Showing posts with label urban fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label urban fantasy. Show all posts

3 May 2018

Review - The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards

Title: The Last Sun (The Tarot Sequence #1)

Author: K.D. Edwards

Publication Date: June 12th, 2018

Synopsis:

Rune Saint John, last child of the fallen Sun Court, is hired to search for Lady Judgment's missing son, Addam, on New Atlantis, the island city where the Atlanteans moved after ordinary humans destroyed their original home.

With his companion and bodyguard, Brand, he questions Addam's relatives and business contacts through the highest ranks of the nobles of New Atlantis. But as they investigate, they uncover more than a missing man: a legendary creature connected to the secret of the massacre of Rune's Court. In looking for Addam, can Rune find the truth behind his family's death and the torments of his past?

My Thoughts: 

I received a free eARC of this book via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.


The Last Sun was the first novel I got approved for on Edelweiss, which means it's somehow special to me. The facts that it is an lgbtq urban fantasy, a debut novel and the author based its whole world on the Tarot deck made me want to pick it up as fast as I could. The reading experience was pleasant on the whole, however the book would have required a bit more polishing here and there in my opinion.

The plot was pretty well thought out, it started with an abduction and widened into a power game that sucked in a few scions of important New Atlantean families. I appreciated the mystery that surrounded the enemy because that meant Rune and Brand, our main duo, had to do some detective work to get to the bottom of things, not to mention they had to battle a creature that was part zombie part wizard (I'm gonna call it a zombizard, haha) without having any idea what it was capable of...

The book was very action-packed, and when I say very, I mean extremely, very, very, exceptionally, incredibly... TOO action-packed. I've never thought I'd consider it a disadvantage in a book but it is here. There are so many detailed fighting scenes in The Last Sun, I lost count by the end of the novel and the action seems to have taken the space and time away from the character and world building.

Interestingly enough, the side-characters are way better shaped than the main character. Brand Rune's bodyguard got the most attention, other than him, Quinn the seer and Max, the orphaned teenager they have to keep safe, are the ones that got some depth by the end. We see them through Rune's eyes, we receive information about them and see how much Rune cares for them, but Rune himself is somehow forgotten or so shrouded in mystery (perhaps intentionally?) that not even the reader can figure him out. I also kinda felt he was described and defined mostly by what happened to him when his father's court was destroyed and I felt it was a disservice to the character.

The humour in the book is excellent, it really is! I laughed out loud so much. It was something purely good and admirable about The Last Sun. Whenever there was a funny line I forgot about all the minor flaws and let me tell you, it happened often. All the bickering between Rune and Brand is priceless.

Even though the world building could have been a bit more organized, I liked how colourful the world itself was. There were a myriad of different creatures, like zombies, fairies, gargoyles, ghouls and so on. The places the characters visited were interesting and everything was filled with magic.

The magic system was very straightforward; the characters used sigils objects filled with magic to fight and defend themselves. I was glad this aspect was very easy to follow and there was logic to it (let's just say there are fantasy novels where the way magic works is not explained well enough).

As you can see I had some pros and some cons as well concerning this book but I'd say if you are a person who enjoys long fighting scenes and humorous pieces, give it a try! 


19 Apr 2018

Book Blitz - Wings of Flesh and Bones by Cathrina Constantine















Title: Wings of Felsh and Bones

Author: Cathrina Constantine

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: April 13th, 2018

Synopsis:

An Angel. A Witch. A Demon. And A Choice.

Creatures from outer realms suck, as any gatekeeper worth their salt will tell you. Welcome to Rogan’s life, an orphaned seventeen-year-old who lives and trains with other misfits under her uncle’s roof, keeping Earth safe from non-human realm jumpers. Rogan’s biggest issue concerns her uncle’s short leash with her freedom—that is of course, until she’s taken by a notorious witch, and her life begins to unravel. Soon, the supernatural beauty discovers there’s a reason her uncle kept such a tight lock on her whereabouts, and that she has more than angel blood running through her veins.

Eighteen-year-old Max is an angel, and Rogan’s mentor and guardian. He’s well aware of her tenacious inability to obey orders, though he also knows she’s a fierce fighter. When he’s involved in a scheme that ultimately gets Rogan kidnapped, he must battle his way back to her in an attempt to save her from the darkness threatening to possess her.


***Excerpt***

She toggled the knob to blast the shower and saw dried blood on her hands. Max’s blood. 

The crimson fluid had painted her fingers right into the beds of her nails. Shivering with lamenting self-pity, she tried to regulate her breathing before she passed out. 

Stepping in, she raised her face to the spout, hot water sprayed over her trembling body—thawing her icy resolve. Max’s blood swirled around the drain, taking with it her heart, her dreams, her happiness. She was disintegrating, piece-by-piece.Sheer grit locked her bones from splintering into the bath. If I can’t handle death, then I can’t handle life, and I’m no good as a gatekeeper. This wasn’t the first time she’d had to rethink her life.


About the author:


I am blessed with a loving family and forever friends. My world revolves around them.

I grew up in the small village of Lancaster, NY, where I married my sweetheart. I'm devoted to raising 5 cherished children, and now my grandchildren.

I love to immerse myself in great books of every kind of genre, which helps me to write purely for entertainment, and hopefully to inspire readers. When not stationed at my computer you can find me in the woods taking long walks with my dog.




Author Links:

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