Dazzling, sharp, painfully tender tales, haunting & terrible. Dark and beautiful, stories that linger on in the mind, in the beat of blood in the veinDazzling, sharp, painfully tender tales, haunting & terrible. Dark and beautiful, stories that linger on in the mind, in the beat of blood in the veins....more
As a huge fan of Katherine Addison's earlier book The Goblin Emperor, I was eager to read anything she's written, and The Angel of the Crows did NOT dAs a huge fan of Katherine Addison's earlier book The Goblin Emperor, I was eager to read anything she's written, and The Angel of the Crows did NOT disappoint! Set in an alternate universe version of Sherlock Holmes, neither Holmes nor Watson's names are used. It's obvious though, from the first chapter set in Afghanistan, that this is Watson retelling their account of war and injury. Ending up in London, desperate for affordable lodgings, fate takes a hand when he is introduced to a strange figure at St Barholomew's... This is a world where the supernatural is taken as read; there are angels and demons, ghosts and fetch's and ghouls abroad, yet deductive logic supplies the detective with answers. Fans of Holmes will enjoy tremendously the fresh take on favourites like The Speckled Band, The Sign of Four and of course The Hound of the Baskervilles. The detective and assistant characters have likewise been given an invigorating and unexpected twist. Devoured it, loved it, strongly recommend it!...more
A stunning story, one I haven't read in years. I needed to read something that chimes with the new reality we're living in - but where the rich DON'T A stunning story, one I haven't read in years. I needed to read something that chimes with the new reality we're living in - but where the rich DON'T manage to escape the sickness and death that stalks us all by cocooning themselves in their vast wealth. Macabre, atmospheric and extremely topical....more
Strong, meaty stuff - Hester is fighting a losing battle to hold onto her lover, her home and her child... With magic, murder, class and community exerStrong, meaty stuff - Hester is fighting a losing battle to hold onto her lover, her home and her child... With magic, murder, class and community exerting pressure on all the characters, the ending is explosive....more
Stunning, poetic, beautiful, moving and very unusual. A memoir, a haunting, an elegy to a woman centuries dead and an account of the woman's life who Stunning, poetic, beautiful, moving and very unusual. A memoir, a haunting, an elegy to a woman centuries dead and an account of the woman's life who is trying to unearth her story. One of a kind with a voice like no other....more
First, a confession...I have never read Robin McKinley before. I know, I know, call myself a bookworm, a fantasy lover, a young adult reader! But somewFirst, a confession...I have never read Robin McKinley before. I know, I know, call myself a bookworm, a fantasy lover, a young adult reader! But somewhere online, over a year ago, I read a review of this book and the thought has been sitting in my hindbrain ever since - you need to read this book. So when I stumbled across it secondhand in a bookshop in Vienna, it seemed fated...
This book is brilliant - I loved everything about it. Impatient, angry Maggie, who is creeped out by her mother's new husband; her dog Mongo; her friends, her family, the worlds around her, the trials and terrors she discovers...
Look, I'm just saying you need to read this book, and I'm off to see what other Robin McKinley's I can get my hands on!
Cultures clashing, countries on the brink of war, troubled queendoms, magic, intrigue, spying and DRAGONS. Complex, multi-stranded and epic in scale, tCultures clashing, countries on the brink of war, troubled queendoms, magic, intrigue, spying and DRAGONS. Complex, multi-stranded and epic in scale, this is fantasy that doesn't feel the need to treat women as add-ons, decorative damsels or pawns in male-only power games; they are fully-formed creations with their own flaws, drives and purpose. It is telling as well that I felt such a sense of relief that girls and women aren't in constant danger of sexual assault at every page turn; death by assassination yes, rape not so much......more
**spoiler alert** What a fantastic return to the Grishaverse! This story is epic and we return to all the characters we've grown to love - and some ne**spoiler alert** What a fantastic return to the Grishaverse! This story is epic and we return to all the characters we've grown to love - and some new ones too. Can't wait to read the next volume!...more
Just finishing Other Words for Smoke feels like falling back into this ordinary world from another, far stranger and scarier one. An extraordinary booJust finishing Other Words for Smoke feels like falling back into this ordinary world from another, far stranger and scarier one. An extraordinary book - dark and beautiful and twisted and strange.
The closest comparison I can make is to Alan Garner's masterpiece, The Owl Service, yet this is uniquely it's own thing - just similar in magnificent gothic weirdness....more
Brilliant, bold and gripping, this story of shamblers (zombies) vs a corp of young black women trained to guard their wealthy white charges is sharplyBrilliant, bold and gripping, this story of shamblers (zombies) vs a corp of young black women trained to guard their wealthy white charges is sharply political without losing any pace....more
Sweeping adventure, epic romance, mid-air battles, treachery, broken alliances and political intrigue - what more could you ask for? Tremendously enjoSweeping adventure, epic romance, mid-air battles, treachery, broken alliances and political intrigue - what more could you ask for? Tremendously enjoyable!...more
I haven't read this in decades, but Patricia Lynch was certainly a childhood favourite.
It's fascinating to reread something that you read as a child aI haven't read this in decades, but Patricia Lynch was certainly a childhood favourite.
It's fascinating to reread something that you read as a child and come across details that have become part of your subconscious alphabet of images; life-size eagles, dirty, malicious Wise Women, stepping into another world via a book, trying to outfly a furious eagle in a disintegrating cardboard plane...and of course, the eponymous donkey.
A charming if episodic book that mixes myth, magic and everyday life with the most beautiful, evocative illustrations by Jack B Yeats....more
An absolutely gorgeous story that any bookworm would delight in! Tilly, raised in her grandparent's bookshop, Pages & Co., has an affinity with readingAn absolutely gorgeous story that any bookworm would delight in! Tilly, raised in her grandparent's bookshop, Pages & Co., has an affinity with reading - sometimes it feels like the characters in her favourite books are really there, talking to her... A book full of adventure and charm with lots of corners to explore, that I imagine will happen in further books in the series. Recommended for bookloving children - of any age.
As someone who has only recently come back to watching Dr Who - and by 'recent' I mean since Dr Who was a woman - I should start this review with the As someone who has only recently come back to watching Dr Who - and by 'recent' I mean since Dr Who was a woman - I should start this review with the caveat that I know little about the world of Dr Who & remember less. So this book is probably not aimed at me - nevertheless, I enjoyed it, and would probably have utterly adored it if I knew more about the Whoniverse.
For me, the story that gripped the most is the one based in Dublin, and on the personal experience of a woman who was mocked for being a fan of Dr Who in the 1960s, as 'science isn't for girls'. This story had such heart and power - I loved it.
Others had me gripped also - the induction training of a Sontaran was brilliant & the Holmesian Silurian living in Victorian London was great. The Cybermen one was fascinating and tragic...
Anyway, point is, this is really good and you should read it....more
Witchy and dark, fierce and passionate and true - this is young adult writing at its finest. Comparisons to Angela Carter are on point, but with a whoWitchy and dark, fierce and passionate and true - this is young adult writing at its finest. Comparisons to Angela Carter are on point, but with a wholly original voice. Absolutely glorious....more
Loading...
