A Dark Sacrifice by Madeline Howard

One of the first books I'd like to review now that I've returned is one of those discount adventures I talked of previously. A Dark Sacrifice by Madeline Howard, book two of the Rune of Unmaking series, was a lot more than I expected.

I ended up with two copies of this book, one as a Christmas gift, and another copy I picked up myself from the Dollar Tree. I decided to make one copy my Car Book, and keep the other copy in the house so I could read it when I wasn't out of the house. (For those of you who don't know, I have issues with germs, so brining the book into the house is more trouble than it's worth, because I have to clean it, and then keep it wrapped in a towel while I read. It's a nightmare.) I don't usually keep two copies of books, but since I had them, I did just that. It turned out to be a very good thing.

Despite being the second book in the series, I was able to jump right into the story without much trouble. Howard delivers an introduction that greatly details the events of the first book, so much so, that I felt I had been there.

I really didn't have any trouble following the storyline. the story was connected to it, but it was also its own story, so it was easy to enjoy on its own. I fell in love with all the characters, and I was so captivated, that I couldn't wait until the next car ride to read some more. hence why i was so happy for the second copy. i just flipped to the right page and continued on.

it has been a while since I finished the book, but i can still remember how much i relished every word once i got started. I am even contemplating going back to read the first one. I am anxiously awaiting the third. This one left off with a major cliff hanger, and I am still waiting for my ship to come into port. The third one still hasn't been published, and I haven't seen any news in a while, but the first three chapters were posted to Teresa Edgerton's forum. (Madeline Howard is her pen name.)

The world of the Rune of Unmaking is one I will gladly lose myself in again. in fact, i can't wait to do just that. It had some very unique aspects, without falling victim to 'overdevelopment'. (I'll dedicate a blog post to that one day.) This is a series any fans of epic fantasy should not miss. It wasn't just a book I read. it stirred my emotions, and even helped inspire the tone of one of my stories. I can't wait to see what to see what happens next. And when I know more, I'll post about it here.

Rather Be Reading Returns!

I've been thinking a lot lately, and I've come to the conclusion that I really kind of miss writing for this blog. Like many of my endeavors, I don't want it to die, so I'm going to try to start it up again. Rather Be Reading is returning, but it not going to be quite the same.

First off, I don't have time to finish books as quickly as I used to. So I won't simply be updating this blog with book reviews. If I did that, I would hardly ever update. Therefore, instead of simply a book review blog, this will be more of a discussion blog. I will update as often as I can with an update on what I'm reading, how I feel about what's happening in the story right now, and things like that. As always, I will be keeping things spoiler free. (Spoilers are my archenemy.)

I am also not sure that I can keep this blog centered to just anymore. Occasionally, I do like to do other things than read. The most I will probably be including however, will be thoughts on movies I watch (especially the foreign films I love so much), and other random bits of things that belong in the Fantasy genre.

I am taking a short online fantasy and science fiction literature course, and the first assignment involve tales collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. I manage to read a few every night, and I will probably update this blog with some thoughts on the tales that I read the night before. That will probably be the bulk of the first few updates. When my course moves on from Grimm, than I will move on writing about the next subject, and so on and so forth. I may even post the short essays (less than 500 words) I'm writing for the class.

Of course, there have been some slight changes to what I've been reading these days. While fantasy is still my home genre, I have not been picking up as much Young Adult as I used to. Lately my tastes have been turned to more mature epic fantasies, like the Sword of the Truth (which is my favorite) and the Lord of the Rings (I've just started reading the Hobbit).

Epic fantasy series are very easy to come by, and since I frequent discount stores, like Dollar Tree and Dollar General, I find quite a few at a very affordable price. A lot of these books are lesser known, but just as deserving as praise as the most prominent of fantasy series (which is, of course, the way I like my fiction). As I've collected quite a few volumes that I have yet to read, and the number keeps growing because you have to grab the discounts before they're gone, you'll likely see a lot of content on these stories. In fact, before long, it will probably the main source of content on this blog. That, along with whatever random free books I can grab for the kindle.

So, I hope that you'll continue the ride along with me on this blog. Despite how drastic the changes may appear at first, you're still going to receive the same updates from Rather Be Reading: honest opinions that should help you decide if a book is right for you.

So, though I would Rather Be Reading, I'm off to do some homework. And remember everyone: Read Responsibly!