4.5/5

Audiobook narrated by Ian McKellen.

A solid new Chronicles of Ancient Darkness story and a much darker one. A great disaster occurs and we see our main characters as well as all the clans struggle with the huge changes that occur.

The Good:
- A new and interesting direction for the series executed well 
- The elements of magecraft included were interesting and imaginative.
- Due to the events of the past year, it was easy to see and understand how different characters reacted to the catastrophic opening events.
- The villain had developed and it will be intruiging how the overarching plot will develop.

What Could Have Been Better?:
- As with Viper's Daughter, very slight pacing issues.

I'm excited for the next installment which should be out Spring 2022.

Murderbot is comfort food in book form. This humourous, bizarre sci-fi series is a wonderful relief from everyday life and is fast becoming one of my favourite series.

The Good:
- More of the Murderbot we know and love: they are sarcastic, relatable and an all round brilliant protagonist.
- The cast of characters remains diverse and versatile.
- Some good plot twists, some I saw coming and others kicked my legs out from under me.

What could have been better?:
- The bot characters in this installment weren't quite as enjoyable as in Artificial Condition. Maybe we were spoiled with ART

Overall a great third entry and now looking forward to the fourth.

Audiobook narrated by Ian McKellen.

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness were some of my favourite books when I was younger and hold a nostalgic place in my heart. I found out recently there is a new trilogy in the series being released and felt a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Luckily, Viper's Daughter fits well within the series despite a few nitpicks.

The Good:
- The characters and setting we all know and love are there and have grown and changed in the couple of years since the events of Ghost Hunter.
- Both old and new settings are visited making it feel like a homecoming with the excitement of a new adventure.
- Mammoths! 
- Although slight, I loved the eco elements where the main characters ensure the well-being of creatures my making sure humans cannot find them again.
- The villain is great and I loved the caveat in their creation.

What Could Have Been Better?:
- Several times the solutions to problems felt very convenient and not necessarily due to the skill or work of the characters.
- Occasionally pacing issues and certain events seemed to happen too quickly.

Overall an exciting new addition to the series and has me hyped for the rest of the new books.

Audiobook narrated by Ian McKellen.

The end of the original Chronicles of Ancient Darkness and it was good of a little underwhelming. 

The Good:
- A satisfying resolution to the overarching storyline.
- The ambience is done really well and the book has a lots of suspense and tension.
- There were some twists that I really hadn't expected (or remembered) and thoroughly enjoyed.

What could have been better?
- The ending was nice, in that everything worked out in a reasonably predictable way. Possibly the new books address this but the ending felt super neat with all the ends tied up in a bow.

I've really enjoyed revisiting this series and am going to try out the new books very soon.

I've been eagerly awaiting this book as I've had it on hold from my library since December when I finished All Systems Red and it did not disappoint. I loved Murderbot's journey forward from the events in the first book and how it adapts to new challenges. 

The Good:
- The empathy I felt for Murderbot was intense. As anyone with anxiety can appreciate, sometimes you get though the day with dry, sarcastic humour, wishing you could hide and looking forward to when you can dive into your favourite book/show/media undisturbed. 
- ART was awesome and I hope to see more of them in the series. 
- As someone who sometimes uses non-binary pronouns, I was really intruiged and excited by the te/ter pronouns used by one  of the side characters. I also love how this setting normalises non-monogamous committed relationships.
- The plot was great and has really.buolt up my curiousity about what happened to our anxious SecUnit.

What could have been better?:
- The pacing occasionally felt off with some sections feeling rushed and others dragging. Not a major issue but was sometimes grating.

I have Rogue Protocol on hold now and am really looking forward to it. Hopefully it won't be four months this time because I'm not sure I can hold out that long!

Audiobook narrated by Ian McKellen.

My favourite book of Chronicles of Ancient Darkness so far, bar perhaps the first one. Torak is clearly growing up in this one and learning to cope with grief and vengeance whilst Renn is growing into herself and her own strength. Wolf too goes through changes in this book that I really enjoyed.

The Good:
- The descriptions of the environment around the main characters were beautiful but always relevant. 
- All the characters showed in their behaviours and thoughts how they had grown since the beginning of this series and how they are nearing adulthood.
- The politics of the book were very good for a middle grade book.
- Certain passages where Torak spirit walked and the effects of that were brilliant and the developments in his character that followed definitely felt right.

What could have been improved?:
Nothing that I can think of!

I really enjoyed this and have moved straight on to the sixth book: Ghost Hunter.

4.5/5

A wholesome and informative book. This middle grade book would be a great resource for learning about many things in an organic and interesting way.

The Good:
- A very diverse cast of characters: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, disability, religious views. The author did a great job of making the character so varied yet not in a forced way.
- The discussions about miscarriage and pregnancy issues were brilliant. I am a midwife and anything that breaks down taboos about this subject is brilliant. Children should be exposed to the concepts and this book does this well.
- The trials of friendship as a kid/early teen really rang home. 
- Grief is a central theme of this story and different characters process it differently.
- There are some parts of this book where adults impart wisdom to Hazel and honestly, I wish an adult in my life had said those things to me as a kid. 

What could have been better?:
- Occasionally Hazel's attitude to life was really grating and brought me out of the story.

A brilliant book that would make an excellent addition to an older child's bookshelf.

4.5/5

Audiobook narrated by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer.

As a first dip into Greene's created world, Breach of Peace is an intruiging and atmospheric read. 

The Good:
-  Good characterisation despite the short length of the novella. I genuinely cares about our main characters and what happens to them.
- The scene and world was set well. Not an all encompassing view but a little toe dip into this new world.
- The descriptions were horrifyingly brilliant.

What could have been better?:
- Occasional pacing issues.
- The epilogue felt disjointed from the rest of the novel.

CW: graphic murder scenes including child murder, gore,  violence.

An informative and interesting book about the delight that is the cloud world. An easy to approach description of cloud types, how they form and some history or anecdotes about then.

The good:
- Excellent information and facts about clouds. The fact file at the beginning of each cloud type's chapter was an excellent touch.
- Stories about the history of meteorology and cloud study was great and extras bits about scientific research and real life experiences added to the book well.
- The little images and diagrams added to and aided explanations well.

What could have been better:
- This book is slow and relaxed. Unfortunately it was occasionally so slow and relaxed that I became bored and put the book down for weeks at a time.
- It would have been nice to have colour images beyond the small glossy section in the middle of the book.

Audiobook narrated by Kerry Better.

A fun and thoughtful book. Though clearly a children's book, at no point did I feel it was patronising or childish. The narrator did an amazing job and added to the experience. 

The good:
- An interesting and enjoyable story that was encapsulated well.
- There was good character development and growth.
- The switches back to the past were well done and I enjoyed learning the tidbits that then later tied into the story.
- The narrative did an amazing job. I especially enjoyed the way they gave each character their own tone of voice so you knew who was speaking even without being told.

What could have been better:
- Some of the characters lacked depth beyond their immediate purpose to the story. The antagonists were only really that, not people with thought and backgrounds of their own.

Overall I had a really fun time listening to Holes and it was a nice palate cleanser after some heavier books.