Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

Freed slave Zacharias Wythe is the first black sorcerer in Britain - and he's at his wits end. Not happy about a black man holding the staff of the Sorcerer Royal, Britain's aristocratic magicians are undermining him at every turn. In fact, someone is so unhappy about it that they keep trying to kill him. Making his position even more precarious is the closure of Britain's border with Fairyland which is causing Britain's atmospheric magic levels to drop dangerously low. With all this going on, the last thing he needs is an extremely talented but exasperating young student who insists on breaking every rule in magical society.

Sorcerer to the Crown is an imaginative and funny romp with sparkling prose and surprisingly biting social observations about race, class and gender. Fantasies set in regency London have been done before, but the diverse set of characters is new and both protagonists - one a freed slave, the other a mixed race woman - face prejudices that add a more unique aspect to a well worn setting. However, I felt that Sorcerer to the Crown was not quite sure what it wanted to be. The plot was definitely underdeveloped and lurched from a romance to a comedy of manners to an Austenesque social commentary and back again, and so I found it hard to keep track of what the hell was going on. Either the book needed to be longer, or some of the most absurd parts of the plot needed to be cut. That being said, I liked Sorcerer to the Crown, but I didn't love it as much as I thought I would.

Recommended for: Anyone who likes their fantasy light and humorous.

Rating: I liked it, but didn't love it. Three stars on Goodreads. 

Read On: Sorcerer to the Crown is the first book in a planned trilogy with the second book, Sorcerer Royal due to be published later this year. Other historical fantasies with a 19th century British setting include Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, and Soulless by Gail Carriger.

Five On A Theme: Disabled Protagonists

Having diverse characters in science fiction and fantasy books is really important, because everyone, children or adults, should have heroes who look like them. In this spirit, here are five awesome protagonists with a physical disability:

#1 Yarvi / The Shattered Sea trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

With a withered left hand, Yarvi cannot properly wield a sword or hold a shield - a real problem for a prince in a brutal Viking-inspired world where might and strength is everything.

#2 Kaz Brekker / Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo

Even though he walks with a limp and a cane, Kaz is a conman and a thief, and more than capable of holding his own in a fight.

#3 Miles Vorkosigan / Vorkosigan Saga series by Lois McMaster Bujold

Born with brittle bones and standing less than five feet tall, Miles accidentally becomes the commander of a mercenary fleet and has all sorts of wild adventures in space.

#4 Tyrion Lannister / A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin

A drinker, a womaniser and a dwarf, Tyrion uses his wits to survive in the midst of dangerous - and deadly - court politics.

#5 Sand dan Glotka / The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

Once a dashing war hero, now a crippled torturer, Sand dan Glokta is messed up, sarcastic, and full of self-doubt.

I chose these characters firstly because I really loved the books they appear in. Secondly, for all of these characters their disability is an inescapable part of their reality. It poses genuine challenges, and as a result is an important part of who they are, but they and their story are not solely defined by their disability. Having fully realised and complicated disabled characters in fiction creates empathy and empowerment - and what could be more awesome than that?

Shards of Honour by Lois McMaster Bujold

Cordelia Naismith is the captain of a Betan scientific survey team exploring an uninhabited planet. Aral Vorkosigan is an aristocratic Barrayaran military officer stationed at a secret base on the same planet. When the two groups clash, Aral and Cordelia are left abandoned amongst the dead and the wounded. In order to survive, the two enemies have to learn to trust each other despite the differences between their two worlds. As their forced cooperation turns to mutual respect and a tentative love, Aral and Cordelia are pulled apart by duty, politics and conflict.

Shards of Honour is the first book in the much-loved and Hugo Award winning Vorkosigan Saga. Much to my surprise I really liked the romance which forms the core of the story. Aral and Cordelia are likeable and strong characters with rich inner lives, and their love story feels very sweet and natural. There's emotional depth to both of them, and it was very touching to read as they slowly fell in love while dealing with their own divided loyalties and moral dilemmas.

Like all good science fiction, Shards of Honour has a sweeping background of political intrigue, space battles, wormholes, and advanced technology. And, in an unfussy and unpretentious way, it asks thorny questions about nationalism, war crimes, and the moral cost of victory by any means. However, this very much stays in the background as the book is tightly focused on Aral and Cordelia and their personal experiences of the war. I found this focus added to the emotional depth of Shards of Honour as big issues were turned into smaller personal dilemmas which, at times, were genuinely heartbreaking. That being said, there was a middle chunk of the book which dragged a little because events were unfolding elsewhere and the focus on the protagonists meant that, instead of reading as events unfolded in front of me, I had to read about the characters talking about it after the fact. Another little niggle for me was the fairly generic world building, mostly because the characters were mostly sat in various spaceships. However, there are tantalising hints of culture clashes and political intrigue to come in later books.

At its heart, Shards of Honour is science fiction with heart and a wry sense of humour. Essentially, it's a love story set in space and manages to be ultimately uplifting even while the characters struggle with the awful realities of war.

Recommended for: Fans of grown-up science fiction

Rating: A good read with likeable characters, but dragged a little in the middle. Three stars on Goodreads.

Read On: The next book in the Vorkosigan Saga is Barrayar. 

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

Half A King tells the story of Yarvi, the King of Gettland's youngest son and the not-so-proud owner of a crippled hand. When his father and brother are killed, Yarvi finds himself on a throne he never wanted. Things go downhill from there until Yarvi finds himself miles from home and plunged into one life threatening situation after another. After gathering a strange fellowship of drifters and outcasts, Yarvi vows to get his revenge - and his throne.

Joe Abercrombie is one of my favourite authors and Half A King is very much a typical Abercrombie offering. It is a gripping, dark fantasy that grabbed my interest from the first page as the plot twists and turns right until the end. Yarvi himself is the kind of flawed but sympathetic character that Joe Abercrombie writes so well. He screws up, he makes terrible decisions, he betrays people and is breathtakingly ruthless, and yet his actions feel completely realistic and understandable. The secondary characters are also very well written. They are as strong, flawed and complicated as the main character, and each one helps drive the plot forward, often in unexpected directions.

This is a great YA fantasy. It's a Viking saga and a coming of age story in a world which is cold, brutal and savage, and a book about the importance of friendship and finding one's place in the world.

Recommended for: People who like their fantasy dark and revenge served cold.

Rating: A dark, Viking-inspired YA fantasy with a flawed hero. Five stars from me.

Read On: Half a World is the next book in the Shattered Sea trilogy. If you liked his writing, check out Joe Abercrombie's adult fantasy starting with The Blade Itself, the first book in the First Law trilogy.

Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell

To become a man of his people, the Jan’Tep, Kellen needs to do three things. He has to defeat an opponent in a duel, show mastery of the magic that defines the Jan’Tep, and reach his sixteenth birthday. There’s just one problem: Kellen can’t do magic. Facing disgrace and possible exile from the only life he’s ever known, he tries to trick his way through the first trial only to be called out by his own sister. Alone and humiliated, Kellen encounters a hard drinking, chain smoking, card playing drifter who offers to show him another path.

Spellslinger is a YA fantasy novel with a Wild West setting, and is the first book in a new series by Sebastien de Castell. It's fast paced, full of action and witty dialogue, and well-written but, as the first book in the series, I felt that the world building was really lacking. I would have loved to learn more about the history of the Seven Sands and the various cultures mentioned in the story. Also, I have a feeling that I haven't yet got to the real story, that this is an origin story and the main story won't get going until the next book.

That being said, Spellslinger was a really fun read and I devoured it in an afternoon. The characters were a blast and the banter between them was frequently hilarious. Ferius is awesome - she drinks, she curses, she has a lot of opinions and she uses playing cards as weapons. My favourite character, however, is Kellen himself. He's sassy and self-depreciating, and it broke my heart a little bit as he desperately tried to come to terms with being rejected by the people he loved the most. He had to deal with some really tough situations and I loved how he matured through the book.

At its heart, Spellslinger is a coming-of-age novel about accepting who you are rather than who your family or friends want you to be. It's about learning to do the right thing, even if it's hard, and about finding your own path in the world.

Recommended for: YA fantasy fans looking for a quick and easy read

Rating: A really fun, quick read with great characters but lacking in world building. Four stars on Goodreads.

Read On: The next book in the Spellslinger series is Shadowblack. Another YA fantasy coming-of-age novel with a clever protagonist having to find his own path is Half a King by Joe Abercrombie.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

The Stillness is a world - maybe ours in the future, maybe an alternate Earth - where catastrophic earthquakes can swallow civilisations and bring humans to the brink of extinction. Orogenes, those with the ability to control the shaking, are feared and reviled - but tolerated as long as they protect society. Essun is one of these orogenes. Until now, she's kept her head down but now her son is dead, her daughter has gone missing, and she will rip the Earth apart to get her back.

The Fifth Season is an adult fantasy that gripped me from the first page and didn't let me go until I finished it, heartbroken, three days later. It was everything I didn't know I wanted from a fantasy book. The world-building was truly original, the plot twisted and turned, and the characters were incredibly diverse, representing a spectrum of ethnicities, age, and sexuality. A word of warning though, this is a book that requires patience at the beginning as the first chapters are written in the second person and in present tense - an unsettling and unusual combination that took some getting used to.

I cannot put into words how much I loved this book. It's beautifully written and seamless and clever and heartbreaking. It's a story about the end of the world, about a mother's guilt and sacrifice, about revenge and prejudice, and the tiny sparks of hope that keep people going. It's dark, it's original, and it holds a mirror to reflect the uncomfortable realities of our society. N.K. Jemisin has won the Hugo Award two years running for a reason.

Recommended For: Fans of dark, original and diverse fantasy.

Rating: Five stars on Goodreads. Obviously.

Read On: The next book in the Broken Earth series is The Obelisk Gate. Another highly rated book by the same author is A Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. 

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

Sixteen years ago, Gavin Guile defeated his brother to become the Prism, the most powerful man in an empire that rests on a knife edge between war and peace. When he discovers he has a bastard son in a far flung kingdom, Gavin goes to retrieve the boy only to walk into the midst of a violent uprising led by a tyrannical king. With only the help of his very confused son, a disgraced general, a smartass bodyguard, and some very distrustful townsfolk, Gavin must put down the rebellion - and prevent an explosive truth from being revealed.

The Black Prism is an adult fantasy book with a fascinating and really cool magic system. In this world, some people can use light to make luxin which can then be shaped into all sorts of things. Some people can only use one colour of light, others can use two or three, but only the Prism can use all seven. I also love that using this magic actually shortens your lifespan - this adds a unique limitation for those that have the ability to make luxin that I don't often see in fantasy. That being said, the book started really slowly as the author spent 100 pages outlining this magic system as well as general backstory before the plot finally got going.

However, once that was out of the way, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were a lot of fun. Gavin's son, Kip, was hilariously awkward and self-depreciating with a smart mouth that constantly got him into bother. I found him so refreshing as a protagonist in the fantasy genre as he was clumsy and relied as much on dumb luck as on any magical abilities - one of my bookish peeves in fantasy is when the protagonist goes from zero to hero in five seconds flat. My favourite character, however, has to be Gavin himself. He's sassy and charming, frequently devious and breathtakingly ruthless, and he should be evil - and he has his moments - but he usually does the right thing at the right time. He's such a complicated character, and his chapters were a blast to read.

Like I said, the book started slow but the plot soon picked up as the characters became swept up in the consequences of their decisions. As the first book in the Lightbringer series, I felt that The Black Prism was dedicated mostly to introducing the world and the magic system. There were hints of political intrigue and explosive secrets, however, and I'm hoping for some really juicy power struggles to come in the next few books.

Recommended For: Fans of epic fantasy looking for a new series.

Rating: I really enjoyed it, but it started slow. Four stars on Goodreads.

Read On: The next book in the series is The Blinding Knife, which hopefully I'll get to this year. Another epic fantasy series with an interesting magic system is the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson - the first book is The Final Empire.

15 Bookish Facts About Me!

For my first blog post I thought I'd write about me so you can get to know me a bit better! So, here's 15 bookish facts about me:

#1 I'm a serial monogamist

Some people can read multiple books at the same time. Not me. I can only read one book at a time. If I am reading one book then pick up another, I have to finish the second book before going back to the first - and chances are that I'll never go back to the first book.

#2 My favourite genre is fantasy.

Adult fantasy, YA fantasy, middle grade fantasy... I read it all. I love epic fantasy crammed with complicated characters and political intrigue and plot twists which make my toes curl with delight.

#3 I'm a book abandoner.
If a book doesn't capture my interest within a few chapters, I put it down and wander off. Basically, my attention span is like a toddler's when it comes to starting books. That being said, I do often go back to abandoned books and give them another go when I'm in a different mood.

#4 I'm really bad at finishing series but keep starting more.
Mistborn, Lightbringer, The Stormlight Archives, Spellslinger, Arc of a Scythe... these are just some of the series I'm in the middle of reading at the moment. For some, I'm waiting for the next in the series, for others I've just not got around to reading the next installment.

#5 I've not seen all of the Harry Potter films.
I love the books, and reread them constantly as a kid. However, I never really clicked with the first couple of films. They just didn't compare to the Hogwarts in my head and so I never bothered going to see the others.

#6 My favourite time to read is in the mornings.
Reading for a couple of hours after breakfast is my perfect morning. I curl up in my armchair by the window and lose myself in a book. However, I have to work (boo!) and so most of my reading happens in the evening.

#7 I can't read in bed as I usually fall asleep within five pages.
It doesn't matter how interesting or absorbing the book is. If I'm in bed, I'm going to feel sleepy. I can't even count the number of times I've woken up with the lamp on, my glasses smushed uncomfortably against my face and a crumpled book somewhere by my side.

#8 I prefer reading actual books.
I have a Kindle and I love it. As someone who's travelling around and living abroad, ebooks are so much more convenient. But I miss real books! And having a bookshelf of beautiful books!

#9 I have never listened to an audiobook.
I'm just not very good at listening. I tune out to 30 minute podcasts, so an audiobook would be a challenge.

#10 I have a reputation for destroying books. 
Think broken spines, turned down pages, coffee stains... I use whatever comes to hand to mark my page so receipts, bus tickets and scraps of paper litter the pages of my books like flotsam. 

#11 I always have to have a hot drink while reading.
Hot chocolate, tea, coffee... sometimes a biscuit or two. Reading is a marathon and you need to be well hydrated throughout.

#12 I never go anywhere, even to the shop, without my Kindle in my bag.
Because you never know what will happen. I read in queues, in coffee shops, while waiting for friends, on park benches... I like to be prepared against boredom!

#13 I secretly love thrillers based on historical conspiracies.
If a book has a name like The Venice Secret or The Shakespeare Code I am 100% going to read it, especially if there's a secret society involved.

#14 I either read two books a week, or nothing for three months. There is no in between.
I live alone, have no TV, and it gets dark here at 6pm, so I'm reading 9 or 10 books a month. When I visit family during the summer, the distractions of long summer nights, family fun times and television mean I'm lucky if I get one book read in the entire summer.

#15 I really struggle with reading the classics.
Every so often I come across lists of books that everybody should read. I consider myself a bookworm and so I feel inspired to read the books that people consider important. And every time I remember that I actually don't like reading a lot of classic literature...