Cycle of the Scour #1-3 (October 2023)

[Choko]

Hahaha! Dragon Heist was awesome! I would give it 6 stars if I could! But yeah, the fantastic elements make it much more bearable for me. I don't mind it so much in Fantasy settings, as you said, but movies like Oceans Eleven and such, I just can't do... I still always think, man, you have all those natural talents, there has to be another way to make money... I know, it's a personal hangup. Kind of like I don't understand when people would quit a good series just because one of the main characters cheated... I haven't finished several series, because I was reading them as BRs and the people who I was reading with got all upset and quit, so I never finished on my own. We should be reading one of these series here, maybe next year, and I hope people don't react the same way... I don't quit when there are heists and thieves :)))

Up to Ch 22 in The Silver Thief #2 ... (view spoiler)[ So, B+D just summoned their own little Star Eater Demon, and I just can't see how this will work out well for anyone.

And now The Order of the Alley chose Raxa as their Thief Queen. At least she is finally figuring out that someone is setting them up to kill each other... (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

lol I am not advocating for criminals either BUT if I watch a show/movie or read a book with a heist so good that I need a recap explaining the steps of the heist, yes please!!!

I don't want to say much about where you are in the book....

[Choko]

The Silver Thief #2 ... Up to Ch. 25... (view spoiler)[ In Ch. 24, the slaughter of the unarmed, already surrendered M soldiers by the just freed C slaves, was absolutely horrible!!! And I was very disappointed in the C lady warrior, because I had been rooting for her up to now and was thinking how much I hope the author doesn't kill her off, like he tends to do with characters like her, and after raveling in the slaughter, I can't really root for her anymore... I am sad to say, I wouldn't be upset if she died now. I understand hatred, but there are rules in war, and this was unforgivable...

Gladdic is a freaking maniac!!! He is insane! Just killed two of his own monks, because "they cloaked their war in art", or some such and because he thinks there is Nether in their blood... What a waste!!! He is the one they should be slaughtering, not the unarmed pawns!

And just killed a bunch of Coliners on mass with the demon!!! While the f@#ing monks were singing! That is a way to cleanse a people - kill them all!

And from what I understand, all things on this world have some amount of Nether in their makeup. How does he expect them not to have "the stain" in their blood as they die??? And why doesn't he "cleanse" himself first?! Mad Asshole! (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Ok, this ending was kind of a letdown... (view spoiler)[ I hate it when the bad guy just escapes! And the horrors he inflicted on these people, who trusted him to keep them safe, were just despicable!!! The scene of the cave when D+B found it after, was just nightmarish!

I loved the last fight sequence and I really enjoyed the old lady archiv/mage character. The fight with the demon seemed very unwinnable, but the author made it work! I was kind of impressed.

I know you, Ann-Marie, weren't too fond of this one, but I enjoyed it:) I am very easy to please, as long as the story is good and the writing is not atrocious:)))

In the Raxa situation - I totally thought her immediate boss was the one trying to kill everyone, and I was right. Yay! Either I am good at guessing, or the author did a good job making us suspicious of him. I am glad she freed the kids, but I don't like her going against Dante's lady head of security. I like that lady and I don't want her to get killed. I wonder if she would have actually given the now dead gang boss the nobil title, or if she was just playing him, trying to recover whatever she could from all the stuff that got stolen from The Citadel, or if she was trying to do whatever in order to cut down on the gang activity in the city, which is her job... (hide spoiler)]

Looking forward to the next one:)

[Ann-Marie]

Choko wrote: "Ok, this ending was kind of a letdown... I hate it when the bad guy just escapes! And the horrors he inflicted on these people, who trusted him to keep them safe, were just despicable!!! The scene..."

I mean I didn't HATE it but for sure I didn't love it lol

[Choko]

I know:))) I was just surprised I enjoyed it more than I thought I would...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

We were all like “what about the raxa plot?”

[Ann-Marie]

Choko wrote: "I know:))) I was just surprised I enjoyed it more than I thought I would..."

I am glad, you & Iain both did more than me I believe.


Timelord Iain wrote: "We were all like “what about the raxa plot?”"

I still think it was poorly done but I am now okay with where they ended up.

[Ann-Marie]

Started The Light of Life earlier today, through chapter 9

(view spoiler)[So Dante & Blays are mucking about trying to find a way to defeat the White Lich. It is a bit annoying to see them working with Gladdic and the Star thing at one point even. Naran left the group eventually because Gladdic was awful and I was right there with him.

There has been some solid action, the part when they were inside the tree trying to kill the Lich's physical body was well done but the Lich managed to come out on top in that interaction. Dante & company are being trained as Odo Sein hoping that will allow them to defeat the Lich.

As much as Robinson pushed Rexa in the last few books there have been some mentions of her but nothing on page. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 10 clocks in at just shy of 2 hours, seriously? I do expect to finish tomorrow, not sure if I will continue with the next right away or switch to something else, it'll depend on the ending of this one I guess.

[Ann-Marie]

Finished Light

(view spoiler)[Dante was going to kill an old man to make a loon, right? As I was reading it I was like Blays will have a hissy fit and then he does anyway when Gladdic almost kills Volo and acts like a complete ass, tries to murder Gladdic and is in a snit allowing Dante to be by himself and get captured by the Lich and turned.

I mean Dante got turned but you knew it wouldn't be forever so no real tension there and besides that what really happened in this book? There were some decent action scenes but once they lost the chance at the original body it seemed like nothing important happened. Gladdic got humanized a bit much to my surprise but besides that nothing really. Overall kind of meh. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Ann-Marie wrote: "I started The Red Sea tonight since I think the Tarot Sequence is unlikely to start tomorrow lol

I have only read the first 2 chapters [spoilers removed]

I have been half listenin..."

Finally jumping in to Cycle of Galand. I'm only a month late! #1 Red Sea--I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of the narrator... I can focus on him a lot better now and am actually getting most of the information. Only 3 hours in but enjoying the story... (view spoiler)[can't help but feel for Dante being flippant about his father... "I don't know if he was a bad father, he was never there." (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Nirkatze wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "I started The Red Sea tonight since I think the Tarot Sequence is unlikely to start tomorrow lol

I have only read the first 2 chapters [spoilers removed]

I have ..."

This was my favorite of the books so far <3

[Nirkatze]

I'm a little over halfway in to Galad #1 Red Sea and enjoying it. ^^ I wasn't expecting the turn it would take (view spoiler)[with Dante's father not being his father--though the pursuit of a cure wasn't unexpected.

Love your comment, Ann-Marie, about how many knives Blays must carry, and being hard to hug him... lol. And I do love how the island folk have a word for different kinds of shame and for the sweet lie. Makes me think of how Inupiaq has many different words for snow... I've always wanted to learn them...

I was also really bummed to see the lady captain die, after all they'd already been through... and I totally agree about Dante & Ether! Authors don't throw away a line like "it is a rare few people who could master both..." and then not make it happen. (hide spoiler)]

Just looking forward to finishing and opening that last Ann-Marie Red Sea spoiler. ^^

[Ann-Marie]

Nirkatze wrote: "I'm a little over halfway in to Galad #1 Red Sea and enjoying it. ^^ I wasn't expecting the turn it would take with Dante's father not being his father--though the pursuit of a cure wasn't unexpect..."

lol I had to go back to read it! Interested in your thoughts on the book, some of the best action scenes in the series even to the one I just finished although this one had a pretty terrific scene early in the book.

[Choko]

About 90% in The Light of Life ... I am so angry!!! Not with the book. I am absolutely riveted to the story at this point. I am angry with one of the characters! (view spoiler)[ Dante!!! I know The Lich has taken him over, but how could he???? Betray everyone like this!!! This is why The Spire folks shouldn't have taught him The Stream magic! All of their arguments against it were right! Now The Lich has knowledge of how to defeat The Odo Sein, the one thing that kept these people safe!!! I can't believe how angry I am!!! Now he killed the only Knight left to help them. I want to beat the shit out of him right now!!!!

I really love all the phylosophysing typical for the people of this land and hate how The Monsoon rebellion are trying to get rid of it, because only they know "the truth"... I love Volo and I really hope she and Erra make it through alive and healthy. Volo especially deserves to live and go on to have those children she wants to pass her perfect new canue on... I am also hoping for Naran and his crew to survive as well...

I just had to express my furie and take a breath before finishing the book... (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Choko wrote: "About 90% in The Light of Life ... I am so angry!!! Not with the book. I am absolutely riveted to the story at this point. "

(view spoiler)[Both of them behaved stupidly, Dante for what you noted and Blays for leaving Dante solo which enabled him to be captured in the first place! (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

So true!!! They seem to be taking everything as a game somehow, while everyone else is taking the situation with the seriousness it demands! They have had way too many victories, which has made them cocky...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I don't know about cocky, but I feel like they're being immature/regressive... I only just started a bit ago, but the conflict between Dante & Blays over Gladdic reminds me of Cycle of Arawn, all over again...

[Choko]

I hear that too... I am starting to believe they need a lot of growth to achieve still...

[Ann-Marie]

Choko wrote: "I hear that too... I am starting to believe they need a lot of growth to achieve still..."

Completely agree with this.

[Choko]

I finished and I really liked it, despite all the things we already mentioned. I was very tempted to jump into the next book, so I could find out what happens, but I am behind on all my other monthly BRs, so I stopped myself... I have hopes for some of the characters, but I don't trust this author will be accommodating to my wishes. I still love the banter and the people's of this island nation way of greeting each other is fabulous! I could have listened to a whole book of that with pleasure!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

This definitely feels like a return to the Journey-style storytelling in the first book, and plenty of other fantasy books... kinda drops alot of the stand-still stuff that was focused on in the previous 2 books... I'm close to halfway...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

There are 2 types of Fantasy Worlds

1) The author has a clearly defined magic system, and the story is all about exploring the limits of that system, and the interesting things that can be accomplished with that system... and/or, just a story about characters that happen to live within that world/system... AKA, Brandon Sanderson books...

2) There's a world, it has magic/etc... later on, more stuff is revealed... there was no way to predict it would happen, because it's all just coming out of the author's ass, as they need it...

That's what this series feels like... nether, ether, the ability to walk through stone, that island poison, Gladdic's nether demons, now the Odo Sein... magic artifacts all over the place... what we know is coming in the future with (view spoiler)[the God Realm & a multiversal portal realm (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Being relatively caught up on Buddy Reads, the 2nd week of the month, for the first time this year I think, was gonna be a chance to read other stuff, but might turn into a chance to watch TV instead...

All I have on my plate until next monday, is finishing this, the short novella I agreed to in the Hugo channel, an ebook I'm terrible at making time for, and maybe a Mystery I keep saying I'm going to make time for since Spring, and said I'd firmly read this month... not much, by my standards... 15/5hrs of audio at 3x speed, plus ebook, plus optional...

Basically, not sure if I'm going to finish this today, or not... depends how much of the day i spend distracting myself...

[Choko]

Yeah, I can see the distinction you are making. I am still fascinated by where we are going to end up though...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I mean... I basically just described Planner vs Pantser author archetypes...

Another good example of a Pantser is probably The Grey Bastards... so many weird new mutated magic abilities cropped up in the finale book The Free Bastards... great trilogy tho, about hog-riding half-orcs...

[Ann-Marie]

I didn't make much progress today, had off from work and had a bit of a girls day with my 5 year old niece lol I an through chapter 4 and (view spoiler)[who knew I would start to like Raxa? Then she got taken because Sorrowen is a dummy. The boys and Gladdic (I refuse to lump him in with Dante and Blays) are trying to figure out how they can build the spear, you just know that will be a hot mess. Nothing much has happened yet but this is looooong so there better be some exciting things!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Read a bunch more, and the philisophical nature of Odo Sein is giving me some serious The Magicians vibes...

[Ann-Marie]

Through chapter 13/partway through 14 and still have more than 9 hours left! (view spoiler)[I just said Raxa had grown on me and she is pretty much immediately injured & side-lined. Dante & guys went back to the jungle and had a run-in with the Lich. They are now "dead" and trying to get info on the spear. Again it is insurmountable odds plus there is another whole book battling the Lich so you know this is not going to be resolved. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Maybe it's just the Sword of Truth BR picking back up, but late Light of Life is giving me Wizard's First Rule vibes, when (view spoiler)[the MC is captured and tortured... (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Crap for some reason I thought we were on the same book! I am on The Spear of Stars so ignore my posts for now!

Anyway through chapter 14 (view spoiler)[the battle at Bressels is impending and Dante does not have the spear. Nak and some of the folks from Narastovick are there to assist in the battle. Finally some action is coming lol (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

You've always been the most on-the-ball about reading these on time or even a bit early... I'm generally almost late, and the others are really late...

My enjoymnet has varied, but hasn't been as high as yours either... some books, I really feel like I've had to force myself to finish, so I can move on to things I want to read more, and enjoy more... this series has had real ups & downs...

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "You've always been the most on-the-ball about reading these on time or even a bit early... I'm generally almost late, and the others are really late...

My enjoymnet has varied, but hasn't been as ..."

These are far from favorites for me, I think all but 2 have been 3 star ratings (just okay). My main complaint is every one has been unnecessarily long, like dude, get an editor! I am just trying to keep up with what I said I was going to read :)

[Ann-Marie]

Through 16 in Spear (view spoiler)[the battle finally started and BLIGHTED SHARKS AND WHALES??????? Hands down the best thing to happen in any of these books so far lol They have the Lich against the ropes but there are 7 and half hours left in this audio so there is so much more to come. I am glad that both Dante & Blays have used what they learned from the Odo Sein in the last book. Corson is pretty terrific, he has his doubts about siding with Dante & Blays but is smart enough to recognize the Lich for what he is and fight with them.

I should have said so earlier but who knew there was someone was more fanatical that Gladdic was? Adaine is a complete psycho in his zeal to support Taim. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I’ve rated alot of 4s, maybe even a 5… but I tend to rate high… alot are low 4s :D

[Ann-Marie]

I used to rate high then one day I looked at my read books at the 5 stars and was like yeah, this book does not belong with some of these others so I revised a lot of ratings. When I started this profile when I stopped fading romance exclusively I kept at it, I started DNF if I despised the book, 1 star was a hate read, 2 stars was didn’t hate didn’t really like, 3 stars was okay, I liked it well enough, 4 I liked a lot and 5 stars I absolutely loved it.

I never DNF’d, I read very fast but if I am really hating a book life is too short and if I can take a couple of hours to spend on a book I enjoy them I’ll do it. That being said I think I have DNF’d 2 books so far this year and I do not regret either 🤣

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Trying to go back and re-rate everything would be such an undertaking... I have 3000 books on my shelves...

I finished Light of Life, and liked it, for the most part, I guess...

But that look back at what little was accomplished in the book felt a bit like and indictment of the book, and a bit of pre-defense, by the author, before the book even came out :D

Looking at the little victories...

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Trying to go back and re-rate everything would be such an undertaking... I have 3000 books on my shelves..."

It was only my 5 star reads so not a huge amount!

As far as the Light book goes I agree, there was nothing much accomplished, a whole lot of them chasing their tails.

Spear through chapter 19 (view spoiler)[Bressel is basically fallen, Dante is trying to convince the Mallons to stay and the remaining ones are like eff you all the way. The Dragonbane leader died and they left which was a big part of the forces fighting the Lich and then he figured out how to portal the blighted behind their forces. I think that Dante wants to revisit the Mists to see how the Lich did the portals which is not an awesome idea in the spot they are now. (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Through chapter 22 in Spear (view spoiler)[I kept forgetting Winden was back! Very glad that Dante, Blays & Gladdic saved her but man it was quite the harrowing task to do so and escape Bressel. That battle was several hundred pages and I did enjoy it quite a bit. the blighted shark made another appearance much to my delight. (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Finished Spear (view spoiler)[and I have to admit I am sad to see Gladdic die. He was a total dick for like 2 entire books but since he started helping Dante & Blays he has grown on me. So they ended up in the realm of 9 gods and were denied the spear so the book ends on a cliffhanger with the 2 of them plotting on stealing from a god which I am certain will go odd without a hitch....

Like half of the book was the battle for Bressel which was not terrible, I liked this one more than most of the prior books, still think it was too long and he would benefit greatly from a good editor. The battle was great, the way they traveled around the city and the many mini fights they had and working to find their way around the blighted to escape was well done. Of course And Raxa, who I finally started to really like, was like Hi here I am! Headed back for the sword now, see you next book maybe? (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Started Spear of Stars… even Dante has to read long drawn out travelogues sometimes :D

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Spear of Stars chapter 9: Dantw being Dumb/Cocky, (view spoiler)[hijacking Blight and getting too close to Mr. Lich… (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Spear of Stars chapter 9: Dantw being Dumb/Cocky, [spoilers removed]"
Always!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Guess I'm ready for book 6, next week: What Lies Beyond Danta Galand and the Spear Thief ;)

The tone of that last page felt a bit too happy, considering how rough the book went for the MCs... and (view spoiler)[Gladdic just died... and they learned Taim & the gods are against them...

surviving in the besieged town felt like Minecraft/Terraria logic... just wall yourself into your house/ground so enemies can't reach you :D (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I accidentally read a spoiler for book 6, being on the book page, and seeing some reviews while re-reading the blurb... (view spoiler)[apparently, when you're playing in the Realm of the Nine Kings/Gods, death doesn't have to be permanent... Deus Ex Machina for the win... they're gonna try and bring back Gladdic... (hide spoiler)]

EDIT: I feel like I should have known this... just from having looked at the book covers so many times... (view spoiler)[Gladdic is in the book cover for book 8, the newest book...

In fact, I went down a rabbithole with the newest book, because so many of the reviewers just want the series to end, already... Power Creep definitely seems like it becomes an issue by book 8 :D

I read a spoilery review, (view spoiler)[and by this point, they're facing off against a 13th God, who looks like a Hydra if the cover is anything to go by... they need to kill this god to destroy this portal world, and cut off access between the Realm of the Gods and Rale / the main world of the series...

Things don't go well, when they try... so they decide they need the power of the White Lich to defeat it, maybe... so they go back to Tanar Attain, and resurrect the White Lich somehow... and kill him a few times, until he agrees to help... then they go try and kill the 13th God... and still fail... and destabilize the world/realm, and something happens, and their goal is achieved anyway, without having to kill the god, for some reason...

Even that guy's spoileryish review, that gave me all the details, still said he was ready to destroy Rale by the end, lol... (hide spoiler)]

I don't feel too bad about spoiling these books, as much as I struggle to finish them... #5 took me 3 days... that's pretty slow, for me... (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "I accidentally read a spoiler for book 6, being on the book page, and seeing some reviews while re-reading the blurb... [spoilers removed]

EDIT: I feel like I should have known this... just from h..."

This does not upset me. I tried starting Beyond today but had to put it aside. My mother has been having major medical issues and fell asleep while I was visiting her at the hospital and got a few chapters in and was like nope, not right now lol

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Every day, I was like, "just need to power through for X more hours, that's doable"...

30 minutes later...

"OR... I could watch TV"...

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Every day, I was like, "just need to power through for X more hours, that's doable"...

30 minutes later...

"OR... I could watch TV"..."

lol I tried to start watching S2 of Good Omens last night and I couldn't get into it. I did watch Only Murders in the Building this week finally and while this season hasn't been as lol funny I am still enjoying it.

Planning on starting Beyond for real today.

[Ann-Marie]

Through chapter 5 of Beyond (view spoiler)[So Arwan is as much of a dick as Taim is, awesome. I enjoyed the interaction with Carvahal and the duel with Blays. Neve is still up in the air, is she working with them or against them? I am thinking the bulk of this book with be them trying to assemble the spear and then a big battle against the Lich at the end. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

From the blurbs/reviews, (view spoiler)[Carvahal is here to stay… sounds like a real Loki kinda god/character (hide spoiler)]