The Fall Book Tag

I was tagged many moons ago by both Mischenko over at Read Rant Rock & Roll and Hey Brizzle Shizzle (Claire) over at Brizzlelass Books.

Thank you, ladies, and as always, if you don’t already follow them then hop on over and check out both blogs, they are fantastic. 🙂

This tag was created by Shanah from Bionic Book Worm. All of the graphics used belong to her. Huge thanks for this tag Shannah it’s awesome!

Blackwing (The Raven’s Mark Book One) by Ed McDonald

 

Blackwing is fantastic, hands down, it’s one of the best books of 2017. I’m not entirely sure why it felt fresh and new to me, it’s Mcdonald’s debut book so he’s a fresh new author!😂 But there was just something about it, the writing, the setting, everything really and while it contains staples of the genre somehow the book manages to feel like a fresh take on fantasy.

Here’s part of my review:

Blackwing is a compelling and gritty story, it’s not grimdark as such but it’s definitely a dark tale. There’s plenty of believable characters, violence, action, betrayal, political machinations, secrets and revelations found within the pages and you will often find yourself having to read that stereotypical ‘just one more chapter‘ simply so that you can find out what happens next.

Blackwing is an outstanding debut and a must-read for any self-respecting fantasy fan. From the first page all the way through to the very last I found myself captivated by the story, world and characters created by Mcdonald in this absolutely exceptional read.

Simply put, Blackwing is one of the books of 2017. Do yourself a favour and read it!

Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle Book 2) by Jay Kristoff

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff. The book ended and I was like ‘are you fucking shitting me, there have to be more pages’. Alas, there wasn’t!😢😠 Damn you, Kristoff! I mean seriously dude, how could you end it like that!?! It was awesome but I want, scrub that, I need to know what happens next!

Here’s part of my review:

Kristoff has a very colourful way with words, in other words, gentlefriends he likes swearing! As a foul mouth (though I only dabble) myself, I offer him the highest of high fives for using both the terms ‘cunt‘ and ‘cunny‘ in his writing.✋And, of course, that foul mouth staple, the word ‘fuck‘ is used none too sparingly but hey, who doesn’t like a good fuck!😉 I really like Kristoff’s style, often he is verbose and he doesn’t use his words sparingly but it’s engaging, pulls you in, poetic, at times mesmerising and he uses those words to maximum effect. He’s a fine storyteller and incorporates emotion, action (he’s a dab hand at action scenes and there are plenty of top quality ones included) and humour into the pages of Godsgrave.

If you haven’t yet read Nevernight then I recommend that you give it a go as even with the issues that I personally had there is a lot to like about it. Now, if you’ve already read Nevernight then simply put you need to read Godsgrave!

Oftentimes Godsgrave isn’t nuanced or subtle, it’s bold, brash, loud and what I’d call ‘in your face‘ fantasy. It’s a book that is chock-full of ‘holy shit‘ moments and it’s fucking enjoyable for it!

Or if you prefer the clean and child-friendly highly quote-worthy version:

Oftentimes Godsgrave isn’t nuanced or subtle, it’s bold, brash, loud and what I’d call ‘in your face‘ fantasy. It’s a book that is chock-full of ‘oh my God‘ moments and it’s tremendously enjoyable for it!

Cold Feet: The Lost Years by Carmel Harrington

The warm and fuzzy’s, WTF?!?!?!

Definitely not something that I feel often! At least it wasn’t ‘wet and sticky‘ cos no way do I read books that leave you feeling like that! 😉

Most fantasy contains lots of gore, blood, visceral limb severing, murder and mayhem so I guess if those things left me feeling warm and fuzzy then the padded room with white walls would be in my future!😂

So, saying that I’ll pick the book that caused me to suffer mockery and derision for reading it Cold Feet: The Lost Years by Carmel Harrington.

Here’s part of my review:

The writing and pacing are both spot on in The Lost Years as the pages and chapters (you will smile at some of the chapter names) fly by in a mix of humour, emotion and some poignant moments too. Even if it’s only something trivial and minor there is always something happening and Harrington knows how to tell a story. You find yourself turning the pages and wanting to continue reading as you are that engrossed in the dysfunctional lives of Pete, Jenny, David, Karen and Adam.

If you are a fan of Cold Feet then simply put, buy The Lost Years. If you know anyone who is a fan of the show then simply put, tell them to buy the book and if they won’t either drag them to the bookshop and make them buy it or buy it for them.

The Lost Years is a fantastic adaptation that keeps the essence of everything that made Cold Feet, Cold Feet and for fans of the show, it is a must-read.

Godblind by Anna Stephens

Nothing needs saying only, look at that cover, it’s stunning.

Here’s part of my review:

Come the end of Godblind and in typical grimdark fashion, hope is a commodity sorely lacking, throughout the book you have been left looking down an ever-growing gaping maw of bleakness, anguish and desperation, that gets progressively worse with the final hundred pages ratcheting up the despair even more, it’s a fitting ending to a quality book and first installment in the trilogy. But damn, the conclusion is like a punch to the gut, leaving you reeling as you turn the final page, realising that Stephens, whilst closing of this first part and phase, has also simultaneously left the story balancing on a precipice, can you say cliff-fucking-hanger! You want to continue delving deeper into the story, see how it’s all going to play out, find out what the next moves are, the characters fates, it really gives you the feels and you are left wanting more.

Fast paced, visceral, bloodthirsty with plenty of gore-drenched action, an abundance of colourful language, humour, the occasional splattering (not the more common smattering, because, you know, blood splatters) of emotion, characters to root for, and assholes to hate all added together make Godblind a tremendous debut from Stephens and a fantastic read.

If I had to describe Godblind in one sentence, I’d give you this: Godblind is grimdark on steroids!

Raid by K. S. Merbeth

Raid like its predecessor Bite is a fast paced, action packed and FUN read. Just awesome.

Here’s part of my review:

Clementine is a badass bounty hunter with a penchant for guns. She loves her guns far more than people and she knows how to use them. Not surprising really as in the wastes people will fuck with you, while guns protect and keep you alive. As the main character and alongside Jedediah the focal point of the story in Raid, I found Clementine to be fully rounded and fleshed out with her backstory adding depth to her character. Clem’s companion/prisoner for a large part of the book, Jedediah Johnson is also another quality character. As they travel together, the dynamic and relationship between the two constantly changes throughout the course of their journey as secrets and twists are revealed, giving you a variety of interesting, engaging, awkward and funny moments.

Raid as a book is very much in a similar vein to Bite (that’s no bad thing, Bite is awesome and is in my top ten books of the year list for 2016). I’d say that Merbeth seems more secure and self-assured in her writing, storytelling and characterisation in Raid. She knows her style and it works extremely well for her. Bite was her debut and to me, overall Raid feels like a more accomplished book than its predecessor.

I don’t know what will happen next, will we stay with Clementine? Go back to Wolf, Kid, Tank and Dolly? Or, venture to either the Northern or Southern wastes? Only time and the next book by Merbeth will tell. Rest assured, I’ll happily follow wherever she takes her story and characters, be they old or new as it’s sure to be one wild ride!

Revved up, Raid never takes the foot off the gas, moving forward at full throttle. Incorporating the perfect mix of Fallout, Borderlands, Rage and Mad Max it’s a pedal to the metal mayhem filled frenetic read.

A Time of Dread (Of Blood and Bone #1) by John Gwynne

Gwynne’s previous series The Faithful and the Fallen is my favourite fantasy series and Wrath, the final book was my book of the year for 2016.👌

This new series is set in the same world as The Faithful and The Fallen and takes place 100 years after the end of Wrath, suffice to say that I am beyond excited about this book! 

I’m not going to specifically tag anyone but if anyone sees the tag and wants to do it then have at it! 🙂

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