Books
I seem to be keeping up with reading a lot more this year.
Assassin's Apprentice
I picked this up a while back at the used bookstore down in Albuquerque. It falls in the realm of "okay, but not outstanding" where I seem to file a lot of what I read. A first-person retelling of a bastard-turned-assassin's early life in the same fantasy world as the Liveship Traders series. Somehow magic feels more prominent in this one, even though it's really not that much more common - perhaps because the main character exhibits the ability to bond with animals early on. Most of the characters are interesting enough, and the setting has a solid feel to it.
So why not consider it more highly? I'm not sure. Lacking a factor that pushed it over the edge for me, I guess. There are a lot of major plot points that seem to (and really that's the test - how obvious is it) hinge on deus ex machina. I may pursue the series depending on other options.
Magic Strikes
Part three in the Kate Daniels series, the books are actually getting a little longer. I think this one was close to 300 pages (up from around 250). So getting less "bite sized" than I said before, but I think the story is also getting better rather than just bigger. It's probably because the groundwork has been laid and we get to see more depth to the repeating characters.
Okay, I'm not too crazy about the particular depiction of rakshasa, but it is neat to see them used in urban fantasy. The idea of an underground supernatural arena works and is neat, too. Finally there are open reveals of Kate's origins (that were pretty well telegraphed in the first two books, really), setting the stage for some things to come. Overall, I think it works and I like it. Definitely continuing this series.
Assassin's Apprentice
I picked this up a while back at the used bookstore down in Albuquerque. It falls in the realm of "okay, but not outstanding" where I seem to file a lot of what I read. A first-person retelling of a bastard-turned-assassin's early life in the same fantasy world as the Liveship Traders series. Somehow magic feels more prominent in this one, even though it's really not that much more common - perhaps because the main character exhibits the ability to bond with animals early on. Most of the characters are interesting enough, and the setting has a solid feel to it.
So why not consider it more highly? I'm not sure. Lacking a factor that pushed it over the edge for me, I guess. There are a lot of major plot points that seem to (and really that's the test - how obvious is it) hinge on deus ex machina. I may pursue the series depending on other options.
Magic Strikes
Part three in the Kate Daniels series, the books are actually getting a little longer. I think this one was close to 300 pages (up from around 250). So getting less "bite sized" than I said before, but I think the story is also getting better rather than just bigger. It's probably because the groundwork has been laid and we get to see more depth to the repeating characters.
Okay, I'm not too crazy about the particular depiction of rakshasa, but it is neat to see them used in urban fantasy. The idea of an underground supernatural arena works and is neat, too. Finally there are open reveals of Kate's origins (that were pretty well telegraphed in the first two books, really), setting the stage for some things to come. Overall, I think it works and I like it. Definitely continuing this series.
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