Category: Book Reviews

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Book Review – Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie.

Before They Are Hanged (The First Law, #2)

Before They Are Hanged

by Joe Abercrombie

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Before They Are Hanged is the continuation of The First Law series and follows the stories of the First of the Magi, Logen Ninefingers, Ferro, and many more of the host of characters within the book.

The Cover: Not a terrible cover, quite simple and plain, but nothing special. It does fit well with the others in this series and conveys the genre.

The good stuff: This book has a full cast of characters and Mr Abercrombie moves easily from one to another allowing the story to flow. I love the relationship between Logen Nine fingers and Ferro, The sudden shifts in temperament of Bayaz, the character arc Jezal Dan Luthar moves through as his character grows and there is so much more to love within the pages of this book. The story and the characters paths come together like a peacocks feather: Beautiful, colourful, and consisting of numerous barbs that all seem to converge on a pointed spine. Joe has created a dangerous, intriguing world and I absolutely love it. I have come to expect great things from Joe Abercrombie and he did not disappoint me with this novel.

The Bad Stuff: As with most other novels I’ve read by Joe, the only bad thing is that the book comes to an end and you want more.

In my opinion, this is a superbly written fantasy novel with a well established society, governments, clans, etc… The action, twists and political scheming keeps coming and holds the readers interest until the end. There are some richly described places, well defined characters and interesting fantasy elements. I have come to expect great things from Joe Abercrombie and he has not let me down with this fantastic novel. Call me biased if you will, but JA is without doubt my favourite author and I’m giving this one a blood thirsty 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks with a huge, deranged grin.

Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:

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Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. 

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Book Review – Story Genius by Lisa Cron

Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel by Lisa Cron

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a non-fiction title that looks at planning and forming connections between your characters and the reader’s emotions using the craft of writing.

The Cover: The cover is a good fit with the non-fiction genre and the image is fitting for the concept spoken about within the book.

The Good Stuff: This book covers some of the techniques a writer needs to know: Plotting, planning, characters arcs, etc… but it is done an entirely new way compared to other books I have read on these topics. There is some great information in this book and I did find the concept interesting and somewhat enlightening. The author is obviously talented and experienced in this field, and shares a wealth of her knowledge with the reader. I certainly found some insights into new ways of looking at things that I will put into use.

The Bad Stuff: I hate to say it, but I struggled through this book. I struggled because I like to get to the point quickly, but the author seems to waffle on a bit too much for me. I’m not saying it was a bad book, because it wasn’t bad by any means. I struggled because the examples were in a genre I do not read. I struggled because the author tries to make a closer connection with the reader. I struggled because it was too nice and fluffy for me. I can see many readers would love this, but it isn’t for me.

Overall, for a writer, there is value in reading this book. If you write romance or ‘chick lit’ you will probably love it. If it were written using horror or fantasy examples and was more succinct, I would have raved about it. As it stands, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. I’m ranking this one 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks for a worthwhile lesson in connecting with readers.

Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:

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amazon.com.au
Get it on Kobo

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. 

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Book Review – How To Be A Writer: Secrets from the Inside by Stewart Ferris.

How to Be a Writer: Secrets from the InsideHow To Be A Writer: Secrets from the Inside

by Stewart Ferris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How To Be A Writer: Secrets from the Inside by Stewart Ferris is a non-fiction title that provides information, tips and techniques on the craft of writing.

The Cover: This cover fits the non-fiction genre and clearly defines what the book is about.

The Good Stuff: There is some great information in this book and it is written in a plain, down to earth style that makes it easy to read. The author is open and clearly conveys his sound knowledge of each of the topics covered. This would be a great book for someone just starting out as a writer. For the seasoned writer, you will not gain as much, you may learn something new or you may not, but at the least I would say you will gain some inspiration or a reminder of something you have let your focus slip from.

The Bad Stuff: There really isn’t anything bad to say about this book. As mentioned in the good stuff, if you are an experienced writer, I doubt that you will gain much from this book, but the experienced writer is not the target audience. So, if this is you, do not expect anything new or ground-breaking, look for the one or two tips, some inspiration or a refresh of something you’ve loosened your grip on.

Overall, if I were new to writing, this would be a welcomed addition to my bookshelf. As a writer with some experience, I still found some value in this book, therefore, I’m giving this one a pen pushing 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:

amazon.com
amazon.com.au
Kobo

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. 

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Book Review – Knights: The Eye of Divinity by Robert E. Keller.

The Eye of Divinity (Knights, #1)The Eye of Divinity by Robert E. Keller

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 Knights: The Eye of Divinity by Robert E. Keller is a fantasy novel that follows the story of Lannon Sunshield, a young boy from a poor home, who is taken on as a squire by the knights of Dremlock in a time of trouble.

The Cover: This book comes with a typical fantasy cover that is well suited to the genre. It is not a spectacular cover, but the artwork is professional and conveys the type of story between the pages. It would sit comfortably on the shelves of any bookstore alongside other fantasy novels.

The Good Stuff: I enjoyed this book. The characters are likeable and have their own individual personalities. The dialogue is done well, it seems natural and lends towards building the characters individuality. The world is believable for a fantasy world. And there’s magic, fantasy creatures, magical weapons and an array of character classes you would expect to see in a fantasy novel. The story runs smoothly enough and Mr Keller has provided a fun, creative read.

The Bad Stuff: I had some issues with the authors writing. Firstly, there are comments in parenthesis sporadically throughout the book, which pulled me out of the story. I feel there was no need for the parenthesis and in some cases, the comments. The majority of the story is told to us, I would much have preferred to have been absorbed in the story through more showing. There are big information dumps. I like it when the description is fed seamlessly into the story so that you don’t even notice it, but in this book you have to pause the story each time a new character or location is introduced while you read through lines of description. There is also a problem with the Goblin Lords in my opinion. Maybe I just didn’t get it, but the reasoning for their ‘invincibility’ doesn’t make sense to me at all. If they are what we learn them to be, they would not be a harm to anyone and the knights would not waste any time on them. Another thing that disappointed me was the lack of female characters. There are squire trials and mention of female dorms, yet we hardly see any female students at all. There are a couple of female characters, but they always seem to lurk in the shadow of their male counterparts and are never really given the opportunity to shine.

Overall, despite the issues I had with the writing, this is an enjoyable fantasy novel with a solid story that the author has put a lot of thought into. On that basis, I’m giving it a goblin crushing 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:

amazon.com
amazon.com.au
Kobo

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. 

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Book Review – The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie.

The Heroes

The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Heroes is a story of war and the men fighting on both sides of the battlefield.

The Cover: In my opinion, this cover isn’t too bad, but it is by no means great. I get more of a fantasy feeling than I got from the cover of Red Country, but either could be a book on Roman History. It does suggest there will be violence.

The Good Stuff: It didn’t take me long to adapt to Joe’s style, and I love it. This tale is gritty and dark, but it feels so real. There are numerous characters, all with their own problems and flaws. I expected dragons and magic, I got blood and gore, and I was not disappointed. Joe has a way with words that makes everything seem real. His characters are genuine and crass. His action scenes will make you squirm, and his storytelling will keep you reading to the end. I loved this book so much so that I would say it is the best book I have read… ever! I have found my favourite author at last and I hope to have many more hours of enjoyment from the other stories in his collection of titles. Good work Mr Abercrombie.

The Bad Stuff: This was the first of Joe Abercrombie’s books I read (I know, I started out of sync… Why? It just happened that way.) The style threw me at first, sentences with words missing, written as they might be spoken colloquially. Coming in under the fantasy genre, I also expected a little more magic, strange creatures, other races, etc… But I got over the lack of these very quickly.

This is a great book and I was left entirely satisfied. I’m giving this read an amazing 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks, just as soon as I can wipe the blood splatters off my face.

Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:

amazon.com
amazon.com.au
Kobo

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. 

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Book Review – Blood Faerie by India Drummond

Blood Faerie (Caledonia Fae, #1) Blood Faerie by India Drummond

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Review – Blood Faerie by India Drummond

Blood Faerie by India Drummond is a kind of fantasy crossed with a crime/thriller. It tells us the tale of Eilidh, an outcast Faerie living in a human world, trying to catch a killer roaming the streets of Scotland.

The Cover: This cover was quite simple and gave me the distinct impression of a fantasy novel. While it is a good fit with the story, I’m not entirely convinced it fits this genre mash-up.

The Good Stuff: I really enjoyed this book. The writing is good, I was drawn in by the likeable characters and I found this to be an original storyline (at least it was like nothing I have ever read before). It was an interesting read that kept my interest all the way through. No mean feat, given it was not what I was expecting.

The Bad Stuff: I was expecting a fantasy novel and I got a genre mash-up, this may put some readers off. There were one or two moments when I questioned the story content, for example, Eilidh has lived in the human world for 25 years, watching, and yet she does not know what a treadmill is? She’s never been in a house or a car. There is a loose reason for this and I grudgingly accepted it because I was enjoying the story so much I wanted to read on. I also felt that the climax fizzled, it was all over in the blink of an eye. It was like the author said, that’s it, I’m done. It’s all over. I feel this could have been handled so much better with just a little more effort and it would have turned a good story into a great one.

Overall, this book is well worth a read. If I had known it was a fantasy-come-thriller I doubt I would have picked it up. I am so glad I didn’t know! This was a pleasure to read and I really wanted to keep turning the pages. A little disappointing at the end and for that reason I’m giving this one a heart gripping, bone cracking, 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:

amazon.com
amazon.com.au
Kobo

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. 

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Book Review – The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book Review – The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson is a story of hope. Vin is a Skaa. A slave girl who has learnt to trust nobody. Oppressed, beaten and betrayed, her life feels worthless, until she meets Kelsier, then everything begins to change.

The Cover: A solid fantasy cover that depicts the story well.

The Good Stuff: I loved this book. There is an ‘allomantic’ magic system like I have never seen before (maybe it’s been done before, but this is the first time I have seen it). Personally, I love martial arts and I love the Matrix. The Mistborn in The Final Empire remind of both, they’re like magical Ninja’s with Matrix type abilities. Who doesn’t love a magical Ninja! Kelsier and Vin are both strong characters you will love, both with their own tear jerking stories. The Inquisitors are an original and ominous foe and the Lord Ruler is as much a god as he is made out to be. The characters work well with their individual traits and the world is well constructed with class distinctions, and a believable economy built off the backs off the Skaa.

The Bad Stuff: Okay, I’m going to be quite critical here in a nit-picking way, because I am actively looking for something to say on the bad stuff. Honestly, for me, it came down to two things. Firstly, in the beginning, there was a lot of white boarding in meetings. This took me out of the fantasy world and dropped me into the reality of my day job. There was also some word repetition with sentences ending in the same word or the same word being used several times in a paragraph. On the whole, these things were not a big issue for me, like I said… I’m nit-picking here!

Overall, this is a great fantasy novel and I look forward to reading the rest of Brandon’s books. If they are all as good as this one, I’m in for a very enjoyable time. This one gets a mist swirling, steel burning 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:

amazon.com
amazon.com.au
Get it on Kobo

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. 

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Book Review – Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

Best Served ColdBest Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie is ultimately a story of revenge. Monzcarro Murcatto is betrayed by the man she has spent years elevating to a position of power. Strangled, stabbed, beaten and thrown down a mountain side clinging to life by a thread. All those involved will come to wish they had done the job right.

The Cover: Though not what I would consider a traditional fantasy cover, it is appropriate for the story and its genre. There is also a hint at the blood and gore between the pages.

The Bad Stuff: Not for the faint hearted, there is blood, gore and treachery. A bad point if you don’t like these things.

The Good Stuff: There is blood, gore and treachery – and so much of it. Abercrombie’s style is so raw, so tough, so gritty, that for me it’s like a fine blue cheese – filled with everything rotten, but tastes so good and leaves you wanting more. The characters, as always, are so mean and so bad arse, yet so well developed that you can’t help but love them. If you’ve read Joe’s other books, there’s reference to characters like ‘The Bloody Nine’, ‘The Cripple’ and others, that make the memories come rushing back and have you thinking “Oh yeah, I remember that” or “Yep, that sounds like something they would say/do,”. I loved this book as much as his others and even though it follows the story of new and less explored characters, they became my new best friends.

Wow! How does Joe do it? How does he make you love such despicable characters? Set in the same world as the First Law Trilogy this book continues the story of some of the characters I have come to love, building on their characters and giving insights into how they became who they are.

This one gets a bone crunching, skull smashing 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks with a splash of blood for good measure.

Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:

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amazon.com.au
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Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. 

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Book Review – The Destroyer by Michael Scott-Earle

The DestroyerThe Destroyer by Michael-Scott Earle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Destroyer by Michael Scott-Earle is a story about a legendary warrior, awoken from centuries of slumber to help defeat a magical enemy from his past.

The Cover: I love the cover on this book and it is a great fit for the story itself. The book is listed as fantasy and the cover certainly places it into that Genre for me.

The Good Stuff: There is a great story here that pulled me in from the very start and kept me reading. In fact, I wanted to keep reading even though there were things about the story that I did not like (refer to ‘The Bad Stuff’ below). I loved the characters (except Paug, I found him to be a little annoying) and the author has created a great fantasy world where elves and humans are at war. The tone was quite dark, which I enjoyed, and quite sexual at times, which I was not expecting from a fantasy. The pacing was good, the book is well edited and the author is quite a competent writer, who I have no doubt will only improve as he progresses in his craft.

The Bad Stuff: I love fantasy and that is what I expected from this book, but at times it felt like a smutty romance novel. There is explicit sexual content within the pages that I was not expecting, after all, the book is billed as a fantasy novel. I also felt it was out of character, making it seem gratuitous. The author gives us details in the characters backstory showing a world where sexual promiscuity is commonplace and marriage is unheard of. Yet at this time, Kaiyer has betrothed himself to one woman and promised never to be with another? Fast forward to his re-awakening and Kaiyer is a horny devil who doesn’t understand the concept of marriage. It just didn’t gel for me.

I was confused by the change in point of view (POV) across the chapters and felt the need to be grounded in the POV character a lot sooner. That is, until I realised that each chapter heading is actually the POV character’s name and this method is carried through the whole of the book.

The author has a tendency to go into too much detail. This slowed the pace of the story and made it read a little like a step by step guide in places. On top of that I felt cheated at the end, there was no resolution. I understand that the use of a cliff-hanger is a good tool for an author to keep the reader turning the pages or buying the next book. The author has certainly used a great one at the end of this story, however, I would much prefer some kind of resolution with a cliff-hanger leading into the next book, than no resolution and a cliff-hanger which leaves me unsatisfied.

Overall I was conflicted over this book. The story was interesting and I really did enjoy it, but the cross-over in genres threw me and put me off. I was expecting a fantasy novel and got a cross between a fantasy and what I would call an explicit romance novel (though I don’t read romance, so it may just be classified differently). If the book had been labelled as such, I would have gone into it with a different mindset and been more accepting – If I had picked it up at all; romance is not my thing.

If you enjoy fantasy and romance you should love this, but if you are after a traditional type of fantasy novel you are going to be surprised and possibly even disappointed with some of the content. I’m giving this one a very tumultuous 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:

amazon.com
amazon.com.au
Kobo

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. 

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