Recent Blog Posts

 

Castellan the Black and his Wise Draconic Tips on Life

29 August

Queens regularly used to fight alongside lords. They make sneaky, clever warriors as their quicker sprint speeds and more manoeuvrable flying skills give a combat flight more tactical options. And just because you and your dratted sire can’t recall such times doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
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Review of NETGALLEY arc The Harvest Moon Café – Book 1 of The Moonbeam Hollow series by Farah Halliwell

28 August

I was in the mood for something cosy and small town, and this cover drew me right in to give me pleasant autumnal weather vibes rather than the brutal heat we’ve been experiencing. Would the story be as entertaining as the cover?
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Can’t-Wait Wednesday

26 August

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released.
This week’s Can’t-Wait offering: Tailwind – Book 1 of the The Dragon Rush series by Olivia Hayward
Release date for the ebook – 3rd September, 2026
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Review of NETGALLEY arc Preaching to the Choir – A Terrible Worlds: Transformations NOVELLA by Adrian Tchaikovsky

25 August

Anyone who has regularly visited this site will know that I’m a huge fan of this author, who has to be one of the most versatile writers of SFF. I’ve enjoyed his novels – see my reviews of the Echoes of the Fall series The Tiger and the Wolf, The Bear and the Serpent, The Hyena and the Hawk; Redemption’s Blade: After the War, Guns of Dawn, Spiderlight, The Doors of Eden, Service Model, Shroud the Architects of Earth series – Shards of Earth, Eyes of the Void and Lords of Uncreation; Alien Clay; and The Tyrant Philosophers series – City of Last Chances, House of Open Wounds, Lives of Bitter Rain, Days of Shattered Faith and Pretenders to the Throne of God; and the Children of Time series,Children of Time, Children of Ruin and Children of Memory.But I also enjoy reading his novellas – unlike many authors who usually write novel-length tales, Tchaikovsky has completely mastered the technical challenges of writing an engaging and balanced novella. See my reviews of The Expert System’s Brother, The Expert System’s Champion, Dogs of War, Bear Head, Bee Speaker, Firewalkers, Ogres, And Put Away Childish Things, One Day All This Will be Yours, and Ironclads.
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SUNDAY POST

23 August

This is part of the weekly, or fortnightly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books they’ve read and share what they have got up to during the last week.
It’s been a fortnight of two halves, weatherwise. The first week was brutally hot, particularly Wednesday and Thursday. I went out for the day on Wednesday to Crowborough with friends. We had a picnic lunch and went for a walk in Ashdown Forest and on Thursday morning I woke up with what I thought were two mosquito bites on both arms near my elbows. By the end of the day, I had an angry rash that was also terribly itchy. It went on spreading on Friday and Saturday until two-thirds of both arms were covered. The pain was excruciating – I felt was if I’d just had boiling water poured over both arms. Just to add to the fun, it triggered my Long Covid symptoms of exhaustion so I was back in bed both days. Last Sunday, I was able to get to the pharmacy for appropriate medication – by then, I realised that no, it wasn’t insect stings, hives or shingles – it was an eczema flare-up. I’m now recovering and everything has calmed right down so my arms are no longer intensely painful or itchy, which is a huge relief. But I’m also somewhat depressed by the whole episode. So I’m afraid no photos this week.
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Castellan the Black and his Wise Draconic Tips on Life

22 August

Don’t be afraid to present thuggish, half-fired lordlings with plenty of risky challenges and difficult targets set long distances from their dwellings. While you might lose one or two to accidents, that has to be better than putting down a horde of half-grown lords attempting to take over your aery.
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Review of Unbound – Book 2 of The Splintered World series by Brian Moyer

21 August

I enjoyed the first book, loving the rich, immersive world that Moyer depicts – see my review of Splinter. So would this second book, taking the story on further, once more pull me into the story? Oh yes, it certainly did.
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Can’t-Wait Wednesday

19 August

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released.
This week’s Can’t-Wait offering: The Maple Bakery Murder – Book 3 of the Cinnamon Falls series by R.L. Killmore
Release date for the ebook – 27th August, 2026
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Review of NETGALLEY arc A Trade of Blood – Book 3 of the Shadow of the Leviathan series by Robert Jackson Bennett

19 August

I’ve been a fan of Bennett’s writing for a while – see my reviews of the first two books in The Founders trilogy – Foundryside and Shorefall. But when I read the first book in this current series – The Tainted Cup – I was blown away by the sheer inventiveness of the world and the punchy characters caught up in these mind-twisting adventures. And A Drop of Corruption made my Outstanding Reads of 2025 list. Would I love this one as much?
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