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theshaggyshepherd's review
4.0
If you’ve followed me for a while or know me from discord, you probably know my brain has as many holes as a sieve. I read this book almost two months ago so I don’t remember a lot of details about it. I do remember though that this was the very first time I ever felt such a connection to a character. If you’ve ever been asked the question of which character from a book best describes you and had no answer, then hey. I see you. That has always been me as well. Until this book. Diana really struck a cord with me and I have finally found my answer to this question. I really liked the mythology that this book included and am looking forward to reading more by this author in the future.
thickthighs_no_lies's review
4.0
Thank you to Publicist Graeme and the author Steve McHugh for my #gifted copy and for having me along on the tour.
Thank you again to Steve for his piece on his Top 5 Fantasy Novels which you will find in the comments but also in the last few slides.
This books dives right in, and for a relatively short book, if filled with many mythological creatures that I love!
This book is about Diana, Goddess of The Hunt who comes out of her seclusion to help her friend Artemis.
I understand that this series is set in the same world as the authors previous series, The Hellequin Chronicles which may be why the world building did not seem as fluid as one would expect but it wasn’t a major issue with the book.
This book is an easy humour filled read that I could have read in one sitting but chose to prolong it because it was a fantastic read!
Steve's top 5 fantasy novels
Picking only 5 fantasy novels is probably impossible. I don't think my top 5 remains
the same day by day, and anyone asking for these tomorrow are going to get different answers than todav.
So, while these would change on a regular basis, and they're in no particular order, here are my top 5 fantasy novels today.
1. Men At Arms - Terry Pratchett
One of 3 books that made me want to be a writer at the age of 13. Terry was the
best writer I've ever read at mixing humour with serious and topical issues, and the guards
story arc is probably my favourite of his stories. I have an old paperback copy of this that
think I read twenty times as a teenager. Funnv. clever, and poignant. Terry's books are
unlike anyone else's.
2. Legend - David Gemmell
The second of the 3 I read that made me want to be a writer (the last was Stephen
King's It), and a gateway book that started me off reading more traditional fantasy as a
genre. It's a wonderful story, with a memorable lead and some superb battle scenes,
including one of the best siege battles I've ever read.
3. The Fifth Season -N.K. Jemisin
The Broken Earth books won all of the awards and deserved every one of them. The
Fifth Season is a wonderful story of magic and mystery that will keep you gripped from
beginning to end. I can't say enough good things about this series and if you have even the
slightest interest in fantasy as a genre, they're must reads.
4. The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie.
One of the all-time great fantasy stories by one of the all-time great fantasy writers.
Action, memorable characters, a gripping storyline, utterly despicable bad guys, utterly
despicable good guys, it's got everything. Glokta is one of the great fantasy characters and if
the story was just about him, it would have been great, but there's so much more to these
books.
5. Godblind - Anna Stephens
The Godblind Trilogy as a whole is quite the storyline, and is certainly unforgettable,
but Godblind by itself is the kind of book that you find yourself saying, "What the hell is
going to happen next?" on a regular basis. It's dark, mysterious, and has more than a few
memorable scenes (including one involving a hammer and... well...it still makes me wince),
but more importantly it has characters that you care about, and while not all of them will
make it to the end, when you've finished you'll definitely need to take a moment to catch
your breath
I could have put another 5 on this list easily, but rules are rules. I hope if anyone
picks any of these fabulous books up, they enjoy them as much as I did.
Thank you again to Steve for his piece on his Top 5 Fantasy Novels which you will find in the comments but also in the last few slides.
This books dives right in, and for a relatively short book, if filled with many mythological creatures that I love!
This book is about Diana, Goddess of The Hunt who comes out of her seclusion to help her friend Artemis.
I understand that this series is set in the same world as the authors previous series, The Hellequin Chronicles which may be why the world building did not seem as fluid as one would expect but it wasn’t a major issue with the book.
This book is an easy humour filled read that I could have read in one sitting but chose to prolong it because it was a fantastic read!
Steve's top 5 fantasy novels
Picking only 5 fantasy novels is probably impossible. I don't think my top 5 remains
the same day by day, and anyone asking for these tomorrow are going to get different answers than todav.
So, while these would change on a regular basis, and they're in no particular order, here are my top 5 fantasy novels today.
1. Men At Arms - Terry Pratchett
One of 3 books that made me want to be a writer at the age of 13. Terry was the
best writer I've ever read at mixing humour with serious and topical issues, and the guards
story arc is probably my favourite of his stories. I have an old paperback copy of this that
think I read twenty times as a teenager. Funnv. clever, and poignant. Terry's books are
unlike anyone else's.
2. Legend - David Gemmell
The second of the 3 I read that made me want to be a writer (the last was Stephen
King's It), and a gateway book that started me off reading more traditional fantasy as a
genre. It's a wonderful story, with a memorable lead and some superb battle scenes,
including one of the best siege battles I've ever read.
3. The Fifth Season -N.K. Jemisin
The Broken Earth books won all of the awards and deserved every one of them. The
Fifth Season is a wonderful story of magic and mystery that will keep you gripped from
beginning to end. I can't say enough good things about this series and if you have even the
slightest interest in fantasy as a genre, they're must reads.
4. The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie.
One of the all-time great fantasy stories by one of the all-time great fantasy writers.
Action, memorable characters, a gripping storyline, utterly despicable bad guys, utterly
despicable good guys, it's got everything. Glokta is one of the great fantasy characters and if
the story was just about him, it would have been great, but there's so much more to these
books.
5. Godblind - Anna Stephens
The Godblind Trilogy as a whole is quite the storyline, and is certainly unforgettable,
but Godblind by itself is the kind of book that you find yourself saying, "What the hell is
going to happen next?" on a regular basis. It's dark, mysterious, and has more than a few
memorable scenes (including one involving a hammer and... well...it still makes me wince),
but more importantly it has characters that you care about, and while not all of them will
make it to the end, when you've finished you'll definitely need to take a moment to catch
your breath
I could have put another 5 on this list easily, but rules are rules. I hope if anyone
picks any of these fabulous books up, they enjoy them as much as I did.
tezzarudge's review
3.0
First venture into this world and author. Absoutley loved the world building but the book just missed that extra push I need with characters
I enjoyed learning about Diana and her past, but didn't particularly care for anyone else.
I also wish the book was actually longer to give the opportunity to build that character depth and give me more detail and twists and turns in the plot.
The book did however have great action sequences and this did feel like a marvel graphic novel turned into a shortish story.
World building 8/10
Characters 6/10
Prose and style 7/10
Plot 7/10
Entertainment value 6/10
34/50
I enjoyed learning about Diana and her past, but didn't particularly care for anyone else.
I also wish the book was actually longer to give the opportunity to build that character depth and give me more detail and twists and turns in the plot.
The book did however have great action sequences and this did feel like a marvel graphic novel turned into a shortish story.
World building 8/10
Characters 6/10
Prose and style 7/10
Plot 7/10
Entertainment value 6/10
34/50
kitvaria_sarene's review
5.0
I would have been surprised if I didn't love this, as McHugh send to be a perfect match for my reading tastes.
This time we back to times long past instead of current data, and I loved to see some backstory for favourite characters!
There's all the sarcasm, action, banter, great characters and hope you'd expect, plus so much more.
My favourite bit as always it's the amazing and inclusive cast. There might be a lot of snark and flying heads, but there's also so much friendship and loyalty, it's a perfect balance for me. I care about these ductal characters way not than is probably healthy, but it's definitely would love to have a night of drinking with them!
You can read this as a stand alone, it works on its own just as well as it does within the series. So if you want a glimpse into this world without yet committing to so many books, this is a great sample!
This time we back to times long past instead of current data, and I loved to see some backstory for favourite characters!
There's all the sarcasm, action, banter, great characters and hope you'd expect, plus so much more.
My favourite bit as always it's the amazing and inclusive cast. There might be a lot of snark and flying heads, but there's also so much friendship and loyalty, it's a perfect balance for me. I care about these ductal characters way not than is probably healthy, but it's definitely would love to have a night of drinking with them!
You can read this as a stand alone, it works on its own just as well as it does within the series. So if you want a glimpse into this world without yet committing to so many books, this is a great sample!
lowercase_em's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
freckles_13's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
4.0
My love for Diana knows no bounds so I was thrilled when I heart she was getting her own book! Finally getting to see a bit of Diana’s backstory makes me lover her even more, and her friendship with Artemis and Skost are delightful.
A great start to a new series, one I can’t wait to read.
A great start to a new series, one I can’t wait to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Violence, and Slavery
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