J.M Robison,
Fantasy where heroes don't follow the rules
While browsing the Amazon website one day, I happened to come across "The War Queen". The picture on the cover was what attracted me first to the book. The woman displayed character: from her strong, elongated neck, to the beautiful red gems in her hair. When I read the summary of what the book was about, I hesitated, because this was 'definitely' NOT my type of book. I am more of a mystery/suspense type of girl, who also likes the 'Cozy Mystery' genre because I like a little of humor thrown in.
What I found absolutely fascinating about this book is how the author came up with how the people lived in those days. It was like she actually LIVED in that time period. This is what makes an author a great author-----Imagination! You need to read this book in order to see what I am talking about because it is hard to pinpoint exactly what I am trying to convey. From talking about taking a soak in a sulfur-filled bath, to describing how the water was warmed in copper pipes. There are 'many' more ways to try and describe her compelling words, to envelope her readers, to try and get us to imagine what it would actually feel like to live in the time era of Lady Altarn and Lord Kaelin. I will just hope you buy the book yourself so that you can get my meaning.
The relationship between Lady Altarn and Lord Kaelin is an emotionally-charged one, filled with mistrust, hate, and all of the other mixed emotions one finds themselves in when meeting someone of the same caliber that you are. Lady Altarn is a strong woman, a leader who has earned her way to becoming the Head of her State. But she is still filled with self-doubt, always judging her capabilities to lead successfully, simply because she is a woman. When she goes head-to-head with someone stronger than she (and a man to boot), she becomes even more furious with her lack of control of her emotions. Here are a few lines that I found that best describes how well the author describes Lady Altarn's conflicting emotions:
(the vengeful demon in Altarn woke up, drooled hungrily, starving to be fed by her hate and energy)
(That same blind emotion fluttered up inside her. She smacked it down, screaming internally at it to stop being stupid. She hated how some emotions were blind while others never blinked)
(Altarn laughed, a vibration pulled from the depths of her tightly compressed soul so when the trap sprang, it shot out in a startling way.)
These are just a few lines in this interesting tale of intrigue, adventure, death, sorrow, victory, and romance. I found my adrenaline piqued at times, and my eyes filling with tears, and I'm not normally affected by just words on a page. So kudos goes to the author.
I highly recommend this book.
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Kathy - AMAZON
JM Robison has a great ability for description. She really makes the reader understand the ins and outs of her characters by giving such in depth descriptions. I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters and the great addition of WIT. I found myself laughing out loud many times through this read. The author has a beautiful and smooth writing style. It was very easy to follow. Overall, I really enjoyed this. There is plenty going on and its a very quick yet satisfying read.
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Many new fantasy writers entertain me briefly but don’t really impress me; others fall very short on both counts. Robinson is not one of these. Though I have not read her stuff before, her talent for storytelling is natural and her book is superior. It’s well above what I have come to expect from current fantasy/paranormal authors. As far as the storyline and characters go, they were all spot-on. The word building was well executed and the plot was well paced. The cast of characters were entertaining and relatable. Overall a great new world with compelling characters and plenty of action to keep you invested.
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I was thoroughly impressed with War Queen by J.M. Robinson. I didn't really know what to expect from this book when I saw the opportunity to read it, but it sounded and looked interesting, so I decided to give it a shot. And I am glad that I did. War Queen was such a well-written and intriguing story. It is full of action, adventure, and romance; with a strong female lead. But Altarn isn't a perfect character, she has her flaws and struggles, and that is why she is so likable and relatable. I also really loved the romance that developed throughout the story - I thought that Robinson did a great job of including that into the story. This book hooked me from the very beginning, and overall I was really impressed. I would highly recommend this book if you are interested in fantasy books, because you might enjoy this one.
I loved the descriptive way this novel was written. It really submerges the reader into the world.
This novel was very vivid in the descriptions, the writing really jumped off the pages and into my mind, so kudos to her for that. I liked the dark moments, those appealed to me and I think they were well done. As were the surprises. I enjoyed the characters and the growth they showed throughout the novel.
Overall pacing was great. I felt like it really kept pace the entire time and I never felt like it dragged.
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