Sword & Sorcery

Review: Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

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UK Cover of Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Sea of Shadows (Age of Legends 1)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: Atom (8th April 2014)
Blurb:

THEY HEAR THE SPIRITS.
THEY MUST OBEY.

In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, they will not be quieted.

Ambushed by an ancient evil, Moria and Ashyn must race to warn the empire of a terrifying threat. Accompanied by a dashing thief and a warrior with a dark history, the sisters battle their way across a wasteland filled with reawakened monsters of legend. But there are more sinister enemies waiting for them at court – and a secret that will alter the balance of their world for ever.

The first volume of the Age of Legends trilogy, Sea of Shadows is a thrilling dark fantasy where evil hides in every shadow and the deadliest monsters of all come in human form . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

SEA OF SHADOWS is the first book in Kelley Armstrong’s new trilogy AGE OF LEGENDS. SEA OF SHADOWS introduces twin sisters Moria and Ashyn who live outside of the Forest of the Dead. They are the Keeper and the Seeker for this area, and are charged with quieting the enraged souls of the criminals who are exiled to the forest as punishment. This is their first year on their own, and something goes terribly wrong – the souls will not be quieted.

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Review: The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

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The Assassin’s Blade

Title: The Assassin’s Blade (Throne of Glass Novellas)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury (13th March 2014)
Blurb:

THE TWIST OF A KNIFE,
THE BIRTH OF A LEGEND . . .

Celaena Sardothien owes her reputation to Arobynn Hamel. He gave her a home at the Assassin’s Guild and taught her the skills she needed to survive.

Arobynn’s enemies stretch far and wide – from Adarlan’s rooftops and its filthy dens, to remote islands and hostile deserts. Celaena is duty-bound to hunt them down. But behind her assignments lies a dark truth that will seal her fate – and cut her heart in two forever . . .

THE PREQUELS TO THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER THRONE OF GLASS

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

THE ASSASSIN’S BLADE is an amalgamation of previously released prequel novellas in the THRONE OF GLASS series. The novellas all tell stories of what Celaena Sardothien’s life was like prior to the beginning of THRONE OF GLASS (review). THE ASSASSIN’S BLADE comprises of five novellas told in chronological order.

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Review: Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce

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Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce

Title: Battle Magic (The Circle Reforged, 3)
Author: Tamora Pierce
Genre: Sword and Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: Scholastic Press (24th September 2013)
Blurb:

THE DRUMS OF WAR ARE BEATING.

Mages Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy are visiting the mystical mountain kingdom of Gyongxe when they are suddenly called away. The emperor of Yanjing has invited them to see his glorious gardens.

During their brief stay, though, the mages see far more than splendid flowers. They see the emperor’s massive army, his intense cruelty, and the devastating magic that keeps his power in place.

It’s not till they leave that they discover he’s about to launch a major invasion of Fyongxe. The mountain land is home to many temples . . . including the First Temple of the Living Circle, which Rosethorn has vowed to defend.

With time running out, the mages race to warn their Gyongxin friends of the emperor’s plans.

Duty, mystery, magic, and terror will drive them apart on the way. And while new friends will do their best to bring the mages together again on the field of battle, deadly enemies hide in every mountain pass, just waiting to destroy them.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

BATTLE MAGIC is Tamora Pierce’s latest novel set in the world of Emelan;it tells the story of the journey that leaves Briar with nightmares mentioned in THE WILL OF THE EMPRESS. The story follows Briar – one of the four mages of Pierce’s CIRCLE OF MAGIC series -, his mentor Rosethorn and his pupil Evvy as they travel through the Gyongxe and Yangjing regions of Emelan.

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Review: Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder

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Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Title: Spy Glass (Chronicles of Ixia 6/Glass Trilogy 3)
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Genre: Sword and Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: Mira Ink (2nd August 2013)
Blurb:

A new legacy is rising . . .

After siphoning her own blood magic, Opal Cowan has lost her powers and been separated from Kade and Ulrick, the two men who divide her heart. Now an insider looking in, Opal spies through the glass on those with the powers she once had.

Until spying through the glass becomes her new power. Suddenly, the beautiful pieces she makes flash in the presence of magic. And then she discovers that some of her blood has been stolen – and that finding it may let her regain her powers for good.

Or learn if they’re lost forever.

Rating: ** (2 stars)
Review:

SPY GLASS is the sixth book in Maria V. Snyder’s CHRONICLES OF IXIA and the third and final book in her GLASS TRILOGY. In SPY GLASS Snyder concludes Opal’s conflicting emotions about the men she loves and her own magic. Opal has come a long way from the girl we meet in FIRE STUDY (review) and it has been a really interesting journey.

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Review: Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

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Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Title: Stolen Songbird (Malediction Trilogy #1)
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Genre: Swords and Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Source: Strange Chemistry via NetGalley
Format: e-ARC
Blurb:

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

– Blurb taken from Strange Chemistry website.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

STOLEN SONGBIRD is the first book in Danielle L. Jensen’s MALEDICTION TRILOGY. It tells the story of Cécile, the daughter of a farmer, who dreams of following in her mother’s footsteps and being an opera singer. On the eve of her achieving her dream she is kidnapped and brought to Trollus, where her whole world changes.

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Review: Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder

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Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Title: Sea Glass (Chronicles of Ixia #5/ Glass #2)
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Genre: Sword and Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: Mira Ink (2nd August 2013)
Blurb:

A Game of Magic

Student magician Opal Cowan’s newfound ability to steal other people’s powers makes her too powerful.

Trapped under house arrest, Opal dares to defy her imprisonment, searching for Ulrick, the man she thinks she loves. Thinks because she is sure another man – now her prisoner – has switched souls with Ulrick.

In hostile territory, without proof or allies, Opal isn’t sure whom to trust. She doesn’t know the real Ulrick’s whereabouts and can’t forget Kale, the handsome Stormdancer who doesn’t want to let her get too close.

And now everyone is after Opal’s special powers for their own deadly gain . . .

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

SEA GLASS is the second book in Maria V. Snyder’s GLASS series and the fifth book in her CHRONICLES OF IXIA series. SEA GLASS continues the story of Opal Cowan as she deals with the consequences of events in STORM GLASS (review), like the revelation that she can use her glass magic skills to take another magician’s magic, and struggles with who to trust – even herself.

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Review: Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder

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Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Title: Storm Glass (Chronicles of Ixia #4/ Glass #1)
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Genre: Sword & Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: Mira Ink (2nd August 2013)
Blurb:

Untrained. Untested. Unleashed.

With her unique magical abilities, Opal Cowan has always felt unsure of her place at Sitia’s magic academy – but now it’s time to test her powers in the real world.

Under the threat from a deadly massacre, the powerful Stormdancer clan need Opal’s unusual skills to protect their people. And their plea is impossible to resist, especially when it comes from mysterious, mercurial Kade.

Yet pulling her powers in unfamiliar directions pushes Opal to uncover a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening, with danger and deception rising around her, will Opal’s untested abilities destroy her – or save them all?

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

STORM GLASS is the first book in the GLASS trilogy, and the fourth book in the CHRONICLES OF IXIA. It tells the story of Opal Cowan, who first makes an appearance in FIRE STUDY (review). STORM GLASS takes place five years after the events of FIRE STUDY and sees Opal at Sitia’s magic academy, where she is unsure of her place and powers. Opal has a special ability with glass, and events see her travel with a Master magician to discover what is causing the Stormdancer clan’s deaths.

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Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

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Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas, UK edition cover.

Title: Crown of Midnight (A Throne of Glass Novel, #2)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Sword & Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury (15th August 2013)
Blurb:

CROWNED BY EVIL.
BOUND BY DUTY.
DIVIDED BY LOVE.

Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the King of Adarlan’s deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies’ blood – but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, puts those she loves at risk.

Torn between her two protectors – a captain and a prince – and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart or the fate of a kingdom . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

CROWN OF MIDNIGHT is the second book in Sarah J. Maas’ brilliant THRONE OF GLASS series. It continues the story of Celaena Sardothien who has to deal with the realities of the outcome of the events in the first book in the series THRONE OF GLASS (review). Celaena finds herself in the position of being an assassin for a king she despises, but dare not disobey for his response would be brutal. She isn’t, however, someone who just does as she is told.

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Review: Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder

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PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE STUDY SERIES AS FIRE STUDY IS THE THIRD BOOK IN THE SERIES.

Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder (UK cover)

Title: Fire Study (Study #3)
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Genre: Sword and Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: Mira (29th February 2012)
Blurb:

THE APPRENTICESHIP IS OVER
NOW THE REAL TEST HAS BEGUN

When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder – able to capture and release souls – spreads like wildfire, people grow uneasy. Already Yelena’s unusual abilities and past have set her apart. As the Council debates Yelena’s fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before.

Honour sets Yelena on a path that will test the limits of her skills, and the hope of reuniting with her beloved spurs her onward. Her journey is fraught with allies and enemies. Yelena will have but one chance to prove herself – and save the land she holds dear.

Rating: ****  (4 stars)
Review:

Fire Study is the third book in the Study Series, and in it we see Yelena finally come to terms with what she is and what that means for her. Like the previous two books in the series, Fire Study is packed with intrigue and adventure. Once started I found it hard to put the book down.

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Review: Eona by Alison Goodman

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PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE EON SERIES AS EONA IS THE FINAL BOOK IN THE DUOLOGY.

Eona by Alison Goodman

Title: Eona (Eon #2)
Author: Alison Goodman
Genre: Sword and Sorcery, Young Adult
Publisher: FIREBIRD (29th March 2012)
Blurb:

Once she was Eon, a girl disguised as a boy, risking her life for the chance to become a Dragoneye apprentice . .  .

Now she is Eona, the Mirror Dragoneye, her country’s savior – but she has an even more dangerous secret. She cannot control her power. Each time she tries, she opens herself to the ten spirit dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered, and her ability twists into a killing force. Worse, more destruction is on her tail, for she and her friends are on the rune from High Lord Sethon’s army. They must find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona’s power if he is to wrest back his throne. But to help, she must drive a bargain with an old enemy, which could obliterate them all. Eona, with its pulse-pounding drama, unforgettable fight scenes – and many surprises – brings to a close an epic story.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

Eona brings to a conclusion the story started in Eon, where a girl disguises herself as a boy for the chance to become a Dragoneye. Eon had everything I love in a good sword and sorcery fantasy, so I was really looking forward to reading Eona. However, Eona didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

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