SUNDAY POST – 26th May, 2024 #Brainfluffbookblog #SundayPost

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.

Thank you everyone for your kind concern regarding the family’s illnesses last week. I’m delighted to be able to report that everyone has managed to make a full recovery, though Mum is still feeling very washed out. But it’s a huge relief that it wasn’t worse. And I didn’t catch Himself’s nasty cold, either.

The presentation on Nonsense Verse that I gave at the Swanbourne Poets’ meeting on Monday went off okay. Though I messed up at the end, as I’d muddled the timings and therefore didn’t give everyone enough time to write, which was a shame.

The writing is still going well. I’m still managing to keep my momentum going with writing Conclave of Dragons, the fifth book in the Picky Eaters’ series. And I’m also working on an adaptation of Picky Eaters into an audio presentation with my son, which is a lot of fun. I’m on track for May to be the month with my biggest writing wordcount since I got sick in March 2021.

I haven’t been out much this week. Tuesday and Wednesday were wet – Wednesday, in particular, the rain just kept pelting down. But Thursday, Friday and Saturday were lovely and sunny.

I keep threatening to bother the weeds in the garden, which have been allowed to thrive undisturbed since I got sick in March 2021. As a result, the garden has gone feral, as you can see from the photos. We are replacing the potting shed, which has rotted out, so we’ll need to do something about the jungle-like vegetation, although right now I’m considering the phrase ‘rewilding’ with some affection… To be honest, I a bit overwhelmed by it all. I thought I’d share the photos and chart our progress in reclaiming it over the summer. Or the summer and autumn. Or the next couple of years…

Books I’ve read this last week:

AUDIOBOOK – Demon Born Magic – Book 2 of the Ella Grey series by Jayne Faith

In her battle against demon assassins, Ella Grey pulled too much power and it nearly killed her. To save her, Damien and Deb had to cut Ella off from her magic. Desperate to rescue her brother from the vampires but powerless to help him, Ella must find a way to control the reaper that’s nearly gnawed through her soul and get her magic back.

When madman and necromancer Phillip Zarella offers her a solution, it’s too tempting to pass up. But making a deal with the devil always has consequences. And worse, Ella discovers that her brother is the prize in a tug-of-war between Zarella, tycoon Jacob Gregori, and the all-powerful mages. She needs every advantage she can scrape together, or she’ll lose her brother forever.
I’m really enjoying this urban fantasy series. Ella is a sympathetic, nuanced protagonist and I like that she’s driven by a sense of responsibility towards her younger brother. This twisty plot had me listening later into the night than I should to discover what happens next. 9/10

An Intrigue of Witches – Book 1 of the Secret Society Mystery series by Esme Addison

Thirty-year-old Black woman Sidney Taylor is a talented early American historian, working in fast-paced Washington DC, with her eyes on promotion. She’s also currently persona non grata. Who knew that making an inconvenient historical discovery would see her stuck at her desk, shuffling paper?

So when she receives an anonymous and very cryptic invitation to visit historic small-town Robbinsville, North Carolina and hunt for a missing archaeological treasure – with a million-dollar pay out at stake – it’s one she can’t refuse. Besides, her beloved grandmother lives in Robbinsville, and it’s been too long since she’s paid her a visit. Soon, Sidney’s on an exciting treasure hunt, following two-hundred-year-old clues that lead her ever closer to the artefact she’s searching for. But what is the artefact? And why is Sidney starting to feel like she’s at the heart of a terrifying conspiracy she doesn’t understand?

The answer blows Sidney’s world apart, plunging her into a dark, glittering world of secret societies, ancient bloodlines, witches and magic, linked to an ages-old conspiracy that could destroy the very principles upon which America was founded.
This is a real roller-coaster plot that starts off more as a series of historical clues to puzzle out, before the paranormal aspect begins to surface. I really like Sidney, who is a sympathetic and clever protagonist. And Addison does a great job of weaving actual myths and historical personalities into her thriller. Review to follow.

Stolen Pieces by S.K. Golden

Ex-con artist Bee Cardello is going legit. Divorced from her mafia boss husband, she is determined to stay on the straight and narrow. So, when ex-hubby Charlie steals $37. 5 million from a dangerous kingpin, who puts out a hit on Bee and her ten-year-old son Oliver, she finds herself pulled back into the life she’s worked so hard to escape.

Part of that old life being one Adam Gage – an old flame and all-round sexy badass who Charlie’s now employed to keep her and Oliver safe . . . well, that’s what he tells her. Bee has been in this game long enough to know that everyone is in it for themselves, and she’d be stupid to trust Adam . . . again.

When Oliver is snatched from right under their noses, rather than risk losing him forever, Bee gathers her old team, dusts off all her old grifting tricks, and comes out of retirement to get her son back!
This is a suitably twisty plot with all sorts of double-crosses and violent exchanges going down over Charlie’s daft impulse to steal an insane amount of money from an underworld boss. Bee has to pull out all the stops to try and prevent her whole family from being murdered. Review to follow.

AUDIOBOOK – Red Angel – Book 4 of the Bo Blackman Boxed Set series by Helen Harper

With the dust still settling from the brutal attack on the Agathos court and Rogu3’s school, Bo Blackman is forced to live with her newfound status as a celebrity. She’s still determined, however, to track down those responsible – and to solve the mystery of Tobias Renfrew, the daemon billionaire who disappeared over fifty years ago. Her investigations will lead her to places as far removed as a military base and the sinister Black Market.

One thing is for sure – once Bo’s done, nothing will ever be the same again.

This series is now really in the groove – nothing quite beats the sense of familiarity and nuances you get from a well-written, established series as the plot rolls forward. I enjoyed touching base with Bo again, but also appreciated how the secondary characters are also changing by the events that rain down. The heart of this one is a grim tale of greed and betrayal. And there’s a shocking twist right at the end that’ll have me tucking into the fifth book in the series before too long. 9/10

My posts last week:

Castellan and His Wise Draconic Tips on Life

*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of AUDIO NETGALLEY arc Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea – Book 1 of the Tomes and Tea Cosy Fantasies by Rebecca Thorne

Can’t-Wait-Wednesday featuring Hera by Jennifer Saint

Sunday Post – 19th May 2024

Hope you, too, had some brilliant books to tuck into and wishing you all a happy, healthy week😊.

*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of INDIE arc The Hidden Face – Book 1 of The Fifth Unmasking series by S.C. Flynn

This puzzle-driven epic fantasy was offered to me by the author as I had read and reviewed his debut novel Children of the Different. Would this one impress me as much?

A face without a face – an unmasking that leaves the mask. Once every few hundred years the sun god, the Akhen, takes on human form and descends to earth. Each Unmasking of the Face of the Akhen ends one era and begins another; the last one created the Faustian Empire. Where and when will the Face next appear, and who will he – or she – be?

Dayraven, son of a great hero, returns to Faustia after years as a hostage of their rivals, the Magians. Those years have changed him, but Faustia has changed as well; the emperor Calvo now seems eccentric and is controlled by one of Dayraven’s old enemies. Following the brutal murder of his old teacher, Dayraven is drawn, together with a female warrior named Sunniva, into the search for an ancient secret that would change the fate of empires.

I liked both protagonists, Dayraven in particular. In common with a lot of high-born children, he has been sent to a neighbouring kingdom as surety for good behaviour and brought up in their court. But while he expected to return home within a handful of years, he has to wait a lot longer before returning home to discover all is changed – and not in a good way. Flynn’s unfussy writing style quickly drew me into the story as Dayraven finds out just who his enemies are, while he hurries to meet up with his former tutor and mentor.

And from then, the story nocks up another notch and we are whisked along with Dayraven, who begins to appreciate there is a lot more at stake than Emperor Calvo’s current mental confusion. Once he encounters Sunniva and they form a team, they begin to try to unpick the trail of clues left behind by the two guardians of these vital secrets. Together, they manage to uncover part of the mystery – but a number of formidable antagonists are in close pursuit.

I have seen this book rated as YA – do be aware that while the puzzle-solving aspect may appeal to teens, this one isn’t suitable for a younger age-group. I would not be happy to discover my thirteen-year-old granddaughter reading it as there is a fair amount of sexual content, including a rather explicit sex scene.

Other than that concern, I enjoyed this one. I particularly appreciated the depiction of the antagonists as we discover their motives and why they are trying to find out where the Fifth Unmasking will take place. This works well in powering the story forward as the reader is left in no doubt as to what will happen should the secrets fall into the wrong hands.

The storyline comes to a climactic denouement with plenty of action and drama that had the pages turning and bringing this particular slice of the adventure to a satisfactory close – though there are several major plotpoints left dangling as the story evidently will be continued in the next book. Recommended for epic fantasy fans with a taste for arcane mysteries embedded within the worldbuilding.
8/10

Sunday Post – 19th November 2017

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 beginning to sound like a cracked record… yes – you’ve guessed it – it was another busy week… Oscar’s party last Sunday evening was delightful – it was lovely watching him discuss all his Lego projects and watch him open his presents and card.

I was teaching Monday and Tuesday – both Creative Writing courses for the Spring term at Northbrook are now full and the Summer term for my Monday course is also full with a waiting list. On Wednesday, as J was also off work, we had lunch at The Arun View with my sister – it was lovely to see her fit enough to go out and about again. On Thursday evening I popped over to do a rehearsal session with a couple of the actors in Tim’s film for a crucial, rather emotional film and then onwards to Writing Group. Though none of us had any writing… Still, it was lovely to catch up with everyone and talk through our various projects, though I’m now wondering why the idiot wearing my body thought it a good idea to bring out Dying for Space this side of Christmas.

On Friday I was teaching again – and then I spent the evening at my sister’s putting the world to rights as she cooked us a delicious meal. On Saturday we were back together again as we went up to The George at Burpham and had a lovely meal with Mum and Dad to celebrate their upcoming wedding anniversary – 45 years – what an achievement! Afterwards, I drove over to Lancing to pick up the grandchildren. Oscar is returning home this evening, but as Frances has an INSET day, she will be returning home on Monday evening.

Today, Frances and I have been in the middle of Bognor, filming the final scenes for Tim’s film which we have now finally finished. It’s been great fun, but the sense of relief that the filming phase is now over is huge… I cannot get over the weather today after the cold, rainy Saturday we endured – as with every single filming day we have done, it has been bright and sunny all day.

This week I have read:

A Plague of Giants – Book 1 of the Seven Kennings series by Kevin Hearne
In the city of Pelemyn, Fintan the bard takes to the stage to tell what really happened the night the giants came . . . From the east came the Bone Giants, from the south, the fire-wielding Hathrim – an invasion that sparked war across the six nations of Teldwen. The kingdom’s only hope is the discovery of a new form of magic that calls the world’s wondrous beasts to fight by the side of humankind.
I really enjoyed this one, once I got used to the unusual structure, where the bard relives the experiences of all eleven protagonists – it’s a nifty way to handle a large cast and mostly worked. I shall be reviewing this one in due course.

The Hidden Face – Book 1 of the Fifth Unmasking series by S.C. Flynn
A face without a face – an unmasking that leaves the mask. Once every few hundred years the sun god, the Akhen, takes on human form and descends to earth. Each Unmasking of the Face of the Akhen ends one era and begins another; the last one created the Faustian Empire. Where and when will the Face next appear, and who will he – or she – be?
Dayraven, son of a great hero, returns to Faustia after years as a hostage of their rivals, the Magians. Those years have changed him, but Faustia has changed as well; the emperor Calvo now seems eccentric and is controlled by one of Dayraven’s old enemies. Following the brutal murder of his old teacher, Dayraven is drawn, together with a female warrior named Sunniva, into the search for an ancient secret that would change the fate of empires.
This intriguing epic fantasy is full of ancient riddles designed to ensure that the powerful secrets surrounding the rite of the Unmasking stays safely away from those who would abuse the power. That’s the theory, anyway. This time around there are a whole bunch of people who will stop at nothing to get hold of those secrets – and only two people who have the correct training to be able to unlock the elaborate codes and puzzles surrounding them…

My posts last week:

Sunday Post – 12th November, 2017

Review of Whirligig: Keeping the Promise – Book 1 of Shire’s Union by Richard Buxton

Teaser Tuesday featuring A Plague of Giants – Book 1 of the Seven Kennings series by Kevin Hearne

Can’t-Wait Wednesday featuring The River Keepers by Michael F. Stewart

*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang

Friday Face-off – Snap! – featuring The Dark Mirror – Book 1 of the Bridei Chronicles by Juliet Marillier

*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of Artemis by Andy Weir

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

Worlds to Visit – https://navigatingworldsblog.wordpress.com/2017/11/16/worlds-to-visit/ 
This entertaining blog considers various science fiction and fantasy world Mr N would love to vacation at… Has he included your favourites?

Writing Nameless Things: An Interview with Ursula K. LeGuin –  https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/writing-nameless-things-an-interview-with-ursula-k-le-guin/  What a wonderful opportunity to hear the thoughts of one of the legends in the genre…

10 of the Best Poems About Hair – https://interestingliterature.com/2017/11/15/10-of-the-best-poems-about-hair/ And at least one of these isn’t talking about the hair you’d think…

5 New Science Books to Look Out For https://librarystaffpicks.wordpress.com/2017/11/15/5-new-science-books-to-watch-out-for/ Another useful list of books from this award-winning library site

Book Nerds Don’t Get Old… https://powerfulwomenreaders.wordpress.com/2017/11/14/book-nerds-dont-get-old/  And I couldn’t agree more with this nifty quote featuring a stack of books😊

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