Lis's bookshelf: all en-US Fri, 02 Feb 2024 06:05:20 -0800 60 Lis's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)]]> 23018776 This is an alternative cover edition for ISBN 9780007527557. Other editions can be found here and here.

Agatha Christie’s most exotic murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.

The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything � until she lost her life.

Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: ‘I’d like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.� Yet in this exotic setting� nothing is ever quite what it seems…]]> 373 Agatha Christie Lis 4 agatha-christie 4.18 1937 Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Lis
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1937
rating: 4
read at: 2018/04/21
date added: 2024/02/02
shelves: agatha-christie
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Witchwood Crown (The Last King of Osten Ard, #1)]]> 31159601
Now, twenty-four years after the conclusion of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Tad returns to his beloved universe and characters with The Witchwood Crown, the first novel in the long-awaited sequel trilogy, The Last King of Osten Ard.

Thirty years have passed since the events of the earlier novels, and the world has reached a critical turning point once again. The realm is threatened by divisive forces, even as old allies are lost, and others are lured down darker paths. Perhaps most terrifying of all, the Norns--the long-vanquished elvish foe--are stirring once again, preparing to reclaim the mortal-ruled lands that once were theirs....]]> 736 Tad Williams 0756410606 Lis 5 fantasy, pure-badass 4.07 2017 The Witchwood Crown (The Last King of Osten Ard, #1)
author: Tad Williams
name: Lis
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2017/07/25
date added: 2023/07/29
shelves: fantasy, pure-badass
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle]]> 35967101 A brilliantly original high concept murder mystery from a fantastic new talent: Gosford Park meets Inception, by way of Agatha Christie and Black Mirror.

'Somebody's going to be murdered at the ball tonight. It won't appear to be a murder and so the murderer won't be caught. Rectify that injustice and I'll show you the way out.'

It is meant to be a celebration but it ends in tragedy. As fireworks explode overhead, Evelyn Hardcastle, the young and beautiful daughter of the house, is killed.

But Evelyn will not die just once. Until Aiden � one of the guests summoned to Blackheath for the party � can solve her murder, the day will repeat itself, over and over again. Every time ending with the fateful pistol shot.

The only way to break this cycle is to identify the killer. But each time the day begins again, Aiden wakes in the body of a different guest. And someone is determined to prevent him ever escaping Blackheath...

Also titled as The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.]]> 505 Stuart Turton Lis 5 scary-stuffs

Are you ready for a treat? And I mean a real treat! The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton is easily the best mystery I’ve read this year (so far, but I have a feeling this one will be hard to top).

And I mean, it can be hard to find a good mystery. Either you end up with something lukewarm or way to graphic depictions of severed human body parts. One of reasons I rarely pick up any modern mysteries at all und tend to sit on my Agatha Christie Collection instead.

This novel gets compared to Agatha Christie by a lot of reviewers. To be honest, while this made me curious, it also multiplied my doubts. Could The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle really keep up with any of my favourite Christie novels?

Answer: Holy hell, yes it could!

The plot itself is as simple as it is complicated. Our protagonist, Aiden, wakes up without any recollections of who he is and where he is. After some confusing hours of running through a forest, he finally arrives at Blackheath, an old manor of the Hardcastles who are planning a grand party for the same evening. But a lot of secrets are strewn among the hosts and guest and Aiden gets presented with a horrible task: He must solve a murder that will happen on that evening and present evidence of it. Should he fail, the day will repeat, only each time Aiden will wake up in the body of a different guest. But Aiden is not the only one in Blackheath trying to solve the murder. Others are watching him, following him, even going as far as to incapacitate Aiden’s hosts to keep him from solving the mystery surrounding Blackheath.

Thus, starts a race against time. After all, Aiden only has a limited number of hosts at his disposal.

This novel� this novel though! It is so packed, I couldn’t put it down. It really had me hooked and ensnared in a way that hardly any other story did this year.

It is fast paced, and action packed. Even though the same day gets repeated several times, through each of Aiden’s hosts we get a new perspective, nothing ever feels repeated. Quite on the contrary, the mystery deepens with each day Aiden spends in Blackheath. Up to a point where you wonder how all these threads and mysteries could ever be resolved.

As a reader one needs to pay close attention to keep track of everything, including the frequent time jumps. But it never becomes tiresome. The atmosphere is so dense and rich with questions that I just wanted to be answered, even though it was already well into the night and I should be sleeping

And, without giving too much away though, the novel succeeds until the very end. This, for me, was the most important and striking thing. The end is awesome, leaving the reader with a good feeling of satisfaction. There is room to wonder, not everything gets solved quite so obviously. But it also presents the reader with a relatable explanation for what is going on at Blackheath.

It absolutely compares to certain Agatha Christie novels (not naming them though, because I don’t want to possibly spoil the twists and turns of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle). It was a more than worthy substitute for my usual Agatha Christie novel for Crime Sunday.

I wholeheartedly hope we’ll get more from Stuart Turton in the future. Meanwhile, I’ll keep recommending The Seven Deaths to everyone!]]> 3.87 2018 The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
author: Stuart Turton
name: Lis
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/06/19
date added: 2023/04/21
shelves: scary-stuffs
review:
This review can also be found on my blog:


Are you ready for a treat? And I mean a real treat! The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton is easily the best mystery I’ve read this year (so far, but I have a feeling this one will be hard to top).

And I mean, it can be hard to find a good mystery. Either you end up with something lukewarm or way to graphic depictions of severed human body parts. One of reasons I rarely pick up any modern mysteries at all und tend to sit on my Agatha Christie Collection instead.

This novel gets compared to Agatha Christie by a lot of reviewers. To be honest, while this made me curious, it also multiplied my doubts. Could The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle really keep up with any of my favourite Christie novels?

Answer: Holy hell, yes it could!

The plot itself is as simple as it is complicated. Our protagonist, Aiden, wakes up without any recollections of who he is and where he is. After some confusing hours of running through a forest, he finally arrives at Blackheath, an old manor of the Hardcastles who are planning a grand party for the same evening. But a lot of secrets are strewn among the hosts and guest and Aiden gets presented with a horrible task: He must solve a murder that will happen on that evening and present evidence of it. Should he fail, the day will repeat, only each time Aiden will wake up in the body of a different guest. But Aiden is not the only one in Blackheath trying to solve the murder. Others are watching him, following him, even going as far as to incapacitate Aiden’s hosts to keep him from solving the mystery surrounding Blackheath.

Thus, starts a race against time. After all, Aiden only has a limited number of hosts at his disposal.

This novel� this novel though! It is so packed, I couldn’t put it down. It really had me hooked and ensnared in a way that hardly any other story did this year.

It is fast paced, and action packed. Even though the same day gets repeated several times, through each of Aiden’s hosts we get a new perspective, nothing ever feels repeated. Quite on the contrary, the mystery deepens with each day Aiden spends in Blackheath. Up to a point where you wonder how all these threads and mysteries could ever be resolved.

As a reader one needs to pay close attention to keep track of everything, including the frequent time jumps. But it never becomes tiresome. The atmosphere is so dense and rich with questions that I just wanted to be answered, even though it was already well into the night and I should be sleeping

And, without giving too much away though, the novel succeeds until the very end. This, for me, was the most important and striking thing. The end is awesome, leaving the reader with a good feeling of satisfaction. There is room to wonder, not everything gets solved quite so obviously. But it also presents the reader with a relatable explanation for what is going on at Blackheath.

It absolutely compares to certain Agatha Christie novels (not naming them though, because I don’t want to possibly spoil the twists and turns of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle). It was a more than worthy substitute for my usual Agatha Christie novel for Crime Sunday.

I wholeheartedly hope we’ll get more from Stuart Turton in the future. Meanwhile, I’ll keep recommending The Seven Deaths to everyone!
]]> <![CDATA[Honey and Pepper (When in Pheme, #1)]]> 60620498
Kallion doesn’t need a rescue. What he really needs is a skewer of octopus fritters (with extra sauce) and a friend. Nikias can supply both, and maybe, with the help of Nikias’s skill in the kitchen and Kallion’s excellent collection of wine, they can fight past their misunderstandings and the disasters of their pasts to something deeper.

But when civil unrest roils the city and old threats resurface, the trust these two have built will be tested. And they’d both better hope that Kallion’s vicious former master will just stay dead.

Honey & Pepper is a standalone m/m romance and also the first book in the When in Pheme series set in an imaginary ancient world.]]> 222 A.J. Demas 1988086213 Lis 5 fantasy, romance This book has everything: a great romance arc, interesting characters and political shenanigans that fit into the plot seamlessly and add some tension to the story.

The setting is again in some fantasy version of an ancient Mediterranean country. The world building is great! It’s not overly detailed, but rather plays on the knowledge of Ancient times the reader brings into the story. Still, the world feels rich and authentic. You can almost feel the evening sun on your skin.

The overall lighthearted plot still leaves room for serious discussions about slavery and the struggle of the main characters to find their place as freed slaves.

The two main characters and their evolving romance make up the main part of the story. I did enjoy reading their journey from acquaintances to lovers. Nikias and Kallion are both loveable and I found myself cheering for them early on.

The political, let’s call it, sub-plot gets resolved towards the end, without taking up to much space. It might come off as rushed, but I liked how it was resolved. For me the mix of romance and political sub-plot was just right.

And finally, Food! So much FOOD in this book! Prepare to get hungry while reading!

So, all in all this book is already one of my favorite reads this year. If you haven’t read A.J. Demas yet, you are missing out! Honey and Pepper is a very good book to start with though. So, give it a try ]]> 3.98 2022 Honey and Pepper (When in Pheme, #1)
author: A.J. Demas
name: Lis
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/03/29
shelves: fantasy, romance
review:
What a fantastic read! I was so happy to dive back into the world of A.J. Demas writing again.
This book has everything: a great romance arc, interesting characters and political shenanigans that fit into the plot seamlessly and add some tension to the story.

The setting is again in some fantasy version of an ancient Mediterranean country. The world building is great! It’s not overly detailed, but rather plays on the knowledge of Ancient times the reader brings into the story. Still, the world feels rich and authentic. You can almost feel the evening sun on your skin.

The overall lighthearted plot still leaves room for serious discussions about slavery and the struggle of the main characters to find their place as freed slaves.

The two main characters and their evolving romance make up the main part of the story. I did enjoy reading their journey from acquaintances to lovers. Nikias and Kallion are both loveable and I found myself cheering for them early on.

The political, let’s call it, sub-plot gets resolved towards the end, without taking up to much space. It might come off as rushed, but I liked how it was resolved. For me the mix of romance and political sub-plot was just right.

And finally, Food! So much FOOD in this book! Prepare to get hungry while reading!

So, all in all this book is already one of my favorite reads this year. If you haven’t read A.J. Demas yet, you are missing out! Honey and Pepper is a very good book to start with though. So, give it a try
]]> Lady Susan 29378517
The scheming and unscrupulous Lady Susan is unlike any Austen heroine you've met in this fascinating early novella.

One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.]]> 128 Jane Austen 0241251338 Lis 5 short-stories 3.74 1871 Lady Susan
author: Jane Austen
name: Lis
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1871
rating: 5
read at: 2018/10/12
date added: 2020/09/14
shelves: short-stories
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hickory Dickory Dock (Hercule Poirot, #34)]]> 28147143 245 Agatha Christie Lis 4 agatha-christie 3.71 1955 Hickory Dickory Dock (Hercule Poirot, #34)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Lis
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1955
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/29
date added: 2020/06/29
shelves: agatha-christie
review:

]]> Storybound 41085230
All I’ve ever needed are my books. I’ve lived a thousand lives, had adventures I couldn’t even begin to imagine. To me, the places I discovered between the pages of a book are as real as the world I live in.

When I walk into my favorite bookstore, the last thing I expect is to walk out onto the pages of the kingdom of Mithres...or that the book boyfriend I’ve loved more than life, Kane the Traveler, really exists. And he has no clue the fate that awaits him in book five...

Now that I know the truth, I have a chance to save Kane. But if I change the story, will I ever find my way home?]]> 403 Emily McKay Lis 4 fantasy, romance, ya-stuffs A perfect read, if you just want to relax and let a story sweep you away.

Only thing that prevented the 5 Stars are certain unresolved things towards the end that were just left hanging or being forgotten about?
But anyway, it is still a lush little read for anyone who wants a quick and easy romance novel :) ]]> 3.71 2020 Storybound
author: Emily McKay
name: Lis
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/21
date added: 2020/06/21
shelves: fantasy, romance, ya-stuffs
review:
I read this in one go on a relaxing, summer sunday and I really loved it. It was fast-paced, easy and flowing writing that kept you hooked.
A perfect read, if you just want to relax and let a story sweep you away.

Only thing that prevented the 5 Stars are certain unresolved things towards the end that were just left hanging or being forgotten about?
But anyway, it is still a lush little read for anyone who wants a quick and easy romance novel :)
]]> Beren and Lúthien 32708664 The tale of Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of the First Age of the World conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien. Returning from France and the battle of the Somme at the end of 1916, he wrote the tale in the following year.
Ìý
Essential to the story, and never changed, is the fate that shadowed the love of Beren and Lúthien: for Beren was a mortal man, but Lúthien was an immortal elf. Her father, a great elvish lord, in deep opposition to Beren, imposed on him an impossible task that he must perform before he might wed Lúthien. This is the kernel of the legend;Ìýand it leads to the supremely heroic attempt of Beren and Lúthien together to rob the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor, called Morgoth, the Black Enemy, of a Silmaril.
Ìý
In this book Christopher Tolkien has attempted to extract the story of Beren and Lúthien from the comprehensive work in which it was embedded; but that story was itself changing as it developed new associations within the larger history. To show something of the process whereby this legend of Middle-earth evolved over the years, he has told the story in his father's own words by giving, first, its original form, and then passages in prose and verse from later texts that illustrate the narrative as it changed. Presented together for the first time, they reveal aspects of the story, both in event and in narrative immediacy, that were afterwards lost.
Ìý
Published on the tenth anniversary of the last Middle-earth book, the international bestseller The Children of Húrin, this new volume will similarly include drawings and color plates by Alan Lee, who also illustrated The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and went on to win Academy Awards for his work on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
Ìý]]> 288 J.R.R. Tolkien 0008214190 Lis 5 fantasy 3.99 2017 Beren and Lúthien
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Lis
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2020/06/17
date added: 2020/06/21
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> Daggerspell (Deverry, #1) 498214 Daggerspell is a rare and special treat.]]> 454 Katharine Kerr 0553565214 Lis 3 fantasy 3.90 1986 Daggerspell (Deverry, #1)
author: Katharine Kerr
name: Lis
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1986
rating: 3
read at: 2020/06/19
date added: 2020/06/19
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sword of Fire (The Justice War, #1)]]> 50096238 500 Katharine Kerr 0008276757 Lis 4 fantasy 3.54 2020 Sword of Fire (The Justice War, #1)
author: Katharine Kerr
name: Lis
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/01
date added: 2020/06/17
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Turning Darkness Into Light (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #6)]]> 41555968
When Lord Gleinheigh recruits Audrey to decipher a series of ancient tablets holding the secrets of the ancient Draconean civilization, she has no idea that her research will plunge her into an intricate conspiracy, one meant to incite rebellion and invoke war. Alongside dearest childhood friend and fellow archeologist Kudshayn, must find proof of the conspiracy before it’s too late.

TURNING DARKNESS INTO LIGHT is a delightful fantasy of manners, the heir to the award-winning Natural History of Dragons series, a perfect stepping stone into an alternate Victorian-esque fantasy landscape.]]> 413 Marie Brennan 0765377616 Lis 4 fantasy 4.18 2019 Turning Darkness Into Light (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #6)
author: Marie Brennan
name: Lis
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/17
date added: 2020/06/17
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Face in the Glass: The Gothic Tales of Mary Elizabeth Braddon]]> 44025299 The Face in the Glass is the first selection of Mary Elizabeth Braddon's supernatural short stories to be widely available in more than 100 years. By turns curious, sinister, haunting and terrifying, each tale explores the dark shadows beyond the rational world.]]> 352 Mary Elizabeth Braddon 0712352082 Lis 4 scary-stuffs 3.89 2014 The Face in the Glass: The Gothic Tales of Mary Elizabeth Braddon
author: Mary Elizabeth Braddon
name: Lis
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2019/11/07
date added: 2020/06/11
shelves: scary-stuffs
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The City in the Middle of the Night]]> 49113465 496 Charlie Jane Anders 1789093562 Lis 2 si-fi, dystopian The first half had some really good moments that I enjoyed, but I nearly DNFed at the second half.
This book tries very hard to resemble a Becky Chambers story with added Jeff Vandermeer weirdness, but sadly fails both.
I think all the other 2 star reviews already point out the issues...
I'm sad and disappointed. There was so much potential just from the setting. But in the end you are left with an unresolved mess of a story that comes off as patronizing and moralizing in the worst ways. ]]> 3.30 2019 The City in the Middle of the Night
author: Charlie Jane Anders
name: Lis
average rating: 3.30
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2020/06/01
date added: 2020/06/08
shelves: si-fi, dystopian
review:
A very generous two stars...
The first half had some really good moments that I enjoyed, but I nearly DNFed at the second half.
This book tries very hard to resemble a Becky Chambers story with added Jeff Vandermeer weirdness, but sadly fails both.
I think all the other 2 star reviews already point out the issues...
I'm sad and disappointed. There was so much potential just from the setting. But in the end you are left with an unresolved mess of a story that comes off as patronizing and moralizing in the worst ways.
]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Queen (The Lost Queen, #1)]]> 38355440 �Outlander meets Camelot� (Kirsty Logan, author of The Gracekeepers) in the first book of an exciting historical trilogy that reveals the untold story of Languoreth—a powerful and, until now, tragically forgotten queen of sixth-century Scotland—twin sister of the man who inspired the legendary character of Merlin.

Intelligent, passionate, rebellious, and brave, Languoreth is the unforgettable heroine of The Lost Queen, a tale of conflicted loves and survival set against the cinematic backdrop of ancient Scotland, a magical land of myths and superstition inspired by the beauty of the natural world. One of the most powerful early medieval queens in British history, Languoreth ruled at a time of enormous disruption and bloodshed, when the burgeoning forces of Christianity threatened to obliterate the ancient pagan beliefs and change her way of life forever.

Together with her twin brother Lailoken, a warrior and druid known to history as Merlin, Languoreth is catapulted into a world of danger and violence. When a war brings the hero Emrys Pendragon, to their door, Languoreth collides with the handsome warrior Maelgwn. Their passionate connection is forged by enchantment, but Languoreth is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of the High King who is sympathetic to the followers of Christianity. As Rhydderch's wife, Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way, her kingdom, and all she holds dear.

“Moving, thrilling, and ultimately spellbinding� (BookPage), The Lost Queen brings this remarkable woman to life—rescuing her from obscurity, and reaffirming her place at the center of the most enduring legends of all time. “Moving, thrilling, and ultimately spellbinding, The Lost Queen is perfect for readers of historical fiction like The Clan of the Cave Bear and Wolf Hall, and for lovers of fantasy like Outlander and The Mists of Avalon� (BookPage).]]> 527 Signe Pike 1501191411 Lis 4 fantasy, historical, myths 4.14 2018 The Lost Queen (The Lost Queen, #1)
author: Signe Pike
name: Lis
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/09
date added: 2020/06/08
shelves: fantasy, historical, myths
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Time's DemonÌý(The Islevale Cycle #2)]]> 41387418 Two time-traveling heroes must change the future before they are murdered in the past, in the incredible fantasy sequel to Time's Children

Fifteen year-old Tobias Doljan Walked back in time to prevent a war, but instead found himself trapped in an adult body, his king murdered and with an infant princess, Sofya, to protect. Now he has been joined by fellow Walker and Spanner, Mara, and together they must find a way to undo the timeline which orphaned the princess and destroyed their future. Arrayed against them are assassins who share their time-traveling powers, but have dark ambitions of their own, and the Tirribin demon, Dro�, whose desperate quest for human love and Tobias leads her into alliances which threaten all of Islevale.

File Under: Fantasy [ Time Killers - Span the Divide - Back to a Future - Enemies at Heart ]]]> 504 D.B. Jackson 0857667939 Lis 4 fantasy 4.09 2019 Time's DemonÌý(The Islevale Cycle #2)
author: D.B. Jackson
name: Lis
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/09
date added: 2020/06/08
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Time's Children (The Islevale Cycle #1)]]> 38502658 A time traveler trapped in a violent past must protect the orphaned child of a murdered sovereign and find a way home, in this astonishing epic fantasy novel.

Fifteen year-old Tobias Doljan, a Walker trained to travel through time, is called to serve at the court of Daerjen. The sovereign, Mearlan IV, wants him to Walk back fourteen years, to prevent a devastating war which will destroy all of Islevale. Even though the journey will double Tobias' age, he agrees. But he arrives to discover Mearlan has already been assassinated, and his court destroyed. The only survivor is the infant princess, Sofya. Still a boy inside his newly adult body, Tobias must find a way to protect the princess from assassins, and build himself a future... in the past.

File Under: Fantasy [ Time Demons They See Me Walkin' Young Inside Disturbing Allies ]]]> 528 D.B. Jackson 0857667912 Lis 5 fantasy, pure-badass 3.96 2018 Time's Children (The Islevale Cycle #1)
author: D.B. Jackson
name: Lis
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/06/09
date added: 2020/06/08
shelves: fantasy, pure-badass
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance]]> 44244324 Lady Victoria Aston has everything she could every want - an older sister happily wed, the future of her family estate secure, and ample opportunity to while her time away in the fields around her home. But now Vicky must marry—or find herself and her family destitute. Armed only with the wisdom she has gained from her beloved novels by Jane Austen, she enters society’s treacherous season. Sadly, Miss Austen has little to say about Vicky’s exact situation - whether the roguish Mr. Carmichael is indeed a scoundrel, if her former best friend, Tom Sherborne, is out for her dowry or for her heart, or even how to fend off the attentions of the foppish Mr. Silby, he of the unfortunate fashion sensibility. Most unfortunately of all, Vicky’s books are silent on the topic of the mysterious accidents cropping up around her…ones that could prevent her from surviving until her wedding day.]]> 429 Jennieke Cohen 0062857304 Lis 3 romance, ya-stuffs 3.67 2019 Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance
author: Jennieke Cohen
name: Lis
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/06/09
date added: 2020/06/08
shelves: romance, ya-stuffs
review:

]]> The Last Greek (Commander #2) 44798322
Battle-hardened Philopoemen believes the Achean League is facing annihilation if it does not arm. But without a formal army or cavalry, they don't stand a chance. Convincing his friend and healer Alexanor that the threat is real, together they begin to build a massive cavalry guard from the ground up - one that will fight on all fronts.

It is the last roll of the dice for the Achean League. But Alexanor knows Philopoemen is one of the greatest warriors Greece has ever known - the New Achilles. The Last Greek.]]> 400 Christian Cameron 1409176592 Lis 4 historical 4.25 2020 The Last Greek (Commander #2)
author: Christian Cameron
name: Lis
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/09
date added: 2020/06/08
shelves: historical
review:

]]> <![CDATA[For the Killing of Kings (The Ring-Sworn Trilogy #1)]]> 36742939 A cross between Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber and The Three Musketeers, For the Killing of Kings is the first in a new fantasy trilogy by Howard Andrew Jones.

Their peace was a fragile thing, but it had endured for seven years, mostly because the people of Darassus and the king of the Naor hordes believed his doom was foretold upon the edge of the great sword hung in the hall of champions. Unruly Naor clans might raid across the border, but the king himself would never lead his people to war so long as the blade remained in the hands of his enemies.

But when squire Elenai's aging mentor uncovers evidence that the sword in their hall is a forgery, she's forced to flee Darassus for her life, her only ally the reckless, disillusioned Kyrkenall the archer. Framed for murder and treason, pursued by the greatest heroes of the realm, they race to recover the real sword, only to stumble into a conspiracy that leads all the way back to the Darassan queen and her secretive advisers. They must find a way to clear their names and set things right, all while dodging friends determined to kill them - and the Naor hordes, invading at last with a new and deadly weapon.

Howard Andrew Jones' powerful world-building brings this epic fantasy to life in this first book of his new adventure-filled trilogy.]]> 368 Howard Andrew Jones 1250006813 Lis 5 pure-badass, fantasy 3.91 2019 For the Killing of Kings (The Ring-Sworn Trilogy #1)
author: Howard Andrew Jones
name: Lis
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/09
date added: 2020/06/08
shelves: pure-badass, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Upon the Flight of the Queen (The Ring-Sworn Trilogy, #2)]]> 43263411 "A fast-paced adventure combined with an engrossing mystery, all set in a unique and original fantasy world. I can't wait to find out what happens next!" --Martha Wells, Hugo Award-winning author on For the Killing of Kings

In this sequel to For the Killing of Kings, Howard Andrew Jones returns to the ring-sworn champions of the Altenerai in Upon the Flight of the Queen to continue this thrilling, imaginative and immersive epic fantasy trilogy.

While the savage Naor clans prepare to march on the heart of the Allied Realms, Rylin infiltrates the highest of the enemy ranks to learn their secrets and free hundreds of doomed prisoners. His ailing mentor Varama leads the ever-dwindling Altenerai corps in a series of desperate strikes to cripple the Naor occupiers, hoping for a relief force that may not come in time to save what's left of the city and her charges.

Elenai, Kyrkenall, and the kobalin Ortok ride through the storm-wracked Shifting Lands to rekindle an alliance with the ko'aye, the only possible counter to the terrible Naor dragons. Even if they survive the hazardous trek deep through kobalin territory to find the winged lizards, though, the three are unlikely to get a warm reception, for the queen of the five realms refused to aid the ko'aye when their homelands were attacked, and the creatures have long memories.

While the Altenerai fight impossible odds to save the realms, their queen delves further and deeper into the magic of the mysterious hearthstones in a frantic attempt to unlock secrets that might just destroy them all.

Praised for his skills in drafting modern epic fantasy that engrosses and entertains, Howard Andrew Jones delivers a sequel that expands the amazing world, relationships, and adventure introduced in the first book of this series.]]> 432 Howard Andrew Jones 1250148804 Lis 5 fantasy, pure-badass 4.28 2019 Upon the Flight of the Queen (The Ring-Sworn Trilogy, #2)
author: Howard Andrew Jones
name: Lis
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/09
date added: 2020/06/08
shelves: fantasy, pure-badass
review:

]]> The Furies 41445791
After an accident involving her Dad and sister, Violet joins Elm Hollow Academy, a private girls school in a quiet coastal town, which has an unpleasant history as the site of famous 17th century witch trials. Violet quickly finds herself invited to become the fourth member of an advanced study group, alongside Robin, Grace, and Alex - led by their charismatic art teacher, Annabel.

While Annabel claims her classes aren’t related to ancient rites and rituals - warning the girls off the topic, describing it as little more than mythology - the girls start to believe that magic is real, and that they can harness it. But when the body of a former member of the society - Robin’s best friend, with whom Violet shares an uncanny resemblance - is found dead on campus nine months after she disappeared, Violet begins to wonder whether she can trust her friends, teachers, or even herself.]]> 384 Katie Lowe 0008288976 Lis 4 ya-stuffs A deep, rich atmosphere and some really scary parts. One of the better YA books that came out this year. ]]> 3.17 2019 The Furies
author: Katie Lowe
name: Lis
average rating: 3.17
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/06/19
date added: 2020/02/17
shelves: ya-stuffs
review:
This was suprisingly intense and just kept me glued to the pages.
A deep, rich atmosphere and some really scary parts. One of the better YA books that came out this year.
]]> <![CDATA[Sad Cypress (Hercule Poirot, #22)]]> 28258300 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780008129576

An elderly stroke victim dies without having arranged a will�

Beautiful young Elinor Carlisle stood serenely in the dock, accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard, her rival in love. The evidence was damning: only Elinor had the motive, the opportunity and the means to administer the fatal poison.

Yet, inside the hostile courtroom, only one man still presumed Elinor was innocent until proven guilty: Hercule Poirot was all that stood between Elinor and the gallows…]]> 288 Agatha Christie Lis 5 agatha-christie 3.95 1940 Sad Cypress (Hercule Poirot, #22)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Lis
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1940
rating: 5
read at: 2020/02/16
date added: 2020/02/16
shelves: agatha-christie
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Letters From An Astrophysicist]]> 51294921 Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has attracted one of the world’s largest online followings with his fascinating, widely accessible insights into science and our universe. Now, Tyson invites us to go behind the scenes of his public fame by unveiling his candid correspondence with people across the globe who have sought him out in search of answers. In this hand-picked collection of one hundred letters, Tyson draws upon cosmic perspectives to address a vast array of questions about science, faith, philosophy, life, and of course, Pluto. His succinct, opinionated, passionate, and often funny responses reflect his popularity and standing as a leading educator.

Tyson’s 2017 bestseller Astrophysics for People in a Hurry offered more than one million readers an insightful and accessible understanding of the universe. Now, revealing Tyson’s most candid and heartfelt writing yet, Letters from an Astrophysicist introduces us to a newly personal dimension of Tyson’s quest to understand our place in the cosmos.]]> 272 Neil deGrasse Tyson 1324003316 Lis 4 non-fiction 4.07 2019 Letters From An Astrophysicist
author: Neil deGrasse Tyson
name: Lis
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/15
date added: 2020/02/15
shelves: non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Empire of Sand (The Books of Ambha, #1)]]> 39714124 A nobleman’s daughter with magic in her blood. An empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods. Empire of Sand is Tasha Suri’s captivating, Mughal India-inspired debut fantasy.

The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Empire for the power in their blood. Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited.

When Mehr’s power comes to the attention of the Emperor’s most feared mystics, she must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist their cruel agenda � and should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance�

Empire of Sand is a lush, dazzling fantasy novel perfect for readers of City of Brass and The Wrath & the Dawn.]]> 402 Tasha Suri 0316449695 Lis 5 fantasy, pure-badass 3.84 2018 Empire of Sand (The Books of Ambha, #1)
author: Tasha Suri
name: Lis
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/08
date added: 2020/01/08
shelves: fantasy, pure-badass
review:
I breathed this book. It was so good. What a wonderful story.
]]> <![CDATA[Death in the Clouds (Hercule Poirot, #12)]]> 25972350 A woman is killed by a poisoned dart in the enclosed confines of a commercial passenger plane�

From seat No.9, Hercule Poirot was ideally placed to observe his fellow air passengers. Over to his right sat a pretty young woman, clearly infatuated with the man opposite; ahead, in seat No.13, sat a Countess with a poorly-concealed cocaine habit; across the gangway in seat No.8, a detective writer was being troubled by an aggressive wasp.

What Poirot did not yet realize was that behind him, in seat No.2, sat the slumped, lifeless body of a woman.]]> 272 Agatha Christie Lis 5 agatha-christie 3.82 1935 Death in the Clouds (Hercule Poirot, #12)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Lis
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1935
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/05
date added: 2020/01/05
shelves: agatha-christie
review:

]]> Guns of Liberty 45019772 Magic hunter Rachel Masters has been dispatched to Albany by Talon’s Inquisition, to recover a legendary and dangerous magical weapon left by the gods before it can be used against the Empire. When the archbishop refuses to allow Rachel access to the Sanctus Treasury, she realizes that she will need assistance from the Duchess Lalita, who unfortunately must first be rescued from the mercenary clutches of the elusive pirate Genevieve Jones.
Before turning to piracy, Genevieve served in the Liberty navy, but her experiences left her with old scars and a terrible burden to carry. Finding a rich bounty for her renegade crew is now Genevieve’s priority- but fate has set these strong women on a collision course as they uncover ancient rivalries and treacherous magic’s that threaten not only the Empire, but the world!]]> 310 Jamie Mauchline 0473476649 Lis 4 steampunk, fantasy 3.29 Guns of Liberty
author: Jamie Mauchline
name: Lis
average rating: 3.29
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/04
date added: 2020/01/04
shelves: steampunk, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Clocks (Hercule Poirot, #39)]]> 26552824 320 Agatha Christie Lis 4 agatha-christie 3.69 1963 The Clocks (Hercule Poirot, #39)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Lis
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1963
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/02
date added: 2020/01/02
shelves: agatha-christie
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Queen of the Conquered (Islands of Blood and Storm, #1)]]> 44286509 An ambitious young woman with the power to control minds seeks vengeance against the royals who murdered her family, in a Caribbean-inspired fantasy world embattled by colonial oppression.

Sigourney Rose is the only surviving daughter of a noble lineage on the islands of Hans Lollik. When she was a child, her family was murdered by the islands� colonizers, who have massacred and enslaved generations of her people—and now, Sigourney is ready to exact her revenge.

When the childless king of the islands declares that he will choose his successor from amongst eligible noble families, Sigourney uses her ability to read and control minds to manipulate her way onto the royal island and into the ranks of the ruling colonizers. But when she arrives, prepared to fight for control of all the islands, Sigourney finds herself the target of a dangerous, unknown magic.

Someone is killing off the ruling families to clear a path to the throne. As the bodies pile up and all eyes regard her with suspicion, Sigourney must find allies among her prey and the murderer among her peers... lest she become the next victim.

Queen of the Conquered reckons with the many layers of power and privilege in a lush fantasy world—perfect for readers of V. E. Schwab, Kiersten White, and Marlon James.]]> 400 Kacen Callender 0316454931 Lis 3 fantasy I am actually a bit disappointed.
We get told so much, constant flashbacks and info dumbs, yet the world and the characters remain strangely uncompelling and colorless.
Halfway through I was so tired of starting a chapter, seeing two pages of direct action only to be thrown into another, sometimes even repeating flashback.
The writing style is still good though, easy and nice to read.
But the rest remains very inconsistent.
Even the great reveal at the end (i loved the premise) could have been so much more compelling, so much more gripping, if it hadn't happened like another info dumb ala "this is what was going on along". ]]> 3.42 2019 Queen of the Conquered (Islands of Blood and Storm, #1)
author: Kacen Callender
name: Lis
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/12/31
date added: 2019/12/31
shelves: fantasy
review:
I think I liked the idea of what this book was trying to be more than the actual execution of the story.
I am actually a bit disappointed.
We get told so much, constant flashbacks and info dumbs, yet the world and the characters remain strangely uncompelling and colorless.
Halfway through I was so tired of starting a chapter, seeing two pages of direct action only to be thrown into another, sometimes even repeating flashback.
The writing style is still good though, easy and nice to read.
But the rest remains very inconsistent.
Even the great reveal at the end (i loved the premise) could have been so much more compelling, so much more gripping, if it hadn't happened like another info dumb ala "this is what was going on along".
]]> The Starless Sea 43575115 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world—a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea.

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.]]> 498 Erin Morgenstern 038554121X Lis 5 3.82 2019 The Starless Sea
author: Erin Morgenstern
name: Lis
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/12/27
date added: 2019/12/27
shelves: fantasy, way-too-real, romance, pure-badass
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Tea Dragon Festival (Tea Dragon, #2)]]> 42369064 135 Kay O'Neill 1620106558 Lis 5 fantasy 4.40 2019 The Tea Dragon Festival (Tea Dragon, #2)
author: Kay O'Neill
name: Lis
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/12/25
date added: 2019/12/27
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold (Stephen Fry's Great Mythology, #1)]]> 35074096
This stunning book features classical artwork inspired by the myths, as well as learned notes from the author. Each adventure is infused with Fry's distinctive wit, voice, and writing style. Connoisseurs of the Greek myths will appreciate this fresh-yet-reverential interpretation, while newcomers will feel welcome. Retellings brim with humor and emotion and offer rich cultural context

Celebrating the thrills, grandeur, and unabashed fun of the Greek myths, Mythos breathes life into ancient tales—from Pandora's box to Prometheus's fire.

This gorgeous volume invites you to explore a captivating world with the brilliant storyteller Stephen Fry as your guide.]]> 416 Stephen Fry 0718188721 Lis 5 4.27 2017 Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold (Stephen Fry's Great Mythology, #1)
author: Stephen Fry
name: Lis
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2018/02/15
date added: 2019/12/19
shelves: pure-badass, myths, retellings
review:

]]> The Silence of the Girls 38470229 'I heard him before I saw him: his battle cry ringing round the walls...'

When her city falls to the Greeks, Briseis's old life is shattered. She goes from queen to captive, from free woman to slave, awarded to the godlike warrior Achilles as a prize of battle. She's not alone. On the same day, and on many others in the course of a long, bitter war, innumerable women have been wrested from their homes and flung to the fighters.

As told in The Iliad, the Trojan War was a quarrel between men. But what of the women in this story, silenced by their fates? What words did the speak when alone with each other, in the laundry, at the loom, when laying out the dead?

In this magnificent novel of the Trojan War, Pat Barker summons the voices of Briseis and her fellow women to tell this mythic story anew, foregrounding their experiences against the backdrop of savage battle between men. One of the contemporary writers on war and its collateral damage, here Pat Barker reimagines the most famous of all wars in literature, charting one woman's journey throught it, as she struggles to free herself and to become the author of her own story.]]> 325 Pat Barker 0241338093 Lis 5 3.81 2018 The Silence of the Girls
author: Pat Barker
name: Lis
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/09/09
date added: 2019/12/19
shelves: fantasy, historical, pure-badass, myths, retellings
review:

]]> <![CDATA[For the Most Beautiful (Golden Apple Trilogy #1)]]> 25493869
Now is that time - time for the women of Troy to tell their story.

Thrillingly imagined and startlingly original, For the Most Beautiful reveals the true story of true for the first time. The story of Krisayis, daughter of the Trojans' High Priest, and of Briseis, princess of Pedasus, who fight to determine the fate of a city and its people in this ancient time of mischievous gods and mythic heroes.

In a novel full of passion and revenge, loyalty and betrayal, bravery and sacrifice, Emily Hauser breathes exhilarating new life into one of the greatest legends of all - in a story that has waited millennia to be told.]]> 400 Emily Hauser 0857523147 Lis 2 historical, myths, retellings 3.65 2016 For the Most Beautiful (Golden Apple Trilogy #1)
author: Emily Hauser
name: Lis
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2018/10/25
date added: 2019/12/19
shelves: historical, myths, retellings
review:

]]> A Thousand Ships 42595255 This is the women’s war, just as much as it is the men’s. They have waited long enough for their turn . . .

This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of them all . . .

In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen.

From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women whose lives, loves, and rivalries were forever altered by this long and tragic war.

A woman’s epic, powerfully imbued with new life, A Thousand Ships puts the women, girls and goddesses at the center of the Western world’s great tale ever told.]]> 348 Natalie Haynes 1509836195 Lis 5 4.14 2019 A Thousand Ships
author: Natalie Haynes
name: Lis
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/09/09
date added: 2019/12/19
shelves: historical, pure-badass, way-too-real, retellings, myths
review:

]]> The Children of Jocasta 34808710 Children of Jocasta, Natalie Haynes reimagines the Oedipus and Antigone stories from the perspectives of two of the women who have often been overlooked; retelling the myth to reveal a new side of an ancient story.

When you have grown up as I have, there is no security in not knowing things, in avoiding the ugliest truths because they can't be faced . . . Because that is what happened the last time, and that is why my siblings and I have grown up in a cursed house, children of cursed parents . . .

Jocasta is just fifteen when she is told that she must marry the King of Thebes, an old man she has never met. Her life has never been her own, and nor will it be, unless she outlives her strange, absent husband.

Ismene is the same age when she is attacked in the palace she calls home. Since the day of her parents' tragic deaths a decade earlier, she has always longed to feel safe with the family she still has. But with a single act of violence, all that is about to change.

With the turn of these two events, a tragedy is set in motion. But not as you know it.]]> 352 Natalie Haynes Lis 5 myths, retellings 3.95 2017 The Children of Jocasta
author: Natalie Haynes
name: Lis
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2019/12/19
date added: 2019/12/19
shelves: myths, retellings
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia, #7)]]> 84369 288 C.S. Lewis 0007202326 Lis 1 Noooooooooope! 4.03 1956 The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia, #7)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Lis
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1956
rating: 1
read at: 2019/12/12
date added: 2019/12/13
shelves: fantasy, please-help-me-forget-i-read-that
review:
Noooooooooope!
]]> <![CDATA[The Monster Baru Cormorant (The Masquerade, #2)]]> 38117105 Game of Thrones, The Monster Baru Cormorant is the long-anticipated sequel to Seth Dickinson gut-wrenching debut, The Traitor Baru Cormorant.

Baru Cormormant's world was shattered by the Empire of Masks. To exact her revenge, she has clawed her way up razor-edged rungs of betrayal, sacrifice, and compromise, becoming the very thing she seeks to destroy.

Now she strides in the Masquerade's halls of power. To save the world, she must tear it asunder...and with it, all that remains of her soul.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 464 Seth Dickinson 1466875135 Lis 4 fantasy, way-too-real 3.89 2018 The Monster Baru Cormorant (The Masquerade, #2)
author: Seth Dickinson
name: Lis
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/12/12
date added: 2019/12/11
shelves: fantasy, way-too-real
review:

]]> The Last Unicorn 13124003 alternate cover edition of ISBN 0451450523 / 9780451450524

The Last Unicorn is one of the true classics of fantasy, ranking with Tolkien's The Hobbit, Le Guin's Earthsea Trilogy, and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Beagle writes a shimmering prose-poetry, the voice of fairy tales and childhood:

The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless color of sea foam but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea.

The unicorn discovers that she is the last unicorn in the world, and sets off to find the others. She meets Schmendrick the Magician—whose magic seldom works, and never as he intended—when he rescues her from Mommy Fortuna's Midnight Carnival, where only some of the mythical beasts displayed are illusions. They are joined by Molly Grue, who believes in legends despite her experiences with a Robin Hood wannabe and his unmerry men. Ahead wait King Haggard and his Red Bull, who banished unicorns from the land.

This is a book no fantasy reader should miss; Beagle argues brilliantly the need for magic in our lives and the folly of forgetting to dream. —Nona Vero

]]> 294 Peter S. Beagle Lis 5 fantasy, pure-badass 4.17 1968 The Last Unicorn
author: Peter S. Beagle
name: Lis
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1968
rating: 5
read at: 2018/12/29
date added: 2019/11/28
shelves: fantasy, pure-badass
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule Poirot, #6)]]> 28517234 400 Agatha Christie Lis 4 agatha-christie 3.74 1928 The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule Poirot, #6)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Lis
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1928
rating: 4
read at: 2019/11/26
date added: 2019/11/26
shelves: agatha-christie
review:

]]> What the Wind Knows 40546098
The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war, is a dangerous place in which to awaken. But there Anne finds herself, hurt, disoriented, and under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, guardian to a young boy who is oddly familiar. Mistaken for the boy’s long-missing mother, Anne adopts her identity, convinced the woman’s disappearance is connected to her own.

As tensions rise, Thomas joins the struggle for Ireland’s independence and Anne is drawn into the conflict beside him. Caught between history and her heart, she must decide whether she’s willing to let go of the life she knew for a love she never thought she’d find. But in the end, is the choice actually hers to make?]]> 406 Amy Harmon 1542040078 Lis 5 historical, fantasy, romance 4.21 2019 What the Wind Knows
author: Amy Harmon
name: Lis
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/11/20
date added: 2019/11/20
shelves: historical, fantasy, romance
review:

]]> Angel Mage 43453671
A seemingly impossible quest, but Liliath is one of the greatest practitioners of angelic magic to have ever lived, summoning angels and forcing them to do her bidding.

Liliath knew that most of the inhabitants of Ystara died from the Ash Blood plague or were transformed into beastlings, and she herself led the survivors who fled into neighboring Sarance. Now she learns that angels shun the Ystaran’s descendants. If they are touched by angelic magic, their blood will turn to ash. They are known as Refusers, and can only live the most lowly lives.

But Liliath cares nothing for the descendants of her people, save how they can serve her. It is four young Sarancians who hold her interest: Simeon, a studious doctor-in-training; Henri, a dedicated fortune hunter; Agnez, an adventurous musketeer cadet; and Dorotea, an icon-maker and scholar of angelic magic. They are the key to her quest.

The four feel a strange kinship from the moment they meet, but do not know why, or suspect their importance. All become pawns in Liliath’s grand scheme to fulfill her destiny and be united with the love of her life. No matter the cost to everyone else. . .]]> 536 Garth Nix 0062683225 Lis 2 fantasy, ya-stuffs 3.62 2019 Angel Mage
author: Garth Nix
name: Lis
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2019/11/15
date added: 2019/11/15
shelves: fantasy, ya-stuffs
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, #2)]]> 19034943 La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One unfolded and saw the baby Lyra Belacqua begin her life-changing journey.

It is seven years since readers left Lyra and the love of her young life, Will Parry, on a park bench in Oxford's Botanic Gardens at the end of the ground-breaking, bestselling His Dark Materials sequence.

Now, in The Secret Commonwealth, we meet Lyra Silvertongue. And she is no longer a child . . .

The second volume of Sir Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust sees Lyra, now twenty years old, and her daemon Pantalaimon, forced to navigate their relationship in a way they could never have imagined, and drawn into the complex and dangerous factions of a world that they had no idea existed.

Pulled along on his own journey too is Malcolm; once a boy with a boat and a mission to save a baby from the flood, now a man with a strong sense of duty and a desire to do what is right.

Theirs is a world at once familiar and extraordinary, and they must travel far beyond the edges of Oxford, across Europe and into Asia, in search for what is lost - a city haunted by daemons, a secret at the heart of a desert, and the mystery of the elusive Dust.]]> 784 Philip Pullman Lis 3 fantasy, way-too-real There were parts of this book that I loved so much...
But there were also parts that were... awful, obnoxious and that shook my whole trust in the series.
And this is not just about the ominous Chapter 31... there were some other, sometimes more subtle things as well.
I don't know... maybe with more time I can come up with a conclusion about this book. Right now, I simply can't. ]]> 3.99 2019 The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, #2)
author: Philip Pullman
name: Lis
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/11/10
date added: 2019/11/11
shelves: fantasy, way-too-real
review:
I.. just don't know what to do with this.
There were parts of this book that I loved so much...
But there were also parts that were... awful, obnoxious and that shook my whole trust in the series.
And this is not just about the ominous Chapter 31... there were some other, sometimes more subtle things as well.
I don't know... maybe with more time I can come up with a conclusion about this book. Right now, I simply can't.
]]> <![CDATA[On the Shoulders of Titans (Arcane Ascension, #2)]]> 40126485
Unfortunately, finding more information isn’t going to be easy. Tristan appears to be entangled with a clandestine organization that calls themselves Whispers. And Corin’s last brush with the Whispers didn’t exactly end well.

As much as he wants to follow that lead, Corin has more pressing problems to deal with.

Sera is still suffering from a mysterious malady that has stolen her voice and her magic. Corin knows that a portion of that is his fault, and he’s determined to fix it.

His mother is still off in another country, and there are growing odds that she’s involved with a conspiracy to overthrow the visages.

Corin has also been branded with a new magical mark on his right hand � one that even veteran climbers don’t seem to recognize. He’s going to need to figure out how it works, otherwise it could be more of a vulnerability than an asset.

Corin still hasn’t finished his first year at Lorian Heights. If he fails his final exams, he’ll be sent off to the military, and lose his chance to investigate his brother’s fate.

And finally, there’s the issue of enemies.

He might have made a few of them.

The biggest problem?

He’s not sure if Jin, once one of his closest companions, is one of them.]]> 742 Andrew Rowe Lis 5 fantasy, audibook-ed 4.22 2018 On the Shoulders of Titans (Arcane Ascension, #2)
author: Andrew Rowe
name: Lis
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2019/11/07
date added: 2019/11/07
shelves: fantasy, audibook-ed
review:

]]> Tiger Queen 42281646 From Annie Sullivan, author of A Touch of Gold, comes Tiger Queen, a sweeping YA fantasy adventure that tells the story of a fierce desert princess battling to save her kingdom. Fans of Rebel of the Sands and Meagan Spooner will devour this retelling of Frank Stockton’s famous short story, “The Lady, or the Tiger?�

In the mythical desert kingdom of Achra, an ancient law forces sixteen-year-old Princess Kateri to fight in the arena to prove her right to rule. For Kateri, winning also means fulfilling a promise to her late mother that she would protect her people, who are struggling through windstorms and drought. The situation is worsened by the gang of Desert Boys that frequently raids the city wells, forcing the king to ration what little water is left. The punishment for stealing water is a choice between two doors: behind one lies freedom, and behind the other is a tiger.

But when Kateri’s final opponent is announced, she knows she cannot win. In desperation, she turns to the desert and the one person she never thought she’d side with. What Kateri discovers twists her world—and her heart—upside down. Her future is now behind two doors—only she’s not sure which holds the key to keeping her kingdom and which releases the tiger.]]> 336 Annie Sullivan 0310768764 Lis 3 fantasy, ya-stuffs 3.89 2019 Tiger Queen
author: Annie Sullivan
name: Lis
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/10/26
date added: 2019/10/28
shelves: fantasy, ya-stuffs
review:

]]> The Institute 43798285
In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.

As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King's gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good versus evil in a world where the good guys don't always win.
--front flap]]> 561 Stephen King Lis 2 audibook-ed, scary-stuffs 4.17 2019 The Institute
author: Stephen King
name: Lis
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2019/10/25
date added: 2019/10/25
shelves: audibook-ed, scary-stuffs
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Tyranny of Queens (Manifold Worlds, #2)]]> 30646382 Ìý
Saffron Coulter has returned from the fantasy kingdom of Kena. Threatened with a stay in psychiatric care, Saffron has to make a to forget about Kena and fit back into the life she’s outgrown—or pit herself against everything she’s ever known and everyone she loves.

Meanwhile, in Kena, Gwen is increasingly troubled by the absence of Leoden—the cruel ruler of the kingdom—and his plans for the captive worldwalkers. Elsewhere, Yena must confront the deposed Kadeja in Veksh. What is their endgame? Who can they trust? And what will happen when Leoden returns?]]> 431 Foz Meadows Lis 5 fantasy, si-fi, pure-badass The blend of classic portal fantasy with some slightly added dystopian/ sci-fi elements.
The representation in this book.
The characters <3.
The lush world-building.
The twists and turns.

I want more. I do not want to leave this series behind already. Please give me more.]]> 4.24 2017 A Tyranny of Queens (Manifold Worlds, #2)
author: Foz Meadows
name: Lis
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2019/10/21
date added: 2019/10/21
shelves: fantasy, si-fi, pure-badass
review:
I loved, loved, loved this book.
The blend of classic portal fantasy with some slightly added dystopian/ sci-fi elements.
The representation in this book.
The characters <3.
The lush world-building.
The twists and turns.

I want more. I do not want to leave this series behind already. Please give me more.
]]> The Terror 36316854
But for almost two years his ships HMS Terror and Erebus have been trapped in the Arctic ice. Supplies of fuel and food are running low. Scurvy, starvation and even madness beging to take their toll. And yet the real threat isn’t from the constantly shifting, alien landscape, the flesh-numbing temperatures or being crushed by the unyielding, frozen ocean. No, the real threat is far more terrifying.

There is something out there in the frigid darkness. It stalks the ships and snatches men. It is a nameless thing. At once nowhere and everywhere, this terror has become the expedition’s nemesis . . .]]> 940 Dan Simmons 085750391X Lis 2 scary-stuffs I don't know, why is it so loved?
Sure, you can read through it easily. The pages just fly by, the writing is fluent and easy.

But also pretty unsubstantial. You could easily shorten it by 300 pages, if you left out the very detailed descriptions of scurvy and general gore. Also, naked breasts of females seem to be an endless topic of fascination for some reason.

Oh yeah, and the females! The only "acting" female is conveniently "silent"/ has no tongue. The dream for some males, right?

Also, exotic native women� and their bare breasts. Evil Gays� and tragic Gays�.

And don't get me started on that ending. What the actual...
Good white guy�

I don't know. It wasn't a super bad read, but it was a deeply problematic one that was defiantly not for me. ]]> 4.10 2007 The Terror
author: Dan Simmons
name: Lis
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 2019/10/17
date added: 2019/10/17
shelves: scary-stuffs
review:
This was such a typical case of "white, male, straight" book... I can't even...
I don't know, why is it so loved?
Sure, you can read through it easily. The pages just fly by, the writing is fluent and easy.

But also pretty unsubstantial. You could easily shorten it by 300 pages, if you left out the very detailed descriptions of scurvy and general gore. Also, naked breasts of females seem to be an endless topic of fascination for some reason.

Oh yeah, and the females! The only "acting" female is conveniently "silent"/ has no tongue. The dream for some males, right?

Also, exotic native women� and their bare breasts. Evil Gays� and tragic Gays�.

And don't get me started on that ending. What the actual...
Good white guy�

I don't know. It wasn't a super bad read, but it was a deeply problematic one that was defiantly not for me.
]]> <![CDATA[Daughters of Nri (The Return of the Earth Mother, #1)]]> 44563376 A gruesome war results in the old gods' departure from earth. The only remnants of their existence lie in two girls. Twins, separated at birth. Goddesses who grow up believing that they are human. Daughters Of Nri explores their epic journey of self-discovery as they embark on a path back to one another.

Strong-willed Naala grows up seeking adventure in her quiet and small village. While the more reserved Sinai resides in the cold and political palace of Nri. Though miles apart, both girls share an indestructible bond: they share the same blood, the same face, and possess the same unspoken magic, thought to have vanished with the lost gods.

The twin girls were separated at birth, a price paid to ensure their survival from Eze Ochichiri, the man who rules the Kingdom of Nri. Both girls are tested in ways that awaken a mystical, formidable power deep within themselves. Eventually, their paths both lead back to the mighty Eze.

But can they defeat the man who brought the gods themselves to their knees?]]> 344 Reni K. Amayo Lis 4 fantasy, ya-stuffs I really enjoyed it a lot.
The two protagonists are fierce and strong women who both have flaws of their own. I liked both of them immediately and their journey in this book was simply breathtaking.
The world building is fine and deeply embedded in ancient lore and myths. I just wished for a a few more details here and there. How are the villages connected to the main city, how is the daily life, what about the other supporting characters. I would have also liked to get a few more details about the life at court.
Minor things maybe. And maybe this is just me wishing that this story had gone on much, much longer.
Can't wait for the second novel. ]]> 3.90 2019 Daughters of Nri (The Return of the Earth Mother, #1)
author: Reni K. Amayo
name: Lis
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/10/10
date added: 2019/10/10
shelves: fantasy, ya-stuffs
review:
Now, this was a great read!
I really enjoyed it a lot.
The two protagonists are fierce and strong women who both have flaws of their own. I liked both of them immediately and their journey in this book was simply breathtaking.
The world building is fine and deeply embedded in ancient lore and myths. I just wished for a a few more details here and there. How are the villages connected to the main city, how is the daily life, what about the other supporting characters. I would have also liked to get a few more details about the life at court.
Minor things maybe. And maybe this is just me wishing that this story had gone on much, much longer.
Can't wait for the second novel.
]]> <![CDATA[An Accident of Stars (Manifold Worlds, #1)]]> 27774477
When Saffron Coulter stumbles through a hole in reality, she finds herself trapped in Kena—a magical realm on the brink of civil war. It’s there that her fate becomes intertwined with that of three very different Zech, the fast-thinking acolyte of a cunning, powerful exile; Viya, the spoiled, runaway consort of the empire-building ruler, Vex Leoden; and Gwen, an Earth-born worldwalker whose greatest regret is putting Leoden on the throne. But Leoden has allies, too, and chief among them is the Vex’Mara Kadeja, a dangerous ex-priestess who shares his dreams of conquest.

Pursued by Leoden and aided by the Shavaktiin—a secretive order of storytellers and mystics—the rebels flee to Veksh, a neighboring matriarchy ruled by the fearsome Council of Queens. Saffron is out of her world and out of her depth, but the further she travels, the more she finds herself bound to her friends with ties of blood and magic. Can one girl—and an accidental worldwalker at that—really be the key to saving Kena? Or will she die trying?]]> 494 Foz Meadows 0857665855 Lis 5 fantasy The characters are beautifully deep and faceted, no one is perfect, everyone has flaws and secrets they want to keep.
The worldbuilding is rich and lush.
All in all, this novel is a pure treat and I can't wait to read the second book.

(The editing in parts though is... horrible. I don't know why there are so many paragraphs, quotation marks etc missing. Why ._.) ]]> 3.77 2016 An Accident of Stars (Manifold Worlds, #1)
author: Foz Meadows
name: Lis
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2019/10/08
date added: 2019/10/08
shelves: fantasy
review:
Now this is what Fantasy should be like. Instead of beating the same tropes and stereotypes ad absurdum, this book bravely converts, transforms, turns them into something new.
The characters are beautifully deep and faceted, no one is perfect, everyone has flaws and secrets they want to keep.
The worldbuilding is rich and lush.
All in all, this novel is a pure treat and I can't wait to read the second book.

(The editing in parts though is... horrible. I don't know why there are so many paragraphs, quotation marks etc missing. Why ._.)
]]> <![CDATA[The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn (Kingdom of Grit, #1)]]> 35838132 "I'm hiring you to steal the king's crown."

Ardor Benn is no ordinary thief. Rakish, ambitious, and master of wildly complex heists, he styles himself a Ruse Artist Extraordinaire.

When a priest hires him for the most daring ruse yet, Ardor knows he'll need more than quick wit and sleight of hand. Assembling a dream team of forgers, disguisers, schemers, and thieves, he sets out to steal from the most powerful king the realm has ever known.

But it soon becomes clear there's more at stake than fame and glory -Ard and his team might just be the last hope for human civilization.]]> 784 Tyler Whitesides 031652025X Lis 3 fantasy
I liked parts of it. This book has a very strong start, with light and funny banter.
Unfortunately, it goes downhill quickly.

The female characters had so much potential, but were quickly written down to doe eyed "Ardor Benn is so cool." It was painful to read and took a lot of enjoyment out of the book.

The protagonist does some rather interesting turns and twists throughout the story as well. From cynic to religious, from opportunist to savior of mankind in the blink of an eye.

And the book fails to introduce any really interesting side characters that don't get disposed off immediately.

The world building was ok in most parts, but the magic aka grit system felt very over the top in some parts. It seemed that the "grit" worked in whatever way the story needed it to work. So much Deus ex Machina... it really ruined the immersion and commitment to the story, because about halfway through you just know, that they have a magic bomb up their sleeve anyway that will do exactly what they need. I nearly DNFed about halfway through.

*sigh*
So yeah, this story had potential, but a lot of that was wasted :( ]]> 3.94 2018 The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn (Kingdom of Grit, #1)
author: Tyler Whitesides
name: Lis
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2019/10/03
date added: 2019/10/03
shelves: fantasy
review:
Uh, this is tough to rate and review. I am leaning towards 2.5*

I liked parts of it. This book has a very strong start, with light and funny banter.
Unfortunately, it goes downhill quickly.

The female characters had so much potential, but were quickly written down to doe eyed "Ardor Benn is so cool." It was painful to read and took a lot of enjoyment out of the book.

The protagonist does some rather interesting turns and twists throughout the story as well. From cynic to religious, from opportunist to savior of mankind in the blink of an eye.

And the book fails to introduce any really interesting side characters that don't get disposed off immediately.

The world building was ok in most parts, but the magic aka grit system felt very over the top in some parts. It seemed that the "grit" worked in whatever way the story needed it to work. So much Deus ex Machina... it really ruined the immersion and commitment to the story, because about halfway through you just know, that they have a magic bomb up their sleeve anyway that will do exactly what they need. I nearly DNFed about halfway through.

*sigh*
So yeah, this story had potential, but a lot of that was wasted :(
]]> The Luminous Dead 36117102 The Martian and Gravity and the creeping dread of Annihilation, in which a caver on a foreign planet finds herself on a terrifying psychological and emotional journey for survival.

When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she’d be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck—enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother—meant she’d get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane.

Instead, she got Em.

Em sees nothing wrong with controlling Gyre’s body with drugs or withholding critical information to “ensure the smooth operation� of her expedition. Em knows all about Gyre’s falsified credentials, and has no qualms using them as a leash—and a lash. And Em has secrets, too . . .

As Gyre descends, little inconsistencies—missing supplies, unexpected changes in the route, and, worst of all, shifts in Em’s motivations—drive her out of her depths. Lost and disoriented, Gyre finds her sense of control giving way to paranoia and anger. On her own in this mysterious, deadly place, surrounded by darkness and the unknown, Gyre must overcome more than just the dangerous terrain and the Tunneler which calls underground its home if she wants to make it out alive—she must confront the ghosts in her own head.

But how come she can't shake the feeling she’s being followed?]]> 432 Caitlin Starling Lis 5 I highly recommend this little treasure to everyone looking for a spooky, but character driven read for the Halloween season.]]> 3.64 2019 The Luminous Dead
author: Caitlin Starling
name: Lis
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/09/26
date added: 2019/09/26
shelves: scary-stuffs, si-fi, pure-badass
review:
This was such a genuine pleasure to read. It was all things creepy, terrifying and claustrophobic.
I highly recommend this little treasure to everyone looking for a spooky, but character driven read for the Halloween season.
]]> Erebus: The Story of a Ship 41577590
On the first, she ventured further south than any human had ever been. On the second, she vanished with her 129-strong crew in the wastes of the Canadian Arctic.

Her fate remained a mystery for over 160 years.

Then, in 2014, she was found.

This is her story.]]> 334 Michael Palin 1784758574 Lis 4 historical, non-fiction 4.32 2018 Erebus: The Story of a Ship
author: Michael Palin
name: Lis
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/09/24
date added: 2019/09/24
shelves: historical, non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy, #2)]]> 20443207
The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement... if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.]]> 416 Marie Rutkoski 0374384711 Lis 3 fantasy, romance, ya-stuffs 4.08 2015 The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy, #2)
author: Marie Rutkoski
name: Lis
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2019/09/24
date added: 2019/09/24
shelves: fantasy, romance, ya-stuffs
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Trilogy, #3)]]> 20443235 Some kisses come at a price.

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she did for him.

At least, that’s what he thinks.

In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they’ve done to her.

But no one gets what they want just by wishing.

As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?]]> 486 Marie Rutkoski 0374384738 Lis 3 fantasy, ya-stuffs, romance 4.19 2016 The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Trilogy, #3)
author: Marie Rutkoski
name: Lis
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2019/09/24
date added: 2019/09/24
shelves: fantasy, ya-stuffs, romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Testaments (The Handmaid's Tale, #2)]]> 42975172 The Handmaid's Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead for her--freedom, prison or death.

With The Testaments, the wait is over.

Margaret Atwood's sequel picks up the story more than fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

In this brilliant sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, acclaimed author Margaret Atwood answers the questions that have tantalized readers for decades.

"Dear Readers: Everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we've been living in." --Margaret Atwood

An alternate cover edition of ISBN 978-0385543781 can be found here.]]> 422 Margaret Atwood Lis 4 dystopian, way-too-real 4.16 2019 The Testaments (The Handmaid's Tale, #2)
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Lis
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/09/12
date added: 2019/09/12
shelves: dystopian, way-too-real
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cat Among the Pigeons (Hercule Poirot, #36)]]> 19051707
Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious flashing light in the sports pavilion, while the rest of the school sleeps. There, among the lacrosse sticks, they stumble upon the body of the unpopular games mistress � shot through the heart from point blank range.

The school is thrown into chaos when the ‘cat� strikes again. Unfortunately, schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much. In particular, she knows that without Hercule Poirot’s help, she will be the next victim…]]> 321 Agatha Christie 0007422210 Lis 4 agatha-christie 4.08 1959 Cat Among the Pigeons (Hercule Poirot, #36)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Lis
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1959
rating: 4
read at: 2019/09/09
date added: 2019/09/10
shelves: agatha-christie
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Murder in Mesopotamia (Hercule Poirot, #14)]]> 30523669
It was clear to Amy Leatheran that something sinister was going on at the Hassanieh dig in Iraq; something associated with the presence of ‘Lovely Louise�, wife of celebrated archaeologist Dr Leidner.

In a few days� time Hercule Poirot was due to drop in at the excavation site. But with Louise suffering from terrifying hallucinations, and tension within the group becoming almost unbearable, Poirot might just be too late…]]> 288 Agatha Christie Lis 3 agatha-christie 3.94 1936 Murder in Mesopotamia (Hercule Poirot, #14)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Lis
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1936
rating: 3
read at: 2019/09/09
date added: 2019/09/10
shelves: agatha-christie
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Murder on the Links (Hercule Poirot, #2)]]> 26594386
There's no lack of suspects: his wife, whose dagger served as the weapon; his embittered son, who would have killed for independence; and his mistress, who refused to be ignored - and each felt deserving of the dead man's fortune. The police think they've found the culprit. But Poirot has his doubts. Why is the dead man wearing an overcoat that is too big for him? And who was the impassioned love-letter in the pocket for? Before Poirot can answer these questions, the case is turned upside down by the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpse...]]> 288 Agatha Christie Lis 4 agatha-christie 3.72 1923 The Murder on the Links (Hercule Poirot, #2)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Lis
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1923
rating: 4
read at: 2019/09/09
date added: 2019/09/10
shelves: agatha-christie
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mrs. McGinty's Dead (Hercule Poirot, #32)]]> 16371 335 Agatha Christie 0007121008 Lis 5 agatha-christie 3.73 1952 Mrs. McGinty's Dead (Hercule Poirot, #32)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Lis
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1952
rating: 5
read at: 2019/09/11
date added: 2019/09/10
shelves: agatha-christie
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Herr Sonneborn geht nach Brüssel - Abenteuer im Europaparlament]]> 44290242 Das Abenteuer beginnt im Frühjahr 2014. Unerwartet wird der ehemalige Titanic-Chefredakteur Martin Sonneborn ins EU-Parlament gewählt � als einziger Abgeordneter seiner Partei (Die Partei). Und da er schon mal da ist, beschließt er rauszufinden: Wie funktioniert Europa?
Am Anfang ist es wie eine Klassenfahrt für Erwachsene. Europäer mit 24 verschiedenen Muttersprachen treffen aufeinander. Sie kennen sich nicht, sollen aber gemeinsam Politik machen. Und es werden wilde Jahre: Es geht um die Vergrößerung der EU, den Brexit, Datenschutzrichtlinien, die Katalonienkrise und die Beziehungen zu den USA und zu Russland. Politik wird von Menschen gemacht. Von den Fraktionslosen wie dem polnischen Monarchisten, der das Frauenwahlrecht wieder abschaffen will, und Alessandra Mussolini, der Enkelin des Duce, die über Berlusconis legendäre Po-Liste ins Parlament gekommen ist, genauso wie von den Mitgliedern der großen Parteien. Martin Sonneborn begegnet Martin Chulz (bzw. Schulz), Elmar Brocken (Brok), Beatrix von Strolch, Udo Voigt (NPD) und seiner Frau, Manfred Streber (Manfred Weber, CSU, Vorsitzender der Europäischen Volkspartei) und Herbert Reul (neuerdings Innenminister in NRW und ein bisschen dumm), Bernd Lucke, Nigel Farage und Angela Merkel.]]> 427 Martin Sonneborn 3462052616 Lis 5 Allerdings beschreibt es leider die Realität... ]]> 4.23 2019 Herr Sonneborn geht nach Brüssel - Abenteuer im Europaparlament
author: Martin Sonneborn
name: Lis
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/09/09
date added: 2019/09/09
shelves: pure-badass, non-fiction, way-too-real
review:
Dieses Buch ist sehr gut.
Allerdings beschreibt es leider die Realität...
]]> <![CDATA[The Storm Crow (The Storm Crow, #1)]]> 38330596 The first book in Kalyn Josephson's "must-read" (Adrienne Young) Storm Crow duology, a YA fantasy series that follows a fallen princess who ignites a rebellion, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo and And I Darken.
Princess Thia was born to be a crow rider—a warrior. In her kingdom of Rhodaire, magical elemental crows keep the city running. But when the Illucian empire invades, they kill all the crows in a horrible fire that also robs Thia of her mother and mentor.
Then Thia's sister, Caliza, becomes the new queen of Rhodaire, she is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the Illucian heir in an effort to save her people. Prince Ericen is rude and cruel and Thia can't imagine traveling into the heart of an enemy city after so much has been taken from her.
But before she leaves, she finds a crow egg in the rubble of the rookery. Deep in the heart of Ilucia she must hatch the last crow, hold her own against the crown prince, and ignite a rebellion to take back what is hers.
Perfect readers who want:YA mental health storiesLGBTQ charactersGifts for teen girls 12-18Also in this series:
The Crow Rider (Book 2)
Praise for The Storm Crow:
"Clashing kingdoms, thrilling action, and an imperfect heroine make this a must-read."—ADRIENNE YOUNG, New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep and The Girl the Sea Gave Back
"[A]mbitious worldbuilding and an engaging premise�; Anthia's battle with depression is portrayed with frank authenticity, and features well-developed LGBTQ in the Deep characters."—Publishers Weekly]]> 352 Kalyn Josephson 1492672939 Lis 2 ya-stuffs 3.77 2019 The Storm Crow (The Storm Crow, #1)
author: Kalyn Josephson
name: Lis
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2019/09/09
date added: 2019/09/09
shelves: ya-stuffs
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bright Steel (Masters & Mages, #3)]]> 43894550
Aranthur and his friends have come together across different continents and realms with one purpose: to strike back against the forces which have torn a hole in the heavens and threaten to rip the world beneath them apart as well.

With time running short, and treason at home, there are battles to be fought on the field, in the magical arena, and in the ever-deadly realm of politics, and they must succeed on every front or everything will fall. Victory will require enemies to trust one another, old foes to fight together, spies to reveal the truth and steadfast allies to betray long-corrupt rulers.

Is Aranthur, a twenty-year-old student, really the master strategist to bring it all together? And can he and his friends overcome aeons of lies when their plans inevitably fall to pieces? Do they even know, for sure, who the enemy is . . . ?]]> 392 Miles Cameron 147321775X Lis 5 fantasy, pure-badass 4.11 2019 Bright Steel (Masters & Mages, #3)
author: Miles Cameron
name: Lis
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/09/01
date added: 2019/09/06
shelves: fantasy, pure-badass
review:

]]> The Winter Isles 25838712 I am Somerled. The summer warrior. What am I, if not a warrior?
In twelfth-century Scotland, far removed from the courtly manners of the Lowland, the Winter Isles are riven by vicious warfare, plots and battles.
Into this hard, seafaring life is born a boy called Somerled. The son of an ageing chieftain, Somerled must prove his own worth as a warrior. He will rise to lead his men into battle and claim the title of Lord of the Isles - but what must he sacrifice to secure the glory of his name?
The Winter Isles is an astonishingly vivid recreation of the savage dynastic battles of medieval an authentic, emotional, powerful read.]]> 393 Antonia Senior 1782396594 Lis 3 historical 3.97 2015 The Winter Isles
author: Antonia Senior
name: Lis
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2019/06/19
date added: 2019/06/19
shelves: historical
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Empire of Grass (The Last King of Osten Ard, #2)]]> 34496728 Set in Williams' New York Times bestselling fantasy world, the second book of The Last King of Osten Ard returns to the trials of King Simon and Queen Miriamele as threats to their kingdom loom . . .

The kingdoms of Osten Ard have been at peace for decades, but now, the threat of a new war grows to nightmarish proportions.

Simon and Miriamele, royal husband and wife, face danger from every side. Their allies in Hernystir have made a pact with the dreadful Queen of the Norns to allow her armies to cross into mortal lands. The ancient, powerful nation of Nabban is on the verge of bloody civil war, and the fierce nomads of the Thrithings grasslands have begun to mobilize, united by superstitious fervor and their age-old hatred of the city-dwellers. But as the countries and peoples of the High Ward bicker among themselves, battle, bloodshed, and dark magics threaten to pull civilizations to pieces. And over it all looms the mystery of the Witchwood Crown, the deadly puzzle that Simon, Miriamele, and their allies must solve if they wish to survive.

But as the kingdoms of Osten Ard are torn apart by fear and greed, a few individuals will fight for their own lives and destinies-not yet aware that the survival of everything depends on them.]]> 688 Tad Williams 1473603285 Lis 3 fantasy 4.09 2019 Empire of Grass (The Last King of Osten Ard, #2)
author: Tad Williams
name: Lis
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/06/12
date added: 2019/06/12
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The New Achilles (Commander, #1)]]> 41159274
But war has followed him to his refuge at Epidauros, and now a battle to end the freedom of Greece is all around him. The Mediterranean superpowers of Rome, Egypt and Macedon are waging their proxy wars on Hellenic soil, turning Greek farmers into slaves and mercenaries.

When wounded soldier Philopoemen is carried into his temple, Alexanor believes the man's wounds are mortal but that he is not destined to die. Because he knows Philopoemen will become Greece's champion. Its last hero. The new Achilles.

In Christian Cameron's latest historical novel the old orders of the world begin to fall apart as Rome rises to supremacy - and Greece struggles to survive.]]> 416 Christian Cameron 1409176568 Lis 5 historical, pure-badass 3.97 2019 The New Achilles (Commander, #1)
author: Christian Cameron
name: Lis
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/05/08
date added: 2019/05/08
shelves: historical, pure-badass
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lancelot (The Arthurian Tales, #1)]]> 36055895
Yet he is gifted, and under the watchful eyes of Merlin and the Lady Nimue he will hone his talents and begin his journey to manhood. He will meet Guinevere, a wild, proud and beautiful girl, herself outcast because of her gift. And he will be dazzled by Arthur, a warrior who carries the hopes of a people like fire in the dark. But these are times of struggle and blood, when even friendship and love seem doomed to fail.

The gods are vanishing beyond the reach of dreams. Treachery and jealousy rule men’s hearts and the fate of Britain itself rests on a sword’s edge.

But the young renegade who left his home in Benoic with just a hunting bird and dreams of revenge is now a lord of war. He is a man loved and hated, admired and feared. A man forsaken but not forgotten. He is Lancelot.

Set in a 5th century Britain besieged by invading bands of Saxons and Franks, Irish and Picts, Giles Kristian's epic new novel tells - through the warrior's own words - the story of Lancelot, that most celebrated of all King Arthur's knights. It is a story ready to be re-imagined for our times.]]> 450 Giles Kristian 1473543029 Lis 3 fantasy, historical The first half moves at a great pace, showing how young Lancelot grows up. Then everything starts to get hectic, there are frequent jumps ahead which alienated me from the story.
Sadly, key characters like Guinevere remained one dimensional with for example her only real character trait being her stunning beauty.
It’s still a nice, action packed read.
]]> 4.16 2018 Lancelot (The Arthurian Tales, #1)
author: Giles Kristian
name: Lis
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2019/05/08
date added: 2019/05/08
shelves: fantasy, historical
review:
I loved the first half of the book, but the second half just came out as really flat to me.
The first half moves at a great pace, showing how young Lancelot grows up. Then everything starts to get hectic, there are frequent jumps ahead which alienated me from the story.
Sadly, key characters like Guinevere remained one dimensional with for example her only real character trait being her stunning beauty.
It’s still a nice, action packed read.

]]> <![CDATA[Stormsong (The Kingston Cycle, #2)]]> 41473380
Dame Grace Hensley helped her brother Miles undo the atrocity that stained her nation, but now she has to deal with the consequences. With the power out in the dead of winter and an uncontrollable sequence of winter storms on the horizon, Aeland faces disaster. Grace has the vision to guide her people to safety, but a hostile queen and a ring of rogue mages stand in the way of her plans. There's revolution in the air, and any spark could light the powder. What's worse, upstart photojournalist Avia Jessup draws ever closer to secrets that could topple the nation, and closer to Grace's heart.

Can Aeland be saved without bloodshed? Or will Kingston die in flames, and Grace along with it?]]> 345 C.L. Polk 0765398982 Lis 5 - an incredibly talented author
- an incredibly beautiful series
- an incredibly strong, faceted female protagonist

Thanks for coming to my TED-Talk. ]]> 3.87 2020 Stormsong (The Kingston Cycle, #2)
author: C.L. Polk
name: Lis
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/04/27
shelves:
review:
If people think they can "1-Star" a book without having read it, because it doesn't meet their levels of m/m-romance fetish... then, let me take this chance to give it 5 Stars in advance to support
- an incredibly talented author
- an incredibly beautiful series
- an incredibly strong, faceted female protagonist

Thanks for coming to my TED-Talk.
]]> Lavinia 2214574 In a richly imagined, beautiful new novel, an acclaimed writer gives an epic heroine her voice.

In The Aeneid, Virgil's hero fights to claim the king’s daughter, Lavinia, with whom he is destined to found an empire. Lavinia herself never speaks a word. Now, Ursula K. Le Guin gives Lavinia a voice in a novel that takes us to the half-wild world of ancient Italy, when Rome was a muddy village near seven hills.

Lavinia grows up knowing nothing but peace and freedom, until suitors come. Her mother wants her to marry handsome, ambitious Turnus. But omens and prophecies spoken by the sacred springs say she must marry a foreigner--that she will be the cause of a bitter war--and that her husband will not live long. When a fleet of Trojan ships sails up the Tiber, Lavinia decides to take her destiny into her own hands. And so she tells us what Virgil did not: the story of her life, and of the love of her life.

Lavinia is a book of passion and war, generous and austerely beautiful, from a writer working at the height of her powers.]]> 279 Ursula K. Le Guin 0151014248 Lis 5 3.82 2008 Lavinia
author: Ursula K. Le Guin
name: Lis
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/04/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Consorting with Dragons 39301253
Lord Jasen of Grumhul, an impoverished young nobleman, has come to the Draelands to find a rich husband to help pay his father's debts. To the shock of everyone, he ends up attracting the attention of King Rilvor himself, and the dragons who control the magic in the land. Becoming royalty wasn’t something Jasen either expected or wanted, but he can’t control his growing feelings for kind and handsome king. Scheming factions at Court conspire to keep him from Rilvor’s side, and now Jasen has to decide if the chance at true love with Rilvor is worth the burden of being the husband of a king.

This sweet and funny Cinderfella romance is complete at ~85000 words and ends in a solid HEA. After all, true love always wins in fairy tales!]]> 306 Sera Trevor Lis 3 fantasy, romance A nice little pick-me-up read for inbetween <3 ]]> 3.88 2014 Consorting with Dragons
author: Sera Trevor
name: Lis
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2019/02/26
date added: 2019/04/02
shelves: fantasy, romance
review:
This was... fun!
A nice little pick-me-up read for inbetween <3
]]> <![CDATA[The Land: Founding (Chaos Seeds, #1)]]> 34234639 Welcome... to "The Land!"

Tricked into a world of banished gods, demons, goblins, sprites and magic, Richter must learn to meet the perils of The Land and begin to forge his own kingdom. Actions have consequences across The Land, with powerful creatures and factions now hell-bent on Richter's destruction.

Can Richter forge allegiances to survive this harsh and unforgiving world or will he fall to the dark denizens of this ancient and unforgiving realm?

A tale to shake "The Land" itself, measuring 10/10 on the Richter scale, how will Richter's choices shape the future of The Land and all who reside in it? Can he grow his power to meet the deadliest of beings of the land? When choices are often a shade of grey, how will Richter ensure he does not become what he seeks to destroy?

ps - Gnomes Rule]]> 252 Aleron Kong 1535020709 Lis 1 Maybe a fun read for the standard boy reader, but def. not for me... ]]> 4.13 2015 The Land: Founding (Chaos Seeds, #1)
author: Aleron Kong
name: Lis
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2015
rating: 1
read at: 2019/02/26
date added: 2019/02/26
shelves: fantasy, please-help-me-forget-i-read-that
review:
Really not my cup of tea... this was such a genereic and lazy fantasy standard world up to every bar maid having a "full bosom" that I.. urgh... nope.
Maybe a fun read for the standard boy reader, but def. not for me...
]]> Stain 34842208
This high-fantasy gothic fairytale, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea, takes place in an alternative medieval world split apart by magic. To win back her kingdom of perpetual day, save her night prince, and reunite the sun with the moon, a princess incapable of speech or sound must prove herself everything a traditional princess is not: tough enough to sleep on a bed of nails, and loud enough to be heard without a voice.]]> 512 A.G. Howard 1419731416 Lis 3 fantasy, ya-stuffs, romance But it was still an enjoyable read.]]> 4.10 2019 Stain
author: A.G. Howard
name: Lis
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/02/26
date added: 2019/02/26
shelves: fantasy, ya-stuffs, romance
review:
A really nice and intense fairytale. I liked the characters, the magic, the world... it just felt a bit too long occasionally, especially in the middle part, where nothing was really happening.
But it was still an enjoyable read.
]]> Unnatural Disasters 37569348
Lucy and her boyfriend have been planning an epic post-graduation trip for months, despite the unstable world they live in. But when everyone's phones start to ring during prom, Lucy knows something terrible has happened—something new. Decades of climate change have taken their toll, religious extremism is spreading, refugees have nowhere left to turn, and terrorism is common. But this is worse. Far worse.]]> 336 Jeff Hirsch 0544999169 Lis 2 dystopian, ya-stuffs The protagonist is not interested in following the news, so we as readers just get occasional info dumps about what is going on in the world.
It hardly makes for a believable background. And this then makes everything else fall apart easily.
]]> 3.24 2019 Unnatural Disasters
author: Jeff Hirsch
name: Lis
average rating: 3.24
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2019/02/26
date added: 2019/02/26
shelves: dystopian, ya-stuffs
review:
Sadly the world building suffers a lot in this book.
The protagonist is not interested in following the news, so we as readers just get occasional info dumps about what is going on in the world.
It hardly makes for a believable background. And this then makes everything else fall apart easily.

]]> A Pocketful of Crows 34913762 I am as brown as brown can be,
And my eyes as black as sloe;
I am as brisk as brisk can be,
And wild as forest doe.
(The Child Ballads, 295)

So begins a beautiful tale of love, loss and revenge. Following the seasons, A Pocketful of Crows balances youth and age, wisdom and passion and draws on nature and folklore to weave a stunning modern mythology around a nameless wild girl.

Only love could draw her into the world of named, tamed things. And it seems only revenge will be powerful enough to let her escape.

Beautifully illustrated by Bonnie Helen Hawkins, this is a stunning and original modern fairytale.]]> 185 Joanne M. Harris Lis 5 fantasy 3.85 2017 A Pocketful of Crows
author: Joanne M. Harris
name: Lis
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2019/01/30
date added: 2019/01/30
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles, #1)]]> 16429619
On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her.ÌýDeception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

The Kiss of DeceptionÌýis the first audiobook inÌýMary E. Pearson's Remnant Chronicles]]> 492 Mary E. Pearson Lis 2 ya-stuffs, audibook-ed 3.92 2014 The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles, #1)
author: Mary E. Pearson
name: Lis
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2019/01/30
date added: 2019/01/30
shelves: ya-stuffs, audibook-ed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How Long 'til Black Future Month?]]> 40855636 400 N.K. Jemisin 0316491349 Lis 4 4.27 2018 How Long 'til Black Future Month?
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Lis
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/01/30
date added: 2019/01/30
shelves: short-stories, way-too-real, si-fi, fantasy
review:

]]> Between Shades of Gray 7824322
Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously—and at great risk—documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.]]> 344 Ruta Sepetys 0399254129 Lis 4 4.36 2011 Between Shades of Gray
author: Ruta Sepetys
name: Lis
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2019/01/30
date added: 2019/01/30
shelves: way-too-real, ya-stuffs, historical
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)]]> 16069030 Winning what you want may cost you everything you love...Ìý

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.]]> 355 Marie Rutkoski 0374384681 Lis 4 fantasy, romance, ya-stuffs 3.94 2014 The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)
author: Marie Rutkoski
name: Lis
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2019/01/30
date added: 2019/01/30
shelves: fantasy, romance, ya-stuffs
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Age of War (The Legends of the First Empire #3)]]> 35342928 Rich in magic and adventure, Michael J. Sullivan’s soaring fantasy novels are masterworks of heroism, love, and sacrifice. Now, in Age of War, the epic battle between humankind and the cruel godlike beings who once ruled them finally ignites in all its fury.

The alliance of humans and renegade Fhrey is fragile—and about to be tested as never before. Persephone keeps the human clans from turning on one another through her iron will and a compassionate heart. The arrogant Fhrey are barely held in check by their leader, Nyphron, who seeks to advance his own nefarious agenda through a loveless marriage that will result in the betrayal of the person Persephone loves most: Raithe, the God Killer.

As the Fhrey overlords marshal their army and sorcerers to crush the rebellion, old loyalties will be challenged while fresh conspiracies will threaten to undo all that Persephone has accomplished. In the darkest hour, when hope is all but lost, new heroes will rise . . . but at what terrible cost?]]> 448 Michael J. Sullivan 1101965398 Lis 2 fantasy 4.41 2018 Age of War (The Legends of the First Empire #3)
author: Michael J. Sullivan
name: Lis
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2018/07/18
date added: 2019/01/28
shelves: fantasy
review:
After carefully making up my mind about this book, I decided to downgrade my rating to 2 Stars. I'll have my review up within the next days to explain why and how...
]]> The Overneath 34273712
Lyrical, witty, and insightful, The Overneath is Peter S. Beagle's much-anticipated return to the short form. In these uniquely beautiful and wholly original tales, with new and uncollected work, Beagle once again proves himself a master of the imagination.]]> 333 Peter S. Beagle 1616962690 Lis 5 fantasy, short-stories 4.02 2017 The Overneath
author: Peter S. Beagle
name: Lis
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2018/12/29
date added: 2018/12/29
shelves: fantasy, short-stories
review:

]]> The Light Between Worlds 37509400
When they finally returned to London, nothing had changed at all—nothing, except themselves.

Now, Ev spends her days sneaking into the woods outside her boarding school, wishing for the Woodlands. Overcome with longing, she is desperate to return no matter what it takes.

Philippa, on the other hand, is determined to find a place in this world. She shields herself behind a flawless exterior and countless friends, and moves to America to escape the memory of what was.

But when Evelyn goes missing, Philippa must confront the depth of her sister’s despair and the painful truths they’ve been running from. As the weeks unfold, Philippa wonders if Ev truly did find a way home, or if the weight of their worlds pulled her under.

Content warnings are available via the author's website: ]]> 416 Laura E. Weymouth 1911490036 Lis 4 ya-stuffs, fantasy 3.64 2018 The Light Between Worlds
author: Laura E. Weymouth
name: Lis
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/12/29
date added: 2018/12/29
shelves: ya-stuffs, fantasy
review:

]]> TEXT 41949647 370 Dmitry Glukhovsky 3958902391 Lis 4 way-too-real 3.74 2017 TEXT
author: Dmitry Glukhovsky
name: Lis
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/12/29
date added: 2018/12/29
shelves: way-too-real
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #6)]]> 65605
Narnia... a land where the woods are thick and cold, where Talking Beasts come to life—an entirely new world where adventure begins.

One cold, wet summer in London, Digory and Polly meet and become fast friends. Their lives take a sudden turn when Digory’s Uncle Andrew, who fancies himself a magician, sends them hurtling to... somewhere else. They arrive in Narnia, just as it is born from the song of the great Lion, Aslan. Along the way, they encounter the evil sorceress Jadis, whose dark magic threatens everything. After a whirlwind adventure, they finally find their way back home.]]> 221 C.S. Lewis 0060764902 Lis 5 fantasy, ya-stuffs 4.06 1955 The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #6)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Lis
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1955
rating: 5
read at: 2018/12/29
date added: 2018/12/29
shelves: fantasy, ya-stuffs
review:

]]> Odd One Out 39848512 From the author of Dear Martin comes this exploration of old friendships, new crushes, and the path to self-discovery.

Courtney "Coop" Cooper
Dumped. Again. And normally I wouldn't mind. But right now, my best friend and source of solace, Jupiter Sanchez, is ignoring me to text some girl.

Rae Evelyn Chin
I assumed "new girl" would be synonymous with "pariah," but Jupiter and Courtney make me feel like I'm right where I belong. I also want to kiss him. And her. Which is . . . perplexing.

Jupiter Charity-Sanchez
The only thing worse than losing the girl you love to a boy is losing her to your boy. That means losing him, too. I have to make a move. . . .

One story.
Three sides.
No easy answers.]]> 320 Nic Stone 1101939532 Lis 3 ya-stuffs I rarely, if ever, read contemporay YA, so it was a nice change of pace. Just couldn't get behind the relationship drama in this book. ]]> 3.69 2018 Odd One Out
author: Nic Stone
name: Lis
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2018/12/05
date added: 2018/12/05
shelves: ya-stuffs
review:
Part of the Wildest Dreams November 2018 box this was a quick, enjoyable read.
I rarely, if ever, read contemporay YA, so it was a nice change of pace. Just couldn't get behind the relationship drama in this book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Solstice Prince (Realms of Love, #1)]]> 36566371
Despite his rescue, Jaime is not left without scars, both mental and physical. Traumatized by his experience and hiding his gift, Jaime struggles to earn his place in the kitchens of Angharad Palace, the heart of Taliesin City. His former life as a student of the healing arts leaves him at a disadvantage in the kitchens, and his damaged state is becoming more apparent by the day.

One day, when necessity and fate intervene, Jaime meets someone unexpected—Prince Maxim, youngest son of the Pyrderian king, a sword master and a devastatingly kind man. Unaccustomed to powerful people with compassion and heart, Jaime flees. A cascade of events reveals Jaime’s hidden talents of healing, and he finds himself not in chains, but at the beginning of a new life.

This swift change of fortune opens Jaime up to new possibilities, including a smitten prince who cautiously courts Jaime, easing him away from his fears and reminding him that compassion and love can make him strong. The winter solstice is quickly approaching, and Prince Maxim shows Jaime the enjoyment and excitement to be found in a land that embraces the ice and cold, and the mysteries of all things magical. He learns to see the man under the royal mantle, and Maxim is more than even Jaime suspected.

The winter solstice is nigh when tragedy strikes, and Jaime learns that his past of grief and sorrow can be a pillar of strength for his solstice prince. If there is one thing that Jaime believes above all else, it is in the healing power of love.]]> 182 S.J. Himes 1979321434 Lis 3 romance 3.48 2017 The Solstice Prince (Realms of Love, #1)
author: S.J. Himes
name: Lis
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2018/12/05
date added: 2018/12/05
shelves: romance
review:
A cute, fluffy read that doesn't pretend it's anything but a cute, fluffy read. Def. something heart-warming to read on a cold winter's night.
]]> <![CDATA[The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies, #1)]]> 34715150 A lord in danger. A magician in turmoil. A snowball in hell.

Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He’s also inherited his family’s enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn't expect it to turn up angry.

Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane’s family. Unfortunately, it’s his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he’s ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude... and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That’s definitely unusual.

Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane’s dangerous appeal isn't the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can’t find a way through it—they’re both going to die.

Book 1 of the Charm of Magpies series. Previously published by Samhain.]]> 271 K.J. Charles 0995799024 Lis 2 romance Sadly, I couldn't get behind either character in this book :/ ]]> 3.96 2013 The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies, #1)
author: K.J. Charles
name: Lis
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2018/12/05
date added: 2018/12/05
shelves: romance
review:
Don't even get me started on the awful power dynamics in this book...
Sadly, I couldn't get behind either character in this book :/
]]> <![CDATA[Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy, #1)]]> 37173847
But unbeknownst to her, Sancia’s been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic--the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience--have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifact’s secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims.

Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves. And in the city of Tevanne, there’s nobody with the power to stop them.

To have a chance at surviving—and at stopping the deadly transformation that’s under way—Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifact’s power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined.]]> 501 Robert Jackson Bennett 1524760374 Lis 3 fantasy 4.16 2018 Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy, #1)
author: Robert Jackson Bennett
name: Lis
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2018/11/29
date added: 2018/11/29
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> Belonging 25363103 An intense, compelling, and finely wrought epic of love and loss, race and ethnicity, homeland and belonging

Lila Langdon is 12 years old when she witnesses a family tragedy after her mother unveils her father’s surprise birthday present—a tragedy that ends her childhood in India and precipitates a new life in Sussex with her Great-aunt Wilhelmina. From the darkest days of the British Raj through to the aftermath of World War I, Belonging tells the interwoven story of three generations and their struggles to understand and free themselves from a troubled history steeped in colonial violence. It is a novel of secrets that unwind through Lila's story, through her grandmother’s letters home from India and the diaries kept by her father, Henry, as he puzzles over the enigma of his birth and his stormy marriage to the mysterious Rebecca.]]> 336 Umi Sinha 1908434740 Lis 5 historical, pure-badass 4.25 2015 Belonging
author: Umi Sinha
name: Lis
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2018/11/21
date added: 2018/11/21
shelves: historical, pure-badass
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military]]> 38589832
Spanning early celestial navigation to satellite-enabled warfare, Accessory to War is a richly researched and provocative examination of the intersection of science, technology, industry, and power that will introduce Tyson’s millions of fans to yet another dimension of how the universe has shaped our lives and our world.]]> 576 Neil deGrasse Tyson 0393064441 Lis 4 non-fiction 3.55 2018 Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military
author: Neil deGrasse Tyson
name: Lis
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/11/18
date added: 2018/11/18
shelves: non-fiction
review:

]]> The Haunting of Hill House 89717 182 Shirley Jackson 0143039989 Lis 2 scary-stuffs 3.85 1959 The Haunting of Hill House
author: Shirley Jackson
name: Lis
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1959
rating: 2
read at: 2018/10/31
date added: 2018/11/12
shelves: scary-stuffs
review:

]]> The Witch of Willow Hall 37007910 Two centuries after the Salem witch trials, there’s still one witch left in Massachusetts. But she doesn’t even know it.

Take this as a warning: if you are not able or willing to control yourself, it will not only be you who suffers the consequences but those around you, as well.

New Oldbury, 1821

In the wake of a scandal, the Montrose family and their three daughters—Catherine, Lydia, and Emeline—flee Boston for their new country home, Willow Hall. The estate seems sleepy and idyllic. But a subtle menace creeps into the atmosphere, remnants of a dark history that call to Lydia, and to the youngest, Emeline.

All three daughters will be irrevocably changed by what follows, but none more than Lydia, who must draw on a power she never knew she possessed if she wants to protect those she loves. For Willow Hall’s secrets will rise, in the end…]]> 364 Hester Fox 1525833014 Lis 4 audibook-ed, fantasy 3.69 2018 The Witch of Willow Hall
author: Hester Fox
name: Lis
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/10/31
date added: 2018/11/12
shelves: audibook-ed, fantasy
review:

]]> The Library at Mount Char 26892110
After all, she was a normal American herself, once.

That was a long time ago, of course—before the time she calls “adoption day,� when she and a dozen other children found themselves being raised by a man they learned to call Father.

Father could do strange things. He could call light from darkness. Sometimes he raised the dead. And when he was disobeyed, the consequences were terrible.

In the years since Father took her in, Carolyn hasn't gotten out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient Pelapi customs. They've studied the books in his library and learned some of the secrets behind his equally ancient power.

Sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.

Now, Father is missing. And if God truly is dead, the only thing that matters is who will inherit his library—and with it, power over all of creation.

As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her.

But Carolyn can win. She's sure of it. What she doesn't realize is that her victory may come at an unacceptable price—because in becoming a God, she's forgotten a great deal about being human.]]> 390 Scott Hawkins 0553418629 Lis 3 scary-stuffs 4.06 2015 The Library at Mount Char
author: Scott Hawkins
name: Lis
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2018/10/16
date added: 2018/11/12
shelves: scary-stuffs
review:

]]> Washington Black 40543845
Titch's idealistic plans are soon shattered and Washington finds himself in mortal danger. They escape the island together, but then then Titch disappears and Washington must make his way alone, following the promise of freedom further than he ever dreamed possible.

From the blistering cane fields of Barbados to the icy wastes of the Canadian Arctic, from the mud-drowned streets of London to the eerie deserts of Morocco, Washington Black teems with all the strangeness and mystery of life. Inspired by a true story, Washington Black is the extraordinary tale of a world destroyed and made whole again.]]> 419 Esi Edugyan 178125897X Lis 5 pure-badass, historical 3.90 2018 Washington Black
author: Esi Edugyan
name: Lis
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/10/18
date added: 2018/11/12
shelves: pure-badass, historical
review:

]]> The Boneless Mercies 40499098 They called us the Mercies, or sometimes the Boneless Mercies. They said we were shadows, ghosts, and if you touched our skin we dissolved into smoke ...

Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are Boneless Mercies � death-traders, hired to kill quickly, quietly and mercifully. It is a job for women, and women only. Men will not do this sad, dark work.

Frey has no family, no home, no fortune, and yet her blood sings a song of glory. So when she hears of a monster slaughtering men, women, and children in a northern jarldom, she decides this the Mercies� one chance to change their fate.

But glory comes at a price �

An epic YA fantasy set in a breathtaking new world, this is perfect for fans of V.E.Schwab, Leigh Bardugo, Laini Taylor and Melinda Salisbury]]> 352 April Genevieve Tucholke 1471170004 Lis 4 ya-stuffs, fantasy 3.42 2018 The Boneless Mercies
author: April Genevieve Tucholke
name: Lis
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/10/30
date added: 2018/11/12
shelves: ya-stuffs, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Traitor Baru Cormorant (The Masquerade, #1)]]> 23444482
The Empire of Masks is coming, armed with coin and ink, doctrine and compass, soap and lies. They'll conquer Baru’s island, rewrite her culture, criminalize her customs, and dispose of one of her fathers. But Baru is patient. She'll swallow her hate, prove her talent, and join the Masquerade. She will learn the secrets of empire. She’ll be exactly what they need. And she'll claw her way high enough up the rungs of power to set her people free.

In a final test of her loyalty, the Masquerade will send Baru to bring order to distant Aurdwynn, a snakepit of rebels, informants, and seditious dukes. Aurdwynn kills everyone who tries to rule it. To survive, Baru will need to untangle this land’s intricate web of treachery - and conceal her attraction to the dangerously fascinating Duchess Tain Hu.

But Baru is a savant in games of power, as ruthless in her tactics as she is fixated on her goals. In the calculus of her schemes, all ledgers must be balanced, and the price of liberation paid in full.

]]> 399 Seth Dickinson 0765380722 Lis 5 pure-badass, fantasy
- two chocolate bars
- one special cherry-limited-edition-chocolate bar
- two peanut butter sandwiches
- one pizza
- one tiramisu


]]> 4.04 2015 The Traitor Baru Cormorant (The Masquerade, #1)
author: Seth Dickinson
name: Lis
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/11/24
date added: 2018/11/09
shelves: pure-badass, fantasy
review:
In the course of one evening this book cost me:

- two chocolate bars
- one special cherry-limited-edition-chocolate bar
- two peanut butter sandwiches
- one pizza
- one tiramisu



]]> <![CDATA[Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)]]> 36273872 The most anticipated fantasy of the year, soon to be a major motion picture

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl, and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers - and her growing feelings for an enemy.

]]> 547 Tomi Adeyemi 1509871365 Lis 3 It was a great read... but why that forced romance in every YA book? Why does everyone have to be paired up all the time? ]]> 4.18 2018 Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)
author: Tomi Adeyemi
name: Lis
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/06
date added: 2018/10/12
shelves: fantasy, ya-stuffs, audibook-ed
review:
Oh dear, I actually forgot to add this one here.
It was a great read... but why that forced romance in every YA book? Why does everyone have to be paired up all the time?
]]> <![CDATA[The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings, #2)]]> 37880094
But then a window of opportunity opens—a doctor she idolizes is marrying an old friend of hers in Germany. Felicity believes if she could meet this man he could change her future, but she has no money of her own to make the trip. Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity’s way, so long as she’s allowed to travel with Felicity disguised as her maid.

In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl’s true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that leads them from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.

In this highly anticipated sequel to theÌýNew York TimesÌýbestsellingÌýThe Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, Felicity Montague must use all her womanly wits and wiles to achieve her dreams of becoming a doctor—even if she has to scheme her way across Europe to do it. A must-have for fans of Mackenzi Lee’s extraordinary and Stonewall Honor-winning novel.]]> 450 Mackenzi Lee 0062795325 Lis 3 ya-stuffs, fantasy 2.5 Stars seems a fair rating then.
Review will be upcoming though and there I'll try to map out my feelings in more detail. ]]> 4.05 2018 The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings, #2)
author: Mackenzi Lee
name: Lis
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2018/10/12
date added: 2018/10/12
shelves: ya-stuffs, fantasy
review:
Weeeell.. i loved the first half, but lost it during the second half :/
2.5 Stars seems a fair rating then.
Review will be upcoming though and there I'll try to map out my feelings in more detail.
]]> <![CDATA[Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft]]> 36655123 Scorn the witch. Fear the witch. Burn the witch.

History is filled with stories of women accused of witchcraft, of fearsome girls with arcane knowledge. Toil & Trouble features sixteen stories of girls embracing their power, reclaiming their destinies and using their magic to create, to curse, to cure—and to kill.

A young witch uses social media to connect with her astrology clients—and with a NASA-loving girl as cute as she is skeptical. A priestess of death investigates a ritualized murder. A bruja who cures lovesickness might need the remedy herself when she falls in love with an altar boy. A theater production is turned upside down by a visiting churel. In Reconstruction-era Texas, a water witch uses her magic to survive the soldiers who have invaded her desert oasis. And in the near future, a group of girls accused of witchcraft must find their collective power in order to destroy their captors.

This collection reveals a universal truth: there’s nothing more powerful than a teenage girl who believes in herself.]]> 359 Jessica Spotswood 1488089272 Lis 4 3.72 2018 Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft
author: Jessica Spotswood
name: Lis
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/10/12
date added: 2018/10/12
shelves: ya-stuffs, fantasy, audibook-ed
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cold Iron (Masters & Mages, #1)]]> 33309603 One of the others might have realised she was manipulating him all along . . .
A powerful story about beginnings, coming of age, and the way choosing to take one step towards violence can lead to a slippery and dangerous slope, this is an accomplished fantasy series driven by strong characters and fast-paced action.]]> 437 Miles Cameron 1473217687 Lis 5 fantasy, pure-badass 3.83 2018 Cold Iron (Masters & Mages, #1)
author: Miles Cameron
name: Lis
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/10/12
date added: 2018/10/12
shelves: fantasy, pure-badass
review:
I'll try to get my review up as soon as possible. I loved this book so much!
]]> Norse Mythology 39339994 Norse Mythology

The great Norse myths, which have inspired so much of modern fiction, are dazzlingly retold by Neil Gaiman. Tales of dwarfs and frost giants, of treasure and magic, and of Asgard, home to the gods: Odin the all-father, highest and oldest of the Aesir; his mighty son Thor, whose hammer Mjollnir makes the mountain giants tremble; Loki, wily and handsome, reliably unreliable in his lusts; and Freya, more beautiful than the sun or the moon, who spurns those who seek to control her.

From the dawn of the world to the twilight of the gods, this is a thrilling, vivid retelling of the Norse myths from the award-winning, bestselling Neil Gaiman.]]> 283 Neil Gaiman Lis 3 short-stories Just right now, I feel like... this book could have been so much more in many regards. ]]> 4.02 2017 Norse Mythology
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Lis
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2018/10/12
date added: 2018/10/12
shelves: short-stories
review:
There shall be review soon.
Just right now, I feel like... this book could have been so much more in many regards.
]]> <![CDATA[Witchmark (The Kingston Cycle, #1)]]> 36187110
Magic marked Miles Singer for suffering the day he was born, doomed either to be enslaved to his family's interest or to be committed to a witches' asylum. He went to war to escape his destiny and came home a different man, but he couldn’t leave his past behind. The war between Aeland and Laneer leaves men changed, strangers to their friends and family, but even after faking his own death and reinventing himself as a doctor at a cash-strapped veterans' hospital, Miles can’t hide what he truly is.

When a fatally poisoned patient exposes Miles� healing gift and his witchmark, he must put his anonymity and freedom at risk to investigate his patient’s murder. To find the truth he’ll need to rely on the family he despises, and on the kindness of the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 318 C.L. Polk 0765398974 Lis 5 fantasy, pure-badass

Now, listen, Witchmark by C.L. Polk is such a treat! Seriously, it is one of my favorite reads this year so far. For the longest time I’ve been looking for a compelling fantasy story featuring a gay romance. Finally the Bookish Gods had mercy.

Witchmark is set in a fictional version of Edwardian England. The story revolves around Miles, who returns from the War working as a psychiatrist to help other veterans deal with their trauma. But Miles harbors a secret: He’s a witch and a runaway from his rich and influential family, because within his family he would be bound to his sister, serving as battery to fuel her magic.

When one day a stranger arrives at his hospital carrying a dying man, Miles secret threatens to spill out. But the stranger himself isn’t who he seems to be either. Together they start to investigate the murder of the man. Soon they are drawn into a bigger plot full of magic and intrigue.

This little story, although not even 400 pages, made me so emotional. I haven’t been as involved in a novel in a long time. It was a wonderful ride and I wished it had been longer. But apparently there will be a second novel next year, so YAY!

And let me tell you that Witchmark delivers on so many levels.

If you are looking for an emotional, happy romance that gives you all the feels, Witchmark is the right book for you.

If you are looking for a novel featuring a complex brother-sister relationship, Witchmark is the right book for you.

If you enjoy political intrigue and a murder mystery, Witchmark is the right book for you.

If you like bicycles, this book has a dramatic bicycle chasing scene.

And finally, if you want all of the above sprinkled with some magic, you have to get up right now and read Witchmark.

The magic, although a prominent factor in this book, never takes away from interesting character moments. It underlines them, but is never the main focus; something that in a lot of Fantasy novels is not the case. Often we find an overwhelmingly complex magic system at the cost of detailed characters. It’s refreshing to have the magic in Witchmark support the understanding of the characters without superimposing them.

And yeah, the characters. I really love them. Miles is wonderful, his struggle and the trauma he’s suffered feels real. At the same time he doesn’t give up and stands up for what he believes is right.

Tristan, that fellow stranger who delivered the dying man, is similarly interesting. Apart from his very own secret, it’s wonderful to see his relationship with Miles develop. He finds sometimes small and subtle, ways to nudge Miles in the right direction and support him.

Grace, Miles’s sister, could have easily been portrayed as cold-hearted, uncaring and antagonistic. But the author finds a way to make the reader understand her point of view as much as Miles’s and feel for her struggles as well. This lets us experience the complexities of a brother-sister relationship with surprising realness.

The world-building is done masterfully as well. While the general idea of life in Edwardian England is in every reader’s head, the author manages to weave her version of it and the power structures and life in Aeland easily into the story without going through long passages of explanations. Yet the underlying political intrigue and its dangers are a big factor in creating the suspense in this novel.

And quite frankly, the romance is handled just as well. I’m not one to jump onto any ship easily. Often, even in highly acclaimed novels, I find the way romance is handled irritating, not being able to wrap my head around it (perks from being somewhere on the spectrum to asexuality). But Witchmark hooked me. It leaves enough room for both characters to develop their relationship, while never falling into clichéd, kitschy descriptions. Frankly, it’s a relationship as beautiful in writing as in its execution.

So, to wrap this review up: Witchmark is a fabulous read. It’s wonderful to have this story published by a big publisher. I keep my fingers crossed that the author meets the well-deserved success for this outstanding novel and takes us back to Aeland again in the future.

5 Stars and added to Pure-Badass-Shelf

P.S. You can read the first 11 chapters for free]]> 3.86 2018 Witchmark (The Kingston Cycle, #1)
author: C.L. Polk
name: Lis
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/07/08
date added: 2018/09/11
shelves: fantasy, pure-badass
review:
This review can also be found on my blog with added pictures :)


Now, listen, Witchmark by C.L. Polk is such a treat! Seriously, it is one of my favorite reads this year so far. For the longest time I’ve been looking for a compelling fantasy story featuring a gay romance. Finally the Bookish Gods had mercy.

Witchmark is set in a fictional version of Edwardian England. The story revolves around Miles, who returns from the War working as a psychiatrist to help other veterans deal with their trauma. But Miles harbors a secret: He’s a witch and a runaway from his rich and influential family, because within his family he would be bound to his sister, serving as battery to fuel her magic.

When one day a stranger arrives at his hospital carrying a dying man, Miles secret threatens to spill out. But the stranger himself isn’t who he seems to be either. Together they start to investigate the murder of the man. Soon they are drawn into a bigger plot full of magic and intrigue.

This little story, although not even 400 pages, made me so emotional. I haven’t been as involved in a novel in a long time. It was a wonderful ride and I wished it had been longer. But apparently there will be a second novel next year, so YAY!

And let me tell you that Witchmark delivers on so many levels.

If you are looking for an emotional, happy romance that gives you all the feels, Witchmark is the right book for you.

If you are looking for a novel featuring a complex brother-sister relationship, Witchmark is the right book for you.

If you enjoy political intrigue and a murder mystery, Witchmark is the right book for you.

If you like bicycles, this book has a dramatic bicycle chasing scene.

And finally, if you want all of the above sprinkled with some magic, you have to get up right now and read Witchmark.

The magic, although a prominent factor in this book, never takes away from interesting character moments. It underlines them, but is never the main focus; something that in a lot of Fantasy novels is not the case. Often we find an overwhelmingly complex magic system at the cost of detailed characters. It’s refreshing to have the magic in Witchmark support the understanding of the characters without superimposing them.

And yeah, the characters. I really love them. Miles is wonderful, his struggle and the trauma he’s suffered feels real. At the same time he doesn’t give up and stands up for what he believes is right.

Tristan, that fellow stranger who delivered the dying man, is similarly interesting. Apart from his very own secret, it’s wonderful to see his relationship with Miles develop. He finds sometimes small and subtle, ways to nudge Miles in the right direction and support him.

Grace, Miles’s sister, could have easily been portrayed as cold-hearted, uncaring and antagonistic. But the author finds a way to make the reader understand her point of view as much as Miles’s and feel for her struggles as well. This lets us experience the complexities of a brother-sister relationship with surprising realness.

The world-building is done masterfully as well. While the general idea of life in Edwardian England is in every reader’s head, the author manages to weave her version of it and the power structures and life in Aeland easily into the story without going through long passages of explanations. Yet the underlying political intrigue and its dangers are a big factor in creating the suspense in this novel.

And quite frankly, the romance is handled just as well. I’m not one to jump onto any ship easily. Often, even in highly acclaimed novels, I find the way romance is handled irritating, not being able to wrap my head around it (perks from being somewhere on the spectrum to asexuality). But Witchmark hooked me. It leaves enough room for both characters to develop their relationship, while never falling into clichéd, kitschy descriptions. Frankly, it’s a relationship as beautiful in writing as in its execution.

So, to wrap this review up: Witchmark is a fabulous read. It’s wonderful to have this story published by a big publisher. I keep my fingers crossed that the author meets the well-deserved success for this outstanding novel and takes us back to Aeland again in the future.

5 Stars and added to Pure-Badass-Shelf

P.S. You can read the first 11 chapters for free
]]>