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reviews August 22, 2021

Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

For millennia, two women have been blamed for the fall of a mighty civilisation – but now it’s time to hear their side of the story . . .

As princesses of Sparta, Helen and Klytemnestra have known nothing but luxury and plenty. With their high birth and unrivalled beauty, they are the envy of all of Greece.

Such privilege comes at a high price, though, and their destinies are not theirs to command. While still only girls they are separated and married off to legendary foreign kings Agamemnon and Menelaos, never to meet again. Their duty is now to give birth to the heirs society demands and be the meek, submissive queens their men expect.

But when the weight of their husbands’ neglect, cruelty and ambition becomes too heavy to bear, they must push against the constraints of their sex to carve new lives for themselves – and in doing so make waves that will ripple throughout the next three thousand years. (publisher)

The book is told from the alternating pov’s of Helen and Klytemnestra. I liked the first part, which concentrating on their childhood and getting to know the characters. The Trojan War part was shorter and felt somewhat rushed.

I liked Klytemnestra’s chapters much more than Helen’s. Helen came out as a spoiled, thoughtless, and silly girl to whom things “just happened”.

There were some parts of the mythology missing that left some gaps in the story. There is no wooden horse, instead, the city is just suddenly sacked without really explaining how this came to be. How did the soldiers get inside Troy? There were no mentions of Kassandra’s visions, which are a huge part of Kassandra’s story. Although, it was nice seeing the friendship between her and Helen.

Despite all this, I quite enjoyed the book. Just not as much as I thought I would.

3/5

Published: Hodder & Stoughton (July 22, 2021)
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley

reviews July 12, 2021

Tsarina’s Daughter by Ellen Alpsten

Tsarina’s Daughter by Ellen Alpsten

Born into the House of Romanov to the all-powerful Peter the Great and Catherine I, beautiful Tsarevna Elizabeth is the world’s loveliest Princess and the envy of the Russian empire. Insulated by luxury and as a woman free from the burden of statecraft, Elizabeth is seemingly born to pursue her passions.

However, when her mother dies; Russia is torn, masks fall, and friends become foes. Elizabeth’s idyllic world is upended. By her twenties she is penniless and powerless, living under constant threat. As times change like quicksand, Elizabeth must decide whether she is willing to take up her role as Russia’s ruler, and what she’s willing to do for her country. (publisher)

Elizabeth is a daughter of Tsar Peter the Great and Tsarina Catherine I, whose life changes when her father, mother and fiancée all die close together. She needs to learn how to survive during the years with changing rulers amidst the court intrigues. Peter tried to westernize and modernize Russia during his reign, which wasn’t well-received by everyone. So, when he dies, some people try to bring back the old ways, which also affects Elizabeth’s life.

This is the second book in a series but works well as a stand-alone. I haven’t read the first book, which tells the story of Elizabeth’s parents but could follow easily. I haven’t read a book about Elizabeth before, so this was a nice change.

The book follows adolescent Elizabeth trying to survive the court politics but sadly ends when her reign starts. I would have liked to read more about her reign. There are some magical elements in there which seemed a bit far fetched. But it’s not a huge part of the book so it didn’t matter so much.

My one problem was that it wasn’t always clear how much time has passed. At some point, it becomes clear that some years have passed but it’s not always clear how much time. But all in all, it was an enjoyable, quick read and I do want to read the previous book too.

3/5

Published: Bloomsbury Publishing (July 8, 2021)
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley

reviews May 12, 2021

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

The Shadow of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga 1) by John Gwynne

A century has passed since the gods fought and drove themselves to extinction. Now only their bones remain, promising great power to those brave enough to seek them out.

As whispers of war echo across the land of Vigrið, fate follows in the footsteps of three warriors: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman pursuing battle fame, and a thrall seeking vengeance among the mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.

All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods. (publisher)

I was very excited to read this, and I wasn’t disappointed!

We have 3 POVs: Orka, Varg and Elvar. Orka, a former warrior, wants to just live a peaceful life with her family. But that life is disrupted when her husband is killed, and her son stolen. Varg is a former thrall (slave) who wants to avenge his sister’s death and joins Bloodsworn, a warband. Elvar is a daughter of a jarl who joined a warband in search of glory.

I have to say that there is a fair number of characters. And I can already see myself wondering who all these people are when reading the next book. I kept wondering how these 3 main characters will get together.

It took me some time to warm up to Orka but in the in she was the character I was most interested in. I wanted to, and still want to, learn more about her past. At first, she seems very strict and harsh towards her son, and you could tell there’s a story behind that. I found Varg to be the less interesting, many of the other characters in his group were far more interesting. I’m interested to see how the betrayals will affect Elvar in the future and how that storyline evolves.

I liked the world-building and writing. By looking at the cover you would think there are a lot of dragons but that wasn’t the case. Maybe in the next book? This was my first read by Gwynne, even though I’ve had Malice for some time. But I can’t wait to read the next book.

4/5

Published: Orbit (May 6, 2021)
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley

reviews April 18, 2021

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

The Bone Shard Daughter (The Drowning Empire 1) by Andrea Stewart

Magic. Revolution. Identity.

The Emperor’s reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire’s many islands.

Lin is the Emperor’s daughter and she spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognise her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic.

Yet such power carries a great cost, and when the revolution reaches the gates of the palace, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright – and save her people. (publisher)

I was so excited to read this and I had heard so many good things about this but sadly it didn’t live up to that expectation.

Okay, first of all, there’s a lot of POVs. Lin is the emperor’s daughter, Jovis is a smuggler trying to find his wife, Phalue is the governor’s daughter who has a girlfriend named Ranami who sides with the rebels and then Sand, although she only gets about 2 chapters. The only storyline I was interested in was Lin. Well, Sand was interesting, but she had so few chapters that I didn’t really see the point of having them on top of all the others. Phalue was totally pointless and don’t understand what she added to the story.

I just didn’t connect with any of the characters. The chapters were quite short due to the constant POV change, which didn’t help to connect to them. I felt that I didn’t learn to know these characters or the world. There were many little islands, and one of them sunk, but that’s about it.

I liked the concept of the shards and how you can control people through them, but it was just… lacking something. Can’t say what it was exactly but something. Mostly I was just annoyed with the constant POV change. The first part of the books is very slow before the pace picks up.

I was so surprised that Jovis was looking for his wife who went missing like 7 years ago. Because I thought he was a teenager or so. And in all the flashbacks they were kids. I was just confused, and I never got how old they really were, but it was weird.

Everyone else seems to love this so maybe it’s just me.

2,5 stars

Published: Orbit (April 8, 2021)
Format: eBook
Pages: 435
Source: Netgalley

reviews March 6, 2021

Quiet in Her Bones by Nalini Singh

Quiet in Her Bones by Nalini Singh

When socialite Nina Rai disappeared without a trace, everyone wrote it off as another trophy wife tired of her wealthy husband. But now her bones have turned up in the shadowed green of the forest that surrounds her elite neighborhood, a haven of privilege and secrets that’s housed the same influential families for decades.

The rich live here, along with those whose job it is to make their lives easier. And somebody knows what happened to Nina one rainy night ten years ago. Her son Aarav heard a chilling scream that night, and he’s determined to uncover the ugly truth that lives beneath the moneyed elegance . . . but no one is ready for the murderous secrets about to crawl out of the dark.

Even the dead aren’t allowed to break the rules in this cul-de-sac. (publisher)

Ten years ago, Aarav Rai’s mother, a socialite, disappeared with the money she took from her husband’s safe. Ishaan was convinced that she was a thief who just took off. But her son isn’t convinced, especially because he remembers a scream from that night. A decade later Aarav is an author, back in his childhood home after an accident, when his mother’s body is found.

I was curious to read this since I’ve loved the Guild Hunter series, but this was my first of her mystery book and the first book I’ve read that’s set in New Zeeland.

Set in Auckland, New Zeeland in a privileged neighbourhood in a cul-de-sac. Aarav isn’t happy to be back living with his controlling father, his new wife and daughter, and there are old family issues. I actually liked Aarav’s relationship with his half-sister Pari and the way he was looking after her. That was a good thing in this dysfunctional family.

Aarav wasn’t always, and I mean often, likeable but he was an interesting character. The victim wasn’t very likeable either, but you could see the love between mother and son, although a very complex one.

There are quite a few characters since we meet a lot of neighbours and many of those were interesting in their own right.

I loved the book, and I couldn’t figure out who did it. A bit different from what I usually read but very enjoyable.

4/5

Published: Atria Books (February 9, 2021)
Format: eBook
Pages: 384
Source: Netgalley