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Horrid generic post-Hunger-Games YA with no redeeming features.

Now this was a fantasy novel I really enjoyed. I went in with no expectations at all, randomly chose it from my Kindle, and oh boy, was I in for a ride.

Fitz is likeable without being perfect, and both of his mentors, especially Chade, are wonderful in their characterizations. I also liked that the Six Duchies have a well-considered political and geographical structure. Seeing FitzChivalry go from stable boy to young assassin without the usual tropes of the assassin fantasy novels was a treat. I'm fairly sure I'm going to read the other novels, too.

Wow. Wooow. I think this book gripped me as much or even more than Name of the Wind, and that's saying something. Locke, Jean, Bug, the twins and Chains grew close to my heart really soon. There is a phase in the beginning where the book is going slowly and the characters don't mean anything to you, but it works well in hindsight, and it didn't feel like it was dragging on to me.

Locke and the Gentleman Bastards are the best, most daring thieves in a complete (if slightly mysterious, what's with the Eldren?!) world - who are suddenly thrown from grand thievery for the fun of it into a battle for their lives. Oh Locke. Oh Jean. My heart broke for you both over and over again.

This is a very nice little book, filled with Faery and language that is exceedingly ornate but never quite pretentious. And it's a modern fairy tale at that - September didn't grow too close to my heart (maybe I'm too old for that), but the narrator did, and maybe that is good enough.

It's very much classic fantasy (discounting the torture, maybe). Richard, the woman, the wizard, the quest, the traitor, the evil antagonist.

The author has a bad case of "tell, don't show", and his language and phrasing are far from lyrical. The story has some very strong parts, but feels mediocre and generic in between. The book's saving grace is the detailed world and world building that allows the reader to forget everything else (including the story and the dull language).

So, thriller is most definitely not my genre, but I can't deny that Stephen King is a master - both in his genre and with words in general. He paints incredibly vivid people, murdering for reasons they think right, and dealing with the consequences.

While I'm still not into thrillers, I can't deny the pull these stories have, and I'm sure I'll try a full-length King novel in the future.

Sehr Isau, viele Referenzen. Bisschen billige Grundannahme, und das erste Drittel sehr unerträglich in der Beschreibung des love interests, aber macht halt trotzdem Spaß, weil Isau.

Very Scalzi-ish (although, of course, the other way around). Took some getting used to the terse style, after that very well thought through and enjoyable. Especially all the implication of time dilation by long distance space jumps.

Definitely the kind of scifi that I like. Real, easy to read. Also, sheep.

Fairly good YA fantasy. Clary loses her mother, finds her father Valentine and meets her brother Jace. Vampires, werewolves, fay, the works. Short but enjoyable.

Works as a second volume. Clary is still as enjoyable as a teenager can be and gains powers. Nobody really dies, but I guess that's ok. The evil father Valentine is a bit generic in his evilness.

Very generic, predictable YA at this point.

Fortunately, the Milk is an entirly charming children's book, and if my little siblings were still a bit smaller, I'd totally give it to them. I'd say it works for the ages three or four and upwards, pre-school ages mostly.

Again - Neil Gaiman can write short stories like the best of them.

- The Case of Four and Twenty Blackbirds: Neil wrote an entire (glorious) story based in nursery rhymes. Challenging for a non-native reader, but not impossible - I think I found most of the references and learned a lot.
- Troll Bridge: The closest Neil Gaiman comes to Stephen King, I think. Very touching, very sweet, if you're into, y'know, people's lives being eaten.
- Don't ask Jack: Short horror story - I think if it grips you, it's hard to get over it, but it didn't quite work on me.
- How to Sell the Ponti Bridge: I kinda wanted to like that one more than I actually liked it, the trickster seemed not quite fleshed out as much as I'd have liked, but the storytelling was marvellous nonetheless.
- October in the Chair: I knew that one already and loved to re-read Runt's story.
- Chivalry: So lovely, so English, and not about the Holy Grail at all.
- The Price: Wonderful dark story - who doesn't want to believe that a certain black cat can save us from the devil?
- How to Talk to Girls at Parties: Knew that one already, was as lyrical as I remembered it to be.
- Sunbird: I really love this story, and maybe that's why the Ponti Bridge didn't work for me - it was similar, but not quite the same.
- The Witch's Headstone: Well, it's the Graveyard Book short story and I adore that book.

Very much a Neil Gaiman book. I think both Spider and the green fedora are going to stay with me for a long time.