Snowflakes and Spider Silk

Title:  The Emperor's Blades Author:  Brian Staveley Genre: Fantasy My rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary : The Emperor has been murdered, leaving the Annurian Empire in turmoil. Now his progeny must bury their grief and prepare to unmask a conspiracy. His son Valyn, training for the empire’s deadliest fighting force, hears the news an ocean away. He expected a challenge, but after several ‘accidents’ and a dying soldier’s warning, he realizes his life is also in danger. Yet before Valyn can take action, he must survive the mercenaries’ brutal final initiation. Meanwhile, the Emperor’s daughter, Minister Adare, hunts her father’s murderer in the capital itself. Court politics can be fatal, but she needs justice. And Kaden, heir to an empire, studies in a remote monastery. Here, the Blank God’s disciples teach their harsh ways – which Kaden must master to unlock their ancient powers. When an imperial delegation arrives, he’s learnt enough to perceive evil intent....

The Gentleman Bastards Rereadalong begins in just a few days! I'm posting the official schedule (and giveaway!) so that you can all get ready to start reading on June 1st. Fantasy fans, people who love a good con story, people who have never heard of this series, people who already know and love Jean and Locke... all of you are welcome to join in the fun! I'M SO EXCITED! Anywaaaaaaaays, in case you missed the first post in which I discussed my Gentleman Bastards obsession and the reason for the readalong, the fourth book in the series will be coming out this September. This readalong is to make sure the first three books are fresh in everyone's minds when they pick up Thorn of Emberlain! But what if I didn't already buy Thorn of Emberlain? First of all, shame on you. Second of all, I'm here to help!  I'll be giving away one pre-order of Thorn of Emberlain through Book Depository, and anyone can join as long as TBD ships to your count...

Title:  The Water Knife Author:  Paolo Bacigalupi Genre: Science fiction, dystopia My rating: 4 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary: WATER IS POWER The American Southwest has been decimated by drought. Nevada and Arizona skirmish over dwindling shares of the Colorado River, while California watches, deciding if it should just take the whole river all for itself. Into the fray steps Las Vegas water knife Angel Velasquez. Detective, assassin, and spy, Angel “cuts” water for the Southern Nevada Water Authority and its boss, Catherine Case, ensuring that her lush, luxurious arcology developments can bloom in the desert and that anyone who challenges her is left in the gutted-suburban dust. When rumors of a game-changing water source surface in Phoenix, Angel is sent to investigate. With a wallet full of identities and a tricked-out Tesla, Angel arrows south, hunting for answers that seem to evaporate as the heat index soars and the landscape becomes more and more oppressive. ...

Way back during Sci-Fi November , I made a flowchart of Science fiction subgenres so that everyone could find the sub-genre that they liked the most. The idea was that people could find recommendations in genres they didn't normally read, and maybe find a new favorite series or subgenre. It was way more popular than I imagined it would be, and a lot of you readers asked for a fantasy flowchart . Well, 6 months later, here it is! Again, some subgenres I made up and some are standard. I have read/watched most of these, but there are a few I haven't because I'm not familiar with every subgenre of fantasy. If you would like more suggestions in any of these genres, feel free to ask! I obviously couldn't fit all my suggestions on this tiny flowchart :) Fantasy Subgenre Flowchart You can always find the Sci-fi and Fantasy subgenre flowcharts by clicking on the SF/F Subgenre Flowcharts tab at the top of the page. Did you find a new subge...

Title:  Outlander Author:  Diana Gabaldon Genre: Fantasy, historical fiction, adult My rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary : The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon—when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord . . . 1743. Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life . . . and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire . . . and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives. I'm very late to this bandwagon, but better late than never! I really enjoy fantasy novels and histori...

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish . This week's theme: Top Ten Movie/TV show adaptations of books I've read Sometimes movies and TV shows do a great job of portraying the spirit of the books they're based on, and sometimes they really don't. Here are a few adaptations I loved and some that I felt were lacking. Great Adaptations 1. The Hunger Games/Catching Fire/Mockingjay       Stunning visuals, pitch-perfect portrayal of the characters, and just enough new changes to keep the movies fresh. 2. Harry Potter The movies captured the spirit of the books so well, and again, all the actors did an amazing job of portraying the beloved book characters. Some movies did better than others, but I'm generally really happy with these! 3. The Book Thief     I was really nervous about watching this because The Book Thief is one of my favorites. I shouldn't have been worried, because this movie captu...