Friday Face Off : Live in the saddle. Die on the hog
15 June 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books by Proxy, Firebrand, Friday Face off, Gillian Philip
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:
Live in the saddle. Die on the hog – a cover featuring riders
This week I thought I had a cover but I thought wrong so I had to dig around a little and came up with Firebrand (Rebel Angels #1) by Gillian Philip (although I could have used the book that I took the quote from – thought I’d keep that one for future themes maybe):
Only two choices this week. I really like the first because it’s the book I owned but I like the action in the second. On balance I think my choice has to be:
Which is your favourite.
Next week – a cover featuring a murder scene
Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ of one of your favourite covers)
22nd June -‘Murder most foul, as in the best it is’ – a cover featuring a murder scene
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
Firebrand by Gillian Philip
This is my last book for 2010 – even though I’m writing it on the 1st day of January 2011 – I finished reading the book yesterday but didn’t have chance to put anything down.
Quite simply this book took my breath away. I started it yesterday and I finished it yesterday – and in between time I did nothing but read – that’s how captivating this was.
This is a story about Seth and his brother Conal who are Sithe warriors. The Sithe people are faeries who live behind a veil. They are predominantly warriors who have a range of abilities such as healer or witch. They are ultimately ruled by a Queen – Kate – who they all swear fealty to. Seth and Conal are half brothers – Seth being the illegitimate son of a Sithe nobleman. Seth spent his early years living with his mother at court but he was unwelcome there and equally as unwelcome at his father’s fortress where he is sent to live.
Seth is an excellent character – he’s cocky and cheeky, angry, brave and completely devoted to his brother Conal – the relationship between the two brothers is really well written. When Conal is banished to live among the full mortals Seth chooses to go with him and there they try to survive amongst people who are deeply superstitious and brutal and where to be deemed ‘different’ can be fatal – particularly at a time when witch hunts are common place.
There is such a lot packed into this book and it is so well written that the characters and the world just come alive. There is adventure, romance, intrigue, greed, jealousy – oh, everything – not to mention two gorgeous characters in Seth and Conal.
If you don’t read any other book this year make sure you read this one.
Strongly recommend this book and can’t imagine anybody not enjoying the story and the way it’s written.
Rating A+++