Update: April – June

It’s been a while since I wrote a post like this. I’ve been busy working on my thesis and the day before yesterday I finally graduated from University here in Belgium! It’s been a long road but I’m so glad I made it to the end. Now I have 3 months of summer to do nothing but travel and read. You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this! So it’s about time I do an update post again to close off the first part of the year and start the summer with a clean slate.

Read and Currently Reading

I’ve read quite a few books since my last post, all of them books I really enjoyed.

First up I finished ‘Signal to Noise’ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Set in Mexico, it tells the story of Meche at two different points in her life: in 1988 and in the present. Slowly we learn why Meche left Mexico and is reluctant to go back and what happened to her close friendship with Sebastien. Woven through it is a breeze of magic that gave this story full of emotions a little bit of spice.

I read ‘Wolfhound Century’ by Peter Higgins next and though I was confused at first and didn’t really thing the book would fit me, it turned out to be a powerful, grim and beautiful story. I’m glad I looked past my earlier doubts and read on.

Next was ‘Blades of the Old Empire’ by Anna Kashina, a book that had been on my to-read list for quite a long time. At first when I started reading I thought this was a book with a bit too many clichés, but the twists and the action kept me reading. Ultimately all the clichés I thought were there were cleverly avoided by introducing plot twists and outcomes to story lines I wasn’t expecting. Conclusion: ‘Blades of the Old Empire’ really surprised me and I’m happy I finally decided to read it.

I also read ‘Hexed’ by Michael Alan Nelson, a Young Adult book based on the Hexed comics. I’d never read the Hexed comics, so I started with no previous knowledge of the characters or the story. The book can however easily be read without any previous knowledge. ‘Hexed’ is a YA book that avoids being ‘one of the many’ beautifully. A strong and wilful heroine, a story full of demons and ghosts and a love story with a surprising outcome. I loved it!

I was absolutely thrilled to receive an ARC of ‘Marked’ by Sue Tingey some time ago and I read it right away. I adored it! A beautifully crafted tale that brings your from our familiar world and an encounter with a very creepy demon to a whole other world that is in every way very different than our own.

‘The Pyre’ by David Hair I already reviewed last week and I can only repeat that it was an amazing read. It is set in India and uses elements of Indian mythology and history to create an exciting story about reincarnation and old debts that need to be paid. Read it!

‘Grudgebearer’ by J.F. Lewis was the next book I read and what an amazing book that is! It is complex without being too confusing and tells such an richly detailed story you can’t help but keep flipping the pages. For a link to my full review, scroll down!

The last book I finished was ‘Path of Gods’ by Snorri Kristjansson, the third book in the Valhalla Saga. I have enjoyed every book in the Valhalla Saga and this one wasn’t any different. Reunited with my beloved Vikings I embarked with them on a trip to fight off two different evils. Bloody, snow-covered action lead to a satisfying ending for the characters I had become so familiar with.

Full reviews of these books will be posted on the blog throughout the summer!

So what am I currently reading?

I started in ‘Oathkeeper’ by J.F. Lewis a few days ago to continue the story that was started in ‘Grudgebearer’. So far the pace is rather slow, but I’m still enjoying the imaginative world and cultures I got the know in Grudgebearer.

I’m also reading ‘Uprooted’ by Naomi Novik. I had heard a lot of good things about this book on twitter and various blogs, so I decided to request it on NetGalley. If I have to put a label on it, I’d say it feels like reading a fairy tale, but it is so much more. I absolutely love the main character and how fiercely loyal she is. I can’t wait to read more of this!

Movies and Series

I finally got to watch ‘Interstellar’ last week and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was really good, even though the ‘inside-the-black-hole’ thing was a bit weird. It’s freaky to think about time being so relative out there in space and that even though only an hour or a bit more has passed for you, years might pass on Earth. I’ve always been fascinated by things like that so I guess this movie was right up my alley.

In other news, I started watching ‘The Musketeers’! I have only watched three episodes so far, but I can already conclude that I really like what I’ve seen so far.

Posts in April – June

• Guest Post: “Plausible Fictions and Strange Realities” by Stephanie Saulter
• Review: ‘Knight’s Shadow’ by Sebastien de Castell
• Interview: Sebastien de Castell
• Review: ‘Clash of Eagles’ by Alan Smale
• Spotlight: ‘Oathkeeper’ by J.F. Lewis
• Review: ‘The Pyre’ by David Hair
• Review: ‘Grudgebearer’ by J.F. Lewis