Harry Potter month (1)
I quite often give myself little challenges on my blog where I post on a particular theme for the whole of the month. This month is going to be about Harry Potter. Basically, this will be any amount of silliness, quotes, who said what, which film/who’s who, silly sketches. Lets see how I get on with my August theme and if I can make it to the end of the month.
Also, I found out about what seems like a fun discussion event called Hype or Like over on Rant and Rave About Books – check it out here if you’re interested in taking part.
For now, I leave you with a quote from one of the characters:
“Turn to page three hundred and ninety-four…” who said this….?
City of Wolves by Willow Palecek
I confess I was drawn to City of Wolves initially by the amazing cover. It really is an eye catching creation. The book itself is a gas lamp fantasy story, set, I think in an alternate Victorian London (Lupenwald) and containing a murder mystery at the heart of the tale.
At the start of the story we make the acquaintance of Alexander Drake who is about to be strong armed into taking a job that he wouldn’t normally countenance. Alexander is a private investigator and put bluntly he doesn’t as a rule take work from the nobility as it usually ends in a heap of trouble and never goes according to plan. Unfortunately the payment for the job now in question is rather lucrative and not one that Alexander can easily turn his nose up at and so he finds himself once again working for the landed gentry as he looks into the potential murder of a Lord who seems to have died without a will – and a number of beneficiaries! As Alexander goes from one life threatening scene to the next it soon becomes obvious why he doesn’t take on work for nobles.
This is only a short story (perhaps 100 pages) so I won’t elaborate further on the plot as it would potentially contain spoilers.
What did I like about City of Wolves. Well, I enjoyed the introduction to this particular world, I thought it was a fast paced read and there was plenty of well described action. I think the world could be a very interesting one and I also feel like Alexander is a character that I could come to like very much if given more time. I think that the City and its history holds a lot of potential.
I would say that the title of the story is quite clever. It could refer to the history of the place described here in which we find out about a civil war that took place in the past and effectively split the country or it could also refer to the fantasy element of the story.
In terms of criticisms. I didn’t really feel like I had enough time to get to know Alexander and at this point I confess that I really don’t have a handle on him. I think he could be a really interesting character but at this stage he is only very thinly drawn. The mystery was fairly easily and quickly resolved so that element of the story felt a little bit flat – in fact the main concentration, I would say, is on the action with chases and the like and the reveal. In fairness, with a story this length it is difficult to try and accomplish everything and in a way I think it’s a shame that this was only 100 pages long as it could easily have been expanded upon in a way that contained deeper characterisation and world building without losing any of the pace.
As it is, I quite enjoyed the read, it was quick and easy to get to grips with but I would say it had a definite feel of an introductory novel. I hope that is the case and we can expect more so that the author has a chance to expand upon the world and characters introduced here. I would read further if it turns out that this is the case and City of Wolves is just our introduction to this world.
I received a copy of City of Wolves from the publishers through Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
July: My month in review
July, the first month of the second half of the year is over – where is this year going! A good month of reading but a slow month of blogging and reviewing! Much catching up is now needed. So, to get to it:
Books read: (with links to reviews)
- It Happened One Doomsday by Laurence MacNaughton
- Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire
- Bride of the Midnight King by Kat Parrish
- All Is Fair by Emma Newman
- The Hatching Ezekiel-Boone
- Time Siege by Wesley Chu
- Let Me Tell you About a Man I Knew by Susan Fletcher
- Red Right Hand by Levi Black
- Hope and Red by Jon Skovron
- Hero Grown Seeds of Destiny by Andy Livingston
- City of Wolves by Willow Palecek
Last month’s covers are here
Backlist books
Any Other Name by Emma Newman – (readalong book)
Unfinished series completed:
None this month – boo.
Books Bought:
- Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by JK Rowling
- The Black Shriving by Phil Tucker
Review Books: (with links to Goodreads)
- Fix by Ferrett Steinmetz
- City of Wolves by Willow Palecek
- A Little Knowledge A Little Knowledge by Emma Newman
- Poison City by Paul Crilley
- A City Dreaming by Daniel Polansky
- Congress of Secrets by Stephanie Burgis
Top Ten Tuesday at The Broke and Bookish (every Tuesday)
Waiting on Wednesday is an event hosted by Breaking the Spine where every week we get to shine the spotlight on a book that we’re looking forward to.
The Friday Face off by Books by Proxy
Readalongs:
- Completed Emma Newman’s All is fair
- Completed Seanan McGuire’s Late Eclipses
Classic Clubs read:
Unfortunately none this month.
Previous months in review:
The SPFBO 2: My posts so far:
- There can be only one #SPFBO 2016
- Cover Love: #SPFBO 2016
- #SPFBO Spotlight : the first five books..
- #SPFBO Spotlight : the first five books: update
- #SPFBO Spotlight : the second set of books..
- #SPFBO Review: Rebel’s Honor by Gwynn White
- #SPFBO Spotlight : the second set of five: update
The above SPFBO to be updated shortly…
All is Fair (The Split Worlds, #3) by Emma Newman
All is Fair is the third book, in the Split Worlds series by Emma Newman, that I’ve been reading as part of a readalong. This is an unusual world where fae exist – in exile and the mundane world in which we live is separated from the fae by the Nether world. I’m not going to elaborate too much on the previous books because, and maybe wrongly so, I’m going to assume if you’re reading this review you’ve already read the first two and, if you haven’t you really need to do so and you also need to beware of spoilers).
So, at the end of the last book Will has finally achieved the throne of Londinium in a rather ignominious way, Cathy is recovering following the attack upon her person, Max and his sidekick the Gargoyle are still investigating the deaths at their Chapter and Sam is becoming more embroiled in this alternative world than he ever suspected with the Elemental Court now playing a key role in his life.
How can I describe the Split World series. It’s a series set in the modern world – with a period regency style world jostling alongside it seperating the mundanes from the fae and the elementals. A world where nothing is ever quite what it seems and behind the morning dresses and polite afternoon teas is unrest. This series is a slow burner, there’s no mad action here, things happen at their own pace and yet underneath, simmering under the surface are a number of storylines that are gradually heating up.
And, I have to hand it to Miss Newman, she writes these characters in a way that just makes you fume! Literally! Well, personally, I think she’s writing the characters in that way. For example Will. He’s a noble from the Nether world, he’s privileged and used to having what he wants but he’s also quite indoctrinated into this world and so, although he seems like he might change it seems that every other thing that he does right he does another three things that will just infuriate the socks off you. Yes, this is a very sexist world, the women in the nether are repressed and those that speak out or either silenced using charms or transported elsewhere. The Agency help with this. The Agency are a strange and corrupt organisation. They keep things running smoothly in this world but they’re far from above world.
Now on top of this we have the fae who are quite a bunch of schemers. A surreal bunch of characters, scheming and wicked. We also have the sorcerers – sorry I forgot to mention them earlier – of course there is a massive scheme afoot, one that I can’t mention. What I can say is that the newest edition to the sorcerer’s world is very interesting – Rupert.
It’s difficult to say too much here. There is a grand sweeping plot and so it would be very easy to spoil the story. What I can say is that by the end of the story the foundations have been laid for change and things look as though they’re about to get very interesting (by which I mean go to hell in a handcart).
I’m very much looking forward to No.4.
I received a copy of All is Fair from the publisher through Netgalley. The above is my own opinion.
Let Me Tell You About a Man I Knew by Susan Fletcher
30 July 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Let Me Tell You About a Man I Knew, Susan Fletcher
My primary reading these days falls into the SFF bracket without doubt, however, there are certain authors that I really enjoy that step outside that field that I always want to read and Susan Fletcher is one of those authors. I first fell in love with her writing after reading Witch Light (which I think is also known as Corrag). Fletcher has a way of writing things that simply make them stand out from the page. Her writing is beautiful and evocative and this title is no exception.
Let Me Tell You About a Man I Knew brings to us a story about Jeanne Trabuc. Jeanne’s husband runs the hospital at Saint-Paul-de Mausole and the hospital is about to receive a new patient who will certainly stir things up a lot. Not to beat about the bush the patient in question is Vincent Van Gogh and this book brings to us a fictionalised account of his time spent at the hospital in Provence following the troubled period in which he cut off part of his ear.
To be clear, this is very much Jeanne’s story but the arrival of VvG is definitely the catalyst that sparks a change in Jeanne during which she reflects on her own life. Jeanne and her husband are at a quite stage of their life. Their sons have grown and left home to start their own life stories and Jeanne finds herself a little lonely and at something of a loose end. Her interest is sparked by this new addition to the hospital and she finds herself visiting him in spite of her husband’s express wishes that she have no contact with any of the patients.
This story is a slice of introspection during which Jeanne looks back at her life as a young girl and a mother reflecting on her own and her children’s hopes and wishes.
Why I liked this. I loved reading those parts of the story in which VvG made an appearance, his description and the imaginary conversations with Jeanne were really intriguing, enough in fact to make me go and read up a little more of VvG’s life story and take a look at the pictures he painted during his time in Provence. Also, and unsurprisingly for me, I loved the writing. Fletcher is a beautiful writer and Provence is a beautiful place that provided this author with some wonderful material to work with. The startling sunshine, the intensity of the flowers, the striking starlit sky and so much more. The writing is, put simply, evocative.
This is only a fairly short story but it really caught my attention. Jeanne and her husband may not be the most dynamic characters that you’ll ever read about and there’s certainly no swords and sorcery to be found here, but nonetheless this story captured my attention and in fact kept it long after I finished the book.
A quiet and thoughtful story, beautifully written and with an intriguing glimpse into the life of a brilliant and influential artist.
I received a copy of this courtesy of the publishers through Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Books and travelling with Lynn 