Alyce Caswell - Author
  • Home
  • Books
    • The Galactic Pantheon >
      • The Tortured Wind
      • The Twisted Vine
      • The Flickering Flame
      • The Shifting Ice
      • The Whispering Grass
      • The Creeping Moss
      • The Galactic Pantheon Novellas
      • The Adventures of Grace Pendergast, Galactic Reporter
    • The Shadow of the Gods
    • Dealing with the Demon
    • Love and Lockdown
    • The Eyes of Charon
    • Sweet Delights
  • Other Works
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact

Book Reviews

Expanded Universe Round-Up

30/12/2022

0 Comments

 

​Force Storm 
​(Dawn of the Jedi Vol 1)
There was a little too much going on in this TPB, with a few too many characters mixed in amongst the chaos. That said, it was a very solid start that drew me in immediately. Great potential in this series, I sense.
Picture
Picture

​Prisoner of Bogan 
​(Dawn of the Jedi Vol 2)
There were parts of this second TPB that were quite good and the momentum from the first TPB was maintained, but Daegen Lok is...not an interesting character. And it's kind of annoying how easily he was able to get where he wanted to go.

​Force War 
(Dawn of the Jedi Vol 3)
Whoa, what happened here? The series wasn't great but it wasn't terrible - until suddenly we hit the third TPB. What a mess! In fact, this is so messy it almost reached the point of being unreadable. I really liked the Xesh/Shae stuff, but they were a tiny eye in the middle of a craptastic storm. This arc feels horribly rushed.
​

Picture
Picture
Tales of the Jedi ​(Vol 1)
This collection is nothing short of epic. Naga Sadow, Nomi Sunrider and Ulic Qel-Droma all appear in these pages, characters that were like real legends to me as a child - especially since I was not able to get my hands on the comics until adulthood. Myths threading their way through the prose books until I finally found the source. The Tales of the Jedi comics were - still are - so iconic. They will always represent the Republic's ancient history to me, even now in the Disney era.
​
Tales of the Jedi ​(Vol 2)
​Reaching the end of the Tales of the Jedi run is like saying goodbye to old, cherished friends. I wouldn't say it doesn't have it flaws (particularly in this second collection), but the stories therein truly deserve the label of "saga". I could definitely have kept reading - if there had been more to read. Unmissable, formative, outstanding, and a treasured relic of the 1990s.
​
Picture
Picture

​Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories
I remember being rather disinterested with this book the first time I read it, but perhaps those memories were tainted with how tired I was with the EU in general by that point. But on my second reading of it, many years later, I really enjoyed myself. John Jackson Miller made the Lost Tribe far more fascinating than they appeared to be in the Fate of the Jedi books. The novella is the weakest story of the bunch. I'd have appreciated more stories in and after that timeframe...but all in all? A great collection.
0 Comments

Timber Fall-ing in Love

28/12/2022

0 Comments

 

Awaken: Wolves of Timber Falls (Small Town Packs #3)
​by Cassie Laelyn

Picture
An attack on Timber Falls leaves Layla tired of bloodshed and so when she finds a hunter, her enemy, badly wounded and practically on her doorstep, she does the unthinkable - she saves him. Wyatt's bloodlust should be uncontrollable around a shifter, but there's something different about Layla. Will it be enough to keep him from seeking a cure by slaying her father?

A steamy (and sweet!) enemies-to-lovers novella that kept me up past my bedtime - no doubt because it's my favourite instalment of the series by far. I was almost instantly in love with Layla and Wyatt and I was ready to protect them from everyone on all sides. xD An enjoyable read.

0 Comments

The Expanded Universe Begins

27/12/2022

0 Comments

 

Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void (Star Wars Legends)
​by Tim Lebbon

Picture
Lanoree Brock is a Je’daii Ranger who has avoided going home because of bad memories involving her brother's death. But now is being recalled to Tython for a mission that requires her skills - but mostly Lanoree, because her brother is alive and his actions could lead their system into chaos. He has always looked to the stars. To the mysteries of the past. Who brought them all to Tython - and why?

So begins my epic read through of my vast Expanded Universe (aka Legends canon) collection. The first chronological, novel-length story in the EU isn't fantastic by any means, but I did like Lanoree and I did enjoy exploring the galaxy as she knows it. However, the ending was quite underwhelming, spoiling the fun. The flashbacks also didn't help, hindering the flow of the book and just generally being unimportant. This isn't a terrible entry, just meh (with some redeeming qualities).

0 Comments

A Howling Good Time

26/12/2022

0 Comments

 

Alpha (Blood Moon, Texas Shifters #4)
by Kat Kinney

Picture
​Brody Caldwell became the Alpha of his pack during his father's absence and is doing his damndest to protect everyone in his territory, human or otherwise - and he's also doing his damndest not to start something with London Blake. She lost her pack but she's still an Alpha. And Alphas aren't allowed to mate, so they absolutely CANNOT fall for each other...yep. No problems here. ;)

Definitely my favourite book of Kinney's so far. The overarching plot in this PNR series is one of the best I've come across and I'm always hankering for the next one. And yeah, I was hanging out for Brody's story because I just love Alphas and this was a two-for-one deal! London and Brody have such amazing chemistry. It's also nice to catch up with all the characters in this series...I'm rather fond of them all. 

0 Comments

Back to the Past

22/12/2022

0 Comments

 

Convergence (Star Wars: The High Republic)
by Zoraida Córdova

Picture
Eiram and E'ronoh are two worlds locked in a Forever War and the representatives of the Republic that have been sent to interfere in this conflict don't quite know what they are wading into. Peace might be possible, if the heirs of Eiram and E'ronoh are able to convince their families and planets. But the real villains in their way are not the ones they expect.

I loved this so much. I was getting Melida/Daan vibes from the get-go and was so pleased to see actual references to that planet (which, of course, makes it canon again). Look, I'll admit it. The way to this Star Wars fan's heart is through the Jedi Apprentice series. Zoraida Córdova's aim was true.

My old biases aside, I finally got the story I've been craving. I have disliked most of the other High Republic books for being so convoluted and so overblown to the point of being boring. Convergence strips things down, jumps back into the past (thus freeing the narrative of most of the crap), and actually makes me give a damn about the characters and their lives. My favourite High Republic novel (so far...and I have a feeling that won't change).

0 Comments

Duck for Cover

18/12/2022

0 Comments

 

Resolute (The Lost Fleet: Outlands #2)
​by Jack Campbell

Picture
Admiral John Geary has been sent on a diplomatic mission to a species that remains guarded in their interactions with humans, but the dangers Geary faces are not just in the vastness of space - some of them are on his very own ships. His enemies want him to fail. His death is one way to achieve that. But he isn't called Black Jack for nothing.

I know what I'm getting when I pick up a Geary book - and that's exactly what I got. For the most part. Other books in this universe have dragged at times, but Resolute seemed to last an eternity. Frankly, this was a slog. A lot of the story seemed to be taken up with repetitive intrigue and the more interesting stuff was crammed into the last couple of chapters. This all said, Ensign Duck is freaking awesome.

0 Comments

The Rise of Explanations

3/12/2022

0 Comments

 

Shadow of the Sith (Star Wars Disney)
by Adam Christopher

Picture
Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian are on separate quests until their paths converge, thanks to the discovery that a family is on the run - possibly in danger from the Sith - and they need help. But if that help doesn't arrive in time, then drastic choices will have to be made. Especially when it comes to the fate of the girl, Rey.

This is a much better story than The Rise of Skywalker and it's unfortunate that a book was needed to better explain aspects of the film. This is hardly the first time it's happened in the franchise, except that Darth Plagueis is from an older, separate canon.

I read more slowly than usual because I didn't want Shadow of the Sith to end - it was so well written and had me hoping for a different ending (despite what I already knew). I am amused that Adam Christopher somehow guessed that some of us would read the acknowledgements first and totally called us out for it. How did he know!?!?!?

0 Comments
    Picture

    About

    Alyce Caswell, when she isn't buried in a book or drinking her way through a giant pot of tea, is a keen writer of science fiction and romance. She has published two novels and four novellas in her space opera family saga, The Galactic Pantheon Series.

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Alt Hist
    Anthology
    Ashley Poston
    Australia
    Australian
    Book Review
    Canada
    Chicklit
    Classic
    Collection
    Comedy Of Manners
    Community Unravels
    COVID-19
    Crime
    Denmark
    Diversity
    Emma Baird
    Fantasy
    Female Relationships
    Harlequin
    Historical Romance
    History
    Hugo Award Winner
    Irish
    Jack Campbell
    Julia Quinn
    Kim Harrison
    Korean
    LGBTQIA+ Representation
    Literary Fiction
    Lynsay Sands
    Malaysian
    Memoir
    Messy Family
    MG
    Mills & Boon
    Netgalley
    New Adult
    Non Fiction
    Non-fiction
    NOPE NOPE NOPE
    Novella
    Paranormal Romance
    Patricia Briggs
    Paula Quinn
    Prequel
    Queer Romance
    Romance
    RUBY
    Rural Romance
    SA
    Sarah J Maas
    Sci Fi/fantasy
    Sci-fi/fantasy
    Scottish Romance
    Sequel
    Sophie Barnes
    Space Opera
    Star Wars
    Suspense
    Tea
    Television
    The Epic EU Read Through
    TW: Suicide
    UK
    Urban Fantasy
    US
    Vampires
    Video Games
    Wattpad
    Werewolves
    Witches
    YA
    Zimbabwe
    Zombies

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Books
    • The Galactic Pantheon >
      • The Tortured Wind
      • The Twisted Vine
      • The Flickering Flame
      • The Shifting Ice
      • The Whispering Grass
      • The Creeping Moss
      • The Galactic Pantheon Novellas
      • The Adventures of Grace Pendergast, Galactic Reporter
    • The Shadow of the Gods
    • Dealing with the Demon
    • Love and Lockdown
    • The Eyes of Charon
    • Sweet Delights
  • Other Works
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact