Tag: #Adventure

The Tortured Kingdom by Bryan Asher

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

After a comet strikes the continent of Yohme, it’s left in shambles. Nations lay in rubble, magic has been corrupted, and a plague has turned most of the inhabitants into flesh-eating, undead, ghouls.

Traveling this apocalyptic landscape is Evan, a bounty hunter taking missions to survive. However, his latest quest to capture a thief leads to more than he bargained for. After uncovering an ancient map, he forms a party to hunt the sacred treasure inside the most formidable dungeon.

Once inside, they’ll have to overcome the trials of a god to reach it, and they’re not the only ones searching.

Review

I was intrigued by the blurb. Who doesn’t love a dungeon quest involving broken magic, undead ghouls and a group of characters forced to bond in pursuit of a sacred relic?

The world building and characterisation is superb, the fast pace sustained throughout. The author has successfully brought together a mixture of dungeons and dragons, mythical gods and creatures, magical artefacts, a dangerous quest and brought them to life on the page.

As the group make their way through the dangerous trials in the dungeon, strong themes of friendship, trust, working together as one, knowing yourself and those around you, making choices for self or group, as well as making the best of each individual’s strengths, the quest culminates in a big decision for Evan, the unlikely leader of the group. No spoilers here though.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look out for more of the author’s work.

Thanks to @The_WriteReads for a physical copy of the book to read and review for this blog tour. Please look out for other reviews over the coming days.

About the book

Genre: Fantasy

Age Category: Adult

Illustrators: Batsky Starman and Arief Rachmad

Number of Pages: 276 Pages

Publication Date: January 31, 2025

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/224887878-the-tortured-kingdom 

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/4f4f8d6b-a6ee-4966-b5e7-c97c7aa08c17 

Amazon: https://a.co/d/6u8sRgO (Canada) https://a.co/d/2yVjYj2 (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/iIViVDS (UK)

Skylark in the Fog by Helyna L Clove

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

During the BBNYA2024 competition, I read the 2k and 10k extracts and really wanted to read the whole story, so was happy to sign up for this tour. It thoroughly deserves its place as the 9th place finalist.

Blurb

So when the universe falls to pieces, it doesn’t mean your life has to, right? That comes later.

Jeane Blake, captain of the spaceship Skylark, makes her living by looting dead worlds, planets fallen prey to naturally occurring wormhole-like rifts plaguing the cosmos. She survives the only way she knows how: avoiding commitment and arguing with her dead foster father’s ghost. But when her crew stumbles upon an alien device that could collapse the wormhole network and wipe out all sentient life, they catch the hungry eyes of the Union, a tyrannical empire hunting the sinister tech.

As she flees the Union’s brainwashed agents, Jeane is forced to take on a shady mission and gets stuck assisting the runaway monarch of a technocrat planet. Queen Maura Tholis is seeking the aid of an interstellar resistance to reclaim her war-torn world, with another trouble-magnet device as her bargaining chip: a glove that allows her to command AI systems. Jeane couldn’t care less about the whole deal, but things become personal when the Union annexes the place she calls home. And it might be her fault.

Reluctant to become weapons in the hands of power-hungry militants and desperate rebels, smuggler and queen join forces. But to save their homes, they must redefine themselves, work with the enemy, and face personal traumas they’d buried long ago-and only stars know which challenge might break them in the end.

Review

As the story starts to unfold, we have two seemingly unconnected and polar opposite storylines. One of a lanehunter, Jeane, and her crew, scraping to make ends meet by “aquiring” junk (looting) and selling it on, hopping about space in an attempt to steer clear of the Union and its dictator forces. She is also trying to outrun her grief and emotions.

The other is of Maura, a princess, soon to be Queen, of the solar system of Miyoza, which is currently in a long, drawn out war with the Gaerrians. Although giving the appearance of fighting for freedoms and liberty, the King, along with the AI system that jointly rules, is just as much a dictatorship as The Union.

As the two storylines come together, pushing Jeane and Maura into an uneasy alliance, we begin to see how they are completely different but also similar, both fighting inner gremlins, but determined to make a difference.

As the story progresses, themes of power, greed, control and manipulation emerge strongly, alongside those of grit, determination, sacrifice, friendship and grief.

In the background, but very much strong forces in their own right, are two AI systems that have been corrupted by human influence, but it is the masses who suffer. Who thought it would be a good idea to have a human royal and AI jointly run a kingdom? Both the king and the leaders of the Union strongly stamp their will on their respective systems and … there are consequences!

You will just have to read the book to find out what those consequences are.

About the Book

Length: 524 Pages

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Age Category: New Adult

Date Published: September 6, 2022

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/5DXM2cC (Canada) https://a.co/d/jaFAuuQ (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/60gePiC (UK)

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61262158-skylark-in-the-fog 

The Story Graph Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b47418a6-e276-4d6d-9da5-1f6c6534dcbf

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers mfrom all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists (16 in 2024) and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads. 

The Thief of Farrowfell by Ravena Guron

On By @f33lthesunIn Upper KS2+Leave a comment

Blurb

Welcome to a fantasy world where edible magic is the hottest commodity, traded between those who can pay or – in the case of Jude Ripon, the youngest thief in Farrowfell – those who can steal it!

Twelve-year-old Jude Ripon has never been taken seriously by her family of magic-stealing masterminds. To them, she’s just the youngest, only good for keeping watch while they carry out daring heists.

Desperate to prove her worth, Jude decides to steal valuable magic from the fanciest house in town . . .

But Jude’s stolen prize was protected by a curse which threatens to wreak havoc on the family business.

While attempting to untangle the mess she’s made (and wondering why anyone would want to curse an honest thief trying to earn a living), Jude discovers just how far her family will go to stay at the top of the criminal world.

Suddenly, her quest to become a true Ripon isn’t straightforward any more . . .

Review

What a magical, adventurous start to the Farrowfell trilogy.

Jude is fed up being ignored and is out to prove herself to her very demanding family, who run their own criminal enterprise, acquiring and selling illegal magic. She is very much a “go big or go home” girl, so she steals a piece of rare magic from a mansion heavily fortified by spells. She realises too late that the magic is cursed and she needs to lift the curse before bragging to her family.

So begins a sequence of events that very quickly get out of control.

Having overheard snippets of family meetings, Jude is convinced her family have no faith in her and see here as a mere inconvenience. But are they hiding something? Something big?

Just shows great determination to prove herself. However, she makes a lot of assumptions about those around her and their motives for their actions.

As the story unfolds, we discover information about the family and their criminal enterprise in bits, as Jude does. We also see Jude believing something to be true with no evidence except her emotions. She is being told things by people she trusts, not knowing the whole story so fitting what she knows and discovers into her experience and world view, believing she is responsible for some things because she is sure she did something wrong and feels guilty … but she does not know everything, so gets more wrong. She is only human!

A strong sense of selflessness versus selfishness permeates the whole story and that ultimately is what counts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. The best bit is they are already out, so no waiting. Well, Book 3 is out on May 8th so time to read one and two!

Thanks to The Write Reads and Faber & Faber for a copy of the book to read and review for this blog tour. Please look out for the other blogs in the tour (see banner below).

About the Book

Genre: Fantasy

Age Category: Middle Grade

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Number of Pages: 320 Pages

Publication Date: May 2, 2023

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62018486-the-thief-of-farrowfell 

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/05b998c4-6ac9-41a8-a423-f92f6ad48be6 

Amazon: https://a.co/d/akN8Evl (Canada) https://a.co/d/cBViD8E (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/eyqvgyQ (UK)

Or my preferred option – buy from your local independent bookshop.

The Thief of Farrowfell is Book 1 in the Thief of Farrowfell series. 

Book 2, The Beast of Farrowfell, and Book 3, The Battle of Farrowfell, are also available.

Star Quest Academy: Above and Beyond by Adrian Lynch

On By @f33lthesunIn Upper KS2+Leave a comment

Blurb

For centuries, trillions of life forms throughout space have allowed humanity to believe we’re alone in the Universe. Any alien who dared to befriend us has met an unfortunate end: eaten, squashed, sent to a zoo, or even planted in a garden pot. But our advances in space exploration now threaten every civilisation across the Cosmos.

Amelia, a savvy, street-smart orphan, is one of four exceptional children selected from around the globe to represent humanity in the Human Inclusion Programme at the intergalactic Star Quest Academy. Here, they’ll unravel the Universe’s wonders, explore strange new worlds, and encounter magical creatures. Earth’s safety from invasion hinges on their success as cadets, but if any of them fail, Earth will be invaded by ruthless warlords.

When a series of sinister incidents jeopardise their mission, it becomes clear that someone – or something – wants them to fail. To save their world, the cadets must overcome their differences and combine their unique skills.

Review

I am always happy to see more sci-fi for 9+ being written and published and Star Quest Academy doesn’t disappoint.

It is a fast paced adventure that starts off on Earth and ends up in space, with Earth being threatened with alien invasion because to all other species, humans are seen destructive. This is a #NotAllHumans moment.

Although the tempo and adventure are fast moving, we still get to know Amelia and her fellow human candidates well and their strengths, when pooled together, enable the team to meet their foes head on.

The themes of solitude, lost family, friendship, human behaviours and interconnectedness are handled well. There are also some gross moments (looking at you, vomit bubbles) that manage to temporarily take your mind off the tension that builds throughout the story.

The ending hints that this is the first of a series and I hope the next one is just as exciting.

About the Book

Genre: Science Fiction

Age Category: Middle-Grade 

Number of Pages: 280 Pages

Publication Date: February 13, 2025

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223726420-star-quest-academy 

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/79fe4e6c-7911-4343-b8ed-c0290ed1cf8d 

Amazon: https://a.co/d/6jjdGea (Canada) https://a.co/d/fZhLPiZ (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/fQelUs8 (UK) 

Or purchase from your local independent bookshop.

Skyfleet: March of the Mutabugs by Victoria Williamson

On By @f33lthesunIn Upper KS2+Leave a comment
Skyfleet: March of the Mutabugs by Victoria Williamson
Cover by James Brown

Blurb

When the skies turn deadly, a young heroine must rise from the ashes…

Twelve-year-old Amberley Jain has faced incredible challenges since the crash that took her parents and paralysed her legs. Now, with her best friend Ricardo Lopez about to be sent away and a swarm of mutated insects closing in on the Skyfleet base, the stakes have never been higher. Something monstrous is driving the mutabugs north from the contaminated meteor site known as the Cauldron, and the only plane capable of stopping it – the Firehawk – lies in pieces in the hangar.

Determined to honour her parents’ legacy, Amberley hatches a daring plan. With Ricardo’s help, they stow away on a supply train, trading his most treasured possession for the parts needed to repair the Firehawk. After secret test flights, the legendary jet is ready for action. Now, Amberley and Ricardo must confront the deadly swarm and save their home, discovering their inner strength and the true meaning of friendship along the way.

Skyfleet: March of the Mutabugs is a thrilling tale of adventure and resilience, perfect for middle-grade readers.

Review

Victoria Williamson has done it again. She has built a believable, futuristic, dystopian world where mutabugs are taking over, causing chaos and harm. Added to that, new giant mutabugs hatching from a crater caused by a meteor that are threatening all the villages and crops. Giant spiders, immune to the majority of weapons the bedraggled Skyfleet can throw at them, are snatching villagers and cocooning them.

The only craft with strong enough fire power is out of action and irreparable (according to the adults). However, Amberley and her best friend Ric know better. With a little help from renegade pilot Screwball (I couldn’t help thinking of Wacky Races whenever she and Bandit were involved) and her pet wombat, they collect the scraps needed to repair the Firehawk.

Showing determination and skill, they secretly rebuild and test the jet, but end up involved in more than they bargained for when they get caught up in a mutabug attack that could finish everyone off.

Themes of loss, disability, friendship, resilience and courage come through strongly in this adventurous sci-fi dystopian thriller. Highly recommended.

Thanks to @The_WriteReads and Tiny Tree (publisher) for the ARC to read and review for this blog tour.

Buddy the Knight and The Queen of Sorrow by Peter David

On By @f33lthesunIn Children KS2Leave a comment

Blurb

Buddy is no ordinary teddy bear.

He’s a Knight, crafted by The Nameless Wizard himself, and sworn to protect his Person, 10-year old Mieya, from all the Things-That-Go-Bump-In-The-Night.

When Mieya is cursed into a magical sleep, it’s up to Buddy and his friends Esteban the Bard, Sasha the Warrior-Princess, and Copper the Butterfly to journey across The Realm-Under-The-Bed and find the one responsible.

But this is no ordinary Quest. The Realm is a dangerous place, filled with jungles, deserts, lightning storms, and Monsters. But worst of all is The Queen of Sorrow who waits for them in her dark castle in the crags. To break her curse, Buddy will need more than his skill with a blade, Esteban’s witty songs, or Sasha’s ferocious might.

He’ll need Heart.

Review

Starting off with a fabulous map of The Realm-Under-The-Bed, which sets the scene for this questing adventure, is always a winner.

The author has created a fantastic world into which our brave hero, Buddy the Knight, must journey, in order to save his Person, Mieya, from the evil Queen of Sorrow’s curse.

Armed with his enchanted sword, a magic amulet to show him the perilous way and Esteban, his trusty sidekick, Buddy sets off to battle monsters, sirens, storms and other unknown perils.

Along the way, Buddy encounters friends, foes and challenges that make him question his bravery and everything he believes to be true. Can he solve the quest riddle and defeat the evil Queen?

There are a few themes woven through the story which hit the right notes; do not let how you look or how you think others perceive you to limit you or make you feel less than who you are, know that you need both heart and mind to be whole and finally, be there for your friends and let them be there for you.

Thank you to the author for the eARC in exchange for this review.