I started and finished A Sense of Direction in one evening; I couldn't really stop thinking about it, so I couldn't put it down. I found it...
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The Borgia Bride really ought to have been better than it was. Certainly the plot sounds fascinating, and the historical context is fascinating for an infinite number of reasons. But Kalogridis successfully makes almost every single character in the book extremely boring. The heroine (Sancha of Aragon) is no exception. She really ought to have been more interesting than she was. I suspect this is because she takes almost everything entirely too seriously. (It's not that the Borgias are anything to laugh at, exactly, it's just that it's hard to see her appeal because she's so...dull.) Sancha also goes around swearing things, usually not to be ruled by men. Which would have made an interesting story if only Kalogridis had stuck with angle on Sancha's life. We learn a little more about the actual woman at the end and she really does sound fascinating. It's baffling that she becomes so dull here, then.
The Borgia Bride is probably good for beach reading. It doesn't require much thought at all and the female characters are strong, if dull.
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(4 of 10 readers found this comment helpful)
The important thing to know about The Broken Crown is that it is essentially the beginning of an incredibly complicated six book series. In some ways, the story actually began with West's earlier two books (Hunter's Oath and Hunter's Death) and though allusions to that series are few (I began with TBC and had no trouble inferring what I needed to know, but other's may not be so lucky) they are present and some characters reappear. The background information HO and HD offer could be useful.
Any extra information about The Sun Sword series could be useful. West expects her readers to follow the convoluted plot and keep track of a few dozen characters (there is a Dramatis Personae at the beginning of the book, however) and the rules of two very different civilizations that come with the plot and characters. TBC is in no way an easy book - it is not an easy series of books - but it is a very rewarding one for a reader willing to put up the necessary time and patience.
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(4 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)
Patricia McKillip specializes in an extremely surreal type of fantasy. It is necessary for the reader to pay close attention to everything McKillip writes - passages that seem to be merely descriptions of the landscape warp into actions and reflections upon the characters. McKillip's prose is a little like poetry in that way - every word matters. Her characters are interesting mixes of academic types, courtiers and sorcerors. The way she treats romance is also unique and unusual.
Alphabet of Thorn actually deals with several plots in two time periods. Most authors would lose the narrative thread, but McKillip pulls it off and the result is a very interesting read.
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(10 of 15 readers found this comment helpful)
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seereth has commented on (3) products.
The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis
seereth, September 17, 2006
The Borgia Bride really ought to have been better than it was. Certainly the plot sounds fascinating, and the historical context is fascinating for an infinite number of reasons. But Kalogridis successfully makes almost every single character in the book extremely boring. The heroine (Sancha of Aragon) is no exception. She really ought to have been more interesting than she was. I suspect this is because she takes almost everything entirely too seriously. (It's not that the Borgias are anything to laugh at, exactly, it's just that it's hard to see her appeal because she's so...dull.) Sancha also goes around swearing things, usually not to be ruled by men. Which would have made an interesting story if only Kalogridis had stuck with angle on Sancha's life. We learn a little more about the actual woman at the end and she really does sound fascinating. It's baffling that she becomes so dull here, then.The Borgia Bride is probably good for beach reading. It doesn't require much thought at all and the female characters are strong, if dull.
(4 of 10 readers found this comment helpful)
Sun Sword #01: Broken Crown by Michelle West
seereth, September 17, 2006
The important thing to know about The Broken Crown is that it is essentially the beginning of an incredibly complicated six book series. In some ways, the story actually began with West's earlier two books (Hunter's Oath and Hunter's Death) and though allusions to that series are few (I began with TBC and had no trouble inferring what I needed to know, but other's may not be so lucky) they are present and some characters reappear. The background information HO and HD offer could be useful.Any extra information about The Sun Sword series could be useful. West expects her readers to follow the convoluted plot and keep track of a few dozen characters (there is a Dramatis Personae at the beginning of the book, however) and the rules of two very different civilizations that come with the plot and characters. TBC is in no way an easy book - it is not an easy series of books - but it is a very rewarding one for a reader willing to put up the necessary time and patience.
(4 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)
Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. Mckillip
seereth, September 17, 2006
Patricia McKillip specializes in an extremely surreal type of fantasy. It is necessary for the reader to pay close attention to everything McKillip writes - passages that seem to be merely descriptions of the landscape warp into actions and reflections upon the characters. McKillip's prose is a little like poetry in that way - every word matters. Her characters are interesting mixes of academic types, courtiers and sorcerors. The way she treats romance is also unique and unusual.Alphabet of Thorn actually deals with several plots in two time periods. Most authors would lose the narrative thread, but McKillip pulls it off and the result is a very interesting read.
(10 of 15 readers found this comment helpful)