Tag: Fantasy

Book Thoughts7 Comments

Buddy-reading The Blade Itself with Lynn

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The lovely Lynn of Lynn’s Books and I have been buddy-reading again (the best medicine for blogging block I’ve yet found), and we invite you to read our musings, squeaks of surprise and mutterings of foreboding as we tackle the first book in Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy, The Blade Itself.  If you’ve come here first, you will find below the second half of our epic discussion. For the first half please visit Lynn’s blog here. If you’re visiting after having read the first half there, then hello! welcome! and enjoy!   So, to continue where we left off… (and with a massive … Continue reading Buddy-reading The Blade Itself with Lynn

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The Voyages of Cinrak the Dapper by A J Fitzwater

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The Voyages of Cinrak the Dapper had me at hello. I knew only this when I bought it: that it was about a dapper, lesbian, capybara pirate. It was enough. And I have not been disappointed. In the seven stories that make up Cinrak’s voyages we follow her from young orphan with pirate dreams to Captain of the ship Impolite Fortune and mother to a wonderfully eclectic crew/found-family. She is delightful throughout. A “well-read, clean and handsome pirate”, honest and brave, loving and joyous, she prefers “to dream forwards, not backwards”. And her world is as wonderful as she is … Continue reading The Voyages of Cinrak the Dapper by A J Fitzwater

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Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee

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A copy of this book was very kindly provided me by the publisher. I can’t promise that this didn’t influence my feelings about it, but a book is a book is a book, however I acquire it, and I can promise that all opinions are my own.   I wanted so much more from this book. The world in which the story is set was one of the first things I wanted more of. The country of Hwaguk, now known as Administrative Territory Fourteen and undergoing colonization from the Razanei empire, is a place of contradictions and dualities. Most people … Continue reading Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee

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Monstress: Haven by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda

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I really am just throwing this up on the blog whilst running past – there’s a lot going on IRL right now that’s totally cutting into my bloggy time. As a result I haven’t been able to keep up with blog post reading or commenting either, for which I am truly sorry. I think I’m just going to have make a clean break and start again when this busy spot is done with. The guilt and dread I’m feeling over the ever-increasing stack of unread posts in my saved list isn’t helping right now. I can only apologise once again. … Continue reading Monstress: Haven by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda

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Spirits that Walk in Shadow by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

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I read Spirits that Walk in Shadow for Wyrd and Wonder and then ran out of time to write up my thoughts and post them. And then got distracted. For a whole month. But hey, better late than never, eh? This is the third Chapel Hollow book, a series of books that are only very loosely connected and can easily be read as stand-alone stories. The thread that runs through them is the group of magical families whose customs and practices are mostly kept secret from we ordinary folk. Magic is often used by these families to coerce and enslave, … Continue reading Spirits that Walk in Shadow by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

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The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard

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Note to self: when imyril tells you something is awesome and you should read it, drop everything and blooming well read it. Immediately. This will save you a lot of kicking yourself later on. Because The House of Shattered Wings really is awesome. Here’s why: It’s dark. The kind of gothic darkness that is a delight to wallow in. Set in a post-apocalyptic Paris after the Great War with Heaven and between the many factions of fallen angels, this is a story that drips with dark magic. While the Fallen are at the top of the food chain, they are also desperately vulnerable … Continue reading The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard

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Bloodsworn by Tej Turner

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A copy of this book was very kindly provided me by the author. I can’t promise that this didn’t affect my feelings about it, but a book is a book is a book, however I acquire it, and I can promise that all opinions are my own.   This is how it started: I settled down to read, happily sinking into the story of Kyra competing with the boys to be the best fighter, and Jaedin lost in his books and used to being on the outside of things; I watched on with deepening interest as the Academy representatives made … Continue reading Bloodsworn by Tej Turner

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Tower Climber by Jakob Tanner

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A copy of this book was very kindly provided me by the author. I can’t promise that this didn’t affect my feelings about it, but a book is a book is a book, however I acquire it, and I can promise that all opinions are my own.   I had tons of fun reading this book. While only vaguely aware of the term LitRPG, I remember reading a magazine series called The Ancestral Trail when I was a young teen, which followed a similar pattern of storytelling, and which I loved. I didn’t know what to expect when I first … Continue reading Tower Climber by Jakob Tanner

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Seven Deaths of an Empire by G R Matthews (ARC)

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A review copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher. I can’t promise that this didn’t affect my feelings about it, but a book is a book is a book, however I acquire it, and I can promise that all opinions are my own.   The Emperor has died and before his heir can assume his mantle, his body and the sacred amulet he wears must be returned to the capital for the coronation rituals. Unfortunately, he died while campaigning in the North and while an honour guard has been chosen to bear him home, any number of … Continue reading Seven Deaths of an Empire by G R Matthews (ARC)

Miscellaneous Thoughts18 Comments

Fun for Monday: Quick Fire Fantasy Books

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Tammy did this tag just the other day and it was too tempting to ignore. It was originally created by Jo The Bookworm Dreamer whose responses, along with Tammy’s, only added to my already-quite-large-enough-thank-you TBR. (Reader problems, eh? *grins hugely*). Anyway, let’s see Wyrd and Wonder out with a wave and a smile, and some rapid-fire responses to Jo’s prompts …   5 Star Book:   What’s that? I’m getting repetitive? Well, I don’t read as fast as some of you and when I like something I do tend to go on and on and on … I don’t think … Continue reading Fun for Monday: Quick Fire Fantasy Books