Book Review: "Across the Sorrow Sea" by Anthony Ryan

 

THE SORROW SEA—THE MOST FEARED REGION IN ALL THE FIVE SEAS—PLAGUED BY STORMS, PROWLED BY A MURDEROUS PIRATE KING, AND HOME TO INHUMAN TERRORS.

Continuing their quest for the Seven Swords, legendary warrior Guyime and his companions must brave these perilous tides to find the mythic Spectral Isle, where once a demon named Lakorath was captured by a sorcerer of great power. Here ancient plans will be unveiled and the secret purpose of the seven demon cursed blades may finally be revealed…

Continuing the saga of The Seven Swords, Across the Sorrow Sea is a fast-moving tale of seafaring adventure and dramatic revelations from the New York Times bestselling author of the Raven’s Shadow and the Covenant of Steel trilogies. - from Netgalley.com

I received this eARC from Netgalley.com and am providing an unbiased review.

This is the fifth installment in this quest for the fabled Seven Swords. I was a little disappointed it was so short, but truly loved being able to re-visit this world. I feel like there is going to be seven tales to finish this quest, but I could be wrong. Either way, I really enjoyed characters getting more background filled in, and though the story's world seems vast, it is like discovering just a section of it each time a story in this series comes out. Looking forward to the future stories.

Book Review: The Witch and the City by Jake Burnett

 

Trapped in a place of infinite forgetting, a witch must remember how to love.

The prison-city of Osylum floats in the midst of an endless abyss. The reclusive Lady rules it; distant, inscrutable, and never seen. Her will is imposed by the Wardens, eldritch creatures who tend to the convicts’ needs but also ruthlessly purge anyone who tries to escape.

Osylum’s newest inmate, the witch Oneirotheria, has no memory of who she is, where she came from, or why she is imprisoned. Instead, her mind is a mess of spells and lore and other people’s voices. The city mirrors her internal confusion; a jumble of broken buildings covered in hundreds of snippets of graffiti.

As Oneirotheria re-assembles her own shattered past (aided by a few inmates of dubious intent), she learns she may hold not just the key to escape, but the intertwined secrets of the city’s origin and a lost love that transcends countless lives. - from Booksirens.com

I received this eARC from Booksirens.com and am providing an unbiased review.

This was a different find for me. I usually would skip it fairly fast, but for some reason the synopsis sounded somewhat interesting, and after reading an excerpt, thought I would try reading something a little different than my normal material. The writing style was easy to read and understand, though for some reason it stood out as 'different' but I could not pinpoint as to what made it feel that way. Overall the story was interesting, and I felt it was interesting. I would more than  likely try other works from this author.

Book Review: "Truth in the Smoke" by S. P. Neeson

 

You're Fae. I could feel the magic when I walked in the door.

When a famous actress says this to me, I’m torn between thinking she’s insane and asking her for more details. But she leaves before I can do either and when I try to find her the next day, she’s dead and I’m left with more questions than before.

Why did she come to me? Why was she killed? Who did it? And was she crazy or did she know something I don’t?

I can try to forget it ever happened and move on with my life or I can break into her house, and the scene of her murder, to investigate.

What can I say? I’m really good at bad ideas. - from Booksirens.com

This eARC was provided to me through Booksirens.com and I am providing an unbiased review.

This is one of my favored types of reads: decent storyline, quick-moving, and overall a fairly fast read. Add that there will be at least a couple more books (if not more) in the series, it's even better. This starts out as a regular PI being hired to find something story, and then it starts getting interesting, as the PI here, doesn't know anything about 'other races' - meaning fae, etc. From there it gets a little far-fetched (as many stories these days do) with such a headstrong main character jumping head-first without knowledge of whom she might be against, just to 'right the wrongs' that have happened. 

Overall, it was a good read, and I look forward to the next book in the series. I may even look up the author for other works that may have already been written. There is some slow romance growing/blossoming/happening that doesn't get over-detailed. There some fantasy races involved, but best, it's a murder mystery, with huge complications.

Book Review: "Runes of Battle" by G. N. Gudgion

 Adelais is on the run.

And the kingdom of Galmandie has never been more dangerous.

In every town square, people whisper of a girl who brought down lightning on her enemies. The king has placed a huge price on Adelais’s head and sent troops to hunt her down.

Adelais flees high into the mountains. But winter is closing in and she cannot hide for ever.

Far to the north, there is a chance of escape. Her homeland has risen in rebellion against Galmandie. To reach freedom and safety, Adelais must cross many miles of hostile territory with inquisitors and royal soldiers always close behind.

If she is captured, Adelais will be burned as a witch. But if she learns to control the storm of magic within her, she could be the spark that sets the whole country aflame.

Packed with intrigue, action and warring gods, The Rune Song Trilogy is perfect for fans of Robin Hobb, Mark Lawrence and Andrzej Sapkowski. - from Netgalley.com

This eARC was provided to me through Netgalley.com and I am providing an unbiased review.

This is the second book in the Rune Song Trilogy and continues the tale after the first book. I was not a huge fan of the first book, but I wanted to see where the author would take us in continuing this journey. Again this was written telling the story from the viewpoint of at least three people (a style I do not care for) and for me, the beginning was hard to get involved with in reading. I place some of that blame on me due to my preferences of single-person versus multi-sided tellings. I felt lost and had to put it aside for awhile. Coming back to it a second and third time, I just could not keep myself interested in the tale.

I am only giving this story a 3-star rating due to that I did not finish it. I did somewhat enjoy the first book, and feel this could be a good tale if only I could stay focused on the tale, and not how it is being told.

Book Review: City of Bones" by Martha Wells

 

Before Martha Wells captured the hearts of MILLIONS with her Murderbot series, there was Khat, Sagai, and Elen, and a city risen out of death and decay…

The city of Charisat, a tiered monolith of the Ancients’ design, sits on the edge of the vast desert known as the Waste. Khat, a member of a humanoid race created by the Ancients to survive in the Waste, and Sagai, his human partner, are relic dealers working in the bottom tiers of society, trying to stay one step ahead of the Trade Inspectors.

When Khat is hired by the all-powerful Warders to find relics believed to be part of one of the Ancients' arcane engines, he, and his party, begin unravelling the mysteries of an age-old technology.

This they expected.

They soon find themselves as the last line of defense between the suffering masses of Charisat and a fanatical cult, bent on unleashing an evil upon the city with an undying thirst for bone.

That, they did not expect. - from Netgalley.com

This eARC was given to me through Netgalley.com and I am providing an unbiased review.

This was a bit different than what I expected when I requested to read this book. Definitely set in a world not like earth, or possibly a dystopian future. Khat, our main character, is of a race that many in the larger city-kingdoms consider beneath them. However, he has certain 'skills' that allow him to find relics and seemingly instinctively find their purpose and value. He ends up somewhat partnered up with the apprentice of a high level magistrate, and discovers he is the product of a race the Ancients created to withstand not only the changes in the world, but the battle from others in a distant other-world.

I have always enjoyed Wells' books, and this is not not I would toss aside. I felt it started off somewhat slow, but I understand the character and world setting had to be built in order to make the story understandable. It is a stand-alone read, so no worries about having to read multiples, or worry about the order.