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REVIEW: OATHBRINGER (THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE #3)

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Say the words... I took a bit of a break from this series after reading  WORDS OF RADIANCE  partly because I wanted to broaden my audiobook experiences and partly because I was genuinely worried that nothing would be able to properly follow up the incredible experience that I had with it.   HOW I RATED IT  5/5 While I didn't think it was possible to top WORDS OF RADIANCE , this book somehow managed to do just that thanks to gripping character arcs, high action, and lots of fascinating narrative turns.  Please note:  While I will not be mentioning any major spoilers for  OATHBRINGER , I may mention characters, places, and events in ways that could be considered spoilers for previous books in the  STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE . CHARACTERS There are some rather interesting developments that happen toward the end of WORDS OF RADIANCE  and our characters had also come a long way in the moments leading up to that finale. I was very pleased to find that all of this continued to develop wonderfully
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REVIEW: ASCENDER VOL 2: THE DEAD SEA

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The dog with the backwards tongue.. After beginning the  ASCENDER  series at the end of December, I somehow managed to let months slip by before reaching for the second one. I don't know why I waited so long, but hopefully I will mix the next two in with other reads over the next couple of months.  HOW I RATED IT  4/5  I continue to have a good time with this follow up series even though not every aspect of it has been working out perfectly.  NOTE: While my goal is to avoid spoilers for  ASCENDER VOL 2: THE DEAD SEA , I would advise not reading this review unless you have first finished the first volume in this series.  CHARACTERS Things kick off by immediately revealing that Andy isn't actually quite dead following the shocking events of VOLUME 1 . This volume places a heavy focus on his story of survival while rotating over to follow his daughter Mila who travels with Telsa, and the mysterious "Mother" who attempts to foil the prophesy of the "dog with the bac
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MARCH READS

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March was a slower reading month for some reason, but I really enjoyed what I got through and made it partway through two more amazing books.  1. Holy Is His Name A  5/5  experience that was both intellectually and spiritually engrossing While I didn't necessarily intend to rip through this one (typically I read religious books slowly to make sure I can fully absorb them), I found myself constantly wanting to move along to the next chapter thanks to Hahn's masterful writing which had all the great research and citation of an academic work while still managing to be moving in a more spiritual manner.     Full review here 2. Lost Souls This was a great   4/5  debut! There were definitely some rough edges to this one, but this ended up being a very enjoyable read, an impressive debut for this author, and a strong start to this new series. It's brutal and bloody while also being deeply emotional in an earnest sort of way which created a really interesting tone for things. That
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MINI REVIEW: HOLY IS HIS NAME

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What is Holiness?  I purchased a hardcover copy of this book during an event at a local parish where I was lucky enough to listen to Dr. Hahn speak. His oration was incredible and I found myself eager to try some of his writing, so I picked up a copy of this book as well as one other.  HOW I RATED IT  5/5  It is typically my hope that I am either intellectually or spiritually engaged when reading a piece of non-fiction literature. Scott Hahn's HOLY IS HIS NAME somehow managed to do both for me at the same time.  CONTENT The book's premise is fairly straightforward. In it, Hahn asks the question, "What does it mean to be holy?" And as a follow up to that, "What is holiness?" While many with modern sensibilities might naturally associate the terms with members of the church or perhaps simply those that "do good," Hahn argues that those conceptions aren't especially accurate and examines how even The Catechism of the Catholic Church does not prov
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REVIEW: LOST SOULS (INFINITE EXISTENCE #1)

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An empire set in the stars... I often complain how I never ever win any sort of raffle or giveaway, but I finally was selected as a winner for a Discord giveaway and wanted to read my prize right away.  HOW I RATED IT  4/5  Some rough edges and a somewhat abrupt end sequence held things back for me somewhat, but I ultimately found myself quite impressed with this book which serves as a strong debut for this new indie author as well as a promising start to this dark scifi series. NOTE:  I want to mention that I won a paperback copy of this book as part of a giveaway. I was not specifically asked to write a review (though that's always nice thing to do, especially when you like the book) and my opinion of this book is not influenced by receiving a free copy as part of this giveaway from the author. CHARACTERS Although there is definitely a clear plotline driving things forward, I would actually say that the characters are the main focus of this narrative. The story is told across mul
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FEBRUARY READS

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February was a small, but mighty month with some great reads that moved my reading goals for this year along nicely.   1. Arcanum Unbounded (The Rosharan System and my  Overall Thoughts) This ended up being a super interesting  4/5  experience for me The only section/novella that I had left coming in to February was the one that is set on Roshar (the world of  The Stormlight Archive ), titled Edgedancer . While this got off to a slower start and Lift is still not my favorite character from the series, I ended up really enjoying her development, the key story moments which had a surprising amount of impact on the overall world, and the setting in which the narrative plays out which is one that the mainline series hasn't explore much at all.  Overall, I think this was a super fun collection that could be enjoyed in different ways. It's just important for readers to understand that a number of the stories within are directly tied to Sanderson's flagship novels and contain some
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REVIEW: ARCANUM UNBOUNDED (THE COSMERE COLLECTION)

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Tales from across The Cosmere... Years after purchasing this during a Barnes and Noble sale, I have finally made my way through this collection.   HOW I RATED IT  4/5  This collection of stories set in Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere pairs punchy standalone novellas with essential stories that build upon his lineup of mainline series like MISTBORN and THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE .  THE COLLECTION As far as compilations go, this is an interesting one. I had initially bought it early on in my Cosmere journey, not realizing that so many stories in this collection contained major spoilers for Sanderson's flagship novels and series. Given how interwound this collection is with his other works, I think there are a couple of different ways that it can be enjoyed. For me, I waited until I'd caught up on ELANTRIS , THE BANDS OF MOURNING ( MISTBORN #6), and WORDS OF RADIANCE ( THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE #2) among some others that were not required reading to fully read this collection. I rea
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