BOOK OF THE MONTH | NOVEMBER

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Hello Book Folk!

It is that time again where I talk about the books I have read. I would usually say this month, but it is now December because I’m a little late with this post.

I have read eight books in November along with one or two little rereads but I don’t count them. The books I have read this month have been pretty chunky books so I am super pleased with this months reads, I definitely put Lockdown 2.0 to good use.

Oh my lord!! I have just worked it out and I read a whopping 4,656 pages in total this month across my eight books, but only ONE of those books can claim BOOK OF THE MONTH!

I have a feeling this month is going to be so hard! My hardest month yet I do believe, so many of these books have been such incredible reads each with their own strengths! Check out below to see what books I have read and understand the struggle I face…

WHAT HAVE I READ THIS MONTH?

LEGACY OF ASH by MATTHEW WARD

Check it out on Goodreads

Review Link: RTC

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book, the audiobook was great and it made for a really good listen. Legacy of Ash is pretty big in scope and has a lot going on with a number of characters but it had me from the beginning. I’m all about the hook and this book hooked me straight away!

It is a brilliant epic fantasy and one that the veterans of the genre will love!

BOOK 1 & 2 OF THE BLOOD AND ASH SERIES

by JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

Check it out on Goodreads

Review Link: NO REVIEW INTENDED.

My Thoughts:

Well, what can you say about these books? They are typical to the genre they are in, and are easy fun read. They are absolutely riddled with issues and honestly I could complain to the high heavens about them but you always end up wanting to read more.

THE BLADE ITSELF by JOE ABERCROMBIE

Check it out on Goodreads

Review Link: RTC.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed my experience with this book. I had actually started this book before but stopped reading but I am really glad I picked it back up. I started it again from the start and really enjoyed it. The characters are great and are totally worthy of the praise they get from the book community and the world was great too!

Abercrombie shows his talent as a writer numerous times in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed this book despite being significantly slower in the plot department.

BOOK 1 & 2 OF THE LAST WAR TRILOGY by MIKE SHACKLE

Check it out on Goodreads

Review Links: We Are The Dead | A Fool’s Hope

My Thoughts:

Oh my days! What an incredibly journey it was to read these books. I read them back to back and thoroughly enjoyed my time in Shackle’s world. He is such a talented writer. These books showcase bloody violence, incredible characters and outstanding world building. They are books NOT TO BE MISSED!

VOICE OF WAR by ZACK ARGYLE

Check it out on Goodreads

Review Link: Voice of War Review

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book and can happily tell you the audiobook is phenomenal too! Zack has given us an incredibly beautiful and well thought out world in Voice of War and one with an even cooler magic system! The characters are fab and the plot is one that has you always reading more!

THE STONE KNIFE by Anna Stephens

Check it out on Goodreads

Review Link: The Stone Knife Review

My Thoughts:

I really truly loved this book, it is inspired by the mesoamerican history and was utterly refreshing to read. I love the topic of mesoamerica so I was chuffed to find this gem on NetGalley! Anna does not disappoint, her characters are brilliant and she has created an utterly realistic and well grounded world in which they reside ming for an incredible read.

Ok, so the bit of the post you actually wanted to read…

…

You know, I said that this month was going to be hard, and I guess in a sense it is because this month was an epic month of reading for me. Some of the books I have read have been incomparable and are winners in their own right. If I could, I would name more than one Book of the Month…but I can’t!

Although, in terms of a winner…any books of the same series will be counted as one seen as though that is the way I have set them up in this post!

Todays winner is going to be chosen based off of which one got an immediate response from me, a response that was stronger than the other books, you know? No, ok…

Well, while I was writing my thoughts for each one of these books, only one had me excited all over again just thinking about how I could describe what a joy this book was. I will always find several enthusiastic words to describe this author and their writings! There is no caveat with todays winner, I would recommend it to everyone, even people who don’t read the genre!

So, without further ado, this months BOOK OF THE MONTH goes to..

BOOK 1 & 2 OF THE LAST WAR TRILOGY BY MIKE SHACKLE

Well that’s is fellow book friends! Thank you for reading, feel free to comment here or on Twitter if you have read and loved/hated any of my reads this month. Also, let me know what your favourite read was this month.

BOOK REVIEW | A FOOL’S HOPE BY MIKE SHACKLE

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Good Afternoon Bookish Folk!

It is Monday, and thankfully I am not in work until tomorrow so I can write up my review of Mike Shackle’s second book to The Last War series: A Fool’s Hope!

I am absolutely thrilled to be able To read and review this book, it is a dark and sensational follow up to the first book: We Are The Dead!

A Fool’s Hope is due to release on 3rd December 2020, and you can pre-order from any of the below places…

AMAZON.CO.UK £15.19 | WHSMITH £15.19 | WATERSTONES £18.99 |

**Prices as shown on 30/11/20**

A few facts about A Fool’s Hope:

  • Title: A Fool’s Hope
  • Author: Mike Shackle
  • Series: The Last War (Book Two)
  • Published by Gollancz
  • Pages: 594

Synopsis:

Add It To Your Goodreads!

War takes everything.

From Tinnstra, it took her family and thrust her into a conflict she wanted only to avoid. Now her queen’s sole protector, she must give everything she has left to keep Zorique safe.

It has taken just as much from Jia’s revolutionaries. Dren and Jax – battered, tortured, once enemies themselves – now must hold strong against their bruised invaders, the Egril.

For the enemy intends to wipe Jia from the map. They may have lost a battle, but they are coming back. And if Tinnstra and her allies hope to survive, Jia’s heroes will need to be ready when they do.

The sequel to the darkly fantastic WE ARE THE DEAD: with more unflinching action, A FOOL’S HOPE sees Jia’s revolutionaries dig in their heels as they learn that wars aren’t won in a day.

Review:

Here are a few things you can expect from :

  • WAR;
  • Epic battles filled with bloody desperation;
  • An excellently written masterpiece that doesn’t pull punches or pussy-foot around;
  • Fascinating, compelling and generally amazing characters; and
  • A great middle instalment to a sure to be exquisite trilogy!

First off I would like to thank the folks at Gollancz & NetGalley who accepted my request to read this book early! I also have to laugh because my instant response to this book was “Holy shit – this book” and that is what is quoted on Gollancz website! So, I see no other way to start my review…

On to the full review…

HOLY SHIT – THIS BOOK!

There, that is my review.

I joke, I joke. While accurate I think I can muster up some more words to do this book its justice.

A Fool’s Hope is an incredible story and it begins right back to where it left you, there is no irritating missing period that you always want to know about, you are straight back to it! Many say the second book is often the worst one, it is the calm before the epic climax of book three and can often be filled with a lot of filler. Well, Shackle shit’s all over that statement! This book just keeps getting better, it stands on equal footing with book one and is damned incredible.

Having read Shackle’s first book in this series, I am somewhat familiar with his writing style and yet A Fool’s Hope still managed to amaze me. Over my last few review’s I have been talking a little bit more about how coherent a book is, its dialogue and other general but crucial writing elements.

While reading A Fool’s Hope I saw nothing but a faultless piece of work! Shackle’s ability to weave a story is brilliant, no sentence is wasted, and no dialogue out of place. Everything just seemed to fit so well, and when a book is a fast paced as these books are it is often easy for it all to become a little jarring and feel all over the place. This was not the case in A Fool’s Hope despite the different locations and characters.

Shackle’s writing isn’t like anything I have read before, it is so tight-knit and compact you feel the punch of every word. His battle scenes are diverse and not repetitive and they all feel so real, because of Shackle’s incredibly world building you have more than brief explosions of imaginative action, you have a damn movie playing before your eyes! I felt the vibrations of every explosion and I felt raw from the sights that war brings, the people you cant help, the desperation. You are quite simply plunged into a world so deeply you are there for it all.

As with book one, We Are The Dead, you will be constantly driven to turn the next page, I read this book in three or four days. It is so addictive.

We Are The Dead introduced us to a good amount of the characters in this series but I was pleasantly surprised to be introduced to some more in A Fool’s Hope. We continue to see these incredible and flawed characters grow, we see their relationships grow deeper and their level of progression is fantastic. No character really remains the same, war changes them irrevocably, and it was such a rush seeing them deal with the events that unfold within this book. Nothing about this book feels rushed and you will, as surely as I did, become wholly invested in the outcome of these characters journey!

A Fool’s Hope is darker in nature, the stakes are higher and it is filled with the grim realness of a country under siege. Shackle holds nothing back and is not afraid to throw everything he can at his characters but this book is also so much more than that.

I can say so much more about this book, and I really do want to, but to do so walks into the realms of the spoilers and that is no place I dare tread. All I can say is that everything you expect to happen in this book will not happen, the direction you think this book will go in…yeah, it is going to rage a battle so vicious in the complete opposite direction and it is all done with such incredible finesse it leaves you wanting!

I would definitely say to those who plan on reading this book to avoid anything even remotely spoiler’ish, avoid any review that goes into detail about the relationships and the characters who feature or well anything really! I don’t think my review falls into those categories but many I imagine will so please be careful. In my opinion, you should go into this blind beyond the first book to really experience this spectacular book!

I read A Fool’s Hope straight after We Are The Dead without sight of a single review and I enjoyed it so much more. Each event I came upon was shockingly brilliant, I had no idea which direction it would turn and what an experience it was.

On to the rating…

THE RANKS: 

BUY THE HARDBACK | BUY THE PAPERBACK | BUY THE EBOOK | LIBRARY RENTAL OR SALE PURCHASE

A Fool’s Hope unfortunately is not being published in hardback I don’t believe, though that does not change this books rating of BUY THE HARDBACK!

Instead I purchased the signed Paperback (Twitter Link Here) from Matt, he is a bookseller at Waterstones so definitely message him to see if he has any left!

AGAIN Thank you for reading AND SEE YOU SOON!