Mailbox Monday (5)

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at Mailbox Monday blog.

So I knew I wouldn't be able to refrain from buying books for two weeks in a row! And the two books I did buy are not Fantasy or Science Fiction. I thought I'd list them in my Mailbox Monday post but I won't be reviewing them on here, only on Goodreads. So my personal kindle purchases weren't fantasy, but my NetGalley book has made up for that.

Here is what made it in to my house this week:

Personal Kindle Purchases:


The Dark Monk: View on Amazon || View on Goodreads
Pope Joan: View on Amazon || View on Goodreads

The Dark Monk is the second book in a series. I've taken a risk buying this one as I haven't actually read the first book in the series yet, The Hangman's Daughter, but it was only £1 on Amazon UK this week. I have heard a lot of good things about the series though, so fingers crossed!

Books for Review on NetGalley:


Divinity: View on Amazon || View on Goodreads

"Name That Tune" Fun

In one of the book groups that I participate in on Goodreads runs a bi-monthly Toppler, which in basic terms is a read-a-thon. They alternate between a week long one and a 24 hour one. This time around, it is a 24 hour one which started at 12 noon DST (which is 5pm my time) on Saturday 9th August and finished at 12 noon DST on Sunday 10th August.

Each Toppler has a theme and this time it is the game show "Name That Tune". So first off, I had to pick a song that I like. I chose "The End of the Line" by The Offspring. Then I had to choose a book that would make a good song title, I chose Coraline by Neil Gaiman as the title rhymed with Line in the song which I thought might make things easier on me. I then read my selected book within the 24 hour time frame allotted. Then finally, after reading my book, I wrote a song set to the tune of my chosen song. The result is as follows:

"The End Of Coraline"
When the book's by Neil Gaiman
And the Toppler’s going on
All of time should just stand still

When the story’s underway
And the Toppler game is played
I could live my life happy
if this book would never end

Please stay now, don’t leave me without a book- the end of Coraline
Please stay I can't make it on my own - the end of Coraline
Make it on my own
The end of Coraline

Now that you are read and gone
And I'm left to carry on
I could never smile till I
Find another book

Please stay now, don’t leave me without a book- the end of Coraline
Please stay I can't make it on my own - the end of Coraline
Make it on my own
The end of Coraline

Finally,
Your final resting day
Is a Sunday
I weep
And think of brighter days
What’s my next read?

You can't take back, the one you’ve read
That still lives on after the last page’s spent
In that one day, that changed our lives
And happy memories are left behind

You can't take back, the one you’ve read
That still lives on after the last page’s spent
In that one day, that changed our lives
And happy memories are left behind
Please stay now, don’t leave me without a book- the end of Coraline
Please stay I can't make it on my own - the end of Coraline
Make it on my own
The end of Coraline

I'm really chuffed with my song and the book was really good too! I will post my review for Coraline soon.

Normally when I take part in the 24 hour topplers, I manage to read one book but this time round I managed to squeeze in a cheeky second book. I read The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson. Again, I had to choose a song and write some new lyrics for it. I chose to adapt "Mirror in the Bathroom" by The Beat. I only did the first two verses of the song and while I do like it, I don't think it's as good as my Coraline song.

The Emperor's Soul
Shai is in a locked room
Wants to be free
The door is locked
Just her waiting to flee.
Where she sits and carves
Soulstone at the table
All by herself
While she is carving.

Shai is in a locked room
She just can't stop it,
Every day she plans to flee
And carving.
All her interest in the
Carving of a self
Just a thousand indentations
For the Emperor’s soul, soul, soul...

So it has been a reading and lyric writing packed weekend for me! Some of the other participants were brave enough to record themselves singing their revised song but I'm too chicken to do that! I will post a review for The Emperor's Soul soon.

Review: Temeraire by Naomi Novik

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors ride mighty fighting dragons, bred for size or speed. When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes the precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Captain Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future – and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature.

Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.

Reading Format: Kindle eBook
Year Read: 2014
Star Rating: 5 stars

This is another one of those books which have different titles depending on which country the book is published. Mine was called Temeraire but it is also called His Majesty's Dragon.

I have wanted to read this for a while as I have heard a lot of good things about the series. It is my first book by Naomi Novik. What a great combination of fantasy, historical fiction and alternate history! With dragons!

I have only read one book before which was military based and I didn't like it that much but it was set in more modern times. But this book, set during the Napoleonic wars, I found really interesting. During these wars (in reality), no country had aerial squadrons which left battles to be fought at sea and on the ground but having dragons as part of the armed forces in this book gave the war a very different dynamic and obviously changed the course of the battles.

The story focuses on Laurence, a Captain in the British Navy who upon “winning” a French battleship in a fight, took possession of not only the ship but also what was on it including a dragon egg. So it hatches out and they need to put a harness on it as quickly as possible to “tame” it. After drawing lots as to who would do this, they wait for the dragon to hatch. And just like a cat, the dragon chooses who it wants to be as his rider/owner rather than the guy who was chosen by lots.

So from esteemed Navy Captain to Dragon Corp Captain, Laurence names his dragon Temeraire. Oh and I forgot to say that Temeraire is a talking dragon! Which I love! He is the true star of this book for so many reasons. Obviously, not being born to the Corp and Temeraire not being a native breed to England, both face difficulties trying to integrate themselves in to life in the Corp.

I really liked the relationship between the dragon and Laurence. Other reviewers have commented that they do not understand the relationship but I see Laurence caring for the dragon as one would with a beloved pet dog… that unconditional love… but with the added bonuses that you can have an intellectual conversation with it (and it be two way)… that it can take you from A to B (and it flys)… and that it is a truly magnificent animal.

The book is set during the Napoleonic War and Naomi Novik sure seems to know her stuff on this time period and does a great job at setting the scene and showing us what it would have been like at sea and at home during those battles. I loved the aerial battle scenes as well as the training drills for the dragons and their crews.

I have to say that I loved every minute of this book and I have added it to my Favourites shelf. I am very eager to continue on with the series and I can’t wait to hear more from Temeraire.

Temeraire said many a great thing. Here are two of my favourite lines from the dragon:

“I should rather have you than a heap of gold, even if it were very comfortable to sleep on.”

“It is very nice how many books there are, indeed. And on so many subjects!”

Temeraire: View on Amazon || View on Goodreads

Review: Age of Iron by Angus Watson

Bloodthirsty druids and battle-hardened Iron Age warriors collide in the biggest epic fantasy debut release of 2014.

LEGENDS AREN'T BORN. THEY'RE FORGED.

Dug Sealskinner is a down-on-his-luck mercenary travelling south to join up with King Zadar's army. But he keeps rescuing the wrong people.

First, Spring, a child he finds scavenging on the battlefield, and then Lowa, one of Zadar's most fearsome warriors, who's vowed revenge on the king for her sister's execution.

Now Dug's on the wrong side of that thousands-strong army he hoped to join ­- and worse, Zadar has bloodthirsty druid magic on his side. All Dug has is his war hammer, one rescued child and one unpredictable, highly-trained warrior with a lust for revenge that's going to get them all killed . . .

It's a glorious day to die.

Reading Format: Kindle eBook
Year Read: 2014
Star Rating: 4.5 stars

I was really excited to receive this book through NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

Badgers Cocks! That was a good read! No I am not making up new expletives but it is one that Dug, one of the main characters in the book, uses. A LOT!!! Actually, he pretty much proceeds our usual swear words with Badgers. I thought this was a nice touch as it added some humour, lessening the impact of the language.

Still on the subject of language, I didn't like how sex and women generally were described. Shag this, bang that, and riding the red horse are just a few of the terms used. I suppose the language was in keeping with those who were saying it and may also be the culture of the time but it just bugged me a little.

I don't think the book was male focused, although that was my first impression based on the front cover (reminds self to take the advice of never judging a book by its cover). A lot of fantasy stories are male dominant in characters and the women tend to be weaker and in need of rescue so it was good to have some strong female characters in this one.

This book is being marketed as being similar to Martin's Game of Thrones series and Joe Abercrombie. I've read the former and loved it but none of the latter so I cannot comment on the similarities there unfortunately. It's dark, consists of battles between ruling “kings” of the three main regions of Britain, and plenty of raping and pillaging so I suppose that is why it has been compared to Game of Thrones. But that's really where the similarities end for me. This is no Game of Thrones in my eyes but I am a Thrones geek so perhaps I'm a bit biased. I don't like it when publishers compare new books to other authors.

That said, I still enjoyed this book. It is the authors first fictional debut in what looks like could be a promising new fantasy series. I say fantasy series as that is what it's listed as but it's not really fantastical. It's fantasy-light. Yes it mentions Druids who practice human sacrifice, tell the future by spilling the innards of children, and the odd bit of magic but that's as magical as it gets.

As well as it being light on fantasy, it is also light on history. The book is set around the time of the Roman Invasion of Britain and I think it's listed as historical fiction but it's more alternate history I'd say. This was my view while reading it but once I got to the end and read the authors “historical note”, it did give me a different viewpoint. He states that the book is “a fantasy story, not intended to be serious history. However, the history in it is generally accurate. I've made up the tribes and the characters, but all details – their homes, the towns and villages, clothes, industry, farming, flora and fauna, weapons, etc. - are as correct as they can be.”

If you can get past the lack of history and fantasy, for your historical fantasy book, then I think you'd enjoy the book. I like the writing style and the characters are well developed. It is darkly humorous in places too.

I thought the book started well by dragging us straight in to a battle (although it's pretty one-sided) and I thought I was going to be in for one hell of a ride with cover to cover battles but then things quietened down a bit and more characters were introduced and the story was developed. There is lots of action, some of which is a little disturbing in places but it isn't described in graphic detail so it's easy to skip it if you would rather do that. I thought it had the right amount of battles in it. As much as I like a good battle, I do like the journeys, chance meetings, and personal quests which help develop the characters.

The main three characters, Dug, Spring and Lowa are an unlikely trio, all stumble upon each other after the beginning battle. All of them have different agendas: Dug is trying to stay alive, Lowa is hell bent on revenge and Spring is just Spring. I loved all of them for different reasons.

I will definitely be reading the rest of the trilogy.

Age of Iron: View on Amazon || View on Goodreads

Related Articles: First Paragraph - First Chapter - Tuesday Intro: Age of Iron

First Chapter - First Paragraph - Tuesday Intro: Coraline

First Paragraph - First Chapter - Tuesday Intro is hosted by Bibliophile By the Sea.

I think I've posted the first paragraphs of all the books I am currently reading so this week I've decided to post one that I am going to be reading at the weekend for a challenge in one of the Goodreads groups that I'm in.

I will be reading Coraline by Neil Gaiman in a 24-hour read-a-thon challenge. I'm really excited about reading this book as Neil Gaiman is one of my favourite authors.

"Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house.

It was a very old house - it had an attic under the roof and a cellar under the ground and an overgrown garden with huge old trees in it.

Coraline's family didn't own all of the house, it was too big for that. Instead they owned part of it.

There were other people who lived in the old house. Miss Spink and Miss Forcible lived inn the flat below Coraline's, on the ground floor. They were both old and round, and they lived in their flat with a number of ageing Highland terriers who had names like Hamish and Andrew and Jock. Once upon a time Miss Spink and Miss Forcible had been actresses, as Miss Spink told Coraline the first time she met her."

Coraline: View on Amazon || View on Goodreads

What do you think? Would you keep reading?

Mailbox Monday (4)

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at Mailbox Monday blog.

So I have managed to not purchase any books this week which has to be a record and is excellent for my bank balance. No NetGalley books for review either which is good actually as I have quite a number that I need to get through and review before I take on any new ones. So just library loans this week but two which I'm very excited about.

Library Book loans:


Legion and The Emperor's Soul: View on Amazon || View on Goodreads
Coraline: View on Amazon || View on Goodreads

These are by two of my favourite authors!

Review: Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

My name is Peter Grant. Until January I was just another probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service, and to everyone else as the Filth. My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit - We do paperwork so real coppers don't have to - and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from a man who was dead, but disturbingly voluble, and that brought me to the attention of Chief Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England. And that, as they say, is where the story begins.

Now I'm a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated. I'm dealing with nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden - and that's just routine. There's something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious, vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it's falling to me to bring order out of chaos - or die trying. Which, I don't mind telling you, would involve a hell of a lot of paperwork.

Reading Format: Kindle eBook
Year Read: 2013
Star Rating: 5 stars

Interestingly, this book is called Midnight Riot in the US and has a very different front cover. I often wonder why Publishers do this. I know it's to attract to a different audience but still. So what I'm getting from this book title/cover change is that us Brits like any mention of London and where we are from and Americans like a good riot?!?

Title aside, I really enjoyed this quirky and unusual book. I quite like crime fiction and very much enjoy anything supernatural/paranormal so I was really excited to read this book as it combines the two.

Peter Grant, a police constable in the London Metropolitan Police, sees a ghost while policing a crime scene. Life as he knows it changes from this point on as he realises that there is more to reality including gods and goddesses of the river, ghosts and ghouls, vampires, and even magic. Because of his ghostly encounter, he is placed in a special police division which deals with supernatural stuff, along with the last magician, Detective Nightingale. The two of them, along with the "normal" police, investigate a string of murders across the city which are carried out by unsuspecting people who have been subjected to a destructive magical spell.

The book is really fun and fast paced and the characters are all really likeable, in particular, the lead character Peter Grant. I also really liked the house servant, Molly and her interactions with the other characters.

I'm really looking forward to reading the other books in the series. I do have the second one loaded on my kindle already, I just need to get to it!

Rivers of London View on Amazon || View on Goodreads