#j.s. dewes

[bobcalzone]

I finished my last book of 2025 today, so hey, here's the final tierlist for the full year!

I recalibrated by rating system this year, dropping everything by one letter grade since it was silly to have four S ranks and A+ is perfectly fine for 5/5.

Each tier is in the order I read them this year, with series first.

(series breakdowns, further thoughts, and last year's tierlist below the cut)

Rereads are marked with an asterisk.

Empyrean: A: Iron Flame* [2] / Onyx Storm [3] A-: Fourth Wing* [1]

When I read the first two books in 2023, I retroactively gave them what is now B+, because despite strongly enjoying them I acknowledged they weren't particularly deep. This year proved the lie to that assessment; this series isn't the best or most original fantasy ever, and has a few glaring issues here and there, but it is far stronger on reread than I anticipated. I may not be well inside the target demographic, but this is likely my favorite currently ongoing fantasy series (EDIT: with the caveat that A Song of Ice and Fire and The Kingkiller Chronicle are basically over to me).

The Inheritance Cycle: A: Brisingr* [3] / Inheritance* [4] A-: Eragon* [1] / Eldest* [2] / The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm* [4.5] / Murtagh [4.6]

This was one of my favorite series growing up, and its ratings are definitely inflated by the fact, but there are certain things about it that I enjoy more than any other series. I wouldn't recommend it to any of my adult friends, but the latter half of the series holds up better than most people give it credit for (even if the decade-later follow up in Murtagh is weaker than expected).

Republic Commando: A: Order 66 [4] A-: Hard Contact [1] / Triple Zero [2] / True Colors [3] / 501st [5]

While I'm not particularly tuned in to the communities, nearly everything I've heard about Karen Traviss from both fans of Halo and fans of Star Wars was disparaging; since she wrote my favorite novels in the entire Halo canon, I took a risk on her here, and it definitely worked out. These aren't the strongest novels ever, and they meet an unfortunately abrupt end due to canon upheavel, but they're a damn good time either way.

The Wess'har Wars: B+: Crossing the Line [2] / The World Before [3] / Matriarch [4] / Ally [5] / Judge [6] B: City of Pearl [1]

As the only non-IP series I've read from Karen Traviss, this series is a bit disappointing in comparison, but still quite good for not relying on an existing framework. Setting aside, Traviss is just as strong as ever with original characters, which makes me confident I would at least somewhat enjoy anything else she'd written.

The Foundation Trilogy: B+: Foundation* [1] / Foundation and Empire* [2] / Second Foundation* [3]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: B: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* [1] / The Restaurant at the End of the Universe* [2] / Life, the Universe, and Everything* [3] / So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish* [4] B-: Mostly Harmless* [5]

Mistborn: Era One: A+: Mistborn [1] A: The Well of Ascension [2]/ The Hero of Ages [3] A-: Secret History [3.5]

This series was the start to my foray into Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere, and it began with an absolute bang; while there are novels i personally enjoyed more, Mistborn (AKA The Final Empire) is likely the best traditional fantasy novel I've ever read, and Vin (in all three novels) is maybe my favorite protagonist of anything ever. I did think the series declined as it went on, but it still finished at an appreciably high level, and I'd strongly recommend it to anyone.

Mistborn: Era Two: B+: The Alloy of Law [1] / Shadows of Self [2] / The Bands of Mourning [3] / The Lost Metal [4]

This series was something of a letdown compared to the bombastic Era One, likely due to the fact Sanderson hadn't originally planned its existence, but in context of the greater Cosmere it's still a satisfying read, even if many (but not all) of its best moments are direct follow ups to the first Era. It could definitely stand to be better, but at least leaves me excited for Era Three.

The Stormlight Archive: A: Wind and Truth [5] A-: The Way of Kings [1] / Words of Radiance [2] / Oathbringer [3] / Rhythm of War [4] B: Edgedancer [2.5] / Dawnshard [3.5]

As a counterpoint to Era One of Mistborn, this series took a while to truly grab me, but only got better as it went on. In multiple ways, it feels like the main series of the Cosmere; I didn't personally enjoy any of the novels in The Stormlight Archive as much as any of the novels in Era One, but I think it's fair to say this series is stronger — even if it's only halfway through.

My tierlist for 2024:

A+: The Kingkiller Chronicle x2.10 (Patrick Rothfuss) Halo: Kilo-Five x3 (Karen Traviss) The Enderverse x11 (Orson Scott Card) Halo: Divine Wind (Troy Denning)

A: The Licanius Trilogy x3 (James Islington) The Sky on Fire (Jenn Lyons) Halo: Last Light (Troy Denning) Halo: Retribution (Troy Denning)

A-: Sun Eater x7.25 (Christopher Ruocchio) The Green Bone Saga x3 (Fonda Lee) Shadows of the Short Days (Alexander dan Vilhjálmsson)

B+: Noumena x3 (Lindsay Ellis) Immortal Longings (Chloe Gong) Circe (Madeline Miller) Halo: Silent Storm / Oblivion / Outcasts (Troy Denning) Sherlock Holmes and Count Dracula (Christian Klaver)

B: Good Omens (Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett) Ascension (Nicholas Binge) City of Bones (Martha Wells) Wakers (Orson Scott Card) The Will of the Many (James Islington) This Is How You Lose the Time War (Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone)

B-: The Lady Astronaut x3 (Mary Robinette Kowal) The Complete Sherlock Holmes x9 (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) The Jewel of Seven Stars (Bram Stoker) The Stand (Stephen King) The Warden (Daniel M. Ford)

C+: Imperial Radch x3 (Ann Leckie) Silo x3.5 (Hugh Howey) Dracula (Bram Stoker) The Blade Itself (Joe Abercrombie) The Godfather (Mario Puzo) Halo: Hunters in the Dark (Peter David)

C: The Complete Tales and Poems of (Edgar Allen Poe) Dracula's Guest & Other Stories (Bram Stoker) Five Broken Blades (Mai Corland)

C-: State of Fear (Michael Crichton)

D+: The Grace of Kings (Ken Liu) The Magus (John Fowles)

D: The Lair of the White Worm (Bram Stoker)

[gregwithagh]

you ever really get into a piece of media and look to see if there's any fanconent like. anywhere and it's entire presence online is a solid 5 posts on tumblr from years ago so you know logically, you got to be the change you want to see so you start to make character designs and start think about maybe even making a fic, most likely a chatfic because you don't enjoy writing too much but it would still be the first fic from this fandom to be added onto ao3 and while we're here why not think about making a cosplay? no one would know who you are but that would get you the chance to tell other people about the series

unrelated really got into the divide series

[libertyreads]

Starting my next read on a lazy Sunday.

[gregwithagh]

some of my favorite concepts for my cavalon and adequinn designs :D

[libertyreads]

Starting my next read of the year tomorrow morning.

[libertyreads]

Book Review #8 of 2024--

The Exiled Fleet by J.S. Dewes. Rating: 3.25 stars.

Read from February 4th to 6th.

Man, can books stop getting printed with such absolutely TINY font? I ended up checking the ebook out from my local library to read this one because I was getting a headache from reading the small print. I know publishers want to save money by using fewer pages per book or whatever, but I'm getting older and my eyes cannot take the abuse. It doesn't help that I read two different books back to back that had such small font. Complaint over.

As some might know, I've been missing The Expanse a lot over the past several months. So, when a booktuber recommended this series I jumped on it so fast. I've been craving some Sci-Fi in my life. And I did enjoy book number one in this series. I read it last month and rated it 3.75 stars. This one doesn't live up to that first one for a couple of reasons. 1) It uses a lot of the same tricks or conveniences from the first book to make everything work out for our main characters. 2) When we weren't running into the same tricks over and over, we were running up against problem after problem for what felt like no reason. There's a specific moment in the book that I'm thinking of where they have to travel pretty far in order to get something to help with their task...but then they don't get it...and technically don't need it? Which felt weird. I know this was probably only there to move a certain aspect of the plot forward but it felt so clunky.

And maybe I need to put some of the blame on myself for not giving this book a fair enough shot. It isn't fair for me to want the first series from an author to live up to my love for The Expanse series. I heard someone say a while back that we need to meet books where they are in order to give them a fair chance and I think that's what I really should have done with this series as a whole.

Don't get me wrong though, there are aspects of this world that I love. Adequin Rake and Cavalon Mercer are such a wonderful set of characters. These are the two point of view characters we get throughout the novel and they're so absolutely different but there's something about their personalities that really make them play off each other really well. The side characters are also really great and deserving of so much love. There's also such a great moment in this one where Adequin, who has been away from any real society outside of the crews of the ships out at The Divide for over 5 years at this point, ends up on a station with a lot of civilians wondering around and we see her having to reign in her feelings about being around other humans she's not in charge of. And we get a moment like this again when she ends up planetside for the first time in that long and she has a weird sort of culture shock. Those moments really made me feel something about her and her life since arriving at The Divide. It was so good.

I do plan on reading the next book when it comes out at the end of the year. Maybe a little time away from these characters, this plot, these settings will make the heart grow fonder. And hopefully I can meet that book where it is when it does come out.

[bobcalzone]

The Last Watch, by J.S. Dewes

Novel grade: C+ (3/5)

After seeing how well J.S. Dewes handled a standalone novel with Rubicon, one of my two favorite new reads from last year (the other, of course, being Echo Sight by @verati404), I was looking forward to reading her already existing series, The Divide. Unfortunately, the first entry was disappointing enough that despite having the other books on hand I'm not bothering to finish out the trilogy.

I don't understand why the back cover referred to this novel as "The Expanse meets Game of Thrones" or a "space opera." Rather than being a sprawling web of factions and disparate motivations, there's one group of characters who all have the same end goal and are never in a total of more than two locations, none of which are more interesting than a ship in deep space surrounded by absolutely nothing. The characters themselves are okay, but with anything outside of the immediate proximity existing entirely in lip service (despite humans being capable of traveling to the edge of the universe, it's entirely unclear whether they've even colonized multiple galaxies or just a section of the Milky Way) the stakes are intangible and the narrative almost entirely uncompelling. The novel never made me mad, but it rarely made me interested.

On another note: if an author who wrote a novel I rated as high as A can also write a series I'm extremely middling on, I have to wonder how many authors I've tried and immediately ditched who secretly had something I'd love in their bibliography. It's an existential enough question that I'm not extremely bothered by it, but it's an interesting thought.

Next up: Our Best Intentions, by Vibhuti Jain!

[itspronouncedtessa]

2025 Reading Journal

January 23

Book 6 - The Relentless Legion - 3.5⭐

My review