BBAW Day 4: Readers and the Seven Realms

Another day of BBAW fun and I am excited for this topic. Today BBAW asks: Has blogging changed the way I read?

The short answer: Yes.

To elaborate on this, my post today is the perfect example.  Today, I am talking about my love for the Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima.   But not in the same way I would have before the blog.  Not only do I talk about the love, but now I have the chance to literally share it.

See, back in the pre-blog days, I'd occasionally rave to people about awesome books.  Now, I can rave, I can interact with authors, and I can participate in book celebrations, like this one.  It adds a whole new dimension (or two or three...) to the reading experience.  I love the author interactions, the celebrations and read-alongs and countdowns and cover reveals and giveaways that populate the book blogging world.  I love to host and to simply participate.  All these things have increased my enjoyment and give depth to my reading experience.  And, of course, it's fun too! :)  So, to illustrate, here we go:

As you may recall, I've raved about this series before (specifically The Exiled Queen and The Gray Wolf Throne)- it's pretty much everything you could hope for in an epic fantasy, especially a world so rich and deep it's almost impossible to distinguish it from our own.  It's the kind of book that you fall into and emerge calling yourself Frodo or Arwen or dressing in robes and clutching wands because you're so obsessed with the characters.  A story that will bring something new every time you reread it.

Emily of Emily's Reading Room invited me to join in this Seven Realms celebration by posting part of a puzzle that when put together will spell a secret word that will allow you to enter to win a set of signed Seven Realms books.  You can also change your Twitter avatar to one of the pictures below (each one represents a group from the books) and tweet using the hashtag #sevenrealms for more chances to win!

My piece of the puzzle:

You can find the links to the other pieces of the puzzle at Emily's Reading Room.

Once you have the word, email it to Emily (emilysreadingroom(at)gmail.com) with the subject: Seven Realms Week.

Below are the images to use for Twitter.  The crown represents the Queen’s Guard, the ring represents the Clans, and the amulet represents the Wizards.  On Facebook you can change your profile picture as well, and post on the Provo City Library’s Facebook Page they are offering another set of the books, signed.

So, what has blogging changed in your reading experience?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in bbaw , giveaway , not a review , Seven Realms

Book Review: The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima

The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Publication date: August 2011
ISBN: 9781423118251
Source: e-book provided by NetGalley

 

*Spoilers for the first two Seven Realms books are very possible*
Raisa is on her way back home to her mother and sister, but things are not going as planned.  After escaping the grasping Gerard Montaigne, she is chased by rogue members of her guard.  When Han finds her nearly dead from a poison arrow, he makes a choice to do everything in his power to heal her.  He doesn't expect it to take so much out of him, though.  Their two paths will twists and intersect again and again, especially when Raisa decides she must rely on Han to help her make it onto the Gray Wolf Throne.  Can she live long enough against the assassins and ill-will of the Bayars?

Things I Liked:
Chima has a real talent for creating extremely realistic, fully developed, fantastic worlds.  The Seven Realms seem as real to me as our world!  She has such an ability to bring fantasy to life.  I love the characters and their stories and the intricate plots she's woven together, everything leading to one particular path that seems inevitable, but is still surprising.  I really love reading a complex court intrigue and this is one of the best I've come across.  Trust, betrayal, deception, and so many other emotions wind together to make a complicated and fascinating pattern that I won't fully grasp until I get that next book!  Just what a high fantasy should be.

Things I Didn't Like:
I have to admit, it has the usual drawbacks of high fantasy - a huge cast of characters, a vast number of pages, and a super complicated plot that can occasionally become confusing.  Still, that's one of the challenges I love about it.  I thought this was the last book in the series and was confused when it didn't end satisfactorily.  But, I found out there's another book (thank goodness) and I simply can't wait for more.

Read-alikes:
Read The Demon King and The Exiled Queen first
The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe
Crown and Court Duel by Sherwood Smith

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a little

mrg-factor: X
some heavy kissing

v-factor: ->->
there is fighting and death

Overall rating: *****

Any predictions for what will happen in that next book?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in 5 stars , e-book , Fantasy , highly recommended , review copy , Seven Realms , Young Adult

Book Review: The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima

The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication date: September 2010
ISBN: 1423118243
Source: Library

*Some spoilers for The Demon King*
After Han lost his mother and sister and discovered he was a wizard, things definitely couldn't go back to normal.  He and Dancer are making their way through treacherous war-torn lands to go to Mystwerk House to learn magic.  The Princess Raisa is also making her way secretly to Wein House in the same town, escaping a forced marriage and hoping to learn enough to help her keep her throne and eventually rule with strength and skill.  Both face enormous danger from the Micah Bayar, who is also attending Mystwerk House, and whose father has an uncanny control over Raisa's mother, the queen.  When their paths cross in Oden's Ford, the twisting stories of both will intertwine in new and life-changing ways.

Things I Liked:
This is epic high fantasy at its best.  Chima has created a rich, detailed, and deep world here with customs, prejudices, cultures, and history so complete it is like an alternate reality.  I love how intricate and complete every part of the story and the world is, even if it's only a passing reference.  The slang and language of the characters also contribute to this feeling of completeness.  I am just in awe of how much work and thought and creativity Chima has used to put this series together.  And the story that attends it is just as rich and detailed as the world.  There are twisting plots and twining stories that lead to unexpected results.  Once you get caught up in this world, you won't want to ever return to ours.  Here are some lovely parts:

He looked out over the jagged southernmost Queens toward the hidden flatlands of Arden beyond.  these were unfamiliar mountains, homes to long-dead queens with names he'd never heard.  The highest peaks poked into the clouds, cold stone unclothed by vegetation.  the lower slopes glittered with aspens haloed by autumn foliage. p 16

Houses built onto a hillside are deceiving: short one-stories at the back, and tall four-stories at the front.  They reminded Han of brightly painted fancy girls that had seen better days.  They backed into the mountainside and spread their long skirts down to the valley floor, their dirty petticoats in the gutters.  The streets were narrow and tangled and cobbled with stone - a material plentiful and cheap in the mountains. p 62

Things I Didn't Like:
I think I'm getting too used to reading shorter and faster books.  I sometimes had a hard time with the book's length.  This thing is massive, and it's a series, so there is a lot of information and detail (see above).  Occasionally, I would be annoyed that there were so many minute details and just want to read more story, but they really do contribute to the atmosphere and the world-building really well.  A daunting book, but one that epic fantasy-lovers should revel in.

Read-alikes:
Reminded me of Chima's Heir trilogy
And a bit Lord of the Rings ish in its enormous detail

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
some, not a lot 

mrg-factor: X
mostly passing references and some kissing

v-factor: ->->
some action fighting sequences

Overall rating: ****

Are you an epic-fantasy reader or do you avoid them at all costs?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in 4 stars , Fantasy , Seven Realms , Young Adult