Tag: Indie Authors

BOOK REVIEW: Shadow of a Dead God

Caution: Works a bit like catnip on Taff.

Cover of the novel Shadow of a Dead God

By Patrick Samphire. Find out more about it here. :3
442 pages

It was only supposed to be one little job – a simple curse-breaking for Mennik Thorn to pay back a favour to his oldest friend. But then it all blew up in his face. Now he’s been framed for a murder he didn’t commit.

So how is a second-rate mage, broke, traumatized, and with a habit of annoying the wrong people, supposed to prove his innocence when everyone believes he’s guilty?

Mennik has no choice if he wants to get out of this: he is going to have to throw himself into the corrupt world of the city’s high mages, a world he fled years ago. Faced by supernatural beasts, the mage-killing Ash Guard, and a ruthless, unknown adversary, it’s going to take every trick Mennik can summon just to keep him and his friend alive.

But a new, dark power is rising in Agatos, and all that stands in its way is one damaged mage…

Taff’s squee rating: 4 1/2 hearts!
What’s inside: A witty detective who cannot catch a break, a finely crafted magic system anchored solidly in its own world, charming side characters (including a young girl who’ll carve out your kneecaps with a knife if you look at her wrong), and a fast-paced and clever mystery to solve.
Trigger warnings: Lotsa magical violence with plenty of gore.

Mennik Thorn can give Harry Dresden a run for his money; not only when it comes to collecting bruises in the name of rent, but also in how he’s hell-bent on doing the right thing. He has undeniable charm. He’s funny. He’s loyal. He’s actually pretty dang good at what he does, but there’s always something waiting to go wrong and challenge him.

Shadow of a Dead God excels not only in Mennik though (which it does, his character type is like catnip for me), but it boasts a lot of intriguing characters on top of that, along with fantastic world-building. Agatos is a carefully crafted fictional city in a setting that feels alive far beyond Mennik’s (Nik’s) story, and the magic system we’re given is just chef’s kiss. And I’m not just talking about the practical applications of it, but also its origin and the consequences it has on society at large. Plus, the Ash Guard? Yeah, they’re probably one of my favourite bits about the book, and I really really really hope I’ll see more of them in the second one (which I got waiting for me on my bookshelf right now). The practical applications of the magic are fantastic, too, and Patrick Samphire has a real knack for writing action sequences that aren’t only thrilling, but which also teach us a lot about the world.

I’ve had an amazing time reading this and can honestly say it always put up a fight when I had to put it down to get some sleep. Highly recommend!

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Book Review: We Are Not Angels

Angels come to Earth to teach us a lesson. We teach one right back. It involves mercy, a lot of time spent in bed (and on a squeaky-wheeled office chair), and trust.

Cover of the novel We Are Not Angels

By Nadine Little. Buy it on Amazon! :3
203 pages

Every monster has a weakness. Even angels.

Maia loved dystopian video games but now she’s playing one for real in the streets of Edinburgh. Forced to survive a global purge as humanity’s punishment for abusing the planet, Maia dreams of fighting back instead of cowering in the shadows. When she clashes swords with Hunter, an act of mercy grants her wish.

A weapon that hurts them. A chance for rebellion.

But that act of mercy also leads to a wounded Hunter on the floor of her refuge. Can a savage warrior angel from a culture of pain and dominance be tamed by a tiny, gentle human? Or is this one game Maia is destined to lose?

Taff’s squee rating: 4 1/2 hearts!
What’s inside: Enemies to lovers, a global rebellion brought on by the courage of an ordinary young woman, sexual tension you wanna rub your face in, sex, and lovely disability and trans rep!
Trigger warnings: Violence and child death.

We are not Angels has got to have one of the best title drops I have come across in a very very long time. No, seriously, when the title got dropped I put the book down on my knees and stared at my dog with that face. You know. That face. The Oh, You face. I still think about it sometimes to this day and I think I finished reading the book two months ago?

And you know what else I still think about? How much of a fun read it was from front to back. I got excited for my bedtime reading hour every night, not only because I really needed to know what Maia would be getting up to next, but also what more I could learn about Nadine Little’s angels. There’s character and care in everything in this book; from Maia, our POV character and hero who is so human and squeaks I’m sorry at the murderous angel who just tried to kill her, to Hunter, our otherworldly warrior who knows nothing but pain and war, to Steph, who rocks a wheelchair, a rainbow wig, and who will face a monster head on to make sure everyone understands Maia’s heart is precious, all the way down to every single interaction between the characters and the world building that holds it all up.

I am very much a fan and will be carrying Maia, Hunter, and Steph around in my head for a very long time.


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Book Review: Dust & Lightning

A fast-paced (but not rushed) science-fiction adventure which follows an ordinary man off to do the extraordinary for his brother.

By Rebecca Crunden. Buy it on Amazon! :3

I am tenderly awarding this book four and a half hearts! Plus an extra paw. Why a paw you may ask? Well, I’ll get to that in a bit. First, the book’s summary:

In the near future, humans have gone beyond simple space travel. By the year 4054, multiple solar systems are inhabited, and taking a spaceship is as commonplace as taking an aeroplane.

Unfortunately, not everything about the future is so advanced. The central planets, led by Earth, have risen high at the expense of cheap labour on distant worlds. Dissent is widespread and arrests are common. Sometimes prisoners are released; sometimes they disappear without a trace, sent to labour camps in other solar systems.

When Ames Emerys receives a letter telling him that his brother Callum has died en route to the remote planet of Kilnin, he takes the first ship he can off Earth, desperate for answers. But the secrets Ames uncovers prove far more dangerous than he could have imagined.

And trouble isn’t far behind.

Dust & Lightning is 122 pages of expertly paced dystopian science fiction. And if my dog, Loki, is to be believed (and he is), it is also extremely captivating. See, I read in bed. Sometimes that confuses Loki because the lights are on and I am not sleeping as I should, which means he’ll be looking at me from between his paws like I just committed a crime. And have you ever tried to read while there is a dog judging you? It’s distracting.

So I started reading the book out loud to him for a while and aaaa you should have seen his face. He perked up, ears and all, got his big and alert puppy dog eyes out, and listened very intently while the tip of his tail did a little wag. He loves the book is what I am trying to say, which I fully understand. I do too!

There’s so much to love in these 122 pages. Driven on by a letter insisting that his brother is dead, but convinced that there is more to it than what everyone wants him to believe, Ames (our protagonist) is thrown into a world of cruel conspiracies. He chases the only lead he has, all the way across the solar system and beyond, all the while desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the people who’d vanish him if they caught up with him. On that journey, we get to see what sort of man Ames is, what his principles are, how far he’d willing to go for the people he cares about, and why he should not ever be allowed to name a cat.

The world-building in the book is excellent. Not a single word is wasted and everything mentioned has meaning and builds towards a greater whole. The characters are immediately memorable, from our protagonist all the way down to the supporting cast. We’ve also got an amazing friendship shaped between a man and a woman, one that doesn’t rely on attraction (something I love dearly). And have I mentioned the prose?

No?

Well, there’s a sample from the first few pages of the book, which I hope gives you an idea what sort of treat you’re in for:

Each new discovery prompted exploitation, greed, uprisings. Like humans were in an abusive relationship with the universe.

Bottom line: If you like dystopian sci-fi and have a thing for adventures where a small group stands up against a corrupt and ruthless regime, then I absolutely recommend this book. It has mystery. Chase scenes. Friendship. Weird bugs. A cat. And an electric ending.

tafferlingLeave a comment