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A SILVERY MOON is the first book in the Legends of Elessia series and it took me back to the Forgotten Realms and the Dragonlance Chronicles. I only mean this as a compliment as I loved those books.

Lucius is a monster-hunting priest and befriends a mine owner as he travels to Galm to speak with the priest there. Unfortunately, that priest is dead and Lucius is afraid the rest of the town will soon follow.

This was a wonderful old-style fantasy that kept me turning the pages as I got lost in their adventures. The characters are all easily identifiable and have their own quirks and foibles. The pacing kept the story moving along whilst not rushing, giving me a chance to savour what was unfolding before me.

A great start to the series, I look forward to continuing this story and have no hesitation in recommending it.

** 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!
  
Flight (Gay Fairy Tales #3)
Flight (Gay Fairy Tales #3)
Keira Andrews, Leta Blake | 2015 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a retelling of the old Brothers Grimm German classic, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, with an M/M twist put on it by the authors.

Although I enjoyed this one, it didn't have the same impact as Levity did. There just seemed to be something missing. Perhaps it was Mateo's cake? He came across quite well in some parts, spoilt in others, and even cruel as he refused to even think about him loving anybody. Instead, he was happy to use Ópalo as a booty call! I don't think I'm giving away any spoilers when I say that it ends well, after all the Grimm version has been around since 1812! However, the ending just seemed to fizzle out, in a "oh, I realised years ago" way.

I did enjoy this story, just not as much as other books by these authors. Still very well written though, with no editing or grammatical errors that I could see.

* 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!
Jun 14, 2016
  
40x40

ClareR (5874 KP) rated Hamnet in Books

Sep 26, 2020  
Hamnet
Hamnet
Maggie O'Farrell | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.4 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
I think this has probably made it to the top of my favourite books of the year. How can this possibly be topped by anything else?

Hamnet is an imagining of what could have happened to Shakespeare’s son - even in the parish records it doesn’t say what his cause of death was. Maggie O’Farrell makes this version completely plausible though: plague should have been a real threat at this time. It killed indiscriminately: young and old, rich and poor, weak and strong. They were all vulnerable to illnesses with no cures. I’m something of an emotional reader at the best of times, but as Agnes, Hamnet’s mother, was preparing her son for burial, I was crying in to my breakfast. My 16 year old son looked at me over the top of his bacon butty and said:”Another sad bookthen, Mum?”, and shook his head. To read of a mother and her dead son, and see my 13 and 16 year old sons merrily tucking in to their bacon sandwiches, may not have been the ideal time to be reading this.

This is the kind of book that makes you really look at how precarious life was in those times, and how lucky we are today to have so few worries on this scale (Covid-19 aside!).

The writing is so beautiful, so descriptive and emotive: it picks you up and sets you down squarely in Elizabethan Stratford, making you feel exactly how Agnes must have felt. Honestly, it broke my heart to read of her pain.

If you haven’t read this yet, you’re in for a treat. This deserves ALL the awards.
  
Mad: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know Trilogy
Mad: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know Trilogy
Chloé Esposito | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
1
1.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Awful, I wanted to tear my hair out
I think I may be too sane or too old to have read this book. It definitely did not appeal to me. Most of the time you wish for the antagonist to meet a horrible accident or to be killed in a brutal fashion. But mostly the author's over emphasis on inner monologue becomes grating to the point it gives you a headache.

The story is over the top involving murder plots, psychopaths, sex and the mafia and completely implausible. And it all surrounds a psychopathic twin called Alvina. It's like reading a long drawn episode of Sunset Beach - beyond ridiculous and just irritating to the extreme. I persevered until the end but suffice to say I won't be reading this author's books again.
  
Let the Dead Speak (Maeve Kerrigan, #7)
Let the Dead Speak (Maeve Kerrigan, #7)
Jane Casey | 2017 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
8
8.0 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Once again, I have not been disappointed by Jane Casey; she has delivered and written an excellent book that I really enjoyed. Great story line that is full of suspense and keeps you enthralled. The characters are fantastic and believable; I particularly like the working relationship between Kerrigan and Derwent which comes across as being very genuine. Highly recommended read to anyone and you don't have to have read the previous books in the series as this holds up as a stand-alone however, I would suggest you do as you won't be disappointed.

A massive thank you to the publisher, HarperCollins UK, and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

<a href="https://readingstuffnthings.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/when-eighteen-year-old-chloe-emery.html">Reading Stuff 'n' Things</a>