Book Review/Rebuttal: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

It's not that I don't recommend this book or that it doesn't offer a philosophical perspective that warrants review. It is worth reading but it fails to persuade as it offers only a simplified and narrow perspective of human behavior. It requires a wholesale acceptance of its premises and provides little in the way of relevant counterarguments. Ishmael by Daniel Quinn is written well and is narrated masterfully by Anthony Heald in the Audible version I listened to. When engaging with this book I recommend being aware of its rhetorical tactics and remaining skeptical of its biased perspective.

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Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I wanted to love this book. I had high expectations because of my love for Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series but A Court of Thorns and Roses is very different. It is a more insulated story with a much simpler plot and less action. I wasn’t as invested in the characters who seemed like premade pieces in a predictable puzzle. It seems tailored for a female audience and centers around a romance that is more superficial than the romances in Throne of Glass. 

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Book Review: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings is an expansive fantasy tale written by Brandon Sanderson. It centers around a small of characters whose lives are inexorably connected by a fate unknown. Each character holds a key to unlocking the mysteries of the past and ushering in a new era for the world. A world that has been besot by war and unrest. A world that may not last much longer if the forces that led to its upheaval in the past are not discovered and resisted. 

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New Book Review YouTube Channel!

I decided to start posting video book reviews on YouTube! The channel’s name is Fictional Fracas because I like alliteration and I’m clever. Use the links below to check it out and if you like it make sure to like and subscribe and share and love and comment and click stuff and tell people!

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Book Review: Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

This beautifully grotesque accounting of an epic journey rivals those of The Odyssey and Lord of the Rings, with less fluff and more French words. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a nightmare-inducing ride down an ecclesiastic rollercoaster. Super fun!

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Book/Series Review: Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

I have enjoyed the entire series immensely and consider it one of the best fantasy stories I have ever read. The entire thing is well-paced, superbly written, wonderfully exciting, and suspenseful and the organization of the chapters, books, and series was masterfully orchestrated. I am very glad that this series was introduced to me by my friends and I am compelled to read more from Sarah J. Maas although I am afraid nothing will quite live up to the Throne of Glass series. I cried, I laughed but mostly I couldn’t stop reading. I highly recommend these books and I thought the finale was perfect. 

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