Friday Face Off : Sunbathing or on the beach
27 August 2021
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Alex garland, Books by Proxy, Friday Face off, The Beach
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers. The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book (this doesn’t have to be a book that you’ve read), compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Future’s themes are listed below – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme. I’ve also listed events that take place during the year, that I’m aware of, so you can link up your covers – if you’re aware of any events that you think I should include then give me a shout.
This week’s theme:
Sunbathing or on the beach
This week I’ve gone for a book that I read a long time ago and loved. It was recommended to me by a colleague who to a large degree, without doubt, swayed my reading tastes and definitely influenced my future reading, The Beach by Alex Garland. I loved this book, a lot more than the movie (NGL) but regardless of that here is a very small selection of the covers.:
I have chosen only three covers that fit with the theme and out of these three I’m going for the cover below, simply because it has a face with an undoubtedly scared expression, which at the same time is the outline of a beach. I think it’s a clever use of space and particularly the way the footsteps look like teardrops:
Do you have a favourite?
I’ve updated the list now to include themes for next year. If you know of an event that’s coming up let me know and I’ll try and include covers that work for the event itself so that you can link up to the Friday Face Off and, as always, if you wish to submit an idea then leave me a comment – or if you’d like to host a week then simply let me know. Also, I would just mention that it’s very possible that some of these might be repeats from previous FFOs although I have tried to invent more ‘open ended’ prompt that can be interpreted differently and also prompts that relate to emotions. Finally, don’t struggle with any of these, this is meant to be a fun way of highlighting books. If you can’t come up with a book you think fits for a particular week use a freebie – perhaps a recent read for example:
Next Week : 1920s feel, noir detective
2021
September (RIP event)
3rd – 1920s feel, noir detective
10th – I’m Henry the Eighth I am – let’s look at Kings or other Emperors/rulers
17th – Books with ‘Murder’ in the title
24th – A favourite thriller
October
1st – A Halloween read
8th – Chills – anything at all that almost makes you too scared to pick up the book (your own pet hate)
15th – Your favourite book of magic
22nd – Books with ‘Queen’ in the title
29th – Must be gothic
November – Sci Fi Month
5th – Your earliest sci-fi read or the first sci-fi you reviewed
12th – A book with ‘star’ in the title
19th – Futuristic vista
26th – A Black Hole – in the universe or going deep into the ground
December
3rd – Windswept, the classic figure, stood majestically, with wind blowing out in a fetching way
10th – A fairytale retold
17th – Winter Solstice approaching – anything cold and seasonal
24th – All things fire – red hair, red covers, fire breathing dragons, simply fire?
31st – What’s your catnip – if it’s on a cover you have to pick it up
#SPFBO Review : Iarraindorn by Phil Dickens
Iarraindorn by Phil Dickens is the second book that I picked up from my Third Batch of books that I’m aiming to read and review this month which will then be followed by my update post. After this batch I will have three books remaining and will post my fourth and final batch of books during the following month. My reviews so far are linked below and you can find feedback from my first and second batch of books here and here and further information on SPFBO here.
Iarraindorn took me a little by surprise because I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this one and it fairly quickly managed to intrigue me with it’s unique style.
As the story begins three Druids, under the cover of night, make an animal sacrifice to the gods and watch for a sign. Unfortunately, what unfolds as the storm clouds gather is the last thing they expected. They are beset by demons like beasts with red eyes and sharp teeth who storm the village. At the same time, in an inconspicuous mud hut a man and wife (Caiside and Genovefa) await the birth of their first son (Nuadhu). The timing of these events is no coincidence and it soon becomes apparent that the attack on the village was driven by an enemy eventually known as the Great Adversary and his army, the Sons of Cain, who seek the newborn child. The warriors make a good stand and eventually, with some divine assistance the village succeeds against this deadly threat. The Archangel Anael came to their aid, her mission to protect Nuadhu who becomes known as the Champion of Man.
From there onwards we follow Nuadhu through the years and observe his training and relationships with his parents, his younger brother Pwyll and Anael. Eventually the villagers begin to resent what they see as a potential threat and Nuadhu’s position becomes a little more difficult until one day the King of the tribes visits the village. He has heard of Nuadhu and has made the decision that the risk he poses is to great and his life is forfeit. Anael manages to escape the village with Nuadhu and Pwyll after their parents are murdered and the brothers are determined to seek revenge.
I must admit that the early chapters were probably my favourite parts of the read with Nuadhu and his brother growing up and training – however, I would point out that these chapters move at a rapid pace with little time spent on descriptions and the like. To be honest this is another fairly short read at a little shy of 200 pages and so there’s a lot to get through and I guess it could have become quite wieldy if the author dwelled too long. As it is, we are fairly soon introduced to an adult Nuadhu – a young man who plans to bring down his enemies.
In terms of setting. The story takes place during the Iron Age, I think towards the latter years as we have the inclusion of the Roman army as the story unfolds. I’m certainly not an expert though so I could be wrong on that score.
Overall I found this an easy read, it went in a direction that I hadn’t seen coming at all and was a bit shocking but at the same time I have a little light bulb at the back of my head about where the story might go next and I am intrigued enough to want to see what actually happens.
In terms of criticisms. Well, I hate to sound like a broken record, but, I think that the length of this is perhaps my biggest issue. I think with a little extra the characters could have had a lot more impact and felt more rounded, the same really with the setting which was very thinly drawn with little detail about everyday life thrown into the mix. It is an interesting concept but I would have liked to have a better feel for the people and place is all. Obviously this is a personal preference and short and sweet works well for some readers.
I received a copy courtesy of the author for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
- Deathborn by CE Page
- Graves Robbed, Heirlooms Returned by Ashley Capes
- Stranded by Rosalind Tate
- One of Us by ML Roberts
- Berserker by Dimitrios Gkirgkiris
- Stone Magus by Stephanie C Marks
- Book of Secrets by Claudia Blood
- Dragonbirth by Raina Nightingale
- Carrion by Alyson Tait
Can’t Wait Wednesday : The Origins of Iris by Beth Lewis
25 August 2021
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Beth Lewis, Can't wait Wednesday, The Origins of Iris, Wishful Endings
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that was originally created by Breaking the Spine. Unfortunately Breaking the Spine are no longer hosting so I’m now linking my posts up to Wishful Endings Can’t Wait Wednesday. Don’t forget to stop over, link up and check out what books everyone else is waiting for. If you want to take part, basically, every Wednesday, we highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to. This week my book is : The Origins of Iris by Beth Lewis:
Author of the critically-acclaimed debut The Wolf Road, Beth Lewis returns with her brand new novel The Origins of Iris where Wild meets Sliding Doors.
‘I opened my eyes and the woman wearing my face opened hers at the same time.’
Iris flees New York City, and her abusive wife Claude, for the Catskill Mountains. When she was a child, Iris and her father found solace in the beauty and wilderness of the forest; now, years later, Iris has returned for time and space to clear her head, and to come to terms with the mistakes that have led her here. But what Iris doesn’t expect in her journey of survival and self-discovery is to find herself – literally.
Trapped in a neglected cabin deep in the mountains, Iris is grudgingly forced to come face to face with a seemingly prettier, happier and better version of herself. Other Iris made different choices in life and love. But is she all she seems? Can she be trusted? What is she hiding?
As a storm encroaches, threatening both their lives, time is running out for them to discover why they have been brought together, and what it means for their futures.
An important, searing novel about one woman’s journey in fleeing an abusive relationship and confronting the secrets of her past
This is literally just published (about five days ago) – and I’d completely missed this so I’m very excited to find out it’s already out there on shelves. Can’t wait to go buy a copy 😀
#SPFBO Review : Carrion by Alyson Tait
Carrion by Alyson Tait is the first book that I picked up from my Third Batch of books that I’m aiming to read and review this month which will then be followed by my update post. After this batch I will have three books remaining and will post my fourth and final batch of books during the following month. My reviews so far are linked below and you can find feedback from my first and second batch of books here and here and further information on SPFBO here.
As the book begins we meet Riley Rook. Riley is the coven matriarch of the Rooks – basically a long line in witches who protect humanity against evil. Riley is in the process of observing a young witch who is not part of the coven and trying to decide whether this young woman can be persuaded to join the Rooks rather than facing the alternative, which is to control this youngster by any means necessary before her power runs out of control. Unfortunately, Riley meets with a dreadful accident which makes the decision a moot point.
Regina Rook is the first daughter of Riley, her sister Renee being slightly younger. As such she is expected to step up and serve the coven in her mother’s place. The problem is that Regina has rebelled against the nature of herself and her family and taken to living alone wanting no part of the magic. Unfortunately all of the family are unaware of the threat that looms. The young girl that Riley watched is more powerful than they suspected and another person of interest also seeks power.
To be honest I expected to enjoy Carrion much more than I did as stories of witches and covens are basically my catnip and, I must say that this gets off to a very good start with the opening chapter introducing us to Riley. However, with Riley’s death Regina takes the lead role and for some reason I found her a difficult character to connect with.
So, as mentioned, the Rooks are basically a coven of witches. They have worked their magic for many many years but unfortunately due to dwindling numbers they are less powerful and more vulnerable than ever as the story begins. The setting here is contemporary, easy to imagine without much description and we flit primarily between the family home, the morgue and the graveyard as ancient rituals must be observed following the death of a coven member.
The characters. Well, as I mentioned above the main pov is Regina and unfortunately I did find myself struggling to get on board with her. Don’t get me wrong, I can understand her rebelling against the family, it’s traditions and the responsibilities that are being put upon her shoulders, but, for me she came across a little unfeeling and somewhat difficult and I couldn’t really get a grasp on why that was the case. Her mother dies at the start of the story yet I never really got a sense of any emotion from her and this is something that persisted throughout even during times of stress and danger. The other characters only played a periphery role including Regina’s sister Renee – who I would have liked to spend more time with. In terms of the antagonist – Sasha is the rogue young witch with the excess of power, again, I didn’t really feel that her motivations came across – apart from one episode where she rails against the coven and the way they fail to use their power – I think I wanted something a little more in depth.
The writing is actually very easy to get along with although there were quite a lot of errors. I wouldn’t normally raise that as an issue but it did kind of stop me in my tracks quite often and probably contributed to my inability to really connect.
To be fair to the author this is a relatively short story with probably just over 100 pages and so a very quick read. I admit that short stories and novellas often fail to work their magic on me because I feel myself wanting more and I think that’s the case here. I feel like I came away from this not really understanding the nature of the coven or their magic, having very little understanding of their adversaries or really what they would eventually face if their magic failed and so whilst this could possibly work for others as a short introduction to this world I felt like I wanted more information (although I do appreciate that this might be forthcoming in future instalments).
I received a copy courtesy of the author for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
- Deathborn by CE Page
- Graves Robbed, Heirlooms Returned by Ashley Capes
- Stranded by Rosalind Tate
- One of Us by ML Roberts
- Berserker by Dimitrios Gkirgkiris
- Stone Magus by Stephanie C Marks
- Book of Secrets by Claudia Blood
- Dragonbirth by Raina Nightingale
Booking Ahead/Weekly Wrap Up
I’m trying to get back into the habit of doing a round-up of the week just completed and also take a look at my plans for the forthcoming week. I rather got out of the habit of doing this last year but I would like to reinstate this type of post as I feel it keeps me on track. So, I’m linking up to The Sunday Post over at Kimberly’s Caffeinated Reviewer. Without further ado:
Last week:
I’m very bad at the moment I must admit. I just seem to be so busy that the blog, catching up and reading are going very slowly. This is not deliberate, nor am I going on hiatus I just simply don’t have enough hours in the day at the moment. I’ve kind of written August off and now remain hopeful that September will be much better for me.
This past week I read and enjoyed The Maleficent Seven and took part in the blog tour (thank you Angry Robots books). I also completed another of my SPFBO books (so almost on track – phew). I picked up Velvet Was the Night – as you may be aware (or not) I love the author but at the moment I’m struggling to get into this one. I think it’s probably linked to my current weird and hectic August so I’m not giving up. I’ve continued to read and love The Empire’s Ruin and I also started The Infernal Riddle of Thomas Peach – NGL – this is kind of hard work at the moment as it mimics (very well) the style of writing of the period in which it’s set. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read a lot of classics and enjoyed them but it can be difficult to get back into this form of writing. We’ll see. I think I’ll try something different this week.
I’m still going to be reading review books and also another SPFBO book. But, I’m going to go for something a little different. I have two review books that I’m really looking forward to – Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton and The Women of Troy by Pat Baker.
- The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnnston
- Mrs Rochester’s Ghost by Lindsay Marcott
Forthcoming Reviews:
- Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
- Carrion by Alyson Tait
- Iarraindorn by Phil Dickens
Books and travelling with Lynn 