Author: Nicky

Review – Murder in Montparnasse

Posted January 13, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Murder in Montparnasse by Kerry GreenwoodMurder in Montparnasse, Kerry Greenwood

I might need to take a break from Phryne for a while — just to make sure I don’t run out of her brilliance too soon, of course. Murder in Montparnasse shows us a younger Phryne, as well as the capable detective we’re used to: a Phryne who hasn’t yet learned to read men and situations and take care of herself. It is good to see her unsure of herself, and it’s also good to follow along with the mature Phryne as she negotiates Lin getting married, and becomes friends with his wife-to-be.

It’s also nice to get both Bert and Cec and Phryne’s adopted daughters playing a part in the mystery. Pretty much the whole team is involved here, including Hugh Collins, which is fun.

I think the only drawback is that maybe I’ve been eating up these books too fast, and they’re losing some of their freshness. I think if I spaced them out more, it’d be okay; as it is, I found it a little too routine. Which isn’t bad, since this is the twelfth book and I’ve read all the eleven previous ones in quite a hurry.

In case it bothered anyone else, spoiler: the Butlers don’t leave in the end. I was very worried they wouldn’t and that the lovely found-family feel was going to be lost a little — but nope, Mrs Butler sorted things out.

Rating: 3/5

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Top Ten Tuesday

Posted January 12, 2016 by Nicky in General / 10 Comments

I was a little worried I was going to get to this Top Ten Tuesday post and have some major books on here — like Ancillary Mercy — and have to ‘fess up failing to get to a load of ARCs and… Fortunately, I did keep up better than I feared. But there are still some books I should get round to! This week’s theme is…

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant To Get To But Didn’t

Cover of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo Cover of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell Cover of An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir Cover of The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh Cover of Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

  1. Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo. I only read the Grisha trilogy this year, and in the last two months of the year at that, so I’m not kicking myself too hard. But I would’ve liked to get round to this.
  2. Carry On, Rainbow Rowell. I wanted to read it as soon as it came out. Then I… I don’t know… got distracted?
  3. An Ember in the Ashes, Sabaa Tahir. Someone even bought this for me. Why, self? Why?
  4. The Wrath and the Dawn, Renee Ahdieh. I got a copy of this within a month of release. And yet.
  5. Queen of Shadows, Sarah J. Maas. To be fair, I didn’t read the book before it, either.
  6. The Darkest Part of the Forest, Holly Black. I even had/have it out of the library!
  7. Illuminae, Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff. At least I didn’t have a copy of this one?
  8. Tower of Thorns, Juliet Marillier. Not helped by the fact that I didn’t get round to Dreamer’s Pool either.
  9. Armada, Ernest Cline. I’m, uh, partway through it? Maybe I’ll even have finished it by the time this post goes up!
  10. A Crown for Cold Silver, Alex Marshall. Haven’t got my hands on this one, yet! Though maybe now there’s a paperback…

Cover of The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black Cover of Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Cover of Tower of Thorns by Juliet Marillier Cover of Armada by Ernest Cline Cover of A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall

Quite a mix, really. Maybe I’ll get to them this year — one can hope, right?

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Review – Ruin and Rising

Posted January 11, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Cover of Ruin and Rising by Leigh BardugoRuin and Rising, Leigh Bardugo

As I’d hoped, Ruin and Rising is better paced than Siege and Storm, to my mind. Although some notable folks thought the opposite, so I suppose it really does depend on what you’re most interested in. I did enjoy the twist with the third amplifier, and the fact that finally they really got on track to deal with that plotline — so much of book two was spent wanting to deal with it and going back and forth on whether it was a good idea, etc, etc.

I did like the continued development of Alina’s character, and the way things worked out with that — the way she had to learn to deal with the things she had to do, and how ruthless she tried to be. How power had a hold on her as surely as it did on the Darkling, and on the pity she felt for the Darkling even despite his behaviour. I think you can judge a person (or character) by how they treat vanquished enemies, and Alina was generous about it: she remembered the Darkling’s name, made sure his wishes were honoured, etc. And I enjoyed Nikolai’s development, too, though I think a lot of the drama and interest with what happened to him was elided for the sake of Alina and Mal’s story. Which makes sense, since Alina is the narrator, but… I’d still like to have seen more of Nikolai. He is the sassiest, and also the most capable character.

All in all, I think it was a good conclusion to the trilogy, and I’m looking forward to seeing this world from a different angle in Six of Crows. Here’s hoping it’s as good as everyone says!

Rating: 4/5

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Review – The Parthenon

Posted January 11, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of The Parthenon by Mary BeardThe Parthenon, Mary Beard

I enjoyed Mary Beard’s book on Pompeii, so when I spotted The Parthenon in a deal, I figured it’d be an interesting one. I actually expected it to be a bit more about the Greek context of the Parthenon, rather than going into the afterlife of the building — the use as a church and a mosque, the archaeology and tourism, even the literary responses to it, which is what it actually did. It seemed quite inconclusive about what the Parthenon actually was, though the evidence that might tell us about that is more scarce than you would think. It’s unsatisfying — it doesn’t have an altar, so it’s not a temple? But maybe it is? But?

Still, it is interesting to read about the history of the building as a church and a mosque, as well as a temple. I wasn’t even really aware of how much destruction the Parthenon went through: the iconic modern look is actually due to a lot of restoration.

It was very interesting to read the part about Lord Elgin and the issue of the British Museum’s possession of the marbles he took from Athens. On the one hand, it manifestly helped preserve the sculpture: that which remained in situ is in much worse state. But it’s also so… ugh, so imperial and condescending, to assume that Britain is the best guardian. Paternalistic. And while I like Neil MacGregor’s outlook on the British Museum (at least as expressed in A History of the World in 100 Objects), I’m still torn on the subject of the Elgin Marbles. I love the idea of a world museum, and I like the idea of it being in London — because I can conceivably take a weekend off and go there. That doesn’t mean it’s actually the best location, obviously. Just convenient to me. Not that I can think of anywhere notably better, either; I can’t think of a genuinely neutral, international space.

This book really emphasised that the problem of the Parthenon for us is one of cultural ownership, just as Pompeii can be seen as one of preservation. I wanted more about the Acropolis and the original purpose/usage of the Parthenon, but it seems we just don’t know. Which is kind of fascinating in itself…

Rating: 4/5

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Review – The Grey King

Posted January 9, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of Susan Cooper's The Grey KingThe Grey King, Susan Cooper

I somewhat put off reviewing The Grey King after finishing reading it, because I’m not sure what there is to say about it anymore. I’ve rhapsodised about it at length: the use of mythology, the casual use of the Welsh language, the home-ness of the landscape and the people… The shades of grey and the adult touches when it comes to Owen Davies and John Rowlands, and Will Stanton’s interactions with them. There’s some beautiful passages, especially the section spent in Craig yr Aderyn, and some genuine moments of horror, loss, anger, fear…

And there’s Bran Davies. One of the first Welsh heroes I came across in fiction — at the age of sixteen or so. And he really is Welsh; Welsh-speaking, Welsh-thinking, a part of the Welsh landscape and mythology. But he’s also very human — vulnerable. Angry. Resentful, even. Strange and unhappy and alone. And then his friendship with Will is just lovely, the immediate rapport between them, the ways Will being an Old One damages it, the ways Bran adapts.

And there’s Cafall. All too briefly, but so key to the plot, to Bran.

There’s quite a lot of more adult themes here — quite far from the world of Over Sea, Under Stone, which is almost entirely concerned with Barney, Jane and Simon. There’s Owen’s grief for Gwen; Gwen’s grief at betraying her husband; the jealousy and rivalry between Owen Davies and Caradog Prichard; Arthur’s yearning for connection with his son… And of course, those shades of grey I mentioned. The conversation between John and Will about how the Light will ignore the good of a single person to pursue the greater good, and John’s reaction, really highlights to me that the humans are the real heroes of this series. And the villains, too, because Lords of the Dark choose to become what they are — they aren’t born, like Old Ones.

Rating: 5/5

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Stacking the Shelves

Posted January 9, 2016 by Nicky in General / 8 Comments

It’s not quite an Unstacking the Shelves week, but I haven’t bought anything, so here’s a quick peek at what I’ve finished!

Cover of Unnatural Creatures ed. Neil Gaiman Cover of A Portrait of the Brain by Adam Zeman Cover of Impulse by Dave Bara

Not as good a reading week as last week, but still, progress!

My haul this week is all via Netgalley. I’m so excited to have got Kingfisher, and I’m looking forward to trying Adrian Tchiakovsky’s work. I need to read City of Stairs pronto so I can get to City of Blades…

Cover of Kingfisher by Patricia A. McKillip Cover of City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett Cover of The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchiakovsky

I’m especially glad about Kingfisher, because I wasn’t sure if I was going to get it — they normally only grant ARCs to people with over 1,000 followers, and the Bibliophibian lost around 400 in moving from WordPress hosting to self-hosting. So hurrah! Hurrah!

And what else has been going on? Well, here’s the weekly roundup:

Reviews this week:

–The Dark Arts of Blood, by Freda Warrington. Deliciously self-indulgent. I remain so glad I picked the first book up on a whim. 4/5 stars
–Siege and Storm, by Leigh Bardugo. Not as compelling as the first book, but I did enjoy it. 4/5 stars
–Before They Are Hanged, by Joe Abercrombie. I knew I’d enjoy this, as it was a reread, and it definitely stood up to it. 4/5 stars
–Genes, People and Languages, by Luigi Cavalli-Sforza. Interesting, but lacked focus. 3/5 stars
–Death Before Wicket, by Kerry Greenwood. Probably my least favourite of the series so far, alas. Maybe I just hold Phryne to really high standards. 2/5 stars
–Beauty, by Sarah Pinborough. Slightly darker again than the other two books, this wraps up the trilogy… and leaves a lot of things open. 3/5 stars
–Flashback Friday: Young Avengers: Sidekicks, by Allan Heinburg and Jim Cheung. A favourite series of mine, this was the first Young Avengers comic I read! 5/5 stars

Other posts:

–January TBR. Check out what I’m planning to read this month!
–On Deadlines, GRRM and Consequences. The POV of a freelance ghostwriter on the issue of Martin’s announcement that The Winds of Winter will be late.
–Top Ten Tuesday: Resolutions. Check out my bookish resolutions for the year.
–Bout of Books Progress. Follow along and see how I’ve been doing.

How’s everyone else been? Any awesome discussion posts you want to share? Any exciting ARCs hit your doormat?

I may be slow to reply today, as I’m getting on the train at ridiculous o’ clock to head to Belgium for a month with my partner. So yay for that, and feel free to mob my inbox while I’m out…

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Review – Young Avengers: Sidekicks

Posted January 8, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 10 Comments

Cover of Young Avengers: SidekicksYoung Avengers: Sidekicks, Allan Heinberg, Jim Cheung
Originally reviewed 25th August, 2013

This series promises to be a lot of fun. You don’t need to know a lot about the main Marvel canon to understand this one: it’s mostly new characters, with some cameos from classics like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers (being very much ‘Superhusbands’: I mean, really, they swoop in with iron Man holding Steve by the waist, it’s practically Superman and Lois Lane). I liked the emotions flying around here: they’re teenagers dealing with superpowers, not superheroes who happen to be teenagers. They mess up and fight and they need to get to school in the morning.

I actually forgot about the gay couple in this series, but that’s one more reason to love it. You can talk all you like about the Cap/Iron Man subtext, but this is the real thing.

The adult Avengers’ roles here make sense, too. I like that they’re an obstacle to the Young Avengers that no one could call evil, in addition to the issue of super villains. I think having read some other Marvel comics would help here to understand just why the Avengers are no more, but a general knowledge is enough.

Rating: 5/5

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Review – Beauty

Posted January 7, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of Beauty by Sarah PinboroughBeauty, Sarah Pinborough

Beauty wraps up the trilogy, tying the books together even more and linking even more fairytales. It’s written in the same style as the previous two, and illuminates some points from the other books — including the characters of the Prince and the Huntsman. It’s all a little too neat for my tastes, and I think this might’ve been my least favourite of the books; the gruesomeness and sex was exaggerated even further, and we spend far too much time with the Prince, who we know is not exactly the nicest of characters. (Though perhaps this book explains it, somewhat!)

The ending, the epilogue part, was just infuriating — is this the end of a trilogy? Are there more books coming? I’m confused; it seems to promise that there will be resolution of this plot, at some point, maybe, but not now? The character is just left hanging in the most infuriating sort of way: there’s a way out of her situation, right, so what is it? I want to know! (Though the choice to combine Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast is quite fun taken as a concept, I just wish there was an actual resolution.)

I do like the way that Pinborough has twisted and combined the fairytales into one landscape of story. It might be a bit too clever by half, but I’ve been getting used to it, and it’s kind of fun to play spot-the-fairytale — and also spot the references to other people’s versions. The language works well, although it makes the sexual imagery all the more surprising — reading it, you’d think it’d be suitable for a child, or almost. And then… oh. Perhaps not!

Rating: 3/5

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Review – Death Before Wicket

Posted January 6, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Death Before Wicket by Kerry GreenwoodDeath Before Wicket, Kerry Greenwood

I’m not sure why I didn’t review Death Before Wicket when I read it, in the correct order, before Away With the Fairies. Not that it really requires solid anchoring in the continuity: most of the usual characters are missing from this book, and Phryne is totally out of her usual context. It’s, not coincidentally, not the most engaging of the books.

The worst thing, for me, is that there’s this whole magic and mysticism plot where Phryne pretends to be Isis and breaks a magical/hypnotic hold on a certain young man, and then there’s loads of sex stuff, and cricket. And weird totems and sex magic. That’s really mostly what this left as an impression on me — that and knowing that the cricket was like Murder Must Advertise, and the collegiate setting was Gaudy Night. I don’t recall it stealing any lines from Sayers as Raisins and Almonds did, which is a relief.

I would be worried about the series slumping with this one, if I hadn’t already read ahead by the time I’m writing this. It was definitely the slowest of the series so far, to my mind. I might even, possibly, suggest skipping it…

Rating: 2/5

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Bout of Books Progress

Posted January 5, 2016 by Nicky in General / 0 Comments

Bout of Books Readathon

Bout of Books Progress

Whoa, the last couple of days went by in a flash. I almost forgot that Bout of Books started yesterday! Luckily, I’ve been reading anyway (well, that’s no surprise). So this is my progress post! You can find my sign-up post here, too.

Day one: 

Books read: One.
Total pages: 410.
Titles: Unnatural Creatures, ed. Neil Gaiman.
Challenge: Introduction in six words — “TBR pile taller than I am”.

Day two:

Books read: Two in progress, none finished.
Total pages: 200.
Titles: The Last Argument of Kings, by Joe Abercrombie; A Portrait of the Brain, by Adam Zeman.
Challenge: From here. I would rather: lend books to someone who dog-ears pages than to someone who reads with Cheeto fingers, meet a character than meet an author, never be allowed in a bookshop rather than not be allowed in a library, have to choose a couple to break up in a book rather than a character to die (but really it depends on the book!), and be required to read The Scarlet Letter once a year for the rest of my life than Twilight.

Day three:

Books read: One finished.
Total pages: 150.
Titles: A Portrait of the Brain, by Adam Zeman; Guardian of the Dead, by Karen Healey.
Challenge: Pass.

Day four: 

Books read: One in progress.
Total pages: 150.
Titles: Impulse, by Dave Bara.
Challenge: Pass.

Day five: 

Books read: One in progress
Total pages: 100.
Titles: Impulse, by Dave Bara.
Challenge: Pass.

…And it’s over and I barely read anything at all on the last day, though somewhere in there I read The Frog Princess and finished Impulse. Sigh. Just too busy, I guess!

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