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David McK (3745 KP) rated Lion of Macedon (Greek series #1) in Books
Jul 7, 2020
The first of David Gemmell's forays into ancient Greece, followed up by Dark Prince, with Gemmell returning to the setting (if not the characters) towards the end of his life with his Troy series (Lord of the Silver Bow, Shield of Thunder and Fall of Kings - the latter being completed by his wife following his death in 2006).
Unlike the Troy books, however, this is set (much) later in the ancient Greek world, even well after the battle of Thermopylae, and follows the life and times of the half-Spartan/half Macedonian Parmenion - the actual Lion of Macedon of the title - of whom little is apparently known, other than that he was an actual Macedonian general in the service of Philip II of Macedon (who doesn't even appear in this until about 2/3rd of the way through the book): the father (or was he?) of the most famous Macedonian of all: Alexander. As in Alexander the Great.
I add the 'or was he' question to the above as this novel provides an alternative patronage. It also, unlike his later Troy series, mixes on some of Gemmell's more 'fantastical' elements (I hesitate to even use that word), with the philosopher Aristotle reimagined and the inclusion of the Stones of Power (aka the Siptrassi Stones - as an aside, I'm not sure where these novels were written in relation to those?), albeit not to the extent of Dark Prince. The themes of redemption, honour, courage and Good (the Source) Vs Evil are as strong as any other in his oeuvre!
Unlike the Troy books, however, this is set (much) later in the ancient Greek world, even well after the battle of Thermopylae, and follows the life and times of the half-Spartan/half Macedonian Parmenion - the actual Lion of Macedon of the title - of whom little is apparently known, other than that he was an actual Macedonian general in the service of Philip II of Macedon (who doesn't even appear in this until about 2/3rd of the way through the book): the father (or was he?) of the most famous Macedonian of all: Alexander. As in Alexander the Great.
I add the 'or was he' question to the above as this novel provides an alternative patronage. It also, unlike his later Troy series, mixes on some of Gemmell's more 'fantastical' elements (I hesitate to even use that word), with the philosopher Aristotle reimagined and the inclusion of the Stones of Power (aka the Siptrassi Stones - as an aside, I'm not sure where these novels were written in relation to those?), albeit not to the extent of Dark Prince. The themes of redemption, honour, courage and Good (the Source) Vs Evil are as strong as any other in his oeuvre!
Merissa (13878 KP) rated The Vampire's Delicious Fae (Brinnswick: Tales From Gauhala #2) in Books
Mar 24, 2025
THE VAMPIRE'S DELICIOUS FAE is the second book in the Brinnswick: Tales From Gauhala series and, although it says you can read it as a stand-alone, I would recommend you read the other books set in this world. I haven't and although it didn't stop me from enjoying this book, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I knew more about the world.
Anton is our old man, an ancient vampire, whose viramore (fated mate) is Keryth, a nature fae. These two have already met but their meeting didn't end quite the way Anton wanted it to. Two years later and they're still not talking. It takes the intervention of one of Anton's children and one of Keryth's sisters for them to bridge the gap caused by misunderstandings and hurt.
There is plenty of action / danger in here, but Anton, Keryth, and their extended family are more than capable. With a smooth pace and well-written world- and character-building, this was a great story that I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending.
** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 24, 2025
Anton is our old man, an ancient vampire, whose viramore (fated mate) is Keryth, a nature fae. These two have already met but their meeting didn't end quite the way Anton wanted it to. Two years later and they're still not talking. It takes the intervention of one of Anton's children and one of Keryth's sisters for them to bridge the gap caused by misunderstandings and hurt.
There is plenty of action / danger in here, but Anton, Keryth, and their extended family are more than capable. With a smooth pace and well-written world- and character-building, this was a great story that I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending.
** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 24, 2025
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Wrath of Siren (The Truth Teller #2) in Books
Nov 29, 2019
Following her adventures in The Truth Teller where Charlotte discovered she could travel to another realm inhabited by elves and dwarves, she has settled back into her normal life and dismissed it all as a bad dream. That is until the elf Elderfield travels to our world to find her to warn her that it is too dangerous to return.
The evil druid Siren has unleashed his Troll army and is laying the other realm to waste leaving the elves and dwarves to make a last desperate stand. But what they really need is the Truth Teller, will she ignore the warnings and come to help?
This second book in the series carried on Chambers' tale to entice younger readers into reading fantasy stories. This installment is a little darker in tone, as might be expected as war sweeps across the land, but as usual there are touches of humour to lighten the tone. Charlotte's usage of neologisms and idioms to her bemused companions from the other world are always good ('It's doing my head in' and 'this is well creepy' for example). Plus we have the bonus of Elderfield seeing our world (and the chaos that ensues).
Siren makes a fairly convincing opponent, suitable nasty without becoming too pantomime. He's nasty work but not irrational, simply wanting to take over his world and if that involves a little death and destruction so much the better.
The tone is probably a shade darker than the first book, simply because there is a war rather than an individual journey and so a lot more people are threatened. But this is still firmly on the light side of fantasy with nothing particularly distressing.
My only negative point (and the only thing stopping this getting 5 stars) is that Siren's defeat is never really explained, it just happens. This is disappointing only from the point of view that it would perhaps have been nice to have a bit of closure. It has to be said that classic fantasy has its fair share of 'with one bound the heroes win against the odds' endings - look at The Lord of the Rings or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In the end the story is what matters, not what is in the end of the story and this is still a fantastic read.
Once again Chambers has set out to produce a modern day introduction to fantasy for young adult eyes and once again he has achieved this and in spades. Very much looking forward to the next book in the series.
The evil druid Siren has unleashed his Troll army and is laying the other realm to waste leaving the elves and dwarves to make a last desperate stand. But what they really need is the Truth Teller, will she ignore the warnings and come to help?
This second book in the series carried on Chambers' tale to entice younger readers into reading fantasy stories. This installment is a little darker in tone, as might be expected as war sweeps across the land, but as usual there are touches of humour to lighten the tone. Charlotte's usage of neologisms and idioms to her bemused companions from the other world are always good ('It's doing my head in' and 'this is well creepy' for example). Plus we have the bonus of Elderfield seeing our world (and the chaos that ensues).
Siren makes a fairly convincing opponent, suitable nasty without becoming too pantomime. He's nasty work but not irrational, simply wanting to take over his world and if that involves a little death and destruction so much the better.
The tone is probably a shade darker than the first book, simply because there is a war rather than an individual journey and so a lot more people are threatened. But this is still firmly on the light side of fantasy with nothing particularly distressing.
My only negative point (and the only thing stopping this getting 5 stars) is that Siren's defeat is never really explained, it just happens. This is disappointing only from the point of view that it would perhaps have been nice to have a bit of closure. It has to be said that classic fantasy has its fair share of 'with one bound the heroes win against the odds' endings - look at The Lord of the Rings or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In the end the story is what matters, not what is in the end of the story and this is still a fantastic read.
Once again Chambers has set out to produce a modern day introduction to fantasy for young adult eyes and once again he has achieved this and in spades. Very much looking forward to the next book in the series.
The Patient
7.0
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The Silent Patient by way of Stephen King: Parker, a young, overconfident psychiatrist new to his...
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Julie (77 KP) rated A Court of Thorns and Roses in Books
Sep 9, 2017
"Warning: This book has some mature content.
Honestly, though I liked the summary, I didn't really know what I was getting into. By the end, I came to the conclusion that in short, this was about Katniss Everdeen thrown into Beauty and the Beast with fairies. (If any of you have already read the book... am I wrong?)
That comparison may not sound very appealing, but it worked. Maas created intriguing characters and put them in a mysteriously wonderful fantasy world. The characters were complex and I liked seeing their different personalities. My personal favorites were Lucien and Rhys." Read my entire review here: https://thenerdybookwormsite.wordpress.com/2017/08/24/a-court-of-thorns-and-roses-by-sarah-j-maas/
Honestly, though I liked the summary, I didn't really know what I was getting into. By the end, I came to the conclusion that in short, this was about Katniss Everdeen thrown into Beauty and the Beast with fairies. (If any of you have already read the book... am I wrong?)
That comparison may not sound very appealing, but it worked. Maas created intriguing characters and put them in a mysteriously wonderful fantasy world. The characters were complex and I liked seeing their different personalities. My personal favorites were Lucien and Rhys." Read my entire review here: https://thenerdybookwormsite.wordpress.com/2017/08/24/a-court-of-thorns-and-roses-by-sarah-j-maas/
End of Story
10.0
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WARNING: READING THIS BOOK HAS BEEN BANNED BY THE GOVERNMENT. Once upon a time, there was a...
Books about books Speculative fiction mental health
ClareR (6106 KP) rated The Woman in the Wallpaper in Books
Oct 14, 2025
The Woman in the Wallpaper by Lora Jones is set around the time of the French Revolution.
Sofie and Lara Thibault, along with their mother, move from Marseille to work in a wallpaper factory near Paris after he violent death of their father. The Oberst factory provides them all with a job and Josef Oberst becomes friends with the sisters.
A marriage and the Revolution see an end to the friendship.
I loved all the historical details around the Revolution, what it was like to work in a wallpaper factory, and the differences between the workers and the aristocracy. I could feel the tension radiating off the page, building to its incendiary, and very sad conclusion. I thought the character- and world-building were excellent, and I even felt some sympathy for the awful, aristo wife of Josef.
It’s a fabulous addition to stories set during the French Revolution.
Sofie and Lara Thibault, along with their mother, move from Marseille to work in a wallpaper factory near Paris after he violent death of their father. The Oberst factory provides them all with a job and Josef Oberst becomes friends with the sisters.
A marriage and the Revolution see an end to the friendship.
I loved all the historical details around the Revolution, what it was like to work in a wallpaper factory, and the differences between the workers and the aristocracy. I could feel the tension radiating off the page, building to its incendiary, and very sad conclusion. I thought the character- and world-building were excellent, and I even felt some sympathy for the awful, aristo wife of Josef.
It’s a fabulous addition to stories set during the French Revolution.
Moro East
Samuel Clark and Samantha Clark
Book
In "Moro East", Sam and Sam Clark renew their passion for the food of Spain and the Muslim...