A Deadly Education

Wow - Naomi Novik knows how to worldbuild. She is a master of creating the most in depth, unique, and exciting fantasies. Admittedly, A Deadly Education drops readers right into the thick of it at the beginning of the book - and it takes a chapter or two to begin to understand the dangerous world that Galadriel is in. Galadriel is a teenage sorceress and she's only got one more year to go before she can hopefully graduate from the Scholomance, a school in the void that magic users from all over the world attend. It's a dark academy with no teachers, only creatures that lay wait for unsuspecting students. Far less than half the students make it to graduation - even less make it across the graduation hall to rejoin the world. Orion Lake has a bad habit of playing hero and he's saved Galadriel's life more than once now. But Galadriel doesn't want a savior - she just wants to make it out alive on her terms - she's not trying to make friends (which is good because she would be awful at it). Filled with a sprinkling of teenage drama, a load of big bad beasties, and lots of wonderful world building. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Uprooted

Naomi Novik is quickly approaching favorite author status. She writes fantasy as it's MEANT to be written. It flows right off the page and into the reader's imagination that you can't help believe or wish it all to be true. Uprooted tells the story of a young village girl who is sent to live in a sorcerer's tower for a decade. Agnieszka, never thought much beyond her village and her dangerous, yet well loved forest, so when she is chosen as tribute, it comes as a complete shock. What can he see in her?!? Well magic, that's what he sees, unbeknownst to her, there is a vein of magic running through her and with a little nourishment and training she may surpass the sorcerer himself. It's very auspicious timing really, because the wood is angry. It's been lobbying attacks for years, but now the wood is on a mission and the sorcerer can barely keep it at bay. Can Agniescka help keep the wooded monsters in check? Beautifully written, it's like a song. I adored this book and can't wait for more from this author!!!

Throne of Jade

While I enjoyed this book greatly, it didn't hold as much sway for me as the first one.Which is still fine because I still enjoyed this book greatly, sometimes i's just hard to live up to the debut. In this second book in the series Laurence and Temeraire are summoned to China. A royal escort has come to take them back to China to explain themselves to the emperor. The Chinese embassy is aghast that an imperial dragon such as Temeraire would be allowed to fight in battles and treated as if he were any other ordinary dragon. Reluctantly they head off for a six month journey. Along the way lie many dangers, and Termeraire and Laurence's relationship begins to strain a little. What will happen if Temeraire likes China better? Will they really be safe there? And will they ever be able to go back home? The sea journey was a little long for me, but there was a lot more intrigue and a lot more dragons which i appreciated.

His Majesty's Dragon

Impossible to put down, this historical fantasy is inventive and entertaining from the beginning. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, aerial combat adds another dimension to battle. Dragons are bred and coveted by countries to add to their military's defenses and attacks. Britain isn't known for having the best or most exotic dragon breeds but they make do with what they have. When a British ship captures a French vessel they find a beautiful dragon egg inside Little does the British naval captain know how much his life is about to change. Overnight Captain Will Laurence will go from being a respected Navy Captain to a "lowly" Aerial Combatant. Little does he realize how much he will grow to love his new job and his dragon, Temeraire, a unique and spellbinding beauty. A wonderful book, I'm not big on dragon novels but this one is a cut above and I LOVED the main characters. I can't wait to read the rest in the series!

Spinning Silver

This book is more than likely to end up in my Christmas card top picks. I ADORED this book; the stars aligned and everything about it made me happy. I'm already anticipating reading it again, that's how much I liked it! Spinning Silver is a Russian folk tale/medieval-fantasy with bad ass heroines. The first of these heroines and the star of the whole show is, Miryem. Miryem has a great sense for bookkeeping and scheming and once she takes over her father's money lending trade in town and starts calling in debts (with interest) and investing them in other items, her family becomes relatively wealthy (rather then dirt poor like she had been raised). Next is Wanda. Wanda grew up even poorer than Miryem and when Miryem comes to collect her father's debt, her father basically sells her out as an indentured servant and Wanda starts working for Miryem and her family. Finally we have Irina, a wealthy Duke's daughter in a city a day's ride away. In the kingdom where they live, their lies a dark force, the Staryk. Whenever a shining white road appears and the snow thickens, the Staryk are near. Legends of their barbarity and thirst for gold are well known. One day Miryem's money skills are noticed and a Staryk leaves behind a small white coin pouch filled with three silver coins. Miryem knows that she needs to find a way to turn them into gold. Will she be able to fend off the Staryk? These three women will find their lives drawn together in unexpected ways. Although none of them were valued for their skills initials, they are more valuable then all the knights and gold in the kingdom. They are no damsels in distress! The "villains" if you will are also wonderful! I imagined the Staryk Lord as Jareth the Goblin King (which obviously makes Miryem Jennifer Connelly) and the demon possessed tsar as Lord Farquaad from Shrek. There's not too much fantasy, not really any romance to speak, but plenty of adventure and wit. BRB I'm going to go voraciously read all this author's others books!