DISCLAIMER – I received an advanced reading copy of this novel from the publishers via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
When I originally read the synopsis for this book I was more than a little intrigued by the premise it presented. A coffee shop in the heart of Tokyo, where patrons could travel back in time in order to revisit past loves or spend one last moment with a lost family member, or even to meet the daughter they never knew. It’s a premise with a lot of promise, and suggested the potential for a refreshingly thoughtful exploration of the human condition which is often absent from a lot of modern fiction. Unfortunately, the end result doesn’t quite measure up to the promise of that synopsis, and I’ll admit this has slightly disappointed me.
DISCLAIMER: I received an advanced reading copy of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I was a little concerned going into this book as I’d already seen a number of reviews saying that despite it being the first of a new series, you really had to have read Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy in order to fully appreciate this new novel from the self-appointed Lord of Grimdark. Given that I’m a veritable Abercrombie virgin, I was worried that I’d miss out on some hidden plot lines or fail to grasp the mysterious twists and turns that link back to his earlier works. Having now finished the book I think I can say with some authority that even if you’re as new to Abercrombie as I was you can read and enjoy this delightfully refreshing novel.
DISCLAIMER: I was given an advanced copy of this book by the publisher (via NetGalley) in return for an honest review.
I’m writing this review in July, and I have to say for me this is definitely one of the best books of 2019 so far. Then again, I do like a good maritime yarn, especially when it’s as full of adventure and action as this one.
This is the second of Juliet McKenna’s Daniel Mackmain books, following on from last year’s The Green Man’s Heir, and I have to say it’s at least as good as the first one, if not marginally better. If you’ve read the first book then I’m pretty confident you’re going to love this one, and if you haven’t read the first one then you need to remedy that straight away. Seriously, go read it.
DISCLAIMER: I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I’m going to say right from the start that this is one hell of an impressive debut from Rena Barron. Kingdom of Souls is, as far as I can tell, her first published work and shows a lot of promise. I’m definitely going to be keeping an eye out for future works by this author if this is any indication of what she’s capable of.
For Daniel Mackmain, life has always been a little bit complicated, what with his mum being a dryad, but things start to get really interesting when he inadvertently wanders into a murder scene during a late night ramble. And that’s just the start of his troubles.
