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Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch My rating: 4 of 5 stars It is hard to summarize what The Lies of Locke Lamora is about, but here is the best one sentence description I can give: “Ocean’s Eleven” meets Oliver Twist and Count of Monte Christo set in steampunk renaissance Venice. Orphaned as a child due to the deadly Black Whisper plague, the titular protagonist of The Lies of Locke Lamora finds community in the Thiefmaker’s company of child thieves. From these humble beginnings is born the Thorn of Camorr—the greatest thief the island city of Camorr has ever known. For decades, the Secret Peace has kept the nobility safe from the many underground thief gangs of Camorr. However, this doesn’t stop Locke’s Gentleman Bastards from planning a high-stakes caper on the noble Don Salvara. Despite Locke’s careful planning, the cat soon becomes the mouse as the mysterious Grey King begins to systematically hunt Camorr’s strongest gang leaders, plungi...
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Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews
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Review: Dune

Dune by Frank Herbert My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews
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Review: The Sword of Kaigen

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang My rating: 5 of 5 stars I won't tell you much about the plot of this book, as much of my enjoyment of it came from not knowing where the plot would go. I can tell you, though, that it's a story about secrets, war, family, and coming of age. The story chiefly follows the Matsudas, a family with a heritage of god-like war prowess that lives on Takayubi, a mountain on the coast of Kaigen. While Takayubi seems like a serene place of traditions and a simple way of life, it is historically thought of as the first line of defense against foreign aggressors--specifically, the Ranganese. The Sword of Kaigen shines brightest in its depth of worldbuilding and its dynamic characters. Wang tells the story of the great warrior families of Takayubi with a clear, confident voice. This story is as broad as it is deep, and it speaks to Wang's capability as a writer that she is able to handle it with graceful prose. After reading this, ...
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Review: Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds

Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins My rating: 5 of 5 stars The central theme of Goggins's Can't Hurt Me is that you are capable of far more than you think. Goggins recounts in straightforward prose inspiring stories of how he accomplished phenomenal physical feats through honing his mental toughness. His story is one of child abuse, racism, obesity, heart disease, and, ultimately, triumph. Can't Hurt Me reads mostly like an autobiography, with a sprinkling of exhortations to the reader to put Goggins's theories into practice. These include taking forays into your own "discomfort zone," filling your "Cookie Jar" with accomplishments to motivate you during later struggles, and pushing past your governor's forty percent limit. This book will challenge you, inspire you, and motivate you. Whenever you face new challenges, you'll remember how Goggins, without any training, co...
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Review: The Alloy of Law

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Holy crap, this book is fast paced! I'm writing this review on my second read of this book, and I had forgotten how quickly the plot progresses. While listed as Mistborn #4 on Goodreads, The Alloy of Law is really the start of a new story in Scadrial, a dark, ash-covered world introduced in Sanderson's original Mistborn trilogy. Taking place several generations after The Hero of Ages , Alloy is a steampunk adventure following lawman-turned-lord Waxillium Ladrian. Not long after returning from the lawless Roughs to care for his family's estate in the city of Elendel, Wax is drawn into hunting criminals once again. A mysterious band known as the Vanishers is terrorizing the city with armed robberies and kidnappings of the city's elite. What starts as a tale of political intrigue turns into a relentless, gripping crime drama. Fans of the Dresden Files will love Wax's gritty, yet hon...
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Review: Oathbringer

Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson My rating: 4 of 5 stars My first thought after finishing Oathbringer was, “Man, that was long . Really, really long .” Previous entries of the Stormlight Archive are similarly thick; I don’t think a single one is under one thousand pages. Oathbringer not only wins as longest by pure page count, but it also feels longer. I was exhausted well before finishing the book. This is a feeling I didn’t have during Way of Kings or Words of Radiance . The salient difference between the first two books and Oathbringer is scope. The jumping POVs in the three main characters of the first two books, and the interludes, helped give these books a somewhat epic scope, but otherwise the plots stayed localized in Kharbranth and the Shattered Plains. The larger world of Roshar, and its manifold kingdoms and cultures, were mostly a backdrop for the main plots. Oathbringer explodes in scope, drawing in nations from the interludes into the forefront as...
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