Bloodsworn series part 2

 Hiya Bookworms,

Today book 2 of Bloodsworn series by John Gwynne.

This book is over 600 pages action packed delight, so much happening you basically have no chance to complain that book is too long or something.

As I tend to read more then one book in the same time this one was on 'my plate' for plus minus a week, but to be honest around 75% of it I read in two days and enjoyed it. 

We're still following Orka, Elvar and Varg on their 'adventures', but also bunch of other characters - both good and bad and some somewhere in between..

We are also meeting gods here: 

Lik-Rifa - dragon god (freed from her eternal prison), who plots new age of blood and conquest.

Ulfrir - wolf god (thralled to Elvar), raised from the dead - brother and enemy of dragon god.

Rotta - rat god, brother of Lik-Rifa and Ulfrir.

Orna - eagle god, raised from the dead to be thralled to Queen Helka, but killed short after by Lik-Rifa.

Lots and lots is happening in this installment of Bloodsworn series and I'm very, very curious how all this comes to end in last book of this trilogy. Who will survive to tell or sing the saga?

The Fury of the Gods is planned in our buddy reads schedule for August, so few more day LOL!

Shattered Sea by Joe Abercrombie part 2

 Hello Bookworms,

Half the World was another solid 4 star read, I do like new characters we're meeting here.

Hild 'Thorn' Bathu - 16 years old girl 'touched by Mother War' is one of new characters and through the book we can see how she's growing up as young person and a warrior.

Brand - young man (possibly 16) with strong morals who wants to be warrior to help his sister and himself to have better live even if killing not laying right with his moral backbone.

We have Yarvi here still as central character, he has a certain reputation now and he is trying his best to avoid unnecessary bloodshed of his people before unavoidable war starts. Finding allies is not easy when you have cunning Grandmother Wexen and High King as enemies. But you can find temporary 'friends' in surprising places :)

How this part of the Shattered Sea story finish? Will new characters survive? You need to read it to find out cause I'm not telling any more here :)

The Christmas Ring

 Hi Bookworms,

Today about book I have a chance to read thanks to Netgalley. It's The Christmas Ring by Karen Kingsbury.

If I'm not wrong book is classed as romance and Christian literature.

Fast read with right amount of emotional bits and love. Solid 3 maybe even 3.5 stars here cause really hard to find anything wrong in it. Just different, more delicate, almost naive in compare with romances and so called contemporary fiction these days, possibly because of strong faith and patriotism of characters.

Overall story is good, but I'm not sure if young generation would understand it fully or I should say the way author wants this story to be seen/understood.

A Refiner's Fire

 Hello Bookworms!

Today book I should read and reviewed last year - A Refiner's Fire by Donna Leon. 

This book is 33rd in Commissario Brunetti series. What we finding here is: teenage gangs, so called war hero, brutal attack on police technician, discovery of hypocrisy of politicians/government and last chance for redemption.

All of this happening in Venice with Guido Brunetti in the middle of it.

Guido and his cases are not unknown to me, I like how he deals with his children, his work, specially with his boss and still is this same interesting character I met few years ago with first book of Donna Leon I had a chance to read. I'm still missing few from the series, but I'll read them sooner or later 😊. 

Solid 4 star rating from me.

Some not buddy reads in July :)

 Hi Bookworms,

Today just short post. In between of them buddy reads and starts of series I did ticked few other books.

4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie with Miss Marple.

Absolutely enjoyable crime novel were first time culprit was sort of far on my suspect list LOL! Solid 4 stars. 

Summer of Love by Katie Fforde because I needed some change from lots and lots of fantasy books lately and this was nice, light read. 4 stars here. 

As I have some non-fiction on my kindle I decided to check cooking books by Victoria Steele 101 Quick and Easy Italian Recipes and 101 Quick and Easy Cookie recipes. Both small, compact cookbooks, but didn't impressed me at all, in first too much partially made/bought bits like bread dough. In second book massive amounts of sugar in almost every recipe - in my opinion third of amount would be more than sensible, but that's my opinion. Star rating - 1.5 for Italian and weak 1 for Cookies.

That's all for today.

The Library of Shadows

 Hiya Bookworms,

Today novel written by Danish author Mikkel Birkegaard.

One thing I have to say straight away - I think (strongly) that idea of plot in this book is very interesting and how the author wrote whole story can make you stop and think: what if?

I'm rarely reading Scandinavian authors and if I'm not wrong this book is my first reading of Danish writer. 

To the point then...

In this book we are meeting Jon Campelli, successful lawyer who's family since generations own one of the oldest bookshops in Copenhagen. Luca - Jon's father dying in rather strange circumstances and Jon inherits the shop. Bit by bit we finding out about rather stranded father-son relationship and reasons behind it and why Luca died. 

Did you ever thought what impact books have on us? Ever even imagine how world could look if some of us could influence our life decisions through books or the way we feel when reading them?

Sort of scary thought if you ask me.

4 stars from me for The Library of Shadows. 

Read it if you dare :)

Frankenstein

 Hi Bookworms,

Today about Mary Shelley's classic called Frankenstein. Most of you read it or at least heard about it and I bet lots of us watched movies based on it.

To be honest I knew story mostly from TV (old movies, cartoons etc), but never read original story. 

I decided I'm ready to read it.

So, my first thought after finishing this book, none of the movies I saw had a depth of the story written by Mary Shelley. Emotional whirlwind in it is hitting unaware person like tornado. Few years ago I would possibly even not finish reading it, deemed it as long and boring and... I don't know how to explain it really. Sometimes we need to grow up to certain books I think. Maybe I will reread in few years time to check what I missed. 

Death of a Red Heroine

 Hi Bookworms,

Today crime/detective novel from series called Inspector Chen Cao by Qiu Xiaolong.

This series contains 13 books till date. Death of a Red Heroine is our first meeting with Chief Inspector Chen - police officer and poet in one.

After finish reading it I decided it strong 3.75 star. Death of a Red Heroine is interesting read in many ways. I like main character, cause he is sort of romantic, with kinda naive/idealistic view of his job and rather complicated personal life.

 

I think some parts of the book could be hard to understand for people without knowledge about political structures, Communist ideology or hmm... Mentality differences between China and Western countries if I can write it that way. I'm not an expert in this or any field, but I think that depends where we were grown up, how we were taught has massive influence on how we behave or see certain behaviours no matter we stay in our homeland or not. 

I definitely want to read more about Chief Inspector Chen. 

The 13 problems

 Hiya Bookworms,

The 13 problems by Agatha Christie is my 110th book this year. 

This 'collection' of short stories is classed as prequel in series with Miss Marple.

Full series contains 12 novels and 20 short stories.

As per title you can expect 13 short stories here and they are:

1. The Tuesday Night Club, 2. The Idol House of Astarte, 3. Ingots of Gold, 4. The Bloodstained Pavement, 5. Motive v. Opportunity, 6. The Thumbmark of St. Peter, 7. The Blue Geranium, 8. The Companion, 9. The Four Suspects, 10. A Christmas Tragedy, 11. The Herb of Death, 12. The Affair at the Bungalow, and 13. Death by Drowning.

Blur on the back cover of my copy of this book saying:

'One Tuesday evening a group gathers at Miss Marple's house and the conversation turns to unsolved crimes...

As each of her guests is mystified by the sinister tales they tell one another, the company is inclined to forget their elderly host. But there is a ruthless precision in Miss Marple's pursuit of the killers in each tale... and a few surprises in store for 'The Tuesday Night Club'.

Blur is bit misleading because only first 6 'tales' was told and solved at Miss Marple's house, other seven were told and solved in entirely different place - Colonel and Mrs Bantry house.

Whole collection is delightful read for Miss Marple's fans. 

Solid 4 stars rating from me.

Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas part 1

 Hiya Bookworms,

Today back to Sarah J. Maas books. Series on my buddy reads schedule for next few months is Crescent City which contains:

1. House of Earth and Blood

2. House of Sky and Breath

3. House of Flame and Shadow

I read House of Earth and Blood before Xmas 2021 and by judging my enthusiastic review I did love it:

'Amazing read! So intense and full of action. And this simple message that love is the strongest power ever, one which can fight even death.'

I gave it 5 stars then.

My hardback is missing leaf cover, but still is beautiful in deep red with gold lettering on book spine. 

I finished re-reading it yesterday evening and to be honest I didn't change my mind about it. It's still 5 stars read. 

I like Bryce (main character), she's growing up nicely during the book, like everybody she has her secrets. Her life had and has still its ups and downs. She's half Fae, hardly anyone near her knows truth about her father, she's seen by many as 'party girl' with not much in her head, but... that's pose, mask.

She's much more and we are finding out this bit by bit during the reading. I hope to find out even more in next book.

If you didn't read this book yet but you like others series by Sarah J. Maas - give it a try.

Bloodsworn series by John Gwynne part 1

Hiya Bookworms,

Another fantasy series on my plate (who knows when I actually finish to reading it...).

Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne contains:

1. The Shadow of the Gods

2. The Hunger of the Gods

3. The Fury of the Gods.

In first book we are meeting Orca - former Bloodsworn captain, looking for her kidnapped son and a chance to revenge a death of her husbund, Elvar - daughter of powerful jarl, who wants to be remember as famous warrior and Varg - ex-thrall who seeks vengeance and became a member of famed mercenaries, Bloodsworn. 

Lots of plotting, games for power, magic, treachery and bloodshed in this one. Rather fast read, easy to follow I can say.

Hmmm... What can I and other readers expect in other two books?

I'll find out one day :)

The Shadow of the Gods received 4.5 stars from me as totally solid read. 

Shattered Sea by Joe Abercrombie part 1

 Hiya Bookworms!

Today I'm writing about fantasy series Shattered Sea by Joe Abercrombie, which book 1 I read few good years ago, but never had a chance to finish whole series because of various reasons. Now this series is buddy read in one of reading groups I'm a member, so I decided to read it, including re-read of book 1.

Shattered Sea series contains:

1. Half a King (pic above) - a tale of Prince Yarvi, crippled second son of a king, who was learning to be a minister/advisor, but was made a king after a murder of his father and older brother. What happened later wasn't nice and easy for him, but against all odds he survived and learned new tricks.

I gave this book 4 stars after my first read and didn't changed my mind after re-read. It's fast, easy to follow story and I'm curious what is awaiting for Yarvi next.

2. Half the World - is planned for July reading.

3. Half a War - is planned for August reading.

So more about this trilogy by the end of Summer peeps :)

Lucy Worsley and her biography of Agatha Christie

 Hi Bookworms,

I do love watching Lucy Worsley's TV documentaries. She's great with what she's doing. So how could I resist a chance to read Agatha Christie biography written by her?! 

I just grab the book... 

So... 

I do love reading Agatha Christie books, you know that already. 

I did read Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks by John Curran few years ago and wanted to know what Lucy Worsley found out about Queen of Crime. 

Agatha Christie A Very Elusive Woman is a 'must read' for Queen of Crime fans. Amazingly written biography full stop. Lucy Worsley did great job. I love the way she wrote it. She mentioned other biographies and books about Agatha and her works (including one I mentioned above). This book contains photos, quotations from papers, magazines, books, private correspondence etc. It is just great read.

Solid 4 stars on Goodreads from me :)

That's all for today :)

Till next post!