WWW Wednesday – 20th December 2017

This time of the week for WWW Wednesday 

This is currently hosted by Sam Elizabeth over at Taking on a World of  Words

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

 

What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading three books at the moment, one is on Kindle and the other two are in physical formats.

I am slowly making my way through the books I am reading but I am enjoying them all. 

The book I am currently reading on my kindle is Her Best Friend by Sarah Wray 

Synopsis

Two girls. A murder. And a secret that binds them forever. 
As a teenager, Sylvie Armstrong’s life was shattered when her best friend, Victoria Bland, was murdered. The killer has never been caught – and Sylvie has never spoken about what happened that day. 

Now, two decades have gone by and after the death of her mother, Sylvie is forced to return to her home town, along with her newborn daughter – only to be confronted by the secrets that she has been running from for twenty years. 

But then Sylvie receives the locket Victoria was wearing on the night she died – and it becomes clear that somebody knows what really happened to Victoria. 

As Sylvie struggles to discover the truth behind the lies, she finds herself in increasing danger from those who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets. Someone who threatens not only Sylvie, but everything she loves… 

I am around half way through this book at the minute and although it is slow it is enjoyable.

The second book I am reading is The Fate of the Dwarves by Markus Heitz

Synopsis 

The dwarves are going to battle for the last time. 
There has been no word from the courageous warrior Tungdil since the bitter struggle at the Black Abyss. Dragons, magicians, and the cruel älfar have advanced far into the kingdom Girdlegard, ruthlessly seizing vast areas of land. It seems that the dwarves are facing their next battle with very little hope of survival.

But then the inexplicable happens; a dwarf warrior dressed in black armor returns from the abyss – with a formidable army in tow. This warrior calls himself Tungdil, and for his most loyal friend Ireheart and his allies, this means a new hope. But soon doubts begin to arise . . . Could this really be Tungdil the dwarf, or is this warrior following his own dark agenda? It is a question of the future of Girdlegard – and the future of all the dwarves.

In the final installment of this spectacular fantasy epic, the greatest of the dwarves’ adventures begins . . .

I am enjoying this book, but unfortunately at the moment probably not as much as the other books I have read in this series. I am 38% into this book so far

and the final book I have just started reading is the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman. 

Synopsis

Northern Lights introduces Lyra, an orphan, who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology, and magic are entwined. Lyra’s search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. In The Subtle Knife, she is joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As Lyra learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds and leads to a thrilling conclusion in The Amber Spyglass.
The epic story Pullman tells is not only a spellbinding adventure featuring armored polar bears, magical devices, witches, and daemons, it is also an audacious and profound re-imagining of Milton’s Paradise Lost. An utterly entrancing blend of metaphysical speculation and bravura storytelling, HIS DARK MATERIALS is a monumental and enduring achievement.

I am only 2% into this trilogy but I am enjoying what I have read so far and can’t wait to read more. 

What have you recently finished?

I have just recently finished reading A Pearl for My Mistress by Annabel Fielding. 

Synopsis

A story of class, scandal and forbidden passions in the shadow of war. Perfect for fans of Iona Grey, Gill Paul and Downtown Abbey.

England, 1934. Hester Blake, an ambitious girl from an industrial Northern town, finds a job as a lady’s maid in a small aristocratic household.

Despite their impressive title and glorious past, the Fitzmartins are crumbling under the pressures of the new century. And in the cold isolation of these new surroundings, Hester ends up hopelessly besotted with her young mistress, Lady Lucy.

Accompanying Lucy on her London Season, Hester is plunged into a heady and decadent world. But hushed whispers of another war swirl beneath the capital… and soon, Hester finds herself the keeper of some of society’s most dangerous secrets…

I enjoyed this book and I have a full review of my thoughts here. I would read more books written by Annabel Fielding in the future. 

What do you think you’ll read next?

I haven’t really thought about what I will read next as I have a few books on the go at the moment. I think I might just finish all of these ones and then decide. I am doing a new thing in 2018 where I have to read 10 books of my shelves before I am buy more. I am also setting a goal of 5 books on my kindle before I go looking for more Kindle books as well. I will write a post regarding this sometime near the new year. 

Review: A pearl for my Mistress

✪✪✪✪

* I was contacted by the author and received a copy of this book via NetGallery in exchange for a honest review* Thank you Annabel Fielding

This book is set in the 1930’s which is a time period I do not often read about, because of this I was not quite sure how I would get on with this book.

I am so glad I accepted to review it.

This book follows a girl called Hester who’s ideal job would to be a lady’s maid. This dream because somewhat a reality when she becomes a young lady’s maid to Lady Lucy.

Lady Lucy is a very ambitious and independent individual.

I loved how the relationship blossomed between Hester and Lady Lucy through a common enjoyment of them both. Hester lived reading and Lady Lucy loved writing. This friendship slowly blossomed into a relationship. I really loved how the author handled this. The authors writing is beautiful.

The second half of the boom becomes less about the relationship of Lucy and Hester and become more about politics. Lady Lucy is part of the British Union of Facist, and writes articles in the paper all about this. This puts a strain on Hester and Lucy’s relationship.

I loved how researched this book was and how natural everything seemed within this book. I liked how all the topics where handled.

I would definitely read another book by Annabel in the future and reading this book may have changed my mind to branch my reading more into romantic historical fiction.

The Revenge of the Dwarves

Title: The Revenge of the Dwarves (The Dwarves, Book 3) 
Author: Markus Heitz 
Version: Paperback
Stars​: ✪✪✪.5

This is the 3rd book in The Dwarves series by Markus Heitz. I have been reading this series for the past few month and I am really enjoying it so far and love Markus Heitz writing. 

That being said…  this book didn’t really meet the expectations I had after the first two books. Things that happened with the characters, in between books 2 and 3, weren’t how I expected them to go. Tungdil was a character I really liked but in this book he fell flat either with the issues he faced. I am unsure if Tungdil’s character is going into a direction which I am liking. He did show the “old” Tungdil throughout the middle and the end of the book but that felt like it was going to disappear in the next book. 

The book was a lot slower to read and took me a while to get through compared to the others. 

This is my least favourite book of the series so far and I hope book 4 picks up like the first two books did. Saying that all series have a book which isn’t as good as the others. 

I am still carrying on with the series and I will not let this spoil anything I am looking forward to in the next book, which is something I am currently reading, as mentioned in my, what am I currently reading post.

If you would like to see the reviews for the first and second books I will list them here:

The Dwarves
The War of the Dwarves

 

The War of the Dwarves review

Title: The War of the Dwarves
Author: Markus Heitz 
Version:Paperback 
Stars: ​✪✪✪✪

I was going to add the Synopsis in this review but as this is the 2nd book in The Dwarves series by Markus Heitz. This series is becoming a favourite of mine. It has everything you need in a good fantasy book, well for me anyway. 

In this book Tungdil and the Dwarves find themselves in more trouble and are needed once again to save the lives of the Dwarves and to save the kingdom of Girdlegard. 

I really enjoy Markus Heitz writing and happily fly through these books, which are over 600 pages each. 

There is character development through both books and you know there will be more to come in the next books. I love watching the dwarves and other characters grow throughout the story in ways you would least expect them too. There are shocks you don’t see coming. The book can be slow in some places but the action throughout,from beginning to end, is more than enough to make you fly through them.

I really would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy, they need to give this series a go. I always have the next book handy so that I can read it as soon as I finish the one I am reading. I hardly do this with series but this one has just grabbed my attention. 

Markuz Heitz could well become an author I would re-read

Please leave a comment below if you have read this book and let me know what you through of it.

What am I currently reading?

hey everyone 🙂

I am back going to ease myself in with a currently reading post. 

I haven’t finished a book in a while but I finally am feeling like I am getting back into reading and being organised with everything so we shall see how this month goes. 

The first book I am reading is The Revenge of the Dwarves by Markuz Heitz. This is the third book in The Dwarves series. This series is becoming my absolute favourite series. They have been the best books I have read all year 

Synopsis

Life has not been easy for battle-weary Tungdil the dwarf. But this heroic warrior can’t rest yet, as he must now face the most formidable enemy the kingdom has ever encountered.

A new evil is terrorising the land of Girdlegard. Monstrous hybrid creatures are on the rampage, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. They are out to steal an artifact which is vital for the kingdom’s defence, and whoever holds it could control the world.

With the existence of the dwarves under threat, Tungdil must resort to his trusty double axe and risk everything he knows to save his country from annihilation . . .

Hold your breath for THE REVENGE OF THE DWARVES, the next thrilling installment in this spectacular epic from international bestselling author Markus Heitz.

Here is my review for book one 

The next book I am reading is The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson. This is book two in the Mistborn series. I am currently reading this on my kindle. I really enjoyed the first book but I think this is going a little slow for me at the moment so I am going to be dipping in and out of it for a while. 

Synopsis

The impossible has happened. The Lord Ruler is dead has been vanquished. But so too is Kelsier the man who masterminded the triumph. The awesome task of rebuilding the world has been left to his protege Vin; a one-time street urchin, now the most powerful Mistborn in the land.

Worryingly for her Vin has become the focus of a new religion, a development that leaves her intensely uneasy. More worryingly still the mists have become unpredictable since the Lord Ruler died and a strange vaprous entity is stalking Vin.

As the siege of Luthadel intensifies the ancient legend of the Well of Ascension offers the only glimmer of hope. But no-one knows where it is or what it can do…

I have joined back to NetGallery as well so I have a couple of books I need to review from there so I may also be adding some more to my currently reading list soon. 

If you have read any of these books please let me know what you thought of them in the comments