chez_jae

A Nameless Witch by A. Lee Martinez

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Since I only had one chapter left in the book I'd taken to work, I brought it home with me and finished it this morning. The book was A Nameless Witch by A Lee Martinez, and it followed the adventures of a witch who was born undead and cursed with eternal youth and beauty. She hides her beauty beneath shapeless rags, a large hat, a dirty face, and a pretend limp.

After her mentor, Ghastly Edna, is murdered, the young witch takes up a quest of vengeance. She is accompanied by her familiar, which is a demonic duck, her enchanted broom, and a troll. She settles outside of a human encampment and waits for the magic to tell her how to proceed. When a White Knight appears at Fort Stalwart to enlist the soldiers' aid in defeating a horde of ravenous goblings, the witch knows her fate is tied to his. Once the horde is defeated, they embark on their quest together, hoping to prevent a mad sorcerer from destroying the entire world. They are tested along the way, until they encounter the sorcerer, and this is a battle that only the witch can engage in.

Above all else, this story was hilarious! I literally laughed out loud several times while reading it. The plot was engrossing, fight scenes were tense and bloody, and of course, there is an element of romance as the virtuous White Knight and the cannibalistic, undead witch cannot overcome their attraction to one another. Characters were wonderful, even down to the witch's broom, named Penelope.

Favorite line: Nasty Larry's head rolled to his slayer's feet and pronounced a terrible curse, as decapitated wizard's heads are prone to do.

Fabulous fun, five stars!

*****

Current Mood: cold
Current Music: The fierce wind

So, I just finished reading The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. It was originally published under the name "His Dark Materials", and it's the first in a trilogy. This is a book I've had forever, and each time I've done a book purge, I hung onto this one, rather than getting rid of it. I'm glad I kept it and finally read it.

The story centers around Lyra, a young girl who is being raised among scholars at Jordan College. There, she runs amok, gathering a gang of children to herself to wage mock war on other children, such as the transient gyptians.

When she overhears adults speaking of a strange and terrible substance known as Dust, Lyra's curiosity is piqued. She soon finds herself drawn into an adventure the likes of which she could never have imagined. Along with her daemon familiar Pan, and a ragtag bunch of friends and allies she makes along the way, Lyra encounters danger and sorrow and fierce joy.

The book was engrossing and remarkable. It seemed to be set in Victorian times, yet there were cars and trucks. Lyra herself had possession of an enigmatic alethiometer, which she alone can read and understand. The story was a combination of fantasy, adventure and steam punk. The author's descriptions were lush and vivid, and his narrative of action and battles and flights to safety were gripping. I think it's one that will stay with me for some time.

Favorite line: "That's the duty of the old...to be anxious on behalf of the young. And the duty of the young is to scorn the anxiety of the old."

Definite five out of five:

*****

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: "Relax" ~ Frankie Goes to Hollywood

I brought my work book home to finish. It was nearing the end, and it was getting exciting. I couldn't leave it for an entire weekend!

The book was Airs Beneath the Moon by Toby Bishop. I've had it forever, and several times, I've considered getting rid of it when purging books. Something held me back, however, and I'm glad of it. I don't often read straight-up fantasy any more, and this story reminded me of why I used to.

The small Duchy of Oc is famed for its winged horses. When one is born in the rural Uplands and inadvertently bonds with Larkyn Hamley, Lark soon finds herself at the Academy of the Air. There, she and her colt, Tup, must learn to fly together, and Lark is to receive a "proper" education. She finds herself being ridiculed by the high-born girls, but Lark is made of stern stuff, and nothing can sway her from doing what's best for Tup.

To add intrigue to the story, we have the power-mad William, son of the ailing Duke, who covets the winged horses. They will only bond to females, and the horses have a distinct aversion to adult males. William, however, thinks he's found a way around this, and he's secretly been breeding horses in an effort to procure a winged foal for himself. Tup is the product of William's machinations, but he slipped through William's grasp and bonded to Larkyn instead.

For her part, Lark is sadly behind the other girls in learning to ride. She's more comfortable riding bareback, but there's no way she can fly on Tup without a saddle...or is there? Dun dun DUN!

The book was very enjoyable. Lark made a few staunch friends, including Hester, and one of the Horsemistresses was her champion. The girl who was assigned as her sponsor, however, was a total snot, but she got her comeuppance by the end of the story. William was quite the villain; he reminded me of Dolores Umbridge, in that I wanted to climb into the narrative and throttle him, myself! I confess I giggled a bit at the name "Tup". Hee! There was one very sad scene that was so gut-wrenching I was literally in tears. It's been awhile since a book has affected me so. I was pleased to see that this is only the first book in what appears to be at least a trilogy.

Favorite line: "Men can do almost anything, and there are no consequences. Women are the ones who pay the price."
Sad, but true.

Five stars!

*****