Friday Mini Reviews #67: J.D. Robb, Mary Robinette Kowal & Brandon Sanderson
Imitation in Death by J.D. Robb (In Death #17)
bought on audio
Synopsis from Goodreads
Summer, 2059.
A man wearing a cape and a top hat approaches a prostitute on a dark, New York City street. Minutes later, the woman is dead. Left at the scene is a letter addressed to Lieutenant Eve Dallas, inviting her to play his game and unveil his identity. He signs it, "Jack." Now Dallas is in pursuit of a murderer who knows as much about the history of serial killers as she does. He has studied the most notorious and the most vicious slayings in modern times. But he also wants to make his own mark. He has chosen his victim: Eve Dallas. And all Eve knows is that he plans to mimic the most infamous murderers of all starting with Jack the Ripper...
A man wearing a cape and a top hat approaches a prostitute on a dark, New York City street. Minutes later, the woman is dead. Left at the scene is a letter addressed to Lieutenant Eve Dallas, inviting her to play his game and unveil his identity. He signs it, "Jack." Now Dallas is in pursuit of a murderer who knows as much about the history of serial killers as she does. He has studied the most notorious and the most vicious slayings in modern times. But he also wants to make his own mark. He has chosen his victim: Eve Dallas. And all Eve knows is that he plans to mimic the most infamous murderers of all starting with Jack the Ripper...
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8/10
This book is a case of solid police work and some delightful banter between Peabody and Eve concerning relationships. It totally made me giggle. The series continue to be utterly captivating, and it's the developing character arc that I find so irresistible. Recommended!
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Эта книга - экземпляр отличной детективной работы и смешных разговорчиков между Ив и её партнёром Пибоду. Я только знала, что хихикала. Эта серия продолжает меня завораживать именно потому, что она постоянно развивает характеры главных героев. Рекомендую!
Without a Summer by Mary Robinette Kowal (Glamourist Histories #3)
bought
Synopsis from Goodreads
Up-and-coming fantasist Mary Robinette Kowal enchanted fans with award-winning short stories and beloved novels featuring Regency pair Jane Ellsworth and Vincent. In Without a Summer the master glamourists return home, but in a world where magic is real, nothing—even the domestic sphere—is quite what it seems.
Jane and Vincent go to Long Parkmeade to spend time with Jane’s family, but quickly turn restless. The year is unseasonably cold. No one wants to be outside and Mr. Ellsworth is concerned by the harvest, since a bad one may imperil Melody’s dowry. And Melody has concerns of her own, given the inadequate selection of eligible bachelors. When Jane and Vincent receive a commission from a prominent family in London, they decide to take it, and take Melody with them. They hope the change of scenery will do her good and her marriage prospects—and mood—will be brighter in London.
Once there, talk is of nothing but the crop failures caused by the cold and increased unemployment of the coldmongers, which have provoked riots in several cities to the north. With each passing day, it’s more difficult to avoid getting embroiled in the intrigue, none of which really helps Melody’s chances for romance. It’s not long before Jane and Vincent realize that in addition to getting Melody to the church on time, they must take on one small task: solving a crisis of international proportions.
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8/10
Did you know that this book is based on well-known historical fact?I found it fascinating, how Miss Kowal mixes truth with fantasy.Very well written, more contained but no less tumultuous, I enjoyed Without A Summer very much. Great series!
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А вы знаете, что эта книга основана на широко известном историческом факте? Англия действительно осталась без лета, и только годы спустя учёные выяснили, что виновато в этом было извержение вулкана. Мне очень нравится как Мисс Ковал мешает правду с фантастикой, и эта книга хоть и была более локализованной, но оказалась не менее бурной и волнующей, чем книги предыдущие. Классная серия!
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The Stormlight Archive #1)
bought on audio
Synopsis from Goodreads
Speak again the ancient oaths,
Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.
and return to men the Shards they once bore.
The Knights Radiant must stand again.
Roshar is a world of stone swept by tempests that shape ecology and civilization. Animals and plants retract; cities are built in shelter. In centuries since ten orders of Knights fell, their Shardblade swords and Shardplate armor still transform men into near-invincible warriors. Wars are fought for them, and won by them.
In one such war on ruined Shattered Plains, slave Kaladin struggles to save his men and fathom leaders who deem them expendable, in senseless wars where ten armies fight separately against one foe.
Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Fascinated by ancient text The Way of Kings, troubled by visions of ancient times, he doubts his sanity.
Across the ocean, Shallan trains under eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar’s niece Jasnah. Though Shallan genuinely loves learning, she plans a daring theft. Her research hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.
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8.5/10
Well, by now I was ready for sheer depressive power of Sanderson's work, so it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. Also I was operating under the assumption that everyone dies. Just so we're clear. Kaladin made me want to slit my wrists, and the scholar chapters were the most fascinating, while Dalinar did nothing for me as a character. Otherwise it's an astounding piece of great fantasy. I'll be reading more.
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К настоящему моменту я привыкла к огромной депрессивности книг Сандерсона, так что я смогла прочитать Путь Королей без особого желания разбить что-то об стену. К тому же, я с самого начала дала себе установку, что умрут все. От Каладена хотелось резать вены, главы про школяров были самыми захватывающими, а Далимар не произвёл на меня никакого впечатления. В остальном, это потрясающая работа фэнтези, и как-нибудь потом я эту серию дослушаю. 