I've been reading recently. Reading too much, actually. Reading as the hours slip by and counting down the hours of sleep now attainable, but continuing because I'm unable to put the book down.
How did this happen? Well, I found a new author, K. M. Shea, who's created a unique genre that I will now refer to as the crack of literature.
But I also want to talk about the other books I read, so I'll start a couple months ago with The Giver Quartet. I was trying to make use of my new Kindle Unlimited subscription. It was less magical than I had hoped, as most of the books I have in my Goodreads "to read" list are not in the Kindle Unlimited selection. But The Giver Quartet was, and after finding out that it was a quartet and didn't just end with The Giver, I was intrigued and eager to read it. So I started there, one stressed out Sunday when I had no energy or patience left to give the world and my never-ending to do list.
I read all day! And it was heavenly. And the books weren't bad either. (SPOILERS! I tried not to do any, but I failed. I'm terrible.)
After The Giver Quartet, I floundered around until I found the "search by genre" area online. I still haven't found it on the Kindle interface, so I have to preload my Kindle and then read later, which is kind of a pain but hardly a deal-breaker. But anyway, here's the things I found just by bumbling around in the fantasy section of the Kindle Unlimited selection.
I read these out of order, so I'm going to review them starting with #4, but it doesn't really matter. The stories don't rely on each other. And yes, this is my crack.
That caught me off-guard, but I don't actually object to the romance genre, and it was well-written for a romance story, so I decided to just go with it and accept it at face value. If I have one tiny, little quibble with the story, it's the ending. Because we had switched over to romance genre, the bad guy was easily dispatched in about 2 seconds (after years of terrorizing his subjects), and then there was one of those horrible epilogues where you can practically hear the fake, jolly laughter in your head whilst the heroes' well-deserved happiness is lauded to the point of excess. But that's not an issue with this book in particular, more the romance genre in general. And obviously it didn't deter me from downloading the other 3 books in the series.
So why is this like crack to me? I'm not sure. The fantasy/fairytale/romance combination is awesome. And the stories are quick paced - the books are only a couple hundred pages long, so there's never a slow point to set it down. But I think above all, it's the dialogue. Some of the exchanges between the characters are truly witty, and I've laughed out loud several times while reading these. I was briefly saddened that there aren't more books in the Timeless Fairy Tales series, but then I decided to stalk the author and read all her other stuff. Including...
Yeah, you read that right. "Her knights." So what/why/how can King Arthur possibly be a woman? I know - that's why I knew I had to read this series, too.
Anyway, I'm out of new books for the moment, and I might have to keep it that way, because I'm obviously having trouble being disciplined enough to put a book down lately. And I really need a few nights of normal sleep!
How did this happen? Well, I found a new author, K. M. Shea, who's created a unique genre that I will now refer to as the crack of literature.
But I also want to talk about the other books I read, so I'll start a couple months ago with The Giver Quartet. I was trying to make use of my new Kindle Unlimited subscription. It was less magical than I had hoped, as most of the books I have in my Goodreads "to read" list are not in the Kindle Unlimited selection. But The Giver Quartet was, and after finding out that it was a quartet and didn't just end with The Giver, I was intrigued and eager to read it. So I started there, one stressed out Sunday when I had no energy or patience left to give the world and my never-ending to do list.
I read all day! And it was heavenly. And the books weren't bad either. (SPOILERS! I tried not to do any, but I failed. I'm terrible.)
The Giver Quartet
The Giver - ♥♥♥♥♥
I absolutely loved The Giver! This was the only one I read when I was younger, and it was pretty early on into my dystopian obsession, so there was really nothing to dislike about it. I particularly enjoyed how open-ended the ending was. What was actually happening to Jonas? Was it literal or metaphorical? Who knows?!?!Gathering Blue - ♥♥♥♥
Oh wait. Now we know. It was literal and now the mystery is gone. Hmmm... less satisfying than I would have expected. For the record, I still greatly enjoyed this book, but it was unexpected both that it starts off with a completely different character, and then that it ties in at the end when you've all but forgotten that this is part of a series. So I had trouble settling in and just enjoying it and while you'd think I'd enjoy how it ends on such an optimistic note, I guess I found it less realistic, or too tidy or something. I don't know. But anyway, I still liked it enough to give it a 4. The actual story and character were interesting and I was very invested in what would happen to her.Messenger - ♥♥♥♥
This one was very similar to the last. It was about a new character, but at least he was one we'd met before and he interacts with our old characters, so I didn't struggle as much to figure out what was going on. The story was different, and the mystery of what's happened to sour the one little bright spot in this land filled with tyrants and dystopia kept me reeled in until the end. At which point I teared up because it was so sad!Son - ♥♥♥
The last book was probably the least compelling. It felt more like the author was unwilling to put down that world and those characters and less like it's own story. I still enjoyed parts of it, but the end was the stereotypical "fix everything and save everyone" and it was just too tidy and clean for my cynical mind. It certainly wasn't bad, but I didn't like it as much as the others.After The Giver Quartet, I floundered around until I found the "search by genre" area online. I still haven't found it on the Kindle interface, so I have to preload my Kindle and then read later, which is kind of a pain but hardly a deal-breaker. But anyway, here's the things I found just by bumbling around in the fantasy section of the Kindle Unlimited selection.
Dragon's Keep - ♥♥♥
This was so so. The story was interesting, especially the intrigue and suspicion you have for the main character's mother. Her interactions with dragons and overcoming old prejudices was my favorite part of the story. But... there's a love story and it's so incredibly cheesy and underdeveloped. We met, exchanged 2 words, and then were in love - that sort of romance. And then he magically knows when to show up and save her even though they've had no communication for months? Years, maybe? Oh, and all the rest of the characters switch drastically from condemning her to die to being loyal subjects. It's just all-around cheesy and not how people behave in real life. 3 stars for dragons. I think there might be more, but I won't be following up.Timeless Fairy Tales
I read these out of order, so I'm going to review them starting with #4, but it doesn't really matter. The stories don't rely on each other. And yes, this is my crack.
Rumpelstiltskin - ♥♥♥♥♥
If I'm being absolutely honest, this probably doesn't deserve a full 5 stars, because it's not the most masterful writing (I think on Goodreads I gave it 4), but I'm giving it 5 here because of how much I enjoyed it. I knew this was a fairy tale adaptation, and for the first 3/4 of the book it read as such. The main character is kind of stand-offish and not personable (to other people, not to the reader), and I kind of liked that about her. She's not a typical blushing maiden and she doesn't put up with other people's BS. She is, however, very capable, and very intelligent. There was a little bit of a romance, and I enjoyed watching that develop, but I wasn't expecting much until about 3/4 of the way through when the story suddenly transformed from a fantasy into a full-blown romance!That caught me off-guard, but I don't actually object to the romance genre, and it was well-written for a romance story, so I decided to just go with it and accept it at face value. If I have one tiny, little quibble with the story, it's the ending. Because we had switched over to romance genre, the bad guy was easily dispatched in about 2 seconds (after years of terrorizing his subjects), and then there was one of those horrible epilogues where you can practically hear the fake, jolly laughter in your head whilst the heroes' well-deserved happiness is lauded to the point of excess. But that's not an issue with this book in particular, more the romance genre in general. And obviously it didn't deter me from downloading the other 3 books in the series.
Beauty & the Beast - ♥♥♥♥
This one was more obviously a romance early on, because of the nature of the story: the Beast is saved if Belle (Elle in this story) falls in love with him. Throughout I enjoyed the way the fairytale had been adapted, and the quirks of their romance, particularly some of the dialogue. Again, the female protagonist is written as a strong, intelligent woman, and I found her very enjoyable, especially after we found out there's a little more to her than what she first seems. Only complaint: the ending again. It's well known that there have to be communication obstacles in the way of the main characters in any romance to prevent them from falling in love and just enjoying being together. But this one was particularly stupid and they should have known better, both being intelligent people. And, alas, the author did the thing where everyone turns against the main character, even if they've liked her the whole entire time, but then are friendly and loyal again as soon as the miscommunication is cleared up. I'm pretending it didn't happen since the rest of the book was so much better.The Wild Swans - ♥♥♥♥
I liked the main character less in this one, and the romance is a little weird (it's a love triangle with 2 of her 7 foster brothers. I know they're not actually related, but still...). But there's a lot more story to it, since the main character has to accomplish a lot more than sitting in a castle having diverting conversations with the other characters. The thing that stuck out the most in this one: the ending! There's 2 of them! The author lets you choose which of the 2 you wanted to win the main character's heart, and then you can just read the ending you prefer. On the one hand, everyone wins! But on the other, it's a little less satisfying, because you know the author didn't choose this one - you did. But points for creativity!!!Cinderella and the Colonel - ♥♥♥♥♥
This would have to be my second favorite after Rumpelstiltskin. The romance has the least amount of cheesiness of all the stories (I didn't even realize the male protagonist was the love interest until more than halfway through!), and the main character has enough strengths, quirks, and flaws to make her a well-rounded and interesting person. Oh, and I love how she solves her own problems, sometimes through great personal sacrifice. It does get a tad bit moral-y near the end, but I'm allowing it. A solid end to the series (although I'm hoping the author writes more. I love me a good fairy tale adaptation!).So why is this like crack to me? I'm not sure. The fantasy/fairytale/romance combination is awesome. And the stories are quick paced - the books are only a couple hundred pages long, so there's never a slow point to set it down. But I think above all, it's the dialogue. Some of the exchanges between the characters are truly witty, and I've laughed out loud several times while reading these. I was briefly saddened that there aren't more books in the Timeless Fairy Tales series, but then I decided to stalk the author and read all her other stuff. Including...
King Arthur and Her Knights
Yeah, you read that right. "Her knights." So what/why/how can King Arthur possibly be a woman? I know - that's why I knew I had to read this series, too.
Enthroned - ♥♥♥♥
"King Arthur" is actually a replacement, someone brought from the future by Merlin's magic to replace the intended king who has run off. At first I was disappointed; I don't typically enjoy the "ignorant person from the future can't do anything and uses lots of confusing slang" type of storyline. But I stuck with it (it's not hard to, each book is only 100-ish pages) and I started to really like the main character. She tries, for one thing. And she's not completely clueless, due to some convenient skills that we can explain away or not think very hard about. But I think the thing that got me the most was her grief when she finally realized this isn't a dream and she's never going to go back home and see her family again, and also how she does the best with what she's got. I'm definitely interested to see how they'll continue to hide the fact that their "king" is actually a woman. Oh, and the way Merlin pulls the strings and manipulates everything!Enchanted, Embittered, Embark - ♥♥♥♥
I was going to just leave it there, and then I had another short night where I read through all of these. They're so short and so hard to put down! Anyway, I can't remember which events happened in which book, so I'll just say I really liked all of them. I like where the story is going and Britt's personal growth as she settles into her "king" role. There's a few slip ups with her gender being discovered, but nothing they can't handle, yet... Also there's a tiny hint of a possible romance with Britt and Merlin, but I like that it's not a huge focal point. Every once in a while it's nice to read about men and women being friends without it always having to develop into romance and you have that with Britt and all her knights, even the ones who know her true identity. Oh! And one of my favorite parts is the way they portray the King Arthur story. It's different, but it's also being influenced by our modern version because Britt is from our time and she wants to follow the legend that she knows. So it's fascinating to see which things will change and which will follow the legend (in some form or other).Anyway, I'm out of new books for the moment, and I might have to keep it that way, because I'm obviously having trouble being disciplined enough to put a book down lately. And I really need a few nights of normal sleep!
What have you read recently? Do you have your own literature crack?
