FromSoftware Should Make An Escaflowne-esque Game And Here's Why

Imagine a Dark Souls game with giant medieval mecha

Think about it.  The company behind titles like Dark Souls and Armored Core would be great at combining the sense of detail and scale needed for something like this.  For those of you who don't know, Escaflowne is an anime series about a fictional fantasy world called Fanelia that is now steeped in war.  In Escaflowne there are knights that pilot giant mechanized suits of armor called Guymelefs that seem to be powered by steam and dragon's blood via a dragon's magical heart.  Thanks to their knightly training guymelef pilots incorporate their swordsmanship into their piloting skills.  So just imagine playing a normal game of Dark Souls then stepping into a giant guymelef for fights on a larger scale.  Imagine having to face an opponent that's like 10x the size of the Gaping Dragon.  Or imagine actually getting to fairly challenge someone like The Dragon God from Demon's Souls.  Only something of the scale of a guymelef would allow you to do that in a non-game breaking manner.

The cool thing is I think Fromsoft is uniquely positioned to make a game like this, moreso than even than one of my other favorite studios Level 5 who had a similar premise with White Knight Chronicles.  I think making a game like this strictly action based with RPG elements like the Souls series would be a much more enticing and visceral way to go.

Also imagine something with the modification options of Armored Core, like the gear swapping I mean, and imagine being able to equip various gigantic swords, shields, axes, lances, mauls, and perhaps even side weapons like crossbows, cannons, etc.  That would be super frickin' neat!  Namco is also no stranger to handling games with a mixture of normal battle systems and mecha battle systems.  The Xenosaga series has also incorporated both, particularly in #3 where both were served up heartily.  FromSoftware has announced a new IP and so I can only hope that this is what that turns out to be, because it would truly be a dream project for a fan like myself who loves all the above creative properties.

Indie Book Corner: Sunborn Rising: Beneath The Fall, by Aaron Safronoff

Highly Creative, Incredibly Fun, and Full of Heart

The Quick and Dirty

+Fantastic fantasy world building.
+Creative ideas
+Exceptional fully colored illustrations highlighting major chapter events.  I can't overstate how much I loved these.
+A lovable cast of rascally characters along an enjoyable cast of sub-characters.
+Truly beautiful descriptions and vibrant world that seems like a character all its own,
+Black and white drawings throughout chapter than flesh out characters and events.
+A well rounded tone that's not too cheery and not too dark.
+Gives a Pixar movie vibe.  Who doesn't love Pixar?


-Slow beginning buildup.
-I needed a dictionary at all times.  There were more than 30 words I needed to look up as I read.  My ignorance is the main issue here, but I still found it annoyingly world breaking to have to look so many words up.  Some knowledge of the natural world helps too.
-Some illustrations don't match the action leaving some occasional temporary head scratching.

Full Review

I am reviewing a reviewer's copy of the book, though I liked it so much that I bought my own. 

It takes me a while to get into each book that I read.  During those first few chapters my mind is always screaming at me to go do something else.  It just yells, "Distraction, distraction, distraction" while I try to concentrate and slip into my new book.  I couldn't escape it during my first few chapters of Sunborn Rising either.

The book starts slow, as most fantasy tales do, and like most stories we are slowly introduced to the world and the book's cast of characters.  Barra, our main character, is joined by two others Plicks and Tory for the bulk of her journey.  It's established early on how close as friends they are and it’s also established that they always get into a lot of trouble together.  Barra and her mother seem to have a tumultuous relationship thanks to Barra's bad behavior and Barra herself is trying to investigate a mystery that was uncovered by her missing father.  It takes a while to get the adventure going, but when it does it rarely slows down.

Once our daring protagonists leave the village and start their adventure, we are introduced to a world (Cerulean) that is so strange and beautiful that I could read ecology books about it for days on end.  I love the way the sun is at the center of this vast ocean teeming with all sorts of life forms alien to me and how these massive trees float in the ocean and house all of the Arboreals.  Many of the organisms even have an out of this world cosmic feel to them.  I was left with a legitimate feeling of awe and wonder when I read the elaborate descriptions and gazed at the illustrations of this truly unique world with its wondrous creatures.

The amount of creativity that went into this book seems staggering to be honest.  I'm an indie author (and wannabe game designer) as well and just seeing how well-crafted this thing is makes me tired just looking at it.  The artwork brings this project to life in untold ways.  I'm not kidding when I say that I marveled at most of the illustrations for several minutes before moving forward.  They're just so rich and have so much to look at, so much detail to take in and it synergizes really well with the chapter you're reading.  You'll be reading a big scene and then the next page over may get an illustration that looks 100 times better than whatever you were imagining.  I love it!  I can't state that enough.  There are a few parts where the art doesn't match the scene, but it's so infrequent that it's not a real problem.  There were just two illustrations that come to mind and the most it did was cause me to scratch my head a bit and reread a description or two.

I loved the characters as well.  Barra's relationship with her friends and mom was really touching.  I like the whole community of Arboreals that make up the book.  The book features protagonists that are anthropomorphic animals.  Barra and her mother are Listlespurs, Arboreals that are human-like felines with whip like tails and purple fur.  The Arboreals have a unique set of customs and history that was interesting to read about.  And the journey is a journey to save the world and there are some big time consequences for failure.

I thought everything in the book felt organic and fleshed out including the way the story was told and how it unfolded.  There is never an overloading of one type of emotion and the book never tells you how to feel.  The book has a wealth of tone that ranges from light to dark, ebbing and flowing constantly.  There's some sad moments and there's a good amount of levity as well.  I must say I enjoyed the journey.  So I'll wrap this up here by saying that this book is a truly inspiring book, if for its ambition alone.  It has my endorsement and is well worth the buy.  I will be keeping up with the various Sunborn Rising media and will be purchasing any subsequent sequels in the future.  Kudos to Aaron Safronoff and his team!  I've posted the Amazon.com link for the book in the first image above.  Click the kolalabat below for the author's website.

Indie Book Corner: Bookminder by MK Wiseman

A well written book about a klepto wannabe mage and her reluctant guardian mage.

The Quick and Dirty

+Well written. Detailed descriptions, good pacing, and dialogue that flows and feels natural.
+Multi-layered, flawed, and sympathetic characters.
+Well thought out magic system with uniqueness to it.
+There is legitimate excitement to be found whenever magic is used. There's such a build up for it thanks to our magic starved protagonist and we get a detailed description of how it works usually making the unreal seem real.
+Magic isn't just some limitless ability. It requires resources, focus, and skill. Liara's learning is tempered with great realism.
+Wiseman's subtlety and understanding of human nature made Liara a complex and interesting character to read about, despite her frustrating tirades. Very good stuff.
+Takes place in the real world.

-It takes a while for the plot to get moving
-Towards the middle and end Liara's self importance and poor decision making really make many of her chapters detestable to read despite the great writing.
-Nagarath's apologetic nature and unwillingness to put Liara in her place also tended to grate on my nerves because it was repeated so often. I wish he stood up to the foolhardy Liara more. Same can be said of Father Phenlick.

Review

Bookminder, by M.K. Wiseman, is a clever book to read for fans of complex and unique magic systems. As a matter of fact, the whole book is dripping with this sort of magick from start to finish. It's two protagonists are mages, from Liara the wannabe to Nagarath the master mage. One of the coolest aspects about this book is that it takes place in the real world, some time in the past. Great references are even made to historical events, fairy tales, and even that famous wizard Merlin.

The book is also very well written. I had no problems slipping into the Croatian locales of Dvigrad, Parentino, and Vrsar. All the dialogue between the characters felt natural and nothing of note took me out of the story. I mostly enjoyed the multi-layered and flawed characters such as Father Phenlick, Nagarath, and even the impetuous Liara (though she frustrated me to no end). I felt great sympathy for them as they tried to succeed in their various goals and lamented past mistakes as we all do. Their flaws, failures, and desires to fix them resonated deeply with me.

One of the cooler and funner aspects about the book is its magick system, which is based in real life lore. I had fun learning about some of the origins of the magick here as well as the rules to its use such as the Laws of Magick Creatio and Transferre. Very unique stuff that also happened to have a huge impact on the story. With the way that the magick was explained and implemented, there was excitement each time that it was used. There was a weight and consequences to using this world's magick. Magick isn't just some limitless resource in Bookminder. It requires resources all its own, great focus, and great skill. I thought Liara's learning of it had a nice grounded realism to it, which I always enjoy when I read fantasy. I like touches of reality that add consequences and weight to the story.

I loved this book in every possible way except for one. The only thing that annoyed me about the book at many turns was Liara's own selfishness and the way that the other characters seemed to get wrapped up in trying to help her but be made the villain by her and their own guilt-ridden consciences. It wasn't pleasant to read, I must admit. I hate seeing brats get their way and this happened more often than not. But...it was handled very well at the end of the day. One scene comes to mind as Liara makes horrible decision after horrible decision and comes to lament past mistakes about trust right as she is making the exact same mistake. She can't see that she is making a series of the worst mistakes in her life even while continuously making them because she is young, foolish, and way too wrapped up in her current existential crisis. That's good writing in my book (ugh, no pun intended).

Though this portrayal makes the characters involved unlikable at many turns in the story, it is also true to character and true to circumstances. The circumstances that each of the characters find themselves in along with the reasons they are connected to Liara properly setup their motivations. Though annoyed with Liara's self importance and stubbornness and the other character's lack of willingness to simply tell her to shut up, by the end I found her to be someone that I could root for.

The overall plot was not really anything too special, but it was a nice setup to motivate these characters and see them in action. The ending mostly wraps up everything, but leaves some possibilities open for a sequel. I'm not sure if one is planned or not but I would certainly get read it as I found Bookminder to be highly enjoyable.


Purchase at Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Bookminder-M-K-Wiseman-ebook/dp/B0198HKWSU

Indie Book Corner: Wick: The Spark Form Chronicles book 1 by Matt Doyle

Highly original, well written fusion of disparate ideas. Ties for the most creative book I’ve read this year along with Exurbia, by Alex McKechnie. 

Wick is what happens when you take wrestling...

...esports... 

...cyberpunk... 

...and of all things, Yugioh... 

And mix it in a blender on the highest setting. You’d think you’d get a mess with such a mix, but instead you get something quite rare and even a tad beautiful.

Wick starts in a very confusing way as we’re dropped right into the action with no explanations given. And the action we’re dropped into is...a beauty pageant...no it’s a setup for a wrestling match or something? Oh, it’s...a card game?

Though not clear at first, it’s soon revealed that all the POV characters are a part of some vast and very popular tournament style eSport called Spark Forming. This futuristic eSport uses digital cards as a medium to summon impressively dangerous and beautiful looking beasts and humanoids that do battle in digital arenas. Each of the tournament combatants has his or her own POV, with the exception of two or three characters. And there are certainly some memorable POVs and other characters in the book.

The Plot 

Here’s hoping that I succeed in not ruining or spoiling anything here. The plot revolves around several different mysteries as each character has his or her own reasons for participating in the tournament. Though what each character presents on the surface is not always their true intentions. On the surface everyone is in the tournament for fame, glory, and prize money. Though most of their goals seem to be for things outside the arena. It’s revealed that there is much more going on behind the scenes and Spark Forming may not be as innocent and fun as the world thinks it is. I think that’s all I can say without spoiling too much. It’s vague, I know, but each reveal in the plot was major to me so I reeeeeallly don’t want to spoil anything for anyone else. I’ll just add that there’s some really good character drama that heats up from the middle to the end and the plot comes together nicely as each character’s earlier behaviors are given more light.

The Arena Battles 

The futuristic eSport known as Spark Forming has several unique components to it that made it very unique to me. The first has to be the player entrances. Some of my favorite scenes in the book came from these entrances, which were reminiscent of professional wrestling to me. Each player would have their own music that was presented in this way:

“Song: Came Out Bruised (But Still Breathing) 

Band: Addicted to my Rut 

Genre: Grunge” 

And then once the player is out and ready to start the match you have EPIC summoning descriptions for the Spark Forms like:

“His scales, rippling gently as he breathes, glow a deep, fiery red, Punctuated only by the curious black markings adorning his back and tail. Dark as a starless night, they run the length of his body, forming a line of symmetry for the scimitar-like patterns that trace paths out from the spine.”

Then there are the battles themselves which are far faster, more ferocious, and bloodier than I imagined they’d be. The players themselves experienced some sort of fatigue from the battles along with their Spark Form creatures as each battle required them to be “plugged in” and to use much of their own fortitude along with physical and mental dexterity.

I liked the strategies formed for these matches and thought that the play-by-play by the announcers was a clever way to teach the reader how the game is played. I will say that this is where the book’s lack of exposition hurts it the most. These battles would be much more enjoyable if the ground rules were laid before many of these battles took place. Since I didn’t know how the game was really even played, I never had any sense as to who would win or lose until the very end, so I was never on the edge of my seat for any of the battles. It was more like watching a laser light show until the end and finally going “that was neat,” at the end of it. So I hope more is explained about the card game itself in future books. Maybe even a card list so that we can take note of potential strategies ahead of time. Even with that said, the creativeness of the battles was enough to enthrall me and those were some of the chapters I read through the quickest.

The Characters. 

Going hand in hand with the book’s uniqueness is the strength of each of Wick’s characters. As I said before there are many POVs in Wick, about five or seven if my memory serves and each character brings a unique perspective and rationale to the story. There were a few that I thought I’d dread reading in the beginning, but by the middle I must say that everyone had chapters that I looked forward to. It was mostly to unlock further mysteries in the story which everyone had fragments of, but I was surprised that a book with this many POVs didn’t really offer any weak links for me. Even A Song of Ice and Fire had those Sansa chapters that I freaking HATED, and many of the POVs in A Feast for Crows felt dry and pointless to me, but here, even with so many characters, I had a good time. If you’re anything like me you’ll really become a fan of John Forrester who’s just a fun character in every sense of the word. I kind of want to say more, but I prefer to leave some surprises.

The Quick and Dirty 

Dislikes: 

-Confusing beginning. A lot is being said without much context. You don’t know if you’re reading about a pageant, a card game, or wrestling.

-The extra POVs in the beginning only added to the confusion.

-Could use some better explanations on the cards and the game mechanics to get you more invested in the card game. -The game isn't explained clearly enough in the first few matches forcing you to pay close attention to each match to understand how its played.

Likes: 

+Cool mix of wrestling and Yugioh or whatever combat card game you like. I really liked the on-camera dramatic “promos.” It felt like the 80’s all over again.

+Highly imaginative.

+Cool characters.

+Loaded with intelligence at every turn including characters, dialogue, plot, and much more. +The wrestling references are too good.

+Brilliant creature design and fight choreography.

+eSports taken to the next level.

+Solid characterization.

+The announcers are a clever source of exposition.

+Spark form action is bloody brutal fast and intense. +In depth ideas and concepts, very well thought out, with great execution.

+John Forrester is a brilliant character. So are many others, but he is by far my favorite.

All in all, I have to say that I absolutely loved this book.  It was one that I had received by the author for review, but I have to say that it's a series that I look forward to reading more of.  My interest has been piqued with the mysteries, I have come to like the characters very much, and it's a unique world that I am interested in seeing more of.  I'll definitely be reading the sequels.  Don't just take my word for it.  Check out the book for yourselves with the links below.

Author's website: http://mattdoylemedia.com/
eBook: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011SG7TYO
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Wick-Spark-Form-Chronicles-1/dp/1517128714/

Indie Book Corner: Bluebeard's Children (Eyes of the Sun #2), by Christina McMullen

Want to read an indie book review by an indie author?  Well you're in the right place.  Today I'll be reviewing the sequel to Eyes of the Sun, Bluebeard's Children.

If you haven't already, check out my review of book one or just go straight to the purchase page to buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Sun-Book-ebook/dp/B00A7L7GJ0.

Bluebeard's Children picks up where the first one left off and a lot has changed in Lucy's life.  The changes are somewhat expected if you've read the first book, but one change comes as a surprise and affects Lucy greatly.  Some time has passed and we see how the events of the first book have affected Lucy and those around her.  We also meet some new people in Lucy's life.  As before, the story is filled with action and high drama, but this time right from the start.  It's all top notch and really gets you emotionally involved in the story.  It's a really good payoff for those who've read the first book and gotten to know these characters.

Right off the bat there is a huge shift in perspective for the book, which changes the feeling of it in a really good way.  Now we're in Lucy's head in a first person POV and from her perspective the emotions are stronger and the action is more vivid.  I was intrigued by this change because I planned to do the same except in reverse with a book I have sitting and completed and it's direct sequel (shameless plug for Hell Warriors).  This change made this particular part of Lucy's story a lot more enjoyable.

This book was filled with just about everything I like about books in general.  It's unfortunate, but I can't completely fanboy out like I want to right now, but you better believe there will be a list of it all at the end. I'll try to be succinct and describe some of it at least.

The dialogue was super smooth and relateable with characters offering wit, humor, and wisdom in a very simple way.  Joss Whedon would probably find this to be an enjoyable read in the vein of his own work.  You can't really have good dialogue without good characters (or can you???) and I found all of these characters to be exceptional and well rounded.  Each character felt real and you could see them living in this type of world the way they do and it all seemed so grounded.  And I loved the way everyone got a nice amount of spotlight and awesome character moments.  Towards the end there are several parts where we see just how skilled the main cast and extended cast are and just how compassionate and clever they can be.  I also like how a group of ass kickers like this can actually instead opt too use their brains to solve problems.  The characters were probably the biggest highlight of this book for me and that's saying a lot because the rest was top notch too.  With all that said, I haven't even commented on Lucy's growth as a character.  She really becomes someone that you can believe in, a truly upstanding person, a real hero.  For me, Lucy was the coolest hero I've read about in a while, and she didn't even try to be.

There are also some great concepts in the book, you know, stuff that you see in a book that makes you go "I can't believe someone thought of that!"  I had plenty of those moments especially on Bluebeard's estate.

The ultimate payoff in this book will be for those who loved the first one.  There are a ton of reveals here about Lucy and her family that'll make your head spin.  And there's a dilemma here that's usually handled very tritely in other books and media (especially comics books).  When it was used here my first response was to shake my head, but ultimately it was handled really really well here and added a lot to the story.  If you want to know what I'm referring to then check out my hidden spoiler on the shortened Goodreads version of this review.

So all in all, this book was as perfect as a book can get.  It's funny cuz it's not my 'type' of book, but the way it was written highly appealed to me.  It's a book that I'll gladly read again because it's fast paced, fun, and hits all the right emotions.  So check it out.  You won't be disappointed...unless your tastes are completely different from mine :-D.

The Quick and Dirty

The Likes

+Smooth dialogue
+Lovable characters
+Easy to follow action
+Interesting locations
+Great concepts
+Smooth read
+Lucy's likable and compassionate as ever
+Lucy's progression from the first book is tragic and believable, the mark of a person who sacrifices for others
+Amazing cast of ass kickers
+New Characters are all a blast
+More major revelations about Lucy and her family
+Smart cast, doesn't just solve problems with brute force
+Chars besides main get a chance to step up and be useful
+Every character matters and is utilized
the good guys are true humanitarians

The Only Thing I Disliked

-I'd like to think Lucy would be more rational about Andre's extraordinary circumstances early on and not hold it against him.

Check out Christina McMullen and her other works at http://mcmullenwrites.blogspot.com/p/the-books-i.html and link to the rest of her awesome blog from there too.

You can read Bluebeard's Children on Kindle by downloading it here: http://www.amazon.com/Bluebeards-Children-Eyes-Sun-Book-ebook/dp/B00COG3NJI.

Thanks for your time and now back to blogging baby!

Indie Book Corner: Fantasy of Flight: The Tainted Accords #2, by Kelly St. Clare

What a gorgeous cover!

 Slow start but amazing payoff!

Abridged for you lazies out there.

The Good

+Characters with hearts of gold.
+Olina/Frost character development
+Smooth writing/Easy reading.
+The return of some cool characters.
+Plenty of humor and heart.
+A superb second and third part of the story that I just could not put down.
+Romance and sexiness.
+Epic revelations!
+Positive book for women with many strong female characters.
+The Harness!!!

The Bad

-Very slow start
-Pit fights required much suspension of disbelief especially during Frost's fights
-The mystery of finding the killer becomes so drawn out that I lost interest in it during the pits part.

If you don't know already Fantasy of Flight is the sequel to Fantasy of Frost. Both books star a queen in the making, Olina and her dealings with two worlds: the fire world Osolis and the ice world Glacium. Spoilers below!!!! Book received for an honest review.

Review

Okay so let's just get the bad out of the way. I didn't like the time I spent in the pits so much. The setup was just fine but it was pretty slow and everything that I found appealing about the first book was just derailed. Finding Kedrick's killer was just an afterthought as were the characters we'd just grown accustomed to. It seemed like a whole other book but that's not my main gripe.

My main gripe with this part was the amount of head shaking I did at 80% of Frost's fights. You see, I'm a combat junkie and a huge fan of the Davids of the world beating the Goliaths but come on this was ridiculous. We're told over and over by Frost herself that these men are 2, 3, and 4 times her size and yet she's the dominant one in each and every one of these fights. No real strategy but dodge and kick real hard. No pressure points, joint locks, or holds believable for a person of her size to perform to beat guys of this size. Even speed only goes so far against this much of a size difference. We're also not told she has super strength or anything like that so my conclusion is that these guys are made of glass or she was just lying about how tough they are. She's a great fighter sure, but she wasn't the underdog as much as she should've been and that hurt this part in my eyes. I could believe her crazy combat victories before because the advantage of speed with a weapon is very different than the advantage of speed with bare hands

By the end of the pits I had at least grown to like the characters but I was glad to leave. Then...

We get to the superb second third of the book. From here on out the book really shines and I now have a new appreciation for the part with the pits, really because it sets up the next part so nicely. This is the part of the book that blends what I liked about the first book with the new stuff introduced in this one and it’s a joy to watch the two parts merge. Here we got to see Olina try to balance her new arena/pits persona with the Tatuma Olina persona. We see her old friends and her new friends interact and attempt to get along and are given some truly heartfelt and humorous moments here. This part also reignited my interest in locating Kedrick's killer that had begun to wane since a little after the middle of the first book and almost vanished during the first part.

Olina and Jovan's relationship reaches new heights here as I believe they have exhausted every emotion possible towards one another and all that reaches its apex. Jovan is a really cool part of this series.

There's also a lot of huge reveals here that took me by surprise and I'm excited by how they'll affect the next book in the series, Fantasy of Fire that's due to release next January. I'll just say that the flight in the title really does come into play hehe.

So all that leaves is Olina/Frost I guess and I must say that despite her many times annoying me, I have grown to like her a lot as a character. Her rashness and sometimes selfish actions do always have a good reason behind them and ultimately define her as a hero because of her will to be a force for good and a champion for those without champions. I've begun to see her for what she really is and what she really brings to the table. She is strong-willed, confident yet sometimes self-conscious, analytical, naive yet willing to learn and participate, open minded despite her conservative upbringing, and extremely big hearted despite the horrors done to her and witnessed. Good or bad this is her and she definitely sticks to her guns! And her narration seems to be improving as she opens up more to the world. I like this effect.

There's much more to say but I won't draw this out. I ended up liking all the characters from the pits so much that I was actually sad to see them go. That surprised me. I like Alzona's crusade for helping those downtrodden and thought she was a very subtle and positive character. Kudos to Ms. St. Clare for putting her in and not overusing her. And the rest of the pit fighters, even Sin, showed some great depth to them. So while not my favorite part, the pit did have some really cool moments.

Overall I believe this is a better book than the first one but the beginning nearly drags it down for me. I love the second and third parts of it so much though that I still think it’s worthy of 5 stars. Not perfection but a damn good time!

Book Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24866809-fantasy-of-flight
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Fantasy-Flight-Tainted-Accords-Book-ebook/dp/B00TXWVMHQ
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fantasy-Flight-Tainted-Accords-Book-ebook/dp/B00TXWVMHQ

Indie Book Corner: Fantasy of Frost: The Tainted Accords #1, by Kelly St. Clare

 *click cover for free download today 4/13/15*

*click cover for free download today 4/13/15*

A good introduction to a promising Fantasy series.

My Likes

+        Interesting and entertaining cast

+        Intriguing protagonist

+        Many mysteries

+        Imaginative customs for the Solati and Bruma.  They are like introvert vs. extroverts

+        Olina kicks ass

+        Olina is selfless

+        Narration fits Olina's personality

+        Detailed and methodical action

+        The author sticks to continuity really well.  (Ex. Character injuries heal realistically.)

My Dislikes

-        Plot slows down in the middle.

-        I sometimes found Olina's stubbornness and rebelliousness annoying.

-        The ending comes out of nowhere.

-        Not much is resolved by the end.

I was given this copy of the book in exchange for a review.

Full Review

FoF begins right at the start with its characters.  We're introduced to Olina, our protagonist, and the world of her people, the Solati, and the visiting delegates from Bruma.  We're also introduced to Olina's love interest, Kedrick, A Bruma prince who proves to be charming, kind, inquisitive, and madly in love with Olina.  Olina is the centerpiece of the story and Kedrick is the fulcrum upon which it all balances.  Olina proves herself to be a very interesting character with a lot of intrigue surrounding her and her past.  The story is narrated through her own first person POV.  One thing about the Solati is that they are reserved and subtle in almost all of their actions and decisions.  They find openness and familiarity very uncouth.  Because of this Olina has a very measured way of talking and it follows through with her thoughts during her POV narration.  Her thoughts are very matter of fact and measured which fits with her Solati upbringing.  That's very good attention to detail on the author's part.

Characters

Olina

Olina is a very fascinating character and lives an interesting life.  She is a Solati princess and next in line to be queen, called Tatuma by the Solati.  She lives her whole life dedicated to the goal of being a capable and strong Tatuma after her mother Avanna.  Olina has a lot of strangeness to her including the fact that she spends a lot of time helping out at an orphanage despite it being frowned upon.  She finds some comfort and solace here with these kids, more than her normal life affords her.  Another strangeness of hers is the fact that she sneaks out and trains in combat arts with an old soldier.  This is a huge secret for her but she enjoys the training and has confidence in her fighting abilities.  Olina's biggest strangeness though is the fact that she has to wear a veil at all times around others.  She doesn't know why but it's always been this way.  The only time she's taken it off resulted in the murder of an innocent child because the child had seen her face.  But beyond her strangeness Olina is strong-willed to a large degree.  She works hard to accomplish her goals and does everything possible to see them through.  Her demands and attitude annoyed me at times but there was no question that her strength of character and will were nearly unmatched.

Olina and Kedrick

They share a world crossing love but are each a part of a race that finds the other repulsive.  The Solati sly, reserved, and measured while the Bruma are brazen, brash, and impulsive.  That cultural divide is strong on both sides and yet these two find solace in one another.  They're are both kind, strong, quick-witted, and open-minded.  There is something about Olina that attracts Kedrick despite the fact that he can't see her face and Olina is experiencing feelings for Kedrick that she never thought possible in herself.  They both change in small and profound ways because of their devotion for one another but it's a sad sort of love because you know that everything is working against their union including the very rules of their cultures.

The Tatuma Avanna

Cold and cruel.  She's an ice queen that ironically lives on the fire world.  I'm surprised she hasn't melted yet.  Her ice doesn't come from her body temperature or any sort of powers but instead from her temperament.  She treats Olina like a bag of s*** each and every chance she gets.  She is less of a mother and more of a dictator.

The World

Olina's people, the Solati, live on a dangerous world called Osolis that's engulfed by flames.  Their own homeland is only a few 'rotations' from being burned away and so the Solati migrate when the heat and fire becomes threatening and build their houses and other buildings with a fire resistant wood called Kaur.  They depend on the cold from the ice World, Glacium, to keep temperatures regulated in their own homeland just as Glacium depends on their heat to keep its world from completely freezing.  There are Kaur forests and boiling lakes throughout Osolis.  The Solati wear lightweight fabrics and breezy clothing like togas to keep cool.  The Solati of Osolis are typically a subtle and measured race with customs that one could call prim.  The Solati also have strange naming conventions for their people.  Solati children are all born with have an O at the start of their names but when they get married the drop the O.  So if Olina ever gets married for instance she'd become Lina.  Just don't call her that before she's married or you'll be committing a very major faux pas unless you're closely related to her.  And let's say Olina gets married and becomes Lina, if her husband ever dies then as a widow she's now Alina since widowers get an A to start their names.  I tend to like quirky customs like this and think it's really cool.

The Bruma on the other hand live on the world of Glacium, an ice world that's the total opposite of Osolis.  Large sleds are the main transport of Glacium and most of the Bruma's houses and structures are wrought with solid stone.  Furs cover everything from people to beds in large piles and alcohol is the beverage of choice for adults for the warm and mirth it provides.  The Bruma of Glacium are a large race, even the women who tower over the average Solati.  The Bruma are prone to speaking their minds and are very hot-blooded and vulgar.  Sex isn't shied away from in Bruma culture and even open talk of it is embraced.  Though preferring to dress in warm furs and leather the Bruma women sometimes like to dress very scantily clad during festivals to the delight of the men.

The Plot

The plot points in Fantasy of Frost each hinge on a major event.  Because I can't talk about these main events without spoiling anything I'll try to be as vague as possible while giving a decent synopsis.  I said I'll try, keep that in mind.  Okay so the beginning of the book is dedicated to us getting to know Olina, her problems, her world, and the characters around her.  All of this leads to the first major event of the book, someone dies, and this changes everything.  From then on we're taken to a new place and must piece together the mystery of the person who died.  All the while new questions spring forth such as Olina's connection with her veil.  Well the decent synopsis part failed because I can't figure out how to say more without spoiling it.

Final Opinions

I really enjoyed Olina's journey in Fantasy of Frost.  I feel that she's tested so many of her own limits during her ordeals that she's become a much stronger person and that's compelling to read about.  I think the worlds of Osolis and Glacium as well as the customs of the people of both worlds very intriguing and worth exploring more.  I also really enjoyed all the other characters and the humor and warmth they brought to the story.  These are characters that really helped change Olina and they are characters that the lonely and broken need to recover.  I do feel that more resolution could have been provided at the end of the book.  None of my questions were answered and a lot was left hanging.  I also feel that the way it ended came out of far left field but at least it promises more to come.  I'm looking forward to the next book and continuing Olina's journey, just remember not to call her Lina.

You can visit Kelly at http://www.kellystclare.com/ and find some fun little snippets to hold you over until the release of Fantasy of Flight: Taint Accords #2, on May 24, 2015.

You can also pre-order Fantasy of Flight at Amazon.com by clicking the cover image below.