The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Sherry Thomas has proven herself as an author who uses the written word with a palpable love and respect for its power.  I haven't had much luck with Young Adult books lately (with a few exceptions). They don't delve as deep as I would like, and rely on conventions and mechanisms that I find irritating. With "The Burning Sky", Thomas has encouraged my long held belief that young adult books can be vibrant, intelligent, thought-provoking, engaging, and have the substance I long for in a book.

The world-building in this book is careful and thorough without being too dogmatic or dragging down the narrative pace. I appreciated the manner in which Thomas layers her storytelling so that it feels as though I can delve deeper into this world, if I so choose, without the foundations falling apart or revealing nothing but wooden planks or steel girders. Instead, I felt as though this story is barely scratching the surface.  At the same time, she doesn't resort to the most hated of all YA devices, the cliffhanger.  Yet, this is obviously a story that promises to continue into at least a few volumes, but she concludes it in a satisfying manner that allows the reader to choose to read the next book, instead of being blackmailed into continuing the series.

I also loved the characterization. Iolanthe is a heroine who feels real. She has strengths and weaknesses. She is sympathetic, without being perfect. "The chosen one" storyline can get a little stale, but it's well handled in Thomas' hands.  I root for her to find her way in a crazy reality and to be herself, but also do what is right.  Titus is about the most perfect prince I've read.  Perfect in the best way. He's got an edge that I love. He's flawed but also incredibly appealing.  His inner vulnerabilities have been camouflaged very carefully by an arrogant, bitingly sarcastic mien.  I had to remind myself that he was jailbait, because I was seriously crushing on him. He's a man with a mission, and nothing will sway him from it, not even the threat of his future demise. Even though Iolanthe has a valid reason to dislike him, I can identify with her struggles not to fall in love with him.  While Titus is using Iolanthe and he knows it, it's clear he wishes he could be with her free of the rigid burden that binds them together, but also drives a wedge between them.  But he's willing to do the wrong thing for right reasons. I loved that about him. Watching these two fall in love was very satisfying in a way that I crave from a good romance novel. The great thing is the love story is a viable and intrinsic part of a smart, intelligent epic-style fantasy. 

The fantasy elements stand up to close scrutiny.  Readers who loved the Narnia and Harry Potter series, along with fans of Howl's Moving Castle will be very happy with this novel. The concept of a mage world that borders on the mundane, human world has always appealed to me.  I often wished my closet hid a doorway to a fantasy world. I freely admit it.  And there is also an alluring nod to fairy tales in that Prince Titus has a book that allows him and his new protege Iolanthe to train and hone their mage skills. While Titus acts as a mentor to Iolanthe, she doesn't sacrifice any strength or identity in the process. It's clear that Titus can't help but look up to Iolanthe as a gift who can bring restoration to his world, and he is willing to take incredible risks and sacrifices for her to achieve her potential.

The action and fantastic scenes are beautifully described. I felt like I could see them on a big movie screen. The use of legendary creatures made me shriek in joy in a very ladylike fashion inside.  I didn't care about being a princess, but I sure did love the Pegasus, unicorns and dragons.  I would like to see this series as movies, well done, of course.

I can't say enough good things about this novel. I'm ashamed I put off reading it for so long.  But it's one of those great accidents that I read this when I needed to. While I admire Thomas as a historical romance novelist, I hope she continues writing fantasy, Young Adult or otherwise, since that is my second love.

I highly recommend this novel.



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Lamplighter by DM Cornish

Lamplighter: Monster Blood Tattoo: Book 2 by D.M. Cornish

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This took a long time to finish because I was listening to this at night before bed and I would often fall asleep and have to rewind it the next night!  I finally finished it early this morning. While I didn't like this one quite as much as the first book or the last (I had to read book 3 a few months ago for review), it was still a good read, and I was drawn into the world of our intrepid young hero.  I just love Rossamünd. He's like my honorary little boy. Just a sweet kid.  When he hurt, I hurt, when he was lonely and uncertain, I wanted to hug and comfort him.  I was proud of him when he triumphed.  He has a lot more honor, bravery, love, and heart than a lot of grown men, and he is a very humane person, which counts for a whole lot in these books.  He alone makes this book series worthwhile.

I wasn't as enamored of the lifestyle of a lamplighter.  Perhaps a bit too regimented for me.  I believe that Rossamünd is about ten or so, but he is treated like a grownup, like an army recruit in a dangerous job that didn't make a lot of sense to me. Mind-numbingly boring, and unnecessarily dangerous.  Not a good mix at all.  Basically folks risking their lives on the roads to keep the highways lighted, way out in the boondocks (because that's so important), for the glory of the Emperor of the Half-Continent.  The grunts are hard-working folks, and some of their superiors as well. But as always, you run into useless bureaucrats like the Master of Clerks who appear to want folks to end up dead.  I couldn't figure out if he was just clueless or deliberately evil.  I am leaning towards the latter since he is in cahoots with one in this book who definitely is evil.

As always, Rossamünd struggles with the moral conflicts of killing monsters or stepping aside in this war, when innocent humans' lives are at stakes. He knows quite well that not all monsters are bad and not all humans are good. He has to make the choice to fight or not near the end when things come to a head.  And he chooses rightly.  But for his troubles, he has to deal with enemies that are high in the government's workings.  Good to know he has a powerful person or two on his side like Europe.

I have to be honest that I spent a lot of this book looking for Europe when she wasn't around.  It's because I love the relationship between her and Rossamünd. I think that she is the mother that he never had, and he is her child in all but birth. But beyond that is a mutual respect and an essential aspect to their relationship that challenges them both to be better in the ways that are unique to each as an individual.

Threnody, a young girl that also joins the Lamplighter corp is much as I would have imagined Europe as a girl.  Very haughty, yet unsure, her social superiority much like armor against the hurts of the world and the fact that she can't ever live up to her highborn mother's expectations.  It was not surprising that she and Europe didn't get along at all. No doubt due to a sort of jealousy for Rossamünd's attention that Threnody feels, and perhaps some projection on her by Europe for the young Europe that she sees in the girl. Threnody was a bit annoying for most of the book, but at the same time, she grew on me, because I could see how she connected to Rossamünd and depended on a relationship with him to be 'normal' and perhaps feel human.  And that is a bit of irony in itself.

Cornish has a way with imbuing this work with characters of distinction, even if their roles are quite small at times.  I loved seeing Masters Fransitart and Cramupalin again.  And I liked some of the fellow lamplighters and authoritative figures that Rossamünd engages with. The bad guys are quite unlikeable, be it evil monsters or evil beaurocrat humans.  But the good thing is no one is cardboard or lackluster. 

As far as world-building, this book has a complexity that makes it a more difficult listen than read.  However, it was distinct, creative, and interesting. This world of monsters against humans isn't all black and white, but very much in shades of gray, which works well when you have a lead figure like Rossamünd who doesn't fit especially perfect in either world.

Although I didn't enjoy this as much as book one or book three, it was still enjoyable.  More than anything, this is due to an unforgettable and utterly endearing main character.  My beloved Rossamünd stands out to me.  What a sweet kid he is.  Equally fascinating is our Lady Europa, The Branden Rose.  A woman of power and authority who has a surprisingly tender heart when it comes to Rossamünd.  I love her for that.

I am sad to see this series come to an end as far as my reading pleasure. I would love to see more of Rossamünd and Europe.

This won't work for every YA or even older reader, but I like that it is a bit off the beaten track and challenging in the subject matter. I feel that the writer put a lot of energy and effort into building this world, and his characters will linger long in my mind, even though I have finished this book. A sign of a good book indeed for this reader.

Kodi Smit-McPhee as Rossamünd Bookchild



Gemma Arterton as Lady Europe, The Branden Rose





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Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill

The Cry Of The Icemark by Stuart Hill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Cry of the Icemark was a stirring military fantasy adventure. The author really took the time to bring the cultures of this novel to life. I could see that Icemark people seemed to be modelled after the Scandinavians, while Thyrrin's mother's peoples, the Hypollitan must have been based on the Amazons. And the Polipontans seemed to be like the Roman Empire. The battle scenes were fantastic--thrilling and very well-written. I got the impression that Mr. Hill took these elements very seriously and worked hard to get this part right and make it feel realistic. And I appreciated that, and I am sure that his younger readers probably do as well. Although not excessively gory, I felt all the inherent threat and bloody nature of battle. The element of loss is very evident in this story, and I definitely could appreciate the horrible odds that Thyrrin's people faced with an enormous invading force pitted against their smaller country. However, the Icemark people quickly proved that they wouldn't easily be conquered. Along with their fierce nature, there were elements of their rich sense of family and tradition, many aspects that would have been destroyed or wiped away by the Polipontans, who cared nothing for other cultures, only the assimilation of their lands and raw resources.



Thyrrin is a young heroine that I just loved. She was born to be a queen, and she showed a multi-facetedness to her character that brought her to vivid life. She's very strong and the kind of leader you want to have when you are facing a mammoth invading force who wants to wipe your people off the face of the earth. On the other hand, it's clear that she is very young and still learning a lot about leadership, courage, and humanity. I really wanted to give her a hug for all that she dealt with in this novel. I loved her friend, Oskan, Witch's Son too. He had a mystique, and a wisdom that was much greater than his young years. I also loved his wry sense of humor and the fact that he never took himself too importantly, despite his incredible latent power. He was a good companion to Thyrrin, able to deal with her sometimes hot-headed arrogance, and to soothe her very recognizable fears with the voice of reason and comfort when she seemed like she couldn't handle one more burden. In fact, most of the characters were well-drawn and excellently narrated by Heather O'Neill. This book really got me sucked in. I found myself cheering for Thyrrin and her warriors (the Hypollitan warrior woman were freaking awesome), and hating General Scipio Bellaron. I loved the werewolves and the snow leopards, both groups having a ton of personality. The vampires were nicely creepy, and the wood folk (like the Green men and nature spirits of Celtic/Norse mythology) added a sense of majestic awe to this story. This book would have great as just a straight military historical fantasy, but the supernatural elements elevated to an even more interesting level.





There was so much to like about this story. It really got me revved up. I was excited to listen to it, and sad but satisfied when it ended. It was definitely a five star listen for this reader. I look forward to the reading the other books in this series. Recommended!





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