Ojo's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 06 Mar 2025 05:03:49 -0800 60 Ojo's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Legacies of Betrayal (Witness, #3)]]> 36509736 Steven Erikson Ojo 0 to-read 4.25 Legacies of Betrayal (Witness, #3)
author: Steven Erikson
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.25
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]]> Unlucky Mel 201968338 In Unlucky Mel, PhD candidate Melody Hollings is in the final year of her creative writing program in upstate New York. Her dream life of landing the perfect academic job somewhere far away from her small hometown and publishing her first novel is so close to coming true. But first she has to finish writing that book. Oh, and graduate. To do both, she needs her good friend Ben to reciprocate all the help she's given him over the years on his writing.

But when Mel's widowed father starts acting strangely, she is thrown. Chalking it up to a dramatic attempt to manipulate her into moving back in with him, she discovers that he really is suffering from dementia. Now, she'll need to stay local to care for him. Her dream is dying and her best option is to win a post-graduation fellowship through her alma mater.

Even with all the upheaval in her life, rather than helping, Ben turns on Mel in a shocking betrayal. For the first time in her life, Mel has a nemesis! The stress of caring for her father, teaching too many students, and living with so much uncertainty over her future escalates Mel's desire for retribution—until one night, she discovers an opportunity to ruin Ben's reputation.

Unlucky Mel is a smart, funny debut in which Pelekidis explores the lengths we're willing to go to in order to even the score and the ways in which women are often expected to sacrifice their professional ambitions for the men in their lives.]]> 272 Aggeliki Pelekidis 1501776304 Ojo 4 4.16 Unlucky Mel
author: Aggeliki Pelekidis
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.16
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rating: 4
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]]> The Last Fang of God 128109225 When gods refuse to die, it's humans that suffer.

Safely hidden deep within the endless fields of his late wife's people, Kalen's only dream is to live the rest of his days in peace. He paid for his dream in blood, but neither his sword nor service are demanded any longer.

Chaos erupts when his daughter, Sascha, is called by Kalen's old master. Father and daughter have no choice but to leave the home they've created for the land of Kalen's birth.

But the sins of the past cast long shadows. After years of a tenuous peace, gods and humans alike resume their quest for dominance. Kalen and Sascha find themselves in the midst of a struggle that will reshape the boundaries of their world.

The warrior who wants nothing but peace will be forced to draw his sword once again.

Will it be enough to protect his daughter from the whims of the gods?]]> 252 Ryan Kirk 1953692338 Ojo 3 3.85 The Last Fang of God
author: Ryan Kirk
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.85
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rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Curse of the Mistwraith (Wars of Light and Shadow, #1)]]> 28660
Arithon and Lysaer will find that they are inescapably bound inside a pattern of events dictated by their own deepest convictions. Yet there is more at stake than one battle with the Mistwraith � as the sorcerers of the Fellowship of Seven know well. For between them the half-brothers hold the balance of the world, its harmony and its future, in their hands.]]> 830 Janny Wurts 0586210695 Ojo 0 currently-reading 3.78 1993 The Curse of the Mistwraith (Wars of Light and Shadow, #1)
author: Janny Wurts
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1993
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Dance of Shadows (The Raag of Rta, #2)]]> 211003766
A pirate-queen discovers the only gold around is in the bars of her cage.

A temple-courtesan's heart dances for the archer she was tasked to destroy.

A librarian learns how to steal to save the world from an ancient plague.

As the Conclave of Peace dawns in the Tree Cities of the East to decide the future of the realm, deaf swordswomen and exiled snakelings, spoilt heroes and lovesick princes, immortal assassins and their apprentices will find no sun to light their path.

For the Son of Darkness rises, boiling over with a wrath that all the oracles in the world cannot hope to stop. After all, seeing the future is one thing, changing it is quite another…Unless it is through a heist.]]> 832 Gourav Mohanty 1035900270 Ojo 0 to-read 4.62 2025 Dance of Shadows (The Raag of Rta, #2)
author: Gourav Mohanty
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.62
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]]> Confess 22609310
For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is hiding a huge secret. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything Auburn loves most, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it—but can she do it?]]> 306 Colleen Hoover 1476791457 Ojo 0 top-priority, to-read 4.14 2015 Confess
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2015
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]]> <![CDATA[Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)]]> 203578847 The long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive―the iconic epic fantasy masterpiece that has sold more than 10 million copies, from acclaimed bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.

Dalinar Kholin challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare―and the sudden ascension of the crafty and ruthless Taravangian to take Odium’s place has thrown everything into disarray.

Desperate fighting continues simultaneously worldwide―Adolin in Azimir, Sigzil and Venli at the Shattered Plains, and Jasnah at Thaylen City. The former assassin, Szeth, must cleanse his homeland of Shinovar from the dark influence of the Unmade. He is accompanied by Kaladin, who faces a new battle helping Szeth fight his own demons . . . and who must do the same for the insane Herald of the Almighty, Ishar.

At the same time, Shallan, Renarin, and Rlain work to unravel the mystery behind the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram and her involvement in the enslavement of the singer race and in the ancient Knights Radiants killing their spren. And Dalinar and Navani seek an edge against Odium’s champion that can be found only in the Spiritual Realm, where memory and possibility combine in chaos. The fate of the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.]]> 1344 Brandon Sanderson 1250319188 Ojo 0 currently-reading 4.37 2024 Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2024
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]]> <![CDATA[Gatebound (The Illborn Saga, #3)]]> 222403696 BOOK THREE OF THE ILLBORN SAGA

ONLY ONE CAN CLAIM THE POWER.

After the four Illborn have remembered their recurring dream in full, each of them must decide what they are going to do with their newfound knowledge.

On the island of Abass, Arion and Leanna must both choose between a return to Angall, and a dangerous journey into the war-torn Holy Land. In Andar, as Allana continues her ascent to power, she begins a deadly game of cat and mouse with Aiduel’s Guards and the Archlaw. And in Bergen, Corin must decide whether he needs to leave his homeland to pursue and to kill the others of his kind.

As their powers continue to grow, will fate draw the four together? And if so, are the dire prophecies of the Illborn destined to come true?

Gatebound is the thrilling third and penultimate instalment of The Illborn Saga, the acclaimed epic fantasy series by Daniel T. Jackson.]]> 691 Daniel T. Jackson 1836287828 Ojo 4 4.50 2025 Gatebound (The Illborn Saga, #3)
author: Daniel T. Jackson
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[King of Envy (Kings of Sin, #5)]]> 210825471 He had everything he could’ve wanted…except her.

Dangerous. Powerful. Reclusive.
Ìý
Vuk Markovic is notorious for shunning human interactions. The scarred billionaire rarely talks, and he has no interest in relationships outside his small but trusted circle.
Ìý
His only exception? Her . The beauty to his beast, the object of his obsession.
Ìý
He saw her first. He wanted her first. But now, she’s engaged to his oldest friend—and the closer the wedding looms, the more he’s torn between loyalty and desire.
Ìý
She should be his…and he might just risk it all to have her.
Ìý
***
Beautiful. Successful. Glamorous.
Ìý
To the world, supermodel Ayana Kidane leads the perfect life. Her career has skyrocketed, and she’s engaged to one of New York’s most eligible bachelors.
Ìý
What people don't know is that the engagement is only a business arrangement. He gets his inheritance when they marry; she gets the money she needs to leave her abusive agency.
Ìý
Pretending to be in love should be easy—until she finds herself increasingly drawn to her fiancé’s enigmatic best man.
Ìý
Vuk thrills and terrifies her in equal measure. She knows she should stay away, but when her wedding is thrown into chaos, he’s the only person she finds comfort in�
Ìý
Until his past catches up with them and threatens everything they love.]]> Ana Huang Ojo 0 to-read 4.38 2025 King of Envy (Kings of Sin, #5)
author: Ana Huang
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.38
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]]> <![CDATA[A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, #2)]]> 213618143 The brilliant detective Ana Dolabra may have finally met her match in the gripping sequel to The Tainted Cup—from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.

In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, an impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—abducted from his quarters while the door and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard.

To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial investigator, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol.

Before long, Ana’s discovered that they’re not investigating a disappearance, but a murder—and that the killing was just the first chess move by an adversary who seems to be able to pass through warded doors like a ghost, and who can predict every one of Ana’s moves as though they can see the future.

Worse still, the killer seems to be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud. Here, the Empire's greatest minds dissect fallen Titans to harness the volatile magic found in their blood. Should it fall, the destruction would be terrible indeed—and the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that allows its wheels of power to turn.

Din has seen Ana solve impossible cases before. But this time, with the stakes higher than ever and Ana seemingly a step behind their adversary at every turn, he fears that his superior has finally met an enemy she can’t defeat.]]> 480 Robert Jackson Bennett 0593723821 Ojo 0 to-read 4.58 2025 A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, #2)
author: Robert Jackson Bennett
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.58
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]]> <![CDATA[The Games Gods Play (The Crucible, #1)]]> 203562673
Every hundred years, the gods toy with us mere mortals.
And we let them.

The gods of myth are alive and well.
Once every century, they select a new ruler in a cutthroat competition, pushing mortal players to the limit. But this year, Hades is done sitting on the sidelines. And he’s picking a champion no one expects—in this modern mythic romantasy, she’ll fight for her life�
for the god of Death.]]> 645 Abigail Owen 1649376588 Ojo 0 to-read 4.30 2024 The Games Gods Play (The Crucible, #1)
author: Abigail Owen
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
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date added: 2025/01/16
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]]> <![CDATA[Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)]]> 126060933
As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Aelin's journey from assassin to queen has entranced millions across the globe, and this fifth installment will leave fans breathless. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?]]> 704 Sarah J. Maas 1619636085 Ojo 0 to-read 4.72 2016 Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.72
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Storm Beneath the World (Children of Corruption #1)]]> 203588014
"...a wildly imaginative, morbidly captivating, and slightly unhinged gut-punch of a story; this is fantasy like you have never read before." —Before We Go Blog

"Fletcher continues to create amazing worlds one after the other, and let me tell you this: this one is an absolute page turner." —FanFiAddict

"A solid ten out of ten!" —The Nerd Book Review

The gods have abandoned their creation, fled to the city beyond the clouds. Banished from the heavens, the Betrayer rules the hellish storm beneath the world.

Before the gods left this world, they cursed its people. The magical abilities the inhabitants once enjoyed became twisted and dangerously addictive. Now, to discover one’s talent is a curse. These corrupt souls are doomed to use their skills, improving and growing in strength, until they can no longer resist its lure. Starvation and death are the fate of every Corrupt.

When war with a neighbouring island becomes inevitable, four young Corrupt are sent to a hidden school to hone their dangerous talents. They are to be trained and used as weapons before the curse claims them.

United in purpose, divided by caste, only they can save their home.]]> 365 Michael R. Fletcher Ojo 0 to-read 4.53 2024 The Storm Beneath the World (Children of Corruption #1)
author: Michael R. Fletcher
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2024
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]]> <![CDATA[The Gypsy King (The Gypsy King, #1)]]> 15840662
Sold to him for a small bag of gold coins, Persephone soon discovers what she already suspected: namely, that Azriel is not what he seems. And when she realizes that he believes Persephone has a special destiny—she is determined to escape him and his impossibly broad shoulders.

But things are no longer as simple as they once were. Torn between her longing for freedom and her undeniable feelings for the handsome thief with the fast hands and the slow smile, Persephone faces the hardest choice she will ever have to make. And no one least of all her—could have imagined the shocking truth her decision will reveal.]]> 434 Maureen Fergus 014318315X Ojo 0 to-read 4.07 2013 The Gypsy King (The Gypsy King, #1)
author: Maureen Fergus
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/14
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]]> <![CDATA[Sons of Darkness (The Raag of Rta, #1)]]> 129294962 Some ballads are inked in blood.

Bled dry by violent confrontations with the Magadhan Empire, the Mathuran Republic simmers on the brink of oblivion. Krishna and Satyabhama have put their plans in motion within and beyond the Republic's blood-soaked borders to protect it from annihilation. But they will soon discover that neither gold nor alliances last forever.

They are however not alone in this game.

Mati, Pirate-Princess of Kalinga, has decided to mend her ways to be a good wife. But old habits die hard, especially when one habitually uses murder to settle old scores. Brooding but beautiful Karna hopes to bury his brutal past but finds that destiny is a miser when it comes to giving second chances. The crippled hero-turned-torturer Shakuni limps through the path of daggers that is politics only to find his foes multiply, leaving little time for vengeance.

Their lives are about to become very difficult for a cast of sinister queens, naive kings, pious assassins and ravenous priests are converging where the Son of Darkness is prophesied to rise, even as forgotten Gods prepare to play their hand.]]> 636 Gourav Mohanty 1035900203 Ojo 5 3.54 2022 Sons of Darkness (The Raag of Rta, #1)
author: Gourav Mohanty
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/06
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]]> <![CDATA[Anji Kills a King (The Rising Tide, #1)]]> 216602318 An unlikely assassin struggles to escape a legendary bounty hunter in this breakneck fantasy debut that will grab you by the throat—perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, R.F. Kuang, and Christopher Buehlman.

She killed for a cause. Will she die for it too?

Anji works as a castle servant, cleaning laundry for a king she hates. So when a rare opportunity presents itself, she seizes the chance to cut his throat. Then she runs for her life. In her wake, the kingdom is thrown into disarray, while a bounty bigger than anyone could imagine lands on her head.

On her heels are the fabled mercenaries of the Menagerie, whose animal-shaped masks are magical relics rumored to give them superhuman powers. It’s the Hawk who finds Anji a surly, aging swordswoman who has her own reasons for keeping Anji alive and out of the hands of her fellow bounty hunters, if only long enough to collect the reward herself.

With the rest of the Menagerie on their trail, so begins an alliance as tenuous as it is temporary—and a race against death that will decide Anji’s fate, and may change the course of a kingdom.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 11 Evan Leikam Ojo 0 to-read 4.40 2025 Anji Kills a King (The Rising Tide, #1)
author: Evan Leikam
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2025
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]]> Lonesome Dove, Part 1 of 3 34857 0 Larry McMurtry 0736605827 Ojo 0 to-read 4.66 Lonesome Dove, Part 1 of 3
author: Larry McMurtry
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.66
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]]> <![CDATA[Return to Edan (The Edan Trilogy, #3)]]> 196301282 787 Philip Chase Ojo 3 4.33 Return to Edan (The Edan Trilogy, #3)
author: Philip Chase
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/18
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]]> <![CDATA[Lightseekers (Philip Taiwo, #1)]]> 54492661 Ìý
When Dr. Philip Taiwo is called on by a powerful Nigerian politician to investigate the public torture and murder of three university students in remote Port Harcourt, he has no idea that he’s about to be enveloped by a perilous case that is far from cold.
Ìý
Philip is not a detective. He’s an investigative psychologist, an academic more interested in figuring out the why of a crime than actually solving it . But when he steps off the plane and into the dizzying frenzy of the provincial airport, he soon realizes that the murder of the Okriki Three isn’t as straightforward as he thought. With the help of his loyal and streetwise personal driver, Chika, Philip must work against those actively conspiring against him to parse together the truth of what happened to these students.
Ìý
A thrilling and atmospheric mystery, and an unforgettable portrait of the contemporary Nigerian sociopolitical landscape, Lightseekers is a wrenching novel tackling the porousness between the first and third worlds, the enduring strength of tribalism and homeland identity, and the human need for connection in the face of isolation.
Ìý]]> 432 Femi Kayode 031653661X Ojo 0 to-read 3.72 2021 Lightseekers (Philip Taiwo, #1)
author: Femi Kayode
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2021
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date added: 2024/12/04
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]]> Blood Over Bright Haven 208430658 Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost—and the collectors have come calling.

An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a highmage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a highmage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power.

Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance?

A standalone dark academia brimming with mystery, tragedy, and the damning echoes of the past. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, V. E. Schwab, and Fullmetal Alchemist.

(Content warnings for gore, sexual assault, and suicidal ideation)]]> 430 M.L. Wang 0593873351 Ojo 0 to-read 4.41 2023 Blood Over Bright Haven
author: M.L. Wang
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Abeni's Song (Abeni's Song, 1)]]> 122144282
Abeni's Song by award-winning author P. Djèlí Clark is the enchanting beginning of an epic West African and African Diaspora-inspired fantasy adventure for middle-grade readers about a reluctant apprentice to magic and the stolen villagers she sets out to save.

“Lush and magical.� ―KWAME MBALIA � “Astonishing.� ―MARK OSHIRO � "Abeni's story will sweep you away." ―AMANDA FOODY

On the day of the Harvest Festival, the old woman who lives in the forest appears in Abeni's village with a terrible

You ignored my warnings. It’s too late to run. They are coming.

Warriors with burning blades storm the village. A man with a cursed flute plays an impossibly alluring song. And everyone Abeni has ever known and loved is captured and marched toward far-off ghost ships set for even more distant lands.

But not Abeni.

Abeni is magically whisked away by the old woman. In the forest, Abeni begins her unwanted magical apprenticeship, her journey to escape the witch, and her impossible mission to bring her people home.

Abeni’s Song is the beginning of a timeless, enchanting fantasy adventure about a reluctant apprentice, a team of spirit kids, and the village they set out to save.]]> 336 P. Djèlí Clark Ojo 0 to-read 4.00 2023 Abeni's Song (Abeni's Song, 1)
author: P. Djèlí Clark
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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]]> A Very Gidi Christmas 220954460 320 Tomilola Coco Adeyemo 9786051815 Ojo 4 4.03 A Very Gidi Christmas
author: Tomilola Coco Adeyemo
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/27
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]]> Sugar Daddy Chronicles: Lewa 181854684
However, the journey gets bumpy quickly; my secret plans and growing affection for Sisi’s right-hand man and in-house diviner, Dimeji, bring me into a headlong collision with her. There’s also the effect of the oath I swore before the goddess of the graveyard, which will haunt me to death.

I try to fight it, but one thing’s for sure, I’m not likely to leave this place alive.]]> 161 Tomilola Coco Adeyemo Ojo 0 to-read 3.88 2023 Sugar Daddy Chronicles: Lewa
author: Tomilola Coco Adeyemo
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/25
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]]> Aanu Ife 221186908
As she immerses herself in the village’s gentle rhythms, the echoes of her past resurface, forcing her to confront the wounds she had long tried to escape. Amidst the beauty of Onilewa and the warmth of its people, Ina discovers that strength arises from vulnerability, connection, and the courage to rebuild. With new beginnings on the horizon, she must decide whether to embrace the life unfolding before her or remain anchored to the weight of her past.

Àànú Ifẹ� is a tender and poignant tale of friendship, self-discovery, and the enduring power of starting over. Through evocative prose and a deeply reflective narrative, Lara T. Kareem captures the delicate nuances of emotional resilience, inviting readers to explore what it truly means to face one's past and embrace the uncertainty of the future.]]> 90 Lara T. Kareem 9787700817 Ojo 4 3.86 2025 Aanu Ife
author: Lara T. Kareem
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/25
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]]> Firstborn of the Sun 206025428
‘Absolutely Radiant� BEA FITZGERALD
‘A Dazzling Debut� ANDREA STEWART
‘Enthralling and epic� ANNA DAY
‘Readers are going to LOVE THIS BOOK!� ANGELA MONTOYA

In Oru L'ore has a secret. She is the only one without agbára � the ability to harness power from the sun. On pain of death she must conceal it from everyone. Including her best friend, Alawani.

But when the gods declare Alawani an Àlùfáà � a great honour where he will serve the gods and the Kingdom � he must be stripped of his power in a brutal trial likely to kill him. Unwilling to bear his death, L'ore vows to rescue him.

When she desperately attempts to channel agbára an icy shadow magic instead pours from her hands; a power she learns originated from a forbidden, secret land beyond the six rings of Oru.

One where she and Alawani must now seek sanctuary and discover a secret that could bring the Kingdom to its knees . . .

_____________


‘Absolutely radiant. Anson has created a captivating, intricate world with characters who will stay with me for a long time. A perfect balance of political machinations and aching romance, wrapped up in a fast-paced action packed adventure. I loved it!� BEA FITZGERALD, author of Girl Goddess Queen

'A dazzling debut, with characters that leap off the page and burrow into your heart. Filled with love, betrayal, and questions of loyalty, the twists and turns this story takes will keep you reading late into the night' ANDREA STEWART, author of The Gods Below

‘Fierce, exciting and utterly original, Firstborn of the Sun is an enthralling and epic fantasy, with a beautiful and tender romance at its center� ANNA DAY, author of The Girl who Grew Wings

‘A rich and confident fantasy with expansive world building and a magic system as vicious as it is unique. Filled with intricately woven twists and action from beginning to end, readers will have a hard time putting this book down. Readers are going to LOVE THIS BOOK!� - ANGELA MONTOYA, author of Sinner’s Isle and A Cruel Thirst]]> 615 Marvellous Michael Anson 0241705053 Ojo 0 currently-reading 4.69 2025 Firstborn of the Sun
author: Marvellous Michael Anson
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.69
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/24
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]]> The Believers: Stories 216120454
In “The Iridescent Blue-Black Boy with Wings (After Márquez),� children find a winged boy in a seaside village in Tobago. In “Ready for the Revolution?� uncertain lovers play rough with identity politics, and are set on an unexpected path. In “Drink the Dew,� love and wrath become one, while the young woman in “Inside,� navigates a complicated business arrangement with her lover.

In “Love,� a scandalous affair produces a love child, born with a dark omen, while in “Exile,� a pregnant teen from a staunchly religious family, is exiled to have her baby in secret. A gardener in “Love Story No. 8,� falls for a rich man’s daughter to disastrous ends. The Believers is at once poignant and subversive, utterly haunting and unforgettable.]]> 162 A.K. Herman 1948788004 Ojo 0 to-read 3.73 The Believers: Stories
author: A.K. Herman
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.73
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Of War and Ruin (The Bound and the Broken, #3)]]> 59919045
Live as one. Die as one. For those we've lost.

The city of Kingspass burns, and Calen Bryer's world has been shaken to its core. With Valerys at his side, Calen must battle his demons and push forward. There are people who need him, people who need what he must become, and he will not let them stand alone.

In Loria, Ella struggles to understand the ancient power that flows through her veins. The world is changing around her and she is changing with it. Her journey has only just begun.

Thousands of miles away, beneath the mountains of Lodhar, assassins move in the dark as the kingdoms of the Dwarven Freehold ready themselves for war. Not everything is as it seems. Dahlen Virandr and Belina Louna have no choice but to unravel the mysteries of the mountain before everything crumbles around them.
Meanwhile, in Al'Nasla, Rist Havel learns the true cost of becoming an Imperial Battlemage. He will question every truth he has ever been told. He has never been a fighter, never been the one people look to, but he will fight for those he loves no matter what it takes.

With the Uraks ravaging the towns and villages of the North, Alina and Dayne Ateres prepare their people for war. They have been beneath a Lorian boot for too long. Valtara will be free. The wyvern of House Ateres will fly again, by blade and by blood.
As the continent of Epheria descends into war and chaos, Kallinvar struggles to come to terms with an immense loss. Despite the hole in his heart, he has no choice but to stand and fight. The Shadow is coming, and the Knights of Achyron are the only ones powerful enough to hold back the tide.

Unbeknownst to all, another force is rising - a force long thought tamed.

The balance of power is about to shift, and Epheria will never be the same.

​​​​​​​The Blood Moon is rising.]]> 1483 Ryan Cahill Ojo 3 2023-to-read 4.64 2023 Of War and Ruin (The Bound and the Broken, #3)
author: Ryan Cahill
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/16
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: 2023-to-read
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Review at
]]> <![CDATA[A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3.1)]]> 768889
The Seven Kingdoms are divided by revolt and blood feud. In the northern wastes, a horde of hungry, savage people steeped in the dark magic of the wilderness is poised to invade the Kingdom of the North where Robb Stark wears his new-forged crown. And Robb's defences are ranged against the South, the land of the cunning and cruel Lannisters, who have his young sisters in their power.

Throughout Westeros, the war for the Iron Throne rages more fiercely than ever, but if the wall is breached, no king will live to claim it.]]> 663 George R.R. Martin 0006479901 Ojo 5 4.47 2000 A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3.1)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/15
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]]> <![CDATA[Shadows Linger (The Chronicle of the Black Company, #2)]]> 19368525 At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.]]> 287 Glen Cook 1466831103 Ojo 0 to-read 4.20 1984 Shadows Linger (The Chronicle of the Black Company, #2)
author: Glen Cook
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1984
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan, #2)]]> 45154547 WINNER OF THE 2022 HUGO AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
Now a USA Today bestseller!
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2021
Amazon's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2021
Bookpage's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2021
Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Choice Awards Nominee for Best Science Fiction Book of 2021

A Desolation Called Peace is the spectacular space opera sequel to Arkady Martine's genre-reinventing, Hugo Award-winning debut, A Memory Called Empire.

An alien armada lurks on the edges of Teixcalaanli space. No one can communicate with it, no one can destroy it, and Fleet Captain Nine Hibiscus is running out of options.

In a desperate attempt at diplomacy with the mysterious invaders, the fleet captain has sent for a diplomatic envoy. Now Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass—still reeling from the recent upheaval in the Empire—face the impossible task of trying to communicate with a hostile entity.

Their failure will guarantee millions of deaths in an endless war. Their success might prevent Teixcalaan’s destruction—and allow the empire to continue its rapacious expansion.

Or it might create something far stranger . . .
]]> 496 Arkady Martine 125018648X Ojo 0 to-read 4.31 2021 A Desolation Called Peace (Teixcalaan, #2)
author: Arkady Martine
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/26
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]]> <![CDATA[The Malevolent Seven (The Malevolent Seven, #1)]]> 61124074
Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No doubt he's wearing iridescent silk robes that couldn't protect his frail body from a light breeze. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing, covered in esoteric symbols that would instantly show every other mage where this one gets his magic? Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object).

Now open your eyes and let me show you what aÌý real Ìýwar mage looks like . . . but be you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.

At least, until such irritating concepts asÌý friendshipÌý andÌý the end of the world Ìýget in the way.

My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title - until I discovered the people I worked for weren't quite as noble as I'd believed. Now I'm on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent. Ìý

Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job . . .]]> 384 Sebastien de Castell 1529422779 Ojo 3 3.91 2023 The Malevolent Seven (The Malevolent Seven, #1)
author: Sebastien de Castell
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/24
date added: 2024/09/24
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]]> <![CDATA[The Camelot Shadow (Camelot Shadow, #1)]]> 24020362 "A chance to save her. Improbably, impossibly, inconceivably."

Lord Alfred Fitzwilliam spends each day in much the same way: caring for his terminally ill wife and trying to lose himself in the dusty tomes that fill his library. Everything changes when he receives a visit from a man representing a clandestine organization operating with the backing of Queen Victoria herself. The group seeks his aid in finding an Arthurian artifact that, legend holds, can cure its bearer of any wound or disease.

Skeptical but desperate to help his wife, Alfred is convinced that the fabled item might actually exist after witnessing a seemingly impossible display of power by the organization's leader, James Nigel. He decides to pursue the treasure, accompanied by an eccentric scholar, a deadly druid, and his best friend, a sardonic bookseller who is far more than he seems. As he follows an arcane trail of clues from the gas-lit streets of London to the wilds of Scotland and deep into ancient catacombs in Italy, Alfred becomes enmeshed in a web of hidden agendas, secret societies, and ancient enchantments. Along the way, he learns a dark secret about Nigel's past—and the true power of the artifact he seeks.

Steeped in a compelling mythology and filled with unexpected twists, The Camelot Shadow will leave readers stunned, breathless, and wrestling with an impossible question: what do you do with an object that has the power to both save the world and destroy it?

(Don't miss The Strange Task Before Me for further adventures in the Camelot Shadow world.)]]> 374 Sean Gibson 1483541932 Ojo 0 to-read 3.89 2014 The Camelot Shadow (Camelot Shadow, #1)
author: Sean Gibson
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/22
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]]> <![CDATA[The Normandy Privateer (Lieutenant Oliver Anson #1)]]> 32706922 England. 1800s. Young Lieutenant Oliver Anson has died His family install a memorial tablet in their church to commemorate his life and service to King and country. He led the mission to capture a French privateer in a small Normandy harbour, but when it all goes wrong, Anson is felled by a musket ball in the head and is among the dead and wounded left ashore after his shipmates seek the refuge of their ship HMS Phryne. Only � and despite official newspaper reports to the contrary � the less-than-god-fearing Anson turns out not to be dead at all but very much alive, and stuns even fellow seamen with his miraculous resurrection. It is, however, far from plain sailing for the prisoners to escape from behind enemy lines and get back across the Channel� And the ambitious Anson is then dealt a hammer blow by the admiralty when he is later denied a new sea-going appointment. Instead his future is to be a land-based role, foiling any potential French invasion attempt along the Kent coastline. Perhaps worse, Anson finds himself falling into the clutches of a local bigwig’s voluptuous, husband-hunting daughter. The Normandy Privateer charts the ups and downs of Lieutenant Anson and shines a poignant light on the loneliness and responsibilities of command. Praise for David McDine ‘An enlightening historical thriller.� � Thomas Waugh David McDine OBE, is a former Deputy Lieutenant of Kent and a former Royal Navy Reserve officer and Admiralty information officer. He is also the author of The Story of Kent and its Lieutenancy. The Five Horseshoes, his debut novel in the Animal Man series, is sure to appeal to fans of Tom Sharpe, Alexander McCall Smith, PG Wodehouse and Evelyn Waugh.]]> 325 David McDine Ojo 0 to-read 4.19 The Normandy Privateer (Lieutenant Oliver Anson #1)
author: David McDine
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.19
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]]> <![CDATA[Skin Game (The Dresden Files, #15)]]> 20572455 Chicago’s only professional wizard is about to have a very bad day in the latest novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files...

As Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry Dresden never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it’s something awful.

Mab has traded Harry’s skills to pay off a debt. And now he must help a group of villains led by Harry’s most despised enemy, Nicodemus Archleone, to break into a high-security vault so that they can then access a vault in the Nevernever.

Problem is, the vault belongs to Hades, Lord of the freaking Underworld. And Dresden is dead certain that Nicodemus has no intention of allowing any of his crew to survive the experience. Dresden’s always been tricky, but he’s going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess...]]> 610 Jim Butcher 0698157893 Ojo 0 to-read 4.63 2014 Skin Game (The Dresden Files, #15)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Shadow King (The Raveling, #3)]]> 48914051
Scarred by what transpired on the island of the sorceress Niara, Keilan and his companions journey north, bearing a weapon forged to end the unnatural existence of the Chosen. But the sand is trickling through the hourglass, as the demon-children are laboring to bring about a second Raveling and end the age of man . . .

In the shattered city of Nes Vaneth, Cho Lin struggles to survive her imprisonment by the vicious Skein, while in Dymoria the Crimson Queen prepares to reveal her school of sorcerers by bringing them into the Frostlands to confront the Chosen and their allies . . .

Meanwhile, the immortal sorceress Alyanna schemes to restore her lost glory and destroy those who have wronged her . . .]]> 532 Alec Hutson 0998227692 Ojo 0 to-read, 2020-to-read 4.13 2019 The Shadow King (The Raveling, #3)
author: Alec Hutson
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/21
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]]> <![CDATA[The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)]]> 15810910
Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost. But that was before a rebellion upended his life. And once the powder smoke settled, he was left in charge of a demoralized force clinging tenuously to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.

To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must win the hearts of her men and lead them into battle against impossible odds.

The fates of both these soldiers and all the men they lead depend on the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, who has been sent by the ailing king to restore order. His military genius seems to know no bounds, and under his command, Marcus and Winter can feel the tide turning. But their allegiance will be tested as they begin to suspect that the enigmatic Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural—a realm with the power to ignite a meteoric rise, reshape the known world, and change the lives of everyone in its path.]]> 513 Django Wexler 0451465105 Ojo 3
It's a very character-based book. The plot seems like extra baggage. It's really about the characters, who are well thought out and are each unique. The use of POV characters makes it even more obvious...

While the book has undoubtedly got great characters, they contribute nothing to the plot. The plot is far too thin. Weightless. It's not strong enough to provide readers with suspense and intrigue.

I've had bad luck with books of late. I always pick the ones I won't enjoy. I hope that changes.]]> 4.03 2013 The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)
author: Django Wexler
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2016/01/20
date added: 2024/09/17
shelves: overrated-books, so-much-promise-but-sadly-disappoin
review:
I must say that I was extremely disappointed at how the book turned out. I expected more with the great reviews, fine ratings and popularity of the series. Reading this, I can finally understand why I haven't been able to make much progress with the Malazan Book of the Fallen. It seems military fantasy isn't exactly my thing.

It's a very character-based book. The plot seems like extra baggage. It's really about the characters, who are well thought out and are each unique. The use of POV characters makes it even more obvious...

While the book has undoubtedly got great characters, they contribute nothing to the plot. The plot is far too thin. Weightless. It's not strong enough to provide readers with suspense and intrigue.

I've had bad luck with books of late. I always pick the ones I won't enjoy. I hope that changes.
]]> The Maid and the Crocodile 207003686 The smallest spark can bind two hearts . . . or start a revolution.

In the magic-soaked capital city of Oluwan, country bumpkin Small Sade needs a job—preferably as a maid, with employers who don’t mind her unique appearance and unlucky foot. But before she can be hired, she accidentally binds herself to a powerful god known only as the Crocodile, who is rumored to devour pretty girls. Small Sade entrances the Crocodile with her secret: she is a Curse Eater, gifted with the ability to alter people’s fates by cleaning their houses.

The handsome god warns that their fates are bound, but Small Sade evades him, launching herself into a new career as the Curse Eater of a swanky inn. She is determined to impress the wealthy inhabitants and earn her place in Oluwan City . . . assuming her secret-filled past—and the revolutionary ambitions of the Crocodile God—don’t catch up with her.

But maybe there is more to Small Sade. And maybe everyone in Oluwan City deserves more, too, from the maids all the way to the Anointed Ones.

Fans of the Raybearer series, Howl's Moving Castle, and Beauty and the Beast will enjoy The Maid and the Crocodile–no prior knowledge of the Raybearer series necessary.]]> 304 Jordan Ifueko 1419764357 Ojo 0 to-read 4.38 2024 The Maid and the Crocodile
author: Jordan Ifueko
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/09
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]]> <![CDATA[Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5)]]> 4978 960 Stephen King 141651693X Ojo 0 to-read 4.19 2003 Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5)
author: Stephen King
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/09
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]]> Face Me I Face You 217581794
Face Me I Face You is a collection of witty and humorous poems existing at the interface of identity, class, and culture. It holds a mirror to the working class by capturing the narrative essence and dramatized aspirations of its characters. The deployed humor and satire humanizes our modern realities and reaches beyond the tragedy of these colorful archetypes of city life.]]> 64 Oyindamola Shoola Ojo 4 4.04 Face Me I Face You
author: Oyindamola Shoola
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.04
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/08
date added: 2024/09/08
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]]> Grimm's Fairy Tales 19351490
This compilation of fairy tales which includes the complete canon of over 200 tales has become a beloved set of classical stories the world over. Included in this collection are Hansel and Gretel, Briar Rose, The Fisherman and His Wife, Rapunzel, The Frog Prince, Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Tom Thumb, and many more. These stories are a delight to read and will rekindle up many childhood memories as they are reread. Presented here in this edition is the faithful translation of Margaret Hunt.]]> 688 Jacob Grimm Ojo 0 to-read 4.21 1812 Grimm's Fairy Tales
author: Jacob Grimm
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1812
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/07
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]]> Steel's Edge (The Edge, #4) 16160154 The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale—and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny�

Charlotte de Ney is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has brought her nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. Until Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, and Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again.

Richard is a swordsman without peer, future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan—and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers� operation, however, goes deeper than Richard knows, and even working together, Charlotte and Richard may not survive...]]> 401 Ilona Andrews Ojo 0 to-read 4.42 2012 Steel's Edge (The Edge, #4)
author: Ilona Andrews
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/07
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]]> <![CDATA[Winter's Reach (Revanche Cycle, #1)]]> 23512021
Felix is the scion of a dying merchant house, a man with just one chance to save his family and the woman he loves. His last hope lies in the snowbound hell of Winter's Reach, a former prison colony turned "free city" under a brutal tyrant's reign.

Livia and Felix have never crossed paths, but they've both been snared in a far greater web than they can imagine. They -- along with a pair of veteran bounty hunters, an exiled politician, and a sadistic coven of witches -- are cogs in one man's apocalyptic plan for revenge. A plan which, if it succeeds, will leave an entire nation in flames.]]> 357 Craig Schaefer 099033936X Ojo 0 to-read 3.76 2014 Winter's Reach (Revanche Cycle, #1)
author: Craig Schaefer
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/07
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]]> <![CDATA[Sword of the North (The Grim Company, #2)]]> 18114110 Some legends never die...

In The Grim Company, Luke Scull introduced a formidable and forbidding band of anti-heroes battling against ruthless Magelords and monstrous terrors. The adventure continues as the company—now broken—face new dangers on personal questsâ€�. Ìý
Ìý
As Davarus Cole and his former companions were quick to discover, the White Lady’s victorious liberation of Dorminia has not resulted in the freedom they once imagined. Anyone perceived as a threat has been seized and imprisoned—or exiled to darker regions—leaving the White Lady’s rule unchallenged and absolute. But the White Lady would be wiser not to spurn her former supporters: Eremul the Halfmage has learned of a race of immortals known as the Fade, and if he cannot convince the White Lady of their existence, all of humanity will be in danger.
Ìý
Far to the north, Brodar Kayne and Jerek the Wolf continue their odyssey to the High Fangs only to find themselves caught in a war between a demon horde and their enemy of old, the Shaman. And in the wondrous city of Thelassa, Sasha must overcome demons of her own.]]> 450 Luke Scull 0425264866 Ojo 5 favorites
There's many trends in epic fantasy writing. There's the classic sword and sorcery. There's the heroic kind, championed by the likes of Terry Goodkind, Patrick Rothfuss, David Gemmell, and David Eddings. There's the 'gray' character type: Steven Erikson, Paul Kearney and G.R.R Martin. Then there's the 'Fellowship/Company type.
I recently read Prince of Thorns and was struck by the brutality and savagery of the' Company'. A month or so ago, I read 'The Black Company'. Same thoughts. But then, the characters in these 'companies' do not compare with their counterparts in 'Sword of the North', imo.
What makes this book better than Prince of Thorns imo is the strength of the characters. While Prince of Thorns is more plot-based, Sword of the the North is more character based. The 'company' here, unlike that of Prince of Thorns seem real. They aren't just savage and brutal. They have emotions. They aren't a bunch of brutal, savage killers and rapists whose only concern is the next raid. They actually contribute to the plot. It's an ensemble cast you've got here.
Still on comparisons with other books, I think Sword of the North is somewhat similar to Providence of Fire, plot wise. The plot is expanding. The game is getting bigger. New pieces are being added to the chessboard. It's so unpredictable. And the cliffhanger where the author left it off is not going to help matters...
The book's biggest strength is the writing. While lots of writers have good stories, they end up failing because they cannot write it well. Some books, while not sporting all so good stories, end up as bestsellers because the author has excellent writing skills.
Kudos to Luke Scull for such a great book. An excellent read.]]> 4.07 Sword of the North (The Grim Company, #2)
author: Luke Scull
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2015/06/01
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: favorites
review:
I heartily congratulate myself on the completion of this particular book, as it took me an awfully long time to read. Other books, little time and temporary loss of interest made sure the book would take me a month to finish. Yesterday morning, I was only about one-fourth of the way done with the book. But then I sat down and thought to myself: Ojo! You've got to finish this book! You've got to say NO to reading-greed and finish this one before you move to other books(which are numerous). Here I am now, done! Yippee! Reading this book proved really challenging.

There's many trends in epic fantasy writing. There's the classic sword and sorcery. There's the heroic kind, championed by the likes of Terry Goodkind, Patrick Rothfuss, David Gemmell, and David Eddings. There's the 'gray' character type: Steven Erikson, Paul Kearney and G.R.R Martin. Then there's the 'Fellowship/Company type.
I recently read Prince of Thorns and was struck by the brutality and savagery of the' Company'. A month or so ago, I read 'The Black Company'. Same thoughts. But then, the characters in these 'companies' do not compare with their counterparts in 'Sword of the North', imo.
What makes this book better than Prince of Thorns imo is the strength of the characters. While Prince of Thorns is more plot-based, Sword of the the North is more character based. The 'company' here, unlike that of Prince of Thorns seem real. They aren't just savage and brutal. They have emotions. They aren't a bunch of brutal, savage killers and rapists whose only concern is the next raid. They actually contribute to the plot. It's an ensemble cast you've got here.
Still on comparisons with other books, I think Sword of the North is somewhat similar to Providence of Fire, plot wise. The plot is expanding. The game is getting bigger. New pieces are being added to the chessboard. It's so unpredictable. And the cliffhanger where the author left it off is not going to help matters...
The book's biggest strength is the writing. While lots of writers have good stories, they end up failing because they cannot write it well. Some books, while not sporting all so good stories, end up as bestsellers because the author has excellent writing skills.
Kudos to Luke Scull for such a great book. An excellent read.
]]> <![CDATA[Legacy of Brick & Bone (Tainted Dominion, #2)]]> 123264034 Follow the law and you’ll stay safe. But what if the law betrays you?

It all started with the girl from the river: mutilated, tattooed, murdered. Tashué couldn’t help but look for answers and in the process, he uncovered the ugly truths being hidden by the very law he used to believe in—the law of the Authority.

Now he’s fighting for his life. Mere survival isn’t enough; he desperately wants to save his son from the Authority, and he wants revolution. At any cost.

Davik Kaine has been gathering power under everyone’s noses. Ruthless, ambitious, with a rebel army backing him, he wants revolution, too. He’s probably the only person powerful enough to protect Tashué from the looming implosion of the political field. And he’s the only person with the connections to save Jason.

He may also be responsible for the death of the girl from the river.

Is making peace with Davik worth it, if it saves Tashué’s son from the Authority?

If Tashué plays along with what Davik wants, can Tashué get retribution for the girl from the river?]]> 1128 Krystle Matar 1777479258 Ojo 0 currently-reading 4.60 Legacy of Brick & Bone (Tainted Dominion, #2)
author: Krystle Matar
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.60
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/01
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1)]]> 150247395
Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears--quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home.

Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps—not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

Featuring an unforgettable Holmes-and-Watson style pairing, a gloriously labyrinthine plot, and a haunting and wholly original fantasy world, The Tainted Cup brilliantly reinvents the classic mystery tale.]]> 410 Robert Jackson Bennett 1984820702 Ojo 5 4.28 2024 The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1)
author: Robert Jackson Bennett
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/01
date added: 2024/08/01
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]]> <![CDATA[Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow]]> 199743690 Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad.

“You want to act like you don't know that everybody dey buy bumbum now?�

Freshly out of Obafemi Awolowo University, 20-year-old Temi has a clear plan for her she is going to surgically enlarge her backside like all the other Nigerian women, move from Ile-Ife to Lagos, and meet a man who will love her senseless. When she finally finds the courage to tell her mother, older sister, and aunties, her announcement causes an uproar. Nigerian families can really be an obstacle in a girl’s journey to physical perfection.

But as each of the other women try to cure Temi of what seems like temporary insanity, they begin to spill long-buried secrets, including the truth of Temi’s older sister’s mysterious disappearance five years earlier. In the end, it seems like Temi might be the sanest of them all�

In Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow, Damilare Kuku brings her signature humor, boldness, and compassion to each member of this loveable but exasperating family, whose lives reveal the ways in which a woman’s physical appearance can dictate her life and relationships and show just how sharp the double-edged sword of beauty can be.]]> 272 Damilare Kuku 0063354497 Ojo 4 3.59 2024 Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow
author: Damilare Kuku
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/26
date added: 2024/07/26
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]]> <![CDATA[The Mercy of Gods (The Captive’s War, #1)]]> 201930181
How humanity came to the planet called Anjiin is lost in the fog of history, but that history is about to end. The Carryx â€� part empire, part hive â€� have waged wars of conquest for centuries, destroying or enslaving species across the galaxy. ÌýNow, they are facing a great and deathless enemy. The key to their survival may rest with the humans of Anjiin. Ìý Caught up in academic intrigue and affairs of the heart, Dafyd Alkhor is pleased just to be an assistant to a brilliant scientist and his celebrated research team. ÌýThen the Carryx ships descend, decimating the human population and taking the best and brightest of Anjiin society away to serve on the Carryx homeworld, and Dafyd is swept along with them. They are dropped in the middle of a struggle they barely understand, set in a competition against the other captive species with extinction as the price of failure. ÌýOnly Dafyd and a handful of his companions see past the Darwinian contest to the deeper game that they must play to learning to understand â€� and manipulate â€� the Carryx themselves. With a noble but suicidal human rebellion on one hand and strange and murderous enemies on the other, the team pays a terrible price to become the trusted servants of their new rulers. Dafyd Alkhor is a simple man swept up in events that are beyond his control and more vast than his imagination. ÌýHe will become the champion of humanity and its betrayer, the most hated man in history and the guardian of his people. This is where his story begins.]]> 422 James S.A. Corey 031652557X Ojo 0 to-read 4.11 2024 The Mercy of Gods (The Captive’s War, #1)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/25
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]]> <![CDATA[The Shadow Gate (Dragon Spirits #2)]]> 123270425 Opening the shadow gate is the only way Fenn’s memories can be restored—and with them, his life and family.

It could also destroy the world.

Guided by dragon spirit Hassen and manipulated by the Myr, Fenn fights the corruption spreading through Tassar—and himself—in an attempt to find his family. Separated from his allies and unable to trust even his own mind, the arduous journey takes its toll.

Far from home and reunited with her sister, Calidra battles to keep her loved ones safe. But when the fickle loyalties of dragon spirits shifts, and darkness lurks around every corner, running from her fears is no longer an option.

And in the far south, consequences of the past catch up with those fighting for their freedom.


Book two in the DRAGON SPIRITS epic fantasy trilogy! Return to the magic-drenched world of Tassar, where ancient artefacts awaken and the seeds of corruption are sown.]]> 521 L.L. MacRae 183823392X Ojo 0 to-read 4.35 2023 The Shadow Gate (Dragon Spirits #2)
author: L.L. MacRae
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/25
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]]> <![CDATA[The Wisdom of Crowds (The Age of Madness, #3)]]> 40701780
The Great Change is upon us...

Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds.

With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch. And in the bloody North, Rikke and her fragile Protectorate are running out of allies... while Black Calder gathers his forces and plots his vengeance.

The banks have fallen, the sun of the Union has been torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver’s ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together...

]]> 520 Joe Abercrombie 0575095970 Ojo 4 4.58 2021 The Wisdom of Crowds (The Age of Madness, #3)
author: Joe Abercrombie
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/24
date added: 2024/07/24
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Review on
]]> The Night Watch (Watch, #1) 1029770 531 Sergei Luk'ianenko 0099489929 Ojo 0 to-read 3.74 1998 The Night Watch (Watch, #1)
author: Sergei Luk'ianenko
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1)]]> 43615
He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which frighteningly mirrors our own, Roland pursues The Man in Black, encounters an alluring woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the Kid from Earth called Jake. Both grippingly realistic and eerily dreamlike, The Gunslinger leaves readers eagerly awaiting the next chapter.]]> 231 Stephen King 1501143514 Ojo 0 to-read 3.95 1982 The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1)
author: Stephen King
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1982
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Sword of the Elves (Legends of Elessia - Lost Elven Realms Book 1)]]> 213698576 Frida d’Armand was once the most dreaded swordswoman of the Circle Sea.
Now war has taken everything from her ship, her crew, her lover.

Hope is rekindled when a sorcerous tome transports her to a hidden valley halfway across the continent. There, she finds the love she thought dead—alive and unharmed.

But she has traded one prison for another, for a mighty enchantment secures the valley’s borders, making escape impossible� and often fatal.

When the pair tries to break the spell, they are caught and taken to the lost kingdom of the elves, where they meet the young and ambitious mage Sandelar Seidhanna.

The elf offers them a help him steal the magical artifact powering the valley’s enchantment, and he will send them home.

Yet the artifact is hidden deep within an ancient elven temple, and guarded by more than steel, trap, and spell�

It has a will of its own, and the shadow it casts threatens to consume Frida and her companions long before the journey’s end.]]> 278 Luís Falcão de Magalhães Ojo 0 to-read 4.48 Sword of the Elves (Legends of Elessia - Lost Elven Realms Book 1)
author: Luís Falcão de Magalhães
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.48
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/14
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]]> We Were Girls Once 62917540
Ego, Zina and Eriife were always destined to be best friends, ever since their grandmothers sat next to each other on a dusty bus to Lagos in the late 1940s, forging a bond that would last generations. But over half a century later, Nigeria is a new and modern country. As the three young women navigate the incessant strikes and political turmoil that surrounds them, their connection is shattered by a terrible assault. In the aftermath, nothing will remain the same as life takes them down separate paths.

For Ego, now a high-powered London lawyer, success can’t mask her loneliness and feelings of being an outsider. Desperate to feel connected to Nigeria, she escapes into a secret life online. Zina’s ambition is to be anyone but herself; acting proves the ultimate catharsis, but it comes at the cost of her family. And Eriife surprises everyone by morphing from a practising doctor to a ruthless politician’s perfect wife.

When Ego returns home, the three women’s lives become entwined once more, as Nigeria’s political landscape fractures. Their shared past will always connect them, but can they � and their country � overcome it?]]> Aiwanose Odafen 1398506206 Ojo 0 to-read 3.83 We Were Girls Once
author: Aiwanose Odafen
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.83
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/14
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]]> <![CDATA[Dark Oak (The Dark Oak Chronicles #1)]]> 55810045
Now that their common enemy is dead, the nobles begin to forget old loyalties, and Queen Cathryn’s realm looks set to plunge into war once more. But there are older and more terrible powers dwelling within the forest, and when they are awakened, Morrick will decide who lives or dies.]]> 305 Jacob Sannox 1546682058 Ojo 0 currently-reading 4.03 Dark Oak (The Dark Oak Chronicles #1)
author: Jacob Sannox
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/06/12
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[Thorns of War (The Smokesmiths, #2)]]> 208192435
The Known World is in peril once again. Old grudges are made anew and settled only on the battlefield, with threads of smoke flowing in the air.

Gimlore saved her town and her family, and she has even learned that trusting people may not always be a bad thing. But with ancient powers stirring, her whole world is shaken again, and the pains of the past come back stronger than ever.

Rednow's retirement plan was successful but didn't last long. He is both in the eye of the storm, and the storm itself. Blessed or cursed by powers he wants to reject, he questions whether the faith everyone seems to deposit in him is even warranted. After all, he's still just an old man with bad lungs.

Orberesis blossoms under the tutelage of a new master and awakens ancient, forgotten arts. He rose from thief to the impersonator of a god, and now true divinity might just be well within his grasp.]]> 469 João F. Silva Ojo 4 4.28 2024 Thorns of War (The Smokesmiths, #2)
author: João F. Silva
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/12
date added: 2024/06/12
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Review up at
]]> <![CDATA[The Shadow Rising (Wheel of Time, #4)]]> 11826388 41 Robert Jordan Ojo 5 ³Ù³ó±ð-³¦°ùè³¾±ð-»å±ð-±ô²¹-³¦°ùè³¾±ð
Once again, I'm struck by just how brilliant this series is!

The Dragon has been reborn, but the Shadow is equally growing in power. Nynaeve and Elayne go to Tanchico to hunt for Black Sisters, with Nynaeve encountering and duelling one of the Forsaken, Moghedien, in the process. Perrin Aybara has to grow into his new identity as Wolfbrother, learning to manage his new-found powers and his eventual wife, Faille. Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn goes to the Aiel Waste to fulfil a prophecy that will end with him shattering the strange Aiel people...

The sheer scope of the book, and the series is staggering. It goes beyond the sweet storylines. The level of realism achieved by this series is unrivalled in fantasy writing. Everything is in shockingly brilliant detail, even down to the peculiar customs of the various peoples and cities in the story.

The characters are just too good. It's an all-star cast, set to rival even the characters in A Song of Ice and Fire. Each character is carefully developed, much like a master sculptor creating a masterpiece. Robert Jordan just write a story, he created a unique world, one I would love to have visited, if it was real.

If writing could be classified along the lines of physical art, I would say this series is the height of artistic realism.

I'm greatly enjoying re-reading this series! Listening to the audiobook version was a different experience, quite interesting.]]> 4.19 1992 The Shadow Rising (Wheel of Time, #4)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1992
rating: 5
read at: 2017/01/09
date added: 2024/06/10
shelves: ³Ù³ó±ð-³¦°ùè³¾±ð-»å±ð-±ô²¹-³¦°ùè³¾±ð
review:
Originally read October 16 to November 4, 2013

Once again, I'm struck by just how brilliant this series is!

The Dragon has been reborn, but the Shadow is equally growing in power. Nynaeve and Elayne go to Tanchico to hunt for Black Sisters, with Nynaeve encountering and duelling one of the Forsaken, Moghedien, in the process. Perrin Aybara has to grow into his new identity as Wolfbrother, learning to manage his new-found powers and his eventual wife, Faille. Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn goes to the Aiel Waste to fulfil a prophecy that will end with him shattering the strange Aiel people...

The sheer scope of the book, and the series is staggering. It goes beyond the sweet storylines. The level of realism achieved by this series is unrivalled in fantasy writing. Everything is in shockingly brilliant detail, even down to the peculiar customs of the various peoples and cities in the story.

The characters are just too good. It's an all-star cast, set to rival even the characters in A Song of Ice and Fire. Each character is carefully developed, much like a master sculptor creating a masterpiece. Robert Jordan just write a story, he created a unique world, one I would love to have visited, if it was real.

If writing could be classified along the lines of physical art, I would say this series is the height of artistic realism.

I'm greatly enjoying re-reading this series! Listening to the audiobook version was a different experience, quite interesting.
]]> Disquiet Gods (Sun Eater, #6) 176443792
The end is nigh.

It has been nearly two hundred years since Hadrian Marlowe assaulted the person of the Emperor and walked away from war. From his Empire. His duty. From the will and service of the eldritch being known only as the Quiet. The galaxy lies in the grip of a terrible plague, and worse, the Cielcin have overrun the realms of men.

A messenger has come to Jadd, bearing a summons from the Sollan Emperor for the one-time hero. A summons, a pardon, and a plea. HAPSIS, the Emperor’s secret first-contact intelligence organization, has located one of the dreadful Watchers, the immense, powerful beings worshipped by the Pale Cielcin.

Called out of retirement and exile, the old hero—accompanied by his daughter, Cassandra—must race across the galaxy and against time to accomplish one last, impossible

To kill a god.]]> 704 Christopher Ruocchio 1982193328 Ojo 0 to-read 4.58 2024 Disquiet Gods (Sun Eater, #6)
author: Christopher Ruocchio
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/05/19
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]]> Howling Dark (Sun Eater, #2) 41564599
Hadrian Marlowe is lost.

For half a century, he has searched the farther suns for the lost planet of Vorgossos, hoping to find a way to contact the elusive alien Cielcin. He has not succeeded, and for years has wandered among the barbarian Normans as captain of a band of mercenaries.

Determined to make peace and bring an end to nearly four hundred years of war, Hadrian must venture beyond the security of the Sollan Empire and among the Extrasolarians who dwell between the stars. There, he will face not only the aliens he has come to offer peace, but contend with creatures that once were human, with traitors in his midst, and with a meeting that will bring him face to face with no less than the oldest enemy of mankind.

If he succeeds, he will usher in a peace unlike any in recorded history. If he fails...the galaxy will burn.]]> 688 Christopher Ruocchio Ojo 0 to-read 4.35 2019 Howling Dark (Sun Eater, #2)
author: Christopher Ruocchio
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/05/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Queen Amid Ashes (The Sun Eater, #2.6)]]> 61294903
Hadrian Marlowe is newly a knight of the galaxy-spanning Sollan Empire: a hero who they say slew the alien Prince Aranata Otiolo in single combat; a man they say no man or xenobite can kill.

Acting on the Emperor’s orders, Hadrian has come to the desert planet Thagura and driven off the Cielcin invaders, rescuing in the process the Lady Gadar Malyan, Baroness of that entire world.

But not all the fighting is ended. Pockets of inhuman resistance remain on the desert world, and Hadrian the Halfmortal must soon do battle with not only the man-eating alien barbarians, but with something just as terrible: man’s own inhumanity to man.

PRAISE FOR CHRISTOPHER RUOCCHIO:

"Empire of Silence is epic science fiction at its most genuinely epic. Ruocchio has made something fascinating here, and I can't wait to see what he does next." —James S.A. Corey, New York Times-bestselling author of The Expanse novels

"Empire of Silence is a rich tapestry of future history and worldbuilding, a galactic-sized story of a hero, a tyrant, but portrayed as a man. " —Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times-bestselling author of The Dark Between the Stars

"One hell of a writer." —Larry Correia, author of Monster Hunter International

"Although stretched across a vast array of planets, the story line is often more focused on the intimate than on the expanse, giving it a wonderful emotional punch. This wow book is a must for fans of Pierce Brown and Patrick Rothfuss." —Library Journal (starred review)]]> 173 Christopher Ruocchio Ojo 0 to-read 4.01 Queen Amid Ashes (The Sun Eater, #2.6)
author: Christopher Ruocchio
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.01
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date added: 2024/05/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 1]]> 57776979
A new horror comes to a centuries-old war... A machine witch on trial for crimes against her own humanity... Pirates in the black of space� Here are tales of the far future, of a time where mankind reigns across the galaxy: a time of war, of great evil, and of greater heroes.

Here are tales of the Sollan Empire, and of the barbarians who dwell in the cracks between its stars. Here are tales of strange, far worlds. Tales of battle, of desperation, and holy law. And here, too, are tales of a man who will change the fate and future of the galaxy as a whole. Tales of the Sun Eater, of Hadrian Marlowe himself.]]> 172 Christopher Ruocchio Ojo 0 to-read 3.79 Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 1
author: Christopher Ruocchio
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.79
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date added: 2024/05/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Demon in White (Sun Eater, #3)]]> 50156751 The third novel of the galaxy-spanning Sun Eater series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe continues down a path that can only end in fire.

Hadrian has been serving the Empire in military engagements against the Cielcin, the vicious alien civilization bent on humanity's destruction. After Hadrian and his Red Company achieve a great victory, a cult-like fervor builds around him. However, pressures within the Imperial government scared of his rise to prominence result in an assassination attempt, luckily thwarted.

With the Empire too dangerous to stay, Hadrian and his crew leave for a massive library on a distant world. There, he finds the next key to unlocking the secrets of the Quiet: a set of coordinates for their origin planet, unnamed and now lifeless. Hadrian's true purpose in serving in the military was to aid his search of a rumored connection between the first Emperor and the Quiet, the ancient, seemingly long-dead race linked to so many of Hadrian's extraordinary experiences.

Will this mysterious lost planet have the answers?]]> 784 Christopher Ruocchio 1473218322 Ojo 0 to-read 4.61 2020 Demon in White (Sun Eater, #3)
author: Christopher Ruocchio
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/05/19
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]]> <![CDATA[The Trials of Empire (Empire of the Wolf, #3)]]> 60028924
THE TIME OF JUDGEMENT IS AT HAND

The Empire of the Wolf is on its knees, but there's life in the great beast yet.

To save it, Sir Konrad Vonvalt and Helena must look beyond its borders for allies - to the wolfmen of the southern plains, and the pagan clans in the north. But old grievances run deep, and both factions would benefit from the fall of Sova.

Even these allies might not be enough. Their enemy, the zealot Bartholomew Claver, wields infernal powers bestowed on him by a mysterious demonic patron. If Vonvalt and Helena are to stand against him, they will need friends on both sides of the mortal plane—but such allegiances carry a heavy price.

As the battlelines are drawn in both Sova and the afterlife, the final reckoning draws close. Here, at the beating heart of the Empire, the two-headed wolf will be reborn in a blaze of justice . . . or crushed beneath the shadow of tyranny.]]> 496 Richard Swan 0356516474 Ojo 4 4.07 2024 The Trials of Empire (Empire of the Wolf, #3)
author: Richard Swan
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/15
date added: 2024/05/15
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]]> <![CDATA[Homeland (Forgotten Realms: The Dark Elf Trilogy, #1; Legend of Drizzt, #1)]]> 50027 Discover the origin story of one of the greatest heroes of the Realms—Drizzt Do’Urden—in this thrilling first installment of the Dark Elf Trilogy

Drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden, first introduced in The Icewind Dale Trilogy, quickly became one of the fantasy genre’s standout characters. With Homeland, Salvatore pulls back the curtain to reveal the startling tale of how this hero came to be—how this one lone drow walked out of the shadowy depths of the Underdark; how he left behind an evil society and a family that wanted him dead.

As the third son of Mother Malice and weaponmaster Zaknafein, Drizzt Do’Urden is meant to be sacrificed to Lolth, the evil Spider Queen, per drow tradition. But with the unexpected death of his older brother, young Drizzt is spared—and, as a result, further ostracized by his family. As Drizzt grows older, developing his swordsmanship skills and studying at the Academy, he begins to realize that his idea of good and evil does not match up with those of his fellow drow. Can Drizzt stay true to himself in a such an unforgiving, unprincipled world?

Homeland is the first book in the Dark Elf Trilogy and the Legend of Drizzt series.]]> 343 R.A. Salvatore Ojo 0 to-read 4.26 1990 Homeland (Forgotten Realms: The Dark Elf Trilogy, #1; Legend of Drizzt, #1)
author: R.A. Salvatore
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1990
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/05/06
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]]> Sister Spirit 209659835
Sixteen-year-old adopted Tara has questions � about who she is, where she belongs, why she dreams... When her nightmares darken, fears swarm like a flock of ravens and she traces her visions to the ancient Olumo Rock in Nigeria. It is a sacred place, full of magic, myth, and where whispers of the past linger.

Travelling from England and enrolling in a boarding school at the foot of Olumo, Tara begins a journey to seek the truth of her roots and the spirits that pursue her.]]> 265 Efua Traoré 1035907569 Ojo 0 to-read 3.96 2024 Sister Spirit
author: Efua Traoré
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/30
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]]> War Widow (Blood Scion #2) 62558782 432 Deborah Falaye 0062954075 Ojo 0 to-read 4.53 2025 War Widow (Blood Scion #2)
author: Deborah Falaye
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/22
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]]> Masquerade 195790999 Set in a wonderfully reimagined 15th century West Africa, Masquerade is a dazzling, lyrical tale exploring the true cost of one woman’s fight for freedom and self-discovery, and the lengths she’ll go to secure her future.

Òdòdó’s hometown of Timbuktu has been conquered by the the warrior king of Yorùbáland. Already shunned as social pariahs, living conditions for Òdòdó and the other women in her blacksmith guild grow even worse under Yorùbá rule.

Then Òdòdó is abducted. She is whisked across the Sahara to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, where she is shocked to discover that her kidnapper is none other than the vagrant who had visited her guild just days prior. But now that he is swathed in riches rather than rags, Òdòdó realizes he is not a vagrant at all; he is the warrior king, and he has chosen her to be his wife.

In a sudden change of fortune, Òdòdó soars to the very heights of society. But after a lifetime of subjugation, the power that saturates this world of battle and political savvy becomes too enticing to resist. As tensions with rival states grow, revealing elaborate schemes and enemies hidden in plain sight, Òdòdó must defy the cruel king she has been forced to wed by re-forging the shaky loyalties of the court in her favor, or risk losing everything—including her life.

Loosely based on the myth of Persephone, O.O. Sangoyomi’s Masquerade takes you on a journey of epic power struggles and political intrigue that turn an entire region on its head.]]> 352 O.O. Sangoyomi 1250904293 Ojo 3 3.95 2024 Masquerade
author: O.O. Sangoyomi
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/03
date added: 2024/04/14
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]]> <![CDATA[The Silverblood Promise (The Last Legacy, #1)]]> 195790755
When Lukan discovers that his estranged father has been murdered in strange circumstances, he finds fresh purpose. Deprived of his chance to make amends for his mistakes, he vows to unravel the mystery behind his father's death.

His search for answers leads him to Saphrona, fabled city of merchant princes, where anything can be bought if one has the coin. Lukan only seeks the truth, but instead he finds danger and secrets in every shadow.

For in Saphrona, everything has a price―and the price of truth is the deadliest of all.]]> 528 James Logan 1250345804 Ojo 0 to-read 3.94 2024 The Silverblood Promise (The Last Legacy, #1)
author: James Logan
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Legacy of Ash (Legacy Trilogy, #1)]]> 44287627 Legacy of Ash is an unmissable fantasy debut--an epic tale of intrigue and revolution, soldiers and assassins, ancient magic and the eternal clash of empires.

A shadow has fallen over the Tressian Republic.

Ruling families -- once protectors of justice and democracy -- now plot against one another with sharp words and sharper knives. Blinded by ambition, they remain heedless of the threat posed by the invading armies of the Hadari Empire.

Yet as Tressia falls, heroes rise.

Viktor Akadra is the Republic's champion. A warrior without equal, he hides a secret that would see him burned as a heretic.

Josiri Trelan is Viktor's sworn enemy. A political prisoner, he dreams of reigniting his mother's failed rebellion.

And yet Calenne Trelan, Josiri's sister, seeks only to break free of their tarnished legacy; to escape the expectation and prejudice that haunts the family name.

As war spreads across the Republic, these three must set aside their differences in order to save their home. Yet decades of bad blood are not easily set aside. And victory -- if it comes at all -- will demand a darker price than any of them could have imagined.]]> 800 Matthew Ward 0356513343 Ojo 0 2020-to-read, to-read 3.94 2019 Legacy of Ash (Legacy Trilogy, #1)
author: Matthew Ward
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/04
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]]> <![CDATA[Legacy of the Brightwash (Tainted Dominion, #1)]]> 55962500 Follow the law and you’ll stay safe. But what if the law is wrong?

Tashué’s faith in the law is beginning to crack.

Three years ago, he stood by when the Authority condemned Jason to the brutality of the Rift for non-compliance. When Tashué’s son refused to register as tainted, the laws had to be upheld. He’d never doubted his job as a Regulation Officer before, but three years of watching your son wither away can break down even the strongest convictions.

Then a dead girl washed up on the bank of the Brightwash, tattooed and mutilated. Where had she come from? Who would tattoo a child? Was it the same person who killed her?

Why was he the only one who cared?

Will Tashué be able to stand against everything he thought he believed in to get the answers he’s looking for?]]> 662 Krystle Matar 1777479207 Ojo 4 4.19 2021 Legacy of the Brightwash (Tainted Dominion, #1)
author: Krystle Matar
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/26
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves:
review:
Read my review on
]]> <![CDATA[The Second Generation (Dragonlance: The Second Generation, #1)]]> 668860 But peace on Krynn comes at a price. The forces of darkness are ever vigilant, searching for ways to erode the balance of power and take control. When subtle changes begin to permeate the fragile peace, new lives are drawn into the web of fate woven around all the races. The time has come to pass the sword -- or the staff -- to the children of the Lance.
They are the Second Generation.
An all-new repackaged paperback edition of a classic Dragonlance novel.
This book of five novellas bridges the gap between the Chronicles and Legends trilogies and "Dragons of Summer Flame," While detailing their adventures, "The Second Generation" also sets up key events and characters in future Dragonlance novels.
]]> 440 Margaret Weis 0786902604 Ojo 0 to-read 3.70 1995 The Second Generation (Dragonlance: The Second Generation, #1)
author: Margaret Weis
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Song of the Huntress 58383110
Britain, 60AD. Hoping to save her lover, land and her people from the Romans, Herla makes a desperate pact with the king of the Otherworld. But years pass unheeded in his realm, and she escapes to find everyone she loved long dead. Cursed to wield his blade, she becomes Lord of the Hunt. And for centuries, she rides, reaping wanderers� souls. Until the night she meets a woman on a bloody battlefield � a Saxon queen with ice-blue eyes.

Queen Æthelburg of Wessex is a proven fighter. But when she leads her forces to disaster in battle, her husband’s court turns against her. Yet King Ine needs Æthel more than ever: the dead kings of Wessex are waking, and his own brother seeks to usurp him. Ine’s only hope is to master the magic that’s lain dormant in his bloodline since ancient days.

When their paths cross, Herla knows it’s no coincidence. Something dark and dangerous is at work in the Wessex court. The Otherworld seeks to rise, to bring the people of Britain under its dominion. As she and Æthel grow closer, Herla must find her humanity � and a way to break the curse � before it’s too late.]]> 416 Lucy Holland 1529077400 Ojo 0 to-read 3.76 2024 Song of the Huntress
author: Lucy Holland
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Book That Broke the World (The Library Trilogy, #2)]]> 157031755 We fight for the people we love. We fight for the ideas we want to be true.

Evar and Livira stand side by side and yet far beyond each other's reach. Evar is forced to flee the library, driven before an implacable foe. Livira, trapped in a ghost world, has to recover her book if she's to return to her life. While Evar's journey leads him outside into the vastness of a world he's never seen, Livira's destination lies deep inside her own writing, where she must wrestle with her stories in order to reclaim the volume in which they were written.

And all the while, the library quietly weaves thread to thread, bringing the scattered elements of Livira's old life � friends and foe alike � back together beneath new skies.

Long ago, a lie was told, and with the passing years it has grown and spread, a small push leading to a chain of desperate consequences. Now, as one edifice topples into the next with ever-growing violence, it threatens to break the world. The secret war that defines the library has chosen its champions and set them on the board. The time has come when they must fight for what they believe, or lose everything.

The Library Trilogy is about many things: adventure, discovery, and romance, but it's also a love letter to books and the places where they live. The focus is on one vast and timeless library, but the love expands to encompass smaller more personal collections, and bookshops of all shades too.]]> 384 Mark Lawrence 0008456763 Ojo 0 to-read 4.00 2024 The Book That Broke the World (The Library Trilogy, #2)
author: Mark Lawrence
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Daughters' War (Blacktongue, #0)]]> 195790571
The goblins have killed all of our horses and most of our men.

They have enslaved our cities, burned our fields, and still they wage war.

Now, our daughters take up arms.

Galva � Galvicha to her three brothers, two of whom the goblins will kill � has defied her family’s wishes and joined the army’s untested new unit, the Raven Knights. They march toward a once-beautiful city overrun by the goblin horde, accompanied by scores of giant war corvids. Made with the darkest magics, these fearsome black birds may hold the key to stopping the goblins in their war to make cattle of mankind.

The road to victory is bloody, and goblins are clever and merciless. The Raven Knights can take nothing for granted � not the bonds of family, nor the wisdom of their leaders, nor their own safety against the dangerous war birds at their side. But some hopes are worth any risk.]]> 416 Christopher Buehlman 1250887674 Ojo 0 to-read 4.24 2024 The Daughters' War (Blacktongue, #0)
author: Christopher Buehlman
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Broken Ear (Tintin #6) 1169556 62 ±á±ð°ù²µÃ© 0316358509 Ojo 3 3.92 1937 The Broken Ear (Tintin #6)
author: ±á±ð°ù²µÃ©
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1937
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/16
date added: 2024/02/16
shelves:
review:
The Broken Ear isn't the best Tintin book around, but we still see a bit of the trademark humour that characterises most of the series.
]]> <![CDATA[Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox, #2)]]> 41733208 One thousand years ago, a wish was made to the Harbinger of Change and a sword of rage and lightning was forged. Kamigoroshi. The Godslayer. It had one task: to seal away the powerful demon Hakaimono.

Now he has broken free.

Kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko has one task: to take her piece of the ancient and powerful scroll to the Steel Feather temple in order to prevent the summoning of the Harbinger of Change, the great Kami Dragon who will grant one wish to whomever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. But she has a new enemy now. The demon Hakaimono, who for centuries was trapped in a cursed sword, has escaped and possessed the boy she thought would protect her, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan.

Hakaimono has done the unthinkable and joined forces with the Master of Demons in order to break the curse of the sword and set himself free. To overthrow the empire and cover the land in darkness, they need one thing: the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. As the paths of Yumeko and the possessed Tatsumi cross once again, the entire empire will be thrown into chaos.]]> 433 Julie Kagawa 1488038864 Ojo 0 to-read 4.03 2019 Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox, #2)
author: Julie Kagawa
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Blood Stones (Legends of the Bruhai, #1)]]> 201921080 His name is not worthy.

A traitor is executed, his name ripped away from history. Now the kingdom stands on the brink of a succession war that could bring the country to its knees. Forces stalk the darkness, moving pawns into place in a deadly game.

Gehrin and his brothers were not meant to witness the execution, but now they find themselves trapped in the center of a political quagmire. When Gehrin faces the loss of everything he knows, will he also lose himself?

To the south, tribal warlords clash in an endless cycle of violence. Syndri, the daughter of a chieftain, kills for the honor of her people. An alliance with a foreign queen offers the power to unite the tribes, but at what cost?

Someday, history will remember them as legends.]]> 482 Tori Tecken Ojo 4 4.19 2023 The Blood Stones (Legends of the Bruhai, #1)
author: Tori Tecken
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/30
date added: 2024/01/30
shelves:
review:
Read my review at
]]> <![CDATA[House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)]]> 44778083
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-to assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they'd only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom-and the power of love.]]> 803 Sarah J. Maas 1635574048 Ojo 4 2020-to-read 4.43 2020 House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/29
date added: 2024/01/29
shelves: 2020-to-read
review:
DNF at 60%. Still, a very promising read
]]> The Lost War (Eidyn, #1) 69709682
With a ragged peace in place, demons burn farmlands, violent Reivers roam the wilds and plague has spread beyond the Black Meadows. The country is on its knees.

In a society that fears and shuns him, Aranok is the first magically-skilled draoidh to be named King’s Envoy.

Now, charged with restoring an exiled foreign queen to her throne, he leads a group of strangers across the ravaged country. But at every step, a new mystery complicates their mission.

As bodies drop around them, new threats emerge and lies are revealed, can Aranok bring his companions together and uncover the conspiracy that threatens the kingdom?

Strap in for this twisted fantasy road trip from award-winning author Justin Lee Anderson.]]> 529 Justin Lee Anderson 0316454176 Ojo 3
Not my thing.

DNF]]> 4.12 2019 The Lost War (Eidyn, #1)
author: Justin Lee Anderson
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/24
date added: 2024/01/24
shelves:
review:
A character-based book about a zombie infestation with a few interesting MCs.

Not my thing.

DNF
]]> <![CDATA[A Fool's Hope (The Last War, #2)]]> 51000900 War takes everything.

From Tinnstra, it took her family and thrust her into a conflict she wanted only to avoid. Now her queen's sole protector, she must give everything she has left to keep Zorique safe.

It has taken just as much from Jia's revolutionaries. Dren and Jax - battered, tortured, once enemies themselves - now must hold strong against their bruised invaders, the Egril.

For the enemy intends to wipe Jia from the map. They may have lost a battle, but they are coming back. And if Tinnstra and her allies hope to survive, Jia's heroes will need to be ready when they do.

The sequel to the darkly fantastic WE ARE THE DEAD: with more unflinching action, A FOOL'S HOPE sees Jia's revolutionaries dig in their heels as they learn that wars aren't won in a day.

]]> 608 Mike Shackle 1473225264 Ojo 0 to-read 4.46 2020 A Fool's Hope (The Last War, #2)
author: Mike Shackle
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fire Within Them (The Soulfire Saga, #2)]]> 181560880 The second book in Matthew Ward's action-packed trilogy, the Soulfire Saga, The Fire Within Them is set in a world ruled by an immortal king, where souls fuel magic and a supernatural mist known as the Veil threatens to engulf the land. Perfect for fans of John Gwynne and Anthony Ryan.

For the first time in a millennium, the kingdom of Khalad is divided. The Battle of Athenoch has fanned the spark of Bashar Vallant’s rebellion to a raging flame. Tyzanta, jewel of the east, has declared for his cause, and other cities have followed. Vallant, the people’s hero, may soon be powerful enough to challenge Caradan Diar, Khalad’s immortal king.

But such power demands great personal sacrifice.

Afflicted with omen rot after channeling the Deadwinds to save Athenoch from the koilos army, Kat searches for a means to stop the disease killing her as it did her mother. Her journey will uncover secrets long since buried–secrets concerning her past, her family and the kingdom itself. Eventually she’ll learn that the past never stays buried in Khalad–and that the truth can cut deeper than any blade.]]> 593 Matthew Ward 0356518477 Ojo 0 to-read 4.10 2024 The Fire Within Them (The Soulfire Saga, #2)
author: Matthew Ward
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Blood Trials (The Blood Gift Duology, #1)]]> 58511056
It's all about blood.

The blood spilled between the Republic of Mareen and the armies of the Blood Emperor long ago. The blood gifts of Mareen's deadliest enemies. The blood that runs through the elite War Houses of Mareen, the rulers of the Tribunal dedicated to keeping the republic alive.

The blood of the former Legatus, Verne Amari, murdered.

For his granddaughter, Ikenna, the only thing steady in her life was the man who had saved Mareen. The man who had trained her in secret, not just in martial skills, but in harnessing the blood gift that coursed through her.

Who trained her to keep that a secret.

But now there are too many secrets, and with her grandfather assassinated, Ikenna knows two things: that only someone on the Tribunal could have ordered his death, and that only a Praetorian Guard could have carried out that order.

Bent on revenge as much as discovering the truth, Ikenna pledges herself to the Praetorian Trials--a brutal initiation that only a quarter of the aspirants survive. She subjects herself to the racism directed against her half-Khanaian heritage and the misogyny of a society that cherishes progeny over prodigy, all while hiding a power that--if found out--would subject her to execution...or worse. Ikenna is willing to risk it all because she needs to find out who murdered her grandfather...and then she needs to kill them.

Mareen has been at peace for a long time...

Ikenna joining the Praetorians is about to change all that.

Magic and technology converge in the first part of this stunning debut duology, where loyalty to oneself--and one's blood--is more important than anything.]]> 448 N.E. Davenport 0063058480 Ojo 4 2023-to-read 4.07 2022 The Blood Trials (The Blood Gift Duology, #1)
author: N.E. Davenport
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/09
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves: 2023-to-read
review:

]]> Vagabonds! 58446230 In the bustling streets and cloistered homes of Lagos, a cast of vivid characters—some haunted, some defiant—navigate danger, demons, and love in a quest to lead true lives.

As in Nigeria, vagabonds are those whose existence is literally outlawed: the queer, the poor, the displaced, the footloose and rogue spirits. They are those who inhabit transient spaces, who make their paths and move invisibly, who embrace apparitions, old vengeances and alternative realities. Eloghosa Osunde's brave, fiercely inventive novel traces a wild array of characters for whom life itself is a form of resistance: a driver for a debauched politician with the power to command life and death; a legendary fashion designer who gives birth to a grown daughter; a lesbian couple whose tender relationship sheds unexpected light on their experience with underground sex work; a wife and mother who attends a secret spiritual gathering that shifts her world. As their lives intertwine—in bustling markets and underground clubs, churches and hotel rooms—vagabonds are seized and challenged by spirits who command the city's dark energy. Whether running from danger, meeting with secret lovers, finding their identities, or vanquishing their shadowselves, Osunde's characters confront and support one another, before converging for the once-in-a-lifetime gathering that gives the book its unexpectedly joyous conclusion.

Blending unvarnished realism with myth and fantasy, Vagabonds! is a vital work of imagination that takes us deep inside the hearts, minds, and bodies of a people in duress—and in triumph.]]> 320 Eloghosa Osunde 0593330021 Ojo 5 3.82 2022 Vagabonds!
author: Eloghosa Osunde
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/09
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fall is All There Is (Four of Mercies, #1)]]> 77779740
As the youngest in a set of quadruplets, he’s all too aware that the line of succession is murky. His siblings are on the precipice of power grabs, and each of them want him to pick their side.

If Petre has any hope of preventing civil war, he'll have to avoid one sibling who wants to take him hostage, win back another’s trust after years of rivalry and resentment, and get an audience with a sister he's been avoiding for five years.

Before he knows it, he's plunged himself into a web of intrigue and a world of strange, unnatural inventions just to get to her doorstep.

Family reunions can be a special form of torture.]]> 413 C.M. Caplan 1737209519 Ojo 0 to-read 3.78 2022 The Fall is All There Is (Four of Mercies, #1)
author: C.M. Caplan
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Dr. No (James Bond #6) 18780375
Dispatched by M to investigate the mysterious disappearance of MI6’s Jamaica station chief, Bond was expecting a holiday in the sun. But when he discovers a deadly centipede placed in his hotel room, the vacation is over.

On this island, all suspicious activity leads inexorably to Dr Julius No, a reclusive megalomaniac with steel pincers for hands. To find out what the good doctor is hiding, 007 must enlist the aid of local fisherman Quarrel and alluring beachcomber Honeychile Rider.

Together they will combat a local legend the natives call ‘the Dragon,� before Bond alone must face the most punishing test of all: an obstacle course-designed by the sadistic Dr No himself-that measures the limits of the human body’s capacity for agony.]]> 255 Ian Fleming 1611095212 Ojo 0 3.89 1958 Dr. No (James Bond #6)
author: Ian Fleming
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1958
rating: 0
read at: 2024/01/09
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dust of Dreams (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #9)]]> 4703427
In Letherii, the exiled Malazan army commanded by Adjunct Tavore begins its march into the eastern Wastelands, to fight for an unknown cause against an enemy it has never seen.

And in these same Wastelands, others gather to confront their destinies. The warlike Barghast, thwarted in their vengeance against the Tiste Edur, seek new enemies beyond the border and Onos Toolan, once immortal T'lan Imass now mortal commander of the White Face clan, faces insurrection. To the south, the Perish Grey Helms parlay passage through the treacherous kingdom of Bolkando. Their intention is to rendezvous with the Bonehunters but their vow of allegiance to the Malazans will be sorely tested. And ancient enclaves of an Elder Race are in search of salvation--not among their own kind, but among humans--as an old enemy draws ever closer to the last surviving bastion of the K'Chain Che'Malle.

So this last great army of the Malazan Empire is resolved to make one final defiant, heroic stand in the name of redemption. But can deeds be heroic when there is no one to witness them? And can that which is not witnessed forever change the world? Destines are rarely simple, truths never clear but one certainty is that time is on no one's side. For the Deck of Dragons has been read, unleashing a dread power that none can comprehend�

In a faraway land and beneath indifferent skies, the final chapter of 'The Malazan Book of the Fallen' has begun…]]> 1280 Steven Erikson 0765316552 Ojo 3 2020-to-read DNF<br /><br />Will reread 4.30 2009 Dust of Dreams (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #9)
author: Steven Erikson
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/09
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves: 2020-to-read
review:
DNF

Will reread
]]> <![CDATA[The Ghost Brigades (Old Man's War, #2)]]> 239399
The universe is a dangerous place for humanity—and it's about to become far more dangerous. Three races that humans have clashed with before have allied to halt our expansion into space. Their linchpin: the turncoat military scientist Charles Boutin, who knows the CDF’s biggest military secrets. To prevail, the CDF must find out why Boutin did what he did.

Jared Dirac is the only human who can provide answers -- a superhuman hybrid, created from Boutin's DNA, Jared’s brain should be able to access Boutin's electronic memories. But when the memory transplant appears to fail, Jared is given to the Ghost Brigades.

At first, Jared is a perfect soldier, but as Boutin’s memories slowly surface, Jared begins to intuit the reason’s for Boutin’s betrayal. As Jared desperately hunts for his "father," he must also come to grips with his own choices. Time is running out: The alliance is preparing its offensive, and some of them plan worse things than humanity’s mere military defeat…]]> 343 John Scalzi 0765354063 Ojo 4 Dnf 4.10 2006 The Ghost Brigades (Old Man's War, #2)
author: John Scalzi
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/09
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves:
review:
Dnf
]]> <![CDATA[Love is Beautiful When in Bloom]]> 55823472
The collection begins with "Full Circle", a story that expresses the sweetness of requited love to "A Binding Encounter", where the bittersweet and endearing possibility of love and grief coexist.

Written with compassion, care and love, these light and sweet stories will keep you captivated as you encounter different facets of intimacy, self-discovery, pain, friendship and joy.

For readers looking to soothe their hearts, Love is Beautiful When in Bloom is the book you need to read.]]> 195 Lara T. Kareem Ojo 5 3.60 2021 Love is Beautiful When in Bloom
author: Lara T. Kareem
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/09
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Kings of the Wyld (The Band, #1)]]> 30841984
Their glory days long past, the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk - or a combination of the three. Then an ex-bandmate turns up at Clay's door with a plea for help. His daughter Rose is trapped in a city besieged by an enemy one hundred thousand strong and hungry for blood. Rescuing Rose is the kind of mission that only the very brave or the very stupid would sign up for.

It's time to get the band back together for one last tour across the Wyld.]]> 502 Nicholas Eames 0316362476 Ojo 3 DNF 4.26 2017 Kings of the Wyld (The Band, #1)
author: Nicholas Eames
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/09
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves:
review:
DNF
]]> <![CDATA[The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)]]> 45047384
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.]]> 394 T.J. Klune Ojo 0 to-read 4.37 2020 The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)
author: T.J. Klune
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hall of Smoke (The Four Pillars, #1)]]> 53759101
While she is gone, raiders raze her village and obliterate the Eangi priesthood. Grieving and alone, Hessa - the last Eangi - must find the traveller, atone for her weakness and secure her place with her loved ones in the High Halls. As clans from the north and legionaries from the south tear through her homeland, slaughtering everyone in their path, Hessa strives to win back her goddess' favour.

Beset by zealot soldiers, deceitful gods, and newly-awakened demons at every turn, Hessa burns her path towards redemption and revenge. But her journey reveals a harrowing truth: the gods are dying and the High Halls of the afterlife are fading. Soon Hessa's trust in her goddess weakens with every unheeded prayer.

Thrust into a battle between the gods of the Old World and the New, Hessa realizes there is far more on the line than securing a life beyond her own death. Bigger, older powers slumber beneath the surface of her world. And they're about to wake up.]]> 432 H.M. Long 1789094984 Ojo 0 to-read 3.75 2021 Hall of Smoke (The Four Pillars, #1)
author: H.M. Long
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Of Empires and Dust (The Bound and The Broken, #4)]]> 204254651 Publication date TBA, details below.

The balance of power in Epheria is shifting.

Gods are waking.

The world is burning.

Ashes and dust are all that will remain.

From author's website:

From a series perspective Of Empires and Dust, Book Four in The Bound and The Broken, is going to be my primary focus for 2024. The draft is currently sitting at about 65k words and I’m exepcting the final count to fall in a pretty similar range to Of War and Ruin. So only about 372k words left to go. *cracks neck and rolls up socks*

With that in mind I am aiming to have the book out in the world in the latter half of the year, so that’s going to be a lot of writing on my part. If all goes to plan, the draft will be finished by April/May, then I will be moving onto the Beta Reading, revisions, line editing, and proofreading.

I’m very excited about this book. There has been a lot building throughout the series, so many threads being weaved, seeds being sown, and this is where everything starts to come full circle. I have some major reveals lined up for you, some epic scenes, and dragons � a lot of motherfucking dragons.

My writing has been slower than I’d wished towards the latter half of this year (there’s been a lot going on), but I’m pretty certain that will change as we enter 2024. It’s been nice to ease off the throttle a little bit, but I’m more than ready to sink my teeth back into the world and charge forward like a dwarven Bersekeer.]]> Ryan Cahill Ojo 0 to-read 4.91 Of Empires and Dust (The Bound and The Broken, #4)
author: Ryan Cahill
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.91
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Sunbringer (Fallen Gods, #2) 124941442 Godkiller in this thrilling sequel to the #1 internationally bestselling fantasy debut, where Kissen and her companions must navigate lands of gods and demons to unravel a dark truth at the heart of their world.

Professional godkiller Kissen and her companions—young noble Inara and knight Elogast—return in a winding adventure in a world overflowing with magic, beauty, and danger.]]> 370 Hannah Kaner 0008521514 Ojo 0 to-read 3.88 2024 Sunbringer (Fallen Gods, #2)
author: Hannah Kaner
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The King-Killing Queen (Old World Tales Book 1)]]> 200132140 In this first book of a new trilogy author Anna Smith Spark calls “a dark love letter to high fantasy,� a woman discovers her unknown past carries with it a terrible future.

When Alafair Goode lay wounded during his quest to destroy Mordreadth the Great Darkness, a witch magicked and saved the future High King’s life to fulfill his destiny. Thereafter, all born to his line also cannot die, to be only undone by natural death.

Decades later, Sylvie Raventress is the devoted apprentice to the Master Historian stepbrother of the High King. It is a life of scholarly pursuit and privilege where one day she will take her instructor’s place and write her own histories. But beside Alafair’s deathbed, Sylvie and his scions learn a surprising truth—she is no orphan but is his named heir. Worse, when he dies, the witch’s curse is no more, leaving all of them suddenly mortal and vulnerable.

With her siblings loathing Sylvie’s selection and vying for her throne, she must rely on a Fae guide, a disgraced former First Knight, and a cantankerous light-weaver to restore the fracturing kingdom and become High Queen. And yet the thing none of them know is destiny has its own part to play too.

For the witch saved Alafair Goode for her own reasons�

Set 400 years before the events of The Dark Thorn, The King-Killing Queen is a perfect place for new and established Speakman readers.]]> 318 Shawn Speakman 1956000364 Ojo 0 to-read 3.88 2023 The King-Killing Queen (Old World Tales Book 1)
author: Shawn Speakman
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/12/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> In the Shadow of Their Dying 200658329 143 Michael R. Fletcher 064866354X Ojo 0 to-read 3.66 2024 In the Shadow of Their Dying
author: Michael R. Fletcher
name: Ojo
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Caliban’s War (The Expanse, #2)]]> 12591698
In the vast wilderness of space, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante have been keeping the peace for the Outer Planets Alliance. When they agree to help a scientist search war-torn Ganymede for a missing child, the future of humanity rests on whether a single ship can prevent an alien invasion that may have already begun . . .]]> 624 James S.A. Corey 1841499900 Ojo 0 to-read 4.36 2012 Caliban’s War (The Expanse, #2)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Bitter Crown (Eidyn, #2) 103453994
“An eclectic cast of characters traverse a war-ravaged kingdom as Anderson's cleverly constructed plot winds its way towards a truly unexpected denouement. Rich in action and intrigue, this fantasy adventure with a Scottish flavor is sure to please fans of David Gemmell.â€� â€� Anthony Ryan,Ìý New York TimesÌý bestselling authorâ€�

For more from Justin Lee Anderson, check

The Lost War]]> 560 Justin Lee Anderson 0316454303 Ojo 0 to-read 4.12 2023 The Bitter Crown (Eidyn, #2)
author: Justin Lee Anderson
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/12/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Oliver Twist 39330536
Da Introdução de Paulo Faria]]> 464 Charles Dickens 9896418217 Ojo 5 4.05 1838 Oliver Twist
author: Charles Dickens
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1838
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/12/18
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review:

]]> Storm of War (Empire #13) 62315723
A new civil war has with the emperor Pertinax's murder Marcus and his protector Scaurus have escaped Rome, seeking sanctuary for their familia in the East.

But they are soon pressed back into service by Septimus Severus, the ruthless commander who has seized the imperial capital and who holds the military balance of power over his two rivals.

Niger, the would-be emperor in the East, is on the march with six legions, and Scaurus's legion is ordered to Thrace as a sacrificial advance guard, tasked with delaying them. Whatever the cost . . .]]> 320 Anthony Riches 1399701428 Ojo 0 to-read 4.68 Storm of War (Empire #13)
author: Anthony Riches
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.68
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Blue Flames (The Riverfall Chronicles, #3)]]> 195444638 THE FIRESTORM IS COMING.

A Colonist is dead. Another has been captured. The rest find themselves scattered across Eriaris, each in a different dangerous situation, and with no memory of how they got there. Survival is the first concern. Home is a close second.

The journey won’t be easy. Some must contend with slavers and bandits, others with bounty hunters and vengeful Entrians. A few are even put before the Elders of the High Council. To make matters worse, one of the harshest winters in history has begun, slowing travel and hindering the rescue efforts of those still on Riverfall.

All is not lost, however. Though the Colonists will need every ounce of courage and strength to endure their trials, there is unexpected help along the way, and moments of hope and joy even in the darkest hours. Most surprising is the wealth of secrets they discover, powerful enough to end their nine-year exile and deal a serious blow to their worst foes.

But they must act quickly. The noose is tightening, the fuses are lit, the knives have been sharpened. With enemies closing in on all sides, the peril has never been greater. And no one is prepared for how it will end.]]> 684 Jacquelyn Hagen 1958853070 Ojo 0 to-read 4.44 2023 The Blue Flames (The Riverfall Chronicles, #3)
author: Jacquelyn Hagen
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Spider Key (The Riverfall Chronicles, #2)]]> 75614188 DON’T LOOK. DON’T ASK. DON’T GET INVOLVED.


This was once Inkwell Featherfield’s way of life. It was simple. Straightforward. Easy to remember. Too bad he botched it so spectacularly. And now, despite his best efforts to escape his troubles, things are even worse.


The Wickwire Watch is showing him visions—though not about the missing parents he seeks. The powerful Lady Seherene is now an ally but demands a steep price for it. The Colonists have welcomed him into their family . . . which might be nice if they weren’t hunted fugitives in constant mortal danger.


Worse still, his grandfather is back from the dead and demanding that Ink help put a stop to Caradoc, the Keyholder attempting to gain control of the ghostly Spektors. Allegedly. Trouble is, he’s also the one person able to keep Ink safe from them. If only the man wasn’t so secretive. It would make life so much easier.


Above all else, Inkwell and the Colonists are in desperate need of answers. The pursuit will lead them through grand halls and trap-riddled trenches to a secret ceremony and a private city high in the frozen mountains. Ink’s eyes are opened to things more beautiful and terrible than he ever could have dreamed. It’s enough to wish he’d kept them shut.

]]> 550 Jacquelyn Hagen 1958853038 Ojo 0 to-read 4.29 2023 The Spider Key (The Riverfall Chronicles, #2)
author: Jacquelyn Hagen
name: Ojo
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>