Don’t waste time with a young queen you fancy telling her all about your hunting skills… your feats of flying… your combat victories. Instead, get her to talk about herself… her likes and dislikes… her favourite places to fly. Better still, make her laugh – but ensure it’s with you, rather than at you. Queens can be sneaky that way.
Castellan the Black, mighty dragon warrior, features in my Picky Eaters series. All proceeds for the duration of the publishing life of Picky Eaters, first book in the series, are donated to mental health charities. The second book, Flame & Blame, and the third book, Trouble With Dwarves, are now available.
BLURB: City-by-city, kingdom-by-kingdom, the Palleseen have sworn to bring Perfection and Correctness to an imperfect world. As their legions scour the world of superstition with the bright flame of reason, so they deliver a mountain of ragged, holed and scorched flesh to the field hospital tents just behind the frontline.
Which is where Yasnic, one-time priest, healer and rebel, finds himself. Reprieved from the gallows and sent to war clutching a box of orphan Gods, he has been sequestered to a particularity unorthodox medical unit.
Led by ‘the Butcher’, an ogre of a man who’s a dab hand with a bone-saw and an alchemical tincture, the unit’s motley crew of conscripts, healers and orderlies are no strangers to the horrors of war. Their’s is an unspeakable trade: elbow-deep in gore they have a first-hand view of the suffering caused by flesh-rending monsters, arcane magical weaponry and embittered enemy soldiers.
Entrusted – for now – with saving lives deemed otherwise un-saveable, the field hospital’s crew face a precarious existence. Their work with unapproved magic, necromancy, demonology and Yansic’s thoroughly illicit Gods could lead to the unit being disbanded, arrested or worse. Beset by enemies within and without, the last thing anyone needs is a miracle.
REVIEW: For those of you lucky enough to have been around when the wonderful M*A*S*H series on TV was running – that vibe of a field hospital coping with the regular influx of wounded is the backdrop and narrative engine of this book. Though, in amongst the desperation of dealing with hideously wounded soldiers, those coming to their aid are… different. Despite rigorously expunging anything magical or religious from the cultures they conquer, the Palleseen find themselves in the position of having to utilise some of those touched by the uncanny. So prisoners able to wield magic to aid healing, or construct lethal weapons find themselves spared from the army’s mincing machine, which accounts for the selection of oddball characters at the Experimental Hospital. The woman able to take on a patient’s wounds and then heal herself… a revoltingly filthy flautist whose music keeps wounds from going septic… and the latest addition to the medical crew – an ex-priest with an odd collection of minor gods in a box which he carries on his back.
The story, which is long, charts the progress of those working within the hospital and the challenges they face, both within and without. While this one takes a bit of time to get going, it wasn’t long before I was utterly engrossed. To be honest – I’d been putting this one off, as the tenor of City of Lost Chances had been a tad on the bleak side and I’ve not been emotionally up to it. But the flashes of humour were more apparent in this one – to the extent that I laughed aloud in several places. Told in multiple viewpoint, I found myself really caring about all the main characters who end up working as a tight-knit team, which becomes more of a found family. Indeed, more than one war orphan ends up there.
In amongst the gripping story, Tchaikovsky isn’t afraid to address bigger questions – is it ever acceptable to sacrifice the interests and wellbeing of the few to safeguard the many? Is religion necessary? Is it vital to have an overarching belief in good and evil in order to keep one’s humanity? I like the fact that while he raises such questions and some of them get answered, those answers tend not to be particularly tidy or clearcut.
Tchaikovsky walks a tightrope between grimdark bleakness and the fey cuteness so often surrounding cosier fantasy reads – and manages to avoid landing in either camp. So while this is a gritty read with plenty of blood and violence – there is sufficient humour and humanity to make this ultimately a hopeful, uplifting read, without at any stage leavening the dire consequences of a long-running war of attrition. It’s a tricky feat to pull off, yet Tchaikovsky triumphantly achieves it.
I look forward to tucking into the final book in this series. It’s always a privilege to read a superbly talented author at the top of his game, who continues to push the envelope – apart from anything else, such writers are rare in any genre. And if you’re looking for such an experience, then get hold of this book. While the first book was an outstanding read – this one is even better. While I obtained an arc of House of Open Wounds from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own. 10/10
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.
This week’s Can’t-Wait offering:
Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies – Book 1 of The Vacation Mysteries by Catherine Mack – release date 2nd May 2024
BLURB: Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies . . . one trip to die for.
All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series―is that too much to ask?
Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life―the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can’t get out of her life―Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.
Contending with literary rivals, rabid fans, a stalker―and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly―theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder? It was the title that snagged my attention – it’s clever and funny. Reading the blurb convinced me that I’d enjoy this one, so I was delighted when I got hold of an arc. I’m looking forward to tucking into this one, as I’m still recovering from a fairly intense read. Anyone else got this on their TBR?
This is another review I wrote in early 2021, before I went down with Covid-19 and became ill with Long Covid.
I have loved this historical series – see my reviews of Revelation and Lamentation, charting the adventures of hunchback lawyer, Matthew Shardlake, since he found himself caught up in a murder during the dissolution of the monasteries. I’m aware that this series is my ultimate benchmark when reading any historical murder mystery and was a bit shocked last year when I’d realised that I had let my reading of this series slip. So I have been catching up. I’m so very glad I did – for it would have been a crime to miss out on listening to this offering, which is the final book in the series.
BLURB: Spring, 1549. Two years after the death of Henry VIII, England is sliding into chaos… The king, Edward VI, is eleven years old. His uncle Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, rules as Protector. Radical Protestants are conducting all out war on the old religion, stirring discontent among the people. The Protector’s prolonged war with Scotland is proving a disastrous failure. Worst of all, the economy is in collapse, inflation rages and rebellion is stirring among the peasantry.
Since the old King’s death, Matthew Shardlake has been working as a lawyer in the service of Henry’s younger daughter, the Lady Elizabeth. The gruesome murder of the wife of John Boleyn, a distant Norfolk relation of Elizabeth’s mother – which could have political implications for Elizabeth – brings Shardlake and his young assistant Nicholas Overton to the summer assizes at Norwich. There they are reunited with Shardlake’s former assistant Jack Barak. The three find layers of mystery and danger surrounding the death of Edith Boleyn, as more murders are committed.
REVIEW: This is simply a tour de force – it’s also long at 866 pages, so it was a no-brainer to get hold of the audiobook and I’ve been listening to it for most of the month as I’ve been houseworking.
Shardlake is now forty-seven years old, white haired – and not at all happy with the state of England. Debasement of the coinage means that inflation is rising, which is hitting the poor, causing terrible hardship. And now, of course, there are no monasteries to provide any kind of buffer for those in dire straits. He is also aware that many of the gentry are illegally enclosing common land, causing yet more social problems and has lost his job working for the poor, as he has a very powerful enemy in the form of Sir Richard Rich.
However, he is still working for the Lady Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII, and is summoned to investigate the bizarre and rather horrible murder of Lady Edith Boleyn. Lady Edith’s husband has been arrested for the murder and is shortly due to stand trial in Norwich, so Matthew and his assistant Nicholas travel there to see if they can get to the bottom of the case. They spend some time working on the case – and then things spiral out of control and Matthew and Nicholas, now accompanied by his former assistant Jack, are caught up in the astonishing events that then occur.
As my degree is in History, I had an inkling of what was coming – but I had no idea of the scale and sheer enormity of what went on. Several times, I sat down to listen, open-mouthed at what I was hearing – and a bit heartbroken as I also recalled the outcome… While Matthew Shardlake is a fictitious character, Sansom always ensures his stories are nested within actual historical events. And so I was fairly sure that what I was hearing actually happened – and I was right.
The last three hours of the book are devoted to an appendix of essays by Sansom, explaining the historical sources he used and explaining the actual events and how he used them. They are every bit as gripping as the actual story and I highly recommend that you listen or read them. I am awed by the scholarship and skill of the writing – once more I surfaced from this book profoundly grateful not to have been born in Tudor times. And with a lump in my throat – the final passage of the final essay is extremely moving. Very highly recommended if you enjoy reading good quality historical adventures. 10/10
This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books they’ve read and share what they have got up to during the last week.
It’s been a good week. On Monday afternoon, I was able to attend the monthly Swanbourne Poets meeting. As ever, it was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion. The quality of the poetry is impressive, as most of those who attend are published poets and it’s a joy to listen to their latest work.
I’ve had sufficient energy this week to start properly contributing to household chores, like regularly cleaning the bathroom and doing the laundry. And while that might not sound like a big deal, it really is. On Friday, I took one of my friends out to celebrate her birthday at the Sea Lane Café. We were lucky enough to get a corner table looking out over the beach and had a lovely time exchanging news and just enjoying each other’s company – the first time we’d done so since before the first lockdown. It was such a treat!
Himself and I have a weekend to ourselves as Oscar is off to watch Everton play with his stepdad. We popped into Rustington yesterday, as Himself had a hair appointment and enjoyed a leisurely coffee together before returning home. This morning, we nipped out intending to go to the beach, but ended up having a coffee at the Harbour Lights café and wandering along the riverside walk. That’s where the pictures were taken. The RNLI – the wonderful folks who risk their lives to rescue folks caught in bad situations at sea – were having a barbeque on the river front. And as you can see, there is lovely sunshine, though there is a northerly bite to the wind which means we can’t shed coats or sit out in the sunshine. Nevertheless, it’s a treat to see that shiny orb in the sky, instead of perpetual cloud and rain😊.
Books I’ve read this week: Chosen – Book 5 of The Grey Gates series by Vanessa Nelson Demons on the loose. Ritual murders. An ancient vampire breathing down her neck. Some days Max just doesn’t know where to start. The problems facing her city are piling up, and there seems no end or solution in sight.
Max’s job used to be dealing with supernatural creatures. Now she’s got to tackle demons from the underworld who are far more powerful than anything she’s come across before, and who seem intent on bringing an end to the daylight world.
Part of Max would love to sit this one out. Let someone else save the world for a change. But was it ever really a choice? I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series, so it’s with some sadness I’ve come to the end. I’ve particularly enjoyed Max’s two delightful shadow hounds, who accompany her on all her adventures. The good news is that Vanessa is busy on a new series – which I’m pleased about as I really enjoy her writing. 9/10
AUDIOBOOK – High Stakes – Book 3 of the Bo Blackman Boxed Set series by Helen Harper It may be less than a month since the doors of New Order opened but that doesn’t mean Bo Blackman isn’t busy. It’s not just daft allegations about vampire dogs and complicated relationships that she has to deal with, however.
When a woman is brutally assaulted, barely escaping with her life, Bo ensures she forms an integral part of the investigation. The trouble is that she may end up being confronted with a darkness that she’s simply not ready for… This time around, I fully bonded with Bo. During the first two books, she slightly annoyed me at times. But while she’s still apt to go off on her own, ignoring advice and generally haring towards trouble – her innate kindness towards Kimchi, the alleged vampire dog, as well as a huge act of sacrifice had me thoroughly rooting for her in this adventure. I’m very glad there’s more books to come in this series. 9/10
Dragons Beyond the Pale – Book 7 of Jane Austen’s Dragons series by Maria Grace After months in Bath mentoring Dragon Keepers and Friends, Dragon Sage Elizabeth Darcy actually anticipates traveling to London for the Keeper’s Cotillion. Which says a great deal considering the she-dragons who make up the Cotillion board would very much like to show the Sage her proper place.
The she-dragons, though, are no match for what Sir Fitzwilliam Darcy finds waiting for him in London. Threats to the Order on every side, and Lord Matlock demands he keep them secret from Elizabeth. No one keeps secrets from Elizabeth.
In the meantime, Anne and Frederick Wentworth arrive in London with hopes of finally being accepted in good Blue Order society, unaware of the burgeoning maelstrom about to engulf them.
Darcy manages to keep matters under control until a fairy-dragon’s prank unleashes sinister forces who perpetrate an unthinkable crime that could spell the end of the Pendragon Accords and usher in a new age of dragon war. Can Elizabeth and Darcy, with the Wentworths’ help, restore balance to the Blue Order before the dragons decide to take matters into their own talons and right the wrongs themselves? This story took an unexpected turn. I flew through this gripping instalment of Grace’s exceptional series, thoroughly enjoying the way the author cleverly negotiates Austen’s world with the addition of dragons. I am trying hard to spin this series out, because I know that there will be a HUGE book hangover when I come to the end of these delightful books. 10/10
While a battle-hardened alpha lord is obviously a dangerous opponent, don’t underestimate his beta equivalent. To have survived multiple combat situations, the beta will have resorted to sneakiness. So you probably won’t see his attack coming until it’s too late.
Castellan the Black, mighty dragon warrior, features in my Picky Eaters series. All proceeds for the duration of the publishing life of Picky Eaters, first book in the series, are donated to mental health charities. The second book, Flame & Blame, and the third book, Trouble With Dwarves, are now available.
This is a review I wrote back in February 2021 – before I got sick…
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery series, see my reviews of Academic Curveball, Broken Heart Attack , Flower Power Trip, Mistaken Identity Crisis and Haunted House Ghostfeaturing single parent Kellan who inconveniently keeps tripping over corpses in this otherwise quiet corner of academia. I had been hoping that after the drama surrounding his marriage, he’d now have a chance of happiness with someone else. However a storm hits Wharton County and Kellan gets swept up in it…
BLURB: A winter blizzard barrels toward Wharton County with a vengeance. Madam Zenya predicted the raging storm would change the course of Kellan’s life, but the famed seer never could’ve prepared him for all the collateral damage. Nana D disappears after visiting a patient at Willow Trees, leaving behind a trail of confusion. When the patient turns up dead, and second body is discovered beneath the snowbanks, Kellan must face his worst fears. What tragedy has befallen his beloved grandmother?
REVIEW: I’ve cut short the blurb, as I think it is just a tad on the chatty side – and if you are following this series, it would be such a shame for certain plotpoints to surface here, rather than within the story.
Once more, Kellan is put through the wringer. I’m aware that this series is shelved as a cosy mystery – and that’s true in as much as there is no undue gore, bad language or graphic sex. But that doesn’t prevent poor old Kellan going through yet more misery. However, Cudney is very adept at also introducing snarky exchanges to diffuse some of the angst that is building up as family members go missing, hateful characters taunt our put-upon protagonist and family members are targeted by a nasty smear campaign. And that’s only some of what goes on in this fast-moving story.
I whipped through this one at a fair clip, as it really grabbed me. Cudney is very good at producing an almost endless procession of likely suspects that could be in the frame for the murders. By now, there are a fair number of characters we have got to know throughout the six books so far. And Cudney manages to ensure that a fair number of them have strong motives to want to kill the victims. No wonder the Chief of Police, the fair April, is getting a tad frayed around the edges…
As ever, I really like the fact that this small community is nicely intergenerational. The feisty Nana D, as a seventy-something year old, is now the Mayor and we regularly meet up with her contemporaries, who also are involved in community life. It’s so refreshing to find this age-group fairly represented as fully functioning members of society with something to offer – and Nana’s resilience and refusal to be overwhelmed in the face of the woes piling up for the Ayrwick family is lovely to see. Yes… I’ve probably connected with spiky Nana D on a level that is not necessarily completely healthy.
Just a word of warning. While this book completely ties up the murder mysteries and we know exactly whodunit and why – this story is left on a cliff-hanger ending, where all sorts of other major issues are unresolved. I’ll be honest, I’m a bit torn – I generally loathe these sorts of endings. However, I’m prepared to give Cudney a pass due to the fact that he’s provided a thumping good plot in this particular slice of Kellan’s adventures. Highly recommended for fans of well plotted murder mysteries – but whatever you do, don’t crash into this series at this stage. There are so many characters so tightly intertwined with an eventful backstory, you’ll probably sink without trace under the weight of trying to keep up with who did what to whom, causing what’s-her-face wanting to do something else to what’s-his-name. You’d be far better putting this one back on the shelf and reaching instead for the first book, Academic Curveball. 9/10
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.
This week’s Can’t-Wait offering:
A Letter to the Luminous Deep – Book 1 of The Sunken Archive series by Sylvia Cathrall – release date 25th April 2024
#epistolary fantasy #mystery #romance
BLURB: A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.
Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.’s home, and she and Henerey vanish.
A year later, E.’s sister Sophy, and Henerey’s brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery of their siblings’ disappearances with the letters, sketches and field notes left behind. As they uncover the wondrous love their siblings shared, Sophy and Vyerin learn the key to their disappearance – and what it could mean for life as they know it. Having all the depth of a pavement puddle, my initial interest was snagged by this utterly beautiful cover. But on reading the above, I liked the sound of this one, especially as it clearly isn’t all about action, blood and guts – and I’m in the mood for something gentler. Although my heart sank a little on the mention of sketches and notes after I downloaded it. I’m very much hoping those don’t feature too much in this book as my trusty Kindle is frankly rubbish at depicting any illustration bigger than a postage stamp.
This is one of the reviews that I wrote during spells in the last three years when I was well enough to do so – but then got sick again and didn’t post it.
BLURB: When his mother dies in a flitter crash, eighteen-year-old Ishmael Horatio Wang must find a job with the planet company or leave the system–and NerisCo isn’t hiring. With credits running low, and prospects limited, he has just one hope…to enlist for two years with a deep space commercial freighter. Ishmael, who only rarely visited the Neris Orbital, and has never been off-planet alone before, finds himself part of an eclectic crew sailing a deep space leviathan between the stars.
REVIEW: This isn’t the first time I’d read this author’s work – I enjoyed The Wizard’s Butler. But I doubt that I would have made the hop sideways from fantasy to space opera, without Himself having done so, first. And I’ll join in the general chorus that resounds about this series of books – it really has a different feel from most space opera. There are no aliens, no spectacular space battles. It’s a story of a teenage boy in first-person viewpoint, who is just a bit too old to get any proper help when he is unexpectedly orphaned – and how he fares when he joins a merchant spaceship. It’s all about how to make coffee, coping with watch patterns, making friends and money.
Ishmael is clearly very clever and rather precocious in that way only children often are, especially if they’ve been especially close to a single parent. And his relationship with his mother is key. She was an ancient literature professor and obviously a strong, opinionated woman with a lot of passion, who loved her son very much. I inhaled this book and then went straight onto the next. I don’t do that very often – and I’m delighted to discover that there are a fair few books in this series. When reading this one, I kept turning the pages as I got lost in the world, rooting for Ishmael to succeed on board, while he continued growing up. I’m very much looking forward to the next book, Half Share.
Highly recommended for fans of space opera, especially if you enjoy books where it’s more about the world rather than what happens in it. 9/10
After writing the above review, I went ahead and read the read all the books in this twelve-book series, which charts Ishmael’s progress as a merchanter and takes the story in some unexpected places. It’s stayed in my memory as an unusual space opera reading experience, but overall very enjoyable.
This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books they’ve read and share what they have got up to during the last week.
The second week of the Easter holidays has just slipped by and I don’t know where the days have gone. Monday was a milestone for me. I accepted an invitation to read a selection of my writing at the monthly Arts evening at The Victoria Institute in Arundel. Before I became ill, I regularly stood up in front of audiences to either read my work, or give a talk on various aspects of writing. But this was the first time I’d faced an audience since the end of 2019, given we went into lockdown in early 2020. So it was a very big deal for me. I wasn’t even sure that I’d enjoy performing anymore, given I’m still so diminished compared to the person I used to be. In the event, the venue was cosy and welcoming and the audience friendly and responsive. It was also wonderful to be surrounded by other creatives in an evening of poetry, comedy, and a monologue interspersed with excellent live music and I came home buzzing. The photo is the outside of the building in Arundel – it’s an absolute warren inside.
Sadly, that meant I was very, very tired on Tuesday and Wednesday and had to take it easy until I recovered my energy levels. Having Ethan home was lovely and on Thursday he and I joined in a painting day that Himself had organised with his guitar teacher, who is also a very keen gamer. I painted a few of the Wood Elves I used to game with when we played Warhammer Fantasy, but I had to stop after a couple of hours as my eyes grew blurry. The day ended with a delightful board game that John brought along called The Grand Carnival, where each player has to make a fairground and add attractions and guests. We all joined in and had a lovely time. Friday saw Ethan returning to uni and tomorrow Oscar returns to school.
Meanwhile the evenings are drawing out and we’ve had a couple of sunny days, although everywhere is still very wet and Littlehampton made the national news on Wednesday when the River Arun flooded the homes and businesses along Rope Walk on the west bank due to the spring tides and the aftermath of a storm that brought onshore winds. It doesn’t help that river levels are so very high/, anyway.
Books I’ve read this week: The Witchwood Knot – Book 1 of the Victorian Faerie series by Olivia Atwater The faeries of Witchwood Manor have stolen its young lord. His governess intends to steal him back.
Victorian governess Winifred Hall knows a con when she sees one. When her bratty young charge transforms overnight into a perfectly behaved block of wood, she soon realises that the real boy has been abducted by the Fair Folk. Unfortunately, the lord of Witchwood Manor is the only man in England who doesn’t believe in faeries—which leaves Winnie in the unenviable position of rescuing the young lord-to-be all by herself.
Witchwood Manor is bigger than its inhabitants realise, however, and full of otherworldly dangers. As Winnie delves deeper into the other side of the house, she enlists the aid of its dark and dubious faerie butler, Mr Quincy, who hides several awful secrets behind his charming smile. Winnie hopes to make her way to the centre of the Witchwood Knot through wit and cleverness… but when all of her usual tricks fail, who will she dare to trust? I thoroughly enjoyed this Victorian gothic fantasy, complete with haunted house and family curse. Winnie makes a particularly sympathetic protagonist. 9/10
The Lucky Starman – Book 3 of the Leif the Lucky series by Colin Alexander Is Leif really lucky? Stranded in orbit, viewing a destroyed civilization on Earth through the screens of a starship almost out of fuel and food, he doesn’t feel that way. It wasn’t supposed to be like that. As the starship Dauntless returns from a successful mission to the planet called Heaven, Earth holds no attractions for Exoplanetary Scout Leif Grettison. He wants only to complete the mission and leave for another star, along with ace pilot Yang Yong. In fact, he would be happy spending the rest of his life flying the starways with her. But they and the rest of the ship’s skeleton crew awaken from hibernation to find Earth’s solar system dark and silent—no signals, no responses to their transmissions. When they make orbit, the magnitude of the disaster becomes clear.
An apocalyptic war has killed billions and destroyed every last source of power and tech that 22nd-Century humans relied on to survive. Getting down to Earth is only the beginning of Leif’s problems. Those few who survived the apocalypse are still divided, fighting over what’s left. The disastrous re-entry to Earth leaves him with no resources or allies. He lands in the middle of a makeshift family that needs him more than he’s comfortable with and hears stories—even nursery rhymes—that speak of a lucky starman. For once, he’s the only person with tech—but if he’s caught using it, they might kill him. Can a man back from the stars end the warfare on Earth, or will he make it worse? Can he save a family that might become his? Is he everyone’s lucky starman? As I don’t read blurbs, the apocalyptic tone in this third book in the series caught me by surprise. Leif is a sympathetic character, whose overwhelming talent is for surviving in tricky situations when those around him tend to die… He’s not sure whether that makes him all that lucky and I tend to agree. Nonetheless, this one had me turning the pages to find out what happens next and ended on a doozy of the cliff-hanger that will definitely have me getting hold of the next book in the series. 8/10
AUDIOBOOK – Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz When editor Susan Ryeland is given the tattered manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has little idea it will change her life. She’s worked with the revered crime writer for years, and his detective, Atticus Pund, is renowned for solving crimes in the sleepy English villages of the 1950s.
As Susan knows only too well, vintage crime sells handsomely. It’s just a shame that it means dealing with an author like Alan Conway…. But Conway’s latest tale of murder at Pye Hall is not quite what it seems. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but hidden in the pages of the manuscript there lies another story: a tale written between the very words on the page, telling of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition and murder. Magpie Murders is also a successful TV drama that I thoroughly enjoyed. But listening to this entertaining story-within-a-story, I found the book far more engrossing than the TV version. If you enjoy a really twisty plot told within the conventions of the golden age of crime aka Agatha Christie, then go hunting for this one. The audiobook version is superb, given the quality of the narration by Samantha Bond and Alan Corduner. 10/10
AUDIOBOOK – Magic Burns – Book 2 of the Katie Daniels series by Ilona Andrews Down in Atlanta, tempers – and temperatures – are about to flare…
Version 1.0.0
As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. Now Kate’s going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one.
When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest – and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can’t stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive… I enjoyed the first book in this series, but wasn’t sure whether to continue or not until one of my book-blogging buddies assured me that this series goes on steadily getting better. This slice of Katie’s adventures certainly is brimful of action, but I also like that she looks into her future and isn’t thrilled at the thought of growing older and alone. I will be getting the next book in this series in due course. 8/10
Sinister Magic – Book 1 of Death Before Dragons series by Lindsay Buroker I’m Val Thorvald, and I’m an assassin.
When magical bad guys hurt people, I take care of them. Permanently. This doesn’t make me popular with the rest of the magical community—as you can tell from the numerous break-ins and assassination attempts I’ve endured over the years. But thanks to my half-elven blood, a powerful sword named Chopper, and a telepathic tiger with an attitude, I’ve always been able to handle my problems with aplomb. Maybe some cursing and swearing, too, but definitely aplomb.
That changes when my boss is afflicted with a mysterious disease, a government agent starts investigating me, and a godforsaken dragon shows up in the middle of my latest job. I’ve taken down vampires, zombies, and ogres, but dragons are way, way more powerful. And it doesn’t look like this one is going to like me.
Worse than that, he wants to use his magic to compel me to do his bidding, as if I’m some weak-minded minion. That’s not going to happen. I’d die before being some dragon’s slave. But if I can’t figure out a way to avoid him, save my boss, and get rid of the government spook, I’m screwed. Or dead. Or screwed and dead. And that’s never comfortable. I always enjoy Buroker’s mix of snarky humour, action and engaging protagonists. Val is definitely one of the more bloodthirsty characters and could so easily have been just another sword-swinging gal who blends in with the crowd of similar-sounding heroines. She doesn’t. Her gutsy decision to stay away from her daughter and her lumpy relationship with her mother makes her stand out, for starters. I appreciate Buroker’s stance that if you live a violent, dangerous life there are consequences. Especially if magic is involved. I will definitely be reading more of Val’s adventures in due course – a very strong start to the series. 9/10
Brainfluff 