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Happy Tuesday bookish people! I’m very excited that today is my spot on the blog tour for The Gauntlet and the Fist Beneath by Ian Green. Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

The Gauntlet and the Fist Beneath Plot:

I loved the uniqueness of this book’s plot. I had never read a book like this before. One of the things I most enjoyed about this book was it’s fantastic world-building. I felt completely engrossed in the world that Ian Green created and I read through this book so quickly because I had to know what was going to happen next. I loved that this book opened with an action scene, it hooked me in without me even realizing it.

The Gauntlet and the Fist Beneath Characters:

There are many characters within this book and they all have a role to play, their personalities are very well created and balance against each other well. The main character that I was drawn to was Flore, there are so many layers to her character and I felt all of her emotions along with her.

The Gauntlet and the Fist Beneath Writing and Dialogue:

The writing is one of the best I have read, it is clear and smooth and despite complex characters and plot lines I didn’t get confused at all, which with some fantasy books I do sometimes.

The Gauntlet and the Fist Beneath Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall because I enjoyed my reading experience and I thought the world-building was masterful.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Fight the Storm.
Protect your people.
The endless rotstorm rages over the ruins of the Ferron Empire. Floré would never let the slavers of
the Empire rise again. As a warrior of the Stormguard Commandos, she wrought horrors in the
rotstorm to protect her people. She did her duty and left the bloodshed behind.
Fight for your family.
Floré’s peace is shattered when blazing orbs of light cut through the night sky and descend on her
village. Her daughter is abducted and Floré is forced into a chase across a land of twisted monsters
and ancient gods. She must pursue the mysterious orbs, whose presence could herald the return of the
Empire she spent her entire life fighting.
Destroy your enemies.
Now, Floré must take up the role she had sworn to put aside and become the weapon the Stormguard
trained her to be, to save not only her daughter, but her people…

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

August 9, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am bringing you my book review of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton. I read this book this weekend just passed while I was down at my Partner’s Dad’s. My Partner always sleeps in a lot later than I do so I went down to the kitchen, got myself a cup of tea and read this book.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels Plot:

I really enjoyed the uniqueness of this book. Although it was set as if in Victorian England and mentioned places such as Bath and Devon, it also included elements of magical realism like houses that could fly with pirate flags on top of them. It felt both serious and witty throughout the novel and I mostly liked this but some times I was hoping it would focus on one at a time. I felt that this book focused more on it’s characters rather than the plot.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels Characters:

In this book there are many characters and for the most part they have distinct personalities but I wish some of them had been more fleshed out, and more useful to the story. The main protagonist, Cecelia, is very adventurous and very determined to prove herself to the society so that she can be moved up from Junior to Senior and I felt that this was her motivation for most of the book (except for the end where I really feel her character was lost because of the decisions she made although I sort of expected them). I also felt Cecelia came across much younger than her age and a little whingy. The male love interest character was Ned, I liked his charm and his wit and the way he and Cecelia conversed. Also, he’s a pirate and I’m a sucker for a good pirate. Oh, and there’s also the only one bed trope for anyone who’s interested in that…

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels Writing and Dialogue:

There’s not much to say here, I think the writing fit the universe very well and I thought the dialogue presented all the characters to the reader – also the dialogue between Cecelia and ned were my favourite parts of this book.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels Overall:

I gave this book three stars overall because it was an enjoyable read, it had pirates in it but it just wasn’t quite enough for me. I plan on picking up the next book in the series though.

Blurb/Synopsis:

A prim and proper lady thief must save her aunt from a crazed pirate and his dangerously charming henchman in this fantastical historical romance.

Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She’s also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it’s a pleasant existence. Until the men show up.

Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he’s under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and an unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake. Never underestimate a woman.

When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her–hopefully proving, once and for all, that she’s as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Book Quotes

Favourite Book Quotes: Top 100: 10 – 1

August 6, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! It’s finally time to reveal my top ten favourite quotes! I have been having so much fun getting the quotes together and deciding which order I’d place them in and getting to tell everyone about them. I hope you’ve all been enjoying it too.

So, without further ado let’s get to my top ten favourite book quotes!

At number ten is a quote from a duology…

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

10. “No mourners, no funerals” – this being said to show that the characters are a group is something that I really liked about this quote.

Next is a quote from my favourite book….

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

9. “We are all stardust and stories” – this is so whimsical and beautiful, as the whole book is and it reminds me why I love the book.

At number 8 is a quote from a book recently turned into a TV series…

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

8. “Fine, make me your villain” – I think I gasped when I read this line in the book, and it was so good that they kept it in the TV series.

At 7 is a quote from a classic…

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

7. “I am a free bird and no net ensnares me” – this has always been one of my favourite quotes.

Next, is a quote from a book with a beautiful green cover…

A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

6. “The most dangerous person at the party is always the girl sat alone with a book” – yes, I can imagine that this is true, I don’t go to parties but if I did I would take a book.

At the halfway point, the next quote is from a historical fiction novel…

White Princess by Philippa Gregory

5. “The white rose of York has been stabbed in it’s pure white heart and is bleeding scarlet red”

At number 4 is a quote from a book I read this year…

Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

4. “Love makes fools of us all darling” – I love this quote, there’s just something about it.

At number 3 is a quote from a huge book..

Crescent City by Sarah J Maas

3. “Through love all is possible” – this would be a lovely quote to live by, and on top of that to know what this quote means to the characters in the book makes it even better.

At number 2 is a quote from a book I am excited to read soon…

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

2. “Hello, Feyre darling” – Yes! I want this on everything, t-shirts, blankets, EVERYTHING.

Finally, we are at number one….

My favourite book quote is from the second book in a four book series…

Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

“catch me if I fall alright? A smile curved his lips in a most delightful manner “I’ve already fallen hard Wadsworth, perhaps you should have warned me sooner” – of course this had to be top, Thomas Cresswell has so many brilliant lines.

So, that’s it – This is my top ten favourite book quotes, and if you go back through my blog you can see my top 100 book quotes. I hope you have all enjoyed reading these!

blog tours, Book Reviews

Book Review: The Turnout by Megan Abbott

August 6, 2021August 5, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! Today is my spot on the book tour for The Turnout by Megan Abbott. Thank you to Grace Vincent and Virago books for sending me a copy to read and review.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

The Turnout Plot:

I was so excited to get to read this book, I have always liked ballet and this continues with literary ballet plots as well. I loved how this book takes you through the story, the things that you think are important aren’t always and the things you think aren’t important may turn out to be much more important than you think. One of the parts I enjoyed the most was the exploration of the relationship between the sisters, there was a beautiful balance between the ballet, the changing mystery and the character relationships. It all paired together brilliantly.
I especially liked how the psychological mystery escalated with the timeline heading towards the end performance of The Nutcracker, I could feel the tension building with every page.

The Turnout Characters:

There’s four main characters in this book, Dara, Marie, Charlie and Derek – each one has their own personal experiences that they are struggling with and this is threaded through the story intricately. I must admit I didn’t like Dara for most of the book but by the end I understood her and why she was the way she was.

The Turnout Writing and Dialogue:

I didn’t think I was going to get along that well with the style of this writing however, I found myself being completely absorbed in it, and so the story. The writing style was the perfect compliment to the mystery that was unfolding.

The Turnout Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall because, although some parts were predictable, I enjoyed the journey that this book took me on.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Bestselling and award-winning author Megan Abbott’s revelatory, mesmerizing, and game-changing new novel set against the hothouse of a family-run ballet studio, and an interloper who arrives to bring down the carefully crafted Eden-like facade.

Ballet flows through their veins. Dara and Marie Durant were dancers since birth, with their long necks and matching buns and pink tights, homeschooled and trained by their mother. Decades later the Durant School of Dance is theirs. The two sisters, together with Charlie, Dara’s husband and once their mother’s prize student, inherited the school after their parents died in a tragic accident nearly a dozen years ago. Marie, warm and soft, teaches the younger students; Dara, with her precision, trains the older ones; and Charlie, back broken after years of injuries, rules over the back office. Circling around each other, the three have perfected a dance, six days a week, that keeps the studio thriving. But when a suspicious accident occurs, just at the onset of the school’s annual performance of The Nutcracker, a season of competition, anxiety, and exhilaration, an interloper arrives and threatens the delicate balance of everything they’ve worked for.

Taut and unnerving, The Turnout is Megan Abbott at the height of her game. With uncanny insight and hypnotic writing, it is a sharp and strange dissection of family ties and sexuality, femininity and power, and a tale that is both alarming and irresistible.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Book Tags

Three Bookish Things Book Tag

August 4, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Wednesday bookish people! I am very excited to be doing this tag today, I was tagged by JenJenReviews and it really made me think, I thought it was going to be easy but I needed to have a long look at my books to answer some of them (not that I mind staring at my beautiful books).

Let’s get to the questions!

Three read once and loved authors

Kester Grant – I read her novel Court of Miracles and absolutely loved it, I can’t wait for the next book to be released.
Elly Griffiths – I picked up The Postscript Murders on a whim because it sounded interesting and I ended up reading it in one evening so I’m definitely looking to get the rest of her books at some point soon.
Deanna Raybourn – I read A Curious Beginning last week and now I need to know what happens in the rest of the series.

Three titles I’ve watched but haven’t read

The Vampire Diaries – I didn’t technically watch this one… my sister loved it and would always have it on the TV so I pretty much watched it all without intending to.
Shadowhunters – I have seen and loved the TV series on Netflix but I haven’t finished the book series, I did read the first one and I own them all but I haven’t continued them yet.
Game of Thrones – again I have watched all the seasons but I haven’t picked up the book series yet.

Three Characters you love

Audrey Rose Wadsworth from the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco – she’s a very strong female lead and I just absolutely love her (and Thomas Cresswell, in my mind they come as a pair so they only count as one here)
Scarlet Dragna from Caraval by Stephanie Garber – one of my favourite books ever I had to pick the main protagonist from this series.
Wrath from Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco – can you tell I love this author? She writes amazing books, and well her fictional men are pretty great too. I am excited to see wrath again in Kingdom of the Cursed which comes out in October.

Three series binged

The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black – what can I say, the second one ended on a cliffhanger so I had to pick up the third book straightaway.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead – I read these while in secondary school and loved them and the spin off series.

Three favourite book covers

Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angelles
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

Three Goals for this year

To get more followers and friends – I only started a few months ago and the bookish community is so welcoming and friendly, I’d love to get more bookish friends in the next year.
Hopefully start a PhD – I’ve sent in my applications it’s just the waiting
To be less stressed – this is the most unlikely one, I’m always busy and I’m always stressed. I’d love to learn to relax a bit more.

Thank you for reading that’s the end of this tag!

blog tours, Book Reviews

Book Review: Alice Shaken and Definitely Stirred by Paula Smith

August 4, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Wednesday bookish people! Today is my spot on the book tour for Alice Shaken and Definitely Stirred by Paula Smith. Thank you to Love Books Tours for my copy of this book to read and review.

In this book review I will give star ratings for four categories and I will write a little about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

Alice Shaken and Definitely Stirred Plot:

I will start by saying this book is not my usual genre, I do not enjoy romance all that much however this book was quite uplifting and I enjoyed that there was a particular focus on family and friend relationships not just romantic ones. I felt that the first half of the book was emotional and without saying too much about it, didn’t feel very uplifting but this did change within the second half. I did have a favourite out of the potential romances in the book – and I was very happy when Alice ended up with him. What I particularly liked about it was that there were obstacles that felt real, like they were things that would happen in reality in relationships and romance books don’t always have this.

Alice Shaken and Definitely Stirred Characters:

I’m only going to talk about the main character, Alice, here because if I mentioned anything about the potential romances I’d end up giving too much away. So, Alice, I felt that she was a relatable characters in some aspects – like her relationships with her family and her dislike of her own image – but I also found myself disliking her for most of the book. She was very caught up in her own life and with everything that happened to her it was understandable but it felt for a while like her character wasn’t going to develop in any way, luckily though it did.

Alice Shaken and Definitely Stirred Writing and Dialogue:

It took me a while to get into the writing style, for the first few chapters the writing to me felt quite forced and so it took me longer to read through it, however by the halfway point I had gotten into the writing style a lot more.

Alice Shaken and Definitely Stirred Overall:

I gave this book three stars overall. It was an enjoyable book, it just wasn’t to my tastes.

Blurb/Synopsis:

This uplifting romantic comedy takes you on Alice’s journey, interweaving her relationships with real-life characters and dreams involving her favourite romantic screen idols.

Lamenting the loss of her long-term partner and having been made redundant, Alice makes a New Year’s resolution to get on with life, and definitely without a man. But things don’t quite go to plan. As her Aunt Betty says, ‘Men, dear, are like buses, there are none on the horizon then three come along at once.’ Alice certainly is shaken and definitely stirred.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

August 2, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! This is my book review for Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco.

In this book review I will give star ratings for four categories and I will write a little about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

Kingdom of the Wicked Plot:

There are two halves to the plot of this story, the princes of hell and the witches and the other half is the murders of girls in the town but both of these halves intertwine throughout the novel. Each action has a knock on effect. I loved how this story played out, the uniqueness of the princes of hell being based on the seven deadly sins. I was desperate to keep reading this book and to stay in the world, discovering new things in every chapter. The only thing I did not like was the ending to the murder, the identity of the killer, I personally thought it could have been better if it had been someone else.

Kingdom of the Wicked Characters:

Emilia is the main protagonist in this story and she is strong-willed and family oriented. I loved being able to see her develop within this book, she got stronger and learnt to find her own way. The main prince of hell within this book was Wrath and my goodness, I knew Kerri Maniscalco creates brilliant male leads (hello, Thomas Cresswell) but Wrath is in a level of his own.

Kingdom of the Wicked Writing and Dialogue:

I really enjoy Kerri Maniscalco’s writing, it just works for me. There is nothing about it that I do not like.

Kingdom of the Wicked Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall because, I love it but I think I will love Kingdom of the Cursed even more.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Two sisters.

One brutal murder.

A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself…

And an intoxicating romance.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe—witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin… desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost—even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked Princes of Hell that she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems…

That is it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman

August 2, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! This is my book review for The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman, it is the second book in The Invisible Library series.

In this book review I will give star ratings for four categories and I will write a little about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

The Masked City Plot:

The series is about a librarian spy called Irene and her librarian partner Kai, in this book Kai gets kidnapped and Irene must get him back. The plot of this book is full of action and very fast paced, it is intricately created and kept me guessing the whole way through.

The Masked City Characters:

I love Irene’s character, she’s feisty and prepared to defend herself physically and intellectually if needs be. Kai is more charming and their conversations are very witty. I love the way they interact with each other in the first book and in this one. The characters are one of the most important features of this series and Irene is one of my favourite female leads.

The Masked City Writing and Dialogue:

There’s not much I can say here, the writing is okay for me. Some of the language that is used can stumble me for a minute but mostly its clear and well paced.

The Masked City Overall:

I gave this book four stars because I am loving this series and I can’t wait to read the third one.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Librarian-spy Irene is working undercover in an alternative London when her assistant Kai goes missing. She discovers he’s been kidnapped by the fae faction and the repercussions could be fatal. Not just for Kai, but for whole worlds.

Kai’s dragon heritage means he has powerful allies, but also powerful enemies in the form of the fae. With this act of aggression, the fae are determined to trigger a war between their people – and the forces of order and chaos themselves.

Irene’s mission to save Kai and avert Armageddon will take her to a dark, alternate Venice where it’s always Carnival. Here Irene will be forced to blackmail, fast talk, and fight. Or face death.

That is it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it.

Book Reviews

Book Review: A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

August 2, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! This book review is for A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn. I read this book while I was in the hotel room in Hampshire, it was a lovely evening read for me.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

A Curious Beginning Plot:

This was a very unique murder mystery. It had the feeling of an old Agatha Christie, a cosy mystery with a strong female lead and a brooding male lead. There are plenty of secrets to discover within this mystery, I couldn’t be sure who I could trust throughout this novel.

A Curious Beginning Characters:

This was only the first book in a series and this showed in the characters. They were being set up to have a relationship, although which type I don’t know yet, they have their own secrets and there is sometimes tension between them but this makes them realistic. Veronica is quick witted and stubborn and Stoker is just as stubborn and passionate, he is also much more distant from people than Veronica. I am looking forward to seeing how these characters can develop.

A Curious Beginning Writing and Dialogue:

The writing of this novel was difficult for me to get into at the beginning because it was written to fit the Victorian time period that it is set during but once I got used to it the writing became smooth and fit the story beautifully.

A Curious Beginning Overall:

I gave this four stars overall because I enjoyed the mystery element and the characters of this novel and I am interested in seeing how this series continues.

Blurb/Synopsis:

London, 1887.

After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

But fate has other plans when Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered—leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Charmcaster by Sebastien De Castell

August 2, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! This is book review four of seven for today. This one is for Charmcaster by Sebastien De Castell, it is the third book in the Spellslinger series.

In this book review I will give star ratings for four categories and I will write a little about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

Charmcaster Plot:

This is the third book in the series so I have already been immersed in the world Castell has built and this book continued the beautiful imagery that the first two presented. I loved the uniqueness of this plot and how it tied in details from Shadowblack and Spellslinger, it felt so comfortable for me to be back in this world.

Charmcaster Characters:

As I said above, I was already immersed in this world so I knew the main characters Kellen, Ferius and Reichus very well by this point but there were some characters brought back from the first book that I felt added to the enjoyment of this book.

Charmcaster Writing and Dialogue:

I love Sebastien De Castell’s writing style, he is effortlessly witty, charming and creates complex plots and characters. He also created a very flawed protagonist who really should not still be alive at this point but of course I’m glad he is.

Charmcaster Overall:

This book, the same as the other books in the series, is a four star for me because I enjoyed every moment of it and I can’t wait to begin the fourth book in the series which is on my August TBR.

Blurb/Synopsis:

The third book in the page-turning Spellslinger fantasy series.

‘I was getting almost as good at running away from enemies as I was at making them in the first place. Turns out, I wasn’t running nearly fast enough.’

Kellen has begun to master his spellslinging and the Argosi tricks for staying alive, and he and Reichis have found a career that suits them both: taking down mercenary mages who make people’s lives miserable. But Ferius is concerned that Kellen is courting disaster . . .

Perfect for fans of The Dark Tower, Firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy, Terry Pratchett, Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it.