Incomplete Tales

Hi everyone, I'm a 23 year old fangirl from le Canada. I'm just transferring from GR and I blog reviews on incompletetales.tumblr.com. I enjoy vast genres and am indeed a Hufflepuff, so don't be afraid to say hello :)

The King of Attolia (The Queen's Thief, #3) - Megan Whalen Turner

Super short review b/c this was just pure epicness, through and through! Haven't read a fantasy so good in quite a while. I feel like the first two in the series were pretty much building up to this perfection, even though they were decently good in their own rights! I think the only problem I had with it was my wanting more Attolia/Gen goodness and yet I still wouldn't add anything to keep it as enigmatic as possible. Gonna stop rambling words at 3 in the morning now, but yes. Loved, loved it (best read of the year, maybe?)

Captain America: The Death of Captain America Ultimate Collection - Ed Brubaker, Mike Perkins, Steve Epting, Jackson Guice, Roberto de la Torre, Lee Weeks

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The Queen of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner

I liked The Queen of Attolia, it turned out to be a great book about loyalty and had many political aspects. The queen of Attolia especially went from dislike to hatred to mild admiration all in one book, although admiring might be too strong of a word just yet.

 

I liked seeing elements of high fantasy play about in this book that weren’t as pronounced in the first book. It got a bit boring in the middle where it was a lot more setup and we’re just waiting to get on with the main twists.

 

Learning more about Attolia’s history as well as Eddis was really amazing, and showed their maturity at relatively young ages. One of the things that threw me off was the out of nowhere love for Gen had for Attolia (if someone can pinpoint when exactly he fell in love with her, I might’ve missed it somehow).

 

Also, the book has some bargains set that really turned the book around for me. It was basically like watching a historical TV show unfolds all in one episode. And I found that a lot of the dinners could’ve been skipped in the middle but I see Turner was trying to show Gen’s desperation after basically losing his life’s meaning.

 

Beginning of the book: 4 stars, middle: 2 stars, and end: 4 stars.

The Thief - Megan Whalen Turner

A very intriguing start to a fantasy series, I found myself engrossed with Gen’s character. I absolutely loved reading from his perspective and his playfulness was refreshing from other angsty narratives in other YA stories. I just wish we had more of a view of his surroundings since we get to know the other characters quite slowly which meant getting interested in other characters took a relatively long time.

A tie between 3-4 stars simply because the middle parts got a bit tedious, and not a lot of female characters until the end of the story. I feel we don’t really regret certain character’s deaths because they felt very detached and we hardly got to know them. 
I’d probably recommend it to people looking for a quick fantasy story, a bit on the light-hearted side.
I look forward to reading more in this series from Megan Turner (Everyone says the next few books are much better)!

Captain America: Winter Soldier Ultimate Collection - Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, Mike Perkins, Steve Epting

This book was such a ride and took no time at all to get into it, especially considering my obsession with the Winter Soldier (both character and movie). This was as dark as I’d hope it would be with amazing writing, probably the best I’ve read in graphic novels. Last thoughts: great for Winter Soldier fans, with few deviations from the MCU. Definitely continuing with this series!

Goliath (Leviathan #3) - Scott Westerfeld, Keith Thompson

Romance and steampunk is what I’m assuming go hand in hand in most works of fiction, and although I always tend to hope that science fiction novels stay as far away from romantic sub-plots as possible, I found myself looking for the opposite in this instance.

This series in its entirety has received relatively great reviews, but one of my most trusted book recommenders found she didn’t enjoy the trilogy as much as many others have. This may have influenced my take from Goliath as I found myself a bit bored with the plot and the “shocking” revelations. 

I found myself firstly disappointed that the loris did not have any major political turning points because, throughout the series, I was led to believe they would play a major role. The book didn’t hold any funny aspects as the predecessors had and many characters held no meaning as they had in previous books. Volger, for example, did not have any repercussions about the final decision Alek made in the book; I don’t believe that one bit! I found myself skim reading the last bits of the book when I pretty much predicted all the happenings.  

The story itself seemed like it had such great potential, travelling to Japan and Siberia and America with a madman while Alek and Deryn fight political instabilities alongside the rest of the Leviathan crew. At the end of it all, I’m not sure if I can get behind the fact that the privileged Prince Aleksander, who has always cared so much for Austria, basically threw away all his responsibilities. 

One of the greater aspects was the first half when Deryn deals with the consequences of being found out from different people. I admire her for thinking far ahead with all her options and not letting her developing feelings take charge of her decisions. 

So the book started off quite promising but lost me when characters started doing things they probably wouldn’t have done and the writing became too descriptive which is when I lost interest. I still think the drawings were perfect and a great aid to the storytelling, no doubt. 2.5/5

Lexicon - Max Barry

Read this and thought to myself: what an underwhelming ending, which has been happening a lot lately with my recent reads. But let me just talk about the rest of the novel.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the main characters when I first met them, but both started growing on me as the narration began revealing their motives. I didn’t particularly care about one of the main antagonists until much later when it was pretty obviously revealed that they are, in fact, behind it all. What was great about the book was that it was told by a dual perspective and the reason I know it was written well was how I didn’t want to stop reading from either character’s perspective once I began their chapter. 

I read this book quite quickly once I finished exams, because there are many chapters that end with this cliffhanger-y, mind-splosions. Basically leaving you with this general feeling:

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I had no attachment for the love interest, and I think the author meant for it to feel very distanced and as part of the lexicon coding the organization members’ use. Basically it left you feeling untrusting of just about anyone, not knowing who is honest and who is loyal to whom. If you enjoy books that make you suspicious of everyone, have a ‘big-brother is watching’ vibe, then this book will certainly satisfy!

Behemoth  - Scott Westerfeld, Keith Thompson

Had a bit of the second-book syndrome near the end, but was still just as fun to read as the first book alongside new secondary characters.

Leviathan (Leviathan #1) - Scott Westerfeld, Keith Thompson

So, Leviathan is a steampunk historical fiction young adult series involving two main characters with double perspective narration. Sounds exciting as soon as I picked it up. Alek is a prince from Austria-Hungary on the run while Deryn is a girl in hiding in the British Air Service. Both have their own conflicts and secrets that play influence all their actions throughout the book.

 

I didn’t go in expecting a lot of..ahem romantic sub-plot, and found myself relieved that what little there was, never took away from the scenes playing out. As I’ve mentioned in other reviews, I absolutely despise when characters let go of their current situations (such as a war) and choose to …get it on regardless of their present spot. Deryn and Alek’s feelings never got in the way, and during the end you can understand why one may be getting more-than-friends thoughts for the other. Little moments like that make me gush more than out of nowhere declarations of love. Also, NO love triangle! Thank you, Scott Westerfeld, I really hope it doesn’t happen in the rest of the series.

 

4.5/5 stars, leaning towards 5.

 

The main characters were so well thought out and felt three dimensional, with their own pasts entangling with their present actions. Everything they did felt justified, even though sometimes Deryn and Alek both made some stupid decisions. I especially loved loved Deryn’s character, everything badass and all the cleverness! I sometimes forget she’s very new to the air service with all the quick decisions she makes throughout war. The secondary characters were so enjoyable to read about, especially Volger who can be a right ass sometimes to Alek. It was so great though, since he needs a little head-butt kicking every once in a while being the heir to a nation.


This was basically everything I wanted from a steampunk book, and more. Everything! The way the story plays out reminds me of the adventure filled writing of Kenneth Oppel’s Airborn series, which was also a marvelous find. The rebels and political drama felt extremely realistic and the Clankers vs. Beasties plot points fit in very well, the lovely drawings by Keith Thompson definitely helped in the beginning of the book and emphasized the magnitudes of these creatures. Think something straight out of Pacific Rim, only during the World War era. The story itself moved pretty slowly but Westerfeld’s writing; I like it! It rarely felt forced or random. I think people who have read the Uglies series will probably like it, I will definitely be picking up the rest of this series and his other series as well.

Avengers, Vol. 2 - Brian Michael Bendis

This volume was a lot better thought out than the first, in my opinion. I really liked the way the story handled the Steve/Tony banter and it didn't seem immature. There aren't many distractions, unlike the first that had the problem that everyone had one liners rather than contributing to the conversation. I thought the Spider-girl story was alright, Jessica is definitely an intriguing character and I find myself interested in picking up more comics with her in the fore-front.

Dreams of Gods & Monsters - Laini Taylor

Exceeded my expectations, only downside was too much focus on the attractiveness of physical features, but other than that it was a fun time!

M Is for Maple Leafs - Melanie  Rose, Melanie  Rose

Y is for yell.

Yell about all the amazing art in this picture book. I think this book is a great gift idea for the all the young Maple Leafs fans out there. Even for adults, having this book as part of the collection will not only look great, but it can be a great reminder for all the positive maple leaf history when *ahem* times might be a little tough for the team. 

I have to reiterate that the artwork is amazing to look at and can easily flip through the whole book in under 15 minutes. Great read for kids, not so great if, like myself, you're the average hockey fan.

Avengers, Vol. 1 - Brian Michael Bendis
First ever graphic novel (aside from manga, book to graphic novel adaptation, or archie comics). Not sure if I enjoyed the medium the story came in, or the story itself wasn't as grabbing. The ending left on a pretty high note though. 

 

 
 
Days of Blood & Starlight - Laini Taylor

 

well,mild spoilers

 

Before I get started, I just want to say that this series isn’t just for supernatural genre lovers. I feel like this can be a great read for people who don’t read much fantasy as it’s fast paced and just enough of an in-depth world to not confuse readers. I’d definitely recommend giving the first book a read, and not judge the love aspect from the get go. Trust me, it gets better.

 

To begin, I think Laini Taylor is automatically considered a phenomenal writer in my opinion, up there with Maggie Stiefvater. I was hoping Daughter of Smoke and Bone wasn’t a one time miracle writing debut, but her amazing and imaginative word plays carry over into this second book as well!

 

As you read this book, you’ll see all the special powers given to our main characters and while they arrive only a mili-second too late, the characters deal with their newfound abilities very maturely. I still think the greatest power has been given to Karou, and it becomes even better and stronger in this sequel.

 

There is something the reader needs to know before you start off with this book, it's so  much better than the first! The only problem I HAD with the first book was that the love was more lust-y than real, and the author addresses that, fantastically. There is NO abandoning of your people or sacrificing your powers to get true love, thank goodness *ahem shadow and bone series*! My love for Zuzanna and Mik grew and I squealed more over them than any other characters. Mik also grew into his own and their loyalty and total honesty with Karou was refreshing from secondary characters.

 

“You have only to begin, Lir. Mercy breeds mercy as slaughter breeds slaughter. We can’t expect the world to be better than we make it.”

 

Oh if only someone had told Thiago that, but I doubt he’d believe any of that anyway. The Thiago vs Madrigal clash got worse in this book, and by worse, I mean it got more terrifying. You can really feel the wolf-beast inside Thiago, the way he acts so malicious but in such a quick and painful way. Unfortunately, Karou ignored all the signs against Thiago and paid a pretty dear price near the end.

 

I really liked how this book didn’t push at the ‘forbidden romance’ and I felt that Akiva had a pretty great development in this book. In the beginning I very much disliked him for doing what he did to Karou’s world. But by the end, you can no doubt see that he very much deserves a second chance, not to just make amends with Karou but the whole chimera civilization. Their meeting is very chilling and Laini Taylor makes it as raw as can be between a world on the brink of war.

 

I also enjoyed how the story focuses on Akiva’s own abilities, and not just his redemption for Karou. You can see his leadership qualities and why he’s considered Beast’s Bane among the Misbegotten. The assassination plot within the angel world was drenched in political drama and you can see the corrupt ruling on both sides of the battle. So many good sub-plots to talk about!

 

Nevertheless, the book does contain its fair share of supernatural aspects, but it’s something you start to understand easily as you finish the book. The book did feel very hopeless, but then that’s the whole point of the story and there IS hope, and you really feel that at every pinnacle climaxes of the story.

 

Overall, beautiful writing and a very creative storyline gives, I believe, the first and only 5/5 star of the year.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone - Laini Taylor

I thought this book was very good. The best part was the writing and how easily it flowed throughout the book. I also really loved the extremely unexpected turns the story took, I don't think I've read any books that deal with the kind of plot Laini Taylor has created, even in the supernatural genre! My gripe would be that it had some parts where the anticipation was agonized, it took more than half of the book for the world building, then of course we're hit with a twist and so deal with some more world building. There's basically very little time to actually progress the story a long, but it fits well with the fairytale-esque way of telling the story. I'm expecting the next two books to have progressive action, hopefully?

I think the author managed the perfect balance between descriptive writing and her dialogue, which is why it kept me hooked onto the book. The main characters, Karou and Akiva are pretty likeable, but take a back seat when it comes to the world built around them. I mean, if they aren't travelling in Europe or Africa, they're in an entirely different world which is just as enticing to read about as in Prague. I would recommend reading this book soley to read for the amazing locations the story takes place in, I guarantee it'll make the book a satisfying read! 4.5/5

SPOILER ALERT!

(contains subtle spoilers and may be offensive)

Ruin and Rising - Leigh Bardugo

This book. This book had so many ups and downs before it was even published. This book is a great example of what could’ve been, but wasn’t. Rumours were flying about the ending, and one was too big for me to resist and so when I first bought the book, I flipped to the last scene and read it. And it was true. This book took a turn for the worse. I immediately went back and returned it because, well I know I’ll never re-read the series so there’s no point in having it in my collection. However, I knew I wasn’t going to let this series be left unfinished. So a week after, I picked it up from the library to see if it had some redeeming aspects to it. This book did. And it didn’t. First starting off with the characters, both main characters were stoic and not because they’re soldiers and are in battle.

 

When the time came to buckle down and be the soldiers they are, they instead played with pretty costumes and childish banter, not mentioning the ever so inclusive teenage romance. This book had so much potential. Potential that I saw was reached in side characters such as Zoya, whom I came to love, David, Baghra, and Nikolai who had amazing story arcs (as short and underwritten as they were). Then there was the plot, the plot which was what I had the main problem with going into the story. I didn’t want it to unveil as it did and it surely became a very disappointing high fantasy read. This book had so many moments when I wanted to take a pen and rewrite entire scenes. Like I’ve said before, the best storyline was that of Nikolai, how he rose after his ruination and how he continues to deal with and work for his nation, as per his goal. Alina however, had the complete opposite. <spoiler> I saw no rise, no ruination for her to rise from, and her ending was her giving up every power that she had that could’ve been used to bring SO much to her nation, all for a boy. I won’t further my rant because now it’s time for what was good in this book. The world building.

 

This book continues to have the best world building and world characterization I’ve read in a while. I think this is one of the primary reasons why I had re-picked up this series. The author didn’t summarize her locations which would’ve been useless to the plot, instead she allowed it to unfold to the reader that showing the same importance as characters of the book. Example: The Unsea (I believe that’s what it’s called, could be wrong). Lastly, there’s the Darkling. THE reason why I dropped this book in the first place. He had some pretty amazing sequences in the story, but like Alina, he met his end without any rising (I didn’t specifically want a tragic hero-esque arc, but something deeper would’ve been appreciated as to not make him so two-dimensional), and his ruination was very anti-climactic, in my opinion. I’ve no idea what I want to rate this book. </spoiler> My love for the world building and characters such as Harshaw and Nikolai, makes me want to give it a 4/5. But the entire plot and the end result of the Darkling, Alina, and even the usage of the amplifiers makes me rate it at about 1.5-2/5. This book shows how great writing and worlds does not have to equal a great overall story, and vice versa. 2.5/5.

 

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