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songwind's review against another edition
5.0
Of Blood and Honey is a beautifully written, powerful book.
The book is set in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, and follows the young adulthood of Liam Kelly. Liam is a troubled young man whose father abandoned his mother when Liam was a baby.
What Liam doesn't know is that his father isn't human.
Liam is caught up in a police net around rioters (the Troubles were in full swing at this time) and taken to prison without trial. While there, he learns things about himself that will change him forever.
The book is an engaging read, full of fully realized characters and emotionally charged situations. Leicht clearly did her homework on the situation in Northern Ireland for this book. In addition to his eldritch heritage, Liam must learn to deal with love, loss, the IRA, his stepfather, and a meddlesome Catholic priest.
I strongly recommend this book.
The book is set in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, and follows the young adulthood of Liam Kelly. Liam is a troubled young man whose father abandoned his mother when Liam was a baby.
What Liam doesn't know is that his father isn't human.
Liam is caught up in a police net around rioters (the Troubles were in full swing at this time) and taken to prison without trial. While there, he learns things about himself that will change him forever.
The book is an engaging read, full of fully realized characters and emotionally charged situations. Leicht clearly did her homework on the situation in Northern Ireland for this book. In addition to his eldritch heritage, Liam must learn to deal with love, loss, the IRA, his stepfather, and a meddlesome Catholic priest.
I strongly recommend this book.
hardwarejunkie9's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fantastic story with excellent background research.
This title definitely is in the running for best opening page yet. You get a solid idea of who, what, when, where, and why in a very powerful rush.
I was very impressed by the form the narrative takes. I was afraid it would be a YA pulpy mess of forced transitions but instead it flowed through the experiences of the characters' lives with a startling clarity.
Highly recommended.
This title definitely is in the running for best opening page yet. You get a solid idea of who, what, when, where, and why in a very powerful rush.
I was very impressed by the form the narrative takes. I was afraid it would be a YA pulpy mess of forced transitions but instead it flowed through the experiences of the characters' lives with a startling clarity.
Highly recommended.
kadomi's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Not at all what I was expecting, but that's not a bad thing. The story is set in Northern Ireland, during the time of the Troubles, and this book covers the years 1972 to 78. In 72, Liam, the protagonist, is falsely accused of being a rioter and at age 16 gets thrown into the jail The Kesh where he finds out the hard way that he is a puca, a shapeshifter. Struggling with this knowledge, he eventually ends up in Belfast with his young wife Mary Kate, as taxi driver by day, and member of the Provisional IRA at night. Something's not quite right with his life, with the beast inside him always threatening to overwhelm him. Little does he know that he is half human, half fey, son of a prince of the Fianna, drawn into a conflict between the Fey and the Fallen Angels. And then there's the militant arm of the Catholic Church, hunting both Fey and Fallen alike as demons.
This description might make it seem as if you actually learn more about the fantasy part of the story, but you don't really. The angle is always Liam's, who knows how to deal with the IRA and the various groups in Northern Ireland that I couldn't keep straight whatsoever. RUC, UDF, Operational IRA, Provos, Peelers, what have you. It left me rather confused. There's a big supernatural showdown at the end which only leaves me thirsting for more info on the Fianna, but this first book is mostly the story of Liam, struggling with what he doesn't know is his heritage. It's historical fiction, with only little sprinkles of urban fantasy thrown in. Despite wanting to strangle Liam at times, I am definitely invested in reading more.
This description might make it seem as if you actually learn more about the fantasy part of the story, but you don't really. The angle is always Liam's, who knows how to deal with the IRA and the various groups in Northern Ireland that I couldn't keep straight whatsoever. RUC, UDF, Operational IRA, Provos, Peelers, what have you. It left me rather confused. There's a big supernatural showdown at the end which only leaves me thirsting for more info on the Fianna, but this first book is mostly the story of Liam, struggling with what he doesn't know is his heritage. It's historical fiction, with only little sprinkles of urban fantasy thrown in. Despite wanting to strangle Liam at times, I am definitely invested in reading more.
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
3.0
While I was reading I could not stop wondering: 'Why is this book fantasy?'
The main focus of the book are political & religious conflicts that happened in 1970s in Ireland. And the Liam's struggle with his inner monster could be looked as a metaphor of his struggling with accepting murdering of people... The fact that his father is fey & fantastic element are only background and I think book could go without them without loosing much of it's strength.
The thing that bothered me the most while reading is how naive & blind is Liam. Everybody is hiding something from him and he does not notice.
The main focus of the book are political & religious conflicts that happened in 1970s in Ireland. And the Liam's struggle with his inner monster could be looked as a metaphor of his struggling with accepting murdering of people... The fact that his father is fey & fantastic element are only background and I think book could go without them without loosing much of it's strength.
The thing that bothered me the most while reading is how naive & blind is Liam. Everybody is hiding something from him and he does not notice.
Spoiler
Especially the part when his wife Mary Kate was pregnant. Common man, it was sooooo obvious.nanceoir's review
3.0
Maybe this is more of a three-and-a-half star book for me, but I'm not sure that it's something that I would jump to reread, which I now realize is part of my four-star requirement.
crafty_nivette's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good, kept me interested, but be warned. Apparently the Irish use the F-word like they do oxygen. If you are able to glaze past the copious uses of the word, it's a great read.
kblincoln's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't know what to expect going into this book. I guess I was thinking "Charles de Lint" and so the first few pages I spent readjusting to both the lingo, the political climate of 1970's Ireland, and a brutally honest and realistic story of a young man, Liam, wrongfully thrust into one of Ireland's most brutal prisons: Long Kesh.
In the Kesh, Liam undergoes a brutal experience that lets loose the darkness in him that is a legacy from his unknown father.
Even when he is let out of the Kesh, he can't escape politics. It seems like BAs (British Army) have it out for him and he is again arrested as a rioter when trying to defend his fiance/girlfriend during a demonstration.
He spends three years in prison this time, and it firms up his desire to join up with the IRA.
But the BAs do have it out for him, not only because of his ties to illegal activities, but also because an evil has infiltrated their ranks, and this evil has a personal vendetta against Liam's father. It will stop at nothing to destroy him.
Unlike alot of urban fantasy these days, this story does not feature a kick ass female with a supernatural love, nor is it about a noble, magic-wielding loner of a man.
Liam is firmly enmeshed in his Catholic community. His actions have repercussions on his mother, stepfather, fiance, mates, and priest. He struggles to do the right thing, but is constantly met at each turn by brutal force. One gets the despair and hopelessness when we experience, along with Liam, his utter helplessness at the brutality wielded by those in authority.
Of Blood and Honey is a history lesson on the IRA, Republicans, Protestants vs. Catholics, and Ireland/British history rolled up with action, spiced with a smattering of Irish folklore. It's crazy how even the supernatural parts fit so well inside the story one doesn't even blink. When Liam's friend, Father Murphy tries to get his bishop to acknowledge the possibility that not all supernatural creatures are fallen angel-demons and fails, its explained that the Church can't allow the possibility because it would mean admitting hundreds of years of genocide and wrongdoing.
And the blending of redhats (goblin-like creatures of folklore) with the BA red berets is genius.
This is not a book for young children. There's not a chance I'd leave it out for my elementary school-aged daughters to pick up and read by accident (although since the first pages read more like a historical novel than fantasy, there's little chance they'd get past the first few pages). There is graphic violence, betrayal, and the worst of the ways humanity uses prejudice and greed to hurt itself.
On the other hand, this is an amazingly good book to put in the hands of someone who doesn't understand why you read fantasy. THIS is why I read fantasy. The supernatural is used here to highlight and deepen the struggles Liam faces when choosing actions that are not clearly-cut wrong in a political, moral, or religious way.
This Book's Snack Rating: Tayto Wurster Sauce Crisps for the total Irish history, lingo, and deep, salty flavor of sadness that stays on your tongue long afterwards
In the Kesh, Liam undergoes a brutal experience that lets loose the darkness in him that is a legacy from his unknown father.
Even when he is let out of the Kesh, he can't escape politics. It seems like BAs (British Army) have it out for him and he is again arrested as a rioter when trying to defend his fiance/girlfriend during a demonstration.
He spends three years in prison this time, and it firms up his desire to join up with the IRA.
But the BAs do have it out for him, not only because of his ties to illegal activities, but also because an evil has infiltrated their ranks, and this evil has a personal vendetta against Liam's father. It will stop at nothing to destroy him.
Unlike alot of urban fantasy these days, this story does not feature a kick ass female with a supernatural love, nor is it about a noble, magic-wielding loner of a man.
Liam is firmly enmeshed in his Catholic community. His actions have repercussions on his mother, stepfather, fiance, mates, and priest. He struggles to do the right thing, but is constantly met at each turn by brutal force. One gets the despair and hopelessness when we experience, along with Liam, his utter helplessness at the brutality wielded by those in authority.
Of Blood and Honey is a history lesson on the IRA, Republicans, Protestants vs. Catholics, and Ireland/British history rolled up with action, spiced with a smattering of Irish folklore. It's crazy how even the supernatural parts fit so well inside the story one doesn't even blink. When Liam's friend, Father Murphy tries to get his bishop to acknowledge the possibility that not all supernatural creatures are fallen angel-demons and fails, its explained that the Church can't allow the possibility because it would mean admitting hundreds of years of genocide and wrongdoing.
And the blending of redhats (goblin-like creatures of folklore) with the BA red berets is genius.
This is not a book for young children. There's not a chance I'd leave it out for my elementary school-aged daughters to pick up and read by accident (although since the first pages read more like a historical novel than fantasy, there's little chance they'd get past the first few pages). There is graphic violence, betrayal, and the worst of the ways humanity uses prejudice and greed to hurt itself.
On the other hand, this is an amazingly good book to put in the hands of someone who doesn't understand why you read fantasy. THIS is why I read fantasy. The supernatural is used here to highlight and deepen the struggles Liam faces when choosing actions that are not clearly-cut wrong in a political, moral, or religious way.
This Book's Snack Rating: Tayto Wurster Sauce Crisps for the total Irish history, lingo, and deep, salty flavor of sadness that stays on your tongue long afterwards
banjax451's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I actually did. The idea was sound, but this wasn't the book I thought it was going to be. Far more urban fantasy when it's anything other than a novel about Northern Ireland. So much isn't told and so much happens offstage. It's not a bad novel and I can understand why so many people liked it - it's just not for me.
texaswolfman's review against another edition
4.0
Good book. Set in Ireland during the 1970s. Protestants vs Catholics. IRA vs Republic. A supernatural war was also taking place, Fey vs The Fallen. I guess I didn't give the book five stars because the main character was such an idiot. So many bad turns eventually you will wise up. Nope his a dope. overall good book.
myawfulreviews's review against another edition
4.0
Description (From Indiebound): Liam never knew who his father was. The town of Derry had always assumed that he was the bastard of a protestant - his mother never spoke of him, and Liam assumed he was dead. But when the war between the fallen and the fey begins to heat up, Liam and his family are pulled into a conflict that they didn't know existed. A centuries old conflict between supernatural forces seems to mirror the political divisions in 1970's era Ireland, and Liam is thrown headlong into both conflicts! Only the direct intervention of Liam's real father, and a secret catholic order dedicated to fighting "The Fallen" can save Liam... from the mundane and supernatural forces around him, and from the darkness that lurks within him.
One of the things that I really like about having this blog is that it forces me to admit and cure my ignorance on a number of subjects. For instance, I can tell you that I truly didn't have a clue about what took place in the 1970s in Northern Ireland. Thankfully, education through fantasy books has struck again, and Stina Leicht's Of Blood and Honey cleared that problem up in a hurry. If you'd like to know more about The Troubles, then you can refer to this quick guide here, or better yet, just go and buy Stina's debut novel from Night Shade Books.
I definitely didn't realize how interesting and dangerous the 70s were in Ireland, but Leicht captures it wonderfully. Liam's story meshes incredibly well with real-world events, and the tragedies that befall him really help the reader understand just how crazy this period in history was.
Liam's story is incredibly tragic. His fight against the darkness in him, and how that darkness keeps causing both he and his family to suffer is heart-breaking. Things DO NOT go well for Liam, and it makes for great reading. I didn't expect a single thing that happened to him to go quite the way that it did, with the exception of the end of the novel. Even then, I didn't quite get it right. And that's a very good thing folks. This book was utterly unpredictable to me, and so it should provide you with plenty of great story.
If I had to knock a couple of things in this book, I'd pick the fact that it was a little lighter on the supernatural aspects than I had imagined, and that the middle was just a tad too slow for me. The lack of magic was only a letdown for me because the fantasy aspects were very cool when they happened, so I wanted more. For some, this combined with a slightly slower middle of the novel might make for a slow read because there's just not enough magic to keep you going. But in the end, I was able to get past that and realize just what a great story was lurking on these pages, fantastical magic or no. NOTE: I have the personal guarantee of Stina Leicht that the second book has more magic in it, so fear not!
I loved
The utter unpredictability. I was truly surprised by a number of things that happened to Liam. Leicht really knows how to put her characters through the ringer.
The demon-fighting, whiskey drinking, psycho-analyzing father Murray. I'll be interested in seeing more of him in the sequel, which is the next book on my planned reading
The fact that Leicht did her homework, on everything from The Troubles to racing cars, and it shows. Nothing felt like she was winging it, or relying on the reader to know less about the subject than she did. I looked up The Troubles after reading the book, and it mirrors the every detail of the book.
The message this book is sending about violence and fear and how they make for some really terrible decisions. Look into The Troubles, and you'll see the seeds of the same thing in America today, and it's somewhat terrifying.
I hated
The middle of the book was a little slow for me, even with magic starting to take more of a role, and it slowed my reading of the book somewhat.
Of Blood and Honey gets 8.75/10. This is a VERY good debut from an author that I'm looking forward to reading again soon. The mesh of fantasy and history is excellent, and Liam's life is tragic and incredible. If you like fantasy and love history, go and buy this book, and get the sequel while you're at it (released just this week!)
One of the things that I really like about having this blog is that it forces me to admit and cure my ignorance on a number of subjects. For instance, I can tell you that I truly didn't have a clue about what took place in the 1970s in Northern Ireland. Thankfully, education through fantasy books has struck again, and Stina Leicht's Of Blood and Honey cleared that problem up in a hurry. If you'd like to know more about The Troubles, then you can refer to this quick guide here, or better yet, just go and buy Stina's debut novel from Night Shade Books.
I definitely didn't realize how interesting and dangerous the 70s were in Ireland, but Leicht captures it wonderfully. Liam's story meshes incredibly well with real-world events, and the tragedies that befall him really help the reader understand just how crazy this period in history was.
Liam's story is incredibly tragic. His fight against the darkness in him, and how that darkness keeps causing both he and his family to suffer is heart-breaking. Things DO NOT go well for Liam, and it makes for great reading. I didn't expect a single thing that happened to him to go quite the way that it did, with the exception of the end of the novel. Even then, I didn't quite get it right. And that's a very good thing folks. This book was utterly unpredictable to me, and so it should provide you with plenty of great story.
If I had to knock a couple of things in this book, I'd pick the fact that it was a little lighter on the supernatural aspects than I had imagined, and that the middle was just a tad too slow for me. The lack of magic was only a letdown for me because the fantasy aspects were very cool when they happened, so I wanted more. For some, this combined with a slightly slower middle of the novel might make for a slow read because there's just not enough magic to keep you going. But in the end, I was able to get past that and realize just what a great story was lurking on these pages, fantastical magic or no. NOTE: I have the personal guarantee of Stina Leicht that the second book has more magic in it, so fear not!
I loved
The utter unpredictability. I was truly surprised by a number of things that happened to Liam. Leicht really knows how to put her characters through the ringer.
The demon-fighting, whiskey drinking, psycho-analyzing father Murray. I'll be interested in seeing more of him in the sequel, which is the next book on my planned reading
The fact that Leicht did her homework, on everything from The Troubles to racing cars, and it shows. Nothing felt like she was winging it, or relying on the reader to know less about the subject than she did. I looked up The Troubles after reading the book, and it mirrors the every detail of the book.
The message this book is sending about violence and fear and how they make for some really terrible decisions. Look into The Troubles, and you'll see the seeds of the same thing in America today, and it's somewhat terrifying.
I hated
The middle of the book was a little slow for me, even with magic starting to take more of a role, and it slowed my reading of the book somewhat.
Of Blood and Honey gets 8.75/10. This is a VERY good debut from an author that I'm looking forward to reading again soon. The mesh of fantasy and history is excellent, and Liam's life is tragic and incredible. If you like fantasy and love history, go and buy this book, and get the sequel while you're at it (released just this week!)