Category Archives: Lilypad-Library

Books, blurbs, and bullrushes

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (2020) – BR00280 (2025) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

The PolyBlog
July 1 2025

Plot or Premise

A young woman struggling to make her rent is informed that a billionaire she has never met has left her everything, including all the drama of his extended family.

What I Liked

With a feeling like Harry getting invited to Hogwarts, the book opens with Avery being notified that she’s in the will of one Tobias Hawthorne, philanthropist billionaire, deceased. She is summoned to the reading of the will in Texas, which, after some mild disbursements, leaves the vast majority to her. Hawthorne’s stipulation is a little bit like Brewster’s Millions — she gets the initial award, but to keep it, she has to live in the Hawthorne House with the extended family for one year, including four handsome grandsons.

Within days of the will, various members of the family start drawing their battlelines, and the grandsons and Avery start to play “Riddle Me This” with clues from Hawthorne to potentially other outcomes of the will. Of course, the biggest question for Avery is “why her?”, but it takes a while for that to be revealed (and it DOES make sense, once you get there).

The smaller storyline revolves around the fight for the money and influence that the people around her start to engage in, while the bigger story is the riddle and clues that Grandpa Hawthorne left behind. As I mentioned, the feel for the story is 1/3 Harry Potter with Avery entering a world that she could never even conceive of previously; 1/3 Brewster’s Millions i.e., you have to perform to get the full inheritance; and 1/3 Ready Player One where her and the four boys try to figure out the clues hidden around the grounds.

What I Didn’t Like

There’s drama with people from her old life that doesn’t work, but overall, it isn’t enough to detract too much. Although it is part of a series, the end of Book 1 feels like it really should have just ended there. Instead, it’s almost cliff-hanger-ish, as they start figuring out that there is still a Round 2 of the Inheritance Games.

The Bottom Line

A brilliant opening with a great vibe all through the book

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan (1992) – BR00279 (2025) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
June 30 2025

Plot or Premise

Following the battle at the end of Book 3, Rand has the flaming sword Callandor, and everyone is waiting for “what’s next”, until the Pattern starts to form again.

What I Liked & Didn’t Like

Rand is drawn to the Waste land of the Aiel, Mat is drawn to a Red Door of prophecy that ties him to staying with Rand, and Perrin is drawn to Emond’s Field to save it from Trollocs and Children of the Light.

There is a LOT happening in Book 4. I like that Mat is trying to figure out his destiny, and that includes deciding to stay with Rand because he knows their destinies are entwined. I was NOT expecting Mat to go into Rhuidean (the all-seeing area) with Rand, and when he makes a deal after going through a Red Door, it isn’t entirely clear to him or the reader what deal he made. We’ll probably have to wait several books to find out, and it’s hard to watch him struggle with the unfulfilled desire to know more.

For Perrin, returning to Emond’s Field is all about him becoming a leader as ta’veren. Admittedly, the entire love spat with Faile is yawn-inducing, with her attempting to play games he’s not even sure he wants to be part of anymore, and her having no real idea she’s about to lose everything if she doesn’t stop. It’s averted at the last second, but the subsequent struggle with people asking him what to do when they already know is great to see for leadership and how he struggles to embrace it. It’s a little repetitive, but great to see all the tertiary characters forming a defense force.

However, after suffering through Book 3 without Rand, Rand’s trip to the Rhuidean prophecy / history world was awesome, seeing him go back in time to live the lives of the Aiel ancestors and to see their original lives. It is unclear to me, however, how it is that the Aiel Clan chiefs and Wise Ones, who have also visited Rhuidean at some point and experienced the same thing, managed / decided to keep the secrets hidden forever. Spoiler alert — they were Children of the Leaf, not warriors of the spear. There’s a “bland” nature to the post-Rhuidean world, with nothing much happening yet Rand is obsessed that he’s somehow out of time. The final bit with the Forsaken is fabulous.

Overall, I liked the book’s balance way better than the previous one, mostly because of Rand being in it, and for Perrin assuming a leadership position. Book 1 had 259 characters, book 2 had 255, book 3 had only 238 and I didn’t have any trouble following them as long as I have my handy little “team chart” (see below). Book 4 was a little harder with up to 437 this time out, and a lot of Aiel who may or may not be important for the long term (hard to tell). At this point, I’m tracking about 38 good guys and 36 bad guys (relatively even), and some 36 that are unclear but likely either positive or at least neutral. But continuity is weak in places (with names and repetition) and about 30% could be easily cut.

The Bottom Line

Hey, look, Rand’s awake and Perrin has an army

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (1991) – BR00278 (2025) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
June 25 2025

Plot or Premise

At the start of the book, Rand is in hiding for the winter with Moiraine, Loial and Perrin. But his powers as a ta’veren (fate changer) start to affect those around him in both good and bad ways. Meanwhile, the three new novices return to the White Tower to face a (fake) punishment for their absence and for Mat to be healed.

What I Liked

The novices start to play Nancy Drew for the Amrylin Seat, trying to figure out if the 13 Black Ajah who left the White Tower were the ONLY Black Ajah, or if others remain. The mystery is challenging to investigate as they can’t let anyone even know they are investigating. At the same time, Egwene starts to learn how to DreamWalk. However, eventually their investigations take them to Tear.

Mat is at loose ends for most of the book, trying to figure out what his role is, how HIS status as ta’veren is affecting the environment around him — like that almost every game of chance begins to tilt in his favour. However, the best scene is a fight against Gawyn and Galadedrid who have been boasting about their abilities a little too much for his taste, so he knocks them down a peg, literally. It shows a “better” side of Mat than you normally see, and even one that he isn’t sure he recognizes, even with its dark edges. His hookup with Thom leads to an adventure that takes him to Tear,

However, the main focus is on Perrin as he makes his way in search of Rand, who has run away on his own to face his destiny without affecting the rest of the gang. Along the way, he is joined by Faile who is in search of the Horn, not realizing it has already been found (and blown, by Mat).

Ultimately, everyone has to storm a castle with Rand inside, for a final battle complete with Aiel joining in. It takes a long time to get there, but it’s a great transition.

What I Didn’t Like

The editing didn’t seem as bad with this book, but the repetition is still annoying. If a certain novice grabs her braids another 500 times in a book, I might just give up. Or the constant clichés about whether you can trust an Aes Sedai. Seriously, the author thought people were picking up these books mid-series and would be able to follow them? It’s almost impossible to follow them if you read them in ORDER, you would have little chance joining mid-series, so the constant explanations of things that are already explained over and over and over is, umm, disruptive.

And yes, the constant complaints and in-fighting for Egwene and Nynaeve is as tedious as ever.

However, the thing that bothered me the most is how little of the story is about or with Rand. You know, the Dragon Reborn? The one that THIS volume of the series is NAMED AFTER? Yet 80% of the book is about everybody else.

The Bottom Line

It should be called “Friends of the Dragon Reborn”

Here is my cheat sheet of characters in the novel.

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan (1992) – BR00277 (2025) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
June 24 2025

Plot or Premise

The Horn of Valere was found and then stolen, and the Fellowship has to go get it back, while backing each other up as they learn what the wheel has in mind for them.

What I Liked & Didn’t Like

As with the first book, I see a lot of abysmal editing…references repeated over and over and over (about how the Aes Sedai can’t lie but they don’t always tell you what you think you heard, or you make a deal with them but it isn’t always the deal you think, or how most Wisdoms can’t tell anything from the Wind but claim to anyway, or how one particular character pulls on her braids EVERY SCENE SHE IS IN!). It’s really annoying. Not to mention discontinuities in spelling of names (Hawkwing/Hawking, Bryne/Byrne, etc.).

But, at the beginning, there is a giant plot hole for the premise. At the end of Book 1, at the Eye of the World, they found the Horn of Valere. They have it at the Castle Keep. In a strong room. And yet, the head of the keep is setting everyone up to go off and look for it. Sure, they’re keeping it quiet, but still? The Hunt is about to begin and the big honourable Lord is about to send his men off to look for something they already have? Then it is stolen, so they DO have to go look for it, after all, but he makes it seem almost a side quest to recapture the Dark Friend, Padan Fain, who stole it but that nobody except a few actually know stole it since they didn’t tell anyone they had it. Shh…it’s a secret. Yet they need it for the final Battle, and they don’t set EVERYONE after him. Umm, okay. Sure, whatever.

After that, we have stupid angst stuff with Mat and Perrin towards Rand (yawn), Rand acting like an child (yawn), and the women also acting fairly childish around each other.

The book could have been about a third of its length and really SANG with a focus on Padan Fain escaping, the women of the fellowship going off to train as Aes Sedai at Tar Valon, Rand and the gang travelling around the countryside following him, and everyone ending up at the end in the same area to fight the Dark forces, the Seanchan, and perhaps some of the Children of the Light too.

It’s a great epic battle and — spoiler alert — I love how the two baddies fighting ended up being blasted across the sky for all to see, along with Mat being the one to blow the Horn of Valere to bring the Heroes of Legend back to help everyone. And I like Elayne’s addition to the Fellowship.

I mentioned in my review of the previous book that I was having a terrible time keeping characters straight, and I went back and created an “index” card with all the names of the big players from Book 1 so I knew what was going on at the start of Book 2. It worked. I had 15 clear “good guys”, 13 clear “bad guys”, and then another 6 where it wasn’t clear to me. 34 in total. For this book, we’re up to at least 20 good guys, about 11 clear bad guys, and another 20 that are leaning one way or another, aka 51 characters to keep track of while reading. A couple from book 1 disappeared, mostly cuz they’re dead or were in a city we didn’t revisit, so about 20+ new ones added. The list of “grey” characters in the middle is getting a bit long, particularly some of the Aes Sedai, Seanchan and Children of the Light.

The Bottom Line

Come for the quest, ignore the angst, wait for the battle

My cheat sheet for characters in Book 02:

Bright Orange for the Shroud by John D. MacDonald (1965) – BR00276 (2025) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
June 23 2025

Plot or Premise

Arthur is a former acquaintance of McGee’s and Chookie’s who manages to make it as far as McGee’s and no further. He is spent and has been picked clean by professional grifters since he last hung out with the crew. Chookie convinces McGee to see if he can perform a salvage operation on the stolen money while she performs salvage on the man.

What I Liked & Didn’t Like

The con was nothing extravagant, a fake land deal from which they kept extracting money from Arthur. When it was over, everybody took off, leaving him high and dry. However, the twist in the tale was that a woman from the former gang of friends around McGee and Chookie was the one who set him up, which added an interesting side motive to help.

There is a lot of razzle-dazzle in the beginning as McGee tries to figure out the best approach, only to find that most of it is irrelevant. The man behind it all was a professional con artist, and McGee has too much respect for his abilities to waste time trying to get anything back from him. So, he pivots to go after the big, hairy lug who likely killed one of his former partners.

There’s a good fight scene early on, but the character is hard to pin down. Boo is, at most times, reasonably simple muscle, and then suddenly he’s more like a master tactician that McGee can’t outsmart. The ending is somewhat predictable, reminiscent of two previous stories that concluded with fights on boats.

However, the one shining light for most of the story is the rehabilitation of Arthur. It starts off slow, reminiscent of the type of rehab that McGee normally does with women to build up their self-esteem, but it’s nice to see him regain some of his persona and help out / dig in at the end. A bit of a cheer for the underdog.

The Bottom Line

Come for the con, stay for the justice