DB Books and Reviews

To fly as free as a bird... This novella by the author of THE GREEN BONE SAGA made a big splash when it first dropped. I found the price point for both the print and electronic editions to be absurd for such a short book, but when the hardcover dropped in price to something more reasonable, I happily scooped it up and decided to give this author a try.  HOW I RATED IT  3/5  This novella delivers on an interesting fantasy world with compelling characters and exciting action scenes where behemoth birds clash with menacing manticores.    CONTENT The story follows Ester who is a young woman that's been accepted among the ranks of the ruhkers, a position that is honored and steeped in legend, but is not particularly safe or especially glamorous. Her story begins with meeting Zahra, a recently captured roc. Rocs are essentially gigantic falcons who are trapped and then tamed within the King's Royal Mews so that they can then be taken out to hunt the deadly manticores which ravage th

The art of love and the love of art... After being impressed with the Dragonsteel edition of TRESS OF THE EMERALD SEA , I'd been eyeing the other two secret projects that are set within The Cosmere. When the fan boxes returned for them on their website, I scooped them up without hesitation this time and have been looking forward to diving in ever since.  HOW I RATED IT  5/5  This is not necessarily a perfect book nor is it even some of Sanderson's best work. With that said, I just had an absolutely amazing reading experience, thanks in part to this beautiful Dragonsteel edition of the novel.  CHARACTERS This is probably one of Sanderson's smaller casts of characters, at least when it comes to the figures who play an important role in the storyline. The book stars two young heroes and switches back and forth between their perspectives. Yumi is a young yoki-hijo who was selected at birth to serve the people of her land as a holy woman who communes with the spirits. She does t

Until it is no longer perfect... I'd been curious about this story ever since seeing the trailer for the HBO adaptation and when the audiobook went on sale, I just had to pick it up. After having saved it for a bit, I finally dove into this contemporary thriller. HOW I RATED IT  4/5  Fast pacing and unsettling atmosphere kept me hooked as I learned more about all of the characters and worried about what will happen to them. I could have done without some of the more explicit content and wish the end twists were a little more sophisticated. CHARACTERS The story follows two POV characters: Emma Matthews and Jane Cavendish. Emma's story takes place in the past and we learn very early on into the story that she has actually died at One Folgate St, allegedly due to a fall down the precarious staircase. Jane's chapters take place in the present as she tries to make a new life in the high-tech minimalist building and starts to piece together what really became of Emma Mathews. Inc

Seeking The Beyond... After winning an Audible code for this in a Discord Giveaway, I was immediately excited to jump in since I'd heard so many nice things about this book. HOW I RATED IT  3/5  This science fiction action romp is filled with fascinating planets and strange alien species. I wasn't really able to feel emotionally invested in anyone or anything in particular, but I still had a really good time just being taken along for this crazy ride.  CHARACTERS Levort Aatra serves as our main protagonist. He's not the most unique hero, but he has an interesting enough backstory and his pure-hearted motivations make him easy to root for. Because I'm not really sure how to spell the names for anyone else (his was the only one listed in the book's description), I won't me mentioning them by name. I will say that it took me longer than it probably should have to memorize what everyone was called and even as I neared the story's end, there were still some chara

The sword of destiny has two blades... After being pleasantly surprised with THE LAST WISH , I knew I had to continue with the second short story collection which sort of concludes the introduction to the titular Witcher.  HOW I RATED IT  5/5 As much as I could do without some of the lewdness, I continue to find myself impressed with how much fun this series is. The new takes on classic fairy tales, the wry humor, and the exciting action scenes all make a return, but there was an emotional rawness to this entry which moved me in ways that I was not expecting.   CHARACTERS Geralt of Rivia returns for another series of short adventures and this is the best we've seen him so far. This book offers much deeper insights into who Geralt is, what motivates him, what scares him, and what exactly might be hiding beneath that gruff exterior. Though they do not appear in every story, Dandelion and Yennifer are quite prominent here as well, which I was very glad to see. Dandelion, in particular

The flames of rebellion... I won an Audible code in a Discord giveaway. When a gap opened up in my audio lineup, this was the perfect fit to fill that time, so I decided to give this a go.   HOW I RATED IT  4/5  Part revolution story, part YA-style coming of age, part military drama, VERMILLION FLAMES, is an interesting mix of things that really resonated with me and things that did not. Some fascinating twists toward the end and an impeccable audio production ended up making this a much more memorable adventure than it would have been otherwise.  CHARACTERS The story follows two main POVs: Silas Becket, High Commander of the Pandora Fleet, and Kaya al Varden, daughter of the Duke of Mercury. Silas and his close allies within the fleet made for deeply compelling protagonists. I appreciated the subtle nuances of their interactions with one another as much as I did seeing them in action on the battlefield against the notorious, Hex, a top-ranking member of the infamous Vermillion Coalit