The Palace Job Book Review

The Palace Job

Patrick Weekes

Rating (out of 5): 5

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: 

Series: The Rouges of the Republic
Series Number: 1

Profanity: Mild

Violence:Mild

Sexual Content: 

Age Recommendation: 16 +

Author Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Weekes





Summary:

Loch is seeking revenge.

It would help if she wasn’t in jail.

The plan: to steal a priceless elven manuscript that once belonged to her family, but now is in the hands of the most powerful man in the Republic. To do so Loch—former soldier, former prisoner, current fugitive—must assemble a crack team of magical misfits that includes a cynical illusionist, a shapeshifting unicorn, a repentant death priestess, a talking magical warhammer, and a lad with seemingly no skills to help her break into the floating fortress of Heaven’s Spire and the vault that holds her family’s treasure—all while eluding the unrelenting pursuit of Justicar Pyvic, whose only mission is to see the law upheld.
What could possibly go wrong?

The Palace Job is a funny, action-packed, high-fantasy heist caper in the tradition of Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastards series, from debut author Patrick Weekes.

Review:

The Palace Job caught my attention immediately with it's themes of magic and mischief and didn't let go until I turned the last page. It's the perfect blend of magical mayhem and hilarious action.

The story opens up with Loch in the process of trying to escape from the most impenetrable prisons ever, one that makes Alcatraz look like like a picnic. From there she moves on to collect a haphazard crew of misfits to help her break into an even more heavily guarded palace to steal...a book.

The Palace Job is filled with funny, exciting, and delightful heist activity driving readers deeper into the story as the mystery of what is really going on thickens. The pace really picks up at the end plowing ahead at breakneck speed as everything finally comes together in a stunning conclusion. What I found great about this book is that while there is a sequel it can be read by itself without worry of needing to read the next one for a conclusion. It also kept me laughing through the entire read, which is something I always enjoy.

Patrick Weekes did a wonderful job with each of the characters in this book. There were a lot to juggle and he bounced between points of view so often it should have been confusing but wasn't. Each character had their own distinct personality and carried themselves true through the entire story. I liked them all, but I particularly liked Justicar Pyvic and Kail. Pyvic for his dedication to duty and Kail for his laugh out loud personality.

Weekes has crafted a wonderfully extravagant world that left me pausing more than once to just enjoy it's fullness. It has everything from a wide range of different peoples to a corrupted government vying for the peoples attentions via puppet shows. And I'm  not being figurative, literal puppet shows are the source of news for the people. I can't forget to mention the wide variety of magical aspects that are spread through this book. One of the things I enjoyed best about the magical elements in this book was that they all tied in together, nothing felt thrown in without a reason.

Overall The Palace Job was a great read. It was fast paced and funny but definitely aimed towards an older audience. I'd recommend it to a slightly more mature audience. There isn't anything explicit in it but it does hint at and mention things that might not be suitable for younger audiences. If you like heists, magic, or a funny read then The Palace Job is for you.

Note: I received a copy of this e-book from Netgally for my fair and honest opinion which I have stated above.


~Dawn

Shades of Milk and Honey Book Review

Shades of Milk and Honey

Mary Robinette Kowal

Rating (out of 5): 5

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: August 3, 2010

Series: Glamourist Histories
Series Number: 1

Profanity: None

Violence: None

Sexual Content: None 

Age Recommendation: 14 +

Author Website: http://maryrobinettekowal.com/





Summary:

The fantasy novel you’ve always wished Jane Austen had written

Shades of Milk and Honey is exactly what we could expect from Jane Austen if she had been a fantasy writer: Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It is an intimate portrait of a woman, Jane, and her quest for love in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality.

Jane and her sister Melody vie for the attentions of eligible men, and while Jane’s skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face. When Jane realizes that one of Melody’s suitors is set on taking advantage of her sister for the sake of her dowry, she pushes her skills to the limit of what her body can withstand in order to set things right—and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.

Review:

Initially Shades of Milk and Honey caught my attention with it's beautiful cover and curious blurb, 'The fantasy novel you've always wished Jane Austen had written'? As a Jane Austen fan I knew I had to read it. And after starting the book it didn't take me very long to realize how true that statement had been. 

Shades of Milk and Honey reads, feels, and is every inch something I could see Jane Austen herself penning if she'd ever had the inkling to write a fantasy. Mary Robert Kowal does a great job of capturing the time period and language of of the late 18th and early 19th century. Her writing is beautiful and the story flows in the general shape of an Austen novel. One of the things that the author does in this book is keep it very clean there is little to no profanity and absolutely no explicit content of any kind. This makes it a safe read for the young, old, and anyone in between.

The story itself was very well written. I tend to really enjoy books written in this time period so it's no wonder that I loved each of the little secrets that were revealed and I enjoyed getting to see each of the characters grow and change through the story as well. Mary Robert Kowal's pacing kept me interested even in places where the story could have stalled or at least grown stale. And by the end it had picked up to such a pace that I felt like I was reading as fast as Jane was riding to catch up to her family.

All of Kowal's characters shine in their own way and for different reasons. She does an excellent job of really making each character feel fleshed out even if they have very little time in the story. Jane and her sister Melody stood out to me in the way their relationship played out. It wasn't the perfect relationship I sometimes come across in books, and it wasn't a constantly stormy one like I encounter in others. It had it's ups and it's downs like any sisters would. Jane herself stood out to me because she had flaws and readily stated that she did, she also often acted out of jealously and love. Her character felt the truest to me of all of the wonderful characters populating Shades of Milk and Honey. Vincent however came off a little odd to me, he just didn't pull my attention like many male leads do. That's not to say I didn't enjoy his character, I did. I just felt like he could have been a little more in the story, but I believe that will be rectified in later books. 

Kowal's incorporation of glamour into the story is done in such a way that I felt like I'd always lived life with people around me able to manipulate glamour. She didn't waste time explaining it or trying to get readers to understand exactly how it worked she simply wove it into the story naturally.  While glamour played a large part in the story I don't think it did it in such a way that would alienate readers who are either not familiar with fantasy or don't care for it.

Shades of Milk and Honey turned out to be a wonderful find for me, and I am eager to read the rest of this sure to be astounding series. I'd recommended it to Jane Austen fans and fantasy fans alike. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

~Dawn  

Storm Siren Review

Storm Siren

Mary Weber

Rating (out of 5): 5

Genre:Young Adult

Release Date: August 19, 2014

Series: Storm Siren

Series Volume: 1

Profanity: none

Violence: None

Sexual Content: None

Age Recommendation: 12+

Author Website: http://mchristineweber.com/


 
Summary:

"I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don't want me. Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you."

In a world at war, a slave girl's lethal curse could become one kingdom's weapon of salvation. If the curse - and the girl - can be controlled.

As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn't merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth - meaning, she shouldn't even exist.

Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed.

Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she's being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons.

But what if she doesn't want to be the weapon they've all been waiting for?

Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.

Review:

Storm Siren is a beautifully written tale of redemption and love set in a kingdom in the midst of intrigue and war. This story gripped me from the beginning and propelled me with increasing force through the book. Nym's story was one of layers, and each new facet drove me to the next page and I couldn't wait to see how it all worked out.

The writing in this book is simply beautiful. Mary Weber does an excellent job of pulling readers into her world and keeping them there. The imagery is stunning and paints a picture that is clear enough for me to almost see what she's talking about. The pacing was excellent, even when the story should have felt slow it didn't and the action scenes flowed with precision. 

The plot was very well done as well. There were moment's where it could have fallen into a cliche but it always had a flair of originality and creativity to it. The secrets and big reveals were all done in a great way as well, I was shocked more than once through the book and I was very pleased when things turned out differently than I'd expected them to. I was also happy that when it came down to the fighting the skills Nym learned during training actually had value and were used. The romance aspect of this book was very well done as well. It was a gradual falling in love instead of a love at first sight scenario. Too often romance is rushed in books and I am grateful that Mary Weber took her time in this book.

The cast of characters in this book was amazing. There were no cookie cutter shortcuts taken with them. Each of the main characters were fully developed and even the villains shone when their time came. Nym was far from a mary sue with her strong personality and various faults. The rest of the cast is amazing as well. Colin with his joviality and Breck's no-nonsense attitude make them a great pair. Adora, as a court adviser and aristocrat has a very interesting personality. Eogen was by far my favorite character, his personality and history as well as the way he deals with Nym all drew me to him as a character.

What I loved most about this book was the themes woven throughout it. It could have easily been one of a hundred books with a slave society and simply talked about freedom and deliverance. But Storm Siren covered so much more than that. Mary Weber took us into the tormented mind of Nym and really dealt with issues like self-harm, self-perception, redemption, and yes freedom and deliverance. What really shone out to me however was the fact that she did it in such a natural way, the issues and solutions never felt forced or preachy. It was wonderful. 

Needless to say I loved every second of Storm Siren. This book was a delight from start to finish and I cannot wait until the next one comes out. I'd recommend this book to teens 12 and older. The story is wonderful and engaging, and the fact that it deals with serious issues that many girls (and even guys) face makes me want to recommend it to any and all teens. I think young girls especially would really be able to take something out of this book, while at the same time enjoying a fantastic fantasy. 

Mary Weber has a great talent and I can't wait to see more from her in the future.

 Note: I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley for my fair and honest opinion as I have stated above.

~Dawn