Annarite Born - R. B. Leyland

Two kingdoms. A rebel faction. Overwhelming odds.

The Annar have long been assailed by the slave kingdom next door, but with General Sain of the Annar heading the charge, they have held them at bay. When a prophesized babe is saved from a fiery attack and adopted by the General, he's thrust into a life of God-chosen warriors, rife with betrayal and chaos. Whilst the General and his oldest son move to eradicate a rebel group, his two younger sons strive to train and find their place within the infamous Sain guard. An alarming revelation, traitors around every bend. Will the Sain guard be able to weather the storm? Or will the slave kingdom of the Kerazar finally gain a foothold in the lands they covet? 

What did I think?

Annarite Born is the first book in an exciting new fantasy trilogy and I absolutely loved it.  If you liked Game of Thrones, you will LOVE Annarite Born.

There's a fabulous map in the front of the book to set the scene and it's good to refer to as the story progresses.  It's a shame there is no cast of characters as it took me a while to work out who was who, especially with Aldred having two sons named Alkor and Alnor, so I would recommend writing your own list of names when you start the book.

The plot is riveting though and I had a number of gasp out loud moments as well as a few grimaces from the gory battle scenes.  It is so vividly written that I could easily imagine the scenes that R. B. Leyland was describing as all the sights and sounds of this imagined world played out in my head.

There are some fantastic battle scenes that I enjoyed more than I expected because the tactics and strategy is explained to fully immerse the reader in the events.  Asserting strength and power goes hand in hand with manipulation and treachery and the characters don't know who they can trust.  One of them is drawn into a dark and dangerous web and it had my eyes glued to the page.

Annarite Born has a bit of everything to keep the reader entertained: family, fighting and a heartwarming romance.  It's an outstanding debut novel that I could have continued reading way past its 340th page so I can't wait for the next book.  A very highly recommended read.

I received a gifted paperback from the author via Whimsy Words PR and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Aurora - David Koepp

When the lights go out no one is safe…

A planet without power.

When a solar storm hits the earth, the lights go out across the planet. But this time the blackout won’t be over soon – it could last for years. Aubrey and her stepson now face the biggest challenge of their lives.

 

A society without rules.

Soon they hear rumours of riots, the struggle for food becomes real, and even within their small communities, the rule of law is collapsing. Aubrey’s estranged brother Thom, a self-made billionaire who abandoned her years ago, retreats to a gilded desert bunker where he can ride out the crisis in perfect luxury.

 

A race to build a better world…

But the complicated history between the siblings is far from over, and what feels like the end of the world is just the beginning of a personal reckoning long overdue…

 

What did I think?

Aurora by David Koepp stood out as being something a little bit different from other books I have read and I really enjoyed it.  I started out thinking it was science fiction but it is scarily realistic and a thriller element is added to keep the pages turning at lightning speed.

The main part of the story is a coronal mass ejection (CME) hitting earth and taking out the power.  The book starts by telling us about The Carrington Event, the CME that hit earth in 1859, and expected to occur every 150 years.  Three little words at the end of that section chilled me to the bone: "We are overdue."

The scene is set and I was already thinking how real this could be.  Scientists check and double check their data, governments refuse to believe the scale of the event, and billionaires race to their bunkers.  Aubrey and Thom are siblings but their lives couldn't be more different.  When the world goes dark, Aubrey is stuck in Aurora, Illinois with a layabout stepson and Thom is in his state of the art bunker in California.

I love how the different character storylines flow and intermingle; I thought I wouldn't remember who certain characters were but they each have a role to play and fit into the story perfectly.  Just seeing how different people react to such massive challenges is so interesting to read - it's amazing how people can react to change and it's heartwarming to see that instead of being selfish, it's better to work together.  Of course, some people are only looking out for themselves and they will never change.

The writing is so vivid and the storyline is so gripping that I'm not surprised it's being made into a film.  I could have read so much more than the 400 pages included in the book, in fact I was disappointed to reach the end as I wanted to find out more.  

Scarily realistic, Aurora is gripping, thrilling and eye-opening; I can't wait to watch it on the big screen.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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The Boy I Am - K. L. Kettle

 

They say we’re dangerous. But we’re not that different.

Jude is running out of time. Once a year, lucky young men in the House of Boys are auctioned to the female elite. But if Jude fails to be selected before he turns seventeen, a future deep underground in the mines awaits.

Yet ever since the death of his best friend at the hands of the all-powerful Chancellor, Jude has been desperate to escape the path set out for him. Finding himself entangled in a plot to assassinate the Chancellor, he finally has a chance to avenge his friend and win his freedom. But at what price?

A speculative YA thriller, tackling themes of traditional gender roles and power dynamics, for fans of Malorie Blackman, Louise O’Neill and THE POWER.

What did I think?

I don't read a lot of dystopian fiction so I thought I'd take a little look at The Boy I Am and I could always put it down if I didn't get into it...almost 200 pages later, I did put it down but only because it was teatime.  I honestly didn't think it would be my kind of thing, but sometimes books that surprise you are the best books to find.

Jude lives in a world where boys have all choices taken away from them; they must act gentlemanly at all times, never look at a woman's face and only speak when spoken to.  Their only purpose in life is to be selected by rich women as companions and if they're not chosen they are sent to the mines and never seen again.  The Chancellor rules with an iron fist and it appears that everyone bows to her will, however, a resistance is growing with a plan to remove her from power.  The Chancellor has eyes everywhere apart from in the Outside...where the brave must venture in order to bring her down.

Turning gender on its head, K. L. Kettle has written a stunning dystopian debut novel; it's officially YA but it's most definitely suitable and hugely enjoyable for adults too.  It's as thought-provoking and imaginative as The Handmaid's Tale, The Hunger Games and many more books that I haven't read yet but really must read.  It's so provocative and memorable that I wouldn't be surprised to see future novels being compared to The Boy I Am.

I don't think I will ever forget The Boy I Am; it's a book I would like to read again which definitely makes it a 5 star read for me.  K. L. Kettle's imagination is jaw-droppingly brilliant and her writing is so vivid and perfectly crafted that The Boy I Am is nothing short of magnificent.  After seeing through Jude's eyes, I will never look at the world in the same way again.  An unmissable book and very highly recommended.

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The Damned (The Darkest Hand Trilogy Book 1) - Tarn Richardson

I'm thrilled to be opening the RedDoor Press blog tour today for The Damned by Tarn Richardson.  The Damned is book 1 in The Darkest Hand Trilogy and you can read my review below.

1914. The Outbreak of War

In the French City of Arras, Father Andreas is brutally murdered and the Catholic Inquisition sends its most determined and unhinged inquisitor to investigate. Poldek Tacit's mission is to protect the Church from those who seek to undermine it. At any cost.

As Tacit arrives, British and German soldiers confront each other across the horror that is No Man's Land and a beautiful French woman warns Lieutenant Henry Frost that there is a dark and unnatural foe lurking underground more awful than even Tacit can comprehend.

What did I think?

Firstly, I have to say that I think the publishers have done an amazing job with the covers of the books in this trilogy.  I know we readers never judge a book by its cover but we still appreciate a thing of beauty and there's something so very eye-catching yet ominous about the beautiful cover of The Damned.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction and I do like a bit of supernatural now and again so The Damned ticked both of these boxes for me.  Set during the start of World War I, with flashbacks to the late 19th Century, the main character is a dark, brooding and mysterious Inquisitor named Poldek Tacit.  Tacit is sent to Arras to investigate the mysterious death of a priest who is brutally murdered inside his church.  Sister Isabella is simultaneously sent to Arras seemingly to assist Tacit, but with the real task of assessing his faith.  I loved the pairing of these two characters, they work so well together with Isabella's feminine wiles and Tacit's quick-wittedness.

Tacit is used to dealing with the supernatural so there isn't much that will shock or concern him, but what he encounters in Arras and Fampoux is certainly more than he bargained for.  Not only does he have to deal with a huge pack of damned souls, but there is a greater conspiracy afoot; one that plans to undermine the church on the world stage as the cathedral of Notre Dame prepares to host A Mass for Peace.  The clock is ticking and time is running out for Tacit and Isabella to prevent what is sure to be irreparable damage to the church.

With the church wielding so much power and conspiracies aplenty, I can see why The Damned would appeal to fans of Dan Brown, but the supernatural element adds something that Stephen King would wish he'd written.  It doesn't stray too much into the fantasy genre, merely dipping a toe (or a claw) into the supernatural, but it adds such an imaginative layer to the story that even purists could start to believe in the impossible.

One thing that I did struggle with slightly was the flicking back and forth through time periods over very short chapters.  One minute I was reading the story in 1914 and literally one or two minutes later I was back again in 1914 after a brief sojourn to the 1890's.  Once I got into the rhythm of the book, it didn't bother me so much but it did take a bit of getting used to and the flashbacks are imperative to understand how and why Tacit got to where he is now.

The Damned is an amazing start to The Darkest Hand Trilogy; although a very satisfyingly fully wrapped up story in its own right, it certainly left me wanting more.  Dan Brown meets Stephen King in this gripping and downright scary historical fantasy fiction novel.  It's a recommended read from me but if you're not sure whether it's your cup of tea, download the free prequel from Amazon here.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Tarn Richardson is the author of The Darkest Hand trilogy, published by RedDoor Publishing.

Consisting of THE HUNTED (free prequel novella), THE DAMNED, THE FALLEN and THE RISEN, The Darkest Hand trilogy unleashes the flawed but brilliant Inquisitor Poldek Tacit upon a Europe engulfed by the First World War.

Having grown up in Somerset, he now lives in Salisbury with his wife, the portraiture artist Caroline Richardson.

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