Goblin Hero

This was a bit of a disappointment from the previous book. We still have Jig and all his wonderfulness. He also has a great new set of companions. But the book divides itself, going back and forth between Jig and new goblin, named Veka, who also wants to be a hero, and she... leaves something to be desired.

My husband did not like Veka from the beginning, and was not crazy about the chapters we were forced to spend with her. I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but by the end of the book she wasn't a character I had grown to care much about. If I decided to reread this book, I would skip all of Veka's chapters and just read Jig's. After all, it's Jig who made the first book as great as it was. He's where all the humor and enjoyment comes from.

I'm hoping the third and final book might redeem Veka's character a little, but this might turn out to be another series where only the first book is worth reading.

A Discovery of Witches

It's hard to judge a book fairly when having listened to it on audio. For one, the book opens on some every-day boring stuff. The main character, Diana, is off doing research for a paper, going to yoga, and rowing on the lake. Can I say the novel takes these boring tasks and makes them interesting? Unfortunately, all I can say is I enjoyed the narrator of the tape, so I stuck with it.

If you can get past the boring stuff at the beginning, this is a pretty interesting novel. It's full of human history as well as witches, demons, and vampires. The world building is done very well, and I really like the idea of vampires operating on a wolf pack mentality, diet, and sensory range. I also greatly enjoyed the cast of secondary characters.

The relationship between the two main characters can be a little... disconcerting at times. Mathew can come across as overbearing and demanding and Diana can seem needy and weak. And the keeping of secrets between the two of them is a constant source of frustration. Though, for the most part, their relationship comes off well.

I did enjoy this book, but from what I've seen from reviews of the next two books, I'm not sure I'll be continuing with this. But I would say it's worth a try for anyone who might be interested.

Squire

As Kel ages, each book in the series ages, making each one better than the last.

In this book, Kel is undergoing her final training and test before she will finally becoming the first female knight in a decade. Kel even finds love in this book, and I have to admit the relationship surprised me and I was uncertain at first of Kel's true feelings on the matter. All of Kel's previous relations and struggles and are expanded upon here, creating a more and more enjoyable read.

Goblin Quest

Goblin Quest is a beautiful parody of every Dungeons & Dragons adventuring party. If you haven't played any table top RPGs or enjoy epic-fantasy adventuring novels, than the point of this novel is going to be lost on you. On the other hand, if you have...

Jig is the runt in a tribe of goblins. He's not strong and he's half blind. But, Jig is also rather intelligent for a goblin, having been gifted with common sense. Jig is forced to act as guide for an adventuring party consisting of an arrogant prince, a power hungry wizard, a war eager dwarf, and a reluctant elf thief.

Jig is the hero of this tale, and though he'd much rather find a nice hole to hide in, it's Jig who is often the voice of reason among the adventuring party. And he saves their lives on more than one occasion, much to the chagrin of the arrogant prince.

Part of what made this book such a joy was reading it aloud in the car to my husband and having him laugh along with me. That and the sheer humor in this book made it a joy to read.