Mary Robinette Kowal – Workaday Reads

Review: One Salt Sea

Sep 242015

One Salt Sea: such an apt title as it describes what each reader creates by the time they are done the book. I have seriously never had a series so constantly make me cry. Especially an urban fantasy series. This whole series is way more than just the standard kick butt action, and this latest installment is simply amazing. Like previous books in the series, children play a very important role in the plot. I didn’t really notice how many children were in the story until after it was over, but I would estimate that at least half the important […]

Review: Late Eclipses

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May 122015

The crying! I was not expecting so much death and sadness. I really didn’t think an urban fantasy series could make me cry so much, but the last book got me started, and this one was just such a bawl fest. It was unexpected, and makes me realize how emotionally attached to the characters I am. It was so heartbreaking, but there were also some really sweet parts. I said that book 3 was my favourite of the series so far, and I have to change that now to say that book 4 is my new favourite. The narration of […]

Review: An Artificial Night

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Jan 022015

This is THE book of the series so far. I totally cried near the end. There was just so much emotion. More so than any other book in the series so far. It was just awesome. There is so much in this book that is not mentioned in the summary, so it’s hard to talk about anything for fear of spoilers. This includes the narration of the audiobook. The voice so far has always surprised me with how soft and mature it sounds, and there is a twist to this story that affects the narration, and I think it was […]

Review: A Local Habitation

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Nov 032014

This is a very unique urban fantasy series in that it had a much softer feel than most UF. Toby is more mature, and the focus is more on growth and plot than on mindless action or sex. In this story, Toby is accompanied by Quentin, a teenaged foster child who becomes her apprentice. The addition of Quentin to the story is a large part of what makes this feel different from other series. Toby and Quentin get along great, and she treats him with a lot of respect. Their relationship is a great parent-child example, which is rare to […]

Review: Rosemary and Rue

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Jan 202014

The first part of the story is slow and quite confusing. It felt like there should be a prequel to explain Toby’s history with turning into a koi, how she became human again, and the first few years afterward. A lot of that situation is only referred to offhandedly, and is a bit confusing. My favourite character was Tybalt, but he’s one of the least utilized people in the story. Every glimpse of him was exciting, and I wanted more. I fully expected to see the hate relationship between him and Toby develop into something else, and I was surprised […]