Book Review: The Unbroken

Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion, and the ties of blood may be stronger than she thought.

Luca needs a turncoat. Someone desperate enough to tiptoe the bayonet’s edge between treason and orders. Someone who can sway the rebels toward peace, while Luca focuses on what really matters: getting her uncle off her throne.

Through assassinations and massacres, in bedrooms and war rooms, Touraine and Luca will haggle over the price of a nation. But some things aren’t for sale.

Summary: The Unbroken by C.L. Clark is a biting, tumultuous, tension-filled tale about a soldier trapped between two worlds and belonging in neither, and princess trying to prove herself in an impossible situation. It’s a suitably messy take on colonialism, rebellion, lust and power, but that messiness often makes it difficult to completely connect with the story.

Monthly Reading Retrospective (February)

A post series looking back at the books I’ve read this month – I’ll have a look at any trends or through-lines I see in what I’ve read, and how I’ve stacked up against my goals for the year. Let’s begin!

Book Review: Heroes Die (Acts of Caine)

Renowned throughout the land of Ankhana as the Blade of Tyshalle, Caine has killed his share of monarchs and commoners, villains and heroes. He is relentless, unstoppable, simply the best there is at what he does.

At home on Earth, Caine is Hari Michaelson, a superstar whose adventures in Ankhana command an audience of billions. Yet he is shackled by a rigid caste society, bound to ignore the grim fact that he kills men on a far-off world for the entertainment of his own planet—and bound to keep his rage in check.

But now Michaelson has crossed the line. His estranged wife, Pallas Rill, has mysteriously disappeared in the slums of Ankhana. To save her, he must confront the greatest challenge of his life: a lethal game of cat and mouse with the most treacherous rulers of two worlds . . .

Summary: Heroes Die is an exciting yet intelligent sci-fi/fantasy action thriller. It weaves several fantasy and dystopia tropes together in new and exciting ways, with a morally grey, badass, action hero protagonist.

Book Review: Middlegame

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.

Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.

Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.

Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.

Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

Summary: Middlegame by Seanan McGuire is an enchanting story that begins and ends with incredible strength. It suffers a little from a slow middle, but the protagonists and their journey make it all worthwhile.

Book Review: The Black Coast

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Black Coast is available from February 18th 2021 (taken from expected publication date on goodreads).

Summary: The Black Coast by Mike Brooks is a great epic fantasy that focuses on a tense integration of two cultures, and delivers with style. It’s not perfect, but it shines through its characters and action.

Quick Book Review: Voice of War

While preparing for the birth of his first child, Chrys Valerian is tasked with uncovering the group responsible for a series of missing threadweavers–those able to see and manipulate threadlight. With each failure, the dark voice in his head grows louder, begging to be released.

A young girl from a secret city in the center of the Fairenwild veers off course to explore the streets of Alchea. She never expected that her journey would end in chains.

Far in the deserts to the south, a young man’s life changes after he dies.

When Chrys learns who is responsible for the missing threadweavers, they come for him and his family. He must do everything in his power to protect those he loves, even if it means trusting strangers or, worse, the dark voice in his mind.

Together, they will change the world–whether they intend to or not.

Summary: Voice of War by Zack Argyle is a fast-paced magic filled story, that sadly failed to grip me in any meaningful way. The characters and plot never managed to engage me. Having said that, the magic system is inventive and fun, and the setting has some novel elements.

Monthly Reading Retrospective (January)

The first in a new series of posts looking back at the books I’ve read this month – I’ll have a look at any trends or through-lines I see in what I’ve read, and how I’ve stacked up against my goals for the year. Let’s begin!

Weekly Roundup

This week I’ve caught up on my reviews, finally gotten to my most anticipated books list, and have plenty more to come! Click on to see what I’ve been up to this week, with links to my previous posts.

Throwback Book Review: King’s Blood Four

In the lands of the True Game, your lifelong identity will emerge as you play. Prince or Sorcerer, Armiger or Tragamor, Demon or Doyen… Which will it be?

Summary: King’s Blood Four has an interesting setting and magic system, but suffers from a meandering plot and a somewhat dull protagonist. It’s a fun read, but doesn’t follow much up on its ideas.

Book Review: The Mask of Mirrors

Ren is a con artist who has come to the sparkling city of Nadežra with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister’s future.

But as she’s drawn into the elite world of House Traementis, she realizes her masquerade is just one of many surrounding her. And as nightmare magic begins to weave its way through the City of Dreams, the poisonous feuds of its aristocrats and the shadowy dangers of its impoverished underbelly become tangled…with Ren at their heart.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for providing me with an e-arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Mask of Mirrors is available now.

Summary: The Mask of Mirrors by M. A. Carrick is a fantastically realised world of courtly intrigue, seedy underbelly and mystical events. Ren is a fascinating protagonist you can’t help but root for, and the plot is entertainingly twisty.