Review: The High King's Tomb

The High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is one of those books where you don't care that it's really really long. Because you don't want it to be over. I love the heroine, Karigan. She has real concerns and real weaknesses and doesn't seem to realize how awesome she is. The book is too long to really sum up here, but when I think of The High King's Tomb, I think of the climax where Karigan faces down the King's sneaky, rebellious, and surprisingly powerful enemies in the royal tombs with the help of some supernatural coolness. It's pretty intense. And exciting. The unresolved romance is driving me crazy. What's a girl to do when she's in love with a king who's engaged to someone else for the good of the kingdom? I guess she just continues to distract herself by kicking butt, making him want her, and enjoying sneak peaks of him when she can.



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Review: Ready Player One

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Pretty intriguing and creative story about a young guy who escapes the real world into an internet-based cyber world where he goes by another identity and tries to beat the whole world to a million-dollar prize hidden within the game. (Sadly, can't recommend to everybody for some language and other sketchy issues. Wish Cline had just left some of that out, because it still would have been edgy with the characters expressing themselves in more creative and intelligent ways.) The setting of a cyber world with endless planets and galaxies to explore? Awesome. Limitless possibilities here. Cline does hit on some provocative points about cyber privacy, material greed, the conflicts with anonymity, and the difference between living in a real vs. a Matrix-like world. However, the book stays focused on the fun side; that is, the pursuit of a million-dollar inheritance by winning a series of video game quests. Pretty fun stuff.




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Review: Flesh and Bone

Flesh and Bone by Jonathan Maberry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



And the darkness continues...

The third book is a bit violent. I mean, it's zombies, so all the books are violent. Killing zombies calls for some specialized skills (especially if you want a zombie story that's believable). The good news is that it's a book and it leaves more to the imagination than if you were watching a horror movie.

Things get a bit more troubled and hopeful at the same time in Flesh and Bone. The search for the jet continues and the characters realize they have other conflicts they need to fix. Troubled relationships, past tragedies, and post-apocalyptic cults all haunt them.

It's chilling, it's exciting, and it leaves you hanging. Book 4 here we come.



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Review: First Rider's Call

First Rider's Call by Kristen Britain

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Granted, it's a little bit lengthy by the standards of today's fantasy-adventure genre, but it's so worth it. I'd say it's targeted for slightly older young adults.

Karigan's a great heroine with honor, sass, and just the right amount of frailty. She's not like twiggy females who somehow magically defeat buff, bouncer types. She kicks butts of bigger guys because she's strong, she trains, and she's smart. And it's not easy for her, which makes me appreciate her more.

You gotta love a good fantasy novel with the perfect combination of action, darkness, magic, and some sprinkled romance. I could always use a little more romance (just ask my hubby), but hey, it's enough to keep me turning pages.



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