DB Books and Reviews

War and Faith... I backed the Kickstarter for the whole first arc of The Kallatian Saga a while back and finally got around to finishing the fourth book. After the disappointment that was WIND AND TRUTH , I was really hoping the first arc of this series would fair far better.  HOW I RATED IT  4/5  While I ran into some challenges when reading the fourth and final book in the first arc of THE KALLATIAN SAGA , it delivered a far more satisfying experience than the conclusion to the first arc of a certain other epic fantasy series.  CHARACTERS At it's core, THE KALLATIAN SAGA has always been something of a slow burn, character-focused story. Although the stakes have been raised for this final entry of the series' first arc, the overall feel of it holds true to what's come before. I was also very glad that Meredith resisted the urge to balloon the number of POV characters we follow. Ophedia is really the most notable addition to the list of main characters, but she's ha...

The road to ruination... I've been mildly interested in this novel as someone who used to play LEAGUE OF LEGENDS , especially after having enjoyed ARCANE as much as I did. When I found that my library carried copies of it, I figured I should finally go ahead and give it a read.  HOW I RATED IT  3/5  This novel, set in the world of the LEAGUE OF LEGENDS online game, isn't quite as stirring and meaningful as the ARCANE animated show, but it still offers a fun adventure featuring a nice selection of characters (champions) from the game as well as a satisfying exploration of different parts of Runeterra.  CHARACTERS One of the main draws to this book for LEAGUE OF LEGENDS players is going to be getting deeper insights into the stories of about a half dozen or so of the game's champions. Those drawn in primarily by the ARCANE TV show should know that none of those characters are featured here, making the appeal more so about getting to see a different part of the worl...

An entire English class in a book... I'd been curious about Tolkien's rendition of the classic tale of Beowulf for quite some time now. The combination of an opportunity to buddy read it with someone and the timing of a readathon made this March the perfect time for me to finally check it out.   HOW I RATED IT  4/5  Make no mistake, this one is for the English nerds and die hard Tolkien fans only, but if you fall into one or both of those categories, then this might just be a real treasure to add to your collection.  CONTENT First and foremost, this is quite different from any version of Beowulf that you may have had to read in school. The most popular rendition is much more of an approximation or retelling of the story whereas Tolkien's version is closer to a word for word translation. The end result is a story/poem that is rather difficult to follow, at least initially. I think it's probably helpful to already be familiar with the tale in some form before divi...

Empires, immortals, and God... After the author kindly offered me an Audible code for this new release, I was excited to immediately work it into my listening schedule. Even though I really appreciate receiving a free copy of this book, my gratitude does not impact the honesty of my review. HOW I RATED IT  4/5  Though this sequel to VERMILLION FLAMES initially seems like it will be a fairly predictable yet chaotic, space adventure, it ultimately culminates into something far more layered and engaging with elements of military space fantasy, holy wars, space opera, and rebellion. NOTE : While I will aim to avoid spoilers for ASHEN DAWN , I will be mentioning characters and events from the prior book that could be considered spoilers for that story.  CHARACTERS The prior book ended with Kaya and Silas's stories converging and many of the major side characters from each perspective coming together to form one big party of rebels. Things pick up pretty much where they left o...

Forgive me if you can... After enjoying THE CRIMES OF ROOKER FLYNN , I've been looking forward to the release of it's sequel. This month felt like the month to treat myself to it, so I did.  HOW I RATED IT  5/5  Even though this book ends on another vicious cliffhanger, I felt as though it was everything the second book in a trilogy should be in that it was a satisfying entry in the series while still leaving me desperate for the true conclusion to this turbulent tale. Please Note: While I will be aiming to avoid spoilers for THE TRIAL OF ROOKER FLYNN , I will likely mention characters and events which could be considered spoilers for both the first book in this trilogy as well as the original THE LEGEND OF BLACK JACK .  CHARACTERS We once again find ourselves with the notorious Rooker Flynn as the book kicks off with another flashback of him from when he still went by his birth name of "Pip." We also meet the original "Rooker" in this prologue, but his ult...

Who you were before does not matter... Tori Tecken's new book has been on my radar for a little while now, especially because Andrew D. Meredith serves as the narrator for the audio edition. Once my listening schedule opened up, I knew I wanted to jump right into this, so I did. HOW I RATED IT  3/5  This slow burn start to a new epic fantasy series was an intriguing introduction to the characters and world even if none of it engaged me to the extent I hoped it would.  CHARACTERS As with most epic fantasies, there are an assortment of characters who we follow in each chapter. Even though there are a handful in total, Gehrin and Syndri are who I would argue are the main characters, mostly just due to their having the lion's share of the page time. Of the two, I definitely liked Gehrin a lot more. He's taken from his family as a young boy and slowly molded over time into sort of like a brainwashed elite guard. It's hard not to sympathize with him due to all the horrible tr...