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Wireless Algorithms, Systems, and Applications: 12th International Conference, Wasa 2017, Guilin, China, June 19-21, 2017, Proceedings

Liran Ma, Abdallah Khreishah, Yan Zhang and Mingyuan Yan

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This book constitutes the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Wireless Algorithms,...

Ross (3284 KP) rated Empire of Grass: Book Two of the Last King of Osten Ard in Books

May 27, 2019

Better than the previous book, still *too* epic

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publishers and NetGalley ***

The second book in The Last King of Osten Ard series is a continuation from The Witchwood Crown. There was no grand finale of that book, so this coming straight off the back of it seems natural.
Where the first book was all about bridging from the previous series to the new one, and setting up some of the plot to come, this one was allowed to get on with the job at hand. And boy does it - there is so much plot. We chop and change from one character's PoV to another. At times this is a little jarring as they don't tend to be closely linked. And at certain points, we are reunited with a character we haven't seen for 100 pages or so and frankly have forgotten what they were up to.
This massive cast of characters, and epic strands of plot which barely converge throughout the book, is something I don't take well to. I found this with John Gwynne's books and the same is true here - I find it quite hard to remember who is who. And it doesn't help that some of the characters are fairly interchangeable, having very similar backstories and positions in their respective houses.
Some of the plot is revealed as we go through the book, which keeps the reader guessing (why are they doing that, why are they going there etc). However the narrative style is a little towards the "describe everything"/Stephen King end of the spectrum, which can get tedious at times.
There are key points in this book where characters converge together and they are truly wonderful pieces to read and really engage the reader. However there are so many tiresome trudges through the forest, and a few too many times where people suddenly meet up at the right time to be rescued.
An epic fantasy tale in every sense of the word, and definitely something different to the current crop of writers in the genre. But a massive commitment is needed from the reader (I think of myself as a medium speed reader but this took me nearly 4 weeks to finish).

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Ross (3284 KP) May 28, 2019

They are pretty enjoyable, but really really long. Over the last couple of years I have read less and less epic fantasy so was out of practice a little. I think these are the longest books I've read on kindle, and it gets too depressing not seeing that percentage marker change for ages (which shouldn't matter but it does!). I haven't read the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series, but have heard this one is back to that quality (though the Witchwood Crown a step down).

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Cori June (3033 KP) May 28, 2019

Hmm.... Thanks for the heads up. I've noticed that with ebooks it sometimes takes until the second or third swipe before you reach a "new page" (depending on your screen and font settings) and that bothers me. If you read the Otherworld books on kindle be prepared those are 1000+ pages per paperback book.

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Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Sisters One, Two, Three in Books

Jun 14, 2018

Sisters One, Two, Three

Nancy Star | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

8.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Sisters One, Two and Three by Nancy Star is a story told from Ginger's perspective. The plot moves between the 1970s and today. Ginger is the oldest of four siblings, and in the 1970s a tragic event redefined her family.

The three sisters, all very different, come together after the death of their mother. Ginger is the the eldest who is the overanxious hypochondriac. Mimi is the laissez-faire soccer Mom extraordinaire. Lastly, Callie is the youngest and the wanderer whom, as of late, has been on one of her famous disappearing acts. The three finally converge at their Martha’s Vineyard home and, finally, are forced to confront the tragedy from their childhood that has plagued them all for years.

The characters in this novel are well thought out and unique, as well as realistic and flawed. This novel has great style, flow and is very easy to read. I was overjoyed when the format on my E-reader copy was clear, and I could easily engage.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Lake Union Publishing for an opportunity to read an advance copy.