Review of "Throne of Glass: A Fantasy Novel" by Sarah J. Maas

 

This is the first novel in the 'Throne of Glass' fantasy series, which contains seven books. The tales revolve around Celaena Sardothien, an assassin with a mysterious background.

*****

As the story opens, King Havillard of Adarlan - a tyrannical and oppressive ruler - has conquered the continent of Erilea and banned all magic, Fae, and faeries.



There are pockets of rebellion in Erilea, which the king ruthlessly crushes. Thus 18-year-old Celaena Sardothien - the most notorious assassin in the land - has been a slave in the Salt Mines of Endovier for a year. The slaves are whipped, starved, and worked to the bone, and most die within a month.



Celaena tried to escape once, and killed her overseer and 23 sentries before the guards stopped her. They didn't kill her, though, because the king ordered that Celaena be kept alive as long as possible, to endure maximum misery and torment in Endovier.



Following a year in the mines, Celaena is surprised when - after she's spent a grueling hot day cleaving rock salt from the innards of the mountain - the Captain of the Royal Guard is waiting outside the mine shafts.



The captain brings Celaena to Crown Prince Dorian Havillard, who has a proposal. His father King Havillard needs a Champion to eliminate his opponents, and is hosting a competition.



The king has invited 23 members of his council to each sponsor a would-be Champion to compete in a series of tasks, with the two finalists fighting a duel. Whoever wins will officially be 'Adarlan's Assassin.'



The prince wants to sponsor Celaena, and if she wins, Celaena will be the king's Champion for four years, then given her freedom. If she loses, Celaena will go back to the Salt Mines. Celaena DREAMS of freedom, and she accepts.



Celaena is brought to the Glass Castle, where the court resides and the competition will be held. To hide her identity, Celaena is to say she's Lady Lillian Gordainia, and she's provided with an elegant suite of rooms, gorgeous dresses, and a lady's maid called Philippa - who monitors Celaena along with a contingent of sword-carrying guards.



To prepare for the competition, Celaena trains with the Captain of the Guard Chaol Westfall.



Celaena's sponsor Prince Dorian also follows her progress, and becomes increasingly curious about her.



Once Celaena is cleaned up - and properly fed, rested, and clothed - she's beautiful. Calena is also intelligent, well-read, witty, and a talented musician on the pianoforte. Thus both Chaol and Dorian are attracted to Celaena, and she's drawn to both of them. Thus the story features amorous sparks, but isn't a full blown romance.



Celaena's rivals for becoming the king's Champion include assassins, thieves, soldiers, and criminals from across Erilea, and Celaena has some stiff competition....



.....especially Cain, who's sponsored by cunning Duke Perrington, the king's closest advisor.



The tests for the potential Champion include things like archery, climbing, running, spears, daggers, swords, stealth, tracking, an obstacle course, sorting poisons, etc.



After each test, the lowest-scoring candidate is sent away. Nonetheless, the candidate pool is reduced even more quickly because the contestants are being MURDERED one by one. Every few days, a candidate is found torn apart and eviscerated, with Wyrdmarks near the body - symbols associated with magic and spells.



In the meantime, Celaena discovers hidden tunnels beneath the castle, and finds the tomb of Elena, the first queen of Adarlan. Queen Elena wants to rid the kingdom of evil King Havilland, and - in dreams and visons - she provides assistance and advice to Celaena.



Other important characters in the tale are Lady Kaltain Rompier, who's scheming to marry Prince Dorian, and is madly jealous of Celaena;



and Princess Nehemia of Ellywe, whose rebels oppose the king. Over time, Celaena and Nehemia become friends.



The most important issues in this debut book are:

✹✹ Who's killing the candidates and why?

✹✹ Who'll become King Havillard's champion?

✹✹ Will Celaena choose a beau?

The story is engaging, but Celaena behaves more like a sassy teenager than an assassin. Almost immediately after Celaena is ensconced in the palace, she becomes OBSESSED with her hair and clothes; stays up half the night and sleeps late; and becomes flirtatious and coy.

Celaena occasionally thinks about killing and escape, but she's more concerned with dresses, parties, masked balls, dancing, candy, puppies, and so on. I imagine Celaena gets more serious in later books.



This series is immensely popular, so if you're a fantasy reader, you'll probably like this novel.

Rating: 3.5 stars 

Review of "Cat's Cradle: A Novel" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

  

In this book Vonnegut presents caricatures of religion, the hubris of scientists, and the dangers of technology. Jonah, the storyteller of "Cat's Cradle", is writing a book about what some people were doing when the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. He focuses on the eccentric Dr. Felix Hoenikker - "father of the atomic bomb" - and his three children.



He's told that Dr. Hoenikker was playing "Cat's Cradle" with a piece of string when the bomb went off.



Jonah also learns that, when the Marines asked Dr. Hoenikker to 'do something' about mud (which was difficult to wade through while fighting), he invented a substance called Ice-Nine - which causes water to instantly crystallize and harden.



Moreover, the effect rapidly spreads, solidifying all water far and wide - a very dangerous phenomenon.



Upon Dr. Hoenikker's death his children divide his stockpile of Ice-Nine to safeguard it. The children then go their own way. After a time, Frank, the oldest child, becomes the assistant of the President of a Caribbean island called San Lorenzo.



When Frank plans to marry, his sister Angela and his brother Newt - along with Jonah - travel to the island to attend the wedding.



Jonah finds that San Lorenzo is a very odd place whose residents practice a forbidden religion called Bokononism, which has some strange customs (e.g. people press their feet together in lieu of sex).



He also discovers that each of the siblings has given away a bit of their Ice-Nine to garner some advantage for themselves. With Ice-Nine on the loose all over the place can disaster be far behind? The book has an eclectic variety of weird, often funny, characters involved in a mildly engaging story. 

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line: A Comic Thriller" by Elle Cosimano

  

In this 6th book in the comical 'Finlay Donovan' series, Finlay's friend/nanny is under house arrest for theft, and Finlay wants to prove someone else is guilty.

*****

Virginia resident Finlay Donovan is a divorced mother and romance novelist who has a knack for getting in and out of trouble.



Finlay met her live-in nanny (and now best friend) Veronica Ruiz (Vero) about a year ago, when Vero was on the run from a theft charge in in her home state of Maryland.



Since then Finlay and Vero have buried bodies; got involved with the Russian mafia; acquired boyfriends; and had all manner of kooky adventures.



Unfortunately, the Maryland police finally caught up with Vero, and she's been extradited and charged with stealing money from her sorority house.



The crime happened like this: In Vero's senior year of college, she was on the executive board of her sorority with two other girls, Ava and Mia. The threesome decided they could make some money hosting underground poker nights, and accumulated $200,000, which was kept in Vero's room.



Vero went out to a party one night, and when she returned, the money was gone. Vero was blamed for taking it, and to avoid arrest, Vero went on the run Everyone involved with the poker games got into big trouble with the cops and the school.....and the parents of students who'd lost all their tuition money went ballistic.



Now, outfitted with an ankle monitor, Vero is under house arrest in the Maryland home of her mother Norma and aunt Gloria. Vero's public defender is still wet behind the ears, and it looks like Vero will be convicted if the real culprit isn't exposed.



Finlay is determined to help Vero, so she entrusts the care of her children, 5-year-old Delia and 2-year-old Zach, to her boyfriend, police detective Nick Anthony.



Finlay then takes off for Maryland with Vero's boyfriend Javi.



In Maryland, Finlay, Vero, Javi, and Vero's cousin Ramón.....



......embark on a series of escapades to uncover the real thief. This is easier said than done because Vero is permitted only limited excursions while under house arrest, and her ankle monitor shrieks at ear-splitting decibels if she stays out past her curfew.

To further the investigation, Finlay contacts her acquaintance Cameron (Cam), an 18-year-old high school dropout who was a hacker for the Russian mafia. Cam can find anyone's name and address from a license plate number, and he can 'fool' Vero's ankle monitor into reporting she's at home.



Finlay and Vero - with the help of Javi and Ramón - contact people involved in the poker games, especially Vero's sorority sisters and some fraternity boys, most of whom have graduated.





The amateur sleuths uncover all sorts of nefarious activity on the night the poker money was stolen, as well as an ongoing counterfeit ring. Finlay and Vero hope to wring a confession out of someone before Vero goes to trial, but it's a challenging enterprise.

Meanwhile, Vero is being harassed. The home of Vero's mother and aunt (where Vero' is staying) is vandalized with raw eggs that say things like bitch, liar, crook; rocks are thrown through the windows with messages calling Vero a thief; burning dog poop is left on the porch; and so on.



As always in this series, there's a good deal of comic relief. For instance:

🌸🌸 Vero and four elderly Maryland neighbors named Eugene, Joan, Lenore, and Wendell play 'Go Fish' for old Halloween and Christmas candy. Here's an example of the conversation as a game finishes up:

Vero: We'll play again tomorrow.

Lenore: But tomorrow is Taco Tuesday.

Joan: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, tomorrow's Friday Lenore. Get with the program.

Lenore: There's a program?



🌸🌸 Finlay's literary agent Sylvia arranges for Finlay to have a Facebook page, to promote her romance novels. Finlay's nosy neighbor Stacy posts comments about Finlay's 'hot cop boyfriend' and starts a 'boxers or briefs' poll about him. The neighbors then publish Twitter posts with the hashtag 'hotcopcrotchwatch'. Stacy votes for briefs.



By the conclusion of the novel, the culprit is revealed, and a cliffhanger ending whets the reader's appetite for the next Finlay Donovan book.

Vero's mom and aunt are great cooks, so here's one of their dinner menus: tortillas with picadillo; and bread pudding with a sugar-crusted top.




Tortillas with Picadillo


Bread Pudding with a Sugar-Crusted Top

I'm a fan of the series, but this book is a bit disappointing. First off, the crime doesn't ring true. How would a sorority glean $200,000 from an underground poker game? And would Vero be foolish enough to leave the money in her room? That's crazy!! Also, robbery isn't as exciting as the murders, burials, exhumations, and so on featured in previous books.

Still, I'd recommend the novel to Finlay Donovan fans for an entertaining afternoon's reading.

Thanks to Netgalley, Elle Cosimano, and Minotaur for an ARC of the book.

 Rating: 3 stars 

Review of "Three Bengal Kittens: A Dr. Bannerman Vet Mystery" by Philipp Schott

Dr. Peter Bannerman, a veterinarian in the lakeside town of New Selfoss, Manitoba, is an amateur sleuth who can't help getting involved in criminal investigations. Peter knows he's on the autism spectrum, and uses his 'compulsions' to propel his detective work.



In this fourth 'Dr. Bannerman Vet Mystery', Peter goes into action when his brother Sam is accused of murder. Sam is a struggling artist who recently moved into a Winnipeg apartment building called Lady Alice, located about an hour from New Selfoss. Sam is mentally unstable and calls Peter whenever a problem arises.



As the story opens, Sam phones Peter about a missing cat. Sam's neighbor Dženan Knezevic died suddenly and Sam took in Knezevic's three bengal kittens - Barry, Flinders, and Mr. Bingley.



Mr. Bingley has now escaped, and Sam insists that Peter hurry over with his renowned sniffer dog, Pippin, to search for the cat.



While Peter, Sam, and Pippin scout the neighbors and the neighborhood looking for Mr. Bingley, the police show up to interview Sam about Dženan Knezevic's death. The next thing Sam knows the police charge him with first degree murder.



The facts are these: Dženan Knezevic, a 70-year-old Bosnian immigrant, died from being drugged and suffocated. Sam regularly played backgammon with Knezevic, and was in Knezevic's apartment on the afternoon of his murder.



Sam relies on Peter to get him a lawyer, and - in his defense - Sam claims Dženan Knezevic was being haunted by ghosts. According to Sam, the ghosts were making noises and moving things around in Knezevic's apartment, and they killed him.



Peter doesn't believe in ghosts, but he's convinced Sam is innocent, and he sets out to find the real culprit. Peter considers the most important clue a mark on the wall outside Knezevic's apartment: a kind of Celtic knot containing a Utasha - a symbol used by a Croatian ultra-nationalist organization.



The Utasha symbol leads Peter to believe the killer is a person with Bosnian/Croatian heritage who had an animus against Knezevic. Moreover, since a key is needed to enter the Lady Alice apartment building, Peter thinks the killer is a resident.

To gather information, Peter knocks on every door in the building, on the pretext of offering a reward for finding Mr. Bingley. Peter makes a roster of suspects, based on the evidence he can glean. For instance:

☕︎☕︎ Elena has a Slavic accent.



☕︎☕︎ Ed served in an army unit that may have been stationed in Bosnia.



☕︎☕︎ Josh and Claire backpacked in the Balkans a few years ago.



☕︎☕︎ Mia looks like she could be from southeastern Europe.



Peter knows these 'clues' are very flimsy, and he tries to deepen his investigation. Though Peter's inquiries form the core of the story, much of the book's charm lies with the recurring characters. These include:

☕︎☕︎ Laura - Peter's wife, who's one of the foremost knitters of bespoke geek-wear anywhere. In this book Laura is making a 'Matrix' sweater with the vertical lines of code in acid green on the movie poster. Laura keeps Peter focused when he gets carried away with his investigations.





☕︎☕︎ Kevin - Laura's brother, who's a detective with the Royal Canadian Mounties. Kevin sometimes gets annoyed when Peter's detective work interferes with REAL police investigations, but he always tries to be helpful.



☕︎☕︎ Stuart - Kevin's Nigerian partner, an accountant and excellent cook. Stuart is an easygoing fellow with close ties to his parents and siblings in Nigeria.



In this book, Kevin and Stuart adopt a new puppy, a Shetland sheepdog called Orbit, because - when the pup is loose - he joyfully careens in circles, tail wagging, with an expression of pure delight. Orbit performs a selfless service in this novel, when he gets a small scratch that helps locate Mr. Bingley.



As always in these books, Peter runs into terrible trouble before he solves the case, but he manages to unveil the truth in the end.



For me, this book is okay, but not as good as the previous novels in the series. The earlier books were more exciting, and had more interesting tidbits about immigrant culture and history. Still, I'd recommend the book to Peter Bannerman fans.

Thanks to Netgalley, Philipp Schott, and ECW Press for an ARC of the book.

 Rating: 3 stars