Bridgette Ryning

This is my fault I didn't like it. I knew it was a romance novel when I picked it up and I still expected the typical Daphne Du Murier dark hook. I wanted the mystery and intrigue of her other books, but of course, it was just a romance. I think should I have been in the mindset to read a book like that I would have enjoyed it more. I just was let down by the lack of action with the pirates and the main character felt weakly built. Basically she was a bored housewife who falls instantly—INSTANTLY—in love with this pirate and leave her kids all alone. Oh, and she pretends to have the flu so they don't come talk to her when she is gone. I really couldn't see how any of this was plausible or interesting.

As always, I love her writing style. She is so talented and she has a beautiful way with words. I just did not enjoy this one, which again is a fault onto my own and others may particularly find a fondest for this book.

1250 pages in 10 days ... book did not suck.

This was officially the longest book I have ever read and maybe one of the best. Brandon Sanderson thrusts himself to the top once again as one of the most ingenious storytellers. In Mistborn I felt I missed out on thoughtful and provoking writing — but now I realize Sanderson just needed the space to do so. The entire book was fast paced but had these gems of thought and prose that highlighted his ability to write complex ideas in an interesting way.

My absolute favorite part of the book was the surmounting odds placed against Kaladin and his ability to defeat those odds. The book set up expectations and subverted them masterfully. Sanderson talks about how important it is to do that in good writing and he leads from the front with his books. Every character became so much more than I expected of them.

Bridge Four! Sanderson made me LOVE them and root for them and get so nervous for them as the fought against the worst of conditions. The arc of turning the beaten down men into loyal soldiers with a purpose was perfect! It's a classic story but rarely is it done well.

Also ... what the hell is happening? I could follow everything but by the end of the book you realize oh wow I know nothing and these characters know nothing about how screwed they truly are. And that's so freaking awesome. Jasnah figuring out the truth about the parshmen was chilling and it was just a piece of the set up for the next book. It felt like the whole novel was just explaining how royally effed this whole place is.

But I loved every minute of it. Rarely did the book feel slow and often did it feel exciting. One of the best fantasy's I have read with the level of writing I have come to expect, the character development I adore, and the plot that I never can predict.

This was my second Daphne Du Maurier book, following Rebecca. I don't know why I enjoyed the book as much as I did. There is a very subtle plot through the whole thing but it is never so subtle that you lose the thread. I think that's what makes her story telling so interesting — the plot moves in these small ways but are echoed loudly in the mind of the character. Both Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel had main characters that possessed a mind of a great imagination. You become so intertwined with their thoughts and strong motives that when they get hopelessly strung on the whim of the antagonizing character you are also unfathomably hooked by them.

Her books have a small cast of characters and stay in the same place, but this allows for a depth of exploration and building of the surroundings. The house and the people become utterly real and tangible. I do wonder if the magic is in part due to the narration of these books and I wonder how it would look on a page. I hope to soon read one of these books on paper and compare.

Overall, I love this book and I figured out why. I cared so much about this main character that ever bit of their life was fascinating. That is a credit to the authors excellent writing and pacing and brilliant dialogue.