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A Curse So Dark and Lonely
8.5
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In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers...
Human Again: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling (End of Ever After #4)
6.0
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Azahr has always known what to expect from life. As the second son of Delphe, a great military...
Fantasy Young Adult Fairy Tale Retelling
O Captain, My Captor
1.0
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Introducing a world of high adventure and dark secrets, where the days are filled with wonder and...
lesbian erotica mermaid pirate dubious consent
Iced (Fever, #6)
9.0
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The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out...
urban fantasy fae fever series
Merissa (13749 KP) rated Hidden Realm (Legends of Lightning #1) in Books
Oct 28, 2021
HIDDEN REALM is the first book in the Legends of Lightning series, and I was really looking forward to it.
What I got was a fantasy with elements of Brothers Grimm and all their original fairy tales. Now, it DOES say it is dark, so please pay attention to that if you have any triggers.
Esther is content (as far as she seems possible to be) with her life, but it takes a strange turn when she starts to manifest injuries from her dreams. She does a minimum amount of digging and decides to pack up her life and travel to a different realm.
There is a LOT of violence and rape is inferred on what felt like every page. Due to this, the impact of it lessened with each repeat. The emotional connection with the main characters was also lacking for me. I felt more for one of the supporting characters when his family died than I did for Esther or Oisin.
Just a quick heads up - prepare yourself for whiplash as Esther's emotions change course on a dime.
There is a lot of potential to this story with plenty of intrigue and twists to keep your attention. It does need tightening up in places, but on the whole, it was a good read. I am engaged enough to want to know what happens to Esther and Oisin now.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
What I got was a fantasy with elements of Brothers Grimm and all their original fairy tales. Now, it DOES say it is dark, so please pay attention to that if you have any triggers.
Esther is content (as far as she seems possible to be) with her life, but it takes a strange turn when she starts to manifest injuries from her dreams. She does a minimum amount of digging and decides to pack up her life and travel to a different realm.
There is a LOT of violence and rape is inferred on what felt like every page. Due to this, the impact of it lessened with each repeat. The emotional connection with the main characters was also lacking for me. I felt more for one of the supporting characters when his family died than I did for Esther or Oisin.
Just a quick heads up - prepare yourself for whiplash as Esther's emotions change course on a dime.
There is a lot of potential to this story with plenty of intrigue and twists to keep your attention. It does need tightening up in places, but on the whole, it was a good read. I am engaged enough to want to know what happens to Esther and Oisin now.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Whispers and Wings (Brodyr Alarch #6)
10.0
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For twenty-four years, Gerallt has borne Arianrhod’s blessing of a swan’s wing in place of his...
Fantasy Romance Welsh Celtic Mythology Fairytale Retelling Brothers Grimm
Morgan Sheppard (1007 KP) created a post
Feb 19, 2024
Cynthia Armistead (17 KP) rated Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy in Books
Mar 1, 2018
Another uneven anthology. I still have it in my hands, so I'll try to hit each story briefly.
"Lucky" by Charlaine Harris - Sookie is much easier to take in short form. I can't help it, the woman grates on me (in the TV show even worse than in the books). The other characters keep me reading.
"Bogieman" by Carole Nelson Douglas - Delilah Street does more than grate on my nerves in long form. She's more palatable in short form, too, but there are reminders of why I don't intend to read more in that series.
"Looks are Deceiving" by Michael A. Stackpole - If I've read any of Stackpole's work before, it's been in anthologies, and I don't remember it. I did wonder if this short story is set in a universe he uses in longer works, though. It wasn't bad at all.
"The House of Seven Spirits" by Sharon Shinn - I loved this story! And how often do you say that about a haunted house tale? I must track down and read some of Shinn's novels. Any suggestions?
"Glamour" by Mike Doogan - The Peasantry Anti-Defamation League might be after Doogan if he isn't careful (at least, representatives of the male peasantry). The story was cute, and it did make me laugh.
"Spellbound" by Donna Andrews - This is another author whose books are going on my (groaning) to-read shelf. The story hit a few clichés, but was fun enough to get away with them.
"The Duh Vice" by Michael Armstrong - Ugh. A little too preachy, and way too much anti-fat prejudice.
"Weight of the World" by John Straley - Where does Santa Claus go in the off-season? That's the biggest question answered in this piece. The "mystery" was "solved" nearly as soon as it was discovered.
"Illumination" by Laura Anne Gilman - Bonnie's back story! I think a bit of this story is used in the first chapter of Gilman's first PUPI novel, but I'll know more when I get my hands on it. It's a must-read for fans of the Cosa Nostradamus universe, though.
"The House" by Laurie R. King - could we maybe call a hiatus on the abused-kid stories? Maybe I'm hypersensitive, but I'm tired of them.
"Appetite for Murder" by Simon R. Green - another dark Nightside story. I don't think I'll ever need to read more in that universe.
"A Woman's Work" by Dana Stabenow - I'm an unabashed Stabenow fangirl. Despite that, I wasn't sure how she'd do in a fantasy setting. She proved herself, certainly. I can only hope that we'll see longer fantasy works from her in print at some juncture.
"Lucky" by Charlaine Harris - Sookie is much easier to take in short form. I can't help it, the woman grates on me (in the TV show even worse than in the books). The other characters keep me reading.
"Bogieman" by Carole Nelson Douglas - Delilah Street does more than grate on my nerves in long form. She's more palatable in short form, too, but there are reminders of why I don't intend to read more in that series.
"Looks are Deceiving" by Michael A. Stackpole - If I've read any of Stackpole's work before, it's been in anthologies, and I don't remember it. I did wonder if this short story is set in a universe he uses in longer works, though. It wasn't bad at all.
"The House of Seven Spirits" by Sharon Shinn - I loved this story! And how often do you say that about a haunted house tale? I must track down and read some of Shinn's novels. Any suggestions?
"Glamour" by Mike Doogan - The Peasantry Anti-Defamation League might be after Doogan if he isn't careful (at least, representatives of the male peasantry). The story was cute, and it did make me laugh.
"Spellbound" by Donna Andrews - This is another author whose books are going on my (groaning) to-read shelf. The story hit a few clichés, but was fun enough to get away with them.
"The Duh Vice" by Michael Armstrong - Ugh. A little too preachy, and way too much anti-fat prejudice.
"Weight of the World" by John Straley - Where does Santa Claus go in the off-season? That's the biggest question answered in this piece. The "mystery" was "solved" nearly as soon as it was discovered.
"Illumination" by Laura Anne Gilman - Bonnie's back story! I think a bit of this story is used in the first chapter of Gilman's first PUPI novel, but I'll know more when I get my hands on it. It's a must-read for fans of the Cosa Nostradamus universe, though.
"The House" by Laurie R. King - could we maybe call a hiatus on the abused-kid stories? Maybe I'm hypersensitive, but I'm tired of them.
"Appetite for Murder" by Simon R. Green - another dark Nightside story. I don't think I'll ever need to read more in that universe.
"A Woman's Work" by Dana Stabenow - I'm an unabashed Stabenow fangirl. Despite that, I wasn't sure how she'd do in a fantasy setting. She proved herself, certainly. I can only hope that we'll see longer fantasy works from her in print at some juncture.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Half a War (Shattered Sea, Book 3) in Books
Nov 14, 2019
This is the third book of the Shattered Sea trilogy and takes place a couple of years after the previous book, Half the World. The long forecast war between Gettland and the High King commences with the High King's champion, Bright Yilling, invading Throvenland. Princess Skara manages to escape to Gettland where she joins the allies so that she can take her homeland back from the invaders.
Father Yarvi is also determined to strike back, to carry out the oath of vengeance he swore against his father's killers. To do this he must defeat Bright Yilling and his army and then take on the High King himself. But just how far is he prepared to go in order to secure victory?
I actually can't say too much in detail about this book without giving anything away. Much like the previous book, this one seems like a fairly conventional epic fantasy style story for a good half. But then Abercrombie starts to twist the knife as the reader's expectations based on the usual fantasy tropes are knocked down one by one.
Certainly there is much here that is unconventional in many ways and I confess to having a rather mad smile on my face at one point due to the utter craziness of what is going on - but Abercrombie handles it well having laid the groundwork well in advance. It is never clear who is going live and who is going to die, and who is going to win and who is going to lose.
After the first two books, which have quite a lot of conversations and philosophy, this is essentailly one long drawn out battle against various parties in various locations. Some battles are fought with swords and others with words, but both are just as deadly for the loser. The fight scenes are very violent and as expected it's pretty grim and dark at times.
There is plenty of scope left at the end for more stories set in the world of the Shattered Sea and these would be welcome but it also clear that the story of Yarvi and his revenge has been completed.
Not the best of the series, the first half is probably too conventional but the second half turns so much on its head it redeems the book completely.
Rating: Lots of violent battles and deaths, some scatalogical phrases and some non-explict sexual scenes. Young Adult but more at the Adult than Young end of that spectrum
Father Yarvi is also determined to strike back, to carry out the oath of vengeance he swore against his father's killers. To do this he must defeat Bright Yilling and his army and then take on the High King himself. But just how far is he prepared to go in order to secure victory?
I actually can't say too much in detail about this book without giving anything away. Much like the previous book, this one seems like a fairly conventional epic fantasy style story for a good half. But then Abercrombie starts to twist the knife as the reader's expectations based on the usual fantasy tropes are knocked down one by one.
Certainly there is much here that is unconventional in many ways and I confess to having a rather mad smile on my face at one point due to the utter craziness of what is going on - but Abercrombie handles it well having laid the groundwork well in advance. It is never clear who is going live and who is going to die, and who is going to win and who is going to lose.
After the first two books, which have quite a lot of conversations and philosophy, this is essentailly one long drawn out battle against various parties in various locations. Some battles are fought with swords and others with words, but both are just as deadly for the loser. The fight scenes are very violent and as expected it's pretty grim and dark at times.
There is plenty of scope left at the end for more stories set in the world of the Shattered Sea and these would be welcome but it also clear that the story of Yarvi and his revenge has been completed.
Not the best of the series, the first half is probably too conventional but the second half turns so much on its head it redeems the book completely.
Rating: Lots of violent battles and deaths, some scatalogical phrases and some non-explict sexual scenes. Young Adult but more at the Adult than Young end of that spectrum
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Half the World in Books
Nov 14, 2019
Father Yarvi has a problem. He is minister for Gettland but the High King is determined to engineer a war to remove Gettland from the map. Yarvi needs allies but with half the world swearing allegiance to the High King they may be in short supply.
Brand has a problem. He wants to be a warrior and do good. But he finds that doing good does not always go down well with other people.
Thorn is a problem. She wants to be a warrior like her father, but in Gettland women don't fight and despite her abilities with a sword she is seen as an embarrassment. When an accident in training happens it seems like the perfect excuse to get rid of her once and for all.
This is the second book of a young adult trilogy set in the Shattered Sea. Told from the point of view of both Thorn and Brand as they journey across half the world with Father Yarvi in search of allies this is also a journey of discovery for the two of them as they find out who they really are and what they really stand for.
As would be expected from Abercrombie the journey they undertake is fairly brutal involving physical hardship, battles and meetings with dangerous and powerful rulers. The crew of the boat start off as a rough bunch of (mostly) strangers but bonds are forged between them. As usual characterisaton is excellent and the development of both Thorn and Brand in their different ways is very well done. Abercrombie really does have a magic touch in providing characters that do not fit into the usual rough and tough warrior mould. Each has their own story and their own personality. As usual the female characters are easily as strong as the male ones; Abercrombie is an equal opportunity employer of characters.
I was worried that the ending would use the oldest fantasy trope in the book but I needn't have been concerned. The author is an old hand at setting up expectations on standard epic fantasy lines and then suddenly twisting them a different way and he does that a number of times in this novel.
Sterling work, gritty and harsh as always with that wonderful touch of dark humour from the characters and with a story that drives along leaving the reader guessing all the way.
Rating: Lots of fight scenes, a couple of non-explicit sexual scenes and some scatalogical swearing from the the saltier characters but still suitable for a 'young adult' (or indeed adult) reader.
Brand has a problem. He wants to be a warrior and do good. But he finds that doing good does not always go down well with other people.
Thorn is a problem. She wants to be a warrior like her father, but in Gettland women don't fight and despite her abilities with a sword she is seen as an embarrassment. When an accident in training happens it seems like the perfect excuse to get rid of her once and for all.
This is the second book of a young adult trilogy set in the Shattered Sea. Told from the point of view of both Thorn and Brand as they journey across half the world with Father Yarvi in search of allies this is also a journey of discovery for the two of them as they find out who they really are and what they really stand for.
As would be expected from Abercrombie the journey they undertake is fairly brutal involving physical hardship, battles and meetings with dangerous and powerful rulers. The crew of the boat start off as a rough bunch of (mostly) strangers but bonds are forged between them. As usual characterisaton is excellent and the development of both Thorn and Brand in their different ways is very well done. Abercrombie really does have a magic touch in providing characters that do not fit into the usual rough and tough warrior mould. Each has their own story and their own personality. As usual the female characters are easily as strong as the male ones; Abercrombie is an equal opportunity employer of characters.
I was worried that the ending would use the oldest fantasy trope in the book but I needn't have been concerned. The author is an old hand at setting up expectations on standard epic fantasy lines and then suddenly twisting them a different way and he does that a number of times in this novel.
Sterling work, gritty and harsh as always with that wonderful touch of dark humour from the characters and with a story that drives along leaving the reader guessing all the way.
Rating: Lots of fight scenes, a couple of non-explicit sexual scenes and some scatalogical swearing from the the saltier characters but still suitable for a 'young adult' (or indeed adult) reader.