Full of secrets and double crossing and romance. I’m not a big romance lover but the relationships all seem toAnother solid instalment in this series!
Full of secrets and double crossing and romance. I’m not a big romance lover but the relationships all seem to work really well in here.
After the end of book 2, Orion has had his memory wiped and he has been taken by his mother for further experiments. Rosalind won’t let her fake husband go though, and will go to great lengths to get him back.
Meanwhile tensions between the communists and nationalists are still rife, with further threats of war from the Japanese. Full of action but also with sparks of humour. Chloe Gong is fast becoming a fave for me.
A fierce and vibrant retelling of Clytemnestra’s life, the trials she endured and ultimately the revenge she takes.
Clytemnestra haFucking fantastic.
A fierce and vibrant retelling of Clytemnestra’s life, the trials she endured and ultimately the revenge she takes.
Clytemnestra has always been one of my favorite characters in Greek mythology. Her and Cassandra. So to have a novel solely about her was just incredible.
I didn’t even realise she had been married before Agamemnon, that was fascinating and added another layer to the hatred I hold for that asshole.
I was gripped throughout, right until the bittersweet end, I will definitely be picking up more by this author. ...more
“But Zhu would be the emperor; not despite who she was, but because of it.”
I got on a lot better with this sequel than I did with book 1. Mai3.5 ⭐️
“But Zhu would be the emperor; not despite who she was, but because of it.”
I got on a lot better with this sequel than I did with book 1. Mainly because I was better prepared for all the politics and battle talk.
There were still a lot of names (often the same character with two names) but ultimately I loved watching Zhu fight for what she truly wants and taking down anyone in her way.
She gives zero fucks and it was so satisfying at times to see the take downs she delivers. The theme of gender is still super strong In here which I find so interesting.
I remained interested throughout and loved the end. I will be looking out for future books by this author. ...more
I probably wasn’t the target audience for this and the comparison to Eleanor Oliphant was a huge stretch.
Veronica McCreedy is in her 80s, when she deI probably wasn’t the target audience for this and the comparison to Eleanor Oliphant was a huge stretch.
Veronica McCreedy is in her 80s, when she decides to look into her relatives. She had a son at a very young age, and she wants to get back in touch.
Meanwhile, we get POVs from Veronica’s estranged grandson. I didn’t really want to either of the characters which was unfortunately. Patrick the grandson really wasn’t my cup of tea at all.
I gradually got used to Veronica, and the story itself was sweet enough. She travels to Antarctica out of the blue, to spend some time with the penguins.
An ok enough book, but I won’t bother with the sequel I don’t think. ...more
“Just pour the sodding wine and hope it chokes them.”
Really enjoyed this second instalment.
We join Briseis again, who is now married to Alcimus and “Just pour the sodding wine and hope it chokes them.”
Really enjoyed this second instalment.
We join Briseis again, who is now married to Alcimus and carrying Achilles’ baby. She is treated different by the other women as she is now a ‘wife’ rather than a slave like the others.
We meet many of the other Trojan women including Hecuba - Priam’s wife, Andromache - Hector’s wife and Cassandra - the daughter of Priam and Hecuba.
We see the stark reality the women faced. Particularly when one of the women reveals she is pregnant from a Trojan man and fears for the babies life particularly if it is a boy as all Trojan males are killed.
Overall an informative and gripping book full of powerful characters and strong women.
“Women are peculiar creatures. We tend not to love those who murder our families.” ...more
Nellie has grown up an outsider, covered in birth marks people often view her with disdain and ridicule. When she is so “All of history is fiction.”
Nellie has grown up an outsider, covered in birth marks people often view her with disdain and ridicule. When she is sold by her own father into Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders, she thinks her life is over. However, she grows to love performing and forming a kinship with the other acts as a family. She even finds love with the lumbering and shy Toby.
But Jasper is greedy and ambitious, and when Nellie becomes more popular than Jasper himself, he gets nasty. Meanwhile we also have flashbacks from Jasper and his brother Toby’s time during the war and a secret they have carried with them.
I loved all the different characters, the flaws, light and dark - this was an immersive novel that kept me gripped. It is a testament to what it means to be human and how we are all more than just the sum of our parts. ...more
I was gripped in the beginning but started losing interest by the end.
There was a lot to love in h “You won’t be the one to make me nothing.”
3.5 ⭐️
I was gripped in the beginning but started losing interest by the end.
There was a lot to love in here. Zhu begins her life in severe poverty, with her father and brother in a world where girls are worth absolutely nothing. When her father and brother die Zhu chooses to take on her brothers identity and in turn his fate, rather than face her own fate of becoming nothing.
I loved Zhu’s determination, her absolute refusal to give up, whatever it takes. She manages to get into a monastery and become a monk. (view spoiler)[ I would have liked to know how she covered up her periods. It talks about how she avoids bathing in front of the others, but I would have liked that aspect too. (hide spoiler)]
I was pretty enthralled, but about half way (ish) when she joins the war and becomes a commander I starting fading out. There is a lot of talk of war strategy, and a lot of names.
I loved the focus on gender, and how Zhu sees herself, it was a really interesting perspective.
I did like it, hence the 3 stars. Just not enough to push it to 4.
““I might not know your name…but I know who you are.”
***************************** I wanted to be petty and not read this book. I was offered an ARC by the publisher and was then promptly ghosted. I wanted to sulk and think “screw you then.”
However: 1. Much as I like to kick off in my head. I’m not really a petty or grudgy person irl. 2. Not the authors fault their publishers are out of order. 3. This book does sound flipping great. 4. My library has a copy available so why the heck not?!...more
“She isn’t a footnote, she’s a person. And she - all the Trojan women - should be memorialised as much as any other person.”
I enjoy anything relati “She isn’t a footnote, she’s a person. And she - all the Trojan women - should be memorialised as much as any other person.”
I enjoy anything relating to Greek mythology, it’s my jam. This book in particular grabbed my interest because it gives voice to the women during the Trojan War rather than the usual characters (Achilles, Odysseus, Agamemnon etc.) and granted, these men are obviously included. They cannot be ignored when recounting the Trojan War, but so too should the women be included. The wives, the kidnapped, the enslaved.
As well as those we have stories of the goddesses, ones who were involved in the beginning of the war due to their own petty grievances.
I loved all the different character perspectives and even learned a few things which I didn’t expect ...more
Eelyn is a warrior. Her clan, the Aska have an ongoing feud with the Riki clan and every couple3.5 ⭐️
Vikings! A fast paced read, filled with action.
Eelyn is a warrior. Her clan, the Aska have an ongoing feud with the Riki clan and every couple of years they battle one another. Eelyn has every reason to hate the Riki. Since the death of her brother when she was younger.
When in the throes of battle Eelyn sees her brother, she follows him, and discovers he has been living with the enemy all along.
Can she get past the betrayal? And when a greater enemy threatens both clans, can they find a way to work together?
Easy enough YA, will pick up the sequel too....more
I’m sad, I thought I’d love this but there doesn’t seem to be anything different in here than is in The Aeneid. It’s just from Lavinia’DNF at page 180
I’m sad, I thought I’d love this but there doesn’t seem to be anything different in here than is in The Aeneid. It’s just from Lavinia’s perspective but all the events are the same, and I’m bored ...more
"It must have been my mother who planted my seed in me. She was made of ice. And I was made of her. If she was the snow queen, then I was her boy mad "It must have been my mother who planted my seed in me. She was made of ice. And I was made of her. If she was the snow queen, then I was her boy made of snow."
Hm, this was certainly not what I was expecting when I went into this book. From the cover and the title, I was expecting a cute story, granted it is set during WW2 but they are in a small village, and I was imagining a story not unlike The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips. Boy how wrong I was!
2 POV's - Daniel; a 9 year old boy whose father is fighting in the war, living with his mother, who has severe depression. The second POV is his mother's; Anabel. I didn't like the portrayal of Anabel's depression - I thought in the beginning it was done well, but when she meets Hans - the main catalyst in this story her depression seems to just disappear which is just not right at all.
My main issue with this book is just how sad it was. Now, I'm not one who minds a bit of sadness in my books, better than sunshine and roses all the time but this book was just one bad thing after another. And some of the scenes could rival Game of Thrones for violence (again not something I mind when I am expecting it - but I wasn't expecting this at all)
So Hans is a PoW, who is working on one of the nearby farms in the village where Anabel and Daniel live. Anabel shortly begins an elicit love affair with Hans, unaware that her son Daniel has seen them together and knows. A separate story line involves a homeless man - whom Daniel refers to as a troll (where his mind often confuses his fairy tale stories with reality). (view spoiler)[ Daniel decides to help Hans escape, but as they are fleeing, Hans falls into an empty mine shaft, breaking both his legs and his back. Daniel, being the scared young boy he is - leaves him there & he dies. Then when he exits the forest he is spotted by the home guard & makes up that the 'Troll' wanted to harm him, whereby the home guard beat the man's head in until he dies. (hide spoiler)]
There are 2 really ugly and awful deaths in such quick succession it actually made me feel a bit unwell, and certainly left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I couldn't warrant giving any more than 3 stars. And that's not even including the third death at the end! Just too much in such a short book.
"The real world had smashed up against the magic in my forest...and the magic had lost the battle. If it had ever been there before." ...more
“I think it’s very easy to find yourself living a life full of regret…and that you should always make the courBeautiful and sad all at the same time.
“I think it’s very easy to find yourself living a life full of regret…and that you should always make the courageous decision, even when doing so seems hard.”
I picked this one up mainly because of the Narnia-like vibes it gives off. Another reviewer said that it reads like Narnia fan-fiction, which I would say I agree with, and that definitely isn’t a bad thing!
The chapters alternate between the past – where siblings Jamie, Philippa and Evelyn have been transported to a magical world known as ‘The Woodlands’ where animals speak, trees are alive and the entire realm is ruled over by Cervus, a powerful and peaceful stag. This is a world on the brink of war, and the children become swept up, and stay there for 4 years.
The other chapters are the present. When the 3 children have returned from The Woodlands and are adjusting to their old life, set during WW2.
Adapting is a lot harder for Evelyn than her siblings. She doesn’t fit in our world, she feels lost and isolated – dragged away from the one place she felt home, like herself. Don’t be fooled by the pretty cover – this book involves levels of depression, and coping (or lack of). Please bear this in mind before picking it up, there are some pretty dark chapters.
This was a different approach to the ‘other worlds’ trope. We get to see what happens once the adventure is over, and how some will struggle a lot more leaving it behind.
********************
Some serious Narnia vibes going on.... lets see how this one is...more
I didn’t like this one much at all. In book4 we go back a generation to focus on the children’s uncle BuNot my favourite book in the Tillerman Cycle.
I didn’t like this one much at all. In book4 we go back a generation to focus on the children’s uncle Bullet. Bullet loves to run, and that’s pretty much it. He doesn’t care about anyone or anything else bar his mother. And he is racist. It’s hard reading books set during times like this when racism was the norm because it’s just so bloody hard to read about. Bullet was pissing me off with his ignorance and unwillingness to learn or change.
His mother was also irritating because she stayed with someone who was an asshole. She stayed because she was stubborn, not because of fear - which I’d have understood. Because she won’t let him win or some such bullshit that I can’t fathom.
Overall this was a real disappointment. I didn’t like Bullet’s character at all, and it pales in comparison to the previous 3 books. ...more
Briseis is a noble woman who becomes a slave when her city is attacked by the Greeks on their way to Troy. She is taken by “Silence becomes a woman.”
Briseis is a noble woman who becomes a slave when her city is attacked by the Greeks on their way to Troy. She is taken by Achilles as his ‘prize of honour’ as are hundreds of other women.
Those not as ‘lucky’ are passed around between men, forced to sleep on the ground and beg for scraps of food.
This is the Trojan war from behind the scenes. Not the glorious battle and noble deaths, but those who didn’t choose this. Those taken from everything they’ve known, forced to watch their relatives raped and/or killed.
I know the Trojan War very well, so none of it was particularly new to me. But it is important to reread well known stories from a different perspective, to be reminded it isn’t all glory and power. It is rats, plague, gangrene and rape.
The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because it is supposed to be the women’s stories, their point of view. But there were quite a few chapters focused on Achilles and Patroclus - I don’t have a problem with that. It’s just if a book is advertised as from the women, I’d expect this to be the case consistently throughout.
“We’re going to survive - our songs, our stories. They’ll never be able to forget us. Decades after the last man who fought at Troy is dead, their sons will remember the songs their Trojan mothers sang to them. We’ll be in their dreams - and in their worst nightmares too.” ...more
A decent end to the trilogy. I’ve found these books very easy to read and gripping. They’ve not changed my life or anything, and I don’t think they’reA decent end to the trilogy. I’ve found these books very easy to read and gripping. They’ve not changed my life or anything, and I don’t think they’re a patch on the hunger games - but that might just be my nostalgia taking.
So the republic is under attack from the colonies. There is another virus in the colonies and they believe the republic caused it. They are demanding a cure or they will invade.
June is working closely with Anden, the new elector. Meanwhile Day has been reunited with his brother Eden and dealing with his recent diagnosis.
Not much to add, I liked the shock at the end (view spoiler)[ after operating on Day’s brain he has no memory of June. (hide spoiler)] If you like dystopias with a fast pace then give these a go.
Also seems odd that there is a fourth book, but I reckon I’ll give it a go. ...more
“If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day.”
This was a really tough novel to read - I mean obviously, it is set in Auschwtiz - it was hardly “If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day.”
This was a really tough novel to read - I mean obviously, it is set in Auschwtiz - it was hardly going to be a walk in the park! I don't think I quite prepared myself, or wasn't able to entirely remove myself from the novel, so became completely invested and because of this, it absolutely tore me apart.
Based on a true story - Lale uses his education and knowledge of languages to get himself a job as the Tatowierer after each Jewish family must volunteer one young male for 'work'. This 'work' turns out to be the concentration camps on Auschwitz and Birkenau.
We witness first hand the atrocities Lale sees happen, and also the cruelty and torture he endures at the hands of the Nazi's. Despite knowing this was a 'memoir' of sorts, and that Lale would eventually escape, I was still terrified when reading this. Books like this need to be published and read, as I think that despite everyone knowing what the Holocaust was, I think people might be in danger of forgetting just how truly horrifying it was, and the lowest depths of humanity.
Though not always 100% gripping, I feel that it added to storytelling. Not everyday was filled with violence, some days nothing happened at all - and the prisoners whiled away the days, too starved or beaten to really do anything. Non-fiction books aren't always designed to be enthralling, and for me this story's purpose was more for education and the sharing of someone's past, rather than to simply entertain the reader.
I've seen a few reviews commenting on the writing style, how it is written quite factually rather than emotionally, and to be honest I do agree. It is written more as a timeline, than a novel. There is a lot of focus on the romance, where I would have rather had more info on the other prisoners/conditions etc. But I understand it was done this way because it is the couple's story to tell; I just would have preferred more detail in other places. (view spoiler)[ For example, how he was able to find Gita so quickly at the end. He just turned up at the train station and she just got off?! Is that actually how easily it happened? I would have liked to have seen a bit more of his research into how he knew she would be there? Or was it literally just fate? (hide spoiler)]
3.5 stars
"Politics will help you understand the world until you don't understand it anymore, and then it will get you thrown into a prison camp. Politics and religion both." ...more
I loved the Ben Kane books when I was younger, but I found this one left a bad taste in my mouth.
I KNOW that the Roman centurions would have been assI loved the Ben Kane books when I was younger, but I found this one left a bad taste in my mouth.
I KNOW that the Roman centurions would have been ass holes. I know that. But I just don’t like hearing it - women and men working topless in the fields due to the heat, and the women are clearly asking for it?! Just didn’t need it. Didn’t add to the story.
The actual plot was really interesting and gripping. A Germanic leader in the Roman army is finally ready to take revenge on the romans for everything they did to his family.
I just started getting tired by the end. Ah well. ...more
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