Monthly Wrap Up: March 2019

Actually I finished this book at the end of February, but the review was only posted in March so here it comes. The Woven Ring is the first book of Presley’s Sol’s Harvest series and many of my friends seem to really like it!

“All things said, there is a lot to like about The Woven Ring. It’s an imaginative flintlock fantasy with the potential of growing into a fantastic series. Maybe it’s a bit rough around the edges, but no one can say The Woven Ring doesn’t set a pretty solid foundation for the future for when Sol finally comes to harvest.”

This novella from Benedict Patrick introduces us to the Yarnsworld. It also available in the Lost Lore anthology and on Amazon for permanently FREE!

” And They Never Heard From Again has everything I love in the Yarnsworld series: a unique, bone chilling atmosphere, a twisted fairy tale-like story and monsters you never want to meet in a forest. Or anywhere else for that matter. And most of all: an experience you’ll never be able to forget. It stays with you, gets under your skin, runs its roots deep in your thoughts. And ho boy, it’ll give you enough to think about with its conclusion. “

Sadly the release of We Lie With Death was delayed to a date yet to be announced, but this only means I’ll have more time to shout about it, because hell, you really need to get to this series if you haven’t yet!

“This is that kind of book which makes you promise yourself you’ll only read one more chapter. Let me spare you to lie to yourself: you won’t be able to stop. Every chapter ends in mini climax urging you to read on. By the end you won’t be able to contain your feelings and probably will curse Devin Madson by leaving you hanging, waiting for the next book like a drug addict waits for the next shot. We Lie With Death is cleverly written, intricate and addictive, merging genres like it’s the most natural thing in the world, while handling topics with a sensitivity that shows Madson‘s genius. If you didn’t read We Ride the Storm yet, start it now, because you don’t want to miss We Lie With Death!“

 Technically this is an older review of Jen’s, you might remember it as she picked this book for the Advent Book Calendar event. But we decided to move it to the blog 🙂

“So, while I didn’t always like Rayne I did understand the battle with himself – I mean it’s not like his life was a barrel of fun and monkeys, not exactly the easiest POV and liking him, and understanding his struggles, are two different things. I did enjoy the journey and I quite liked a lot of the ideas in this story. And the fights. I really enjoyed the fights, and after my recent binge of fight movies, I felt I knew some of the moves they were pulling off, which is always cool. I will be curious to see where things go in later books, if there are any.”

Jen had pretty mixed feelings about Into the Labyrinth, actually I don’t think she liked it much…

“I also liked that even though the plot was pretty predictable, it did take one small veer off with the bonding that I liked much better than where it looked like it was headed at first. Though later, that same plot point thread/twist (not sure what to call it) could have used some foreshadowing to keep it feeling less like an “oh yeah, this is why that happened”.

Like I said mixed bag, but despite a few flaws there are lots to love and huge potential to be a really cool series.”

I think this was my biggest disappointment in March. I wanted to love this book, but didn’t. I expected a historical fiction full of intricacies and culture, and I’ve got a fantastical adventure instead.

“The Bird King is a really fast read – I had to check constantly if it really was 440 pages long, because I seemed to fly through it. It sucks you in right from the start, and though it lost me along the way, I’m pretty sure others will find it a really entertaining read. I had problems, but these mostly come from the fact that I expected something different going in and it didn’t deliver for me. But I recommend checking it out nonetheless if you are in search for a book with a female MC, diverse characters, exotic setting and an adventure. The Bird King is the story of love, sacrifice and never giving up on your dreams.”

Barbara Kloss loves adventures, and finds them through reading, writing, trekking through the wilderness, and gaming—though she doesn’t consider herself a gamer. She just happens to like video games. RPGs, specifically. She’s also a bit of a fitness enthusiast, a classically-trained pianist, and she believes that maintaining balance in life is a good thing (coffee excluded).

Barbara studied biochemistry at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA, and worked for years as a clinical laboratory scientist. She was lured there by mental images of colorful bubbling liquids in glass beakers. She was deceived.

She currently lives in northern California, with her gorgeous husband, three babies, and pup. Author of The Gods of Men, and the award-winning Gaia’s Secret Series.