4 stars Archives - Page 10 of 30

Normally when I see a promising sounding book and notice that it is YA, I immediately lower my expectations for it as I have not always had the best experience with the genre. That has steadily changed over the last few years though, as more and more YA books have surprised me. When Spellslinger quietly showed up on my radar, though, I had no such reservations. I love Sebastien de Castell’s writing that much and will give him the benefit of the doubt any day of the week, and I am thrilled to say that it did not betray my trust in the least.

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Book Review: A Numbers Game by RJ Dark

July 12, 2021 TS Chan Comments 0 Comment

ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A Numbers Game by RJ Dark

My rating: 4 of 5 stars.

Genre: Mystery, crime

Published: 4th June 2021 by Wavesback (Indie)

A Numbers Game was an enjoyable mystery read that has great emotions and the hallmarks of RJ Barker’s humour.

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Book Review: The Shadow of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga, #1) by John Gwynne

June 3, 2021 Celeste Comments 4 comments

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher, Orbit Books, in exchange for an honest review.

The Shadow of the Gods was one of my most anticipated books of 2021. I adored both The Faithful and the Fallen and Of Blood and Bone in their entirety, and I couldn’t wait to see what new world Gwynne was going to create outside of the Banished Lands, which until this point had served as the setting for every novel he’s penned. And he didn’t disappoint. The Norse-inspired Vigrið is a fantastic setting, one I’m sure will only become more and more interesting as the series progresses. However, as with his previous series, the setting and premise might draw a reader in, but the characters are what keeps said reader invested. …

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Book Review: Magician: Master (The Riftwar Saga, #2) by Raymond E. Feist

May 30, 2021 Petrik Leo Comments 2 comments

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Magician: Master by Raymond E. Feist

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Riftwar Saga (Book #2 of 3 or 4), The Riftwar Cycle (Book #2 of 31)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Classic Fantasy

Pages: 523 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: November 1982

I enjoyed this much more on reread. Magician: Master is a great “sequel” that raises the stakes of the series and proves that the series is not a mere Lord of the Rings clone.
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Book Review: Death of Kings (The Last Kingdom, #6) by Bernard Cornwell

May 24, 2021 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

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Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Last Kingdom (Book #6 of 13)

Genre: Historical fiction

Pages: 357 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 29th September 2011 by HarperCollins

This was not as good as Season 3 of the TV series, but Cornwell successfully delivered a fitting conclusion to the first part of the series. …

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Book Review: The Legend of Eli Monpress (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #1-3) by Rachel Aaron

May 23, 2021 TS Chan Comments 2 comments

The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Legend of Eli Monpress (Books #1-3 of 5)

Genre: Fantasy, high fantasy

Published: February 2012 by Orbit (UK and US)

Rachel Aaron’s debut fantasy series, The Legend of Eli Monpress, was so addictively entertaining and fun that I blasted through all three books in the first omnibus in just four days.

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Book Review: From a Buick 8 by Stephen King

May 17, 2021 Celeste Comments 0 Comment

From a Buick 8 by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From a Buick 8 was way more interesting than I expected. Honestly, this is one of the few novels in King’s backlist that I would have had no qualms skipping if it hadn’t been on the suggested expanded Dark Tower reading list I found here. I had no desire to read about a supernatural car. Freaky inanimate objects don’t really do it for me. Most of the time, anyway. I should’ve remembered the topiaries in The Shining. Because this unnatural Buick ended up being pretty darn creepy. I was expecting Christine or James Dean’s Little Bastard. That’s so not what was delivered. …

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