Waiting on Wednesday: The Tiger’s Daughter (Their Bright Ascendency #1) by K. Arsenault Rivera
15 February 2017
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: K Arsenault Rivera, The Tiger's Daughter, Their Bright Ascendency #1, Waiting on Wednesday
The Hokkaran empire has conquered every land within their bold reach―but failed to notice a lurking darkness festering within the people. Now, their border walls begin to crumble, and villages fall to demons swarming out of the forests.
Away on the silver steppes, the remaining tribes of nomadic Qorin retreat and protect their own, having bartered a treaty with the empire, exchanging inheritance through the dynasties. It is up to two young warriors, raised together across borders since their prophesied birth, to save the world from the encroaching demons.
This is the story of an infamous Qorin warrior, Barsalayaa Shefali, a spoiled divine warrior empress, O-Shizuka, and a power that can reach through time and space to save a land from a truly insidious evil.
Due for release October 2017
“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind”
14 February 2017
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Broke and Bookish, Top Ten SFF couples, Top Ten Tuesday, Valentine's Day
Every Tuesday over at the The Broke and Bookish we all get to look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) examples to demonstrate that particular topic. This week’s topic is:
All About the Romance
Well, I’m not really ‘all about the romance’ but as today is Valentine’s Day, why not!
- Rhett and Scarlett – obvious but had to be included. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. It’s not SFF Jim – but frankly, I don’t give a damn.
- Alexander and Tatiana. Had to be on here – The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons – boy oh boy is this one hot romance. I’m not kidding. I don’t, as I said above, usually read romance but this book…omg.
- Jamie and Claire – Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I expect these two will be on a few lists this week!
- Princess Buttercup and Westley. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Sweet and funny romance – inconceivable?
- Buffy and Spike – Oh Yes! I haven’t read the books but I have seen the series and Spike wins.
- Ron and Hermione – maybe not a sizzling couple because that would be a bit wrong and apparently Ron has the emotional range of a teaspoon – but here it is nonetheless! J K Rowling’s Harry Potter.
- Han Solo and Leia – yes, I have never read any of the Star Wars books but I’ve seen the films and so this counts!
- Toby and Tybalt – really, couldn’t leave these off! The October Daye series by Seanan McGuire. Plus King of the Cats – Grrr!
- Tristan and Yvaine from Neil Gaiman’s Stardust – don’t you just love Neil Gaiman’s books!
- ??? – your choice please…
Cover Compare
Here it is – I wondered when this little beauty would make it’s appearance – the UK cover for Mark Lawrence’s Red Sister:
I love this. It has a beautiful crisp feel doesn’t it And, here are both covers together:
So, which is your favourite. I admit that I’ve always been rather partial to the US covers and I do love the US cover here – but, in this case, the UK cover is my favourite. I just really like the font style and colour, the way it’s so startling against the cold background – the darkness beyond the ice. Yep. The UK cover is my favourite this time around.
Stop on over to Mr Lawrence’s blog where there are a couple of other alternative covers and choose your favourite.
And, in case you missed it, here is the description:
“I was born for killing – the gods made me to ruin”
At the Convent of Sweet Mercy young girls are raised to be killers. In a few the old bloods show, gifting talents rarely seen since the tribes beached their ships on Abeth. Sweet Mercy hones its novices’ skills to deadly effect: it takes ten years to educate a Red Sister in the ways of blade and fist.
But even the mistresses of sword and shadow don’t truly understand what they have purchased when Nona Grey is brought to their halls as a bloodstained child of eight, falsely accused of murder: guilty of worse.
Stolen from the shadow of the noose, Nona is sought by powerful enemies, and for good reason. Despite the security and isolation of the convent her secret and violent past will find her out. Beneath a dying sun that shines upon a crumbling empire, Nona Grey must come to terms with her demons and learn to become a deadly assassin if she is to survive…
Not long to wait for this one people: April 4th/6th 2017
Weekly Wrap Up: 12/2/17
Well, this week my reading has virtually disappeared. I don’t think I’ve ever read so little in one week for a very long time! In fairness we went on a short trip to Iceland and sometimes your trips away are not the sort that involve chilling out with a book and a long drink! In fact all my plans have gone along the route of ‘the best laid plans’.
Last week’s reads:
Danse Macabre by Laura M Hughes – thank you Laura for redeeming my reading slightly! This is a dark novelette and my review will follow.
Currently reading:
- Blood Upon the Sand by Bradley P Beaulieu
- The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams
- The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire
Next week I’m hoping to complete two of the above! And, perhaps start In Calabria by Peter S Beagle.
And, finally, my cover compare this week is Danse Macabre by Laura M Hughes:
My favourite cover is this one:
I like the title font for this (which is also the same on the first cover) but I like the colour contrast too.
How was your week? What you currently reading?
The Winter Long (October Daye #8) by Seanan McGuire. Readalong week 1
11 February 2017
Filed under Book Reviews, Uncategorized
Tags: October Daye #8, readalong week 1, Seanan McGuire, The Winter Long
Today is week one of a three week readalong of Seanan McGuire’s The Winter Long (October Daye #8). Today Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow is hosting the questions. The Goodreads page link is here. Feel free to join in or just jump into the discussion in the comments and be aware that spoilers will be lurking below for not only this book but for the previous books in the series. If you haven’t started reading the Toby Daye series and you like urban fantasy then I strongly recommend this series to you.
1. Simon is back, and unsurprisingly no one is happy. And he seems to be convinced that what he did to Toby saved her life… Do you think he’s telling the truth about that or is Team Toby absolutely right not to trust him?
I’m not sure to be honest. The fact is, Simon was running around with Oleander – and she was all kinds of crazy and he seems a little unhinged himself. That being said, he did seem to believe what he was saying – but that could just be delusional I suppose? I don’t think you can trust him though – I think the real point for me with Simon is the way that his magic seems to smell rotten to Toby. From the sound of what Sylvester said his magic didn’t always smell that way so that makes me think that the tarnished smell of his magic is a reflection of his own corruption somehow. However, even though I think there is something off about him I can’t help thinking he seemed sincere – and conversely, although not the best solution maybe, turning Toby into a fish did keep her out of harms way didn’t it. Just who is it that intends her harm??
2. Once again, Sylvester was keeping secrets – but this time he’s stepping up to the vengeful plate! Do you think Sylvester has what it takes to bring his brother down? And will he ever tell Toby the whole truth?
I’m beginning to think that nobody in the land of the fae will every completely spill the beans – it does of course make for a much more intriguing read that way. I’m not sure if Sylvester has what it takes – in one respect I think he is very angry with his brother, but then in another do I really believe he could harm his brother if it came to that? I’m not even sure I want Sylvester to turn into that person. The other thing is it depends who is really at the root of all this – clearly somebody incredibly powerful? Was Simon acting in fear – he seems to have been in hiding for a long time. And I wonder what the incentive is for him showing up now? Is he still working for the same person and is this all some sort of trap to lure Toby out somehow?
3. Never thought we’d see the day, but this time around the Luidaeg seems to be in trouble and it might well be up to Toby to get her out of it. So now we know that the villain behind all of this is someone Toby knew … Any guesses about who?
I’m not sure I completely understand how the Luidaeg got into trouble with the whole geas ‘thing’. If she was able to give Toby an answer then surely it wasn’t going against the restrictions of the geas? But, yeah, I’m not really sure what happened there. As to who this could be – I really don’t know. I’ve been hazarding all sorts of daft guesses but can’t really come up with anything sound – like I said above, surely to have placed such restrictions even on the Luidaeg then this person must be somebody formidable? The first thing I came up with was either Titania or Oberon – but that’s just really not a possibility and I can’t think of any reason why they would be involved. Blind Michael is no longer in the picture and given his demise the geas wouldn’t still hold if it had been him. Wasn’t there mention of another sister of Amandine and the Luidaeg? That’s the only other person I can think of.
4. That’s it for questions but as always, feel free to highlight anything else of interest for you this week!
And Toby has a sister – August! Who seems to have been missing for a very long time – and a similar number of years to the whole shenanigans with King Gilad. I can’t quite put it all together. I wonder if August was elf shot and has been sleeping?? And where is Armandine!! So many questions that my head hurts as much as Toby’s.
It also occurs to me that the rather insane previous Queen of the Mists is still missing in action – is she working for the same person as Simon – was she involved?
Books and travelling with Lynn 