Category: Review

Book Review: The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

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Overall Rating: 5 Stars

This book is so delightfully weird. The idea of a secret government organization and people with special powers sounds overdone, but O’Malley manages to make the entire concept seem fresh and new.

At the forefront of this is our introduction to the main character, Myfawny Thomas. Myfawny wakes up in a park with no memory of who she is or how she got there. She finds a letter in her pocket from the old Myfawny explaining a choice: to go off and live a new life or pursue the mystery of what happened to her. Unsurprisingly, the new Myfawny picks the second choice.

I’m normally not a fan of amnesia plot lines, but O’Malley managed to give away enough information to keep me invested in the mystery without getting frustrated. As the new, more assertive, Myfawny bluffs her way into the organization we learn about how the Checquy has protected the British Isles from supernatural threats for centuries and about Myfawny’s own unique powers. Their titles come from the names of chess pieces, which is where the book gets its name: she’s Rook Thomas. There are also Pawns, Chevaliers, Bishops, and the Lord and Lady. The Lady of the Checquy can enter people’s dreams, one of the Bishops is a vampire and Myfawny’s fellow Rook is a creature called Gestalt whose consciousness inhabits several bodies at once.

But now a new threat has emerged and it looks as though it may be an ancient enemy the Checquy thought it destroyed long ago. The Grafters are the opposite of the people who work for the Checquy. They gain their powers through extremely advanced surgical modifications that grant them advantages like extreme strength and speed. They consider the Checquy to be supernatural abominations. We learn about the world O’Malley has built as Myfawny attempts to lead her organization through a crisis 

This book kept me guessing right up until the last minute. I honestly never knew what would happen next. There was also an element of humor and absurdity to the plot that kept the book from getting too heavy. The result was a very engaging read and I didn’t even notice how long it was. I would definitely recommend it and look forward to continuing the series.

As an aside, I’ve just learned The Rook has been made into a TV show and is set to debut on Starz very soon. From the clip that I saw, I’m not overly impressed. They changed the letters Myfawny left behind into videos which, okay, I don’t love but understand is more TV-appropriate. But it seems like they missed the mark on some of the characters. I’m definitely going to watch it, though, so stay tuned for a review.

Currently Reading: A Natural History of Dragons

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I’m currently reading A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. I came across it in an email from BookBub and scooped it up in the Kindle store for less than $2. If you aren’t familiar with BookBub, I reviewed the site here.

It’s a neat concept. The author approaches the writing of the story as though it’s a real memoir by the main character Isabella Trent, recounting her adventures as a naturalist studying dragons. I’m enjoying the pseudo-scientific writing when Isabella describes her discoveries and the honest way Isabella describes her personal life. She’s a tough character, chafing against the confines of her expected behavior and unafraid to stand up for herself.

The story is set in an approximation of the Victorian Era. I say approximation because I realized partway in that the book isn’t set in England. Instead, Isabella’s home country is called “Scirland.” Isabella frequently makes references to other made-up countries, some that sound like they may approximate Egypt and others that sound vaguely European. One thing I wish is that the author would devote slightly more time to laying out the details of her world. I kind of get the feeling the author made up names in order to avoid cultural insensitivity rather than out of a genuine desire to create a new environment.

The story has just enough action so far to keep it interesting without being stressful, and I’m enjoying it enough to order the next two books in the series.

Book Review: The Rook

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Overall Rating: 5 stars

Today I’m reviewing an old favorite, The Rook by Daniel O’Malley. It’s book one in a series called the The Checquy Files. Book two is called Stiletto, and I believe the author is currently working on book three.

The Rook is so delightfully weird. The idea of a secret government organization and people with special powers sounds overdone, but O’Malley manages to make the entire concept seem fresh and new.

At the forefront of this is our introduction to the main character, Myfawny Thomas. Myfawny wakes up in a park with no memory of who she is or how she got there. She finds a letter in her pocket from the old Myfawny explaining a choice: to go off and live a new life or pursue the mystery of what happened to her. Unsurprisingly, the new Myfawny picks the second choice.

I’m normally not a fan of amnesia plot lines, but O’Malley managed to give away enough information to keep me invested in the mystery without getting frustrated. As the new, more assertive, Myfawny bluffs her way into the organization we learn about how the Checquy has protected the British Isles from supernatural threats for centuries and about Myfawny’s own unique powers. Their titles come from the names of chess pieces, which is where the book gets its name: she’s Rook Thomas. There are also Pawns, Chevaliers, Bishops, and the Lord and Lady. The Lady of the Checquy can enter people’s dreams, one of the Bishops is a vampire and Myfawny’s fellow Rook is a creature called Gestalt whose consciousness inhabits several bodies at once.

But now a new threat has emerged and it looks as though it may be an ancient enemy the Checquy thought it destroyed long ago. The Grafters are the opposite of the people who work for the Checquy. They gain their powers through extremely advanced surgical modifications that grant them advantages like extreme strength and speed. They consider the Checquy to be supernatural abominations. We learn about the world O’Malley has built as Myfawny attempts to lead her organization through a crisis while concealing her amnesia. 

My only criticism would be that the author relies on the old “describing her body in the mirror” trick to introduce us to Myfawny, which is a bit clumsy given how good the rest of the book is. I’ve seen people complain about the author getting too bogged down in the details or slowing down the action, but given that Myfawny is an amnesiac who doesn’t actually know that much about the organization, I think we really need the flashbacks and expository dialogue for the story to make sense.

Fair warning, at nearly 500 pages this book is long. But I love myself a big book and The Rook kept me guessing right up until the last minute. I honestly never knew what would happen next. There was also an element of humor and absurdity to the plot that kept the book from getting too heavy. The result was a very engaging read and I was sad when it was over. I’ve read it a few times now, loved book two (called Stiletto), and can’t wait to read book three.

Book Review: Touch the Dark

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For my first review I’m starting with the introduction to a favorite series of mine, Touch the Dark by Karen Chance.

Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars
I can’t tell you the number of times I picked this book up in a store and put it back again because of the summary. The description from the publisher makes it sound like another typical vampire romance book. After enough times of passing it by I finally decided to buy it and ended up discovering one of my all time favorite urban fantasy (UF) writers. 

When we first meet Cassie Palmer, she’s working in a travel agency. Cassie comes back to a computer to see an obituary for a shooting that would take place later that night: her obituary. From that moment on, Cassie is on the run for her life and the book never really slows down. Over the course of the novel, Cassie has to figure out who exactly is out to get her and why, how to navigate dealing with very dangerous and powerful beings, and how to handle inheriting far more power than she ever thought she’d have. Straight UF fans will love the complex world-building. Mystery fans will love trying to unravel the complex plot. For people who like vampires/vampire romances: never fear, you will get your sexy vampire fix. 

What I love about this book, and the series in general:
1. The world building. From the intricacies of the politics with the vampire Senate, to the Silver Circle ruling over mages, to the way ghosts work: Karen Chance has covered it all. Even though this is only the first book, you get a real sense of the universe. It feels very fleshed-out.

2. The characters! What takes a good book to a great book, in my opinion, is the characterization. No matter how good the plot is, nothing will feel right without fully realized characters to carry the action. Even the side characters here have their own back stories. They feel like real people.

The heroine, Cassie, has a real soft spot in my heart. Cassie isn’t your typical UF heroine. She isn’t freakishly good at everything: Chance explores the implications of being saddled with powers you don’t know how to use and responsibilities you don’t understand. In other words, Cassie is allowed to be confused. And not be perfect. Cassie doesn’t develop miraculous combat abilities, and every man she meets isn’t instantly attracted to her. What Cassie does have: sheer determination, and insider knowledge. She grew up in the court of a vampire mob boss, and learned how to keep her head down and survive. Cassie faces an overwhelming number of obstacles, but she doesn’t give up or lose her compassion.

Tomas is a side character/possible love interest. At first he seems like another victim of the system Cassie grew up in, but there’s more to him than meets the eye. Vampire romance fans are going to love Mircea and his very dangerous charm, and his hidden motivations will keep you guessing. John Pritkin is the infuriating introduction to the ruling body of mages called the Silver Circle, but be patient because I promise he grows on you!

3. The plots, and yes, there are several. Honestly, I never have a clue how any of Karen Chance’s books are going to end. There’s the main overarching theme of Cassie inheriting these new powers, but that’s not all that’s going on. There is some political maneuvering happening that will have serious implications further down the line.

I know what you’re thinking: if this book is so great, why didn’t she give it 5 stars? This is the author’s first novel, and it’s a bit rough around the edges. There’s a bit of info-dumping at times. And a lot of action scenes take place in different time periods, which can get very confusing. However the other elements of the story are more than enough to compensate for these minor issues. I’m very passionate about this series and I definitely recommend giving it a chance!