Assassin’s Quest – The Farseer Trilogy – Robin Hobb

March.29.2017February.8.2017 JaredAdult, Audiobook, Fantasy, Robin Hobb6 Comments

Hello Robert,

I have devoured this series but I don’t know why.

Title: Assassin’s Quest hobb_9780553565690_cvr_all_r1.indd
Series: Farseer Trilogy; Book 3
Author: Robin Hobb
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: UU,
Synopsis: Newly reborn Fitz relearns how to be a man, both how to be human and how to be a man. He is soon called on a quest that leads him away from Buck Keep to places he has never been before.
Recommendation: A great book to finalize the series. If you read the other two books then who are you kidding you have to read the ending. It has some mature themes but nothing a teen audience can’t handle.

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Available Apr.4.2017 – Convergence by C. J. Cherryh

March.28.2017March.27.2017 Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulderAdult, C. J. Cherryh, Coming Soon, Science Fiction2 Comments

Convergence by C. J. Cherryh (Foreigner #18)

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A Series of Unfortunate Events – Book 1: The Bad Beginning – By Lemony Snicket

March.27.2017March.5.2017 Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulderFiction, Lemony Snicket, Youth8 Comments

Jared,

Have you read this series before? I assume Julia has, but this book confounds me. I don’t really know what to think about it.

Title: The Bad Beginning
Series: A Series of Unfortunate Events; Book 1
Author: Lemony Snicket (Pen Name)
Genre: Fiction
Audience: Youth
ROTS Setting: Orphans, Dark, Disturbing
Synopsis: (Insert mildly condescending synopsis here.)
Recommendation: Not recommended for younger readers. Mature themes include foster parental abuse, child exploitation, physical abuse, child brides, and hopeless reality.

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March Book Haul

March.25.2017March.19.2017 Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulderBook Haul10 Comments

Hey Jared,

Let me flaunt the books I’ve managed to find this month. You probably won’t care about half of these and the other half will probably be a toss up of pure jealousy or mocking superiority. So on the off chance I can make you cry with envy…..read it and weep.

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Luna Series – Book 1: New Moon – By Ian McDonald

March.24.2017March.27.2017 Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulderAdult, Ian McDonald, Science Fiction2 Comments

Hey Jared,

This was not what I was expecting at all, and I basically had zero expectations. The second book is coming out in a few days, but I have no intention of reading it after this.

Title: New Moon
Series: Luna; Book 1
Author: Ian McDonald
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: Near-Future, Colonization, Moon
Synopsis: The Moon wants to kill you. Whether it’s being unable to pay your per diem for your allotted food, water, and air, or you just get caught up in a fight between the Moon’s ruling corporations, the Five Dragons. You must fight for every inch you want to gain in the Moon’s near feudal society. And that is just what Adriana Corta did. As the leader of the Moon’s newest “dragon,” Adriana has wrested control of the Moon’s Helium-3 industry from the Mackenzie Metal corporation and fought to earn her family’s new status. Now, at the twilight of her life, Adriana finds her corporation, Corta Helio, surrounded by the many enemies she made during her meteoric rise. If the Corta family is to survive, Adriana’s five children must defend their mother’s empire from her many enemies… and each other.
Recommendation: Not recommended. Superfluous, explicit sex scenes.

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Free eBook – The Way of Kings [CLOSED]

March.23.2017March.30.2017 The BrothersAdult, Brandon Sanderson, Cosmere, Fantasy, Giveaway, Tor.com5 Comments

way-of-kings-cover

Just a heads up for everybody. Tor.com is giving away free copies of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson right now until tomorrow. Just put in your email address and they’ll send you an email with the link. Since I haven’t read this massive book yet I’m very happy about this and can’t wait to get started.

>> LINK <<

NOTE: Make sure you download your copy by Mar.24.2017 11:59pm ET.

P.S. Thanks Julia for making sure I saw this!

Reply: MISTBORN TRILOGY – BOOK 1: THE FINAL EMPIRE – BY BRANDON SANDERSON

March.21.2017March.20.2017 LisaAdult, Brandon Sanderson, Cosmere, Fantasy, Spoilers8 Comments

Heeeey Robert and Jared…

It’s finally happened. I read the first book of the Mistborn trilogy! If you’re newly joining us and haven’t enjoyed this delectable delight, head on over here to get caught up, because there will be spoilers!

Title: The Final Empire
Series: Mistborn Trilogy; Book 1
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: UU, Unique Magic
Synopsis: The Final Empire controls the known world and rules with a tyrannical iron fist. A group of professional thieves turn revolutionaries have the best chance in the last thousand years to fracture the Empires hold. Their job is near-impossible. How do you bring down a government that has stood for a thousand years? More importantly, how do you kill a god?
Recommendation: Mature content with a similar reading level. Late teens would be our suggestion.

– – Spoilers – –

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Brian’s Saga – Book 5: Brian’s Hunt – By Gary Paulsen

March.20.2017March.4.2017 Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulderFiction, Gary Paulsen, Survival, TeenLeave a comment

How’s it going Jared?

Finding decent covers for these books has been disturbingly hard. It’s like they don’t want people to see them or use them in their reviews. A good cover image can really sell a book, so it seems counter-intuitive to make them hard to find.

Title: Brian’s Hunt
Series: Brian’s Saga; Book 5
Author: Gary Paulsen
Genre: Fiction, Survival
Audience: Teen
ROTS Setting: CU, Canada
Synopsis: We find Brian still in the Canadian wilderness, picking up right where we left him.
Recommendation: Perfect for Teens. This book is recommended, but note that this book assumes that the events of all 4 previous books took place.

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Fablehaven Adventure Series – Book 1: Dragonwatch – By Brandon Mull

March.17.2017March.16.2017 Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulderBrandon Mull, Fantasy, YouthLeave a comment

Jared,

Here it is! The book I’ve been hyping for the last month.

Title: Dragonwatch
Series: Fablehaven Adventure Series; Book 1
Author: Brandon Mull
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Youth/Teen
ROTS Setting: EU, Modern, Magic, Fairies, Demons
Synopsis: In the hidden dragon sanctuary of Wyrmroost, Celebrant the Just, King of the Dragons, plots his revenge. He has long seen the sanctuaries as prisons, and he wants nothing more than to overthrow his captors and return the world to the Age of Dragons, when he and his kind ruled and reigned without borders. The time has come to break free and reclaim his power.

No one person is capable of stopping Celebrant and his dragon horde. It will take the ancient order of Dragonwatch to gather again if there is any chance of saving the world from destruction. In ancient times, Dragonwatch was a group of wizards, enchantresses, dragon slayers, and others who originally confined the majority of dragons into sanctuaries. But nearly all of the original Dragonwatch members are gone, and so the wizard Agad reaches out to Grandpa Sorenson for help. […]
Recommendation: Highly recommend this series, and strongly encourage reading the Fablehaven series first. Early teens and up can easily handle this book. I advise moderate caution with younger readers as there are some darker themes.

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RED RISING TRILOGY – BOOK 3: MORNING STAR – BY PIERCE BROWN

March.15.2017April.24.2017 JaredAdult, Alternate History, Fantasy, Science Fiction4 Comments

Hello Robert,

Meet the conclusion to this bastardly series.

Title: Morning Star 51nnve8he2l
Series: Red Rising Trilogy; Book 3
Author: Pierce Brown
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: Alternate Future,
Synopsis: Darrow survives the coup, but is taken by the Jackel. What you imagine the Jackel does he does and Darrow suffers. Darrow is broken down to nothing and then must rebuild himself into a new man, or the man he once was.
Recommendation: I do not “Recommendation:” this book. It built up my hopes and then dashed them all away. To build them up again and then have them crashed on the rocks of reality. Of course, this book is only really for adults. It is nice though to have the series finished, now at least I can sleep at night.

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