By Golly, Ollie!

My Thoughts

Book hype can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it certainly draws attention to a book, and it can help drive sales. On the other hand, the more the book is built up, the farther it has to fall. Such was the case with Timeless by Alexandra Monir. I had high hopes for Timeless. Every review I read about the book seemed to rave about it. But, after I finished the book I was left scratching my head and wondering why. Now wait just a tick! This is already starting to sound like a negative review. I promise you, it’s not really. It’s just one of those books that made me wonder why there was all the hype.

As an individual who loves character development and character driven plot, Timeless left me feeling disappointed. All of the characters in this book read a little generic to me. Michele was alright as a protagonist because she wasn’t annoying, whiny, weak, or any other negative personality trait that really grates my nerves. But, she didn’t really stand out to me either. She wasn’t the kind of character I could relate to or empathize with. Unfortunately, I felt that way about most of the other characters in this book except for Lily, one of the Windsor ancestors Michele meets during a time travel episode. Even though Lily is essentially a caricature of a 1920s flapper girl, I couldn’t help fall in love with her boldness and her sass.

Then there is the issue of the romance. Michele has been having dreams of a handsome boy with astonishing blue eyes all her life. During one of her time travel episodes, she comes across him. This boy! He’s real! His name is Phillip Warren! And then they start a cross-time love affair. I mean that kind of literally since Michele’s presence causes Phillip to break off his engagement with another one of Michele’s ancestors. And then ever since, the Windsors have hated the Warrens. Way to go Michele. You’ve started at century long family feud. Anyway, I digress. I get the feeling that Michele falls in love with the idea of Phillip and not Phillip himself. I understand she’s been having dreams of him forever, but that’s all they really are– dreams. Throughout Michele’s time travel episodes, she probably has only spent literally 2 or 3 days total with Phillip. And yet, she professes her love to him! And he breaks off an engagement! I mean, if ever there were a case of insta-love, it’s present in Timeless. And, the whole time I’m wondering, if 100-year-old Phillip Warren were still alive in Michele’s time, with his wrinkles, grey hair, and liver spots, would she still love him? I mean, that’s the kind of thing you have to take in consideration when time travel is involved!

When Phillip and Michele weren’t professing their love to each other, they were writing and composing songs together. As a music lover, I should have appreciated this, but it just came across as really cheesy. Especially when the song lyrics were included in the book. Song lyrics out of context make me cringe. On the plus side, Alexandra Monir actually had these songs produced, and you can listen to them on her website. In this context, the songs are wonderful! Especially Bring the Colors Back. Monir’s vocals and the jazz band sound really capture the 1920s atmosphere. Unfortunately, this isn’t a review on Monir’s singing abilities.

The final aspect of the book that struck me as problematic was the time travel. Time travel is pretty neat, but I imagine it’s difficult to write about. There seemed to be a lot of inconsistencies in the time travel in Timeless. Michele has no control over her time travel episodes. All we know is that it involves a special key necklace and maybe an old Windsor relic (most of the time). Except for that one time when Michele suddenly hopped back in time when she was watching a Broadway show. Uh wut? But, then Monir tries to go scientific on her readers. One of Michele’s new, smart friends brings up Einstein’s theories of time travel as a way to justify her belief that Michele is actually traveling through time. But, it just doesn’t work for me as a reader. Because there is no scientific basis for Michele’s experience. A key necklace does not even have the physical properties to bend space-time, so don’t try to convince me that it does. Also, there are inconsistencies in the way Michele meddles with the past. At first, she has no problem stealing the heart of her great-great-great aunt’s fiance. But, she’s too afraid to tell her aunt from the 1940s that America wins WWII. She thinks if she spills the beans America will lose the war. Really? Telling one insignificant person that there is hope will ruin the world? But, boyfriend fiance-stealing is okay.

I’m sure by now you’re wondering why I stuck around for 304 pages. I thought the characters were alright, I hated the romance, and I pointed out all the inconsistencies in Monir’s time travel. But honestly, at the end of it all, I simply loved Monir’s writing. The descriptions were beautiful, and I could see the events unfold in my head. Even more, Monir’s accounts of America in the past were stunning. The atmosphere she created and the descriptions of new Ford Model Ts along side horse and carriages just struck a chord in me. It’s so evident that Monir put a lot of time and research into the eras she wrote about, and I whole-heartedly appreciate that as a reader. Also, Monir wrote about the Gilded Age. The only time I’ve read about the Gilded Age was in 10th grade, and I read about it in a school textbook. I found Monir’s inclusion of this time period to be absolutely fascinating!

 Overall,
Due to all of the inconsistencies, this book was mostly a miss for me. But, because of Monir’s beautiful writing and in-depth research I stuck around for the entire book. There were aspects of this book that were lackluster, but then there were aspects of this book that made the book hard to put down. I’m truly conflicted!

Won from Kathy @ I Am a Reader Not a Writer

 My Thoughts

I love fantasy movies, but fantasy novels? Not so much. I like books that are character-driven, and it would seem that the majority of fantasy novels I’ve read are the antithesis of that. I can appreciate exquisite world building just as much as the next person, but that won’t keep my attention for long unless I fall in love with the characters. But, I’m happy to say The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima kept me enthralled from start to finish.

I loved the characters in this book. Even though they were a tad archetypal, their attitudes, their motives, their personalities were refreshing. First there is Han “Cuffs” Allister. If ever there was a male protagonist to make me swoon, Han is that character. And apparently he makes several of the ladies in the Seven Realms swoon too. He’s handsome. He’s cunning. He’s mysterious (just what are those cuffs he’s worn since he was a babe, and why won’t anyone let him take them off?). He’s also reformed! He used to spend his days as one of the most feared street lords (see: thief). But, it caused his mother and sister too much grief, so he put his life of crime behind him (d’awww). But, just try convincing rival street gangs and local law enforcement. Even though he’s been “clean”, he’s always finding himself in trouble. Or is trouble always finding him?

Then there is Princess Raisa. I thought she was going to be another stuck up princess in a poofy gown, but this girl has an admirable strength within her that we only begin to see in book one. She’s the kind of female protagonist who gets to get her hands dirty AND she gets to wear the most luxurious gowns. She doesn’t have so sacrifice femininity for strength, and I love that about Raisa. Her mind is more preoccupied about living life among her kin in Marisa Pines (a place of common folk, naturalists, and Demonai warriors) than living in her royal court. She’s more interested in military affairs than debutante balls. And she’s more interested in playing the field than settling down with one suitor (because, you know, she just turned 16, which is the age that most ladies get married off); this especially is refreshing.

Chima also creates some deliciously evil characters. They’re the types of people who use their status and power to strike fear into the hearts of others. They also harbor a mysterious, magical power that was thought to have been banned centuries ago, and they’re now using it to their advantage. But, their true motive has yet to be revealed, and I’m dying to know. And on top of that, Chima kind of blurs the lines between evil and misguided. One moment you’re thinking “burn him at the stake!”, and the next minute you’re thinking, “Awww, now my heart is crying for him”. You’re toying with my emotions Cinda Williams Chima! And it feels so right.

I could prattle on about how great Chima’s world building skills are, but that would take forever. So, I’m thinking you’re going to have to take my word on it. The world building in The Demon King was exquisite. From the vivid descriptions of the locations in the Seven Realms to the hierarchies and the every-day-life of the societies in the Seven Realms, Chima wins at world building. Oh, that’s not to forget the conflicts between the realms or the conflicts between the different social groups. Or the religion or the way magic works. With any book that includes world building, some slow spots in pacing can be expected, but I wasn’t as bothered by it as I thought I would. I love the characters and the action that are in the book, but I also loved reading about the different realms and the folktale that lends its name to the title of the book. Chima’s work was truly wonderful.

Overall,
I loved this book. I loved this book! And, I am very lucky that I have the next few books in the series, so I can dive right into them whenever I want. After the ending (with all it’s plot twists and drama), I’m dying to know what happens next! Read this book if you’ve ever picked up the Lord of the Rings and then put it down and walked away from it half way through the series because you couldn’t take it anymore. The Demon King is written in a way that’s easier to digest for those who are not normally nuts about high fantasy. Chima figured out the perfect balance between character development, plot, and world building, and it opened me up to try out other books in the (high) fantasy genre. Additionally, read if you’re nuts about Bethesda’s Elder Scroll series. (I’m actually mostly kidding about that last one, but I really couldn’t help but notice some similarities between the book and the Elder Scroll games.)

Won from Heather @ Proud Book Nerd