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Special Feature: THE PASSENGERS by John Marrs
As many of you know, I don’t read a ton of sci-fi or speculative fiction but when one catches my eye, I’m always excited to share with my readers even if it’s a genre that I don’t read a ton of. I know sci-fi and speculative fiction both have a huge fan base so odds are some of my readers are fans. This one caught my eye because it sounds like it’s going to be a mix of sci fi, speculative fiction and thriller genres and I am eager to share all the details of this upcoming book! This book has been getting a lot of notice on Goodreads as…
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Special Feature: Theater of Spies (Tales from the Black Chamber #2) by S.M. Stirling
Black Chamber released last year and it was one of my most anticipated reads. I don’t read a whole lot of alternative history, but this one sounded so good. While it ended up not being my cup of tea, I did appreciate the story and creativity that went into writing this new spin on history. The follow up book Theater of Spies is out now and promises to be an equally wild ride full of spies and blinding twists! This series has been described as ‘Wonder Woman meets The Man in the High Castle with a splash of James Bond’ and I completely agree with this description. Besides the fascinating time…
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Review: Competence: Custard Protocol (The Custard Protocol #3) by Gail Carriger
I came upon Gail Carriger in 2011 when I had entered a Steampunk reading challenge. She was an author I would never have picked up on my own but as soon as I read the first book, I was completely hooked and so thankful that I had stumbled upon both the reading challenge and her books! Since then I have read just about everything she has put out, with the exception of The Custard Protocol series. When this book came up for review, I was a little worried because it’s the third in the series…..a series which I haven’t even read though the world sounded the same and Carriger’s writing…
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Review: Black Chamber (Tales from the Black Chamber #1) by S.M. Stirling
When this book came across my desk for review—I was stoked. I don’t read a ton of alternative history, but this one sounded so so so good that I was eager to read it without question. I sounded like alternative history mixed with some espionage and sci-fi so how could I pass? I couldn’t! In 1912, just months before the election, President Taft dies suddenly, and Teddy Roosevelt wastes no time in grabbing power as he wins another term as president. By force of will, he ushers the United States into a new, progressive era with the help of the Black Chamber the mysterious spy organization, watching his back. Luz…
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Review: The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty
As 2017 comes to an end, I couldn’t ask for a better book to close out the year with. This book was all over my Instagram feed for weeks and it was also on Book of the Month so it basically got a lot of hype. I was really hesitant because of the hype, but believe me when I say—the hype is real! Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned…
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Review: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
Well it was bound to happen at some point in my literary review career…..the dreaded DNF (did not finish) tag. But little did I know that this would happen to one book that I was convinced I would love. When I finished the A Song of Ice and Fire AKA Game of Thrones series, I was longing for something similar and just as epic. I can’t tell you how many times The Dark Tower series was recommended…..countless times. I have it in paperback and on my iPad, that’s how much I wanted to read it. I even waited until the mood was perfect and I was ready to get into…
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Review: A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab
This book has been all OVER my social media feed for months but especially the last few weeks with the upcoming release of the second book in the series. So I decided on a whim to try it out. The cover is totally eye catching and the premise for the story sounds intriguing, plus I haven’t read a really good fantasy in a while so I picked this book up. Kell is one of the last Travelers, which is a rare magician who choose a parallel universe to visit. Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered (also…
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Review: The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) by Philip Pullman
After reading Up To This Pointe earlier this month, I was dying to read something else set in the ‘north’ or in the ‘cold’. The Golden Compass has been on my TBR shelf forever and now seemed like the perfect time to read it since it features the Northern Lights and the north pole as well as a host of other things! Lyra Belacqua has been raised at Oxford’s, Jordan College, most of her young life. It is here that two very important people come to visit. the first is her uncle, Lord Asriel, who is an explorer and who has just returned from the north with some dangerous findings. Lord Asriel…
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Review: Successio (Roma Nova #3) by Alison Morton
As many of you are aware, I have been very impressed with this new series. This is the first and really, the only, alternative history book that I’ve come across in all my literary adventures. Successio is the third book in the series and I still stand by the ‘read the series in order’ theory. I’ve seen some people say that these books read easily as stand alone novels but I completely disagree. The world of Roma Nova is complex and the back story is very detailed so I would say if this novel looks at all eye catching to you, then start with the first book and fully immerse yourself in the rich…
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Spotlight: AURELIA (Roma Nova #4) by Alison Morton
Publication Date: May 5, 2015 SilverWood Books Series: Roma Nova, Book Four Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction Late 1960s Roma Nova, the last Roman colony that has survived into the 21st century. Aurelia Mitela is alone – her partner gone, her child sickly and her mother dead. Forced in her mid-twenties to give up her beloved career as a Praetorian officer, she is struggling to manage an extended family tribe, businesses and senatorial political life. But her country needs her unique skills. Somebody is smuggling silver – Roma Nova’s lifeblood – on an industrial scale. Sent to Berlin to investigate, she encounters the mysterious and attractive Miklós, a suspected smuggler, and…