Tag: #Torture

Yellow Tape and Coffee by Pat Luther

On By @f33lthesunIn Young Adult1 Comment

Blurb

In Portland, Oregon, Investigative reporter Veer Rosen has come across the story of a lifetime. If she makes it public, her career and life will be in danger. If she doesn’t, tens of thousands may die. The last time the werewolves were revealed, violence swept across Europe. Computer mogul Victor Stumpp will go to any lengths to keep that pattern from repeating. Junior software engineer Carl’s friend was murdered for breaking the rules, keeping the existence of the werewolves secret. He is determined to change the system that allowed it. Homicide detective Michael must balance keeping his city safe and bringing a criminal to justice when he learns that the murderer he’s pursuing is part of a secret society of werewolves.When middle aged accountant Gordon is attacked by a rogue werewolf he finds himself thrust into a war that he wants no part of, but he may be the only chance for peace. Alliances shift, friends are made, and others betrayed as conflicting agendas clash across the city and by the end Portland and the entire world will never be the same.

Review

I read the first 2k extract and wanted more. I then read the 10k extract and definitely wanted more. I loved this book and it thoroughly deserved its place as a BBNYA 2024 finalist. It was the longest book by far, page wise, that I read last year but it certainly didn’t feel like it. The pacing and characters kept the story alive all the way to the end.

Sometimes history teaches us something, we learn from it and move on, develop society. Other times, history teaches us something, we learn from it and then a few decide that the reasoning behind decisions are unsound and set out to change it.

In Portland, and around the world, werwolves exist but keep themselves hidden. There are societies, structures and a worldwide network in place to ensure the safety of both themselves and non werewolves. It has been this way for a long time, lessons having been learned many years ago. However, a group have decided this is wrong and werewolves should be allowed to reveal themselves and integrate with society, as well as turn more of the population into werewolves.

As you would suspect, mayhem and biting ensue, creating more werewolves, but killing in some cases. Also, as you would expect, the majority of people (and werewolves) are not happy about it, including the recently transformed ones…no one asked their consent to be bitten and turned…no one trained them in keeping themselves secret and not murdering humans.

This story deals with secret societies, integration and exclusion, corporate greed, consent, conflicting loyalties and human/werewolf nature in all its glory.

Look out for other blogs on this tour

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 16 finalists 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 @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

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.

Faith of Their Fathers by Samuel M. Sargeant

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

False God.

At the dawn of the 10th Century in a small Icelandic settlement, these words, daubed in blood, herald the arrival of a killer. 

Soon, a spate of murders threatens the fragile peace between pagans and a growing Christian minority. Arinbjorn, a young pagan farmer resolves to track down the killer before the community is permanently torn apart. His investigations will draw in Freya, an isolated housewife whose secrets could either condemn or free her.

Meanwhile in Norway, King Olaf Tryggvason has his own designs upon Iceland and its people. War is rife in Scandinavia, and a Christian Iceland would bolster his control over the region.

Only one thing is certain: these murders will change Icelandic society forever.

Review

Considering that I love historical sagas and devour television series like Vikings and The Last Kingdom, I rarely read them. Faith of their Fathers piqued my interest and has very much tempted me to right this wrong and read more of them.

Unlike the sagas mentioned above, Faith of their Fathers focusses not on violent invasions or raids, but on the farming and trading population in a small settlement in Iceland, whilst still encompassing the desire for rulers to expand their power bases.

The King of Norway’s priest has been sent to convert the Icelanders to Christianity, but he is not converting as many as the King wants/needs. How can he speed up the conversion rate and also keep the peace between the newly baptised Christians and the majority who still worship the Old Gods? How will the murder of a Christian family impact on his work?

The author, using historical events to centre the story, describes life for these Icelanders clearly and the characters are fully formed and believable. There are explicitly violent scenes, as was the way of things at that time, with religion being used as an excuse for violence to convince one side or the other that their way is the right way way, their god is the right god. However, they do not take away from what is a well crafted, character led story.

As was also the way at that time, it is mostly the men who feature in this story, although the women who do, Freya, Bera and Tyra, are strong and perceptive, making the most of their circumstances and opportunities to influence the actions of the men they love and care for. Freya is particularly strong willed and influential.

Thanks to Neem Tree Press and @The_WriteReads for the ARC to review for this blog tour.

The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession by Jake Kendall

On By @f33lthesunIn Adult1 Comment

Blurb

Spanning three hundred years of art history, The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession tells the stories of those with an insatiable hunger for creation – those who may sacrifice friendships, careers, romance, and even their own happiness in pursuit of a vision.

Weaving art styles such as Cubism, Surrealism, and the Baroque into his prose, Jake Kendall has crafted a vivid and inventive collection. Each story is complemented by a black and white illustration, drawing out the visually evocative nature of the writing and offering readers a unique artistic delight.

Review

I was a bit nervous to read this book as, although I appreciate art and have a “recognition on sight” for many artists’ works, I worried this would not be enough to just enjoy the stories, that I might have to break off to do further reading. I was wrong. A couple of times, I even recognised the artist/painting before it was fully revealed.

This wonderful collection comprises seven short stories and a longer short story, The Vanitas. The author has managed to depict separate, individual voices in each one. They are all different points of view and each feels complete in itself.

The eight stories, whilst all centred around artists, their art and obsession, illustrate clearly and brutally, the consequences of the artists’ single mindedness on those around them, be they loved ones, friends, acquaintances or strangers brought into their sphere.

In one story, a whole city is caught up at varying levels. In another, the truth and horror of the event the artist has chosen to depict gets lost as he glorifies what happened, much to the horror of the two survivors he seeks to include.

It is difficult to write about the individual stories without giving them away so will keep it general. It is also difficult to write about the book as a whole, but better than giving spoilers.

One of the stories is about nature’s gift of the sunrise and the description is echoed gloriously in the colours of the book cover.

There are different themes across the stories – despair, abandonment, hope, pride, greed, poverty, vanity, love (including the unrequited sort), power and powerlessness. For me, one of the overarching themes of the book as a whole is to take in what is around you and not take what you have for granted if / when you decide you need to search for something more, unless of course what you have is not actually yours.

This quote from Earthly Delights struck a chord with me: Free will had been bestowed upon beings too flawed to choose restraint, and it had made them most unworthy stewards. Whilst in the context of the story it is referring to humans and our planet, more specifically I also related it to the obsession of those artists in blinkered pursuit of their vision, to the detriment of those who love them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and will be looking out for more of Jake Kendall’s work in the future.

Thanks to @NeemTreePress and @The_WriteReads for the proof copy in order to write this review.

The Nameless by Stuart White

On By @f33lthesunIn #Dystopian, #SciFi, #YALeave a comment

Having read and enjoyed Stuart’s MG novel, Ghosts of Mars, earlier this year, I was intrigued to read his latest YA dystopian novel.

Blurb

IN A NAMELESS WORLD, ONE HERO RISES BY DISCOVERING THEIR IDENTITY.

In a dystopian world dominated by genetic perfection and numbered gene pools, sixteen-year-old E820907, known as Seven, yearns for an identity beyond his assigned number.

To escape a life as a Nameless Exile, and become a citizen of the Realm, he must pass a loyalty test to prove his allegiance to the totalitarian Autokratōr.

With the world’s fate hanging in the balance, Seven’s journey sparks rebellion, hope, and the reclamation of individuality.

But as the truth unfolds, Seven faces a difficult choice between revenge and love.

Review

Stuart White has created a disconcertingly possible future world, where a dictator demands obedience and service. Children are trained and placed in the area of their strength (military, science, environment) to further the realm. Those who do not meet the standard are discarded from the walled city and left to their own devices and at the mercy of the other Nameless groups out there, some of which have turned brutally cruel, without an identity.

This obviously leads to rebellion, spies, treason and war.

Seven sits the tests … but will he ever find out who he is, who his parents are, why his foster mum protects him and refuses to answer his questions? Full of self doubt, fear and infinite questions that he frustratingly rarely gets full answers to, his journey takes him to places he never imagined, meeting people he didn’t even know existed, making him decide where his loyalties lie, despite knowing very little about the sides he is choosing between.

He also struggles with his purpose. Is it to protect his friends or lead a group who resent him? Will his impetuous decision making put him and others in even more danger? Will his training help or hinder him?

I recommend reading to find out the answers to all these questions. The author leaves us with some of the story resolved but waiting in expectation for Book 2 to take Seven’s journey on further. As a reader, this made me sympathise with Seven, not getting all the answers to my questions straight away! I look forward to accompanying him on his next chapter.

Trigger warning: this book is not for the faint hearted, it is bloody and involves torture.

Thanks to @StuartWhiteWM and @The_WriteReads for the eARC.