Fiction
The Slob Review. Content Warning.
The Slob Review Wow, Aron Beauregard, Once again wrote another splatterpunk horror I do enjoy. This one in particular I had to pause for a moment after one specific chapter but, after picking it back up it leaves room for a Slob two and allows for us to root for the main character.
By Anjolene Bozeman 2 years ago in BookClub
A new beginning
In the heart of a bustling city, where the sounds of traffic and the bustle of life echoed through the streets, there stood a small bookstore nestled between towering skyscrapers. Its windows were adorned with colorful displays of books, and a faded sign above the door proclaimed it as "Haven Books."
By Deborah Albert2 years ago in BookClub
Book Review: The Heart of Winter by Shona Kinsella
Brigit is a young woman living in a Scotland still ruled by tribes and largely Pagan. As Christianity is beginning to find a foothold, Brigit pays lip service to the church, but truly venerates the old gods. She does not support the changing position of women through the teachings of the church. A cool, damp summer and an early winter threaten the harvest. A harsh winter means starvation, so the elders of Brigit’s village panic. They petition Aengus, the god of summer, to protect them. He agrees on the condition that they provide him with a bride. He chooses Brigit and the deal is made without her knowledge or consent. When Brigit learns of this arrangement, she flees into the Highlands to seek out the Cailleach, the goddess of winter. The Cailleach is uninterested in Brigit’s plight; humans have hated and feared her for generations, and she is tired of their complaining. Brigit is not discouraged. She sets up camp outside the Cailleach’s cave and makes offerings to the Winter Queen every day. Aengus comes looking for his bride but cannot approach the cave because he and the Cailleach are opposites. Caught between two gods and finding an unlikely ally in the Fae witch, Nicnevin, Brigit will be tested to her limits and beyond.
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub
Book Review: Little White Hands by Mark Cushen
Almost five hundred years have passed since the Seasons were at war. Half a millennium since Winter defied Spring, and lost. Generations have come and gone, not knowing the bitter freeze and howling snows of Winter ever existed. But now, after centuries of silence, the participants in this ancient struggle have resurfaced and reignited their feud on the doorstep of an unassuming little kitchen boy. Garlan’s dreams of being just like the knights he idolizes may not be as impossible as he has always been led to believe, when he is chased from his home and thrust headlong into the kind of adventure he had only ever read about in books. Setting out on a journey that spans the entire kingdom of Faeland, Garlan will traverse impossible mountains and stormy seas and battle terrible monsters, all to keep the world he knows safe from an enemy who will stop at nothing to bring about a never-ending winter. With a cast of fantastical characters to aid him in his quest, can Garlan overcome his self-doubt and find the courage he needs to rise above his humble station and become the hero he always dreamed of being? The fate of the world rests in his hands.
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub
The Compass Rose: Navigating Worlds Within Pages
The Compass Rose bookstore, located on the charming main street of Crescent Bay, serves as a beacon for people who are interested in both dreaming and adventure. Crafted with a love of stories that span the spectrum of human imagination and knowledge, the Compass Rose is more than just a bookstore; it is a portal to other worlds. Isabella Grant, a former marine biologist turned literature enthusiast, owns The Compass Rose.
By Vladimir Nascimento2 years ago in BookClub
Rachel Reviews: A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
I had heard good things about Anne Tyler and as I am unsure as to whether I had read her before or not, I thought I would give her a go. This is the reason I write reviews: to keep a record of what I read and try and embed them into my brain. I'm still not sure if I've read her previously or not but I will certainly read her again.
By Rachel Deeming2 years ago in BookClub
Book Review: Third Name's A Charm (Anthology)
All good things come in threes. Once upon a time, a group of authors accepted the challenge from a fairy tale name generator. Not just once or twice, but thrice! Volume three of these quirky stories is a collection stories featuring trios and triple threats. In this clean YA anthology, follow the fates of three IVF-manufactured (oops, sorry, potion-begotten) triplet princesses, be enlisted as the third lucky bodyguard to stave off monsters, see if the third wand works wonders for an unlucky mage, try to discover the true name of a unicorn prince, discover why the magical artefacts come in threes and climb towers with thieves to step into abductions of well-known fairytale characters. Don’t forget, with the rule of three, there are always exceptions. Venture into this collection of adventurous stories by award-winning and up-and-coming authors and maybe you’ll be thrice enchanted. All proceeds donated to a charity in support of reading and literacy.
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub
Rachel Reviews: A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
I can remember reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Haddon's debut novel, and being struck by it. Sometimes you read books that are extraordinary and unlike anything you've ever read before. And then, I read a book of short stories by him which I enjoyed but a friend, to whom I had recommended them, pointed out to me were all about death and for some reason, I shied away from his fiction for a bit.
By Rachel Deeming2 years ago in BookClub
Book Review: Red Runs the Witch's Thread by Victoria Williamson
Paisley, Scotland, 1697. Thirty-five people accused of witchcraft. Seven condemned to death. Six strangled and burned at the stake. All accused by eleven-year-old Christian Shaw. Bargarran House, 1722. Christian Shaw returns home, spending every waking hour perfecting the thread bleaching process that will revive her family’s fortune. If only she can make it white enough, perhaps her past sins will be purified too. But dark forces are at work. As the twenty-fifth anniversary of the witch burnings approaches, ravens circle Bargarran House, their wild cries stirring memories and triggering visions. As Christian’s mind begins to unravel, her states of delusion threaten the safety of all those who cross her path. In the end she must make a terrible choice: her mind or her soul? Poverty and madness, or a devil’s bargain for the bleaching process that will make her the most successful businesswoman Paisley has ever seen? Her fate hangs by a thread. Which will she choose?
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub
Book Review: Undine's Blessing by Tessa Hastjarjanto
A dutiful daughter, a mystical archipelago, and a hidden power waiting to command the tides... Marella spends her days caring for her sick mother and selling her father's fish. Bound by duty and love, she dreams little of adventure. But when her mother must travel to the city for treatment, her father takes her out to sea, despite her fear of water. A storm steers them to Emberrain, home to a tribe of magical nymphs and a place of secrets, where Marella discovers a startling truth: her father is a frequent visitor to these mysterious islands. Soon she learns that Emberrain isn't the only secret he had kept from her. Marella has the power to control water and communicate with aquatic animals. Overwhelmed by the magical but dangerous islands, and the secrets of her father, Marella must learn to harness her powers to save herself and her new aquatic friend before they are separated from their parents forever. Undine's Blessing is a journey of wonder, where fears are faced and mysteries unravel, and a young girl learns that true adventure begins when you dare to embrace who you truly are.
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub
Book Review: Sparks of Bright Matter by Leeanne O'Donnell
When ambitious apprentice chemist and secret alchemist Peter Woulfe is tasked with caring for a mysterious illustrated book, the Mutus Liber, he quickly realises that the grimy underworld of Georgian London is even more dangerous than he first believed. Soon the book is stolen by the light-fingered Sukie and Peter finds himself being pursued by threatening men who are willing to do anything to get the book back. Where in teeming London might Sukie be found? Why is Peter so enthralled by her? And what is it about the Mutus Liber that is so enticing? As the search for the book becomes an urgent game of cat and mouse, it seems that the key to Peter's present dilemma might only be found in half-remembered events from his childhood, and then further back still, in the mists of Irish myth. A spell-binding and unputdownable tale about spirit and matter, love and lust, and reality and magic.
By Marie Sinadjan2 years ago in BookClub
