The Most Complex of Love Stories in His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik | Book Review

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

Temeraire #1
First Published: 2006
Kindle Version
Adult, Alternate History
Rating:

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors ride mighty fighting dragons, bred for size or speed. When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes the precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Captain Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future – and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature.
Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.

Last year, I read Novik's Uprooted and absolutely adored it, so when this came up bargain price on kindle, I didn't even blink before one-clicking it. Finding myself soon after in the mood for a fantasy, I started this story... and got sucked in in mere seconds.

I have always been a fan of stories that take our history in a slightly different, more fantastical direction (such as the Parasol Protectorate series). There is just something so charming about making our own dry history something that everything and anything can happen in.

And His Majesty's Dragon is no exception. In fact, it's one of the best examples for an alternate history done right. In this world, Dragons have always existed, and are both rare and important beings and the most advanced and unique of weapons - because they have brains and thoughts and are intelligent and intellectual creatures.

They are the army's best resource, especially now as America is fighting against Napoleon. I admit I'm pretty rustic on the Napoleonic Wars (wasn't a subject we covered in school, in all honesty), but everything had such an authentic feel to it, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the battles I read of were real - only changed slightly to confine with the reality of dragons.

Which is something I really appreciate - because it makes you feel that if Dragons were real, this is how our history would've went. I feel so strongly about the setting to this story that had the actual plot and characters not been phenomenal I would've still recommended it. However, it was, so there  was no such trouble.

At the core of things, His Majesty's Dragon is a love story... between one man and his dragon.

Captain Will Laurence is a navy officer, and proud of it. While he works his crew hard, everybody respects him for his fair treatment and how he expects from them exactly what he expects from himself. His determination and fairness helps him win over many people he encounters along the way. Honestly, I'm half way in love with the Captain. He's such a great person, above everything, and if I wasn't sure I would lose to Temeraire in a contest for his heart, I would've tried something already.

But who is Temeraire? He is the super intelligent, solid black dragon Captain Laurence finds, and despite being ten times the size of Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon, he shall forever be the talking version of Toothless in my head and you can do nothing to change that.

It has to be the fact Temeraire is so adorable and sweet and cute that makes it impossible not to see Toothless in my head. So if you liked Toothless, you will fall head over heels in love with Temeraire! 

And if you liked the relationship between Toothless and Hiccup, you will adore the relationship between Laurence and Temeraire, as both are very similar at their level of devotion, though His Majesty's Dragon takes it even a step farther as Temaraire can talk and converse, making an even deeper bond emerge between the two.

I'm curious to see if Laurence could even get into a committed romantic relationship at this point, as Tem is in a way both his soulmate, his pet and his child, and that leaves very little place for anything else. But I didn't mind it at all.

If I had to find a word to describe their relationship, both in progression and content, I'll probably say "gorgeous".

So if you like complex love stories that are not necessarily "romantic"and set in an intricate world that provides for the occasional heart pounding battle... 

"Don't Leave Me" from Glory in Death by J.D Robb | Noticeable Scenes

This was originally part of my review for the book, but I've decided that scenes that truly stood out to me in books will be featured separately on this new blog, because they deserve the spotlight. 

Kicking off this new feature is a scene from J.D Robb's Glory in Death.  

Glory in Death by J.D. Robb

In Death #2

First Published: 1995

Paperback

Adult, Mystery

Rating:

It is 2058, New York City. In a world where technology can reveal the darkest of secrets, there's only one place to hide a crime of passion-in the heart.

Even in the mid-twenty-first century, during a time when genetic testing usually weeds out any violent hereditary traits before they can take over, murder still happens. The first victim is found lying on a sidewalk in the rain. The second is murdered in her own apartment building. Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas has no problem finding connections between the two crimes. Both victims were beautiful and highly successful women. Their glamorous lives and loves were the talk of the city. And their intimate relations with men of great power and wealth provide Eve with a long list of suspects -- including her own lover, Roarke.

In this scene, the main character Eve Dallas comes to question her boyfriend Roarke in the middle of the night about his connections to the second murder victim. They are in the middle of a huge fight, and this questioning doesn't really go well.

As Eve turns to leave, she ends up crying, asking Roarke not to do it. Not to leave her.

(I've read the book so long ago that I don't recall the specific wording, but that's the gist of it).

When this happened, when Eve cried, I wanted to break down right there in my room. I had to stop reading, to close the book and take deep breaths to compose myself before I could safely continue. And even then, my eyes teared up again almost immediately.

My heart was clenching and there was no overcoming it. 

The power in this scene is that it's not a tragic scene. It doesn't need to be to involve all your feels and completely wreck you. 

The magic of it lies in seeing such a strong, fearless and fearsome woman just... break down. Break down because the thing that scares her the most is being alone again, when just a few months ago she didn't really know anything other than being alone.

It's... quite frighting, as Roarke said.

And moving.

Glory in Death by J.D. Robb | Book Review

Glory in Death by J.D. Robb

In Death #2

First Published: 1995

Paperback

Adult, Mystery

Rating:

It is 2058, New York City. In a world where technology can reveal the darkest of secrets, there's only one place to hide a crime of passion-in the heart.
Even in the mid-twenty-first century, during a time when genetic testing usually weeds out any violent hereditary traits before they can take over, murder still happens. The first victim is found lying on a sidewalk in the rain. The second is murdered in her own apartment building. Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas has no problem finding connections between the two crimes. Both victims were beautiful and highly successful women. Their glamorous lives and loves were the talk of the city. And their intimate relations with men of great power and wealth provide Eve with a long list of suspects -- including her own lover, Roarke.

While Glory in Death is the second book in the fantastic In Death series, it is the first I'm writing a review for. Because, reasons.

“In their eyes, Eve saw the wolf gleam. The story was the prey, ratings the trophy.”

The story is set in 2058 - but even in the future, with all the gadgets and advanced knowledge, murder happens, and it's Eve Dallas's job to figure out by whom and bring them to justice. Eve is a strong, dedicated woman who is constantly hard on herself. She takes it on herself to protect and serve those who have been robbed of their life and can no longer be heard.

She is such an inspirational, human character! But she can be a bit hard to deal with on a personal level.

Luckily for her, her soulmate is the powerful, dangerously sexy, multimillionaire, Roarke, who pretty much sees into her soul, and is willing to do anything to make her his in every way, shape or form. He challenges her and makes it his job to take care of Eve when she's too consumed by the dead.

Roarke is seriously one of my biggest book crushes ever. I want one of him.

The romance between these two is not a fairy-tale romance--because it's not perfect, but it's completely real. It has it's ups and downs but ultimately, you never once question the rightness of these two. That they're meant to be. You root for them even when you know it's not necessary because there is just no way there will ever be anyone else for them. No one less demanding could force himself into Eve's heart, and no one less good will be able to convince Roarke to change his path to a more lawful one.

A le sigh.

The only "lacking" part of this story was the murderer. As this is a mystery novel, the frame plot revolves around these atrocious murders. But the villain was easy to spot from the moment he walked onto the page because he was just so suspicious. And he pissed me off big time. 

So, thank you J.D. Robb. I felt very satisfied with what happened to him, in an evil, wicked kind of way *slow clap*

For a noticeable scene from Glory in Death, click HERE!

A Few Things That Didn't Make Sense In The Final Empire | Book Discussion // Spoilers!

Okay, so yesterday I reviewed The Final Empire, the first in the original Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. That review is completely spoiler-free, btw, so if you haven't read the book yet and are looking for that sort of thing, click here.

But if you have read the book and feel like discussing some things with me, stick around and let's brain-storm over whether these things are mistakes, hints at future events or just misunderstandings I've made! 

Clearly, this will include SPOILERS as I am going to discuss some things and discoveries that didn't make too much sense to me while reading this novel, in no particular order.

So without father ado, let's begin! 

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson | Book Review

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn #1
First Published: 2006
Paperback
Young Adult, Fantasy
Rating:

In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with colour once more?
In Brandon Sanderson's intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage— Allomancy, a magic of the metals.

YES I FINALLY READ THIS.

Admittedly, the Mistborn trilogy hasn't been on my radar for long, I didn't even know it existed before last year, but then it cropped up on BookTube and seemed to be everywhere. And everyone were saying how good it was and I wanted it. Gosh how much I wanted it.

After some mishaps with TBD shipment, I finally had it in my hands. And then proceeded to abandon one of my most anticipated reads ever, Winter, in order to read it.

I was not disappointed! I was sucked into this fantastic world from the first paragraph, falling in love with the writing and the characters almost as soon as each was introduced. They were just such a likable band of misfits, brave and daring where those qualities are oppressed, joyful and cheerful where there shouldn't be any reason to be, and flawed to the point of perfection.

Firstly, we have Kelsier. Has there ever been a more charming bandleader? The fact he sometimes really really really really worried me, as the rest of the crew worried, somehow just added to everything. Because I felt myself willing to believe him, in him, alongside everybody else.

Then there's Vin, the only woman in the crew, and the youngest by many many years. She's sixteen, has lived her life trying to be invisible in a landscape that only meant her harm, trusting no one. And she has a unique ability. She becomes Kelsier's apprentice, in a way, and she is the true hero in this story for me.

I loved, loved, loved her. Loved watching her slowly open up to her friends. Loved watching her come to put her faith in something so intangible as "trust".

Not to mention all their abilities as Mistborns! They were so interesting to read of, definitely one of the more interesting magic systems I've ever encountered. I can't wait to learn how the mistborns were created, because this book hints that we're going to discover all that in this series.

The whole novel spans around a year in time, and that year is spent planning and hatching plans--some of which misfire, some of which succeed--on how to overthrown the evil ruler of this world. And let me tell you this - you will believe it all. Sometimes, these things seem too easy or too far fetched. But Sanderson definitely worked hard to make sure every bit of it made sense and could, possibly, happen in RL. 

Now, the weakest point of this novel is probably the romance. Not because I didn't like the love interest, because I adored his keen mind and dishevelment, but because Sanderson spent no time establishing them.

We're told they've been hanging out for a few weeks and stuff, but we see very few of these conversations and interactions, leaving us to wonder why the heck everyone say they're in love when all you can see is attraction and the possibility of more.

Romance is not a big factor in a novel like this, but if you're already putting it in I feel like you should at least give it some thought and not just throw in "yep, they're in love".

Aside for this, there were a few other points that didn't make sense to me while reading this novel. Make sure to come back tomorrow for spoilery discussion questions that I'd love to brainstorm with you!

But overall, a fantastic read that I couldn't put down!

Love Irresistibly by Julie James | Book Review

Love Irresistibly by Julie James

FBI/US Attorney #4
First Published: 2013
Paperback
Adult, Contemporary
Rating:

HE’S USED TO GETTING WHAT HE WANTS…
A former football star and one of Chicago’s top prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cade Morgan will do anything to nail a corrupt state senator, which means he needs Brooke Parker’s help. As general counsel for a restaurant company, she can get a bug to the senator’s table at one of her five-star restaurants so the FBI can eavesdrop on him. All Cade has to do is convince Brooke to cooperate—and he’s not afraid to use a little charm, or the power of his office, to do just that.
AND WHAT HE WANTS IS HER.A savvy businesswoman, Brooke knows she needs to play ball with the U.S. Attorney’s office—even if it means working with Cade. No doubt there’s a sizzling attraction beneath all their sarcastic quips, but Brooke is determined to keep things casual. Cade agrees—until a surprising turn of events throws his life into turmoil, and he realizes that he wants more than just a good time from the one woman with whom he could fall terrifyingly, irresistibly in love ...

Let's start by saying this: Julie James is one of my favorite contemporary writers. She is a master at sophisticated yet funny conversations, of strong characters and great romances. She makes the ideal reality, and she makes you believe it's possible to have it all.

While Love Irresistibly is no exception to the rule, it is also my least favorite James novel to date.

The characters were as strong as ever - Cade is a cocky guy. Like, really. He has every confidence in his ability to get whatever he wants, and the idea someone will say 'no' to him never crosses his mind. And despite this, he wasn't obnoxious. In fact... I loved him! 

I will say that a big part of my loving him was due to the fact we lived inside his head for half the novel. If all we saw of him was what he says outwardly, I might have been singing a different tune. 

Brooke is trademark Julie James - she is strong, she is smart, and she inspires awe wherever she goes. Companies will literally fight to have her, as she is such a dedicated, serious and hard to beat businesswoman.

And while I adored the hate-to-love relationship between these two, the romance was definitely lacking to me. When these two confessed their feelings, all I could think about was how they weren't in love yet. I felt like yes, they were heading there, but they still had a way to go.

Then there was the... emphasis on the physical. I loved their dates, but there weren't many of those. instead, there was a lot of sex due to the 'no strings attached' deal they tried. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I felt like it wasn't balanced. I felt like they didn't get to know each other. 

The second issue I had with this book was the lack of solid frame plot. Up to this point, every book in the series had some form of overall plot-line moving along with the love story. That kept things interesting and added some action and tension. Note the "up to this point" part. In Love Irresistibly there was no such thing, and you feel it.

Not to close this review on a bad tone, I'll mention a favorite character - Zach, Cade's brother, is such an adorably awesome and awesomely adorable kid. His story arc was the best of all the book, to me. Not to mention seeing old characters! It was so much fun to catch up and learn who's engaged, who's married and who's having pretty little children. Kyaaa! 

March Round Up!

General Stuff

Oh boy, March was exhausting, and pretty low on reading. Instead, I watched some shows, read some manga and generally let myself relax because work was so hard y'all. My supervisor is off touring India (she comes back next week. Yay!) and that... put me in charge. Of a bunch of kids who don't want to work. Of making sure everything was working properly.

Lord have mercy.

Do you know how many late night phone calls I got? How many fires I had to put out? How many moments of silent panic? And between all that, interviewing for my next position!

I needed a lot of rest and a lot of not thinking when I was home (which wasn't much!) which is what I did.

And... I'm perfectly okay with it.

BTW - I got the new job! :D

MY READING MONTH

Reading? What is this reading you talk of? Haha, kidding. I read exactly three books this month and three manga (but two of them were under 16 chapters so I didn't count them really). This might sound as very little reading. That's because it is. But, I enjoyed everything else I did this month which was seeing two foreign drama and immersing myself in the YouTube and the Tumblr and going out with friends.

I still intend to bring up my count in April, just because it's been a long time since I had such a weak month. I don't plan to bring it back up to 14 a month minimum (yes, that's how it used to be lol) but five a month sounds doable :)

POSTS

REVIEWS

 Wow I forgot how many reviews I had up this month :O

Thank you so much for sticking with me in March, and here's to hoping you'll come again in April :)