Joanna lives alone in the woods of Vermont, the sole protector of a collection of rare books; books that will allow someone to walk through walls or tJoanna lives alone in the woods of Vermont, the sole protector of a collection of rare books; books that will allow someone to walk through walls or turn water into wine. Books of magic. Her estranged older sister Esther moves between countries and jobs, constantly changing, never staying anywhere longer than a year, desperate to avoid the deadly magic that killed her mother. Currently working on a research base in Antarctica, she has found love and perhaps a sort of happiness. But when she finds spots of blood on the mirrors in the research base, she knows someone is coming for her, and that Joanna and her collection are in danger. If they are to survive, she and Joanna must unravel the secrets their parents kept hidden from them - secrets that span centuries and continents, and could cost them their lives ...
I have to say I got hooked on this within the first few pages. I was intrigued by the premise, there’s mystery, threat and some glorious fantasy.
“Wherever you are, you must leave on November 2 and keep moving for twenty-four hours, or the people who killed your mother will come for you, too.”
It was a slow burn to start with as I tried to get my head round the characters and what was happening. Books that are magic, with scribes who write them with their blood, people who hear magic as a hum of a bee hive, power, sinister creepy houses and a smattering of love too.
‘The other hand was resting on the book, forefinger still pressed to the page as if holding his place. A last smudge of vivid red was slowly fading into the paper and Abe himself was mushroom-white and oddly shrivelled……She had not yet understood that it was the book itself that had killed him;’
It’s a big sprawling behemoth, it felt initially like it could go in any direction and then once you get to the reveal of sorts and the characters join up, I was hooked and raced to the end.
‘there was that mirror in Snow White, the one that told the evil queen about the fairest in the land … but was that kind of magic just fairy-tale shit, or was it real life?’
There is good old jeopardy which is fab and I certainly won’t look at a mirror in quite the same way again! A very good read and I’m thinking there may be more to come! ...more
Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone - and serendipity, coupled with sheer curiosity, has landed himRecession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone - and serendipity, coupled with sheer curiosity, has landed him a new job working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead they simply borrow impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he's embarked on a complex analysis of the customers' behaviour and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what's going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore...
I galloped through this book, I wasn’t really sure what to expect but it’s funny, witty, full of great bookishness and so enjoyable. The characters are great and it has secret codes, cults, google, and plenty of books.
Full of charm, nerdiness where the old book world meets new tech, it’s a delight!...more
Back with a large slice of fantastical dark academia we are at the Alexandrian Society once more.
The group of six magicians who were offered the oppoBack with a large slice of fantastical dark academia we are at the Alexandrian Society once more.
The group of six magicians who were offered the opportunity of a lifetime are now five. They had to kill one of their number for limitless power, they thought it was easy and then it went wrong. Things are unravelling. Libby died, well Nico and Tristan saw her body, but here what does that mean? Nico wants to find her, Tristan is taking risks to unlock his powers. Parisa has found something dangerous in Daltons mind, Reina is barred from knowledge she craves and Callum who was marked for death, survives. As the morals of the caretaker Atlas Blakely are questioned, which side will they choose and where or when is Libby Rhodes?
This is the follow up to The Atlas Six and I had to go back and remind myself what happened because otherwise I would be all at sea. This is a complex, twisting and fantastical plot. A difficult follow up and initially I struggled to place what was happening within minds and dreamscapes it can be confusing to know what is going on!
‘Well, I’m sure it was…not at all some kind of ongoing experiment to indoctrinate you into their cult of homicidal academia.’
I once again found myself not instantly liking these characters, except perhaps Libby. She is the only one I truly rooted for but as in The Secret History (where I couldn’t stand the characters either!) I couldn’t stop reading. It is dark, thrilling, at times a little impenetrable but oh so addictive read!
‘There are fractures amongst the remaining initiates. It will not be difficult to find the cracks in the societies foundation.’
The relationships are messy, anguished and they are all selfish &£@?ed up individuals, but they do seem to ultimately want to help each other, whilst there is a very dark undercurrent which will come to fruition in the final installment, I ended up racing through this and now I have to wait for the last part…....more
The third book in The Pantheon series and we are back with a bang! Barrington very kindly gives us a ‘what happened previously’ to bring you up to speThe third book in The Pantheon series and we are back with a bang! Barrington very kindly gives us a ‘what happened previously’ to bring you up to speed. And I mean a LOT has happened but in a nutshell - Punnr and Brante surrendered to the Titans at the end of the last book to save their own skins and so that Punnr can continue to try to find his sister who had previously betrayed her own comrades. We get a little flashback to his sister and then we are back in the twentieth year and Punnr and Brante fighting for their lives.
‘Kill the King.’…..’
Oh the absolute joy of being back in the pantheon! Honestly this is such a great series, with a fabulous blend of fantasy and reality in a world just brilliantly constructed. Each time I read one of these I get totally subsumed into the world, I feel like I know these people and root for them, I’ve said it before, they would make great films!
This book is more complex than the previous two, we meet all seven Palatinates, characters have moved on, changed identities and we also learn more of their civvy identities and names. I wasn’t sure at first, I really liked the set up of the first books but there are changes and it really ups the ante and I loved it! It’s a lot to take in, the story moves apace and you are totally absorbed into the story. There is fighting as before but it all feels more considered, Tyler is searching for his sister still, his friendship with Forbes developing. Lana is battling her own personal demons, especially Skarde and we also follow young Oliver at the training school.
And then there’s the fact that the battle has widened to involve the other palatinates and the Titans hatch a plan to destroy The Horde and so amalgamate the two palatinates. Then they can fight higher up the order and perhaps face The Legion itself? Told you it was complex!
This book does not disappoint, full of action, and with a simply fabulous ending I Cannot WAIT for the next book, I am simply rubbing my hands with glee for this!
‘Beware the man who faces you unarmed. If in his eyes you are not the target, then you can be sure you are the weapon.’
SecThe Atlas Six - Olivie Blake
‘Beware the man who faces you unarmed. If in his eyes you are not the target, then you can be sure you are the weapon.’
Secrets. Betrayal. Seduction. Welcome to the Alexandrian Society. Every decade, the world’s best magicians are offered an extraordinary opportunity, to join the secretive Alexandrian Society, whose custodians guard lost knowledge from ancient civilizations. Their members enjoy a lifetime of power and prestige. Yet, only six practitioners are invited – to fill five places. Contenders Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona are inseparable enemies, cosmologists who can control matter with their minds. Parisa Kamali is a telepath, who sees the mind’s deepest secrets. Reina Mori is a naturalist who can perceive and understand the flow of life itself. And Callum Nova is an empath, who can manipulate the desires of others. Finally there’s Tristan Caine, whose powers mystify even himself. If they can prove themselves, over the course of a year, they’ll survive. Most of them.
Oh how I enjoyed this book! This is one hot darkly academic fantasy novel, I found it a tense, gripping and exciting read. I found myself totally absorbed in the story of these six fabulously realised characters. Some you will love, others you’ll hate and mistrust. I loved Reina and Libby, but my trust in the others altered through the book. The idea of these people having powers that they themselves don’t fully understand is a good one as it means we go on a journey with them as they unravel what is happening.
‘We are the gods of our own universes, aren’t we? Destructive ones.’
This was a mix of Potter and Hunger Games but a lot more grown up and there’s a big dollop of A Secret History with a magical bent. Digging into the characters, we find out their motivations and intentions, no one is as they seem, you are wrong footed as a reader, tricked at points, it is unexpectedly twisting and shocking. I can totally see this being made into a film or Netflix series, it’s addictive, angsty and you will find yourself rooting for different characters throughout. Deliciously clever, fantastical, magical, tense and exciting, a book not to be missed!
Thanks to Netgalley, Jamie Lee-Nardone, Tor Books and Olivie Blake for my copy of this ebook....more
I absolutely loved The Prison Healer when I read it earlier this year and I was excited to read the second instalment of The Gilded Cage - Lynette Noni
I absolutely loved The Prison Healer when I read it earlier this year and I was excited to read the second instalment of this magical fantasy series. I wasn’t disappointed.
This book opens with Kiva Meridan or, as we now know, Corentine having escaped Zalindov prison with Jaren Vallentis who is in fact the heir to the throne of Evalon - her families throne. Kiva has sworn to get back to her family and take back their rightful throne and have vengeance for the deaths of her family years before. Kiva is taken into the inner circle of the royal Vallentis family, they trust her but the question is will she betray them to her family? Is family everything?
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