M.A. Kropp: Writer, Blogger, GeekGirl. My Life. My Words. My Way.
My rating: 3 of 5 starsThis is the second in the Legends of Shannara duology, following directly from the events of Bearer of the Black Staff. As Sider Ament, the last known Knight of the Word lay dying after his battle with and defeat of a powerful demon, he passes possession of his black staff … Continue reading Friday Review: The Measure of the Magic (Legends of Shannara #2) by Terry Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 starsIn this entertaining steampunk story set in 1900s Seattle, Karen Memery is an orphaned young woman making her living working in a high-class bordello. The girls are a tight-knit group, always looking out for each other in what is not an easy lifestyle. When a badly injured girl appears on … Continue reading Friday Review: Karen Memery by Elizabeth Bear
My rating: 3 of 5 starsPublished in 1993, Parable of the Sower is set in the 2020s in a society ravaged by climate change, corporate greed, and inequality of wealth. Lauren Olamina lives in a gated community outside Los Angeles with her father, stepmother, and brothers. Lauren is a hyperempath, which means she is able … Continue reading Friday Review: Parable of the Sower (Earthseed #1) by Octavia E. Butler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars In this second installment of the Long Price Quartet, we once again find Maati, the failed poet, and Otah Machi, the youngest son of the Khai Machi, with their lives intertwined. It is fifteen years after the end of A Shadow in Summer and Maati is sent by the … Continue reading Friday Review: A Betrayal in Winter (The Long Price Quartet #2) by Daniel Abraham
My rating: 3 of 5 starsWell. I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. On one hand, it did get a lot of attention when it came out, the series is quite well regarded by many, it won awards, and all that. On the other hand, there are those that really didn't care for … Continue reading Friday Review: The Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen #1) by Steven Erikson
My rating: 4 of 5 starsThe Vorkosigan books are another of the iconic series in science fiction that I somehow never got around to reading. I have been trying to discover some of those books and to catch up with them a little. When I looked at the Vorkosigan series, it was a bit daunting … Continue reading Friday Review: The Warrior’s Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga #2) by Lois McMaster Bujold (Audiobook)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars Hundreds of people are being afflicted by a strange malady. One day, they simply leave whatever they are doing and begin walking. No one knows where they are going because they appear to be sleepwalking. They can't be waked, they don't speak, eat, or drink; they simply walk on … Continue reading Friday Review: Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
Insurgent by Veronica Roth My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is the second installment in Roth's Divergent trilogy. It continues the story of Tris, the Divergent who helped overthrow the Erudite faction's plot to take over the governing of the dystopian society of a post-apocalyptic Chicago. After finding the way to break the Erudite … Continue reading Friday Review: Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth
Illuminated by Matt Bronleewe My rating: 2 of 5 starsAugust Adams is an archeaobibliologist. He specializes in rare antique books and is currently employed by collectors looking to add to their collections at any price. He is on a plane returning to New York with a copy of the Gutenberg bible he has obtained for … Continue reading Friday Review: Illuminated by Matt Bronleewe
My rating: 4 of 5 starsThis is the second in Bledsoe's Tufa series. Living in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, the Tufa are an enigmatic people. They keep to themselves and are wary of outsiders. Legends and tales of otherworldly abilities surround them. They have been in Cloud County longer than the first settlers on … Continue reading Friday Review: Wisp of a Thing (Tufa #2) by Alex Bledsoe
