Tag: Fantasy

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Review: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin

by The Lit Bitch11 Comments on Review: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin

Five kings. One throne. When you play the Game of Thrones you win….or you die. In George R. R. Martin’s epic high fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, plenty of characters meet their valiant demise, but there can only be one king who will sit the Iron Throne….but which king?

In the third book, A Storm of Swords, many different plot lines and POV’s finally begin to come to maturation but just when you think you have the series, a plot line, or character all figured out and summed up….Martin takes you in an unexpected direction.

For me, this was the best book in the series so far. The first book was really about getting to know the history and background of Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms while the second book was more about the war and strengthening the concepts of the first book but this third book was more about the characterization for me.

Martin is totally blowing my mind right now with this series! This book has been exciting and surprising till the very last word. Continue reading “Review: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin” →

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Review: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

by The Lit Bitch3 Comments on Review: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Richard Mayhew has no idea what awaits him in London on the eve of his going away party in Scotland. His friends pitch in to get him a going away gift, a white umbrella with a map of the London Underground.

He can’t help but stare at the umbrella with an eerie omen of impending disaster….little does he know how right he is.

For three years, Richard’s life is more or less normal. He works in business and he is engaged, but he still can’t help but feel disenchanted. One night, Richard’s life changes drastically….he encounters a girl bleeding on the streets of London.

With his decision to help her, Richard is propelled into a dark, gothic urban fantasy set in the Underground–better known as London Below.

London Below is an alternate reality–a strange world of Underground railways, tunnels, and sewers, which is home to a host of eccentric and unique characters. Continue reading “Review: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman” →

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Review: A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R.R. Martin

by The Lit Bitch6 Comments on Review: A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R.R. Martin

War is coming.

All over the Seven Kingdoms, chaos  reigns! With King Robert dead and the Lannister family on the brink of scandal…the fate of the Iron Throne is in question–four different self professed ‘kings’ proclaim their imperial rule over the Seven Kingdoms threatening to divide the realm. Brother against brother–house against house–alliances made and broken–war changes everything.

A Clash of Kings is the second in George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. I think this is the longest and most complex books I have ever read (1,009 pages). Though it is long, the story itself is rich and the prose lyrical–this series definitely reads like a hero’s ballad adventure.

As I mentioned in my review of the first book Game of Thrones, the series itself is intricate and tedious. Once you get into the story as I did with this book and figure out how to read high fantasy such as this…the reader can fully appreciate the story, characters, prose, and plot.  This series is a beautifully written adventure and I can wholeheartedly say I liked this book much better than the first because I could appreciate the story more once I knew how to navigate the genre. Continue reading “Review: A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R.R. Martin” →

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Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor

What happens when the good becomes the evil? What if everything you know about heros and villains was wrong?

In Laini Taylor’s debut YA fantasy novel, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, everything you know about traditional good vs. evil cliches are wrong. This is the story of Karou and Akiva. Karou is a demon–Akiva, is an angel. In this series, the angel is the devil in disguise.

Karou is not like other girls. She speaks 20+ languages, natural peacock blue hair, and a body covered in tattoos including two mysterious eyes on her palms. She lives in Prague and attends an art institute by day, but when the sun goes down–her real life begins.

Karou works for a black market wish-monger named Brimstone. Karou’s job is to collect teeth–human teeth, animal teeth, and every kind of teeth in between. Brimstone is a creature from an odd, alternative world of demons and monsters. When he calls on Karou she is transported all over the world to collect, buy, sell, and trade teeth–in exchange Brimstone gives Karou unlimited wishes (within reason). Brimstone is the only family Karou has ever known…he has trained her and raised her like his own daughter. But something inside of Karou is missing….a part of her feels empty–a part she cannot wish away. Continue reading “Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor” →

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Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

by The Lit Bitch7 Comments on Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

How do you escape the reality of your mundane existence? Do you come home from work and sit mindlessly in front of the telly? Do you listen to music on your iPod? Watch the latest flick at the movie theater? Surf the internet for hours searching for the perfect picture of a white sandy beach (my personal fav!). Or do you get lost in the inky lines of your favorite book?

Whatever your day dream is, it should be magical….a place where anything is possible….a place where dreams merge with reality….a place like The Night Circus.

Erin Morgenstern’s novel, The Night Circus, is a mysterious anomaly–a story that is fragile and captivating. Enchantment cloaks every page of The Night Circus, enveloping readers in a plush, velvet like prose that is sure to bewitch even to the most reluctant reader.

This book made me believe again and again in the power of imagination. It was like discovering Alice in Wonderland as an adult….I felt like a kid all over again….anything in this book is possible.

I could totally see it being a Tim Burton movie by the way–I would love to see this book be a Tim Burton movie with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonhem Carter :)….but a lass, I digress….

Le Cirque des Reves (The Circus of Dreams) arrives without warning. All you see is a sea of black and white. No color. No announcements or advertising precedes it . It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. This mysterious enchanting circus opens only at the bewitching hour….only at night.