Eustace man, that kid needed an eighties-style playground schooling… good children’s entertainment with a few moral lessons throughout. Somehow, and I wonder if I’m the only one who feels it, the extra stories surrounding The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe have lost their lustre, not quite reaching the same magic nor deserving the same accolades as their predecessor. 

The adventure is sure good fun, though.

Why the snake, Cleopatra? This can’t possibly have been the best recommendation by your physician—oh but wait, as it’s probable innit, that such a man would base his knowledge of his profession eighty-nine percent on arrogance, ten percent on speculation and guesswork, and one percent on possible fact. Possibly. The snake still baffles me. This was definitely the bizarre plan of a mind-sick woman…ah, such is the desperation of a woman who has swallowed the bitter drink of unrequited, abolished love.

I’m of the opinion that the snake had more spine than yer man, Antony.

Shakespeare sure draws out the emotion of the thing, doesn’t he just.

Reads like psychotic aimless babble, but drives home a heavy philosophical message amid the beautifully constructed prose. My guess is you have to walk backwards through life to truly see the point—get back to the basics, investigate your origins, get in touch with your most animal self… 

My favourite bit is in the middle when the pathologist has a ‘visit’ from his wife; her whole discourse is thoroughly the best section of the whole disjointed story. Well, there are loose connections that make some vague sense in the end.

It was entertaining and thought-provoking, but I can’t decide if I truly liked it or not. It didn’t ask me to, really.

And there you have it. 

Adventure lurks in the seas between the vulnerable islands of a fantasy Asian archipelago where an ageing Empire stands on the brink of certain failure. An overlooked daughter has plans to save things, a governor’s daughter fights her conscience and her love in the face of law and tradition, and a reformed smuggler finds his lost heart on his search for his lost love…

The writing is good. Takes a bit to get into but then it’s like sand in your hair … is that a good thing? Maybe not, but you still won’t get it out so easily… is this another flippin’ trilogy? How do I get myself into these things…

Maybe it’s because I’m damaged and broken and I know what this is like, but Hava’s voice resonated. She is unique and vulnerable, and remains full of love and hope despite the darkness at her core. Speaking defensively from deep trauma, her ugly anger explodes and her need for retaliation often gets in the way—but she is still an achingly loveable character. Bursting awkward honesty and fighting her own terrors, Hava grows to maturity and gains inner peace as she makes steps towards forgiveness.

It took me by surprise how much I sunk (no pun intended) right into this story and loved it through and through—I couldn’t put it down. The three parts of the story are all so different, yet Hava’s internal conflict, healing, and hope draw the three very unique settings together as one story. A proper adventure from start to finish.

I loved Fire and Bitterblue (who is also in this story, and as lovely as ever; Katsa and Po make an appearance also, as does Briggan), but this novel is easily my favourite of the series. It ties the other four novels together with references and storylines to each, and unlike in the case of Fire, which could be read as a stand-alone, this one is better read after at least reading Bitterblue and Winterkeep.

I’m wondering if we might get Keira’s story next…? Would love to hear that one…

YA… a romance triangle, non-stop adventure, intrigue, secrets, death threats—a little James Bond-y—hidden passages, kidnapping and misguiding leads… not a bad sequel to the first novel. When the finale arrives, I’ll read it. 

Neil Gaiman meets Stephen King with a strong, twisted, emotionally detached female lead. I was sceptical about the comparison to King and Gaiman, but it’s apt. The main character is completely unstable, not an ounce likeable, and garners no sympathy, but she is so creepily interesting you want to see what will happen to her, to see what she’ll do next. When you hear of her childhood, it’s an insight that brings understanding—just enough to make you almost like her. Almost. Well, maybe not like her, not to have as a friend, but possibly to forgive many of her glaring shortcomings. Maybe…

Story drives this novel, the characters are real—as in the kind of real people you couldn’t make up, but not likely anyone you’d want to hang out with. And you can’t put this down until you get to the bottom of the twisted mystery, unravel the broken relationships, and discover all the secrets—and the shadows will come back to haunt you at night…

What a twisty, futuristic yet historical, intricate yet sweeping, both character and plot driven unique tale. Very ‘Emily St. John-ish’ and she weaves in characters we’ve seen in other tales she’s told. This one answers questions you had from parts of the untold stories before, and keeps you wondering about certain mysteries until the very end. And then it wraps up with an ‘aha’ that’s been coming the whole wee novel, whether you were on the moon in the distant future or just stepped off the boat in a new world sometime in the 1800s—yes. That much scope. Doesn’t drag either despite the scope and depth.

Très sombre. Dans les vilaines ruelles d'une ville romancée par le monde, le meurtre d'une jeune fille n'attire que l'attention de notre détective déprimé. Il perd espoir et son propre mariage se dissout, mais s'il peut résoudre cette affaire, cela pourrait le sauver.

Assez d'ambiance pour vous donner la chair de poule et plein de personnages qui rappellent votre Nordic Noir préféré.

Je lirais une suite avec ce détective en son cœur.