Pick-a-Shelf discussion

Did you make any dragons' acquaintances?

Did you start a new series? Will you continue with this series?

I read Talon (Talon #1) [9-jan-2021] ★★★


I went in blind and this was different than I expected. I thought it would be set in a fantasy world where dragons live. Instead we get teens who enjoy the summer in California. It feels like a normal young adult book. The big difference is that some of the teenagers are dragons in disguise or are dragon hunters. I like that one of the themes is forbidden love. There is a love triangle which I dislike. The premise is interesting, but the pacing is very slow. I thought the book was okay, but am not planning to continue the series.

Used for:
- Let's book it
- Seriously Serial

Shelf nomination: favorite

Book: Even Tree Nymphs Get the Blues - 01.01 ★★★★
# Tags: 5



Review: This was short and sweet focusing on the tree nymph main character, which was an interesting being I've not read about before. The sheriff in town is the dragon character, along with many of the business owners, as you would expect with dragons, hording wealth and power. It didn't advance the overall series story arc by much but did keep us connected to the main players.

Challenges: Seriously Serial '21

Nomination: supernatural

Lusie wrote: "I read Talon (Talon #1) [9-jan-2021] ★★★


There is a love triangle which I dislike."

Completely!!

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
★★★★½



I've read & enjoyed a couple of this author's books and while the title of this one was kind of interesting, the cover wasn't at all attractive (to my eyes anyway). The description, as I've discussed with a few GR friends, do not sound particularly intriguing either. However, I started reading and was hooked within a 2-3 chapters. I stayed up late last night because I just couldn't stop until I realise I was going to be monstrously tired this morning & crabby with my kids (it's school holidays, help!). I just finished the last third of the book and am feeling very sleepy...

Nonetheless, I loved it. I found the writing to be engaging and the plot very well paced. I must admit while I liked the protagonist at the beginning, they were not flawless and it became very obvious in the latter half. This, of course, did not detract from my liking the book and protagonists do need to learn and develop. This protagonist indeed matured and became ever more likeable at the end. I loved the book but I do have a list of wishlist but most I cannot divulge due to spoilers but one would be an alternate perspective. While it's noted as standalone, there is definitely potential for sequels [the ending was left quite open!] and maybe, if it happens, some of my wishes will come true ;)

Now, let's see if I can make the synopsis a little bit more appealing:

All Gyen Jebi wants to do is paint. While they & their sister live under the rule of Razanei, their perspectives on how differ. Their sister is doing all she can to eke out a living for them both and spoiled them as much as they could in art supplies etc. She's lost her wife 10 years ago and still grieving. Jebi wants more. They planned to earn more but when their sister found out their plan and disagreed, they were thrown out of home.

In desperation, Jebi bows down to pressures to work as an artist at the Ministry of Armor. And so, he learns of the secrets of automatons and finds out a top secret research the Ministry is planning to unleash on their home: Arazi, a dragon automaton. They need help and the only possibility is their sister... as perspectives & priorities clash, will they be able to agree on a way forward for all?

@Bea & Lusie: you may find the book okay but not sure if you'd really like it like I did

@Susan: I still think you'd like it

Here's a Tor review and there is a link at the bottom for an extract, if you're curious.

I read by Thea Harrison.

While it is on the dragons shelf, there are no actual dragons in it. It is the first book in a spin-off of the Elder Races series, which does have a dragon, so this might explain it.

The book is enjoyable, especially the world-building with the inclusion of Irish myth and Arthurian legend. The romance is only so-so though.

I listened to The Dragon Blood Collection, Books 1-3 on audiobook.

It's on the dragon shelf, it has the word dragon in the title, there is magic related to dragons but alas, no dragons (hope that's not a spoiler). Maybe if a future book but I'm not sure I will read them.

Buroker's worlds always confuse me a little in terms of technological development. It seems like techlology is picked and chosen from our world without really explaining why this one was possible but others not (maybe magic?) which makes it difficult for me to picture this world. Story-wise it was relatively interesting but I have to admit my mind wandered a lot (as it's wont to do with audiobooks). The love stories were okay, they had chemistry if not exactly a wide range of potential partners to choose from.

All in all, my interest waned with every sequel and I'm not conviced I'm interested enough in how the story continues (will there be dragons?) to buy the rest.

I also read book 5 of the Invisible Library, The Mortal Word and will probably read the next one before the end of the month. They, at least have dragons, even if they're mostly in human form. It took me a while to really get warm with the series, having had longer breaks after book 1 and after book 2 but now I always want to read on right away. It ticks many of my boxes and magical libraries is definitely one of them.

Without spoiling too much: I really appreciate that Cogman isn't bringing back the plots, structures or villains but manages to find new exciting situations and characters. This book had Irene at the head of a murder investigation which was a welcome change, as I apreciate those as a subgenre. It was also nice to see so many familiar faces in one place and to get to know them better (or in some cases, be reminded who they were as I've forgotten the earlier books). It was interesting to see how relationships and responsibilites changed after the events of the two previous books.

I used Dragon Blood for
-Seriously Serial
-LOST 2021

I nominate: Retellings

Tien wrote: "Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
★★★★½



I've read & enjoyed a couple of this author's books and while the title of this..."

I've been passing on this book because of the cover, reminds me of an amusement park ride...but now I'm curious...

I read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander. ★★★★



A clever addition to the Harry Potter universe which touches bases on my personal favorite topic- magical beasts, wildlife and other various beings. A fun little trip back into the world of magic.



I nominate dark academia

I finished Destiny Kills by Keri Arthur on 1/19/2021


Rating: 5 stars
Review: Destiny is a water dragon escaping from a research facility. She partners up with Trae who is an air dragon to try to free her family and find his sister. This is a world where dragons exist but are unknown to the normal world. The plot steadily pulled me in and I kept looking forward to reading the book. Destiny and Trae's instant attraction was obvious but I liked that they didn't just jump into bed right away and let the suspense grow.

I used this also for:
- Trim that TBR
- Seriously Serial 2021
I nominate: Victorian Books

I read Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton

3.25*
A fun and different read about courtly family drama. Siblings squabble over their father's inheritance, but also they are dragons and want to eat each other. I didn't love this, but would definitely recommend to anyone who is into dragons.
I also learned that this is an example of a fun sub-genre I had never heard of called 'mannerpunk' or 'fantasy of manners'. According to goodreads this is " a subgenre of fantasy literature that also partakes of the nature of a comedy of manners. Such works generally take place in an urban setting and within the confines of a fairly elaborate, and almost always hierarchical, social structure."

Used for Trim that TBR
I nominate domestic thriller

Dragon's Milk by Susan Fletcher
3 stars

Somehow this book never made it into our house when my daughters were the right age. The title is really not very good, in my opinion, and this might have stopped my kids from reading it despite the fact that it has been around since 1989 (not this copy) and there was a fourth one put out in 2010.

The writing isn't bad, probably fairly good, really, and it was fun to read this for a challenge, but honestly, it's another teen who goes off and does some stellar things, but also runs into a lot of trouble as she cares for 3 draclings. This is a term I don't recall reading before, but it's young dragons, as you may well have surmised; if this term is used in fantasy, I don't read that much of it.

I nominate Spain https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
3 stars

I was thinking I would like this more than I did. Dragons and libraries sound like the perfect combo, but to me it read more like middle grade with some adult moments. There's definately a lot going on in this world, but the characters didn't quiet feel much to me. It was by the book procedure, not emotional connections.

Not going to read the rest of the series

I read Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
★★★★


Tien described this book as a comfort-read and she was spot on! Daine is a young girl with no home and needs a place in the world. She finds a job working with horses, which is perfect for her skills! Before long the magic and journey of the story begin.

I nominate crime-fiction

For this month I read Vanish. I rated it 4 stars. Fantasy young adult genre, with some pretty deep topics. I actually got into this second book of this series a little better than I did the first one. And the ending has me very excited for the third. The one thing I did dislike was the always present and way overused teenage love triangle. It wasn't as bad as in some, but still present.

Used it for ...
- Seriously Serial '21
- Trim the TBR

I nominate Romance.

It's become clear that I won't finish The Priory of the Orange Tree before the month is up. So I grabbed The Invisible Library for something a bit quicker. Unlike Snowtulip, I did enjoy it. It grabbed me from the first page, which I really appreciated since Orange Tree is going so slowly. The craziness reminds me a bit of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next books.

I give it 3.5 stars - not quite 4, but close.

Susan wrote: "It's become clear that I won't finish The Priory of the Orange Tree before the month is up. So I grabbed The Invisible Library for something a bit quicker. Unlike Sn..."

Glad you enjoyed it Susan!

I've read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling ★★★★½

This is the third time I read the Harry Potter series, and I've noticed that all of the three times I happened to read it during a very hard period in my life. I don't think it was really intentional, but I must say it helped me a lot. This time around, I've enjoyed the book even more than the first two times - I remembered all that was going to happen, and reading the novel from the perspective of someone who knows exactly what's going on made it much more enjoyable. Sometimes I think it's rather silly to read this series at my age (I'm 38), but I'm not sure I really care about that :)

*

I didn't use this book for any PAS challenge - however, I nominate comfort reads.

Marina (Sonnenbarke) wrote: "I've read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling ★★★★½

This is the third time I read the Harry Potter series, and I've noticed that all of the three..."

No it's not silly to enjoy Harry Potter even when you are 38! Harry Potter is for all ages :D

I'm glad you back me up, Lusie :D

forgot to nominate a shelf, hope it's not to late! see my post (message 7)

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
3.5*

If you've read Fforde before, you know what to expect. A fun and creative alternate version of Britain, with some cool magical rules and interesting creatures. This was a enjoyable world. I didn't get super into the plot until close to the end, but still a fun ride. I look forward to reading the next in the series.

Used for seriously serial
I nominate books about books

I read Eragon by Christopher Paolini and gave it 4*.

It was clearly written for young adults, so it was an easy read. However, the writing and story kept me involved and wanting to know how Eragon survived the newest crisis. Even the ending made me want to pick up the next book. I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastical romp into the world of dwarves, dragons, elves and bad guys!

Used for monthly shelf.
I nominate witches.

Marina (Sonnenbarke) wrote: "I'm glad you back me up, Lusie :D"
Of course!