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Month: April 2020

Book Review: Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

Book Review: Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

 

Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the wrong hands a secret is a weapon.

Caroline Corsham’s life is forever altered the night she stumbles over the brutalised body of a woman she thought she knew…and hears her dying words. Caro can’t get the tortured whisper of ‘he knows’ out of her mind. Could it be about the secret she holds close? But then everything changes. It stuns her to discover that her ‘friend’ was not an Italian noblewoman, but a high-class prostitute. One with dangerous acquaintances in both high and low society. It’s clear that the police intend to brush the murder aside. After all, who cares about a dead whore? But Caro isn’t the type of lady to let things slide. Hiring the thief-taker Peregrine Child to assist her enquiries, she sets out to discover what happened in the bower of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens that evening. And it turns out that there are, in fact, a good number of people taking an interest in this murdered girl, because they all have something to hide. To bring the killer to justice, Caro is going to have to put everything she has on the line…

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Book Review: The Bonehunters (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #6)

Book Review: The Bonehunters (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #6)

The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars.

Series: Malazan Book of the Fallen (Book 6 of 10)

Genre: Epic fantasy, grimdark fantasy

First published:  2006 by Bantam (UK) and 2007 by Tor (US)


Malazan Book of the Fallen really hit its stride coming into its sixth chapter of this massive tale. However, now that we have moved past the midway point of the series, it will get more and more difficult to compose a review without giving away too much. As such, you may see the length of these reviews getting shorter as I progress towards the finale.

Firstly, I have to say that in The Bonehunters, Erikson started to reveal a larger picture of the intricate tapestry that he has so masterfully woven. Almost every character that we have met from the beginning and their respective arcs or subplots were coming together to form a more cohesive narrative across all the volumes of the series so far. While the prose maintained its dense philosophical slant, the books were progressively getting easier to read. Easier being solely relative to its predecessors.

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Book Review: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1)

Book Review: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1)


The Gunslinger by Stephen King
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”

So begins what Stephen King considers his magnum opus, The Dark Tower. The line above is among the most well known opening lines in modern literature, and it perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the short novel. This first installment, The Gunslinger, is the only book in the series I’ve read before, and I knew I needed a refresher before I dove any deeper into The Dark Tower. While The Gunslinger isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, with areas that drag and a last quarter that goes too hazily ephemeral to maintain an emotional connection, it’s a fun and very original introduction into what I’ve heard is an incredibly powerful and unique series.

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Book Review: Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, #3) by Jim Butcher

Book Review: Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, #3) by Jim Butcher

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Dresden Files (Book #3 of 25)

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Pages: 465 pages (US Kindle edition)

Published: 4th March 2010 by Orbit (UK) & 1st September 2001 by Roc (US)


This book showed the first signs of The Dresden Files getting better in quality.

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Book Review: Scarlet Tides (The Moontide Quartet, #2) by David Hair

Book Review: Scarlet Tides (The Moontide Quartet, #2) by David Hair

Scarlet Tides by David Hair

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Moontide Quartet (Book #2 of 4)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 688 pages (UK paperback edition)

Published: 24th October 2013 by Jo Fletcher


Wow. Scarlet Tides is an awesome sequel. My gratitude goes to Kitty G for recommending this super underrated series.

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Book Review: Mage’s Blood (The Moontide Quartet, #1) by David Hair

Book Review: Mage’s Blood (The Moontide Quartet, #1) by David Hair

Mage’s Blood by David Hair

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Moontide Quartet (Book #1 of 4)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 704 pages (UK paperback edition)

Published: 27th September 2012 by Jo Fletcher


The first half of Mage’s Blood challenged my patience, but the pay-off—and hopefully the rest of the series—in the second half was bloody rewarding.

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Book Review: The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Book Review: The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Cemetery of Forgotten Books (Book #1 of 4)

Genre: Historical fiction, Mystery

Translated Edition Published: 2004 by Weidenfield & Nicholson, Orion Books (UK) & 2004 by Penguin Books (US)


The Shadow of the Wind was something truly special. Incredibly moving and beautifully written, it is a story within a story that so wonderfully captures the essence of how books (and the stories within) could make an indelible mark in our lives.

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Blog Tour: Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward

Blog Tour: Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward

Hi everyone! Petrik from Novel Notions here. We, the team at Novel Notions, are very thrilled and honored that we were asked by Orbit to participate in the blog tour for the Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward. This is the beginning of an epic fantasy trilogy with a huge scope, I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of it last year; I’ve read, enjoyed, and reviewed it. If you haven’t read this book and you love epic fantasy, I urge you to give it a go. Without further ado, here’s my interview with Matthew Ward.

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Book Review: A Chorus of Fire (The Sorcerer’s Song, #2) by Brian D. Anderson

Book Review: A Chorus of Fire (The Sorcerer’s Song, #2) by Brian D. Anderson

ARC provided by the publisher—Tor Books—in exchange for an honest review.

A Chorus of Fire by Brian D. Anderson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Sorcerer’s Song (Book #2 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High fantasy

Pages: 448 pages

Published: 4th August 2020 by Tor Books


A great page-turning sequel that’s incredibly easy and comfortable to read.

“The scales of mortal hearts are tilted in favor of love. It is in this their virtue is made manifest.”

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Book Review: The Hunger, by Alma Katsu

Book Review: The Hunger, by Alma Katsu


The Hunger by Alma Katsu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Readers know how this book will end before even starting the first chapter. After all, the Donner Party is one of the most famous factual examples of cannibalism in the Western world. If you’re reading a book about the Donner Party, you know without a doubt that things aren’t going to end well. No matter how these characters strive toward their goal, you know most of them will not only not make it to the end, they will end up being eaten by the members of the party who remain. Because of this, every page of Alma Katsu’s The Hunger ratchets up the tension and unease as you close in on the inevitable outcome.

“Evil was invisible, and it was everywhere.”

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