Shigidi and The Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi – book review

Here is my review of Shigidi and The Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi- a truly unique fantasy.

Shigidi is a disgruntled and demotivated nightmare god in the Orisha spirit company, reluctantly answering prayers of his few remaining believers to maintain his existence long enough to find his next drink. When he meets Nneoma, a sort-of succubus with a long and secretive past, everything changes for him.
Together, they attempt to break free of his obligations and the restrictions that have bound him to his godhood and navigate the parameters of their new relationship in the shadow of her past. But the elder gods that run the Orisha spirit company have other plans for Shigidi, and they are not all aligned–or good.
From the boisterous streets of Lagos to the swanky rooftop bars of Singapore and the secret spaces of London, Shigidi and Nneoma will encounter old acquaintances, rival gods, strange creatures, and manipulative magicians as they are drawn into a web of revenge, spirit business, and a spectacular heist across two worlds that will change Shigidi’s understanding of himself forever and determine the fate of the Orisha spirit company.

Review

I loved this contemporary fantasy, Shigidi and The Brass Head of Obalufon by Woke Talbi is unlike another other fantasy I have read.

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

The setting and mythology behind Shigidi is refreshing bold and new- this isn’t your usual fantasy moved to an exotic environment but something completely new. I haven’t had to concentrate on a story for a long time, to make sure I kept on top of each new character or concept.

But the underlying story is a love story between two powerful and old beings trying to find their way in new an modern world.-Nmeoma is a slightly disillusioned succubus who doesn’t lose herself in love and Shigidi is a disgruntled god who does. And of course, this is complicated by a heist to steal an object across the real and spirit world.

The Old Gods and beings in this world are work through corporations aligned with countries. There are hostile takeovers, espionage, targets that must be met and battles against people encroaching on their business territories which does make sense as to why there are so many religions. The story travels from Lagos to London to Malayasia to the Sprit world.

The non-linear way of presenting the story works with stories from Nneoma’s and Shigidi’s past and how they ended up together. I had no idea how this book was going to end but the ending was perfect and hope there are more books set in the world. I would like to see how Shigidi. Olurun ( Chairman of the Orisha Spirit Company) and Nnemona’s story continues.

This is perfect for anyone who enjoys fantasy heists or are a bit bored of the usual fantasies.

Perfect for Fans of

Neil Gaiman

The Book Of Doors by Gareth Brown- Book review

I loved The  Book Of Doors by Gareth Brown- a riveting book about magical books

In New York City, bookseller Cassie Andrews is living an unassuming life when she is given a gift by a favourite customer. It’s a book – an unusual book, full of strange writing and mysterious drawings. And at the very front there is a handwritten message to Cassie, telling her that this is the Book of Doors, and that any door is every door .
What Cassie is about to discover is that the Book of Doors is a special book that bestows an extraordinary powers on whoever possesses it, and soon she and her best friend Izzy are exploring all that the Book of Doors can do, swept away from their quiet lives by the possibilities of travelling to anywhere they want.
But the Book of Doors is not the only magical book in the world. There are other books that can do wondrous and dreadful things when wielded by dangerous and ruthless individuals – individuals who crave what Cassie now possesses.
Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is, it seems, Drummond Fox. He is a man fleeing his own demons – a man with his own secret library of magical books that he has hidden away in the shadows for safekeeping. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . .
Because some doors should never be opened.

Review

 I loved The  Book Of Doors by Gareth Brown- a riveting book about magical books.

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

I couldn’t put this beautifully written book down- I tend to favour plot over writing but I couldn’t help and fall in love with Gareth Brown’s writing. His descriptions of the streets of Venice, magical doors and even a sandwich shop in New York are vivid in their descriptions and made me wish I had my own Book that could open a door to any place.

The story is intricate with plenty of well fleshed out heroes and villains with their own backstories. This may sound like a soft, whimsical book, so I was taken by surprise by some of graphic violence and cruelty that pops up in the book. The villain simply named ‘The Woman’ adds tension and suspense to the story and there were times when I wasn’t sure how the heroes would succeed.

This isn’t just about magic- the love between friends and the family they can become forms the heart of this book and this tempers some of the darker themes.

This book is definitely one of the best books I have read in the last few years.

Content Warning

References to torture

Perfect for Fans of

Well written fantasies

To Cage a God by Elizabeth May ( These Monstrous Gods book 1) Book review

Here is my review of To  Cage a God By Elizabeth May-  Slavic inspired fantasy

Using ancient secrets, Galina and Sera’s mother grafted gods into their bones. Bound to brutal deities and granted forbidden power no commoner has held in a millennia, the sisters have grown up to become living weapons. Raised to overthrow an empire―no matter the cost.
With their mother gone and their country on the brink of war, it falls to the sisters to take the helm of the rebellion and end the cruel reign of a royal family possessed by destructive gods. Because when the ruling alurea invade, they conquer with fire and blood. And when they clash, common folk burn.
While Sera reunites with her estranged lover turned violent rebel leader, Galina infiltrates the palace. In this world of deception and danger, her only refuge is an isolated princess, whose whip-smart tongue and sharp gaze threaten to uncover Galina’s secret. Torn between desire and duty, Galina must make a choice: work together to expose the lies of the empire―or bring it all down.

Thank you, Black Crow PR and Daphne Press for my copy

Review

Here is my review of To Cage a God By Elizabeth May- Slavic inspired fantasy with a strong romantic flavour.

To Cage a God is a bit of a misleading title as the Gods ( or dragons) have already been caged or rather attached to humans. The ruling class have inherited their caged gods and lord over the rest of the population literally ( the rest are called supplicants). Sera and Galina are two sisters who are their exception in that their mother has manage to attach Gods to them in an effort to defeat the powerful and of course evil Empress ( and the nobility).

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

The book was a quick read and entertaining. loved the chapters from Sera’s point of view and would have happily read more about her and her poor judgement in men but the POV’s are shared between her and a few other people. The POVs seemed to slow down the pace of the book and the action ( when I really wanted to know what was going to happen next) but then they do highlight he romantic elements of the book.

But while the plot moves quickly with lots of action and magic but the romance, seemed to take precedence to the sisters getting on and kick- starting the revolution. I would have liked to learn more about the society, the magic, the science, and the politics. Hopefully we will find out more about this world in the next book.

While the book is heavy on the romance, there are some darker themes particularly around the Empress’s treatment of her handmaiden, Katya and her subjects

Despite the traditional feel of the story, the characters are diverse including a point of view character with a long term condition that effects her life.

Content warning

Torture, humiliation, parental neglect

Perfect for Fans of

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Jubilee by Stephen K Stanford- blog tour and book review

I’m pleased to be part of the blog tour for Jubilee by Stephen K Stanford- science fiction.

It was meant to be an in and out mission.
Jubilee is a lawless, artificial world existing within its own parallel universe; a seething cesspool of vice ruled by an eccentric AI.
So people say .
Detectives Col and Danee are sent to Jubilee on a hastily organised mission to recover the body of a leading conservative politician (someone it seems, has been a naughty boy). But the corpse has been switched and the imperilled partners are drawn together. They might be falling in love, or they might be saving the galaxy – either way the authorities will not be pleased.

Thank you, Random Book Tours and Flame Tree Press, for my copy of the book.

Review

I’m pleased to be part of the blog tour for this funny science-fiction with a political undertone. Here is my review of Jubilee by Stephen K Stanford.

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

I loved the world-building in this book. The story jumps from one planet to another and each of the planets have their own detailed history, culture, clothes, customs and tech with Jubilee being the most decadent of them all- a Las Vegas in space run by a slightly emotional AI. While Jubilee was fun, my favourite has to be the gender flipped planet, Grendeva where the women have taken over when the men made a complete mess of running the planet.

There are darker political themes that drive the story- the political rhetoric of the M2M and their slow ,insidious take over is the under lying theme and is uncomfortably too familiar. But these are tempered by the book’s humour particularly the predicaments Col gets into and how he gets out of them.

The book is well worth the read for the description of anti-gravity theme park on Jubilee- I really wish I could go to one!

Content warning

References to torture,suicide, child abuse

About The Author

Stephen K. Stanford has been aserial entrepreneur since the age of twenty-one, launching numerous projects in the arts, fashion and music industries. He fell in love with books as achild, devouring his fathers’ vast ‘golden age’ sci-fi collection,and lives in Melbourne with his wife and two highly truculent Siamese cats.

Mr Magenta by Christopher Bowden- Book Review/Blog Tour

I’m pleased to be part of the blog tour for Mr Magenta by Christopher Bowden

Stephen Marling thought he knew his aunt Flora. But when he inherits her house in a quiet south London square a series of discoveries among her papers brings to light another person entirely. Who, for example, is ‘Mr Magenta’ and what part did he play in her life? In the process of uncovering the secrets of one life, Stephen is forced to re-evaluate his own and decide what he really wants. Was he right to turn his back on Nancy Steiner, the young actress he met in New York, when he came home to take up his inheritance? Interweaving past and present, the story takes him from a Brooklyn bookshop to a theatre in Marseille to a cottage on the east coast of England where the truth about Mr Magenta is finally revealed.

Thank you, Random Things Tours and Langton and Wood, for a copy of my book.

Review

I’m pleased to be part of the blog tour for this lovely literary fiction- here is my review of Mr Magenta by Christopher Bowden.

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

Mr Magenta is gentle exploration of grief and regret which is beautifully written. Stephen becomes intrigued with the identity of Mr Magenta and his relationship with his Aunt Flora. But while investigating his identity Christopher  discovers his aunt’s secrets and tragic past.

But this isn’t a mystery with twists and turns but more a journey. Christopher travels take to him to new places and to new friends. He also learns to accept the love story in his own life as he learns as about his aunt’s life.

I finished the book in one sitting, and it was hard to put the book down with each new revelation.

This is one of the few books I have read that left me with a warm and fuzzy glow with a heartwarming ending.

Content warning

References to the death of child.

Christopher Bowden Biography

Christopher Bowden lives in south London. He is the author of six novels, each with a colour theme. The Amber Maze, published in September 2018, is the latest. His previous books have been praised variously by Andrew Marr, Julian Fellowes, Sir Derek Jacobi, and Shena Mackay. Of his third novel, The Red House, Sir Derek said, “Very entertaining, cleverly constructed and expertly paced. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

The Art Of Prophecy (The War Arts Saga #1) by Wesley Chu- Book review

Here is my review of The Art Of Prophecy by Wesley Chu, book one in the fantasy series, The War Arts Saga.

The prophecy is clear: Wen Jian is the Chosen One, born to defeat the immortal Eternal Khan and save the kingdom. The only problem is that the prophecy is wrong.Jian has been raised in splendor, trained by the best warriors, and celebrated before a single battle has been won. After all, he’s the chosen one, selected by prophecy to defeat the immortal god-king and free the kingdom for good. But when the prophecy is proven to be incorrect, Jian still has to find a way to succeed―and maybe even become a hero in his own right.To save the kingdom, an unlikely band of heroes rise: Taishi, an old grandmaster who swore her days of battle were over; Sali, a warrior re-evaluating her allegiances; and Qisami, an assassin with questionable values. Together, the four embark on a journey more wondrous than any prophecy could forsee.

Thank you @Black Crow PR and Daphne Press for my copy of this book

Review

I loved The Art Of Prophecy by Wesley Chu, book 1 of The War Arts Saga, this fantasy has it all- action, magic, amazing world-building, humour, a riveting plot and some of the most compelling characters I have come across.

Read more: The Art Of Prophecy (The War Arts Saga #1) by Wesley Chu- Book review

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

I came across The Art of Prophecy because of my blogging and I’m so glad I did. I loved this book and can’t wait to read the next book.

The Chosen One trope has been done to death but what happens if the Chosen One doesn’t get to fulfil his destiny because someone has beat him to it. The book explores the fallout for the chosen one, and the people who believe as well as a whole range of other themes.

The story is told from the points of view of Jian, the chosen one, Sali, the Viperstrike from the conquered country, Qiasmi, an edgy assassin and my Taishi, a grumpy, fierce older warrior.

The world-building was one of my favourite parts, the author has created an amazing landscape from high mountains with ancient and forgotten temples to floating cities in capsules to an underground town buried deep with trains that fall vertically down to reach them. Each new place was unique and beautifully described. The result of the Khan’s death on his people is tragic and the plight of displaced people struggling to survive is familiar and tragic.

The plot moves quickly but the fight scenes are exceptional, these scenes are vivid with a touch of poetry in their description. Taishi and her fights with pretty much everyone were a highlight. 

Taishi drives much of the humour in the book, an older woman with very little patience and tolerance with most people. There were some moments I did laugh out loud- anyone who has accidentally jumped a queue in England will certainly empathise with Taishi when she is punished for being a queue jumper!

The chemistry between, the dedicated to her principles, Sali and the quirky yet dangerous Qiasmi sizzled and hints at a future relationship- one I would love to read about ( unusual for me as I’m not a huge fan of the romantic stuff).

Content warning.

References to parental grief

Perfect for Fans of

Well-written fantasy in non-European settings, or fantasies with humour

The Sisterhood by Katherine Bradley- Book review and Blog Tour

I’m pleased to be part of the blog tour for The Sisterhood by Katherine Bradley- a dystopian  feminist tale.

In Oceania, whoever you are, Big Brother is always watching you. Trust is a luxury that no one has. Julia is the seemingly perfect example of what women in Oceania should be: dutiful, useful, subservient, meek. But Julia hides a secret. A secret that would lead to her death if discovered. For Julia is part of the underground movement called The Sisterhood, whose main goal is to find members of The Brotherhood, the anti-Party vigilante group, and help them to overthrow Big Brother. Only then can everyone be truly free. When Julia thinks she’s found a potential member of The Brotherhood, it seems like their goal might finally be in their grasp. But as she gets closer to Winston Smith, Julia’s past starts to catch up with her and we soon realise that she has many more secrets than we’d first imagined – and that overthrowing Big Brother might cost her everything – but if you have nothing left to lose then you don’t mind playing the game . . . This is a story about love, about family, about being a woman, a mother, a sister, a friend and ultimately about what you would sacrifice for the greater good.

Thank you, Random Things Tour and Simon and Schuster, for my copy of the book

Review

I’m pleased to be part of the blog tour for this dystopian feminist tale, here is my review of The Sisterhood by Katherine Bradley- a book I couldn’t put down!

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

Read more: The Sisterhood by Katherine Bradley- Book review and Blog Tour

The Sisterhood is set in the world of George Orwell’s 1984- just in case you need a refresher this is a dystopian classic about a man called Winston Smith who eventually succumbs to Big Brother. Julia plays a tiny part in the book.

In The Sisterhood, Julia is the main point of view character, and we see the World of Big Brother through a woman’s eyes. In this world, society is deeply unequal- The world of The Inner Party where people live well with good schools .food, freedom to travel and money, The Outer Party and the Proles- the rest of the population living a dismal existence with constant surveillance, scarcity and poverty. But across all layers of societies, women have restricted opportunities and their very reason for existence is being threatened with the development of artificial childbearing. Julia and her friends are part of The Sisterhood, a group dedicated to finding The Brotherhood until one of their own is betrayed and disappears from their life.

The world-building while based on George Orwell’s dystopian view has been brought up to date with our own advances but still stays true to the overall oppressive feeling of 1984. You can feel Julia’s increasing suffocation of being watched and judged all the time.

Julia herself is a complex yet riveting character, a woman driven by her own bitter past to change the future in any way she can. Even though I knew that this was never going to be achieved by non-violent means, I  still wanted her to succeed. But her life and choices are limited by society and the men in power which isn’t uncommon in some societies today.

Perfect for Fans of

Well written dystopian stories or science fiction with a feminist slant

ABOUT THE AUTHOR  

Katherine Bradley worked for many years managing services for people who are marginalised by society; her work has taken her into prisons, mental health hospitals and alongside the homeless. She currently works in education. She holds a first-class degree in English Literature, in addition to qualifications in creative writing and teaching. As Kate Bradley, she published two suspense thrillers – To Keep You Safe (2020) and What I Did (2021). Her work has been described as ‘addictive, original and brilliantly twisty’ by T. M. Logan and ‘heart-stopping’ by David Nicholls. Katherine lives in a small coastal town just

I

Top Ten Tuesday- Top Ten Enemies to Lovers

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.

Here are my favourite Enemies to Lovers- one of my favourite romance tropes ( when I’m in a mood for romance).

Jude and Cardan ( The Creul Prince Trilogy by Holly Black)

I came to this series late, but this surprisingly edgy romance features a human who falls in love with Fae Prince after being  a tad mean to him!

Hareton and Catherine ( Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte)

This one needs no introduction but the only successful romance between cousins ( best not go there) is the only spark of light in this dark book.

Lymond and Phillipa ( The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett)

The romance between these two builds slowly over several books and is one of my favourites.

Nicholas and Gellis ( House of Niccolo by Dorothy Dunnett)

A complicated romance between two complicated and clever people which takes over several books and made my head spin.

January and Gale ( The Mars House by Natasha Pulley due out in May 2024)

I enjoyed the slow and gentle romance between a person from Mars and a person from Earth.

Nina and Matthias ( The Six of Crows by Leigh Burdago)

These two have been enemies to lovers and back again and then back again.

James and Will ( Dark  Heir/ Dark Rise by C. S Pacat)

C. S Pacat knows how to infuse chemistry between her characters without any sexual contact.

Benedict and Marshall ( These Violent Delights by Chloe Long)

I found the romance between the peripheral characters in this Romeo and Juliet inspired book more fascinating than the one between Roma and Juliette.

Thank you for visiting and please leave a link to your TTT

The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan ( Empire of the Wolf #3)- Book Review.

Here is my review of this page-turning conclusion to Empire of the Wolf trilogy by Richard Swan- The Trials of Empire.

THE TIME OF JUDGEMENT IS AT HAND
The Empire of the Wolf is on its knees, but there’s life in the great beast yet.
To save it, Sir Konrad Vonvalt and Helena must look beyond its borders for allies – to the wolfmen of the southern plains, and the pagan clans in the north. But old grievances run deep, and both factions would benefit from the fall of Sova.
Even these allies might not be enough. Their enemy, the zealot Bartholomew Claver, wields infernal powers bestowed on him by a mysterious demonic patron. If Vonvalt and Helena are to stand against him, they will need friends on both sides of the mortal plane—but such allegiances carry a heavy price.
As the battlelines are drawn in both Sova and the afterlife, the final reckoning draws close. Here, at the beating heart of the Empire, the two-headed wolf will be reborn in a blaze of justice . . . or crushed beneath the shadow of tyranny.

Review ( contains spoilers for first two books)

( Click on title for my review of Book 1  The Justice of Kings and Book 2 Tyranny of Faith)

The conclusion of The Empire of Empire by Richard Swan was just as amazing as I thought it would be. Here is my review of The Trials of Empire.

Read more: The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan ( Empire of the Wolf #3)- Book Review.

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

This is a book cannot be read without having read the first two books- the book jumps in straight after the events of Tyranny of Faith where Helena and Konrad are dealing with Bessinger’s death and Carver’s ongoing success in gaining power in Sova. But Helena has additional concerns is Konrad slowly turning to the dark side and becoming more like Carver in his single-minded obsession in stopping him.

Konrad and his slow but sure erosion of his ideals and honour is strong presence throughout the book and you are never sure whether the anti-hero from the second book will become the villain of the third- and this kept me hooked right till the end.

Helena finally comes of age and becomes her own woman, possibly the only person Konrad cares about. Her own doubt about Konrad becomes stronger but she breaks out his shadow to make her own friends and allies as well as her own path.

The Trials of Empire is chockful of action and has much more magic than the other two. The books also shed more light of the religion and society. The world-building continues to be a delight and I love how in this Empire , men and women are equal.

There are some truly gruesome scenes in this book, that definitely gave me the creeps.

Content Warning

Refences to torture and suicide.

Perfect for fans of

Complex fantasies with great world building.

Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch- Cover reveal

The year is 1599. Fang, a grumpy, heartbroken traveller from the Ming Empire, awakes from death to discover he’s not quite human any more. Nor is he a zombie, vampire, werewolf or any of the other supernatural beings who roam
the segregated cities of Upper London and its dragon-ruled underground counterpart, Deep London.
He stumbles upon Lazare de Quitte-Beuffe, a people-pleasing popinjay of an actor afflicted with the same strange mysterious curse, which means neither of them can die. Thrown together by immortality, the two strangers set out to
reverse the spell, traversing the dangers of Deep London and encountering vampires, ghouls, ogres, poets, púca, magical talking swans and the zombie of Christopher Marlowe, all the while trying to ignore the intense connection
between them.

Preorder here

Published 04 July, 2024 in HB and ebook £14.99 from Farrago

As they are drawn further into the shadowy world of Deep London, they unearth a dangerous plot which they appear to be right in the middle of Needing to reverse the spell and get on with being dead, the worst thing they could do, right now, would be to fall in love…

From Horrible Histories author, Gabby Hutchinson Crouch

Book 1 in the CURSED series

The unputdownable first novel in a new Elizabethan romantasy series for fans of Freya Marske, Genevieve Cogman, Good Omens, and Our Flag Means Death

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gabby Hutchinson Crouch has a background in satire, with credits including Horrible
Histories, BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz, The Now Show, Dead Ringers, Spotlight Tonight with Nish Kumar &
ITV1’s Newzoids, Elephant in the Room (Radio 4), Lucy Porter’s In The Family Way (Radio 4), Thrillcast (2000AD)
& Sue Perkins’ Earpedia (Audible Originals). Born in Pontypool in Wales, and raised in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, she
now lives in Canterbury. You can find her on socials @ScribLit. She is available for all media.