Crossroads of Twilight By Robert Jordan

Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


What more can I say about this series? What would you want to know? Am I going to keep reading it? Yes. Was this book just more of the same: too many subplots, too much political crap and only a handful of action scenes for an 800 page book? Yes. So why do I keep reading? I have hope that although Robert Jordan seems to have forgotten why he got so many readers in the first place, Brandon Sanderson may bring this series back to the incredible, epic conclusion we all dreamed of at the beginning.

Another 3 stars.



View all my reviews

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I enjoyed this book, but at the same time I was disappointed. This was an enjoyable read for me because it is right at the level that I think I need to target with my writing. At times it almost seemed too simplistic in its language and the voice Flanangan used seemed prone to state obvious conclusions, but those are the qualities that give access to younger readers, while the plot still maintains the interest of older readers. Also the scope of the conflict was adjusted to keep the key conflict interesting for older readers, but by maintaining just one key conflict, it is again available to younger readers as well.



My disappointment came from the lack of magic. It is a qualified fantasy thanks to the Medieval setting, the out-of-this-world creatures and archetypal main character, but one of the hallmarks of fantasy is the acknowledgement of a power higher than the power of man. Maybe the main character has access to it, maybe they don't, but it always plays into the story somewhere. It adds a fantastical element that leaves a gap in overall story, in my opinion.



I am going to finish out this series, and so maybe this will change in future books, and even if it doesn't, I will enjoy finding out how Will and Horace aid in the fight against Margarath.



View all my reviews

The Violet Keystone by Garth Nix

The Violet Keystone by Garth Nix

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ok, so this is the last book in the series. If you decide to read these books, and I hope you do, I recommend getting the combined volumes, rather than reading them one little book at a time. The continuity would have been nice.



So the pros: The best thing about this book is that it is so Garth Nixish. The only way to describe it is realistically abstract. The characters are real. The society speaks to challenges in our own society. The setting is blissfully fictional. I really really really hope I find more to read by Nix.



The cons: I have pointed it out for every volume: this was written for a really young audience. While I think it hit its mark, I can't help but think that it was a waste of Nix's talent. He can do so much more for a 9th grade+audience, that writting for a 4th grade audience seems like a total waste. Take Aenir and super-size it. Make the world deeper, the denizens of Aenir more co-dependent, their society more relevant. Take the number of characters from among the chosen and double them. Let them run amuck, running into each other, affecting Tal, having their own subplots. This could have been Harry Potterish in scope rather than Junie B Jonesish (don't get me wrong I love JBJ too). Sigh. Just a lost opportunity for so much more enjoyment.



4 Stars. Double the length/depth and it is 5.







View all my reviews