The Kingdom of Liars
3 September 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Nick Martell, The Kingdom of Liar, The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings #1
(The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings #1)
by Nick Martell
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Magic, Politics, Revenge, Secrets, Lies
The Kingdom of Liars is a really good start to series. I can’t deny that I’ve taken my time with this one but that’s more due to my ever changing-up-and-down reading mood which can go all over the place on a simple flight of whimsy and I then find it’s better to leave whatever I’m reading to one side and start something different for a while. As it happens, having a break was definitely the right choice. I picked this one back up and thoroughly enjoyed it.
As the story begins we meet Michael Kingman, awaiting trial for regicide, Michael is about to tell his story. This is a rather complex tale of a family, sworn to protect the royal family. Over the years their exploits have become legendary and their determination to protect their legacy and name a thing of pride. Unfortunately, their good standing came crashing down when David Kingman was accused of murdering the Prince and found guilty. Executed for treason, David’s family were branded, they lost their home, livelihoods and respect and now David’s son Michael seems to be in a similar plight. Like father/like son? – or perhaps innocent men are being accused of crime they didn’t commit. The question is why.
In fact the why and who is the real driving force here. Michael has spent the year’s since his father’s death going through the stages of denial and anger and has become consumed with the need to know what really happened. This is all taking place during a time of unrest. The current King is not loved, the surviving Prince is feared and hated, the nobility are at each other’s throats jostling for position and wealth, and rebellion is brewing. On top of that, the magic that the nobles use comes at a terrible price, the loss of memory, and this basically means that not everyone can be trusted.
I’m probably not writing the best description of what really takes place here but I really don’t want to give too much away. Basically, on the eve of the Endless Waltz, desperate for answers, Michael makes a few too many pacts and with all these people and deals to juggle things start to spiral out of control.
Anyway, no more elaboration about the plot. Let’s talk about other things.
Well, firstly, this book does have something of a set up feel to it, to be fair though there’s a lot to fit in. The world is interesting and I’m definitely curious to learn more about the history, about the Mercenary’s and about the broken Moon, just to give but a few examples. But, in spite of that slight set up feel the second half of the book really does pull you in. Things begin to twist and turn and the author delivers a steady stream of revelations.
Secondly, Michael. I like him, which is just as well as he’s the one we stick with for the entirety of the book. However, liking him doesn’t mean that I didn’t sometimes feel intense frustration at the choices he makes. Sometimes it feels like he’s running around like a headless chicken and his priorities have a way of waning and waxing to the point where even the mercenary that he hooks up with has a go at him for not seeing anything through.
I have to say I was fascinated with the man named ‘Dark’ and Domet too. The fear and respect that everyone has for both these characters definitely gives them an intriguing edge and I’m hoping for more – can’t deny it.
In conclusion, after a slightly slow start I enjoyed this one very much and look forward to picking up the next instalment.
My rating is 4 out of 5.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Can’t Wait Wednesday : In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce
2 September 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Camilla Bruce, Can't wait Wednesday, In the Garden of Spite, 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 : In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce. I absolutely loved You Let Me In so I’m super excited about this one. Here’s the description:
An audacious novel of feminine rage about one of the most prolific female serial killers in American history–and the men who drove her to it.
They whisper about her in Chicago. Men come to her with their hopes, their dreams–their fortunes. But no one sees them leave. No one sees them at all after they come to call on the Widow of La Porte. The good people of Indiana may have their suspicions, but if those fools knew what she’d given up, what was taken from her, how she’d suffered, surely they’d understand. Belle Gunness learned a long time ago that a woman has to make her own way in this world. That’s all it is. A bloody means to an end. A glorious enterprise meant to raise her from the bleak, colorless drudgery of her childhood to the life she deserves. After all, vermin always survive.
Expected publication : January 2021
Top Ten Tuesday : Feast Your Eyes
1 September 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Covers with Food, That Artsy Reader Girl, Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic. Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here. This week’s topic :
Books that Make Me Hungry
I’ve actually gone for books with food and drink on the cover. Feast your eyes on these:
Grave Secrets (The Lavington Windsor Mysteries #1) by Alice James
31 August 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Alice James, Grave Secrets, The Lavington Windsor Mysteries #1
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Sookie Stackhouse meets Bridget Jones
Grave Secrets is the start of a new series involving romance, vampires, murder and necromancy. I requested this one because it promised something fun and light and in that respect it does exactly what it sets out to do.
Toni (Lavington) Windsor is a real estate agent from Staffordshire. By day she’s a bubbly, vivacious character with a head full of curls and snippy comebacks – at night she sneaks into the local graveyard to raise the dead. Toni is a necromancer, she has to keep her strange ability to herself because necromancers are feared and hated in equal measure by vampires who in the past have hunted them down and killed them whenever possible. And, yes, vampires are an accepted part of this world. They live in the open (in Europe at least) and have an accord that allows them to live amongst humans (although there was a lot of deaths in this book alone that did give me pause for thought about how comfortably the two really can live together). As the story begins Toni is seeking a property for a vampire, a hot, sexy vampire who wants a remote property with lots of cellar space. At the same time Toni begins to experience trouble, people trying to kidnap her and all sorts of other shenanigans and the body count starts to rise.
This was a fun read, fast paced, a trifle silly maybe in places, but it was the sort of light popcorn read that I wanted at that particular time and so it fit the bill. I did have a few issues and at this point I’m not entirely sure if those can be laid at the door of first ‘book in series syndrome’. I would probably pick up No.2 to see how things develop though.
Firstly, the plot. It felt a little scattered to me. There is a mystery but it mostly revolves around vampire politics, not a cosy murder mystery which is the vibe I was originally picking up. That being put to one side, I enjoyed the writing style and the injection of humour and the pace definitely has legs.
The characters. Well, and this does sometimes happen for me, I found myself liking the peripheral characters rather than the main couple. So, for example, I really liked one of the characters that Toni kept raising from the grave, and I liked the old lady with the chocolate box cottage who loved to bake, but I felt that Toni was very blaize towards people in general, death and the like didn’t seem to really have an impact on her and considering some of the scrapes she got into I think I would have liked to see a bit more emotion. That, together with the instantaneous ‘love’ between Toni and the client she’s finding a house for didn’t really endear me to either of them. Particularly as, whenever Toni was being harassed by the vampire ‘boss’ her would-be boyfriend seemed to be nothing more than an idle bystander.
In terms of the world building. It’s a little skimpy. I would like to know more about Toni’s abilities which for the moment seem to be accredited quite simply to the ‘some people can and some people can’t’ school of thought. I don’t particularly have a problem with that and it’s possible that more information may be forthcoming as the series progresses.
I realise that probably all sounds a little negative, which isn’t really my intention. I can see this building up into a good fun series . I think it need a few things ironing out, particularly with Toni and her boyfriend because I’m not buying into that particular romance at all at the moment, but, if the author succeeds in generating a little more chemistry and sizzle then this could be a winner for many readers.
A UK-style Sookie Stackhouse with a character not completely unlike Bridget Jones and a few vampire and zombies thrown in for good measure.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publishers, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 3 of 5 stars
#SPFBO 6 – Saturday Snapshots : Excerpt – Calico Thunder Rides Again by T.A. Hernandez
29 August 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Calico Thunder Rides Again, Saturday Snapshots, SPFBO, TA Hernandez
300 books 10 Judges 1 winner
The 1st of June marked the start of the sixth Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (details here.) Whilst the competition is taking part I’d like to post excerpts from some of the books that have entered the contest. If you’d like to make use of this space to post a teaser to entice readers then let me know in the comments (and, if you’ve made contact but I’ve not replied, please try me again, I missed a whole bunch of comments that went into spam).
Today’s teaser comes from one of the books in my fourth batch : Calico Thunder Rides Again by T.A. Hernandez:
** Excerpt **
The spotlight fell on the announcer in the center ring. His magically-amplified voice boomed through the tent like thunder. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, for our final performance this evening, Strickland’s Circus is proud to present a thrilling spectacle unlike any you’ve seen before.” He paused for a few moments as if to let the audience soak in his words. “Everyone give a warm welcome to the fearless queen of the center ring and her extraordinary winged beasts. I present to you, Grace Hawkins!”
He dragged out the vowels of the name as the crowd broke into applause. A young woman in a short red dress with glittering gold accents entered the ring. Contrary to the popular bobbed style of the times, her long hair flowed free behind her like a dark cape. She flashed a radiant smile at the audience and raised both hands in a wave, then turned around and signaled to the four black-clad men standing just at the edge of the lit area. They stepped forward into the light, and a wave of gasps rippled through the crowd.
Harvey sucked in a breath of his own and watched in awe as two griffins and a dragon were led into the ring. An actual dragon! He hadn’t seen a dragon in any circus for decades, much less one as magnificent as this. The beast’s body was roughly the size of one of the elephants that had performed earlier in the night, though with her tail and long neck, she was considerably longer and not quite as bulky. Orange, brown, and cream-colored scales covered her entire body, and each of her toes ended in a giant, hooked claw that could tear a man open in seconds. Thick ropes—presumably enchanted—bound her wings at her sides to keep her from flying off, but Harvey could imagine how powerful and majestic they might be spread out to their full span.
He looked down at his companion. The boy was equally mesmerized, if perhaps for other reasons besides sheer enjoyment of the spectacle. Harvey could practically see the cogs turning in his mind, plotting, scheming. It made him nauseous, but he shook the feeling off as he again turned his attention to the center ring.
The trainer ran the beautiful creatures through a series of increasingly-complex tricks. The griffins leapfrogged over each other in an almost complete circle around the ring, then took turns flying through a metal hoop the dragon held in its jaws. When they weren’t performing some trick, they stood regally, eagle eyes surveying the crowd like predators considering their next meal. Their cat-like tails lashed back and forth, and occasionally, they tucked their heads to preen the feathers on their chests and wings.
The trainer placed three metal stools in the center of the ring and directed each beast to stand on one. The center stool looked much too small for the dragon to perch on, but she somehow managed to balance there with ease. All three animals then stood up on their hind legs and clawed at the air before them as if to catch the applause of the delighted crowd.
Harvey smiled in spite of himself. Such magnificent creatures. Seeing a dragon this close made the whole night worthwhile. Or it would have, were it not for his unfortunate part in the events that were sure to come.
***ends***
Here’s a link to the book’s Amazon page
A link to the author’s page is here.
And, finally, here’s the description for the book plus the cover:
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the Most Fantastic Show on Earth…
Three years ago, the Ban changed everything, outlawing certain forms of magic and bringing about the rise of powerful crime syndicates. Now, speakeasies in every city sell illegal charms and jinxes, and bootleggers traffic restricted potion ingredients across the country. But even in this changing world, the magic of the circus still acts as a wondrous escape and provides entertainment for all.
Jake Strickland owns one such circus, inherited after an accident ended his career as a rodeo dragon rider. He also inherited the circus’ financial troubles, but since the show became his, he’s slowly managed to turn it into a profitable business once more. Or at least, that’s what he thought.
When a dangerous mobster comes to collect an old debt, Jake resorts to desperate measures to get the money before a strict deadline. With lives and livelihoods at stake, he battles the clock, his responsibilities to the circus, and a longstanding personal grudge that has festered for years. Can he pay back the mob before it’s too late?
My thanks to the author for submitting an excerpt.
If any other entrants would like to post an excerpt let me know in the comments 😀
Books and travelling with Lynn 