Review: A Far Better Thing by HG Parry
3 July 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Far Better Thing, Book Review, Books, Fae, Fantasy, HG Parry, Review
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Brilliant. No Further Words Needed
I thought I was going to love this, I loved The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door and I was excited to pick this up – and, I did love it, literally, it didn’t disappoint.
Firstly, I haven’t read a Tale of Two Cities – although I confess this book actually makes me wish to do so. So, I have no idea how this story ties in to the Dickens tale. However, I had such a good time reading this. Parry writes with confidence and panache. I love her style, this read like a period novel, not necessarily with the wordiness and antiquity but with a flavour of the times and an ease of reading. I mean, you have to love an author that gives you a feel for Dickens but with a more modern take. I really enjoyed this.
Secondly, I’ve read and loved two books now by this author, so, literally, HG Parry is on my list of authors to watch.
So, I’m not going to talk of the plot. At all.
What I loved.
The writing is exquisite. I loved the writing. I mean, I really enjoyed reading this. I’m really excited to see what this author comes up with next.
The characters, you care about them. They’ve, for the most part been pretty much mistreated by the fae and, in fact, continue to be so. Some of them are the fae, changelings in fact, and yet they’re not aware. How complicated is it really?
The setting is a perfect period setting. It feels Dickensian in so many ways. The dialogue, the description of places, the slums, the ways of life, the discrepancies between those with and without, and then of course the move to France and the Revolution.
The fae are perfectly hideous. They’re all about the long game. Plotting and planning and downright nasty. I loved them.
Overall, I loved this, I can’t recommend it enough. If you want a period feeling novel dripping with fae machinations you simply have to read this.
I received a copy through Netalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion
My rating 4.5 of 5 stars
Review: The Bodies by Sam Lloyd
19 June 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Books, Review, Sam Lloyd, The Bodies, Thriller
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Very Chaotic but Seriously Gripping
The Bodies is a book that actually grips you from the get go and from that point is totally relentless. It’s a book that is insane, it makes you question yourself, I mean, what would you do. It’s a book that makes you hold your head in your hands saying ‘no, no, no’. But you won’t want to put it down. It’s fast paced and each chapter goes from bad to worse. You think you have a grip of what’s going on – but you really don’t.
I don’t want to give away a lot about the plot, but, at the same time, and given the blurb, I don’t think I’m giving anything away when I say Joseph Carver makes some shocking decisions to help his son. He wakes up in the dead of night, noises are coming from downstairs, this is basically Joseph’s nightmare scenario given his past – which will soon become crystal clear – but he creeps downstairs, dreading what he will find – only to find his son in the kitchen covered in blood.
Now, what did I love about this book.
Well, this is an author I’ve read before and enjoyed very much. The writing was really good. It’s one of those books that you can simply fall into. I mean, this is a contemporary setting so it’s easy to imagine but the prose is really good and Lloyd is excellent at building tension.
The characters. Goddamn I wanted to bang some heads together and I’m not a violent person. Joseph isn’t some kick ass dude. He’s about as scared of everything as I would be but at the same time he’s really ‘real’. We’re not all heros but Joseph loves his son, he feels like he’s failed him and he’s simply desperate. Then we have the rest of the family. Max, Joseph’s son from his previous marriage, is the one in trouble. He’s studied for years, he wants to become a doctor and now, his future is on the line. Joseph has a new wife and step daughter. Erin and Tilly.
This story almost has a breakneck pace and is one of those stories with short sharp chapters and plenty of tension. I was literally on the edge of my seat and the beauty of the pacing and tension is that you have little time, not only to take a breath but also to try and second guess what’s really going on.
Then there’s the twists. The twists are real. I was like ‘what just happened?’.
Anyway, I had a nail biting blast with this book. I expected to love this, I did go in with high expectations and this book delivered. An absolutely compelling read.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4.5 of 5 stars
Can’t Wait Wednesday: The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry
18 June 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Books, Can't wait Wednesday, Christina Henry, fiction, Horror, reading, The Place Where They Buried Your Heat, Wishful Endings
“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 Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry. Here’s the cover and description:
A woman must confront the evil that has been terrorizing her street since she was a child in this gripping haunted house novel, perfect for fans of The Last House on Needless Street and Tell Me I’m Worthless.
On an otherwise ordinary street in Chicago, there is a house. An abandoned house where, once upon a time, terrible things happened. The children who live on this block are told by their parents to stay away from that house. But of course, children don’t listen. Children think it’s fun to be scared, to dare each other to go inside.
Jessie Campanelli did what many older sisters do and dared her little brother Paul. But unlike all the other kids who went inside that abandoned house, Paul didn’t return. His two friends, Jake and Richie, said that the house ate Paul. Of course adults didn’t believe that. Adults never believe what kids say. They thought someone kidnapped Paul, or otherwise hurt him. They thought Paul had disappeared in a way that was ordinary, explainable.
The disappearance of her little brother broke Jessie’s family apart in ways that would never be repaired. Jessie grew up, had a child of her own, kept living on the same street where the house that ate her brother sat, crouched and waiting. And darkness seemed to spread out from that house, a darkness that was alive—alive and hungry.
Expected publication: November 2025
The House of Frost and Feathers by Lauren Wiesebron
19 May 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Books, Fantasy, fiction, Lauren Wiesebron, reading, The House of Frost and Feathers
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Lovely writing, good ideas, slow.
My review for the House of Frost and Feathers is very overdue and I do feel terribly guilty. Things just got away from me and I became all wrapped up on completing my SPFBO books and trying not to fall behind.
Anyway, here we are. I enjoyed The House of Frost and Feathers, the writing is lovely, I really liked the House which was virtually a character in it’s own right and I liked the characters. But. This is not a fast read. It’s not the type of story that you’re simply going to pick up and complete in two sittings and to be totally fair for a while there it felt like very little was going on at all which did lead me to put the book down and sometimes hesitate to pick it back up straight away. That being said I really enjoyed the writing and will certainly keep my eye on this author to see what she does next.
The main character is called Marisha. Her parents have fallen victim to the sleeping plague that attacks every ten years. Marisha has run from home to escape her aunt’s plans to marry her off to a wealthy suitor and with very few alternatives she manages to snag herself a place as an assistant to Baba Zima’s apprentice in a house that moves from place to place upon chicken legs!
Baba Zima is a woman of magic, who travels from place to place assisting people who need her help and still believe in magic. Her apprentice Olena is trying to find a cure for the plague and her and Marisha, having this desire in common, decide to try and help each other.
So, what worked for me with The House of Frost and Feathers.
The story is based on Slavic folklore and although it seems to be an age where people are not believing in magic quite as much as they did in the past there is still enough people in search of magical aid. Baba Zima is a wily one, quite powerful and very secretive. She controls the house – speaking of which, I loved this aspect of the story. The house itself is a great creation. It’s a fanciful place, sometimes it has a different layout, sometimes it permits people to pass through certain doorways and other times it doesn’t.
I enjoyed the characters. There’s very much a found family feel and the book takes it’s time letting the reader discover them. This does have a ‘slice of life’ feel to the story which definitely affects the pacing. I actually really enjoyed the earlier chapters. It has a lovely fairytale feel.
I did have a good time reading The House of Frost and Feathers but I did have some issues. The slow pacing wasn’t really a problem for me in fact I preferred the earlier chapters to the grand finale when the pacing stepped up. I wasn’t totally convinced with the direction that things took, the ending felt a little rushed even.
That being said, I did enjoy this and I’m definitely keen to see what the author comes up with next.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 3.5 of 5 stars
Review: Paladin’s Grace by T Kingfisher (The Saint of Steel #1)
5 May 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, Book Reviews, Books, Fantasy, Paladin's Grace, Review, T Kingfisher, The Saint of Steel #1
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Loved It. Want Much More
Paladin’s Grace was such an easy book to read. I can’t seem to get enough of this author at the moment and the books seem to be coming fast and furious which is a real bonus.
Paladin’s Grace is the first in series. It’s a romantasy, cosy in many respects but also with the author’s usual touch of darkness, bordering on light horror.
As the story begins we meet Stephen, a former paladin, brought low following the death of the God he dedicated his life to. Stephen is one of only a few remaining paladins. Most died on that ominous day and the rest live in disgrace, (after their God died the paladin’s were overcome with a beserker rage that led to bloodshed). Stephen wants nothing more than to live his life serving others and helping his brothers live out their days in peace. Well, that wouldn’t be much of a story would it? So, in a chance encounter, one evening, he makes the acquaintance of a perfume maker called Grace. Following this chance encounter the two find themselves, much against their will, thinking of each other often and innocently bumping into each other on a number of occasions.
I don’t want to go much into the plot. This is a very entertaining story with spies, assasins, over zealous religious types, a serial killer who removes people’s heads, a threat against royalty and two people becoming rather smitten.
What I really liked about this. Just everything to be honest. The story has a lovely pace, there are without doubt some darker elements, but for the most part I loved the dialogue and the characters and put simply I was rather smitten myself. I certainly didn’t guess the direction that this was going to take.
Stephen and Grace are very easy to engage with and actually were refreshingly original. Stephen is the epitome of knightly behaviour – when he’s not knitting socks or overthinking his feelings. Grace is a bundle of indecision with an excellent ‘nose’ who is about to become caught up in something of a dilemma. Grace is running from her past, Stephen is also scarred by his past and the two are undoubtedly broken but, put the two together, and as well as the chemistry there is definitely hope for both their futures – if only they can see it. These two are great. They undoubtedly made me laugh.
I also really enjoyed the supporting cast, Stephen’s brothers in arms – all needing a bit of a group hug themselves and at the same time ready to rush into the fray at the drop of a hat to protect their friend. The Monks who try to keep the paladin’s alive – in spite of the paladin’s themselves and Grace’s friend Marguerite – a spy who seems to have fingers in many pies.
To be honest I don’t think I can say much more. A cosy romantasy, with darkness and death but also a big splash of hope, an intriguing murder mystery and an assassination attempt – all mingled together. I loved reading this and can’t wait to read the next.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4.5 of 5 stars
Books and travelling with Lynn 