The Heretic Cypher (The Egyptian Stones Book 1) - Murray Bailey

When Egyptologist Alex MacLure’s friend and mentor dies he’s stunned to discover she’s left a message—hidden, encoded, and meant only for him.

With a mysterious artifact and a trail of cryptic symbols, Alex is thrust into a deadly race against time. What begins as a quest to finish her research quickly spirals into a chilling conclusion: her death was no accident. She was murdered for what she discovered.

Now he’s the next target.

Hunted by a ruthless adversary, Alex finds himself swept from the academic halls of London to the heart of Egypt’s oldest sites.

As he races to decode a forgotten truth buried beneath centuries of deception, powerful enemies close in—willing to kill to protect a secret—a revelation so explosive, it could rewrite everything we know about ancient Egypt and religion.

 

What did I think?

What an absolutely cracking start to a new series!  I love Ancient Egyptian history so I jumped at the chance to read an early copy of The Heretic Cypher, the first book in The Egyptian Stones series. It's a breathtaking thrill ride filled with danger and deceit and I couldn't put it down.  

The pacing is rapid as Egyptologist Alex MacLure finds himself in a race against time to decipher clues left by his friend Ellen before she died.  Alex soon realises that the secrets with which Ellen has entrusted him have put him in danger and he doesn't know who he can trust.  Eeeeek! I didn't know who he could trust either and see-sawed back and forth between adding certain characters to my baddie list.

I was completely entranced by the book from the start and the writing is so evocative that when the location switched to Egypt I really felt as if I was there.  Although I already have some knowledge of Ancient Egyptian history, you don't need to have any prior knowledge to enjoy this book but it may whet your appetite to learn more.

Filled with mystery and danger, The Heretic Cypher is an outstanding thriller that had me on the edge of my seat right until the very end.  Move over Indiana Jones, there's a new archaeologist in town!  I can't wait to catch up with Alex MacLure in the next book in the series, The Mark of Eternity, that comes out next year.  Do not miss this very highly recommended read.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Way By - Holly Walters

Fairies are real. Or they ought to be, at least, according to Madame Bel Carmen's best hypotheses. Her problem, however, is that after searching the world over for the lore to prove it, she hasn't uncovered anything that someone didn't already know. Out of options, she knows her only chance to prove the existence of the Fae is to find someone who's met them, and she's just heard tell of a reclusive scholar who has reportedly done just that. This folklorist is more than just withdrawn; she's nowhere, an academic ghost known only by a few obscure writings.

 

What did I think?

I've only just started reading fantasy books and I was drawn to the beautiful cover of The Way By and that first sentence in the blurb: Fairies are real.  The chapters are quite long so it's a book I read in several small chunks and it took me around 9 hours in total to read.

Holly Walters' writing is beautiful; it's very poetic and vivid.  There's a scene with some birds that really sticks in my mind and I snapped the book shut at the end of that chapter in case the birds flew out of the page.

I loved the idea of The Way By, a place that few people can access and it's a place that is in danger.  What follows is a battle of good versus evil as the Waysmith leads her fellow women into battle against Clarisant, an evil unicorn.  I really enjoyed reading some of the backstories of the characters, although they are quite dark and disturbing, but it shows the strength of these brave women.

Whilst I enjoyed The Way By, I think it is more for advanced fantasy readers than beginners like me.  There is a lot of action in the book (and I wasn't sure what was going on half the time) and I also kept getting some of the characters mixed up.  I will make a list of characters when I go back to the book for a reread.

Filled with magic and danger, The Way By is an imaginative and enchanting novel that is set in a land where the impossible becomes possible.  Well worth a read for fantasy enthusiasts.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Holly Walters originally hails from a small, rural, town in Minnesota. A life-long storyteller, Holly is also a cultural anthropologist with a PhD from Brandeis University working in the high Himalayas of Nepal. While her ethnographic work focuses on fossil folklores and sacred ammonites in South Asia, her creative work pays homage to the dragons, unicorns, and fairy tales of her youth.

When not writing, she can be found perfecting her Medieval archery skills, theorizing about movie plots, and forgetting where she left her tea cup. Today, she makes her home in Boston, Massachusetts, with a very unruly garden, a few equally cantankerous pets, a clever spouse, and a resident house ghost. And since her creepy sculpture hobby hasn’t panned out thus far, she is looking forward to the publication of her first novel and the writing of many more.

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You Wouldn't Catch Me Dead - Tess James-Mackey

The only thing worse than being lost . . . is being found.

Keely planned to keep her head down at her new school - she isn't there to make friends or memories, she just wants to be left alone.

In order to get into college, she is roped into a programme that involves camping in the Welsh wilderness with five over-keen try-hards. Her plan is to keep her head down, keep her mouth shut and get through the next few days.

But Keely is running from something. Something that drove her family out of their home and to this quiet town. And when her fellow explorers start disappearing and the bodies begin to pile up, she has to ask herself: did she run far enough?

The second spine-chilling standalone from the author of Someone is Watching You, Tess James-Mackey.

 

What did I think?

After reading Tess James-Mackey's outstanding debut, Someone Is Watching You, I was very excited to read her next book, You Wouldn't Catch Me Dead, and I was not disappointed.  It is every bit just as creepy, tense and disturbing as I expected and I loved every second of it.

I've never been camping and I certainly wouldn't want to now after reading about a school trip to the Black Mountains in Wales that goes terribly wrong.  Keely is the new girl at school after a tragic event that saw her leave her old life behind and start again where nobody knows her.  She can run but she can't hide

Keely is haunted by her past, that is gradually revealed to the reader through flashbacks, but she has more pressing things on her mind at the moment when the group finds themselves lost in the spooky Welsh wilderness with no phone signal.  The barren location is completely bone-chilling and I could easily visualise the creepy ruins of the abbey.  

Tense, creepy and disturbing, You Wouldn't Catch Me Dead is a chilling YA read that is filled with suspense.  The stories of ghostly monks that entertained the group sent shivers down my spine and I was totally creeped out when things started going bump in the night.  A highly recommend read for teens and adults alike.

My rating:

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