Search

Search only in certain items:

45 of 235
Kindle
Arnold Ethon and the Lions of Tsavo ( Spirit Beasts 1)
By A.P. Beswick
⭐⭐⭐⭐


With Arnold approaching his 15th birthday, he is becoming increasingly worried that he is not going to have a spirit beast of his own. After a chance encounter gives Arnold and his best friend Otto a chance to join the illustrious Chichen, they jump at the opportunity given to them. The two of them have to learn to hone their connection to the spirit world and they begin intense training to unlock their potential.


When a terrifying attacker appears, distinguishable only by the horrific scars on his face and bent on revenge against the Chichen. Arnold finds not only his life is on the line but those he holds dearest.


The question is, how far will Arnold go to release the beast.


I don’t know what I expected when I started it but by the end I was totally enthralled and really enjoyed it. I love the idea of spirit animals and it being set in England so unique. A nice break from the full adult reads I’ve had lately.
  
The Fires of Vengeance
The Fires of Vengeance
Evan Winter | 2020 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Second entry in Evan Winter's 'The Burning' series, and - like the previous (The Rage of Dragons) - this definitely falls into the umbrella term of (here, African inspired) fantasy.

And I don't mean that pejoratively - I like me a bit of fantasy every now and then!

Anyway, this follows on almost directly from the ending of the previous novel, with Tau Solarin now having risen to the rank of Queen's Campion, still out for revenge against the Royal noble who killed his father, and now wit the added, umm ... shall we say complications? ... that arise from his feelings towards the Omehian Queen Tsiora who is facing a civil war over her actions (including elevating a Common like Tau to be her champion).

For some reason, however, I didn't connect with this one so much as with the previous - I'm not sure whether that was because this seemingly focused more on the grand sweep of the ongoing war than on the personal stakes involved?

Anyway, it also ends with a definite cliff-hanger setup for book #3 - I'll probably continue reading the series when that comes out.
  
THE BEST NEW TRUE CRIME STORIES: CRIMES OF PASSION, OBSESSION & REVENGE is an eclectic mix of stories from all over the world, set in different times, from Victorian England to Japan, to modern-day America.

If you like True Crime then I am sure you will find something to keep your interest. It is clear from the start that a lot of research has gone into these stories, some of which have personal memories from the author. However, some of the stories felt disjointed in the way they were presented, going off on tangents that didn't seem relevant to the story at that point.

Each story features the bare bones of the story; being a collection, there simply isn't room for much more. However, it gives you the story, some build-up, and some information after the crime.

On the whole, this was an enjoyable read by a new-to-me author.

** 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!
Dec 13, 2021