I received this as an arc from the publisher but the review is my own.
This is a debut novel from the author and it is a beauty. Set in a world that revolves around captured elementals fueling ever day needs, Tarland is a city with lavish glimpses of steampunkesque construction. As in every society there are rumblings in the politics of both state and church but in Tarland where you are designated as to what you're capabilities are, there are some people who are more important than others. Christopher Buckley's family used to be in a position of power but years after a horrible incident the Buckley's are no longer important enough to warrant attention. They are on their last legs and that is how he winds up working for a Deathsniffer, a woman who is seemingly incapable of anything but tracking down murderers. Although his new employer immediately causes Buckley to regret his acceptance of a job. Buckley rinds himself embroiled into a murder investigation of the sort that will not only unwind the story of a powerful family's secrets but the underlying currents that are running through the ongoing battle for control of his world's present.
As Faraday and Buckley struggle to stop the body count from rising, they are individually being unmasked themselves. Each in their own way has secrets that need to be kept hidden from prying eyes. One is too close to that which she hunts and the other is hiding a secret that is in plain sight and time is running out.
A great read, first book in a series which shows great promise. Laced with magic, fantasy, steam punk, and other chunks of goodies, this is a recipe for success. Personally, I'm looking forward to the next installment.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
"Half Bad (The Half Bad Trilogy, #1) by Sally Green
I received this as an arc from the publisher but the review is my own.
I've been wanting to read this for quite some time and now that I have I can only say it's about time. This was so good that I'm tempted to run out and get a hard copy right now and reread it again, even with the monstrous tbr pile I have in the house.
This book isn't just about a young man who because his father is a Black Witch may turn out to be evil and dangerous, it's a look at the very, very thin line between what defines good and evil. The persecution he faces because of events of the past and how they have framed his life to the point we meet Nathan help to flesh out the realization that this is going to touch more deeply on the excuses given for acts of such brutality, that they cannot be simply labeled as for the good of all.
Nathan is not just literally fighting for his freedom, he is fighting to be who he is without restraints that either side of this ongoing battle insist are his only choices. You are not rooting for the righteous here but for Nathan's very soul.
Sometimes the right thing to do can cause crippling damages that let the darkness that has rooted take over. For Nathan the choice is not clear and simple and the darkness all ready has him but will it take over or can he, despite what everyone believes, find a balance within himself.
Look deep into the abyss and ask yourself if you believe in those around you or do you believe in yourself.
First installment in the series and a throat grabber. Read it yourself for the full impact.
I've been wanting to read this for quite some time and now that I have I can only say it's about time. This was so good that I'm tempted to run out and get a hard copy right now and reread it again, even with the monstrous tbr pile I have in the house.
This book isn't just about a young man who because his father is a Black Witch may turn out to be evil and dangerous, it's a look at the very, very thin line between what defines good and evil. The persecution he faces because of events of the past and how they have framed his life to the point we meet Nathan help to flesh out the realization that this is going to touch more deeply on the excuses given for acts of such brutality, that they cannot be simply labeled as for the good of all.
Nathan is not just literally fighting for his freedom, he is fighting to be who he is without restraints that either side of this ongoing battle insist are his only choices. You are not rooting for the righteous here but for Nathan's very soul.
Sometimes the right thing to do can cause crippling damages that let the darkness that has rooted take over. For Nathan the choice is not clear and simple and the darkness all ready has him but will it take over or can he, despite what everyone believes, find a balance within himself.
Look deep into the abyss and ask yourself if you believe in those around you or do you believe in yourself.
First installment in the series and a throat grabber. Read it yourself for the full impact.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
"Witch: A New Beginning (The Witch Series, #1)" by L.S. Gagon
This was provided as an ARC by the publisher but the review is my own.
I love stories about witches so I was definitely looking forward to this one. I started feeling as though I was reading a supernatural chick lit piece but quickly came to realize that this is more along the lines of a supernatural Bourne Identity.
Thea lives in modern Salem working at a local bakery and dealing with the fact that she is an overweight girl with her only consolation being her books and Salem itself. Her best friend Delia calls herself a witch and mixes potions for the tourists. Life is not that bad. Then one day the man of her dreams walks into her bakery and life will never be the same.
OK. Stop right there. This is where the story really begins.
Turns out Delia is a witch and so is Thea. A witch so powerful that the warlocks have been trying to hunt her down for hundreds of years in order to steal her power and finally destroy her. Salem has been witness to this power struggle since the beginning and it is finally culminating in a showdown where treachery and betrayal are revealed, not in black and white but in the flames of fire that sear the souls of those involved. There is a reason Thea locked half her power away in a crystal that left her and her friends vulnerable and now that the time has come to reveal the truth, her inner witch may not be able to handle it.
Out of this dark brew blooms a story of a witch who is only to human and a man who will destroy everything to get the one thing that he has clung to for centuries. At stake are the lives and loves of all those caught in between and time is running out for all.
First book in the series and well worth the read late into the night. But be warned, the final chapter will leave you on at a cliffhanger that you may not be able to wait until the next book for. Go grab this read!
I love stories about witches so I was definitely looking forward to this one. I started feeling as though I was reading a supernatural chick lit piece but quickly came to realize that this is more along the lines of a supernatural Bourne Identity.
Thea lives in modern Salem working at a local bakery and dealing with the fact that she is an overweight girl with her only consolation being her books and Salem itself. Her best friend Delia calls herself a witch and mixes potions for the tourists. Life is not that bad. Then one day the man of her dreams walks into her bakery and life will never be the same.
OK. Stop right there. This is where the story really begins.
Turns out Delia is a witch and so is Thea. A witch so powerful that the warlocks have been trying to hunt her down for hundreds of years in order to steal her power and finally destroy her. Salem has been witness to this power struggle since the beginning and it is finally culminating in a showdown where treachery and betrayal are revealed, not in black and white but in the flames of fire that sear the souls of those involved. There is a reason Thea locked half her power away in a crystal that left her and her friends vulnerable and now that the time has come to reveal the truth, her inner witch may not be able to handle it.
Out of this dark brew blooms a story of a witch who is only to human and a man who will destroy everything to get the one thing that he has clung to for centuries. At stake are the lives and loves of all those caught in between and time is running out for all.
First book in the series and well worth the read late into the night. But be warned, the final chapter will leave you on at a cliffhanger that you may not be able to wait until the next book for. Go grab this read!
"The King's Sister (The Cross and the Crown, #3)" by Sarah Kennedy
This is a review of an ARC provided by the publisher but the review is my own.
This was an interesting read but I have to say right off the bat that since this is the third book in a series I felt as though not having read the previous ones did interfere with my understanding of the characters better. Things that in a single title I would have seen as flaws may be due to this fact so I'm just gonna say that what I really liked about this book was the look at the way the women in the story are experiencing the restricted freedom of being a woman in King Henry VIII's late reign. There is definitely an overwhelming sense of oppression for these characters though they themselves are strong. We catch glimpses of the political intrigue of the times and get behind the scenes closeup looks at Lady Anne of Cleaves as she waits to see if Henry will once again claim her as his wife after Catherine Howard's execution and we come to understand how each little decision carried so much heft and weight on the lives of those who served the royal households and how allegiances could be made or broken in such short time.
There is much more to this story but I feel that all in all I have to go and start from the beginning to get a better grasp on this story.
This was an interesting read but I have to say right off the bat that since this is the third book in a series I felt as though not having read the previous ones did interfere with my understanding of the characters better. Things that in a single title I would have seen as flaws may be due to this fact so I'm just gonna say that what I really liked about this book was the look at the way the women in the story are experiencing the restricted freedom of being a woman in King Henry VIII's late reign. There is definitely an overwhelming sense of oppression for these characters though they themselves are strong. We catch glimpses of the political intrigue of the times and get behind the scenes closeup looks at Lady Anne of Cleaves as she waits to see if Henry will once again claim her as his wife after Catherine Howard's execution and we come to understand how each little decision carried so much heft and weight on the lives of those who served the royal households and how allegiances could be made or broken in such short time.
There is much more to this story but I feel that all in all I have to go and start from the beginning to get a better grasp on this story.
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