afictionalescapist's reviews
49 reviews

The Gatherings by Jeremy Ray

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The Gatherings - Jeremy Ray 

One day each year the people of the world gather together to unite as one. The aim is to feel a sense of peace, a sense of belonging and it was all going well; until the dancing started.

Emily is an introvert, a writer and reluctant to leave the comfort of her home on any given day. Unfortunately for her, she can’t say no to Monica’s charming smile and agrees to go to a public display of “The Gatherings”. When the mayor announces that they came as individuals but would leave as one, she didn’t realise that was to be taken quite so literally. 

What started as a simple idea, to connect quickly turns into a horrific fight for her life as those in the gathering start to bite and infect each other. The horror spreads until there is only a few left standing.

A short, disturbing tale of one woman’s escape from a horrific event. For those that aren’t squeamish when it comes to body horror and murderous plant life. 

The Soul's Aspect by Mark Holloway

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

3.75

The Souls Aspect - Mark Holloway 

16 year old Kehlem lives a simple life, apprenticing for his father in the art of healing. Wanting to learn more about his craft he starts asking questions, of healing and more importantly of the Aspect. 

His father tries to deter him away from the topic of the Aspecters; those who can read, feel and manipulate the in between world of energy known as the Aspect. In doing so, his father only makes him more curious. An aspecter comes to town and offers to help with a project he is working on, in doing so uncovers the truth. 

Kehlem is whisked away to the empires academy for magic users, looked down upon for his age and his race, will he survive the teachings and make it to the other side? 

This was a decent coming of age story touching on love, friendships and realizing our parents are just like us. Human (well for the most part). I really liked the friendship dynamic in this first installment, it felt authentic and had me smiling along when the band of brothers worked something out or were mucking around. I also think the author did a good job of keeping the reader on their toes at the end gripping me to want to read book two (sooner rather than later). 

I’ll admit I spent a lot of this book thinking that the main protagonist was too “nice” and I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and for him to become a cold blooded killer. On more than one occasion “come on Kehlem, have a backbone”, but I had to remind myself this was a young, relatively sheltered lad who was raised to be a lover, not a fighter. We see him grow through the academy and become the man I hope to see in the next installment. 

The Heart of the Bloodstone by Philinna Wood

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

**Mild Spoilers for The Heart of the Bloodstone below** - Marked by **SPOILERS**

Philinna Woods debut novel is charming with beautiful prose, worldbuilding and atmosphere.

We follow three main characters and their POV’s in what I would classify as an adventure borderline quest fantasy. Avalan our main protagonist is set to stage a coup over the chief of Hydrus’s rein. No longer will he put up with the increasing restrictions of his people and longs to set them free and return them a life of freedom. Bassalt the current chief claims that he is just trying to protect them all from the feared Onyx. The one birthstone which could ruin everything they have built.

Lusha longs for a life of the moonstone, she wishes to escape with Ronan to visit her aunt who could teach her more about her healing capabilities in the homeland. Under the scrutinising gaze of her father this would prove no easy feat.

Suddenly Ronan turns up dead, a face from the past blamed for the death based on the colour of his eyes. Bohran has been wrongfully charged returning to Hydrus after 6 years in exile. Avalan, Lusha and Bohran fight to escape with their lives, to learn the truth of their stones and set the village free.

 

There were two standouts for me in this book. The prose and the magic system. The prose was beautiful, it felt like the author put real effort into making the world flow almost lyrically off the page. It was a joy to read and a nice break for someone who tends to read grimdark fantasy. 

I thought the magic system of the bloodstones to be unique and interesting. Each individual carries the truth of their stones in their eyes, but the powers they can access remain relatively hidden due to Bassalt's rule over Hydrus. I personally would have liked to have seen more development within the magic system but we did get a glimpse of what those powers could to towards the end of the book (with the exception of the moonstone which was explained quite well throughout). 

I thought the characters were a little two dimensional and didn't develop a whole lot throughout this first instalment, however they remained true to their initial character. I am interested to see how they develop in the next instalment. 

Another quick positive I will mention is the animal companions. I don't know that I have ever rooted for a snake before. 

Overall, while the tone of this book was lighter than what I would generally pick up I had a good time and look forward to reading book two. 

P.S. Highly recommend reading the Goat Game which can be found on Philinna's website for free for some background into the three main characters. 

Nana by Mark Towse

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.0

12 year old Olly is resistant to spending a night with his nana while his parents work out some marital issues. Probably for good reason. 

The residents of Newcrest Haven aren't quite right. But Nana Ivy promises the young lad a night of fun with the other occupants, not to mention a slice of delicious cherry pie. They head off to a talent hall where a smorgasbord of aged care residents show off their slightly off kilter talents (who doesn't love a blood sacrifice right). Suddenly things turn dark as a kid his own age is bought to the stage and Olly realises he needs to get out; and fast. Will he make it out alive, or succumb to the desires of Newhaven? 

This is one of those reads that will make you think ... wtf just happened to me, and I dig it. Fast paced, quirky, horrific and unputdownable. 

Jade City by Fonda Lee

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Jade City - Fonda Lee 

This books premise sounded right up my alley from the get go. Mafia esk, Asian inspired urban fantasy! Sign me all the way up. 

Within Janloon lies two clans, rules by the infamous Green Bones. Jade wielding warriors trained in the 6 disciplines of Jade. Tensions rise as the No Peak and Mountain clans fight for ultimate control. Family dramas hinder political intrigue in this fast paced, tense fantasy which will leave the reader wanting more. 

A couple of things I really enjoyed about this book: 

The characters of the clans. Neither side was “good” nor “bad” both are just fighting for what they believe in, in what is set up to be a age old fight between the two. We get to see and understand why (terrible) decisions are made, to both prevent, and start a war. 

The storyline. This was so rich with the histories of the clans, the background information was woven into the story beautifully and we were still learning until the very end. 

The setting. The city of Janloon and Kekon it’s capital feels real, the sights, the smells. The urban fantasy setting was enough out world to be able to relate but also fantastical enough to make it completely foreign. 

I have very little bad to say about Jade city. Some of the character decisions had me thinking WHY! Some of the sentences were a little repetitive for my tastes but for the most part, this was very enjoyable.

Sitting at a 4 ⭐️ for me. 

Silk Fire by Zabé Ellor

challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

Silk Fire - Zebé Ellor - Review 

I’m not sure what to say about this book. At its core I would call it a political family drama with a whole lot of fantasy elements thrown in for good measure. 

We follow Koréshiza Brightstar, son of the magistrate who has been an outcast all his life. This courtesan turned politician aims to use his powers of manipulation and his intimate knowledge of those in power to bring his father down. 

There were a couple of areas where this book fell down for me. First and foremost, over-complication. This started from the very beginning with a glossary of names and how to pronounce them. This would have been fine if the characters then didn’t also have nicknames that interchanged throughout the text. 

The sheer amount of information being added to the plot at every turn took away from the core storyline and left me confused as hell. This book also had feint within feint within feint but the execution was frustrating more than clever. 

The next let down was inconsistency. Our main character is revealed to be quite a powerful being early in the book but the source of his power changes. We are told one thing then shown another without it being a story arc of any kind. His motivations also chopped and changed at any given moment. We also have a love triangle which feels incredibly forced and the decisions made between these three characters … 🤦‍♂️ 

Had this not been an arc I likely would have DNF’d but it wasn’t all bad. I did appreciate the back story to our main character that we saw in the interludes, allowing the reader to piece together why he was acting certain ways at certain times. I also think the premise of the story is very cool. It just needed a lot less faff convoluting the plot to make it work.  

This one sits at a 1.5 ⭐️ for me. 

The Goat Game by Philinna Wood

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

challenging emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson 

Henrik Vanger wants one last shot at finding out what happened to his niece 36 years ago when she was taken suddenly from his life. Suspecting foul play amongst his own family he hires shamed journalist Mikael Bloomkvist to dig into the Verger’s sordid past. The more he digs, the more it becomes apparent, someone doesn’t want him to find the truth. 

Enlisting the help of brilliant computer hacker Lisbeth Salander he aims to find out just what happened to the girl, and how far this story, really goes. 

I really enjoyed this book, I loved and appreciated the slow, meticulous build up of layers to both the plot, and characters. I also loved that the characters themselves were complex and flawed with sometimes questionable motives. There is very little for me to fault here from my own personal tastes, except maybe an over emphasis on the amount of coffee being consumed… probably a good idea to check everyone’s heart rate. 

If you love the feel of a gritty mystery with passionate, smart yet flawed protagonists this is the book for you. The most satisfying read for me so far this year. 

I gave this one a 4.5 ⭐️

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson

Taking place a year after the Well of Ascension Vin and Elend race against time to discover the true meaning behind the power now unleashed. 

Ash and mist cover the land at all hours of the day, meaning less food, less light and more fear among the people both skaa and noble. To save the world, peace may no longer be an option. 

I’m not going to lie, this was my least favorite of the trilogy even though the pay off and ending was quite epic in scale. 

It took way too long to pick up the pace through almost fluffy prose IMO. The magic system which we have had explained to us well in the first two books felt like it was still being spoon fed to the reader and the pining between the two main characters carried over making my eye twitch a little bit each time

That being said, the pay off for the build up was there for me. In the second half of the book, it was enjoyable to read the blurbs before each chapter and put the pieces together. I got the “Ohhhhhh” moment I was waiting for. I also think we have some of the best, most well thought out side characters that I’ve ever read. Unfortunately I wanted to know more about them than the actual plot. (Can someone write a whole book on the history of the Kandra, thanks). I also loved the questioning of faith and religion this series has as a whole and it really shined through in book 3.

I’m curious about Mistborn Era 2 but I need a Sando Break for the time being. 

Is this one of your favorites? I’d love to chat about it and why you love it so much!! 

I ended this one on a 3.5 ⭐️ 

Stop Doing That Sh*t by Gary John Bishop

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

I'm not one for self help books. I believe as humans we are pretty smart and we KNOW a lot of this stuff. We just don't always put it to good use. 

Stop Doing That Sh*t, but Gary John Bishop hit different. 

While this book is only a few hundred pages or about 4.5 hours of listening time it took me several days to get through. The author encourages frequent breaks to really let the words sink in, to identify within yourself your personal saboteurs shaping how you view yourself, others and the world around you. 

This book was eye (or ear) opening, in a way I've never been hit before. Without saying too much, if you struggle with the monotony of daily life, why are you settling, why are you living comfortably without asking yourself what you really think, and what you really want. Uncovering those questions was what this book did for me. 

Give it a go, who knows. It might change your life for the better.