The Desert Prince

The Desert Prince by Peter V. Brett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fifteen years have passed since humanity won the war with demonkind. Many believe demons are extinct and that many of the exploits of the saviors of humanity are purely fiction. Things are peaceful and that's the world Olive Paper and Darin Bales have grown up in. The hardest part for them is being the children of legends. Both struggle with the expectations placed on them and do their best to meet them. However one night when both Olive and Darin step off the greatwards, they learn the demons aren't all gone and the world isn't nearly as safe as they thought.

I'm honestly full of mixed emotions about The Desert Prince. Stepping back into the world of the Demon Cycle so soon after the events of The Core seemed to present challenges for Peter V. Brett and I didn't love the way he handled them all.

The book undoubtedly had some good parts. The theme of the characters learning who they are is a prominent one. Olive was born as an intersex individual and assigned the sex of female because the alagai hora believed it provided her a better chance of survival. Olive has fully visible, and by Leesha's belief, working male and female parts. This presents a challenge as the world has been told Olive is woman. She has to hide her male parts and often must stay away from the eyes of others. It leaves her feeling isolated and unsure of herself. Darin has limited control of his powers and every morning is like fire on his skin as the sun rises. People expect to see the Deliverer Arlen Bales in Darin, but he is quiet and withdrawn. He doesn't like to fight. Both Olive and Darin fear they are disappointments.

Some other strong parts are every prominent Demon Cycle character is mentioned outside of Ragen and Briar. Most are seen if only for a short while. Doing that helped Brett balance making the book accessible to a new reader as well as involving those who read the Demon Cycle. The fighting is intense and crisp. Much more sharusak, hand to hand fighting, is seen than magical attacks.

Unfortunately there were quite a few negatives for me, most prominently being this story is young adult through and through. This was hard for me as I loved the Demon Cycle, so seeing things be handed over to the children was challenging. Still after finishing the book, it's hard to imagine the heroes of the prior series even needing the help of the children to succeed. While the characters learning who they are is a good thing, it's also a significant aspect of young adult stories.

As a reader who read all the Demon Cycle books and novellas multiple times, having the point of view shift to the first person point of view of Olive and Darin was frustrating. It's like seeing the Demon Cycle from the kids table. We are getting a new perspective, but from the young teenage protagonists as they learn about their world. The kids, especially Olive, learned new things that were large aspects of the earlier books. I get it's helpful for the new reader, but I just wanted to skip those parts.

I didn't like the strange mix of passivity and privilege displayed by Darin and Olive. Due to the world being so safe, Darin seems more content to hide in a shady spot than to learn anything about Demon fighting. Olive is being pushed into being a duchess and focused entirely on female things, despite the fact she has a world changing secret hiding in her bido. Olive is largely unprepared for the real world while Darin is running and hiding from it. I don't love either of them as protagonists, but I find Darin slightly more intriguing.

The Desert Prince isn't what I expected, but out of my love for the world I'm sure I'll continue in the series.

3.5 out of 5 stars

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World Serpent Arcanist

World Serpent Arcanist by Shami Stovall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As Volke is reunited with his friends with the Frith Guild, the Second Ascension are seeking to bond with god creatures. The Frith Guild is determined to locate the person meant to bond with the World Serpent and beat the Second Ascension to it. Meanwhile Volke is training himself, an apprentice arcanist, and preparing for the possibility that the next battle may be his last.

The World Serpent Arcanist was a good book. I was hoping for another book like Plague Arcanist that was truly intense and dropped many of the young adult elements the series has gripped tightly to. Unfortunately that's not the case as young adult romance drama takes up a good bit of time...that and traveling.

Regarding romance; the romance in the book is definitely one of its major drawbacks. The first few books were normal enough for young adult where Volke liked Atty, Illia liked Volke, Zaxis liked Illia, and no one knew who Atty liked. This was all perfectly normal. Now Zaxis and Illia are a couple and things keep getting stranger outside of them. Volke is basically catnip and practically every young woman is a cat. I'd call it a James Bond situation, but Volke is basically helpless and doesn't know what to do. These young women skip past appreciation for Volke's help and nature and go straight to love. From my vantage only one character's affection seems real enough to make it past the honeymoon phase. All the unreal romance makes me cringe and roll my eyes at times.

This book was far more introspective as Volke is concerned with what's most important to him. He's always willing to lay his life on the line for what's right. He sacrifices what could be the easy and happy path in order to protect others.

I felt this book was a bit more crowded and no one character got enough page time. With Volke being reunited with the Frith Guild and the crew of the Sun Chaser being around nearly everyone fell to the wayside. Evianna may have been the next most prominently featured character. Master Zelfree came up often, but Volke's initial team and the Sun Chaser crew felt largely like after thoughts.

The World Serpent Arcanist was interesting and I'm hoping the series gets even better moving forward.

3.5 out of 5 stars

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Plague Arcanist

Plague Arcanist by Shami Stovall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Volke Savan finds himself in a place no arcanist would ever choose to be in, infected by the Arcane Plague. Volke has months before the plague changes him into someone unrecognizable and Luthair is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to avoid losing another Arcanist. There is one hope, Theasin Venrover. Theasin bragged that he will cure the plague, but it's not clear where he headed after Thronehold. Volke is forced to leave the Frith Guild on his quest. He is joined by Theasin's son Adelgis, the former pirate Fain, the Doppelganger Arcanist Karna, and the crew of the Sun Chaser. Together they seek Theasin for his cure, before Volke is driven mad.

Plague Arcanist had me hooked. From the moment Volke was infected by the Arcane Plague, I've been desperate to see him recover. The journey to Theasin is long and winding.

Witnessing Volke's character time and time again is one of the strongest parts of the book and series. Volke is a young man who should hate people and only think of himself because of the way the world treated him. Instead he wants to defend the same people who couldn't be bothered with his presence. I appreciate how Karna can't seem to get past Volke's genuine kindness and willingness to help others over himself. It's what draws her to him and makes her want to understand him.

I also appreciated the new characters and the development of the existing ones. Volke's influence has a strong impact on Adelgis, Fain, and Karna primarily. Adelgis is left changed by the near death experience of the Abyssal Leech, but his loyalty to Volke is clear. He's also a bit unnerving with the development of his powers. Fain has gone under quite the transformation. It was only two books ago where he wanted to kill Luthair, but now he stands with Luthair and Volke in their time of need. Karna is quite interesting as she delves to learn more and more about people and their nature. Her favorite subject being Volke.

Plague Arcanist is filled with unexpected twists and turns. I was hooked before I even picked up the book. The last few chapters were truly emotional and excellent. This is my favorite book in the series thus far.

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Coliseum Arcanist

Coliseum Arcanist by Shami Stovall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Grand Apothecary of Fortuna, Gillie, has developed a way to guard against the Arcane Plague. In order to get the resources needed to put the defense into place, members of the Frith Guild head to Thronehold. Their goal is to beseech the Queen of Thronehold for resources. Unfortunate timing finds that a new sovereign dragon has hatched, which complicates matters for the guild. People flock to Thronehold for the bonding ceremony and a grand tournament that is taking place. Strange events are happening and Volke Savan has taken it upon himself to investigate.

Coliseum Arcanist almost feels like a response to anyone who might have said the first two books in the series felt like young adult. The tone grew darker and the stakes become deadly. While that happened Volke remains the same overly chivalrous individual, doing anything to uphold his values and protect others. I really appreciated the way the world is growing and how the danger is increasing.

Coliseum Arcanist is a true world builder of a book. Volke finds a guide to Eldrin that Adelgis's father wrote. It was a subtle way to expand the knowledge of the world while not feeling like a simple information dump. The tournament and the new environment introduced the reader to different Eldrin and also showed greater details of the strength of familiar ones.

There is so much more I'd like to say about the Coliseum Arcanist, but it feels too spoiler like for my tastes. I'm quite excited to see where the story heads next.

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Bloodline

Bloodline by Will Wight
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Dreadgod is heading for Sacred Valley. Lindon is determined to save the people from his home at all costs. Unfortunately Lindon and his friends are weakened by Sacred Valley's curse and the people of Sacred Valley are far from trusting.

Bloodline is largely what I expected in a very good way. Lindon is too good for the people of Sacred Valley. I needed to get that off my chest. It may simply be the nature of the Valley, but most of their leaders are absolutely ridiculous. It goes along with the idea that a dishonest man sees a lie in everything. If the majority of the leaders in Sacred Valley were on fire, they wouldn't let anyone outside their clan put them out.

Bloodline is by far the most serious and introspective book in the series. This book is about tragedy and survival more than anything. It just felt heavy. Nothing Lindon could do seemed to be good enough. He goes home to try to save everyone and despite his strength they treat him more like a usurper than someone attempting to help. The crew spend much of their time trying to convince people they needed to flee and avoiding the ambushes of the very people they're trying to save.

Bloodline was a strong book. Many unknown aspects are revealed which was greatly appreciated. I will need to read it again soon to find out what I missed on my first read.

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Dread Pirate Arcanist

Dread Pirate Arcanist by Shami Stovall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Volke, his fellow apprentices, and Master Zelfree are tasked with protecting Griffins before their bonding ceremony. Tragedy strikes in the name of pirates. Not just any pirates, the pirates of the Third Abyss. Their leader Dread Pirate Calisto is the man who killed Illia's parents and cut out her eye. Illia is out for revenge while Volke wants to protect her.


The Dread Pirate Arcanist was a good book. There is a lot of emotional depth as many of the main characters focus on their personal tragedies. It felt more mature overall despite there being a lot of young adult themes throughout.

The magic system is also a way the book excels as the author has developed a solid magic system with Eldrin and their bonding. We also find out there's more to magic than we've learned thus far during a brief encounter between Zelfree, Volke, and another guild member. I hope that continues to expand as the series continues.

Dread Pirate Calisto is a frightening individual. He makes Gregory Ruma seem inconsequential by comparison. He's a prepared and brutal adversary to put it nicely. Not the kind of enemy one would like to make. Though Illia plans to see him dead no matter what.

I personally don't love the young adult aspects of the book, but I think it's likely my age. Kids saving the day don't interest me. Part of me wishes I could see the story from Zelfree's perspective rather than Volke's. Volke does present himself as the least young adult of his fellow apprentices, but teenage drama seems to gravitate around him.

Dread Pirate Arcanist was certainly better than it's predecessor.

3.5 out of 5 stars

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Awakened

Awakened by C.M. Carney
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Humanity was rescued from a dying Earth by the First Ones and brought to Crucible. There humanity trains to harness their Quintessence to help the First Ones battle the Phage.

Awakened was not what I was hoping it was. The most disappointing aspect is that I don't like the main character Aryc Tal Venn. The kid is obnoxious to put it mildly and it's amazing that his family hadn't disowned him by the beginning of the book. It's been a while since I've encountered a main character I just don't care for.

The descriptions of the abilities felt particularly forced. I realized every world has to have an explanation of the aspects of the world, but having the main character simply think things out in detail is disappointing. At times it felt as though there was simply page after page of internal dialogue discussion of the world's abilities.

Awakened in the end unfortunately just wasn't a book for me.

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Knightmare Arcanist

Knightmare Arcanist by Shami Stovall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Volke has lived a difficult life in his few short years. His parents were criminals who are no longer in his life. Unfortunately for him, he lives in a place where individuals are judged by the deeds of the family. Volke is viewed by those around him as untrustworthy. He was basically orphaned at the age of 5 and adopted by/apprenticed to the gravedigger William. Volke desperately wants to flee that life and become an arcanist. He's studied hard and has a plan. Fortunately for him his adopted sister Illia has a plan as well.

Knightmare Arcanist was a solid book with clear inspirations that the author didn't bother to hide as she lists them in the description. Arcanists are people who bond themselves to magical creatures to share their power. These magical creatures can't grow stronger without bonding with a human. It's an interesting take on the typical coming of age tale. Volke himself is somewhat different as well as he's been punished for crimes his parents committed.

I have to say my biggest issue with this book is the description. I can not believe that the author spoiled the biggest twist in the description. If this point remains hidden it changes the whole feel of the book, but instead I knew the twist before I read the first page. I really am shocked any author would do such a thing. On top of that almost all the significant threads are tied up in one book. There seemed to be aspects worthy of being carried over multiple books. Oh well.

The main characters are largely stereotypes with the misunderstood hero, the damaged youth, the awkward youth, the perfect one, the arrogant one, and the one with rough edges. No real surprises from any of them. The magic carried the day, but it's largely Pokemon mixed with Cradle like power bonding. Throw in some young adult angst and you've got a nice YA book.

Knightmare Arcanist was what I've come to expect from the young adult genre. I just wish it offered more.

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A Call For Brighter Days

A Call for Brighter Days by Nupur Chowdhury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The former Aeriel Queen, Tauheen, was killed. In the wake of her death more turmoil is impacting the world. Some of Tauheen's followers are now working with dangerous criminals called the feather mafia. They hunt and Aeriels for their feathers. Ruban and the IAW are working to stop the Mafia with Shwaan's help. However Shwaan is keeping secrets of his own which may have dire consequences.

A Call for Brighter Days revolves around the aftermath of the first book, mainly the death of Tauheen and Reivaa. Ruban is still working with Ashwin/Shwaan while keeping it secret from Simani, but she's getting suspicious of Ruban.

The story moves quickly and isn't afraid to jump from point to point. While this is a good for pacing, the characters suffer somewhat. Every character was focused on events that most of them don't have the opportunity to truly put their character on display. The point of view characters Ruban and Ashwin do display growth. Kaheen and Janak Nath also get the opportunity to grow and change throughout. Janak and Kaheen are nuanced individuals though Janak is somewhat of a villain for the sake of it.

A Call for Brighter Days was a solid sequel.

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Refraction

Refraction by Wick Welker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A story told in three parts in three different times. In 1986, Timothy Straus hears voices that guide him towards grand scientific achievement. In 2098, Caleb Stanger hears voices that lead him to revolt against the government. In 2155, the only sentient robot on Mars tries to lead the people past fear and a dangerous individual in the shadows into a brighter day. Despite the span on time and space these individuals are connected in unforeseeable ways.

Refraction is a thought provoking book to put it lightly. Many ideas are discussed from scientific, to political, to human nature, and beyond. The characters in the book find themselves fundamentally fighting against human nature along with the apathy of those with plenty.

The three timelines used were done in an excellent fashion. The timelines tease the story out slowly and I would have never imagined the end at the beginning. Some interesting events occurred starting with scientific discovery from Timothy Straus. I wish I could get into more, but any elaboration feels like spoiler territory. The revelations later in the book are well worth the read, even if they do feel heartbreaking.

Refraction is a mystery with tragedy seeping into nearly every aspect of it.

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