📚An #EpicFantasy Story Set In An Unusual World. Rosie’s #BookReview Of Sky Tracer by Hayden Moore

Sky Tracer by Hayden Moore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sky Tracer is an epic fantasy tale set in an unusual world which has echoes of Norse and Greek mythology.

The story opens in the dim world of the forest floor and the biosphere of mushrooms. Ruthy has fallen from the ‘sky’, escaping a ship. She is found by a lone warrior called Mēna and together they set off on an adventure; they collect lots more characters on their way and together face many battles.

This is a complex story, not easy to follow with many twists and even when I had finished the book, I still didn’t understand it all.

What I liked about the story:
Setting the opening part of the book in a world filled with mushrooms was my favourite part of the book and I could see a lot of thought had gone into this. Mēna was the character I empathised with most, and her fascinating mechanical arm was a good aspect of the story. I also liked the idea of The Tree Of Ancients and everything that lived on or in it.

What I didn’t like as much:
Sadly I found that the flowery writing style overpowered the world-building and storyline to the point where it was hard to want to read in large chunks. Many of the female characters were jarringly masculine, swearing and talking of sexual acts in what would be termed in this world as a ‘laddish’ fashion. I don’t mind ‘F’ bombs and sexual talk where appropriate, but in this high fantasy setting it felt wrong. My last point goes to the use of multiple names for more than one character; this became very confusing in a plot that was already intricate.

Overall, a complex plot in a fantasy world, with an overpowering writing style which made it challenging to read.

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Book description

In the eternal darkness of the fungal realm of Ūmfalla, two women from different worlds form an unlikely bond and use their newfound powers to try and topple an empire.

In Ümfalla, only those with dark-bright eyes can see the way. A Wanderer with a forgotten past and a mechanical-arm named, MĒNA, is one of those few. When she rescues a woman named, RUTHY, who has fallen from Sky Tracer—an abysmal machine that transports stolen children over the dark land to be sacrificed—she is thrust into a fight against the warrior Reapers and magical Weirs for the very existence of the realm. The world-tree of the sunlit realm of Avernus looms large over the Spore Cloud that shrouds Ümfalla in eternal darkness. Through secrets and deception, RUTHY reveals that she is actually ARETHŪSA, the new Ruler of Avernus who can speak through the mycelium beneath the earth and directly to the Goddess who sleeps within the world-tree.

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‘A near-perfect single foray into this world’. @deBieJennifer reviews epic #fantasy Soulwinder by Travis Daniel Bow #TuesdayBookBlog

Today’s team review is from Jenni. She blogs here https://jenniferdebie.com/

Jenni has been reading Soulwinder by Travis Daniel Bow

Travis Bow has spent a long time crafting the world of Soulwinder.

I can say that without hesitation because a quick Goodreads search told me that five years ago he published a short story version of this text titled “The Three”.

I can also say that because this world feels lived in.

There is nuance to the intricate society he has created for his characters that just doesn’t come from an ill-conceived, or rapidly written novel. There are human details, pieces of personality and quirks of nature that only form when an author has lived with his characters for a long time.

Travis Bow has spent a long time on Soulwinder and that time, that care, sings in every line.

Alternating perspective between three young characters with three distinct statuses within the intricate strata of Anselin society, Soulwinder unfolds slowly as a tale of deception and steady descent into desperation in all its forms.

Whether the chapter centers on Tel, scraping for survival with his mute father on the edges of society, Noro hiding in plain sight as a servant to the lofty denizens of the Magistry, or Kadana fighting her way through the ranks of young warriors in the highest echelons of Anselin’s political class, our three leads each offer different facets of the rich and lyrical world Bow has created for them, and the unique joys, triumphs, heartbreaks, and complications that come with those differences.

To tell much more would risk spoiling this epic saga of a novel and I’m not willing to do that because this really is a story that’s best savored fresh.

Suffice to say, the magic system Bow has crafted is beautiful, the characters he has written are compelling, and the society they inhabit is flawed in the most fascinating ways.

Whether he chooses to dip back into the world of Anselin for a second installment, or leaves this as a near-perfect single foray into this world remains to be seen, Soulwinder has obviously been a long time coming for Bow, and I can attest that it was well worth the wait.

5/5

Three strangers.
Two plots.
One champion.

In the crater of a volcanic island, musical magic and enchanted swordplay rule society. Every seven years a champion from each caste climbs the tournament ladder for a chance at a new life. This year three apparent strangers—a sabotaged craftsman trying to save his mentally disabled father, a legendary duelist resisting the machinations of her master, and a Magistry janitor fighting an empathy-sapping talent—are desperate to reach the final battle. But a web of strange coincidence connects them, the city is on the brink of collapse, and nothing is as it seems.

Everyone’s a puppet… but who holds the strings?

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Rosie’s #Bookreview of #Fantasy Faith Of The Forsaken by Jonathan-David Jackson

Faith of the Forsaken by Jonathan-David Jackson

3.5 stars

Faith of the Forsaken: An Epic Supernatural Fantasy is a story deeply entrenched in the millennia-old fight between demons and angels, all set against a background of Christianity.  I’d suggest caution for readers with strong Christian belief, as some of the content may offend.

The story opens with assistant pastor Nathan Miller in a small American town; he’s a popular clergyman and he has a strong sense of awareness for other beings. As the story develops, a whole host of angels and demons are introduced and the narrative—peppered with biblical references—weaves its way towards a huge battle. The story contains many clashes and bloody scenes for those who like battle scenarios. There is also a sexual sub-theme, but I found that it was very stereotypically male orientated and didn’t grasp the difference between how men and women feel and think about sex.

As the title suggests, this is an epic story which could easily have been written as two books, though that is an observation rather than a criticism. One of my favourite characters was a little gossip demon called Nuisance; Nathan was another good character. The weaker ones were the females as they had too many male traits, especially when fighting; too much of their perceived strength and fighting moves just weren’t realistic for female warriors.

In conclusion, I was intrigued by the opening chapters and I liked the concept of the angels versus demons drama. Some of the theology parts bordered on controversial even though the author attempted to bend them into the narrative and, to be honest, they put me off the story. So a move away from the style of urban fantasy which I usually enjoy, but I’m glad that I gave it a go.

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Angels and demons walk among us. Nathan Miller, an assistant pastor in a quiet town, doesn’t believe in them. His life is thrown into chaos when terrorism strikes his town and a reactionary religious militia rises against it, and a surprise encounter with a demon-possessed young woman forces him to face the truth.

The archangel Uriel knows Nathan is heir to supernatural powers and could be the key to victory. While he guards Nathan he must also protect humanity from a terrible secret that could destroy them all. In this blood-soaked epic they are about to learn that evil cannot be bargained with, but is it too late to stop the Apocalypse?

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