K.N. Salustro's Blog, page 20
May 27, 2017
BookCon Map!
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BookCon finally has their showroom floor maps up! As a reminder, I’ll be in booth #2677, so stop by and say hi if you’re attending!!
May 25, 2017
Review – Silver Road
[image error]This is the sequel to Golden Age, which I really enjoyed. Sadly, this book is missing something its predecessor had. Or maybe it tries to do too much too fast.
Chloe and Dion return, but Chloe’s character becomes very reactionary. Her previous independence and self-motivation peter out as the book progresses. Given the plot, that makes sense, but I really would have preferred to see more of her trying to take control of her situation. She also loses some of the intelligence she had in the las...
May 16, 2017
Review – Golden Age
[image error]I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even if it felt a little slow at times. The world building is very well done, creating a world filled with rich mythology and an intriguing fantasy race known as the eldran, shapeshifters who are often in danger of losing themselves. The eldran serve as a background element for most of the story, but they actually play a crucial role, and promise to continue to do so throughout the rest of the series.
As far as characters go, the main duo of Chloe and Dion were...
May 11, 2017
Review – Earth & Sky
[image error]I liked this book a lot, but there was something that kept me from falling in love with it. Granted, I read it while mostly exhausted from BookCon prep work, so if I’d read this at another time, I maybe could have ended up loving it. It certainly has some of my favorite elements: sci-fi, adventure, a central female character, a central female character who holds her own and reacts incredibly realistically to everything…
Let’s talk about that for a moment. Skylar is pretty much everything I’d...
May 2, 2017
Review – The Atlantis Gene
[image error]Another one for the Did Not Finish shelf, and for me, a greatly disappointing read.
This book sounded so interesting, and I was looking forward to sinking my teeth into it, but I only made it a little over 40% of the way through before I put it down. There is tons of action but it’s very, very shallow, adding nothing to the plot and almost desperately wanting to be an action movie instead of a book.
It reads a lot like The Da Vinci Code, so if you enjoyed that book, you may actually like this...
April 27, 2017
Star Federation Database: Criminal Record – Myrikanj
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Name: Myrikanj
Species: Yukarian
Sex: Female
Gender: Female
Date of Arrest: 10.02.0056 AW
Notable Physical Traits: Slightly paler blue skin than Yukarian norm. Dark blue tattoo on forehead just above antennae joint (obtained after imprisonment).
Charge(s): Smuggling of weapons, illegal hallucinogenic spices; evasion of territorial taxation law; evasion of galactic taxation law; aiding and abetting purchase and resale of illegal, unregistered firearms. [Added at a later date:] Calling a Star...
April 25, 2017
Lissa & Blade by Hazumirein
Hey, all!
Check out this absolutely wonderful digital drawing of my characters, Lissa and Blade!
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I’m in love with how dynamic this is, and the expressions of the characters. Whoever’s on the receiving end of their attention is not going to have a good time, you can be sure of that.
This image was drawn by Hazumirein, author and illustrator of the webcomic Dreamcatcher. You can also check out her deviantART here!
April 18, 2017
BookCon 2017 Update
BookCon 2017 is drawing closer, and I’m smack in the middle of prep work. I have my printed books ready to go–all checked for quality and consistency–a lot of plush in the works, and some additional merch. Let’s take a look:
First up, the arkin beanies! I have 15 made, and plan on making 15 more. Blade is featured here, and Orion will be included in the next batch, so check back for him! I also am in the process of drafting a new pattern for a standing arkin plush with a more cartoony fe...
April 13, 2017
Review – American Gods
[image error]3 stars on Goodreads, 2.5 in my mind.
There was something about this book that left me deeply unsatisfied. I can’t quite put my finger on it. It makes me sad because I thoroughly enjoyed Neverwhere and The Graveyard Book, but American Gods had me lukewarm for the most part.
The writing is amazing, and the concept is, in my opinion, brilliant, but the pacing drags more often than not and the majority of the action is packed into the last three chapters of the book. The rest is Wednesday runnin...
April 4, 2017
Review – Graceling
[image error]I went back and forth on my feelings of this book from beginning to end.
On the positive side, there are several compelling, interesting characters. The main character Katsa’s growth and development is deep and complex, and her changing view of her Grace—a supernatural skill that a rare few a blessed (or cursed) with—is striking to witness. Her relationships with other characters are solid, and it’s very, very easy to cheer her on as the plot unfolds. Speaking of which, the plot is intriguing...
