K.N. Salustro's Blog, page 6

Review – A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

[image error]This is a collection of three novellas following a hedge knight named Dunk and his unexpected squire Egg as they journey across southern Westeros. Set 100 years before A Game of Thrones, it was really enjoyable to see some expanded history for Westeros and the Targaryens on a smaller, everyday kind of scale. Dunk doesn’t go off to war, but he still finds himself surrounded by “dragons”, and most of them are not friendly.

I really, really liked the first and third novellas a lot. I didn’t...

Review – Monster in My Closet

[image error]This was such a fun read. You know when a book starts with its protagonist grabbing a toilet brush as an improvised weapon against a closet monster and is then fed homemade muffins by said closet monster in lieu of a supernatural showdown, you’re in for a good time.

I really liked main character Zoey, who has a gift that makes her so attuned to people’s emotions, she can actually read them and gracefully navigate them. This gets her into trouble when an incubus shows up and starts trying to...

Cause of Death: ??? – PREORDERS AVAILABLE!!

Preorders for my upcoming fantasy murder mysteryCause of Death: ??? are now live!

You can preorder your digital copy from Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, Kobo, Smashwords, and the Apple iBook Stores. Search for K.N. Salustro to find it!! Paperbacks are not available just yet but they are coming!

SUMMARY:

Between the endless, exhausting work of harvesting souls and keeping the balance between the mortal world and the Forces that inhabit Eternity, Death just wants a break.

Of course, that doesn’t mean...

Review – Children of Blood and Bone

[image error]This is another one of those books that I liked so, so much… until I didn’t. There’s a lot of good here: really interesting (if underdeveloped and somewhat inconsistent) magic, complex characters from different backgrounds and upbringings, no fear in depicting messy and nuanced issues, calling people out on their bullshit when they are engaging in genuine asshatery, reluctant heroism and the acceptance that to be a hero is to sacrifice, and solid prose all the way through.

That said, there...

Review – A Red Rose Chain

[image error]This was a wild ride. Full of intrigue, secrets and betrayal, all thoroughly doused with magic, this is the stuff I live for. I’ve said before and I’ll say again that I love the Toby Daye series, and I really enjoyed this book all the way through.

We get some closure here to the political fallout Toby caused when she removed the false Queen of the Mists from the throne, and get to see firsthand just how screwed up Faerie society can really be when the worst kinds of monsters are in charge....

Review – The Winter Long

[image error]Whew, we have reached the culmination point of the Toby Daye series. By which I mean, everything before was, somehow, building up to this, all while being compelling stories on their own.

Mad respect to Seanan McGuire for being able to pull that off.

Seriously, to have this planned and then have to write seven preceding books just to get to the story you originally wanted to tell… that is patience and planning and talent and dedication and brilliance all wrapped up into one treasure of a...

2019 Year in Review

It’s that time again. That time to say “Wow it’s the end of the year already?” and then make the obligatory comment about how it just flew by and no, we didn’t do everything we said we would.

Getting past that, there was a lot that happened this year that was extremely unexpected, and equally exciting. It was a big year for me, personally, as an author, and I’m really looking forward to the new year, new decade, new start. I’m bringing my fourth novel Cause of Death: ??? closer and closer to...

Reading Roundup – 2019

As of writing this post, I’ve read 43 books this year. Last year, I read 44, so we’re pretty even at this point! I read a lot of scifi and fantasy, as per my usual. I expect next year to be similar. And I’m looking forward to that!

There were some highs and lows this year, along with a few books that surprised me. And now, without further ado, my 2019 Roundup:

Leviathan Wakes – A disappointment for me. Too much brooding, gritty, washed-up detective stock character in love with a ghost for my...

Review – A Thousand Nights

[image error]4 stars on Goodreads, 3.5 in my mind

I liked this book. It is well written, and feels well researched, too, drawing on Arabian culture with what felt like far more respect and understanding than I’ve seen from other authors. Obviously, I can’t actually speak as any sort of authority on that, but it did feel like the author put some effort into understanding another culture and drew on it as a complete entity to inform the characters rather than cherry picking pieces to dress up the setting.

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Review – The Emperor’s Edge

[image error]I had a few quibbles with this book, but I really enjoyed it all the way through. Following a law enforcement agent as she is set up and forced into a life on the run and forms a team of unexpected allies, this book has a wide cast of lovable characters. They all play into their stock templates, but they’re still charming and full of life. The narration is smooth and clear, and with some very funny moments scattered throughout.

The pacing is wonderful from the start, and the book showcases...