#wyrdandwonder: Can’t Wait Wednesday: The House of Sacrifice (Empires of Dust #3) by Anna Smith Spark
29 May 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Anna Smith Spark, Can't wait Wednesday, Empires of Dust #3, The House of Sacrifice, Wishful Endings, Wyrd and Wonder
Wyrd and Wonder – a month long event that is a celebration of fantasy. Check out the details here and join in the fun in whatever way you would like to do so.
“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 the book I can’t wait for is: The House of Sacrifice (Empires of Dust #3) by Anna Smith Spark.
This series is fantastic, I’m loving Anna Smith Spark’s style of writing, it’s really quite something. Anyway, The House of Sacrifice is, I think, due for publication either end of July or beginning of August and here are the covers and details:
Marith’s power is growing. His empire stretches across half the world, and allies are flocking to his banner to share the spoils of war. With Thalia ruling at his side they are unstoppable.
But Marith is become increasingly mentally unstable and their victories cannot continue forever.
Here are my reviews for The Court of Broken Knives and The Tower of Living and Dying.
#wyrdandwonder : Friday Face Off : “bibbity, bobbity, boo”
24 May 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books by Proxy, Friday Face off, Jim Butcher, Storm Front, The Dresden Files, Wyrd and Wonder
(May is the month of Wyrd and Wonder – details here, Twitter: @wyrdandwonder)
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. I’ve also listed events that take place during the year, that I’m aware of, so you can link up your covers – if you’re aware of any events that you think I should include then give me a shout. This week’s theme:
“bibbity, bobbity, boo” – A cover that features ‘magical things’
Not too difficult to find a cover this week – hope everyone else found it okay too. (Also, sorry I’ve not been visiting blogs – I’m suffering from very bad wifi at the moment and even creating a post takes an age – hopefully I’ll be back to normal soon). Anyway, to the covers. This week I’ve picked Storm Front by Jim Butcher. This is the first in the Dresden Series – this is a series that I was really enjoying and really need to jump back on board (I think I got as far as No.8). Anyway, quite a lot of the books feature Harry’s magical staff (not sure if I’m naming that correctly) so that’s the artefact I’m choosing for this week’s theme:
Some very unusual covers here – my favourite two (and I’m sure some of this comes down to familiarity are:
I like the simplicity of the first cover and the second is the series of covers that I’ve become very familiar with and naturally drawn to. I’m not going to choose between the two.
Which one is your favourite?
Like last week I’ve added a Mr Linky here so that you can leave a link if you wish or please leave me a link in the comments so we can all visit and check out each others covers. Thanks
I’ve updated the list and included themes through to the end of 2019 – I’ve also included events that I’m aware of so that you can perhaps link your themes up where possible (if you know of an event you’d like to share that let me know in the comments). I also have a list prepared for 2020 and so will set up a separate page soon for forthcoming themes. As always, if you wish to submit an idea then leave me a comment.
Next week – A favourite fantasy cover
Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ or one of your favourite covers)
2019
(May is the month of Wyrd and Wonder – details here, Twitter: @wyrdandwonder)
31st May – “simples” – A favourite fantasy cover
7th June – “One swallow does not make a summer” – A cover that makes you think of Summer
14th June – “Coraline opened the box of chocolates. The dog looked at them longingly.” – A cover featuring something sweet
21st June – Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year – Pagan rituals/standing stones/blazing suns – a cover with your own interpretation
28th June – “And who decided which people wore the striped pyjamas” – A cover that is striped
5th July – “The question of whether or not we are alone in the universe… has been answered” – a cover featuring something/somebody historic
12th July – A wrap around cover
19th July – “You can’t choose between life and death when we’re dealing with what is in between.” – A cover that is grainy or looks like ‘white noise’
26th July – “Ludo ….. down” – A cover that is Upside Down
2nd August – “There are children here somewhere. I can smell them.” A cover featuring children
9th August – “I’m disinclined to acquiesce to your request.” – A cover featuring Pirates
16th August – “The haft of the arrow had been feathered with one of the eagles own plumes” – a cover featuring feathers
23rd August – A cover that is a movie tie in
30th August – “I wandered lonely as a cloud” – a cover that is predominantly yellow
6th September “Warm September brings the fruit” – a cover that is seasonal for Autumn/Fall
13th September – Friday the 13th – unlucky for some! A cover with ‘curse’ in the title
20th September – “Your hair is winter fire,January embers.” – A cover featuring hair
27th September – Freebie
4th October – “Feed me Seymour” – A cover that is 60s horror
11th October – ““And, though there should be a world of difference between the smile of a man and the bared fangs of a wolf, with Joss Merlyn they were one and the same.” – a cover featuring an Inn
18th October – “It’s your favorite scary movie, remember? He had on the white mask, he stalked the babysitters.” – A cover featuring a scream
25th October – for Halloween – pick any scary cover you like
(I’m hoping that November will once again bring to us SciFiMonth – Twitter @SciFiMonth)
1st November – A cover that is predominantly grey
8th November – “big badda boom” – a cover that features an explosion
15th November – “No thinking thing should be another thing’s property, to be turned on and off when it is convenient.” – a cover featuring a robot
22nd November – A cover that is Futuristic
29th November – “When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere.” – a cover that is 60s sci fi
6th December – Now is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious summer by this sun of York” – a cover that puts you in mind of winter
13th December – A cover that features a temple/or religious icon
20th December – Longest Night – a dark and foreboding cover
27th December – the festive season – a cover that is glittery or sparkling
(2020 – January is Vintage SciFi month so I’ll be including possible themes to take that on board.)
#wyrdandwonder: Throwback Thursday : The Spellslinger series by Sebastien de Castell
23 May 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Sebastien de Castell, The Spellslinger Series, The Tenacious Reader, Throwback Thursday, Wyrd and Wonder
Wyrd and Wonder – a month long event that is a celebration of fantasy. Check out the details hereand join in the fun in whatever way you would like to do so.
Throwback Thursday, is a new feature created by Tenacious Reader with the aim of highlighting books from your reading past. This can be virtually anything, a book that you previously read and loved, a book that you want to highlight again, maybe it’s a book in a series and the next book is due out shortly so you want to focus some attention on the series. Anything goes – so long as your book isn’t a current release as there are already plenty of ways to highlight the latest books.
Today I’m highlighting The Spellslinger series by Sebastien de Castell. I’m absolutely loving this series. It’s the perfect combination of good storytelling, wonderful characters and crazy adventures where everything and anything can go wrong and it’s a series that is growing in seriousness with each instalment. I’ve read the first four books already and hopefully will pick up No.5 soon. If you’re loving this series you may be pleased to learn that No.5 is now out there – in the big wide world and No,6 has been announced with an expected publication date later this year. So there’s never been a better chance to give this series a shot. Here are the first four in series:
I love these covers and so I’ve also posted the fifth cover below for your convenience:
#wyrdandwonder Can’t Wait Wednesday: Flamebringer (Heartstone #3) by Elle Katharine White
22 May 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Can't wait Wednesday, Elle Katharine White, Flamebringer, Heartstone #3, Wyrd and Wonder
Wyrd and Wonder – a month long event that is a celebration of fantasy. Check out the details here and join in the fun in whatever way you would like to do so.
“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 the book I can’t wait for is: Flamebringer (Heartstone #3) by Elle Katharine White. I’m loving this series and so I nearly burst at the seams when I saw this was due out THIS NOVEMBER!:
Monsters, manners, and magic combine in this exciting final volume in the Heartstone Trilogy—an exhilarating blend of epic fantasy and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice—in which a fearless healer and her dragon-riding husband must stop a reawakened evil from destroying their world.
It starts with the inconceivable: Wydrick, sworn enemy of the Daireds, is back from the dead, possessed by a ghast that grants him immortality and inhuman strength. From the isolated northern mountains, Aliza, Alastair, and Akarra chase him into the dangerous Old Wilds, realizing too late that he’s led them into a blizzard. Before he vanishes, Wydrick utters a warning: A terrible, ancient evil has awoken, hungry for blood, and is headed their way.
The danger is closer than they know. The Tekari—sworn enemies of humans—are openly roaming the kingdom and are headed towards the capital, Edonarle. Then unexpected news arrives: riding like a dark dragon on the winds from the south, an ambassador from the Silent King of Els, has left the shores of the distant desert kingdom for the first time in centuries.
Unknown enemy? Or unexpected ally? Plunged into a dangerous world of royal intrigue and ancient grudges, Aliza and Alastair soon realize it will take more than steel and dragonfire to save their kingdom. For the silence of Els hides a secret that could shake House Daired to its foundations, and the time has come to settle accounts.
Silence, it seems, is about to be broken.
#wyrdandwonder – Magical Artefacts
21 May 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: That Artsy Reader Girl, Top Ten Tuesday, Wyrd and Wonder
(May is the month of Wyrd and Wonder – details here, Twitter: @wyrdandwonder)
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 I’ve picked a topic from the Wyrd and Wonder list instead and the theme is:
Top Ten magical artefacts
So, I’ve had a good think about this and, of course, some of these will be really obvious but I had to go there and some are hopefully not so obvious:
The One Ring. The Lord of the Rings by JRRTolkien – I had too. It’s the first one that sprang to mind. A ring forged by Sauron, the Dark Lord, with an evil purpose in mind – world dominion. The Lord of the Ring is the story of the quest, taken on by 9 companions known as the Fellowship, to destroy the ring by returning it to the fire’s of Mordor. One ring to rule them all.
Image from Wikipedia
There are lots of things to choose from in JKRowling’s Harry Potter series from wands, to magical cloaks to the Philosopher’s Stone – I’ve chosen something a bit more mischievous – the Marauder’s Map. The Map is a magical piece of parchment that when activated, by using the words ‘I solemnly swear that I am up to no good’, reveals a complete map of Hogwarts, including secret passages. It also reveals the location of people within the castle.
Excalibur – King Arthur’s legendary sword – pulled from a stone? or given to the bearer by the Lady in the lake. Lots of different stories are available TH White’s Once and Future King, for example, or adaptations – Disney’s Sword in the Stone:
Original theatrical release poster
The Ruby Slippers – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum’s – strangely enough I don’t think the shoes in the novel were red – but it was a long time ago that I read the book. The Ruby slippers originally belonged to the Wicked Witch of the East – who died when Dorothy’s house dropped out of the sky and landed on her! The Wicked Witch of the West desperately wants the slippers for their powerful magic and pursues Dorothy to try and claim them.
Seven league boots – apparently these are magical items from folklore but I first became aware of them in Diana Wynne Jones wonderful Howl’s Moving Castle. As you may imagine, the person who wears these boots can travel seven leagues every time they take one footstep – very useful for quests! And I love this quote:
“It’s amazing the way one can take a step ten and a half miles long and still always land in a cowpat.”
“Drink Me/Eat Me” – magical food and potions from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. After following the White Rabbit down a magical rabbit hole Alice drinks from a bottle she finds on a table which causes her to shrink – fortunately a cake with the words ‘eat me’ written in currants reverses the magic – although not with the results she hoped for.
The Magic Mirror from Grimm’s fairytale – Snow White in which the evil queen asks her magic mirror every morning ‘“Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” One day, the mirror, which always answers truthfully, tells her that Snow White is the fairest in the land. Enraged, the Queen sends her hunter to kill Snow White – and I’m sure you know how the story goes from there.
A magic eye – Greek mythology tells of three sisters – witches, who shared one eye and one tooth. Perseus – known for beheading Medusa – stole the witch’s eye to force them to give him information in his search for Medusa and how to defeat her.
Image taken from Villains: Fandom
Shardplate – magically enhanced armour from Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives. Shardplate gives the wearer enhanced speed and strength and protects the wearer more than traditional armour. Shardplate can no longer be forged and therefore the remaining suits of armour are highly prized.
Sting – I started with Tolkien and I thought I’d finish with an artefact from his books. Sting. A sword that originally appeared in The Hobbit and was found by Bilbo Baggins who later gives it to Frodo in the Fellowship of the Ring. Sting is a magical sword that can detect when orcs or goblins are near by.
Frodo and Sting, LotR, taken from Wikipedia
Obviously, I’ve missed some iconic artefacts off here – I’ve tried to go for a mix of obvious and not so obvious – give me your own examples of magical artefacts please.
Books and travelling with Lynn 