Charon Unguarded
7.0
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‘My friend, if the story is written against you, what you need to do is—’ ‘Change the...
Mythology fantasy humour
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
7.8
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A mesmerizing, lyrical tale of the bright and dark sides of love and desire. First-time author...
The God Gene Chronicles: The Secrets of the Gods
9.0
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What would you do if you found out that everything you knew about your life was a lie? What if all...
The End of Olympus (Pegasus #6)
4.5
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Emily and Pegasus face their greatest challenge yet when they venture back to Earth to save a friend...
Creatrix Rising: Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women
10.0
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Ever since Eve was banned from the garden, women have endured the oftentimes painful and inaccurate...
aging mid-life management women women's non-fiction
ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Valkyrie in Books
May 30, 2023
I’ll own up now. This was a NetGalley book, and it kind of got left behind. So I listened to the audiobook on Xigxag audiobooks. And I’m SO glad that I did.it came to life for me, and where some reviews have said that they were sometimes a little confused as to whose chapter it was, either Brynhild the fallen Valkyrie or Gudrun, Princess of Burgundia, I had no such issue. The narrators, Eleanor Jackson and India Shaw-Smith WERE Brynhild and Gudrun. And they were both self-assured, strong leaders who would take no nonsense.
What did surprise me was how forgiving Brynhild was of Sigurd lies. If you already know the myth, then you’ll know! Otherwise, my lips are sealed, because you really have to read this for yourself!
Oh, and the Germanic history was the icing on the cake for me. And there’s loads of extra information about both the Norse mythology and the German history, both in relation to the book, on Kate Heartsfields website - chapter by chapter! I’ve had the BEST time on there!
So, yes, this is very much a recommended book!
Merissa (12066 KP) rated Midnight Eclipse (Bonded By Blood Vampire Chronicles #4) in Books
Jun 7, 2023
With more of the story and the prophecy becoming clearer as we move through the stories, there is a lot more information available and yet still more needed. This is a series that will take you to the very end not knowing which way it will go.
Excellently written, joining up all the storylines seamlessly, and with no editing issues that I found. This is a book definitely recommended, but read the whole series to make the most of it!
* 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!
Apr 24, 2016
Daughter of Chaos (Red Magic #1)
8.0
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“You must choose, child. Choose now, and choose once, for once taken, the path becomes your...
Young Adult Fantasy Mythology
Slippers and Songs (Brodyr Alarch #1)
10.0
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In the realm of Holmfirth, far from Melthkior, Princess Tesni finds herself ensnared in a curse that...
Brothers Grimm Fairytale Retelling Welsh Gods Fantasy Romance Brodyr Alarch
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Stork Mountain in Books
May 25, 2017
Bulgarian-born, short storywriter Miroslav Penkov has turned to full-length novels with this captivating book, Stork Mountain. Set in the Bulgarian Strandja Mountains on the border of Turkey, he explores religion, mythology, the past and the present in a society affected by long-term political unrest.
The narrator, a young man who remains nameless throughout, relocated to the United States of America as a child after the fall of Communism. Now he returns to his home country to find his grandfather, an elderly man he lost contact with three years ago. However his real motive is purely for self gain: to sell his section of the family land in order to pay off student loans and his rising debt.
Naturally, things do not go according to plan. The protagonist finds his grandfather hiding in the village of Klisura, a place divided between the Christians and the Muslims. He also discovers that there is no longer any land for him to sell, making his journey fairly pointless. Instead of returning to the Western world, he stays in his grandfather’s house and, very slowly, begins to learn the truth about his family’s past, the man his grandfather once was, and the superstitious pagan activities still affecting some of the village’s inhabitants today.
Stork Mountain is full of the history, folklore and mythology of a little known about European country. Although ultimately a contemporary novel, there is a lot to learn about events that led up to southern Bulgaria’s current condition. As well as being informative, Penkov plays with his readers’ hearts by including a Romeo and Juliet-esque relationship between the narrator and a Muslim girl, and also reveals a similar affair between a younger Grandfather and the girl of his dreams.
Books containing politics are often reserved for those with particular interest in the topic, however Stork Mountain is suitable for a much larger audience. The inclusion of Bulgarian folklore adds a dark fairytale-like quality to the story; and the romance, something for the reader to latch onto.
On reading the blurb I jumped to the conclusion that this book would be boring. I was wrong. Whereas stories with similar themes can be hard going, Stork Mountain was fast paced and easy to read. There were a few confusions about who was talking or whether the narrative was about the past or the future, but these issues may be something that is improved upon as the author finds his groove in full-length novels.
Even if, like me, you have prejudged this book to be boring, I urge you to give it a go. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised. Miroslav Penkov definitely has a future in the world of literature.