Monday, 14 July 2014

And still, it snows.

I think I've done my back again.  Heatpack for the win.  Man, I'm getting old.

I said something about reviewing the Children of the Black Sun series if I got the the end and it wasn't completely depressing, I'd write about it.  And guess what?  It wasn't depressing (aka not everyone dies).

Winter Be My Shield, the first book, was everything that the shopgirl at Dymocks promised.  Action, adventure, gritty magic, and a female lead whose main purpose is more than just the canvas for a which-boy-will-i-pick dilemma.  Definitely recommended reading - Jo does a great job at creating a winter wonderland (the word 'wonderland' is probably misleading here because the land is pretty damn harsh).  This would be my favourite book in the series.

Second book, Black Sun Light My Way, takes a bit of a detour into what I have crudely summarized as 'torture games', which is not my favourite bedtime reading.  But then again, what else to expect from a title that references a black sun?

North Star Guide Me Home has more cheer aloud moments (which I am all for) and the magic really starts getting cool.  The books introduce a really interesting conceptualization of family and romantic relationships.  It made me squirm in 1 and 2, and I didn't quite get it until this third installment.  Then it was all 'awwww' and fuzzy wuzzies.

The scene stealer of the series is a blood mage called Rasten who is pretty hardline evil, but endears himself by being the most forthright, takes-no-shit character of the series.  If I had to dislike something about the book, it would be (without giving anything away too much) that there were too many babies.

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