Monthly Wrap Up

Monthly Wrap Up: July 2018

Well, although this month went by fast – what the hell happened to this year? I can’t even follow the months anymore – it was quite uneventful. Except I decided to give in to the nagging and booked my flight tickets for this October: I’ll be in London 24th-28th October, attending BristolCon while I’m at it. Eeek! I’m so excited! Now, wait until the time nears, I’ll be a total nervous wreck, lol. Okay, enough about my miserable life, on to my blog: I know it’s not a big deal to some, but this being my 5th month as a blogger I think it’s awesome that in July I’ve hit 500 views! Thanks for the support guys and please keep being around 🙂


Book reviews

In case you missed any of my reviews earlier this month you can read them by clicking on the title! 🙂 I had a pretty mixed lot this month: some ARCs, historical fictions, dark fantasy, urban fantasy, romance, grimdark.


Fawkes by Nadine Brandes – 4/5

fawkes

A YA historical fiction, an ARC I’ve got through Netgalley. I quite liked it, and although I’m not into YA that much anymore, it was an enjoyable read about a boy with a plague whose only chance to save his life was if the joined to the Gunpowder Plot – to kill King James and the members of the Parliament.

“Fawkes has many layers and under the obvious surface of the plot there is a depth worth exploring. This book deals with questions of religion, society, acceptance, loss, what it means to give your life for your beliefs and that every coin has two sides. War and hate aren’t always the solution to solve the problem, and sometimes one person, one decision can change the course of events.”


The Lighthouse Keeper by Cynthia Ellingsen – 3.5/5

the lighthouse keeper

Romance is really out of my comfort zone, but I needed a light read for a weekend back in June. This one wasn’t bad, but didn’t make me want to go back to the genre.

“Actually, this is a perfect summer read for those who like to read romance books, while lounging by a pool, drinking cocktails, and pointedly not acknowledging the world around them. The Lighthouse keeper blends romance, mystery, past and present loves together nicely.”


Paternus: Wrath of Gods by Dyrk Ashton – 4.5/5

wrath of gods

I think this was one of the best reads of the month. Admittedly, I liked this better than Rise of Gods. It had action, humor, gods, blood and everything you want in a modern UF fantasy. Even if it’s written in present tense. It was also a first book I picked a song for. A feature I plan to do with every read from now on.

“Wrath of Gods is a hell of a ride, which won’t leave you bored, and most probably will break your heart. Fast paced, brutal, gripping and it’s full of surprises. I haven’t enjoyed an urban fantasy this much for a while now.”


Warlock’s Sun Rising by Damien Black – 4/5

warlocks sun rising

Okay, I cheated a bit with this one, because I’ve read it last year, but it was time to rewrite that review. Book 2 of the Broken Stone Chronicle series, and a much faster read than Devil’s Night Dawning. It has so many plotlines that I have no idea how Damien keeps track of them.

“In Warlock’s Sun Rising Damien turns the action and the magic up a notch. We get everything from battle scenes through demon wakening rituals to political scheming. If  you don’t find something you love in fantasy in this book, then you didn’t look hard enough.”


Red Season Rising by D.M. Murray – 3.5/5

red season rising

My first review that appeared on Fantasy Book Review! It’s a shame I didn’t like the book better 🙁 I swear I tried, but it had a few faults I couldn’t overlook.

“Overall, Red Season Rising is a fast-paced, intriguing and promising dark fantasy debut. Maybe it’s not perfect, and maybe not everyone will like it, but it has the potential to be epic. It has a ruthless, cruel villain you’ll love to hate, a main character who fights with addiction while trying to keep his head clear, and side characters whom you might find liking. The red season is rising, and your soul is at stake. You better pray to Dajda to keep you safe until her children come to embrace you.”


Alien Stars by David Hambling – 4.5/5

alien stars

This month we have a draw for best book. Besides Wrath of Gods, Alien Stars were my other highest rated book. But then, I loved all the Harry Stubbs books, so that’s not much of a surprise. This time Harry ventures deeper into Science-fiction.

“Alien Stars still has that unique atmosphere the other books also had: the prose is flowing, the characters are alive, and London leaps off the pages. If you are looking for a mystery, a historical fiction or even a science fiction novel, you’ll get all three in one.”


Those Brave, Foolish Souls from the City of Swords – 4/5

those brave foolish souls from the city of swords

If I had a review that needed rewriting more than Warlock’s Sun Rising, then this was it. I’ve read it almost a year ago as an ARC and wrote up a review which Benedict liked but I’ve no idea why, because it was horrible. I tried to give justice to this book with a better one. I liked the third Yarnsworld book as well as the others, but it’s not my favorite of them all.

“Those Brave, Foolish Souls from the City of Swords is Zorro meets The Three Musketeers. It has adventure, exciting sword fights, clashing morals. The reckless youthfulness meets the wise seasoned fighter and sets sparkles. And of course there is no Benedict Patrick novel without rich mythology and folklore to make the Yarnsworld a place you’d like to visit.”


Author Spotlight

This month I hosted a few grimdarkling authors on my blog who provided some interesting material for my blog: articles, excerpts, short stories and intriguing interviews!


Interviews

damien black

Damien Black is one of my favorite people in the scene, but I gushed a lot about him and his work, so this time I let him do the work for himself. We’ve talked about writing, his books, his experiences regarding last year’s SPFBO and music of course. An additional info: Warlock’s Sun Rising will be available on Audible as well as Devil’s Night Dawning!

If you want to find out more about what’s in store for him, read the interview!

david hambling2 1

I’ve been spoiled by fine british gentlemen this month, since David Hambling also braved my interrogation skills and visited the Asylum, knowing what awaited for him. A lot of questions about his work, the Harry Stubbs series, Lovecraft and traveling among other things.

Interested? Well, if you missed it, you can read that interview here and now!

Guest Posts

a m justice

A.M. Justice had written an article about music in fantasy, and showed through her own book, A Wizard’s Forge how music is part of Vic’s story.

Sounds like your thing? Check out Soundtracks!

megan mackie2

Megan Mackie, author of The Finder of  the Lucky Devil, provided me with an excerpt of her SPFBO entry book, namely Chapter 3. Along with A. M. Justice she is also a first timer in SPFBO, so make sure to check it out. Both of their books are one sale for a few days to celebrate the start of the new season!

And if you want to know what are you buying, read the excerpt!

martin owton

Martin Owton, author of the Nandor Tales series decided to show to you guys his short story, A Matter of Blood. This introduces us to the main character of the series, Aron and tells the story how he helped out a young men and dealt with some persistent killer who was more than determined to take revenge on him. After he took his own.

I strongly recommend checking it out, because it totally made me want to read Exile. Which I’ll do in due time.


Music Musings

Music Monday

If you missed any of them, give them a listen and read my personal notes/thoughts/ramblings regarding them 🙂


Music Diggin’ Friday

We had pretty slow weeks. I guess most albums/songs are being released during winter/autumn/spring so most bands are getting ready for summer festivals and tours. Fortunately we weren’t left stranded that much and summer helds some interesting releases yet 🙂

  • July 13th Featuring: The Protest, Three Days Grace, Theory of a Deadman, Thrice
  • July 20th Featuring: Heart Tide, Halestorm, Nothing More, Greta Van Fleet, Linkin Park, Fish!
  • July 27th Featuring: Halestorm, Daughtry, Dee Snider, Fozzy, Rise Against


Shows

This month I attended only 1 show, my favorite Hungarian band, Fish! Hell, I needed that show so much. By the end of the show I had no voice, which is always a good sign 🙂

See you all in August! 🙂