Babylon’s Ashes by James S. A. Corey (Review)

Babylon’s Ashes by James S. A. Corey

Blurb

A revolution brewing for generations has begun in fire. It will end in blood.

The Free Navy – a violent group of Belters in black-market military ships – has crippled the Earth and begun a campaign of piracy and violence among the outer planets. The colony ships heading for the thousand new worlds on the far side of the alien ring gates are easy prey, and no single navy remains strong enough to protect them.

James Holden and his crew know the strengths and weaknesses of this new force better than anyone. Outnumbered and outgunned, the embattled remnants of the old political powers call on the Rocinante for a desperate mission to reach Medina Station at the heart of the gate network.

But the new alliances are as flawed as the old, and the struggle for power has only just begun. As the chaos grows, an alien mystery deepens. Pirate fleets, mutiny and betrayal may be the least of the Rocinante’s problems. And in the uncanny spaces past the ring gates, the choices of a few damaged and desperate people may determine the fate of more than just humanity.

Review

Every time I read the next book in The Expanse series I think it can’t be beaten but yet again I am proven wrong. This book was fantastic and I could not put it down. It was also way better than the corresponding season of the TV show which after reading the book is a massive let down.

The main thing that I absolutely love about this series is that each book is told from several characters’ points of view. You get to see the story from several perspectives and learn about the characters. However, in previous books you have about 4 or 5 perspectives; this book had loads. Yes, we have the usual main characters such as Holden but we get to hear from even minor characters and it works beautifully. Some only have one chapter but it adds so much to the story.

There were quite a few emotional moments in this book for me and in particular one death really upset me as I always liked that character. There was also a really moving moment with Avasarala in this book which made me quite sad but it was so nice to see a different side to this usually super hard character. I found the growing relationships in the book really moving especially the family bonds that grew on the Rocinante.

This book was packed with action and really did not stop moving but at the same time it showed so much of the human struggle for survival. Earth is dying, people are dying on all sides and there is so much fear about what the future holds. The characters are all so real as well even though the setting is pure science fiction.

Amos has always been my favourite character and I was pleased he was on usual fine form in this book. However, my other favourite character in this book was Bobbie. Bobbie was wonderful in the hot seat of the Rocinante and she is definitely a part of the crew and family. I also loved Bobbie’s humour and how she interacted with Amos and Naomi.

This is definitely my favourite book of the series so far and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Waterstones | WH Smith

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About the author

James S. A. Corey is the pen name of fantasy author Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, George R. R. Martin’s assistant. They both live Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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WWW Wednesday: 25/9/2024

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?

Hello!

I have had a lovely day of teaching and reading today. I’ve also had rather an exciting book delivery which is always fun.

What I am Currently Reading

I am completely hooked on Fourth Wing and have been reading it today in every available spare minute I have had. I’m so pleased I have the next book lined up to read as well. A Crown of Swords is still plodding along and I’m still really enjoying it.

What I have Recently Finished Reading

Thoroughly enjoyed this and review will be published soon.

What I Think I will Read Next

As usual I have no idea what I will read next but here are a few possibilities.

Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.

Happy Reading

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House of Odysseus by Claire North (Review)

House of Odysseus by Claire North

Blurb

House of Odysseus is the follow up to award-winning author Claire North’s Ithaca “a powerful, fresh, and unflinching” reimagining (Jennifer Saint) that breathes life into ancient myth and gives voice to the women who stand defiant in a world ruled by ruthless men.

In the palace of Odysseus, a queen lies dreaming . . .

On the isle of Ithaca, queen Penelope maintains a delicate balance of power. Many years ago, her husband Odysseus sailed to war with Troy and never came home. In his absence, Penelope uses all her cunning to keep the peace—a peace that is shattered by the return of Orestes, King of Mycenae, and his sister Elektra.

Orestes’ hands are stained with his mother’s blood. Not so long ago, the son of Agamemnon took Queen Clytemnestra’s life on Ithaca’s sands. Now, wracked with guilt, he grows ever more unhinged. But a king cannot be seen to be weak, and Elektra has brought him to Ithaca to keep him safe from the ambitious men of Mycenae.

Penelope knows destruction will follow in his wake as surely as the furies circle him. His uncle Menelaus, the blood-soaked king of Sparta, hungers for Orestes’ throne—and if he can seize it, no one will be safe from his violent whims.

Trapped between two mad kings, Penelope must find a way to keep her home from being crushed by the machinations of a battle that stretches from Mycenae and Sparta to the summit of Mount Olympus itself. Her only allies are Elektra, desperate to protect her brother, and Helen of Troy, Menelaus’ wife. And watching over them all is the goddess Aphrodite, who has plans of her own.

Each woman has a secret, and their secrets will shape the world . . .

Review

I will be honest the previous book Ithaca I could have taken or left it but I decided to give this trilogy another go and I started to read this book. The first twenty or so pages of this book I almost did leave the series as the random ramblings of Aphrodite at the beginning were seriously annoying but I am glad I continued with the book because I soon got into the story.

This book is not really rooted in the myth of Penelope and Odysseus, or should we say Odysseus because poor Penelope has never featured very heavily in Odysseus’ tale other than when he suddenly remembered he was married and perhaps should be getting home to his wife and out of the other woman’s bed. However, in the little we do know about Penelope we do know she is loyal, clever, cunning and brave and I think it is these qualities that North has used to inspire this book. I could easily see these events happening in the original myth because there is so much that we do not know about Penelope and how she lived those twenty years her husband was from home.

The absolute star of this book is Laertes. Whenever Laertes appeared I was guaranteed a good laugh. Laertes is a clever old man who really can’t be bothered with being a king. He much prefers living quietly on his farm in his dirty robes and being as eccentric as he pleases. However, with Menelaus appearing on Ithaca and events unfolding he realises he must be there to help Penelope and so arrives at the palace to cause chaos. Laertes knows he has a clever daughter in law and I loved how he took his cues from her and knew precisely what chaos he needed to perform.

Penelope playing detective was also a nice touch in this book and I honestly had no clue who had performed the crime until the culprit started to show their true colours. I also loved North’s interpretation of Helen. Helen was another character who made me laugh quite a lot.

The only reason this book didn’t get the full five dragons from me was because I just couldn’t stand Aphrodite. I did love Athena and Artemis appearing and I really liked North’s interpretation of Artemis but Aphrodite really did waffle too much! I enjoyed this book a lot more than Ithaca and I can’t wait to read the final book of the trilogy. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Waterstones | WH Smith

About the author

Claire North is actually Catherine Webb, a Carnegie Medal-nominated young-adult novel author whose first book, Mirror Dreams, was written when she was just 14 years old. She went on to write seven more successful YA novels.

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WWW Wednesday: 4/9/2024

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?

What I am Currently Reading

I have finally started reading these two hefty books and I am loving both of them! I am struggling to work out which one to read because I want to read them both.

What I have Recently Finished Reading

I read this in basically one sitting and although I was intrigued I wasn’t very keen with the story direction Burton took.

What I Think I will Read Next

I seem to be really going for Greek mythology at the moment so some of these are very high on the TBR pile.

Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati (Review)

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

Blurb

As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best . . .

Mother. Monarch. Murderer. Magnificent.

You are born to a king, but marry a tyrant. You stand helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore and comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own.

You play the part, fooling enemies who deny you justice. Slowly, you plot.

You are Clytemnestra.

But when the husband who owns you returns in triumph, what then?

Acceptance or vengeance – infamy follows both. So you bide your time and wait, until you might force the gods’ hands and take revenge. Until you rise. For you understood something that the others don’t. If power isn’t given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

Review

I haven’t found many Greek retellings of Clytemnestra so I was really pleased to find this book as I think she gets rather a rough deal. She was a strong woman who decided to get revenge and be a queen where only kings have ruled and she was hated for it. Plus let’s face it people always remember her sister Helen more than Clytemnestra.

Clytemnestra was born a Spartan princess and she was brought up to be a fighter and to be the strongest she could be. She was brought up in a tough world where softness was frowned upon and she thrived. Her father listened to her when she spoke which he rarely did with his other children and he showed pride in her actions.

I loved how this book also showed Clytemnestra as a soft caring person who loved her sister Helen and wanted nothing but to protect her. She loved her first husband and child with a passion and would do anything for them. However, when Agamemnon comes into her life it all goes wrong and that softness disappears.

The thing I also loved about this book was how Casati brought in other well known characters from mythology. We see the intelligent and sensible Penelope, the cunning Odysseus, Castor and Pollux (although I would have liked to have seen more of Castor and Pollux) and we even see Timandra heavily featured.

Considering this is a debut novel I thought it was a brilliantly written book with a very sophisticated and mature writing style and at well over 400 pages I found it a fast paced read that I flew through. I really enjoyed this book and I hope to read more books by Casati soon. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Waterstones | WH Smith

About the author

Costanza Casati was born in Texas in 1995 and grew up in a village in Northern Italy, where she studied Ancient Greek, and Ancient Greek literature, under one of the country’s most rigorous academic programmes. She is a graduate of the prestigious Warwick Writing MA in the UK, and worked as a screenwriter and journalist. Clytemnestra is her debut novel. It has sold into 18 territories worldwide, is a Times bestseller, an Indie Next Pick, and was shortlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Award.

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Goodreads Monday: 19/8/2024

Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.

Hello!

I hope everyone has had a good start to the week. I have been busy in the library, what was meant to be a simple job is now a huge job and will take a long time before it is anywhere near a library.

My chosen book is one that I bought last year but sadly it got put away when work started on the house but now I have found it again and have put it back on the TBR pile.

The Princes in the Tower by Philippa Langley

In 1483, Edward V (age twelve) and his brother Richard, Duke of York (age nine), disappeared from the Tower of London. History has judged they were murdered on the orders of Richard III. The Princes in the Tower now reveals the truth behind the greatest unsolved mystery in English history.

Philippa Langley took the world by storm when, against all the odds and after a seven-year investigation, she discovered the grave of King Richard III (1452-1485) in a Leicester car park. A king finally laid to rest, the rediscovery and reburial of Richard III was watched by a global audience of over 366 million.

Now, in The Princes in the Tower, Langley reveals the findings of a remarkable new research “The Missing Princes Project.” In the summer of 1483, Edward V (age 12) and his brother Richard Duke of York (age 9), disappeared from the Tower of London. For over five hundred years, history has judged that they were murdered on the orders of their uncle, Richard III.

Following years of intensive research in British, American, and European archives, Philippa has uncovered astonishing new archival discoveries that radically change what we know about the fate of the princes in the Tower. Established by Langley in 2016, “The Missing Princes Project” employs the methods of a cold-case police inquiry. Using investigative methodology, it aims to place this most enduring of mysteries under a forensic microscope for the very first time.

In The Princes in the Tower, Langley narrates the painstaking investigative work and research of the project. By questioning received wisdom, she and her international team of researchers shed light upon one of history’s greatest miscarriages of justice, in turn revealing a surprising and phenomenal untold story.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Destination Maisie by Mel Frances (Review)

Destination Maisie by Mel Frances

Blurb

Destination Maisie is the perfect balance of adventure, joy, sadness and humour. A trip full of emotional twists, turns, and hope. The journey begins in 1960 when an illegitimate baby girl named Maisie Florence, is born in a London nursing hospital. Following a disrupted adoption and ten years in foster care, Maisie, aged 17, discovers a hidden letter from Ellen, her birth mother. In 1977 Maisie absconds from care, making an anxious journey to Manchester, where she reunites with Ellen and meets her characterful half-sisters. But does she truly belong? Decades later, in 2019, Maisie discovers her birth father was born in Crete. Encouraged by granddaughter Fran, fuelled by fantasies of long-lost birth family reunions, the women embark upon a road trip through Paris, Florence, and Athens to reach Heraklion. Both women find love on the idyllic Greek island, which changes their lives forever. When Fran has to return to England, Maisie connects with her Greek aunt by birth. Dark secrets are revealed, leaving Maisie stunned at past revelations. She is lost, alone and adrift on a Greek island wondering if she’ll ever find her true self. With her emotional scars exposed, the consequences for Maisie are devastating.

Review

Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to Mel Frances for sending me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review.

At first I struggled with this book because of the jumping around of time periods but once I got used to this I really started to get into this book. Although this book is called Destination Maisie it focuses on so many other characters and I loved their character development, especially Fran’s. For me Fran was the star of this book and I felt so proud of her development. Fran is Maisie’s granddaughter and decides to help her beloved grandmother as much as she can and takes her grandmother on an epic adventure to find her past. Fran is a young woman with big plans for her future but she puts everything on hold to go on the big trip and with this trip she discovers her true self and that maybe her plans for the future are not exactly what she wants. Fran is so brave, she knows Maisie has scars and is traumatised by her past but she is right there to help Maisie through it.

Maisie has not had an easy beginning in life. In fact it is a beginning that could throw some people completely off the rails but Maisie always pushes through. Maisie is unbelievable strong but as the book goes on we witness just how strong she is and just what her past and present life put her through. Maisie has real trauma in her childhood and it could have been so easy for her to stay put with her foster family safe and secure but she never gives up and at 17 years of age, and a sheltered 17 at that, she embarks on a journey to find her real mother. Thankfully, that journey ends up happily with Maisie finding her birth mother and her half-sisters. However, Maisie still feels something isn’t quite right and needs more answers and so the big adventure in Crete begins. So often in this book I kept crying out for someone to help Maisie. Yes she is strong but also she is bruised and keeps getting bruised and she just needed someone to help guide her, to comfort her but as so often happens with strong characters people don’t see below the strong facade the struggle and the damage.

I was so happy a good portion of this book was set in Crete because Frances’ descriptions of Crete were wonderful! Frances’ details of the scenery, the ruins, the history, the culture, even the shopping centre were beautifully detailed and I could imagine myself there sitting on the beach listening to the sea reading a good book between going for a swim. This book really was a joy to read and I was constantly routing for Maisie and Fran. I can’t wait to read Frances’ next book and enjoy some beautiful scenery again. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.

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About the author

Mel grew up within a large extended family in North East England. She is married with two adult sons. After a period of study, Mel settled in Lancashire for fifteen years, before returning to her beloved city of Newcastle. Following a career in Children’s Social Care, Mel has fulfilled her passion for writing contemporary fiction. When she is not spending time with family and friends, she can be found at her desk planning her next novel.

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Stacking the Shelves: 1/6/2024

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality. It is all about sharing the books that you have recently added to your bookshelves. These books can be physical books, ebooks and of course audiobooks.

Hello!

My week so far has been wonderful. I’ve been on loads of adventures but sadly this does also mean less reading. I have done some book buying on my adventures and I have also done some kindle book buying in readiness for my holidays.

Kindle Books

These were all on offer for 99p each and because I love all these authors I just knew I couldn’t resist.

Books

I bought these two books from the second hand bookshop at Coughton Court. I love the bookshop there and always find a gem or two when I visit.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Accidental Dragons by Astor Y Teller (Review)

Accidental Dragons by Astor Y Teller

Blurb

There will be dragons…

With Donnowan’s expedition lost to a dragon, Miriam Huckerpucker gathers a ragtag band of undeads and sets off to the fringes of the known world to rescue the remnants. And also find the true villain behind the dragon attacks and why dragons suddenly appeared in this world.

Could the villain be the same one who makes old and new enemies show up on the road? Like the old hag who comes haunting from her past or the new hag who comes hunting her in the present?

Miriam doesn’t have time to ponder as she hurries along, but with painted barbarians, disfigured corpses and wanted criminals by her side she has to stay clear of the main roads, losing valuable time sidetracking through the wilderness.

But it is the same wilderness that Donnowan’s expedition travelled through. On her way she stumbles on vital clues and learns an odd thing or two.

Like accidents happen.

And dragons too, apparently.

Review

I was so excited to get reading about some of my favourite characters again and learn more about them. I nearly read this book in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down but sadly I had to go to work.

This book did have some sad moments in it for me, one really upset me but I won’t say more as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. There was the usual banter between characters that we had in the first book but there was definitely a more serious tone at times. I also liked the camaraderie that developed between Miriam’s ragtag band of undeads.

I loved the extra details we learn about the characters in this book. Miriam’s revelation was a big surprise and rather sad. You really start to get a better understanding of the characters in this book and their past lives. You also get to see a more vulnerable side to the characters.

This book had quite a few surprises in it and I spent quite a bit of time working out who the villain was (I got it wrong). Learning how dragons were made was brilliant and I also liked learning about the power of bone clippings.

The scenery descriptions in this book were also excellent. Yes, I absolutely loved this second instalment of the series and I can’t wait to read the next book. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.

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About the author

Everybody makes a story about themselves. Here is my take:

I started out

1) as a kid telling myself stories using my imagination, then

2) growing up to tell stories to others as a gamemaster (which I still do), then

3) getting sucked most unwilling into occult stuff (the flip side of quantum physics?), escaping that to

4) hesitantly get an education in programming, then

5) surviving dull years surrounded by the machines that go ping and keeping the weekends occupied by reading and being artful and conjuring exhaustion for the work week, then

6) saying enough is enough and submitting myself to another long streak of education, this time in art, where I started out painting (and still do) but graduated in spontaneous storytelling (or bearing witness to my imaginary worlds if you want a fancy way of saying it) then

7) start writing down these stories instead of telling them to an audience, ending up like

1) the kid I began as, telling myself stories using my imagination…

…which is the nation I prefer to be in (after doing my stint of travelling abroad) and where I go by the name of Astor Y Teller.

The rest of me can be gleaned from the books and if not, it’s not worth telling.

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A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women by Emma Southon (Review)

A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women by Emma Southon

Blurb

Here’s how the history of the Roman Empire usually goes…

We start with Romulus, go on to Brutus overthrowing Tarquin, bounce through an appallingly tedious list of battles and generals and consuls, before emerging into the political stab-fest of the late Republic. From there, it runs through all the emperors, occasionally mentioning a wife or mother to show how bad things get when women get out of control, until Constantine invents Christianity and then Attila the Hun comes and ruins everything. But the history of Rome and empire is so much more than these Important Things.

In this alternative history, Emma Southon traces the story of the Roman Empire through women: Vestal Virgins and sex workers, business owners and poets, martyrs and saints. Each gives a different perspective on women’s lives and how they changed, across time and across class lines.

Review

Emma Southon is a new author for me but the title of this book intrigued me so much I had to buy it. It’s always so refreshing to have some ancient history told from the female perspective because, let’s face it, most of the history we know is about men and recorded by men. A few years ago I did a Masters in Classics and I really focused on the women in ancient Greece and Rome so this book seemed a good choice for me.

The thing I loved most about this book was how Southon tells these women’s stories. I just love her writing style and her humour. Honestly, I could not stop laughing whilst reading this book. Instead of this book feeling like you are reading it, it feels like Southon is having a conversation with you and telling you about these 21 amazing women from history. Her writing style is very conversational which I can see might put some people off but I loved it. It was so nice to read a history book that was fun and upbeat and not stuffy.

The other thing I loved was how Southon bridged the gap between the past and modern day. Her use of connecting the past with modern day things was excellent and highly amusing at times.

In this book I read about women from Roman history that I knew of (some more than others) and I loved reading about them in such a different light. Somehow I think I will remember these women more now I have read this book because of how Southon portrayed them and linked them to modern day.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am now off to buy all of Southon’s other books. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Waterstones |

About the author

Dr. Emma Southon holds a PhD in ancient history from the University of Birmingham.

After a few years teaching Ancient and Medieval history, followed by some years teaching academic writing. She quit academia because it is grim and started writing for her own enjoyment.

She co-hosts a history/comedy podcast with Janina Matthewson called History is Sexy.

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If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you