Top Ten Tuesday – Books I did not finish

It is another Tuesday and another top ten- This week it is books I did not finish

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I try not to leave a book unfinished and if I do I always try to go back just in case I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. So there aren’t many DNF in my reading history. A few of these books were a DNF the first time round but I did go back and finish them later.

Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett ( review here)

If you follow my blog , then you know I am a huge fan of the Lymond Chronicles ( review here) but it took me three attempts and over a 18 months to finish it. I DNF twice- I couldn’t get over the sudden burst of poetry, song and bits of French casually  dropped in. A drunk pig in the first few chapters put me off the first time. But the mazing reviews from so many readers made me try again and on the third attempt I finally fell in love with Dunnett writing and one of the most fascinating characters ever written, Lymond.

Incubus Dreams by Laurel Hamilton ( Anita Blake series review here)

I used to love the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter books- Anita Blake was a heroine who was tough,short yet feminine and no victim to the complicated men in her life. But halfway through the series, the books changed and became more erotic. Incubus dreams was when I finally gave up- in my mind Anita Blake has become a victim and plaything of the men around her.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I tried with this one because of the hype but I just couldn’t get into  and I have no idea why. Maybe on day I might even finish the film ( I struggled with the film too).

The Book of Dave by Will Self

I gave up on this book on page two, one of the few books that I viscerally disliked but I have no idea why given that so many people loved this one.

Billionaire Boy by David Walliams

I used to love reading with and too my little one and he was given this one for his birthday. But I couldn’t read this one with him . My little went through Walliams phase but I feel guilty about being relived when they moved back to Dragons and Magic.

Dark Age by Piece Brown

I enjoyed the first half of Red Rising and thought the ending of the first three book was pitch perfect- cautiously optimistic. So I did struggle with the sequels and couldn’t finish Dark Age. Darrow was a flawed but charismatic lead who carried the first three books despite the violence and the introduction of new point of view characters just didn’t feel the same.

The Appeal by Janice Hallet

I think I read this when it first came out and while I enjoyed the unusual format and I kind of felt the plot was predictable, so gave up on it. I bought The Appeal again after reading a reviews raving about it having forgot I had DNFed and   I did finish it. I was right about the plot and the end.

West with Giraffes by Linda Rutledge

This was a choice made by my book group. Some of my book group loved this book about a man taking a Giraffe across the US in the 1930’s but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you for reading

Leave a link to your TTT so I can pop over and read your lists

Sons of Darkness by Gourav Mohanty (The Raag of RTA book 1)- Book review

Here is my review of the this epic grimdark fantasy inspired by the Mahabharata.

Bled dry by violent confrontations with the Magadhan Empire, the Mathuran Republic simmers on the brink of oblivion. Krishna and Satyabhama have put their plans in motion within and beyond the Republic’s blood-soaked borders to protect it from annihilation. But they will soon discover that neither gold nor alliances last forever.
They are however not alone in this game.
Mati, Pirate-Princess of Kalinga, has decided to mend her ways to be a good wife. But old habits die hard, especially when one habitually uses murder to settle old scores. Brooding but beautiful Karna hopes to bury his brutal past but finds that destiny is a miser when it comes to giving second chances. The crippled hero-turned-torturer Shakuni limps through the path of daggers that is politics only to find his foes multiply, leaving little time for vengeance.
Their lives are about to become very difficult for a cast of sinister queens, naive kings, pious assassins and ravenous priests are converging where the Son of Darkness is prophesied to rise, even as forgotten Gods prepare to play their hand.

Thank you #NetGalley and @HoZ_Books and @AdAstraFiction

Review

While I enjoyed this ambitious, grimdark fantasy inspired by the Mahabharata, I did find the actual reading of Sons of Darkness by Gourav Mohanty hard work.

Read more: Sons of Darkness by Gourav Mohanty (The Raag of RTA book 1)- Book review

I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.

This is loosely based on the characters from the Mahabharata but is well and truly ‘grimdark’. The world-building is original with plenty of detail and description with an interesting and different magical beings, ceremonies, motives, and dramas not usually seen in typical grimdark fantasies. There are plenty of strong, vibrant,  morally grey women such as Mati, the pirate in control of the lives which was refreshing.

I couldn’t keep up with all the characters, the motivations and backstories and it start to feel overwhelming by the middle of the book. While I enjoyed the descriptions and dialogues, I thought this slowed the pace down (but this does pick towards the last third of the book. I have to day the ending was quite something!

Content warning

References to death and violence to children, domestic violence, and sexual assault.

Perfect for fans of

Fans of grimdark.

The Stranded by Sarah Daniels- book review and Blog Tour

I’m pleased to be part of the blog tour for The Stranded by Sarah Daniels- dystopian YA

Welcome to the Arcadia.
Once a luxurious cruise ship, it became a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. Now it floats near the coastline of the Federated States – a leftover piece of a fractured USA.
For forty years, residents of the Arcadia have been prohibited from making landfall. It is a world of extreme haves and have nots, gangs and make-shift shelters.
Esther is a loyal citizen, working flat-out to have the rare chance to live a normal life as a medic on dry land. Nik is a rebel, planning something big to liberate the Arcadia once and for all.
When events throw them both together, their lives, and the lives of everyone on the ship, will change forever . . .

Thank you  Write Reads Tour and Penguin Random Books for my copy

Review

I enjoyed The Stranded by Sarah Daniels- a YA dystopian fiction that feels relevant today.

I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.

There is so much in the news at the moment about illegal immigration and refugees, that this book feels like less sci-fi and more contemporary. The Stranded plays with our views on what is a refugee and challenges our assumptions.

Charming by Jade Linwood- Book review

I really enjoyed Charming by Jade Linwood featuring a trio of fairytale heroines I can get behind

Brave, Resourceful, Deceitful, Double-Crossing… Charming.
Prince Jean-Marc Charming Arundel, known to friends and enemies alike as “Prince Charming,” is handsome, well-mannered, brave, a peerless swordsman, a cunning tactician – and a liar, a con man and a fraud. For years he has been travelling from one kingdom to the next, rescuing endangered princesses and maidens, securing their troths and his place in their fathers’ palaces, then looting their treasuries and having it away before dawn.
Until a chance meeting of three of his victims – raven-haired Marie Blanche de Neige, the sorceress Doctor Emilia Rapunzel and the long-slumbering Bella Lucia dei’ Sogni – suggests a course of revenge…

Review

Charming by Jade Linwood, a cosy fairy tale retelling, felt like my kind of book and featuring a trio of fairytale heroines I can get behind

The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan- Book review

I loved this historical portal fantasy – here is my review of The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan

Two worlds bound by a pomegranate gate…
Toba Peres can speak but she can’t shout; she can walk but she can’t run; and she can write in five languages… with both hands at the same time.
Naftaly Cresques dreams every night of an orange-eyed stranger; when awake, he sees things that aren’t real; and he carries a book he can never lose and never read.
When the Queen of Sefarad orders all the nation’s Jews to leave or convert, Toba and Naftaly are forced to flee, but an unlucky encounter leaves them both separated from their caravan. Lost in the wilderness, Toba follows an orange-eyed stranger through a mysterious gate in a pomegranate grove, leaving Naftaly behind. With a single step, Toba enters an ancient world that mirrors her own. There, she finds that her fate—and Naftaly’s—are bound to an ancient conflict threatening to destroy both realms.

Thank you @JessGofton and @Rebellion books and @Solarisbooks for my copy of the book. Publication date 20th July 23

Review

I loved The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan- a rich and beautifully written portal fantasy.

I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.

This portal fantasy ( the portal is a pomegranate gate!) is rich with descriptive detail both in our world and the Mazik world. Mazik are interesting magical beings full of power, tall, fast, immortal with very human weaknesses.

Read more: The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan- Book review

Toba by far is the most interesting character and one of the most developed arc I have read- from a girl who can’t scream or run to full on heroine willing to risk her life for a friend.

Barclay and Asmiel are the Mazik who befriend Toba and try to help in their own grumpy and quirky way. But my favourites are Elena, Toba’s grandmother and the old woman who are ruthless and will happily poison anyone who gets in their way- it is so rare to see such a fiesty description of not just one but two older women.

The pace of the book is slow to start with but then picks up towards the middle with revelations of plots, betrayals, intrigue and complex family histories.

The perfectly combines both historical fiction and fantasy resulting in a book that is a pleasure to read.

I’m sure what if there is a sequel but I really hope there is.

Content Warning

Description of torture

Perfect for Fans of

Well written fantasy

Top Ten Tuesday- Top Ten One Word titles

It’s another Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

It’s another Top Ten Tuesday  and it’s my top ten book with one word titles.

Ibiza Surprise by Dorothy Dunnett – Blog tour/book review

I’m pleased to be part of the blog tour for Ibiza Surprise by Dorothy Dunnett, book three in The Dolly Mysteries.

When Sarah Cassells, a British girl who has just completed her training as a chef, hears of her father’s violent death on Ibiza, she refuses to believe it is suicide. She goes to Ibiza to investigate and becomes involved with an art dealer; with two beautiful jetsetters; with her brother’s strange predicament; with a remarkable American woman who is not all what she seems – and with Johnson Johnson, the mysterious portrait painter who shows up on his yacht, Dolly. As Ibiza prepares to celebrate Holy Week with the traditional processions, events become more and more macabre.

Thank you @RandomTTours and @Farragobooks for my copy of the book.

Review

Dorothy Dunnett really knows how to hook her readers and I enjoyed trying to guess the twist in the murder mystery with a touch of PG Wodehouse in Ibiza Surprise,

Read more: Ibiza Surprise by Dorothy Dunnett – Blog tour/book review

The Dolly Mysteries featuring Johnson Johnson, portrait painter and spy have been rereleased under different names and in chronological order rather than its original publication date. Interestingly the books are told from the point of view of several strong women characters and our view of Johnston is formed through their eyes.

I received a copy of the book for a free and unbiased opinion.

Sarah Cressel, is the posh but poor heroine whose main aim is to find a rich husband while working as a cook to keep up with the lifestyles of her rich friends. She heads to Ibiza, when she is suspicious of her father’s suicide and bumps into Johnson who is dragged into her investigation or is she dragged into his. Sarah is young, chaotic without a clear plan but as with all the Dolly mysteries’ heroines, Sarah is much more than what she seems, and I loved her ending.

I enjoyed Ibiza Surprise more than the Rum Affair- the plot and the characters were easier to follow. Even though the book was rammed full of action and hilarious scenes, it was easier to keep track of the stories who all the characters was. There are plenty of suspects and motives- all unique and fascinating.

I enjoy trying to guess who the murderer in a murder mystery, but I was wrong with Ibiza surprise even though Dunnett but on my second reading the hints where clearly there.

Johnson plays a more peripheral role in this book and is a much more likable character although I do wonder if he does ,actually, manage to finish a portrait one day.

Content Warning

References to suicide.

Perfect for Fans of

Clever murder mysteries with lots of humour, Rum Affair ( review here) and Tropical Issue ( review here)

Kings of War ( by M. J Porter – book review/book tour

I’m pleased to be part of the blogtour for Kings of War (The Brunanburh Series Book 2 ) by M. J Porter- thrilling historical fiction set in AD934.

Can the King of the Scots and the Dublin Norse triumph against a united England? AD934
King Athelstan of the English has been successful in uniting the many kingdoms of Britain against one enemy, the Viking raiders.
But men who are kings don’t wish to be ruled.
Constantin, King of the Scots, rebelled against the Imperium and was forcibly brought to bend the knee to Athelstan and England at Cirencester.
His son Ildulb seeks bloody vengeance from Athelstan following the battle at Cait and the death of his son.
Olaf Gothfrithson, king of the Dublin Norse, having asserted his power following his father’s death has his sights set on reclaiming Jorvik.
Can the united might of the Scots and the violence of the Dublin Norse, descendants of the infamous Viking raiders, bring King Athelstan and his vision of the united Saxon English to her knees?
An epic story of kingsmanship that will result in the pivotal, bloody Battle of Brunanburh, where only one side can be victorious.

Thank you @rararesources, and @BoldwoodBooks for a copy of my eARC

Review

 I’ve just started reading historical fiction set in the time when England was still a fledging country threatened by its neighbours and Danes, and I really enjoyed Kings of War by A. J Porter set in AD934.

The Rowan by Davis Bunn – book review/blog tour

Here is my review of The Rowan by Davis Bunn- science fiction with an intriguing concept

A rowan tree with mysterious and unique powers is extending its grip over humanity, and investigative writer Valentina Garnier is caught up in a battle between supernatural forces and the federal government.
Prize-winning investigative writer Valentina Garnier loves a good story, so when she learns that CIA director Agnes Pendalon wants her to travel to Kunashir Island in Russia’s easternmost province, she jumps at the chance. Top scientists, political aides, CIA agents and even the vice president’s daughter have made mysterious trips to the island in recent weeks, and all have come back changed . . .
When Val arrives in Kunashir, she is mesmerized by a magical rowan tree and its leaves that turn to golden threads, encircling the visitors. Something incredible and transformational is happening in front of her . . . With the CIA determined to hunt down this unknown force and everyone affected by the rowan, is a new battle for the future of humanity about to commence?

Thank you NetGalley and @severnhouse for my earc

Review

The Rowan Tree by Davis Bunn was an intriguing science-fiction with an interesting concept.

A Killing at Smugglers Cove by Michelle Salter- Book Review

I enjoyed the next instalment in the Iris Woodmore mysteries- historical fiction

Wartime secrets, smugglers’ caves, skeletal remains. And the holiday’s only just begun… July 1923 – Iris Woodmore travels to Devon with her friends Percy Baverstock and Millicent Nightingale for her father’s wedding to Katherine Keats. But when Millicent uncovers skeletal remains hidden on the private beach of Katherine’s former home, Iris begins to suspect her future stepmother is not what she seems. The police reveal the dead man is a smuggler who went missing in 1918, and when a new murder occurs, they realise a killer is in their midst. The link between both murders is Katherine. Could Iris’s own father be in danger? ‘

Thank you #NetGalley and @BoldwoodBooks for my eArc. Publication date 10/7/23

Review (  Click on title for review of previous books Death at Crookham Hall, Murder at Waldenmere Lake, The Body at Carnival Bridge)

The Iris Woodmore mysteries by Michelle Salter are fast becoming my favourite historical mystery series and I loved A Killing at Smugglers Cove.

I received a copy of the book for a free and unbiased opinion.

Iris’s is a little suspicious of her father’s fiancé and the story of when Katherine and her father met and being at the location of the wedding just confirms this when she finds skeletal remains.

Read more: A Killing at Smugglers Cove by Michelle Salter- Book Review

Iris finds herself in the middle of another mystery as she tries to find out who the man was? Where did he come from? Why did he die? And of course, who killed him? The skeletal remains also brings traumatic memories of the first world war for everyone involved.

This is a good old fashioned murder mystery with plenty of suspects and motives that will satisfy any cosy crime fans. But to me the best part of the book is the rich and sometimes weird historical detail. I loved reading about ( and then googling) bathing machines and swimming stockinettes. The story is set 1923- a time of great societal change especially for woman and their clothes as well as the resettlement of refugees and former servicemen and women dealing with aftermath of war.

Iris has grown as character but who is still ahead of her times while still being bound by the restrictions of 1920’s England.

Percy, Millicent, Horace and Elijah are great supporting characters and book end with slightest hint of romance for Iris.

Perfect for fans of

Historical cosy crime mysteries