I’m a fan of Joanna Maciejewska’s writing – see my reviews of her superb sand and sorcery series – By the Pact,Scars of Stone, Shadows of Kaighal and Demon Siege. And I was blown away by the first book in this series – Humanborn. So when I saw this one was due to come out – I immediately pre-ordered it.
BLURB: In the war, being hunted by mythborn was day to day life. Peacetime had changed things, but myth-touched Kaja never expected to be hunted alongside the mythborn…
With her life hanging by a thread, Kaja had little time to consider Eithne’s offer of aid. Now, free of her affliction, she bears the consequences of that decision. Stuck among her former enemies, caught navigating the nuances of lies and politics, she’s presented with little choice but to accept the out offered by Cathal, leader of the Scáthanna.
But Cathal and his team have troubles of their own as an invisible enemy haunts their steps. If Kaja helps them, she’ll be targeted as well, and when dealing with a faceless enemy, the only way to survive is by carefully choosing allies and tempering trust.
REVIEW: The middle book in a series is often the trickiest to write. I recalled the story with great clarity as Humanborn, set in an alternate Ireland which has been ravaged by a magical apocalypse, was a memorable read for all the right reasons. Myth-Touched has a far more low-key start, with the story picking up exactly at the point that Humanborn leaves off. Personally, I could have done with a bonding moment with Kaja in order to reconnect with her on an emotional level at the beginning. And whatever you do – don’t pick this one up if you haven’t already read Humanborn, because you will have missed far too much of Kaja’s backstory.
That said, Joanna really captures the sense of dislocation and tension as Kaja spends her days in the mythborn stronghold amongst her former enemies. I liked the progression of this character – in the first book, she was apt to go her on own way. However, stranded in the castle and surrounded by beings who openly despise her for having been magically altered, we see Kaja gradually transform into someone far cagier and less reckless. The romantic element is well handled throughout – I really liked the fact that despite the growing attraction, Kaja opts to take things very, very slowly.
Feeling betrayed as the life she’s living isn’t the one she’d thought was on offer – Kaja is keen to join the elite team, the Scáthanna, even though some of the members don’t particularly like her. I was waiting for the dramatic showdown, where there is a horrible quarrel, wringing the maximum amount of angst from a tricky, somewhat soul-sapping situation. But Joanna doesn’t go there. Instead, Kaja has to reveal her worth by degrees in training sessions and by spending time alongside the rest of the team, who gradually let her in.
While all this is going on, Kaja is also coming to terms with her new abilities and altered body. Though all that takes a back seat when one of the Scáthanna is murdered on a sortie – which winded me. It happened to be someone I’d thoroughly liked and I simply wasn’t expecting it. But I should have – Joanna isn’t afraid to off likeable characters if it serves the story. The narrative gains momentum as the surviving members come to terms with losing one of their own against an increasing threat. Someone within the mythborn ranks is targeting the elite force and I found myself staying up way later than I should as the tension ramps up.
While this book charts Kaja’s journey as she comes to terms with her new life – the peril facing the Scáthanna isn’t wrapped up by the end. That said, the next book in the series, Snakebitten, is due out later this year. And I’ll definitely be getting hold of a copy of it. Highly recommended for readers who like their urban fantasy adventures with layered, realistic characters set in an interesting world. 9/10
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 truly horrendous week on almost every level. Except for the books I’ve read and the fact that the writing seems to be going well. Thank goodness for those moments of escape. Enough said.
As for the weather, it continues to be cold – the daytime temperatures today are forecast to be in the low fifties, with rain. And the coming week is due to continue wet, chilly and windy. Oh joy.
Books I’ve read this week:
House of Open Wounds – Book 2 of The Tyrant Philosophers series by Adrian Tchaikovsky 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. Stormingly good read – and not as bleak as I’d feared, this one has the vibe of M*A*S*H, which I absolutely loved watching, back in the day. 10/10
AUDIOBOOK – The Prefect – Prefect Dreyfus Emergency series by Alastair Reynolds Tom Dreyfus is a Prefect, a law enforcement officer with the Panoply. His beat is the multifaceted utopian society of the Glitter Band, that vast swirl of space habitats orbiting the planet Yellowstone, the teeming hub of a human interstellar empire spanning many worlds. His current case: investigating a murderous attack against one of the habitats that left 900 people dead, a crime that appalls even a hardened cop like Dreyfus.
But then his investigation uncovers something far more serious than mass slaughter—a covert plot by an enigmatic entity who seeks nothing less than total control of the Glitter Band. Before long, the Panoply detectives are fighting against something worse than tyranny, in a struggle that will lead to more devastation and more death. And Dreyfus will discover that to save what is precious, you may have to destroy it. I thoroughly enjoyed this one – the only reason that it didn’t get a solid 10 is that the pacing in places is a tad slow. But Tom is a very sympathetic protagonist and the lead-up to this terrible plot with a background of some impressive tech is gripping and thoroughly entertaining. I’ll be tracking down the other books in this sci fi thriller series. 9/10
AUDIOBOOK – One Bad Witch – Book 6 of the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries series boxed set by Danielle Garrett Following six months of intense training under some of the country’s most skilled potion masters, Holly’s head is full to the brim.
When she’s offered a new assignment with the Supernatural Protection Agency, she jumps at the chance to take her newfound skills out of the workshop and into the real world. What she didn’t expect was to wind up tailing a suspected werewolf killer right in her own backyard. Literally.
When another werewolf turns up dead, Holly and her roommates are locked in a race against time and the killer might be even closer than they think. After a couple of quite intense reads, I wanted something a bit lighter – and so I returned to this urban fantasy world which I now know well and joined Holly for yet another magic-filled adventure. As ever, enjoyable with plenty of lighter moments in among the rising body count. 8/10
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
I loved Atwater’s Half a Soul – see my review – to the extent that I also tracked down the sequel, Ten Thousand Stitches, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. So when I spotted that this one was still on the Netgalley dashboard, despite The Witchwood Knot having been released back in November 2023, I immediately requested it. Unfortunately, circumstances conspired against my reading it as quickly as I’d intended. Nevertheless, I’ve now managed to get to it…
BLURB: 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?
REVIEW: Atwater grabbed me from the first page and wouldn’t let go in this Victorian gothic fantasy, complete with haunted house and family curse. Atwater herself provides a trigger warning for child kidnapping and historical child grooming, so I think it’s only fair to pass that warning on.
I love the character of Winnie, whose strong character pings off the page from the opening lines. She is brave, determined and clever, but with her own vulnerabilities that prevent her from becoming a Mary Sue. Her spiky relationship with the sharp-edged Mr Quincy is enjoyable and well done, as it gives the reader opportunities to learn a lot more about both characters, who begin to lower their barriers as they start to work together. I also enjoyed their developing friendship which didn’t hold up the pace.
Several enjoyable revelations along the way had me reading far later than I should to discover what happened next. One of the issues I often have with this sub-genre is that the tension created and the dreadful secrets hinted at can fall flat once we reach the denouement. This proved not to be a problem when all was revealed in this instance. I also liked the fact that the child who Winnie is battling to save isn’t a sweet little victim, but a snooty brat who is far too entitled for someone of his age. All in all, this is a thoroughly satisfying read I highly recommend for those who enjoy a Victorian gothic tale, complete with some nicely spooky paranormal twists. While I obtained an arc of The Witchwood Knot from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own. 9/10
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 really quiet, peaceful week – a healing week. The days are lengthening and despite bursts of torrential rain and rather bitter northerly breezes, Spring continues to spring in the garden, which is disgracefully weedy and overgrown. I’m hoping as the weather improves that this is the year I get to grips with it for the first time in three years. The pics below show the brave plants prepared to battle the weeds to make a showing – my favourite is the Amber Wave heuchera which is looking fabulous.
The boys went off to Cornwall with their Dad and sisters on Monday. By all accounts and the slew of pictures, they all had a wonderful time. They returned yesterday so everyone had a lovely break. Himself and I hadn’t appreciated just how much we’d needed a few days together, without being Papa and Gran, to just focus on ourselves and each other. Himself has been busy painting his models and looking forward to reorganising his Warhammer orc and goblin armies – it’s lovely to see his enthusiasm again. As for me, I spent a fair amount of the week sitting next to him, while writing the fifth book in the Picky Eaters series, Conclave of Dragons.
Books I’ve read this week: On the Horns of Death – Book 2 of the Ancient Crete Mystery series by Eleanor Kuhns Ancient Crete, 1450 BC. When young bull leaper Martis finds Duzi, the newest member of the bull leaping team, dead in the bull pen early one morning. Made to look like he met his end on the horns of the bull, it’s clear to Martis that this was no accident . . .
Martis once again finds herself thrown into a dangerous game of hunting down a murderer as the deaths start to mount. An old friend of Martis’ sister, and possible lover to Duzi, is the next person to be found dead, and Martis’ investigations lead her to believe love and jealousy are at the heart of these crimes against the Goddess.
Is someone targeting the bull leaping community? Or is there something else at play? With only the Shade of her sister Arge to confide in, Martis struggles to untangle the growing web of secrets which stretch around her. Without a doubt, the ancient Greek setting and details about Martis and her daily life is what stood out for me with this entertaining historical whodunit. I also really like the young protagonist. 8/10
About Time – Book 4 of the Time Police series by Jodi Taylor Patience is not a virtue known to the Time Police. And Commander Hay is facing the longest day of her life…
After their heroic efforts to safeguard the Acropolis and prevent the Paris Time-Stop, the Time Police have gone from zero to hero. Then one fateful mission to apprehend a minor criminal selling dodgy historical artefacts blows up in all their faces.
An officer is attacked within TPHQ. A prisoner is murdered. And investigations are about to lead to the one place where no officer can legally tread. Worst of all, trouble is brewing for Luke, Jane and Matthew as a shocking revelation threatens to tear Team Weird apart for good. No one else writes with quite the energy that Taylor brings to her books. Funny, full of action and often poignantly sad – they are always a roller-coaster read and this highly enjoyable offering is no exception. 9/10
AUDIOBOOK – Witch King by Martha Wells “I didn’t know you were a… demon.” “You idiot. I’m the demon.” Kai’s having a long day in Martha Wells’ Witch King…
After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.
But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence? Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions. He’s not going to like the answers. I’m not sure why the dialogue is included in the blurb – it makes it sound as if this book is funny, and it isn’t. While I enjoyed it, particularly the setting, I found Kai rather closed off and unlike the wonderful Murderbot, we aren’t in first-person viewpoint to be able to fully appreciate his character. However, I loved the world and the stakes and would happily read more about Kai and his adventures. 8/10
Terminal Uprising – Book 2 of the Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse series by Jim C. Hines Human civilization didn’t just fall. It was pushed.
The Krakau came to Earth in the year 2104. By 2105, humanity had been reduced to shambling, feral monsters. In the Krakau’s defense, it was an accident, and a century later, they did come back and try to fix us. Sort of.
It’s been four months since Marion “Mops” Adamopoulos learned the truth of that accident. Four months since she and her team of hygiene and sanitation specialists stole the EMCS Pufferfish and stopped a bioterrorism attack against the Krakau homeworld. Four months since she set out to find proof of what really happened on Earth all those years ago.
Between trying to protect their secrets and fighting the xenocidal Prodryans, who’ve been escalating their war against everyone who isn’t Prodryan, the Krakau have their tentacles full. Mops’ mission changes when she learns of a secret Krakau laboratory on Earth. A small group under command of Fleet Admiral Belle-Bonne Sage is working to create a new weapon, one that could bring victory over the Prodryans … or drown the galaxy in chaos.
To discover the truth, Mops and her rogue cleaning crew will have to do the one thing she fears most: return to Earth, a world overrun by feral apes, wild dogs, savage humans, and worse. (After all, the planet hasn’t been cleaned in a century and a half!) What Mops finds in the filthy ruins of humanity could change everything, assuming she survives long enough to share it. Perhaps humanity isn’t as dead as the galaxy thought. I love this series, which is very funny in places. Mops is a wonderful heroine and this adventure, set within the ruins of a vanished civilisation, is vividly depicted. I’m looking forward to getting hold of the final book in the series with mixed feelings as I’ve loved my time with the Pufferfish crew and would like more than just three books. 9/10
The Ward Witch – Book 1 of the Unholy Island series by Sarah Painter Mysterious, magical, and a little bit deadly… Welcome to Unholy Island.
Esme Gray runs the guest house and tends to the ethereal wards that protect the island. She’s sheltering from a terrible past and will do anything to stay safely hidden.
Luke Taylor has been searching for his missing twin for months, but has begun to believe that his brother might be dead. With his hope in tatters, a tip off leads him to a remote tidal island in the North Sea. It’s further out than the famous Holy Island, and far stranger.
Visitors shouldn’t be able to stay for more than two nights, so when Luke breaks this rule, the close-knit community is sent into turmoil. The residents of Unholy Island have secrets and they intend to keep them.
When Luke stumbles across one of the islanders dead on the shore, he finds himself under suspicion, made worse by his own troubles washing up on the tide.
Esme is drawn to Luke, but she doesn’t trust her own instincts. That’s not ideal for a witch — especially when there is a killer on the loose and a storm is rolling in… I’ve loved Painter’s Crow Investigations series and have read all the books so far. I was pleased to see the new series is set in the same world with the same interesting magical system. This book grabbed me from the first page and wouldn’t let go – Painter beautifully evokes the beauty and isolation of a magically hidden community. An outstanding start to a new series. 10/10
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow What if Mary Bennet’s life took a different path from that laid out for her in Pride and Prejudice? What if the frustrated intellectual of the Bennet family, the marginalized middle daughter, the plain girl who takes refuge in her books, eventually found the fulfillment enjoyed by her prettier, more confident sisters? This is the plot of The Other Bennet Sister, a debut novel with exactly the affection and authority to satisfy Austen fans.
Ultimately, Mary’s journey is like that taken by every Austen heroine. She learns that she can only expect joy when she has accepted who she really is. She must throw off the false expectations and wrong ideas that have combined to obscure her true nature and prevented her from what makes her happy. Only when she undergoes this evolution does she have a chance at finding fulfillment; only then does she have the clarity to recognize her partner when he presents himself—and only at that moment is she genuinely worthy of love. I absolutely loved this one. Hadlow provides us with a sensitive, intelligent young woman, who has been dismissed for her plain looks even as a child. Mary Bennet’s over-serious, pompous declarations throughout P & P are shown as her attempts to find a place within a family where beauty, wit and charm are prized above everything else. I loved this version of Austen’s classic and will be looking out for anything else by this author. 10/10
Back in 2017 – which now seems a very, very long time ago, I came across The Broken Ones by this author and recall what a gripping read it was – see my review. So when this one surfaced on Netgalley, I immediately requested it.
BLURB: Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.
Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.
Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.
REVIEW: Freya pings off the page right from the start of this one. Her simmering resentment at being married off to a pig of a man who treats her like a malfunctioning brood mare immediately claimed my sympathy. I loved her feisty attitude and raw courage, which she needs in spades. For she’s been “gifted” with a god-given power. And the reason I’ve put the word in quote-marks is that it’s far more of a curse. Small wonder her father desperately tried to hide her talent when it first manifested – because as soon as she demonstrates what she can do, Freya is scooped up from her life and once more forced into a loveless marriage with a domineering jarl who knows of a prophesy that the shield maiden will unite Skaland under a single king. And the jarl is determined to be that king.
Unsurprisingly, he isn’t the only person who realises that Freya’s talent will destabilise the entire area. So there are those who also want to kidnap and control her and just as many just want to see her dead, so the war and chaos caused by her very existence won’t come to pass. It’s a horrible situation – and Jensen does a good job in managing to avoid presenting Freya as a victim in the middle of this mess. I found this one difficult to put down as our plucky heroine tries to pick a way through the constantly changing situation and figure out who is the traitor who is informing Skaland’s enemies as to their movements.
There is also a love story unfolding in the middle of all the action and adventure, which leads to several steamy scenes, particularly near the end. I’ll be honest – I could have done without some of the detail. But I’m aware that it’s very much a matter of personal preference as to the heat factor in romances. Part of my quibble is that the genre convention with epic, God-based fantasy is not to have quite so much explicit sex. But I did welcome some of the snark and lighter interchanges between the couple, which helps to bring some welcome light relief to the violence and constant threat surrounding Freya.
Overall, I tore through this reasonably hefty read in two long sittings as I couldn’t tear myself away from Freya’s plight. There is a doozy of a twist near the end, which certainly sets up the next book to be even more tangled for poor Freya – and I’ll definitely be reading it. Very highly recommended for fans of character-led fantasy with lots of action and a strong setting. While I obtained an arc of A Fate Inked in Blood from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own. 9/10
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.
Last Sunday was Mothers Day and we celebrated as a family by getting together as a family at my lovely sister’s house. We were lucky that the rain held off during our journey there and back, as the roads are shocking. There are far too many deep potholes that could break a wheel or puncture a tyre, so we didn’t want them disguised at the bottom of a puddle. What we did notice was just how waterlogged the countryside is – there are floodings in areas where we’ve never seen standing water before. But it was absolutely worth it to be able to all get together and celebrate. My mother and father were there, as well as my nephews and my sister, her husband and son. Ethan couldn’t make it as he was working.
My sister, Marianne, provided a wonderful sit-down meal for everyone, including the annoying vegans (us!) which was delicious. The gathering was photographed by Himself and provides a lovely souvenir of a happy day. The other pics are signs of Spring – my rosemary is now in flower and the escallonia is now beginning to sprout leaves. Lovely to see the bright green begin to appear in the bushes along the side of the road.
On a more sombre note, on Friday it was my mother-in-law’s funeral. She was eighty-eight, afflicted with dementia and slipped away peacefully, so in many ways her ending was a relief as it could have been so much worse. But it is the end of an era, as my in-laws had lived in the same house for forty-seven years and had been the family hub. She was laid to rest at a Woodland burial site, just opposite my father-in-law. It’s a beautiful spot and she will have a flowering cherry tree planted over her grave.
My sister-in-law gave the eulogy and did a wonderful job summing up a kind-hearted lady with a strong community spirit, who faced up to her final illness with courage and cheerfulness. We stayed overnight, as neither of us wanted to do the journey there and back in a single day, so my mother and father took us out for meal on Friday evening. The boys accompanied us to the funeral and once more, were a wonderful support and great company. We returned home yesterday really tired. I’m hoping this year is going to get better sometime soon!
Books I’ve read this last week: To Cage a God – Book 1 of These Monstrous Gods series by Elizabeth May Using ancient secrets, Galina and Sera’s mother grafted gods into their bones. Bound to brutal deities and granted forbidden power no commoner has held in a millennia, the sisters have grown up to become living weapons. Raised to overthrow an empire―no matter the cost.
With their mother gone and their country on the brink of war, it falls to the sisters to take the helm of the rebellion and end the cruel reign of a royal family possessed by destructive gods. Because when the ruling alurea invade, they conquer with fire and blood. And when they clash, common folk burn.
While Sera reunites with her estranged lover turned violent rebel leader, Galina infiltrates the palace. In this world of deception and danger, her only refuge is an isolated princess, whose whip-smart tongue and sharp gaze threaten to uncover Galina’s secret. Torn between desire and duty, Galina must make a choice: work together to expose the lies of the empire―or bring it all down. This is basically a class struggle between the magically entitled alurea and the commoners who wait on them hand, foot and finger. Well written and engrossing.
A Fate Inked in Blood – Book 1 of the Saga of the Unfated by Danielle L. Jensen Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back. Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.
Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, strongly bonding with Freya from the first page. Review to follow.
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis Welcome to the Grand Abeona Hotel: home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. All year round it moves from planet to planet, system to system, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the milky way. The last word in sub-orbital luxury—and an absolute magnet for intrigue. Intrigues such as: Why are there love poems in the lobby inbox? How many Imperial spies are currently on board? What is the true purpose of the Problem Solver’s conference? And perhaps most pertinently—who is driving the ship?
Each guest has a secret, every member of staff a universe unto themselves. At the center of these interweaving lives and interlocking mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It’s the love of his life and the only place he’s ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl’s comprehension converge on the Abeona, he has to face one final question: when is it time to let go? This is an interesting read that turned into a page-turner… Review to follow.
Evernight – Book 1 of the Evernight series by Claudia Gray She’s been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn’t fit in.
Then she meets Lucas. He’s not the “Evernight type” either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him.
“I couldn’t stand it if they took it out on you,” he tells Bianca, “and eventually they would.”
But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can’t be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she’s ever believed. This is a Romeo and Juliet type romance set within a school for vampires. The main character is sympathetic and well depicted, while the story pacing is effective. Overall, I enjoyed this one – although I do feel the author is slightly guilty of keeping back a major detail for the sake of the narrative. 8/10
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.
This week has been a struggle. I think it’s a culmination of the emotional whirlwind of seeing my son and his girlfriend for the first time in nearly four years, coping with a heavy cold, and dealing with all the stuff around publishing my first book since 2020. The last of those factors is probably the key one – getting to grips with all the Marketing tasks around publishing a new book has been really stressful. All sorts of niggling things have gone slightly wrong – the biggest being problems around formatting the paperback. I think I’ve got that sorted now. But the upshot is that I’ve ended back in bed for three days this week with the all-too familiar symptoms of dizziness, nausea and exhaustion.
Thankfully, it’s been half term week so I haven’t had to worry about the school run and I’m feeling better today, so I’m hoping this Long Covid relapse is now behind me. Oscar travelled to see his brother at uni on Friday and they had a lovely time together. His birthday is coming up, so Ethan bought him a present and treated him to a meal.
As you can see from the photos, the weather has now changed. We’ve had bouts of torrential rain for most of the week. I’m so sorry for the poor folks in the Isle of Wight coping with being flooded out, yet again. And last night a mini-tornado hit Littlehampton, which ripped the roof off a house not too far away. The pics show the rain coming down – and my Elaeagnus has flowered for the very first time since we planted it twelve years ago. I’m guessing that it’s usually too cold for the flowers to appear – whereas this year the plant is smothered with these tiny waxy flowers.
Books I’ve read this week.
AUDIOBOOK – Quiver of Cobras – Book 2 of The Fractured Fairy series by Helen Harper Madrona might still not remember anything about her past, and she might be more of an evil villain than a fabulous super hero, but that doesn’t mean she can’t also be a super spy. With Rubus desperately searching for the magical dragon sphere which can return the faeries back to their homeland – and cause the apocalypse in this land – she doesn’t have much choice.
Someone with wit, intelligence and strength has to step up and save the world … and if that person happens to look super sexy while doing it then that’s just an added bonus. This is a delight. Madrona’s OTT posturing and announcements of her own superhero status are at once funny and also poignant, given the real circumstances that we’re discovering. Harper’s characterisation is funny and yet also tugs at the heartstrings. I’m thoroughly caught up in the story, so broke my usual habit of spacing out series and read the next one immediately. 9/10
AUDIOBOOK – Skulk of Foxes – Book 3 of The Fractured Fairy series by Helen Harper Madrona might still have amnesia and might yet prove to be a vicious murderess but that doesn’t mean she’s going to quit being a heroine just yet. However, while she might be prepared to go to any lengths to stop Rubus from triggering Armageddon, it’s equally possible that the world will end as a result of her actions too.
Manchester is experiencing terrifying surges in magic which are causing all sorts of chaotic events to occur. With a dragon, several werewolves and a host of faeries by her side, there is still a thread of hope. Typically, I’d already read the City of Magic series without realising it was a spinoff series from this entertaining and funny urban fantasy offering. And only realised it about halfway through this book – I blame it on the brain fog! Madrona is definitely a Marmite character – you’ll either love her bits and think her hilarious. Or get increasingly fed up with her extravagant pronouncements and headlong recklessness. Usually, I fall into the latter camp, but for some reason I became ridiculously fond of this quirky character early on and even her dafter stunts didn’t frustrate me. I was genuinely sorry that this was the last book in this series, but was delighted Harper ends it so satisfactorily. 10/10
Earth Retrograde – Book 2 of the First Planet series by R.W.W. Greene The United Nations is working to get everyone off Earth by the deadline – set by the planet’s true owners, the aliens known as the First. It’s a task made somewhat easier by a mysterious virus that rendered at least fifty percent of humanity unable to have children. Meanwhile, the USA and the USSR have set their sights on Mars, claiming half a planet each.
Brooklyn Lamontagne doesn’t remember saving the world eight years ago, but he’s been paying for it ever since. The conquered Earth governments don’t trust him, the Average Joe can’t make up their mind, but they all agree that Brooklyn should stay in space. Now, he’s just about covering his bills with junk-food runs to Venus and transporting horny honeymooners to Tycho aboard his aging spaceship, the Victory.
When a pal asks for a ride to Mars, Brooklyn lands in a solar system’s worth of espionage, backroom alliances, ancient treasures and secret plots while encountering a navigation system that just wants to be loved… This intriguing duology has a really smart, clever ending that also plays nicely with the title. Review to follow.
My Cousin Skinny – Book 5 of the Jersey Girl Legal Mystery series by E.J. Copperman An uncomfortable weekend awaits LA family lawyer Sandy Moss when she makes her way to her hometown in New Jersey for the wedding of her cousin Stephanie, sweetly nicknamed Skinny. Uncomfortable, because Sandy is not really looking forward to seeing her family, but at least her boyfriend, Hollywood movie star Patrick McNabb, is by her side.
However, if Sandy thought a weekend with her criticising mother and aggravating sister was bad, she definitely wasn’t prepared for the rehearsal event at the wedding venue! When Skinny enters the room, all eyes are on her and her beautiful party dress . . . covered in blood, with a knife in her hand.
Skinny says she didn’t do it. But with dozens of wedding guests witnessing her dramatic entrance, the question of who killed the corpse in the kitchen seems an easy one to answer – and an equally easy court case to lose. I’ve become a solid fan of Sandy’s dry wit and watching her negotiate her prickly relations provided a highly entertaining backdrop to a nicely twisty murder mystery. Review to follow.
AUDIOBOOK – Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells Every year in the great Temple City of Duvalpore, the image of the Wheel of the Infinite must be painstakingly remade to ensure another year of peace and harmony for the Celestial Empire. Every hundred years the sacred rite takes on added significance. For it is then that the very fabric of the world must be rewoven. Linked by the mystic energies of the Infinite, the Wheel and world are one. Should the holy image be marred, the world will suffer a similar injury. But a black storm is spreading across the Wheel. Every night the Voices of the Ancestors-the Wheel’s constructors and caretakers-brush the darkness away and repair the damage with brightly colored sands and potent magic. Each morning the storm reappears, bigger and darker than before, unraveling the beautiful and orderly patterns.
With chaos in the wind, a woman with a shadowy past has returned to Duvalpore. A murderer and traitor-an exile disgraced, hated, and feared, and haunted by her own guilty conscience – Maskelle has been summoned back to help put the world right. I absolutely loved Maskelle – and found the first four-fifths of this one stunningly good. While the final fifth isn’t bad, I felt the final act was not quite up there with the rest of the book. Which is why this one hasn’t received a ten from me. But it was mightily close and is certainly worth reading or listening to. 9/10
I loved Jacka’s Alex Verus series – although it did get depressingly dark near the end. But what made it stand out from the rest was the interesting and layered way Jacka depicted someone who could see into the future. And the fact that Alex could only really be accurate for about thirty seconds in a fight, because branching possibilities after that meant the future timeline became so very entangled. It was so cool and plausible. See my reviews of Fated (Book 1), Veiled (Book 6), Burned (Book 7), Bound (Book 8), Fallen (Book 10), Forged (Book 11) and Risen (Book 12). So when I saw that An Inheritance of Magic, the start of a new series, was available – I jumped at the chance of reading it.
BLURB: The wealthy seem to exist in a different, glittering world from the rest of us. Almost as if by… magic.
Stephen Oakwood is a young man on the edge of this hidden world. He has talent and potential, but turning that potential into magical power takes money, opportunity, and training. All Stephen has is a minimum wage job and a cat.
But when a chance encounter with a member of House Ashford gets him noticed by the wrong people, Stephen is thrown in the deep end. For centuries, the vast corporations and aristocratic Houses of the magical world have grown impossibly rich and influential by hoarding their knowledge. To survive, Stephen will have to take his talent and build it up into something greater—for only then can he beat them at their own game.
REVIEW: It didn’t take me all that long to get through this one – not because it’s a particularly short book, at 384 pages, it isn’t. But because I simply couldn’t put it down. Right from the beginning, I was firmly on Stephen’s side. Jacka writes put-upon young heroes well, though Stephen is less hard-edged than Alex Verus. But then Stephen has been brought up by a loving father, whereas Alex spent his childhood in the clutches of a highly abusive, power-crazed mage.
Though Stephen has had a hard time of it. His father suddenly disappears when he is eighteen, leaving him destitute. He manages to get by bumping along the bottom of the economic ladder with a series of dead-end, poorly paid jobs, while still studying drucraft – the form of magic that is used in the urban fantasy backdrop, set in contemporary England. As Stephen gets caught up with the Ashfords, a great deal of the story is taken up by his desperate attempts to garner more magical power and skill, without having any lessons. His innate magical ability isn’t particularly strong – but he has talents that give him options to manufacture some defences – he hopes.
Because he’s all too well aware that his first encounter with House Ashford won’t be the last – and he’s determined to get to a point where he can begin to fight back. This is truly a David and Goliath struggle – and I love the fact that Stephen doesn’t go looking for trouble, but does his very best to hunker down and keep himself safe. Because it tends to fray my sympathy when our clearly underpowered, untutored protagonist decides to plunge headlong into a confrontation s/he can’t possibly win – which happens far too often for the sake of the plot in SFF.
In addition to having a really strong, sympathetic protagonist narrating his story in first person, what also sets this book apart is the highly detailed and complex magical system. Again, Jacka has been clever in how he delivers all the information regarding the magic to his readers. We care about it, because Stephen spends his time trying to build some magical defences for the next time a certain van with tinted windows draws up in his street.
I couldn’t put it down. Though I give due warning – Jacka leaves this one with a doozy of a cliff-hanger (think of Novik’s ending of A Deadly Education) so I’m desperate for the next book in the series. And I’ve come away with something of a book hangover. All in all, this is one of the reads of the year for me and comes very highly recommended for urban fantasy fans. Or any kind of fantasy, really – give it a whirl. While I obtained an arc of An Inheritance of Magic 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 – An Inheritance of Magic – Book 1 of the Stephen Oakwood series by Benedict Jacka – release date – 5th October, 2023
#urban fantasy #troubled hero #cat #magic
BLURB: Stephen Oakwood is a young man on the edge of this hidden world. He has talent and potential, but turning that potential into magical power takes money, opportunity, and training. All Stephen has is a minimum wage job and a cat.
But when a chance encounter with a member of House Ashford gets him noticed by the wrong people, Stephen is thrown in the deep end. For centuries, the vast corporations and aristocratic Houses of the magical world have grown impossibly rich and influential by hoarding their knowledge. To survive, Stephen will have to take his talent and build it up into something greater—for only then can he beat them at their own game.
I thoroughly enjoyed Benedict Jacka’s Alex Verus series – see my reviews of Fated (Book 1), Veiled (Book 6), Burned (Book 7), Bound (Book 8), Fallen (Book 10), Forged (Book 11) and Risen (Book12). so when Tammy featured this one on her fabulous blog, Books, Bones and Buffy, I immediately requested it. I’ve actually started reading it – it’s due out tomorrow as you can see – and I’m loving it. The magic system is detailed and clever and I’d happily adopt young Stephen tomorrow, if I could.
Brainfluff 