Book Review: The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence

Publisher: HarperCollins

Date: 2020

Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult

Plot: In the ice, east of the Black Rock, there is a hole into which broken children are thrown.

On Abeth the vastness of the ice holds no room for individuals. Survival together is barely possible. No one survives alone.

To resist the cold, to endure the months of night when even the air itself begins to freeze, requires a special breed. Variation is dangerous, difference is fatal. And Yaz is not the same.

Yaz is torn from the only life she’s ever known, away from her family, from the boy she thought she would spend her days with, and has to carve out a new path for herself in a world whose existence she never suspected. A world full of difference and mystery and danger.

Yaz learns that Abeth is older and stranger than she had ever imagined. She learns that her weaknesses are another kind of strength. And she learns to challenge the cruel arithmetic of survival that has always governed her people.

Only when it’s darkest you can see the stars.

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Book Review: Strangers by C.L Taylor

Publisher: Avon Books UK

Date: 2020

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Plot: Ursula, Gareth and Alice have never met before.

Ursula thinks she killed the love of her life.
Gareth’s been receiving strange postcards.
And Alice is being stalked.

None of them are used to relying on others – but when the three strangers’ lives unexpectedly collide, there’s only one thing for it: they have to stick together. Otherwise, one of them will die.

Three strangers, two secrets, one terrifying evening.

The million-copy bestseller returns with a gripping new novel that will keep you guessing until the end.

*Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no extra cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase

Book Review: Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb

Author: Robin Hobb

Title: Ship of Destiny (The Liveship Traders #3)

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Date: 2000

Plot: The dragon, Tintaglia, released from her wizardwood coffin, flies high over the Rain Wild River. Below her, Reyn and Selden have been left to drown, while Malta and the Satrap attempt to navigate the acid flow of the river in a decomposing boat.

Althea and Brashen are sailing the liveship Paragon into pirate waters in a last-ditch attempt to rescue the Vestrit family liveship, Vivacia, who was stolen by the pirate king, Kennit; but there is mutiny brewing amongst their ragtag crew, and in the mind of the mad ship itself.

And all the while the waters around the Vivacia are seething with giant serpents, following the liveship as she sails to her destiny . . .

Television Review: The Witcher, Season 1

Show: The Witcher, Season 1

Company: Netflix

Date: 2019

It’s not like me to just jump on the bandwagon, but after hearing such good reports on The Witcher from every direction (including my sister, who I didn’t expect to enjoy it), there was no way I could resist.

I have to admit, to start with I couldn’t work out what all the fuss was about. The episodes were good, but I was getting confused over the timeline, how the plots fitted together and exactly what was supposed to be going on.

Book Review: Someone Like Me by M R Carey

Title: Someone Like Me

Author: M.R. Carey

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Date: 2018

Plot: She looks like me. She sounds like me. Now she’s trying to take my place.

Liz Kendall wouldn’t hurt a fly. She’s a gentle woman devoted to bringing up her kids in the right way, no matter how hard times get.

But there’s another side to Liz – one which is dark and malicious. A version of her who will do anything to get her way, no matter how extreme or violent.

And when this other side of her takes control, the consequences are devastating.

The only way Liz can save herself and her family is if she can find out where this new alter-ego has come from, and how she can stop it.

Television Review: Wu Assassins, Season 1

Show: Wu Assassins, Season 1

Company:  Netflix

Date: 2019

Plot: A warrior chosen as the latest and last Wu Assassin must search for the powers of an ancient triad and restore balance in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Book Review: Bad Faith by Jon Hollins

Author: Jon Hollins

Title: Bad Faith (The Dragon Lords #3)

Publisher: Orbit

Date: 2018

Synopsis: Will and his comrades went to war to overthrow the reign of dragons,winning battle after battle, and acclaim as conquering heroes.

But now they’ve angered the gods, and may just need the dragons to help them this time…

Book Review: White Star Phase by Scott Beckman

Author: Scott Beckman

Title: White Star Phase

Publisher: Scott Beckman

Date: 2018

Plot:A liar, a killer, and a lunatic. 

One seeks to elevate his own personal fame and fortune regardless of those who might be left floundering in his wake. Another will stop at nothing for vengeance. The last follows the will of totalitarian gods in pursuit of eternal glory. 

They’re not traditional heroes, but the future depends entirely on them. 

From different corners of the world, they will be drawn together by mysterious forces to determine the course of humanity. Each will be given incredible power; how they use it will determine whether mankind is doomed to extinction or offered eternal salvation.

Book Review: The Bard by Jules Cory

Author: Jules Cory

Title: The Bard

Publisher: Troubador Publishing Limited

Date: 2018

Plot: The discovery of a sword that had been lost for generations confirms that the Gods are readying for war once again. The sword holds the secrets to powers thought lost forever. It heralds the return of a Dragonslayer, capable of protecting humankind from the wrath of the ancient deities. But there is a problem. The sword-bearer is a seven year old girl. 

Tallen learns quickly how to negotiate the politics of the royal court as she tries to find a place for herself in the capital city. She discovers a talent for being invisible in crowded places. Infiltrating restricted areas. And stealing precious items. But when her skills are commandeered by the King, she finds herself in a world of magick where her latent talents are being fought over. Unaware of her magickal ancestry, she is unprepared for the secret plots to control her and her powers. Schemes, by both friend and foe, that send her into danger. 

The discovery of the Empathy Crystal forces Tallen to confront her ancient blood-line and the powers lying within her. She finds herself caught in the middle as the fault-line between the old pantheon of Gods and the new monotheistic religion cracks open. The war between neighbouring kingdoms covers the underlying battle for the power locked within the land they are fighting over. And the souls of the people living there.

Book Review: Gray Wolf by J.W Webb

Author: J. W Webb

Title: Gray Wolf

Publisher: BooksGoSocial

Date: 2018

Synopsis:Child of destiny and pawn of the gods.

When his parents are murdered and his sister taken by raiders, Corin an Fol’s world crashes in on him. Wild and willful, he joins the elite Wolf Regiment but swiftly falls foul of its swordmaster, the brutal Taskala.

The regiment becomes embroiled in a vicious civil war between the sultan of Permio and rebel tribesmen. Corin, caught in the treacherous power play between rival factions and corrupt leaders, struggles to survive. Torn between his quest for vengeance and growing hatred for the sadistic Taskala, Corin has to intervene when the woman he loves becomes the latest target of Taskala’s wrath.