The Good: Everything. Seriously. *SPOILERS* The Bad: IT GAVE ME FEELINGS – I DO NOT LIKE FEELING FEELINGS. The Ugly Truth: THIS. IS. HOW. YOU. END. A. SERIES. (If I could somehow capitalise a full stop I would use it in this review.) Pulse-pounding drama and action to the heart-breaking end. 11/10, A++, all of … Continue reading Book Review: Bloodchild by Anna Stephens
Tag: debut
Book Review: We Are The Dead by Mike Shackle
The Good: A pull-no-punches account of the realities of war, complete with a cast of humans (key point: not heroes) whose efforts will likely fail, but if they don’t try, then who else will? The Bad: Not a ‘bad’ for me, personally speaking, but the story does contain scenes that some readers may find upsetting … Continue reading Book Review: We Are The Dead by Mike Shackle
Book Review: Master of Sorrows by Justin Call
The Good: Destiny and dark magic, a fresh take on time-honoured tropes, a world brimming with history, belief and ideals, action sequences that dare to be different, and a plot filled with secrets and surprises. The Bad: Bit of a slow burner at the start, and some of the early dialogues felt a bit like … Continue reading Book Review: Master of Sorrows by Justin Call
Book Review: A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher
The Good: A fresh take on what the ‘end of the world’ looks like, a story that is as heart-warming as it is heart-breaking, strikingly simple prose on the surface with plenty of depth beneath, plot-twists that pull the rug right out from underneath you, and most importantly…DOGS! The Bad: As much as I loved … Continue reading Book Review: A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher
Book Review: Rosewater by Tade Thompson
The Good: I can’t even attempt to summarise the good in a line or two – all I can say is that Rosewater blew my expectations out of the water in every way possible. The Bad: This will NOT be for everyone. Seriously. It doesn’t get off to a bumpy or even a slow start, … Continue reading Book Review: Rosewater by Tade Thompson
Book Review: The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan
The Good: A line-up of the usual suspects with a plot as thick as thieves, complete with Warcraftian worldbuilding and Lovecraftian lore, making for a truly unique and at times unusual (and this is a good thing!) debut. The Bad: Not so much a trigger warning, but this will NOT be for everyone. There are … Continue reading Book Review: The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan
Review: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
The Good: One of the most badass and brutal POV characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading, worldbuilding that rises up around the reader without you even realising, and a plot so tightly packed and paced that this veritable tome of a tale turns from page-turner to hair-tearer when you realise it’s all … Continue reading Review: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Review: Snakewood
Book Review: Snakewood by Adrian Selby The Good: A masterclass in character/narrative voice(s), kickass murderous mercenaries, a unique magic-system based on what is essentially magic-mushrooms and their effects, and a genre-bending/blending/breaking triumph of style. The Bad: Now, whilst this wasn’t a ‘bad read’ for me, the style and voice will be polarising. As a reader … Continue reading Review: Snakewood
Update: What’s going on, and what’s coming up.
A lot can happen in a year. Or half. And as I’ve been blogging (again) for somewhere between that, I thought I’d do a little recap/update. So firstly, before I look back, I want to take a look around at the present. Today marks the release day of RJ Barker’s phenomenal debut Age of Assassins. … Continue reading Update: What’s going on, and what’s coming up.
Author interview: Anna Stephens, ‘Godblind’
Godblind is set to be one of the biggest fantasy debuts of 2017. Petros reviewed it on Booknest, calling it GDAF ‘as grimdark as it gets’ and ‘may as well be the very first novel classified as such.’ And in my review, I said, that after reading it I felt like I’d gone ‘12 rounds … Continue reading Author interview: Anna Stephens, ‘Godblind’
