Tag: Shaun Hume

Book Review: Ewan Pendle and the Castle of Nightmares – Shaun Hume

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***I have been provided with a copy of this book by the author for the purpose of providing an honest review. All opinions stated are my own***

My review of Ewan Pendle and the Castle of Nightmares feels a little overdue, but I have been looking forward to writing this post! The timing of the post is actually quite interesting. I have recently had my two year blog anniversary and I have been thinking back a lot to those early days. One of the earliest book reviews I posted was for the first book of Shaun Hume’s fantasy series, Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith. Incidentally, my review today is two weeks shy of the two year anniversary of that post! A strange part of me feels like we have grown together…

 

Ewan Pendle and the Castle of Nightmares

 

Goodreads – Ewan Pendle and the Castle of Nightmares

When Ewan Pendle began his second training year at Firedrake Lyceum, he thought it might at least be easier than the first. Now that he knew he was a Lenitnes, one of an ancient race of peoples who alone can see the real Creatures which inhabit the earth, he hoped things would maybe go a little downhill from here … How wrong he was.

Ewan is summoned by Alice Blazely, the would be assassin who he and his friends Mathilde and Enid helped capture last year, the cunning woman using her final wish after being sentenced to death for her crimes to request a private meeting with Ewan. Alone together in a deep and dank cell, Alice reveals a secret which could turn Ewan’s world upside down – again. Does she hold the answer to deciphering Ewan’s disturbing reoccurring dreams? Can he ever trust the woman who wanted to see him dead?

As if a shocking revelation from a new foe wasn’t enough to handle, Ewan must also tackle a sea monster in the Thames, deal with the evil Rosethorn twins, come face to face with a shadow troll in a London alleyway and bargain with a crafty dragon, and attempt to find a treasure lost for over a thousand years …

As the summer ends, Ewan’s year long initiation into the world of creatures and the Lenitnes is finally over. But it’s then when monsters of all shapes and sizes really do start leaping, clawing and flying at him thick and fast!

 

My Thoughts…

Ewan Pendle, his friends and the fantasy world he lives in has come on leaps and bounds since the first book. Where Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith lays the foundations of the series, this next book builds upon the established world in ways that I never could have imagined. Character relations are becoming more complex and I’m starting to feel a wider plot developing. I can’t wait to see what comes next!

The writing and narrative style of this second instalment of Ewan Pendle’s adventures has improved from the first book, in my opinion. I think having invested the time in setting everything up in the first book; the action and characters have more opportunity to shine through now, and they DO! I really love the additional world-building, such as the history of Firedrake Lyceum, being incorporated into the narrative in a clever way. Chapters are nice and concise as well, which makes for easy reading.

Ewan and friends, in their highly adventurous (and slightly, enjoyably reckless) way, risk their lives to locate a castle seen only through Ewan’s dreams/nightmares. Once Ewan’s connection to these dreams becomes apparent he must do everything he can to prevent the living nightmare. Ewan, by nature, is an introverted character. He can really come out of his shell when he needs to though. The depth of emotion he has makes him feel really real, and as someone who can relate to him really well, it makes me root for him all the more!

I can’t help but feel that this series will keep on giving. Each book is paced really well. They drive the story forward in a way that unveils new secrets and challenges as existing ones are resolved. I have said it before and I’ll say it again… I cannot wait to see what happens next! There are developments within this book that I didn’t see coming at all; I’m expecting a lot of surprises to come.

 

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Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary – 3rd March 2019

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It’s time for the Sunday Summary (aka weekly wrap-up) again guys! Have you had a good reading week?

My week had quite a good start really. Last week I failed in writing my review of A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. I really thought I was going to struggle. How do you even manage to start such an epic task? I did just fine though – in fact, I had to stop myself else I’d have been waffling nonsense! If you already love the book I would love to hear what you think about it as well!

Yesterday, again later than scheduled, I published my reading list for March. It was a little bit rushed to publish that post since I left it so late. I ended up spending a lot longer at a work social on Friday than I expected.

 

Books Read

My primary focus this week ended up being a little different than planned. I had hoped to finish Ewan Pendle and the Castle of Nightmares, but as I am proofreading as well as reading for review, this is quite an intensive task. I haven’t gotten very much sleep this week on account of a neighbour’s loud television at all hours of the night. Literally, 24/7. Put it this way, yesterday was my first opportunity to catch up on the much-needed sleep. I woke up at 11:45 am – much later than my 8:30 am alarm! Eek!

So, my head hasn’t been in the right place for proofreading. Instead, I decided to focus my attention on the last book on my February list, The End of Magic by Mark Stay. I started this book from scratch this week and I’m currently at 67%. I haven’t been reading at my best speed (for reasons mentioned above, as well as being out for lunch twice, staying late at work for an hour on Wednesday AND a work social on Friday), but I’m hoping to really make a push to have these two books read soon!

You may recall that I mentioned a book called Copyediting and Proofreading for Dummies in last week’s Sunday Summary post. Well, I was able to pick that up on Thursday. Naturally, my curious self couldn’t help but have a little nosy at a few chapters. There is no such thing as just looking at a few pages now…

 

Books Discovered

Out of the blue, I received a book recommendation by a friend yesterday, which was nice! She is one of my more bookish friends from school and I think we have similar tastes. She describes Gormenghast as “a brilliantly written, funny and macabre fantasy with lush descriptions and distinct characters”. The funniest part is that apparently, one character acts just like someone we both went to school with and the book “voices exactly why he was so irritating”.

I couldn’t possibly say no to that recommendation. I always try to credit them when I receive them, so thank you to my friend Alice @amjlawrence

 

Coming Up…

Before I even begin to tackle March’s reading list, priority number one is to finish February’s reads. Now that the pressure at work is off and I can hopefully get some sleep, I am really going to push finishing reading Ewan Pendle and the Castle of Nightmares and The End of Magic by midweek.

In terms of blog posts, I have decided to post another Top Ten Tuesday this week. It’s been a month since the last one, to the day. This month, my post will be all about my top ten book recommendations.

Later in the week, I’ll be dropping another review your way. This one is for The Cathedral of Known Things by Edward Cox, book two in the Relic Guild series. I am really looking forward to concluding the series by reading The Watcher of Dead Time later this month. This will be a great opportunity to conclude my thoughts about that book before I delve into the next!

 

 

Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary – 24th February 2019

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Happy Sunday folks! How has your reading week been?

Mine has been reasonable, although I have had a few bits and pieces to take care of here at home as well. Last weekend I re-painted my bedroom in anticipation for some new furniture arriving on Friday. I am glad I did – there is no way on this Earth I can move the new wardrobe, but I am very impressed with how it looks!

As a consequence of the upheaval from re-decorating and changing furniture, I spent a fair bit of time just getting the place back in order this week. I was off work on Friday and managed to get a fair bit of reading done, but not as much as I would have liked. After the new wardrobe arrived I had to tidy up, “move in” and inevitably had a bit more of a clear out.

In addition to the promised Down the TBR Hole post, I also told you that I was going to be publishing a review of A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. Unfortunately, due to the above and currently completing a proofread, I didn’t get around to that review. Apologies!

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Books Read

The majority of this week has been dedicated to reading (and proofreading) Ewan Pendle and the Castle of Nightmares by Shaun Hume. I have enjoyed putting the time into this book this week and have jumped from 10% to 73%. I am hoping to finish this within the next few days and offer my feedback to the author shortly!

In addition to Ewan Pendle’s adventures, I have been interspersing my reading of that book with a few more chapters of A Storm of Swords. 13% doesn’t sound like much, but it is well over a hundred pages of this epic tome. I’m happy to just keep chipping away at this one in between current reads at the moment. It’s going to take a while to read…

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Books Discovered

Technically I don’t have ownership of this book yet, but yesterday I ordered myself a practical book. Following my recent proofreading experience, I have taken a bit of an interest in the job and would like to learn a little more about it. If it’s feasible, I might consider proofreading or copyediting freelance in addition to my day job. So, I’ve ordered Copyediting and Proofreading for DUMMIES by Suzanne Gilad.

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Coming Up…

To make good on my promise last week, I’ll be posting my review of A Game of Thrones in the next few days. It is only fair after all. How I am even going to begin such a mammoth task is, for the moment, beyond me. I’ll find a way. I always do.

Before we know it, February has been and gone and it’s time for a new reading list. I am taking part in three Blog Tours in March and I cannot wait to share the details with you! My post will be going live on Friday.

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Top Blog Posts of the Week

I’m a terrible person and I’ll be the first to admit it here, but I haven’t read any other blogs this week AT ALL!! Such a slacker, I know! I’m sorry folks… I’ll be back on it next week!

If you have some really awesome links you would like me to read in the meantime, you are more than welcome to share them below! Pretty please 🙂

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Book Review: Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith – Shaun Hume

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Hi everybody!

Further to Monday’s post, as promised, I have finished reading Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith! I would like to thank Shaun for giving me the opportunity to read and review the book – being an independent/ self-published author, I may not have come across his work (at least for some time) had he not approached me directly.

A lot of reviews I saw initially compare the book to the Harry Potter series. Whilst I suppose it is true there is a similar introduction and is loosely based around the same concept I hope to steer anybody away from the idea that it is any kind of fan fiction. It is not. It is a novel of its own kind and has its very own story to tell.

 

Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith

 

Goodreads – Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith

“Ewan Pendle is a wonderful epic fantasy that’s perfect for Harry Potter withdrawals!” – AUTHOR Kayla Krantz

Ewan Pendle was weird. Really weird. At least, that’s what everyone told him. Then again, being able to see monsters that no one else could wasn’t exactly normal …

Thinking he has been moved off to live with his eleventh foster family, Ewan is instead told he is a Lenitnes, one of an ancient race of peoples who can alone see the real ‘Creatures’ which inhabit the earth. He is taken in by Enola, the mysterious sword carrying Grand Master of Firedrake Lyceum, a labyrinth of halls and rooms in the middle of London where other children, just like Ewan, go to learn the ways of the Creatures.

 

My Thoughts…

I will be perfectly honest and say it took a few days of picking the book up in stages to get me introduced to the characters and get into the novel. There is quite a bit of set up (as with any fantasy style book which does not follow “normal life” conventions) and I took my time getting my head around/into it. In contrast, I must have read the rest of the book over about 5 hours across two evenings!

The novel focuses on the life of Ewan Pendle, who spends his childhood being passed around from one foster home to another, never settling for more than a year before he is moved on again. It is common for foster children to feel like they do not fit in, but there is something unusual about Ewan that means he really does not fit in. He sees dragons eating out of dustbins. Creatures roam the world and it is the duty of the Lenitnes to both understand and protect various Creatures (and humans) from each other. To do this, the students are inducted to train at Firedrake Lyceum, run by Enola Whitewood.

Ewan enrols at this unique school upon the invitation of Enola, where he finally gets the chance to make friends and begins to learn and acquire some of the power that being Lenitnes demands.

Shaun cleverly lays down the foundations for the plot early, leaving us guessing after each chapter how different characters are all going to come together. The first chapter thrills us with Betony and her secret mission; later we meet the mysterious Jack Mangrove and learn of plots to kill the real Monarch of England. Following all these twists and turns through the perspective of young Ewan kept me as a reader engrossed entirely! Young or old, we are all as green as Ewan to the world of the Lenitnes and Vilhmied and our understanding gradually begins to grow with him.

There are also those characters that you love to hate; the teacher that picks on you and makes you run laps around the “Pain Yard”, the typical “it” club of the school year who bullies everybody not in the clique… the class weirdos and that nerdy girl with braces.

This really is a book for all us misfits and I hope to see more from Ewan and friends in the future as there is a lot of potential for this as a series! I really hope that this author gets more exposure and readers because it truly is deserved.

My next read, which I’m admittedly about a quarter of the way through already is “The Green Mile” by Stephen King. Though I can’t make any promises, I wouldn’t be surprised if I can get the book finished and review published by Monday.

Until next time, peace out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. For a while I was the nerdy librarian girl with braces, greasy hair and usually had my nose buried in a book – surprise surprise.

Current Reading List: May 2017

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Hi guys!! I thought I would begin this week by giving everybody an idea as to what books I am currently reading, as well as a look ahead as to what I plan to read in the near future.
Currently, upon request of the author I am reading “Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith” by Shaun Hume, so expect a review to follow shortly. So far I would rate the book as a great read for anyone who loves fantasy. You could either check it out now or alternatively wait for my full review before making a decision.
The next book I have lined up is from a very famous author that I am looking to explore further – the book itself explores some pretty controversial themes. It is a story I believe a lot of people are familiar with as it has also been made into a film. I hadn’t actually realised Stephen King was the author of this book until recently and it goes to show that I really need to branch out more. (I actually came across this knowledge watching a video on YouTube of a Rap Battle between Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe… (just for giggles – here’s the link https://youtu.be/56R3hU-fWZ ).
If anyone hasn’t guessed by now you must be as sheltered as I was a couple of months ago. Yes, I am talking about The Green Mile!
The next read on my list is an absolute CLASSIC. It’s something I would never have entertained picking up a couple of years ago and I’m not sure it is entirely my cup of tea now, but I like a challenge. Not only is it a classic, it’s an epic at approximately 1,000 pages.
Any ideas as to the identity of the book yet? You’ve probably all guessed it! It’s War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. As I said before I’m not sure what I will make of this, but I’m interested to find out and I’ll for sure keep you informed of how I get on!
I think I am going in with the preconception that it is going to be hard work just because is it so LONG! I hope I’m pleasantly surprised – I enjoyed the TV adaptation made by the BBC so I remain hopeful I don’t get bogged down in all those pages.
The final book on my list for this post drifts back to something a little more lighthearted and back to my most comfortable genre. I have been making a real attempt to read Terry Prachett this year, and although it took some work getting into his writing style, I adore it now. The next installment is “Witches Abroad” and features one of my favourite characters of all, Granny Weatherwax. Here’s a couple of my favorite quotes from her just to show how awesome she is…
“Granny Weatherwax was not lost. She wasn’t the kind of person who ever became lost. It was just that, at the moment, while she knew exactly where SHE was, she didn’t know the position of anywhere else”.
“Haven’t you got any romance in your soul?’ said Magrat plaintively.
‘No,’ said Granny. ‘I ain’t. And stars don’t care what you wish, and magic don’t make things better, and no one doesn’t get burned who sticks their hand in a fire. If you want to amount to anything as a witch, Magrat Garlick, you got to learn three things. What’s real, what’s not real, and what’s the difference.”
That’s all for now folks! As ever, if you have any comments please drop me a line – and check out that video I’ve linked up if you’re up for a laugh! You won’t regret it 🙂