Reviews and Comments

I've never played the Infinity Blade game and I'm not sure it's my thing. If the price drops, I may give it a try. Hence, I did not know the backstory, but decided to get this novella anyways because I am a fan of [a:Brandon Sanderson|38550|Brandon Sanderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1201547425p2/38550.jpg] and he claimed no prior knowledge was necessary. That is indeed the case. I had no trouble at quickly picking up the story. In fact, it almost feels better this way. The world is cleverly designed and I enjoyed the blend of magic and technology. I don't know if that's Sanderson's or ChAIR's doing, but it was great. There wasn't a huge cast of characters (this is a novella after all), but those that were there were well-written. I would have liked a little more backstory for a few of them, but, again, the story is meant to be short. The plot started at a good place and was very interesting. It ended at a good spot, but I would have liked more. I guess that's where the sequel game comes in.

In terms of a complete story: it's a good introduction, but leaves you hanging
In terms of a game tie-in story: it does it's job, I actually want to see where the story goes next and if the gameplay is something I like, I may consider buying the sequel.

In summary, the setting and world building were fascinating. The characters were good, but the plot left me wanting.

I was a bit hesitant to read this one. I only mildly like the first one ([b:The Magicians|6101718|The Magicians|Lev Grossman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1313772941s/6101718.jpg|6278977]), but didn't want more Narnia/Potter mash up. It turns out the second one feels a bit more original and, to me, more enjoyable.
There are two main plot lines and the story appears to lack focus, but once you get 3/4 of the way through everything snaps together and you realize that there was a purpose to all the meandering and even the smallest things become important. Also, the story becomes really interesting at that point and I could barely set it down.
In terms of characters, we get to see more of Quentin and he sounds a bit more mature than in the prior book, eventually even becoming a likeable character (I didn't connect with him in book 1). Julia is now a prominent character and her story arc is very interesting. She never feels as real as Quentin, though, so I wasn't as invested in her story.
The main plot is Quentin's quest, which starts of with him just wanting some adventure, but then actually evolves into a quest to save magic from its true owners- some cool stuff happens near the end. It left me wanting to read book 3 (there's a book 3 coming out, right?).
Overall: it was a good book. I can't quite pin point why I didn't enjoy it more or why I enjoyed so much. I'm sure you'll find something in it to entertain you, though.

The final book of the Hunger Games trilogy does not disappoint. We see a lot more depth into the world and get to see some cool action. The story still revolves around Katniss, which means we don't get to see things she doesn't, but we get deep into her mind. We can see that she, along with some of the other victors, have been greatly impacted by the Games and the subsequent events. This is not your typical escapist fantasy where the hero goes and chops up his/her enemies and then goes back home to a normal life. I was very satisfied with the ending and the plot events.
The only downside I can think for the book is that the pacing is a bit uneven. Some parts fly by, while others drag a bit. Still, it's a very engaging read. I was a bit worried since book 2 had a bit of a romantic vibe to it, but while it's present in book 3, it is a bit more subdued.

The final book in the Terra Incognita series. It's a fast-paced, action-packed finale. Lots is going on, though the action tends to focus on Ishalem and the two ships- Dyscovera, and Al-Orizin. There is much more magic than in the prior books, which I felt detracted a bit from the story since (without spoiling it) it has to be used to stop the conflict. The story arc is actually pretty predictable; I don't remember seeing any major plot twists. The ending felt a bit dragged out, probably since it was epic in scale, but it kept switching to a set of POVs where very little action (but otherwise cool things) was going on.
The characters is really where this series shines. There are two sides of the conflict, but you can't decide if the Tierrans or Urabans are right since both sets of characters are so engaging and you want whoever is the POV at the moment to win.
The plot is, as I've said before, somewhat predictable; however, don't let that stop you as the characters really pull it off.
The setting is very nice, it's a low-magic, colonial-eraish world with two 'distinct' cultures/religions. The latter books keep introducing more and more magic, which in my opinion was not needed.

A lot of people criticize [a:Kevin J Anderson|4933083|Kevin J Anderson|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] for the continued Dune books, but a series like this makes you realize that he's actually a fine author. Even if you don't like the extended Dune universe, you should give this independent trilogy a try.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting. The book started a bit slow, but that could be since I was very busy with my work and the characters in the story were all spread out at first. However, things quickly sped up, connections were made, plots revealed, and WOW this is cool! I read the last 200 (electronic) pages in a flash.
Here's the deal: it's epic fantasy, but the cast is not too large. Also, there are some trope-breaking things there, the most obvious being the banker. Yes, that's right- one of the main characters is a young girl banker who loves her wine. This is one case were I was actually excited to have characters visit government offices to file paperwork. Even though that sounds boring in real life, the author really makes the characters shine.
Clearly the characters are the strongest point in this novel, but setting and plot are not far behind. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel and will be checking out more from this author! Fortunately, my copy included an ARC of Leviathan Wakes :)