Jacksprat Gets Lost in Fiction

The Truth About the Harry Querbert Affair By: Joel Dicker, Translated by Sam Taylor             Marcus Goldman has had a successful first novel, but now he needs to write his sophomore novel, but he’s having writer’s block.  He contacts his old mentor Harry Quebert and visits him in the sea side town where he lives.  He discovers Harry had a love affair with a 15-year-old girl, and not too long after Marcus has found out, the girl’s body is discovered buried in Harry’s yard.               I almost DNFed this book, but I was interested enough to find out what happened to Nola Kellergan, the girl.  I also wanted to know if Harry Querbert was guilty of murdering her, not just pedophile.  As beautiful as his words were about their love affair, he was still 35 years old. Harry started out as charming and likable but as the story progressed, he became a character I got frustrated, annoyed with, and pitied.  I did not understand how he could love a girl so young and how she had so much power

Review of Engines of Empire  By: R.S. Ford             Engines of Empire tells the story of Hawkspur family.  They run transportation guild in a world where magic pyrestones run the machines of this world.  Rosomon Hawkspur is trying to run the Hawkspur family and business even pushing her children out into the world.  Conall is her oldest and is sent into a fort in the desert where he isn’t excepted, because his birth.  Her daughter Tyreta is sent to the mining town so she can learn to take her mother’s role, but when she gets there Tyreta has a run with the Kesh, who want there land back.  Finally, the baby of the family Fulren, is convicted of the murder an emissary of Nyrakkis and as punishment he is taken to Nyrakkis to be sentenced.               This is a fast-paced and action-packed adventure story.  It has one of my favorite tropes of the dark side of religion.  A religious order had once been in charge and they want to take back power.  There is a sense of tension building th

Review of Powder Mage: Promise of Blood By: Brian McClellan             In this first book, the people have broken free of their oppressors the Privileged upper class. Their leader Tamas struggles with the aftermath as he tries to figure out how to protect the people from being taken over by another king.  His son Taniel doesn’t like how he goes about things and thinks his father is cold hearted.  Taniel must protect the city from the Kez and finds himself in a battle with them on a mountain.  Tamas has assassins trying to kill spies amongst his own people, and a Godly chef.             First of all, the city setting is cool and different from the fantasy I usually read.  There is a sense of isolation and a weird feeling of coziness despite the conflict Tamas and Taniel find themselves in. The conflict is also put on a smaller scale than a big epic like a lot of fantasy becomes.  The city is in chaos and fragile as Tamas tries to keep it together as if he is a parent, not just to Tanie

Review of Six Crimson Cranes By: Elizabeth Lim             I didn’t realize this wasn’t my first Elizabeth Lim when I started this.  I had read “So, This is Love”, her Cinderella Twisted Tale.  This is a retelling of the Six Swans fairytale, but with Asian inspiration.  Princess Shiori is the seventh child of the King of Kiata and she has forbidden magic.  When she spies on her stepmother, her six brothers are turned into cranes and Shiori must not speak or her brother’s will die.  While in hiding and trying to find a way to save her brothers, she meets her betrothed, whom she refused to marry, and is now finding herself actually liking more than she expected.               This isn’t my first retelling of the fairytale as my first was “Daughter of the Forest” by Juliet Marillier.  This one doesn’t go as dark as that one such as it doesn’t include a rape scene, and is a young adult novel.  Setting it in an Asian inspired kingdom brought dragons and demons into the story adding a fun tw

This is what happens every year, I get excited about Challenges and Readathons, and planning for them, but then I see all the options.  I want to read them all, but I know I cannot because I'm not that fast of a reader. I always tell myself I shouldn't plan too far ahead, because I feel overwhelmed, but habits are hard to break.  This time I want to break it, but it won't be easy.  I still am setting guidelines Priority Genres I Don't Read Non-Fiction Science Fiction Horror Historical I will still read plenty of fantasy and classics, but there are other genres and categories I want focus on as well. Bi-Monthly Wrap-Ups instead of Monthly wrap-ups to take off pressure on finishing a bunch of books in four weeks.  I have 500+ books I want to read within the year and the pressure to get books done in the month stops me from choosing to read those books.   I started the year with horror book Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky and I'm currently reading non-fiction SPQR:

NOS4A2 By: Joe Hill Victoria McQueen has a gift, she can find lost things with help from her bike and a magic bridge.  Unfortunately, she finds herself in the hands of another gifted person, Charles Talent Manx.  He has a magic antique car that takes him to the magical world of Christmasland, but this isn’t a nice place.  He takes children that he feels are treated badly by their parents to Christmasland while draining them of their life force turning them into malicious but “happy” children.  Vic was the one who got away and ten years later Manx wants revenge….             Joe Hill, like his famous father Stephen King, knows how to craft a story that manages to be creepy and whimsical at the same time.  The writing is similar to his dad’s and he makes references to elements of his dad’s books like the True Knot. It’s straight forward and not flowery.  It is not a fast-paced horror but a slow build to the climax adding compelling tension.  We don’t know when Manx will strike again or i