Review of ~ Rena Rossner – The Sisters of the Winter Wood

7.5/10

Every family has a secret… and every secret tells a story. 

I received an advanced reader copy of The Sisters of the Winter Wood in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Rena Rossner and Orbit Books for this opportunity.

The titular sisters and their parents live close to the village of Dubossary and reside in a house that is close to the woods. They are a Jewish family in a tale that is like a melting pot of reality, Jewish mythology and a Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

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Review of ~ Mitchell Hogan – Shadow of the Exile (The Infernal Guardian #1)

8.5/10

I received a bound proof manuscript copy of Shadow of the Exile in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Mitchell Hogan and 47North for the opportunity.

Tarrik Nal-Valim is a demon of the 37th order. Extremely powerful and currently resides in Shimrax where demons of unsavoury character, criminals and exiles live. Tarrik is one of the later. He was extradited by the demon lords for marrying a human. We start the narrative when the veil between worlds is ripped about and hooks carry Tarrik through to the human world. He is being summoned by a very powerful sorcerer where he is bound to do her bidding. Her motives and desires are mysterious however she is being sought after by some influential and high ranking individuals and other demons too. So begins our tale following a very unlikely duo.

Review of ~ Tasha Suri – Empire of Sand

8/10

I received an uncorrected proof copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Tasha Suri and Orbit Books.

In Empire of Sand, the original and excellent South Asian influenced fantasy debut of Tasha Suri’s we follow the action of Mehr who is an illegitimate but highborn daughter of a governor of the Ambham Empire. It begins when a Daiva which is sort of a winged and taloned spirit invades the castle and infiltrates Mehr’s younger sister’s room, who is terrified as a young child would be.

Review of ~ Nicholas Eames – Bloody Rose (The Band #2)

8.5/10

I received an advanced review copy of the well sought after Bloody Rose from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Nicholas Eames and the awesome Nazia.

Even Eames himself said that the success of Kings of the Wyld was like a guillotine to his neck. Metaphorically of course. With an exceptional, original award-winning debut there will always be doubts about where to go next and if it can be better. I’m happy to say Bloody Rose blows Golden Gabe, Moog, and Slowhand’s adventures out of the water!

The Top 12 Books I’ve Read This Year… So Far.

Hi everyone.

I’ve got an hour to burn before I go to a work meeting so thought I’d fill the time picking my top 12 books that I’ve read this year… so far! It’s about halfway through the year but I still have about 40 books to read on my Goodreads schedule. Let’s see how many of these make the final cut at the end of the year. One of these books I haven’t finished yet but I know it’s worthy of the list. So without further waffling, here we go…

Review of ~ Mirsad Salakovic (with Cass Pennant) – The Boy Who Said Nothing

7.5/10

I received a review copy of The Boy Who Said Nothing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Mirsad Solakovic, Cass Pennant and John Blake Books.

I will keep this as a mini-review as I don’t want to give too much away. I knew nothing about the Bosnian war and the split of Yugoslavia before approaching this book and I had no idea what to expect. The Boy Who Said Nothing is autobiographical about Solakovic’s life. It’s a moving, memorable, engrossing and often shocking memoir with dark moments aplenty about how a boy fled the Bosnian war, after spending time in concentration camps and witnessing family members murdered, to a new and often almost as harrowing life in Britan where he deals with PTSD, tries to find his place in the world and build a future in alien environments.

Review of ~ RJ Barker – King of Assassins (The Wounded Kingdom #3)

9/10

I received an advanced copy of Kings of Assassins in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to RJ Barker and Nazia and Jenni at Orbit. *This may contain slight spoilers for the trilogy*

Well, The Wounded Kingdom trilogy. Where should I start? I can safely say in the (almost) two years I have been reviewing that this is my favourite trilogy that I have read that was released in that timeframe. I was the first person to review Age of Assassins, one of the first to review Blood of Assassins, and I had a to-be-read quota of thirty books as of last Friday. That was until King of Assassins ended up on my doorstep. Everything else took a back seat and I devoured this exquisite mystery, magic and assassin-tinged fantasy conclusion in two days.