Finished Goblin War by Jim C. Hines. This is the third book in his series about Jig Dragonslayer, a goblin who finds himself having adventures against his will.

In this one, Jig and some of his fellow goblins are captured by Princess Genevieve, who needs their help fortifying a town against Billa the Bloody (an orc) and her army of monster followers. But Billa’s army is just a cover for Isa, a winter goddess who wants to kill everyone to lure death god Noc onto the battlefield so she can then kill him. Of course, it’s up to Jig to stop Isa at the urging of his god, Tymolaus Shadowstar. Too bad Jig might get killed in the process …

As always, Hines writes a clever fantasy send-up. Folks who play fantasy or D&D games will especially recognize the gentle genre skewers. I loved the army of monsters with all their quibbles and problems, especially the guy who kept spouting off about regulations.

Jig is a great, albeit reluctant, hero who uses his brain to get him out of lots of tricky situations. And Jig’s interactions with his god are always amusing to read. This book fills in a lot of gaps as to exactly how Jig came to workshop Shadowstar (it wasn’t accidental at all) and more of the god’s background.

The only quibble I had with the book was the plot involving the gods. I thought it was a little convoluted, and I never understood why Isa wanted to kill the death god. Just for revenge for trying to kill her? I guess I wanted more motivation than that. Also, I wanted to know if Shadowstar was still around at the end of the book (he takes a blow meant for Jig in the end).

Still, if you like more light-hearted fantasy, you should check out this series. I hope there are more Jig adventures ahead. Thumbs up.

Up next: InterWorld by Neil Gaiman.

Books in my TBR pile: About 14. (I’m finally whittling it down!)

Finished Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson. This is the first book in her Tairen Soul epic fantasy romance series. I’ve heard a lot of buzz about the series and thought I’d try it. Warning: There be spoilers ahead.

The book is about Rain Tairen Soul, the king of the Fey who can shapeshift into a tairen (think a black panther with wings and purple eyes). Rain’s people are dying, and he’s searching for a cure to save them — which leads him to Ellysetta Baristani, a woodcarver’s daughter who has powerful magic she doesn’t even know about. Rain claims Ellysetta as his mate, which immediately puts both of them in danger from evil Eld mages bent on war and destruction …

The book is an interesting mix of epic fantasy (humble, orpahaned woman discovers her great power/destiny) and romance (the Fey have soulmates and serious desires to claim/protect their mates that you see in a lot of paranormal romances). The world-building was solid, and you’ve got several nice characters without getting into the tough-to-keep-track-of cast of thousands that often populate epic fantasy books. (Seriously, you need a scorecard to keep track of characters in books like Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series).

I liked Ellie’s character a lot and look forward to seeing her grow and become more powerful in future books. I wasn’t as keen on Rain, mainly because he spends a lot of the book being an overly possessive alpha male (which, as I’ve said before, isn’t one of my favorite character types). I also really enjoyed the members of Ellie’s guard and her twin sisters and hope they get more chances to shine in the future.

However, I had one problem with the book, and that was the ending — or lack thereof. The book ends with Rain and Ellie strengthening their bond after a disastrous dinner at the royal palace. But there’s no resolution to the other plot threads, and the story cuts off in mid-stream, while several important things are cooking. (I mentioned I was reading this to a fellow romance writer, and she warned me about the ending. Now, I see what she meant).

I realize this is a series, and there will be some cliffhangers, but there wasn’t even a note at the end that said “To be continued.” The second book in the series came out almost immediately after this one, but still, I would have liked a note or some indication that this was the end, and I didn’t have any missing pages. I’m wondering if the book was originally longer and got split in two pieces. Does anyone know?

Overall, if you like an epic love story with your fantasy, you’ll probably enjoy this one. Still, I have to go split decision on this one. Thumbs up to the overall story and world building, thumbs down to the abrupt ending. But I’ll be getting the next book to read because I want to see Rain and Ellie kick some Eld mage ass. 😎

Up next: Goblin War by Jim Hines.

Books in my TBR pile: About 15.

What about you guys? What are you reading right now?