Author: Kassa

Review: Mistborn: The Final Empire

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Mistborn: The Final Empire
Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While Mistborn is not the best fantasy book I have ever read, I think the world building and magic descriptions are definitely some of the best ever written and for that I bump this up to 5 stars. The author has done such an amazing job creating a world where nothing is a surprise. Oh it is to the reader, but I was confident the author had planned every single last detail of the plot, magic use, and world building. This is definitely not a world where the author gets backed into a corner or didn’t prepare for the outcome. It’s a stunning creation that is actually better than the characters and story itself. I’d recommend this for fantasy fans or anyone that enjoys meaty world building and magic. There’s definitely a little bit of every genre thrown in – mystery, political intrigue, science fiction, some love story. I actually listened to the audiobook (so any spelling/naming mistakes are mine since I don’t have the book for reference) and the narrator is very good, which helps because the pacing is quite uneven. Overall I was impressed and blown away by the author’s level of detail and imagination so I’ll easily continue with the series. Continue reading →

Review: The Prince and the Frog

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The Prince and the Frog
The Prince and the Frog by Rob Rosen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I like Rob Rosen’s writing as he’s funny, witty, and often over the top. My problem with his short stories is that they tend to be more erotica based than I prefer, but I always appreciate the humor. The Prince and The Frog is good for that. It’s a definite tongue in cheek take on the classic fairy tale and I read it in about 15 minutes so I can’t complain. It’s not as memorable as some of Rosen’s other work but it’s cute, easy to read, and doesn’t take itself too seriously as erotica; a trait I enjoy in Rosen’s writing. Continue reading →

Sex in YA?

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At Rainbow Con they had several young adult panels, which is of interest to me since I read quite a bit of YA fiction. I only made it to one of the panels (damn scheduling!) but I was both bewildered and interested in what the panelists had to say. There were 5, I think, authors of YA m/m fiction and the topics ranged from language, sex, violence, and accurate portrayals.  Continue reading →

Update on the 100 books list

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I posted the list here about the 100 books Amazon says you should read in your lifetime. I thought it was a year but phew…I have a bit more time. Though I could die tomorrow in a bizarre dog/cat/bike accident so I try to get on these things.

Here are the books I’ve gotten to read in the past few months: Continue reading →

Review: Widdershins

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Widdershins
Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think we can safely establish I live under a rock insofar as knowing when books come out. This particular book came out well over a year ago and I finally heard about it at Rainbow Con. I’m glad I heard the author speak and her eloquence convinced me to check out her work. I liked Widdershins for many reasons including the solid writing, charming characters, interesting mystery component, and that it’s a fantasy historical set near Boston instead of London. I know this book has received rave reviews from a lot of people but the second half of the story dragged for me. I much preferred when the relationship development was mixed with the mystery instead of focusing on the two men exploring sex while the whodunit languished. However that compliant was overcome by my reading enjoyment and I’m looking forward to continuing the series with hopefully more focus on the actual mysteries to come. Continue reading →

Does your romance need a happy ending?

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While speaking with quite a few authors recently the topic of romance and what defines romance has come up multiple times. I feel like I’m getting beat over the head with the concept “Romance MUST have an HEA.” In fact I’m pretty sure I have bruises from the blundegoning this particular vehemency has left on me. Despite trying to beat this into me – I still don’t get it.

Why does romance REQUIRE a happy ending?

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I read a lot in a wide variety of genres so I understand the difference between romantic elements and romance. In fact I would wager that a great many books within the m/m genre are other genres with romantic elements. The fact remains that m/m is still synonymous with erotic romance even if the books within are actually much more broad. And while the happy ending – or even happy for now ending – are by far the most common, they are still books without happy endings.

Now before I hear from everyone that they prefer happy endings, let me state that I, too, like happy endings. If I’m going to read through all the suffering, emotional torture, hand wringing, horrible miscommunications, and so on then I want them to work out in the end and I can pretend that tru wuv exists.

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That’s not really the point of this post though. Yes, readers want happy endings. I get it. That said, why does a book REQUIRE a happy ending? That is what I’m getting at because I don’t think it should be a necessity.

To me a romance story is defined by the relationship between two or more people that dominates the story and pushes the plot forward. Without the relationship, there would be no story. By this definition there are numerous m/m books that would exist quite well without the romantic elements. They definitely enhance the story in many ways but the main plot and drive would exist without the romantic relationship. In fact many stories also include a happy for now between a couple that you just know is never going to work out, despite how much you may want them to.

 

So I ask again – is the happy ending a deal breaker?

Does it have to be there in romance books when so much of “romance” goes beyond the scope of the genre?

While we all may like happy endings, is it a requirement before you read a book that contains a relationship? Explain please!

Little fish in a different pond…

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While I greatly enjoyed my time at rainbow con and on the panels SMP so kindly assigned me, I still felt totally out of place several times. Here I am a no-nothing blogger that’s been around forever and still never made a splash. I never cared about being a big blog -then or now- but somehow the concept of having a lot of reviewers or traffic makes the reviewer/site more legitimate. I disagree with this vehemently but I’m not immune to that perception. Continue reading →

Review: Measure of Devotion

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Measure of Devotion
Measure of Devotion by Caethes Faron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m torn on Measure of Devotion. The book had me literally glued for over half of it but once I realized what was going to happen – and why – I literally started hating it. So I kind of hate-read the final half, knowing I couldn’t stand the actions occurring. That said, it’s a pretty familiar m/m romance theme, although it’s better written with clean, engaging prose. There isn’t a happy ending for this particular book, but it’s part of a trilogy that does end happily so readers won’t be upset. It’s not often that I start out a book liking one character and disliking the other and then flipping that entirely by the end. Usually you like both characters but not here. I struggled at the halfway mark to like both and found myself liking one significantly more than I thought. Ultimately this book made me think and want to slap a few people around, but it’s that human aspect of selfishness and self centered reality that more than anything made it realistic and emotional for me. Continue reading →