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Age of War: The Legends of the First Empire Book 3
9.0
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Book
The epic battle between humankind and their godlike rulers finally ignites in the masterful...
fantasy
HIS Fantasy (HIS #8)
9.0
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Book
From Romantic Suspense BEST-SELLING and AWARD-Winning Author • Can one man capture the heart of...
romance military dudes it had to end somewhere
A Historian in Exile: Solomon ibn Verga, Shevet Yehudah, and the Jewish-Christian Encounter
Book
Solomon ibn Verga was one of the victims of the decrees expelling the Jews from Spain and Portugal...
Kushiel's Dart (Phèdre's Trilogy, #1)
8.4
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Book
The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Kushiel in Books
May 25, 2022
91 of 230
Kindle
Kushiels Dart ( phedre’s Trilogybook 1)
By Jacqueline Carey
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶
A massive fantasy tale about the violent death of an old age and the birth of a new one. Here is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Born with a scarlet mote in her left eye, Phedre no Delaunay is sold into indentured servitude as a child. When her bond is purchased by an enigmatic nobleman, she is trained in history, theology, politics, foreign languages, and the arts of pleasure. Above all, she learns the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Exquisite courtesan, yet talented spy, she may seem an unlikely heroine... but when Phedre stumbles upon a plot threatening her homeland, Terre d'Ange, she has no choice but to act. Betrayed into captivity in the barbarous northland of Skaldia, and accompanied only by disdainful young warrior-priest, Phedre makes a harrowing escape and an even more harrowing journey, to return to her people and deliver them a warning of the impending invasion. And that proves only the first step in a quest that will take her to the edge of despair and beyond.
Well that was a much longer book than I was expecting. I loved it! The world building and characters were so good I did struggle at first there was a lot of information thrown at you but once it was ingrained it was just so enjoyable to read. I enjoy these epic journey books with female characters that are strong and capable instead of whinny and annoying. I think to get the most out of these long massive world building books you have to have some patience and not force yourself to enjoy them. Definitely looking forward to more.
Kindle
Kushiels Dart ( phedre’s Trilogybook 1)
By Jacqueline Carey
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶
A massive fantasy tale about the violent death of an old age and the birth of a new one. Here is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Born with a scarlet mote in her left eye, Phedre no Delaunay is sold into indentured servitude as a child. When her bond is purchased by an enigmatic nobleman, she is trained in history, theology, politics, foreign languages, and the arts of pleasure. Above all, she learns the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Exquisite courtesan, yet talented spy, she may seem an unlikely heroine... but when Phedre stumbles upon a plot threatening her homeland, Terre d'Ange, she has no choice but to act. Betrayed into captivity in the barbarous northland of Skaldia, and accompanied only by disdainful young warrior-priest, Phedre makes a harrowing escape and an even more harrowing journey, to return to her people and deliver them a warning of the impending invasion. And that proves only the first step in a quest that will take her to the edge of despair and beyond.
Well that was a much longer book than I was expecting. I loved it! The world building and characters were so good I did struggle at first there was a lot of information thrown at you but once it was ingrained it was just so enjoyable to read. I enjoy these epic journey books with female characters that are strong and capable instead of whinny and annoying. I think to get the most out of these long massive world building books you have to have some patience and not force yourself to enjoy them. Definitely looking forward to more.
Bombing Hitler: The Story of the Man Who Almost Assassinated the Fuhrer
Hellmut G. Haasis and William Odom
Book
Georg Elser was just a working-class citizen living in Munich, Germany. He was employed as a...
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated We Drink and We Know Things in Podcasts
Oct 18, 2020 (Updated Oct 26, 2020)
The hosts: Andrea and Tom. (6 more)
The variety of topics.
Keeps my interests throughout.
The humor.
The coolness factor.
Not over-produced or over-commercialized.
Homegrown in Kentucky
Doused in alcohol and lit with knowledge.
I am an avid podcast listener. We're talking up to 12 hours a day, sometimes more, so I'm always looking for something good to feed my ears. I heard a We Drink and We Know Things promo on one of the podcasts in my usual rotation and was so taken by the hosts' personalities and rapport that I paused my usual podcast and went to WDAWKT and immediately dove into their latest podcast. It was so much fun, so interesting, and intriguing that I had to hear more! So for the next three days, I binged their podcast.
To say it's delightful may seem weird to some, considering the topics they cover, but nonetheless, it's true. It made me very happy to hear that they are from my home state of Kentucky because we have such interesting stories from here that need to be told, though that is not the focus of the podcast. Married hosts, Andrea and Tom, are charming, funny, authentic, and real, and their thirst for knowledge cannot be quenched. For that, I am grateful as it means they will never run out of material for their podcast and I'll get to listen to them every week.
Some of the topics they've covered are true crime, ghosts, haunted locations, paranormal, aliens, UFOs, cryptids, urban legends, conspiracies, weird science, strange historical events, and more, and regular episodes Florida Man Friday, Let's Not Meet stories, and Creepypastas.
I have several paranormal stories to share with them so maybe one day, you'll hear my story on one of their episodes.
If these kinds of topics interest you, give this podcast a try. I think you'll like it.
To say it's delightful may seem weird to some, considering the topics they cover, but nonetheless, it's true. It made me very happy to hear that they are from my home state of Kentucky because we have such interesting stories from here that need to be told, though that is not the focus of the podcast. Married hosts, Andrea and Tom, are charming, funny, authentic, and real, and their thirst for knowledge cannot be quenched. For that, I am grateful as it means they will never run out of material for their podcast and I'll get to listen to them every week.
Some of the topics they've covered are true crime, ghosts, haunted locations, paranormal, aliens, UFOs, cryptids, urban legends, conspiracies, weird science, strange historical events, and more, and regular episodes Florida Man Friday, Let's Not Meet stories, and Creepypastas.
I have several paranormal stories to share with them so maybe one day, you'll hear my story on one of their episodes.
If these kinds of topics interest you, give this podcast a try. I think you'll like it.
A Game of Thrones: Hand of the King
6.5
Rate It
Tabletop Game
Description from the publisher: The king has called for a lavish feast and tourney, the likes of...
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Gutter Prayer in Books
Jan 15, 2020
A heist gone wrong
This is a very strange fantasy book. The story starts with a crew of three (a demonic type of person, a human exile girl, and a young man gradually turning to stone) sent to steal an artefact from the Tower of Law. During the heist the building starts to fall down around them and they scatter. There then follows a strange twisting and turning story in a very unique and unusual world. Conspiracies abound as all sides (government, alchemists, thieves, underground creatures) battle for access to artefacts, buildings and, eventually, gods.
The worldbuilding as a whole is superb. This is by far one of the most unusual worlds I have read a story in, with so many different races, creatures and magical things. However, large important parts of this are revealed throughout the book, so things just happen. I wouldn't say they are times of deus ex machina, but definitely some foreshadowing would be nice. This is increasingly annoying over the final third of the book, where new aspects of magic are being made up as we go.
The story is strong, albeit a little convoluted and at times Hanrahan's narrative tone is really nice. However the cast of not altogether distinct characters and names did make me struggle a little, with slightly too many factions or people introduced.
I also found the pace of the book dropped off after the first third, and it took me way longer to finish than it should have as my enjoyment tapered off.
There were a large number of typos throughout the book, more than would even be acceptable for a self-published book, in some cases I think character names were mixed up which meant conversations were harder to follow than they needed to be. Small things like this really hampered my progress through what was, in hindsight, a really good book. I have rated this up a little having had a day or so to calm down from a disappointing end. I have the follow-on book to read soon for Netgalley and will go in to it hoping for better editing and with more of an idea about the world the book takes place in.
The worldbuilding as a whole is superb. This is by far one of the most unusual worlds I have read a story in, with so many different races, creatures and magical things. However, large important parts of this are revealed throughout the book, so things just happen. I wouldn't say they are times of deus ex machina, but definitely some foreshadowing would be nice. This is increasingly annoying over the final third of the book, where new aspects of magic are being made up as we go.
The story is strong, albeit a little convoluted and at times Hanrahan's narrative tone is really nice. However the cast of not altogether distinct characters and names did make me struggle a little, with slightly too many factions or people introduced.
I also found the pace of the book dropped off after the first third, and it took me way longer to finish than it should have as my enjoyment tapered off.
There were a large number of typos throughout the book, more than would even be acceptable for a self-published book, in some cases I think character names were mixed up which meant conversations were harder to follow than they needed to be. Small things like this really hampered my progress through what was, in hindsight, a really good book. I have rated this up a little having had a day or so to calm down from a disappointing end. I have the follow-on book to read soon for Netgalley and will go in to it hoping for better editing and with more of an idea about the world the book takes place in.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Diabolic in Books
Dec 25, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. There were twists I absolutely did not see coming, and Nemesis's confusion over whether she is truly human or not is an absorbing part of the plotline.
The book opens on Nemesis, an artificially created humanoid, as a child, being bonded to her charge, Sidonia Impyrean. The chemically-induced bonding creates an artificial love from Nemesis towards Sidonia - a love so strong she will kill and die to protect her. Many years later, Diabolics - what Nemesis is - are outlawed. Rather than kill Nemesis, Sidonia's family fakes her death, and eventually sends Nemesis to court masquerading as Sidonia. No one has seen Sidonia before, so the masquerade is fairly easy, other than hiding Nemesis' real abilities as one of the last Diabolics. Thrown into a world of conspiracies and courtly intrigue, Nemesis flails a little bit, but eventually finds her footing, and I can't say anymore than that because that's when the plot twists start!
This is one of the most surprising YA books I've read. I only anticipated one or two of the twists; many of the events revealed themselves to the reader at the same time that Nemesis uncovers them, which makes sense, as the book is told from her point of view.
The bond between Sidonia and Nemesis is strong and intriguing, even across star systems. I wish their relationship had been explored more. Sidonia always believed Nemesis was truly human, even when Nemesis did not. The book did not delve deeply into the actual creation of Diabolics; I'm hoping the sequel does. I'm curious if they are actually created, or if they are genetically modified humans and that's just a closely guarded secret. (Even if they are created, they're human in every way except their strength and endurance - I'm sure they're simply modified in the womb. Or test tube. Whichever. I really hope the sequel gets into that.)
I have the sequel, The Empress, requested from the library, but it's supposed to be a trilogy. I don't know when the third is due out.
This is a fantastic, surprising YA book with interesting politics and world building. I really want to learn more about the history of this world, and hopefully the rest of the trilogy will cover that.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
The book opens on Nemesis, an artificially created humanoid, as a child, being bonded to her charge, Sidonia Impyrean. The chemically-induced bonding creates an artificial love from Nemesis towards Sidonia - a love so strong she will kill and die to protect her. Many years later, Diabolics - what Nemesis is - are outlawed. Rather than kill Nemesis, Sidonia's family fakes her death, and eventually sends Nemesis to court masquerading as Sidonia. No one has seen Sidonia before, so the masquerade is fairly easy, other than hiding Nemesis' real abilities as one of the last Diabolics. Thrown into a world of conspiracies and courtly intrigue, Nemesis flails a little bit, but eventually finds her footing, and I can't say anymore than that because that's when the plot twists start!
This is one of the most surprising YA books I've read. I only anticipated one or two of the twists; many of the events revealed themselves to the reader at the same time that Nemesis uncovers them, which makes sense, as the book is told from her point of view.
The bond between Sidonia and Nemesis is strong and intriguing, even across star systems. I wish their relationship had been explored more. Sidonia always believed Nemesis was truly human, even when Nemesis did not. The book did not delve deeply into the actual creation of Diabolics; I'm hoping the sequel does. I'm curious if they are actually created, or if they are genetically modified humans and that's just a closely guarded secret. (Even if they are created, they're human in every way except their strength and endurance - I'm sure they're simply modified in the womb. Or test tube. Whichever. I really hope the sequel gets into that.)
I have the sequel, The Empress, requested from the library, but it's supposed to be a trilogy. I don't know when the third is due out.
This is a fantastic, surprising YA book with interesting politics and world building. I really want to learn more about the history of this world, and hopefully the rest of the trilogy will cover that.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com