I’m back with a First Lines Friday post to round off the week! If you’re looking for an intriguing read to pick up this weekend, I have a great one for you!
I know that as it’s my current read! I’m just under 3 hours into the audiobook version of this book as of writing this post. The intro really got my attention. Shall we take a look?
If I leave this house, it will be in handcuffs. I should have run for it while I had the chance. Now my shot is gone. Now that the police officers are in the house and they’ve discovered what’s upstairs, there’s no turning back.
They are about five seconds away from reading me my rights. I’m not sure why they haven’t done it yet. Maybe they’re hoping to trick me into telling them something I shouldn’t.
“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own . . .
Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.
I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.
I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.
But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.
They don’t know what I’m capable of . . .
My Thoughts…
If you enjoy thrillers that have you second guessing what you’re reading, The Housemaid will suit you as it does me. I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t know who I trust. What I can tell you though is that I’m motivated to find out!
I’m listening to The Housemaid going shopping, driving in the car and every opportunity I get. The story so far has set out enough information for me to get a grasp of the story, but at the same time there’s plenty yet to find out. Millie has a past, but we don’t know what. Not all is as it seems in the Winchester family, but who do we believe? Even if I wanted to tell you these things (which I won’t because I’m no spoilsport), I have no idea!
The opening lines caught my attention straightaway. Even if I wasn’t reading this book for book club, that introduction would have the book added to my TBR faster than I could click ‘add to cart’.
Has today’s First Lines Friday introduced you to a future read? Have you already read The Housemaid?
Good evening and welcome to today’s Shelf Control feature. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve shared one of these posts. But, I’m back and happy to share a science-fiction book I’ve picked up before and I’m looking forward to returning to. Before I get into the details, here’s a recap of what Shelf Control is all about.
Shelf Control is a meme run by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. It’s a celebration of the unread books on our shelves! The idea is to pick a book you own but haven’t read and write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up.
If you want to read more about the Shelf Control feature, check out Lisa’s introductory post.
In today’s post, I feature a book I started but put down a few years ago. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but I was struggling with longer books at the time. I had started the second book in the series, but ultimately decided to ‘temporarily’ put it down in favour of other books.
The second novel of the galaxy-spanning Sun Eater series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe continues down a path that can only end in fire.
Hadrian Marlowe is lost.
For half a century, he has searched the farther suns for the lost planet of Vorgossos, hoping to find a way to contact the elusive alien Cielcin. He has not succeeded, and for years has wandered among the barbarian Normans as captain of a band of mercenaries.
Determined to make peace and bring an end to nearly four hundred years of war, Hadrian must venture beyond the security of the Sollan Empire and among the Extrasolarians who dwell between the stars. There, he will face not only the aliens he has come to offer peace, but contend with creatures that once were human, with traitors in his midst, and with a meeting that will bring him face to face with no less than the oldest enemy of mankind.
If he succeeds, he will usher in a peace unlike any in recorded history. If he fails…the galaxy will burn.
My Thoughts
It’s been a few years since I put this down, so the break between stopping this book and my intended restart date has been a little longer than the ‘temporary’ break planned. Admittedly, I’m going to benefit from a recap of the first book’s events, or a reread, to get back into the series.
What also excites me about this book is that it’s a relatively new author to me. I’ve only read the first book of the series, and since I started it with the proof I got from Gollancz years ago, the series has expanded. It’s nowadays total of six primary works- and there’s a final seventh coming up. There are also side stories along the way, so there’s plenty for me to get stuck into!
I enjoy the science-fiction genre. In a slight twist, this series is marketed as a space opera. If I recall correctly, there is a lot of drama, tension, and action to keep me engaged throughout this now epic series.
An additional bonus is that I already have a copy of this second book on my shelf waiting to be picked up. Fingers crossed, it’s not too long before I get there.
Thanks for reading today’s Shelf Control post! Does Howling Dark appeal to you?
March‘s monthly TBR had better go better than February’s. I don’t think I’ve ever DNF’d half of a reading list before. It wasn’t even anything really to do with the theme of Black History Month.
That’s why I’m not apprehensive about going into another month of topical reads. March is Women’s History Month, and I’ve been planning to pick up a few books on this topic for a while!
Shall we take a look?
Fixed Reads
Woden’s Spear
For the first time in a long time, I’ve got a blog tour coming up!
I’ve not taken part in a tour for around a year now. Initially, I didn’t want to take on the commitment whilst things were up in the air in my personal life. However, now that things have settled down, I have the ability to do the odd one or two of the tours again.
When Rachael asked for my help to fill in some spaces on a historical action adventure novel, I was persuaded. I love the genre and time period this book is set in. You’ll be hearing more on this book very soon, as I’m set to review it early next week.
A Promised Land
Given the length of this audiobook, it shouldn’t surprise you that Barack Obama’s A Promised Land is carried over into March.
Throughout February, I listened to 17 and a half hours of this 29-hour-long audio. I made a good dent. This month, I hope to finish it pretty soon!
A Promised Land was the one book on my February TBR that I thought at risk of DNFing. That it was actually one of my favourites of the month is both a surprise, but also a testament to how diverse my reading can be.
Children of Virtue and Vengeance
My second carryover from February is Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi. I’ve picked up this series for the first time in a long time.
I confess, as of this monthly TBR, I’m undecided how I feel about the book. I’m yet to feel the same spark of enthusiasm about it as I had for the first. Still, I’ll stick with it a bit longer yet. It may come to me as I get more immersed in the story.
Normal Women
One of my Women’s History Month picks for this monthly TBR is Normal Women by Philippa Gregory.
I originally discovered this book when I featured Philippa’s podcast of the same name on my blog as part of a limited series. The subject generally is a topic of interest, but the podcast episode I listened to went into some of the research Philippa undertook when writing the book. The podcast piqued my attention, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the book and the other broad span of topics covered.
Narratives: The Stories that Hold Women Back at Work
At 254 pages, Narratives is the shortest book on this monthly TBR. Also fitting into my Women’s History Month topical reading, I’m looking forward to seeing if I can relate to any experiences within. Naturally, I hope not. Equally though, if I’m informed on ways women can be held back at work, the better I can approach the situation.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a career woman. I love clocking out at the end of the day and getting into my PJ’s for a relaxing evening. I still have some ambition to push myself and maybe take on a leadership role in time.
Eve
The potential last Women’s History Month book on this TBR is Eve.
Leaning into some more non-fiction, Eve looks at the ways in which the female body has evolved and shaped humanity as we know it. It’s a little out of my comfort zone, but equally I’m hopeful the book includes a lot of humour and insight that keeps me engaged.
Work Book Club Pick
Lastly, I’ll be picking up one final ‘fixed read’ for our work book club. However, as of this post, that hasn’t been decided. Members had until the end of today to vote from three contenders; I’ll be looking at the results and announcing the winner to members tomorrow.
So, I can’t tell you which it is in this monthly TBR. You’ll have to stay tuned on the blog to see what it is!
Mood Reads
Calamity
I only have one mood read on March’s monthly TBR. Outside of my carryovers for the month, it’s the only book not fitting the theme of Women’s History Month that isn’t another reading commitment.
I recently got back into the series when I listened to Firefight in January. Now that I’m so close to finishing the trilogy, I want to power on and get it finished!
Summary
I have a lot of books to cover this month, but I’m optimistic I can avoid the same reading funk that spoiled February’s monthly TBR.
We’re now two full months into 2025. I want to get in nice and early with my monthly wrap-up for February to update you on the books I picked up, and in some cases put down, during the last month.
One of my main reading goals for February was to pick up books around the theme of Black History Month. Not all of my books fit into this category, as they were either carryovers from January or I had to read them for other commitments. How I did with February’s TBR surprised me; there were books I wasn’t sure about that but I’ve gone on to really enjoy, yet equally there are books I thought I’d get on with, but didn’t.
Shall we get into this monthly wrap-up so you can see just how this month has gone?
Books Read
A Darkness at Sethanon
A Darkness at Sethanon was a carryover from January‘s TBR. I was just a couple of chapters in at the point of setting this book on my February monthly TBR.
Admittedly, I didn’t get much further than that before I put it down. Although I had recapped myself on events so far in the series, I was struggling to get into it. If I’m entirely honest, I didn’t love the books before this one. They were okay to read, but I didn’t have any burning desire to pick up this last instalment. If anything, I was motivated to try so I could mark the series as complete.
However, I decided it wasn’t worth slogging through this book in order to give myself that accolade. I have now finished this series, but it has a DNF as opposed to a completion.
Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia
A few weeks ago, I started listening to Fearing the Black Body. I ended up listening to this audiobook over the course of a weekend. I didn’t expect to love this book in the way that I did. It was really interesting, and I liked how the book was broken down and considered different ideas and arguments. I wouldn’t say this book is to be taken as gospel. However, it does consider some interesting ideas on why racism could play a role in our current culture’s fat phobia.
I wouldn’t describe this as a book that I would typically read. However, I’m glad I did. It’s a good way to get an alternate perspective on things, as well as consider things from a non-racial perspective as well. In addition to the race argument, the author also offers religion as a possible source of some of the negativity around larger bodies too.
A Promised Land
The second audiobook I picked up this month, and admittedly I’m still reading as of this monthly wrap-up post, is A Promised Land by Barack Obama. If there’s one book on this TBR I thought I was at risk of DNFing, it was this one. In truth, it’s one of the books I’m enjoying the most this month.
Politics is a subject that is out of my comfort zone. My overarching opinion generally of politicians is that they don’t achieve anything for the masses. instead, they use their office to promote their own self interest. I can be forgiven for this view when you consider the amount of cronyism that gets highlighted on the news.
So far, I don’t find Barack to be your typical politician. My overall perception of Barack Obama when he was in office was that he was a decent president.
Listening to his book, I still have this view. I’ve enjoyed listening to some of his insights on what his priorities were as a president. He also covers a number of different unplanned situations he had to deal with in office.
Naturally, this book is far more involved to the likes of Michelle Obama’s Becoming in describing the politics of his life. He’s not averse to making jabs here and there against other parties and individuals, but for the most part I’m getting on with the book well.
The only reason I’m still listening to this audiobook at the end of February is because it is so long! The audiobook is just over 29 hours long. As a drafting this post, I have just under 12 and a half hours left to listen to.
In Every Mirror She’s Black
Another read I intended to complete as part of this February TBR relating to Black History Month is In Every Mirror She’s Black. A few years ago I acquired my copy of the book in a Waterstones sale after Christmas. I liked the sound of the book and I thought it was going to have something quite prominent to say when it comes to race – how seemingly different black women end up experiencing the same treatment in life.
However, having gotten a third into this book, I still couldn’t tell where the storyline was intending to take us or what message it was trying to put out. So, I decided to DNF it. I was bored. The plot was meandering between the three female perspectives and not really giving any context as to what it was trying to say. Nothing significant was happening and I wasn’t enjoying reading it.
It’s a shame, because I think it could’ve been a good book if it started to get to its point a little quicker.
The Da Vinci Code
If you are a regular reader, you will know that I host a book club at work. We meet once a month, typically towards the end of a month, and discuss a book of a members choice.
A couple of months ago, we came up with the idea of reading The Da Vinci Code. Some members had already read the book a long time ago, whereas others like myself had not read it before. It sounded like a good book for discussion, so we decided to pick that up.
I’m sorry to say that I didn’t like this one either. I read 29% of the book before I DNF this one too. Whilst I enjoyed the ideas of symbolism and the murder mystery aspect of the storyline, I felt overall that it was a very pretentious book. There is a lot of detail on symbolism and at times, I felt the narrative was talking down to me to have to explain some of it. I also found the idea of these clues being left for Robert too far-fetched.
In principle, one of the characters had approximately 15 minutes to lay down all these clues before he passed away from a fatal injury in order to point Robert to his murderer. After discussions with another book club member, there are perhaps reasons why this was plausible for the character to do given his position and preplanning for such an eventuality. However, it just felt far-fetched to me and I wasn’t a fan of the tone of the book.
Children of Virtue and Vengeance
Lastly, we get to the final book of my February TBR, Children of Virtue and Vengeance. I am still reading this book as of publishing this monthly wrap-up post, but I confess I’m not loving this one either. At this point, I don’t think it’s the fault of the book, but more to do with the fact that I’m in a reading funk.
As of this monthly wrap up post, I’m 20% into the book and I’m going to keep going with it for now. I probably not help myself in that it’s been a good number of years since I read the first book of the series. I have recapped myself on events, But leaving it so long is probably acting as a blocker helping me immerse myself back into the storyline.
Summary
It’s fair to say that reading progress in February didn’t end up going so well. Whilst I have read some enjoyable books in the month, I DNF’d three books – basically half the list!
I may need to reconsider my reading plans for March to help get myself out of whatever reading funk I’m in right now.
Thanks for reading today’s monthly wrap-up! Have you read any great books recently that you can recommend to help?
The first month of 2025 has flown by! It’s been a fun start to the year. And, as I hoped, I’ve picked up some great books to get me started. Today’s monthly wrap-up post is dominated by books I rated five-stars. What more could I ask for?
I set myself an ambitious monthly TBR, but I’m not going to knock myself down for not being able to match my enthusiasm with results. I still picked up the vast majority of the reading list. What didn’t make it in January is going to come back very shortly.
So, shall we take a look at the books I did manage to pick up in January?
Books Read
The Priory of the Orange Tree
I started the year with an audiobook listen of The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. I did this deliberately as I wanted to start the year right. I’ve heard great things about this fantasy, and I wanted to make sure that one of my first reads of 2025 was going to be a four or five-star rating.
At the beginning of January, I had already listened to just over half of this audiobook (55% if you want to get specific). That still left me with around 11 or 12 hours of audio to progress with. Whilst technically this is only half the book, that is more than a whole book’s worth when you think about the average book length I typically read!
Needless to say, my tactic worked. I rated The Priory of the Orange Tree five stars. I loved this fantasy inside out. It was a fun read with compelling characters and an interesting plotline anyway. However, its emphasis on strong female lead characters really made this even better for me.
Fool’s Errand
The second and final book I carried over from my December monthly wrap-up was Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb. Admittedly, I was much less into this book when I started the year. Aside from the first 56 pages, I pretty much read the whole book in January.
Fool’s Errand broke my heart in every way I feared it would. I really enjoyed being back in the world of Fitzchivalry Farseer and seeing how events have moved on from the first trilogy in the Realm of the Elderlings series. The foreshadowing at the beginning of this book hammered home my fears about what may happen in this latest instalment.
Can a book be both great and terrible at the same time? It was the events of this book that were tragic. The storyline and writing itself it’s usual fantastic standard. Robin Hobb is not known for pulling her punches when it comes to her main characters. Do we really get invested in them if we know they’re going to turn out right in the end?
Fool’s Errand achieved another five star rating and really cemented a good reading start for me this year.
Shuggie Bain
Back in November, our book club at work decided that we would reconvene in January after reading Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart.
Admittedly, this isn’t the type of book I would’ve picked up of my own volition. That’s the benefit of a book club! It gives you the chance to pick up and read new things and really get out of your comfort zone. Remember, that’s one of my reading goals for this year.
Whilst I confess I didn’t love every aspect of Shuggie Bain, that’s not to say I didn’t get anything out of it. The book is very bleak in its outlook, but gives great perspective on quite pivotal problems in our society like alcoholism, addiction and the impact these things have on families.
From our discussion, we came to the conclusion that whilst these things feel like a very distant problem for other people, they’re not so far under the surface. Quite often those afflicted are very good at masking their problems. Also, it’s dangerous that substances such as alcohol are so widely available to trap those trying to free themselves of their addiction.
Firefight
The final book I picked up and read to completion before the end of the month was Firefight by Brandon Sanderson. I appreciate fantasy has featured quite heavily on this month’s TBR, but I’m not apologetic for it. It’s my favourite genre for a reason! Brandon Sanderson is also always a great read. I’ve loved every single one of his books, even when you’re taken into consideration how varied they are.
Firefight is the second book of his The Reckoners trilogy. Part of the reason I wanted to pick this up early in the year is so I have just one book left in the series. You may also recall a featured this series in my Series to Finish in 2025 post.
I didn’t anticipate the ending of this book, but I went into it pretty open-minded. I really enjoyed how events played out in the book and it’s gotten me all the more excited to pick up the final instalment of the series very soon!
A Darkness at Sethanon
The last book I picked up before the end of the month, though admittedly I only got a couple of chapters in, was A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E Feist.
This book is also a final instalment in a series and that is the main reason for picking this book up. I want to make an effort continuously to keep finishing up series I’ve started and get the list back under control.
There’s not much to say as of this monthly wrap-up post, other than to say that I’ve gotten myself caught up on events of the prior books in the series and I’m looking forward to diving into this one in earnest!
Summary
This monthly wrap-up post has illustrated to me that my aims of picking up high-quality reads in my favourite genre for January have set me up in good stead for the rest of the year. With no less than 3 five-star reads already under my belt, I’m looking forward to continuing the positive streak.
Did you pick up any five-star reads in January? Do you have any reading goals you are prioritising for 2025?
Good evening readers and welcome to this Shelf Control post – hope you are well? It’s been a wild one here! Today I’ve been relegated to working from home as the office was shut due to storm Éowyn. All things considered, I’ve not suffered badly. Losing half a roof tile is nothing compared to other people. Someone had half their roof ripped off!
Anyway, less of topical commentary and more of what to expect from this Shelf Control. Shelf Control is a meme run by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. It’s a celebration of the unread books on our shelves! The idea is to pick a book you own but haven’t read and write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up.
If you want to read more about the Shelf Control feature, check out Lisa’s introductory post.
In today’s post, I feature the first police procedural in a good while. I enjoy the genre but don’t read a lot of it. No doubt I’ll be changing that soon!
If you leave a door half-open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken…
Fifteen years ago, a serial killer known only as ‘The Whisper Man’ wreaked havoc on the sleepy village of Featherbank.
But with the killer behind bars, the village is now a safe haven for Tom and his young son Jake to make a fresh start.
Until another boy goes missing. It feels like history is repeating itself.
Could the killer still be out there – and can Tom protect his son from becoming the next victim?
My Thoughts
I already have a copy of The Whisper Man, so I anticipate I’ll be picking up this police procedural soon. I enjoy picking up books like this, even if I don’t very often. The suspense is already palpable from the synopsis. Once we get into the story, it can only grow from there!
I added this book to my TBR in June 2019 and purchased a copy on Kindle on 2020. Taking advantage of a book being discounted to 99p is always a good idea when you read as much as I do!
Alex North is a new author to me. At the time I added this to my TBR, he had nothing else published under that name. Now in 2025 he has several books out, and another due out in May. What I hadn’t realised is that he’s also published multiple books under the pseudonym Steve Mosby. If I go on to enjoy this book as much as I think I will, then I have plenty more of his to read in future.
Do you like the sound of The Whisper Man? Have you read it and is it worth the positive press it’s received?
Stay safe and I’ll see you in my Sunday Summary in a couple of days!
In today’s Top Ten Tuesday post, I share my ten most recent additions to my book collection. Between Christmas and my own wanderings into the book store (always dangerous for my bank account), I’ve not had to look far for the features in this post.
Hopefully this Top Ten Tuesday will give you some bookish inspiration for future reads. It certainly won’t do anything to make me feel better about my bank account balance, but that’s my own problem 😅
Just kidding, I have no remorse!
The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection
The Earth Transformed
I recently went on a bit of a spending spree in Waterstones, and purchased a copy of The Earth Transformed. It’s not because I’ve discovered the book before; rather, the premise of the book caught my attention there and then. It’s fair to say it was a bit of a ‘whim’ purchase.
A Man Called Ove
Although not officially on my TBR at the point I purchased a copy, I have been eyeing up A Man Called Ove for some time. In fact, I suggested it as one of our work book club’s first reads mid-last year. Having heard what I have about the book, I have high expectations. I love the idea of the character and if the introduction I featured in last week’s First Lines Friday is anything to go by, it should be a cracker.
Ultra-Processed People
I’ve looked at Ultra-Processed People a few times as well before getting my copy a few weeks ago. It seems especially relevant this year as I’m trying to be more mindful of the food I eat.
It’s easier to make better choices when you’re more informed about what is good and what is not, right?
This Book May Save Your Life
The book that’s been the longest on my TBR in this Top Ten Tuesday is This Book May Save Your Life.
I actually added this to the TBR in September 2023. The author has created a lot of short-form content on the likes of Facebook and it was through those I discovered the book.
My expectation is that the author’s humour and quirky fact finding fill make for a fun read. I’m sure the book will also be somewhat useful, but it’s for the humour I’m looking forward to reading it.
The Anxious Generation
I had added The Anxious Generation to my reading list a few weeks before picking up a copy. It just happens that Waterstones were doing a buy one get one half price feature and included this particular book.
Thankfully, I’m of an age where I just missed out on technology and social media dominating my childhood. I’m glad that it didn’t! I would’ve hated to grow up in today’s society. It’s going to be interesting to read about the impact that’s had on children today.
Julia
I received a copy of Julia for Christmas. I had asked for a clothbound classic edition of 1984 by George Orwell. I also received a copy of this book as a companion to that.
I’m looking forward to reading Julia as it presents a more modern take on the story with a different perspective on events.
1984
As I mentioned above, I received a copy of 1984 by George Orwell for Christmas I have read this book a couple of times before school (with admittedly not a great rating from me then. However, I re-read the book as an adult and in the context of not having to study it for an assignment. The experience was a completely different one and I loved the book!
I expect this is a classic I will re-read time and again. Now I have a fancy edition to pick up…
Shuggie Bain
Shuggie Bain is not the type of book I would have picked up of my own volition. Rather, our book club at work are reading Shuggie Bain at the moment. So, I purchased my copy secondhand ahead of the club meet next week.
It’s been good to pick up something different. One of the reading resolutions I set myself this year is to read out of my comfort zone. This book definitely fits into that category!
It’s a shame that children such a Shuggie have to grow up in the way they do. As a young child, he is far too aware of the unsavoury side of life. He is bullied at the age of 8+ because he is gay. I’m not even sure he knows it yet, but other kids do. He is also aware of his mother‘s depression and dependency on alcohol. It’s proving a difficult read for this reason, but it will also make great discussion in book club.
Eve
I bought Eve, again opportunistically, because I like the sound of the book. There’s quite a lot of these in this Top Ten Tuesday. That fact hasn’t escaped me.
I’m sure readers are all too aware that the impact women have had on society historically has been… downplayed.
Eve sets to set the score straight. Even if the impact of women has been written out of the history books, it cannot be excluded from our biology. The human body has a lot to thank women for. From how the female body helps provide immunisation (and thus survival) to infants to why we’re more likely to get Alzheimer’s, I’m looking forward to this scientific angle on why women are who we are today.
Orbital
Orbital was featured in Waterstones (you can tell where I do a lot of my physical book shopping…) as the Booker Prize winner for 2024. I liked the sound of it, so I bought myself a copy.
I also like that it’s a shorter book. I regularly pick up large fantasy novels. When I need something shorter to break up that reading, Orbital will be perfect.
Summary
Thanks for reading today’s Top Ten Tuesday feature. Have you purchased or received any new books lately?
Good evening and welcome to this First Lines Friday post! It’s the end of another working week for a lot of people (myself included!) and the weekend is finally here. Do you have any exciting plans?
In last week’s Sunday Summary I set myself the challenge of featuring a book I purchased last Sunday in this First Lines Friday. I checked them all out before I made my decision on which was best. You should be able to guess which one from the opening lines.
Let’s get into today’s First Lines Friday introduction, then I’ll follow with the details of the book:
Ove is fifty-nine.
He drives a Saab. He’s the kind of man who points the people he doesn’t like the look of, as if they were burglars and his forefinger a policeman torch. He stands at the counter of a shop where owners of Japanese cars come to purchase white cables. Ove eyes the sales assistant for a long time before shaking a medium-sized white box at him.
‘So this is one of those O-Pads, is it?’ he demands.
Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots – joggers, neighbours who can’t reverse a trailer properly and shop assistants who talk in code.
But isn’t it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed? Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be, and a lifelong dedication to making it just so?
In the end, you will see, there is something about Ove that is quite irresistible . . .
My Thoughts…
There is something about a curmudgeonly main character that appeals to me. We all know how hilarious the elderly and outspoken can be at the best of times.
Now more than ever it must be difficult to live in our modern world. With the only constant being change, I can imagine myself being very sympathetic to Ove and his experience of life in these 300-odd pages.
I’m looking forward to reading a refreshing change in perspective. It’s not very often that I read fiction with a protagonist like Ove. I pride myself on reading diversely, and so I should also read more from all characters, perspectives and walks of life.
Lending to my aims of reading more diversely, this book was originally published in Swedish and translated into English a year later. It’s not often I read translated works, but I’m glad to have gotten a copy of this ready to read.
It’s ironic that the timing of this review coincides with my recent finish of reading Fool’s Errand. I’ve loved being back in the world of Robin Hobb’s The Realm of the Elderlings series. It’s great to be back in the world of Fitz and the Six Duchies. However, Ship of Magic and the ensuing foray into the Liveship traders series was a fun jaunt into a different side of the world!
Let’s take a look at the synopsis, and then I’ll get to my review –
From the author of the classic Farseer trilogy, SHIP OF MAGIC is the first part of the Liveship Traders. Set in a land bordering the Six Duchies, Robin Hobb begins her epic tale of pirates, talking ships, magic, sea serpents, slave revolts, dashing heroes and bloody battles.
On the northernmost point of the Cursed Shores lies Bingtown, a bustling hub of exotic trade and home to a proud merchant nobility famed for its extraordinary vessels.
Only Bingtown liveships can negotiate the perilous waters of the Rain Wild River and plunder the riches found upstream, but such vessels are made from the most precious commodity in the world – a material with the ability to become sentient – and so are extremely rare.
The fortunes of one of Bingtown’s oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia. For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy. But the fate of Vivacia – and the Vestrits – may ultimately lie in the hands of the dark and charming pirate, Kennit, who lusts after such a ship and has plans of his own . . .
My Thoughts
Plot
I confess it took me a little while to get into the world and plot of Ship of Magic. Living and talking ships isn’t exactly a natural phenomenon. The greatest hurdle to my mind was how completely different the world was to what I’d read in The Farseer trilogy. Whilst I knew the focus moved away from the characters I was familiar with, I don’t think I expected to start again, as it were.
The Liveship Traders books are worth the investment, however. It’s a great trilogy overall, and it has quite the page count! If you like a sizeable trilogy, this is certainly for you.
Ship of Magic is the start of a trilogy of conflict and suffering. The fate of the Vestrit family lies at its heart. However, within their tale we see how their infighting impacts their community and beyond.
Characters
Unlike the Farseer trilogy which predeceases The Liveship Traders, Ship of Magic enjoys a varied cast. With multiple perspectives painting the tale of the Bingtown traders and their strife, the book has a completely different feel.
I also attribute this to why getting into Ship of Magic took longer. Characters split off quite early and so it takes a good few chapters to get a rounded view on world events.
I confess I didn’t like all the characters we get perspectives from early in the series. Malta in particular was a difficult character for me to stomach. If anyone feels the same way you’ll be glad to know her character growth arc is both fantastic and somewhat redeeming. However, in Ship of Magic she is quite a bossy madam!
It’s not the only book series I’ve gotten through this before; if you are a regular reader you’ll know how much I love A Game of Thrones. I didn’t like Sansa at the start of that one. These kinds of characters do tend to have good storylines, so they are worth reading!
Setting
Like The Farseer trilogy, events of Ship of Magic span geographical locations that give us an opportunity to explore the map (and differences in the people that live there). At first the populace of Bingtown and their customs seem exotic compared to the Six Duchies… and then we meet Rain Wilders.
The variety of the people and places give us plenty to dive into. Ship of Magic feels less of a ‘fill the gaps’ exercise in world-building and more of an exploration. How much more there is to discover remains to be seen!
The plot of the book very naturally allows us to split off and follow different characters across the map. That’s quite different from the earlier books in the series in that we get multiple perspectives as opposed to a single point of view.
Narrative Style
I generally prefer books with multiple points of view. So, Ship of Magic appealed to me because I get to live in so many characters heads. Admittedly, not all of them were desirable. However, as a reader who likes to discover character motives, I had plenty to chew on.
The pacing of Ship of Magic starts slowly as we are introduced to this new side of the world and its customs. I found this got quicker once the groundwork was laid and the storyline could flourish from there.
Summary
Ship of Magic builds on The Realm of the Elderlings series by taking us to new places and exploring new magic. Ship of Magic is very much a character driven tale. I enjoyed delving into the new conflicts that ebb and flow throughout the plot of the whole trilogy, but for which a solid foundation is laid out in Ship of Magic.
Have you read any books by Robin Hobb, or read any part of The Realm of the Elderlings series?
Happy Friday friends and welcome to today’s Shelf Control instalment. This is my third post this week – but I’ve enjoyed putting out more content. Although it means I have more to do, and I’m busy at work at the moment, I’ve had fun!
I’ve already talked about books coming up in my immediate TBR this week. Today’s post is about looking ahead a little further and getting myself hyped up for future reads. Before we get stuck in, here’s a summary of what to expect from this Shelf Control post.
Shelf Control is a meme run by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. It’s a celebration of the unread books on our shelves! The idea is to pick a book you own but haven’t read and write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up.
If you want to read more about the Shelf Control feature, check out Lisa’s introductory post.
On the broken world of Urdezha, Wendal Finn died on the hostile plains of the wasteland, one more casualty in the endless war between the city-dwellers and the clansfolk. But now Wendal has returned to his home city of Old Castle, possessed by something he brought back from the wasteland, something old and best left forgotten. The spirits are calling it Sycamore, an ancient entity out to avenge all victims of murder. And in a city like Old Castle, no one is innocent.
With his mind trapped inside a dead body, Wendal can do nothing but watch as Sycamore turns him into a serial killer. Until the magicians take an interest in him. Preserving Wendal’s body and trapping Sycamore inside it, the magicians now have the perfect assassin at their disposal. Whenever they need an enemy removed, they can set the killer loose on Old Castle. Between these moments of horror, Wendal struggles to piece together the remnants of his former life. He wants to know why his wife died while he was fighting in the war, but no one will tell him, no one wants him to know. Left to his own devices, Wendal picks at the scabs that cover the dark secrets of the magicians and reveals a threat to every city on Urdezha.
The clans are massing. A supernatural storm is raging across the wasteland. It has already destroyed one city, and now it is heading for Old Castle. And the only one who might prevent oblivion is the murderous entity who the spirits are calling Sycamore.
My Thoughts
Admittedly, I added The Song of the Sycamore to my reading list because I loved the author Edward Cox’s The Relic Guild trilogy. I didn’t pay too much attention to the premise of this book. His writing captured my attention enough that I want to pick up any of his books regardless.
I still stand by that. However, revisiting and actually paying attention to the synopsis of the book this time has gotten me excited to pick it up. It’s a unique idea, and readers of my blog will know how I feel about assassin protagonists. For those not in-the-know, I’m reading Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb right now.
It’s sounds a completely different style to The Relic Guild, but I’m intrigued. It reminds me a little of Crowfall by Ed McDonald in setting. As to whether it actually is similar, or if it lives up to that expectation, remains to be seen.
What book blogger wouldn’t proclaim themselves an avid reader?
If found without a book in hand, send for medical aid!
My name is Rebecca; welcome to my humble little blog.
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If I leave this house, it will be in handcuffs. I should have run for it while I had the chance. Now my shot is gone. Now that the police officers are in the house and they’ve discovered what’s upstairs, there’s no turning back. 
Genre: Thriller
Genre: Science-fiction 
Genre: Thriller / Police Procedural
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Genre: Fantasy/Science-fiction
Top 1% in Epic