The Final Warden by Thomas Cardin - Book Review

Tally ho mateys! I am back with a new book review and this time I'm reviewing "The Final Warden" by Thomas Cardin which is a self-published fantasy book. It is actually the first self - published book I've ever read because frankly I find that I'm quite skeptical to literature that hasn't been through the classical publishing process with several edits and all that jazz. Don't get me wrong I know that there is a lot of quality stuff out there in the self-publishing world, but there is a lot of trash out there too. I digress, over to the book at hand!

Cover art for the book

I really enjoyed the overall story and a lot of the concepts in this book . The whole idea of an unexpected hero appeals to me, maybe because I've been an underdog and have felt a little lost all my life despite my intelligence and my drive and so I feel I can identify myself with the main characters in such story lines. I also liked how the Dwarves were able to communicate with the spirit of the world amongst other things.
The main character Lorace doesn't know who he upon waking up on a strange shore although we as readers get a hint as to who he really is in a previous chapter. He is interesting and I felt empathy for him, and I found myself wanting to find out what happens to him as he gets tangled into politics and heroics. I will probably read the rest of the books in this series too, although I don't know when.

However, because there is an however sadly enough.There were things that brought my experience of this book down. I felt like the story rushed ahead a lot like the author was in a rush to get to the juicy parts of the story. I really just felt like there was a lack of detail and in depth when it came to interactions between some of the characters. Cardin could have slowed down the pace a little bit, but of course that is just my own personal opinion.

There were also quite a few grammatical errors that kept popping up unfortunately, and if you know me you will know that it one of my pet peeves. It really grinds my gears and totally ruins my reading experience so it took a while before I was able to look past it and concentrate on the story that was being told.

I also think that chapter 1 and 2 might deserve to be slightly re-written or at least edited a little as I found them a bit difficult to get through because the language was a bit jumbled and messy.

The conclusion is that the book is worth reading, and deserves a fair chance. The passion of the author is very evident as you read through it and that alone makes it worth the while even though it was a somewhat mixed experience.

(c) Anita K. Olsen Støbakk

Cheers Mateys!

Anita, The Literary Pirate.

New Blog Header!

Yeah, well so I guess the heading says it all. I designed and drew a new unique and slightly spunkier header for the blog. I hope you like it! I think it is important to have something that sets you apart from the vast ocean of literary blogs out there and what better way of doing that than personalizing the blog with my own art!

(c) Anita K. Olsen Støbakk

On a different note here's an update on how the reading prosject is going so far.

Basically it all went great until April hit and everything came to a screeching halt. I got diagnosed with anxiety and started taking meds to help me with the symptoms and the stressful feelings I was dealing with all the time. Let's just say that getting used to these meds was quite the ordeal and has effectively put me out of commission as far as reading goes because I'm having trouble focusing. Hopefully I'll be back on track soon, and if I'm not I'll just have to convince myself that it's OK even though the perfectionist inside me is screaming and banging her head against a hard surface at the mere though of it....which is probably one of the reasons why I'm medicated in the first place. I suffer from the good girl issue, I set to high expectations to myself and every time I fail or convince myself that I'm doing something wrong I will obsess over it and sometimes it leads to anxiety attacks. Have no fear dear readers, I am currently going to cognitive therapy so I'll be ship shape again!

Keep your good eyes peeled through your looking glasses for the next upcoming book review!

Cheers mateys!
Anita, the literary pirate.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin - Book review

The song of Ice and Fire series has long been on my reading list. I actually read "A Game of Thrones" for the first time when I was about 15. It's like...10 years ago!.. I feel old now... I never got past the first book on my first attempt because the library never had the the rest of the series available (Three of the books had been published at that point I think)and so I gave it up. After HBO started sending the TV-show I got motivated to start reading it again though, and my goal is to finish all five books this year.

If you don't have a relationship with A song of Ice and Fire you can check out what wikipedia has to say about it, it's like a small crash course into the worlds of George R. R. Martin.

Heres a link!

Moving on to the book review itself!

A game of Thrones is a spectacular book full of intrigue, politics, violence and sex. I love it!
It's gritty and every single character feels real and interesting to me whether I like them or not. They have personalities with flaws, agendas, a strong sense of honor and duty or a complete lack of it. There is little in the ways of magic, but I think that's good because not every fantasy book needs to be "High Fantasy". I would rather term this book, and series for that matter as "Epic Fantasy" just because it is such a grand tale spanning over so many continents and points of view.

Something I quite enjoy is the fact that Martin actually writes female characters really well. There are plenty of them and they all have different personalities and motivations. Sansa is a romantic dreamer who believes in true love and valiant knights, but who comes face to face with the realization that the real world is not at all like the legends of old. Arya is a true tomboy who refuses to consent to becoming a noble lords wife and spend her life raising children. She wants to fight like a man and be free to make her own way in the world. Cersei is a calculating bitch who has no issues with plotting against, hurting or even killing anyone if it will get her what she wants.She might have been a very different person had Robert Baratheon treated her better and not been lost in the loss of his one true love (Eddard Starks dead sister).  Her one redeeming quality is her love for her children, but even that will not give her my sympathy. Daenerys starts out as a meek child who does what she is told to do by her brother Viserys and ends up being a fierce Khaleesi and mother of dragons at the end of the book as the troubles she meets makes her grow stronger.These are just a few of the female characters that inhabit Martin's world but they are all memorable and strong in their own ways. Few writers has such a good grasp on writing female characters in my opinion.

This, for your enjoyment is a picture I drew of Arya Stark earlier this year. This at least is how I envision her when she is not covered in dirt and sweat or blood.
(c) Anita Olsen Støbakk

I am however not a "I'm gonna burn my bra feminist" and have not forgotten the brilliant male characters of Westeros. They are as varied and as kind and cruel as the female characters. Among my favorites you will Find Eddard Stark, Tyrion Lannister, The Hound, The Spider and Ser Jorah the Andal. All of them very different but likable in their own way. (at least they are likable in my opinion).
I think I actually cried the first time I read about the execution of Eddard Stark, and I still felt a little heartbroken when reading about it this time around even though I knew it would happen. I feel a warmth in my heart when I read about Ser Jorah's loyalty and dedication to Daenerys, and I think a little part of me wants The Hound to rescue Sansa from Kings Landing. I love Tyrions brain and his sense of humor. And the spider, well he is the spider. I don't know where I have him, but I think I see some good in him.

(c) Anita Olsen Støbakk

Over all I can't recommend this book enough. Sure it's a big book and if you are not a fast or experienced reader you might have some trouble with it. That however should not stop you from reading it!

Read it! It's an order from the pirate captain!

Cheers Mateys!
Anita, the literary pirate.