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The Power of Words

Published on by Kathy Lauren MillerLeave a comment

The Bird and the Sword, by Amy Harmon 4 Stars

This is a fantasy story about a young girl whose words can become real. In 41ifwVwC9fL__SX331_BO1,204,203,200_her world, those with gifts like healing or shifting or telling, are being hunted. It is against the law to have magical gifts. Lark sees her mother killed in front of her for something Lark did. So she doesn’t speak. Her words are only in her head, but still, they have magic. Tiras, the son of the King who killed Lark’s mother is secretly gifted as well.

There is evil about in the land. Strange flying creatures are killing people everywhere and Tiras, fully grown and now  king after is father’s death,  has come for Lark and he needs her and her words to combat the new evil.

So this is the story of their fight for good over evil and along the way they fall in love. But love has its dangers too.

The writing is excellent and is a nice read. I fully enjoyed it and recommend it. I think YA readers will really enjoy this novel.

 

 

 

 

Court of Mists and Fury

Published on by Kathy Lauren Miller4 Comments

Four Stars for the Court of Mists and Fury514U7MT9OIL__SX327_BO1,204,203,200_

Eventually, I got into the story and it was surprisingly good. Though the first few chapters put me off and I think they could have been improved on. Having said that, the rest of the novel was  exceptional for a fantasy novel.  It was the initial graphic sex sequence that put me off more than anything and fortunately, there was only one more.

The characters of Rhys and Feyre are fully realized and totally believable. They are exceptional characters and I fell in love with both of them. Though I’m not generally a fan of fantasy, I was able to suspend my disbelief and I cheered for both of them.

Feyre is a woman who graves independence over love and protection. She is her own woman and consequences be damned. I love that about her! Rhys is a man for all seasons. His evolving love for Feyre is clear and concise, and he is ready to sacrifice himself to not only save her, but to save his people. He wants to protect her, but he also recognizes she cannot be owned. She is his equal partner in everyway.

The writing is terrific, filled with emotion and gut wrenching moments. The story moved forward in a logical progression with twists and turns that kept my interest. There were times when some of it fell a bit short, logically, but all in all it was a great read. The ending is a cliff hanger with a promise for more danger and excitement in the next book. I anxiously await her next installment in the series.

These Broken Stars

Published on by Kathy Lauren Miller2 Comments

I seldom read co-authored novels and I didn’t mean to this time, but I’m glad I did! 

Four Stars ****

Broken Stars is actually an excellent story, character driven over plot, and well written. The two protagonists, Lilac and Tarver have great chemistry and their dialogue, both verbal and inner, is authentic and interesting. It’s mostly a chic-lit novel. 61Wgw9CXQfL__SX326_BO1,204,203,200_

The two meet on board the galactic starship, the Icarus. Lilac’s father is a mega businessman and the richest man in the universe. He is the builder and owner of the starship.

Lilac is his privileged daughter, haughty to those beneath her like Tarver who is a war hero. She must behave this way to avoid entrapment by those who seek her fortune, and to keep her father from destroying anyone who he feels is beneath their status.

The Icarus goes down on a terra formed planet that is uninhabited, or so Lilac and Tarver , the only survivors of the thousands on board, think.

While they struggle to survive, the two become close, though it is only through many travails that they come to rely on each other.

No spoilers here, but there are surprising twists and turns before the inevitable conclusion. The ending is satisfying. The characters are so well drawn I hated to see them move on. I think another novel just about their lives in the future would be worth the read.

Strange, But Interesting

Published on by Kathy Lauren Miller6 Comments

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Four **** Stars,

Well, I finally got around to finishing, Sleeping Giants!

Sylvain Neuvel has written an off beat science fiction story that is well founded in science, the man knows his stuff, but having said that I must say this novel isn’t for everyone.

The novel is written in a series of interviews and exchanges between the main characters and an unknown and unnamed narrator who has the benefit of knowing exactly why they have been recruited for a research study that has enormous consequences for the human population. However, he keeps this crucial information to himself. (Spoiler: there is someone else who pulls the strings, an unknown entity)

An enormous (giant) hand was found years before by a young girl who later becomes a scientist. She heads up the team. One is a linguist and the other is an army pilot. Through this series of interviews, we find out how they go about locating all the missing parts  of this giant that are located beneath the earth all over the world.

The giant robot has the form of a woman, but with no eyes. This robot is 20 stories high by the time they connect all the parts. It has an energy source that is unknown to anyone on earth. It is also a weapon of mass destruction.

The team accidently engages the energy source and the result is that a whole lot of people in airplanes and part of the Denver Airport are instantly vaporized. Now comes the part, all through interview, where every nation on earth wants the robot, so the US decides its too dangerous for anyone nation and they drop it in a deep trench in the ocean.

However, one nation, Russia, finds a way to retrieve it and they are off and running again, except the controls and  two control helmets will not work on anyone other an the two American researchers who first were part of the research.

There is a surprise ending, with an epilog alluding to the next book in the series.

All in all, well written and interesting, but this novel is not for everyone, though I did enjoy it because I like science, but it did lag in places.  ***

 

 

Wondrous and Brillant

Published on by Kathy Lauren Miller8 Comments

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The Lie Tree, by Frances Hardinge

The Writing is simply brilliant and incredibly imaginative.

Faith Sunderly is a young girl coming of age during the late Victorian era, so this is not your average coming of age novel. This is a time when photography itself is coming of age as is the new branch of the investigative sciences of anthropology and archeology . Darwin’s, On the Origin of the Species  has shocked the ideological realm of religion. It is a new world threatening the long held belief that man inherited the world from God with all his fingers and toes place.

Faith’s father, the Right Reverend Sunderly is not only a man of God, but also dabs in the science of the Natural World. His goal is to disprove Darwin’s theory. Unknown to his daughter, Faith and family, he found a  dark and mysterious Tree that is said to hold the truth of everything; it puts forth the fruit of knowledge, but only if it hears lies and the liar must present the world with this lie. The lie must be of enormous consequence. He does this by fostering a great archeological fake onto society, and as he is a man of impeccable  reputation, it is taken on faith by other famous archeologists.  However, the fake is soon discovered and his reputation is sullied and a great scandal ensues.

He and his family are force to flee the scandal, and they are given refuge on an island where they are not well received because of the scandal. Yet, on the island there are others who want the tree and will do anything to get it, including murder. When Faith’s father dies under mysterious circumstance, she is sure it is murder. She is not your average prim and proper young lady of the times. She is clever, and smart and incurably curious, but she must pretend to be simple minded, as all women of the time were thought to be or risk being scorned by society or worse, by being placed in a sanatorium for the mentally unstable which was quite common back then. But she is determined and uses her wiles and her guiles to ferret out the murderer at great risk to herself.

Frances Hardinge has crafted a thrilling and page turning mystery that gets the heart thumping and the pages turning. The writing is gorgeous and the reader is easily transported into the era.  I highly recommend this wondrous novel for any age group, but especially to girls coming of age and to those who want a better understanding of the injustices women endured for centuries.

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Sleeping Giants

Published on by Kathy Lauren Miller5 Comments

untitledRecommended by Pierce Brown, a riveting new Science Fiction Novel due out April 26, 2016

I read the excerpt and this is nothing like Red Rising, but lends itself to a mysterious investigation regarding a giant metal hand which was found buried. It’s estimated age is thousands of years. It has glowing sigils and symbols no linguist can decipher. It hooked me immediately. It looks like a must read.

The Gods of Anthem

Published on by Kathy Lauren Miller2 Comments

Dystopian with a Twist!Gods of Athem

The Story line: Well, a kitchen sink full of characters

Cancer is endemic. Much of the world’s population has died or is dying. Those who linger are sent to an island to die. Many others become zombies and roam in the wilds. The Authority rises to rule and those with money live opulent lives in a guarded society. But there is a rebellion growing, a grass roots thing. A secret military is surgically developing a new breed of superior soldiers to fight the zombies.

This is an offbeat story, but surprisingly engaging . Told from the POV of two protagonists.

Liza is a young cancer survivor who has been bitten twice by zombies and lived. More than lived. She has become incredibly strong.  She meets The Writer, Jeremy who is a leader in the rebellion against the Authority.

Tommy is a young soldier who has been modified. When angry, he turns into a raging monster,  (Hulk-ish).

The Author, Logan Keys take dystopia to a new off beat level, but it works!

The Writing: really good

The Characters: complex but inconsistent

Humor: tongue in cheek

Pacing: Fast, mostly, but meanders at times.

Sex: Some. (well, an almost rape scene)

Overall: Interesting. 4 stars because most of it kept my interest.

 

 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Published on by Kathy Lauren Miller10 Comments

51kTIlXatRL__SX326_BO1,204,203,200_.jpgbasic-5-point-gold-star-beveledFive Stars for the magical story

Though I’m not generally a fan of fantasy, this novel by Laini Taylor, a National Book Award Finalist, is an exception.  It’s her use of language that kept me enthralled.

The premise:

“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.”

And so begins the story of Karou, the strikingly beautiful blue-haired artist and Akiva, the vengeful angel who is the epitome of beauty. Karou’s past is shrouded in mystery,  though her present life is filled with art school and running mysterious errands for the equally mysterious Brimstone. Brimstone is, well, a chimera, a monster. But he and the other chimeras are the only family Karou has ever known.

Enter Akiva, one of the avenging seraphim angels who have been at war with the chimeras for a thousand years. Akiva has a bone to pick (no pun intended)with the chimeras. They killed the love of his life. He is moments away from bringing down his sword on Karou’s head when something about her stays his hand.

Their relationship is complicated, tangled in the mists and rife with torn alliances. Will they end the wars or will they destroy each other?

Laini Taylor takes the star-crossed lovers scenario and makes it her own. Laini’s use of language is magical. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and can certainly see why she was a National Book Award finalist for her novel, Lips Touch: Three Times targeted for middle and high school age groups.