An informative yet profoundly depressing read. The first part of the book focuses on the history of wolves, that is our history of hunting them. Ever An informative yet profoundly depressing read. The first part of the book focuses on the history of wolves, that is our history of hunting them. Ever inventive and unsurpassingly cruel, we have been so effective that many wolf populations have been completely wiped out. The book helpfully also tells the reader about the many other animals killed in their thousands every year alongside the wolf. I frequently had to have a break from reading, the litany of senseless death was too awful. If you manage to make it through that, the rest of the book is fascinating and in the end offers some hope for the future.
ARC via Netgalley
Merged review:
An informative yet profoundly depressing read. The first part of the book focuses on the history of wolves, that is our history of hunting them. Ever inventive and unsurpassingly cruel, we have been so effective that many wolf populations have been completely wiped out. The book helpfully also tells the reader about the many other animals killed in their thousands every year alongside the wolf. I frequently had to have a break from reading, the litany of senseless death was too awful. If you manage to make it through that, the rest of the book is fascinating and in the end offers some hope for the future.
Well worth the wait, this second entry in the Cinder Spires series is pure fun. The talking cats, withSnarky cats and duelling what more do you need?
Well worth the wait, this second entry in the Cinder Spires series is pure fun. The talking cats, with their clever banter and mischievous personalities, steal the show, but Captain Grimm, calm and competent in any and every situation, comes in a close second. He's the kind of leader even I would die for and I'd read a hundred more books with him as the main character. There's high action and bloody violence, sly machinations and creepy creatures, enough to keep a reader engaged from the first page to the last.
Imagine this. You're home for the holidays, sorting out the final trimmings for the best meal of the year. But just when you thought it was safe to reImagine this. You're home for the holidays, sorting out the final trimmings for the best meal of the year. But just when you thought it was safe to relax and enjoy your Christmas, Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness and Death, decides he needs something doing. Immediately. So he sends a dream request with no get out clause. We've all had bosses like it - no boundaries and can't take no for an answer. On top of that, a child, bloody and near death, rocks up asking for sanctuary, with elite mercenaries and a catastrophically powerful priest hot on his tail. The whole situation reads like disaster - now, nobody gets to eat turkey and perhaps even worse, they might actually die. A rubbish outcome all round.
For Roman, a classic homebody (read: recluse with no desire to see or speak to people), this means a Christmas break gone completely to hell. But like any proud homeowner, he is more than prepared to defend his space, and everyone in it, from bad guys. Especially when they turn up with very bad attitudes and suspicious reasons for wanting to 'take the child home to his parents'. Yeah right. We know how this works. And so does Roman. If you know anything about him from the Kate Daniels books, you know he has a bit of an attitude himself. More than enough to take on some jumped up soldiers, he's the Black Volhv after all. What follows is a bloody and inventive exploration of the kind of powers that we haven't really seen from him in the main series, alongside a heavy dose of Slavic folklore. Roman's got the kind of witty sarcasm and heart of gold that makes Kate such an appealing character and he's just as likely to collect strays as her - in this case a selection of weird creatures who I pictured as witchy cat familiars regardless of their description. I'm all about the wish fulfilment. We also get to experience a variety of completely different types of magic, each with its own deadly potential. The fight sequences are high tension with genuine consequences and some suitably gruesome deaths. Chernobog would be best pleased.
I didn't read the serial, just the finished product, so I have no idea how it compares to what people have seen before, but this was an entertaining tale with a protagonist interesting enough to carry the load. No, it's not the same at the main novels, but it's a great expansionist piece, worthy to be part of the world and offering a look at one of the characters who so far hasn't had enough screen time. The ending leaves the possibility of more to come and I'll be there for it, just as I am for everything in this world.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy. ...more
The Fury of the Gods is the third and final book in John Gwynne’s The Bloodsworn Saga, a Norse-inspired epic fantasy set in the fictional lands of VigThe Fury of the Gods is the third and final book in John Gwynne’s The Bloodsworn Saga, a Norse-inspired epic fantasy set in the fictional lands of Vigrið. Beginning with The Shadow of the Gods, building with The Hunger of the Gods, and now finishing with this battle filled conclusion, this series has hooked thousands of readers and this book is on many a TBR for October. And there’s no doubt that those looking for a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy will find it here, with a side helping of distress and death, of course.
It’s time for the final showdown. Lik-Rifa has gathered her forces and is so close to making the world hers that she can taste it. Desperate to rid herself of her sibling (and enemy) gods as well any pathetic humans still resisting her charms (her charms being brutal violence and an all consuming need for domination), she’s set for Snakavik, where those ranged against her are assembling. After all, it’s going to take more than a few swords to kill a dragon god. Most importantly though, the snivelling, snotty Gudvarr is still alive and kicking, hoping to rise in Lik-Rifa’s favour, hovering in the background, trying to be useful to those in power, hungry for personal gain, while also continuing to be utterly contemptible and unjustifiably lucky. Those who know Gwynne know that he would never let that stand forever - watching Gudvarr escape justice repeatedly has felt like an eternal torture - but I knew it would come to an end at some point. Likewise, for all those wronged over the first two books - they have their time. I’m telling you now that it’s worth the wait, but I also come with a warning: not every character you love will come out of these clashes alive…
As always with Gwynne’s work, his most effective scenes are the biggest - the set piece battles where everything is at stake and every move is perfectly choreographed - and the smallest - the intimate moments between two characters, where the slightest word or gesture can resonate through the rest of the story. For all that the epic contests are brutal and bloody here, the scenes that hit harder were those with quiet, emotional exchanges. I’ve had a soft spot for Varg throughout and his storyline never ceased to entertain and move. Something about his voice, his love for his sister and his soul-deep desire to avenge her murder, settled into my core and watching how this played out for him was the most tension filled and emotive aspect of this novel. I loved his friendship with his comrades, the growing relationship with one in particular, and felt it hard when he suffered setbacks. He is the epitome of Gwynne’s hero character - determined, brave, thoughtful, caring. I will add him to my growing list of treasured friends, alongside Corban, Storm, Veradis, Drem, and Orka. In a grim world, characters like these, who rise above the petty selfishness, greed, and all the other ugliness of the human condition, offer the light in the dark and they stay bright in the memory as a result.
Finally, I have to say that for me, this did not meet the heights of A Time of Courage, the final book in the Of Blood and Bone series, but then, that’s one of my all time favourite finishers. Even so, the novel offers a fun filled, rewarding finale that readers will enjoy.
This is one of those books which has such an intriguing start that you keep reading way beyond the point you should have stopped. There's little to noThis is one of those books which has such an intriguing start that you keep reading way beyond the point you should have stopped. There's little to no depth to the characterisation save Marion who was neither likeable nor interesting once she left her hometown, the petty female infighting of the Blood House has been done before (and better), the middle stretched out to infinity, and the end could be seen a mile away. A waste of time.
For me, the success of The Drowned City was due to 3 main things:
1) the intensity of the atmosphere- the detailed description and incredible sense ofFor me, the success of The Drowned City was due to 3 main things:
1) the intensity of the atmosphere- the detailed description and incredible sense of place 2) the clever and compelling plot 3) the fascinating character of Daniel Pursglove, reluctant investigator for the crown.
Two of those threads were evident again in this novel, but the snail pace of the plot meant that I kept putting the book down and having to talk myself into picking it up again. The potential tension was smoothed utterly flat by the lack of urgency. As a reflection of a moment in time, it was interesting, but ultimately lacking in vitality. I'm not sure I'll continue despite my interest in the main character.
Wild and Wicked Things makes clear that Francesca May has an incredible sense of style, with a rich and compelling authorial voice. While I had severaWild and Wicked Things makes clear that Francesca May has an incredible sense of style, with a rich and compelling authorial voice. While I had several issues with the book, not one of them was to do with the writing. Her Gatsby influenced novel, decorated with lavish parties and dark magic, has a decadent and dangerous edge. Yet, it lacks emotional impact thanks to patchy and unsatisfying characterisation. The sapphic insta-obsession was unconvincing and the plot was slow and rather tenuous. The relation to Gatsby was all surface, and it wasn't the only fictional 'inspiration'. Some stories felt a little too close to witchy things we've seen before- anyone who's seen Practical Magic will certainly understand the problem of burying angry men on the property...
The book had so much potential, but other than the writing, it failed to realise it.
Alys is just another nobody from Longhill, a gutter rat relying on ‘pulls’ to survive. Each theft wins her little more than enough to keep a roof overAlys is just another nobody from Longhill, a gutter rat relying on ‘pulls’ to survive. Each theft wins her little more than enough to keep a roof over her head and food in her belly, the spoils shared between disparate players, together only for the sake of the job. Her big brother Darro, on the other hand, is running far bigger plays. The high-stakes kind that might help him escape this low-born world. That kind that brings in gold. That gets him killed. Losing the only family she cares about puts Alys on a path of revenge. Desperate to find out who killed him and why, she finds herself playing a very dangerous game with people who know far more about the city than she does. As she starts to lose herself to the chase, Alys must decide how far she’s willing to go to avenge her dead brother, especially when she’s not the only one who’ll be paying the price for her success…
Now, the real winner of this book is not Alys or any of the other characters, it is Kithamar itself. I didn’t realise until I finished the book that the series was going to be connected through the city rather than the individuals in the novel, but it does make the heightened focus on the setting make more sense. It is clear that the city is sunlight bright in the author’s mind, a place painstakingly developed and offered to the reader with loving enthusiasm. It’s not just that the setting is thoroughly detailed, though it is, but the reader is given a sense of tradition and community that add meaning to the ways in which people live and die, how they celebrate and mourn. For this, the author deserves all the praise. It is a rare talent to be able to create such a truly livid-in place, one that seems worn.
And yet, I didn’t care about the city, because I didn’t care about the characters. They are ephemeral, little more than blips in the city’s long record. They make the barest of impressions and now that I know they really don't matter in terms of the series, I feel even less like there was any point to them at all. Sure, they do make a difference here. Perhaps. If you believe that this small moment would, or even could, affect such a place as Kithamar in the long term. It’s difficult to evaluate when the narrative felt bereft of focus. There are rich people with some kind of agenda, but save some ill-defined darkness, the consequences of them getting what they want or not was never truly addressed. Some people died. Some didn’t. The city continues. There was no tension to any of it. As a reader, you watch Alys struggle though her pain and make some choices. Perhaps, for some, that might be enough, her journey to understanding and some kind of freedom. For me, her story felt suffocated by the larger narrative of the eternal city. Alys was not nearly enough to hold it all together, she’s too distant. All of them are, their personalities washed thin by the colour of the city itself.
As much as I appreciate the worldbuilding skill on show here by Abraham, he fails to match it with plot and characterisation. Not a series I’ll continue.
It was the cover that caught me. So striking, so full of beauty and menace. What's inside maintains the threat, but piles it up so high that any senseIt was the cover that caught me. So striking, so full of beauty and menace. What's inside maintains the threat, but piles it up so high that any sense of emotion or perspective is lost. It's like those films that are so gory all you see is red and it means less than nothing. There's plenty of weirdness here. This group makes the Wrong Turn family look like the paragons of neighbourly values. But I didn't care enough to make their sick stories worth pushing through.
I didn't read the first book in this series so I'm not sure whether my difficulty in connecting with Frankie Elkin was that or just that I don't reallI didn't read the first book in this series so I'm not sure whether my difficulty in connecting with Frankie Elkin was that or just that I don't really like her. Either way, she gets the job done. But what really makes this book is the suspense. I recently read a wilderness 'thriller' which had about as much tension as limp lettuce, but this...THIS got me. Not to start, to be fair, but as the group venture further from safety, bad things start to happen and the potential for things to go horribly wrong increase by the hour. Secrets spill out and a shadowy presence makes itself felt. Then there's running and screaming. It's all heaps of fun. Definitely worth a read.
There were moments that almost managed to pull this book back from mediocrity, but the uninspiring writing and stunning ridiculousness of the plot tipThere were moments that almost managed to pull this book back from mediocrity, but the uninspiring writing and stunning ridiculousness of the plot tipped the balance into the red. The premise of a crime writing duo's son going missing was intriguing, but the characterisation was so blatantly determined to serve the plot that there was no room left for anything else. This meant that the plot had nowhere to go except into craziness. There was some cohesion obtained in the final moments, but the ends did not justify the means. Not one I'd recommend.
Star crossed lovers and innovative tech bladed weapons. Sign me the hell up.
Historic enemies, Ramona and Matias, must work together to save their famStar crossed lovers and innovative tech bladed weapons. Sign me the hell up.
Historic enemies, Ramona and Matias, must work together to save their families in this bloody tale. It's a quick read, with an easy plot made more compelling by the complex, lived-in world. I just wish we could have had more.
There is absolutely zero tension in this book. It’s a man and his daughter yelling each other’s names while stuck out in the cold and doing the same kThere is absolutely zero tension in this book. It’s a man and his daughter yelling each other’s names while stuck out in the cold and doing the same kinds of things over and over again till the end. It’s certainly not a thriller, no matter how you spin it. It’s more a family drama with a tenuously linked bad guy chase in background. The ending was ridiculous. Would I recommend it? No.
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