Category Archives: Criticism

Hunt the Stars – Book Review

Book Title: Hunt the Stars
Author: Jessie Mihalik
Series Title: Starlight’s Shadow
Stars: 4/5

Spoilers Ahead!

Book cover for Hunt the Stars – image from the internet.

Hunt the Stars is the first book in the new Starlight’s Shadow series by Jessie Mihalik. It is a space opera – some space, some villainous plot to destroy worlds or start a war, and of course the deep attraction between sworn enemies. Everything you would expect from a solidly written space-adventure-romance.

Octavia – Tavi – Zarola is captain of her ship. Flying with the remaining members of her squad from the war, she is now a bounty hunter living on the fringes of space. The war is still a painful scar for Tavi and her tiny crew. Peace may have been decreed between the Human Federation and alien Valoff’s, but Tavi knows entering their space is not a healthy choice.

Unfortunately, creds are tight, the ship needs repairs and the best payday she can get is tied to her sworn enemy, former General Torran Fletcher. Convinced to accept the job of object retrieval from the powerful Valoff psychic, Tavi soon learns that everything is really a lie. It is not some heirloom ring that has been stolen from Torran’s mansion, but his nephew. And it wasn’t random chance that Tavi was brought deep into Valoff space. She is about to be sacrificed as the scapegoat for the kidnapping – unless, she can rescue the boy first. Of course working with Torran is a challenge. The once enemy is powerful and caring, a dangerous combination for any romance novel heroine.

The writing is fun. The story is a romp. The trops are real. I love the way that aliens are so conveniently humanoid – they wouldn’t be good characters in a romance otherwise. And as aliens they need to be slightly different from humans. So obviously the Valoff are a little taller and thinner, with sculpted cheekbones and well defined abs. Think space Elves. And since we are thinking about space elves, they should have a power. The Valoff are psychics – telepathy and telekinesis. But wait, there should be more, a cultural difference. Honour. Yes, they are honourable – deeply. It is the code that they follow to the death. It is also based on military ideals. So to summarize, the Valoffs are space elves, with abs and psychic abilities following the romanticized feudal Japan Shogun code of honour and sacrifice. It is fun, not really new, but still fun.

Like the last space opera series by Jessie Mihalik, each book will follow a different couple. In Starlight’s Shadow, it looks like the individual books will center around different members of Tavi’s crew. All of them have emotional scars from the war. All of them appear to be attracted to Valoffs from Torran’s personal entourage. Weaving between the stories is a larger plot about manipulation between the Human Federation and Valoff Empire and the possibility of a new war on the horizon.

Hunt the Stars is a fun read. I will totally borrow the next book from the library. Overall, I give Hunt the Stars 4 out of 5 stars.

Capture the Crown – Book Review

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Book Title: Capture the Crown
Book Author: Jennifer Estep
Series Title: Gargoyle Queen
Stars: 5/5

Spoilers Ahead!

Capture the Crown book cover – image from the internet.

From the author of the Crown of Shards series, come a new trilogy set in the same world. Capture the Crown is the first book in Jennifer Esteps new series, Gargoyle Queen. Taking place more than a decade after the Crown of Shards, Capture the Crown follows Gemma Ripley of Andvari.

Princess Gemma has become known for her fashion and frivolity. She is the epitome of a flighty and flirtatious princess. Secretly, she is a spy. Taking time to go on adventures, Gemma listens to the gossip and tracks a missing shipment of tearstone. She finds herself in the mountains, in the mining town of Blauberg – close to the Morta border. Unfortunately for Gemma, Leonidas Morricone – the bastard prince of Queen Maeven Morricone – is also there. Nightmares from their first meeting as children still haunt Gemma’s dreams. Yet she finds herself first helping than being helped by Leo.

Removed from Blauberg and installed behind enemy lines, Gemma and Leo will work together to discover the secrets of the missing tearstone. At least they will try. But trust is not an easy thing to come by, especially in the Morta Court.

Capture the Crown has all the spunk, fun, adventure and romance of the Crown of Shards series. I like the strong, clear writing. Gemma is an interesting character with different sides to her personal and public personas. She is scared from the traumatic eventus of her childhood – surviving the Morta massacre – and determined to be more than a court ornament. She is powerful, in a different way than Everleigh was in Crown of Shards. First, Gemma’s powers are mental, though she can still fight with her fists.

I love the fact that Gemma’s attempts to be a spy were ultimately undone by the end. The failure to be a spy was balanced by her success in being a leader and protector of her people. Which I think worked for this princess.

The world building was still great. I like the Roman/Greek/Gladiator inspired world. This is something fun about the way Estep pulls on older mythologies but in a fresh manner to create complex and believable settings. Filled with magic and monsters, there is just enough fantasy to keep the world exciting. And best, it isn’t a stereotypical medieval setting.

I really enjoyed this book and am eager to read the next in the trilogy – which sadly doesn’t release until 2022. Entertaining and engaging, both similar enough I can see the relation to the other series, but different enough it doesn’t feel derivative, I am giving this great read 5 stars out of 5.

A House Divided – Book Review

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Book Title: A House Divided
Author’s Name: Nicole Ciacchella
Series: Astoran Asunder

Spoilers Ahead!

A House Divided book cover – image from the internet.

The book is A House Divided by Nicole Ciacchella. It is the first in the Astoran Asunder series. The story follows our two fated leads: Cianne Wyland and Kila an Movis. Cianne is the daughter of a powerful member in the Staerleigh House. Giftless, Cianne only hope to maintain her status within the House is to marry well. The star child of House Staerleigh, Captain Lochlan, is ready to marry Cianne. They are already good friends, but Cianne doesn’t want to move beyond that relationship. Her heart lies elsewhere.

Kila is returning to the city after his big mouth had him banished a decade earlier. An enforcer, he is gods-gifted at putting pieces together. His period of exile is over, but the city has changed and he needs to step cautiously to avoid making the same mistakes as before.

Cianne and Kila are drawn together when a member of House Staerleigh dies. While the Elders are quick to write off the death as suicide, Cianne and Kila suspect more to the plot. For years, Cianne has cultivated secret skills in spying on her family. She knows something is wrong, but how can she prove it? More importantly, who can she trust? Kila is not of the House and his position as an enforcer is a good fit for her needs. But it is really the childhood crush that brings her to Kila’s house in the middle of the night.

There is quite a bit about the story I like. The main characters are interesting. They have clear motivations and complex relationships with their friends and family. It is a slow burn romance that does appeal to me. I like the investigation into corrupt family members. The questions of trusting those around us, of uncovering their secrets, of determining our place in our family are all interesting and do well to drive Cianne’s actions.

Unfortunately, their plot is convoluted and unsatisfying. During the climax, Cianne places herself in position to overhear the damning evidence of corruption between her family and the other great houses. Sadly, this pivotal moment needs to be explained to the reader because it is not clear in the telling. In fact, it was not that clearly damning. Highly suspicious, but I expected more from Cianne’s spying abilities than a vague conversation.

I also struggled with Captain’s Loch sudden flip from loving Cianne to believing she was a traitor to the family. After spending almost half the story in a grief-driven stupor, convinced his parent did not commit suicide, he then accepts the fact his father was murder as necessary and the idea that Cianne is out to destroy House Staerleigh. It was too fast a flip in perspective.

I feel like the story would have been more interesting if there was more of an investigation around the deceased House member. More spying. More interviews. More seeking out clues and putting them together. Instead parts of the ending come out of nowhere (like her mother is still alive!) and is rushed to force both Cianne and Kila into each other’s company and out of the city.

While I recognized from the start this was part of a series, I assumed it would continue to follow Cianne and Kila. I was surprised to realize that the next book is about two different characters. Not what I expected given the set up of the first book and its lack of a satisfying ending.

There is much I enjoyed about this story – the relationship between Cianne and Kila was fun to read. It built well and I like how it connected to a past encounter. But several areas that left me unfulfilled. Overall, I would give A House Divided 3 stars out of 5.

Axira – Book Review

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Book Title: Axira
Author’s Name: Odette C. Bell
Series: Galactic Coalition

Spoilers Ahead!

Axira book cover – image from the internet.

Axira is a space opera set in the Galactic Coalition series by Odette C. Bell. It follows the titular character, Axira, as she attempts to redeem her violent past. Forced to be the mindless weapon wielded by her Master, Axira spent centuries trapped in her own body watching as another controls her form to hunt, kill and torture other lives. Eventually she is able to free herself from her Master’s control. Seeking revenge and a new beginning, Axira enrolled in the Galactic Coalition Academy.

Oh, I forgot to mention, that Axira belongs to a species of aliens called Spacers – one of the most feared aliens in the Milky Way. And of course this is a slow-burn romance between an overly powerful female alien and a human male.

It is a space opera. It is a fun adventure – fantasy story in space. I like that Axira, while a super-powerful alien species, still has limitations. Some are self-imposed to hide her origins. Also there is always someone stronger out there. I like the character development of Axira going from feared puppet to choosing her own future – a theme many people can relate to.

This story is written in four episodes, each is like a mini story that string together to form a larger overarching plot. It is a common set up by this author. In the first two stories, Axira helps the Academy which has been infiltrated by enemies. They talk about a mole within the Academy and the second looks at how a few loud, negative voices can create racist, xenophobic environments that are hostile to those who disagree – a very relevant theme! These stories are undermined when you learn later that respected Admirals, high in the chain of command, actually are responsible for the leaks and moles in the Academy. While some of the characters are able to accept the glib response of inciting these events for the greater good, I find their motivation troubling.

At the very least, the Admirals are complete asses to cause such harmful conflict that would continue to undermine the bastion of moral high ground (the Academy) for decades to come. I got the impression we are supposed to respect and admire these Admirals and the hard decisions they make. I was not swayed. Their actions, which mostly didn’t make sense to me, were despicable.

Axira was a successfully written fantasy-romance-adventure in space. It was interesting to read, though it fell back on some modern cliches. I definitely liked it more than another story from this series. While I thought Axira was a solid character, I did struggle with the male lead, Jason, who was a bit of a weakness in the story. Overall, I would give this 3 stars out of 5.

The Elf Tangent – Book Review

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Book Title: The Elf Tangent
Author’s Name: Lindsay Buroker
Book Series: None – yet

Spoilers Ahead!

The Elf Tangent book cover – image from the internet.

The Elf Tangent is a new novel by one of my favourite authors, Lindsay Buroker. Set in a new world, princess Aldari’s passions lay in studying in the very un-princess-like pursuits of mathematics and writing papers on economic theory. Writing under a pen-name to circumvent her father’s wishes, Aldari still understands her duty as princess of a small and largely defenseless kingdom. So, when an alliance with a stronger kingdom of Orath requires her to marry the foreign prince, Aldari sets off across the mountains. After all, she cares for her people and knows the threat of invasion from the aggressive Taldar Empire is real. Without an alliance Aldari’s home of Delantria is doomed.

Aldari is accompanied by her personal guard and best friend, Thali, and a host of elf mercenaries. Only the elves are not there to protect Aldari on her journey, but rather kidnap her instead. After centuries of fighting their own internal conflict, the elves believe Aldari may be the key they need to end the fighting.

Of course it helps that Hawk is considerate despite kidnapping princess Aldari. Then there are the puzzles that they set before her. Nothing like a good math problem to win the heart of this princess! And that is one of the things I love about this new cast of characters. Aldari is not a fighter, but she is good with numbers! It is always nice to find a smart capable character that doesn’t need to kill someone else to prove their competence. That said, I didn’t feel like they contributed that much to the final climax of the plot. Or perhaps I was not following their contribution properly. Still it appeared that others would have solved the riddles without her and would have brought fewer threats to the final destination.

Hawk was a fun character. He and Andari have some great conversations. I do love the banter! He also serves as a way to explain the world of the elves. I was not surprised to discover he was a prince – it was hardly a twist, but well set up in advance.

The elves pose an interesting problem. I like that they bring magic to the world. But their magic seems unconstrained – as though they can wave a hand and have the magic fix all their problems. At least once they solve their biggest problem. I did like the way they had to subsist on different types of moss! It was fun to have them so dependent on few resources. As a community they also had some internal politics at play, which did make the story more interesting.

The Elf Tangent book cover – image from the internet. Really, there is just one cover for this book – so image options are limited.

The Elf Tangent is a fun romp. I like the character developments. I like the new world being explored. I was left with some questions, like: why did Orath contract a marriage alliance with Delantria? And did they have anything to do with the attack on her caravan in the mountains? If Thali is a great bodyguard, why does she seem to fail all her fights? I liked Thali, but she didn’t seem overly good – or was that just because elves are so much better at fighting?

Still, I liked The Elf Tangent and would give it 4 out of 5 stars. I particularly like that it is not part of a series. It is nice to find some stand-alone books!

The Seer’s Secret – Book Review

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Book Title: The Seer’s Secret
Author: Brittany Fichter
Book Series: Legacy of the Time Stones (Trilogy)

Spoilers Ahead!

The Seer’s Secret book cover – image from the internet.

A curse has settled upon the land. It has turned the sun poisonous. So people have sought shelter and safety underground. In the Walled City, the last humans have created a refuge using shafts of light to grow their food-plants which are tended only at night. Outside the city, monstrous creatures still prowl the land. To guard the people against their attacks, warriors train in the citadel.

Eirin is one such individual. Selected when she was young, Eirin has spent the past 12 years training with the city’s most promising warriors. Learning how to protect herself and the other inhabitants of the city. Only Eirin is not a good warrior. Compared with those around her, she is weak, unskilled and a liability. It is only her position as the King’s favourite that has kept her in the citadel. With her final tests coming soon, Eirin knows she will fail and finally return to live with her family. At least that is the future she sees.

Recent attacks on the city by the shape-shifting monsters have whispered secrets. Seer, they said. Eirin doesn’t know what that means. She doesn’t know a lot. Like why the King has kept such a weak warrior at the citadel all these years. Or the worry Eirin’s mother has about the unborn baby. Things become even more confusing when the King calles Eirin to him. In a sudden motion, the King sends Eirin, his Heir, Drystan and several other warriors from the city and into the dying lands beyond. The King promises an answer to the unlikely group, if they can find one old woman living beyond the safety of the city’s walls.

Eirin and Drystan are the two protagonists throughout the story. Their past is complicated by some undisclosed incident that happened six years earlier. Their presence is made more challenging by the King’s order for Drystan to protect Eirin at all costs.

Added to the mix are Drystan’s best friend and long-time companion, Qeb. From Eirin’s year group are Alys, Eirin’s best friend, Nuru, Eirin’s nemesis, and Thane, a promising warrior. Mistress Alanna is the adult of the party, in that she has experience outside the city walls.

Of course leaving the city is a challenge. The world beyond is not what our party of explorers expect. It is both more and less dangerous than they had been told. There are people out there, shape-shifters, who are not evil. In fact it is only once they leave the city the greatest secret is revealed, our heroes are not human. They are the monsters they have sworn to destroy. It was a well set up plot twist that made sense to the story. That along with how they deal with the sun-sickness I thought was really interesting.

The evolution of the relationship between Eirin and Drystan was enjoyable to read. It was a predictable romance, but still well written for the most part. The twist about Drystan’s parents was not specifically expected, but nor did it feel out of place. Learning that Eirin was the only human worked well with the setup of the story.

The other thing I thought was pretty interesting was the choice of shape-shifters. Literally every mythological creature the author has heard of is present. From the English Fae to Japanese kitsune. There are your standard greek creatures and Thunderbirds from North American First Nations. While I like the eclectic mix of species, I preferred when everything was renamed to something different. At least, I thought it was odd when the names shifted from Alfar to Elf.

My biggest complaint with the story was the pacing. It had a strong and interesting start heavy with world exploration and mystery. The ending is more muddled and drawn out. There is no clear climax. There is a big emotional punch when Drystan learns that Alanna is his mother, moments before she dies. The remaining members of their small party are sent back to the Walled City, while Eirin and Drystan escape on the back of a dragon.

Only the story continues with Eirin and Drystan heading west, then getting caught by the people from their home, then imprisoned, then escaping – but not before some more exposition can explain what is happening. I get the importance of explanations, and while the section could have been interesting, it felt more like a waste of time after everything that came before. Finally, Eirin and Drystan escape the city and the Elders who have decided to focus on amassing power and control rather than correcting the curse. And yet, we are not done until Drystan battles the city’s elite warriors, turns into a dragon and more of Eirin’s yearmates join the pair in their escape. In the attempt to pack the ending full of twists, exposures and conclusions, it dragged and lost its emotional punch.

The Seer’s Secret book cover for the trilogy – image from the internet.

While I am kind of curious to know how the curse is lifted, I am not excited about the next book. This is a trilogy according to the title. From what has happened in this book, the next is shaping up to be the traditional book of betrayal. A conflict in perspective, a few new characters and I foresee the fracturing of friendships (and the budding romance) between Eirin and Drystan. This rift could potentially expand to Eirin and the rest of their party too – after all she is the only true human in the group. She will likely make many friends with other true humans, jealousy will arise, motivations will be questioned, friendships will break. Of course, most of this will be overcome in book three.

So, while I did like the book – giving it 4 stars out of 5, I am not waiting with high anticipation for the next novel. I might read it. I might not. It is difficult to say at this point.

Mr. Malcolm’s List

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It is movie review time! The movie is Mr. Malcolm’s List. It is a light-hearted, fluffy regency romance along the lines of Pride and Prejudice if it were written by a modern author. It was fun and very predictable. The plot was predictable – which is mostly good for me as I got what I expected.

Spoilers ahead.

Movie poster for Mr Malcolm’s List – image from the internet.

There were some very interesting moments. I liked Lord Cassy, who played the part of supportive fool very well. I liked the issues that were mentioned (but not fully developed) in several of the scenes. I would say the overall plot of misunderstanding and expectation is a good starting point for a romance.

So much like modern times, appearance is everything. Julia Thistlewight is trying to engage the affections of the most eligible Honorable Mr Malcolm. When he appears to snub Julia, it becomes the fuel for a caricature. Feeling publicly embarrassed and deeply unhappy about the experience, Julia uses her cousin to better understand the sudden change in attention. Discovering that Mr Malcolm has produced a list of requirements for his prospective wife, Julia comes up with a scheme to bring the wealthy bachelor down a peg or two. Julia enlists the help of a school friend, Selina Dalton, to enact her revenge.

Of course as Selina plays her part to become the perfect wife according to Mr Malcolm’s list, she is increasingly apprehensive about the deception Julia has planned. Things finally come to a head during a masquerade ball, where Mr Malcolm believes he is proposing to Selina, when in fact it is Julia. Without saying a word, she hands Mr Malcolm a list of requirements for a husband, for which he fails.

For me the biggest issues were the character development and the pacing. We reach this climatic moment of tension, when Malcolm believes he has been rejected and in the next heartbeat, it is clearly shown that Julia was the perpetrator, although Selina was complicit. I would likely have played with mistaken identities longer. But worse than that, there is only one really good scene where Malcolm and Selina talk – well fight – over the deception. Then two speeches of forgiveness between other characters and Malcolm propose successfully to Selina. I think it needed to explore the hurt feelings further. I would have cut some of the earlier wasted time to explore how these two reconcile their different perspectives.

I suppose in that way, this was not the same as Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth and Darcy have their misunderstanding earlier (and more than one), and it is really over the course of the story that they come to appreciate and love the other. While this is not the same formula followed in this movie, a longer ending would have made for a stronger story. I also would have sharpened up the dialogue.

The characters and their motivations needed some work. Take Julia, the manipulative friend. We are supposed to be sympathetic towards the woman. But we really need to see how she has suffered because of the public humiliation. We need to see more explicitly her role in society. The story could explore how she is trying to change her personality to attract an eligible husband. For instance, it is demonstrated that Julia is a crack shot with a gun – an extraordinary skill for a female in that world. So build on this. Why is she good with the gun? Is she secretly more of a sporty female, but works hard to hide that aspect in order to appear more lady-like? If so, how else can this be played up so that the audience is more connected with Julia and also for comedic effect.

Malcolm would have been stronger if he was less silent. I get the stoic vibe they were going for, but there was not nearly enough interaction with other people for anything more than ‘silent-type’ to present. He needs to be thrust into conversation with others, willingly and unwillingly if we are to swoon over the leading man. Afterall, he is supposed to be the catch of the season, and not just because of his money. He also needs to exude more charm.

Visually, it was fun to watch. I am always fascinated how they can film historical images that lack the obvious modern elements – like hydro-poles and such. The costumes were nice. The diversity of the cast was well done. It was a good movie, perhaps not a classic, but decent. A little more polish with the script (the dialogue) and pacing and this would be a really great film. Still, I am giving it 3 out of 5 stars.

To Kill a Fae – Book Review

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Book Title: To Kill a Fae
Author’s Name: Jamie A. Waters
Book Series: The Dragon Portal

Spoilers Ahead!

To Kill a Fae book cover – image from the internet.

Sabine is a Royal Fae in hiding. Living in a city full of humans, iron and other magical creatures, she has kept her true nature suppressed and cloaked for a decade. That is until one night, she is caught off guard. It only takes a moment, a tiny slip, to open a crack in the careful image she has crafted to guard her secret. And in that moment, she caught the curious attention of a recently arrived ship captain, Malek.

Malek has not come to Akros for smuggling as he claims. He is there for artifacts, old pieces of power that were once used to seal the great portal to other worlds. It was through the dragon portal, Malek’s people first came. It was during their war that much of the world was destroyed. This sent the fae deep into their forests. The fae don’t leave the safety of the trees, at least that is what Malek understood until he met Sabine.

Secrets and prejudices are hard to overcome. The fae hate dragons, but then the fae are also supposed to hate demons and Sabine is tied closely to two powerful demons living in Akros. Hunted and marked for death by her own people, Sabine’s life in Akros has just become dangerously complicated in this fast pace story.

I really enjoyed reading about Sabine. She was just the right mix of physical fighting competence and caring about those around her. She was strong, smart and not clueless. I like that the reader learns more about the world and characters over time. But the protagonist is integrated into the world and knowledgeable about her surroundings – she is not clueless or an amnesiac. Sabine is competent – which makes for a fun read.

She does have that princess power of attracting strong people to her. Her broken family provides the dark past needed to drive her forward into action and adventure. And that is what this story is – the first in a series of object-collecting, world-exploring, ally-making adventures. I enjoyed book one so much that upon its completion I immediately got book two. Which was the same general premise of powering up the magic, Sabine saving some people to create more alliances, and of course collecting the next artifact needed to close the Dragon Portal. From the description of book three, I see this is a trend that will continue through much of the series. Which is not a terrible way of doing things. I just don’t know if I am going to stay interested. I will say, the second book was fun in its further exploration of the world.

To Kill a Fae book cover for the first three novels in the series – image from the internet.

There are a number of magical creatures, many, but not all, are humanoid in some capacity. I feel this story does well with the different mythical races. It has shown that not all individuals from one group, like the mermaids, are the same. Some mermaids are good, some are complete asses. That is true of the fae and dragons and … It is also interesting how the author takes stereotypical characteristics and twists them in a new light. Like how the fae work with and manipulate the balance of debt between themselves and others.

What I am struggling with is the presence of active gods. Granted this is more a personal preference, but I don’t love the inclusion of active gods in my fantasy stories. I am happy if they are part of history. But their power level or attitude or something, just doesn’t seem to work so well when active in the story. Perhaps I just don’t like the idea we are moved like puppets by forces beyond our control. It is my least favourite aspect.

This was a great read, so I am giving it 4.5 stars out of 5.

Paladin – Book Review

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Book Title: Paladin
Author’s Name: Sally Slater

Spoilers Ahead!

Paladin book cover – image from the internet.

Paladin is a book that I had on my wishlist for a long time. It languished there for so long in fact, the book became unavailable for a time before getting a new edition. Paladin is the debut novel by Sally Slater. It is the story of Sam – aka Lady Samantha. She has run away from her father, the Duke, to join the ranks of the heroic Paladins.

Sam is your classic tomboy. The only child, she is indulged by her mother and scolded by her father. The impetus of change in Sam’s life is two pronged, the expectation that she is to marry within the year is announced to her. Rebelling against this edict causes Sam to run from her father. Found by her mother, a Demon catches them as they are returning home. The death of her mother is the big push for Sam to hide her gender as she seeks a place with the lauded Paladins.

This opening is not so unfamiliar a story. What is different about Paladin, is the stuff happening more in the background. Sam is a trainee throughout most of the tale. She starts her training in the Paladin fortress. But it is not long before her trainer, the esteemed Tristan Lyons and fellow trainee, the half demon Braeden are sent off on a mission.

It seems simple enough, gather information on the rebels in the west. Only, things become far from straightforward as growing evidence of corruption among the elite ranks of the Paladins arises. Paladins are supposed to fight the demons that ravage the land. But what happens when you start fighting other Paladins? Added to that, are the secrets Braeden and Sam are keeping.

I liked the pacing kept by the book. It could have slowed down at any number of points. It could become a story about training, like a school book story. It could have focused more on the complications of hiding her gender – it definitely explored some interesting complications associated with that. Interestingly, while the novel followed three perspectives – Sam, Braeden and Tristan – it was also about the lies that had been told by the people in charge.

The story was about change and change of perspective. There was a great deal of focus on the relationships between three three main characters and how they evolved over time. But what I find myself reflecting on is what is happening in the world. How the High Commander is so corrupt and manipulative. How he is bringing about the Second Age of Shadows. His big revel at the end does explain why more demons are terrorizing the land and how Braeden came to exist. It also explains why the Paladins, the supposed protectors of the people, have become corrupted. Why so many more demons are terrorizing the land and why the Paladins are increasingly not present to drive back the monsters. What I don’t know is how the High Commander learned to ward, since that form of blood magic was thought lost.

It ends with war looming between the Paladins and the ‘rebels’ of the west. Sam is willing to fight in the war against demons and paladins, but first she is going to help her best friend, Braeden break the seals chaining him to the High Commander’s control. In that way, this book feels like a beginning. Yet, as of writing this, it is the only book I can find by the author. Which means it is not part of a series. I kind of hope that it remains a stand-alone. I hope that it remains feeling like the introduction to a bigger, sweeping saga that the reader is left to imagine.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun. The pace was strong. The was complex – more so the further you read. I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

Top Gun: Maverick – Movie Review

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It has been months since I have been to a movie – in the cinema. But the other day I went to see Top Gun Maverick. If you like the original Top Gun movie, then I think you will love this sequel. It is everything that you think of when you hear the words Top Gun – military uniforms, cocky pilots, fast motorcycles and even faster airplanes.

Overall, I would say that Top Gun Maverick was better than I expected. But not as good as I would hope.

Top Gun Maverick – image from the internet.

I liked the secondary focus on the relationships between Pete (Tom Cruise) and the other characters (fast planes will always be the primary focus). In many ways I liked that the ‘villain’ was a nondescript insulation in a nearly impossible to reach location that needed to be exploded with a high degree of precision. There was an elegance to the simplicity of the objective.

But as a selfish viewer, I really wanted more.

Tom Cruise was either smiling or emotional – where emotion equates to quick bursts of anger or sadness. These were really his only two modes of existence and fortunately for movie goers, smiling was the more prevalent of his expressions. He was a man in motion, running, motorcycle riding or flying. Which means there was little time left for deeper character exploration.

Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.

And that is what I would like to have seen. Development of the other characters. There were a lot of them. And the important ones are all recognized by single attributes:

the girl pilot,
the nerdy navigator,
the black American pilot,
the Asian navigator,
the cocky-arrogant young pilot (to differentiate from the old Top Gun crew),
the black supporting guy – who must have been a personal aid to Tom Cruise cause he showed up everywhere,
the angry old admiral,
the angry younger admiral,
and the love interest woman.

I know speeding fighter planes are going to feature dominantly in the movie, but they could have cut back on some of the cockpit moments of heavy breathing to build some characterization through conversation between the other pilots. I am pretty confident it would have improved the film. I certainly would have enjoyed a slightly more complex plot.

Top Gun Maverick movie poster – image from the internet.

Maverick does a great job of feeling nostalgic. The opening immediately harkens back to the classic scenes and images from the first Top Gun. Even the music is a link back to Top Gun. The new generation of pilots feel like modern analogues to the original cast – though this is more supposition than fact since I don’t really remember the original movie very well. The motorcycle is still there, the sunset shots of airplane landings and takeoffs still look good on the big screen. And some of the original cast have cameos in this sequel.

Like I said at the start, if you are a fan of Top Gun, then I think you are going to love Maverick. It delivers on its promise of fast planes, Tom Cruises’ smile and a hurrah ending.