October : My Month in Covers
Well, it’s Halloween and we all know what that means, pumpkins and scary movies – no! Well… maybe Yet another month has reached an end and I don’t want to start a flat out panic but Christmas is less than two months away. I’ve had a shockingly bad month in terms of blogging and reading and can only apologise to all the wonderful publishers for not getting to some of the fantastic books that I’d hoped to read and also to all you lovely bloggers who I didn’t have the chance to visit. Unfortunately I was without wifi for a couple of weeks and whilst you might think this would make me have more time for reading and really help me to focus it instead pushed me into a kind of stupor. I read little and became totally lethargic towards everything and to be even more honest, even now though I’ve got the internet back, fully restored, it’s almost a struggle to get back to myself again. I think it’s probably because I feel hopelessly behind now after having felt that I was getting quite on top of things. Still, enough about me. Books! I did manage to read 7 books (which includes my current read which I should complete by the end of the month. I also read the first 30% of my fourth batch of books and posted feedback here – rolling forward three books for further investigation and I’ve started my fifth and final batch of books. I’ll post my month in review tomorrow along with a much needed book review post. So, here’s my month in covers:
Can’t Wait Wednesday : The Bard’s Blade (The Sorcerer’s Song #1) by Brian D. Anderson
30 October 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Brian D Anderson, Can't wait Wednesday, The Bard's Blade, The Sorcerer's Song #1
“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 Bard’s Blade (The Sorcerer’s Song #1) by Brian D. Anderson.
The start of a new fantasy adventure from Brian D. Anderson, bestselling author of The Godling Chronicles and Dragonvein series.
Mariyah enjoys a simple life in Vylari, a land magically sealed off from the outside world, where fear and hatred are all but unknown. There she’s a renowned wine maker and her betrothed, Lem, is a musician of rare talent. Their destiny has never been in question. Whatever life brings, they will face it together.
But destiny has a way of choosing its own path, and when a stranger crosses the wards into Vylari for the first time in centuries, the two are faced with a terrible prophecy. For beyond the borders, an ancient evil is returning, its age-old prison shattered.
The two must leave their home behind, and in doing so will face sorcerers and thieves, con-men and assassins, treachery and greed. How far down this path will they have to go to stop the rising darkness and save their home? And how much of themselves will they have to give up along the way?
Due for publication : January 2020
#SPFBO5 My fifth/final batch of books
November is the fifth and final month of stage 1 of the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off. I’ve started my November books a little earlier than planned in order to try and press on in selecting my semi finalists. As with last year I have divided my 30 books into five batches of six books (selected using a random sequence generator). Each month I will highlight that month’s selection at the start of the month, providing details about the books and the authors. As the month progresses I hope to have a clear favourite out of each batch – although things don’t always go to plan of course – I will provide mini reviews for each book and hopefully a full review for each book that I read fully or choose to be a semi finalist. The aim being to then choose a finalist from those semi finalists.
I’d like to wish everyone the best of luck and I hope you all enjoy the competition.
Without further ado here are my six books for November:
The Young Practitioner by E.M Neftelberg
Alva only knows of the outside world through books, and none can tell her of the mysterious power she has within herself: the power to change reality. When soldiers from a faraway land march on her town in pursuit of a deserter, she flees the chaos and finds him, a man whose only desire is to reunite with his long lost family. This meeting sparks a journey into a world where magic hides in plain sight, its use granted only to a handful of girls and women called Practitioners. Can Alva find her place in mundane society as a curious little girl or in the unusual as a young Practitioner? Or is there no place left for her to call home?
The Missing Shield by LL Thomsen
A forgotten war. A world of nine realms. Old betrayal, broken magic, new perils and a friendship worth dying for – be prepared to immerse yourself in an epic fantasy series, unlike anything you have read so far!
***
Here begins the Veil Keepers Quest – the beginning of an end; a journey and a quest to restore the Veils that protect the world of Dallancea from the mad creatures who style themselves ‘Gods’.
Already chaos has claimed a foothold, nothing is as it were. Magic lies broken and twisted: useless; monsters walk the realms; and worst of all… the sacred twins and the ancient artefact needed to protect the future, are nowhere to be found.
Seems that Dallancea needs heroes; seems that destiny must call upon an unlikely group of people, but will they listen? As these things are wont to do, it begins with a bad day. Could it be time to break the rules?
Never Die by Rob J HayesEin is on a mission from God. A God of Death.
Time is up for the Emperor of Ten Kings and it falls to a murdered eight year old boy to render the judgement of a God. Ein knows he can’t do it alone, but the empire is rife with heroes. The only problem; in order to serve, they must first die.
Ein has four legendary heroes in mind, names from story books read to him by his father. Now he must find them and kill them, so he can bring them back to fight the Reaper’s war.
Shard & Shield by Laura Vanarendonk Baugh
He can save her life—if he sacrifices himself and those he swore to protect.
King’s bastard Shianan Becknam buries himself in his military career to avoid the family that never wanted him and the dangers of drawing political attention. When the artifact intended to end an interdimensional war is damaged, the mage Ariana is trapped on the other side of the rift with her servant—only the cheery young boy is really one of the monstrous enemy, disguised as a human. Shianan is desperate to rescue Ariana, one of his few friends, but to do so requires committing treason and betraying his duty, leaving his people open to attack.
State mage Ariana struggles to survive as a prisoner of war in a world of deadly magic and unfamiliar customs. Her only ally is her former servant, now a renowned warrior caught up in political machinations. To survive, he’ll have to once again take up the fight against Ariana’s world.
As their people’s wasted armies prepare for fresh battle that will devastate both sides, bastard, mage, and monster must set aside prejudices and rivalries to find an end to centuries of conflict, before they die as traitors.
Edgehaven by Steven SmithKnown for its beauty and serenity, this peaceful little seaside town is a hidden paradise on the west coast of the British Isles. Glorious mountains kissed the edges of the sea and encapsulated nearly five kilometres of beach. The town built on an incline up into the mountains, was Edgehaven.
All is not so appealing though! Multiple sightings begin to surface regarding a child on the beach late at night. When there’s no trace of a body and no reports of anyone missing, suspicions begin to arise. Detective Peter Warnford is sent to investigate the mystery behind the sightings, though it soon becomes apparent that the events are more than just a missing child.
Shadows in the Stone by Diane Lynn McGyver
Things aren’t always what they seem to be in a small town in the Land of Ath-o’Lea. Magic creeps in the shadows, waiting to pounce…
Corporal Bronwyn Darrow vows he’ll never fall victim to love again after the woman he adored betrays him. He directs his energies to rising in the ranks of Aruam Castle, aspiring to one day command as captain of the guards. Although he treasures his home and family, he is blinded both by his desire to succeed and a mysterious magic lurking in the shadows of the ancient castle.
Alaura of Niamh, a half-breed enchantress with a deadly past, takes refuge in Bronwyn’s hometown. When the two meet, the spell which binds them is stronger than their fears of falling in love. As Alaura’s secrets threaten to separate them forever, outside forces attempt to shatter the security of Aruam Castle and eliminate Bronwyn. When an orphan weaves their lives together, they embark on a journey destined to either destroy or deliver them to the passion living in their hearts.
Bone China by Laura Purcell
Bone China is the third book I’ve read by Laura Purcell and firmly cements her in my mind as an amazing storyteller. I might not have quite loved the story here as much as the previous two books but the writing is amazing and Purcell’s ability to conjure a novel full of gothic atmosphere is second to none. I just love her writing. Definitely an auto buy author for me and I look forward to seeing what she does next.
Bone China brings to us a story of two women. Told in alternating timelines we first make the introduction of Hester Why as she makes her way by carriage to Moroven House. Hester has taken a new position and travels by coachlight during a bout of particularly fierce weather. We discover immediately that Hester is hiding something and in fact has taken on a different identity hoping to start afresh. All will be eventually revealed as to why exactly Hester has felt the need to runaway from her past.
The second timeline takes us back to the past when Dr Pinecroft and his daughter Louisa take up residence at Moroven House. The rest of their family have died, taken by consumption, and Dr Pinecroft is determined to find a cure for this deadly disease that steals so many lives. He’s using the beach at Moroven as an experiment and has moved a number of prisoners, all at different stages of the disease, to a cave there, where he believes the sea air will help to revive them.
Both stories have an edge to them that involves myth and folklore. There is talk of the fae and changelings and both tales have a creepy ominous feel that deepens as each story progresses. I also really liked that some of the characters play a role in both stories although I won’t discuss that particular element further.
What I think works really well here is the atmosphere that Purcell creates. A sense of dark foreboding where you almost want the main protagonist to simply get the hell out of there – I know that’s what I’d want to do anyway. Deliciously dark.
In terms of the characters I think this might be the only element that kept me from being totally bowled over. Hester is an unreliable narrator which is actually something I usually enjoy very much and up to a point it works really well here. I think my main issue is that I couldn’t really find it in myself to like Hester. Her earlier actions with her former employer were very dubious to say the least – I won’t say that she was fully to blame for the chain of events that occurred but her actions, prompted by jealousy, were bad, very very bad, and so even though some of her later actions helped to redeem her a little I think her earlier character decisions were difficult to shake off. In fairness, at the same time that this gave me pause I also have to applaud it because it’s so suitable for this style of book. Hester isn’t perfect. She’s made mistakes and has run away to escape the consequences but her new position feels akin to out of the frying pan into the fire and it has this feel of retribution, like there simply is no way of running away from your own actions.
I enjoyed the earlier timeline with a young Louisa Pinecroft desperately trying to help her father and stop him floundering with despair and guilt. This is a story that also begins to spiral out of control with the doctor himself becoming consumed with a kind of hysterical madness. I felt for Louisa and again I think that the fact that she was so trapped in the craziness that began to unfold left me feeling a little dissatisfied although i can’t entirely pin down why, I guess I wanted things to work out better for her but then again – the nature of this type of story.
This is definitely a book that has had me turning around in circles. There are so many things that I loved about it. The writing – which is beautiful and evocative. The setting, with the Cornish coast really playing into the story and in fact becoming almost like a character itself. The spooky house, the superstitions. The sense of impending doom. In fact, the more I think about it this book really has managed to grab my attention and keep it for considerably longer than I would normally expect.
I did enjoy this and the more I think about it the more elements of the story, when played over in my mind, on reflection were just really damned good. I think the only thing that keeps me from being blown away is a combination of two factors, the first the authors phenomenal success with both The Silent Companions and the Corset – oh my, did I love those two books and even though I don’t want to compare it’s kind of difficult, not to mention inevitable really, that those comparisons will take place – would I have loved this more if I hadn’t read the first two – very likely, but I’ll never really know. The second is just an overall feeling that I wanted maybe a happier ending somehow – although, that being said this is gothic and happy bunnies and rainbows are not often part of the general landscape.
On a totally fickle note I simply have to mention the cover – it really ties into the book so very well and gives me a serious case of the heebie jeebies.
I would rate this 4 out of 5 stars
And, I cannot wait to see what Laura Purcell comes up with next.
I received a copy courtesy of the publisher, through Netgalley, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
#SPFBO Feedback on the Fourth Batch of Books
26 October 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO5, Feedback on my Fourth Batch of Books
I’ve completed my fourth batch of books and now have only six more books to check out. I’ve also read another of the books that I’ve rolled forward previously and will be posting a review for that one soon. I’ve posted links to previous posts below but for now I’m going to get straight to the heart of the post although I would first like to offer apologies to those authors/books that have been cut during this round.
I would just mention that I’ll be posting my next six books in fairly quick succession (although it should be obvious by now which books still remain :D). I’m also aiming to concentrate on reading the next batch as soon as possible as I’d like to reach a stage where I can announce all my semi finalists and as I’ve rolled a few forward I really need to press on.
So, straight to the feedback:
The Blade Within by Jackson Lear
This is short and sweet – I’m rolling this one forward. Very quick and easy to read so far so I’m keen to see how things progress.
Orphans of the Dead by Phil Dickens
I read over 30% of Orphans of the Dead and enjoyed it quite a lot, in fact much more than I expected (forgive me but I’m not in love with the cover and I think it gave me the wrong vibe so I was very pleasantly surprised). This is a modern world in which supernatural creatures exist. We focus on two characters, brother and sister, Joe and Charlotte whose father just so happens to be a vampire (although he’s unique in that he has never taken human blood). Both characters are dhampirs being half vampire half human.
Charlotte is in training to become a Sentinel. She trains and works hard and is dedicated. Joe is a young man embarking on his first relationship (also with a Dhampir).
At the stage at which I stopped reading it was obvious that bad things were on the horizon. Well, they were more than on the horizon to be honest – they’d arrived and were eating people. I have the distinct impression that both brother and sister are going to be overwhelmed by circumstances that are beyond their control and that will be tough to handle.
I have to say this made really good, easy reading. I liked that the author takes the time to set up the family and friends and gives a feel for their lives and loves. It helps to form attachments and mount the tension when you can see things starting to go pear shaped.
I also liked that this was a contemporary setting.
The writing was good and I didn’t have any criticism really other than at this stage I couldn’t help wondering if I was missing something, almost like there was a book before this one and maybe I was missing some background. It wasn’t enough to hinder my progress though. This made for quick reading and if I have the time after completing stage 1 of the competition I would like to try and return to see how things conclude.
At this stage though I won’t be rolling this one forward and this is based purely on the fact that there were other books in the batch that I would rate higher at this point.
A good read.
This is another of the books that I’m rolling forward so won’t be reviewing at this stage. Another very easy book to get along with. Confident writing and a gripping story so far.
Daughter of Fate by Aaron Hodges
Daughter of Fate gets off to a very quick start. Immediately you find yourself in a world where the Gods have been defeated and magic no longer exists.
Knights have travelled to a village where they have heard people are worshipping the old Gods. They swarm the temple and after attacking one of the people take the rest. Only one person escapes. Pela’s mother pushes her to safety and she runs to seek help from her uncle. Pela and her uncle, together with a few other volunteers take a ship and sail after the knights although their odds don’t look good.
Daughter of Fate was a good read but I hadn’t really formed any strong attachments by my cut off point and I wouldn’t say that there was anything particularly new that sprung out at me at this point. I certainly wouldn’t discourage anyone from picking this one up, it seems to be going down the hero quest route and has a light touch that would make it suitable for a younger audience perhaps – although bear in mind I have only read 30% so things could change in that respect.
River of Thieves by Clayton Snyder
River of Thieves is another of the batch that I’d like to explore further so I’m rolling it forward at this stage.
The Gates of Golorath by R MGarino
I’ve left the blurb for the Gates of Golorath below as it gives a good idea of what the book is about and probably better than I could manage with a quick synopsis.
I have to say that this is a very impressive read and the author’s style of writing is really good, very polished and confident. I was really intrigued with this one so you may be wondering why I’m not rolling it forward at this stage. My only issues with this book is that I think it needs a little bit of tightening up. As the read begins there’s an awful lot of information imparted almost all at once which is a little overwhelming and may have worked better being released slowly as the story progresses. There is also a lot of military style/bootcamp training and it does start to feel a little repetitious. But, I have to hand it to the author, this is undoubtedly good and it’s a book that I would definitely be interested in returning to at a later stage. The characters are well established and things are being laid out in a strong fashion that bodes well for the rest of the story.
At the edge of the world stands a gate to another realm. The fallen angels, the Lethen’al, sealed it when they fled the Apostate. It has lain dormant, forgotten for seven thousand years. But the Lethen’al have not been idle in their absence. They have mastered the arts of magic and of war, in preparation for their enemy’s return.
Arielle is descended from the founder of the Areth’kon, the martial school. She dreams of becoming a Mala’kar, a Bladeless Master, like her parents before her. But she lived in the shadow of other’s expectations for so long, followed the path they set for her without question, and forgotten her own desires. To reclaim who she is, she leaves her former life and lover behind to start anew at the Gates. But her past claims a stake in her future, and refuses to let her go.
Angus is driven by a secret; a failure he is ashamed of. To rectify his disgrace, he is determined to learn the ways of the sword. Forsaking the teachings of the Magi, he arrived at the Gates to train with his father’s people. Raised on the heroic tales of the Blademasters, he strives to live by their example. But the Blademasters here are nothing like the stories.
When their squads arrive at the Gates for their final year of military training, Angus and Arielle are drawn together. The truth of who they are has the power to reshape the history and purpose of their people, but it is guarded by royal decree.
Will they be able to handle the truth of who they are? Can the world? Can they contain the magnificent powers they wield or will they destroy everyone in their way?
All the while, a new enemy stirs in the shadows.
So, to conclude, three books rolled forward for further investigation and three books cut from this batch.
Posts to date:
My Process My 3 covers for the cover competition Author Interview - Elise Kova My First Batch of Books Feedback on My First Batch of Books My Second Batch of Books Review: Cry Havoc by Mike Morris feedback on my Second Batch of Books Review: Healer's Rune by Chris O'Mara Review: The Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin-King My Third Batch of Books Halfway point Feedback Feedback on my third batch of books My fourth batch of books
Books and travelling with Lynn 