A solid first book in the series
350911
I was really enjoying the book and then suddenly it takes an extremely abrupt twist halfway through which certainly threw me at first. But once I settled into the new surroundings I continued to enjoy it as much as I had been prior to the twist. There is perhaps a little too much focus on unimportant details from time to time (the clothes, the room, etc.) but I think this will even out over future books and certainly doesn't inhibit the enjoyment of the story. The ending was very mysterious and I left me very anxious to find out what happens next. A great first book in the series.
4508376
Good fantasy, interesting characters and a dash of comedy, all in all a solid first outing in a promising new series. Looking forward to the next chapter in Fort's journey.
1613038
'Provenance' is a good start to a new series.  The characters are well-developed and engaging.  The dialogue is a little incongruous at times -- there are too many "modern" phrases used that are out of character for the time/place, but that's a pretty minor issue.  The plot is totally predictable with lots of set pieces.  Overall, though, it's a fun read. Looking forward to continuing the series.
4003508
Interesting start to a series with potential
1069898
As the first installment in a new 5-part fantasy series, this novel provides a good start to the series' launch. The characters introduced are all interesting and competently drawn, but I did not find any of them especially compelling, and I did find myself struggling with what I thought were inconsistencies in the way the young mystic character, Suri, was drawn (e.g., sometimes behaving and talking very child-like, other times, very adult-like, etc.).

The storytelling moved along at a good pace, and although I did like the overall plot, I thought that in a couple of places, the segue from one bridging plot point to the next felt abrupt and unexplained, and therefore, foisted on the reader (for example, how did Suri arrive at the particular details of her "theory" regarding Grin the Brown Bear's connection to two particular humans that prompted her to spring into action, which in turn allowed the plot to advance in a somewhat contrived direction?).

This installment opens strongly, concludes satisfyingly, and closes with a teaser that piqued my curiosity as to what might be in store for the next novel in the series.
1316065
This is the first book in an ongoing series, so don't expect all the plot lines to get tied up nice and neat.  That being said, the main plot line is tied up quite nicely.  The entire book is well written, and the characters are developed and fleshed out.  Despite the fact that the story jumps back and forth in time, it's easy to follow and it makes the story quite interesting.

It's free, it's fun, and it's an easy read.  Take a chance and see if you like it.  I'm guessing you'll like it.
2832648
It took me a few days to sort out my opinion of this book, a sure sign it made me think. The characters are intriguing and well-developed, the plot is interesting, the action is consistent in its application, and the story offered all-around satisfaction. It offers a good start, middle, and end with a clear path to the next book.

Indigo's relationship with Jayce confused me somewhat, mostly because the social pressures for her to stay with him seemed artificial. Part of the problem came from my not quite grasping her social status situation, which felt more complex than the explanations suggested. Her minor title seems to be derived purely from her engagement to Jayce, and the only thing that allows her to receive training as a healer. Perhaps I'm ascribing my own, modern understanding of "engagement" to the situation when I say this makes no sense, but I was offered no other explanation. Beyond that, I'm at a loss to understand why any ruler, regardless of superstitions or cultural taboos, would allow the waste of magical talent by restricting its training to only those who are titled.

Despite that rather minor setting-related quibble, I enjoyed the story a great deal. The ascard take on magic works, its limitations are reasonable and satisfying, and I was able to follow and accept the arc of Indigo's power growth. Her character growth is well done, and she's strong enough to carry the mantle of protagonist with ease.

I recommend this story for anyone who enjoys high fantasy.
1591486
A good addition to the series and worth the read.
2088008
I read this on Kindle Unlimited, so if you have that, and you like fantasy, I would suggest adding this to your list.

This was a fun, fast-paced start to what will hopefully be a fun series.  No one has great powers never heard of or a prophecy to be fulfilled or any of those tropes, but the two main characters in this book develop quite a bit.  Like others have noted, Thea has most of the growth as a person, while Seb grows the most in his abilities.  Seb is the proverbial nice guy from a poor upbringing, and Thea is, at least initially, a spoiled Noble who thinks little of her commoner partner.  This is considered a YA title, and there is little of anything really resembling romance here, so any parents concerned about the fact that the characters are 17 & 18 have nothing to worry about, as there is nothing here but a kiss.

I am looking forward to book two, and the further adventures of Seb, Thea, and their dragon, Kalax.
3628896
3.5-3.75 Stars (Please add half star ratings)
This book is an okay starting point, but the series does get better as it continues. Some people will understandably avoid this book because of the controversial sexual content, but if you can get past that, this series draws you in as it goes, and the sexual stuff has less focus (which is a good thing, I like sex in my books but done well). Sasha becomes fully immersed in her new life, leaving her old behind, and that makes the story a lot more compelling. New characters come in, and we learn a lot more about some that are newly introduced in this book, the tone shifts (in a good way), the world expands, new species are introduced. In book 3, some of the most intriguing and exciting characters make their first appearance. One more thing I really do like: this author isn't afraid to blend humor in with the action and everything else going on. Sasha is a hilarious character, and so is Charles. I enjoy the series as a whole. I see where the complaints about this first book come in, and I understand if it's not for you. I consider two things when reading: 1) this is another species that acts more like animals do when it comes to sex and 2) just fantasy, not reality, therefore I can separate the two and the moral implications. And to be fair, it does come with an 18+ warning, for a reason. As the story develops, there are twists and turns along the way that you don't see coming. If you only thought this book was okay or are slightly turned off but considering continuing, I recommend you keep reading. My criticisms: 1) the romance is only okay (it's insta love and is too over the top) so I continued this for the story overall 2) the first book is too intense with the sexual elements and trying to make everything "mysterious." The tonal shift that happens in book 2 is a huge improvement, though. 3) Like some others have said, the books are a little too short for the money.
3382048
**My reviews contain no spoilers**

Rating: 4/5 stars

Blood Red Road is the first book in the Dust Lands trilogy. This was a strong start to the trilogy.

Before I say anything else, let me first warn you that this book does not use quotation marks. Yes, theres no quotation marks to discern speech  I think the purpose of this is to symbolize the main characters lack of education. In addition to the lack of quotation marks, the characters have accents and to further emphasize their rural upbringings. I got used to this about halfway through the story, but its something to keep in mind before going into the book.

Saba is the protagonist  shes tough, capable, and unapologetic. I absolutely loved her tenacity and unwavering mindset. Her physical and mental strength may have been unrealistic at points, but that arguably made parts of the book even more fun to read.

Theres an emphasis on family in this book. It made me yearn for strong sibling relationships myself after feeling the family love and struggles vicariously through the characters. Whether or not you have any siblings that you're close to, youll feel the despair, frustration, and limitless love that comes with the territory of having siblings.

There was a solid amount of action throughout this story. Just when you think things have settled down, something new is triggered that immerses the reader in more action scenes. Some of the later scenes were a bit too prolonged in my opinion, but I wouldve preferred that to no action at all.

There isn't much world-building  the world is actually fairly linear. Theres only Silverlake, Crosscreek, Hopetown, Darktrees, and Freedom Fields Do you see a pattern there? Thats all there really is to this world, at least what was mentioned in this first book. That being said, theres a good amount of adventure and the characters don't get stagnant in their locations.

One thing that I didn't particularly like in the book was the romance. I personally felt like some romances in this book were too insta-lovey for my liking. Thats probably my biggest hesitation for continuing the series  I don't particularly care to see what happens to some couples. That being said, I know that there were people who really enjoyed the romance in the book, so its more of a personal preference.

I would definitely recommend this to book lovers who enjoy reading dystopia with a strong headed female protagonist. There were very few slow parts in the book, if at all, and the story makes you want to cheer on the main characters and anticipate whats going to happen next. Theres not a large cliffhanger at the end of this book, so you can read it knowing that you won't feel obligated to immediately read the next book. Even if you do feel the urge to immediately read the next book, the whole trilogy is already out so you can binge read it.
3091930
Pace was good with enough detail and background to set the backdrop for this series.  There are parts that a little bit "stretched" for healing.  Good first book in the series, worth a read for fantasy readers of almost any age.
1365083
I am having a really hard time thinking about what to say about this book without giving away spoilers.  So I'll talk about other things first.

This is book two in a series and it is actually pretty strong for a second book.  It had a beginning, middle, and end, and didn't just feel like a filler volume for getting from point A to point B.  That is rare for the second book in a trilogy and the book definitely deserves credit for getting that right.  The end was final enough that I am not really sure where book 3 is going to go, but I guess I will find out.  (For reference, you definitely DO need to read book 1 before proceeding on to this one.)

I feel like there was less exposition and less infodumping in this volume than in book 1, which is a definite improvement.  I'm not saying that sort of thing was completely absent, but there was less of it, or at least I noticed it less.

There is a lot of rather graphic violence in this book, some of it quite senseless.  It does a good job of showing the brutality of the antagonists, but if you can't handle reading about blood and gore, this is probably not the series for you.  There's some foul language as well.  It is not overused, but it is there (some of the curses are downright creative, for what it's worth).  There's also some humor and it is well-placed among the more serious scenes.

This book follows some of the same viewpoint characters from book 1 (e.g., Dug, a Warrrior in his 40s, Spring, a girl who is more of a tween or teen in this book, and Lowa, the newly-minted queen in Maidun Castle) but there are some additional viewpoint characters including Ragnall the Druid, Chamanca (an Iberian Warrior who fights for Lowa), a neighboring king, and a few others.  I feel like the first half of the book was a lot of Ragnall and Chamanca and, while they are interesting and complex characters, they weren't my favorites from before, so I was somewhat less invested in the first half of this book than I was in book 1.  The second half has more Dug and Spring and Lowa on adventures and I enjoyed it more as a result.

The stakes are pretty high in this book.  Lowa is trying to defend Britain against a Roman invasion, but she has to contend with three other armies, as well.  There is a lot of betrayal and double-dealing in this book, and pretty soon the odds against Lowa's success seem insurmountable.  (To the point I actually had to go look up the Roman conquest of Britain to see when it occurred though, as I thought I remembered, it was some decades after this series was set.)  And not all the good guys make it through to the end.  Losses are heavy and personal.

And then there is the ending.  I don't know if it is possible to simultaneously hate an ending because of what actually happens, and to think it was brilliantly set up.  There were musings by certain characters early in the book that I thought were just more of the author's exposition that turned out to make the ending much more poignant.  (I won't say whom or what to watch out for because that would constitute a spoiler for sure.)  A whole lot of things had to come together perfectly for the ending to work, and they did, and I didn't even realize it until after all the pieces were already in place.  It's almost worthy of a re-read except for the fact that I seem to have a pretty sharp memory for the events of this book.  I guess the things that made an impression on me when I was reading, the things that stuck out, eventually all connected together.  It was nicely done.

Anyway, this was a solid book overall.  I think perhaps a little too much time was spent on Ragnall and Chamanca, which is what made the first part drag for me (their parts to play in all of this became a bit repetitive), so it is not a five star book for me, but really I am appreciating this book a lot more as I sit and think about how it all came together and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
1618351
This is a new author for me and the first in a new series for him. I enjoyed this book,  the writing was good, no editing problems, and the storyline introduced an interesting plot that kept the action moving. The author does not explore the characters deeply, little is given about their pasts and there is no emotional growth.  That is one area I wished there was a bit more focus on, the reader is able to gather some  details on world building from the story, but very little detail is given about the characters.  Otherwise, the dialogue between the main characters is action focused and frequently sarcastic but friendly. There are no romances or love interests but plenty of good guys, bad guys and grey guys (and gals). There's also plenty of weapons, fighting, magic and monsters.  This book ends at a good stopping point, but by no means at the end of the story. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, in fact, I read the sample already, and it looks great. 4 stars****
1847638
Somewhere between a murder mystery and a police procedural. For a debut in this series, I thought the characters were nicely developed considering this is the first installment. I especially like the kinship and personalities of the two lead characters, Danny & Jen of the homicide squad. The secondary cast is well developed also.

There are some not so subtle clues which help, unfortunately, make the book a bit predictable. Get rid of the clues to make room for some nice twists.

The writing is well done and Ill definitely go for more from the author
4946436
Those Who Hunt the Night was a fine introduction to the James Asher series. It suffered from the same problem which afflicts many first volumes in a series: the characters are not fully fleshed-out because the author intends to develop them over the course of subsequent volumes. I read Those Who Hunt the Night, and will be reading Traveling with the Dead, Blood Maidens, and Magistrates of Hell, in preparation for my NetGalley review of the upcoming Kindred of Darkness, so I will see whether Hambly succeeds in rounding out the characters of James, Lydia, and Don Simon.

Nevertheless, Hambly did an admirable job of sketching out James's and Lydia's relationship so that I was immediately invested in their safety. Lydia has the makings of a strong female character, not just James's sidekick, so I am hoping she has a larger role in his subsequent adventures. Hambly also provided enough teasers about Don Simon's past that I am looking forward to learning more about him, as well.

My only complaint was that it was hard to keep all of the various vampires straight, particularly when the London vampires started traveling to Paris. However, my confusion over their names did not prevent me from following the storyline and being surprised by the identity of the murderer.
3890894
The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan is the first book in a series of prequels to the Riyria Revelations. In short, it's the origin stories of the characters. In this book, the premise is the first meeting and formation of a partnership (called Riyria) between Hadrian Blackwater and Royce Melborn. The author attempts to give the warrior and assassin youth and a lack of civility for their first adventure, and while it's a good effort, overall, it doesn't entirely succeed.

These books are a good fit for anyone who wants to be able to recognize good and evil without any trouble, and likes to be able to see a plot twist four miles down a road in the dark. Without giving more characters a chance to share their POV, the writing feels almost claustrophobic at times and it's clear which way the readers are supposed to jump when it comes to loyalty.

However, the author does a good job of showing some of the character development, although at times one has to wonder exactly how far Hadrian's navet can stretch before it snaps. Along his journey to figure out what he should be doing with his life, and whether or not his only skill truly is killing people, Hadrian meets Royce. Since they hate each other immediately, the best way to bring them to some common ground is for them to team up and pull off a seemingly impossible heist. Along the way, they argue, are tempted to knock the other upside the head, and are forced to come to an understanding about the other, which results in them becoming better allies and eventually Riyria.

Gwen, the brothel owner who plays a large role in the later books also makes an appearance, and readers learn a lot about her life, and how she contributed to the two main characters becoming Riyria.

For anybody who has read the other books in the series, this may feel like a welcome addition to the world building, but for newer readers, Hadrian and Royce feel shakily written at times. Hadrian's aforementioned navet is taken too far so that he appears much less intelligent than he is, and Royce's penchant for violence without thought should have gotten him thrown in prison long before the story began. As it is, there are some new insights into the characters, but for anybody looking for a fun story about an odd couple partnership, the Riyria Revelations are a much stronger example of this, and whether Sullivan can live up to them isn't a sure thing.

(Reviewed for A Book Obsession)