Book Review: Barbaric: The Harvest Blades – Michael Moreci (writer), Robert Wilson IV (Artist), Addison Duke (Colourist) & Jim Campbell (Letterer)

On Jul 3, 2022 By Rowena AndrewsIn Comics & Graphic Novels, Fantasy, ReviewLeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am reviewing Barabaric: The Harvest Blades a new one-shot comic in the Barbaric series by Michael Moreci that is out from Vault Comics on the 13th July. I love the main series and was over the moon to be able to grab an arc of this one.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Like a punch in the privates, BARBARIC is back! Bloodier and more irreverent than ever. In this one-shot, Owen, the barbarian cursed to do good, is forced out of hiding and back to his old B.S.! A whole bunch of violence, ethically approved, of course, by his moral compass, the talking Axe! Find out for yourself why Entertainment Weekly, Thrillist, Screen Rant, and a whole bunch of other people called BARBARIC one of the best comics of 2021.

The first of many one-shots that further explore the world of Barbaric, whose second arc, Axe To Grind, arrives in July!

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Blog Tour (Deep Dive): The World Breaker Requiem (Adjacent Monsters #2) – Luke Tarzian

On Feb 25, 2022Apr 10, 2022 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Self-Published1 Comment

Hello,

Much later than planned thanks to being ill, but I am delighted to be part of the Escapist Book Tour for one of my favourite books – The World Breaker Requiem by Luke Tarzian. This is the second, standalone book in the Adjacent Monsters series, which was my series of the year for 2021. I absolutely adore this book, it has rapidly become of my most reread books and every time I read it, I’m finding new bits to love.

You can check out my original review of this book here and my review of the first book, The World Maker Parable here.

Book Summary:

Prince of Woe…

Avaria Norrith is the adopted heir to the Ariathan throne. But that means little to a man who, for the better part of fifteen years, has sought and failed to earn his mother’s love. Fueled by pride and envy, Avaria seeks the means to prove himself and cast away his mental chains. When he’s tasked with the recreation of The Raven’s Rage he sees his chance, for with the infamous blade he can rewrite history and start anew.

Daughter of the Mountain…

Erath has not felt sunlight for a century. Not since Ariath condemned her people to a life of darkness with their misuse of The Raven’s Rage. But when an old friend comes seeking the remnants of the ancient sword, Erath cannot contain her curiosity and resolves to lend her aid. Is it true—can history be revised? Can her people be reclaimed?

Toll the Hounds…

They are hungry—and they are here.

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Book Review: The Unspoken Name (The Serpent Gates #1) – A. K. Larkwood

On May 10, 2020May 31, 2020 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Traditionally-Published, Wyrd & Wonder1 Comment

Hello!

Today (which was supposed to be yesterday, but the wifi was not playing ball) I am reviewing ‘The Unspoken Name’ by A.K. Larkwood.

Book Summary:

Does she owe her life to those planning her death . . .

Csorwe was raised by a death cult steeped in old magic. And on her fourteenth birthday, she’ll be sacrificed to their god. But as she waits for the end, she’s offered a chance to escape her fate. A sorcerer wants her as his assistant, sword-hand and assassin. As this involves her not dying that day, she accepts.

Csorwe spends years living on a knife-edge, helping her master hunt an artefact which could change many worlds. Then comes the day she’s been dreading. They encounter Csorwe’s old cult – seeking the same magical object – and Csorwe is forced to reckon with her past. She also meets Shuthmili, the war-mage who’ll change her future.

If she’s to survive, Csorwe must evade her enemies, claim the artefact and stop the death cult once and for all. As she plunges from one danger to the next, the hunt is on . . .

The Unspoken Name by A. K. Larkwood is the incredible first book in The Unspoken Name duology.

Continue reading “Book Review: The Unspoken Name (The Serpent Gates #1) – A. K. Larkwood” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): The Awful Truth About the Sushing Prize – Marco Ocram

On Mar 29, 2020Apr 28, 2020 By Rowena AndrewsIn Crime, Humour, Review, Traditionally-PublishedLeave a comment

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Awful Truth About the Sushing Prize’ by Marco Ocram, organised by Damppebbles Blog Tours. I was delighted to participate in this tour, and to read a highly entertaining book outside by usual genres, and I hope that you will check out both the author and the book.

Disclaimer: ‘I was given a copy this book in exchange for an honest review.’

The Awful Truth About The Sushing Prize cover

Book Summary

Should I tell him about Sushing or play dumb?

Sticking in my comfort zone, I played dumb.

Writer Marco Ocram has a secret superpower—whatever he writes actually happens, there and then. Hoping to win the million-dollar Sushing Prize, he uses his powers to write a true-crime thriller, quickly discovering a freakish murder. But Marco has a major problem—he’s a total idiot who can’t see beyond his next sentence. Losing control of his plot and his characters, and breaking all the rules of fiction, Marco writes himself into every kind of trouble, until only the world’s most incredible ending can save his bacon.

Fast, funny, and utterly different, welcome to the weird world of The Awful Truth.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): The Awful Truth About the Sushing Prize – Marco Ocram” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): A Noble’s Path – I.L.Cruz

On Mar 10, 2020Apr 28, 2020 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review5 Comments

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘A Noble’s Path’ by I.L.Cruz, organised by Rachel Poli (@RPoli3). I was delighted to participate in this tour, especially after thoroughly enjoying ‘A Smuggler’s Path’ (Mini review Here), and I hope that you will check out both the author and the book.

Noble by birth. Smuggler by trade. Mage by destiny.

Cover

Disclaimer: ‘I was given a copy this book in exchange for an honest review.’

Book Summary

Divided loyalties test Inez Garza.

The infamous incident at the Academy of Natural Studies has forced her to work for the King’s Men while continuing to serve the hidden market.

Supporting Birthright furthers the cause of Magical Return, but the cost may be the fall of the royal house and losing Zavier forever.

And the strongest pull of all is her growing and erratic magic, which demands everything and offers only destruction in return.

Inez must decide where her loyalties lie—saving Canto or saving herself.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): A Noble’s Path – I.L.Cruz” →

Book Review: Devil’s Ballast – Meg Caddy

On Mar 3, 2020Apr 28, 2020 By Rowena AndrewsIn Historical, Review, YALeave a comment

Hello!

I found ‘Devil’s Ballast’ while browsing through netgalley, and the cover and summary immediately caught my attention, and I haven’t been able to put it down so here I am to share my love for this story.

Disclaimer e-copy received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Devils Ballast

Book Summary

Anne Bonny was eighteen when she ran away from her violent husband, James, into the arms of pirate captain Calico Jack Rackham. Now she’s ensconced aboard Jack’s ship Ranger, passing as a cabin boy and playing her ruthless part in a crew that is raining down mayhem and murder on the ships of the Caribbean. But James Bonny is willing to pay to get his ‘property’ back. And pirate-hunter Captain Barnet is happy to take his money. The Ranger’s a fast ship: Anne might just be able to outrun Barnet. But can she outrun the consequences of her relationship with Calico Jack?

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Book Review: The Hollow Gods -A.J.Vrana

On Mar 2, 2020Apr 28, 2020 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Horror, Review4 Comments

Hello!

I have been a little distracted the last week or so and bouncing between books. I have started ‘Beyond Redemption’ by Michael R. Fletcher, and I have been listening to the audiobook (a new format for me) of ‘Celtic Empire’ by Clive Cussler, who I was very sad to learn had passed away. He is my favourite non-fantasy author after I picked up a copy of ‘Trojan Odyssey’ while on holiday nearly fifteen years ago, and since then I have read all but a few of his books.

Disclaimer e-copy received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Hollow Gods

Book Summary

Black Hollow is a town with a dark secret.

For centuries, residents have foretold the return of the Dreamwalker—an ominous figure from local folklore said to lure young women into the woods and possess them. Yet the boundary between fact and fable is blurred by a troubling statistic: occasionally, women do go missing. And after they return, they almost always end up dead.

When Kai wakes up next to the lifeless body of a recently missing girl, his memory blank, he struggles to clear his already threadbare conscience.

Miya, a floundering university student, experiences signs that she may be the Dreamwalker’s next victim. Can she trust Kai as their paths collide, or does he herald her demise?

And after losing a young patient, crestfallen oncologist, Mason, embarks on a quest to debunk the town’s superstitions, only to find his sanity tested.

A maelstrom of ancient grudges, forgotten traumas, and deadly secrets loom in the foggy forests of Black Hollow. Can three unlikely heroes put aside their fears and unite to confront a centuries-old evil? Will they uncover the truth behind the fable, or will the cycle repeat?

Continue reading “Book Review: The Hollow Gods -A.J.Vrana” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Nobody’s Heroes – Steven Jacob

On Feb 25, 2020Apr 28, 2020 By Rowena AndrewsIn Historical, Review, Traditionally-Published1 Comment

Blog Tour

Nobody’s Heroes – Steven Jacob

@damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘Nobody’s Heroes’ by Steven Jacob, organised by Damppebbles Blog Tours. I was delighted to participate in this tour, and to read a fascinating book outside my usual genres, and I hope that you will check out both the author and the book.

*Disclaimer: ‘I was given a copy this book in exchange for an honest review.’*

Nobody's Heroes cover

Book Summary:

Reuben Ayers in on the come-up. He makes a deal with Tammany Hall to spy on the African American regiment out of Harlem during World War I. As he works his way into the regiment, befriending Jim Europe, bandleader; and his friend Noble Sissle, he begins to understand the power of altruism. Though too late he realizes that he has sacrificed too much for the wrong thing.

In an effort to repent his betrayal of his people, he sets out on a quest to save the child he did not know he had and to repair the relationships that he sundered during his climb to the political heights. Only through his friendships forged on the battlefield is he able to come to the conclusion that his fight must change if he is to save his soul.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Nobody’s Heroes – Steven Jacob” →

Review: To Kill a Kingdom – Alexandra Christo

On Feb 19, 2020Apr 28, 2020 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Traditionally-Published, Writing Updates, YA2 Comments

Hello!

Illness lay me low last week, so I am still reading ‘Into the Crooked Place’ by Alexandra Christo, and I’ve decided to split my reviews for that and ‘To Kill a Kingdom’ which I finished over the weekend. In addition, I also read ‘Where I Left My Soul’ by Jérôme Ferrari (4*), which was ‘beautifully written, and incredibly powerful. The entire book was incredibly thought-provoking, and some parts will stay with me for a long time. This was a book I’d picked up on a whim, and I am delighted that I did. I’ve also just purchased ‘The Eye of the World’ by Robert Jordan, so I will be giving the Wheel of Time a try for the first time after having it recommended to me several times.

In other book news, there are two announcements that I was excited about over the past week. First was the cover revealand opening of pre-orders for Sarah’s Chorn’s second novel ‘Of Honey and Wildfires’ – it looks beautiful, and I am love with her writing so I pre-ordered immediately and I am now counting the days until it is released. ‘Seraphina’s Lament’, her first novel, remains firmly at the top of my favourites list, and I can’t recommend it highly enough, and while this new book is in a different world, I am just as excited for it. This week also saw the announcement of a new trilogy from Anna Stephens, who is the author of the Godblind Trilogy, which is wonderfully dark and one of my favourite series of all time. Again, this is a new world, and I am excited to see what it will bring.

As a ‘valentine’s’ gift to myself, I have been to the bookshop to pre-order a bunch of books this week, all some of my most anticipated reads for this year: ‘The Empire of Gold’ by S.A. Chakraborty, ‘The Black Song’ by Anthony Ryan, ‘The Burning God’ by R.F.Kuang, ‘The Stone Knife’ by Anna Stephens, ‘The Court of Miracles’ by Kester Grant.

In other more personal news, I am aiming for releasing my first novella at the end of May – so there will be some more news and sneak peeks about that over the next few months, so stay tuned (I am both excited and terrified, and it is the most wonderful, nauseating feeling… and I still hate editing).

So, on to the review:

Continue reading “Review: To Kill a Kingdom – Alexandra Christo” →

Review: The Sword of Kaigen – M.L.Wang

On Dec 27, 2019Apr 28, 2020 By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Review, Self-Published5 Comments

So, my original plan was to kick things off properly on the blog in the New Year (2020 here I come), with a top-five summary of the books I have read this year on Hogmanay. I will still be posting that because I want to share some of the books that have stuck with me this year – influencing both my reading and my writing.

However, I wanted to talk about a book that I finished on Monday and has pretty much consumed my thoughts since then and has firmly claimed a spot on that top 5 list, and that is the ‘Sword of Kaigen’ by M.L. Wang [Available here]. I had seen a lot of people talking about this book on twitter and through the SPFBO#5, and everything I read suggested that this book would be right up my alley, and I wasn’t wrong.