Weekly Wrap Up : 03/03/19
Well, I went and tempted fate last week by saying we were having lovely weather so of course now Storm Freya has hit the country with up to 80 mph winds – I hope everyone stays safe! *Shakes fist* at temperamental weather. Last week I read two books which included one of my SPFBO finalists (the review for which will be posted tomorrow).
My books:
- Symphony of the Wind by Steven McKinnon (one of the SPFBO finalists)
- The True Queen by Zen Cho
Next week’s reads:
- The Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty
-
Polaris Rising: A Novel by Jessie Mihalik
-
Currently reading:
- The Kingdom of Copper S. A. Chakraborty
Upcoming reviews:
- Symphony of the Wind by Steven McKinnon (one of the SPFBO finalists) (Review scheduled for Monday)
- The True Queen by Zen Cho
- The Anointed by Keith Ward
I’d love to know what you’re reading this week.
#SPFBO – Finalists No.4 and No.5
2 March 2019
Filed under #SPFBO, Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO 2018, Aching God, Angie Grigaliunas, Finalists No.4 ad No.5, Mike Shel, Sowing
Today I’m highlighting the fourth and fifth books that I will be reading for the SPFBO Competition (more details here). The first finalist I read was Out of Nowhere by Patrick LeClerc and my review can be found here . (My reviews for Symphony of the Wind and The Anointed will follow in the next week or so). The purpose of this post is to shine a spotlight on the finalists and give readers a chance to see what they’re all about. As already mentioned all my books are randomly selected and my 4th and 5th finalists will be:
Aching God (Iconoclasts #1) by Mike Shel
“Closer, mortal. You are here, finally, to feed the Aching God…”
The days of adventure are passed for Auric Manteo. Retired to the countryside with his scars and riches, he no longer delves into forbidden ruins seeking dark wisdom and treasure. That is, until old nightmares begin plaguing his sleep, heralding an urgent summons back to that old life.
To save his only daughter, Auric must return to the place of his greatest trauma: the haunted Barrowlands. With only a few inexperienced companions and an old soldier, he must confront the dangers of the ancient and wicked Djao civilization. Auric has survived fell beasts, insidious traps, and deadly hazards before. But can he contend with the malice of a bloodthirsty living god?
First book in the Iconoclasts trilogy, Aching God is the debut novel of RPG adventure designer Mike Shel. He is working on book 2, Sin Eater. The first two chapters of Sin Eater are included at the end of Aching God.
Sowing (The Purification Era #1) by Angie Grigaliunas
They can take your house, your daughter, whatever they want.
For Ariliah, life under the militarized Hulcondans is one of order and safety. Despite the soldiers’ ruthless policies, she trusts their judgment. They alone provide protection from the enemies lurking beyond the city wall.
For her older sister, Rabreah, every glance from a Hulcondan is a threat. Though even a whisper against them is treason worthy of death, Rabreah is determined to end their tyranny. Joining an underground resistance is her only hope – until she realizes she doesn’t know the people she’s aligned herself with at all. Unsure who to trust but unable to back out, she must work alongside the attractive yet infuriating rebel leader who reminds her far too much of the soldiers she hates.
But with subversive posters appearing throughout the city and people dying on the blade of an unknown assailant, the sisters’ world begins to crumble.
And as the line between friend and enemy blurs, both girls must face the truth: everything is about to change.
Bound (Book of the Ancestor #2.5) by Mark Lawrence
2 March 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book of the Ancestor #2.5, Bound, Mark Lawrence
Bound is a short story that can be read in one sitting. As part of the Book of the Ancestor series it sits neatly between Grey Sister and the much anticipated final book of the series Holy Sister, and I definitely recommend that fans of this series pick it up.
This is a deliciously tantalising treat to be gobbled up eagerly before the next instalment drops.
The story begins with Nona and some of the other novices trying to steal some brandy for a dorm party! This is when they overhear a conversation by some of the nuns in which they discover that random murders seem to be taking place amongst the wealthiest members of society. From here we have a short adventure that chiefly involves Nona and Ara and helps to highlight the special friendship that they enjoy, a friendship that is enhanced even further after a kiss leads to unexpected entanglements.
I won’t elaborate further on the plot. It’s an intriguing story and incredibly easy to read. For me, as with all of Mark Lawrence’s books – the writing is the key to my enjoyment. His writing is gorgeous and it just hooks me every time.
To be honest, I don’t do romance in books but that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy reading a good story where romance plays a role and that’s certainly the case here. This is a school for novices learning to potentially become assassins but let’s not forget that it’s also a school of young girls who are becoming adults and in the process sometimes think about other things beyond stabbing and poisoning. This instalment shows the ever developing friendships between the novices. A school of girls who are ruthless and yet at the same time completely naive in certain areas of life that other people naturally enjoy. Ara is being sent out into society and having been absent for some time, and with the realisation that secret trysts may be involved is determined to practice her kissing skills! This leads to an unexpected turn of events that adds an entertaining sideline to the story. I won’t say any more because I don’t want to give away spoilers other than to provide a little clarity – there may be a short side order of kissing here but there’s also bloody carnage for the main course.
This is a great addition to the Book of Ancestor series. Grab a copy, find a comfy chair and experience a brief interlude of reading pleasure.
My thanks to the author for a review copy.
February : My Month in Review
February – well, what can I say – it feels incredibly short doesn’t it? It’s been a good month though, the weather has been lovely, I’ve been busy and I’ve also read 9 books. I have a post scheduled tomorrow and then two SPFBO books to follow. Here are my books this month:
Books read: this month = 9
- 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 by C. J. Tudor
- White Stag by Kara Barbieri
- Never-Contented Things by Sarah Porter
- The Anointed by Keith Ward (one of the SPFBO finalists) – review to follow
- Bound by Mark Lawrence – review to follow
- Symphony of the Wind by Steven McKinnon – review to follow
My month in covers is here.
What’ve you been reading??
Backlist books
None.
Unfinished series completed:
None.
Books Bought:
I couldn’t resist An Elegy of Heroes – look at that gorgeous cover!
- An Elegy of Heroes: The Agartes Epilogues Complete Trilogy (Books 1-3) by K.S. Villoso (bought in January)
- City of the Lost (Rockton Book 1) by Kelley Armstrong
- A Darkness Absolute (Rockton Book 2) by Kelley Armstrong
Review Books:
Now, this list does make it look as though I’ve been very bad – BUT – to be honest these books are spread fairly evenly over the forthcoming months and there are some excellent titles on here that I’m really excited to pick up:
- The Poison Song (The Winnowing Flame Trilogy 3) by Jen Williams
- Nocturna by Maya Motayne
- The Red-Stained Wings by Elizabeth Bear
- Emily Eternal by M. G. Wheaton
- Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen
- The True Queen by Zen Cho
- The Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty
- Wolfhunter River by Rachel Caine
- A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
- The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris
- Council by Snorri Kristjansson
- Westside by WM Akers
-
Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik
Cover compare:
I like both covers to be honest but the first is my favourite. I just like the framing and the colours.
White is your favourite?
Hope you’ve all had a good month.
Friday Face Off : ‘who will buy this wonderful morning’
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 – the list has been updated to help out those of you who like to plan ahead – 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. This week’s theme:
‘who will buy this wonderful morning’ – A cover featuring a shop or market
I had two definite books in mind for this week’s theme. One of them didn’t work out – I felt sure it would have a shopfront on one of the covers but alsa it did not! I think my eventual choice would probably have been the same anyway. This week my books is The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale.
The covers:
My favourite this week is:
I really like this cover, I also like the darker version on the right.
Like last week I’ve added a Mr Linky here so that you can leave a link if you wish or please leave me a link in the comments so we can all visit and check out each others covers. Thanks
I’ll be updating the list soon to take it through a few more months – if you have any suggestions you’d like to see adding then drop a note in the comments. Thanks
Next week – A cover featuring a fish/fishes
Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ of one of your favourite covers)
2019
8th March – ‘Two little fishes and a momma fishy too’ – A cover featuring a fish/fishes or other sea creatures
15th March – ‘Beware the moon, lads.’ – A cover with a shapeshifter
22nd March – ‘A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse’ – A cover featuring a king
29th March – “I thought unicorns were more . . . Fluffy.” – A cover featuring a unicorn
5th April – ‘nomad is an island’ – A cover featuring a desert landscape
12th April – ‘Odin, Odin, send the wind to turn the tide – A cover featuring a longboat
19th April – ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – A cover featuring a school
Books and travelling with Lynn 