4,5 stars and 3 Cheers for my new Hero, Bob, the Sourdough-Starter.
Bob, you can go now and take your place next to The Lugagge. ♡ (Yes, you should hav4,5 stars and 3 Cheers for my new Hero, Bob, the Sourdough-Starter.
Bob, you can go now and take your place next to The Lugagge. ♡ (Yes, you should have been given your own medals too, but let's face it, you would have eaten them. ;)...more
The author's Nocturn Falls series are my go-to, undemanding and relaxing Halloween reads with the quirky town and cute paranormal romance tro2,5 stars
The author's Nocturn Falls series are my go-to, undemanding and relaxing Halloween reads with the quirky town and cute paranormal romance tropes.
With Shadowvale, Painter tries a similar set-up, which she wanted to make a bit darker while sticking to her well-versed formula. Trouble is that while she created the skeleton for it, she totally forgot to add some flesh and skin to it all and the book made for a subpar, tired reading experience.
It felt like she really could not care less about characters and plot, and this attitude obviously was less than inspiring for me. Even though I wanted a bit of "mindless" read, I did not want it in such a degree.
I am consoling myself with the fact that it was a kindle freebie.
I would not recommend this book by Painter, but can give a vote in favour her Nocturn Falls series if you are in need of a light, entertaining PNR romance....more
Having read Legends & Lattes last year, I did not have any expectations this time round, concerning plot or characterisation 3,5 stars rounded up to 4
Having read Legends & Lattes last year, I did not have any expectations this time round, concerning plot or characterisation (or world-building, for that matter) and felt more satisfied.
This is a very light, cosy-fantasy story about which everything is pretty generic (even lazy), but it certainly delivers on the relaxing and heart-warming front....more
This book is in perfect line with what is now tagged as "cosy fantasy" (courtesy of an article I read in Book Riot), undemanding, low-angst/stakes (thThis book is in perfect line with what is now tagged as "cosy fantasy" (courtesy of an article I read in Book Riot), undemanding, low-angst/stakes (though this may vary), containing "slice-of-life" events which can be extremely comforting or extremely boring according to your booktastes. I am mostly all for this type of reads, but book-chemistry being what it is, we do not always click, as you can see from my original review below.
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2,5 stars
Mixed feelings and reading experience.
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When I started listening to this story, I thought I would be able to give it 4 stars, but by the last third the author unfortunately lost the plot (that wasn't that much to begin with) and my attention as well as my goodwill by letting it dissolve into a completely silly and annoying will-they/won't-they/why-the hell-just-don't-they-so-we-can-FINALLY!!-get-to-the-interesting-bits. (The chemistry between the would-be couple was nonexistent, btw, so that made this all the worse.) I really enjoyed the book until about 40-50%, but after the cosy-comfy feelings it originally evoked in me, it let me down by the thin plot being dragged out interminably into precisely nowhere.
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The clumsy attempts by the author to insert all the critical issues of our day and age were very worthy in themselves, but they did not mix well with this particular, middle-ages-ish fantasy background as written by them. Instead of being organic to the whole story, they felt forced and crude, and sometimes downright silly. (view spoiler)[I mean "royal employee appreciation day"? Oh, pur-lease!! (hide spoiler)] The "humourous" bits were the slapstick kind which may entertain a 10-year-old, felt also totally out-of-place and were repeated to the point of ridiculousness.
To say that the 472!!-page-long book ends on a cliffhanger would be unmerited flattery. But I just checked out to see how Book 2 is going on and it is clear both from the reviews and the cover blurb that the going-nowhere-very-slowly is still there and there will be a book 3, so I just returned Book 2 to Audible, because I do not want to go on with the series.
Anyways, to give praise where it is due, the narrator did a very good job of a very messy book....more
Very slow, thin on plot, chokeful of details, low-angst, and yet oddly comforting at the same time with likeable characters[image]
3,5 stars rounded up
Very slow, thin on plot, chokeful of details, low-angst, and yet oddly comforting at the same time with likeable characters.
The narrator -rather good- also helped me get along.
You really have to be in the mood for it to work, but me and the book had this chemistry that sometimes comes along without any credible reason or explanation.
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"He thinks he's a wizard," they said.
For five grand a month and a million dollar chaser, Roger Mulligan didn't care how crazy the old geezer was. All he had to do was keep Joseph Perry Shackleford alive and keep him from squandering the estate for a year.
Now the thing is that while Nathan Lowell seems to be an established sci-fi writer (according to the info on GR), I have not been aware of him until now. Which is not a criticism from my side: there are many great and not-so-great authors I have not known before I bumped into their books, but it means I had no preconceived notions what to expect.
I am not 100% sure how I bumped into this particular book. I have a vague memory that the GR algorhythm started to throw it in my way last year after I finished
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(which I did not like) and then again this year, after I read
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(which I did like). And it makes sense as both books were trying to achieve comfort and homeliness (well, L&L did manage to achieve it, The House Witch did not, or at least not for me), were high on minutia and low on angst and were (supposed to be) undemanding, relaxing reads. There were hints at possible conflict and tension, but they stayed at the hinting stage (plus the House Witch ended on a "cliffhanger" for want of a better word, but that is another review).
The Wizard's Butler has the same vibes. It is full of details of everyday happenings that you may take into your stride if you are in the mood for some very easy and soothing read, or be driven up the wall or at least throw the book at it. Both reactions would be justifiable.
I was sitting a bit on the fence about it because of the wizard/pixies mentioned in the blurb, so I kept expecting some happenings. You know...
Magic
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with Pixies
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In this respect, I was to meet disappointment. We never meet the Pixies, though we know that they like whisky (that's something, I guess). Also, not much magic is happening, because the book is presented fully from the POV of Roger Mulligan (ex-military and trained EMT) who is a great guy BTW and I liked him a lot, but he is as unmagical as it gets.
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There are lots and lots of chapters dedicated to his getting butlering into his stride and how he is caring for and bonding with an old -and once again, very likeable- wizard and helps him "fight" his greedy, umagical relatives who try to get legal guardianship over him and his vast fortune (I guess one of the "highlights" of the story is how the internet is introduced to the house, yesss, THAT exciting! ...more
ETA on re-re-read: still one of my favourite books!!!
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Original Review
This is one of those rare books, which I wanted to start re-reading rigETA on re-re-read: still one of my favourite books!!!
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Original Review
This is one of those rare books, which I wanted to start re-reading right away after I finished.
The novel is a combination of political intrigue, coming of age and whodunnit with a positive outlook/outcome, where the majority of characters stays alive instead of dying cruel, overdramatic or unnecessary deaths.
Titanic wars & armageddon do not feature in the book either, so if you prefer dark, grim, action- and war-packed fantasy books where the world is hopelessly doomed, then you most probably won’t like The Goblin Emperor.
What I loved: - Maia, the protagonist. A shy, self-doubting, sensitive boy without real family and friends, kept in exile and isolation and treated with disdain and cruelty because he is half goblin. Then his father, the elf-emperor suddenly and unexpectedly dies in an accident with all his other sons, leaving Maia his heir and completely out of his depth. Maia stays a likeable MC throughout the book, despite his awkwardness & naivity. His quest for family, friendship and love & his coming into his own as a wise and successful emperor among the heartless political plotting, manoeuvring & vying for power is truly heartwarming and satisfying. It is great to see how he is learning to sail the dangerous waters of the court: who to trust / befriend / love / stand up to / dismiss among the multitude of relations, courtiers, politicians & servants that surround him. Maia is literally, figuratively & sometimes even unwittingly building bridges in his empire.
- The world building is fantastic. It is detailed, well built-up & credible as a whole, but especially the emperor’s court with all its political/economic/interpersonal system, laws & rules, administration and etiquette has been very well drawn.
- The political intrigue/whodunnit plot. The reader is learning about it together with Maia. It is like watching an intense and tense game of chess with all figures moving purposefully and eagerly awaiting the next step trying to figure out who is standing on which side.
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The names are rather confusing and complicated (though it did not bother me any more on the 3rd re-read). It is hard to follow who is who and what and whether they are male / female even with the explanatory appendix at the end.
With such a detailed & precise world-building, a map of the empire, with its neighbouring countries & geography would come in handy. I would love to consult one while reading....more
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