize that fulfilling it means making sacrifices to do what needs to be done – and despite the doubts he has, he pulls through. This makes his growth realistic and interesting, and though his actions are sometimes deplorable, you can understand where he’s coming from. Yarvi’s persona is complimented by the cast of secondary characters that he meets and who join his cause. Though they help and support him – most of them selflessly, as a result from surviving hardships together – Yarvi also manages to alienate some of them with his decisions. At the same time, however, these secondary characters are the novel’s main flaw; though they seem interesting enough, they do not appear as complex and well-developed as Yarvi which feels like a missed opportunity. The exception, Nothing, was an enigma throughout the story. Still, these secondary characters were instrumental to Yarvi’s growth and their interaction was entertaining enough.

The narrative itself is fast paced, action-packed, and contains some twists. However, people who are used to something like George Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire would not find the back-stabbing and cunning manipulations in Half a King as complex. The world building is also fairly sparse for a fantasy novel, but what’s there is sufficient enough to get a sense of the world Yarvi lives in – just don’t expect anything overly extensive. There is some gritty subject material, but with the underlying sense of hope it never becomes bleak. The prose was also enjoyable to read; detailed, but not long-winded.

Half a King is a good book if you’re looking for a fast paced fantasy novel that does not become overly complicated, but still contains some grittiness and great character development. If you’d rather have something more complex, however, you might want to look elsewhere.  As enjoyable as Half a King is, Yarvi himself is pretty much the only complex element in the book.

My Bookish Dream Crate

I was invited by Loot Crate to put my own Dream Crate together. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the idea: a box of awesome goodies, often with a certain theme in mind. So, what would I like to find in such a crate? Though I do love various aspects of popculture (hello video games), I’m going to focus on books. Partly to make it easier for myself, partly because, well, this is a book blog.

That still leaves a lot of things to consider. Now, I could spell out the theme for you, but it might be more fun to just see it for yourselves. Enjoy!

The Book:

A bookish dream crate without a book seems silly, so including a book is an obvious choice. My pick:

A book on my wishlist: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi, the first installment of a series by the same name. I’ve read The Windup Girl by this author, and he painted a very interesting dystopian world. This one is also a dystopia: a teenage boy named Nailer scavenges broken oil tankers for metal to sell. It’s YA, but that hardly matters to me.

Goodies:

These Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep socks from Out of Print Clothing! So we don’t get cold feet!

A mug is always a good idea. Of course, we all enjoy a hot beverage of choice during our reading sessions, so a suitable mug is always wonderful. This mug featuring quotes from Kurt Vonnegut over at The Literary Gift Company is great!

I can’t make a list with this theme without something Orwellian, so, this little pouch by The Strand is nice and simple.

A ruled journal is always a good idea, so we can write down our thoughts about the book we’re reading. Or other thoughts. As long as they’re yours!

And finally, a fitting quote for dystopian fiction on this magnetic bookmark by Blossom Books! Because you can’t make a bookish crate without at least including one bookmark.

I hope you liked this post! It was pretty hard to find the goodies, actually. There’s a lot of neat stuff out there, but I wanted to stick to a theme. Speaking of which, selecting a theme was also difficult, because I like so many things! Fantasy or Arthurian would have been exciting as well, but alas, decisions have to be made.

Feel free to create your own; click here to see the stuff you can find in Loot Crate — to find some inspiration, or gift one!