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A Matter of Faith – Henry VIII: The Days of the Phoenix

Judith Arnopp

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Finally free of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII, is now married to Anne Boleyn and eagerly awaiting...

Historical Fiction Tudors Henry VIII

Merissa (13409 KP) rated Dragonborn in Books

Dec 17, 2018 (Updated Apr 25, 2023)

Dragonborn

Maeghan Friday | 2015 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Prince Ben is beloved by his parents and can do no wrong. Princess Cecily is viewed as a curse and can do no right. The only problem is that they share a body! On even days, Ben is in charge, whilst Cecily 'rests'. On odd days, it is Cecily's turn. They have a bond which is looming on their twentieth birthday and no way of breaking it without dying. The King and Queen don't actually mind if Cecily dies, indeed they are working towards that, but Ben is not happy at all.

I simply loved this book! It is so different and refreshing. Seeing how Ben and Cecily coped with their lives, and how completely different they were from each other, made this a magical read all by itself. But then you have the supporting characters of Alloran, Rowan, Lila, and Rachael, plus the mysterious tutors of Crispin and Jude.

In other countries, multiple bonds are legitimate - romantic, physical, non-physical, and friendship. The King and Queen have outlawed any bonds other than one male and one female. They will also only acknowledge the male or female sexes, anyone who feels differently has to keep it secret upon pain of death.

This is an intricate tale, with layer upon layer of discoveries waiting to be made. I was completely enthralled as the story unfolded, but couldn't wait for the King and Queen to get their comeuppance. I mean, come on - seriously!?!

Absolutely recommended for fans of fairy tales who want something a bit different!!

* 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!
Nov 18, 2015

Kudos

ErinSJ (112 KP) rated The Bone Queen (The Books of Pellinor #0.5) in Books

Jun 20, 2018

The Bone Queen (The Books of Pellinor #0.5)

Alison Croggon | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

When I found out The Bone Queen was coming out it was a pleasant surprise. I read the original Pellinor series years ago and have always remembered it as one of my favorite fantasy series. I was originally a bit worried that all these years later this book wouldn't live up to the rest of the series, but I'm happy to report that my fears were unjustified.

The Bone Queen is beautifully written, and something about the writing or perhaps the general world building evokes a feeling very similar to that of The Lord of the Rings, with an emphasis on the ultimate powers of good over evil, even when evil manages to take a terrible toll on the world. Though there is certainly action and plenty of adventure to be had, this book focuses on very human themes of forgiveness and guilt. Cadvan struggles to forgive himself for the irreparable damage one foolish mistake caused, and those around him struggle to do the same.

For those looking for a thoughtful bit of epic fantasy that still manages to have some fun, this is a must read.

Kudos

David McK (3632 KP) rated Aliens: The Female War in Books

Jan 30, 2019

The third book in Dark Horse's spin-off series of novels and comics to include Billie and Wilks, this also throws Ripley into the mix, and finishes the story first began in [b:Aliens: Earth Hive|343281|Aliens Earth Hive|Steve Perry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1366133734s/343281.jpg|333628] and continued in [b:Aliens: Nightmare Asylum|20873|Aliens Nightmare Asylum|Steve Perry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388857061s/20873.jpg|22061]. Wheres the 1979 film 'Alien' had a single Alien stalking the crew of the Nostromo after they picked up the transmission, with the 1986 film 'Aliens' then introducing the concept of the Alien Queen, this extrapolates even further than that with the introduction of an Alien Queen Mother providing the deus ex machina for the plot.

Talking of the plot: this is maybe a bit slower than those previous two novels, with more emphasis on character development (I know, I know: is such a thing even possible in these types of books?).

As before, not going to set the literary world alight nor win any awards, but an enjoyable enough quick diversion for a day or two.