Scan barcode
nooralshanti's reviews
161 reviews
Rise of the Dragons by Morgan Rice
2.0
Rise of the Dragons by Morgan Rice has potential to be a great fantasy tale. And it wasn't too bad. It reads easily and aside from a few grammatical errors which other reviewers have mentioned there isn't anything glaringly wrong with it. It has some good world-building ideas and it's an easy read overall.
It was the excessive telling and retelling that made it fall a little flat for me. There's too much description (often describing the same things over and over) and not enough dialogue or organic character development. At one point in the story the main character was thinking about/noticing - and describing for the readers of the book - the way her father's knights were looking at her after a certain event and then, only a couple of paragraphs later she meets some commoners and begins describing the exact same looks in the exact same way. Why not just say "it was the same look she had seen in the eyes of her father's knights" and move on? This made the story seem to drag even though it wasn't all that long.
The other annoying thing for me was when they began referring to a character's "destiny" and so on. It was badly handled and not believable and many of the scenes that dealt with her destiny weren't even necessary.
Overall, though, it wasn't too bad a fantasy tale. Nothing earth-shattering. Nothing that makes me really want to go get the rest one right now, but not too bad either. I suspect that with a little more time to think it through and edit it this could have been a much tighter, much deeper, and much more exciting tale. Perhaps instead of making this series 6 books it could have been cut down to three or even two much more gripping books.
I got it for free on Kobo. If you are into fantasy I'd say give it a try while it's free as your taste may differ from mine and you might enjoy it more than I did. Will I read the rest of the series? Probably not, but I don't regret reading this one.
It was the excessive telling and retelling that made it fall a little flat for me. There's too much description (often describing the same things over and over) and not enough dialogue or organic character development. At one point in the story the main character was thinking about/noticing - and describing for the readers of the book - the way her father's knights were looking at her after a certain event and then, only a couple of paragraphs later she meets some commoners and begins describing the exact same looks in the exact same way. Why not just say "it was the same look she had seen in the eyes of her father's knights" and move on? This made the story seem to drag even though it wasn't all that long.
The other annoying thing for me was when they began referring to a character's "destiny" and so on. It was badly handled and not believable and many of the scenes that dealt with her destiny weren't even necessary.
Overall, though, it wasn't too bad a fantasy tale. Nothing earth-shattering. Nothing that makes me really want to go get the rest one right now, but not too bad either. I suspect that with a little more time to think it through and edit it this could have been a much tighter, much deeper, and much more exciting tale. Perhaps instead of making this series 6 books it could have been cut down to three or even two much more gripping books.
I got it for free on Kobo. If you are into fantasy I'd say give it a try while it's free as your taste may differ from mine and you might enjoy it more than I did. Will I read the rest of the series? Probably not, but I don't regret reading this one.
The Last Falcon by Colleen Ruttan
4.0
The Last Falcon is a well-written fast-paced story that made me keep turning the page. I got it on Kobo because it was free and the cover looked great and while it was just mildly interesting at first I really into it at about chapter 6 and from then on I couldn't stop turning the pages. The protagonist is engaging enough and the little hints of secrets that she slowly reveals keep it interesting as the events push the character into an action-packed journey.
There were a couple of info-dumpy sections/conversations where too many names were introduced, but other than that my only other issue is with the ending. Very abrupt ending. It felt like the author had written one book and then got a knife and cut it cleanly down the middle to make two books - or will there be more? The writing was good enough and the bits of the world revealed interesting enough that I am considering buying the next book in the series, especially since I haven't found anything new this interesting in a while... if I do pick up the next one I'll be sure to leave a review.
There were a couple of info-dumpy sections/conversations where too many names were introduced, but other than that my only other issue is with the ending. Very abrupt ending. It felt like the author had written one book and then got a knife and cut it cleanly down the middle to make two books - or will there be more? The writing was good enough and the bits of the world revealed interesting enough that I am considering buying the next book in the series, especially since I haven't found anything new this interesting in a while... if I do pick up the next one I'll be sure to leave a review.
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
4.0
The Grace of Kings is a great, sweeping fantasy epic. I haven't enjoyed a fantasy book this much in a while. It does a great job of telling the tale of the collapse of an empire as the characters struggle to bring about a better world. The characters are flawed, well-written. Ken Liu does something that not many authors can actually pull off: he believably portrays characters with differing world-views. It's great.
I also find the author's use of the omniscient POV refreshing. Most of the time he writes in the third person limited that is to be expected in the genre, but he doesn't hesitate to pull back at the right time to show us a broader view of what's happening.
Including intrigues and conflicts between multiple gods is not my cup of tea at all, but in this book these scenes were few and spread out and most importantly they didn't interfere with or overpower the rest of the story so they didn't take away from my enjoyment of the rest of the book.
Overall, I would recommend this book to lovers of fantasy. It's excellent. Well-written and engaging as well as thoughtful. The best part for me was the world-building. It was so smooth and effortless. instead of inventing many ridiculous words for every last thing (which is what seems to be passing for world-building these days) Ken Liu just tells the story and the world-building just comes with that, with things being explained only when necessary. That's how you do world-building!
I also find the author's use of the omniscient POV refreshing. Most of the time he writes in the third person limited that is to be expected in the genre, but he doesn't hesitate to pull back at the right time to show us a broader view of what's happening.
Including intrigues and conflicts between multiple gods is not my cup of tea at all, but in this book these scenes were few and spread out and most importantly they didn't interfere with or overpower the rest of the story so they didn't take away from my enjoyment of the rest of the book.
Overall, I would recommend this book to lovers of fantasy. It's excellent. Well-written and engaging as well as thoughtful. The best part for me was the world-building. It was so smooth and effortless. instead of inventing many ridiculous words for every last thing (which is what seems to be passing for world-building these days) Ken Liu just tells the story and the world-building just comes with that, with things being explained only when necessary. That's how you do world-building!
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
2.0
Maybe I would give it 2.5 stars. A pass. I knew it was YA when I read it, but I've read YA before that is more interesting and engaging than this.
This book did keep me reading and flipping the pages. When you're reading you want to know what happens next so something about the writing style and plot makes it a page-turner. When I put it down for a day though that day became two and three and then four and I only picked it back up because I didn't want to leave it unfinished, not because I actually cared about any of the characters.
I don't want to make this review too long, but I do want to speak to the characterization in particular. The main character is supposed to be an alien who has escaped to earth to go into hiding and who has to be constantly on the run because the bad aliens are after him to kill him and finish off what they started when they destroyed his planet. For all that, he acts and thinks and sounds just like a stereotypical whiny American teenager. The book is written from his point of view, but you never get the feeling that he's actually an alien.
Even worse, when he has the flashbacks of his own planet it seems exactly like your cardboard cut out stereotypical American suburbs. And at the end of the book the main character suddenly remembers the real name of his adult guardian from back on their home planet and *drumroll* it's Brandon. *sigh* I do sometimes get tired of the exaggerated Fantasy names in other novels, but the author wasn't even trying here.
I could go on and talk about the pointless time wasting love story and the lengthy, but completely useless at giving you a visual) descriptions, but I think you get the idea. If you're looking for a quick page-turner that won't consume your life you might want to give this a try, but if you want something with deep characterizations and thoughtful world-building that will have you really feel with the characters you might want to look elsewhere.
This book did keep me reading and flipping the pages. When you're reading you want to know what happens next so something about the writing style and plot makes it a page-turner. When I put it down for a day though that day became two and three and then four and I only picked it back up because I didn't want to leave it unfinished, not because I actually cared about any of the characters.
I don't want to make this review too long, but I do want to speak to the characterization in particular. The main character is supposed to be an alien who has escaped to earth to go into hiding and who has to be constantly on the run because the bad aliens are after him to kill him and finish off what they started when they destroyed his planet. For all that, he acts and thinks and sounds just like a stereotypical whiny American teenager. The book is written from his point of view, but you never get the feeling that he's actually an alien.
Even worse, when he has the flashbacks of his own planet it seems exactly like your cardboard cut out stereotypical American suburbs. And at the end of the book the main character suddenly remembers the real name of his adult guardian from back on their home planet and *drumroll* it's Brandon. *sigh* I do sometimes get tired of the exaggerated Fantasy names in other novels, but the author wasn't even trying here.
I could go on and talk about the pointless time wasting love story and the lengthy, but completely useless at giving you a visual) descriptions, but I think you get the idea. If you're looking for a quick page-turner that won't consume your life you might want to give this a try, but if you want something with deep characterizations and thoughtful world-building that will have you really feel with the characters you might want to look elsewhere.
Harry Potter et le Prisonnier d'Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
5.0
There is a difference between reading this book in English and reading it in French, but for some reason it is really hard to specify that on goodreads, but at least I can leave a review of a specific edition.
I read them side-by-side recently to improve my french. As with the first book I really don't like that they changed the names - the ones that get on my nerves the most are Snape becoming Rogue and Madam Pomfrey suddenly becoming "Pomfresh" - why?!
Other than that, it's an excellent read in French just as it is in English.
This book in particular is one of the best in the series for me. It was the first that didn't have Voldmort. It allowed us to learn about Harry's parents and introduced the Marauders. This is my second read in French and I highly recommend it as a fun way to change things up a bit and learn languages.
I read them side-by-side recently to improve my french. As with the first book I really don't like that they changed the names - the ones that get on my nerves the most are Snape becoming Rogue and Madam Pomfrey suddenly becoming "Pomfresh" - why?!
Other than that, it's an excellent read in French just as it is in English.
This book in particular is one of the best in the series for me. It was the first that didn't have Voldmort. It allowed us to learn about Harry's parents and introduced the Marauders. This is my second read in French and I highly recommend it as a fun way to change things up a bit and learn languages.
Shield of Drani by Melonie Purcell
4.0
Shield of Drani is a very well-written story about a talented telepathic character's struggle to find freedom away from the enslavement that she lives in on her planet. The telepathy and telekinesis makes the story interesting, at the same time it was very difficult to stomach the oppressive way in which the Drani can control the Arleles using their telepathy. Needless to say, by the time you see what her life is like you really want Taymar to make it out and escape.
For me the first section where she was still on her home planet, Drani, was not as interesting as the parts out in space when it really got going. I also found the many titles and words a bit confusing at the start, because they were just used never explained, but it soon became clear what they meant and the inner workings of the Drani/Arlele society were slowly revealed.
Stick it out for the first few pages and things will become much more interesting. There was a period in the middle where I was getting tired of seeing Taymar suffer again and again, but the author soon came though with a solid ending for the story. I know there's going to be more and I almost wish the author had moved things a little faster so we could see the rest in this book, not wait for the next.
Overall, a great sci-fi read with some interesting ideas and some things to say about slavery. I'm not sure I like the way the Arleles were portrayed as violent for no reason, as if to justify their enslavement, but I suspect we will eventually learn there's more to it than what their Drani overlords would have us believe, so for now I'll trust that the author has a plan when it comes to that whole portrayal.
For me the first section where she was still on her home planet, Drani, was not as interesting as the parts out in space when it really got going. I also found the many titles and words a bit confusing at the start, because they were just used never explained, but it soon became clear what they meant and the inner workings of the Drani/Arlele society were slowly revealed.
Stick it out for the first few pages and things will become much more interesting. There was a period in the middle where I was getting tired of seeing Taymar suffer again and again, but the author soon came though with a solid ending for the story. I know there's going to be more and I almost wish the author had moved things a little faster so we could see the rest in this book, not wait for the next.
Overall, a great sci-fi read with some interesting ideas and some things to say about slavery. I'm not sure I like the way the Arleles were portrayed as violent for no reason, as if to justify their enslavement, but I suspect we will eventually learn there's more to it than what their Drani overlords would have us believe, so for now I'll trust that the author has a plan when it comes to that whole portrayal.
Nyarai: Traveler of the Circle by Noor Al-Shanti
The Travelers are a key part of my world and I've wanted to write something from their point of view for a while. It finally worked out with Nyarai: Traveler of the Circle, which is one of my newer stories. This one is a little longer and covers a lot more ground than my other published stories. It gave me a chance to explore parts of the world that I hadn't explored yet and meet some awesome new characters. My favorites are the traveler Katsuo - who just walked in and imposed himself as I was writing - and the pessimistic kid Iro whose comments I had quite a bit of fun with.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
I figured I'd pop in and make some comment on why I didn't finish this. I actually didn't get very far into it. It started off ok. The main character was pulled into the powerful elite's inner circle because her grandfather wanted to have a little fun or something and decided to choose 3 heirs and let them kill each other. And she hates everything about their stuck up ways and has a unique POV into their world. So far so good.
The first problem for me was the whole "Gods" thing. It just didn't work for me as a religious person, but there was enough else of promise that I thought I'd stick with it, just wishing she had decided to call them wizards (which if you read the description is basically what they are) and not presume to call them Gods. I decided to plow on.
Then I came to the realization that there weren't really any layers to this. It wasn't going to get any deeper. Because at the heart of it it was just another ridiculous love story disguised as Fantasy. *sigh*
The first problem for me was the whole "Gods" thing. It just didn't work for me as a religious person, but there was enough else of promise that I thought I'd stick with it, just wishing she had decided to call them wizards (which if you read the description is basically what they are) and not presume to call them Gods. I decided to plow on.
Then I came to the realization that there weren't really any layers to this. It wasn't going to get any deeper. Because at the heart of it it was just another ridiculous love story disguised as Fantasy. *sigh*
Redwall by Brian Jacques
I had to return this to the library and have decided that if I do want to finish it later I might, but I'm not going to bother now.
Don't get me wrong, the first time I read this series I loved it and I read about 14 of the books before getting tired of them. I thought they were great back then. Now... it's all a little predictable and the writing is a bit young for me. I think if I hadn't been reading another book at the same time (e-book versions of The Last Falcon and then Dragon Fire) I probably would have finished Redwall.
Don't get me wrong, the first time I read this series I loved it and I read about 14 of the books before getting tired of them. I thought they were great back then. Now... it's all a little predictable and the writing is a bit young for me. I think if I hadn't been reading another book at the same time (e-book versions of The Last Falcon and then Dragon Fire) I probably would have finished Redwall.
Dragon Fire by Colleen Ruttan
4.0
Dragon Fire, like the first book in the series, is a very fast-paced page-turner of an adventure. It starts just where The Last Falcon left off and very abruptly, having no real beginning of its own. It throws you right into the action, assuming that you've read The Last Falcon and just continuing on from there.
Also like the The Last Falcon it has a few sections that feel like too much telling, with too many names thrown in and too much "pay attention, this is significant back-story information" that should have been revealed in a more natural way.
However, unlike The Last Falcon this book did have a somewhat satisfying ending. The story isn't over yet, but one part of the journey is at least and there have been some great twists and turns along the way so far. Hopefully, the rest of the tale will be out sometime soon and will live up to this great start.
Also like the The Last Falcon it has a few sections that feel like too much telling, with too many names thrown in and too much "pay attention, this is significant back-story information" that should have been revealed in a more natural way.
However, unlike The Last Falcon this book did have a somewhat satisfying ending. The story isn't over yet, but one part of the journey is at least and there have been some great twists and turns along the way so far. Hopefully, the rest of the tale will be out sometime soon and will live up to this great start.