This is the first book in the Liveship Traders Trilogy, which is in turn the second trilogy in the Realm of the Elderings series. I'd been so looking forward to reading this one, and am rather disappointed that I didn't love it more.
I tried the audiobook, but the breathless narrator didn't work for me at all, and I couldn't imagine 35 or so hours of that, so pulled up my ebook and settled in for a nice long read. This is an adult fantasy series, so I was not surprised at its length, but I was surprised by how long it took me to complete. How can that be, when the majority of the story takes place aboard ships?
Unlike the Farseer Trilogy, this book is told in the third person from multiple points of view, which is not my fave way of telling a story. There are various groups of people in this yarn: There are the Bingtown traders who have these cool ships called liveships, so called because they come to life after a member of three consecutive generations of a family has died on their decks. There are pirates. Then there are these mysterious folk from the Rain Wilds.
Let's start with the plus side: Themes of family, love, loyalty, religion, slavery, feminism, etc. are explored in an interesting manner. I really liked the ship sections, really liked Althea Vestrit, for what woman has not felt betrayed at some point simply because of her gender? And I really liked that all the women in this story were complex, multidimensional characters. I also liked the pirate. He's got a dream. What's not to like about that? Rather than list characters, I'll sum up by saying that the character development (human and otherwise) in this book is really good. You feel like you know these people as the story unfolds. That's the primary strength of this book in my opinion.
Where it falls flat is that entire sections of the book have nothing happening. I need more action in my fantasy reads, and while this one certainly had brilliant bursts, the pacing didn't work for me. Another issue I had was with the world building. Some cool stuff, but too much is put off, hinted at, deferred for later, and at almost 750 pages, I did expect more of a reveal. This door stop of a book could also have used some tighter editing, especially seeing as the next two in this trilogy are chunksters as well, and if you aren't a sailor or into ship stories, much of this book probably won't resonate with you.
Reading this got me excited for sailing season to start, sans sea serpents naturally, and I liked it well enough that I'll read the next book to see how the story unfolds. Rating: 3 stars.
50. Giant Days, Vol. 2
I needed something fun and light, and that is exactly what I got with this second installment of this teen graphic novel series. In this volume, the characters are still in their first semester at university, and academics has to take a backseat when one is dealing with crushes, unrequited or otherwise, finding clothing for a ball, and dealing with old rivals. One can only hope that they pass their exams. A quick fun romp of a read. Rating: 3 stars.
51. Milk and Honey
Book blurb: milk and honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. It is about the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity.
I had an English teacher who leeched all the joy and love out of poems, and I've never quite recovered. I dip my toes in every now and then, but honestly I'm not sure whether it's the poems or me, so I opened this little book with some trepidation.
I inhaled the collection, and then turned back to the first page and read it a bit slower as I recorded some of the poems in my journal. I didn't love them all, but the searing honesty of these little pieces took my breath away. These are really short pieces for the most part, and the little sketches are a lovely touch. I also really liked that while it dives deeply into dark places, there is also light and love added to the mix.
I have no idea how to rate poetry so this is my best attempt at a rating. Give it a try and see if you feel the same way. Rating: 4 stars.
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