Friday, 27 September 2019

Wonderland: An Anthology edited by Maria O'Regan and Paul Kane

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Wonderland: An Anthology edited by Maria O'Regan and Paul Kane
Published 17th September by Titan Books
Star Rating - ***
Goodreads Challenge - 52/50

I was gifted a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis (from Goodreads)
From the greatest names in fantasy and horror comes an anthology of stories inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Join Alice as she is thrown into the whirlwind of Wonderland, in an anthology that bends the traditional notions of Lewis Carroll's classic novel. Contributors include the bestselling M.R. Carey, Genevieve Cogman, Catriona Ward, Rio Youers and L.L. McKinney.

Within these pages you'll find myriad approaches to Alice, from horror to historical. There's even a Wild West tale from Angela Slatter, poetry, and a story by Laura Mauro which presents us with a Japanese folklore-inspired Wonderland.

Alison Littlewood, Cavan Scott and Catriona Ward make the more outlandish elements their own, while James Lovegrove instead draws on the supernatural. Cat Rambo takes us to a part of Wonderland we haven't seen before and Lilith Saintcrow gives the legend a science-fiction spin. The nightmarish reaches of the imagination are the breeding ground for M.R. Carey's visions, while Robert Shearman, George Mann, Rio Youers and Mark Chadbourn's tales have a deep-seated emotional core which will shock, surprise and tug on the heart-strings.

So, it's time now to go down the rabbit hole, or through the looking-glass or... But no, wait. By picking up this book and starting to read it you're already there, can't you see?

My Thoughts
Anthologies can be little bit hit or miss for me. Either I really enjoy most of the stories or the majority end up being a bit too lyrical and metaphorical for me and end up going over my head. This collection was a little bit of a both, I really enjoyed some stories but others I just didn't really gel with.

As you can probably tell from the title of this anthology it is a collection of stories inspired by Alice in Wonderland. There are a large variety of stories in here, some from fairly well known authors, that range from direct retellings or continuations of the original to stories with a tenuous link such as a characters name.

This started off really promising, I really enjoyed most of the stories in the first half. However, there were a few in the second half that I didn't really gel with which was a shame. Some of my favourite stories included...

There Were No Birds to Fly by M.R. Carey - I really enjoy M.R. Carey's writing style, its atmospheric and a little bit creepy and I liked that this story took its inspiration from a less familiar part of the story.

Dream Girl by Cavan Scott - This one I particularly enjoyed. I loved the sci-fi twist at the end.

Good Dog, Alice! - This one was just super fun.

What Makes a Monster by L.L McKinney - I've previously read A Blade so Black and actually quite enjoyed it and this story was based in the same world as that book. I enjoyed getting back into that world again.

Overall, if your an Alice in Wonderland fan though I would recommend this one as there are some really interesting takes on the tale.

Overall Rating 


Friday, 13 September 2019

Review - Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan

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Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan
Published 20th August by Titan Books
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 51/50

I was kindly gifted a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Synopsis (from Goodreads)
As the renowned granddaughter of Isabella Camherst (Lady Trent, of the riveting and daring Draconic adventure memoirs) Audrey Camherst has always known she, too, would want to make her scholarly mark upon a chosen field of study.

When Lord Gleinheigh recruits Audrey to decipher a series of ancient tablets holding the secrets of the ancient Draconean civilization, she has no idea that her research will plunge her into an intricate conspiracy, one meant to incite rebellion and invoke war. Alongside dearest childhood friend and fellow archeologist Kudshayn, must find proof of the conspiracy before it's too late.

TURNING DARKNESS INTO LIGHT is a delightful fantasy of manners, the heir to the award-winning Natural History of Dragons series, a perfect stepping stone into an alternate Victorian-esque fantasy landscape.

My Thoughts
This book is a standalone story set in the same world as the Lady Trent series but I was assured I could read this book without having read the Lady Trent books and that is what I did. I think people who have read the previous series will be at a bit of an advantage and, after having read some other reviews, apparently there are some spoilers in this book for the other series but I don't mind that and I really enjoyed this one. 

I often see Marie Brennan's books described as a 'fantasy of manners' and I love that term. I think it describes this book perfectly. I loved the writing style, it's quaint, not action packed but there's still enough happening to keep you interested throughout. I also loved the way this story was structured using diary entries and letters. I enjoyed piecing the story together in this way. As I said, I think readers of the Lady Trent series will be at a bit of an advantage when reading this as they will have a more solid understanding of the world and the cultures. These weren't really explored in detail in this book as, I assume, the author thinks you will already have this information from her previous books however, this didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story whatsoever. 

I loved Audrey as a character too. She was vivacious and passionate about both her life and her work but she still had some recklessness in her. Enough to make her fun to read about but not so much that you spent the time rolling your eyes at her actions. I liked how she challenged ideals in this world by becoming a scholar and not joining society and finding a husband etc. and I also really loved that this isn't constantly looked down upon as it is in some books. I loved reading her diary entries as she had a witty nature and her narrative kept the story driving forwards. I wish I knew a little bit more about the Draconeans though but I do plan to rectify this by reading the Lady Trent series (hopefully) very soon. 

Overall I thought this was a really fun and enjoyable read with some really great characters. I definitely believe this can be read as a standalone story and be enjoyed as such however, if you are the type of person who likes to know all of the details about the setting and cultures then I would probably pick up Marie Brennan's previous series first.

Overall Rating


Monday, 9 September 2019

Bookish Scavenger Hunt Book Tag


On Twitter I saw the Reader Fox take part in the Bookish Scavenger Hunt Book Tag, you can see there post here, and I thought it looked fun to do so I decided to take part in it myself. 

The concept is simple. There are 19 things to find and you have to match these to books on your shelf. 

An authors name or book title with Z in it


A Classic


A book with a key on it


Something on your bookshelf that's not a book


The oldest book on your shelf


A book with a girl on the cover


A book that has an animal in it


A book with a male protagonist


A book with only words on it


A book with illustrations in it


A book with gold lettering


A diary (true or fictional)


A book written by someone with a common name (like Smith)


A book that has a close up of something on it


A book that takes place in the earliest time period

I struggled to find one for this prompt because most of the books on my shelves are either fantasy so don't specify a time period, sci-fi which are set in the future or thrillers that are set in modern day.

A hardcover book without a jacket


A teal/turquoise coloured book


A book with stars on it


A non-YA book


If this sounds like fun to you consider yourself tagged. I'd love to see your posts if you do decide to take part. 



Friday, 6 September 2019

Review - Tiger Queen by Annie Sullivan

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Tiger Queen by Annie Sullivan 
Published 10th September 2019 by Blink 
Star Rating - *****
Goodreads Challenge - 37/50

I was kindly gifted an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Synopsis (from Goodreads)
In the mythical desert kingdom of Achra, an ancient law forces sixteen-year-old Princess Kateri to fight in the arena to prove her right to rule. For Kateri, winning also means fulfilling a promise to her late mother that she would protect her people, who are struggling through windstorms and drought. The situation is worsened by the gang of Desert Boys that frequently raids the city wells, forcing the king to ration what little water is left. The punishment for stealing water is a choice between two doors: behind one lies freedom, and behind the other is a tiger.

But when Kateri’s final opponent is announced, she knows she cannot win. In desperation, she turns to the desert and the one person she never thought she’d side with. What Kateri discovers twists her world—and her heart—upside down. Her future is now behind two doors—only she’s not sure which holds the key to keeping her kingdom and which releases the tiger.

My Thoughts
I absolutely loved this book. I'm not familiar with the short story this book is based on but that in no way hindered my enjoyment of this one. I flew through it in a couple of days, I just couldn't put it down. I loved everything about this one but the thing I think I loved the most was the setting. Desert fantasies are definitely my new favourite thing. 

I loved the world the author created in this one. Our main characters are a Princess of a city in the middle of the desert and the leader of a rebel group who lives within this desert. This world is in the middle of a drought and there's lots of talk about water shortage and thirst and I found that elicited some quite strong feelings from me. I felt the need for water whilst reading this, I felt the unrelenting heat and sand and I really did feel for what a lot of our characters were going through. The author also really thought about the features of the desert and it's inhabitants. There were some great descriptions about places and animals and it was nice that she thought about more than just our characters. I enjoyed the writing too, it was compelling and easy to read but not too simple. There was enough going on to keep me engaged throughout the entire story. 

I also loved our main characters. Kateri was fierce and determined. Intent on exacting revenge for her mother's death and that is the only thing she can focus on at the beginning of our story. She is blind sighted by hatred of this rebel group and this really comes across in the first few chapters. However, as events unfold and she begins to learn more about these people she develops empathy and compassion for her people and I really enjoyed watching the development of her character. I loved watching her relationship with Cion unfold and I loved the dynamics between the desert boys and seeing how they interacted with each other and worked together. I also quite liked the romance in this one, which is unusual for me. It was quite a slow burn and definitely wasn't at the forefront of the story which I appreciated. 

Overall, as you can probably tell, I loved this book. I loved the setting, them writing and the characters. It was a super quick and compelling read and now I'm really keen to pick up the author other book, Touch of Gold and, anything she comes out with in the future.

Overall Rating


Wednesday, 4 September 2019

My Reading Week - 26/08/19


Welcome back to my reading week. In these posts I will be sharing with you all of the bookish things that happen to me over the week. What I've been reading, my thoughts and any book post I receive. 

This week is the last week of my school holiday meaning I will be back to work next week. I plan to finish off my current reads this week ready to start September with a new TBR. 


Books Read

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I really enjoyed this one. I've not read the Lady Trent series that's a prerequisite of this book but now I really want to. I really enjoyed the writing style and the way the story was structured in letters and diary entries. I think people who have read the previous series will be at a bit of an advantage as they will have a more solid understanding of the world and the cultures but that didn't hinder my enjoyment.

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This started off really promising, I really enjoyed most of the stories in the first half. However, there were a few in the second half that I didn't really gel with which was a shame. If your an Alice in Wonderland fan though I would recommend this one as there are some really interesting takes on the tale.

Currently Reading

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Not much to say on this one at the moment as I'm not very far in but I already know I'm probably going to love and hate this book all at the same time!

Pages Read

Turning Darkness Into Light - 225
Wonderland - 212
Godsgrave - 69

TOTAL PAGES - 506

Books Bought/Received 

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The Painted Man by Peter V. Brett - Facebook trade

Monday, 2 September 2019

August Wrap Up - N.E.W.Ts Readathon

August has been my best reading month so far! I've been on school holidays so I've had a lot more time to read so I think that helped, along with taking part in the N.E.W.Ts Magical Readathon. 

For the N.E.W.Ts I was aiming for 7 books to achieve my career as a Magizoologist and I managed to reach that along with 4 books for extra credit. 


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The Sacrifice Box by Martin Stewart 
Published 11th January 2018 by Penguin Random House
Star Rating - **
Goodreads Challenge - 45/50
N.E.W.Ts Prompt - O for Care of Magical Creatures - Bird on the cover

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The Edge by Tim Lebbon
Published 25th June 2019 by Titan Books
Star Rating - ***
Goodreads Challenge - 49/50
N.E.W.Ts Prompt - A in Herbology - Green on the Cover
Review - Blog Review

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Wonderland: An Anthology edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane
Published 17th September 2019 by Titan Books
Star Rating ***
Goodreads Challenge - 52/50
N.E.W.Ts Prompt (extra credit) - O in Herbology - Flower on the cover
Review - Blog Review

The Good Luck Girls

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis
Published 1st October 2019 by Hot Key Books
Star Rating - ***.5
Goodreads Challenge - 50/50
N.E.W.Ts Prompt - E in Herbology - Book between 350 and 390 pages
Review - Blog Review

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A Dress for the Wicked by Autumn Krause 
Published 6th August 2019 by HarperTeen
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 42/50
N.E.W.Ts Prompt - A for Care of Magical Creatures - Book beginning with A
Review - Blog Review

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All the Things We Do in the Dark by Saundra Mitchell
Published 29th October 2019 by HarperTeen
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 43/50
N.E.W.Ts Prompt - E in Care of Magical Creatures - Book under 300 pages
Review - Blog Review

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The Folded Land by Tim Lebbon
Published 20th March 2018 by Titan Books
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 44/50
N.E.W.Ts Prompt (extra credit) - O in Charms - A paperback book
Review - Blog Review 

The Bone Garden

The Bone Garden by Heather Kassner
Published 23rd July 2019 by Titan Books
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 46/50
N.E.W.Ts Prompt - A for Charms - Gorgeous Cover
Review - Blog Review

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The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg
Published 29th October 2013 by Bond Street Books
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 47/50
N.E.W.Ts Prompt - E for Charms - comic/graphic novel/manga

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Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Published 7th June 2011 by First Second
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 48/50
N.E.W.Ts Prompt (extra credit) - A in Arithmancy - Ending on an even page number

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Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan 
Published 20th August 2019 by Titan Books
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 51/50
N.E.W.Ts Prompt (extra credit) - A in History of Magic - A fantasy
Review - Blog Review

August is always my best reading month because of the school holiday and this time I read a lot of great books too. 

What was your favourite read of the month?