neilsef's reviews
285 reviews

The Bone Ships by RJ Barker

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The setting for this tale is primarily aboard ships, ships made of bones from sea dragons, which is fairly unique and a refreshing change from the more traditional settings.

This is a slow burn of a story, with the characters' personalities being slowly revealed and built up as the story progresses, the same being true of the plot, so the further you read, the more interesting it becomes.

For me, it was not a page-turner in the traditional sense, but it was a book that kept me intrigued enough to keep coming back to read a bit more, and more so the closer to the end I got.

This is a good series opener and one that has me tantalised enough to get the next book on the series to see what happens next. 

Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook

adventurous challenging mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 I found the first book in this set to be a challenge to get through due to the writing style, which was very much in the style of a chronicle, rather than a story, with minimal character development or any real depth of detail to the events described, which if it had been a standalone novel I wouldn't have decided not to continue with the series.

However, the second and third books changed to a more normal storytelling structure, with a subsequent improvement in the characters and the overall engagement of the story, though both were still lacking, but improving.

The most developed characters are probably Croaker, from whose perspective most of the story is told, and One-Eye and Goblin, who are old sorcerers who show their affection for each other by almost constantly playing pranks and bickering with each other.

Each book does improve on the previous one, so if like me you find the first one hard going, at least try the second, hopefully, you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was. 

Eve of Snows by L. James Rice

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Unfortunately, this just did not click for me, which was due primarily to the writing style that I found challenging, especially the first half of the book, and distracting due to the phrasing of a lot of the sentences.

There is quite an interesting story lurking in the pages of this book, with some engaging characters, if only you can cope with how it is structured, which was not to my taste, so i will not be continuing with the series.

The Furyck Saga by A.E. Rayne

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Having read Winter's Fury a couple of years ago and given it a five-star rating, I was looking forward to seeing how it stood up in a reread as part of this three-book box set.

I was still blown away by the story, the characters, the world-building, the action and the suspense, which had me devouring this book, and the following two in this set at a phenomenal rate (for me).

There is a lot of action and suspense in these books and it unwinds at a fast pace, but for me, it is the characters and their personalities that are the highlights together with their interactions, which can be quite blunt and colourful, is such a delight to read.

My favourite author is David Gemmell, and these books remind me so much of his writing style with the action and characterisation, that I would enthusiastically recommend them to my fellow Gemmellites. 

Lesser Evil by Timothy Zahn

adventurous informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 I read the preceding books in this series last year, so it took a few chapters for me to remember what was going on and who all the various characters were, but once I had reached that level this was another enjoyable and engaging Thrawn tale.

The events and action are well written as are the characters, which all build to a satisfying conclusion to this enjoyable trilogy, as well as setting up the circumstances that lead into the Thrawn trilogy of books. 

Sword of the Squire by Jonathan Moeller

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This is a well-paced and plotted tale set in a world similar to Earth, but in which magic exists. It is a world inhabited by Orc, Elves, Dragons and other mythological beings as well as humans, who are the descendants of people from the time of Arthur Pendragon, who came to this world through a portal.

The tale follows several squires, who are training to become Knights, two of whom deeply dislike each other, but whose fighting styles complement each other in a battle, which as the events unfold happens more often.

I read the Malison books not long ago and was disappointed with those due to their shortness and the resulting lack of time to build events and character personalities, this book corrects all those faults and is therefore much more enjoyable and engaging.

Of Blood And Fire by Ryan Cahill

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I'm always a little bit wary when reading a book by an author I haven't read before, especially when the majority of the reviews are praising the book, however, the upside of that is when I find the praise is warranted, which in this case it most certainly is.

There were multiple scenes and characters in this book that reminded me of other series I have read, The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan), The Sword of Truth (Terry Goodkind) and The Banned and the Banished (John Gwynne), though whether they influenced the author is Impossible to say without knowing if he has read them, but if you have, and enjoyed them, then you most likely will enjoy this.

The writing style is relaxing and easy to read, the characters are interesting and likeable for the most part and are nicely developed as the book progresses. The plot, which is engaging, mysterious, and intelligently thought out, instantly gripped me.

This is an excellent start to a series that I hope will deliver on the promise shown in this first book.

Hammered by Lindsay Buroker

adventurous lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a new series with new characters but is set in the same world as Death Before Dragons, so some of the characters from that series pop up here.

Matti is half-dwarf and primarily interested in her work of renovating old houses, but she also likes to help her friends and neighbours out if they encounter problems, which the authorities tend to look on as vigilantism.

The perspective of this tale is from Matti's point of view, which includes a strong dislike of the military, and by extension, Val and Willard, who make an appearance.

As always with Lindsay's books, the personalities of the characters are excellent and abound with her trademark humour and snarkiness. The plot is also well thought out and contains twists and mysteries enough to keep you fully engaged.

This is a very enjoyable read and a great start to a new series. 

Malison: The Complete Series by Jonathan Moeller

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This is a series of short stories, with each book being around 130 to 140 pages long, which should have made them fairly quick, enjoyable reads. Unfortunately, except for the last book, they didn't come across as that gripping, which is a shame as the overall premise sounded very interesting.

The characters are reasonably likeable, though mostly shallow and underdeveloped, except for Tyrcamber, who being the main character is developed to a greater extent.

Overall, the short story format was a detriment to these tales as there is no time to develop the themes and characters to the depth they deserve.

Spellmaker by Charlie N. Holmberg

adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is a satisfying conclusion to the duology that starts with Elsie being exposed to the authorities as an unregistered Spellbreaker and thrown in jail.

Thanks to an appeal by Bacchus to the magistrate that bends the facts, and implies he and Elsie are engaged, he wins her freedom as long as she agrees to undertake formal training and invite the magistrate to the wedding.

The tale follows Elsie as she tries to track down Master Lily and the Opuses while contending with starting her Spellbreaker training, planning a wedding, searching for her family and figuring out who the American is.

It's an intricate and engaging web of events, filled with characters that are packed with personality, that has been a pleasure to read.

Hopefully, the Author will revisit this series in the future as it has the potential for many more rich and interesting adventures for Elsie and Bacchus.