Nearly a year later in the court of Harbeny, Lady Poppy and Sir Cyrenic must forge ahead without each other. Cyrenic adjusts to life after being released from the Sleepless Vow. And though Poppy has allies old and new, she buckles under the pressure to marry Lord Helder. The future looks bleak, but both Poppy and Cyrenic are fighters. Either they will claw their way out of the darkness, or take as many enemies with them as they can. This second volume of SLEEPLESS concludes the story of Poppy and Cyrenic.
Review:
This volume picks up Poppy and Cyrenic's story about a year on from where the previous one ended. Cyrenic has been asleep that whole time ever since Poppy released him from his vow while she has been stuck dealing with court politics and trying to prevent a forced marriage to Lord Helder. Now as her wedding draws near and Cyrenic finally wakes up everything is in the balance.
After really enjoying the first book in this series I had high hopes for the sequel so I hate to say it but I was kind of disappointed. Most of the things I loved about the first volume are still there, the diverse characters and the beautiful artwork are the same but the plotting felt kind of rushed. I didn't realise that this was the final volume and to be honest I think it needed just one more, it felt like the authors had to rush through everything to fit it into two books and if there had been three they would have had time to flesh out things like the court intrigue and especially the romance.
It wasn't that this book was bad, its just having seen what the author and artist accomplished with volume one I know they could have ended this series so much better.
Source: Received from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review
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Amazon Book Review’s Best Comics & Graphic Novels of 2018 The Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Books 2018
Lady "Poppy" Pyppenia is guarded by the Sleepless Knight Cyrenic but becomes endangered when an assassin threatens her life in the new king's reign. As Poppy and Cyrenic try to discover who wants her dead, they must navigate the dangerous waters of life at court and of their growing feelings for one another. Writer Sarah Vaughn (ALEX + ADA, ETERNAL EMPIRE) and artist Leila del Duca (SHUTTER, AFAR) team up with editor / colorist Alissa Sallah and letterer Deron Bennett for this fantasy romance.
Review:
Poppy is the daughter of the former king and now that her uncle has been crowned her place in court is very precarious. She may be the old king's illegitimate child but in her mother's distant land she is still considered a princess and therefore has a lot of support, something the new king is not very happy about. Forced to stay at the court by her uncle the only person she can truly rely on is her Sleepless Knight Cyrenic, a man pledged to protect her for the rest of his life. Poppy just wants to keep her head down until she can be reunited with her mother but when an assassin attacks she quickly realises that life in court is far more dangerous than ever before.
This was a really fabulous start to the Sleepless series, I'm intrigued by the characters and the court politics and I really want to know more about the Sleepless Knights and how they survive with no sleep. Poppy and Cyrenic are great characters and I love the hint of tension between them, the sparks are definitely starting to fly and I hope they can find a way to be together in spite of the taboo status of a relationship between them.
We are never overloaded with too much background and history so this story was a very easy read, I still have a lot of questions about things but I'm sure they will be answered slowly throughout the series. Leila del Duca's artwork is gorgeous, she uses lots of bright and bold colours that make her drawings really eye-catching and it fits Sarah Vaughn's story perfectly. I have to give the series bonus points for the diversity too. I'm definitely looking forward to continuing this series.
Source: Received from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review
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The battlecruiser HMS Hood is one of the great warships of history. Unmatched for beauty and charisma, unequalled for size, for 20 years the she was the glory ship of the Royal Navy, flying the flag across the world in the twilight years of the British Empire. Here, in words, photos and colour artwork, is the story of her life, her work and her people, from the laying of her keel on the Clyde in 1916 to her awful destruction at the hands of the Bismarck in 1941. Among the eyecatching strengths of the book is a unique gallery of photographs, including stills from a recently discovered piece of colour footage of the ship, plus a spectacular set of computer-generated images of both the exterior and interior by the worlds leading exponent of the art - a man who worked with the film director James Cameron (of Titanic fame). A wealth of new information on Hoods structure and operation make it essential reading for the enthusiast, modeller and historian alike. Hugely successful from its first publication, this is the forth printing of the ultimate book on the ultimate ship of the pre-war era, and is now presented in a new, smaller and affordable softback format.
Review:
I don't read a lot of non fiction but I've been doing some family history research recently and borrowed this book from my local library to help me. We know that one of my great uncles died at sea during WWII and family lore has always been that he died on board the HMS Hood so I wanted to do a bit more research about the ship and the tragedy that unfolded on the 24th of May 1941 when it sank during a battle with the German battleship Bismarck.
As it turns out we've managed to find evidence that although my great uncle served on the ship he was no longer on board when it sank, we're still trying to track down where he was transferred to and what ship he actually died on but it definitely wasn't the Hood. Apparently it's quite common for families to incorrectly believe relatives died on the Hood, probably because it was one of the most memorable ships at the time.
I'll admit that there are parts of the book that I skim read, some of it was a bit too technical for me since I have very little interest in actual ship building but this was still really interesting to flick though. It had a lot of information about the design, how the ship was built, the layout, life on board, ship pets, refits and previous accidents and how it was the pride of the British Navy. There are loads of pictures from throughout its career from when it's design began in 1916 right through to when it sank in 1941 including some large foldout illustrations.
1,415 men died when the Hood sank and there only 3 survivors rescued making it one of the worst tragedies in Naval history. Honestly I find it quite hard to wrap my head around that almost total loss of life.
If you're interested in finding out more you might want to check out the HMS Hood Association website where they have a full honour roll listing all the men who died on the ship along with lists of past crew members and loads of other information about the ship itself and the people who served on her including biographies for many crew members and details about the wreckage.
Source: Borrowed from the library
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Naomi Novik’s stunning series of novels follow the global adventures of Captain William Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire as they are thrown together to fight for Britain during the turbulent time of the Napoleonic Wars.
Captain Will Laurence has been at sea since he was just twelve years old; finding a warmer berth in Nelson's navy than any he enjoyed as the youngest, least important son of Lord Allendale. Rising on merit to captain his own vessel, Laurence has earned himself a beautiful fiancée, society's esteem and a golden future. But the war is not going well. It seems Britain can only wait as Napoleon plans to overrun her shores.
After a skirmish with a French ship, Laurence finds himself in charge of a rare cargo: a dragon egg bound for the Emperor himself. Dragons are much prized: properly trained, they can mount a fearsome attack from the skies. One of Laurence's men must take the beast in hand and join the aviators' cause, thus relinquishing all hope of a normal life.
But when the newly-hatched dragon ignores the young midshipman Laurence chose as its keeper and decides to imprint itself on the horrified captain instead, Laurence's world falls apart. Gone is his golden future: gone his social standing, and soon his beautiful fiancée, as he is consigned to be the constant companion and trainer of the fighting dragon Temeraire...
Temeraire Series: Vici (Short Story) Temeraire (Published as His Majesty's Dragon in the US)
Feast or Famine (Short Story)
Throne of Jade
Black Powder War
Empire of Ivory
Victory of Eagles
Tongues of Serpents
Crucible of Gold
Blood of Tyrants
League of Dragons
Golden Age and Other Stories (Short Story Collection)
Review: Temeraire (published with the title His Majesty's Dragon in the US) is the first book in Naomi Novik's alternate history series set during the Napoleonic Wars but with the addition of dragons and an Aerial Corps to the fighting forces.
Laurence was a Navy Captain who expected to come home a hero after capturing a French ship containing a rare dragon egg, after all the eggs are precious and hard to come by and the Aerial Corps are always trying to get more of them, but things got slightly problematic when they realised that the dragon would hatch before they could get it safely back to dry land. You see, dragons create a special bond with someone from the moment they are born and once that bond has been made it is very hard to break it. Nobody on Laurence's ship wanted to take on that bond and be forced to leave the Navy to instead join the less well thought of Aerial Corps. Laurence would never have chosen to bond himself to newly hatched dragon Temeraire but thats exactly the situation he finds himself in and now his life will never be the same again.
I enjoyed this book so much, the pace is actually pretty slow in places but that's because this is all about setting up the world, introducing the main players and watching Laurence and Temeraire bond and train together. There are some great battles at sea both at the beginning and end of the book and I loved the aerial fights between the dragons too. What I loved most was Temeraire and the other dragons though, the fact that they can talk was wonderful and the conversations between Temeraire and Laurence always left me smiling. Laurence may not have chosen his new life but he accepts his responsibility towards Temeraire and does everything he can to keep his dragon happy and healthy. I loved the way that older, bigger dragons are basically like airships that have whole crews on board when they go into battle. I enjoyed the dragon hierarchy and the competition between the humans too.
This is nothing like Uprooted or Spinning Silver but I can already tell I'm going to love this series so I can't wait to start reading the next one.
Source: Purchased
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This story can be read for free on the Fantasy Magazine website Also published in The Dragon Book: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy edited by Jack Dann.
“Well, Antonius,” the magistrate said, “you are without question a licentious and disreputable young man. You have disgraced a noble patrician name and sullied your character in the lowest of pursuits, and we have received testimony that you are not only a drunkard and a gambler—but an outright murderer as well.”
With an opening like that, the old vulture was sending him to the block for sure. Antony shrugged, philosophically; he’d known it was unlikely his family could have scraped together enough of a bribe to get him let go. Claudius’s family was a damn sight richer than his; and in any case he could hardly imagine his stepfather going to the trouble.
Temeraire Series: Vici (Short Story) Temeraire (Published as His Majesty's Dragon in the US)
Feast or Famine (Short Story)
Throne of Jade
Black Powder War
Empire of Ivory
Victory of Eagles
Tongues of Serpents
Crucible of Gold
Blood of Tyrants
League of Dragons
Golden Age and Other Stories (Short Story Collection)
Review:
Vici is a free short story in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series that can be read for free on the Fantasy Magazine website. Set in Ancient Rome this is long before events in the first book and there is no crossover of characters so this works well as a standalone or introduction to the series.
Antonius is the son of a noble but even a wealthy family will only get you so far when you've built up the amount of dept that he has. The magistrate has given him two options to clear his debt to society, the first is execution and the second is to singlehandedly slay a large dragon that has been terrorising local villages. Everyone knows he's very unlikely to survive a dragon but on the very narrow chance he does manage to kill it the magistrate will consider his debt repaid and he will be able to go back to his normal life keeping any treasure the dragon had collected.
I'm not going to give away anymore so you'll have to read the story for yourself to find out what happens next. I loved the dragon Vici and her partnership with Antonius, the dragons in this series are always fun to read about and she adds a lot of humour to the story with her strange way of looking at things. I also enjoyed seeing a few familiar historical figures mentioned.
Once there was a fisherman who lived on a cold and rocky coast and was never able to convince any woman to come away and live in that forbidding place with him. One evening he pulled up his net and found a woman in it. A woman with black hair and eyes as grey as a stormy sea and a gleaming fish's tail instead of legs.
The storm in her eyes rolled into his heart. She stopped her thrashing and crashing at his voice, though she did not understand his words. But her eyes had seen inside of him, and his loneliness caught her more surely than the net. So she stayed with him, and loved him, though he grew old, and she did not.
Remarks of this strange and unusual woman travelled from village to village and town to town, until they reached the ears of a man whose business was in the selling of the strange and unusual.
His name was P.T. Barnum, and he d been looking for a mermaid.
Review:
When I first heard about The Mermaid I kind of assumed that it would be a retelling of The Little Mermaid but with Christina Henry's own twist on the story but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that wasn't the case. Instead the author has come up with something uniquely her own, loosely based on PT Barnum's American Museum and the Feejee Mermaid he displayed there.
This book starts with the mermaid Amelia falling in love with a human fisherman but after a loving lifetime together the main story actually kicks off after Jack has died of old age. Amelia is kind of lost without the man she adored, not sure if she'll be welcomed back amongst her own kind she instead decides she'd like to swim to New York and explore more of the human world. Once there she meets PT Barnum and before she really understands what she has agreed to she finds herself on display in his museum.
Life in New York is totally different to anything Amelia has ever faced before and Christina Henry does a fantastic job of showing how wearying it is for her to be constantly under the spotlight with the eyes of the world looking on. Barnum is a conman who is more interested in his profit margin than the safety and happiness of his exhibits but his business partner Levi tries to look after Amelia's best interests.
I loved the mix of real historical figures (although the author does admit that her versions are only marginally similar to the originals) and places with the fantastical idea of a real mermaid being on display. This was really Amelia's tale though, a story about her finding her place in the world and refusing to conform to society's expectations for her. Add in a hint of romance and a satisfying ending and Christina Henry has picked up a new fan in me - I'm definitely looking forward to making a start on her backlist!
Source: Received from Titan Books in exchange for an honest review
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It's 1577. Queen Elizabeth I has imprisoned scheming Mary Queen of Scots, and Alyce's mother is burned at the stake for witchcraft. Alyce kills the witchfinder and flees to London - but the chase isn't over yet. As she discovers her own dark magic, powerful political forces are on her trail. She can't help but wonder: why is she so important? Soon she finds herself deep in a secret battle between rival queens, the fate of England resting on her shoulders ...
Review:
Witchborn was a really fun historical fantasy with a realistic setting and plenty of added mystery and magic. Set in 1577 with Queen Elizabeth I on the throne and Mary Queen of Scots locked in the Tower of London for treason this is a story about an ongoing, bitter rivalry between the two queens and a young girl who gets caught in the crossfire.
Alyce's life is turned upside down when her mother is burned at the stake for witchcraft. Alyce manages to escape and heads to London, determined to deliver a secret letter to a man her mother said would be able to help her, but with the witch finders hot on her heels, and her growing powers becoming increasingly difficult to hide, it's not going to be easy.
I don't want to say much more about the plot because it's better to let you unravel events for yourself but I really liked Alyce as a character and enjoyed the journey she goes on. She meets a few allies along the way but it's very difficult to decide who can be trusted and certain things definitely aren't what they originally seem. The book is creepy and quite dark in places but I mean that in the best way possible and Nicholas Bowling really brings historical London to life with all the sights, sounds and smells you'd come across if you took a step back through time. I believe this is a stand alone story, and it definitely works as one, but I'd be very happy to read more stories about these characters and I'll be watching out for more from this author.
Source: Received from Chicken House in exchange for an honest review
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Untold centuries ago, the Archipelago was ruled by the Alder—mysterious beings who vanished, leaving behind only scattered artefacts of unknown power, called Vestige. Sometimes, a person will be lucky or unlucky enough to discover that each piece of Vestige has its own tale to tell . . .
The Mechanical Minotaur
Evander’s father locks him in the cellar on his twelfth birthday. Their house in the Emerald Bowl is cold and empty, far from the warm home in Imachara where he lived with his parents back when his mother was alive. Yet down in the dim, dark cellar is a trunk with Evander’s name on it, and within is an automaton that says it can lead the boy back to his mother . . .
Vestigial Tales are stories set in the world of the award-winning Micah Grey series. Step behind the circus ring from Pantomime, the theatre of Shadowplay, and the court magic of Masquerade.
Note: This story is best read after Masquerade, as a cap to the Micah Grey series.
Review: The Mechanical Minotaur is the 5th of Laura Lam's Vestigial Tales but where most of these short stories can be read at any point in the Micha Grey series this one really should be read after Masquerade if you want to avoid spoilers.
This is the story of a young boy called Evander who has been treated terribly by his father ever since the death of his mother a year previously. Then on the night of his 12th birthday Evander receives an unexpected gift that makes him question everything he thought he saw the night his mother died. Now Evander is on a quest, with the help of a vestige mechanical minotaur, to uncover what truly happened that night but it won't be an easy journey.
I don't want to say much more about the story but this was a nice addition to the Micha Grey world and I really liked Evander's character. This does tie into the main series but you don't really figure out how until nearer the end of the story so I'm not going to spoil things by saying how. Evander was a really sweet boy and I think I'd have liked his story even more if it had been a little longer, as it is I don't think it was a particularly necessary addition to the series but it was worth reading if you want to see a bit more of this world.
Source: Received as part of a preorder giveaway from the author
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The gifted hide their talents, but dare they step into the light?
Micha's Chimaera powers are growing, until his dark visions overwhelm him. Drystan is forced to take him to Dr Pozzi, to save his life. But can they really trust the doctor, especially when a close friend is revealed to be a spy?
Meanwhile, violent unrest is sweeping the country, as anti-royalist factions fight to be heard. Then three Chimaera are attacked, after revealing their existence with the monarchy's blessing - and the struggle becomes personal. A small sect decimated the Chimaera in ancient times and nearly destroyed the world. Now they've re-emerged to spread terror once more. Micha will discover a royal secret, which draws him into the heart of the conflict. And he and his friends must risk everything to finally bring peace to their land.
Review:
I first fell in love with Micha and Drystan way back in 2013 when Pantomime was first released so I went into Masquerade with mixed feelings from the excitement that we were FINALLY going to get a conclusion to their story to the sadness that the journey was nearing an end. I still don't feel quite ready to say goodbye to this world or these characters but I do think this was a fitting end to the series and it did answer all of the biggest questions that had been raised in previous books. Some things possibly tied up a little too easily but overall I was happy with the way it ended and I'm very glad I invested the time to read the series.
Micha has been such a wonderful character from the very beginning, all of his struggles to become the person he was born to be and to find people who will accept him for who he is have paid off and now he has created a wonderful family for himself with Drystan, Cyan, Maske and more. I loved that his brother Cyril has supported him through everything and it was nice that Cyril had a larger role to play in this story too. Drystan has always been a character full of secrets and I was a bit disappointed we didn't get to dig further into his past but he's also been on quite a difficult journey and this book sees him facing his biggest temptations yet. I was worried for a time that he would fall completely apart but it was nice to see Micha support him in his hour of need when the tables turned.
I don't want to go into much detail about the plot but this story focuses much more on the political unrest in Ellada, the Foresters have been growing in power since the beginning, people are becoming more and more paranoid and tensions in the general population are high. For Micha and the other chimera the stakes have never been higher but you'll have to read the book for yourself if you want to know more than that. This book had less of the magical performances of the previous one but probably more intrigue and investigation, more secrets and bigger betrayals. The pace felt a little slower but not in a way that stopped me enjoying it, in fact I probably appreciated the urgency more because of the way events unfolded.
Masquerade was a fitting end to the trilogy but I'm still kind of hoping Laura Lam will decide to revisit this world in the future. I'd be very happy to spend more time with these characters or even explore other parts of the world and perhaps see some of the minor characters have a chance to shine.
Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
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Untold centuries ago, the Archipelago was ruled by the Alder—mysterious beings who vanished, leaving behind only scattered artefacts of unknown power, called Vestige. Sometimes, a person will be lucky or unlucky enough to discover that each piece of Vestige has its own tale to tell…
The Card Sharp
“He always mourned that moment, when the high began to fade. It was like he moved from who he wanted to be to having to face the reality of who he was. He’d rather feel supernatural. More than Drystan Hornbeam, a seventeen-year-old-boy who had made a lot of foolish mistakes and didn’t seem to be changing his habits anytime soon.”
Before Drystan became the White Clown of R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic, he was a Lerium addict struggling on the streets of Imachara. When a mysterious woman gives him a chance at a new life, he takes it, even if it means falling even deeper into the dark underbelly of the capital of Ellada. Drystan knows that selling Lerium to the powerful men and women who bet at the high stakes card tables is perilous, especially when he still battles his own addictions. Yet when he meets a man who can help him learn to cheat at cards and swindle them out of enough money to start a new life, he dives headfirst into more danger.
Vestigial Tales are stories set in the world of the award-winning Micah Grey series. Step behind the circus ring from Pantomime, the theatre of Shadowplay, and more…
Review: The Card Sharp is the fourth of Laura Lam's Vestigial Tales set in the world of her Micha Grey series. Its technically a prequel as it shows events from before Pantomime but because it features a character not introduced to the series until Shadowplay I think you're better off reading it after that book when it will have more meaning to you.
This is the second chance we've had to delve into Drystan's past but this takes us back to events before The Snake Charm and before Drystan ever became the white clown in Ragona's Circus of Magic. The story starts not long after Drystan ran away from home and takes us through his struggles with his lerium addiction and how his life hit rock bottom. It isn't pretty reading but it does end on a more hopeful note as Drystan works hard to escape the life he fell into and move on with his life.
Obviously if you've read any of the main books in the series you'll already know where life takes him beyond this point but I enjoyed seeing more of his background and learning how he first met Maske. I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point but it's a great addition for fans of the series who want to know more about Drystan.
Source: Received as part of a preorder giveaway from the author
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Untold centuries ago, the Archipelago was ruled by the Alder—mysterious beings who vanished, leaving behind only scattered artefacts of unknown power, called Vestige. Sometimes, a person will be lucky or unlucky enough to discover that each piece of Vestige has its own tale to tell…
The Tarot Reader
“Cyan didn’t want to read fortunes.”
Cyan Zhu is the best tarot reader Riley & Batheo’s Circus of Curiosities has ever seen. Too good, some say. She reads the cards, but she can also tell more about her customers than they could ever suspect. Two people walk into Cyan’s cart to have their fortunes told and change her life forever: Oliver, a sailor with a pretty grin, and a mysterious man with a blurred face, who sends her terrible visions that might come true.
Vestigial Tales are stories set in the world of the award-winning Micah Grey series. Step behind the circus ring from Pantomime, the theatre of Shadowplay, and more…
Review:
The Vestigial Tales are short stories set in the same world as Laura Lam's Micha Grey series. They give readers a bit more insight into the Vestige artefacts that were left behind when the Alder retreated from the world. The Tarot Reader actually gives us a bit more insight into Cyan, a character we were introduced to during Shadowplay. Although events in this story occur before Shadowplay I actually think you'll enjoy it more if you read it afterwards, Cyan's character is a bit of a mystery during the book and I enjoyed unravelling her secrets alongside Micha but it was great to go back now and fill in some of the details.
The Tarot Reader was my favourite of the Vestigial Tales so far, I loved getting to see more about Cyan's life when she was working for Riley & Batheo’s Circus of Curiosities. How her secret ability helped her so much with her Tarot readings and what happened when her parents found out about what she could do. We also get to see her first meeting with Oli and watch their romance blossom. This was a really sweet story and it left me excited to see more of Drystan's past in The Card Sharp.
Source: Received as part of a preorder giveaway from the author
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Untold centuries ago, the Archipelago was ruled by the Alder—mysterious beings who vanished, leaving behind only scattered artefacts of unknown power, called Vestige. Sometimes, a person will be lucky or unlucky enough to discover that each piece of Vestige has its own tale to tell…
The Fisherman’s Net
A humble fisherman in a village of the coast of the island of Linde buys a trinket at the market, which he discovers is Vestige. The poor man soon becomes the best fisherman in the village and marvels at his newfound wealth. One day, he ensnares a most unusual catch: a Chimaera sea maiden that isn’t meant to exist. And he’s not sure if he can let her go.
Vestigial Tales are stories set in the world of the award-winning Micah Grey series. Step behind the circus ring from Pantomime, the theatre of Shadowplay, and more…
Review: Laura Lam's Vestigial Tales are short stories set in the same world as her Micha Grey trilogy and give us some insight into some of the Vestige artefacts that were left behind when the Alder vanished. The Fisherman's Net doesn't feature any characters from the other series so works well as a standalone and can be read at any point wether you've read the Micha Grey books or not.
This was a much shorter story than The Snake Charm but as it's told more like an original fable the shorter length worked really well. The Fisherman's Net is the story of a man who finds a magic net that helps him become the wealthiest fisherman in his village. You'll have to read it for yourself to find out whether he puts that wealth to good use or if greed takes him down a dangerous path.
This is the kind of story that Micha and Dustin would have had read to them as children and I really enjoyed getting a further glimpse into their world.
Source: Received as part of a preorder giveaway from the author
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Set in the alternative World War II scenario of his Front Lines novels, Michael Grant, author of the bestselling GONE series, has written this story exclusively for World Book Day 2017.
Rio Richlin doesn’t have superpowers. She is an ordinary young woman. A soldier in the American army, wearing a uniform, carrying a rifle, and fighting alongside thousands who are trying to make a difference, trying to change the world.
At least, that’s the plan. Right now she’s part of a squad on a training exercise in some place called Wales. They’re cold, they’re wet, and Rio’s pretty sure they’re also lost. Spending the night in a creepy old inn wasn’t part of the plan at all…
Rio's only training. But soon, the fate of the world will be in the hands of the soldier girls.
Review: Dead of Night is set in the world of Michael Grant's Soldier Girls series, a reimagined version of history where American women were actually included in the draft to become soldiers in WWII. As far as the timeline goes this is set somewhere in the middle of the first book, after Rio and her squad have finished their first 13 weeks of training in America but before they're sent to the frontline. They're actually in Wales on another training exercise when they get lost in the fog. Unable to find their way back to base they take shelter in a village pub that they stumble across.
I don't really want to say too much more because it would be easy to give too much away but this was a fun story and a nice addition to the series. It's very different to the full length novels though, where they are very much grounded in reality and almost feel like you're reading true life war diaries this story is a little more surreal and it took me a while to figure out exactly what was going on. I think the nature of the story won't necessarily appeal to everyone but I thought it was very clever and I enjoyed reading something different, I do think events that unfold have a profound effect on Rio so whether they're real or imagined you'll definitely notice the difference in her from Front Lines to Silver Stars.
This has quickly become one of my favourite series so it's one I'd highly recommend, I'm not sure that Dead of Night is the best place to start but if you're read Front Lines then it's well worth giving this a try.
Source: Received from Egmont in exchange for an honest review
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The second novel in the epic new young adult series that Michael Grant is calling his best yet!
It's WWII but not as you know it from school. This time the girls are on the Front Lines and not on the Home Front. Summer 1943. The enemy has been bloodied, but Nazi Germany is very far from beaten. Now the American army is moving on to their next target: the Italian island of Sicily.
With heavy memories of combat, the three young soldier girls – Rio, Frangie and Rainy – now know what they are willing to do to save themselves, and understand the consequences of those actions. On the front lines, they will again come face to face with the brutality of war until they win or die, while simultaneously fighting their own personal battles. No one will emerge unscathed.
In the tradition of The Book Thief, Code Name Verity and Between Shades of Gray, Front Lines gives the experience of WWII a new immediacy while playing with the ‘what ifs?’ of history.
Review:
If you thought Front Lines was good then you've honestly not seen anything yet because Silver Stars ups the stakes in every way possible, the danger is greater than ever and the characters have completely come into their own. If you're new to this series then I'd recommend reading the books in order but to give you a brief recap this is an alternative history of WWII imagining one major change - that female soldiers were recruited into the American army and served alongside the men on the front lines. Pretty much everything else is accurate to what really happened and these books are so well written and believable that you actually feel like you could be reading someone's personal diary as they tell you their own life story.
We continue to follow the stories of the three main characters introduced in the first book. First you have Rio Richlin who joined the army with her best friend Jenou after finding out her sister was killed in action. Then there is Frangie Marr who signed up as a medic mainly because her family needed the money, she faces even more prejudice than the others because not only is she a woman she's also black and racism was very prevalent during this time. The third main character is a young Jewish woman Rainy Schulterman who joined the army with the intention of shooting nazis but was quickly recruited into the intelligence community. Each girl has a separate story to tell but there are times when their stories link and I love getting to see the war through their very different experiences.
Rio has been fighting on the front lines for a long time now and she's rising up through the ranks because of her experience. She's become quite a ruthless fighter and has had to try and lock her emotions away but she feels a growing distance between her and her best friend and she's struggling to cope with everything that she's seen and done. As a medic Frangie is right there at the front too tending to wounded soldiers who wouldn't have much of a chance without immediate treatment. Her job definitely isn't a risk free one and she constantly finds herself facing danger while trying to protect others. Rainy has the most dangerous job of all though and is sent on an undercover mission to Italy, she has no backup and not much of a plan on how she's supposed to get herself home again so her story is fraught with danger and she suffers badly when she's captured along the way.
I have totally fallen in love with all three of these girls, I feel their pain and suffer alongside them and I'm desperately hoping they'll all make it through the war alive but we're constantly being shown how much danger they're facing and I'm worried that at least one of them won't survive it. I don't think I can praise this series highly enough, it's dark and can be quite painful at times but it's also totally addictive and utterly absorbing. Michael Grant has done a stellar job with these books, you can tell they're meticulously researched and they really are a must read.
Source: Received from Egmont in exchange for an honest review
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Untold centuries ago, the Archipelago was ruled by the Alder—mysterious beings who vanished, leaving behind only scattered artefacts of unknown power, called Vestige. Sometimes, a person will be lucky or unlucky enough to discover that each piece of Vestige has its own tale to tell…
THE SNAKE CHARM
“To most, Drystan was just another buffoon in the collective of clowns. But behind the inane grin, he saw everything, keeping the secrets he discovered close, like precious gems to barter.”
Mutiny is brewing in R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic. When Linden, the leader of the clowns steals one of the ringmaster’s most prized possessions, Drystan, the white clown, finds himself caught in the middle. Tasked with retrieving the Lethe, he’s forced to betray Linden or risk his troubled past coming to light. But the Vestige artifact has its own history and its own power. Drystan will learn what it can really do, and who it can hurt.
Vestigial Tales are stories set in the world of the award-winning Micah Grey series. Step behind the circus ring from Pantomime, the theatre of Shadowplay, and more…
Review:
I'm a huge fan of Laura Lam's Micha Grey series, she created such an interesting world where magic is no longer a constant thing but instead lives on in rare artefacts known as Vestige. These artefacts often have dangerous powers but you never know what will happen until you actually try to use one. Laura has created this spin off series to tell the stories of some of these Vestige items, some of the stories will feature characters we've already met in the main series while other stories will introduce new characters but I'm sure they'll all be interesting to read.
The Snake Charm is kind of a prequel to Pantomime, it's set at R.H. Ragona's Circus of Magic and told from the point of view of the white clown Drystan who is one of the main characters in the series. It's set before Micha joins the circus and I really enjoyed seeing a different side to Drystan. While I do think you can still read and enjoy this even if you've not read the full length books set in this world I personally think you'll enjoy it much more if you've at least read Pantomime so are already familiar with the characters.
We already know that Drystan is keeping secrets but this shows what an impossible position those secrets put him in when he is torn between helping one of the other clowns or the circus ringmaster Bill. I'm not going to say more so you'll just have to read the story to find out what happens but I really enjoyed revisiting this world and I'm looking forward to reading the remaining Vestigial Tales.
Imogene Hale is a lowly parlourmaid with a soul-crushing secret. Seeking solace, she takes work at a local hive, only to fall desperately in love with the amazing lady inventor the vampires are keeping in the potting shed. Genevieve Lefoux is heartsick, lonely, and French. With culture, class, and the lady herself set against the match, can Imogene and her duster overcome all odds and win Genevieve's heart, or will the vampires suck both of them dry?
This is a stand-alone LBGTQ sweet romance set in Gail Carriger's Parasolverse, full of class prejudice, elusive equations, and paranormal creatures taking tea.
Delicate Sensibilities? This story contains women pleasing women and ladies who know what they want and pursue it, sometimes in exquisite detail.
Supernatural Society novellas can be read in any order.
Supernatural Society Series:
(A series of standalone adult novellas set in the Parasol Protectorate world featuring popular LGBT characters you may recognise from the other series) Romancing the Inventor
Romancing the Werewolf (2017)
Delightfully Deadly:
(A series of standalone adult novellas set in the Parasol Protectorate world featuring characters you may recognise from the other series, they fit into the timeline between the Finishing School and Parasol Protectorate books) Poison or Protect
Future titles and release dates to be confirmed
Custard Protocol Series:
(This is another adult series set in the Parasol Protectorate world but set several decades after the last book)
Prudence
Imprudence
Review:
As a huge fan of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate universe I was incredibly excited when I realised that she was finally giving my favourite female inventor, Genevieve Lefoux, a happily ever after. I loved Genevieve as a child in the Finishing School books and as a young woman in the Parasol Protectorate and now we finally get to see what happens to her after that series ended. Don't worry if you're not familiar with the series though, this story really does work well as a standalone so it would work as an introduction to the world (I'm sure you'll end up buying more books after this though!).
The story is told from the point of view of Imogene Hale, a young woman from a poor family who is working as a parlourmaid to help her parents make ends meet. She has a secret that would lead to her being ostracised but she was hoping taking a position working for the local vampire hive would allow her to explore her deepest, darkest fantasies without her family being any the wiser. The minute she sets eyes on Genevieve she knows she made the right decision but the inventor is wary of getting involved in a relationship so Imogene is going to have to use all her wiles to persuade her.
Romancing the Inventor is such an incredibly sweet, slow build romance and I totally fell for both of the main characters. Imogene is fairly innocent but she knows exactly what she wants and she's not going to let Genevieve get away from her without a fight. Genevieve is older and more experienced but she is also gun shy after her last relationship ended in disaster and she worries about corrupting the younger woman too. Working alongside each other they become fast friends but it's obvious that they're both incredibly attracted to each other and Imogene is determined to show Genevieve just how good they could be together.
I thought Gail Carriger did a wonderful job showing just how hard it would be to be a lesbian in Victorian times, in a society where women were expected to marry and produce children anyone who breaks from the norm was looked at with suspicion and could end up in a lot of trouble if they were caught in a delicate position. Imogene uses working for the vampires as a cover story but she really wanted to be there because she knows they have a reputation for being far more open to "perversions" and she's hoping that will give her the freedom to explore her own desires. I have to say I'm not a big fan the vampires in Countess Nadasdy's hive, apart from Lord Akeldama I much prefer the werewolves in this world, but I do love that they brought Imogene and Genevieve together.
I'm just really excited that Gail Carriger has decided to write stories about some of the LGBT characters from the main series and I'm already looking forward to the next book (which I believe may be about Biffy and Professor Lyall!).
Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review
Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.
Espionage lessons aboard Mademoiselle Geraldine's floating dirigible have become tedious without Sophronia's sweet sootie Soap nearby. She would much rather be using her skills to thwart the dastardly Picklemen, yet her concerns about their wicked intentions are ignored, and now she's not sure whom to trust. What does the brusque werewolf dewan know? On whose side is the fashionable vampire Lord Akeldama? Only one thing is certain: a large-scale plot is under way, and when it comes to fruition, Sophronia must be ready to save her friends, her school, and all of London from disaster - in a decidedly dramatic fashion, of course.
What will become of our proper young heroine when she puts her years of training to the test? Find out in this highly anticipated and thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Finishing School series!
Delightfully Deadly:
(A series of standalone adult novellas set in the Parasol Protectorate world featuring characters you may recognise from the other series, they fit into the timeline between the Finishing School and Parasol Protectorate books) Poison or Protect
Future titles and release dates to be confirmed
Custard Protocol Series:
(This is another adult series set in the Parasol Protectorate world but set several decades after the last book)
Prudence
Imprudence
Supernatural Society Series:
(A series of standalone adult novellas set in the Parasol Protectorate world featuring popular LGBT characters you may recognise from the other series) Romancing the Inventor
Romancing the Werewolf (2017)
Review:
As Sophronia and her friends get closer to the end of their time at Finishing School they have one last challenge to face before they can graduate - stopping the latest dastardly plot by the Picklemen. It's obvious that they have something major planned but the teachers aren't listening to them and Sophronia isn't sure who else to trust so she's just going to have to figure things out on her own.
As sad as I am to reach the end of this series I'm happy to say that it ended on a high note. Gail Carriger did a brilliant job of tying up all the loose ends and creating a fitting finale for Sophronia's story. She has her work cut out when the Picklemen invade her school, just what are they up to and why do they need the school dirigible to carry out their plan? Along with Agatha and Dimity she needs to get to the bottom of things quickly, especially if they want to graduate on time.
We also saw her bargain with her future to save Soap's life at the end of the last book and her actions have lasting consequences for both of them. Now that Soap is a werewolf he is more determined to pursue Sophronia than ever and she's finding him incredibly hard to resist but there is no way they would ever be accepted by society as a couple so they have to decide just how much they are willing to risk to be together.
Manners and Mutiny is an action packed finale to the series and I enjoyed every minute of it. These books have just been so much fun to read and I've really spotting links to characters in the Parasol Protectorate series. Gail Carriger has put so much effort into fully fleshing out the world and building a full history that it's brilliant to see how it all ties together, sometimes in unexpected ways. I really would like to see more of Sophronia and Soap so I hope that the author decides to revisit them in the future and share some of their adventures, I'm sure they'll have a lot of fun in their new roles, but in the meantime I'll happily be diving into her other spin off series and tie ins.
Source: Purchased
Other Reviews:
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Just when you thought Michael Grant’s GONE series had taken us to the darkest limits of his imagination, the evil genius of young adult fiction is back to take you to the Front Lines of terror. In the tradition of The Book Thief, Code Name Verity and Between Shades of Gray, Front Lines gives the experience of WWII a new immediacy while playing with the ‘what ifs?’ of history. It’s WWII, but not as you remember it from history lessons! This time the girls aren’t stitching socks for the brave boys at the front. Meet 17-year-old Rio Richlin and her friends Frangie Marr and Rainy Schulterman, three of the newest recruits in the US Armed Forces. They stand shoulder to shoulder with the boys from home as they take on Hitler’s army.
In the face of reluctant colonels and sceptical sergeants, the teenage soldier girls must prove their guts, strength, and resourcefulness as soldiers. Rio has grown up in a world where men don’t cry and girls are supposed to care only about ‘money and looks’. But she has always known that there is something wrong with this system and something else in her. Far from home and in the battlefields, Rio discovers exactly who she is and what she can accomplish
The first in an exciting new young adult trilogy. Front Lines is the saga of a modern teenage heroine in an alternate past that could only have come from the man who gave us GONE, BZRK and Messenger of Fear.
Review:
I have to admit that Front Lines isn't the type of book I usually pick up but I was intrigued by the premise when Egmont sent me a copy for review so I decided to give it a try. This is my first book by Michael Grant (although I've heard amazing things about his Gone series) but it definitely won't be my last because he's an incredibly skilled writer. I think it's a difficult thing to rewrite history in a way that's believable, you're walking a fine line between creating something amazing and incredibly thought provoking or coming across as insensitive, especially when you're writing about something like WWII and the millions of people who died during the conflict. Luckily Michael Grant has come down on the correct side of that line and Front Lines is just an incredible read on every level.
It's obvious that the author done a huge amount of research into WWII and a lot of the battles and scenarios included in this book are based on real events. He's just made one major change, one that meant women were not only allowed to voluntarily enlist in the army but were actually subject to the draft just like men were. It doesn't sound so shocking now but we're talking of a time when the army was segregated so that white and black soldiers didn't even serve in the same platoon so adding girls to the mix just makes things even more complicated. Michael Grant doesn't shy away from the racism and anti-semitism that was much more prevalent at that time and the female soldiers are also subjected to prejudice because of their gender. It's not always comfortable to read about the attitudes of some of the white male soldiers but it is completely believable and realistic to how things would have been in that era.
Front Lines follows the journey of three female American soldiers who all signed up for very different reasons and whose army careers take them in very different directions. First we have Rio Richlin who almost enlists by accident thanks to her friend Jenou, Rio has already lost her sister in the war and she wants the chance to make a difference herself but she's not quite prepared for the shock of becoming an infantry soldier. Frangie Marr has always dreamed of becoming a vet but money is tight and her family need the paycheck that she can get by enlisting so she puts her future on hold to sign up, her path sees her training as a medic but that doesn't mean she's safely away from danger, in fact she's right there on the front lines patching up the wounded soldiers as fast as possible. Rainy Schulterman knows something horrible is happening in Europe, the complete lack of contact the Jewish community is getting from family and friends abroad is enough to convince her that she needs to play a part in this war and of the three she's the most determined to get over there and start kicking some Nazi butt.
I don't want to talk much more about these three girls individual stories, instead I'd like to focus on the friendships they make along the way and the loves they find and lose while going through their training. We get the chance to meet some wonderful side characters from all walks of life, there are moments of sheer terror but there is also humour and companionship, it's the bond they all form with the other members of their squads is what will help them push through the fear they feel. None of the girls expected to be sent to the front lines but times are desperate and the army needs every able body it can get if they want to have any chance of winning. We're talking young girls and boys who are barely old enough to get married and yet they're now half a world away from home and fighting for their survival. I know girls weren't really on the front lines but the point is they could have been and hundreds of thousands of boys were in this exact situation. It's a sobering thought when you look at things through their eyes and see just how terrified they must have been.
This is the kind of book that I think should be included in school curriculums, it puts such a personal spin on the horror of WWII and the inclusion of female soldiers just makes it even more accessible for everyone to read. Front Lines is an outstanding novel and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the trilogy.
If you're still not sure whether you want to read this book check out the trailer below, I'm pretty sure it'll convince you to give it a try:
Source: Received from Egmont in exchange for an honest review
Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.
Nearly a year later in the court of Harbeny, Lady Poppy and Sir Cyrenic must forge ahead without each other. Cyrenic adjusts to life after being released from the Sleepless Vow. And though Poppy has allies old and new, she buckles under the pressure to marry Lord Helder. The future looks bleak, but both Poppy and Cyrenic are fighters. Either they will claw their way out of the darkness, or take as many enemies with them as they can. This second volume of SLEEPLESS concludes the story of Poppy and Cyrenic.
