Book #195 of 2018: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter #3) This has always been my favorite book in the Harry Potter series, and it is no less excellent even now that I’m closer in age to the second title character than the first. Harry and his friends …
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Book #193 of 2018: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (Strange the Dreamer #1) I love this book, and I think my review from when I first read it in 2017 still stands: “A gorgeously-written fantasy novel about a boy raised in a library, who spends his early life chasing down obscure references to the …
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Book #188 of 2018: The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler (Emily Windsnap #1) I don’t read too many middle-grade books, but I decided to give this one a try because I share the author’s last name (although we are not actually related, to the best of my knowledge). It’s the first novel in …
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Book #187 of 2018: Arcadia by Iain Pears This novel takes a little while to get going and clearly establish its plot, but it ends up as a mind-trip of the highest caliber. There are essentially three layers of reality that author Iain Pears is playing with here: 1) the twenty-third century, where a brilliant …
Book #180 of 2018: Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch (Gentleman Bastard #2) Plotwise, this sequel is an unfortunate step down from author Scott Lynch’s brilliant debut, The Lies of Locke Lamora. Whereas that earlier fantasy crime novel effortlessly weaves its various strands into one compelling whole, this follow-up spends a third of …
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Book #175 of 2018: The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy (Skulduggery Pleasant #3) I’ve been waiting for this Irish children’s urban fantasy series to really grab my attention, but at this point I think I’m ready to call it quits. (It doesn’t help that this third novel is the last one that my library has …
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Book #174 of 2018: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter #2) The first Harry Potter book was a tremendous debut, but this sequel surpasses it on just about every level. The plot, the characters, and the setting are all delivered far more confidently this time around, and author …
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Book #173 of 2018: The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (The Chronicles of Prydain #1) Somehow I missed out on this series when I was growing up, which is a shame, since this first novel has turned out to be an excellent classic of children’s fantasy literature. The tone is somewhere between J. R. …
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Book #171 of 2018: Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce (Daughter of the Lioness #1) At this point in her wider Tortall series, author Tamora Pierce can easily spin a great story… when she can manage to get out of the way of her own worst impulses. And for the most part here, she does. This …
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Book #168 of 2018: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) This fantasy novel goes far on the strength of its worldbuilding, which depicts a gorgeous Middle Eastern setting inspired by Islamic folklore that’s markedly different from the Eurocentric genre norm. While I sometimes had trouble keeping track of all the …
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