Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Book Title: Doctor Sleep
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Horror
My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥
Source: Audible

Goodreads, Amazon UK

Plot Summary: Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special 12-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.
On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless - mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky 12-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the "steam" that children with the "shining" produce when they are slowly tortured to death.
Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence.
He meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan's own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra's soul and survival.

What did I think?

I love Stephen King. He's been one of my favourite authors for a long time now. It all began with It. Sadly, me and Doctor Sleep did not get along as much as I would have liked.

If you've ever wondered what happened to Danny Torrance after he and his mother escaped the hotel and are curious to find out what kind of an adult he becomes, then this is for you.

Nobody that has read or watched The Shining will be surprised to hear that Danny did not turn into a functioning adult but rather into a huge alcoholic mess.

The characters are fleshed out in ways only King can flesh out characters. However, the book lacked punch, and I struggled with the pacing throughout the first half. It starts out in an intriguing way, then loses momentum and doesn't regain it until far later in the book.

For once the villains weren't as scary as they ought to be. In fact, I think alcoholism and Danny's eternal demons were much scarier than the actual vampire like creatures who feed on children with the Shining. I really liked the character of Abra Stone, though. She was definitely a great addition to this book.

All in all, definitely worth a read but not one of King's best.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Book Title: The Cruel Prince
Author: Holly Black
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Source: I own a Kindle copy

Goodreads, Amazon UK

Goodreads Summary: Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

What did I think?

Hyped books are a bit hit and miss when it comes to me.

This one is a firm hit!

I devoured it in like a day, I just couldn't stop myself. This is my first book by Holly Black, but it definitely won't be my last.

Now, before I get into why I liked this so much, let me just clarify: this is a young adult fantasy. Just in case you're not into young adult....

It literally starts with the visceral murder of Jude's parents. Right there on page one, I knew I was in for a wild ride. The plot is fast paced and the characters are well developed. I would have liked to see some more world building, because I find the world of the fae fascinating, but I'll be happy with all the wild twists and turns for now.

The Cruel Prince starts out with a bang, followed by a slow build up filled with tension until it feels like the entire book explodes in your hands.

Jude is a great character. She's an underdog who does not give up and will always go down fighting. Truly a character to root for.

Now, where's the second books, please and thank you?

The Liveship Traders (Trilogy) by Robin Hobb

Book Title: Ship of Magic, Mad Ship, Ship of Destiny
Author: Robin Hobb
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Source: Library

Goodreads, Amazon UK

Goodreads Summary: From the author of the classic Farseer trilogy, Ship of Magic begins an epic tale of pirates, sentient ships, magic, sea serpents, slave revolts, dashing heroes and bloody battles.

On the northernmost point of the Cursed Shores lies Bingtown, a bustling hub of exotic trade and home to a proud merchant nobility famed for its extraordinary vessels.

Only Bingtown liveships can negotiate the perilous waters of the Rain Wild River and plunder the riches found upstream, but such vessels are made from the most precious commodity in the world – a material with the ability to become sentient – and so are extremely rare.

The fortunes of one of Bingtown’s oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia. For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy. But the fate of Vivacia – and the Vestrits – may ultimately lie in the hands of the dark and charming pirate, Kennit, who lusts after such a ship and has plans of his own.

This is a trilogy. I'll mostly talk about the first book. There are no spoilers in my reviews!

An overview to the Realm of the Elderlings

I began reading Robin Hobb at some point in the last two years and started with the Farseer Trilogy, which is the first trilogy in her series Realm of the Elderlings. I enjoyed it a lot, but I also struggled with it.

First of all, let's look at the Realm of the Elderlings series:

1. The Farseer Trilogy (narrated in the first person by Fitz)
2. The Liveship Traders Trilogy (narrated in the third person, following various protagonists)
3. The Tawny Man Trilogy (again narrated in the first person by Fitz)
4. The Rain Wild Chronicles (4 books, just to mix it up a little, narrated in the third person)
5. The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy (narrated in the first person by Fitz and one of the other characters)

Do they have to be read in order? Yes and no. If you just want to read the Fitz books, you can read the Farseer Trilogy, the Tawny Man Trilogy and the Fitz and the Fool Trilogy. However, those must certainly be read in order.

The Liveship Traders and the Rain Wild Chronicles add a lot of depth to the world and the last trilogy ties it all together. I have seen that some people aren't big fans of the Rain Wilds Chronicles and yes it could technically be skipped.

I do highly recommend reading the Liveship Traders, though! I really enjoyed myself. They could be technically read without ever touching any of the other books, they tell a complete story!

Let's talk Liveship Traders

Maybe you've noticed the words "but I also struggled with it" up there while mentioning the Farseer Trilogy and now you want to know why.

Robin Hobb's pacing is glacial. The books are too long. I still love them!

Robin Hobb offers her readers wonderful prose and her style is almost literary. Her books are very character driven and a lot of the protagonists spend many pages doing mundane tasks or contemplating their lives.

I'm not a fan of that aspect. It feels like every book starts with a bang, ends with a bang but has a big drawn out middle section.

This is, however, my only complaint so far.

Ship of Magic is fantastic! The entire trilogy is told in third person from different points of views, which adds a variety that the Farseer trilogy, told only from Fitz's point of view, was missing.

I love, love, love the premise. Ships that are alive and are actual characters capable of thoughts and emotions. I never thought I'd root for a wooden ship.

I especially loved the antagonists Hobb created. There's one truly despicable villain, I wanted to strangle most of the time, but Hobb shows us his point of view and in his own story his actions make perfect sense to him. He's literally the hero of his own story and everything he does, is because he believes it's the right thing to do. This adds so much depth to his character and made him enthralling and at the same time my favourite and least favourite part of the book.

There's another character that gets an amazing development across all three books. Again one that you might want to strangle at first but will slowly fall in love with. 

Hobb created many great female characters in this trilogy. They kick ass and they save the day!

I don't want to say too much about the plot. Let's just say the liveship Vivacia awakens to a troublesome chapter in the Vestrit's family history. And Kennit, the pirate, really wants to own one of these talking wooden ships!

I don't think I have to recommend this series to Robin Hobb fans, they probably have all read it already, but if you weren't a fan of the Farseer trilogy and would like to read something different by this beloved fantasy author, try this one. (If you happen to be a fantasy fan who has not yet tried Robing Hobb...what are you waiting for?)

Tooth And Claw by Jo Walton

Book Title: Tooth and Claw
Author: Jo Walton
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Source: Own a Kindle copy

Goodreads, Amazon UK

Goodreads Summary: A family of dragons gathers on the occasion of the death of their father, the elder Bon Agornin. As is custom, they must eat the body. But even as Bon's last remains are polished off, his sons and daughters must all jostle for a position in the new hierarchy. While the youngest son seeks greedy remuneration through the courts of law, the eldest son - a dragon of the cloth - agonises over his father's deathbed confession. While one daughter is caught between loyalty to her family by blood and her family by marriage, another daughter follows her heart - only to discover the great cost of true love...
Here is a Victorian story of political intrigue, and family ties, set in a world of dragons - a world, quite literally, red in tooth and claw. Full of fiery wit, this is a novel unlike any other.

What did I think?

This is unlike anything I've ever read in fantasy.

If Jane Austen, or maybe Charles Dickens, felt the sudden urge to write a fantasy book about dragons, this is probably what they would have written.

It has everything: daughters who need to marry, a lost inheritance, romance, etiquette, a greedy family member, a confession, and charming characters. Only...they're all dragons. And they also eat each other.

If any of that sounds at all intriguing to you, please pick this up. It's short, charming, witty and heartwarming.

Jo Walton takes dragon lore and mythology and makes it work with the customs in Victorian society. The world building is delightful. The characters are charming. The society is, frankly, amusing. We've got lords and ladies, only they're all dragons (did I mention everyone in this book is a dragon? But they sit at tables, drink tea and travel in carriages. Just making sure, I definitely mentioned that.) and they all attempt to thrive in society either via their profession or the party they marry. They go to church, they have servants, oh and, they eat the weak and the ill to better their race. Dragon meat helps smaller dragons grow, only to eat, you must already be big and strong...and please don't forget to wear the proper hat.

I've enjoyed this read a lot and recommend it to fans of the Classics just as much as I recommend it to fantasy fans.