Malazan Book of the Fallen - Endings

I am glad that I got into this series when it was pretty much completed; by the time the last book came out I had finished all the others so it was wonderful timing. The endings of the books would have left me the most frustrated reading ever, for example the ending in Dust of Dreams. The final giant battle that you read before the last four or five pages gave me goosebumps. The part about it that really strikes home is the idea that humans, despite the overwhelming odds are able to make a stand. The tanks that stood the line when the marines had to fall back because of being overwhelmed, the giant Short-Tails (don't have the book in front of me to look up the spelling) were actually halted. And it was awe inspiring, especially seeing it from Brys' perspective. It looked like the Bonehunters would be annihilated, and yet they managed to hold their ground for a period of time in order for everyone else to retreat.

These battles remind me of the moments that are talked about in the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce. The Goddess, when talking to Alanna speaks about times being at a Crossroads. Where gods are unable to really affect the outcome, and it is essentially up to mortals to choose where the worlds path is going to go. Steven Erikson makes those major battles feel like those crossroads. In Y'ghatan the Bonehunters could have lost their spine for good, but through the determination of some people they managed to make it out. Same with this battle against the Short-Tails. It was either going to be a complete failure and everyone would die, or they would make it out against all odds. This goes in line with something that is mentioned in the beginning of the Crippled God. The Bonehunters, like the Bridgeburners and Dassem Ultors army and even Coltaine's army in what they were able to achieve, stand out in the history of the Malazans and the human race in general because they manage to achieve the impossible. And the idea is that those armies are essentially reminders of the greatness that once was in the 'golden ages' where there was always glory. And the importance of them doing this final fight in this book not being witnessed by others is that it would truly show how far everyone else has fallen. Especially seeing the sacrifices that they have made and will continue to make as this book progresses to the final act.

To me it feels as if it took a whole army to fill the shoes of Anomander Rake in the sense of shouldering the hard burden that no one else will. Which says a lot about both the army and Rake.

Crochet One-Skein Wonders: 101 Projects from Crocheters around the World

So outside of reading I do enjoy doing some crochet. I don't do it as often as I would like and since it IS technically a book I figured why not talk about it for those of you who enjoy crocheting. This has numerous patterns that I think look absolutely beautiful, and I cannot wait to try them out. The only issue that I have been running into is the technical 1-skein aspect of it. Every pattern is designed from someone and they managed to do the hat or scarf, etc. with one skein. Which only really works if you are able to track down the same exact yarn brand in the stores around you or want to order it online. There are two different projects that I planned on doing and I sadly had to go and buy a second skein because everything I could find was a few yards short or wasn't even close. And one issue I could see coming up specifically is the pillow cover on the cover. If you want the same effect you had better make sure and order that exact yarn; or just be happy with whatever yarn you can get your hands on. Other than that, I feel like this book will definitely keep me busy with random projects to do. 

For those of you who use Etsy and generally use the Lionbrand free patterns or what not for what you create and sell on Etsy, you are not allowed to make and sell using the patterns in the book according to the publisher company of the book. They said that you can sell if you have made some alterations to the pattern essentially making it your own.

Inamorata by Megan Chance

This book was a free book of the month offered by Amazon Prime a few months ago, and one that I read before I started this blog. I generally do not pick books based off of their covers, but when I was looking at what was offered me it really came down to which cover looked the most promising. And I would have to say that there is something about this cover that makes it one of my favorites. So kudos to that.

The premise of this book is that there is a succubus and to survive with her youth and luster she must drain the creative power of an artist of some sort; musical, sculptures, authors, poets, etc. And every so many years she must choose one artist to inspire them to create their greatest work of art at the cost of their life or sanity; and if she does not then she reveals her true self to the world, and needless to say bad things can happen. And not to mention that every person she drains of their creative power generally commits suicide once she ends the relationship with them. It was very well done how Megan Chance ties in the idea of the succubus with different amazing works of art/poetry/etc. The story goes through a few different points of view. There is the succubus whose name is Odile, Nicholas who was one of the men she drained of creative power, Joseph who is the brother of the main character Sophie. Sophie is an extremely interesting character because she is almost the mirror image of Odile. Odile, through acting as a muse, sucks out the creativity in others while Sophie inspires others without taking anything. Sophie is specifically the muse for Joseph which is why Joseph has been able to last as long as he did in Odile's clutches.

Nicholas plays into the story by being the first to figure out what Odile is, and he makes it essentially his life's work to see an end to her; by trying to prevent her from finding the key person who extends her life. And he tries to warn away those who are the temporary fixes to the aging problem before they get to the point of committing suicide. Nicholas finds out for a brief moment that, when he thought all of his creativity and inspiration gone, that Sophie is able to inspire him. However, that all comes crashing down in the end. One of which I shall not spoil for you. What I will say though is that this book is definitely a good read and I would recommend it.

Maria V. Snyder's new book!

So, I realize this is most likely going to be old news for those who are big fans of Maria V. Snyder and all of her books. But she is coming out with another trilogy of books that follows with the Study series characters! So happy! I have a nice little countdown on the right side of the page for when the book is released and I hope you will all at least read the study series in preparation for the release. If you are a little leery and want a more specific review on the Study series, I am going to probably be reviewing it next after I finish the Malazan Book of the Fallen. If on the other hand you are a really big die hard fan, there is a giveaway going on for a signed copy of the book on the Two Chicks on Books page. The release date is Feb 24, 2015 and I really just cannot wait.