Libriomancer

Libriomancer
Jim C. Hines
Magic Ex Libris
Urban Fantacy

Summary
Isaac Vainio is now a librarian but he was once more than that, he is a Libriomancer. Libriomancer's are wizards that have the ability to pull objects and magic from books. A light saber from star wars, sting from the hobbit or a mental fish that translates languages from a hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.

A few years ago he made a mistake and it almost got him killed so now he is band from using his magic. Until the day 3 different kinds of vampires pulled from the pages of books attacks his library and he is forced to use his magic again.

Isaac services the attack but learns from an old Dryad friend that the vampires are on the attack and the founder of his order Gutenberg the creator of the printing press has been kidnapped. With little time and his friends in danger Isaac must once again dive in to the books he loves and the magic that has been taken from him, but will he be strong enough to stand against the darkness that is coming for them all?

Review
Libriomancer is one of the most interesting and original books I have read in a long time. Who among use has not dreamed of pulling the tools and magic from favorite books. In a way this is a fantasy version of something that we already do. As readers we take the ideas, magic and the science out of these books and make them part of our lives. Because of that this books magic and world often feel more real than other fantasy story told in the modern era.

The book is also interesting in its plot and the characters are fun and easy to connect with. The twist and turns are not hard to guess but are interesting in there execution. There are some parts that are a little slow and the author sometimes gets stuck in his own love of books and references. So if you also love fantasy/sci-fi books then its fun but it can get a little distracting at parts.

Over all this has a super fun read that I would recommend to anyone who loves books as much as I do.

I would give this book an 7.9 out of 10.

Warcross

Warcross
Marie Lu
Sci-fi
Warcross #1

Summary

Emika Chen has led a cursed life. Her mother left her, her father died from cancer and with a huge gambling debt to the mob. Emika was arrested for hacking and could not graduate from high school. Now she lives in a crappy studio apartment with her unemployed friend, eviction notice on the door and 13$ in her account.

The only good thing in her life is Warcross. Warcross is a full dive video game in which two teams try to steal each other’s team stone. At the opening game of the world championship Emika tried hacking one more time and ended up glitching in to the game.


Instead of going to jail or being sued by the Warcross creator Hideo Tanaka, she is offered a job. Someone is hacking the game and Hideo wants her find him them before the hacker does something truly bad. To do that Emika will be offered a once in a life time opportunity, a spot in the world championship.


Review
This book is a great read. I have tried reading books by Marie Lu before and I did not care for them but I could not put this one down. She has created a future that I think we can all see coming and a main character that we all have been at one time or another. This story feels real but with enough action and mystery to keep the reader on their toes.

The future that Marie Lu brings to light is a natural step from the world we are in now. It feels both sci-fi and real at the same time. The tech is interesting without bogging the story down in a lot of technical mumbo jumbo that the reader does not need.

The main character Emika is interesting and strong. She is smart, funny and feminine. She feels like a friend I've known before but at the same time she is unique and interesting. The other character both allies and enemies all feel well thought out and three dimensional.

The story is fun, interesting and easy to follow but with enough action and surprises to keep the reader coming back for more.

I give this book an 8.5/10.