‘…and they all lived happily ever after.’
26 June 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: That Artsy Reader Girl, Top 10 must read series, Top Ten Tuesday
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 :
10 (must read) Series that I plan to finish
I am absolutely determined to finish the following 10 series, although you may notice that my header is the usual concluding line to a traditionally told fairytale so perhaps I’m just fantasising – but, fingers crossed, here are my 10 absolutely, definitely must read, without a doubt, dead cert series that I will finish, no question asked, no siree:
- The Book of the Ancestor series by Mark Lawrence, Red Sister and Grey Sister already completed, now eagerly awaiting the final book – Holy Sister.
- Of Blood and Bone a series that got off to an excellent start with A Time of Dread. I’m very excited to read more from this world. A Time of Blood is the next book in series – not quite sure when it’s due but – all good things to those that wait.
- The final instalment in The Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden. I loved The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower. The Winter of the Witch is due out in January 2019 and if the first two books are anything to go by this should be amazing.
- The Winnowing Flame Trilogy by Jen Williams. Such a fantastic series so far. Ms Williams can write characters that you simply love and her books are creative and well drawn. The Ninth Rain and Bitter Twins are simply amazing books.
- The Wounded Kingdom by RJ Barker. I can’t recommend this series enough. Age of Assassins and Blood of Assassins I devoured in short order – I’m highly anticipating King of Assassins.
- The Daevabad Trilogy by SA Chakraborty got off to an excellent start with The City of Brass. The second instalment, The Kingdom of Copper, is due in January 2019.
- The Thieves of Fate series by Tracy Townsend got off to a fantastic start with The Nine – such an impressive debut it left me lost for words – which just doesn’t happen! I am buzzing to get my hands on a copy of The Fall.
- The Empires of Dust series by Anna Smith Spark kicked off in a breathtaking fashion with the release of The Court of Broken Knives. The next instalment, The Tower of Living and Dying is due out in August 2018 – I am giddy with excitement and have an onrush of grabby hands.
- Ed McDonald’s Raven’s Mark series started with the incredibly impressive Blackwing. I’m currently reading (and loving) Ravencry. If you’re not reading this series – why? Just why??
- The Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff – Nevernight and Godsgrave were awesome – Darkdawn is due around September 2019. I’m eager to pick it up.
School for Psychics by KC Archer
I have mixed feelings for School for Psychics and even now, after sitting on this review for a little while, I’m not entirely sure how I feel. On the one hand it was undoubtedly a fairly quick read, it held my attention, I never suffered from ‘not wanting to pick it back up syndrome’ but on the otherhand it’s quite possibly a trope too far. In fairness to the author and the book I think my reading has suffered a little in the past month or so due to feeling under the weather so there is that and on top of that I seem to have read a run of books lately with similar themes which undoubtedly has left me feeling a bit jaded. As it is, yes, this was entertaining. Would I continue on? I actually would – but I’d be strongly hoping to see some uniqueness enter the formula.
The start of the story introduces us to our young protagonist Teddy Cannon. Teddy has spent most of her life screwing up any opportunities that come her way. She’s now a young twenty-something with very few prospects, living in a converted garage at her adoptive parents house and trying to pay a huge gambling debt to a rather hard faced gangster before he removes her, and her family’s, kneecaps. Of course, in fairness to Teddy there are reasons that extend beyond the norm. She can read people with uncanny precision, which is what makes her so successful at gambling and also the reason why she was banned from every casino in Vegas. Desperate times call for desperate measures though. Teddy owes money and short of her parents selling their house the only option is to don a disguise and try to make some serious money gambling. It’s a risk, but she’s out of options. So, wearing a disguise she takes herself off to win some hard cash. Naturally, things don’t go to plan, Teddy’s strange abilities seem to abandon her at the last minute leading to the loss of her stake and what’s worse it seems that her cover has been blown. Just as things look set to get messy a stranger intervenes. He smoothly deflects attention away from Teddy and after surprising her with the announcement that she has psychic abilities offers her a place at a secret facility where people with similar abilities are training to become special ops, this also involves settling her debts. It’s a way out of a fix and with few, okay no, other options Teddy takes up the offer.
So now we move to Whitfield. A hidden school for psychics based on a small island gained by ferry. Here, the students are expected to practice clean living, no junk food, no sneaking off island, no alcohol, no relationships. This school has a tough agenda. The students will have to train hard and learn to focus, having raw ability isn’t enough and the examinations all come with the understanding that failure will lead to expulsion from the school. It seems harsh but there are no second chances.
However, not all is as it first seems at Whitfield. There are hidden agendas at play, secrets and lies and it’s not altogether clear who the good guys really are or whether the students are being manipulated. This leads to a rather risky escapade and a fast paced grand finale that I won’t elaborate on.
Why did I have mixed feelings with this one? Firstly, it’s aimed at a slightly older audience with the protagonists and other students being in their twenties. However, the characters do come across a little immature – I can understand that, not everyone in their 20s acts like an angel so I don’t really think that’s a problem but the obvious falling into two groupings, the gorgeous, rich privileged and the bad kids – it’s so obvious and sets up everything that happens after that with the two groups working against each other. And, I would also mention that, for a school of psychics, where most of the teachers have their own special abilities – they are remarkably bad at upholding the rules or figuring out who the guilty parties are.
There’s the whole hidden agenda which felt a little bit obvious. Parents that died in a car crash. Strange dreams that seem to be slowly revealing things. Other issues that I can’t mention here for fear of spoilers. The tropes kind of mounted up until they felt almost too much.
On the positive side. I actually quite liked Teddy. She got on my nerves occasionally and with certain aspects of the story I was dumbfounded by her lack of ability to see things for what they really were (psychic abilities or not). But, yes, she grew on me. I really enjoyed some of the more daring exploits that the group got up to and I liked the scene where Teddy visited prison – although I couldn’t help wondering why she wasn’t simply able to tell if the suspect she questioned was telling the truth or not. Perhaps that was explained but if so I don’t seem to recall it
The rest of the group had a strange bunch of talents ranging from setting things on fire to talking to the animals – I didn’t foresee that ability but surprisingly it did come in quite useful on occasion.
I realise that all probably comes across as a little bit negative so just to be clear, I did have issues with this book but it was entertaining and at this point I would reserve judgement until reading the next in series.
#SPFBO 2018 – coming soon!
The Self Published Fantasy Blog Off, brainchild of Mark Lawrence, will soon commence it’s fourth year. In just under 48 hours 300 entries were received from self published authors and the doors are now closed. If you want to read more about the competition find a link here to Mark Lawrence’s blog and some helpful information about the aims of the competition. If you click on this link you will be able to see all the books submitted this year. The books I’ve been allocated are listed there and I’m really excited to take a closer look at them all.
To all the authors taking part I’d like to say a big thank you – there wouldn’t be a contest without you and I wish you all the best of luck. I hope you enjoy the competition, make a whole heap of friends and get the most from the experience. I truly appreciate you putting your books out there for scrutiny and also realise how nerve wracking that can be.
The only advice I would give is to interact as much as possible and have a presence in the competition. Use the facebook page, follow the #SPFBO twitter feed, chat, discuss and ruminate.
For my part, I will be shining a light on my books as often as possible. If any authors would like to pay me a visit to either take part in interviews or submit written articles about their own piece of work or any other topic of choice – one and all are welcome. I’m sure other aspiring authors would greatly appreciate any tidbits you can throw their way.
Finally, in the much repeated words of the Highlander :
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE
My list of books and authors will be posted shortly.
My twitter feed is : @LynnsBooks
My email: lynnsbooks64@gmail.com – if you email me and I haven’t responded then please try again, unfortunately my emails can be a bit busy sometimes and it’s easy to overlook something – don’t be shy.
Weekly Wrap Up : 24/06/18
Hey all, hope the sun is shining on you all and you’re having a great summer – this is rather late – but, like the white rabbit, I always think better late than never. My reading and reviewing is still behind. Too much socialising. I am catching up – seriously I am.
- Bitter Sun by Beth Lewis
- Witchmark by C L Polk
Next Week’s Reads:
- Ravencry by Ed McDonald
- Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Upcoming reviews: –
- Starborn by Lucy Hounsom
- Envy of Angels by Matt Wallace
- School for Psychics by K C Archer
- Noir by Christopher Moore
- Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
- Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough
- The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan
- The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse
- Bitter Sun by Beth Lewis
- Witchmark by C L Polk
I’d love to know what you’re reading this week.
Friday Face Off : ‘Murder most foul, as in the best it is’
22 June 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books by Proxy, Broken Monsters, Friday Face off, Lauren Beukes
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:
‘Murder most foul, as in the best it is’ – a cover featuring a murder scene
This week I had a specific book in mind but then changed it at the last moment because the rather brilliant Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes popped into my head and on checking it out it certainly has a few very different offerings. I love Lauren Beukes and if you haven’t checked out her work I strongly recommend you do so (although her themes can be a little dark):
Scary covers! The two I would have to choose between would be:
I like both of these for entirely different reasons, But, on balance I would go with the cover below because for me it’s perfect for the story:
Which is your favourite.
Next week – a cover that is predominantly red
Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ of one of your favourite covers)
29th June – ‘Lips as red as the rose’ – a cover that is predominantly red
6th July – ‘The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, ‘ – a cover that is windswept
13th July –‘There’s more of gravy than of grave about you’ – a cover featuring a ghost or spectre
20th July -‘In winter with warm tears I’ll melt the snow’ – A cover featuring icicles or snow
27th July – “I saw huge buildings rise up faint and fair, and pass like dreams.” – a cover that is steampunk
3rd August – “Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.” – a cover featuring a starry sky
10th August – ‘…Christine, who have torn off my mask and who therefore can never leave me again! – A cover with a mask
17th August – ‘Knock, knock… ‘who’s there?’ – A cover featuring a door ajar or closed
24th August – ‘To be a legend, you’ve either got to be dead, or excessively old!’ – A cover with a title featuring the word ‘legend’
31st August – ‘“Come buy our orchard fruits, Come buy, come buy’ – A cover featuring a goblin or dwarves
7th September – ‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall – A cover featuring a queen
14th September – “He had killed man, the noblest game of all, and he had killed in the face of the law of club and fang.” – A cover featuring a wolf or wolves
21st September – ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ – a cover featuring clouds
28th September – Eyes wide shut – a cover featuring eyes
5th October – “He sounded like a man who had slept well and didn’t owe too much money.” – A cover that is ‘noir’
12th October – “The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.” – A cover for a mystery novel
19th October -“If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!” – A horror cover
26th October – Trick or treat – A halloween inspired cover
2nd November – ‘Remember, remember the fifth of November,’ – A cover inspired by Bonfire Night
9th November – ‘All right! They’re spiders from Mars! You happy?’ – A cover feturing a critter of the eight legged variety
16th November – There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.’ – A scary cover
23rd November – ‘The child is in love with a human. And not just any human. A prince!’ – A cover featuring a mermaid/man
30th November – “..the children of the night. What music they make!” – a cover with a vampire
7th December – ‘I am Aragorn son of Arathorn; and if by life or death I can save you, I will.’ – A cover featuring a hero
14th December -“Heavy is the head that wears the crown” – A cover featuring a crown
21st December – ‘ho, ho, ho’ – A seasonal cover
28th December – A freebie – choose one of your favourite titles and compare the covers
2019
4th January – A cover that is fresh – New beginnings for a New Year
11th January – ‘I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king’ – A cover that depicts a novel set in the Tudor period
18th January – A cover featuring an Amulet – either in the cover or title
25th January – ‘Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.’ – A cover featuring a monk/priest/person of the cloth
1st February – A comedy cover
8th February – ‘Hi little cub. Oh no, don’t be ssscared.’ – A cover with snakes
15th February – A heart – for Valentine’s day past
22nd February – “Woe, destruction, ruin, and decay; the worst is death and death will have his day.” – A cover with abandoned building/s
1st March – ‘who will buy this wonderful morning’ – A cover featuring a shop or market
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 