Monthly Wrap Up: May 2019

Technically I’ve read Priest of Bones in April – it was a nice Easter read, lol – but I only got around to review it at the beginning of May. Once again, thanks for Peter McLean for the signed copy!

“Priest of Bones deserves all the hype it got. If you ever wondered what would happen if you mixed a priest and the Godfather, then you can finally get your answer. Priest of Bones is an unputdownable character driven fantasy about organised crime, magic, political intrigue and a world left by the gods. I already can’t wait for the sequel, Priest of Lies to learn what happens to these lovely rogues called Pious Men next.”

Jen read the last book of the Manhunters series and while she liked it, she had some critics to tell as well.

“If you are looking for something different, something dark and inventive, and slightly disturbing, then it’s worth you checking this series out.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go cuddle some bunnies.”

I’m kind of ashamed it took me so damn long to review this book. Lamb is easily one of my all time favorites and my latest reread took place in January, when I most needed it.

“What makes Lamb exceptional is the humor and the characters that Moore brought to life. No matter how many times I read it, I just can’t help laughing out loud or be sad or excited for them to succeed in their quest.

You absolutely have to read this book if you like Moore‘s books, love humor, want an alternative history about who Jesus was, enjoy reading about adventure, drama and prefer a character driven story. In short: READ THIS BOOK!”

I reviewed the latest Three Crows Magazine issue which features short stories from R.J. Barker, M.L. Wang and Anna K. Scott as well as interviews, book and game reviews and other SFF related articles.

“Three Crows Magazine has ambitious goals to give a spotlight for many forms of art within the SFF scene. Personally I would have liked to see at least one more short story in the mix, but whatever your preferred media is – games, movies, books – you’ll find something in this issue.“

Jen reviewed the new addition to the Ordshaw universe, a novella which can be read as a stand alone.

“There were a few things I was unsure of – like why just being from Ordshaw made Tova a special interest to anyone in the first place, and some of the ending was a bit unclear to me. But this did what I think these extended series novellas should do – and that is get me interested in the world, give me a taste without giving me everything, and do it while being a ton of fun. In that, this book succeeded on all levels.

Total addictive blast!”

Jen finally jumped on the Mark Lawrence bandwagon! Starting with the first book of the Impossible Times trilogy which will be released this year. The first two books are already available.

“So, I am just going to leave it there and say: If you’re like me and been hearing lots of good things about this author but haven’t had the opportunity, or weren’t sure where to start with his work…well, then this is a great place to jump on the Mark Lawrence bandwagon.”

Another confession: I’ve read this book in April as well. As I said, May was a month for catching up. It was my first JC Kang book and surely not the last. This one is a novella telling Jie’s story.

“Thorn of the Night Blossoms is a good entry point into JC Kang‘s world. Whether you only just get to know the Dragon Songs Saga series or you already read one the books and you are interested to learn more about Jie’s past, you won’t be disappointed.”

I stepped out of my comfort zone a bit and got my hands on a YA fantasy book. I had mixed feelings about it, but overall it was an enjoying read.

“In all fairness, The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter is a solid and entertaining read. Being the debut of Caroline Flarity, I think it has good potential. All in all, it mostly delivered what I expected: a fast paced, sometimes spooky read with a bit of teen drama. If you like ghost hunter stories, evil spirits wreaking havoc in a little town playing mindgames on people, with teen angst and love drama on the side, then I’m sure you will enjoy The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter.”

I had the extreme luck of getting my hands on an ARC copy of the upcoming second book of the War for the Rose Throne trilogy and I jumped right in. I can’t help it, I just damn love this series!

“Even Priest of Bones didn’t shy away from bloodshed or violence when it came to it, but Priest of Lies turned it up by a notch. The War for the Rose Throne series with this addition really deserves to be mentioned amongst grimdark’s finest. Priest of Lieshas an awesome cast of characters, political intrigues, gore and twists that’ll make you blinking in surprise. If you love the genre, then you absolutely must read it!”

Mike Shel (not his real name) was born in Detroit,  Michigan in 1964 and grew up in the suburb of Dearborn, the hometown of Henry Ford, genius industrialist and virulent anti-Semite nutjob. Mike has also lived in southern Illinois, Louisville, Kentucky, Atlanta, Georgia, and now Indianapolis, Indiana. After writing two adventures forDungeon Magazine in the early 90s, he crawled down a deep, dark hole.  He emerged 15 years later, Rip Van Winkle-like, looked around for a moment, then crawled back down again. Re-emerging after another 3 years, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and began freelancing for Paizo Publishing and third-party publishers like Kobold Press and Legendary Games.

Mike is currently hard at work on his dark epic fantasy trilogy entitled ICONOCLASTS. The first book, ACHING GOD , is available now in digital and print format, he’s writing the second (SIN EATER), and the third (IDOLS FALL) is in outline form.

Devin Madson is an Aurealis Award-winning fantasy author from Down Under.

After some sucky teenage years, she gave up reality and is now a dual-wielding rogue who works through every tiny side-quest and always ends up too over-powered for the final boss. Anything but zen, Devin subsists on tea and chocolate and so much fried zucchini she ought to have turned into one by now.

Devin writes obsessively, but if you’re after happy, fuzzy tales then you’ve come to the wrong place. Her fantasy novels come in all shades of grey and are populated with characters of questionable morals and a liking for witty banter.

Born in Derby in England, on the day before mid-summers day, David Peter Woolliscroft was very nearly magical. If only his dear old mum could have held on for another day. But magic called out to him over the years, with a many a book being devoured for its arcane properties. David studied Accounting at Cardiff University where numbers weaved their own kind of magic and he has since been a successful business leader in the intervening twenty years.

Adventures have been had. More books devoured and then one day, David had read enough where the ideas he had kept bottled up needed a release valve. And thus, rising out of the self doubt like a phoenix at a clicky keyboard, a writer was born. Kingshold is David’s debut novel and Tales of Kingshold, companion short stories to the novel, are flooding onto the page as fast as David can write them.

He is married to his wife Haneen and has a daughter Liberty, who all live with their mini golden doodle Rosie in Princeton NJ. David is one of the few crabs to escape the crab pot.