Can’t Wait Wednesday : The Court of Miracles (A Court of Miracles #1) by Kester Grant
8 January 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Court of Miracles #1, Can't wait Wednesday, Kester Grant, The Court of Miracles
“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 Court of Miracles (A Court of Miracles #1) by Kester Grant – and here’s why I’m so excited:
A diverse fantasy reimagining of Les Misérables and The Jungle Book.
In the dark days following a failed French Revolution, in the violent jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, young cat-burglar Eponine (Nina) Thenardier goes head to head with merciless royalty, and the lords of the city’s criminal underworld to save the life of her adopted sister Cosette (Ettie).
Her vow will take her from the city’s dark underbelly, through a dawning revolution, to the very heart of the glittering court of Louis XVII, where she must make an impossible choice between guild, blood, betrayal and war.
For fans of the gritty criminal underworlds of Six Of Crows, The Lies Of Locke Lamora, fierce alternate histories like The Gilded Wolves, And I Darken …and anyone who knows that Eponine deserved so much more.
Expected Publication : June 2020
TTT : Anticipated 2020 Releases
7 January 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Anticipated 2020 releases, 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 is:
Anticipated Book Releases for the First Half of 2020
Well, there are a lot of books that I’m looking forward to this year but here are the first 10 releases that spring immediately to mind:
A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris (Gunnie Rose #2)
The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence (Book of the Ice #1)
A Time of Courage by John Gwynne (Of Blood and Bone #3)
Shorefall by RJ Bennett (Founders #2)
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Friday Face Off : New Beginnings
3 January 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World, CA Fletcher, Friday Face off, New Beginnings
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:
New Beginnings – “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
A lot of the new themes are open to interpretation which might make choosing the covers and seeing other’s choices very interesting.
This week I’ve gone for a fairly recent read that in spite of being set at a time of great change is also a book filled with hope. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher is an excellent read set in an unrecognisable world that has been stricken but sometimes an end can also be a new beginning. It’s a great read that I highly recommend:
I love the dark frame and the contrast with the bright and vivid sky. The little seeping of red into some of the words and the lone dog on the horizon.
Which is your favourite?
I’ve included 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). I also have a list prepared for 2020 and so will set up a separate page soon for forthcoming themes. As always, if you wish to submit an idea then leave me a comment.
Next week – vintage sci fi – “Live long and prosper.” – this could be a vintage cover or a cover that feels vintage even though it’s modern.
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
(2020 – January is Vintage SciFi month so I’ll be including possible themes to take that on board.
10th January – vintage sci fi – “Live long and prosper.”
17th January – Horizon – “Your “beautiful” ship killed its crew, Doctor.”
24th January – Chinese New Year – Year of the Rat – this could be a chinese style cover, something with a rat or rates, or any interpretation that comes to mind.
31st January – First Contact – “Ack, Ack, Ack, we come in peace”
7th February – Lion- “Is that a lion with horns and a pitchfork?”
14th February – romantic – “thus with a kiss I die”
21st February – meringue – the puffy dress? – Lots of covers with ‘big’ dresses
28th February – Leap Year – One Ring to rule them all – A cover with a ring
6th March – Skeleton – them bones, them bones, them dry bones…
13th March – Exotic – ‘That which yields, is not always weak”, a place, a person, a flower – anything that represents something from distant lands.
20th March – Brown – a cover or covers that are brown
27th March – Freebie – choose one of your favourite covers
3rd April Fools – a trick of the eye – a cover that is more than meets the eye.
10th April – Moody – a cover that is atmospheric,
17th April – out of focus – double vision or all a blur
24th April – Armour – ‘“Pretty armour doesn’t make a warrior.”
1st May – Canine – “And then there were cats, thought Dog.:
8th May – graphic novel cover – “Love belongs to Desire, and Desire is always cruel”
15th May – pink – as pink as cotton candy – any cover that is pink
22nd May – Sorrow – a cover that makes you feel sad
29th May – Silhouette – an island, a person, anything you like
5th June – Flight – any type of flight – to flee, to fly
12th June – The bodice ripper – exactly as it seems
19th June – Time – time waits for no one
26th June – Windows – windows to the soul?
Best of the Best list : 2019
31 December 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Best of the Best, My top ten 2019 reads
As with previous years I’ve been through my list of books for the year and tried to narrow my favourites down to a top ten, I was leaving this until the last possible moment but I realise that I’m not going to squeen any last minute books into my queue at this stage. I must say that I’ve had an amazing year of reading and I can’t deny this was a difficult list to draw up and I have no doubt I’ve missed a number of books off here that I would also like to shout out about – but, there comes a point where you have to draw the line. Also, for info, these may not all be 2019 releases.
Here are my ten favourite reads of the year:
- The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky
- Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence
- A Time of Blood by John Gwynne
- A Boy and His dog at the End of the World by CA Fletcher
- A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
- A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie
- The Bone Ships by RJ Barker
- The Black Hawks by David Wragg
- The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
And, because it was so difficult to choose only 10 I have a few other categories which means I can choose a few more books that I want to highlight (because I like to cheat):
Great beginning to series:
- (The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
- The Ruin of Kings (A Chorus of Dragons #1) by Jenn Lyons
- Westside by WM Akers
- Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (not entirely sure there will be more but I’m hopeful)
Great conclusion to series:
- The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
- House of Sacrifice by Anna Smith Spark
- The King of Assassins by RJ Barker – review to follow
Fantastic Urban Fantasy
- The Brotherhood of the Wheel by RS Belcher
- Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse
- Strange Practice by Vivien Shaw
- Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw
- Grave Importance by Vivian Shaw
- The Hanged Man by KD Edwards
Great Sci Fi/futuristic
- One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence
- Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young
- Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence
- This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
- Ration by Cody T Luff
- Dispel Illusion by Mark Lawrence
- Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin King
Great Gothic or dark reads
- Little Darlings by Melanie Golding
- The Corset by Laura Purcell
- The Truants by Kate Weinberg
- Mistletoe by Alison Littlewood
Great Magical Realism
- The World that we Knew by Alice Hoffman
- Ivory Apples by Lisa Goldstein
- The Strawberry Thief (Chocolat #4) by Joanne Harris
Great Standalone:
- Never Die by Rob J Hayes
- Deeplight by Frances Hardinge – review to follow
In total I have read 109 books this year. I have reviewed 103 with six outstanding reviews to follow in the New Year. Eight of my books have been audio. My reading focuses mainly on fantasy but there is also a light sprinkling of murder mystery, historic and horror books. My complete list of reading is below with links to reviews.
- The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
- Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
- The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky
- The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
- The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell
- Murder Theory by Andrew Mayne
- Out of Nowhere by Patrick LeClerc
- Fog Season by Patrice Sarath
- The Ruin of Kings (A Chorus of Dragons #1) by Jenn Lyons
- Thornbound (The Harwood Spellbook #2) by Stephanie Burgis
- The Taking of Annie Thorne C. J. Tudor
- White Stag by Kara Barbieri
- Never-Contented Things by Sarah Porter
- The Anointed by Keith Ward (one of the SPFBO finalists)
- Bound by Mark Lawrence
- Symphony of the Wind by Steven McKinnon
- The True Queen by Zen Cho
- The Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty
-
Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik
- The Strawberry Thief (Chocolat #4) by Joanne Harris
- The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
- The Dollmaker by Nina Allan
- Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence
- Aching God (Iconoclasts #1) by Mike Shel
-
The Raven’s Tale by Cat Winters
- Sowing (The Purification Era #1) by Angie Grigaliunas
- The Binding by Bridget Collins
- A Time of Blood by John Gwynne
- One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence
- The Brotherhood of the Wheel by RS Belcher
- Emily Eternal by M G Wheaton
- A Boy and His dog at the End of the World by CA Fletcher
- Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse
- Little Darlings by Melanie Golding
- Ruthless Magic by Megan Crewe
- Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young
- The Gods of Men by Barbara Kloss
- The Furies by Katie Lowe
- Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen
- Westside by WM Akers
- A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
- King of the Road by RS Belcher
- The Poison Song by Jen Williams
- We Ride the Storm by Devin Madson
- Orconomics by J Zachary Pike
- Council by Snorri Kristjansson
- Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs
- The Red Stained Wings by Elizabeth Bear
- Queenslayer by Sebastien DeCastell
- Priest of Lies by Peter McLean
- The Fall by Tracy Townsend
- Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence
- Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs
- The Corset by Laura Purcell
- The Whisper Man by Alex North
- Nocturna by Maya Motayne
-
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
- Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa
- The Toll by Cherie Priest
- This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
- Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Storm
- Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham
- A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie
- Shadows of the Short Days by Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson
- Cry Havoc by Mike Morris
- The Undoing of Arlo Knott by Heather Child
- Lord of Secrets by Breanna Teintze
- The Truants by Kate Weinberg
- Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs
- Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan
- House of Sacrifice by Anna Smith Spark
- Missing Person by Sarah Lotz
- The Witch Who Courted Death by Marie Lewis
- Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron
- Brightfall by Jamie Lee Moyer
- Healer’s Ruin by Chris O’Mara
- Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin King
- Strange Practice by Vivien Shaw
- For Emily by Katharine Slee
- The Resurrectionist of Caligo by Wendy Trimboli and Alicia Zaloga
- A Shadow on the Lens by Sam Hurcom
- Ration by Cody T Luff
- Bone China by Laura Purcell
- The World that we Knew by Alice Hoffman
- Violetby Scott Thomas
- The Bone Ships by RJ Barker
- The Black Hawks by David Wragg
- The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow
- The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh
- Mistletoe by Alison Littlewood
- Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw
- From the Shadows of the Owl Queen’s Court by Benedict Patrick
- Grave Importance by Vivian Shaw
- Ivory Applesby Lisa Goldstein
- The Absinthe Earl by Sharon Lynn Fisher
- Songs From the Deepby Kelly Powell
- Dark Pattern by Andrew Mayne
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
- Never Dieby Rob J Hayes
- The Blade Within by Jackson Lear
- Vortex Visionsby Elise Kova
- River of Thieves by Clayton Snyder
- Sir Thomas the Hesitant and the Table of the Less Valued Knights by Liam Perrin
- The Hanged Man by KD Edwards
- Dispel Illusion by Mark Lawrence
- The Land You Never Leave by Angus Watson
- Deeplight by Frances Hardinge
- The King of Assassins by RJ Barker
- Where Gods Fear to Go by Angus Watson
Weekly Wrap Up : 29th December 2019
I’ve had a lovely week and hope everyone else has. Not very productive in terms of reading and blogging and this is my last wrap up post of 2019.
So, here’s what I’ve been reading. I haven’t finished these at the time of writing this post but I may have done so by the time it’s scheduled and I will definitely finish them by the end of the year – which means I will complete a couple more series and if my reading picks up and I complete Forever and a Doomsday that will be three series.
- King of Assassins by RJ Barker
- Where Gods Fear to go by Angus Watson
Next scheduled reads:
- Forever and a Doomsday by Laurence MacNaughton
Upcoming Reviews
- King of the Road by RS Belcher
- Queenlayer by Sebastien DeCastell
- The Absinthe Earl by Sharon Lynn Fisher
- Deeplight by Frances Hardinge
- King of Assassins by RJ Barker
- Where Gods Fear to go by Angus Watson
I’d love to know what you’re reading this week.
Books and travelling with Lynn 