The Hanged Man (The Tarot Sequence #2) by K.D. Edwards #scionsofatlantis
9 December 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: KD Edwards, The Hanged Man, The Tarot Sequence #2
The Hanged Man took me back into the world of New Atlantis (my review of The Last Sun can be found here), a world populated with fantastic characters, intriguing politics and all manner and type of myths and monsters. I love this world and the Hanged Man was a brilliant instalment. Fast paced, packed with drama and action, it succeeded in making me love these characters even more, which is something I didn’t think was possible (as I was already smitten).
A quick spoiler warning. If you haven’t read the first book (The Last Sun) then you might want to stop reading this review as there may be spoilers contained within. Also, I would advise you to read the first instalment and not to just dive in at The Hanged Man.
I love what the author has created. New Atlantis is an absolutely fascinating world ruled by the Arcana, individuals who inspired the similarly named major arcana cards from a pack of tarot. Magic is stored in sigils and can be released when needed and refueled and each of the Arcana have an ‘aspect’ that they can display at will – although caution is advised. The main character, Rune, is the heir to the Sun Court. His court was destroyed many years ago and Rune himself was subjected to a terrible ordeal. He is still trying to get to the bottom of what truly prompted the raid on his family and that plays into the plot as the story progresses.
Once again Edwards has created a fast paced and engrossing story. Rune is determined to protect his new ward Max from an unsavoury and dangerous marriage alliance with the Hanged Man. The whole agreement was settled upon prior to Rune’s involvement and there are established protocols that must be followed and that could be life threatening not only to Max but to Rune and those he loves. Brand, Rune’s bonded companion and protector comes up with a solution to try and find a sneaky way to take a look at the Hanged Man’s undertakings which involves taking on a missing child investigation. As it happens the child in question belongs to a family that used to be part of the Sun Court before it’s downfall. Things quickly spiral out of control and time is of the essence if Rune is to help those he has sworn to protect.
This instalment is dark. The Hanged Man is, well, let’s just say he’s not a nice chap. And that’s a great under exaggeration – he’s absolutely heinous to be honest. You really wouldn’t want to be part of his court and a marriage with him would best be avoided at all costs. He seems to have had a number of such arrangements in the past and very few of those he marries remain visible for long.
The plot, the writing and the world building are all wonderful but the absolute, without doubt, winning element of these stories, for me, is the characters. There is such a depth of feeling and not just to Rune and Brand. You feel genuine fear for them when they enter the fray and that is the sure sign of successful writing in my opinion. I want to experience a range of feelings when I’m reading and Edwards certainly makes that desire a reality. Which isn’t to underplay the strength of the other elements at play. This is an exciting world, a well thought out plot and it’s written with panache and flair but the characters are an emotive power-punch. I love them and more than that I love the way this second instalment has added more layers and more characters, not to mention showing us some of the strengths of the other Arcana. I adored Death and her ghostly steeds.
I highly recommend this series to lovers of urban fantasy. It’s incredibly creative, the world is fascinating, I mean – the Green Docks – what a moment of sheer brilliance to create this place full of seedy goings-on and then to also pack it full of ships from the past, ships that went missing in mysterious circumstances.
It’s no secret that I love this style of fantasy but, I don’t think I’m overplaying this series or allowing my own personal bias to sway me. This is the real deal and I only hope that the author has plenty more adventures in the pipeline, certainly the structure and addition of new characters show lots of promise for that to become a reality. Treat yourself and jump on board with this exciting series.
I love it and sincerely thank the publisher for a review copy. The above is my own opinion.
5 out of 5 stars
Weekly Wrap Up : 8th December 2019
I’ve had another busy week – again, not really much reading or blogging unfortunately, it seems like the party season has begun and I’m being all kinds of sociable which leaves little time for reading. I’ve gone off plan and this week read the second in the tarot sequence books: The Hanged Man by KD Edwards which I will be reviewing soon.
So, here’s what I’ve been reading:
- The Hanged Man by KD Edwards
Next scheduled reads:
- Dispel Illusion by Mark Lawrence
- Angel Mage by Garth Nix
- 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
- The Hanged Man by KD Edwards
I’d love to know what you’re reading this week.
Friday Face Off : “Now is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious summer by this sun of York”
6 December 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Friday Face off, Kae Mosse, The Winter Ghosts, Wintry Cover
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, compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Future week’s themes are listed below – I’ll be updating the list next week to include themes for 20202, 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 is:
“Now is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious summer by this sun of York” – a cover that puts you in mind of winter
This week I’ve chosen a book that I read pre-blog so there is no review for this one – but plenty of wintry covers and a ghost story. The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse:
This week my favourite is:
I really like the way the frost is encroaching along the edges of the book with the bare branched trees framed in the middle.
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 – A cover that features a temple or religious icon
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
13th December – A cover that features a temple/or religious icon
20th December – Longest Night – a dark and foreboding cover
27th December – the festive season – a cover that is glittery or sparkling
(2020 – January is Vintage SciFi month so I’ll be including possible themes to take that on board.
3rd January – New Beginnings – “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
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
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?
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”
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?
#SPFBO Stage 2
The first stage of the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off is now complete which means we have ten finalists lined up for stage two. For this stage of the competition I will be assigning each of the nine books I need to read a number from 1 – 9 and then I will use a randomly selected sequence generator to give me the reading order.
Today I would like to highlight the ten finalists. You can follow the progress of each book here. Now, feast your eyes on these lovelies – I can’t wait to get started on this line up:
Blood of Heirs (The Coraidic Sagas #1) by Alicia Wanstall-Burke :
Lidan Tolak is the fiercest of her father’s daughters; more than capable of one day leading her clan. But caught between her warring parents, Lidan’s world begins to unravel when another of her father’s wives falls pregnant. Before she has time to consider the threat of a brother, a bloody swathe is cut through the heart of the clan and Lidan must fight, not only to prove her worth, but simply to survive.
Ranoth Olseta wants nothing more than to be a worthy successor to his father’s throne. When his home is threatened by the aggressive Woaden Empire, Ran becomes his city’s saviour, but powers within him are revealed by the enemy and he is condemned to death. Confused and betrayed, Ran is forced to flee his homeland, vowing to reclaim what he has lost, even if it kills him.
Facing an unknown future, and battling forces both familiar and foreign, can Lidan and Ran overcome the odds threatening to drag them into inescapable darkness?
Beggar’s Rebellion (Resonant Saga #1) by Levi Jacobs:
The Councilate controls everything except the truth. I have nothing save my discovery—but with this shall I destroy an empire.
Tai Kulga lost the rebellion and his best friend on the same day, stripping him of his will to live even as a strange power flooded his bones. When the friend returns as a spirit guide, it feels like a second chance—but his friend is not who he was, and the Councilate is not done oppressing his people. When trouble with lawkeepers lands Tai’s surviving friends in a prison camp, he must go underground to find the last of the rebels and convince them to break his friends free.
Along the way he meets Ellumia Aygla, runaway Councilate daughter posing as an accountant to escape her family and the avarice of the capital. Curious about the link between spirit guides and magic, her insights earn her a place among the rebels, and along with Tai’s power help turn the tide against the colonialists.
But as the rebels begin to repeat the Councilate’s mistakes, Tai and Ellumia must confront their own pasts and prejudices, before the brewing war turns them into the monsters they fight.
Never Die by Rob J Hayes – this is the finalist that I chose (already reviewed here)
Ein 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.
Blade’s Edge (Chronicles of Gensokai #1) by Virginia McClain
Mishi and Taka live each day of their lives with the shadow of death lurking behind them. The struggle to hide the elemental powers that mark the two girls as Kisōshi separates them from the other orphans, yet forges a deep bond between them.
When Mishi is dragged from the orphanage at the age of eight, the girls are unsure if or when they will find each other again. While their powers grow with each season-cycle, the girls must come to terms with their true selves–Mishi as a warrior, Taka as a healer–as they forge separate paths which lead to the same horrifying discovery.
The Rōjū council’s dark secret is one that it has spent centuries killing to keep, and Mishi and Taka know too much. The two young women have overcome desperate odds in a society where their very existence is a crime, but now that they know the Rōjū’s secret they find themselves fighting for much more than their own survival.
Spark City (Spark City Cycle #1) by Robert J. Power
Erroh has a plan. A simple plan. It’ll never work.
Despite his family’s warrior pedigree, he’d rather gamble and drink while living from one tavern to the next. But when his wanderings bring him upon a gruesome slaughter of innocents he is torn from carefree ways.
Spark City is on the horizon and with it the mysterious trials of The Cull. After a life spent rejecting his birth right, the time has come to pick up his sword and accept his destiny.
With an army marching forward, and unlikely companions buy his side, does Erroh have what it takes to stop the coming war?
Spark City is the gripping first novel in Robert J Power’s new epic fantasy series. If you like spectacular combat, unlikely heroes, and slow burn romance, you’ll love this thrilling tale.
The Sword of Kaigen (Theonite) by M.L. Wang
A mother struggling to repress her violent past,
A son struggling to grasp his violent future,
A father blind to the danger that threatens them all.
When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?
High on a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire’s enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name ‘The Sword of Kaigen.’
Born into Kusanagi’s legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family’s fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen’s alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be. Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.
Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.
Fortune’s Fool (Eterean Empire #1) by Angela Boord
A secret affair. A disfiguring punishment. A burning need for revenge.
Kyrra d’Aliente has a bad reputation and an arm made of metal.
Cast out of the safe and luxurious world of silk to which she was born, played as a pawn in a game of feuding Houses, Kyrra navigates a dangerous world of mercenaries, spies, and smugglers while disguising herself as a man.
War destroyed her family and the man she loved.
Vengeance is within her grasp.
But is she willing to pay its price?
Kalanon’s Rising (Agents of Kalanon #1) by Darian Smith
Solve the murder. Stop the war. Save the world.
Sir Brannon Kesh spent years building a new life as a physician, leaving the name Bloodhawk and the war that spawned it behind. But when the King’s cousin is murdered, duty calls him back. The crime scene suggests dark magic and the evidence points to the ambassador of Nilar, an alluring woman with secrets of her own, who sees Bloodhawk as little more than a war criminal.
As bodies pile up and political ramifications escalate, Brannon must join forces with a vain mage, a socially awkward priest, and a corpse animating shaman to solve the murders and prevent another war. But who can he trust when the phases of a bigger plan take shape?
The Risen are the greatest danger Brannon has ever faced. If he and his team cannot stop the killer then all of Kalanon – and the world – will descend into darkness.
A Tale of Stars and Shadow by Lisa Cassidy
Dumnorix princess and born warrior, Talyn Dynan was the finest fighter of her generation. With her Callanan partner at her side, she was invincible, reckless, a death-knell to their enemies. But after her partner is torn away from her, Talyn is left broken, wracked with guilt and unable to regain the confidence she once had. Could an unexpected mission to the mysterious country of Mithranar, home of the magical winged folk, be the thing that saves her? Or will the danger and secrets she finds there finally break her completely?
The Shadowhawk lives a life in the shadows. Constantly hunted for his criminal exploits, yet desperate to help the human folk of Mithranar who are oppressed by their winged folk rulers, he haunts the streets of Dock City. The arrival of a foreign warrior threatens to upset the carefully balanced life he leads, but when she begins to offer a hope for the humans he’s only ever dreamed of, can he risk trusting her?
And unbeknownst to both, a mysterious foe stalks the dark corners of Dock City. One that answers to a single purpose…
Vengeance.
A Sea of Broken Glass (The Lady & The Darkness #1) by Sonya M. Black
Secrets have a price.
After enduring weeks of torture and being convicted of witchery, Ris escapes, only to discover the Darkness and the Lady are hunting her. They need the magic that sings within her.
Creator of all, the imprisoned Lady needs Ris, her last vessel, to find the Heart of Creation. The Darkness seeks to corrupt the vessel and retain his hold on the Lady, and with it, the world.
Ris finds help from a pair of Paladins of Light who aid her in cleansing the evil taint from the lands. As her power grows, so do her questions. How can she restore balance to the world and free the Lady? Should the Lady be trusted or is she as much at fault for the evil in the world as the Darkness? With powerful demons War, Ruin, and Plague at her heels, Ris struggles to stay alive as she tries to unravel the secrets hidden within her before it’s too late.
Secrets that may cost Ris her soul even if she does succeed.
Can’t Wait Wednesday : The Guest List by Lucy Foley
4 December 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Can't wait Wednesday, Lucy Foley, The Guest List, The Hunting Party
“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 Guest List by Lucy Foley – because I so loved The Hunting Party:
A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the author of The Hunting Party.
The bride ‧ The plus one ‧ The best man ‧ The wedding planner ‧ The bridesmaid ‧ The body
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
Due for publication : February 2020
