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ClareR (6054 KP) rated The Valkyrie in Books
May 30, 2023
What a fantastic book! Myth, strong women, magic - what’s not to like?!
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!
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 (13600 KP) rated Midnight Eclipse (Bonded By Blood Vampire Chronicles #4) in Books
Jun 7, 2023
In the fourth book of the series, we find Broderick again on the search for his wife. This time she has reincarnated as Celina. I think this is my favourite book of the series so far, as we have Norse and Celtic mythology, Wolves and Selkies, to name but a few. Celina is a feisty warrior, not afraid to fight for what she believes in or what she wants. I will admit, I loved Davina. She was perfect for Broderick at that time and in that place. Her reincarnations though, just seem to get better each time.
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
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
Dragon of Denmark
8.0
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Skårde the Scourge, bastard son of the Danish king Harald Bluetooth, is a fierce Viking warlord who...
Viking Romance Paranormal Fantasy
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
ClareR (6054 KP) rated Epic of Helinthia in Books
Apr 18, 2025
I really enjoyed this. Epic of Helinthia is a play on the Greek myths, using the usual Gods and Goddesses with the addition of a “younger” Goddess: Helinthia.
The humans of Helinthia’s island are caught in the crossfire when other Gods (namely Hera) decide to teach her a lesson. Of course the humans are just pawns to be played with.
I liked the action (fights, chases, lion attacks (I know!!)), the interference of other Gods/ Goddesses (Artemis and Apollo in particular) in order to help their favourite humans, and the fact that you could never be quite sure who you could trust.
The writing is immersive - the scenes are well set, the characters are both easy to live and hate, as well as empathise with.
It felt as though a lot of research had gone into the culture of the time as well as the mythology surrounding it, and it was rather violent and bloody on occasion (these were violent times!).
I’m so glad that I enjoyed this, as I have the next instalment all set to go from BookSirens - the Oracle of Helinthia is set to be out very soon (and my review will be up as soon as I’ve read it!).
The humans of Helinthia’s island are caught in the crossfire when other Gods (namely Hera) decide to teach her a lesson. Of course the humans are just pawns to be played with.
I liked the action (fights, chases, lion attacks (I know!!)), the interference of other Gods/ Goddesses (Artemis and Apollo in particular) in order to help their favourite humans, and the fact that you could never be quite sure who you could trust.
The writing is immersive - the scenes are well set, the characters are both easy to live and hate, as well as empathise with.
It felt as though a lot of research had gone into the culture of the time as well as the mythology surrounding it, and it was rather violent and bloody on occasion (these were violent times!).
I’m so glad that I enjoyed this, as I have the next instalment all set to go from BookSirens - the Oracle of Helinthia is set to be out very soon (and my review will be up as soon as I’ve read it!).
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Stork Mountain in Books
May 25, 2017
Captivating
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
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.
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.
Kayleigh (12 KP) rated The Lightning Thief in Books
Jan 2, 2019
This one has been on my ‘to-read’ list for a couple of years now, since the film came out and I saw how much enthusiasm my teenage American cousins showed for the books. I must say, I enjoyed it and I’ll be reading further in the series.
It’s probably for the best that Percy finds out about everything at the same time as the reader – I only know the basics of Greek mythology, and it kept me reading to find out why Percy (or Perseus, to use his full name) was coming so much under attack. I should probably mention that when I’m reading books on my Kindle, I have usually downloaded a lot of books at once, and then don’t bother re-reading the blurb before I start the book. It’s well paced, with a lot of action making it a book I got through quickly, although I also think it would have worked well slowed down a little.
I must say, I was struggling a little to talk about this book. While it is good, I think the characterisation could be worked on just a weeny bit more. Throughout, Percy refers to people as either friends or bullies, and, whilst he is immersed in camp and the reader is ‘just’ reading, I don’t think I was told quite enough about characters like Clarisse and Luke for them to have much of an impact in terms of how I should feel about them for Percy’s sake. Then, though I really liked that nothing romantic was introduced between 12 year-olds Percy and Annabeth, and I also liked her feistiness, I wasn’t all the way there in rooting for Annabeth either. I could even have hated Smelly Gabe (Percy’s detested stepfather) more. This may just be me, or possibly because I’ve just read The Hunger Games, which I find has so far beaten off competitors fairly well! Saying that though, I reckon this will get a lot better in the following Percy Jackson books.
I thought it was a great idea to use Greek mythology, and it was a great part of the plot to see gods using the trio as pawns to get their own way and/or create havoc. I loved the sub-plot about Medusa, and often wondered how Percy was going to get out of certain situations. I’ve just read a great <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28756899">review</a>; that links the similarities of The Lightning Thief to Harry Potter, particularly the first book. They are definitely big similarities, and as the review author puts it, The Lightning Thief is like methadone when trying to come off Harry Potter. I thought that was an awesome way to put it, and probably accurate – Percy Jackson is a watered down version of Harry Potter!
It’s probably for the best that Percy finds out about everything at the same time as the reader – I only know the basics of Greek mythology, and it kept me reading to find out why Percy (or Perseus, to use his full name) was coming so much under attack. I should probably mention that when I’m reading books on my Kindle, I have usually downloaded a lot of books at once, and then don’t bother re-reading the blurb before I start the book. It’s well paced, with a lot of action making it a book I got through quickly, although I also think it would have worked well slowed down a little.
I must say, I was struggling a little to talk about this book. While it is good, I think the characterisation could be worked on just a weeny bit more. Throughout, Percy refers to people as either friends or bullies, and, whilst he is immersed in camp and the reader is ‘just’ reading, I don’t think I was told quite enough about characters like Clarisse and Luke for them to have much of an impact in terms of how I should feel about them for Percy’s sake. Then, though I really liked that nothing romantic was introduced between 12 year-olds Percy and Annabeth, and I also liked her feistiness, I wasn’t all the way there in rooting for Annabeth either. I could even have hated Smelly Gabe (Percy’s detested stepfather) more. This may just be me, or possibly because I’ve just read The Hunger Games, which I find has so far beaten off competitors fairly well! Saying that though, I reckon this will get a lot better in the following Percy Jackson books.
I thought it was a great idea to use Greek mythology, and it was a great part of the plot to see gods using the trio as pawns to get their own way and/or create havoc. I loved the sub-plot about Medusa, and often wondered how Percy was going to get out of certain situations. I’ve just read a great <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28756899">review</a>; that links the similarities of The Lightning Thief to Harry Potter, particularly the first book. They are definitely big similarities, and as the review author puts it, The Lightning Thief is like methadone when trying to come off Harry Potter. I thought that was an awesome way to put it, and probably accurate – Percy Jackson is a watered down version of Harry Potter!
Anne (15130 KP) rated A House of Rage and Sorrow (The Celestial Trilogy, #2) in Books
Nov 4, 2019
I'd say this was probably about a 4 star read for me. I have been looking forward to this book after reading A Spark of White Fire, the previous book, which was an amazing 5 stars for me. This book is more or less a retelling of the Mahabarata in Space and it's different because it's written based from Hindu Mythology, which I don't read a lot of, but have always wanted to read and know more about it.
This book was harder to read for me than the first because it was more emotional than the first, maybe a bit more dark and heavy, but it had to be for where the story's going and with where the story was in the first book. I had a major book hangover from the first book, but the book hangover isn't quite as bad this time. I'm more nervous about reading what comes next because it got pretty intense and emotional during this one.
It picks up right where it left off from the ending of the second book, flows well with the transition, but if you haven't read the first book, you might not get what's going on so I would recommend reading the previous book first before this one.
Without getting too spoilery here, the twins are even more at odds here in this book, Esmae, and Alexi, because of fighting over Kali and who gets to be the ruler and especially because of what happened with the duel and Rama. Oh man, that was a hard part of the story, that's part of why this book is so hard because of what happened with Rama. More family info, dynamics, and things develop and come to light throughout this book and the romance develops more between certain characters like Max and Esmae. There's a lot of information and feelings that are covered in this book and it deals with a lot of grief, sadness, anger with the fighting and everything that's happened, is going on and is going to happen.
I didn't like it as much as the first book because it was so heavy and dark from the emotional standpoint, but it kind of had to be that way in this part of the story. There was also a few instances of profanity/language that bothered me because I prefer to read stories without language and such when possible. Other than that, it was a well written good book that I would recommend to others especially if you loved the first one, which if you haven't read the first one, you should. Also if you want to read a Sci-Fi and Fantasy story in space that is a retelling and involves the Mahabarata and Hindu Mythology then you should read it.
This book was harder to read for me than the first because it was more emotional than the first, maybe a bit more dark and heavy, but it had to be for where the story's going and with where the story was in the first book. I had a major book hangover from the first book, but the book hangover isn't quite as bad this time. I'm more nervous about reading what comes next because it got pretty intense and emotional during this one.
It picks up right where it left off from the ending of the second book, flows well with the transition, but if you haven't read the first book, you might not get what's going on so I would recommend reading the previous book first before this one.
Without getting too spoilery here, the twins are even more at odds here in this book, Esmae, and Alexi, because of fighting over Kali and who gets to be the ruler and especially because of what happened with the duel and Rama. Oh man, that was a hard part of the story, that's part of why this book is so hard because of what happened with Rama. More family info, dynamics, and things develop and come to light throughout this book and the romance develops more between certain characters like Max and Esmae. There's a lot of information and feelings that are covered in this book and it deals with a lot of grief, sadness, anger with the fighting and everything that's happened, is going on and is going to happen.
I didn't like it as much as the first book because it was so heavy and dark from the emotional standpoint, but it kind of had to be that way in this part of the story. There was also a few instances of profanity/language that bothered me because I prefer to read stories without language and such when possible. Other than that, it was a well written good book that I would recommend to others especially if you loved the first one, which if you haven't read the first one, you should. Also if you want to read a Sci-Fi and Fantasy story in space that is a retelling and involves the Mahabarata and Hindu Mythology then you should read it.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Epic Crush of Genie Lo (The Epic Crush of Genie Lo #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
<i>The Epic Crush of Genie Lo</i> comes out next week! I repeat, NEXT WEEK! F. C. Yee’s debut novel might be my favorite book of this year, taking a spot right next to <i>I Believe In a Thing Called Love</i> and <i>When Dimple Met Rishi</i>.
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>Here's why you, as a fabulous bookworm, need to check out Yee’s debut novel when it hits shelves next week (and if you can't afford it, request away at the library!):</b></h4>
<b>Chinese Mythology</b> - As someone who is Chinese, I am ALWAYS on the lookout for Chinese representation in the books I read. <i>The Epic Crush of Genie Lo</i> focuses on a particular story, but those who are unfamiliar with Chinese Mythology will find the explanations included not overbearing.
<b>Hilarious </b>- Genie Lo is hilarious, and I swear 80% of my reading notes contain laughing emojis. There is never a dull moment in this book - every scene has a line that will have you laughing out loud, or trying hard not to laugh in public (I get embarrassed).
<b>Breaking Stereotypes</b> - I am SO glad there is a book out there breaking stereotypes. Genie Lo is tall and angry, something not typically associated with Asians. We're not all small and docile - we have claws, too!
<b>Just A Little Bit of Romance</b> - I am not a romantic person, but I loved the developing relationship between Genie and transfer student Quentin. It's not taking over the overall plot and action, and their interactions are entertaining to read as well.
<b>Relatable </b>- I'm not saying Genie Lo is relatable because she's Chinese like me. She's relatable to all of us - the ones who have gone through or will go through the struggles of junior/senior year of college: choosing the right college, writing the best essay possible, striving for good grades and scores, etc. There aren't many books in the YA category that deals with characters fighting demons while they're stressing over schoolwork and everything else at the same time.
With action and fantasy set in the modern world and comedic lines, <i>The Epic Crush of Genie Lo </i>deserves all the hype it has been getting the book community and so much more.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/the-epic-crush-of-genie-lo-by-fc-yee/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<i>The Epic Crush of Genie Lo</i> comes out next week! I repeat, NEXT WEEK! F. C. Yee’s debut novel might be my favorite book of this year, taking a spot right next to <i>I Believe In a Thing Called Love</i> and <i>When Dimple Met Rishi</i>.
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><b>Here's why you, as a fabulous bookworm, need to check out Yee’s debut novel when it hits shelves next week (and if you can't afford it, request away at the library!):</b></h4>
<b>Chinese Mythology</b> - As someone who is Chinese, I am ALWAYS on the lookout for Chinese representation in the books I read. <i>The Epic Crush of Genie Lo</i> focuses on a particular story, but those who are unfamiliar with Chinese Mythology will find the explanations included not overbearing.
<b>Hilarious </b>- Genie Lo is hilarious, and I swear 80% of my reading notes contain laughing emojis. There is never a dull moment in this book - every scene has a line that will have you laughing out loud, or trying hard not to laugh in public (I get embarrassed).
<b>Breaking Stereotypes</b> - I am SO glad there is a book out there breaking stereotypes. Genie Lo is tall and angry, something not typically associated with Asians. We're not all small and docile - we have claws, too!
<b>Just A Little Bit of Romance</b> - I am not a romantic person, but I loved the developing relationship between Genie and transfer student Quentin. It's not taking over the overall plot and action, and their interactions are entertaining to read as well.
<b>Relatable </b>- I'm not saying Genie Lo is relatable because she's Chinese like me. She's relatable to all of us - the ones who have gone through or will go through the struggles of junior/senior year of college: choosing the right college, writing the best essay possible, striving for good grades and scores, etc. There aren't many books in the YA category that deals with characters fighting demons while they're stressing over schoolwork and everything else at the same time.
With action and fantasy set in the modern world and comedic lines, <i>The Epic Crush of Genie Lo </i>deserves all the hype it has been getting the book community and so much more.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/the-epic-crush-of-genie-lo-by-fc-yee/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>