Category: Book Review - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

Expanded Universe Round-Up #12

8/6/2023

Star Wars Episode I: Adventures

#7 - Capture Arawynne

Not as good as the previous two entries - the book is mostly taken up with kids trying to evade adults in a killer garden. Silly would be an understatement. But it's still well written, for the intended audience that is.

#8 - Trouble on Tatooine

A very strong conclusion to the Tatooine arc. I didn't expect such an emotional finale or that I'd ever feel so attached to Kitster, a character I only had a passing interest in before now.

#9 - Rescue in the Core

Oh my God. How am I going to survive three more of these? I vowed to read all of the Legends books and comics that I own... I'm regretting that decision now. Jar Jar is okay(ish) in small doses, but this entire book is full of Gungans talking the same way as him. It was so painful to read.

#10 - Festival of Warriors

A slightly more coherent plot in this one, but the dialogue still makes me want to stab my eyes out. I remember being pleased to find secondhand copies of these books that looked completely unread. I envy the previous owners their blissful ignorance.

#11 - Pirates From Beyond the Sea

The Gungan dialogue is still unbearable. And what's worse... the words "romance" and "Tarpals" appear together in the same paragraph and I can never unsee that.

#12 - The Bongo Rally

Hurray! The ghastly arc is over - and I don't think we ever needed to see Jar Jar and Tarpals in a love triangle. I don't own any of the other books in the series, because I have enough versions of The Phantom Menace, thank you very much.

Expanded Universe Round-Up #11

8/6/2023

Star Wars Episode I: Adventures

#1 - Search for the Lost Jedi

This wasn't too bad - much to my surprise, since I am very aware that this entire series is a cash grab - though it's obviously a bit simplistic for an adult reader. I didn't appreciate the unresolved ending, but I do understand why it's there (ka-ching!).

#2 - The Bartokk Assassins

A much more entertaining instalment, possibly because it was able to jump straight into the action without any preamble. I'm impressed that Windham could cram so much into such a short book and make it work. So I'll overlook that ridiculous mental image of Rune Haako and Daultay Dofine disguised as Duros lol

#3 - The Fury of Darth Maul

A decent enough Darth Maul adventure, though the plot developments are a bit silly and Qui-Gon is suddenly not very good at making mission-critical decisions.

#4 - Jedi Emergency

Yoda was the hero of this book and I think that was a good choice, because 1999!Yoda didn't look like he could do very much. This particular arc of the series is over, much to my relief. Any longer and it would have outstayed its welcome.

#5 - The Ghostling Children

Well, I'm shocked. This book was really quite good, especially given that it's only part of the story. The extra handful of pages (it was slightly longer than Windham's contributions to the series) might have helped with the pacing. Wolverton is also a much better writer (which isn't a slight against Windham - Wolverton is just brilliant).

#6 - The Hunt for Anakin Skywalker

Another thrilling instalment from Wolverton. I'm quite enjoying the adventures of Anakin and his friends and I suspect I'll be sad when this arc finishes.

20/80 Vision

7/6/2023

Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows #3)
by Kim Harrison

Rachel is being stalked by a demon who has made her his familiar, her boyfriend (also her familiar) has skipped town, she's pissed off one of her partners, and now she has to protect Trent (aka Not A Good Guy). She's also struggling to balance her feelings for a vampire with the dodgy stuff he's done in his life. She might come out of this mess in one piece, but will her soul remain untouched?

I really wasn't impressed with this book until the last 20%, which was brutal and epic and everything a climax should be. But I'm not sure it makes up for the crappy 80% that preceded it. The plot, if there was one, rambled aimlessly in unnecessary directions and the only person (the previous love interest) in Rachel's life who understands consent and boundaries just up and left. Still, that last 20%...

And no, this book isn't getting my "LGBTQIA+ representation" tag because it's so badly done.

Unbleugh My Heart

6/6/2023

Unending (The Fallen Guardians #5)
by Cassie Laelyn

Cole has been forced to watch his soulmate die over and over again throughout the centuries, their moments together few but worth the pain. Evie is now on her last incarnation. She has no memory of their past and he should leave her alone, like she wanted him to, but Evie isn't making it easy for him. And nor will she cease her pursuit of the book that could end everything, once and for all.

It's always fun to catch up with the Guardians and see what else Blaine (aka the Big Bad) seems to be cooking up. And hey, I have a weakness for cupcakes and immortals who consume cupcakes. However, this book didn't grip me as much as the previous titles - maybe I'm a bit fatigued of the series. It's also a bit creepy when a man refers to his lover, someone he's attracted to, as "baby girl". Bleugh.

Train Wreck Central

5/6/2023

Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang

June Hayward has spent years watching Athena Liu become publishing's brightest star. Now it's finally June's turn to shine. Never mind that she stole the manuscript from Athena's apartment after her so-called friend choked to death on pancakes. Never mind that June has to use a racially ambiguous name for marketing purposes. She's definitely earned all of this success, hasn't she?

I ripped through this book at a breakneck pace, thanks to the fascinating subject matter (i.e. the publishing world) and Kuang's masterful writing. June is the most amazing train wreck of a character and I couldn't - didn't want to! - look away. Never have I met such an unreliable and fantastically awful narrator. June is like a much darker version of myself, if I'd taken a hundred wrong turns lol. Unfortunately, Yellowface suffers from recurring heavy-handedness and a lacklustre finale... but gosh it was fun while it lasted.

Beowulfed

3/6/2023

Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs

An earthquake robbed Fryda of her dream to become a shield maiden, but she has secretly been training for years - which is fortunate, because a dragon is stirring nearby in a cave of treasure and King Beowulf's presence in her home will invite human-shaped enemies to attack her people. Complicating matters if Fryda's love for Theow, a slave who she will never be permitted to marry.

Is my luck so bad that I somehow keep picking up books that are in dire need of a structural edit? Shield Maiden is beautifully written and wonderfully detailed, but my attention wandered countless times before the plot truly began - some time after page 150(!). I guess I was expecting more shield maiden, less family drama. Or perhaps a better balance of these two aspects.

Expanded Universe Round-Up #10

31/5/2023

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
(comic adaptation)

An obviously rushed adaptation that excluded some things that should have been kept, while including other things that could have been dropped. I also found the clumsy (and at times completely missing) scene transitions quite jarring.

Star Wars Episode I: The Queen's Amulet

This is a very well-presented book, including an "amulet". But it's really quite pointless - and a missed opportunity, since it could have been a nice story about friendship.

Star Wars Episode I Journal: Anakin Skywalker

I own several books that are different versions of The Phantom Menace and this is just one of them. Wow, they sure crapped these things out! I actually like this one, because it really does read as though a 9-year-old boy wrote it. I was 10 when I first picked up this book. It was incredibly influential on my writing at the time. So while the story isn't original, I think it does have something to offer.

Star Wars Episode I Journal: Queen Amidala

So in the previous review I said that the Anakin journal was hugely influential on my writing at the time. Well, that had nothing on this! Jude Watson is my favourite of the YA Legends authors and she was certainly in fine form here. I feel like she reallyunderstood Padmé. Or perhaps I just prefer her characterisation of Padme over everyone else's! Journal books can be hit and miss... this one was a massive hit for me when I was a kid. It's still a hit for me now, to be honest.

Star Wars Episode I Journal: Darth Maul

I did not enjoy this "journal" as much. It doesn't read like an actual journal, though it does still have the Jude Watson shine. Additional scenes aren't just there to add pages - they actually add to Maul's characterisation. I will also admit to being disappointed that the pages are normal paper, not the pretty ones seen in the previous journals.

Hot Damn

30/5/2023

Light My Pyre (Everwood Falls #1)
by Kat Kinney

Asher Heath is part fae and part human, gifted with extraordinary fire magic - but when he tried to fight one particularly large blaze, he failed and has been haunted by that day ever since. It doesn't help that suspicious fires keep following him. He's not the only one being hunted - Gwyn Drake is a dragon shifter with her own troubles. It's a good thing fire and dragons are an excellent combo.

Light My Pyre is a cosy small-town paranormal romance and this is an excellent combo itself. And I just love that title! I really enjoyed the mystery that Kinney gave us - and obviously my favourite character was Daisy the Wolfhound, who is such a scene stealer. But I was a little disappointed that we didn't really get to see Asher and Gwyn properly fall for each other.

Epic Bonus Content & Cringey Comic Relief

28/5/2023

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (movie novelisation)
by Terry Brooks

The blockade of Naboo by the Trade Federation, an unusual move by players who shouldn't be so bold, triggers the arrival of two Jedi Knights. They rescue the queen of Naboo and must get her to the safety of Coruscant. But there's a snag. Her ship's hyperdrive needs replacing. And now the fate of the galaxy hinges on a small boy, whose potential will soon be seen by all... including the Sith.

The adaptation of a screenplay into a novel is a regular occurrence. Sometimes the resulting product is average. Sometimes it's awful. But sometimes you get a pretty solid effort, like this one. Not only did Terry Brooks smooth out several issues present in the story, he also created entirely new scenes that fit perfectly into canon. Unfortunately, his efforts also emphasised the story's greatest weakness: the forced comic relief provided by Jar Jar Binks. I don't hate Jar Jar. But wow. Even Brooks had trouble making that aspect work.

PS: Yes, a certain teen fangirl put in the extra effort to find a hardcover copy with her beloved Obi-Wan Kenobi on the front. Well done, me.

More Less than More

27/5/2023

More or Less a Temptress (The Somerset Sisters #3)
by Anna Bradley

Hyacinth Somerset has always been the most delicate Somerset Sister, so it's not surprising that she loses her senses when a murderer arrives at a ball populated by polite society. Lachlan Ramsey is no murderer: he's the long lost brother of the Lord of Huntington. But now his reputation is in a precarious position - and soon his heart will follow. For Hyacinth is not as demure as she seems.

Alas, this one was not as fun nor as good as the previous two titles in the series. Hyacinth got on my nerves and I'm not sure she had enough character development to justify her bold decisions towards the end. It's still a pleasant enough read, but it's distracting when more interesting characters are floating about in the background, awaiting their moment to shine in another series.