Review: The Bone Doll’s Twin
A friend of mine gave me a five dollar gift card to Borders about a month ago. Armed with the gift card and 30% off coupon, I went off to Borders to wander through their sci-fi/fantasy section. After several false starts, I came across Lynn Flewelling’s The Bone Doll’s Twin. I’d seen this cover several times and although intrigued never actually picked it up to read the back blurb. The novel is a great deal darker than the blurb led me to believe, but in a good way. When the blurb writer describes Tobin as disguised as a boy, I had no idea just how misleading that statement was.
Flewelling is a compelling storyteller. I never felt the need to skip uninteresting prose or boring scene descriptions until the last few pages when I was ready to pass out and just needed to know what was going to happen next.
I found the story fascinating, but so dark that in my current emotional state I could only take in small doses of this novel. Tobin has lived his entire life with the ghost of his twin brother chained to first his mad mother’s side and then to his after her death. Except Tobin is not a boy. He was born a girl. In order to protect her, the adults in her life put in motion a plan that would mean the sacrifice of one child to save her life and the kingdom. Tobin’s life changes with the arrival of Ki, a younger son of a landless knight, as his squire. Ki brings Tobin out of strange shell and shows how to behave as a normal boy, not having any other children in his life until that point.
Tobin and Ki are happy for several years even with Tobin’s father, Duke Rhius away so much on campaigns or to be kept under the watchful eye of the king in Ero. Two weeks after receiving the devastating news that his father has fallen in battle, the king sends his emissary to collect Tobin and bring him to Ero where he will join the Royal Companions. His cousin, Prince Korin, welcomes him warmly, but shows signs of weakness when under the influence of too much wine. Ki and Tobin both suffer from the slights of some of the Companions, but with their fighting skills manage to impress a great many of the Companions and watching nobility.
Unfortunately, everything is about to unravel for them both.
A dark fantasy building slowly but fascinatingly to an epic story of a warrior queen and her struggles to attain the throne that should have by rights been hers upon her mother’s death. Wholly recommended to any fan of a good story whether it be genre or other fiction.
WIP: Big Bow Cardigan
I have been working on the Big Bow Cardigan by Julia Vaconsin from Interweave Crochet’s Winter issue for the past couple of weeks. I keep getting hung up with each new set of instructions. My biggest problem I find is that I have trouble seeing things spatially. I don’t know how the garment is supposed to fit together. Every time I arrive at a new set of instructions, I am lost all over again. I read, and re-read then attempt, frog and read again the instructions. I am very grateful that I have a co-worker who crochets and for the Crochetville forums. They have been so helpful in explaining the pattern to me in a different way so I actually understand! I am working on the back right now and it looks like I only have the left sleeve and the scarf that forms the bow left to do. Hopefully today I can get some advice as to how to move on from here because I am stuck yet again.
Crown of Stars: King’s Dragon review
I have to admit I already miss this book. King’s Dragon Volume 1 of Kate Elliott’s Crown of Stars series, was a pleasure to read. The content is dark, at times brutal, but in every way well written. The story is split into several parts, switching between the two main characters’ plot lines. There were times when the switch was welcome. I did not know how much of Liath’s torture I could take when suddenly I was reading about Alain’s mostly uncomplicated life. He witnesses terrible things, but filled with a sense of right and wrong, his journey is not so terrible.
After three years of slavery at her lowest point, Liath’s fortunes finally begin to change for the better. Filled with fear and ignorance she stumbles her way through a siege, a holy vision, and the death of a prince.
Alain barely escapes certain death at the hands of the Eika who pillage and burn the monastery he had been pledged to since birth. He experiences a vision from the Lady of Battles who in exchange for his vow to follow her, spares his village from the Eika raid. No longer able to fulfill his set path, he is sent to work for Count Lavastine for one year along with several other youths from his village. Overlooked or ignored by everyone else in the household, he overhears many things which allow the reader to learn of the greater world outside the Count’s home. He learns he may be the son of one of the Old Ones, or the bastard son of Count Lavastine himself and not a whore’s son as he had been led to believe.
I am both dreading and looking forward to reading the next volume, Prince of Dogs. I do not know how much depredation I can stand at the moment for the second volume promises to only descend further into darkness. I have a copy sitting at home. Perhaps I will begin tonight or perhaps I shall move on to another novel sitting on my “to read” pile.
Epic fantasy lovers will love the intrigue both political and metaphysical, the three dimensional characters, and the hints of prophecy, magic and an overarching plot in which you only get glimpses of in this installment.
Watchmen review
In the interest of full disclosure, I have never read graphic novel, Watchmen. I went to see this movie last night. As a film, Watchmen was very good. The acting was great. The CGI effects are wonderful. The story was a fascinating character story, dramatic and at times brutal. The music was perfect. I never thought Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah would be right up there with Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get it On, but it worked so well in this particular scene. Having not read Watchmen, I cannot speak for the adaptability to the screen. My husband has read the graphic novel, so I will bow to his opinion and say that it stuck fairly closely to the graphic novel.
Having said all that, I was fairly bored for most of film. I do not normally enjoy dramas or character studies, so that would probably explain why I was so bored. There were few action scenes, but the ones there were, were very reminiscent in style and cinematography to 300 (a movie I adore). These gory scenes did not bother me at all in 300, but in Watchmen, I just could not handle it. I gave up trying to watch it and just started covering my eyes and waiting for the gore to pass. There were no characters in this film for me to identify with or even like. I felt more like a spectator than a part of the experience. I feel like this movie would appeal to the fans of the graphic novel and people who enjoy high drama films. For the rest of us, or at least for me I do not believe I will want to watch it again.
