REVIEW: The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel

For my birthday my mum took me to K-Mart to buy the new Pokemon and I discovered a plethora of extremely cheap books (as well as other things such as socks and deodorant). I am now addicted to K-Mart. With my birthday money (how cute) I bought two of the Earth's Children books for $10 each, Torment ($8) and Darkness at Sethanon (FIVE DOLLARS!!!). Following on from this discovery I decided to check out Target back home in Melbourne and found The Valley of Horses, which was next on my list to read having just finished Clan of the Cave Bear. $15 ... bargain! Other purchases this week include The Shelters of Stone and The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun from the Borders closing down sale. It's funny ... I will now only buy things if they are cheaper than bookdepository.co.uk.

Anyway ... I really enjoyed The Valley of Horses, although not as much as book one I think. CotCB was so rich with facts and customs of the Clan and all of that came to an end at the end of the book, with Ayla's departure. The introduction of Jondalar and the humans provided for an almost equally interesting setting, but I suddenly felt it lacked the uniqueness from the first book. It was one of the only books I've read where humans were not the protagonists and it was so well researched and written that I was really drawn into the ways of the Clan. Then in VoH I felt suddenly dumped back into the monotony of human land.

Nevertheless, both Ayla's and Jondalar's story arcs were equally interesting. It was one of those books that you finish and think ... how did that take up this whole book? It felt like it should have been half as thick - in a good way. Really, it was only about Ayla walking to a valley and living by herself in a cave, any only meeting Jondalar near the end.

An interesting addition to this book was the exorbitant amount of descriptive sex scenes. While I thought two or three were appropriate, fit well and were well written, the no less than three occasions in the last twenty pages was a bit much. I felt like I was suddenly reading a Mills and Boon.

I've started reading The Mammoth Hunters which has already introduced an unfollowable amount of new characters and potential for a fresh plot. Although like VOH, Im questioning how MH will take up this large book. That said, I think the blurb doesn't give away anything, so I'm sure I'll be surprised.

If I finish this series before Land of the Painted Caves comes out in paperback I will be very annoyed. I also don't like that the cover is scarlet while the others are a white/pastel colour. Is that weird?

A little off track ...

So yeah ...

I took Narnia with me to Tasmania, but being insanely busy as I was, I only read a chapter or two. Looks promising though. Kind of reminds me of His Dark Materials. Said Narnia is now in some container on a mountain (long story) and so instead I bought and read The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel. Partly because it's been republished and it was on sale. Only after did I realise I got an old copy for Christmas about 8 years ago which is sitting on my shelf and I had never read it (because I totally judge books by their covers and this one looked old and boring).

I really loved this book. The whole culture and heritage of the Neanderthals was really amazing ... I also loved how it occasionally acknowledged the future - things the reader would know - like the eventual death of the Neanderthal race. I became really attached to all the characters (even though it was sometimes hard to keep track of the names) and the ending of this book was one of the saddest I have read. It was sad because of the deaths, but also because of the subtle foreshadowing from early on in the book. The saddest moment was when Durc calls her Mama and it really hits home how different and alone she is with the Clan.

I really wanted to go straight onto the next book in the series but I really couldn't afford to buy it, plus my birthday is next week ... so I'll either get it as a present or get money to buy it. BUT! I have found an amazing site  ... bookdepository.co.uk which sells every book I want for literally less than half the price of stores in Australia and has free postage world wide. So I am making a list on there and then going to to get around 15 books for $200. *swoon*

Struggling to decide which book to read next. I started Dark Alchemy which is a collection of short stories from famous fantasy writers ... I think I remember them being Australia? But I really want to read something from one of the ten bajillion series I am in the middle of. Here's a list of what I own and need to read:

Silverthorn by Raymond E. Feist
The Novice by Trudi Canavan
The Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin
The Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
All of the Valisar Trilogy by Fiona McIntosh
The Serpent Bride and The Twisted Citadel by Sarah Douglass
Fallen by Lauren Kate

I think I'll stick with Dark Alchemy ... at least until my birthday on Tuesday hehe.

My book depository wishlist includes:

Torment by Lauren Kate
A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist
All of the Earth's Children series by Jean M. Auel.
The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
The Heir Chronicles series by Cinda Williams Chima
The Twilight Watch and The Last Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
The Lord of the Rings series, The History of Middle-Earth series, The Children of Hurin, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, Tales from the Perilous Realm and Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Order of the Scales by Stephen Deas
Across the Wall by Garth Nix
The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

REVIEW: The Host by Stephanie Meyer

I just finished The Host last night. Took me longer than usual to get through this relatively short book as I am spending most of my free time planning Primal Dust (a dance work) and playing Kingdoms of Camelot, which is very addictive. I did manage to read about the last quarter of it yesterday though - I find that there is a point in every book, usually in the last third, where you can't put it down anymore.

Anyway ... I did enjoy The Host. It was very similar to Twilight in that the story focused mostly on the relationships between characters without any real action happening. The premise of the story is that benevolent, altruistic alien souls have taken over the human race, with the protagonist being a host that finds herself in a body with a mind that she cannot subdue. She therefore succumbs to this body's wishes to find her family and ends up becoming a rogue soul living with a cell of rebel humans. See, this says to me ACTION - it's very similar to Tomorrow, When the War Began, but most of the story is spent in the caves where the humans lived. Much like Twilight also, you could see exactly where it was going to go, exactly what the dilemmas were ... and then it didn't. Not in a bad way, but nor entirely good either. It's like Meyer builds up the potential for action and conflict but then doesn't choose to take that path.

The idea behind the story and especially the finer details about the souls and their previous worlds was quite intriguing. I don't usually like fantasy that is set on Earth, it usually turns a little too sci-fi and sometimes too mundane.

I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending ... Even though I don't usually complain about neat endings, I felt this one was a little too neat. I almost cried in the second last chapter, but then in the last chapter it was over explained and resolved. And I didn't like that resolution. I think it would have been much more touching and profound to end on the sad note. Or maybe just the obscure story at the end of the last chapter.

I'm not sure what to read next as I bought/received a lot of books over Christmas. I'm thinking of Narnia, but because I leave in 10 days to Tasmania, I don't want to be in the middle of a book that I will have to cart over just to finish. I also bought the entire Valisar trilogy by Fiona McIntosh, Silverthorn by Feist (which I could probably read in 10 days), and The Black Prism by Brent Weeks.

I'll let you know.

REVIEW: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

I bought this book as soon as I saw it because the Mistborn trilogy by Sanderson is one of my favourite series and I had actually only recently just finished reading it. Plus, they have the most pretty covers! There is just something so appealing about crisp, white novels!

I usually carry around my novels in my backpack wrapped in a cotton bag from The Body Shop, but The Way of Kings is potentially the most hefty book I have read, or attempted to carry around. So that, in conjunction with its length made for a drawn out read (which, mind you, was still only around a month).

I really got into this book from the very beginning, although it didn't become a 'can't put this down' book until around the last fifth. I feel like here I should talk about the stories and characters like one would do in a review, but I don't want to do that because I already know what happens and I'm not expecting anyone to read this. But oh well.

The story takes place on a world that is very rich with history and culture, most of it lost. I really, really enjoyed how only fragments of history and explanations were given as the story unfolded. It kept me wanting more, but didn't get me frustrated. There are really intriguing elements such as several systems of magic, class and ruling hierarchies, money, religion etc. But most interesting for me was the history and legends, which are a mystery to both the characters and reader and are revealed through snippets of exposition and visions had by one of the characters. About three or four times in the book there are very short chapters from a new and unrelated character which are really interesting - only sometimes do they relate to or give hints to the main narrative - but interesting nonetheless.

I really got into the narrative following Dalinar and also enjoyed Kaladin's story a lot. Shallan's was a little touch and go, but definitely got better towards the end and now shows a lot of potential. I read that the next book is mostly about her which I know I will enjoy, but I'll miss Dalinar's narrative if it isn't very prominent. Szeth's story was really interesting but ended up a little frustrating because his origins were still not revealed by the end of the book.

SPOILER ALERT!!! I think Brandon Sanderson should actually be best friends. I am totally obsessed with things like the apocalypse, gods, the death of gods etc and have used these themes over and over again in my choreography and dance works. Its partly the reason why I LOVED the Mistborn trilogy because it was featured deaths of god like figures and supernatural powers and was about a world on the brink of death. Which is, apparently, also the case in Kings. The very last chapter features a vision in which Dalinar discovers that he has been speaking to visions left by the Almighty (God) who reveals he is now dead - he has been killed by Odium. I almost screamed - I thought 'YES BRANDON SANDERSON, YES!' This is why we would be best friends.

The bad news is that the next novel doesn't come out until 2013!!!!! because of him writing the end of the Wheel of Time series. C'mon, how can I wait that long, especially when Kings ends in a cliffhanger! I was not amused. It's like Obernewtyn all over again ... I have been waiting since I was TWELVE for the end of that series.

I finished Kings while at work yesterday and failing to bring another book to pass the time, I had to buy one. Which was incredibly inconvenient because I have about five at home I need to read, which are part of series that I am in the middle of. And I couldn't buy any books I really wanted because I had put them on a Christmas list for my family and I don't know which ones they're getting.

So I got The Host, by Stephanie Meyer because I really loved Twilight and I was going to read it eventually. And because I had a ten minute break in which to pick it. I've read a couple of chapters and it already seams really interesting, but is very romance focused like Twilight which I don't think I am in the mood for right now.

I should also mention here that I buy most of my books because of the pretty covers. I also need them all the match and look good. Therefore, I also bought Tyrant's Blood by Fiona McIntosh because I had bought the large sized Royal Exile in a sale, and Tyrant's Blood had already moved to a small book, while the third book was in a large. I simply couldn't have large, small, large so when I saw the large Tyrant's Blood I simply had to get it. Plus it was 40% off day. Who could say no?

First Post!

So, first thing! I'm not expecting anyone to actually read this.

I've been buying and reading an incredible amount of fantasy books lately and I would really like somewhere to write about them; what I thought about them. A blog seamed like the natural solution because heaven knows my boyfriend is sick of hearing about them. I thought it might also be useful for anyone who wanted me to recommend a fantasy book - I can just direct them here!

What this blog is not is a place for book reviews. I have not read enough (especially of the classics) or write well enough to do reviews justice.

To start with, here is a list of my favourite series in preferential order (although many are on the same standing, so it's only semi-preferential). I think many are influenced by how many books are in them/how far along in the series I am ... for instance The Stormlight Archive series has the potential to be the best series I've ever read, but it hasn't gotten to that place after just one book.

1. The Three Worlds series by Ian Irvine (including The View From The Mirror quartet, The Well of Echoes quartet and Song of the Tears trilogy).
2. Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson.
3. Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks.
4. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. (it has to be in there!)
5. The Earthsea quartet by Ursula Le Guin.
5. Obernewtyn series by Isobelle Carmody. (Unfinished - this bitch needs to hurry up and finish!)
6. Wicked series by Gregory Maguire. (Unfinished)
7. The Demon War series by Peter V. Brett. (Unfinished)
8. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien.
9. Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini. (Unfinished)
10. The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson. (Unfinished)
11. The Adamantine Palace/The King of the Crags/The Order of the Scales trilogy by Stephen Deas (Unfinished)
12. Graceling and Fire by Kristen Cashore
13. Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix.
14. His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman.
15. The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.
16. Twilight quartet by Stephanie Meyer. (I KNOW, OK!)
17. The Left Hand of God trilogy by Paul Hoffman. (Unfinished)
18. A Booke of Days by Stephen J. Rivele. (Not fantasy, but amazing!)
19. The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima. (Unfinished)
20. The Broken Well trilogy by Sam Bowring.

I own all of these books and have read them all in the last three years. It actually makes up most of my collection except for a few others that I didn't particularly enjoy, so they didn't make the list. In fact so far the only fantasy novel I haven't been able to make it to the end with is Spirit Gate by Kate Elliott. Sorry Kate. There are a few others from my childhood which I will buy and reread someday, like the Redwall series!