51miBYV+mkL

Streams of Silver by R.A. Salvatore

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4 Stars (4 / 5)

Icewind Dale #2 (Legend of Drizzt)
Yes, this is the Drizzt book that I have been waiting for! Action and adventure abound in Streams of Silver, when Drizzt, Bruenor, Wulfgar, and Regis venture out in search of Mithral Hall. Finally, out band of adventurers are out on an actual quest – they have purpose and goals and that is exciting! I think part of what made this novel so much better than the others was the villain, Artemis Entreri. So much more interesting and enigmatic than the whiny Akar Kessel of The Crystal Shard.

I could have done with some more character development, we get a little with Drizzt but not much. Cattie-brie makes a much grander appearance in this book, which was fun. Artemis Entreri I felt was the most well developed character in the story, and I do look forward to reading more of him in the next novel, The Halfling’s Gem. Here’s hoping that Salvatore keeps up the fun and adventure as the series continues.

51miBYV+mkL

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

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1 Stars (1 / 5)

Discworld #2
If this is reminiscent of Pratchett’s writing style in general, I have to say that I am just not a fan. While there was the occasional witty pun that gave me a chuckle or derisive eyeroll, the plot was meandering and directionless, the character’s one dimensional and boring, and overall I just never could get into it. The Light Fantastic had its moments that made me smile, but they just didn’t make up for the fact that the book just really made little sense. Is this representative of Pratchett’s work as a whole? I’m not sure, but I’ll be hard pressed to pick up a Pratchett book again.

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The Summage Solution by G. L. Carriger

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4 Stars (4 / 5)

San Andreas Shifters #1
I’m not quite sure where to start with this book. What starts off as a pretty sexy romance that’s flirty and fun (without seeming to be much else), morphs into a heartwarming and deep story about learning to love yourself and finding comfort in the love of others. Having read Carriger’s other work (published as Gail Carriger), I was a little surprised at how plot light the beginning of the novel seemed. I had resigned myself that this would be a cute and fun romance with little substance, but was surprised to see my expectations suddenly shattered about two-thirds of the way through the book. Suddenly, I started to see the world building that was meticulously threaded throughout the novel and how it was coming together. I was amazed (and a little horrified) at the plot line that threaded this series with her previous works (they initially seem essentially unconnected).

I really enjoyed the new mythology created for this series. Its new and interesting, and I love the way that it all came together. The dialogue was witty and crass, and I loved that! With most of Carriger’s work set historically, it was a nice change to have a more modern attitude and language (cursing abounds). I don’t think you will be hit with the full impact of the world building unless you have read her other work, but you’ll enjoy it just the same.

It should be noted that The Summage Solution is not for everyone. At its heart, this book is a paranormal gay romance, and quite a sexually explicit one at that. But if you’re okay with that, you’ll find a story that’s beautiful and heartwarming. A story of love and acceptance; growth and change.

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The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

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4 Stars (4 / 5)

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy #1
What an utterly bizarre, yet entertaining book! For originality, I have to say that The Hicthhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has to get top marks, creating a unique and original interstellar universe that is full of strange creatures and customs. Predictability is not a problem in this series, as something new and strange seems to happen around just about every turn. Unfortunately, a side effect of this weird and strange plotline was that it often felt disconnected and vague. I still very much enjoyed it though, despite all of its absurdity. If you are open to something a little more silly than serious, than give Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy a try.

I listed to this book on audio, and I have to say that the narrator, Stephen Fry, did an amazing job. I think something about the ridiculousness of the story just comes across so much better with a proper english accent. He gave just the right inflection and feeling to his reading and really engaged the listener, making this one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to.

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The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore

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3 Stars (3 / 5)

Icewind Dale #1 (Legend of Drizzt)
The Crystal Shard started off great, introducing new characters that were rich and full of life. I think these new characters helped to make The Crystal Shard feel more developed than the previous Dark Elf Trilogy, but I still felt the overall plot fell a little flat. While I enjoyed it, this novel was not the adventure that I was hoping; instead more about averting a series of wars against Ten-Towns. The plot felt a bit disjointed as well, with the first third of the book having little to do with the rest of the novel, except serving as a background to Wulfgar’s story.

Unfortunately, I also have to say that I find the battles in these books to be a little on the boring side. Sometimes they pick up a bit, especially when there is banter between characters, but overall I find them to be too much of a slog. I’m hoping that the next book, which has Drizzt, Wulfgar, and Bruenor setting out for the legendary Mithral Hall to be more of the “legendary adventure” that I’m been looking for.