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To your left, lumbering Giants smash into hordes of skeleton warriors. To your right, Knights cut...
Merissa (12698 KP) rated Darkness Falling (Light Up the Dark, #1) in Books
Aug 4, 2023
WOW!!! Just... WOW!!!
DARKNESS FALLING is the first book in the Light Up the Dark series and it is simply brilliant!
In a world similar yet different to the one we currently live in, Lex and Mike are soul mates, platonic ones, much to Lex's disappointment. He has loved Mike for years but hides it, knowing Mike is straight. Mike, well, he thinks he's straight, but he can't help certain feelings towards Lex. The question is, will these actually talk about it before the world ends?
The quick answer is yes, yes they do. I loved these two young men, I really did. It is a big world they live in, with plenty of characters and situations to keep you turning the pages. I loved the flow of this story, as it took you from the streets of New Orleans, to training, to Afghanistan, and then on a trek across both land and sea as they tried to return home.
They are ably supported by a fantastic cast of characters - military guys, witches, shifters, mages, and let's not forget Andie. I love her addition and can't wait to see more of her in the next book. She's going to keep the boys on their toes, that's for sure.
There is so much I could rave about - the natural relationship of Mike and Lex - the brotherhood of the MagCorps - the magical EMP that causes such devastation - Lex's enthusiasm for history - honestly, I'd be here for hours! This was a novel that I started at night, figuring I'd just read a little before bed. Instead, I was glued to the pages, only putting it down when I simply couldn't focus any longer, only to pick it up first thing the following morning to continue and finish their story.
Absolutely fantastic and I can't wait for Book 2. HIGHLY recommended by me.
** 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!
Aug 4, 2023
DARKNESS FALLING is the first book in the Light Up the Dark series and it is simply brilliant!
In a world similar yet different to the one we currently live in, Lex and Mike are soul mates, platonic ones, much to Lex's disappointment. He has loved Mike for years but hides it, knowing Mike is straight. Mike, well, he thinks he's straight, but he can't help certain feelings towards Lex. The question is, will these actually talk about it before the world ends?
The quick answer is yes, yes they do. I loved these two young men, I really did. It is a big world they live in, with plenty of characters and situations to keep you turning the pages. I loved the flow of this story, as it took you from the streets of New Orleans, to training, to Afghanistan, and then on a trek across both land and sea as they tried to return home.
They are ably supported by a fantastic cast of characters - military guys, witches, shifters, mages, and let's not forget Andie. I love her addition and can't wait to see more of her in the next book. She's going to keep the boys on their toes, that's for sure.
There is so much I could rave about - the natural relationship of Mike and Lex - the brotherhood of the MagCorps - the magical EMP that causes such devastation - Lex's enthusiasm for history - honestly, I'd be here for hours! This was a novel that I started at night, figuring I'd just read a little before bed. Instead, I was glued to the pages, only putting it down when I simply couldn't focus any longer, only to pick it up first thing the following morning to continue and finish their story.
Absolutely fantastic and I can't wait for Book 2. HIGHLY recommended by me.
** 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!
Aug 4, 2023
Blood Ties (Monsters of London #2)
10.0
Rate It
Book
Running from my past seemed like a good idea at the time. Too bad it’s about to catch up to me. ...
Menage (MMM) Paranormal Romance
Kyera (8 KP) rated The Last Magician in Books
Jan 31, 2018
This was a brilliantly woven time-traveling, magical heist book and I didn't even know how much I wanted it in my life. The book is written from multiple perspectives, which took a couple of chapters to get used to (as I was listening to the audiobook and there weren't multiple narrators) but soon I recognized each character's unique voice and fell into the story. In general, the plot was not fast paced but Maxwell vibrantly painted the world our main character finds herself in.
Esta is an orphan and a thief who is tasked with going back in time to alter the events of a heist that occurred in 1904 New York City. New York City is a world of mages, people will unique affinities, like Esta's ability to manipulate the fabric of time. Esta herself is a likable main character and the lens through which we learn about the other characters. As she is also from our time period, she must occasionally readjust her worldview, actions or outward opinions to match those of the time. Despite the fact that she is a thief, we get to see her smart and sarcastic side as well as her stubborn determination.
Despite the large cast of characters, I felt that they were generally well-developed and had the time to grow. I really enjoyed getting to know Dolph as the multi-faceted head of a gang and Harte the magician that Esta has been warned against. The crew reminded me of the Dregs from Six of Crows at times, although they didn't have quite the same chemistry. It was still enjoyable to watch them, although I hope that the others in the gang are developed further because I would like to see more of their personalities or backstories.
There wasn't as much focus on the magic dynamics as I expected there to be, but I was so enamored by the characters and world-building that it wasn't noticeable. Maxwell did a fabulous job reconstructing New York City at the start of the twentieth century and I fell in love. Overall, I felt the book satisfyingly wrapped up most of the threads from the book and introduced a few more that can be explored in book two. I really enjoyed the read and cannot wait to see how it ends in the second book.
Esta is an orphan and a thief who is tasked with going back in time to alter the events of a heist that occurred in 1904 New York City. New York City is a world of mages, people will unique affinities, like Esta's ability to manipulate the fabric of time. Esta herself is a likable main character and the lens through which we learn about the other characters. As she is also from our time period, she must occasionally readjust her worldview, actions or outward opinions to match those of the time. Despite the fact that she is a thief, we get to see her smart and sarcastic side as well as her stubborn determination.
Despite the large cast of characters, I felt that they were generally well-developed and had the time to grow. I really enjoyed getting to know Dolph as the multi-faceted head of a gang and Harte the magician that Esta has been warned against. The crew reminded me of the Dregs from Six of Crows at times, although they didn't have quite the same chemistry. It was still enjoyable to watch them, although I hope that the others in the gang are developed further because I would like to see more of their personalities or backstories.
There wasn't as much focus on the magic dynamics as I expected there to be, but I was so enamored by the characters and world-building that it wasn't noticeable. Maxwell did a fabulous job reconstructing New York City at the start of the twentieth century and I fell in love. Overall, I felt the book satisfyingly wrapped up most of the threads from the book and introduced a few more that can be explored in book two. I really enjoyed the read and cannot wait to see how it ends in the second book.
Alice (12 KP) rated The Iron Ghost in Books
Jul 3, 2018
The Iron Ghost was the second of three in The Copper Cat trilogy and it brings back characters from the first book The Copper Promise in full force. This story follows the Blackfeather Three as they travel to a place called Skaldshollow to assist the Skald people in getting back a stolen artefact. As soon as they arrive things start to go wrong and The Blackfeather Three come face to face with trials and tribulations to rival their exploits in the first book.
Ice people, wyverns, crazy mad mages with a thirst for blood and a familiar yet hated demon child all abound and cause all sorts of trouble for Wydrin, Frith and Sebastian.
There’s a neat – if slightly unobvious – split between tenses in this book which was slightly off putting; for example it’d be one chapter in present day Skaldshollow and then the next would be set in the past usually with Sebastian at the Order Temple. It wasn’t bad only unclearly marked, but on the flip side the writing itself showed the tense changes really well.
As with the previous book everything that could go wrong went wrong but the plot line followed a set rhythm that deviated in the smallest of ways but also the biggest – by this I mean that the plot stayed on the same sort of course but then all of a sudden something that was unexpected was thrown in the works and it threw me for a loop.
Other than Bezcavar the new big bad in this book was a long dead mage by the name of Joah Lightbringer or Joah Demonsworn who is miraculously brought back to life by the help of BBezcavar(surprise surprise) so he can continue on in his great, albeit incredibly insane work.
There’s magic galore from Frith, Joah, the Skaldshollow, Bezcavar and even Sebastian! Something happened with Wydrin that I won’t spoil for any of you who haven’t read this book (I highly recommend it!) that completely threw me and made me keep reading until the early hours of the morning. I had a combined “What the hell JW” and “Oh thank you, thank you” moment.
I’m about 110 pages into the third and final installment. I had a heart crumbling moment when Jen told me that on Twitter but made up for it with a pre-order of her new book.
Ice people, wyverns, crazy mad mages with a thirst for blood and a familiar yet hated demon child all abound and cause all sorts of trouble for Wydrin, Frith and Sebastian.
There’s a neat – if slightly unobvious – split between tenses in this book which was slightly off putting; for example it’d be one chapter in present day Skaldshollow and then the next would be set in the past usually with Sebastian at the Order Temple. It wasn’t bad only unclearly marked, but on the flip side the writing itself showed the tense changes really well.
As with the previous book everything that could go wrong went wrong but the plot line followed a set rhythm that deviated in the smallest of ways but also the biggest – by this I mean that the plot stayed on the same sort of course but then all of a sudden something that was unexpected was thrown in the works and it threw me for a loop.
Other than Bezcavar the new big bad in this book was a long dead mage by the name of Joah Lightbringer or Joah Demonsworn who is miraculously brought back to life by the help of BBezcavar(surprise surprise) so he can continue on in his great, albeit incredibly insane work.
There’s magic galore from Frith, Joah, the Skaldshollow, Bezcavar and even Sebastian! Something happened with Wydrin that I won’t spoil for any of you who haven’t read this book (I highly recommend it!) that completely threw me and made me keep reading until the early hours of the morning. I had a combined “What the hell JW” and “Oh thank you, thank you” moment.
I’m about 110 pages into the third and final installment. I had a heart crumbling moment when Jen told me that on Twitter but made up for it with a pre-order of her new book.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Witcher - Season 1 in TV
Jan 9, 2020 (Updated Jan 22, 2020)
An exceptional start to the show
The Witcher is a show I've been excited about for some time.
I've never read the books, and to be honest, only slightly dabbled in the video games, but the idea of seeing the exploits of Geralt of Rivea on screen was a prospect I was ready for.
Henry Cavill is great as the titular Witcher, I've heard people complain that he's a bit too brooding, doesn't say a whole lot etc, but it's to my understanding that this is his character, and it works well when put alongside the other two leads.
Anya Chalotra as Yennefer is the star of this season for sure. Her story is one of pain, and triumph, and the constant longing for something more. It's frequently emotional, and at times difficult to watch, and the series pulls no punches when it comes to what it wants to show.
Her character transformation both physically and mentally is superb, and well realised.
And then we have Freya Allen playing Ciri, a princess on the run when her home and city is sacked and burned by the main villains Nilfgaard.
Her role is a little more straightforward, as she spends the season hiding and fleeing, all whilst looking for Geralt.
The three separate storylines work very well alongside each other, as they slowly start to come together over the course of the eight episode season.
The stories timeline seems all over the place at first, and for some may be quite jarring, but it does begin to make sense the further in it gets. If you've been put off by this aspect initially, then please stick with it!
The cinematography is frequently gorgeous, and the CGI is mostly passable (there are some dodgy moments here and there, but surely that's to be expected from a first season), and it's nice to see creatures bought to life that even I recognise from my short time spent with the games.
The music score is beautiful - Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli have created a score that sticks with you after watching (a highlight is the music attached to Aretuza and the mages).
Overall, it's an exceptionally strong start to a new ambitious series. I can't wait to see where it goes from here!
I've never read the books, and to be honest, only slightly dabbled in the video games, but the idea of seeing the exploits of Geralt of Rivea on screen was a prospect I was ready for.
Henry Cavill is great as the titular Witcher, I've heard people complain that he's a bit too brooding, doesn't say a whole lot etc, but it's to my understanding that this is his character, and it works well when put alongside the other two leads.
Anya Chalotra as Yennefer is the star of this season for sure. Her story is one of pain, and triumph, and the constant longing for something more. It's frequently emotional, and at times difficult to watch, and the series pulls no punches when it comes to what it wants to show.
Her character transformation both physically and mentally is superb, and well realised.
And then we have Freya Allen playing Ciri, a princess on the run when her home and city is sacked and burned by the main villains Nilfgaard.
Her role is a little more straightforward, as she spends the season hiding and fleeing, all whilst looking for Geralt.
The three separate storylines work very well alongside each other, as they slowly start to come together over the course of the eight episode season.
The stories timeline seems all over the place at first, and for some may be quite jarring, but it does begin to make sense the further in it gets. If you've been put off by this aspect initially, then please stick with it!
The cinematography is frequently gorgeous, and the CGI is mostly passable (there are some dodgy moments here and there, but surely that's to be expected from a first season), and it's nice to see creatures bought to life that even I recognise from my short time spent with the games.
The music score is beautiful - Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli have created a score that sticks with you after watching (a highlight is the music attached to Aretuza and the mages).
Overall, it's an exceptionally strong start to a new ambitious series. I can't wait to see where it goes from here!
Merissa (12698 KP) rated Improper Mage in Books
Mar 8, 2022
IMPROPER MAGE is the first book in a new series by a new author, Taylor Westwood.
In a world similar to our own, Liana lives in Triaedian - a land where shifters, vampires, and mages all live in harmony?! As a female, she doesn't have many options, and the only magic she is supposed to know is how to help with her household. Luckily for us, Liana is not content with that and learns as much as she can by herself, being a strong and proficient mage, even if she can never show it.
One night she meets Damien, the King of Triaedian, who is fascinated by her. He has ruled alone for some time but, maybe, it is time for him to find his Queen. Liana is flattered until she finds out he has expressed interest in two others as well. Then she feels betrayed and played.
The interaction between these two is brilliant. Liana is seen as an 'odd' one in that she doesn't abide by society's rules for what a woman should do. Damien sees this and doesn't seem to want to change her, delighting in who she is. The attraction is hot and immediate but, once again due to society's rules, they are forbidden to act upon it until they are married. They do push the boundaries and have one particularly steamy moment, but will he marry her or one of the others?
I found the world-building to be brilliant, giving me enough information to see how the world worked without overloading me all at once. I also adored the hidden depths of others characters that sneaked through every so often. There is an overall story arc here so don't expect a HEA ending. What you do get is a fantastic ending that will definitely leave you wanting more.
I immediately went onto the author's website to see if there was any indication of when the next book was due out. For a debut book, this was amazing and I loved every word. Highly recommended by me!!
ps - and if you find out when Improper Queen is due out before me, please let me know! I need it!!
** 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!
In a world similar to our own, Liana lives in Triaedian - a land where shifters, vampires, and mages all live in harmony?! As a female, she doesn't have many options, and the only magic she is supposed to know is how to help with her household. Luckily for us, Liana is not content with that and learns as much as she can by herself, being a strong and proficient mage, even if she can never show it.
One night she meets Damien, the King of Triaedian, who is fascinated by her. He has ruled alone for some time but, maybe, it is time for him to find his Queen. Liana is flattered until she finds out he has expressed interest in two others as well. Then she feels betrayed and played.
The interaction between these two is brilliant. Liana is seen as an 'odd' one in that she doesn't abide by society's rules for what a woman should do. Damien sees this and doesn't seem to want to change her, delighting in who she is. The attraction is hot and immediate but, once again due to society's rules, they are forbidden to act upon it until they are married. They do push the boundaries and have one particularly steamy moment, but will he marry her or one of the others?
I found the world-building to be brilliant, giving me enough information to see how the world worked without overloading me all at once. I also adored the hidden depths of others characters that sneaked through every so often. There is an overall story arc here so don't expect a HEA ending. What you do get is a fantastic ending that will definitely leave you wanting more.
I immediately went onto the author's website to see if there was any indication of when the next book was due out. For a debut book, this was amazing and I loved every word. Highly recommended by me!!
ps - and if you find out when Improper Queen is due out before me, please let me know! I need it!!
** 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!
Arena of Valor: 5v5 Arena Game
Games
6.0
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Experience Arena of Valor, an epic new 5v5 multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) designed by...
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Games and Entertainment
8.5
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Join your friends in a brand new 5v5 MOBA showdown against real human opponents, Mobile Legends:...
Lantern (Danubian #1)
8.0
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In the black night, I alone uphold the shrine of the seven lantern gods. The year is 2448....
MM Paranormal Romance