Review's Resort

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Cobweb Bride Trilogy (Booktober)
These Old Shades (Booktober)

Wednesday, 30 October 2019

All Souls Trilogy (Booktober)

"It begins with a discovery of witches."

What to say about the one witchy trilogy you absolutely NEED in your life? I was late to the Deborah Harkness train, but her All Souls Trilogy is absolutely stunning. It reminds you of Twilight, but in a very good way, and it brings all hands on deck to make the story believable, enchanting, and absolutely spectacular. Diana Bishop and Matthew de Clermont are in a race against the clock, against their own people, their beliefs, and time itself. Is there anything they can do to ensure not only their own survival, but the survival of witches, vampires and daemons?

Because it begins with absence and desire. And it begins with blood and fear.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell; but the real threat to the future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency ...

(from Goodreads)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

These Old Shades (Booktober)

Tuesday, 29 October 2019

Cobweb Bride series (Booktober)

"Fare thee well, and blessed be, beloved!"

Trying to pick just one of these three books is absolutely impossible. Why? Because unlike with so many other trilogies where there's a strong beginning and then it all fizzles out, Vera Nazarian's Cobweb Bride has a strong start-up, even stronger middle, and an iron-clad finish. I've always been a sucker for Greek mythology, and this particular retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth is an incredibly unique, mesmerizing take on a tale as old as time.

If you get the chance - look these books up. I promise you, you WON'T regret it!

Many are called. She alone can save the world and become Death's bride. And in a world where no one can die, she alone can kill ... now that she’s Death’s Champion, what will Percy do? For the world is broken … a dark Goddess rises. Percy still has a difficult task to do, the greatest task of all … For in the end the Cobweb Bride awaits, together with the final answer.

(from Goodreads)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Monday, 28 October 2019

These Old Shades (Booktober)

"You offend my nostrils."

If you want some good old 18th century sarcasm and sass, there's absolutely no better book than Georgette Heyer's These Old Shades. The first in a series of Regency novels, this one introduces the two characters who will basically be the mama and papa of the lot of them later. I've read the other books, but none have captured my heart so much as this one, where Satanas prowls the streets of Paris and wreaks havoc over the English countryside just because he can, making sure everybody knows who's boss.

Want to take a jaunt with the Devil himself? Autumn is prime time for it!

Under the reign of Louis XV, corruption and intrigue have been allowed to blossom in France, and Justin Alastair, the notorious Duke of Avon and proud of his soubriquet 'Satanas' flourishes as well. Then, from a dark Parisian back alley, he plucks Léon, a red-headed urchin with strangely familiar looks. Among the splendours of Versailles and the dignified mansions of England, Justin begins to unfold his sinister plans against the Comte de St Vire - until, that is, Léon becomes the ravishing beauty Léonie ...

(from book jacket)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Sunday, 27 October 2019

Term Limits (Booktober)

"Remember, we know nothing."

Probably one of my favourite books of all time, though I admit it's an acquired taste. There is A LOT of politics in this one, it's based directly off the political ups and downs in Washington, DC, but Vince Flynn also brings a certain degree of realism into his writing whenever there are any Special Ops forces in his books, so. Term Limits doesn't have Mitch Rapp - but even without Ironman, the retired SEALs make up for it.

If you want to wind down the murky streets by the Potomac river, you don't have to go any further than this book!

In one bloody night, three of Washington's most powerful politicians are executed with surgical precision. Their assassins then deliver a shocking ultimatum to the American government: set aside partisan politics and restore power to the people. No one, they warn, is out of their reach—not even the president. Only Michael O'Rourke, a former U.S. Marine and freshman congressman, holds a clue to the violence ...

(from Goodreads)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Saturday, 26 October 2019

Boudica (Booktober)

"Your sister is Boudica, Bringer of Victory. Remember that."

Before Arthur and Merlin ... a warrior queen rose to defend her people. There have always been songs and tales coming from the mists of the British Isles, and Boudica is probably the most famous of all legends, not counting the fabled man who pulled the sword of the stone. But Boudica was flesh and blood, a woman who terrorized the Roman invaders and rose up in defiance against them when they tried to enslave her people. She paid dearly for that, of course, but even today, she remains a symbol of courage and bravery.

Long live the Queen!

Boudica means Bringer of Victory (from the early Celtic word “boudeg”). She is the last defender of the Celtic culture in Britain; the only woman openly to lead her warriors into battle and to stand successfully against the might of Imperial Rome -- and triumph.

(from Goodreads)

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The Lady of the Rivers (Booktober)

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Friday, 25 October 2019

The Lady of the Rivers (Booktober)

"Some women cannot march to the beat of a man's drum. Do you understand?"

So every once in a while I will pull out a Gregory novel, although I have to admit I prefer her Plantagenet ones to her Tudor ones - and even then only the first few! But Lady of the Rivers was a fascinating story for me, and for some reason it makes me think about autumn and falling rain what with it happening in foggy, murky England almost all the time. I know it's definitely not all true, but if you keep an open mind it can certainly be entertaining, plus Elizabeth Woodville's mother really WAS formidable!

I mean hey, only way to give birth to a future Queen, right?

Jacquetta, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg and kinswoman to half the royalty of Europe, was married to the great Englishman John, Duke of Bedford, uncle to Henry VI. Widowed at the age of 19, she took the extraordinary risk of marrying a gentleman of her household for love, and then carved out a new life for herself; this is the story of the real-life mother to the White Queen.

(from Goodreads)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Thursday, 24 October 2019

The Name of the Wind (Booktober)

"It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die."

If you're like me, you enjoy picking up new books to read. And if you're as lucky as I am, you have friends who get you said new books from time to time. Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind was a birthday gift, but I gobbled it up in a number of days. The story of a young boy who is determined to do just about everything to be able to control and bend magic to his will - but who somehow, somewhere along the way, misses the correct turn and ends up tending bar in the middle of nowhere is definitely one to read. I mean, magic, mystery, a hint of romance? What could be better?

Other than book three in the series. Obviously.

You may have heard of me ... So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature - the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man's search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.

(from book jacket)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Wednesday, 23 October 2019

The Red Knight of Germany (Booktober)

"You will be home before the leaves fall from the trees."

If you've ever picked up any history book ... you'll know that World War I wiped out practically an entire generation. You'll also remember that last year was the 100th anniversary of the peace treaty. In that vein, there've been many books published on the topic, or re-published, and I chose to focus on one that is absolutely stunning - and heartbreaking. The Red Knight of Germany tells the story of the best pilot the world had ever seen at the time. It tells the story of the men who lived and died in their planes, and the era when chivalry died.

Because they were indeed knights. Knights in the sky, the last of their kind.

1927. The story of Baron von Richthofen, Germany's great war bird. Manfred von Richthofen was known as the Red Knight or, more commonly, the Red Baron due to the color of his plane. As a German aviator in World War I, he was attributed with eighty kills, or enemy planes shot down, and ended up being killed in action in 1918.

(from Goodreads)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Tuesday, 22 October 2019

The Kommandant's Girl (Booktober)

"I had become a foreigner in the place I had always called home."

What do you do when your home country is invaded? When your way of life is threatened? When your very existence is about to be erased from the face of the Earth? Those are exactly the kind of questions that Pam Jenoff asks in The Kommandant's Girl, a book that tells the story of how a Jewish girl joined the resistance, pretended to be someone else so that she could get close to a high-ranking Nazi official ... and ended up having feelings for the man other than the hatred she was supposed to feel.

Because in the end, emotions aren't all black and white.

September 1939. Overnight, Jewish nineteen-year-old Emma Bau's world is turned upside down when Germany invades Poland. And after only six weeks of marriage, her husband Jacob, a member of the Resistance, is forced to flee. Escaping the ghetto, Emma assumes a new, Christian identity and finds work at Nazi headquarters. As secretary to the charismatic Kommandant Richwalder, Emma vows to use her unique position to gather intelligence for the Resistance - by any means necessary ...

(from book jacket)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Monday, 21 October 2019

Nemesis (Booktober)

"Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everlasting stream."

What is Booktober without the Queen of Mystery? If you want a good, quality murder, pick up any Agatha Christie book and you're bound to get just that. For my pick I chose one from her Miss Marple series, potentially my favourite with the willy old bird, Nemesis. The story of retracing the steps to an old, old crime - and finding the truth about what happened to a young girl who just wanted to love and be loved in return - is both harrowing and enchanting at once. Christie has a way with words that few authors have since managed to achieve.

But that doesn't mean you won't scratch your head as you read!

In utter disbelief, Jane Marple read the letter addressed to her from the recently deceased Mr Rafiel - an acquaintance she had met briefly on her travels. He had left instructions for her to investigate a crime after his death. The only problem was, he had failed to tell her who was involved or where and when the crime had been committed. It was most intruguing. Soon she is faced with a new crime - the ultimate crime - murder. It seems someone is adamant that past evils remain buried ...

(from Goodreads)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Sunday, 20 October 2019

Outlander (Booktober)

"Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ!"

If there's one thing you NEED in your October reading life - it's time travel. And good time travel at that. The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon delivers that, and so much more, from beloved characters (including but not limited to one Jamie Fraser) to a stunning television show adaptation that's proof there are still hopes out there for adaptations in general. The story of a war nurse travelling two hundred years back in time through a stone circle in Scotland, only to find the love of her life, is bound to be a timeless classic no matter how you look at it.

Add in the constant intrigue and characters like Lord John Grey, however, and you have a winner.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives ...

(from Goodreads)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Saturday, 19 October 2019

The Conqueror Series (Booktober)

"Tell them that I am Genghis and I will ride."

Ah, yes. The sound of hooves thundering along a dusty plateau. The scene from Mulan when the snowy ridge is crossed by thousands of horsemen to sweep down on Shang and his little cohort. There are so many more evocative images brought about by Conn Iggulden's Conqueror series that it's impossible to list them all. The story of Genghis and the birth of a nation out of what looked like nothing but sheep herders and shaggy ponies is the story of how one man dared to rise against the world - and the only thing that kept the world standing was his untimely death.

Otherwise, if the Mongols had continued their eternal ride, who knows? It might have been a completely different place ...

Side note: only the first three books tell the story of Genghis - the next two focus on his sons and grandsons, and what became of his empire after his death, but Iggulden's story telling remains masterful throughout!

Hunted and alone, the young boy abandoned with his siblings on the harsh Mongolian plains dreamed of uniting the tribes into one house, one nation. He became a great warrior.

He would become father to his people. He would be Genghis Khan.

(from book jacket)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Friday, 18 October 2019

The Lost Symbol (Booktober)

"Nothing is hidden that will not be made known."

Dan Brown is one of those authors that is easy to read, his books are super quick to run through, and although they sometimes read like a travelogue ... that doesn't mean they aren't fun! Plus, Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon is something you NEED to see. My book pick from his lineup, however, is one that didn't make it on screen. The Lost Symbol kind of has middle child syndrome in the Langdon series, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, probably because it isn't as famous as the others. It also happens in Washington, which I found kind of exciting.

So grab hold of your Mickey Mouse wrist watches, and tag along! Professor Langdon is waiting.

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object - artfully encoded with five symbols - is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation ... one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom ...

(from Goodreads)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Thursday, 17 October 2019

The Host (Booktober)

"Looks like I'm not the only one who's gone native."

So, yeah. Two Meyer books in a month, I know. But unlike the ups and downs the Twilight Saga had, The Host was a book I pretty much fell in love with the moment I picked it up. What happens when we really aren't alone in the universe, and aliens literally take over our bodies? What if some memories, some people, refuse to fade away? This is what we deal with throughout the book, right along with humanity, the universe, and of course love, but it's even better because technically the characters falling in love don't really see one another ... at least, not both of them.

Honestly it's hard to make an accurate description. You should just read the book!

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love ...

(from book jacket)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

Wednesday, 16 October 2019

The Bridgertons (Booktober)

"Can there be any greater challenge to London’s Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?"

Again here with a series, but every once in a while I really feel like mixing it up. In those cases, I go and pick up a book WILDLY different from something I'd read before. In this case, it would be Julia Quinn and her Bridgertons series. These books cover a family in Regency Era England, and all the nine kids are trying to find love in the ton. It's hilarious, there's a Corgi running amok, and of course there's also a figure similar to Gossip Girl.

Not everything makes perfect sense, but occasionally books don't need to make sense. They just need to make you laugh.

Once upon a time, a historical romance author created a family ...

But not just any family. Eight brothers and sisters, assorted in-laws, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, (not to mention an overweight corgi), plus an irrepressible matriarch who’s a match for any of them … These are the Bridgertons: less a family than a force of nature, and through eight bestselling novels, readers laughed, cried, and fell in love ...

(from Goodreads)

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)