Tag: Folklore

Shelf Control #87 – 21/03/2025

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Happy Friday and welcome to today’s Shelf Control post. Today’s feature is an unusual choice – but it’s for that reason I want to pick it up. It’s a folkloric retelling in graphic novel format. Compared to my usual reading, it’s quite out there. However, it has a feminist slant that I’m looking forward to exploring!

As ever, 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.


The 100 Nights of Hero – Isabelle Greenberg   

Genre: Graphic Novel / Folklore Retellings

Pages: 244

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Publication Date: 20 Dec 2016

 

Goodreads – The 100 Nights of Hero

 

‘A feminist fairy-tale… A wondrously intricate book, and a witty attack on the patriarchy, this is an instant classic.’ Observer

From the author who brought you The Encyclopedia of Early Earth comes another Epic Tale of Derring-Do.

Prepare to be dazzled once more by the overwhelming power of stories and see Love prevail in the face of Terrible Adversity!

You will read of betrayal, loyalty, madness, bad husbands, lovers both faithful and unfaithful, wise old crones, moons who come out of the sky, musical instruments that won’t stay quiet, friends and brothers and fathers and mothers and above all, many, many sisters.


My Thoughts

If there is one thing I tried my cell phone, it’s my willingness to try reading new things. In fact, one of my goals for this year is to read more out of my comfort zone. Whilst I wouldn’t describe this as necessarily a stretch, it is different.

I don’t typically read graphic novels, and I tend to stay away from shorter stories as well. The 100 nights of hero is both of these things. However, I think it will be a satisfying change of pace to the typical books I read. Sometimes, it’s nice to do something a little bit different or read something refreshing and new to act as a palette cleanser.

I don’t really know what to expect with the 100 nights of hero, but that’s okay. In a way, I think going into this book blind will make this an entertaining story for me. I’m not too familiar with the story it is retelling, but I can brush myself up on that detail

Thanks for checking out today’s Shelf Control post! Have you read The 100 Nights of Hero?

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Book Birthday Blitz Review: The Rue Stone – Janet Stock

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Hi everyone and welcome to today’s review of The Rue Stone as part of the organised book birthday blitz blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources. The Rue Stone is an entertaining fantasy novella, so if that sounds like something you are interested in, please stick around to read on. Before diving into the detail, I’ like to say a huge thank you to Rachel and the author of the novella, Janet Stock, for the opportunity to take part in the tour!

In addition to my review, today’s post also provides the opportunity for UK readers to enter a giveaway and win a paperback copy of the novella! Those details can be found later in the post! For now, though, let’s talk about what I loved about the book!

 

The Rue Stone – Janet Stock

Goodreads – The Rue Stone

The rue is a mysterious and rare being who is rarely seen, and Janna is amazed when one arrives at the inn where she works, looking for a room. The next morning, her life has changed, and she is left wondering whether she will ever see him again, but only time and the rue stone know the answer to that question.

 

Purchase Links –  Amazon UK      Amazon US

 

My Thoughts…

Whether you are a regular reader of fantasy novels or are looking to explore the genre, The Rue Stone is a perfect read regardless of audience. As a fairytale-like novella, it is really easy to pick up; there isn’t a huge commitment to a long, complex storyline to invest into. I personally read The Rue Stone in one sitting, so it’s also ideal for anyone who doesn’t have much time to set aside and read.

Even though the novella is only 80 pages, there is plenty of beautiful descriptions and folklore incorporated into the narrative. The rue are mysterious, magical beings of legend. Janna has heard the stories, but she learns the truth of them when a rue walks into the inn she works in and changes her life. There is a great deal of mystery about the rue and they have plenty of potential to be explored further.

There is an element of romance in the novella, but I liked that it didn’t overshadow the plot. Regular readers of mine will know that I’m not a big romance fan, but the budding relationship in The Rue Stone isn’t too heavy.

The amount of detail in the background of the story is well proportioned with current events. I would, however, like to see more from this world and the backstory to the rue explored further. Having read this particular story from the perspective of Janna I’m intrigued to know how different the story would be from Arval’s viewpoint. There is definitely potential in this story for further stories and I would definitely be interested in seeing Janet’s fantasy world explored in more depth.

 

Author Bio

Having written all of my life, I decided to self-publish my writing when I turned 50. I have published four books since then. Two are collections of short stories; Dark & Fluffy; Dark & Fluffy II and 500 Words, which is flash fiction. My latest book The Rue Stone is a fantasy novella.

My passion is medieval fiction, and I am working on my first novel The Little Servant – The Wait’s Son, set in the 12th century, in Lincoln, where I live.

All four books are available on Amazon.

Social Media Links –

www.janetstockwriter.wordpress.com

fb Janetstockwriter

@janetstock12

 

Giveaway to Win 5 paperback copies of The Rue Stone (UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494390/