Get ready for an audiobook wrap-up that's mostly just the Song of Ice and Fire books. And also a book that I listened to back in October and forgot about (which means that it likely won't have much of a review, I'm v sorry).
A Clash of Kings (ASOIAF #2) by: George R.R. Martin
Rating: 4/5
This is certainly the book for those who found Game of Thrones to be rather slow. This is where the true story begins to really kick off. This book has it all: political dealings, wars beginning, strategies, and zero romance. All in all, it really keeps your interest the whole way through. There isn't much that I didn't like about the book, except for the fact that some of the POVs didn't feel necessary. What I mean by this is, why didn't we ever get Rob's POV in the book? Most of the actual battles happen off-screen (off-book?), we only know about the battles after the fact, with the exception of the battle of King's Landing with Tyrion. It feels like the war aspect could've been breached, some actual action could've been nice, or at least a little more. This could've been achieved through Rob's POV. Why do I want to know what Catelyn is doing and not the actual King in the North? It just never sat well the whole time that I was listening. Overall, it was really good. It's certainly worth the listen, a great continuation where large-scale things really start to occur.
A Storm of Swords (ASOIAF #3) by: George R.R. Martin
Rating: 5/5
First, let me say that I listened to this book immediately after A Clash of Kings, then I started A Feast for Crows immediately after this one, so I have tendency to combine events from these three books. This book has the same great exploration of different characters' motivations, especially since this book is occurring in the thick of the war. Though, it still isn't very war-centric; rather, it is still more political dealings and personal brutalizations. This book is actually where the tides of the war begin to turn. For those who are familiar with the show and not the books, this is the book where both the Red Wedding and the Purple Wedding take place. This book is also the one that begins to divert from the show in some ways (the first two stick pretty closely to the first couple seasons). But this book is so incredibly investing and dramatic, that I didn't even mind that it was a ~47 hour audiobook. It is just so incredibly interesting. Though, let me say that I wish that they had included GRRM's little timeline note in the beginning of the book, in the beginning of the audiobook. They did not, so you start the book in a weird spot, I thought that it was happening in the future, but it turned out that it wasn't. When I took a picture of the physical copy of the book, I saw the note that GRRM had included to let the reader know that the attack by the wights was actually happening in real time. Still, a very good book, maybe even my favorite of the series.
A Feast for Crows (ASOIAF #4) by: George R.R. Martin
Rating: 2/5
Now that we've talked about my favorite of the series (so far), let's talk about my least favorite. This book is just so meh. It's pretty tedious and more boring than any of the previous three. There's just so little action, and the characters make little sense. I know that this book is the way it is, because POV's were taken from this work and put into A Dance with Dragons, but that doesn't really make me feel better. I don't understand why he didn't just cut the book linearly. So, who were the POV's in the last couple of books (from A Clash of Kings and/or A Storm of Swords)? It was largely Arya, Daenerys, Bran, Sansa, Jaime, Brienne, Stannis, Ser Davos, Catelyn, Tyrion, Jon, etc., all very relevant people to make up the various storylines. The main POV's from A Feast for Crows? Cersei, Jaime, Brienne, Samwell, totally random people in Dorne, Arya, Sansa, Totally random Iron men (the ones vying for the sea stone chair at least) and that's it. We don't know what is happening on the wall, we don't know what is happening with Daenerys, no sign of Tyrion, Stannis could be doing anything, and we don't know what Bran is doing for the entirety of the book. Why should I really care what the people on the Iron Islands are doing? Sam is so boring and Brienne as well. I can see why so many people stop reading the series here. This book is just so tedious. (Also, how come Cersei has no idea that Dany is doing things across the Narrow Sea? Shouldn't people be telling her about her? It seems like she isn't even aware of her existence even though we know that Robert knew she was still alive and thriving. It seems like people would be making a bigger deal about it). Anyway, if I wasn't keen to finish the series, this book could've really ruined everything that GRRM has been building.
The Ballad of Black Tom by: Victor Lavalle
Rating: 4/5
I wish that I had anything to say about this one. I'm not very familiar with any Cthulu source material, so this didn't really connect with me very much. I kind of just thought that it was rather weird. I don't really understand what happened with the antagonist (protagonist?). I did like the way that the author tied race into the horror of the book. This aspect made it scary in a way that wasn't just fictional. I think that it's certainly worth the read, especially if you like horror novellas that are kind of strange and almost a touch sci-fi (just the essence really). It's very short, so definitely give this one a read or a listen.
A Darker Shade of Magic by: V.E. Schwab
Rating: 5/5
This book was just so good, I really, really enjoyed it. I'm very excited to read the next one. This book had it all, a broody protagonist with a wild coat, a chaotic partner, a super interesting magic system, and traveling between realms. This book was just so different in terms of the plot. I was hooked right from the start and I was eager to listen to it. The world-building was great and thorough. The characters felt real and authentic, their emotions were palpable. Let me tell you, there is a heart-breaking scene near the end of the book that nearly got me. Lila got on my nerves at first, but I grew to like her. I should also say that you can totally read this book as a standalone work. The book's ending is nice and neat, in a way that doesn't make the sequel feel pressing. I don't think this is a bad thing, I'd rather it end neatly than on a giant cliffhanger. Though, the reader is certainly left with many questions that will make you crave a sequel (also because the characters are so easy to get attached to). Though, I must say that the villains were obvious right from the start. I don't think anyone was really surprised. Though, I'm really not sure how I'm supposed to feel about Holland. It's just a great fantasy book, that I think everyone should read. (I'm getting the sequel for Christmas and I am very excited to have it).
Children of Kathaldi by: Ron L. Lahr
Rating: DNF
I wish that I had enjoyed this book. I was given a code for this audiobook from the audiobook publisher in return for a review. The narrator was good, he was really trying his best with the material he was given. The story itself? I just absolutely could not stand it. I checked (more than once) to make sure that this was not a children's book. I legitimately couldn't tell until the narrator cursed (and later when they mentioned sex). It was just insufferable. The pacing was super weird. It was as if they were fast-traveling from location to location. The main character was annoying, he spoke like a cocky ten-year-old. Honestly, if you don't mind your kids listening to things with violence, cursing, and sex (more like non-graphic, light mentions of sex, though I didn't finish the book), then this book might be good for a younger audience. I think a nine-year-old would like this, it would probably be a good, fantasy introductory work. But I wouldn't recommend it for anyone older than that. I had to stop listening because I was dreading having to start it again every time I paused. Just no.
And with these reviews, I am now caught up with all my audiobook reviews! I haven't been caught up with my audiobook reviews since some time in the summer I believe. Though, I kind of like reviewing audiobooks in groups like this. It makes for a more engaging blog post than it. would otherwise.