book-review
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The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
Summary Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this new epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds. The people suffer under the centuries-long rule of the Moon Throne. The royal family—the despotic emperor and his monstrous sons, the Three Terrors—hold… Continue reading
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Weyward by Emilia Hart
Summary I am a Weyward, and wild inside. 2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great… Continue reading
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Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (Vorkosigan Saga #1)
Summary When Cordelia Naismith and her survey crew are attacked by a renegade group from Barrayar, she is taken prisoner by Aral Vorkosigan, commander of the Barrayan ship that has been taken over by an ambitious and ruthless crew member. Aral and Cordelia survive countless mishaps while their mutual admiration and even stronger feelings emerge.… Continue reading
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The Bone Harp by Victoria Goddard
Thrice-cursed bard and warrior-elf Tamsin wakes up in Elfland after what might or might not have been his death, healed and hale for the first time in millennia. Somewhat confused but not entirely unhappy with this turn of events, he sets off in the hopes of finding a way home … A standalone tale of… Continue reading
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Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver
So What’s It About? 1906: A large manor house, Wake’s End, sits on the edge of a bleak Fen, just outside the town of Wakenhyrst. It is the home of Edmund Stearn and his family – a historian, scholar and land-owner, he’s an upstanding member of the local community. But all is not well at… Continue reading
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The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
So What’s It About? As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by… Continue reading
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Glow by Raven Kennedy (The Plated Prisoner #4)
My reviews for this series just keep getting shorter and shorter. Some brief thoughts: -This is definitely the book where Kennedy is trying the hardest to incorporate elements of introspection, healing and growth. Props for that, for sure! Unfortunately, she’s taken a page from the Sarah J. Maas Book of Trauma Recovery because most of… Continue reading
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The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
So What’s It About? For Joanna, her husband, Walter, and their children, the move to beautiful Stepford seems almost too good to be true. It is. For behind the town’s idyllic facade lies a terrible secret—a secret so shattering that no one who encounters it will ever be the same. At once a masterpiece of… Continue reading
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Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier
So What’s It About? After years of comparative peace, darkness has fallen upon Ulster. Trouble is brewing and even those in the heart of the forest are not safe. Niamh, elder daughter of Sorcha, is required to make a strategic marriage, while her sister Liadan, who has the gift of Sight and her mother’s talent… Continue reading
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Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
Summary Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep-sea mission that ended in catastrophe. It soon becomes clear, though, that Leah is not the same. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah… Continue reading
Charlotte Kersten 