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josiah17's reviews
242 reviews
The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie
Full of suspense, intensity, and shocking revelations. I loved every moment of this. I made sure to read every page a little slower as I was nearing the end just to savor it. I'm overjoyed that I made the decision to read all of First Law this year after falling in love with the first trilogy. I'm really gonna miss the world of First Law and all the characters (lots of jerks) who've had a part in these books. Abercrombie has created something truly special, and he might just be my favorite modern fantasy author.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you Abercrombie. What a writer he is.
“She never saw more damage done than by folk acting on high principle.”
Full of suspense, intensity, and shocking revelations. I loved every moment of this. I made sure to read every page a little slower as I was nearing the end just to savor it. I'm overjoyed that I made the decision to read all of First Law this year after falling in love with the first trilogy. I'm really gonna miss the world of First Law and all the characters (lots of jerks) who've had a part in these books. Abercrombie has created something truly special, and he might just be my favorite modern fantasy author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and War
A Time of Courage by John Gwynne
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Very satisfying conclusion to this series and the Banished Lands as a whole. Although I think I became slightly fatigued with all the battle sequences here. I wanted a few more slow moments of reflection. Nonetheless, it was great. And the ending leaves a possibility of returning to this world to tell another story.
I'm really gonna miss the Banished Lands books and this world. I've had such a wonderful time. Thank you John Gwynne. TRUTH AND COURAGE!
I'm really gonna miss the Banished Lands books and this world. I've had such a wonderful time. Thank you John Gwynne. TRUTH AND COURAGE!
"We are just people, all of us the same. Flawed, fragile, stubborn, angry, happy. And life treats no one differently. We are born, and we live, and then we die. It's what we do while we are here that counts. And if we can be called friend, then we are lucky indeed."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, and War
The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie
Just a masterful sequel. Full of thrilling scheming, uprising, and betrayal. Abercrombie hardly seems to miss.
Even though I thought this book was slower than A Little Hatred, there wasn't a single dull moment here. For whatever reason, I seem to have slower starts for getting immersed into an Abercrombie book. But not this time. I was thoroughly engaged from page one.
And those final 100 pages?! Insane and the implications are going to be wild.
(Additionally, speaking of A Little Hatred, this book is probably enough to bump that rating to 5 stars. I was already thinking of that book often after I finished it, and I love it even more after reading this one. And the more I contemplate, the more I realize that I probably won't experience writing and characters on par with Abercrombie's in many of the books I read in the future.)
I also haven't really pinned down a favorite character yet, but I think it has to be Rikke. She's hilarious. I seriously just cannot get enough of all the Northmen banter. If Abercrombie wrote a book just about Northmen talking I would eagerly wait in the bookstore for it on release day.
I truly can't wait to see where this story goes in the final book of the trilogy.
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"Hoping for a thing often seems the best way o' bringing on the opposite."
Just a masterful sequel. Full of thrilling scheming, uprising, and betrayal. Abercrombie hardly seems to miss.
Even though I thought this book was slower than A Little Hatred, there wasn't a single dull moment here. For whatever reason, I seem to have slower starts for getting immersed into an Abercrombie book. But not this time. I was thoroughly engaged from page one.
And those final 100 pages?! Insane and the implications are going to be wild.
(Additionally, speaking of A Little Hatred, this book is probably enough to bump that rating to 5 stars. I was already thinking of that book often after I finished it, and I love it even more after reading this one. And the more I contemplate, the more I realize that I probably won't experience writing and characters on par with Abercrombie's in many of the books I read in the future.)
I also haven't really pinned down a favorite character yet, but I think it has to be Rikke. She's hilarious. I seriously just cannot get enough of all the Northmen banter. If Abercrombie wrote a book just about Northmen talking I would eagerly wait in the bookstore for it on release day.
I truly can't wait to see where this story goes in the final book of the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and War
Minor: Sexual content
Starsight by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed this slightly more than Skyward primarily due to the expansion on the worldbuilding. That's easily the best part of this series. Sanderson remains a masterful worldbuiler regardless of whatever genre he chooses to write. And a lot of the unanswered questions and mystery from the previous installment are satisfyingly answered and given more depth.
I also enjoyed this more because Spensa has matured from the first book, and there's far less to be annoyed with here (in my personal opinion).
I'm still not crazy about the series, though. But I'm curious to read the next book after the ending of this one, and the seeming consensus opinion that's it's the worst in the series.
Edit 12/19/23: Already bumping down to 3 stars.
I also enjoyed this more because Spensa has matured from the first book, and there's far less to be annoyed with here (in my personal opinion).
I'm still not crazy about the series, though. But I'm curious to read the next book after the ending of this one, and the seeming consensus opinion that's it's the worst in the series.
Edit 12/19/23: Already bumping down to 3 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
A Time of Blood by John Gwynne
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think I'm gonna go 4 stars on this, which makes it my lowest rated Gwynne book so far. Still a great read, I just wasn't as enthralled by it as much as I was with A Time of Dread.
I greatly appreciated the decision to add another POV, this time an antagonist. That was the only element the previous installment lacked for me. I also continue to really enjoy the horror elements integrated into the Banished Lands. There are some purely chilling and frightening scenes in here. You could classify this as horror military fantasy if that's a thing.
Drem continues to be an absolutely wonderful character, and Riv even sailed into the spotlight too. And I'm pleased with where Bleda's character has progressed. However, I feel as though the large amount of action in this book didn't mesh super well with the slow character moments. I'm not sure I can explain it more efficiently than that.
Again, still a great read. No major criticisms other than I simply wasn't as entranced as I normally am with Gwynne. And maybe my expectations were just sky high after pleasantly loving A Time of Dread so much. But A Time of Courage will be insane after the third act in this book. Very excited, but also bittersweet, to read the final current installment in the Banished Lands.
I greatly appreciated the decision to add another POV, this time an antagonist. That was the only element the previous installment lacked for me. I also continue to really enjoy the horror elements integrated into the Banished Lands. There are some purely chilling and frightening scenes in here. You could classify this as horror military fantasy if that's a thing.
Drem continues to be an absolutely wonderful character, and Riv even sailed into the spotlight too. And I'm pleased with where Bleda's character has progressed. However, I feel as though the large amount of action in this book didn't mesh super well with the slow character moments. I'm not sure I can explain it more efficiently than that.
Again, still a great read. No major criticisms other than I simply wasn't as entranced as I normally am with Gwynne. And maybe my expectations were just sky high after pleasantly loving A Time of Dread so much. But A Time of Courage will be insane after the third act in this book. Very excited, but also bittersweet, to read the final current installment in the Banished Lands.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror
A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Abercrombie is purely phenomenal with character work. Every character here is interesting and engaging. They're shown at their most appalling lows and when they're trending upward. And I loved how more focus was placed on the cunning and wits of these characters.
I'll never stop talking about how good Abercrombie is with dialogue too. It's part of his fantastic character work where he creates distinct voices for each character and keeps the reader thoroughly entertained. And I love how commonly he uses interjections. It offers perfect comedic relief.
It was also nice to see some familiar faces from the first trilogy. And the legacy of iconic characters and the transformation of the world continues to be perfectly interweaved into every consecutive installment in the First Law World. I still get excited at every mention of The Bloody-Nine.
And while I think I like The Blade Itself more than this book, I did appreciate how there was more plot here with the beginning of this trilogy than with the First Law trilogy. I feel like I have more to look forward to than I did going into Before They Are Hanged.
And pleasantly, I was not annoyed by all the romance.
I just can't wait to read book 2.
I'll never stop talking about how good Abercrombie is with dialogue too. It's part of his fantastic character work where he creates distinct voices for each character and keeps the reader thoroughly entertained. And I love how commonly he uses interjections. It offers perfect comedic relief.
It was also nice to see some familiar faces from the first trilogy. And the legacy of iconic characters and the transformation of the world continues to be perfectly interweaved into every consecutive installment in the First Law World. I still get excited at every mention of The Bloody-Nine.
And while I think I like The Blade Itself more than this book, I did appreciate how there was more plot here with the beginning of this trilogy than with the First Law trilogy. I feel like I have more to look forward to than I did going into Before They Are Hanged.
And pleasantly, I was not annoyed by all the romance.
I just can't wait to read book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Incest, Sexual content, and Blood
A Time of Dread by John Gwynne
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
(May bump down to 4.5 eventually because the dopamine rush is real right now)
Well, what a beginning to this sequel series. I just love the Banished Lands immensely. I'm very glad Gwynne decided to write this sequel series to The Faithful and The Fallen because there's absolutely a captivating and arguably necessary story to tell in this world after the results of the God-War. Evil forces are still at large, scheming their revenge in hopes to follow through with their original plans. And there's strife amongst occupying forces after the God-War.
I really did enjoy the new cast of characters. Especially Drem and his father Olin, who I latched onto immediately. They're one of my favorite father-son duos I've ever read.(but thanks for ruining it John!)
I also still cannot express how good Gwynne is with his action scenes. Best in modern fantasy. Period.
Additionally, there were some noteable horror elements introduced to the Banished Lands with this book. It felt refreshing in this classic fantasy landscape and upped the stakes in the post God-War environment. It also offered a great source of intrigue/mystery. I was speculating often throughout the book, and I'm very interested to see where Gwynne takes the horror in the rest of the trilogy.
And of course, a big part of me loving this book was the references to the Faithful and the Fallen series, as well as some reappearing characters. I could go on and on about how much I love these books. Gwynne is one of the few authors who writes characters in a way that makes them feel like they're truly your family. Like you're right there with them along for the ride. It's wonderful.
Can't wait to see where this goes after the wild ending. But I will find Gwynne someday and tell him of the trauma he's given me with his book conclusions because this was no exception.
Well, what a beginning to this sequel series. I just love the Banished Lands immensely. I'm very glad Gwynne decided to write this sequel series to The Faithful and The Fallen because there's absolutely a captivating and arguably necessary story to tell in this world after the results of the God-War. Evil forces are still at large, scheming their revenge in hopes to follow through with their original plans. And there's strife amongst occupying forces after the God-War.
I really did enjoy the new cast of characters. Especially Drem and his father Olin, who I latched onto immediately. They're one of my favorite father-son duos I've ever read.
I also still cannot express how good Gwynne is with his action scenes. Best in modern fantasy. Period.
Additionally, there were some noteable horror elements introduced to the Banished Lands with this book. It felt refreshing in this classic fantasy landscape and upped the stakes in the post God-War environment. It also offered a great source of intrigue/mystery. I was speculating often throughout the book, and I'm very interested to see where Gwynne takes the horror in the rest of the trilogy.
And of course, a big part of me loving this book was the references to the Faithful and the Fallen series, as well as some reappearing characters. I could go on and on about how much I love these books. Gwynne is one of the few authors who writes characters in a way that makes them feel like they're truly your family. Like you're right there with them along for the ride. It's wonderful.
Can't wait to see where this goes after the wild ending. But I will find Gwynne someday and tell him of the trauma he's given me with his book conclusions because this was no exception.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Blood
Return to Edan by Philip Chase
adventurous
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Pretty good conclusion to this trilogy. It was both satisfying and bittersweet. Although it did feel a little long-winded at times.
Regardless, I'm overall just impressed with the clear passion and care this story was crafted with. Philip Chase loves storytelling, and it's clear as day with his 20 years of work in this self-published fantasy trilogy.
The style is definitely not for everyone, but I'd still recommend checking it out.
Regardless, I'm overall just impressed with the clear passion and care this story was crafted with. Philip Chase loves storytelling, and it's clear as day with his 20 years of work in this self-published fantasy trilogy.
The style is definitely not for everyone, but I'd still recommend checking it out.
"Love and pain, joy and loss—they we're all one, each necessary for the other to exist, like the symbiosis of life and death."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Cannibalism
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Edit 11/30/23: Dropping to a 3. I think I was generous in saying that I almost gave this a 4. The first half really just wasn't enjoyable.
I almost gave this a 4 because the final 40 pages or so finally pulled me in, but I'm sticking with a 3.5 (for now).
I enjoyed moments of this. It was solid. And even with a YA novel, Sanderson's worldbuilding remains top-notch. This is a very rich sci-fi world with a lot to explore and engages the reader to ask plenty of questions. The light-lance system on the star fighters was also innovative and added a good spin to fighter combat. The plot was also decent, as well as the heavy mystery aspect. There were some good Sanderson twists in the latter half of the story that kept me inclined to turn the page.
However, I have some gripes. I struggled with almost the entire first half of the book. Spensa did turn out to be a decent protagonist, but at the beginning I found her to be a little annoying and too headstrong. And I understand she's a teenager, but this still bothered me. I also couldn't stand most of the humor in this book. Normally I am one of the few people who seem to like Sanderson's humor, but his humor at a YA level just wasn't it. Nicknaming a character "jerkface" from Spensa's perspective for the better half of the book is not funny, it's just irritating and tiresome. The DDF leadership also seemed overly petty to a point where they feel stupid? One of the twists did help this seem a little more reasonable, but I still found it odd and a bit dramatic.
Ultimately, I think YA just isn't overly enjoyable for me. I have nothing against the genre, it's just not for me (although there are a few YA books that I'd still like to try). I'll continue the series because I have the rest of the books already, but this wasn't a spectacular read like it seemed hyped up to be. It involved a lot of eye-rolling in the first half, where the second half was the saving grace that turned this into a solid read for me. I hope the sequel books are an improvement.
I almost gave this a 4 because the final 40 pages or so finally pulled me in, but I'm sticking with a 3.5 (for now).
I enjoyed moments of this. It was solid. And even with a YA novel, Sanderson's worldbuilding remains top-notch. This is a very rich sci-fi world with a lot to explore and engages the reader to ask plenty of questions. The light-lance system on the star fighters was also innovative and added a good spin to fighter combat. The plot was also decent, as well as the heavy mystery aspect. There were some good Sanderson twists in the latter half of the story that kept me inclined to turn the page.
However, I have some gripes. I struggled with almost the entire first half of the book. Spensa did turn out to be a decent protagonist, but at the beginning I found her to be a little annoying and too headstrong. And I understand she's a teenager, but this still bothered me. I also couldn't stand most of the humor in this book. Normally I am one of the few people who seem to like Sanderson's humor, but his humor at a YA level just wasn't it. Nicknaming a character "jerkface" from Spensa's perspective for the better half of the book is not funny, it's just irritating and tiresome. The DDF leadership also seemed overly petty to a point where they feel stupid? One of the twists did help this seem a little more reasonable, but I still found it odd and a bit dramatic.
Ultimately, I think YA just isn't overly enjoyable for me. I have nothing against the genre, it's just not for me (although there are a few YA books that I'd still like to try). I'll continue the series because I have the rest of the books already, but this wasn't a spectacular read like it seemed hyped up to be. It involved a lot of eye-rolling in the first half, where the second half was the saving grace that turned this into a solid read for me. I hope the sequel books are an improvement.
Sharp Ends: Stories from the World of the First Law by Joe Abercrombie
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This collection of short stories was nothing spectacular. But it was nice to see some familiar faces at earlier points in their lives, as well as new ones with new povs and entertaining interactions as Abercrombie always manages to write. There were also some bits of world exploration which I found intriguing. I'd love to visit more locations in the Circle of the World. Hopefully that happens in Age of Madness.
My favorite stories were "A Beautiful Bastard", "Made a Monster", "Two's Company", "Hell", and "The Fool Jobs".
My favorite stories were "A Beautiful Bastard", "Made a Monster", "Two's Company", "Hell", and "The Fool Jobs".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Sexual content