Tag Archives: fantasy books

Nov 5 2013
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Coming Soon: Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan

thief's magicTitle: Thief’s Magic

Author: Trudi Canavan

Series: Millennium’s Rule #1

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: May 27, 2014

The Overview: In a world where an industrial revolution is powered by magic, Tyen, a student of archaeology, unearths a sentient book called Vella. Once a young sorcerer-bookbinder, Vella was transformed into a useful tool by one of the greatest sorcerers of history. Since then she has been collecting information, including a vital clue to the disaster Tyen’s world faces.

Elsewhere, in an land ruled by the priests, Rielle the dyer’s daughter has been taught that to use magic is to steal from the Angels. Yet she knows she has a talent for it, and that there is a corrupter in the city willing to teach her how to use it — should she dare to risk the Angels’ wrath. But not everything is as Tyen and Rielle have been raised to believe. Not the nature of magic, nor the laws of their lands… and not even the people they trust.

thief's magic

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

This is one of those authors that I absolutely love… but am uber behind in reading. To get myself back on track, I’ve decided to read at least one of her trilogies before this new series comes out in May. Based on the quality of work of what I have read, I can’t imagine this new trilogy being anything less than amazing! If you haven’t tried her yet, consider starting with The Magician’s Guild and get ready for loads of entertainment!

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 2 2013
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Stacking the Shelves – October’s Edition!

Stacking the shelves

Hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Considering I own over 4000 books, I have a difficult time justifying the purchase of new books when there are so many unread ones on my shelves. I did the math, and if you subtract the ones I’ve already read, then divide the remaining by my average 100 books read per year, it will take me at least 35 years to read everything in my current collection. That’s not even taking into account all of the new amazing books that will come out in that timeframe (I can think of at least 20 I want in the next few months alone). Because of this, I have recently started to clear out some of the titles I know I won’t get to within the next ten years. There are so many unread series that I am excited for that I honestly haven’t missed the ones I was only casually interested in. Let the book purge begin!

Does that mean I’ve stopped purchasing books altogether? Uh, no. Not even close. I’m just a little more picky. :-)

Here’s a look at my library’s new additions:

Hardcopies:

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E-Books:

Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon
The Bane by Keary Taylor
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
The Glasswrights’ Apprentice
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
The Fifth Wave by Ricky Yancey
Allegiant by Veronica Roth

ARCs:

Alliance by Mark Frost
Fractured by Sara Fine
Unhinged by A.G. Howard
Freak of Nature by Julia Crane
Pawn by Aimee Carter
Lady Thief by A.G. Gaughen

Thank you Netgalley!

 There you have it – my month of splurges for October!

What books stacked your shelves this week?

Oct 31 2013
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October 2013: Review Recap!

Review Recap

I actually read a ton of books that I loved this month. The only problem is, I didn’t have a chance to write reviews for all of them (I know, ultimate shame). So, although this recap doesn’t accurately reflect my month in reading, there were still some pretty decent books reviewed:

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
Book of Enchantments by Patricia C. Wrede
Hammered by Kevin Hearne

Poison Study – 4/5 stars

The Book of Enchantments – 4/5 stars

Hammered – 2/5 stars

False Memory by Dan Krokos
Inhuman by Kat F Falls
Prodigy by Marie Lu

 False Memory – 3/5 stars

Inhuman – 4/5 stars

Prodigy – 4/5 stars

And my favorite read:

Allegiant

 Allegiant – 4.5/5 stars!

As I said, most of best books I picked up this month haven’t been reviewed yet, so be on the lookout within the next couple weeks for some rave reviews!

Waiting on Wednesday features:

This is probably the best collective month of coming soon features that I’ve ever done – all of these books (with exception of the Estep book) I am so excited to read that I will be dropping everything to pick them up the day they come out!

What awesome books did you read this month?

by Niki Hawkes

Oct 29 2013
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Coming Soon: The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead

The immortal crownTitle: The Immortal Crown

Author: Richelle Mead

Series: Age of X #2

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Release Date: May 29, 2014

The Overview: Gameboard of the Gods introduced religious investigator Justin March and Mae Koskinen, the beautiful supersldier assigned to protect him. Together they have been charged with investigating reports of the supernatural and the return of the gods, both inside the Republic of United North America and out. With this highly classified knowledge comes a shocking revelation: Not only are the gods vying for human control, but the elect—special humans marked by the divine—are turning against one another in bloody fashion.

Their mission takes a new twist when they are assigned to a diplomatic delegation headed by Lucian Darling, Justin’s old friend and rival, going into Arcadia, the RUNA’s dangerous neighboring country. Here, in a society where women are commodities and religion is intertwined with government, Justin discovers powerful forces at work, even as he struggles to come to terms with his own reluctantly acquired deity.

Meanwhile, Mae—grudgingly posing as Justin’s concubine—has a secret mission of her own: finding the illegitimate niece her family smuggled away years ago. But with Justin and Mae resisting the resurgence of the gods in Arcadia, a reporter’s connection with someone close to Justin back home threatens to expose their mission—and with it the divine forces the government is determined to keep secret.

The immortal crown

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

As Richelle Mead is my favorite author, I’m excited to read anything she decides to publish. As a futuristic urban fantasy, Gameboard of the Gods was one of her best works yet and I am extremely eager to see what happens next. All I can say is, I will be dropping everything to read The Immortal Crown the day it comes out (which is halfway through next year ::grumbles::).

What book are you waiting on?

Oct 29 2013
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Top Ten Tuesday – Top Ten Book Covers by Luis Royo

Top ten Tuesday pink

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 In honor of Halloween, this Top Ten post was supposed to be devoted to my favorite scary book covers. As I don’t particularly like books with creepy covers I thought I would (yet again) take it in a different direction:

 Top Ten Book Covers by Luis Royo

 Not only is Royo my favorite artists, but his works often have a bit of a darker edge – perfect for Halloween (The covers I’ve chosen lack of a little bit of that darkness, but they’re in the minority of his works. Just do a google search and you’ll see what I mean…caution: they can get pretty racy).

 I been wanting to feature these covers for a while, so I’m glad I finally found an excuse. I will admit that some of these I picked up based on the cover art alone, which sounds weird, but he hasn’t let me down yet – some of these books are among my favorites.

 There you have it! What books made your list this week?

Oct 22 2013
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Top Ten Tuesday – Top Ten Character Names (10/22/2013)

Top ten Tuesday pink

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

For me, a name is only as good as the character behind it, so this week’s topic could also be dubbed “Niki’s Top Ten Favorite Characters.” In any case, here we have:

Top Ten Character Names!

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

#1: Riley Jensen – This chick kicks butt. She’s half vampire half werewolf, and if I were constantly surrounded by the supernatural, I’d definitely won her on my side!

#2: Sydney – Of all the literary characters, I’ve yet to identify with one as much as I do this awesome Alchemist. We have a lot of the same tendencies and issues… that’s all and saying.

#3: Minerva McGonagall – you would think I would love a character that’s more close to me demographically, but I can’t help it – I love this woman. I admire her spirit, loyalty, and determination, and find her scenes to be some of the most powerful.

Servant of the Shard by R.A. Salvatore
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts

 #4: Jarlaxle – I loved that I never knew whose side this character was on. Capable of great evil, he still managed to be incredibly likable. His part in Drizzt’s saga really made the series something extra special for me.

#5 Chubs – Best side character ever! He was so rich and rounded right from the beginning, and his constant loyalty and protectiveness outshone the main characters at times (in the very best way). I was not expecting that to happen.

 #6 Mara of the Acoma – This memorable character taught me it’s possible to be both feminine and strong. Her story will always be on a pedestal in my mind.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Spirit Eater by Rachel Aaron
Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind

#7: Kvothe – This star of my favorite novel is kind of a shit… but I kind of love him because of it.

#8 Nico – This little girl has more bravery and determination in her little finger than most of us have in our entire bodies. She manages to be both unassuming, dynamic and fascinating all at the same time – what a cool character!

#9: Kahlan – Hands down my favorite female character in literature! I love her so much I’m naming my first daughter after her (although I’m spelling it Kaylen so more people know how to pronounce it).

 And my favorite:

Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb

Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb

#10: The Fool – this is my favorite character ever. The Fool is simply fascinating and I devour every new novel hoping to learn more about this golden character. His journey touches my heart in ways no other character has, and he is partially responsible for why I started to review blog. A++ all the way!

by Niki Hawkes