Finished a reasonable amount of books since the last time I posted in one of these threads.
The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt voulme 1 by Toru Toba and fal_maro - I thought it was a decent first entry, thankfully devoid of too much of the usual anime/manga fanservice tropes, although some of it does creep in. I'm not a military buff but a lot of things the author pointed out regarding the battles and running of the army made logical sense. I thought the genius prince character was well handled without getting too tiresome and predictable, and crucially isn't infallible. He makes mistakes. Sometimes to humorous effect. I hope the focus doesn't drift too much from the politicking and warmongering. Those were the most interesting bits. Will check out more.
Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon - A strange reading experience this. For so much of it I was thinking it was decent mystery fiction but not much more than that. The mystery seemed obvious and there were only a few suspects. It seemed to be spinning its wheels as Brunetti was struggling to make headway into the case. Everything outside of the mystery was good. Characterization, atmosphere, sense of place. Then the final third happens and the mystery is turned on its head as one revelation after another transforms the book from a 3-star to a 5-star experience. I'm struggling to think of a previous occasion where the last third of a book has changed my opinion of a book so drastically. It all works so wonderfully to build on the character of Brunetti too. And this is just the first book in the series. Obviously I'm not going into the other books expecting a similar experieince.
Cold Spectrum by Craig Schaefer - Closes out the Cold Spectrum arc of the series quite nicely while leaving the characters in a new status quo ripe with story potential. There's a familiar pattern and rhythm to the book that's been there throughout the series. It's comfort reading. Something I can read and know I'll enjoy without it really blowing my socks off. To give the author some credit though I like the setting he has established in this and the Faust series. Plus there's been plenty of compelling hooks to reel me back in. I haven't got bored yet.
A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny - Can't really say much else about this series without sounding like a broken record. Just another fantastic entry. Honestly, sometimes the mystery is the least interesting aspect in these books, which is not to say bad (they are very well plotted), it's just the other aspects elevate the series to another level. Even though each case is usually solved within each book I wouldn't say they really work as standalones. Each entry builds on what came before, adding additional layers of complexity. You have to read them in publication order for the best experience. It helps that each book is fantastic
The Neon Boneyard by Craig Schaefer - Similar thoughts to Cold Spectrum, although the two series do have a distinct flavour. The start of a new arc, so there's a new nemesis for Daniel to face off against. Again, very familiar, very comfortable and rarely disappoints. Maybe damning with faint praise, but I do keep coming back for more.
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson - It's clearly an early Sanderson book but the characters aren't as bad as I remember them being in Elantris and Mistborn (admittedly read them a long time ago). There is still that one character that crops up in every Sanderson book that I find tiresome very quickly, here it's Lightsong who to his credit does redeem himself quite spectacularly. On the negative side, I didn't find the central mysteries and worldbuilding in this book that interesting. Same with the magic system. Usually once we're familiarized with the rules there's some interesting and outside-the-box uses by the characters. It all fell a bit flat for me which is unusual, as the magic system and the worldbuilding are often what I read Sanderson books for. The pacing is also uneven, the first two thirds is pretty slow and the final third feels rushed. As with a lot of Sanderson Cosmere novels I found it could have done with a 100-200 pages cut and a better balance to its pacing. It's above Elantris for me but still on the lower end of the Cosmere novels I've read.
Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger - I thought this was very good. I am unclear if this is standalone or not but I'd love to revisit this world and some of these characters again. It's easy to see the influences that the author has drawn from. I think Fullmetal Pokemist pretty aptly describes the book. The early going is a bit slow but the time spent with the characters is worth it. Really helps flesh them out and makes the journey worthwhile. The setting feels fresh. I don't know that many fantasy books that are set in that area of the world or in worlds inspired by those particular cultures.
