Heart on Fire. Amanda Bouchet

Published:Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date: 2nd January 2018
Format: e-ARC
Pages: 448
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Rating:
                  

Who is Catalia Fisa?
With the help of pivotal figures from her past, Cat begins to understand the root of her exceptional magic, her fated union with Griffin Sinta, and Griffin's role in shaping her destiny.

Only Cat holds the key to unlocking her own power, and that means finally accepting herself, her past, and her future in order to protect her loved ones, confront her murderous mother, and taking a final, terrifying step—reuniting all three realms and taking her place as the Queen of Thalyria.



What doesn't kill her will only make her stronger...we hope.

And so we come to the third book in the KingMaker Chronicles - Heart on Fire. Right from the word go I really enjoyed this book, maybe even a little more than Books 1 and 2 if that's possible!  There is action, love, loss, betrayal, surprise, anguish, and above all family and hope.

There is the usual cast - Cat of course and Griffin, Griffin's family and team, the gods and some of Cat's family.   Cat and Griffin have fought for and won both Sinta and Tarva and now their mission is to take Fisa under their wing and unite all of Thalyria into one. The one fly in the ointment of course is Fisa is Cat's home country and the ruler is Cat's ghastly mother.

I wondered if I should reread the first two books, but the first couple of chapters soon had my mind refreshed as to previous happenings and I was soon caught up in the swing of things, with the skilful  recapping of salient points.  The book opens at the end of the brutal Agon Games. There they lost on of their fighters - Cassandra and Piers, Griffin's brother is very displeased about that. So much so it triggers the first major event of the book.

This book is really about Kat truly finding herself, she has to learn to trust herself and to find balance with all the magical powers that she has and combine them with compassionate humanity. So she doesn't always get it right which at times leads her into the depths, where she has the choice of giving up or finding a way through. Just because she has magical powers doesn't mean they are there at her finger tips with no effort on her part whatsoever.   It was this journey that she undertakes and I think its why I liked this book so much.  I liked the inner journey as much as the outer one.

I am not going to discuss anything that happens because to do so would give away the surprises and the plot. Suffice it to say there is a little unsolved mystery by the end, Little Bean is alive and well in Kat's womb and ready no doubt to challenge her mother when she arrives. I did love that Kat really wants to be a good mother, and with Griffin as a father I think she'll do well.

Like many other readers I do not want to leave these characters here. I know their mission is complete but there are unfinished stories I want told!  May it happen!!

A Promise of Fire. Amanda Bouchet

Published:Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date: August 2nd 2016
Format: Paperback
Pages: 420
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Own book
Rating:
             

Catalia "Cat" Fisa is a powerful clairvoyant known as the Kingmaker. This smart-mouthed soothsayer has no interest in her powers and would much rather fly under the radar, far from the clutches of her homicidal mother. But when an ambitious warlord captures her, she may not have a choice…

Griffin is intent on bringing peace to his newly conquered realm in the magic-deprived south. When he discovers Cat is the Kingmaker, he abducts her. But Cat will do everything in her power to avoid her dangerous destiny and battle her captor at every turn. Although up for the battle, Griffin would prefer for Cat to help his people willingly, and he's ready to do whatever it takes to coax her…even if that means falling in love with her.

How do you find a new author to read? Well I read a few lines from Nalini Singh on Facebook I think saying how much she enjoyed A Promise of Fire. I sit up and take notice because I like Nalini Singh's writing so why wouldn't I like a reading recommendation from her.

I look the book up on Goodreads - five people I follow rate it a four or five. Another plus. So I order it and now I've read it and.... loved it. It says on the inside cover of the book ....

       If you like....

Cool world building * A Kick Ass heroine * Pulse pounding adventure * snappy banter * An uber-alpha male warlord hero...   

YOU'LL LOVE THE KINGMAKER CHRONICLES.

Like Bobbi Dumas at Kirkus Reviews I turned up my nose a bit as I started reading. In the first person and present tense. I hate that.... or do I. By the second page I couldn't have cared less, I was totally engrossed in this new world.

All of the above is true, and if you like that and enjoy a good fantasy novel this just could be one for you. Cat is a heroine that could be related to Percy Jackson. She seems to have the Greek gods on her side and has an awful lot of magic to boot. She is rather chary of family, her mother has to be hands down one of the worst. So when Cat first meets her circus family and then Griffin's family, please excuse her for being more than a little sceptical. 

Griffin's family is newly taken over a country, one of three, and they are proving to be a new kind of ruler. Ones who actually want to rule rather than grab all the power. But in no way are they weak.

If you listen to audiobook, Kimba over at the Caffeinated Book Reviewer recommends A Promise of Fire on audio.  Its not available to me where I live but if it were I'd listen to it soon!  Thank goodness I am lucky enough to have the second book for review. It comes out in January but I'll be reading it sooner rather than later!

Bay of Sighs. Nora Roberts

Published: Piatkus/Hachette NZ
Date: June 2016
Format:Paperback
Pages:349
Genre:Paranormal Romance
Source:Thanks to Hachette NZ
Rating:
       

A dark and powerful goddess hunts for three jewels: fallen stars that will give endless power. To save the world six friends have joined forces to stop her. Now, on the beautiful island of Capri, their battle continues...

As the six friends hunt for the mysterious 'star of water' the goddess Nerezza sends a terrifying foe to destroy them. It seems there is no place for love and desire at this time. But true love cannot be denied. And in a battle between the dark and light - it might be the only thing that can save them from a terrible fate.

Bay of Sighs - second book in the Guardian trilogy by Nora Roberts certainly delivered. Another wild ride with the light fighting the dark. It's a formula Nora Robert uses in many of her paranormal fantasy trilogies, but somehow it never gets old. She freshly presents it each time. And I have to say she enchanted me and held me enthralled all the way through this one.

At the centre of this story is Annika the mermaid woman. She has been gifted with legs for three moons obviously to join with the other five to search out and make safe the three stars. She is a delight. Beautiful in body, soul and mind. She delights in everything new, and gets tripped up by the many colloquialisms used by the others. But once mastered she adds them to her vocabulary with gusto. The all love her....

However it is Sawyer who falls in love with her and what a great romance. Sawyer is the time traveller, he has a compass that can transport him and others through space and even time if needed. The two of them will be at the centre of finding this second star - the water star. The others will plan and support, but Sawyer and Annika will be the key ones in this battle with Nerezza the evil goddess who also plots to take these stars.

The story has times of peace and training on the lovely island of Capri in Italy. The six train, sometimes with enthusiasm and sometimes with groans and moans. Sasha has grown into her gift of visioning the future and her paintings are exquisite. Then there are the times of battle, and the world goes mad, some of the six are wounded and everything is full on. 

Things are heating up for Doyle - the immortal and Riley the one who on a full moon changes into a lycan wolf like creature. No doubt sparks will be flying in that quarter in the final book The Island of Glass. I really look forward to this third book and the final show down in a setting that will surely be the ultimate. Can't wait.

About the author:

Nora Roberts is the number one New York Times bestseller of more than 200 novels. With over 450 million copies of her books in print, she is indisputably one of the most celebrated and popular writers in the world. She has achieved numerous top five bestsellers in the UK, including number one Savour the Moment and The Witness,and is a Sunday Times hardback bestseller writing as both Nora Roberts and J. D. Robb.

Website:  Nora Roberts

Guardians Trilogy

Stars of Fortune #1

Bay of Sighs  #2

Island of Glass #3  TBP

Wolfskin Juliet Marillier

Wolfskin
Juliet Marillier
Published: Macmillan Australia
Date: 2002
Format: Large Paperback
Pages: 560
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Source: Own book
Rating:
           

Eyvind can think of no more glorious future than becoming a Wolfskin, a warrior devoted to the service of the mighty war god Thor. His closest friend, Somerled, a strange and lonely boy, has his own very different ambitions - yet a childhood oath, sworn in blood, binds these two in lifelong loyalty. Meanwhile, far away across the water, on the Light Isles, the king's niece Nessa is beginning to learn the ways of the mysteries - though neither the young priestess nor her people can realize what lies ahead for them." "Eyvind and Somerled seem set to follow very different paths: one becoming a fearless servant of the Warfather, the other a scholarly courtier.

Then a voyage of discovery, led by Somerled's brother Ulf, brings the two friends together again in accompanying a group of settlers to some beautiful islands rumoured to lie across the western sea. However, their good spirits are dampened by a tragedy on board, which Eyvind begins to suspect may not have been an accident." Ulf's new settlement begins in harmony with the native islanders, led by King Engus. But one day, on a trip to a holy place of the Folk, a brutal murder occurs and that peace is shattered. It is now that Eyvind begins to feel the restraining ties of his boyhood oath...and to realize what sort of future Somerled had in mind for himself all those years ago.

Wolfskin by Juliet Marillier, my first book read in 2016 and the first time I have ever read a book by this author. I wish to thank Sheree from The Eclectic Reader for suggesting this author to me when I was searching around for New Zealand authors in early 2015. 

What a saga, eventually I was swept up into the magic of storytelling. It took me a little while to be immersed in it, but once I was, I was reading into the night and picking it up as I ate breakfast! 

Eyvind was a character that I just grew to love more and more. His desire in life has been to be a wolfskin, a warrior who is brave, at the forefront of battle. Not surprisingly not expected to see old age either! Eyvind never expected to change from that path, but circumstances decreed otherwise. As Nessa says to him "Things never stay the same, Evyi. People change. Paths change. You cannot know, when you are young, what life will hold for you as a grown man or woman..... It seems to me there is always a choice, there must be.  No blood oath could make me act cruelly, or falsely, or in defiance of natural laws, no matter how solemnly it was sworn".

As Eyvind makes his way in life, always truth, loyalty, friendship and honour guide his heart. But sometimes that is not enough and tough decisions and choices have to be made. Sometimes courage is being at the forefront of the truth, whatever the cost.

Somerled is thrust on Eyvind when they are boys and he takes him under his wing, teaching him what he knows and making a blood oath to be brothers loyal to each other. While Somerled had some extenuating circumstances, it was difficult to like him. I hated how he undermined Evyind's belief in himself in terms of intelligence. I hated him for a lot more, but I don't want to say what, so as not to destroy the story for any reader.

Nessa the priestess in training and niece of the King of the Light Isles was a joy, full of wisdom and courage and love. Hers was eventually a burden of deep sorrow, but as she says there is always a choice. I loved her relationship with the priestess Rona, I loved how she found her way forward.

I loved how the beliefs and views mingled - there is the Christian viewpoint through the viewpoint of the holy man Tadgh, the god of the Norse and the ways and beliefs of the Folk on the island. In many ways they all held values and truths that were similar.

I am reluctant to leave these people. I held my breath, I wondered, I wept, I smiled. It won't be too long before I will be seeking out Foxmask, the second book in this duology.

Stars of Fortune. Nora Roberts

Stars of Fortune
Nora Roberts
Published: Piatkus
Date: November3rd  2015
Format: Paperback ARC
Pages: 304
Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy
Source: thanks to Hachette NZ

Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by dreams and nightmares that she turns into extraordinary paintings. Her visions lead her to the Greek island of Corfu, where five others have been lured to seek the fire star. Sasha recognizes them, because she has drawn them: a magician, an archaeologist, a wanderer, a fighter, a loner. All on a quest. All with secrets.

Sasha is the one who holds them together—the seer. And in the magician, Bran Killian, she sees a man of immense power and compassion. As Sasha struggles with her rare ability, Bran is there to support her, challenge her, and believe in her.

But Sasha and Bran are just two of the six. And they all must all work together as a team to find the fire star in a cradle of land beneath the sea. Over their every attempt at trust, unity, and love, a dark threat looms. And it seeks to corrupt everything that stands in its way of possessing the stars…

So is there anything new for Nora Roberts to write in terms of her magical/paranormal trilogies? I didn't think so, therefore I began Stars of Fortune with a little trepidation. However it wasn't too long before I found myself swept away into the story that begins the Guardians Trilogy.

I love the cover of the book, the setting is Corfu in Greece. Picture the blues and whites and Mediterranean sea, the olive groves. Perfect setting, loved it.

There are six characters, all on a quest to find the three stars before the evil god witch Nerezza does. Sasha is an artist and seer. In the beginning she is a bit of a recluse, not fully trusting of her gift. Physically weaker than the others. She arrives in Greece and then slowly they all begin to link up until there is a team. Yes Sasha and Bran are the main couple in this book, but they all must work as a team, and trust each other. And that trust is not readily given. Sasha though is determined to see unity and speaks her mind forcefully on the matter at times.

Bran is a magician, with a place in New York and Ireland. He is a magician on many levels. Then there are Riley - the archaeologist, and Annika - a gentle beautiful mystery, who are the other two women. As a reader we aren't let into their secrets straight away, although a few clues are strewn along the way. The other men - Sawyer a wanderer and Doyle a fighter do not release their secrets early - and nor did I find any clues along the way as to exactly what they are. Let's just say - freakin' awesome.

The six must work together on a quest and find the stars. As well they must deal with whatever Nerezza the god witch throws at them. Be it black and evil, be it sneaky and cruel. She is the dark and they the light. She has minions who do her bidding and aid her in her evil quest for power and destruction.

I am looking forward to the next two in this trilogy very much. Sasha and Bran made a delightful couple, but how Nora Roberts is going to match up the others - each with some very strange gifts, I am just not sure how that is going to be achieved. Maybe magic - anything can happen of course in the realm of fantasy!

Vision in Silver. Anne Bishop

Vision in Silver
Anne Bishop
Published: Penguin
Date: 2015
Format: Audiobook
Length: 16hrs 9min
Narrator: Alexandra Harris
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Source: Own book

The Others freed the cassandra sangue to protect the blood prophets from exploitation, not realizing their actions would have dire consequences. Now the fragile seers are in greater danger than ever before - both from their own weaknesses and from those who seek to control their divinations for wicked purposes. In desperate need of answers, Simon Wolfgard, a shape-shifter leader among the Others, has no choice but to enlist blood prophet Meg Corbyn’s help, regardless of the risks she faces by aiding him.

Meg is still deep in the throes of her addiction to the euphoria she feels when she cuts and speaks prophecy. She knows each slice of her blade tempts death. But Others and humans alike need answers, and her visions may be Simon’s only hope of ending the conflict.

For the shadows of war are deepening across the Atlantik, and the prejudice of a fanatic faction is threatening to bring the battle right to Meg and Simon’s doorstep....

Vision in Silver is #3 in The Others series by Anne Bishop - and now I am all caught up and have to wait like everyone else for the next one! Well at least I hope there is a next one, as one reviewer said this one felt like an ending, however I don't see everything that settled, so I bet there is more to come. My crystal ball says many, many more!

In this book the conflict with the Humans First and Last group escalates and goes a long way to engendering further distrust of humans by the terra indigene.  Lizzie - Montgomery's daughter is caught up in the fray and this seven year old is sent on a train ride across country, with the HFL group hot on her trail.

We are able to see the blood prophets and how life is going for them, now that they have been rescued from their captors.  It doesn't all go smoothly, and Meg the trail blazer is an important ingredient for their safety and comfort.

I loved all the interplay of various relationships, Simon and Meg of course, but also Lizzie and Montgomery and Nathan.  Sam gets his nose in a little more here and there. Simon and Meg's relationship is certainly developing - where it will go is something that intrigues me, Simon is certainly interested in learning all the nuances in human relationships.

I really like listening to the audio formats of these books, although reading the paperback of the middle one because I couldn't get it in audio form was also very good. (Although I see now readers in my part of the world can buy Murder of Crows on Audible, maybe my plea to Penguin helped!) I like Alexandre Harris' interpretation with the narration and her wolf cries!  Long live The Others series.

Written in Red. Anne Bishop

Written in Red
Anne Bishop
Published: Penguin Audio
Date: 2013
Format: Audiobook
Length: 18hrs and 32min
Narrator: Alexandra Harris
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Own book

As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut - a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg's Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard - a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she's keeping a secret, and second, she doesn't smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she's wanted by the government, he'll have to decide if she's worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.

Written in Red is #1 in The Others series.  I have seen this book reviewed a number of times, and in the end I tentatively decided to get involved and listen to the audiobook.  It is quite lengthy and I finished it in three days.  Unheard of for me, I just became swept away by the story, left my usual reading aside and every opportunity I had - I listened.

Meg got the job working as the human liaison person at the The Others compound.  In essence it was a postal job, accepting deliveries from the humans and then sorting and delivering them around to the various Others.  When she takes up the job, it is in disarray but with a little help she soon has it working smoothly.  She is a kind, thoughtful person and has soon gathered a number of friends about her, normally individuals who would be very scary to humans, but Meg has a knack with her thoughtful, innocent ways.

When she arrives she is somewhat nervous and unsure, as she has escaped from a place where they have used her for her gift of prophecy, and treated her like a chattel.  She is valuable to her 'owners' and they will go to great lengths to find and bring her back.

However Simon, the other wolves, crows, vampires and many others soon see Meg as one of them. They protect her and go into battle for her.  Meg also forms a wonderful relationship with a young wolf cub - Sam.  Damaged by seeing his mother killed, Sam has not developed and hides away in a cage in his Uncle Simon's apartment.  

Alexandra Harris narrated the story very well and it was easy to listen to her as with the words she weaved her own magic.  I am now really peeved because the next two in this series are not released in audio to my part of the world. I am devastated.  Sure I can read them on kindle or paperback, but I loved this audio version and I don't want to turn to them.  I hate when publishers don't bother with world rights. 

Thief With No Shadow. Emily Gee

Thief With No Shadow
Emily Gee   
Published: Solaris
Date: 2007
Format: Paperback
Pages: 463
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Own book

Aided by the magic, which courses through her veins, Melke is able to walk unseen by mortal eyes.  When a necklace she has stolen holds the key to both saving her brother's life and breaking the terrible curse, she must steal it back from a den of fire-breathing salamanders. Things are about to get very tough for Melke, especially when she comes to realise she may have to trust the very people who were out to kill her. The book is a rich, romantic fantasy tale set in a world where the ordinary and extraordinary co-exist, where nightmarish creatures live alongside men, and magic runs in the blood of mortals.

Thief With No Shadow has sat on my TBR shelf for quite awhile. I think I first heard of it when I read a local magazine... but that's a little hazy because it was way back!  When I considered picking it up off the shelf I read some of the reviews on Goodreads that put me off! Always a mistake to read reviews by readers I have no idea about.  However I decided now was the time and I have to say I actually enjoyed the book on the whole.  Yes the reviewers were right about a few nasty details, but they pretty much happened "off the page" and while a little bizarre I let it go.

Melke and her brother Hantje are wraiths - they can change and make themselves unseen, although they don't do it often. Wraiths have a bad name as they frequently use this ability to steal and murder. Melke steals a necklace from Bastian sal Vere to give to the salamanders in exchange for them freeing her brother Hantje.  Bastian pursues her with his hound Ender.  He catches up with her and when the salamanders dump Hantje back at their entrance to their habitat, Bastian says he will exchange Hantje's healing for Melke stealing back the necklace. Hantje is near death.

On return to the sal Vere home Liana, Bastian's sister sets about healing Hantje - she has the magical gift of healing, although it's not easy.  Bastian too has a magical gift - he can talk with dogs and he and his hound Ender have a strong bond.

The sal Vere property is going to ruin, it has been cursed by a creature of the sea, because the necklace originally was stolen from it.  It returns at a certain time each year for the necklace and if its not returned it exacts a life.  So the pressure is on!

I liked the characters, and the changes that happened within them as the story moved on.   I especially developed a fondness for Ender the hound!  The writing was excellent, and while this was all fantasy I enjoyed the tale despite some darkness and in the end goodness and light win out.

Emily Gee is a New Zealand author, who never intended to write.  However her mother was a librarian and her father a well known author here in New Zealand. Eventually the inner urge to write caught up with her!