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Unearthed
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It is the Age of the Xxyryn ... a strange and mystical time, even for people of magic. In ancient...
Fawkes
9.5
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Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only cure to the Stone Plague is to join his father’s...
young-adult fantasy magic
Shaman's Seduction
8.0
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What would you do to find—and keep—your perfect soul mate? In an arctic world of magic and...
Fantasy Romance
Blackmark (The Kingsmen Chronicles #1)
Book
“Like George RR Martin and Joe Abercrombie, Carlson writes in this genre for grown-ups, with flair...
School of Sword and Sorcery
Book
Government officials have stated that up to 500,000 underage minors go missing every year on Earth...
eFLORA School of Sword and Sorcery
For the Murder (The Murder #1)
8.0
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A lone crow is a dead crow. That’s what Diana Van Doren, exiled crow shifter, has always...
Adult Urban Fantasy
Weirdwood Manor
Book and Education
App
A mighty darkness is unleashed on the Library, a force that tests the limits of even Arthur’s...
Ross (3284 KP) rated Foundryside in Books
Aug 31, 2020
Great world-building, good story
The world the author has created is very impressive. I hate to do it, but the magic system is very Brandon Sanderson-esque. Over time, symbols used by ancient civilisations to make contraptions and control objects have been deciphered and are now used in everyday life. Self-driven carts, guns, machinery: all are controlled by this clever magic system, but there is a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg. The city of Tevanne is controlled by a council of the main merchant families, and each of those families is striving for the next big innovation in the use of these symbols. And with any major corporate hierarchy, there is a black market: a set of individuals striving to make things more cost effective, though of lower quality than the merchant houses.
Sancia is a key customer for some of this black market. She is a mercenary who will, for a fee, steal things. Not much of Sancia's past work is given, whether she is just a thief for hire, or has killed. She is a good strong, complicated character. Sancia has the ability to sense the thoughts of inanimate objects. For example, she can touch a wall and find out where the wall joins to other walls, whether there are gaps, whether someone is leaning on the other side, etc. This comes in handy when she successfully steals a box from a storage facility that contains a magical key that she can speak to.
There then follows a gripping plot to dethrone the merchant houses by seeking to stop them achieving more than just market share.
As with all the best fantasy worlds, the nature of things is revealed gradually over the course of the book. At times this verges on deus ex machina, but never quite goes over that line, things being mostly plausible given what we already know.
The dialogue of the book is where I have most of my issues with it. As with a number of recent books, the author is clearly an American and puts a number of Americanisms into the prose. While I am no language snob and can happily accept these in general, it is harder to do so in a fantasy book, especially one where other aspects of the language are clearly supposed to be more British English. The combination of a character saying "you all" or "most always" or "goddamn" and then using the word "arse" rather than "ass" just really ground my gears. It would have been much better to have been consistent and stick with "ass" and closer to the author's true voice.
Additionally, as with a number of fantasy books, new swear words are invented. These are partly explained and linked to the world, but it just comes across as a means of swearing without saying the actual "f" word. The word "scrumming" is far too twee a word to convey the same emotion as the word it is trying to replace and takes me right out of the book.
The pacing of the book was mostly fine, a few times it did seem to grind to a halt or there were long chapters of gradual exposition, but the action sequences, of which there were plenty, were thrilling and well told.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book, but the language used at times took me out of it and spoilt the mood a little. I can always tell how much I am enjoying a book by how quickly I read it and the number of comics I read simultaneously. My comic reading did go up a notch while reading this book.
Sancia is a key customer for some of this black market. She is a mercenary who will, for a fee, steal things. Not much of Sancia's past work is given, whether she is just a thief for hire, or has killed. She is a good strong, complicated character. Sancia has the ability to sense the thoughts of inanimate objects. For example, she can touch a wall and find out where the wall joins to other walls, whether there are gaps, whether someone is leaning on the other side, etc. This comes in handy when she successfully steals a box from a storage facility that contains a magical key that she can speak to.
There then follows a gripping plot to dethrone the merchant houses by seeking to stop them achieving more than just market share.
As with all the best fantasy worlds, the nature of things is revealed gradually over the course of the book. At times this verges on deus ex machina, but never quite goes over that line, things being mostly plausible given what we already know.
The dialogue of the book is where I have most of my issues with it. As with a number of recent books, the author is clearly an American and puts a number of Americanisms into the prose. While I am no language snob and can happily accept these in general, it is harder to do so in a fantasy book, especially one where other aspects of the language are clearly supposed to be more British English. The combination of a character saying "you all" or "most always" or "goddamn" and then using the word "arse" rather than "ass" just really ground my gears. It would have been much better to have been consistent and stick with "ass" and closer to the author's true voice.
Additionally, as with a number of fantasy books, new swear words are invented. These are partly explained and linked to the world, but it just comes across as a means of swearing without saying the actual "f" word. The word "scrumming" is far too twee a word to convey the same emotion as the word it is trying to replace and takes me right out of the book.
The pacing of the book was mostly fine, a few times it did seem to grind to a halt or there were long chapters of gradual exposition, but the action sequences, of which there were plenty, were thrilling and well told.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book, but the language used at times took me out of it and spoilt the mood a little. I can always tell how much I am enjoying a book by how quickly I read it and the number of comics I read simultaneously. My comic reading did go up a notch while reading this book.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Blood and Stars in Books
Sep 24, 2017
Children's Fantasy
This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Finally, after leaving everyone on tenterhooks, the fifth book in the Legend of Rhyme series is here. Blood and Stars by Jaime Lee Mann continues on from the tense ending to book four, finally resolving a lot of loose ends. With all the favourite characters from the series, this book transports readers back into the fantasy world of Coraira for more adventure and magic.
Blood and Stars is split into four stories, which eventually all merge together in an explosive climax. Firstly, as expected, the main characters, twins Ariana and Asher, have found themselves separated from each other once again. With Ariana destined to rule Coraira, legend suggests that Asher will be the opposite – a ruler of darkness. But, is there a chance he can be saved from this fate? Meanwhile, the present ruler of Coraira is dying. The only person who could potentially save Calla is her evil twin sister Elora, the infamous witch in the previous books. Can she be trusted enough with such an important task?
Concurrently, in the ethereal world of the mermaids, readers are reintroduced to the mer-queen, Starla and her apprentice, Teagan. Abandoned at birth, Teagan is hoping to discover what happened to her parents; however, her curiosity leads her into the lair of a sea witch. Be that as it may, some dangerous situations result in silver linings.
Eventually, with the majority of the book already concluded, another character is brought back into the story. Grimblerod is still under the curse of an evil king, but he now has hope that it can be broken. As long as his love for Freya does not fail, Grimblerod’s patient determination will lead him back to where he belongs.
With a mix of new and old characters, Jaime Lee Mann smoothly draws her fans back into the storyline with a (mostly) happy ending. There are a couple of things left incomplete, but nothing that will majorly irritate readers. There is no dreaded cliffhanger.
As it may have been some time since children read the last book, or parents and teachers are only just being introduced to the story, the author has provided an in-depth character guide in the end pages to bring everyone up to speed.
Blood and Stars was a more straightforward story than previous books. It resolved more issues than it created. There will be a final book coming (hopefully) soon, but there is no way of guessing what it will feature.
Legend of Rhyme is a series suitable for girls and boys. Mildly scary in parts, the adventure of the twins and their companions will entertain children and their parents. With discussion questions at the end, the books make readers think more about the storyline and help them to understand and interact with the narrative. This is certainly a series for young fantasy lovers.
Finally, after leaving everyone on tenterhooks, the fifth book in the Legend of Rhyme series is here. Blood and Stars by Jaime Lee Mann continues on from the tense ending to book four, finally resolving a lot of loose ends. With all the favourite characters from the series, this book transports readers back into the fantasy world of Coraira for more adventure and magic.
Blood and Stars is split into four stories, which eventually all merge together in an explosive climax. Firstly, as expected, the main characters, twins Ariana and Asher, have found themselves separated from each other once again. With Ariana destined to rule Coraira, legend suggests that Asher will be the opposite – a ruler of darkness. But, is there a chance he can be saved from this fate? Meanwhile, the present ruler of Coraira is dying. The only person who could potentially save Calla is her evil twin sister Elora, the infamous witch in the previous books. Can she be trusted enough with such an important task?
Concurrently, in the ethereal world of the mermaids, readers are reintroduced to the mer-queen, Starla and her apprentice, Teagan. Abandoned at birth, Teagan is hoping to discover what happened to her parents; however, her curiosity leads her into the lair of a sea witch. Be that as it may, some dangerous situations result in silver linings.
Eventually, with the majority of the book already concluded, another character is brought back into the story. Grimblerod is still under the curse of an evil king, but he now has hope that it can be broken. As long as his love for Freya does not fail, Grimblerod’s patient determination will lead him back to where he belongs.
With a mix of new and old characters, Jaime Lee Mann smoothly draws her fans back into the storyline with a (mostly) happy ending. There are a couple of things left incomplete, but nothing that will majorly irritate readers. There is no dreaded cliffhanger.
As it may have been some time since children read the last book, or parents and teachers are only just being introduced to the story, the author has provided an in-depth character guide in the end pages to bring everyone up to speed.
Blood and Stars was a more straightforward story than previous books. It resolved more issues than it created. There will be a final book coming (hopefully) soon, but there is no way of guessing what it will feature.
Legend of Rhyme is a series suitable for girls and boys. Mildly scary in parts, the adventure of the twins and their companions will entertain children and their parents. With discussion questions at the end, the books make readers think more about the storyline and help them to understand and interact with the narrative. This is certainly a series for young fantasy lovers.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated To Kill a Kingdom in Books
Apr 9, 2018
A princess must have her prince but perhaps not in the usual happy-ever-after fairytale way. With sirens, princes, pirates, mermaids and magic, To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo is a dark fantasy novel perfect for those who grew up with Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid. But, as with most traditional fairy tales, this book is riddled with trickery and lies, making it a heart-stopping adventure.
Lira is a siren princess who is nearing her eighteenth birthday. In order to celebrate the life of their goddess Keto and get revenge for her death at the hands of the humans, each siren must kill and remove the heart of a human victim. Lira has always targeted princes and aims to steal the heart of Prince Elian of Midasan, however, her mother, the sea queen, has different ideas.
As punishment for disobeying her orders, the evil queen temporarily turns Lira into a human, stripping her of her siren power. In order to return, she must kill Prince Elian and return to the sea with his heart. However, things get complicated when Prince Elian saves Lira from drowning and takes her aboard his ship.
Elian is a prince-cum-pirate who has no wish to be the heir of the golden kingdom of Midasan. He spends his days as the captain of his ship, hunting and killing sirens. Not realising Lira is the siren he most wishes to destroy, he gradually gets used to her presence and believes she will be useful to him on his quest to find a crystal that will destroy the sea queen forever. Lira agrees to help, however, she has an ulterior motive – perhaps she can help Elian find the crystal then kill him and destroy her mother …
It takes a while for this dark, romantic young adult novel to get going; there is a lot of introduction to characters and the way their fantasy world operates. With different customs to get familiar with, particularly in the case of the sirens, it is a little monotonous for the first few chapters. However, once Lira and Elian meet, events become far more interesting.
The banter and insults hurled between Elian, Lira and the rest of the crew is a humorous addition to the storyline and makes the prince and princesses growing relationship all the more exciting. With the sea queen lurking in the shadows, the story builds up to a fateful conclusion, however, maybe Lira can steal the prince’s heart a different way.
Once the story is well underway it becomes an engrossing piece of literature that is difficult to put down. With romance, danger and a cataclysmic ending, it has everything that a young adult fantasy fan wishes for. To Kill a Kingdom is Christo’s debut and it is exciting to find out what she will write next.
Lira is a siren princess who is nearing her eighteenth birthday. In order to celebrate the life of their goddess Keto and get revenge for her death at the hands of the humans, each siren must kill and remove the heart of a human victim. Lira has always targeted princes and aims to steal the heart of Prince Elian of Midasan, however, her mother, the sea queen, has different ideas.
As punishment for disobeying her orders, the evil queen temporarily turns Lira into a human, stripping her of her siren power. In order to return, she must kill Prince Elian and return to the sea with his heart. However, things get complicated when Prince Elian saves Lira from drowning and takes her aboard his ship.
Elian is a prince-cum-pirate who has no wish to be the heir of the golden kingdom of Midasan. He spends his days as the captain of his ship, hunting and killing sirens. Not realising Lira is the siren he most wishes to destroy, he gradually gets used to her presence and believes she will be useful to him on his quest to find a crystal that will destroy the sea queen forever. Lira agrees to help, however, she has an ulterior motive – perhaps she can help Elian find the crystal then kill him and destroy her mother …
It takes a while for this dark, romantic young adult novel to get going; there is a lot of introduction to characters and the way their fantasy world operates. With different customs to get familiar with, particularly in the case of the sirens, it is a little monotonous for the first few chapters. However, once Lira and Elian meet, events become far more interesting.
The banter and insults hurled between Elian, Lira and the rest of the crew is a humorous addition to the storyline and makes the prince and princesses growing relationship all the more exciting. With the sea queen lurking in the shadows, the story builds up to a fateful conclusion, however, maybe Lira can steal the prince’s heart a different way.
Once the story is well underway it becomes an engrossing piece of literature that is difficult to put down. With romance, danger and a cataclysmic ending, it has everything that a young adult fantasy fan wishes for. To Kill a Kingdom is Christo’s debut and it is exciting to find out what she will write next.