BLURB:
It's no walk in the bloody park, being a Drood - one of the family who has protected ordinary humanity from the things that go bump in the night for centuries. We're not much liked - even by one another. Now our Matriarch is dead. Murdered. Maybe by one of us. Maybe not. It's been left up to me, Eddie Drood, to figure out whodunit.
That's not going to be easy. You see, opinion is divided evenly between two camps of thought: those who think the killer was Molly, my best girl, and those who think the killer was actually me. And I know for a fact that I didn't do it.
Saturday 17 September 2011
The Corset Diaries - Katie Macalister
BLURB:
"I HAVE TO WEAR WHAT???"
No woman in her right mind would consent to wearing a corset for a month. Especially a "skinny-challenged" woman like myself. But dreams of being debt-free danced in my head when I received the offer to appear on a reality TV show.
A Month in the Life of a Victorian Duke is about real people - like me - pretending to live on an English estate, circa 1879. Sounds fun, no? Well, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. We're talking no televisions, no cell phones, no PMS medication. And did I mention the corsets? No breathing for a full month. Luckily, when I met the real-life duke who was to be my pretend husband, he took my breath away...
In a manor in which everyone must strictly follow the Victorian lifestyle, things were bound to go wrong. Like when some harmless lust turned into that other thing...
Love was definitely not in the contract.
"I HAVE TO WEAR WHAT???"
No woman in her right mind would consent to wearing a corset for a month. Especially a "skinny-challenged" woman like myself. But dreams of being debt-free danced in my head when I received the offer to appear on a reality TV show.
A Month in the Life of a Victorian Duke is about real people - like me - pretending to live on an English estate, circa 1879. Sounds fun, no? Well, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. We're talking no televisions, no cell phones, no PMS medication. And did I mention the corsets? No breathing for a full month. Luckily, when I met the real-life duke who was to be my pretend husband, he took my breath away...
In a manor in which everyone must strictly follow the Victorian lifestyle, things were bound to go wrong. Like when some harmless lust turned into that other thing...
Love was definitely not in the contract.
Hidden Warrior - Lynn Flewelling
BLURB:
As the orphaned nephew of the king, trusted companion to his cousin, and second heir to the throne of Skala, Prince Tobin's future is clear. But not as clear as the spring in which a hill witch shows him his true face - and his secret destiny...
Now Tobin carries a burden he cannot share with even his closest friend, Ki, his squire. He is to rule - not as he is but as he was born: a woman. Given the shape of a boy by dark magic, Tobin is the last hope of the people of Illior - those who desperately seek a return to the old ways, when Skala was ruled by a line of warrior queens. They still believe that only a woman can lift the war, famine, and pestilence that have run rampant through the land since the king usurped his half sister's throne. It is these outlaw wizards and witches who protect Tobin - and it is for them that Tobin must accept his fate.
With the unsuspecting yet fiercely loyal Ki at his side, Tobin must turn traitor against the only blood ties he has left. He must lift the masks of Skala's rulers to show their true colors - before he can reveal the power of the woman within himself...
As the orphaned nephew of the king, trusted companion to his cousin, and second heir to the throne of Skala, Prince Tobin's future is clear. But not as clear as the spring in which a hill witch shows him his true face - and his secret destiny...
Now Tobin carries a burden he cannot share with even his closest friend, Ki, his squire. He is to rule - not as he is but as he was born: a woman. Given the shape of a boy by dark magic, Tobin is the last hope of the people of Illior - those who desperately seek a return to the old ways, when Skala was ruled by a line of warrior queens. They still believe that only a woman can lift the war, famine, and pestilence that have run rampant through the land since the king usurped his half sister's throne. It is these outlaw wizards and witches who protect Tobin - and it is for them that Tobin must accept his fate.
With the unsuspecting yet fiercely loyal Ki at his side, Tobin must turn traitor against the only blood ties he has left. He must lift the masks of Skala's rulers to show their true colors - before he can reveal the power of the woman within himself...
Tuesday 30 August 2011
The Chaos Crystal - Jennifer Fallon
BLURB:
The Tide Lords have gathered in Jelidia to find out the secret of how to kill an
immortal... Cayal in particular. Before they can do this, however, they must
find the Chaos Crystal that brought them to this world.
They initially head to Glaeba, where Arkady has been captured by Jaxyn. She
escapes and flees to Caelum, where she runs into Warlock and his family and
learns that Elyssa, Warlock's cruel immortal mistress, may know something about
the location of the Crystal.
With every immortal on Amyrantha searching for this artefact, the stakes are very
high...
MY TAKE:
574 pages. Book Four of The Tide Lords
The Tide Lords have gathered in Jelidia to find out the secret of how to kill an
immortal... Cayal in particular. Before they can do this, however, they must
find the Chaos Crystal that brought them to this world.
They initially head to Glaeba, where Arkady has been captured by Jaxyn. She
escapes and flees to Caelum, where she runs into Warlock and his family and
learns that Elyssa, Warlock's cruel immortal mistress, may know something about
the location of the Crystal.
With every immortal on Amyrantha searching for this artefact, the stakes are very
high...
MY TAKE:
574 pages. Book Four of The Tide Lords
Sunday 28 August 2011
The Bone Doll's Twin - Lynn Flewelling
BLURB:
For three centuries a divine prophecy and a line of warrior queens protected Skala. But the people grew complacent and Erius, a ursurper king, claimed his young half sister's throne. Now plague and drught stalk the country's lifeblood, and to be born female into the royal line has becme a death sentence as the king fights to ensure the succession of his only heir, a son. For King Erius the greatest threat comes from his own line - and from Illior's faithful, who spread the Oracle's words to a doubting populace.
As noblewomen young and old perish mysteriously, the king's nephew - his sister's only child - grows toward manhood. But unbeknownst to the king or the boy, strange, haunted Tobin is the princess's daughter, given me form by dark magic to protect her until she can claim her rightful destiny. Only Tobin's noble father, two wizards of Illior, and an outlawed forest witch know the truth. Only they can protect young Tobn from a king's wrath, a mother's madness, and the terrifying rage of her brother's demon spirit, determined to avenge his brutal murder...
MY TAKE:
524 pages. Book One of the Tamir Triad.
Assasin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb
BLURB:
In a faraway land in which membersof the royal family are named for the virtes they embody, one youg boy will become a walking enigma.
Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility.
So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and learn a new life: weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.
MY TAKE:
460 pages. Long buildup to when he begins the training. very detailed, solid characters.
In a faraway land in which membersof the royal family are named for the virtes they embody, one youg boy will become a walking enigma.
Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility.
So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and learn a new life: weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.
MY TAKE:
460 pages. Long buildup to when he begins the training. very detailed, solid characters.
Sunday 21 August 2011
A Wolf in Wolf's Clothing - Deborah MacGillivray
BLURB:
Revenge - that was Trev's goal when he first set his sights on Raven. And a delicious revenge it would be. He and his two brothers had each selected a Montgomerie sister to systematically seduce and destroy, and this quiet granddaughter of his enemy was perfect. She lived simply in a cottage in the English countryside, a painter, and socialized only with gypsies and a menagerie of misfits: her fat orange tabby, her one-legged seagull and a midget pony. And in addition to beauty, Raven had a delicious vulnerability begging to be exploited. Trev was happy to oblige. In fact, it felt like destiny.
Magic and fate have brought a self-proclaimed wolf to Colford Hall. He's dressed in a designer suit and drives a Lamborghini Murcielago and apologizes for nothing. And though Trev doesn't realize it, wolves mate for life.
My take:
Completely unrealistic and overly sappy and cheesy. Makes for a good brainless read. The description of intimate scenes were well described. Too much comparison and references to fairy tales like Red Riding Hood because the main female lead has red hair and Trev's the wolf. Raven is seemingly frail because of past emotional damage but she is quite stubborn and will stand up for herself if she has enough reason to do so. The mysterious gypsy box tells their future and their dreams are haunted by the past.
Revenge - that was Trev's goal when he first set his sights on Raven. And a delicious revenge it would be. He and his two brothers had each selected a Montgomerie sister to systematically seduce and destroy, and this quiet granddaughter of his enemy was perfect. She lived simply in a cottage in the English countryside, a painter, and socialized only with gypsies and a menagerie of misfits: her fat orange tabby, her one-legged seagull and a midget pony. And in addition to beauty, Raven had a delicious vulnerability begging to be exploited. Trev was happy to oblige. In fact, it felt like destiny.
Magic and fate have brought a self-proclaimed wolf to Colford Hall. He's dressed in a designer suit and drives a Lamborghini Murcielago and apologizes for nothing. And though Trev doesn't realize it, wolves mate for life.
My take:
Completely unrealistic and overly sappy and cheesy. Makes for a good brainless read. The description of intimate scenes were well described. Too much comparison and references to fairy tales like Red Riding Hood because the main female lead has red hair and Trev's the wolf. Raven is seemingly frail because of past emotional damage but she is quite stubborn and will stand up for herself if she has enough reason to do so. The mysterious gypsy box tells their future and their dreams are haunted by the past.
The Black Prism - Brent Weeks
BLURB:
Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit and charm are all that preserve a fragile peace. Yet Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: five years to achieve five impossible goals.
But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.
My take:
Gavin seems the good guy at first but he's keeping a secret that's eating at him from the inside out. The truth is revealed later in the book. I feel that he is a man trying to do his best for the world he lives in under rather... unusual circumstances and ways of showing his affection for his world. He is likeable and dashing. His son, on the other hand, has to battle his own upbringing. He has a weak and whiny(a little) character but when push comes to shove he mans up and does something.
The book is highly absorbing and once I picked it up I couldn't stop till I finished reading. I'm looking forward to the next book! Be warned - the book is almost a tome at 626 pages, hardcover. First in the Lightbringer series.
Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit and charm are all that preserve a fragile peace. Yet Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: five years to achieve five impossible goals.
But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.
My take:
Gavin seems the good guy at first but he's keeping a secret that's eating at him from the inside out. The truth is revealed later in the book. I feel that he is a man trying to do his best for the world he lives in under rather... unusual circumstances and ways of showing his affection for his world. He is likeable and dashing. His son, on the other hand, has to battle his own upbringing. He has a weak and whiny(a little) character but when push comes to shove he mans up and does something.
The book is highly absorbing and once I picked it up I couldn't stop till I finished reading. I'm looking forward to the next book! Be warned - the book is almost a tome at 626 pages, hardcover. First in the Lightbringer series.
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