Tag: #Courage

Kavithri by Aman J Bedi

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment
Cover by Giby Joseph

Blurb

Kavi is a Taemu. Her people, once feared berserkers and the spearhead of a continent-spanning invasion, are the dregs of Raayan society. Their spirits crushed. Their swords broken. Their history erased.

But Kavi has a dream and a plan. She will do whatever it takes to earn a place at the secretive mage academy, face the Jinn within its walls, and gain the power to rise above her station and drag her people out of the darkness.

Except power and knowledge come at a cost, and the world no longer needs a Taemu who can fight. So they will break her. Beat her down to her knees. And make her bleed.

But if blood is what they want, Kavi will give them blood. She will give them violence. She will show them a berserker’s fury.

And she will make them remember her name.

Review

This is a debut dark fantasy novel that pulls no punches. The world building is assured and confident, the characters full and vibrant and the story deep and intriguing. It is also gruesome in parts.

There is a lot of back story, both for the main characters and the politics of the world, but this is divulged by different characters at various points in the story, so no long info dumps.

Kavi is an orphan, a Taemu (the lowest of the low in this world’s caste system) and has no one. She doesn’t even trust her own memory about where she comes from and what happened to her family. A chance encounter when she helps someone unexpectedly opens up her world in a way she could not have hoped for, despite it being her goal.

Whilst feeling Kavi’s disappointment, I was pleased that the “expected” ending to the first set of tests in her attempt to become a Mage did not happen and this story took Kavi in a less anticipated direction towards her ultimate goal.

On the way, Kavi meets a wide variety of people who bring their own baggage and history, linked in both good and bad ways to Kavi’s. There are things she will find out that will not make sense to her and will shake her beliefs and what she thought she knew.

Kavi is a loner, an underdog and an outcast who has been treated abominably by society but she is determined in her search for her family. The learned helplessness and capitulation that the Taemu employ to survive is something else she needs to get her head around if she is to make any progress towards becoming a Mage, so her struggle is mental and physical. Years of being kind and not hurting anyone, the fear that if she does she will let out the inner berserker of her ancestors and not get able to control it is to the forefront of her mind and the biggest hurdle to her success.

Warning: The final third of the story is extremely violent and brutal. There are gladiator style confrontations, one on one combats, battles and a gruesome torture. If you liked Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy, then you will like this. I am now waiting excitedly for the next part of Kavi’s story.

Thanks to the publishers, Gollancz, and @The_WriteReads for the ARC for me to read and review.

About the Author

Aman was born in Mysore, India. He grew up in Vizag, studied in Bangalore, lived in Bangkok,  completed a PhD in experimental psychology at the University of Canterbury, and has settled (for now) in Melbourne, Australia. His writing draws from modern Indian history and is influenced by writers and artists like David Gemmell, Brandon Sanderson, Takehiko Inoue, and Kentaro Miura.

Hermit of Paradise by Kim Sanders

On By @f33lthesunIn Adult1 Comment

Blurb

Detective Auby Midnight is retired. Or so he imagines. Jaded and transformed by a long career of witnessing degeneracy, tragedy, and true evil, he reflects on the place that first nurtured him: Paradise Cove, Lake Texoma, and the rich, endearing memories of mischief, adventure, and friendship that shaped his childhood. That is, until the day a violent feud brought irrevocable trauma for his best friend, Sunny.

Now Sunny implores the wearied Auby to right the wrongs of the past and return to the case that has haunted him and his childhood friends for years. Older, wiser, and far more experienced, they set out to defeat the evil that stole their innocence and restore the magic of Paradise Cove.

Inspired by the author’s own life events as a sixth-generation Texan and a former member of the Dallas Police Department with decades of experience under his belt, Hermit of Paradise explores meaning, morality, and the fight to stay human in the face of a grim and complicated world.

Review

After reading the blurb, I had in my head how I thought this story would unfold…but I was wrong. Yes, there is some police procedure but as part of Auby’s backstory, rather than the main chunk of the tale, and that is no bad thing.

Overall, it is a story about Auby retiring from the police and finally facing up to what happened one summer when innocence was lost and a group of young teens is caught up in a feud between local family factions, underworld gambling, war veterans, and family ties that are either blood or bands of brothers.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of and the author does a superb job of creating fully formed characters and integrates their story arcs seamlessly.

I can get frustrated when information about the past is drip fed in a dual timeline narrative but in this case, Sanders does it pitch perfect. So much so, the sucker punch hits its target.

This story will sit with me for a long time to come.

Thanks to @The_WriteReads and Brown Books for the eARC to read and review for this blog tour.

Pax and the Forgotten Pincher by David Barker

On By @f33lthesunIn Upper KS2+Leave a comment
Cover by Bruno Oliveira Marini

This is the sequel to the excellent Pax and the Missing Head, which I read and reviewed here. I was happy to be asked by the publisher, Tiny Tree, to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb

Pax has made it through the trials of his first year at Scholastic Parliament, but any hopes of a quieter second year are quickly dashed when he makes a shocking discovery in the school’s basement. A new student joins the school, acting suspiciously and muscling in on Pax’s friendship with Samuel. At least being reigning champions in the Parliamentary Polls allows Pax and his friends to explore the city at weekends. But drone raids and cyber-attacks disrupt life in New London while a paranoid mayor cracks down hard on terrorism.

Unwittingly, Pax helps an innocent man get captured. Driven by guilt, he seeks out the Underground resistance movement and is given a mission to steal some codes from the mayor. In the process, Pax uncovers the shocking truth about a new factory that threatens the lives of millions of people. He is torn between stopping this latest sinister plot and focusing on schoolwork to keep alive his dream of becoming an engineer. To achieve both, he’ll need help. But who can he trust in a city full of falsehoods? What sacrifices will he need to make? Find out in the latest instalment in the London Falling series.

Review

In the first instalment of the London Falling series, we left Pax having completed his first year at Scholastic Parliament, having been guided by its AI to apply and follow his dream of becoming an engineer who fixes and invents technology.

Now, in his second year, having scuppered the Mayor’s fiendish plans, he stumbles across yet another discrepancy that he thinks points to the mayor being up to absolutely no good again. However he is reluctant to confide in his friends as he doesn’t trust the new boy and one of his close friends has also changed to another school house.

David Barker has continued to develop the superb Old London world building, bringing in more of London Town this time.

Filled with tension and worry, the action is almost non stop and Pax is back to planning escapades, using Roacher and Bee-Bop, his own robot creations, in order to uncover the Mayor’s dastardly schemes to control everyone. Again, themes of friendship, loyalty, betrayal, dictatorship and trust feature heavily.

This second book builds confidently on the first. The series is on an upward trajectory and I cannot wait for Pax’s third adventure.

Looking for Lucie by Amanda Addison – A Spotlight Post

On By @f33lthesunIn Young AdultLeave a comment
Cover by Jet Purdie

I am shining a spotlight on the wonderful Looking for Lucie by Amanda Addison, to celebrate its publication in the US on October 1st 2024.

I really enjoyed reading this when it came out earlier this year in the UK and reviewed it here.

Book Info

Genre: Contemporary YA

Length: 272 pages

Published: April 2024 in UK and Oct 1st 2024 in US

Goodreads 

StoryGraph

Amazon UK 

Amazon US

Or buy it from your local independent bookshop, which is my preferred option.

Blurb

Looking for Lucie is a contemporary YA novel that explores identity, self-discovery, and newfound friendship as an 18-year-old girl sets out to uncover her ethnic heritage and family history.

It’s a question every brown girl in a white-washed town is familiar with, and one that Lucie has never been able to answer.

All she knows is that her mother is white, she’s never met her father, and she looks nothing like the rest of her family. She can’t even talk about it because everyone says it shouldn’t matter!

Well, it matters to Lucie and—with her new friend Nav, who knows exactly who he is—she’s determined to find some answers.

What do you do when you question your entire existence? You do a DNA test.

About the Author

Amanda Addison is an award-winning author of books for adults and children. Her writing has been translated into German, Greek, Italian and Ukrainian. Her picture book, Boundless Sky, was nominated for The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal, and her YA novel, Looking for Lucie, was listed for the Searchlight Writing Novel Opening Award. A graduate of Chelsea school of Art, her writing and artwork are inspired by travel, textiles, and the natural world. Amanda holds an MA in Writing the Visual and lectures in Art & Design and has also led workshops in Creative Writing at the National Centre for Writing. Amanda lives in Norfolk, UK, with her family.

Her writing includes flash fiction, short stories, picture books and novels. She explores themes of home and belonging, and enjoys using the juxtaposition of rural and city life. Her characters are often artists or scientists, as their curiosity about the world around them are two sides to the same coin, and the exploration of art and science can give us meaning and purpose in life with its infinite avenues of discovery. Amanda’s debut YA novel, Looking for Lucie, Neem Tree Press 2024, explores the above. It is a contemporary story of identity, self-discovery, and newfound friendship. Lucie, an 18-year-old art student sets out to uncover her ethnic heritage and family history with her new scientist friend Nav. Together they unravel family secrets.

Amanda believes in the power of stories as a window on the world, and a mirror to better see ourselves and is passionate about stories which are empowering and inclusive. When not writing she can be found swimming in the North Sea or running in the countryside, and that is when she gets some of her best ideas!

Please look out for other spotlights and reviews on this tour to celebrate the US release of Looking for Lucie.

Calm by SJ Baker

On By @f33lthesunIn Young Adult2 Comments

Blurb

In this enthralling dystopian YA thriller where emotions become weapons, the fight for humanity’s true essence takes centre stage.

In a near-future Britain, society’s calm facade conceals a sinister truth: the state maintains its control by meddling with the nation’s water supply. The result? A population lulled into apathy. Lulled, apart from a courageous few known as the Resistors.

New Resistor Owyn joins lifelong Resistor Tiegan in a fierce quest for freedom. Spurred on by the promise of a mass Resistance, they ignite a chain of events that shakes the foundations of Britain’s oppressive regime.

One thing is clear: the price of freedom is higher than they ever imagined.

Review

“There’s a rumour on the corner
But it’s always been denied
‘Cause they don’t want you any wiser
You’re just toeing the party line”.

Word of Mouth – Mike and the Mechanics

“Swear allegiance to the flag
Whatever flag they offer
Never hint at what you really feel”

Silent Running – Mike and the Mechanics

The lyrics in both these songs came to mind as I read Calm.

In order to quell ongoing violence and disturbances across Britain, the government add chemicals to the water to calm the population, removing any emotional responses the people may have.

Owyn lost his parents and was brought up in a boarding school, knowing nothing else but compliance. However his resistance to the drugs starts to wear off.

Tiegan lives with her family but has a resistance to the drugs in the water. To keep her safe, her parents train her to keep her face calm and not react to anything emotionally.

Calm is told as dual perspective, alternating Owyn and Tiegan’s stories. It follows them as they end up on the run, being hunted by the Servants, being helped by other resistors and some others from the more organised Resistance. As they both separately head north to where they believe there is a Resistance stronghold, we follow their fight for survival.

As well as a lack of knowledge of anything beyond his well controlled boarding school experience and the usual teenage hormones to deal with, the sudden arrival of ALL the emotions is a lot for Owyn to deal with. Anger, betrayal, grief, jealousy, confusion, shame and hate swirl inside his brain whilst he attempts to build trust in others on the run.

The story is riveting, full of well crafted characters and action sequences. I am full of hope for a sequel…please!

Thank you to Neem Tree Press and @The_WriteReads for the eARC to read and review for this blog tour. Look out for all the other blogs too.

Anticipation by Neil Taylor

On By @f33lthesunIn #YALeave a comment
Cover designed by Jet Purdie

Blurb

You are being played.

Your every move is being watched by businesses hoping to manipulate your behaviour. Every picture, every post, every like, every follow, every purchase, every search.

When 17-year-old Riya Sudame inherits her father’s secret AI algorithm, she and a handful of carefully selected Keyholders hold the power to predict people’s futures using their online data. But with great power comes great responsibility, and they must safeguard it from falling into the wrong hands.

Enter Jim Booker, a powerful social media tycoon, who will stop at nothing to steal the technology for himself. Soon Riya faces a critical choice. Fighting ruthless tech giants seems like an impossible task—wouldn’t it be easier to relinquish her father’s creation in exchange for a normal teenage life? 

But if she does, she will have to live with the knowledge that she is the reason that, like everyone, you are being played.

Review

Taylor has written a high paced, moral led thriller that could well be happening right now.

So many of the scenarios – data mining on social media, monetising of it, scientific developments intended to help all being bought up / stolen and produced for profit – happen already.

Anticipation takes these ideas to the next level. It puts two teenagers, with no knowledge of the power their fathers’ technology, in charge of protecting it and ensuring it ends up helping everyone.

However, this leads them into dangerous territory, their families put at risk and them trying to save themselves and the technology without using traceable technology for fear of being traced. At one point they even try to turn the tables by influencing the influencers to try to uncover the scams and show the world what is happening.

The theme of data manipulation in this story takes us deeper than it just being sold so companies can spam us with target audience specific ads. It takes us into the territory of our online footprint enabling those companies to accurately predict our behaviours and actions, to manipulate and lead us where we may not want to go, making them even more powerful than they already are.

Thank you to Neem Tree Press and @The_WriteReads for the ARC to allow me to review for this blog tour.

The Reanimator’s Heart by Kara Jorgensen

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

A reluctant necromancer, a man killed before his time, and the crime that brings them together.

Felipe Galvan’s life as an investigator for the Paranormal Society has been spent running into danger. Returning home from his latest case, Felipe struggles with the sudden quiet of his life until a mysterious death puts him in the path of the enigmatic Oliver Barlow.

Oliver has two secrets. One, he has been in love with the charming Felipe Galvan for years. Two, he is a necromancer, but to keep the sensible life he’s built as a medical examiner, he must hide his powers. That is until Oliver finds Felipe murdered and accidentally brings him back from the dead.

But Felipe refuses to die again until he and Oliver catch his killer. Together, Felipe and Oliver embark on an investigation to uncover a plot centuries in the making. As they close in on his killer, one thing is certain: if they don’t stop them, Felipe won’t be the last to die.

Review

I really enjoyed this historical, steampunk fantasy story told from two points of view: Oliver, an autistic necromancer working as a pathologist, trying to hide his magic so as not to be harshly judged by others and Felipe, a healer and paranormal investigator, who Oliver accidentally brings back from the dead when he is murdered.

What unfolds is a murder mystery involving organised religion, paranormal investigation, magical relics and the beginnings of a tentative love story between Oliver and Felipe, if only they would talk properly with each other.

The murder is important because of the consequences, the mystery behind it is not the main thing. It does set the backdrop for the relationship between Oliver and Felipe to develop beyond both of them admiring each other from afar but neither being confident enough to let the other one know.

Kara Jorgensen has created believable, well developed characters. The supporting characters are quirky and interesting and each brings their own foibles and personalities to the unfolding story.

This story achieved a very well deserved 3rd place in the BBNYA 2023 awards. Thanks to @The_WriteReads for the eARC to review for this tour.

Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar

On By @f33lthesunIn #YALeave a comment

Blurb

Tashué’s faith in the law is beginning to crack. Three years ago, he stood by when the Authority condemned Jason to the brutality of the Rift for non-compliance. When Tashué’s son refused to register as tainted, the laws had to be upheld. He’d never doubted his job as a Regulation Officer before, but three years of watching your son wither away can break down even the strongest convictions.

Then a dead girl washed up on the bank of the Brightwash, tattooed and mutilated. Where had she come from? Who would tattoo a child? Was it the same person who killed her? Why was he the only one who cared?

Will Tashué be able to stand against everything he thought he believed in to get the answers he’s looking for?

Review

Wow. This packed a punch and is still, a week after reading it, living in my head. It will be there for a long, long time. I immediately want to read the next book to continue the story.

Told from multiple points of view, this is a brilliant, character led story. Yes, there is a murder to solve, but it is not as simple as that. It never is, is it?

When Tashué Blackwood, Regulation Officer, is on the scene when the mutilated body of a child is found and no one else seems to want to know who, why or how, he decides to find out.

What follows is a story of flawed humans, moral dilemmas, vulnerability, political intrigue, power struggles, emotional turmoil, complex relationships, found family and love in all its forms.

This is a dark story, the characters have all faced (and are still facing) trauma and moral dilemmas, made their choices rightly or wrongly and are living the consequences of those choices.

Finding the corpse is the catalyst for Tashué to change the trajectory of his life, to try to make up for the decisions he has taken “for the Authority”. Is it too late?

Krystle Matar has created a complex and compelling world in which complex and compelling characters live and breathe.

Thanks to @The_WriteReads for the eARC.