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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Guest Blog – She Wulf – Guest Post by Sheryl Steines
Book Reviews / September 11, 2012

Please enjoy this guest post by Sheryl Steines, author of the action-packed urban fantasy, She Wulf. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including a Kindle Fire, $550 in Amazon gift cards, 5 autographed copies of She Wulf, and 5 copies of its companion, The Day of First Sun.   Time Travel? Yes, I think so! A guest by Sheryl Steines   If you could go anywhere, meet any person, in any period of t...

Guest Blog – Excerpt from She Wulf by Sheryl Steines
Book Reviews / September 10, 2012

Please enjoy this excerpt from She Wulf, an action-packed urban fantasy by Sheryl Steines. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including a Kindle Fire, $550 in Amazon gift cards, 5 autographed copies of She Wulf, and 5 copies of its companion, The Day of First Sun.   Someone screamed; a terrified, naked shrill cry in the distance. There were sounds of hollering, screeching, grunting, stompin...

Guest Blog – Excerpt from She Wulf by Sheryl Steines
Book Reviews / September 10, 2012

Please enjoy this excerpt from She Wulf, an action-packed urban fantasy by Sheryl Steines. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including a Kindle Fire, $550 in Amazon gift cards, 5 autographed copies of She Wulf, and 5 copies of its companion, The Day of First Sun.   Someone screamed; a terrified, naked shrill cry in the distance. There were sounds of hollering, screeching, grunting, stomping. T...

Initial reaction to the Kobo and Amazon product launches
e-Reader Reviews / September 6, 2012

So in the last 48 hours both Kobo and Amazon have released details of the next iterations of their ereader products. Full details can be found at the Kindle and Kobo websites. It should be noted that I watched the Amazon press conference, but all I know of the new Kobo offerings is what Kobo has put on their website. At the lower price point end of the scale, Amazon has refreshed the screen and reduced the price of their base model Kind...

Initial reaction to the Kobo and Amazon product launches
e-Reader Reviews / September 6, 2012

So in the last 48 hours both Kobo and Amazon have released details of the next iterations of their ereader products. Full details can be found at the Kindle and Kobo websites. It should be noted that I watched the Amazon press conference, but all I know of the new Kobo offerings is what Kobo has put on their website. At the lower price point end of the scale, Amazon has refreshed the screen and reduced the price of their base model Kind...

The World’s Most Difficult Books – No Place on Earth, Part 3

Welcome back to my reread of the Guardian’s list of the world’s most difficult books. Previous entries can be found here. This is the third part of the No Place on Earth review in which I’ll be tackling pages 25-50. What happens: When we left them, Kleist and von Gunderrode were both attending an afternoon tea party, neither of them particularly enjoying it. They are aware of each other, sensing a kindred spirit, but h...

The World’s Most Difficult Books – No Place on Earth, Part 3

Welcome back to my reread of the Guardian’s list of the world’s most difficult books. Previous entries can be found here. This is the third part of the No Place on Earth review in which I’ll be tackling pages 25-50. What happens: When we left them, Kleist and von Gunderrode were both attending an afternoon tea party, neither of them particularly enjoying it. They are aware of each other, sensing a kindred spirit, but h...

Deep Connections by Rebecca Graf – review
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / August 28, 2012

One thing I particularly enjoyed about Deep Connections was the way in which the author slowly teased out the twin secrets of why the heroine, Brenna, is being stalked and Slater’s family history. That seemed to me very well done. I liked the characters, although I don’t generally subscribe to the “one true love/soulmate” way of thinking. This was a light, easy read and I will certainly look out for the sequel. I...

Deep Connections by Rebecca Graf – review
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / August 28, 2012

One thing I particularly enjoyed about Deep Connections was the way in which the author slowly teased out the twin secrets of why the heroine, Brenna, is being stalked and Slater’s family history. That seemed to me very well done. I liked the characters, although I don’t generally subscribe to the “one true love/soulmate” way of thinking. This was a light, easy read and I will certainly look out for the sequel. I...

The World’s Most Difficult Books – No Place on Earth, Part 1

So, my copy of No Place on Earth has finally arrived, and I’m ready to make a start on my blog challenge to read the World’s Ten Most Difficult Books as defined by The Guardian. I plan to follow a similar format to Leigh Butler’s wonderful Ice and Fire reading blog; that is, I will read a few chapters each week, note what happens and my reactions to it. I hope to post once a week. Before I get into No Place on Earth, s...