Fantastic worldbuilding in this, I also enjoyed the company of the characters. Raiders hit Barakel, killing most of the settlement. Mirah and a few girFantastic worldbuilding in this, I also enjoyed the company of the characters. Raiders hit Barakel, killing most of the settlement. Mirah and a few girls are taken, transported across the sea to a strange new land. I liked the worldbuilding, it was cleverly drip fed over the course of the book. It’s imaginative but also feels real, rooted in an ancient inspired setting. There’s a lot of magic in it. More romance and less action than I personally enjoy, but it was done well, and wasn’t soppy or annoying. I tend to judge a book by the side characters and there were a few I liked, like Neviah, some intriguing bad guys, and plenty who remained mysterious, wanting you to continue the series. Without getting into spoilers, I felt like we spent too much time with some characters and not enough with others, but I can understand wanting to focus on the mc. There was an element of the story that felt a bit off for a while, and then late on something was revealed, and it all made sense. I thought that was really well done and brave for a first book! I recommend this if you’re yet to give it a try, I think it’s a completed series now. ...more
Kudos to this one for doing something different with LITRPG. Much of the game element of this one is focused on ‘basebuilding’ – in this case, the mc Kudos to this one for doing something different with LITRPG. Much of the game element of this one is focused on ‘basebuilding’ – in this case, the mc Frank is a bounty hunter who finds himself running a nightclub, which he has to equip, employ staff, attract customers, and level up etc. Unfortunately, I got a little bored of this – the levelling up process was a bit too mapped out and felt like jumping through hoops rather than feeling like an exciting plot. Also, and this is a me thing, it was written in first person. I rarely enjoy this and I’m not sure why this choice was made for this book. There are lots of laughs. It may attract fans of Legends and Lattes, though this one has a darker sense of humour than ‘cosy fantasy’....more
Another trial of LITRPG books, Barrow King had a lot of similarities to my previous read in the genre, The Land by Aleron Kong. Overall, I enjoyed it Another trial of LITRPG books, Barrow King had a lot of similarities to my previous read in the genre, The Land by Aleron Kong. Overall, I enjoyed it a little more. Finn Caldwell is ex-military and enters The Realms looking for his sister. The premise felt more believable than some other examples. In this first episode, he ends up in the dungeon of the Barrow King, and remains there the whole time. We therefore only get to see a small portion of the Realms in book one and the dungeon felt a little samey after a while, but the story was engaging enough, easy to follow and well written. It didn’t have as much humour as The Land and has a slightly more serious or adult tone. There were a couple of other points of view introduced in addition to Finn, and I enjoyed this aspect....more
The Crown of Fire and Fury picks up where The Throne of Ice and Ash left off. Overall, I enjoyed book two a little more. I love the historical aspects.The Crown of Fire and Fury picks up where The Throne of Ice and Ash left off. Overall, I enjoyed book two a little more. I love the historical aspects. We get a new point of view from Ha-Sypt, the enemies of Baegard, which added some complexity to the story. Sehdra was perhaps my favourite point of view, even if the plot line was a little telegraphed. I liked the idea of Aelthena working with the women of Baegard, but she didn’t get very far, which left her as a bit of an observer in this book. Bjorn’s arc was also lacking in action for my tastes. It certainly leaves a lot to happen in the final book of the series! Overall, this series feels like a mini-epic fantasy to me – easy to read and well written, quite short and without the depth of some series....more
The final book of this series delivers on the reader's expectations. Thanquil and Jezzet return and lead the plot, but other characters from the serieThe final book of this series delivers on the reader's expectations. Thanquil and Jezzet return and lead the plot, but other characters from the series make an eventual return too.
As with Hayes' other books I've read, it is the characters that shine the most. There are a good ten series characters who are incredibly vivid and well drawn. So much so, that by the end I could spot who was talking just from the dialogue alone, a great example of writer craft. I found the writing encouraged me to read on, after a couple of books where I had struggled.
The ending is suitably dark, I'm kinda surprised that some readers were caught out by this, given what has gone before. My only grump was that some aspects pushed my ability to suspend disbelief.
We got a look at a new part of the world, since the story kicks off in the Dragon Empire. Plot wise there was nothing new, drawing on previous strands. Saying the plot is there as a vehicle for the characters is unfair, since there is quite a lot going on. But this is certainly a character driven series at its core.
Overall, a really enjoyable book and series....more
So contemporary YA fantasy is never going to be my ‘jam’ but boy, did I fly through this read. On the surface it’s a simple easy read but there’s a loSo contemporary YA fantasy is never going to be my ‘jam’ but boy, did I fly through this read. On the surface it’s a simple easy read but there’s a lot of cleverness to it. It’s so well written and you get the impression Rachel could write in any genre she chooses.
We follow Lilah from birth to teenage years. She is born with a unique power that makes her family give her away. This is masked with medication until teenage Lilah rebels, stops taking her meds, and begins to learn about herself – and what happened to her missing family.
The main characters are done well, especially Lilah and her new parents I thought, this was where the emotional tug was for me. The teenage love interest side of things was bearable LOL. The slightly creepy atmosphere was enjoyable and the storyline was pacy.
What stood out for me were the switches in time – more than flashbacks really, you have to read it to understand. This kind of thing is not easy to get right. It wasn’t overdone, it was easy to follow, and really added to the story that was being told. It shows a tight control of plotting, and you can see how much care and attention was needed to get this right.
Recommended for a unique take on YA magic, with mystery, romance, and a clever implementation of plot and theme.
Merged review:
So contemporary YA fantasy is never going to be my ‘jam’ but boy, did I fly through this read. On the surface it’s a simple easy read but there’s a lot of cleverness to it. It’s so well written and you get the impression Rachel could write in any genre she chooses.
We follow Lilah from birth to teenage years. She is born with a unique power that makes her family give her away. This is masked with medication until teenage Lilah rebels, stops taking her meds, and begins to learn about herself – and what happened to her missing family.
The main characters are done well, especially Lilah and her new parents I thought, this was where the emotional tug was for me. The teenage love interest side of things was bearable LOL. The slightly creepy atmosphere was enjoyable and the storyline was pacy.
What stood out for me were the switches in time – more than flashbacks really, you have to read it to understand. This kind of thing is not easy to get right. It wasn’t overdone, it was easy to follow, and really added to the story that was being told. It shows a tight control of plotting, and you can see how much care and attention was needed to get this right.
Recommended for a unique take on YA magic, with mystery, romance, and a clever implementation of plot and theme....more
Aleron Kong’s The Land is a ‘classic’ of the genre, and I think contains a lot of the tropes. As far as the stats went, I found myself fairly agnostic.Aleron Kong’s The Land is a ‘classic’ of the genre, and I think contains a lot of the tropes. As far as the stats went, I found myself fairly agnostic. I didn’t love them, but they didn’t put me off. The world and its mechanics felt fairly generic RPG which I guess is the point, but didn’t really excite me. The premise of how the human character ended up in this world I found odd, but after the first few pages it wasn’t referred to again, so it was easy to ignore. We follow the character Richter who has experience as a gamer. A significant part of the appeal is his experience of this fantasy story through the eyes of a 21st century human, and there was some enjoyable humour there. Some references were too gamey or American for me, but no big deal. It’s certainly very focused on the MC which I think is a trope of this genre. Sion, the wood sprite, was a good foil for Richter, however, and their growing friendship was enjoyable. The plot did feel like a series of levelling up quests. This was fun, but didn’t fully invest me. At the end of the book, I felt like I had read a basic, quite vanilla, story-maybe not a kid’s story, but that kind of feeling. The writing was clear and smooth, and I read it fast, the sign of an enjoyable and well written story. I’m not the perfect target audience for this one, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. ...more
This was one of those books that achieved what it set out to and so gets 5 stars from me, even if it's not really a genre I love/read often.
A very BriThis was one of those books that achieved what it set out to and so gets 5 stars from me, even if it's not really a genre I love/read often.
A very British book, with lots of humour that really always worked and wry observations on the world, and on getting old in particular. This is because the Thursday Murder Club live in a posh retirement village and spend their time investigating crimes. When there is a murder they, of course, decide to investigate.
I loved the humour, there was a large cast that was drawn well and were interesting, and as you expect with these things, lots of potential killers for the team to investigate. I guess it was a modern Agatha Christie? There were plenty of twists and turns, they seemed to keep coming in the last few chapters. I certainly didn't guess any, not sure they were guessable, but the plot leads you in certain directions. In this respect it hit the tropes/reader expectations, though not ones that always get me invested.
The crime angle didn't work quite so well for me. The ones I tend to enjoy are TV shows which are quite dark in tone, with twisty police investigations. This wasn't that, much more cosy in style, though there were definitely some dark storylines. There are police investigating, but the focus is more on the four protagonists. I guess I never got to the point where I really cared about the solving the crime angle because the stakes were low. I wonder if this was because the victim wasn't sympathetic and no one actually seemed to care about them?
So, a great comedy read, and when it comes to comedy crossovers, maybe you have to accept that the 'other' genre may not hit home as well....more
I felt this was the best of the books in the series (so far).
This is perhaps because the events covered in book 4 are so well known, there was less scI felt this was the best of the books in the series (so far).
This is perhaps because the events covered in book 4 are so well known, there was less scope for the author to stray away from the history. I also felt the pace was good and the quality consistent throughout. I liked the author's choices of covering much of the story from other POVs to Caesar's, it added to the story and the understanding of the events covered. Finally, the head hopping within scenes was still there but less irritating than previously. Maybe the author does it less in this book or maybe I was beginning to get used to it.
Set on the high seas in a secondary world, this story follows the crew of the Tryphon. When they pick up a floundering craft, containing a woman and hSet on the high seas in a secondary world, this story follows the crew of the Tryphon. When they pick up a floundering craft, containing a woman and her injured father, things take a turn for the worse.
I enjoy dense books with lots of characters and places, but I admit I found this one hard going at first. Although set on a ship, powered in part by magic, there were lots of references to an elaborate world, which involved ancient historical peoples; the Atlanteans; and non-human races. Connecting all these places is an orange, acidic sea. Some of the worldbuilding felt a little info dumped at times and, perhaps because we never really left the sea, I struggled to fully get my head around this rich setting.
Van Reiver, second mate on the Tryphon, is our main character, but there are other POVs as well. I enjoy this kind of style as we see events from different perspectives. There are officers and regular seamen, as well as marines. The friendships and rivalries you might expect in this setting were well explored. The action sequence in which the Tryphon was attacked was incredibly long, detailed, and visceral, perhaps the best ship-based battle I’ve read. Gory details and swearing abound, as you might expect when sailors are literally fighting for their lives.
The plot is compelling; you never feel like you really know what’s going to happen next. I did find the prose heavy going. Firstly, there are a lot of nautical terms I was ignorant of, but I was impressed with the author’s mastery of these specialist terms. Secondly, there were times when I felt it could have had a cleaner edit. Not for spelling mistakes or grammar, but sentences where the meaning wasn’t clear, or word choice was too complex. I found myself re-reading sentences quite frequently.
Overall, fans of epic style fantasy and naval settings will obviously be into this. It has a unique feel to it, in storyline and world, and so readers looking for something different than the usual fare should give this one a try. ...more
In this sequel to The Heresy Within, we follow the story of one of the three protagonists from book one – Betrim aka The Black Thorn. The nastiest of In this sequel to The Heresy Within, we follow the story of one of the three protagonists from book one – Betrim aka The Black Thorn. The nastiest of the previous book’s main characters, it’s no surprise to find this book is as pitch black in tone as the previous one, with violence and unpleasantness from beginning to end.
Betrim, on the trail of the Arbiter he failed to kill, reunites with the survivors of his old gang from book one, plus some new characters. We therefore get a full lean into a Tarantino-esque plot and characters, complete with a psychotic magical killer. Let’s just say it’s saying something when The Black Thorn becomes the hero of the story.
With dry humour, action and uncomplicated but fascinating worldbuilding, this is pure entertainment. Recommended for those who like antihero/adult reads....more
While it’s norse-inspired rather than set in the ‘real’ Viking world there were lots of references to Viking culture and lore that added that Norse flWhile it’s norse-inspired rather than set in the ‘real’ Viking world there were lots of references to Viking culture and lore that added that Norse flavour, plus you got a very real sense of the cold, tough climate in which it was set. As well as the viking jarldoms, we get barbarians to the east and a mysterious warm-climate enemy, I guess to the south, though I didn’t quite get the geography of this.
There are two characters we follow as POVs, brother and sister Bjorn and Aelthena, son and daughter of the local jarl. When their holding, Oakharrow, comes under attack, they must act to defend it. Despite being siblings, their storylines are largely separate, though both slowly unravel the nature of the threats they face. I quite liked the symmetry of the characters: Bjorn does not consider himself to be a real warrior and struggles in a warrior’s world; while Aelthena strains against the restrictions placed on her because of her gender. In this sense Rosell portrays a realistic dark age society, which can be brutal and dark at times. They are supported by a well-rounded cast of allies, villains, and quite a few who we aren’t sure where their loyalties lie, which is always fun.
Plot-wise things are fast-paced, with plenty of action, while the two heroes learn about the nature of the threat they face. The story inverts the usual Viking tale of going raiding in foreign lands – in this story, it is the Viking lands themselves under attack. There is a unique storyline, with plenty of twists, but there is a familiarity to it as well. We are in the dark for large parts of the book about the enemy, which felt realistic but at times got a little annoying. At one point I didn’t understand the purpose behind Bjorn’s quest, but I put two and two together before too long. This may have been me being slow.
Altogether this was a well-written and smooth first in series, which really does everything right and promises more excitement in future instalments. My one negative on completing the read which isn’t really a negative at all was that I wanted more – it wasn’t quite the sprawling epic like The Vikings TV show. But it was a tightly controlled read, which will appeal to both casual and hardcore readers of historical/epic fantasy....more
This may be the first faery book I’ve read (I think I have a bias that faeries are lame and/or kissy kissy), so I can’t really compare, but I reckon tThis may be the first faery book I’ve read (I think I have a bias that faeries are lame and/or kissy kissy), so I can’t really compare, but I reckon this is not the usual fae story people read. It got quite dark in places, with plenty of violence and sexual references, and it had a gripping storyline, so totally proved me wrong. So some of these creatures have formed gangs in Woodhollow, and each race seems to stick to their own kind. I guess it draws a little on the urban gangs in US history. The worldbuilding was detailed, each race had its own characteristics with a unique spin and the town and the world around it felt real. We follow Sydney who arrives in Woodhollow and joins her sister Marla’s gang. I’ve read some reviews that had trouble with the consistency of the mc but for me the character was believable – new to the town and naïve but with some qualities that saw her rise to a leadership role. Perhaps this did happen quite fast. She was definitely a likeable character and I was quickly on her side and the other faeries. The only bit that didn’t ring true for me was when Sydney became the tactical battle expert of the gang and at this point we learn she read some books on it before she left Woodhollow. OK, but all a bit too easy. There were some moments like this where the book wavered between a YA read and an older read where I did wonder what kind of book I was reading. All the characters we spent time with had a mix of strengths and flaws which was well done. There were quite a few faeries who were named but I never knew who they were and while this kind of worked in the sense that Sydney knew them, it made me feel like I wasn’t keeping track of who was who. The plot sees Sydney learn the ropes in the gang, who make their money selling shroom around Woodhollow and ale in their popular tavern. This builds up to a climactic confrontation with a rival gang. There is also a mysterious nightshade faery who pops up now and then and is somehow related to the sister’s past. There was nothing really new plot wise, but it was well paced, and I never got bored. Finally, I felt this was a really well written book as well and one of my favourites of the summer challenge. Overall, it’s a title that seems deserving of a bit more attention to me, and I recommend it to those who love faeries and books with lots of fantasy creatures, found families/gangs, and of course if you’re looking for the relevant genres. ...more
Although you can see how this series may become epic in scale, this story felt a lot like classic sword & sorcery to me. There’s a lone wolf style herAlthough you can see how this series may become epic in scale, this story felt a lot like classic sword & sorcery to me. There’s a lone wolf style hero, Killien. There’s a bad guy you just love to hate, who kinda stole the show, Prince Burne. The female characters are either sexy slaves or sexy princesses. And you just know that the only way things are gonna get resolved is lots of bloodshed. Even though I knew it was coming, there was still a LOT LOL.
The action scenes were great, with vivid descriptions of the violence meted out in the gladiator’s arena and elsewhere. There was nice character work, I was very quickly invested in Killien’s predicament and cheered him on. The worldbuilding was interesting, kind of dark but with classic fantasy races, as a reader I was intrigued to know more but it didn’t intrude on the lean storyline.
The issues I had feel pretty generic to this sub-genre. The plot and setup was simple but although it’s fast-paced in delivery it still felt like it took a while to advance things. There were parts of the story that when you stopped to think seemed a little unbelievable or kind of random. And although there was a pretty large cast of supporting characters, which I generally enjoy, many seemed incidental to the plot, leaving me a bit confused about who I should care about.
Overall, this is a great read for those who love hack and slash, action heavy fantasy, tortured heroes, maniacal bad guys, sneaky goblins, hip swishing femme fatales—you know—fun. ...more
A light-hearted comedy, perfect as a palate cleanser between epic tomes. A donkey succeeds to the imperial throne and deadly intrigue, crazy plots and A light-hearted comedy, perfect as a palate cleanser between epic tomes. A donkey succeeds to the imperial throne and deadly intrigue, crazy plots and shenanigans follow on. There are Pratchett-esque vibes in this one. But the setting is much more low fantasy, mostly taking place in the imperial palace, and the staff of the palace feature heavily in the story. This gave it the feel of a fable or folktale. There is definitely room to flesh out the world in the later books in the series. My only real gripe here was I found the new names for day, morning, etc threw me out of the story rather than pulling me in. As is common with comedies, the narrator’s voice is quite strong and takes up a significant chunk of the storytelling. The downside of this style is there can be a barrier between the characters and the reader which some readers may not be used to. But it meant there were nice little asides and one liners as the story develops. And the humour was done well-it’s very easy to fall into the trap of going over the top into craziness, or lewdness, or whatever, but the author’s voice in this book is warm and gentle and the story is suitable for all ages. Overall, I recommend for those wanting a fun, light tale with an old-fashioned charm....more
This is a well-planned and well executed series. I think Andy is best known for dark fantasy, but I wouldn’t categorise this series like that at all, This is a well-planned and well executed series. I think Andy is best known for dark fantasy, but I wouldn’t categorise this series like that at all, or certainly not grimdark anyway. It reads like a tribute to warriors and soldiers from all eras and places. This one happens to be a Romans v Barbarians setting, but Andy explains he researched modern army roles for this series. So there are heroes here. And there is a found family and bonds between people from different backgrounds and this is at the heart of the series. And there is even a cute, flying, scene stealing, furry mammal of some kind. So, no, not grimdark.
The worldbuilding is top notch – I’m pretty sure the setting links to Andy’s other series and it just feels like a real world because there is a complexity to the people and places, in this case the ‘barbarian’ continent of Fehl, fought over by the ‘civilised’ armies of the Princelanders and the scary, giant Eirdkillers. There is little magic in this series which will not to be to everyone’s tastes. Even the ‘magic user’ character is actually a sort of scientist/botanist who manages to find exploding plants on his travels. But I really liked this. No one is super powered; magic isn’t available for plot armour. The military angle is really allowed to shine because of this.
Overall, I highly recommend to those looking to immerse themselves in an action heavy epic fantasy series that is high on grunting shield walls and axes removing heads from bodies while low on magic and kissing....more
I must admit, I found it hard to get into the first few chapters. First, military swordsman Thorrn is the main character, written in first person, andI must admit, I found it hard to get into the first few chapters. First, military swordsman Thorrn is the main character, written in first person, and he’s irritating. I understood what the author was doing-this is a guy going on a personal journey, but still-annoying. Second, a key concept - the soul mate, which everyone magically has, and has ‘found’ – except for Thorrn - was so in my face right from the beginning that I struggled. I think when I realised that the soul mate is a platonic relationship rather than romantic love I settled in and began to appreciate the other elements of the story. It’s written well and has unique worldbuilding. It has a fun portal element to it which introduces lots of humour. There is friendship, romance, but not too much to overwhelm me, and there’s plenty of sword fighting to make up for it LOL. Recommended for those looking for a sweet ya style read, with secondary world to earth (UK in this case) portal shenanigans....more
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