TMST

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where Rainy discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

April 30: Waiting on Wednesday: Do you participate? Do you read the books you highlight?

Nope. I have never done a WoW

Ha, shortest answer ever!

I meant to do something else, but then the internet went out and f no I will do it on my phone

Audio: Come from Away - Genevieve Graham

A Novel of the Second World War

By: Genevieve Graham

Narrated by: Michelle Ferguson

Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 03-05-19

Language: English

Publisher: Audible Studios

Historical fiction

For review

My Thoughts

The couple from the previous books have grown children in this one, and it is their story. Well Grace's story to be honest.

WWII, Grace's 3 brothers go to war and she is left at home wondering if she should do more. But she has her job and parents. So life goes on, until she meets a handsome stranger. I liked Grace, she was levelheaded, but she could also hold one big grudge. 

Then there is Rudi, disillusioned by the war and Hitler, and Canada sure looks a lot greener than the hell that is war. I liked Rudi, he made no excuses. He had believed in what he believed until it got harder and harder as more policies were made.

This book is about them falling in love, but that is only a small part. It is about Rudi doing his best to get away and show that he is worth more. It is about the war taking a toll on people at home and those fighting. And again the dark side of war and how men suffer.

Final thoughts

Yes this one is tied together with the previous one, but this one is set 25 years later and is about their kids. So you can read in order, you can read out of order. It all works.

Narration

At first I was not sure, I felt like the voices blended together. But then they did not, so maybe it was just a 5 minuter bump in the road. Soon they all had distinct voices. I liked the light and darkness she managed to bring to Rudi's voice and the cheerfulness of what to call it in Grace's.

I liked her narration and I would listen to more.

From the best-selling author of Tides of Honour and Promises to Keep comes a poignant novel about a young couple caught on opposite sides of the Second World War.

In the fall of 1939, Grace Baker’s three brothers, sharp and proud in their uniforms, board Canadian ships headed for a faraway war. Grace stays behind, tending to the homefront and the general store that helps keep her small Nova Scotian community running. The war, everyone says, will be over before it starts. But three years later, the fighting rages on and rumors swirl about “wolf packs” of German U-Boats lurking in the deep waters along the shores of East Jeddore, a stone’s throw from Grace’s window. As the harsh realities of war come closer to home, Grace buries herself in her work at the store.

Then, one day, a handsome stranger ventures into the store. He claims to be a trapper come from away, and as Grace gets to know him, she becomes enamored by his gentle smile and thoughtful ways. But after several weeks, she discovers that Rudi, her mysterious visitor, is not the lonely outsider he appears to be. He is someone else entirely - someone not to be trusted. When a shocking truth about her family forces Grace to question everything she has so strongly believed, she realizes that she and Rudi have more in common than she had thought. And if Grace is to have a chance at love, she must not only choose a side, but take a stand.

Come from Away is a mesmerizing story of love, shifting allegiances, and second chances, set against the tumultuous years of the Second World War.

Discussion. The wicked king - Holly Black

Hello all! CAROLE and I will be discussing "The Wicked King" by Holly Black. I am in green and C am in blue. 

Author: Holly Black 
Title: The Wicked King
(The Folk of the Air #2)
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Pages: ebook
Published: January 8th 2019
Where I Got It: Borrowed from the library

You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.

After book 1, which was not great, but good enough, I really wanted to read more. I should not have had those feelings. Instead, I got a big boring mess.

Book 2 had so much promise. So many good reviews. And so much potential! The only good part of the book was the 15%. That was so intense and enthralling! The rest? Meeeehhhhh

I was bored from page 1 and sadly not even the end got me excited. By then I just wanted it to end. But I will say that sure the best part was at the end. Something FINALLY happened. It was like everyone woke from a coma. And I was all good riddance, you all SUCK!

Yess. There was SO much build-up and SO much teasing that something big was going to happen. But then pages would go by and nothing really happened. I had hoped at the very beginning but I was so let down. Sure a couple small things happened but nothing really until the end.

I was not super excited by any of the characters in book 1, but here everyone lost any depth they had. Cardan drunk and said nothing- Jude was the most stupid ass ever, omg, I just want to slap the shit out of her. Where was Madoc? The only interesting person? And omg her sister, please bury her deep. Ugh, I hate them all. This is not how one should feel.

I agree. I did feel bad for Jude at the end, but she was a huge dummy. I could tell you right away who the person was that was going to betray her. The warning wasn’t even needed. She didn’t heed it at all. SMH. Cardan was an ass at the end. Madoc only popped up here and there to be filler. Vivi was terrible to Heather. Not one character I could get behind.

I think the word I am looking for is bitch. Cardan was a whiny bitch. Jude was a stupid bitch who should know better. Vivi was just a bitch. And then we have the twin who I loathe and whose name I forget, silly bitch I will call her cos I do not think she had that many brain cells.

Taryan is her name I think. But grrr!!! She should’ve been tossed in the Tower with Locke. Jude is an idiot. And bitch for all of them is perfect.

I lost all respect for them. Sigh. Why does everyone love this series? I just do not know. There is no chemistry between anyone. I mean are we supposed to root for Cardan and Jude? Euwwww. F that shit!

Ugh. The scene between them...you know which one….was gross. There is NO chemistry. And why are people wanting them to get together? He tried killing her in the first book! He is a horrible, abusive thing. A little boy. I wish that he was locked away in a tower. Madoc should’ve killed him.

50 shades of Fae. It seems to be the norm now, abusive creepy relationships in YA books too.

We should not be teaching our youth this! He is a horrible man/boy/thing. Bleh! Jude is an idiot.

We saw it in Maas, and we see it here. Damn it. Why did I say we should continue!?

Because we had hope. Book 1 was good. Everyone loved this one….and I know I was curious to see what happened. A bad part of me wants to read book 3. But that is the part of me that cannot put down a terrible book and DNF it. LOL I think the normal person calls it...hope?

True. Ok so I hate them all and they should die. But I guess I am curious to see how it all ends. With them all dead. The end.

LOLL. I’m sure some of them are going to end up dead. I have a theory Jude is going to go on a rampage if/when she gets more power.  I have a feeling in my gut and THAT would be fun to watch. Jude losing it! LOL That twin of hers is on the chopping block first.

SHe will kill Madoc, then Cardan and Locke. Her sister, sadly not. And then Taryn kills her! Omg that would be perfect. Ha. And Taryn does get stabbed so she dies too.

Gah! You are right. Taryn will give Jude some sob story. Jude will forgive her and then the moment she turns away Taryn will stab her. SMH. GODS! Jude is a huge dummy. She is so dumb I cannot even believe it. Luckily the book was an ebook I borrowed from the library so I could not throw my phone/kindle. If it had been a paper book I would’ve. IDIOT!!!!!

Right! I  can so see it happening. Sob sob, yes you did kill hubby but it was for the best. Stab stab! Gods, what a dumbass bitch.

Dumbass bitch for sure. That should be Jude’s tagline. LOL

I am glad we disliked it the both of us. I could never have forgiven you if you had fallen in love with it! ;)

Hahaha. I wanted to. I wanted to love it. Like I said… I had hope! The only good part was the last 15%. Sighs.

I guess better luck next time! But with our track record, it will prob be a bad one. Ok so no more fae or ya fantasy for a while.

‘

Agreed. We get ONE good book and then the next 4 or so are terrible. SMH. We are unlucky! And yessssss after this one I need a small break from YA fantasy.

Well, good luck picking a good one! I do not envy you.

Eeeekkkkk! I have hope!

The end! Do not read this series!

The end! I agree 100%! AVOID!

About the Authors

Carole and Blodeuedd have been blogging a long while now. The last couple of years the epic duo have been discussing books, watching movies, and even wetting the pen and sharing their stories with the worldwide web. They both love cats, chocolate, and a good story.

The Winter of the Witch - Katherine Arden

Hardcover, UK Edition, 384 pages

Published January 10th 2019 by Del Rey (Ebury Publishing) (first published January 8th 2019)

Series: Winternight Trilogy #3

YA Historical fantasy

Library

My Thoughts

Book 1 was great. Everything from language to story. A wonderful fairytale. Book 2 has issues but was still good. It was no longer a fairytale. This one again was better than book 2, but still no book 1.

Vasya is in trouble, and omg that Konstantin, I want him hung up by his entrails! There is no place for a witch in Moscowy. 

She spends more time with magical "things" and places in this one. She learns a few truths too.

The whole Winter King and her is still weird, I mean he liked her from when exactly? The Bear went weird too...

Oh and the Tatars are coming so better rally the army!

But yes it was good, easy reading, nice story. And when it ended I was curious and wanted more. But I longed for a return to the more fairytale writing, and not the harsh reality of 14th century Russia.

Blurb

Moscow has burned nearly to the ground, leaving its people searching for answers - and someone to hold accountable. Vasya finds herself on her own, amid a rabid mob that calls for her death, blaming her witchery for their misfortune.

Then a vengeful demon returns, renewed and stronger than ever, determined to spread chaos in his wake and never be chained again. Enlisting the hateful priest Konstantin as his servant, turmoil plagues the Muscovites and the magical creatures alike, and all find their fates resting on the shoulders of Vasya.

With an uncertain destiny ahead of her, Vasya learns surprising truths of her past as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all... 

Audio: Tides of Honour - Genevieve Graham

Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 11-09-17

Language: English Genre: historical fiction

Publisher: Audible Studios

For review

My Thoughts

I guess when a couple is almost together at once then one should expect a bit of heartache along the way.

Danny met Audrey in French, in the midst of war. When he is sent home cos he lost his leg she follows. And then the real story begin. And that is what it was. It felt real. 

Once he tells himself that he is luckier since he does not suffer from shell shock. But he clearly is not ok and he does have ptsd. Drinks too much, depressed (I mean he did loose a leg!), violent. Pushing way those who care. And yes I confess that there sure were times I did not like him when he was an idiot, but then it was not really him. It was war that had changed him and he tried to fight his demons but could not.

Since this is another time he also had trouble with his wife making money while he was useless.

So all credit goes to Audrey. She stands by him for better and for worse. It is not an easy life, but worry not, there is happiness at the end. And I am glad for it.

There was also this really interesting historic event woven into the story. The explosion in Halifax. I had no idea that it had happened. And at that scale! Mind blowing and horrible. I do love learning things like this. So much I do not know.

I enjoyed it. The ups and downs. The bitter reality of life.

Narrator

I have not listened to him before (I think). But I enjoyed his voice for women and men. He made it into a nice tale to listen to.

Blurb

In the summer of 1916, Private Daniel Baker marches into battle with the boys of Nova Scotia's 25th Battalion. Out of brutal necessity, Danny has steeled himself against the trials and horrors of war, but he is completely unprepared to meet the love of his life in war-torn France.

Audrey Poulin has the soul of an artist. She lives alone with her grandmother in the quiet French countryside, where her only joy is in her brush and palette. When by chance she encounters Danny, the handsome young soldier captures her heart and inspires her painting. The young lovers believe that only together can they face the hardships the war brings.

But love is just the beginning. Mere months later Danny is gravely wounded at the Battle of the Somme, and his future is thrown into uncertainty. Soon he and Audrey find themselves struggling to build a new life in Halifax, a city grieving its lost men. As the gray winter of 1917 sets in, Danny's lack of purpose and Audrey's isolation continue to mount, pulling the two apart just as a new catastrophe threatens their existence.

Heartrending and enthralling, Tides of Honour is a novel of love and second chances set against Halifax's most devastating moment of the First World War.

Fate's Star - Elizabeth Vaughan

Kindle Edition, 470 p

Expected publication: April 23rd 2019 by Birch Cove Press

Series: Chronicles of the Warlands 0

Fantasy romance

for review

My Thoughts

I have never any of these in order so it is fitting that the last bok is the first book, but to be fair, this one was just published ;)

Verice is an Elf living in human lands and he has been a baron there for quite some time. He is honorable, takes care of those who live on his lands and kind. But oh man, or oh elf, when he sees Warna it does seem like he forgets he has a brain.

Warna is fleeing war and comes to Tassinic. And what can I say, he just carries her away. Not for any nefarious reasons, now he is all, pretty voice, must protect! Men! Elves! Of course she is all what do you want?! I mean who wouldn't be. But Like I said, he is honorable and kind. So obviously these two fall in lust and love. And she is so capable so she saves his barony too.

There is another couple mentioned too, that just felt weird. I (thanks to someone) worked out that they will star in a new series, but at this moment it mostly felt like I had missed a book in this series. Hush hush, I will say nothing more about them.

Not that much happens in a way. There is no war or fighting. Considering there is a war going on. It is more a book about these two falling in love and him learning to see past something that happened. A sweet book.

Blurb

Her family dead, her home destroyed, all she has left are her wits and her songs...

When the flames of civil war rage across the Kingdom of Palins, Warna of Farentell has no choice but to flee to the neighboring Barony of Tassinic. The daughter of a wealthy merchant, raised to run a noble house in the hope of a good marriage, she watches her future burn with the rest of her homeland. 

Elven Lord of a human Barony, betrayed and attacked by those he thought to trust...

Verice of Tassinic has suffered the wounds of war, knowing loss and betrayal at the hands of those he trusted most. He buries himself in work and duty, behind emotional walls as high as those of his castle, rather than risk more pain. While dealing with a kingdom in political and economic turmoil, he "rescues" Warna only to discover that the helpless human woman is anything but. Before he knows it, she is deep within the defenses of his heart, forcing him to confront his grief, his distrust, and the scars of his past...and maybe even steal his heart in the process. (less)

TMST and King of Assassins

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where Rainy discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

April 23: Do you like getting unsolicited books in the mail?

I would LOVE it! Ok so I guess that if you get many then sure it would feel like you had to read them all. But still, I get so few, and that is still books that the pubs would have sent me anyway. I would love getting a surprise book that would make me go all whaat? :D

Let's do a review today too!

Paperback, 508 pages

Published August 7th 2018 by Orbit

Series: The Wounded Kingdom #3

Fantasy

Own

My Thoughts

It took me 12 days to finish this one...12 days!!!! I confess to doing a lot of skimming the last 150 pages cos else I would still be here after 2 weeks.

Something was just not there. I enjoyed the two previous ones, but this one, nah, it felt slow, it dragged, it was a chore and I no longer felt the world.

I must say, it made me feel that I am done with this author if hershe makes me feel like this for this last book.

It had good parts, but most were ok, or just boring. Soulless.

And srsly, EVERYONE else loved it, EVERYONE

Arghhh what is wrong with me?! 

Blurb

Many years of peace have passed in Maniyadoc, years of relative calm for the assassin Girton Club-Foot. Even the Forgetting Plague, which ravaged the rest of the kingdoms, seemed to pass them by. But now Rufra ap Vthyr eyes the vacant High-King's throne and will take his court to the capital, a rat's nest of intrigue and murder, where every enemy he has ever made will gather and the endgame of twenty years of politics and murder will be played out in his bid to become the King of all Kings.

Friends become enemies, enemies become friends and the god of death, Xus the Unseen, stands closer than ever - casting his shadow over everything most dear to Girton. 

Audio: The Beast Player - Nahoko Uehashi

By: Nahoko Uehashi, Cathy Hirano - translator

Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly

Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 03-26-19

Language: English

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Fantasy YA

My Thoughts

I enjoyed this one. Wow, was it actually almost 15 hours? It did not feel like that, I listened to it really quickly.

It follows Elin, whose mother is killed at the beginning when the serpents under her care die. (yes aholes much!) The rest of Elin's family is nothing to have and she is sent away.

There was a lot of bee talk. Complicated creatures. But I liked it, Elin is 10 and she needed something stable. I liked her time there. Will say no more.

Then there is a school and beasts. This country uses water serpents to fight and then there are the royal beasts that are treasured beyond all as a symbol for the country. Elin comes into her own here. She is a very peculiar 10 year old, she loves to question things and think things true. And she does not loose that as she grows up.

The world was well done too. I felt I was there. The bees made it so.

The end, well it must be a series since this is book 1 and 2. And there are a book 3 and 4 too in Japanese. And I can not read the blurb, srsly, I want to know! Is it about Elin still? About something else. Ok I have to ask someone. Because it does end, sort of good. Happy for now, but things are not calm.

Also, it does start of as MG, then it turns YA. But at the end she is 20...I would say this is a MGYAADult then ;)

Narrator

She did a great job with male and female, old and young. I felt Elin grow under her narration and it fit her well.

 I think this was my first narration by her and I would listen to her again. She felt good for fantasy too

Blurb

Elin's family has an important responsibility: caring for the fearsome water serpents that form the core of their kingdom's army. So when some of the beasts mysteriously die, Elin's mother is sentenced to death as punishment. With her last breath she manages to send her daughter to safety.

Alone, far from home, Elin soon discovers that she can talk to both the terrifying water serpents and the majestic flying beasts that guard her queen. This skill gives her great powers, but it also involves her in deadly plots that could cost her life. Can she save herself and prevent her beloved beasts from being used as tools of war? Or is there no way of escaping the terrible battles to come? 

Carole's Sunday: Isle of Savages

Author:  T. Briar

Title: Isle of Savages

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Pages: ebook

Published: June 13th 2017

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

On July 20, 20— a charter school’s sponsored sail from San Diego to Hawaii hits a reef during a violent storm. Sixteen souls abandon ship. Nine students, along with the hated captain and first mate, wash up on what they believe is a deserted island. 

Separated into three groups by circumstance and mutual distrust, treachery and death lurks for all. Over the course of a single day, one student betrays all the others. Another drowns. Two others get ambushed by a great white shark. And, like falling dominoes, the captain, first mate, and six students fall prey to a tribe of bloodthirsty cannibals. 

In the face of almost certain death, who will escape from the isle of savages to tell the tale? 

I was immediately drawn in by the cover and the summary. SCARY!!

The story follows a group of people who wash up on a deserted island. The group is separated into three groups for many different reasons. There is a lot of distrust and hatred all because of the captain and his first mate who also survived. However, they soon learn they all share a common threat....cannibals. 

A nightmare, but an entertaining nightmare. One of my fears is getting eaten; which is a very common fear. I also fear getting lost on an island thanks to my love of the show LOST. Thanks guys! *grumbles about never going over the ocean in a plane or boat*

The story jumps right into the meat and potatoes of the story. I do wish we had gotten a chance to see the events on the boat. Something seriously bad had happened before they crashed. It drove me insane not really getting that back story. I feel it would've added to the story to see these characters before the crash.

However, a part of me does feel that it was wise to just toss us on this island with these people because there is a sense of who is reliable? Who can WE trust as the reader? It did add to the suspense there. But me being me...I like all the juicy details. 

There is some jumping around between everyone. It was done well and I wasn't confused about who was who. Kuddos there. 

Holy cow that ending. I didn't know what was going to happen!

Overall, I really did like this story. It certainly did its job and scared me. The thought of fighting off cannibals! *Shudders* The ending was good. I go back and forth about wanting more information about their time on the boat before crashing. If you like a bit of thriller, I recommend this. Quick and it was good and it did remind me of my fear of islands and being eaten. 4 stars!

Audio: A memory called Empire by Arkady Martine

• Teixcalaan, Book 1
• By: Arkady Martine
• Narrated by: Amy Landon
• Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Release date: 03-26-19
• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio

My Thoughts

This was a planet bound scifi, and it really was more about this alien city, which was not that alien since they are human too. This was politics and mystery.

Mahit has lived her entire life on a station. She has never seen anything else, and she has dreamed of the City. Teixalaan, the empire. She speaks the language, she reads the poetry and she is chosen to be the ambassador. Since the previous one died all the sudden. Which of course is the whole mystery, why did he die? Is something rotten in this vast empire?

Mahit's people also saves the memories, if they are good memories and implant them into others. She gets the bad end of the stick, 5 years of the previous ambassadors life, since he has not be back to the station in 15 years. And she does not have enough time since it is a sort of symbiotic relationship. She will no longer be just Mahit. She is Mahit, and Iskander at the frey.

She is enchanted by the city as she arrives but she can also see the faults as she is new and not stuck in old ways as the Teixcalaan.

“You pump the dead full of chemicals and refuse to let anything rot—people or ideas or … or bad poetry, of which there is in fact some, even in perfectly metrical verse,” said Mahit. “Forgive me if I disagree with you on emulation. Teixcalaan is all about emulating what should already be dead.”

It was a fascinating culture. They sure liked their poetry. If you did not know poetry you were like dead to them. It was all about poetry.

And I liked Mahit, she is doing her best and she knows that she needs to know more to survive. Politics and murder mystery. And she gets a  great sidekick along the way too!

I enjoyed this story, but it did end. So I am curious what the next book will be about, if it will still be about her or someone else.

Narrator

I liked her voice. She brought desperation into Mahit's voice and the superiority to the Teixcalaans, since all are barbarians to them. She did well with male and female voices too as Mahit does have a male voice in her head

Blurb

Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn't an accident - or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court.  

Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her station from Teixcalaan's unceasing expansion - all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret - one that might spell the end of her station and her way of life - or rescue it from annihilation.  

A fascinating space-opera debut, Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire is an interstellar mystery adventure.

The Mermaid - Christina Henry

Paperback, 321 pages

Published June 19th 2018 by Titan Books Ltd

Historical fantasy

Own

My Thoughts

I do like her books. They are all such great fun!

This one is more Selkie wife than little mermaid.  A mermaid grew bored with her world and wanted to see more. She is given the name Amelia by her husband, a lonely fisherman whom she falls in love with. No magic here (well yes and no.) If she touch land she becomes human, when she goes back into the sea she is a mermaid...creature.

I liked Amelia. She really loved her husband and stayed with him until he died. I liked the village, she knew and pretended not to.

Then comes PT Barnum. Ugh, what an asshat! Oh Amelia, I know that you still want to see the world, but stay away from that asshat! He wants a circus freak. An animal.

Conclusion:

The book is light, and heavy. Fun, and dark. And in that aspect it did remind me of Lost boy. The darkness she got in there. Yes, I do like these magical books of hers. And I have Alice on its way so I will read more by her, wohoo!

Blurb

From the author of Lost Boy comes a beautiful historical fairy tale about a mermaid who leaves the sea, only to become the star attraction of history's greatest showman. Once there was a mermaid called Amelia who could never be content in the sea, a mermaid who longed to know all the world and all its wonders, and so she came to live on land. Once there was a man called P. T. Barnum, a man who longed to make his fortune by selling the wondrous and miraculous, and there is nothing more miraculous than a real mermaid. Amelia agrees to play the mermaid for Barnum and walk among men in their world, believing she can leave anytime she likes. But Barnum has never given up a money-making scheme in his life, and he's determined to hold on to his mermaid. 

Audio: Storm Glass - Jeff Wheeler

Audible Audio, 12 pages

Published June 19th 2018 by Brilliance Audio

Series: Harbinger #1

Fantasy MG YA

Freebie

My Thoughts:

I should have written this two days ago!

Ok, cool world. There are mysteries and as Cettie does not know them yet neither do we. Like how do the floating islands keep on floating? What makes skyships fly? It is a more industrialized fantasy world in a way. But not that much since "magic" rules.

There seems to be ghosts and other things...what I do not know yet

And the rich live in the sky while the downtrodden live below in filth.

Cettie is rescued. Though all I was thinking was omg she is leaving those kids down there! Those kids who surely saw her as their like mum and she was the only one who fed them! But hey, the strong survive, the weak die. Of course omg girl, please tell the nice man what a b%tch his housekeeper is. Sheesh!

Still nice kid.

I thought it would be mostly her story since she was saved and got to see the fancy part of this world, but we also get a princess' pov. She might have everything but that does not mean love, friends and fun. Still roof and food girl, roof and food.

I guess this is YA, but since they are 12 it feels more MG. Since nothing bad happens either so it feels more nice you know.

A nice story. And yes audible freebie for the win!

Narration Kate Rudd

A good voice that fit the story and she did the characters well. Esp that wicked housekeeper

Blurb

Theirs is a world of opposites. The privileged live in sky manors held aloft by a secretive magic known only as the Mysteries. Below, the earthbound poor are forced into factory work to maintain the engine of commerce. Only the wealthy can afford to learn the Mysteries, and they use their knowledge to further lock their hold on society.

Cettie Pratt is a waif doomed to the world below, until an admiral attempts to adopt her. But in her new home in the clouds, not everyone treats her as one of the family.

Sera Fitzempress is a princess born into power. She yearns to meet the orphan girl she has heard so much about, but her father deems the girl unworthy of his daughter’s curiosity.

Neither girl feels that she belongs. Each seeks to break free of imposed rules. Now, as Cettie dreams of living above and as Sera is drawn to the world below, they will follow the paths of their own choosing.

But both girls will be needed for the coming storm that threatens to overturn both their worlds.

TMST

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where Rainy discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

April 16th: Where do you get your review books?

damn it! I forgot! It is 9m and I remembered. S is running from her room and back...sigh.

Ok review books. Sometimes people email, but I do not say yes that often. Mostly I get from publishers when they send out lists. So yes I respond to mass emails. Simple as that.

No more NG since that is so US only now.
Edelweiss is too complicated.

I can not think. She is trying to put a blanket over me now

Audio: The Ruin of Kings - Jenn Lyons

Narrated by: Feodor Chin, Vikas Adam, Soneela Nankani

Series: A Chorus of Dragons, Book 1

Length: 27 hrs and 15 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 02-05-19

Language: English

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

My Thoughts:

I know I keep saying that everything is better in audio, well, this book proved me wrong. Everything is NOT better in audio. Even those that have Vikas Adam narrating.

Gods, where to start!?

The way it was built:

1 Pov telling Kherin's story today

3rd telling Kherin's story 2 years ago

At the same time.

Then there is footnotes, god damn footnotes that come in in the middle in the narration. If you read it you could at least wait until the end of the page.

And omg, then at the end there is a third narrator, the footnote guy that narrates Kherin's story all the sudden.

The names. Everyone had names that sounded similar, everyone had names that started with the same letter.

Footnotes, I guess it was supposed to build the world? It just annoyed me and at the end when I found out who the letter was to, well then I just found footnote guy to be an arrogant prick. Wtf, the footnotes made no sense.

The worldbuilding was spotty. It was too grand that I understood nothing of. There seems to be a lot of different humanoids, gods, monsters, elves? I really do not know. It was a convoluted mess.

Linear. Just make it linear!

The words. She used a lot of madeup words, or I do not know, maybe they are real, but the thing is I have no idea what anyone was wearing? Words without meaning tell me nothing.

The sad thing is that the history was interesting, it was just put together in a messy way.

Khirin could be such a bratty dick at times too. Yes your life sucks cos of your dad, still, he just kills someone in cold blood. Yes the guy was bad, but he had orders. Kill the one that gives orders instead.

oh and then there is the whole oh this person is dead but someone else is using that body. X is mother to Y, even if only by body since the soul is gone. And this happened a lot. So many who is their parents or grandparents. Everyone in someone elses body

No, I will not read more

Narrators

Well Vikas Adam rocked his 1 person

The woman was good as 3rd person Kherin

Footnote guy was good, until he had his own Kherin story and then it fell apart. Suddenly Kherin had a really American accent and it was really weird 

Blrub

Kihrin grew up in the slums of Quur, a thief and a minstrel's son raised on tales of long-lost princes and magnificent quests. When he is claimed against his will as the missing son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds himself at the mercy of his new family's ruthless power plays and political ambitions.

Practically a prisoner, Kihrin discovers that being a long-lost prince is nothing like what the storybooks promised. The storybooks have lied about a lot of other things, too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, and how the hero always wins.

Then again, maybe he isn't the hero after all. For Kihrin is not destined to save the world.

He's destined to destroy it. (less)