Edward Willett

This is the second Shards of Excalibur book I’ve read. I love the premise of this series – a female protagonist on the quest for the lost pieces of the famous sword. Ariane has been given her mission by the Lady of the Lake and in this incarnation the Lady’s brother is the evil Merlin. Wally, Ariane’s best friend and sidekick, is ever faithful but in the second book in the series things begin to change.

First, Ariane is more impulsive and aggressive in this book than the first show more installment of the series. She knows who she is now and isn’t going to let the school bullies push her around any longer (even if the leader of the bullies is Wally’s older sister). When the girls don’t back off, they find themselves in the hospital.

Wally, on the other hand, is starting to have his doubts about Ariane. She is still his best friend and it is obvious he loves her but she also put his sister in the hospital. Merlin, seeing something of Arthur in Wally, manipulates the doubt Wally has to sway him away from Ariane.

When Ariane locates the second shard of Excalibur (in rural France) the only way she can travel there is through the clouds … and she can’t take Wally with her. Wally must travel the traditional way via airplane. Seeing the two separated, Merlin doesn’t miss his chance and moves in to convince Wally that for Ariane’s own safety, he must help Merlin.

I’ve said before that the second book in a YA series is often the make or break book. Following up a strong debut novel in a series is difficult and many authors struggle with it. But Edward Willett comes through with Twist of the Blade. This was a fast paced, entertaining second book in this series, which also incorporated character development and a depth to the story that was missing in Book 1.

Twist of the Blade ends with the perfect cliffhanger … Ariane is alone at the end of the book making decisions as to her future course of action. Wally, meanwhile, is with Merlin in Toronto. I can’t wait to see what is in store for our young characters in Book 3. show less

I think Masks slipped under a lot of people’s radars last year, and even as someone who read the book, I really had no idea what a strong impression it made on me until the sequel Shadows showed up and I found myself wanting to dive right in. I do remember being struck by the richness of the world and magic, and realized that I was very much looking forward to continuing the story of protagonist Mara Holdfast.

One thing I should mention is that while nothing about these books ostensibly show more scream Young Adult (at least not on the surface – it’s not really obvious from the cover, not published under a YA imprint, and not mentioned in the description), this really does read like a YA series. It’s more than just the age of the protagonist, who is fifteen years old in Shadows and for most of Masks; thematically and stylistically, the way it was written also made me want to categorize the first book as a YA, and book two only furthered my belief. This is neither good nor bad. However, I just think readers going in should be aware of it since it may affect expectations. I personally chose to view and rate this one as YA.

Last we saw her in Masks, Mara had escaped from the mining camps where the tyrannical Autarch sends all those who are labeled traitors and not fit to be part of society. She ends up back at the system of secret coastal caves where a group of underground rebels calling themselves the unMasked Army have made their home. The rebels’ leader has asked Mara to use her gifts to craft special masks for them, which would hide the user’s intent from the Autarch and his Watchers, but untrained and inexperienced with her magic, Mara is frustrated when her attempts to do so fail.

At the same time, a mysterious young man washes up on shore, claiming to be a scout from Korellia, a city long thought to have been lost, sunk beneath the seas. But Chell is even more than he appears, and though the unmasked Army remain wary of him, they allow him to accompany Mara on a dangerous mission back into the city in the hopes of reaching Mara’s father, the Autarch’s Master Maskmaker, in order to glean information about the secrets of his trade.

Like most second books in a dystopian series, this is the point where the danger and desperation starts to really come to the forefront and can be keenly felt by the reader. The Autarch’s forces continue to close in, pushing Mara and her allies to make riskier decisions, and sometimes those decisions lead to disaster. Mara is already an unstable vessel of magic, trying to learn how to handle her one-of-a-kind powers, and just when the slightest spark can set her abilities off, something akin to a mega-ton explosion happens in her life. It was a twist that was wholly unexpected to me, one that I didn’t think the author would carry through, but in retrospect I shouldn’t really have been that surprised. In both Masks and now in Shadows, the story has taken some pretty dark turns, and the emotional trauma transforms Mara into an uncontrollable element, adding unpredictability to her powers which are already little understood.

Mara also grows as a character, in ways that are more than just about her magic. The fact that she is played up to be the most powerful person in Aygrima is still a bit vexing, but it’s also clear from the events in this book that she is far from perfect. To put it simply, some of the decisions she makes are impulsive, inconsiderate, embarrassing, and in several cases, downright dumb. This, however, is not always a negative. Her bad choices indicate vulnerability in her character, showing that despite her staggering power, she’s still just a teenage girl who is prone to mistakes, not to mention she can barely control her gifts. I think it humanizes her and makes her less exasperating than she was in the first book where it almost felt like she could do no wrong.

There are definitely more high points than low points in this novel, though there are still a couple weaknesses I should mention. Despite viewing Masks as YA, I did note that a wider audience can probably appreciate it too, since the nature of the fantasy setting and the characters that E.C. Blake has created sets the book apart. Shadows, however, feels distinctly more YA, if that is a comparison I can make. One example is a not-so-subtle hint of a love triangle which manifests itself into a full-blown LOVE SQUARE within the first 40 pages. It eventually resolves itself, and I won’t spoil how, since that in itself is a pretty interesting side-plot. However, it did bug me a little to see romantic drama worm its way into the picture so soon in the story, when there’s so much else that’s more important in Mara’s life. There are also some very dramatic, very exciting developments in this book, but also large chunks of it that felt drawn out, most of it boiling down to Mara being on the run.

But as you can see, I really enjoyed this for the most part, especially if I’m looking at it as a YA novel. I probably still liked Masks a little more, if I had to compare the two books in the series so far, but Shadows was a worthy sequel and promises to bring even more thrills and delights in the next installment. A 3.5 to 4 star read for me. show less

Willett, Edward. Lost in Translation. DAW, 2006.
Lost in Translation by journeyman science fiction author Edward Willett is not so much about language as it is about the power of empathy. As a child, Kathryn lost her parents in an interstellar war with a satanic-looking winged species. Jarrikk, a member of that species, is rendered flightless when humans shoot him down. Jarrikk and Kathryn are rescued by the Translators’ Guild, which brokers peace and trade between species. The best show more translators are those with empathic skills. Jarrikk and Kathryn form an unlikely bond that supercharges their empathy and makes them the keys to interstellar peace. Willett uses a shifting third-person point of view to keep us engaged with both characters. Nicely done. 4 stars. show less

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot. wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission. Title: Magebane Series: ----- Author: Lee Chane Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars Genre: SFF Pages: 496 Format: Kindle Synopsis: show more Spoilers Ahead, mateys!
A young man gets involved with a scientist, who is intent on proving that the impenetrable "Barrier" can be flown over. Unbeknownst to them, said barrier protects a society of mages, who separated themselves from the world 800 years ago. One mage wants to bring the barrier down and will use the young man to further his aims of world domination. But a mythical being known as the Magebane might end things before they even get going. Is Magic or Technology greater? That is the question. But when the magic is limited and the bullets aren't, I think that is a rhetorical question indeed. My Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Most of the action actually takes place inside the barrier and the young man who we are first introduced to is NOT the magebane. That was why I knocked off a half star. I just didn't like that. The magebane is the prince of the mage society and he is a created being. It completely made sense, but I'd of rather had the outsider be the magebane. With that being said, most of the action revolves around the prince, the young outsider and a girl who is the ward of the mage who wants to rule the world. Near the end there was a hint of a romance triangle, but thankfully that was squashed faster than a fly. There was a lot of the internal issues of the mage kingdom and the Rebellion and the infighting of the mages themselves. Very little of the outside world. At the end the young man comes back with guns and does some damage from his airship and THAT was what I was expecting from the get go, not as the end. I was going to say that I searched out all of Chanes' other books, but since it appears he writes as several people [and I'm not even sure if Chane is yet another cover], I think I'll pass. I don't need to waste time because some author has a complex. " show less