The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
8 June 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Grady Hendrix, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
My TL:DR Five Word Review : Southern bookclub meets supernatural horror.
I loved the idea of TSBCGtSV as soon as I read the description and decided to pick up a copy in audio – which turned out to be a great choice. The narration was excellent and I had a really good time with this one.
Patricia Campbell is a mom and housewife in this 90s South Carolina tale. Her life is chaotic as she rushes from one thing to the next in her busy day but at the same time she longs for a little something more, which is how she finds herself joining a book club and making friends. Life seems to be good right up to the point where a neighbour attacks her and tries to bite off her ear, after that, well, things are never quite the same again.
A new neighbour has moved into town, James Harris. James came to look after his elderly aunt and ends up sticking around and Patricia seems strangely drawn to him and to helping him find his feet, even inviting him to take part in the monthly book club meetings, going even further and inviting him into her home. Things are peachy until children start to go missing and Patricia and her friends begin to join the dots and wonder whether the new arrival to town and the disappearing children are coincidental or not.
Dubbed ‘Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula’ – this was an entertaining ride, although to be clear, the only resemblance to Dracula is the inclusion of a vampire and a few other supernatural tidbits – which isn’t to say this wasn’t a good read because frankly I had a ridiculously good time with it. Very entertaning. Downright bloody in parts, without doubt creepy as hell on occasion, very creepy in fact, and with an ick factor ending that I never envisaged, and I am talking Ick.
Now, to be sure there are a few little things that I would point out. Annoying things – not deal breakers for me but definite irritants. I all but wanted to punch Patricia’s husband in his face – seriously this guy, and a few of the others annoyed the bejesus out of me. Like I said though, it didn’t stop me being hooked. There was also a bit of a surprising time jump at one point in the story. I really didn’t see that coming and it was a little perplexing at first. But, as mentioned, this book definitely kept me hooked.
In terms of characters, Patricia is the main person we get a feel for and probably the most well rounded although I had no difficulty forming a picture of the others. James is a creepy character, not just because of the fundamental monster that he is but because he’s so self assured. He knows how to play people, how to recognise them, their needs, desires and dreams and he is a player, a con man who basically manipulates people and makes them think he’s the good guy.
What really worked for me with this particular book was that it’s so very different from what I expected. On top of that there is this whole element of crazy, entertaining fun. It might not be perfect. I had a few issues here and there but eagerness to continue with the book was never one of them.
I bought an audio copy from Audible. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 of 5 stars
#SPFBO : My First Batch of Books
6 June 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Beyond the Sire of Navarene, Chains Carried on Wings, Curse of the Jenri, Heartscale, Incursion, My first batch of books, SPFBO, The Five furies of Heaven
300 books 10 Judges 1 winner
The 1st of June marked the start of the sixth Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (details here.) My Introductory post is here.
As with previous years I’m hoping to read a batch of books each month. I will read at least 30% and hopefully will choose one or two books from each batch to roll forward and read fully and review before choosing semi finalists and a finalist. My book list is chosen randomly and the six books I will be reading this month are outlined below:
The Curse of the Jenri by Stephanie Barr
The world of the Jenri is a dangerous, primitive world, where women are prized as chattel, but the Jenri women, every one from the eldest archivist to the smallest babe, strike fear into battle-hardened mercenary hearts. It is a world where battle steeds are mythical beasts and magic is as deadly a weapon as a sword. Those who wield both are doubly dangerous and those who cross them are thrice damned. The Jenri are mistresses of all these things. If you love one of these marvelous women, you must best her in a contest of her choosing to win her love in return.
These were women who needed no one to take care of them. Until now.
It wasn’t enough that Jenri women had been stolen, including his wife, Layla It wasn’t enough that those who had stolen them had nefarious plans. And phenomenal magic powers. And could escape in seconds. And an underground fortress in the midst of frozen mountains so cold Tander was afraid he’d shatter if he stumbled one more time. It wasn’t enough that he was surrounded by angry husbands worried about their wives and willing to take their tempers out on him if he was leading them in the wrong direction. It wasn’t enough that he was also surrounded by the remaining women from his tribe who were equally angry and more than capable of kicking his butt.
No, on top of all those little issues, he discovered he’s no longer “just” an extraordinary swordsman, but also a great and powerful sorcerer with absolutely no idea how to use his powers. He was not just any sorcerer, either, but one chosen by six tiny kitten familiars who did know how to use his powers and who had no problem telling him. All the time. While they demanded to be carried all over his person, purring and taking inopportune naps. He didn’t want these powers or a flock of noisy but helpful kittens, but he was going to need them. He’d need all the skills and talents he and his companions possess in order to save their women—and Layla.
But we love you, Tander! Solace insisted, purring and licking his neck.
Things have got to get better soon.
Chains Carried on Wings by Marina Ermakova
Saig had always lived on the edge of acceptance. Unlike a proper daughter of the head family, she longed for the freedom of the open woods over the confinement of her home. It was enough to drive away the two people who should, by rights, have been her closest companions.
But her perfect, responsible cousin Auris–destined to be the city’s headwoman and resentful of Saig’s inability to conform–would never be her friend again.
And her surly cousin Trei–aware of how his foreign ancestry undermined his own standing in society–would always look at her as a reminder of their shared differences.
Until a series of mysterious disappearances forces all three of the cousins onto the same side. Driven to protect their city and prove themselves, they join the effort to hunt down the perpetrators. What they find is a trap designed to bring their society crashing down, and the power to reshape their city’s future. There’s just one problem–the three of them have always bitterly disagreed on what that future should look like.
Incursion by Mitchell Hogan
A corrupted power stirs from beyond the grave.
A sacred order of knights sworn to protect the world from evil.
The Necromancer Queen will rise again.
Seventeen years have passed since the Necromancer Queen Talia was overthrown and slain, and her capital city destroyed by the Knights of the Order of Eternal Vigilance.
Anskar DeVantte, raised in the sacred disciplines of the Order, is now ready to face the brutal initiation trials to become a consecrated knight-sorcerer.
But the further Anskar rises in the ranks the more his faith wavers, and he is beset by harrowing dreams and uncertainty. As troubling powers awaken within him, a schism grows between Anskar and his hallowed Order, and he draws the hungry gaze of the vanquished queen’s fanatical followers.
As Anskar pieces together the mysteries of his early life, and begins to understand the malevolent forces gathering in his path, he finds himself with a crucial choice to make:
Remain loyal to the Order’s righteous mission, or control the dark powers growing within him.
Either way, his destiny is steeped in war. The only question is, which side will he be on?
The Five Furies of Heaven by Ashley Capes
Fighting the insect hordes of a malevolent God isn’t easy when you’re a young man with no special talents.
And it’s even harder when a Goddess makes your friends older and stronger – but gives you nothing.
While searching an old temple Kilek and his friends stumble across the Goddess Avendria who transforms them into heroes – all grown up, with weapons, magic, and skills.
But when she gives Kilek nothing at all – nothing except the impossible task of saving the lands – he must fight bitter doubts. Worse, a dark prince is massing his armies and more, agents of other Gods have been set loose in the world.
Only the long-lost dragons can turn the tide but Kilek must find them before it’s too late.
And somehow, he has to do it all without divine intervention.
Beyond the Spire of Navarene by M Warren Askins
Curses, Wards, and Endless Hordes prevent the casual adventurer from getting very far. At least, not without employing a Ranger… and their services do not come cheap.
A Young Knight undertakes an impossible quest deep into the fabled and perilous Fenrirfang in order to protect his sister from a conspiracy that involves the Church that he has sworn to serve.
A seasoned Ranger who believes she has seen everything the wilds have to offer soon discovers that she faces something altogether different with this journey.
BEYOND THE SPIRE OF NAVARENE is the first entry in the DEAD MEN ARE DYING saga. Set in a world where humans born with a celestial mark are instilled with powerful, game-changing abilities. And those without… survive as best they can.
Heartscale by Lola Ford
On one side of the world Graith discovers a dying dragon in his barn. While the country is hunting after the monster, he doesn’t hesitate in doing his best to aid her. Before she is fully healed, Azelia urgently needs to get back to her cave to protect her eggs. Unable to even fly, Graith decides to accompany her, worried of what might happen.
On the other side of the world, where the future ruler is decided by dragons, Nerie is chosen by the Kiriga, the golden hatchling. Raised as a merchant in the middle district of Roria, she’s shocked to learn that she is the king’s bastard. Thrown into a chaotic palace life, she’s forced to balance learning to be princess and being bonded to a dragon.
*******
Finally, good luck to all my authors. Also, a quick mention that if any of you would like to post excerpts over here by way of teasers for other readers then just let me know (if you’ve already left me a comment to that effect I’ll be in touch shortly :D)
Friday Face Off : to flee, to fly
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 week’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:
Flight – any type of flight – to flee, to fly
I hope this week was a good theme for everyone, I kind of like the ambiguity, is it somebody running away, a bird maybe or a plane? This week I’ve gone for The Birds by Daphne du Maurier. Here are the covers:
My favourite:
I also like the first cover. But this blood red cover is very ominous.
So, which is your favourite?
I’ll be updating the list in order to include forthcoming events that I’m aware of so that you can perhaps link your themes up where possible (if you know of an event you’d like to share then let me know in the comments). 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.
Next week –The bodice ripper – exactly as it seems
Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ or one of your favourite covers) (I’ve added some new themes – some of these are slightly different, in order to avoid too much repetition I’m trying to make the themes more of a suggestion that everyone can interpret how they like.
2019
12th June – The bodice ripper – exactly as it seems
19th June – Time – time waits for no one
26th June – Windows – windows to the soul?
3rd July – Tentacles – ‘The sea brought you. The sea shall have you back’
10th July – Tunnel – ‘At the end of every light, is a tunnel of darkness.’
17th July – holding an object – just as it seems
24th July – Framed – more meaning than one. A cover with a frame, a picture within a cover or a murder mystery set up??
31st July – White – a cover that is predominantly white
7th August – Action – a cover that depicts action of some sort
14th August – Glasses or spectacles – “One could mention many lovable traits in Smee. For instance, after killing, it was his spectacles he wiped instead of his weapon.”
21st August – Potions – hubble bubble
28th August – Dark road – ‘the road goes ever on and on’
4th September – Cold and crisp – any cover that gives you winter vibes
11th September – A cover with a pattern
18th September – Minimalistic and lacking clutter
25th September – A very busy cover full to bursting with detail
2nd October – A standout font
9th October – Mist/fog – “A thin grey fog hung over the city, and the streets were very cold; for summer was in England.”
16th October – Spider web – “Farewell, Aragog, king of the arachnids, whose long and faithful friendship those who knew you would never forget!
23th October – Ripped/torn – interpret it as you wish
30th October – Forest/jungle – ‘None of the Jungle People like being disturbed.’
6th November – Planets – “You’re on Earth. There’s no cure for that.”
13th November – Bright – ‘The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades’.
20th November – Words only – “Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.”
27th November – Modern sci fi
4th December – Fae – or fairy??
11th December – Lake – the mysterious lake
18th December – Highly Stylised
25th December- Freebie – or day off.
Dead to Her by Sarah Pinborough
My TL:DR Five Word Review : Jealousy, Lust, Secrets and Murder
Dead To Her is another Sarah Pinborough book that kept me pretty much glued to the page. This is a winning combination of steamy Southern gothic meets modern retelling of DuMaurier’s Rebecca and the combination of Steel Magnolias, gold diggers and unfaithful husbands makes for a boiling pot of intrigue.
If you’re picking up Dead to Her don’t imagine for one moment that you’re going to like any of the characters. This is one big mess of nasty that goes to prove that beauty really is sometimes simply skin deep.
Meet Marcie – second wife to successful and wealthy Jason. Marcie has completely reinvented herself and has finally achieved her heart’s desires. She has a rich husband, money is no object, she’s younger than the other wives in her wealthy set and moves in elite circles. Of course, Marcie, will never truly be satisfied because there’s always ‘one more goal’ before she has truly reached the pinnacle of success and having married a man who cheated and divorced his first wife she can never totally relax because she’s walking on pins waiting for the very same thing to happen to her.
Meet Keisha. Recently married to William Radford IV, Jason’s boss, powerful and rich, Keisha is barely in her twenties. She waltzes in with her designer gowns, curvaceous body, drop dead gorgeous looks and wild nature and steals Marcie’s crown without batting one perfectly outlined eyelid. The two are rivals but at the same time, not being truly part of the inner circle their ‘outsider’ status pushes them together.
I’m not going to elaborate too much on the plot as this will fundamentally spoil the reveals as they naturally occur. And there are plenty of reveals and a tangled web of deceit and red herrings along the way.
Characters – as I said don’t expect to make any friends among these pages. I have sat here and thought about all of them and to be honest none of them are basking in the glow of innocence. Whether it be greed, betrayal, bullying behaviour, vanity or revenge there are many shades of grey here and a number of different agendas.
The setting is modern Savannah. Hot and sultry, full of history and elite families with cupboards full of skeletons that will never be publicly displayed. This is how the other half lives. Money no object. Yachts, lavish dining, afternoon cocktails around the pool, shopping sprees simply to break the monotony. And, keeping up – everyone is jostling for position.
As I mentioned, I’m not going to elaborate on the plot. Pinborough is becoming the queen of twisted storytelling. Building things up and then knocking them back down. In terms of the murder and the police investigation, I will say I’m not sure how everything stacks up but, to be honest, I don’t think it really matters here. This is more about the dark underbelly and the glorious reveals which make it such an entertaining read. There is also a play on magical realism in the form of voodoo and bad juju although this is a light touch that feeds more on superstition and fear than anything else.
In terms of criticism. I think the novel takes a little while to really gather momentum but I didn’t find it a problem. This felt like a very quick read and the set up is necessary. And, as I said, I’m not sure how realistic some elements of the story are but, again, I don’t think it really matters as this is more about entertainment value than police procedure.
Overall, this was, as I hoped and expected, a very entertaining read. I loved the play on a well loved classic story and the writing is easy, persuasive and cheeky all at once.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 stars
#SPFBO 6 Introductory Post
300 books 10 Judges 1 winner
The 1st of June marked the start of the sixth Self Published Fantasy Blog Off. The brainchild of Mark Lawrence this is a competition for self published authors, it’s mission statement :
‘The SPFBO exists to shine a light on self-published fantasy. It exists to find excellent books that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. It exists to help readers select, from the enormous range of options, books that have a better chance of entertaining them than a random choice, thereby increasing reader faith in finding a quality self-published read.’
For further information check out Mark Lawrence’s post here. To check out this year’s entries, judges and allocations check here. (My allocated books are cut and paste below for ease of info).
Now, a quick introduction.
I usually aim to read at least 30% (or 100 pages) of all the books I’ve been allocated, often more than 30% depending on how I’m getting along with the book in question. I will review all the books that I complete, the other books I will provide mini reviews for. I usually aim to choose between 4 or 5 semi finalists over the course of the first five months and then choose my finalist. My batch of books will be randomly split into five groups with six books in each and I aim to read one batch per month (more if I get ahead of schedule – although, this doesn’t usually happen).
In terms of my reading I have a very wide range of ‘likes’ and very few ‘dislikes’ and I will give every book a fair shot. This blog is a hobby as is reading and so I tend to focus on the positives of the books I review rather than the negatives.
I think the best advice I can give to all the authors taking part is to enjoy the competition, make friends, become part of the community, enjoy yourself as much as possible and take part in any events being offered. There can be only one winner but that doesn’t mean that everyone can’t take something good away from the competition.
There is also the cover competition, each blog chooses 3 covers from their selection of books and these are then voted on by both the judges and the public. Go ahead and take a look at all the lovely covers and make sure to vote on your favourites – the link is here.
Finally, as with previous years, I would like to extend an invitation to all the authors taking part to visit my blog. This year I was hoping to include some excerpts from as many of the books in the competition as possible. If you’d like to throw your book into the ring and choose an excerpt for me to post then please don’t be shy, get in touch in the comments and let me know, let’s get some tasty teasers out there. I’m also going to be focusing on some of the covers and also some of the books that really stand out to me. Also, for those authors who have books in audio – even if you’re not in my group, I’d love to hear from you and listen to your book.
That’s it for now. Feel free to reach out and leave a comment.
Thanks
Lynn 😀
The other judges:
Fantasy-Faction; Fantasy Book Critic; Booknest; Kitty G; Weatherwax Report; The Fantasy Hive; Rockstarlit Book Asylum; The Critiquing Chemist; The Fantasy Inn
My three cover contestants:
Follow the competition on Twitter using #SPFBO or join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/122875124938545/
Books and travelling with Lynn 