wordsofclover's Reviews (2.16k)

 When Maerad, a young slave, meets a man looking for shelter, she is thrust into the world of Bards, magic and darkness against light. Maerad, who has no memory of her childhood, finds out she is from a special magic school called Pellinor, and she herself also contains the ability to do magic and a powerful at that. Now she travels with Cadvan, her friend, saviour and teacher, as they try to warn others about the powerful rising of darkness before it's too late.

This is a really nice high fantasy story with all the classic tropes you expect to see in the genre, with some nice elements thrown in that give the story charm and intrigue. I really enjoy Maerad's perspective from her fears and doubts to the times she is confident and powerful. There are some moments of coincidence in this book but I like how this was used as 'not so much chance meeting but faith and destiny intertwined'. I also like the dynamic of Maerad and Cadvan as student/mentor and I wonder if there is potential for that to become something more in future books.

Kudos to this book too for not forgetting that women in fantasy books also menstruate (and a wonderful scene when Cadvan thought he was going to have to explain how to handle your period to Maerad).

One thing I also appreciated in this book was the important of nature and animals. Bards in this book speak a special language and through this they can communicate with animals in a really lovely way from letting dogs know they mean no harm, sending messages via birds and forging an even deeper connection with horses. The nature in the book such as the woodland also plays an important part in the feelings it gives out and the characters know through the air and their own instincts when to feel on edge and wary of danger.

A strong first book in a series, and I'm looking forward to reading more! 

Narration 5/5 stars
Book 3/5 stars

I received an audiobook version of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A story within a story within a story. The story of the Brookhants School for Girls and the horrific death of students and lovers Clara and Flo due to a swarm of yellow jackets. Shortly after their death, another student is found dead through accidental poisoning, and it's not long before another body follows. Over 100 years later, actresses Harper and Audrey are playing Clara and Flo in a movie about Brookhants and team up with Merritt, the author of a book about the school. But strange things are happening, and it's hard to know if the school and the story is really cursed or if it's all just a strange coincidence.

This is a slow burn story that flips back and forth between 1902 and the story of Clara and Flo, but also the story of Libby and Alex - teachers in the school, as well as chapters from Audrey and Merritt as filming of the movie gets underway and they are both charmed by the enigmatic starlet Harper Harper. The unravelling of the story and the slow reveals of the death and destruction in 1902, as well as the weird things you aren't sure are really happening in Brookhants in the modern story (is it all in the girls' heads?), were all done really well and I did very much enjoy my audiobook experience of the story.

I have to say the audiobook is absolutely excellent and I 100% recommend it for anyone thinking of picking up via this reading method. The narrator Xe Sands is just brilliant at what she does (I've previously listened to another book she narrated Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk) and her voice is just so suitable to a certain type of narration - one that is educating the reader but is able to hold a lot of mystery and power but also a but of humour and mischief (I know something you don't know).

The story, especially near the end didn't contain a real shocking moment or a 'wow' moment for me which is why it's at a 3 star but it's a strong 3 star for me. I'm not sure as well if dark academia is a genre I really love either.

I loved the relationship between the girls - how it started with Harper and Merritt and then how slowly, Audrey was drawn into the fold and they became this trio against the world. The last chapter served up so many iconic moments I feel I could see on my own Instagram feed as people reported on the premiere, it was done really well. 

 I received this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

On the coast of what used to be Devon sits a small inn called Skyward Inn. It's a place where people come to relax and share stories and it's run by a human woman called Jem, and a not-so-human Isley. Jem and Isley have a close relationship, and Jem feels more comfortable with Isley than her own family - including her son Fosse who lives nearby with his uncle. But as strange things start happening, and strangers appear on the shores, Jem finds herself reaching out to Fosse and connecting with him in a way she never did before.

This book was just...not what I thought it was going to be, to be honest, and maybe because of this I really struggled with it and I don't think I enjoyed it at all. I know this book is being compared a little bit to the Wayfarers Series by Becky Chambers, and while there are some similarities such as the slower pace, the easy exploration of space without guns and bloodshed but I also think it's very different in lots of other ways and may not suit readers who prefer Becky Chamber's storytelling.

I was confused for a good portion of the book trying to figure out what was going on, and I honestly, can't say for certain I 100% knew what had happened by the time I finished it. The story and writing just didn't gel with me at all, and I felt myself very disconnected to the story and part of this may have just been disappointment when I realised early on, the style of writing was not what I expected it to be.

I've read a good bit of science fiction now and sometimes the stories stick with you, and sometimes they don't and this was just the case of a don't. 

 CW: Domestic abuse, murder, abortion, description of fetus killed in womb, abortion described in anti-choice terminology, extreme violence, poisoning.

One of the things I can say about the Grant County series is they are the perfect books to read when you just want to lose yourself for a while in an addictive story! Every book so far for me has been unputdownable (a word?) and Faithless was no different.

The story starts as Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver and his ex-wife/girlfriend Sara Linton discover a box in the ground during a woodland walk - and there's the body of a dead girl inside the box. The murder investigation leads back to a farm which seems like it's run on good faith and Christian charity, but Jeffrey's gut instincts tell him something is up.

I enjoyed this story a lot, and I think it was a good 'filler' in a way to make a path towards the last book in the series. While the investigation was really interesting, there were not as many surprises in this one as I feel there has been in previous books. This one was more of the why than the who. I also think this one did sort stuff out for Jeffrey and Sara as well, which is a long time coming and I did find myself getting as per usual, frustrated at the back and forward nature of their relationship and things from the past constantly cropping up again and Sara once again not seeming to let things go. I like how this book ended for the two of them.

I liked Lena's progression in this one, though honestly, I'm scared for her as well. I won't lie and say she was ever my favourite character but you can tell that she's a character Karin Slaughter loves to write, and is probably one of her favourites of the series. It's so sad really to see someone like Lena who has been beat down so much and come out fighting letting herself be controlled by Ethan and I truly hope this and the last book really gets him good. I also liked Greg and it was lovely seeing a different side of Lena when she was talking to him - a side we never really saw before, and it could be that he's the one she needs. I just fear for him a little bit too now with Ethan. 

 In 1920s India, Michael Flaherty arrives in a new country and has to deal with a different culture, expectations and climate than back home in his native Ireland. However, Michael breaks all the rules when he falls in love with Anglo-Indian Rose, who realistically he would never be able to marry and bring home. When the Kildare Rangers hear about the murder of Irish people by the hands of the Black & Tans in Ireland during the War of Independence, there's a mutiny that spells disaster for Michael and Rose.

I really loved this book and the perfect combination of Irish culture and history, blended so perfectly with Indian. The Kildare Rangers mutiny is something I had never heard about until I found out about this book so it was of great interest and sadness that I read about it in this novel, and learned what happened to the poor soldiers who tried to take a stand for the people back home - realistically, why should they have ever fought in the name of a Crown killing their own people?

Cauvery is such a talented writing in the way she was able to weave this story from the 1920s and the War of Independence right up to the 1980s, and being able to explain all the different type of relationships between Irish people then, especially between Catholics and Protestant. And how Anglo-Irish and Anglo-Indian may have been treated differently in the 20s but over the years, they became to mean the same thing - someone never truly fitting in where they were born or where they were suppose to be.

This story flowed really well, and I felt very connected to all the characters from Michael, to Rose, to Mohan, Richard and May. Every piece of detail and conversation felt very real and you could tell Cauvery truly knows and understands how Irish people think, feel and speak as everything was so spot on.

I think the story did start to meander a little bit near the end, and I felt like there was going to be something more meaningful between May and Richard but that never really came to anything in the end.

I did love the story overall and I will definitely be picking up more books from Cauvery as she can write a good story! 

 I listened to the audio narration of this book and it was excellent.

DI Maeve Kerrigan is on the case of a serial killer dubbed The Burning Man who beats his female victims to death before burning their bodies in public places when she's called out to Rebecca Hayworth's death, believed to be the latest victim. However, as Maeve investigates Rebecca's life, she feels like the killing might be something separate and instead of looking for one killer, she may be looking for two.

I really enjoyed this book, and I think Jane Casey hit the nail on the head when she came up with the character of Maeve who I think is one of my favourite leads I've followed in a crime series. I came into this book at possibly an advantage (or a disadvantage some might think) in that I've read the ninth book in this series, and the latest at the time of writing, so I've already met Maeve at a later point in her life and career. I do think this is a series you could popin and out of and you need to read them in order (as I read The Cutting Place with no confusion or issue) but I liked the writing and characters enough that I wanted to start with Maeve at the beginning.

I really like how Jane Casey introduces Maeve as a character as well as the group of (mostly) men she works with and how we come to know little by little the personalities and the relationships she has with all of the team. I actually confused Rob with someone completely different in the later book (Josh) and now I can't wait to see what happens with him as I really love the delicious dynamic going on between them, and I actually can't remember if it was ever discussed in The Cutting Place. It does seem though that Maeve may be the type of person that always has some kind of chemistry with a male colleague.

I did find the case in this book really interesting, and I was gripped to find out what happens. I definitely think the story of the Burning Man loses itself as it became second fiddle to what happened to Rebecca which feels slightly misleading as the blurb makes you think the book is purely about catching a serial killer (and it is, kind of). I wasn't totally enamoured with the ending, and I found the middle of the book probably the strongest part.

This book confirmed for me that this is a crime series I will really enjoy (having loved the first and last) and I can't wait to continue with all the books in the middle now.