Review: The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

Published: 28th October 2014 | Publisher: Gollancz | Source: Bought
Patrick Rothfuss' Website

Deep below the University, there is a dark place. Few people know of it: a broken web of ancient passageways and abandoned rooms. A young woman lives there, tucked among the sprawling tunnels of the Underthing, snug in the heart of this forgotten place. Her name is Auri, and she is full of mysteries. The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a brief, bittersweet glimpse of Auri’s life, a small adventure all her own. At once joyous and haunting, this story offers a chance to see the world through Auri’s eyes. And it gives the reader a chance to learn things that only Auri knows... In this book, Patrick Rothfuss brings us into the world of one of The Kingkiller Chronicle’s most enigmatic characters. Full of secrets and mysteries, The Slow Regard of Silent Things is the story of a broken girl trying to live in a broken world. The StoryGraph

My other reviews of The Kingkiller Chronicles:
The Name of the Wind | The Wise Man's Fear

WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.
Also, because of the nature of this book, I can't discuss it in any real detail without spoiling parts of the story. But spoilers will be hidden under spoiler buttons.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features panic attacks, possible OCD, and implies an assault of some kind against a woman happened in the past.

Continue reading Review: The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

Review: The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

Published: 6th March 2012 | Publisher: Gollancz | Source: Bought
Patrick Rothfuss' Website

"There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man."

My name is Kvothe.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.

So begins the tale of a hero told from his own point of view — a story unequaled in fantasy literature. Now in The Wise Man's Fear, an escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune abroad. Adrift, penniless, and alone, he travels to Vintas, where he quickly becomes entangled in the politics of courtly society. While attempting to curry favor with a powerful noble, Kvothe uncovers an assassination attempt, comes into conflict with a rival arcanist, and leads a group of mercenaries into the wild, in an attempt to solve the mystery of who (or what) is waylaying travelers on the King's Road.

All the while, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, is forced to reclaim the honor of the Edema Ruh, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived ... until Kvothe.

In The Wise Man's Fear, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time. The StoryGraph

My other reviews of The Kingkiller Chronicles:
The Name of the Wind

WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features vomit, arson, poisoning, violence against women, discussion of rape, murder, and descriptions of corpses.

Continue reading Review: The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

Review: Where Hope Comes From by Nikita Gill

Where Hope Comes From by Nikita Gill

Published: 18th February 2021 | Publisher: Orion | Source: Bought
Nikita Gill's Instagram

In Where Hope Comes From: poems for a broken world, Instagram superstar and poet Nikita Gill returns to her roots with her most personal collection yet. Sharing a number of poems that she wrote when the world went into lockdown, this collection will include the phenomenal Love in the Time of Coronavirus which was shared across social media over 20,000 times, as well as her poems of strength and hope How to Be Strong and Silver Linings. This collection will be fully illustrated by Nikita with beautiful line-drawings, and moves her into an exciting new space in the market as she tackles themes such as mental health and loneliness. The StoryGraph

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book discusses depression and anxiety, death, and the coronorvirus pandemic.

Continue reading Review: Where Hope Comes From by Nikita Gill

Review: Lightbringer by Claire Legrand

Lightbringer by Claire Legrand

Published: 13th October 2020 | Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire | Source: Bought
Claire Legrand's Website

Two queens, separated by a thousand years, must face their ultimate destinies.

Queen Rielle, pushed away from everything she loves, turns to Corien and his promises of glory. Meanwhile, whispers from the empirium slowly drive her mad, urging her to open the Gate. Separated from Audric and Ludivine, she embraces the role of Blood Queen and her place by Corien's side, determined to become the monster the world believes her to be.

In the future, Eliana arrives in the Empire's capital as a broken shell of herself. Betrayed and abandoned, she fights to keep her power at bay--and away from Corien, who will stop at nothing to travel back in time to Rielle, even if that means destroying her daughter.

But when the mysterious Prophet reveals themselves at last, everything changes, giving Rielle and Eliana a second chance for salvation--or the destruction their world has been dreading.

An epic fantasy with female protagonist, the Empirium Trilogy has captured the hearts of many and Lightbringer concludes this beloved teen fantasy series. The StoryGraph

My other reviews of The Empirium Trilogy:
Furyborn | Kingsbane

WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features vomit, depression, self-harm, torture, murder, and war.

Continue reading Review: Lightbringer by Claire Legrand

Review: All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue

All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue

Published:1st July 2021 | Publisher: Walker Books | Source: NetGalley
Caroline O'Donoghue's Website

I'll give up the tarot readings. I'll apologize to Lily. But Lily doesn't come to school on Monday. Or Tuesday. It's not until Wednesday that the police show up.

Maeve Chambers doesn't have much going for her. Not only does she feel like the sole idiot in a family of geniuses, she managed to drive away her best friend Lily a year ago. But when she finds a pack of dusty old tarot cards at school, and begins to give scarily accurate readings to the girls in her class, she realizes she's found her gift at last. Things are looking up – until she discovers a strange card in the deck that definitely shouldn't be there. And two days after she convinces her ex-best friend to have a reading, Lily disappears. Can Maeve, her new friend Fiona and Lily's brother Roe find her? And will their special talents be enough to bring Lily back, before she's gone for good? The StoryGraph

I received this eProof for free from Walker Books via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features bullying, a missing person, a religious cult, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and suicide attempts.

Continue reading Review: All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue

Review: All the Murmuring Bones by A. G. Slatter

All the Murmuring Bones by A. G. Slatter

Published: 8th April 2021 | Publisher: Titan Books | Source: NetGalley
A. G. Slatter's Website

'My mother was a witch and she left me behind...'

Miren O'Malley was orphaned as a young child and brought up by her grandparents on their isolated, rambling estate, Hob's Hallow. Long ago her family prospered due to a deal struck with the mer: safety for their merchant ships in return for a child of each generation. But for many years the family have been unable to keep their side of the bargain and their fortunes have suffered as a result. When Miren's grandfather dies, her grandmother plans to restore their glory - but at the price of Miren's freedom.

All the Murmuring Bones is an irresistible tale of family secrets, dark mysteries, magic and witches, and creatures of myth and the sea. A spellbinding story about strong women and the men who seek to control them.

For readers of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden. The StoryGraph

I received this eProof for free from Titan Books via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features violence against women, murder by burning alive, and mentions of forced marriage and incest.

Continue reading Review: All the Murmuring Bones by A. G. Slatter

Review: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Published: 6th August 2020 | Publisher: Vintage | Source: Bought
Erin Morgenstern's Website

When Zachary Rawlins stumbles across a strange book hidden in his university library, it leads him on a quest unlike any other. Its pages entrance him with their tales of lovelorn prisoners, lost cities and nameless acolytes, but they also contain something impossible: a recollection from his own childhood.

Determined to solve the puzzle of the book, Zachary follows the clues he finds on the cover - a bee, a key and a sword. They guide him to a masquerade ball, to a dangerous secret club, and finally through a magical doorway created by the fierce and mysterious Mirabel. This door leads to a subterranean labyrinth filled with stories, hidden far beneath the surface of the earth.

When the labyrinth is threatened, Zachary must race with Mirabel, and Dorian, a handsome barefoot man with shifting alliances, through its twisting tunnels and crowded ballrooms, searching for the end of his story. The StoryGraph

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book mentions hands being cut off, eyes being plucked out, and bodies pulled apart, but there is very little description.

Continue reading Review: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern