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
Tag: Harper Collins
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’
Guest Post: Anna Smith Spark on Heroes & Heroism & Ned bloody Stark
To conclude this mini-series of posts on Anna Smith Spark’s stunning debut ‘The Court of Broken Knives’, as I do with every author featured here, I invited Anna to talk about any topic that she felt was relevant but more importantly, something that she was passionate about. And after reading her book, it came as no … Continue reading Guest Post: Anna Smith Spark on Heroes & Heroism & Ned bloody Stark
Author Interview: Anna Smith Spark, ‘The Court of Broken Knives’
To follow up my review of ‘The Court of Broken Knives,’ I invited Anna Smith Spark to answer some questions about the book and herself. The story, and its style, was refreshingly different, and a welcome change from the norm. Whilst I admitted to struggling with the voice at first, once I started listening to … Continue reading Author Interview: Anna Smith Spark, ‘The Court of Broken Knives’
Review: The Court of Broken Knives
The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark My rating: 5 of 5 stars OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: ‘The Court of Broken Knives’ is the stunning debut to Anna Smith Spark’s ‘The Empires of Dust’ series. One of two Anna’s to be released in June 2017 (UK), by Harper Voyager, the story of ‘The Court of Broken … Continue reading Review: The Court of Broken Knives
Edge-Lit & the David Gemmell Awards 2017
What does bang-average shampoo, a ‘babby’, and a Swedish horse have in common? Derby, apparently. (Or, if you’re Sadir, ‘Daaaaar-by’.) This weekend I’ve been lucky enough to attend Edge-Lit, an annual science-fiction, fantasy and horror event, held in Derby. It was my first ‘convention’, having previously attended smaller get-togethers for author panels/book signings in bookshops. … Continue reading Edge-Lit & the David Gemmell Awards 2017
Guest post: Anna Stephens on Learning to Write
To conclude this mini-series of posts on Anna Stephens' debut Godblind, as I do with every author featured here, I invited Anna to talk about any topic that she felt was relevant but more importantly, something that she was passionate about. For me, one of the most interesting aspects about Anna, as an author, is the … Continue reading Guest post: Anna Stephens on Learning to Write
Writing interview: On writing ‘Godblind’ with Anna Stephens
2017 is THE YEAR of fantasy debuts. That’s not to say that other years have been any less impressive, but I have read 4 fantasy debuts (currently on a 5th – that being ‘The Court of Broken Knives’*) all to be released in 2017, that have blown me away. Honestly, these guys and gals are … Continue reading Writing interview: On writing ‘Godblind’ with Anna Stephens
Review: Godblind
Godblind by Anna Stephens My rating: 5 of 5 stars THE GOOD: Gods meddling in mortal affairs, royal court-conspiracies, brimming with betrayals, battles and bloodlust, told via a distinct and diverse range of PoV characters. THE BAD: The 2017 debuts are making me think this year – it’s tricky to pick anything ‘bad’ about them. … Continue reading Review: Godblind
