Hello and welcome to another reading roundup.  Since my last roundup I have read two pretty good books which I’d like to share with you. [book-info]I received an Advance Reader Copy of The Poisoned Blade by Kate Elliott at BEA.  It’s been on my TBR for a while, but it’s only recently I read it.  The Poisoned Blade is the second book in a planned trilogy (I believe) and continues the story of Jessamy, a young woman caught between two cult...

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The Blood Mirror by Brent Weeks is the fourth in a planned series of five epic fantasy books.  The series has a wonderfully imaginative magic system in which magic users can turn light into a physical substance. luxin.  Each spectrum of light (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) produces luxin with different properties and uses.  If you’ve not yet started this series, I heartily recommend it.  Go start with The Black Prism.  ...

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Empire of Storms is the fifth and penultimate book in Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass in which a former assassin uses her skills and her magic to save her kingdom.  Being the second to last book in the series, it focusses very much on getting our protagonists into the right place for the finale. What I liked The pacing.  Despite the fact that Empire of Storms is primarily focussed on getting the team into place for the final confrontation...

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Court of Fives by Kate Elliott is a YA fantasy book and one that I found myself being sucked into even in the middle of a reading slump. I found the protagonists engaging and loved the world. I found it had a bit more substance than some YA fantasy novels. What I liked Cultural tensions. This is very much a tale of being caught between two cultures.  Our protagonist, Jessamy, is the child of a Saroese father and Efean mother and struggles to fit...

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Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine is the second in The Great Library series and is the sequel to Ink and Bone, which was one of my favourite reads from last year.  I realised I never did a full review of it.  Bad Evelynne.  Paper and Fire was also one of my most anticipated reads for 2016 and it did not disappoint.  For those of you not familiar with this series, it is a contemporary alternate reality/fantasy in which the Great Library of Alexan...

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Julian Fellowes’s Belgravia is a new book/audiobook/app series from the creator of Downton Abbey.  It is set in the Belgravia quarter of London in 1841 with a prequel set in Brussels in 1815.  The lives of two families, the rich, titled Bellasis family and the nouveau riche Trenchards are brought together at the Duchess of Richmond’s ball and the effects are felt down the years.  It is available in ebook format, as an audiobook and as an a...

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The Wheel of Osheim by Mark Lawrence is the third and final book in his Red Queen’s War trilogy.  It continues the story of Jalan Kendeth as he continues to follow the path upon which fate has set him. The Red Queen’s War trilogy is set in the same world as, and dovetails with, Lawrence’s earlier Broken Empire trilogy.  In some ways that is both a blessing and a curse.  It’s a blessing because the world in which the trilogies are set i...

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A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray is a YA sci-fi mystery in which teenager Marguerite Caine must use technology developed by her parents, the Firebird, to chase her father’s murderer across multiple dimensions.  She finds out that things aren’t as they first seemed. I picked this book up partly because of this concept and partly because I’ve enjoyed books (Star Wars) by Claudia Gray.  Thanks to Amazon’s Whispersync for Voice I pi...

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Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld is the fourth in the Austen Project of modern retellings of Jane Austen’s novels and attempts to bring her classic Pride and Prejudice into the 21st century.  Having read the other three Austen adaptations, I was intrigued to see how Sittenfeld would update the story of Elizabeth, Darcy, Jane and Bingley.  From experience I know that Austen adaptations, when done well, can be wonderful. (check out The Lizzie Benn...

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Now, pretty much anyone who has an interest in popular culture is aware that the first Star Wars movie since 2005, The Force Awakens, was released on December 18th 2015.  Full disclosure: while I consider myself a fan of Star Wars, I have only dabbled in the Extended Universe/Legends supplementary material.  Like many, though, I was anxious to see what J.J. Abrams would make of Lucas’ legacy and booked my ticket to a showing on release day. Â...

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My thoughts on the Amazon Fire Phone
Tech Reviews / June 24, 2014

 As expected, Amazon launched its new Amazon Fire Phone last week.  I watched the launch video and have a few thoughts on the device.  Like the Kindle Fire tablets, the Fire phone is geared towards those who are already heavily invested in the Amazon ecosystem.  Bezos made a point of stating that one year of Amazon Prime will be included with the purchase of the phone.   The two defining features of the Fire phone are Firefly and d...

Half Bad by Sally Green – Review
Audiobook reviews , Book Reviews / June 18, 2014

Half Bad by Sally Green tells the story of Nathan who is the son of a white witch mother and a black witch father.  In Nathan’s world, black witches are hated and feared and Nathan’s parentage makes him a pariah, someone to be caged and studied.  To make matters worse, Nathan’s 17th birthday is approaching by which time he must receive three gifts and the blood of a family member – or die. The story starts off with Nathan ...

Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence – Review (Spoilers for Broken Empire trilogy)
Audiobook reviews , Book Reviews / June 16, 2014

Prince of Fools is the first in a new series – The Red Queen’s War – by Mark Lawrence who wrote the Broken Empire trilogy.  This new series is set in the same world as The Broken Empire, but focusses on a different set of characters.  Emperor of Thorns was one of my top reads for 2013, so I had high expectations of Prince of Fools – I’m happy to say it lived up to them. What I liked The setting.  Both Red Queenâ...

Reading Roundup – Friday 13th June 2014
Reading Roundup / June 13, 2014

This week I have been switching between three books; Ruth’s Journey by Donald McCaig – this is the story of Scarlett O’Hara’s Mammy.  This supporting character in Gone with the Wind gets her own story.  So far I’m really enjoying it – a full review will be forthcoming.  The second book I’m listening to is Half Bad by Sally Green.  It tells the story of 16 year old Nathan Byrn who is the son of a white witch and...

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – Review
Audiobook reviews , Book Reviews / June 11, 2014

I actually found this review of Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass quite difficult to write.  It tells the story of assassin turned prisoner Celaena and her participation in the competition to become the King’s Champion.  I LOVED the book and got caught up in the story and characters.  However this made it rather tricky to analyse why I liked it so much and what made it work.  Nevertheless I’ll give it a go. What I liked The char...

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks – Review
Audiobook reviews , Book Reviews / June 9, 2014

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks is a YA fantasy novel which tells the story of Emma McIntosh who after a tragic incident at a beach meets Galan Forza, one of the Syrena, or merfolk, who believes Emma may be a Syrena of the line of Poseidon, putting her in a position to end wars between the merfolk.   Emma, on the other hand, knows nothing of her heritage.  I did enjoy Of Poseidon, and will very likely read the sequels at some point.  Howev...

Reading Roundup – June 6th 2014
Book Reviews , Reading Roundup / June 6, 2014

First of all, my apologies on the delay of the Throne of Glass review – it’s coming, I promise!  Also my apologies for the confusion on the Ruin and Rising release date. This will be released on June 17th. This week Amazon announced a product launch for later this month.  The introductory video is deceptively vague, but most analysts seem to agree a 3D smartphone is likely.  For the first time Amazon is also inviting customer...

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare – review
Audiobook reviews , Book Reviews / June 2, 2014

City of Heavenly Fire is the sixth and final book in Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series. It is the final chapter in the fight between Sebastian and Team Good for control of the world itself.  There has been major hype and excitement about this book, closing off as it does, the adventures of much loved characters. For me personally, I found the book somewhat of a disappointment.  This is the final book in the series and ...

Reading Roundup – 30th May 2014
Reading Roundup / May 30, 2014

Those of you who follow my blog will notice a name change.  As my husband and I became Canadian citizens this week, I have changed the name to Canadian eReader.  It’s not that I’m turning my back on my Scottish roots, but as I live in Canada and my eReading is based on the Canadian market it made sense to update it. Of course, book lovers of whichever nationality are always welcome! Added to my library this week This week saw the ...

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly – Review
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / May 28, 2014

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly is the first in the Waterfire Saga and tells the story of mermaid princess Serafina, who, along with several of her friends, is called to fulfil an ancient prophecy and prevent an untold evil from rising.   What i liked The worldbuilding.  There are not that many mermaid books around that I’m aware of – Anna Banks’ Syrena Legacy series excepted – so I found this a fresh change.  I loved ...