Tag: Reviewing

The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan (Review)

The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan

Blurb 

In The Fires of Heaven, the fifth novel in Robert Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time, four of the most powerful Forsaken band together against the Champion of Light, Rand al’Thor.

Prophesised to defeat the Dark One, Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, has upset the balance of power across the land. Shaido Aiel are on the march, ravaging everything in their path. The White Tower’s Amyrlin has been deposed, turning the Aes Sedai against one another. The forbidden city of Rhuidean is overrun by Shadowspawn.

Despite the chaos swirling around him, Rand continues to learn how to harness his abilities, determined to wield the One Power–and ignoring the counsel of Moiraine Damodred at great cost.

Review

This is the second time I have read this book and I will be honest the first time I read this book it put me off continuing with the series. However, I decided last year that I would complete the series and started reading it again from book one. 

Even though I had forgotten a lot of what happens in this book my opinion of it hadn’t changed. The main thing I remembered was the waffle and the waffle was still there and there was loads. I can’t help but wonder how short this book would have been if there wasn’t quite so much waffle. For one thing if you took all the obsessing over clothing and how much breast is showing or not showing in all the female characters’ dresses, Jordan would have probably saved 50 pages. I won’t even go into all the mentions of braid pulling! It was only when I got to the last 300 odd pages that I really started to get into the book and start enjoying it. 

The thing I really missed in this book was my favourite which is Perrin. I missed his level head and how calm he is. You can always depend on Perrin for common sense which in all honesty you don’t get from most of the characters in this book. Perrin also generally gets to the point and doesn’t skirt the subject like Rand does. 

The ongoing arguing between Nynaeve and Elayne was just exhausting and I was so glad when Egwene gave Nynaeve a talking to because quite frankly Elayne and Nynaeve need to grow up. Egwene has taken quite a turn in this book and grown into a mature woman it’s just a shame Nynaeve and Elayne haven’t had the same growth yet. 

I really liked learning more about the Aiel in this book and I actually started to like Mat’s character more. Mat has really started to grow up in this book and I loved seeing him lead men into battle. Yes, he is still resisting his fate and can still be annoying but I think he is starting to grow on me. 

For such a huge book (nearly 1000 pages) not a lot happens in this book and to be honest it is a big disappointment after reading the previous books. I’m really hoping the next book proves to be a better read. I give this book 3 out of 5 Dragons. 

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Waterstones | WH Smith

(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)

About the author

James Oliver Rigney Jr. (1948-2007) was an American author of epic fantasy who wrote under the pen name Robert Jordan. Jordan also wrote historical fiction under the name of Reagan O’Neal, a western as Jackson O’Reilly, and dance criticism as Chang Lung. 

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A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Review)

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Blurb

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

Brimming with humour, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavour to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.

Review

I started watching the TV series of this before I started reading the book but when I was in Waterstones I saw a copy and thought I would like to read the book. As soon as I got home I started to read it and now I have finished the book before the end of the TV series and inevitably I’m getting frustrated with the TV series.

It took me a long time to read this book and I’m not entirely sure why as I really enjoyed it and by the end of the book many characters were like old friends that I didn’t want to let go of. 

The book begins in 1922 where we meet Count Alexander Rostov who is sentenced to live out the rest of his days at the Hotel Metropol. If he tries to leave he will be shot. He is stripped of his wealth (although he might have a few little hidden stashes around), his home and his beloved grandmother but he isn’t stripped of his self respect and his sense of purpose. Although as the book goes on we see the Count’s sense of purpose change somewhat. The Count is never beaten down by the regime, he never lets bad thoughts hold him down for long. He always holds his head up high and presents himself as the true gentleman he is. 

The first thing that really struck me was how clever this book was. The whole book is set in a hotel but I was treated to so much more. Count Rostov’s insights into world events, into what is happening in the Russian politics, into books, music and even the movies is wonderful. You learn so much and yet it is all set in a hotel. It really is very clever writing by Towles. 

You get to meet some fantastic characters in this book. The more notable hotel staff who are there right from the beginning to end and are always the Count’s friends and of course there is Anna the famous actress. However, the two most intriguing characters are two young girls. Nina is a nine year old girl when she meets the Count and she is full of questions but they become firm friends. Nina gives the Count a sense of purpose, he goes on adventures around the hotel with her, he looks forward to her visits and seeing what experiments she is working on. He sees Nina grow and he loves her so when Nina turns up with her daughter Sophia and asks the Count to look after Sophia for a while, he can’t refuse. 

This book spans decades and in those decades we see the Count become head waiter, a friend, a teacher, a father figure, a bee keeper and much more. He goes from a gentleman of distinction to a gentleman of work and different purposes. We see the Count grow and those around him grow, especially Sophia. I loved this book and I love Towles’ writing style and will definitely be reading more of his books. The only problem for me with this book was the big time jumps where I would have liked a bit more detail of what had been happening in the gaps. I was also really disappointed in the ending where I was left with so many unanswered questions. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.  

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Waterstones | WH Smith

(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)

About the author

Born and raised in the Boston area, Amor Towles graduated from Yale College and received an MA in English from Stanford University. Having worked as an investment professional in Manhattan for over twenty years, he now devotes himself full time to writing. His first novel, Rules of Civility, published in 2011, was a New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback and was ranked by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best books of 2011. The book was optioned by Lionsgate to be made into a feature film and its French translation received the 2012 Prix Fitzgerald. His second novel, A Gentleman in Moscow, published in 2016, was also a New York Times bestseller and was ranked as one of the best books of 2016 by the Chicago Tribune, the Miami Herald, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the St. Louis Dispatch, and NPR. Both novels have been translated into over fifteen languages. 

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The Priory by Dorothy Whipple (Review)

The Priory by Dorothy Whipple

Blurb

The setting for this, the third novel by Dorothy Whipple Persephone have published, is Saunby Priory, a large house somewhere in England which has seen better times. We are shown the two Marwood girls, who are nearly grown-up, their father, the widower Major Marwood, and their aunt; then, as soon as their lives have been described, the Major proposes marriage to a woman much younger than himself – and many changes begin.

Review

This is my first book by Dorothy Whipple and I was not disappointed, in fact I went to Persephone Books and bought three more books by Whipple so I can read more of her work. 

At the beginning of the book we are introduced to Saunby Priory which is owned by the cricket obsessed Major Marwood. Major Marwood has two daughters living with him who he chooses to ignore most of the time and his spinster sister who he does nothing but moan about. Due to the Major’s love of cricket and despair about how his sister runs the house during his cricket weeks he decides to marry Anthea. Anthea is much younger than the Major but he thinks she will be perfect for taking over the running of the house and making things better during his cricket weeks. 

The book soon moves from the Major’s point of view and his relationship with the Priory to Anthea’s. Anthea has always wanted to be happy and she thinks her way to happiness lies with the Major but then she realises that things are not as she dreamed about. We then begin to see the relationship Anthea has with the Priory and how she desperately seeks a friend. 

This book really is all about relationships and the big relationship is the characters’ relationship with the Priory. Even when Christine gets married and moves away she is always drawn back to her beloved Priory. Penelope however has very different feelings about the Priory. The Priory is the centre of this book and every character we meet has some connection to it even if it is only fleeting. 

There are so many things I love about this book; the Major’s quirks, especially his love of the telephone, the descriptions of the beautiful land around the Priory, how the events of the Priory seem to be reflected in the slow collapse of the scarecrow, the subtle humour, and I could go on and on. I could not put this book down and give it a big 5 out of 5 Dragons. 

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Purchase Links

Foyles | Waterstones

(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)

About the author

Born in 1893, DOROTHY WHIPPLE (nee Stirrup) had an intensely happy childhood in Blackburn as part of the large family of a local architect. Her close friend George Owen having been killed in the first week of the war, for three years she worked as secretary to Henry Whipple, an educational administrator who was a widower twenty-four years her senior and whom she married in 1917. Their life was mostly spent in Nottingham; here she wrote Young Anne (1927), the first of nine extremely successful novels which included Greenbanks (1932) and The Priory (1939). Almost all her books were Book Society Choices or Recommendations and two of them, They Knew Mr Knight (1934) and They were Sisters (1943), were made into films. She also wrote short stories and two volumes of memoirs. Someone at a Distance (1953) was her last novel. Returning in her last years to Blackburn, Dorothy Whipple died there in 1966.

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Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors (Review)

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

Blurb

New York is slipping from Cleo’s grasp. Sure, she’s at a different party every other night, but she barely knows anyone. Her student visa is running out, and she doesn’t even have money for cigarettes. But then she meets Frank. Twenty years older, Frank’s life is full of all the success and excess that Cleo’s lacks. He offers her the chance to be happy, the freedom to paint, and the opportunity to apply for a green card. She offers him a life imbued with beauty and art―and, hopefully, a reason to cut back on his drinking. He is everything she needs right now. 

Cleo and Frank run head-first into a romance that neither of them can quite keep up with. It reshapes their lives and the lives of those around them, whether that’s Cleo’s best friend struggling to embrace his gender identity in the wake of her marriage, or Frank’s financially dependent sister arranging sugar daddy dates after being cut off. Ultimately, this chance meeting between two strangers outside of a New Year’s Eve party changes everything, for better or worse.

Cleopatra and Frankenstein is an astounding and painfully relatable debut novel about the spontaneous decisions that shape our entire lives and those imperfect relationships born of unexpectedly perfect evenings.

Review

I really need to stop reading books because of all the hype I see on Bookstagram because I am too often disappointed and this was no exception. 

In all the books I have read over the years I don’t think I have ever read a book where I have hated so many of the characters. I nearly gave up several times but I kept going because I was convinced it would get better. Sadly, I was quite wrong. 

The two main characters are Frank and Cleo. Cleo is a twenty something artist whose student visa is running out. She also has a tragic childhood that has affected her more than she or her friends realise. Frank is a forty something advertising executive who is successful and allows Cleo to live the dream life to follow her love of art. However, they are really not good for each other. 

In fact nobody in this book seems to be good for each other. Quentin who is Cleo’s drug addict best friend couldn’t really care about anyone but himself. Zoe is Frank’s much younger half sister who has just wanted someone to love her and make her feel safe. Then there is Eleanor who works in Frank’s office. I’ve read quite a few reviews that rave about how Eleanor is their favourite character but I’m sorry I just don’t see it. I think she is probably the most likeable in the book but I still don’t like her. 

This is a book of unlikeable characters, characters who are all on their own journeys. Some journeys revolve around love and lust which blinds them to all else and some journeys are journeys plunging further into the deep black hole. I personally need a book with at least some characters I like, that I care for but sadly by the end of this book I couldn’t care less about of any of them. I give this book 2 out of 5 Dragons. 

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Harper Collins | Waterstones | WH Smith

(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)

About the author

Coco Mellors is a writer from London and New York. She received her MFA in Fiction from New York University, where she was a Goldwater fellow. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband. Cleopatra and Frankenstein is her first novel.

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Nightflyers by George R. R. Martin (Review)

Nightflyers by George R. R. Martin

Blurb

The crew of the starship Nightflyer is heading into the outer reaches of known space in search of a legendary alien race known as the volcryn.

The mission is led by Karoly d’Branin and the ship captained by the mysterious Royd Eris, who appears only as a hologram who drifts among them, sometimes playing chess with the beautiful and brilliant warrior, Melantha Jhirl.

Soon the explorers begin to feel they are being watched. Macabre accidents befall them one by one. Is there someone else on board? Royd won’t say. And there is no turning back: the volcyrn are near…

Review

When I picked this up last month I was quite excited because I enjoy reading Martin’s work outside of A Song of Ice and Fire. I was not disappointed. 

As I was reading this I could clearly see it was an earlier work of Martin’s because the writing was less sophisticated than his newer works and his characters were not as in depth as his newer creations. However, this is also a novella so there isn’t too much room for development of characters. None of these things I minded though as I couldn’t put this book down. 

The crew of the starship Nightflyer all have certain skill sets and qualifications so they can research the illusive Volcryn. The head of these researchers is Karoly but the captain and owner of the ship is Royd. Royd only appears to the crew as a hologram but it soon becomes clear that all is not as it seems on the starship and horrific events start to unfurl. 

Royd tries his best to put everyone at ease and tries to be everyone’s friend but he makes a special bond with Karoly and shares Karoly’s passion for wanting to find out more about the Volcryn. Royd forms a very special bond with the wonderful Melantha though and it soon becomes clear that that bond will be one that neither will break. 

I love a good sci-fi read and the only fault I found with this book was that it was too short (not something I associate with a book by Martin)! I would have loved a more in depth novel with more background information about everyone and the worlds they come from but I can’t complain because what I did have was a wonderful, action packed little book. I would happily read this book again and have recommended it to my husband who also loves sci-fi. I give this book a big 5 Dragons out of 5 Dragons. 

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Harper Collins | Waterstones | WH Smith

(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)

About the author

George Raymond Richard Martin (1948) is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. 

Blade Breaker by Victoria Aveyard (Review)

Blade Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

Blurb

Fighting beside her band of unlikely companions, Corayne is learning to embrace her ancient lineage and wield her father’s powerful sword.

But while she successfully closed one of the Spindles, her journey is far from over.

Queen Erida’s army marches across Allward with her consort, Taristan, right beside them, opening more portals into nightmarish worlds, razing kingdoms to the ground.

Corayne has no choice but to assemble an army of her own if she’s to save the realm as she knows it. But perilous lands await her and the companions, and they face assassins, otherworldly beasts, and tempestuous seas all as they rally a divided Ward to fight behind them.

But Taristan has unleashed an evil far more wicked than his corpse armies. Something deadly waits in the shadows; something that might consume the world before there’s any hope for victory.

Review

This is another book that I have taken way too long to read. I really do not know why I have delayed reading this book because I absolutely loved Realm Breaker and couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I probably should have read it sooner because then it wouldn’t have taken me so long to remember what happened in the first book and remember the different characters. 

OK, I know I spent a lot of time going ‘that’s from Tolkien’ but I generally do that with every fantasy book I read because every fantasy author does tend to be heavily influenced by Tolkien. I mean The Wheel of Time series by Jordan almost has direct quotes from The Lord of the Rings! However, this didn’t put me off this book and just like The Lord of the Rings I could not put this book down. 

I love the characters within this series and I spent a great deal of the book worrying about the fates of Dom, Sorasa, Sigrid, Andy, Corayne and even Charlie at times. I dreaded turning a page and reading of something happening to one of these characters. I loved seeing the relationship between Dom and Sorasa develop. I loved seeing how Sigrid would happily challenge anyone to an arm wrestle and win and face any battle with bravery and bravado. The loyalty in this group of companions was moving to see. 

Queen Erida might be a baddie but I do like her character. She was the child who was meant to be a boy. Her parents wanted a prince and instead they got a princess and so she has spent her life learning to be strong, learning to rule with a rod of iron and show no weaknesses. Although she is a pampered princess she is hard and unyielding and now with Taristan’s help she is showing her people and the rest of the Ward just what she is made of and her thirst for power. I do wonder what lies ahead of her and wonder whether she will need Tristan’s help for much longer or will she outgrow him?

This book left me with a lot of questions which I hope the next book will answer for me. 

I am so pleased I have the next book to read so I can be put out of my misery. I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. I happily give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons and will happily read this book again. 

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Foyles | Waterstones | WH Smith

(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)

About the author

Victoria Aveyard (1990) is an American writer of young adult and fantasy fiction and screenplays. She is best known for her fantasy novel Red Queen. 

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The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Review)

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Blurb

Carlota Moreau: a young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of either a genius, or a madman.

Montgomery Laughton: a melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers. 

The hybrids: the fruits of the Doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities. 

All of them living in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.

For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.

Review

Why did I take so long to read this book? This book sat on my TBR for so long and I really can’t tell you why because I am yet to find a book by Moreno-Garcia that I haven’t loved. It took me quite a long time to finish this book but that was because this thing called work kept getting in the way of my precious reading time. 

This book is a really clever take on the H. G. Wells story called The Island of Doctor Moreau. I loved this refreshing new take on a classic and I thoroughly enjoyed the feminist twist that Moreno-Garcia included. 

I really enjoyed how this book was told between Carlota’s and Montgomery’s perspectives but that was also one thing that slightly let this book down for me because some chapters I found too repetitive. Carlota was a very interesting and unconventional character who was both beguiling and annoying at the same time. It was very hard to make her out at times but all became clear as the story continued. 

Montgomery was a very sad character who had many demons lurking that were created by his extremely tragic back story. The man had hardly known a moment of happiness or peace in his life but to me he was a fascinating character who really added to the story. He was loyal, he was sensitive, he was kind and understanding and cared for others but he was also brash and hard with a temper. 

This book was very much a slow burner for me but I didn’t mind that as it just added to the feeling of suspense. This book was a great historical fiction read with a sci-fi twist that really felt like a classic sci-fi story just like Wells. Moreno-Garcia did brilliantly at keeping the original feeling of a Wells sci-fi novel but with a modern edge and I loved it. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons. 

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Foyles | Waterstones | WH Smith

(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)

About the author

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of several novels, including Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. She has also edited a number of anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu’s Daughters). Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination.

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The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan (Review)

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

Blurb

The seals of Shayol Ghul are weak now, and the Dark One reaches out. The Shadow is rising to cover humankind.

In Tar Valon, Min sees portents of hideous doom. Will the White Tower itself be broken?

In the Two Rivers, the Whitecloaks ride in pursuit of a man with golden eyes, and in pursuit of the Dragon Reborn.

In Cantorin, among the Sea Folk, High Lady Suroth plans the return of the Seanchan armies to the mainland.

In the Stone of Tear, the Lord Dragon considers his next move. It will be something no one expects, not the Black Ajah, not Tairen nobles, not Aes Sedai, not Egwene or Elayne or Nynaeve.

Against the Shadow rising stands the Dragon Reborn…..

Review

This was a reread for me but I will be honest I had forgotten a great deal and I definitely think I enjoyed this book more on the second read. At times I could not put this book down. 

Perrin has always been my favourite character in the series and I loved the fact we got so much more of Perrin in this book and Perrin on his own without Rand all the time. I also loved how we ended up back in the Two Rivers and got to meet people from the first book again and see their characters develop further. Perrin’s chapters were definitely the chapters I couldn’t put down and flew through. 

My least favourite character in the series so far is Mat. Mat has got to be one of the most annoying characters I have ever come across in a book series. I keep hoping he will improve and become less annoying. I have many books to read to see whether a less annoying Mat will ever happen. 

I would have really liked to have seen a bit more of Egwene in this book but once she met the wise ones she kind of disappeared from the story and just became a background character. Thankfully, we got to see plenty of Nynaeve and Elayne in this book as I always love Nynaeve’s spirit and stubbornness. They had plenty of dangerous adventures of their own. 

Rand is definitely growing up in this book. He accepts who he is and his destiny and he starts to plan and work out exactly what he needs to do to fulfil his destiny. I really enjoyed seeing this side of Rand and I liked how he integrated in with Aiel. 

I absolutely loved this book but I am glad I decided to read it alongside other books. At being just over 1000 pages long it was a long slog at times and I needed some light relief. I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons. 

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Foyles | Waterstones | WH Smith

(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)

About the author

James Oliver Rigney Jr. (1948-2007) was an American author of epic fantasy who wrote under the pen name Robert Jordan. Jordan also wrote historical fiction under the name of Reagan O’Neal, a western as Jackson O’Reilly, and dance criticism as Chang Lung. 

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

The Amber Crown by Jacey Bedford (Review)

The Amber Crown by Jacey Bedford

Blurb

In this new epic fantasy, three societal outcasts must work together to fulfil the orders of a dead king’s ghost or risk their nation falling to a tyrant

The king is dead, his queen is missing. On the amber coast, the usurper king is driving Zavonia to the brink of war. A dangerous magical power is rising up in Biela Miasto, and the only people who can set things right are a failed bodyguard, a Landstrider witch, and the assassin who set off the whole sorry chain of events.

Valdas, Captain of the High Guard, has not only failed in his duty to protect the king, but he’s been accused of the murder, and he’s on the run. He’s sworn to seek justice, but his king sets him another task from beyond the grave. Valdas doesn’t believe in magic, which is unfortunate as it turns out.

Mirza is the healer-witch of a Landstrider band, valued and feared in equal measure for her witchmark, her scolding tongue, and her ability to walk the spirit world. When she’s given a task by Valdas’ dead king, she believes that the journey she must take is one she can never return from.

Lind is the clever assassin. Yes, someone paid him to kill the king, but who is to blame, the weapon or the power behind it? Lind must face his traumatic past if he’s to have a future.

Can these three discover the real villain, find the queen, and set the rightful king on the throne before the country is overcome?

Review

Firstly, thank you to Jacey Bedford who very kindly sent me a copy of The Amber Crown in exchange for an honest review. 

It took me a while to get into this book as I found the world building rather confusing to begin with. Instead of a completely new world Bedford has taken a lot of influences from the real world and added them to the world she has created for The Amber Crown. The book is told from the perspective of three people, Valdas, Captain of the High Guard, Mirza a healer-witch and Lind an assassin. 

There were certain aspects of this book that I found rather upsetting and I do believe that this book could be quite triggering for some people. Certain scenes have certainly stayed with me and I would rather they hadn’t. Lind is a particularly broken character who is desperately trying to make his way in the world. Valdas is trying to get justice for his dead king but I couldn’t help but wonder if he would have got the resolution quicker if he had taken his mind off sex occasionally.

Mirza was my favourite character in this book. Mirza has had to fight people’s opinions since she has been born. She was born with a witch mark which makes people fear her and hate her but she defies them all. She does her duty to her people and always tries to help everyone. 

I enjoyed this book but I am pleased it is a standalone book because I personally did not find it had the detail in the world building to stand up to being a series. I would also not be able to deal with Valdas for anymore books. The book having short and snappy chapters and a quick storyline made this book a quick and enjoyable read. I give this book 3 out of 5 Dragons.  

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Purchase Links

WH Smith

(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)

About the author

Jacey Bedford is an English writer who is published by DAW in the USA. She lives and works behind a desk in Pennine Yorkshire. She’s had stories published on both sides of the Atlantic. She has seven novels out now. Her newest is The Amber Crown, published by DAW inJanuary 2022. Previous books are: Empire of Dust, Crossways, and Nimbus, science fiction (space opera) which make up the Psi-Tech trilogy. Winterwood, Silverwolf and Rowankind make up the Rowankind trilogy. These are historical fantasy, set in 1800, with a cross-dressing privateer captain, the jealous ghost of her dead husband, and a sexy wolf shapechanger. 

Jacey is secretary of the UK Milford Writers’ Conference, a peer-to-peer workshopping week for published SF writers. She also hosts Northwrite SF, a critique group based in Yorkshire. 

She’s been a librarian, a postmistress and member of internationally touring a cappella trio, Artisan. When not writing she arranges UK gigs for folk artists from all over the world.

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The Midnight Folk by John Masefield (Review)

The Midnight Folk by John Masefield

Blurb

Talking paintings and animals help Kay in his attempt to outwit the witches and locate his great-grandfather’s buried treasure.

Review

I have read the Kay Harker books in completely the wrong order but I am kind of glad I did. I absolutely love The Box of Delights and think it is a wonderful book filled with magic and fantastic characters. However, if I had read The Midnight Folk first I doubt I would have bothered to read The Box of Delights afterwards. 

I really struggled with this book as it was just such a jumble of characters and plot lines. I understand that Masefield was going along the lines of a dreamlike structure but it just lacked the refinement of The Box of Delights. The Box of Delights had structure but this book had no structure that I could tell. This book also has no chapters so it is one long story with divides. The Box of Delights had chapters with relevant chapter headings and it really helped give structure to the story. 

Kay is an orphan but we aren’t told why but it is clear that he hasn’t had an easy childhood so far. Yes he has a big house and a fab garden to run around in but his governess is not a nice woman and the maid Ellen who looks after him tells him terrifying tales which would give any child nightmares. What Kay needs is someone to love him and make him feel safe. 

I will be honest I didn’t like Kay very much in this book. I found him rather annoying and not very loyal to his friends. He knew his friends were in danger but his attitude was very much ‘oh I can’t help otherwise I will be late for breakfast or tea, if you are still in trouble I will help you later’. 

I really struggled with this book and almost gave up several times with it. I certainly wouldn’t inflict this book on a child or read it again which is a shame as The Box of Delights is so good. Overall, I give this book 2 Dragons out of 5. 

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About the author

John Masefield (1878-1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. 

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