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. 

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 Dwarves Review

Synopsis from Goodreads

For countless millennia, no man or beast has ever succeeded in breaching the stone gateway into Girdlegard. Until now… Abandoned as a child, Tungdil the blacksmith is the only dwarf in a kingdom of men. But when he is sent out into the world to deliver a message and reacquaint himself with his people, the young foundling finds himself thrust into a battle for which he has not been trained. Not only his own safety, but the life of every man, woman and child in Girdlegard depends upon his ability to embrace his heritage. Although he has many unanswered questions, Tungdil is certain of one thing: no matter where he was raised, he is a true dwarf. And no one has ever questioned the courage of the Dwarves.

My Thoughts

This book surprised me. I picked it up whilst browsing around Waterstones for new reads, I read the synopsis are I thought it was something I would be interested in. I loved it, half way through reading I went to pick up book 2 so I knew I could carry on after I have finished the first book. I really liked the character development and the world building regarding the clans of dwarves that are mentioned in this book. Towards the end, I did find myself wanting to shake Tungdil and point out the obvious. I can’t wait to get into the next book and I think this will become a favourite series of mine. I really enjoyed Markus Heitz writing and If he has more books translated from german I will be wanting to read them in the future. 

I highly recommend this series if you’re into fantasy, mage, magic, ogres and other fantasy creatures. 

Currently Reading

Here is what I am currently reading this month: 

The Dwarves by Markus Heitz 

I recently bought this book from Waterstones mentioned in a current blog post haul here

Find out more about this book here. 

I started this book on Saturday and I am really enjoying it, I am 57 pages in and already so much has happened.

In Farleigh Field: A Novel of World War 2 by Rhys Bowen

I am currently reading this on my kindle. 

Find out more about this book here.

I am really enjoying this so far, there are a few issues I have but I will mention this in my book review once I have finished this. 

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Harari

I purchased this book last month but I never mentioned it in a book haul as it was the only book I purchased this month. 

Find out more about this book here. 

I am 110 pages into this book. I am reading this one in between due to the amount of information that is in this book. I am finding it extremely interesting and I will be purchasing other books by Yuval Noah Harari.