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Review: Uncanny Collateral (Valkyrie Collections #1) by Brian McClellan

October 24, 2019David W 4 Comments

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At home, sick as a dog, but still putting in a full day’s work. Every time I look up from my laptop, @orbitbooks_us’s library is just staring back at me in all of its gloriousness. More HCs and some other ARCs sit on another shelf, and eventually I’ll rearrange to fit them all here. My blog would be nowhere without their constant support, and I can’t say I have a better relationship with another publisher.

All I Want For Christmaaaaaaas iiiiiiiiiis BOOOOOOOOOOOOOKS 🌲 Phew. Been a heck of a couple of weeks when it comes to #bookmail. I have received some fantastic ARCs from @orbitbooks_us, @stmartinspress, @torbooks, @dawbooks, and @harpervoyagerus. I also picked up 5 books from @timmmeyer11 a couple of weeks back when he was running a holiday sale. The TBR is suffering, but you won’t see me shedding a tear because I freaking love what I do!

Looks like I have some homework to do before I sit down with Sean on the podcast in a little over a week. Shoutout to @harpercollins / @williammorrowbooks for the finished copy and for linking us up for the chat! This sounds like a fantastic debut and I’m ecstatic that you guys chose me to highlight it and Sean! 📚 Blending the piercing humor of Alexandra Kleeman and the jagged satire of Black Mirror, an audacious, eerily prescient debut novel that chronicles the rise and fall of a massive high-rise housing complex, and the lives it affected before - and after - its demise. Standing nearly five hundred stories tall, Los Verticalés once bustled with life and excitement. Now this marvel of modern architecture and nontraditional urban planning has collapsed into a pile of rubble known as the Heap. In exchange for digging gear, a rehabilitated bicycle, and a small living stipend, a vast community of Dig Hands removes debris, trash, and bodies from the building’s mountainous remains, which span twenty acres of unincorporated desert land. Orville Anders burrows into the bowels of the Heap to find his brother Bernard, the beloved radio DJ of Los Verticalés, who is alive and miraculously broadcasting somewhere under the massive rubble. For months, Orville has lived in a sea of campers that surrounds the Heap, working tirelessly to free Bernard—the only known survivor of the imploded city—whom he speaks to every evening, calling into his radio show. The brothers’ conversations are a ratings bonanza, and the station’s parent company, Sundial Media, wants to boost its profits by having Orville slyly drop brand names into his nightly talks with Bernard. When Orville refuses, his access to Bernard is suddenly cut off, but strangely, he continues to hear his own voice over the airwaves, casually shilling products as “he” converses with Bernard. What follows is an imaginative and darkly hilarious story of conspiracy, revenge, and the strange life and death of Los Verticalés that both captures the wonderful weirdness of community and the bonds that tie us together.

My newest obsession, though I should probably stop reading it right before shutting my eyes to sleep. No nightmares yet, but they are definitely creeping back there. Hits shelves 2/11/20. 📖 A "lush nightmare" (Paul Tremblay) of a supernatural thriller about a young woman facing down ancient forces in the depths of the bayou Ever since her father was killed when she was just a child, Miranda Crabtree has kept her head down and her eyes up, ferrying contraband for a mad preacher and his declining band of followers to make ends meet and to protect an old witch and a secret child from harm. But dark forces are at work in the bayou, both human and supernatural, conspiring to disrupt the rhythms of Miranda’s peculiar and precarious life. And when the preacher makes an unthinkable demand, it sets Miranda on a desperate, dangerous path, forcing her to consider what she is willing to sacrifice to keep her loved ones safe. With the heady mythmaking of Neil Gaiman and the heartrending pacing of Joe Hill, Andy Davidson spins a thrilling tale of love and duty, of loss and discovery. The Boatman's Daughter is a gorgeous, horrifying novel, a journey into the dark corners of human nature, drawing our worst fears and temptations out into the light.

Epic #bookmail today from @justin_t_call. I have had my eye on this novel since it was released by @gollancz earlier this year. Lucky for us on the other side of the pond, @blackstonepublishing will be releasing it early in 2020. BUT, now that I have my hands on it, this will be my next read after finishing up @mikeshackle’s We Are the Dead. Can’t wait!!!!

So, I’m really upset with myself for allowing this novel by @mikeshackle to sit around on my desk for what seems like forever. Mike was kind enough to send me a signed copy a few months back and I have been adding it to my monthly TBR since that point. WELL, I officially started it today and so far, it is UHMAZING. Within moments, you are directly thrown into a HUGE battle that lasts for pages, willing you to continue onward despite outside influences. I have the distinct feeling I will be kicking myself even more once I start creating my Top 20 of the year blog post if We Are the Dead continues to roll. It is possible my current top 5 podium has found competition.

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“Books are Doors and I wanted out.” There's too much hype surrounding this book and I just had to pick this up right away so that I don't feel left out. And I think this book deserves the hype! I think this has been said a lot of times by other book reviewers out there: Alix E. Harrow's writing is so so beautiful! Its so lyrical to an extent that I thought I am reading some literary fiction rather than a fantasy story. We follow the story of January Scaller where her adventure starts when she finds a book titled The Ten Thousand Doors which introduces her to passages and portals (or called as "Doors") between worlds. With the book, January finds out the secret of her family as well as the powers that she possessed. I love the concept of "a story within a story" as embarked by Harrow in this book. It was done in perfection and all the character arcs of the characters were perfectly woven together. With such creativity, I think this may be the best debut novel that I have read in 2019. The only problem to me is that the pacing of the story (in particular the first 100 ++ pages of this book) is very slow and to an extent I am not sure where is this story going. But I'm glad that I did not give up on this book as there are so many surprising elements and revelations at the second half of the story. “Books can smell of cheap thrills or painstaking scholarship, of literary weight or unsolved mysteries. This one smelled unlike any book I’d ever held… It smelled like adventure itself had been harvested in the wild, distilled to a fine wine, and splashed across each page.” As a reader, I definitely agree that every book is an adventure on its own. This book introduced me to a very unique adventure and I enjoyed the journey. A strong 4.5/5 star read for me! #bookstagram #bookreview #alixeharrow #orbitbooks #fantasy #kjreadsfantasy #goodread #bookcollector #booknerd #booklover #bookaddict #bookoholic #beautifulbooks #bookstagrammer #igread #bookgeek #booksofinstagram #bookshelf #bookworm #bookish #reading #bookreviews #bookrecommendations

Re-read The Broken Eye via @librofm (thanks to @librofm, @hachettebooks and @hachetteaudio for the audio listening copy) and it is a strong continuation of The Blinding Knife though I still think that this is not as good as the Blinding Knife, but still good! 2 points that I love about this installment. Firstly, the introduction of the Order of the Broken Eye. This Order is a secretive group of assassins, many of whom are able to draft Paryl, a Luxin which is not recognized by the Chromeria as it is super dangerous. This brings us to the second point that I love, the expansion of the magic system whereby Brent Weeks focuses a lot on Paryl. Drafters with the ability to draft Paryl can see through clothes and to an extent, possess the power of assassination as solid Paryl can be penetrate into a person's bloodstream or organs without any feel of it. As for the characters, Teia, hands down is my favourite character in this book, and probably in this series! She is placed in a position of conflict whereby she was sort of forced to be a double agent: on one hand working for the Order of the Broken Eye (recruited by Murder Sharp) and on the other hand, spying for the White to bring down the Order. Her conflicted mentality is fully fleshed out in this book and I loved it so so much! Not to mention, the plot of this book. There's too much politicking and revelations whereby I am constantly left in awe. Brent Weeks is the master of unpredictability, plot twists and cliff hangers! This book, without a doubt, deserves a 4.8/5 star rating! I'm still in the midst of re-reading the Blood Mirror and I can't wait to start reading the Burning White! #bookstagram #bookreview #reread #lightbringer #orbitbooks #fantasy #brentweeks #thebrokeneye #librofm #hachettebooks #hachetteaudio #bookoholic #beautifulbooks #bookcollector #booknerd #booklover #bookaddict #bookgeek #booksofinstagram #igread #bookshelf #bookworm #bookish #reading #bookreviews #bookrecommendations

First and foremost, congratulations @aliciawanstallburke for being a finalist of SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off) 2019 with her debut fantasy novel Blood of Heirs! I remember giving a 4.5/5 star rating for Blood of Heirs, but Legacy of Ghosts is way better and without a doubt, deserves a strong 4.8/5 star rating! Thanks to @aliciawanstallburke for the ARC of Legacy of Ghosts (via @fanfiaddict) in exchange for an honest review. Receiving a copy of this novel did not influence my thoughts or opinion. Legacy of Ghosts has everything that I expect from a fantasy novel: great world building, well-executed character arcs, well written action scenes, plot twists, and expansion of the magic system from the first installment (if there's more explanation on the magic system in this book, it would have easily hit a 5/5 star rating). There's more action going on in this book as compared to the first book. Despite this, Alicia did not neglect the characterization of the characters in this book and still manage to introduce new side characters in this story. There's so much revelation in this book: Sellan and the Crone's past, the creation of the ngaru/dradur, and Sellan's evil plot. Again, the major cliffhanger in this book just leaves me wanting for more! @aliciawanstallburke , please do release the third book ASAP! Legacy of Ghosts is a strong sequel and definitely a page turner! It was released on 30.11.2019 and if you are a fan of character driven and action packed series, do not hesitate to get a copy of Legacy of Ghosts from https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Ghosts-Coraidic-Sagas-Book-ebook/dp/B07XP285L1 and dive into the world created by Alicia Wanstall-Burke! #bookstagram #bookreview #aliciawanstallburke #finalist #spfbo5 #bloodofheirs #legacyofghosts #coraidicsagas #bookoholic #beautifulbooks #fantasy #kjreadsfantasy #goodread #bookcollector #booknerd #booklover #bookaddict #bookgeek #booksofinstagram #igread #bookshelf #bookworm #bookish #reading #bookreviews #bookrecommendations

This is my favorite installment of the Lightbringer series. After re-reading it and listening it via @librofm (special thanks to @librofm, @hachettebooks and @hachetteaudio for the audiobook listening copy!), hands down, the best sequel that I have read in the fantasy genre! This story is action packed and fast paced. The character developments of the characters (as well as the introduction of new characters) are well-executed. The introduction of the Blackguard by Brent Weeks in this series is further extended in this installment. Essentially, the Blackguard is an order of fighting drafters at the command of the Chromeria which is placed directly under the White with the purpose of protecting the White, the Prism and the Spectrum. This sort of military entity was briefly introduced in the Black Prism. In the Blinding Knife, Brent Weeks explored the process of choosing Blackguards and their training. Such process not only involves strength but also intelligence as well as some politicking. We follow Kip's journey in becoming a Blackguard and I really love a good coming-of-age story. I also love Brent Week's introduction of the Nine Kings in this installment. Nine Kings is basically a card game but with some magical elements incorporated in it. The rules of playing the game, the types of cards and decks are all brilliantly fleshed out by Brent Weeks in this installment. This shows the creativity of Brent Weeks which sets him apart from other authors in this genre! Apart from the above, the politics, battle scenes and magic system are of course very well done by Brent Weeks which needs no further explanation from me. The Blinding Knife truly deserves a 5/5 star rating! #bookstagram #bookreview #reread #lightbringer #orbitbooks #fantasy #brentweeks #theblindingknife #bookoholic #beautifulbooks #bookcollector #booknerd #booklover #bookaddict #bookgeek #booksofinstagram #igread #bookshelf #bookworm #bookish #reading #bookreviews #bookrecommendations

I'm a huge fan of the Wheel of Time (WOT) series. It is very epic and impactful despite its flaws. When the Warrior of the Altaii was published, I just need to get my hands on this and start reading it right away. This novel was written around 40 years ago and to be honest, it is not the greatest work of Robert Jordan. There's not much world building or characterization. Further, while the story is action packed, the plot seems to be rather rushed. There are lots of loose ends in the plot which were not tied up nicely. Needless to say, we can see that this story inspired some ideas for the WOT series. The Altaii people mirrors the Aiel in WOT. We then have the Sisters of Wisdom which mirrors the Aes Sedai in WOT. Wulfgar reminds me of the ta'veren nature of the protagonists of WOT (Rand, Mat and Perrin). Warrior of Altaii gives us a glimpse of the history / origins of the Aiel in WOT. Most importantly, Robert Jordan's over-descriptive and detailed writing style is not featured in this story. Hence, to me it is a rather easy read as compared to the WOT series. To me, this is only a 3.8/5 star read. If I am not exposed to the WOT series, the rating would be lower. All in all, it is interesting to have a read of Robert Jordan's ideas in Warrior of the Altaii which then gave birth to the amazing, epic and legendary WOT series! #bookreview #torbooks #torfantasy #bookstagram #bookcovers #robertjordan #wheeloftime #bookoholic #beautifulbooks #bookcollector #booknerd #booklover #bookaddict #bookgeek #booksofinstagram #igread #bookshelf #bookworm #bookish #reading #bookreviews #kjreadsfantasy #goodread #warriorofthealtaii #WoT

I decided to pick up The Three Body Problem as my first ever sci-fi read. This book has great reviews (even Obama and Mark Zuckerberg highly recommended this book) and it won the Hugo Award for best novel in the year 2015. Unfortunately, I cant really connect with this book. Firstly, I did not understand half of the theories and scientific terms in this book. I had to google some of the terms and theories in order for me visualize some scenarios explained in this book. Another problem with me is the characterization of the characters. If you expect in depth characterization and well executed character arcs of characters, then this book is really not for you. My biggest problem is Ye WenJie's character arc. Apparently she lost faith to humanity and hates Earth a lot rendering her to decide to invite aliens (the Trisolarans) to invade Earth. For me, the triggering factor is that she witnessed her father beaten to death by the Red Guards from Tsinghua High School supported by her own mother and younger sister. I don't think such factor warrants her hatred towards Earth until she had to resort to aliens to destroy Earth. Further, the other characters are rather dull and to some extent I think their existence in this book is just to explain scientific theories. There are some pros in this story. @liucixin1 managed to incorporate Chinese history into this hard sci-fi beautifully. The theme of this story is straight-forward as it uses the infamous three-body problem and thereafter links it to the current issues that we are facing in this world. Cixin Liu brings out the dark side of humanity with this story. The plot, although simple, is rather engaging as Cixin Liu managed to tie up all the plot lines in the second half of the book. Further, @kyliu99 did a fantastic job in translating the book and I would assume that all the complicated scientific terms were accurately translated. Although this book is just a 3.8/5 star rating to me, I will still continue this series as I heard it gets better in Book 2 and 3 of this series. All in all, my first experience with hard sci-fi is rather frustrating but at the same time, thought-provoking. #scifi #cixinliu

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Hey, Book Friends. What is keeping you going on this dreary Monday? For me, it is being able to post this review of Knight of the Silver Circle. I have been looking forward to review this book for a while. It is a really interesting read. The author, Duncan M Hamilton, has a good thing going with this series. I look forward to book 3 in 2020. I rated this book 4/5 and recommend it for fantasy readers. Head over to FanFiAddict.com to read why. Leave a comment below, please. It is Monday... how are you surviving? 😅 #Dragonslayer #KnightOfTheSilverCircle #BookReview #BookReviewer #BookReviewersOfInstagram #BookReviewersOfInsta #BookBlogger #BookBloggers #Bookstagram #AmReading #AmReadingFantasy #IWouldRatherBeReading

*****************GIVEAWAY****************** Happy Sunday, Book Friends! What was your favorite book of 2019? Anyone who knows me at all knows mine was The Burning White. This fabulous, can’t-put-down page-turner was an epic end to an epic series. If you have not read it, yet, now is your chance. Head over to my Twitter account (CloakTraveling) to jump in! Swipe the picture to see the announcement. I am celebrating joining up with the fanfiaddict.com review crew, so that is how to enter: subscribe to the fanfiaddict.com newsletter and drop a screenshot in the thread. Bonus entries for following me on Twitter, IG, and friending me on Goodreads. Please screenshot them and post to the Twitter thread. Ends on 12/14/2019 at 8:00 AM. Sponsored by no one but me. US only. If you have read The Burning White, what did you think? #Giveaway #TheBurningWhite #TheLightbringer #BrentWeeks #AmReading #AmReadingFantasy #BookBlogger #BookBloggers #BookBloggersOfInstagram #BookBloggersOfIG #BookReviewer #BookReviewers #BookReviewersOfInstagram #BookReviewersOfIG #Bookstagram #IWouldRatherBeReading

Happy Saturday, Book Friends. Please tell me about something new in your life about which you are excited. I have news, as well. I have decided to team up with the reviewers at fanfiaddict.com. It is a great site with amazing reviewers, and I am really happy to be a part of it. Please go subscribe, and my reviews will come straight to your inbox! I have already posted my first, which a re-review of Duncan M. Hamilton’s Dragonslayer. Book 2 in the Dragonslayer Series (Knight of the Silver Circle) is next. Feel free to stop by and leave a comment. Thank you to all of my Book Friends for the support and encouragement. Leave a note in the comments about you. Anything new and exciting? Or just talk to me about what you are reading, please. #BookBlogger #BookBloggersOfInstagram #BookReviewer #BookReviewersOfInstagram #AmReading #AmReadingFantasy #Dragonslayer #Bookstagram #IWouldRatherBeReading

Book Review ~~~~~~~~~~ Title: The Throne of the Five Winds Series: Hostage of Empire Author: S.C. Emmett Publisher: Orbit Publication Date: October 15, 2019 Synopsis: The peace between the neighboring Kingdoms of Zhaon and Kir is a fragile one, and after putting down a revolt from the Kingdom of Khir, Zhaon takes Khirinese Princess Mahara hostage. She is to wed Prince Takyeo, who is first in line for the throne in Zhaon. Mahara brings her lady-in-waiting, Komor Yala, with her as a companion. While Prince Takyeo proves to be a good husband, the rest of their time in Zhaon is a disaster. The two women face constant fear of assassination, and balancing political angst between the members of the Royal Family proves difficult. When the Emperor of Zhaon begins to show signs of illness, the line of succession must be confirmed. The fate of Zhaon will depend on who survives the ensuing chaos. Review: This was a great idea for a book, and the story has so many interesting traits. The Throne of the Five Winds is about the political push and pull between and within Kingdoms. Khir, Zhaon, and the surrounding Kingdoms are constantly fighting for power. Inside Zhaon, there are six Princes and Two Royal Concubines also looking for political elbow room of their own. The constant backstabbing, undercutting, and scheming makes this story really interesting. It plays out almost like reality TV, almost as if there are cameras inside the characters' private rooms listening to their intimate conversations. And speaking of intimate, the story includes one or two maybe slow-burning romances, as well. My issue with this book, though, is that while it is full of political intrigue there is almost nothing else to the story. As a reader, I felt like there was almost no buy in at the beginning, as the first 100 pages or so was an info dump and the next 300 was super-complicated and hard to follow. I like a complex story, but since I felt detached from this book in the beginning that made it hard to get into. I ended up enjoying the book,though. It grew on me. Last 200 pages hooked me in, and with the way it ended I am really excited to see what is coming next. CONTINUED IN COMMENTS

Book Review ~~~~~~~~~~ Title: The Three Hares: The Jade Dragonball Series: The Three Hares #1 Author: Scott Lauder and David Ross Publisher: Neem Tree Press @neemtreepress Publication Date: September 5, 2019 Synopsis: Sara is a student in present-day China. Shan Mu is a kid in 996CE China, during the Northern Song Dynasty. When Sara starts to have strange, mystical experiences she does not know what to do. At the same time, Shan Mu's journey just beginning, as well. The Three Hares: The Jade Dragonball follows the two of them, and details what happens when their stories intersect. Book Review: This was an interesting story with lots of Chinese culture. The reader experiences that through Shan Mu's storyline in 996CE, as well as Sara's storyline that takes place in present day and through her time jump scenarios. While Sara's story is told in a more contemporary fashion, Shan Mu's is more in line with a Chinese fable. To me, this really kept the story going because, as a reader, I always wanted to know what was happening next. This book does fall into the trap most books this short experience: not enough depth. In my opinion, this book could benefit from more character and plot development. There were times when the writing felt a little clunky. I mostly noticed at the ends of chapters, where the story felt abruptly cut off. These faults were not enough to take me out of the story often. The Three Hares: The Jade Dragonball is a unique story full of Chinese culture, magic, and adventure. I recommend it for Fantasy readers. #TheThreeHares #TheJadeDragonball #BookReview #BookReviewer #BookReviewersOfInstagram #BookReviewersOfInsta #Books #BooksBooksBooks #BookObsessed #Bookstagram #AmReading #AmReadingFantasy #IWouldRatherBeReading

Book Review ~~~~~~~~~~ Title: A Beginning at the End Author: Mike Chen @mikechenwriter Publisher: Mira (a Harper Imprint) @hqstories @harpercollins Publication Date: January 14, 2020 Synopsis: Rob is a single dad and IT worker, Moira is an ex-pop star, and Krista is an event planner. Each is looking for a new start in San Franciso after a nearly-apocalyptic flu wiped out much of the world's population. In a world where looting is common and everyday people where medical masks to work, it hard to define "normal". In addition to constant fear of outbreak and gang activity, Rob, Moir, and Krista must all battle secrets from their past to survive in the new world. Review: A Beginning at the End is a fresh take on The End of the World. You are not going to find any zombies, worldwide flooding, or AI takeovers here; just the stories of normal people trying to live their lives. The aspect I like most of Mike Chen's apocalypse scenario is how realistic it is; from the flu pandemic, to the looting and gangs, and the Reclaimed Territories where groups of people attempt to live outside of government control, the story makes sense. The characters' stories were mostly well-written. The idea that they are all running from something (each in their own way) makes for intriguing storylines, each with a "what-is-going-to-happen-next" feeling. They have all been through a lot, and the reader can empathize with most of it. I do have to say, Moira's story is my favorite (pop star "Mojo" turned pandemic bandit/survivor turned Regular Jane on the verge of marriage), but her overall motives for taking such precautions against reuniting with her father are not something I connected with well. The ending was very good, with all of the characters banding together for a singular purpose. The lead-up to the climax of the story was full of tension and drama, but I like that it was not full of gore and violence. I like those kind of apocalyptic stories, too, but the overall tone of this book was positive. And we can all certainly use more of those kinds of stories in our lives. Overall, Mike Chen’s A Beginning at the End is really good. I recommend reading it. Rating: 4/5 🐙s

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