Tome Thursday: Hearts & Crowns Trilogy

 

Hello everyone!

 

I hope your week has been great thus far and hopefully you won't mind that my first words in this blog post are directed to all my friends across the pond.

 

Hurricane Ian was never going to take prisoners, but honestly it sounds as though it might have HOPEFULLY been a little less bad than projected and predicted? Or was it even worse? Either way, my thoughts and prayers go to you out there, who prepped and now need to deal with the fallout.

 

I sadly have nothing truly substantial to give as far as that goes, but at the very least good vibes help, or they should somewhat!

 

For us though, it's time to circle back around to the book we'll be reviewing tonight, or well, books really as it's a full trilogy.

 

I'm always excited when I see the word OMNIBUS stamped on a cover anywhere, so this was no exception. I'd never read anything by Natalie Murray before so I was also just excited to find another author I could potentially really enjoy.

 

So without further ado, let's have a look at the Hearts & Crowns trilogy omnibus, shall we? Don't forget to hold tight to that precious gem as we travel through time.

 

Rings of Power: Partings

 

"Sometimes, to find the light, we must first touch the darkness."

 

Hello everyone!

 

I know I keep saying this every single week but, after watching a couple of videos about the topic, I can cheerfully say I probably know or have nailed down some of the reasons this show isn't getting the kind of universal acceptance Amazon might have wanted for it.

 

Then again, it has the misfortune of airing next to House of the Dragon.

 

ANY show, unless firing on all cylinders, would have been judged and found wanting in comparison to that!

 

But I digress, right off the bat.

 

I'll definitely go into more of the reasons once I recap what happened during last Friday's episodes, but honestly I BESEECH anyone watching this to actually pick up the books and read them.

 

I have nothing against fan fiction - I write it myself - but fan fiction doesn't usually masquerade as something official.

 

Rings of Power: Partings FINALLY gets the show moving again, at least.

 

Saturday Snippet: Strong Security™

 

House Strong - keeping you safe since 90 AC

 

xx

*images not mine 

Tome Thursday: Fire & Blood

 

Hello everyone!

 

So with House of the Dragon being a smash hit on HBO - but did anyone REALLY expect anything else? Really? - I thought it was time to have a little look at the book that the show is based off of.

 

And no, unlike with Game of Thrones, there's no WIP attached to it ... at least not for the era the show's covering.

 

Which is the best thing possible given we know what happened when the original show ran out of published material and needed to figure things out on its own. I'm not saying it was all horrible, but the steady decline was quite obvious, just the same.

 

House of the Dragon has no such imminent problem on the horizon because the entirety of the Dance of Dragons is written out and detailed down to the last squire fighting on one side or the other.

 

This removes a lot of uncertainty and potential problems, as well as, supported with the knowledge that Martin is actually an executive producer on the show and consultant, we all know it's going to be OKAY. Or at least, that's the general consensus.

 

So without further ado, let's dive right into it, shall we?

 

Because before the Starks and Lannisters went at it, dragons ruled Westeros, with Fire & Blood.

 

Rings of Power: The Great Wave

 

"The Faithful believe that when the petals of the White Tree fall, it is no idle thing."

 

Hello everyone!

 

And we're back once again to dig a little deeper into Amazon's huge budget blockbuster show - I mean, we all know just how much money the company threw at this, right?

 

I feel like I keep repeating myself every single week, but I will say that, for the amount of money spent, I don't really see the results being executed all that well YET, and at this point we're halfway through the first season, which is slightly concerning.

 

I'm not the only one thinking like this, either, as there is a fair number of people who share my views, but we digress in any event.

 

Regardless of all of the above, we did witness SOME plot progression this last episode.

 

Not all of it was completely bad, and certainly not all of it was completely good.

 

Besides, the visual effects remain rather stunning no matter what one thinks with regards to the writing and characters, so you know.

 

Rings of Power's fourth episode, The Great Wave, gives a lot of pomp and substance, but the core of it is still somehow ... hollow.

 

Saturday Snippet: Vampire Academy OFFICIAL TRAILER

 

The first four episodes just dropped this Thursday!

 

xx

*video not mine

Tome Thursday: An Heir Comes to Rise

 

Hello everyone!

 

After pretty much a month or two of just ARCs and books from BookSirens, I come to you with something a little different tonight.

I totally wanted to read more of the series before I started the blog posts but alas!

I needed a book for tonight. This was it.

If you enjoy books like the ones written by Sarah J Maas (who, coincidentally, I still need to finish one series from) then I am pretty sure you're going to LOVE this one.

It has unique world-building, likeable characters, and a pretty spread out array of them to start with.

And the character numbers just keep on growing as time goes by, too.

There are currently four books in the series, with at least one or two more planned based on all that I've read and heard, so you have PLENTY of time to hop on the bandwagon and join the rest of us!

 

C.C Peñaranda came up with something pretty unique in An Heir Comes to Rise. Why don't you go ahead and keep on reading?

Rings of Power: Adar

 

"If Sauron has indeed returned, the Southlands are but the beginning."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Alright, alright.

 

So I said initially I wasn't going to do this.

 

I changed my mind. I'm allowed!

 

And also, a few of my friends have said they'd really love to keep on reading these weekly dissertations of mine which are no more and no less than me just spinning yarn about my thoughts, really.

 

Which means here we are, and here we will stay until the season ends.

 

Last week may have been an introduction that blew hot and cold, but this week brought us something a little more tight in terms of writing, and some answers to the mysteries we're being introduced to.

 

Hopefully Prime continues in this vein, because we're headed to the halfway point of the season, so some answers are welcome!

 

The Rings of Power episode, Adar, at the very least gives us some of them.

 

8. 8. 2022

 

Thank you, Ma'am. For everything.

 

xx

*image not mine

Tome Thursday: The Maiden & The Unseen

 

Hello everyone!

 

Once again this week brings you another ARC from BookSirens, because I'm pretty much breezing through them on this end as I pick and choose what I enjoy and what is one of those things I'm not the biggest fan of.

 

Tonight's choice is no different.

 

I will say, though, that when I initially read the blurb for the book I was kind of expecting something else, though I don't inherently know why.

 

I'm pretty sure I just missed all the other signs before I read it LOL.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's an okay book, just not a book that I would usually find myself reaching for.

It does have one of my favourite mythological couples as it's focus point though, so it's not like I would have been mad either way.

Mythology, yo!

And The Maiden & The Unseen.

Rings of Power: Introduction

 

"Without a sword, what am I to be?"

 

Hello everyone!

 

So I would have done something else entirely for Tuesday's review if not for the fact that last Friday dawned bright and clear ... and brought us the premiere of what people have been both anticipating and dreading at the same time.

 

I don't plan on going into too much detail, as I might just wait for the season to conclude before I do so, but I couldn't say nothing. It's not an actual review of the two episodes, and I'll do a breakdown of the season as a whole after we wrap up.

 

However, I did want to share some of my initial thoughts because ... well, I have thoughts.

 

Who doesn't?

 

Considering the fact Amazon has literally turned off the reviewing option because of the reactions, and you have to ask yourself: is it because they just can't stand so many positives? Or are they afraid the house of cards will come tumbling down with all the negatives?

 

Your call.

 

But Rings of Power is here, whether we like it or not.

 

Saturday Snippet: Rings of Power Impressions

 

Thus far ... unconvinced. We proceed.

 

xx

*image not mine

Tome Thursday: The Ocean Between Us

 

Hello everyone!

 

More books to be had, all around, especially if you're a member of BookSirens.

 

Which is where, naturally, I picked up tonight's choice.

 

Okay, I'll admit, it was initially the cover that got me, making me stick long enough to read the premise for the story, and once I did - and got some technical issues out of the way - there was nothing stopping me from devouring this book in two sittings.

 

Two sittings, one day, give or take. That's pretty good, right?

 

ANYWAY, this one is for Greek mythology lovers. So brush up on those skillz and polish that knowledge, because there's definitely going to be stuff in here that will tickle your fancy.

 

Plus on top of that, it's a bit of a mix-and-match with The Little Mermaid, so I mean, what's not to like?!?

 

Mermaids, princes, curses, Greek gods ... sounds like a regular ole Thursday.

 

Cate Rowan's The Ocean Between Us makes a splash!