Five 5-Star Books in Five Words – Twice Over #five5-starbooksin5wordsx2 #BrainfluffWyrdandWonderChallenge2020

The aim of this one is to select five of your all-time favourite books and sum each one up in five words as part of this year’s Wyrd and Wonder challenges. I read this fun challenge on one of my fellow blogger’s site (sorry – I made a note of who it was, then lost it…) and decided that I really, really wanted to have a bash at it. Then Himself also wanted a go and so I’ve added his choices, too.

My Selection

 

Among Others by Jo Walton
Battle-scarred schoolgirl seeking solace.
See review…

 

How to Train Your Dragon – Book 1 of the How To Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell
Naughty dragon trains small Viking.
See review…

 

Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Heroic quest – or is it?
See review…

 

Small Gods – Book 13 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett
Pratchett does religion. Profound silliness.

 

The Fifth Season – Book 1 of The Broken Earth series by N.K. Jemisin
Mother’s mission – rescue her daughter.
See review…

Himself’s Selection

 

Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkein
The first, greatest epic fantasy

 

The Curse of Chalion – Book 1 of the World of the Five Gods series by Lois McMaster Bujold
Tattered hero dies three times.

 

Night Watch – Book 29 of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett
Vimes’ timeloop saves his family.

 

Furies of Calderon – Book 1 of the Codex Alera by Jim Butcher
Powerless hero surviving powerful world.

 

Dead Heat – Book 4 of the Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs
Ancient werewolf visits old friend.

*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of KINDLE Ebook Burn Bright – Book 5 of the Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs

Himself is a real fan of Patricia Briggs and pounced on this latest instalment of her werewolf urban fantasy series with glee. I idly opened it up, read the first couple of the pages – and was caught…

They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok’s pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm. With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf–but can’t stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills–his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker–to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn…

I make a habit of crashing into series out of order as anyone who has spent any time reading my reviews knows. Mostly, I manage to work out what is happening without too much difficulty, but I can’t deny that it sometimes causes a bit of confusion at the beginning of the book. Not this time, though. Immediately Briggs pulled me into the action so at no stage was I floundering, which demonstrates a great deal of skill, given this is the fifth book in the series. Of course, I was aware there was a hefty backstory and some of the previous events were mentioned, which has certainly whetted my appetite to read more about these engaging characters.

And it is all about the characters. I loved both Charles and Anna, so very different and yet so suited. I also enjoyed reading about the jockeying for position and the pinsharp awareness of their ranking within the pack and how that balances with the human side of their character. I’ve read one or three werewolf stories in my time, each with its own take on how the blend of wolf and human works, and this was a dynamic I particularly enjoyed. I also liked the fact that despite this is a world where lives are invariably lost – they matter. Near the beginning one of the deaths really winded me – I had expected that it was going to be alright and this particular character, whom I’d really liked, would prevail. It was a shock when it didn’t.

Another of Briggs’ skills is her ability to write broken, desperate characters with compassion and empathy. Some of the oldest fae and werewolves are overwhelmed by the weight of years and bloody experiences they have endured and are too dangerous to live in the socially supercharged atmosphere of the Pack. Briggs doesn’t just tell us how dangerous and unpredictable they are – her demonstrations of their lethal oddness had me reading waaay later into the night than I should have done.

As for the climax and solution – the risk is when I’m so thoroughly invested in a story so early on, I’ll find that the ending doesn’t quite live up to my expectations. This wasn’t an issue here – there was another surprising twist near the end that certainly changed everything once again. And then again, when another twist superseded that one… The conclusion tied up most of the plot points, leaving a major one dangling in the breeze, ready for the sixth book in the series. I’ll definitely be reading that one – and before that – I’ll also be backtracking and reading more about these charismatic, engaging characters in the meantime.

Highly recommended for fans of quality urban fantasy.
10/10

Sunday Post – 25th March, 2018

This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books and blogs they have written.

I’m a day late with this as on Saturday evening my sister was admitted to hospital. She is still there under observation and recovering. As we also had the children staying over, it was a difficult time and yesterday there simply wasn’t space to post – and frankly it wasn’t on my list of priorities…

Thank goodness, no snow this week! For which I’m very grateful, though it hasn’t been all that warm, either… Last Sunday, I decided I was within touching distance of the end of the major rewrite of Miranda’s Tempest and given I didn’t have headspace for anything else, I just went for it. It turns out that I wasn’t as close as I thought, because I finally got to type THE END at 4.30 am on Monday morning. This was a really stupid move on my part, because I was teaching on Monday morning and in the evening until 9 pm, so there wasn’t much opportunity to catch up on my lost sleep. Indeed, I’ve been suffering from the effects of that missed night’s sleep for most of the week – tinnitus… buzzy… bad memory… sugar cravings… It’s easy to be wise after the event, because the novel was literally driving me crazy – though now I’ve a completed manuscript, I can now get a better feel of exactly where I want it to go and where to push the focus.

On Wednesday after Pilates and Fitstep, my sister, Himself and I had lunch together and arranged that as we were travelling to Ringwood on Thursday to visit my in-laws, we’d give my sister a lift so she could visit Mum, who lives less than ten minutes away from Himself’s parents. We had a lovely day visiting them, though the wind was bitterly cold in Fordingbridge where we had lunch – at least it didn’t rain. On Friday, we collected the grandchildren in the afternoon and in the evening Frances and I went over to see the first rough cut of Hoodwinked as Tim is in the last stages of editing it – a massive achievement. I was so very impressed with the way he’s put it together. There is something wonderful about the energy and strong emotional story, which the constant comedy running through the dialogue that had me laughing out loud more than once, despite editing the script and helping with the directing. On Saturday, we took Tim with us to see A Wrinkle in Time at the cinema, which we all enjoyed. While the story was somewhat predictable, what salvaged this for me was the quality of the performances, particularly by the children.

This week I have read:

The Cold Between – Book 1 of the Central Corps series by Elizabeth Bonesteel
Commander Elena Shaw is in dire need of shore leave and has tagged along with her firm friend Jessica to a bar that was recommended as ideal for visitors wanting a bit of fun, yet off the tourist trail. But when it comes to it – she finds she would rather be back on board and is just considering leaving, when an intriguing man starts to talk to her. A man that snags her interest, to the extent that she is able to ignore the fact that he is wearing the wrong uniform…
Don’t read the blurb as it gives away far too many of the main plot points in the first quarter of the story – I’ve made up my own. What I would add is that despite that opener – this isn’t primarily a romance, it’s a space opera adventure, though there is a romantic thread running through it. It’s also great fun and highly recommended.

 

Burn Bright – Book 6 of the Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Brigg

They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok’s pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm. With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf–but can’t stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills–his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker–to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn…
I loved this one – and what really impressed me is that without having read any of the others in the series, I was able to pick up the book and immediately get drawn into the world. And it was a thoroughly enjoyable adventure, too…

My posts last week:

Sunday Post – 18h March 2018

Review of Virology – Book 2 of the Shock Pao series by Ren Warom

Teaser Tuesday featuring Burn Bright – Book 6 of the Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs

Can’t-Wait Wednesday featuring Breach of Containment – Book 3 of the Central Corps series by Elizabeth Bonesteel

Review of The Stone Sky – Book 3 of The Broken Earth series by N.K. Jemisin

Friday Face-off – Be a tower firmly set… featuring The Black Tower – Book 6 of the Adam Dalgliesh series by P.D. James

2018 Shoot for the Moon Challenge – February roundup

Interesting/outstanding blogs and articles that have caught my attention during the last week, in no particular order:

A woman’s work is never done, so why bother? https://blogging807.wordpress.com/2018/03/21/a-womans-work-is-never-done-so-why-bother/ This is a philosophy that I thoroughly subscribe to – be warned if you are inclined to visit…

Badass Book Smugglers – a historical reality? http://avalinahsbooks.space/discussion-badass-book-smugglers-historical-reality/ I loved reading this amazing story of resistance and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.

80 Years of Caldecott Winners https://jenniefitzkee.com/2018/03/19/80-years-of-caldecott-winners/ This impressive list of outstanding children’s books is worth a visit, even if there aren’t any small people in your life requiring the written word…

Birds of the Far South (Pt.II) https://charlesfrenchonwordsreadingandwriting.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/bird-of-the-far-south-pt-ii/ For the bird lovers among you – or those that appreciate a wonderful photograph.

Have a great week and thank you very much for taking the time and trouble to visit, like and comment on my site.

Teaser Tuesday – 20th March, 2018

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my choice of the day:

Burn Bright – Book 6 of the Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs

26% Charles frowned. “Both of us left our cell phones at home. They’re in the office – you can check to see if he called.”
“We know, we did. And there’s been nothing. We were hoping that maybe he’d gotten in touch the other way.”
If something had happened to his phone, Bran could talk to his pack mind to mind. He couldn’t hear them in return, but it was still a handy thing.
“No.” And wasn’t that odd? And unlike Bran. Almost as unlike Bran as taking a vacation in Africa.

BLURB: They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok’s pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm.

With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf–but can’t stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills–his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker–to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn…

Yep. I’m up to my old tricks – starting a series right in the wrong place. But so far, this has been a marvellous read. It started with a bang and hasn’t let up so far. I’m looking forward to tucking into the rest of it very soon.

Review of *NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Kindle EBOOK of Fire Touched Book 9 of the Mercy Thompson series

Himself is a solid fan of this series and had pre-ordered this book, though I had slightly lost touch with this supernatural urban fantasy adventure since the early days – see my review of Blood Bound here. Has this long-running series run out of steam?

Tensions between the fae and humans are coming to a head. And when coyote shapeshifter Mercy and her Alpha werewolf mate, Adam, are called upon to stop a rampaging troll, they find themselves with something that could be used to make the fae back down and forestall out-and-out war: a human child stolen long ago by the fae. Defying the most powerful werewolf in the country, the humans and the fae, Mercy, Adam and their pack choose to protect the boy no matter what the cost. But who will protect them from a boy who is fire touched?

The story hits the ground running and whisked me straight back into Mercy’s world with a deftness that always wins me over. Though this time around, she is happily married to Adam – a huge improvement on the romantic shilly-shallying that was going on in the earlier books. Depicting a solidly happy marriage in a long-running series is trickier than it might seem, but I reckon Briggs has nailed this one. I like the strong bond between them that didn’t descend into unrealistic treacle. Not that they have all that much time to stare meaningfully into each others’ eyes…

It all kicks off very fast and the threat continues to ramp up, as Mercy’s impulsive drive to protect a frightened refugee leaves the pack very exposed and Adam with some hard choices. It goes without saying that there are a whole cast of strong, enjoyable characters who also feature in the mayhem. My two favourites are Zee, the grumpy Fae smith with a galaxy-sized chip on his shoulder and Baba Yaga – Briggs’ version of this famous Russian witch is enjoyable.

As well as providing entertaining characters, Briggs excels at unspooling the action. She understands that in order for the big, crashing climaxes to really work, we also need quieter moments to reflect exactly what is going and just how high the stakes are being raised. And scenes that tip into farce can also provide much-needed light relief. I really enjoyed these.

I had expected to be whisked away into the another of mischief and mayhem – it’s why I’m a fan of speculative fiction – what I hadn’t anticipated from the ninth book in the series, was the same chirpy insouciance that was apparent in the earlier novels. It is a given that as a series progress, the initial light-heartedness inevitably fades away as the stakes are gradually raised ever higher. But episodes like the rescue of Sherwood Post from the top of a crane and the spatula smack in the kitchen made me grin and kept all the life and death stuff from getting too heavy.

That said, was the final denouement sufficiently satisfying? Oh yes. There were still a few twists to keep it exciting and plenty of drama, while I have a hunch that Mercy and the pack will be dealing with some of the fallout from this business in the future. In short, this was a blast. If you like urban fantasy with a feisty heroine and werewolf action, then it doesn’t get better than this.
10/10