1) Tennyson: Poems \\ Lord Alfred Tennyson \\ 5 Stars
'Twas my first real foray into poetry, and I have to admit, it was stunning. I found Tennyson's writing quite obtuse at times and had to read beyond slow and repeat certain phrases, but--that guy had some serious linguistic skills on him. My favourite piece was The Lady of Shallott. Such a whimsical but tragic poem. This definitely isn't a breeze-through book of poetry, on the contrary, it's quite intense--but there are some real gems to be found!
2) A Bound Heart \\ Laura Frantz \\ 3 Stars
I always love Frantz's writing style...it's so timeless and classic and heartwarming. Being that I read mostly suspense, I found it somewhat hard to get into the slower pace of things, but...once I got out of the suspense mindset and settled into it being a bit more of a progressive, meandering historical plot, I enjoyed it immensely. I felt like Lark's character was refreshingly unique, and her personality was so attractive. She wasn't brash and annoying and in your face, but she also wasn't the pendulum swing into the opposite court--of being so timid and shy that it got on my nerves. She was just right. Pure, bright, and sweet. I think I'd like a friend like her.
I felt Magnus's character was a bit...not bland, but...there was something left wanting for me, in Magnus. And their relationship. I wanted more interactions between them that were sweet, but their relationship almost more mirrored that of siblings.
However, I still enjoyed the book and learning a bit more of history!
3) Fierian \\ Ronie Kendig \\ 4 Stars
Fierian would've reached 5 stars for me because it is complexly written, thought up and beautiful, with unique and compelling characters. Everything Kendig writes is just mind-bogglingly creative and epic. Only reason it didn't is because...I WAS CONFUSED. So confused, for such a great portion of the book/series that I got frustrated that characters were being plopped in, left, right and centre, and they had no backstory.
Seeing as that the names are all quite different, I couldn't keep track of 50 plus characters and remember their backstories from books 1 & 2. I kept going back to the Character Glossary at the beginning of the book with the main characters, but most of the people I was wondering about weren't in there.
Same thing happened with locations. I was so stumped, and I kept looking back at the map in the beginning of the book and thinking, "Seriously, where is this location that's being mentioned?"
Another confusing part was the history aspect. Now, I don't want a huge download, but with the Fantasy genre especially I feel like it's somewhat important to give your reader's a history of the planet. Like, what IS the planet? WHO are the people groups and their histories? I was so confused when a people group would be mentioned with no accompanying "this is who this people group is" and a sentence or two explanation of their culture/history.
I'm not sure if it's because I read the third book about three months after I read the first two, or because I don't read much in the Fantasy genre, or because it was actually confusing...I can't say.
For much of the book, I was so confused/stumped on who a character was, what their people group was, what history I was supposed to view them through, etc. Imagine my surprise when I get to the end of the book and I discover an alphabetical character list and list of locations/creatures. Because there was already a glossary in the front, I never thought, even once to look in the back! I was so annoyed, because I went for so much of the book being confused, and the glossary was lurking in the backmatter and I didn't even know it!
The first half of the book felt (to me) quite disjointed and slow. Because of the aforementioned confusion regarding the characters, I found it hard to track when the POV jumped around so sporadically. I feel like the length could've been halved, considering how the first half of the book seemed like you were turning around and around and not actually moving forward. The stuff with Haegan and the Infantessa felt long and drawn out, like the same scene was taking place over and over again.
The second half of the book, however, I LOVED. All the characters developments were amazing. Astadia and Tili's relationship--YES. I was just doing such a happy dance seeing it unfold. They had amazing chemestry. I'd love to see more relationships come together like theirs. Haegan's continued growth--yes. Draccian--what up dude but--YIKES!! I wished we had've gotten more Thiel & Haegan time, but alas, such was what the plot allowed. Oddly enough, Tili & Asadia were my favourite characters.
Apart from the aforementioned confusion, of which there as A LOT (and that is the ONLY reason this book got 4 stars instead of 5)--Fierian was so complexly written. What an array of brainstorming genius! As usual, Kendig has done an excellent job in creating a world and making it epic and glorious. Giving us swoon-worthy characters and many gut-wrenching moments.
In the end, if it weren't for the slower pace in the first half and my inordinate confusion, this book might've had me doing a serious joy dance. Even so, the second half had me pretty hooked, so I still consider this book a win in its own right.
Same thing happened with locations. I was so stumped, and I kept looking back at the map in the beginning of the book and thinking, "Seriously, where is this location that's being mentioned?"
Another confusing part was the history aspect. Now, I don't want a huge download, but with the Fantasy genre especially I feel like it's somewhat important to give your reader's a history of the planet. Like, what IS the planet? WHO are the people groups and their histories? I was so confused when a people group would be mentioned with no accompanying "this is who this people group is" and a sentence or two explanation of their culture/history.
I'm not sure if it's because I read the third book about three months after I read the first two, or because I don't read much in the Fantasy genre, or because it was actually confusing...I can't say.
For much of the book, I was so confused/stumped on who a character was, what their people group was, what history I was supposed to view them through, etc. Imagine my surprise when I get to the end of the book and I discover an alphabetical character list and list of locations/creatures. Because there was already a glossary in the front, I never thought, even once to look in the back! I was so annoyed, because I went for so much of the book being confused, and the glossary was lurking in the backmatter and I didn't even know it!
The first half of the book felt (to me) quite disjointed and slow. Because of the aforementioned confusion regarding the characters, I found it hard to track when the POV jumped around so sporadically. I feel like the length could've been halved, considering how the first half of the book seemed like you were turning around and around and not actually moving forward. The stuff with Haegan and the Infantessa felt long and drawn out, like the same scene was taking place over and over again.
The second half of the book, however, I LOVED. All the characters developments were amazing. Astadia and Tili's relationship--YES. I was just doing such a happy dance seeing it unfold. They had amazing chemestry. I'd love to see more relationships come together like theirs. Haegan's continued growth--yes. Draccian--what up dude but--YIKES!! I wished we had've gotten more Thiel & Haegan time, but alas, such was what the plot allowed. Oddly enough, Tili & Asadia were my favourite characters.
Apart from the aforementioned confusion, of which there as A LOT (and that is the ONLY reason this book got 4 stars instead of 5)--Fierian was so complexly written. What an array of brainstorming genius! As usual, Kendig has done an excellent job in creating a world and making it epic and glorious. Giving us swoon-worthy characters and many gut-wrenching moments.
In the end, if it weren't for the slower pace in the first half and my inordinate confusion, this book might've had me doing a serious joy dance. Even so, the second half had me pretty hooked, so I still consider this book a win in its own right.
And there you have March in books! Only three, but on the flip side--still three!
What was your favourite book read in March?
