Category: Reviews

Posted in Reviews

Book 5 of 2025

Posted on by Tarryn Atkinson

The Will of the Many by James Islington 🎧

Book 1 of the Hierachy series

This is my first Roman Empire based fantasy and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

It took me a little while to get into it, learning about the politics and structure but once I got that, it was riveting.

The characters are diverse and complex, the story is full of twists and turns and the main character of Vis develops throughout the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between the characters, I love a book that shows the warmth and humour of relationships between friends realistically, and some of the comebacks are superb.

The second book is due for release in 2025 and I will definitely be waiting for that in anticipation. Thanks to James Islington for the cliffhanger ending!!

Posted in Reviews

Book 4 of 2025

Posted on by Tarryn Atkinson

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune – Book 2 in the Cerulean Chronicles 📖

Where to even begin 🥰

First – go read the first book if you haven’t already (The House in the Cerulean Sea).

Second – read this book!!

There are simply not enough words to describe how beautiful this book is. It is magical, warm and fuzzy, cozy and heartwarming. Laughter, tears, anger, joy, all the feelings, all of them.

This duology (so far) is exactly what I loved about reading fantasy books as a child. Exactly what made me into a book dragon. The story, the setting, the characters, the charm of the whole village, the attitude of the villianous government department are all perfectly written. The humour is top notch, especially from the children.

Of course there are also strong LGBQT+ messages through both books, TJ Klune is completely transparent about that, declaring himself to be the Anti-JK Rowling. I think he has achieved that beautifully. The sad thing is that those people who might avoid the books for that reason are probably the ones that actually need to read them.

Do yourself a favour and dive into these enchanting books and meet the most amazing characters! I think it’s going to be tough for another book to knock this one down from my number 1 of 2025.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Posted in Reviews

Book 3 of 2025

Posted on by Tarryn Atkinson

Spiked by Jon McGoran 🎧

The Spliced Series – Book 3

This Young Adult series is really good. Themes of inclusivity, tolerance, acceptance, human rights abuses etc are well exposed in this dystopian series about Chimeras, humans that have had their DNA spliced with animal DNA.

The main character, Jimi, is a 17yo girl whose life gets turned upside down when her best friend decides to get spliced. Each book addresses a challenge that Chimeras face in trying to protect their rights in the face of strong opposition by a corrupt organisation.

I think this series would be thoroughly enjoyed by a younger audience and I have suggested it to my 15yo son (Note: I am VERY old and I thoroughly enjoyed it)

Thought provoking, and a really good storyline makes these books a worthwhile read.

Posted in My bookish personality, Reviews

Book 2 of 2025

Posted on by Tarryn Atkinson

Knight of Shadows by Kel Kade 🎧

The King’s Dark Tidings series – Book 6

The full series

Finished off Knight of Shadows, the sixth and latest instalment of The King’s Dark Tidings series by Kel Kade yesterday.

I have been immersed in this series, so immersed that whenever the boys get in the car or walk into the kitchen, they ask, is this another Rezkin book?? Yes, it is!

I can’t see that this will be the last book in the series, so I will absolutely be keeping an eye open for the next release.

The magic world, the diverse characters, the twists and turns are all so good. My only gripe would be with the character development of Frisha, one of the key characters in the series.

There are so many strong female characters throughout the series, that Frisha’s personality (at least in the first 3/4 books) is very annoying and whiny. She does have a number of strengths which could have been emphasised but instead she comes across a bit like a spoilt, needy woman. Not my favourite kind of character at all.

Perhaps it was simply the perception created by the audiobook version and she may come across differently in print form but that was my impression.

The books are very easy to listen to and Nick Podehl’s narration and accents are superb.

A great series to read/listen to.

Posted in Reviews

Book 1 of 2025

Posted on by Tarryn Atkinson

The Daughter of Dr Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 📖

This is one of those books where the cover drew me in and then the story did the rest. I mean, how beautiful is this cover art?

I was so undecided as to what my first book of 2025 should be, just couldn’t figure out what mood I was in. I am in the middle of multiple series, and decided that my first read of the year should be a standalone book.

I am very glad I chose The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, I thoroughly enjoyed this. The characters, the plot, the science. The storytelling was magical.

Taking the premise of the classic The Island of Doctor Moreau by HG Wells, this story is based in Mexico and tells the tale of Dr Moreau’s experiments from the perspective of his daughter, Carlota. The characters of the laboratory, the descriptions of the surroundings, the historical references, the magic of Yaxaktun were all beautifully written. The most magnificent writing shines through in the building, and development of the relationships between the residents, the outsiders, the father and daughter. Truly memorable.

I have to be honest though, there were definitely times that I wanted to have a stern lecture with Carlota but what an amazing character.

Highly recommended

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Posted in Reviews

Review: The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods 🎧

Posted on by Tarryn Atkinson

Another great book about books, with fantasy and some romance added. Again, the romance did not overwhelm the story itself and the story itself is just so magnificent.

A lost manuscript, the Brontë sisters, a magical bookshop, an eccentric old lady and so many enticing literary themes had me seriously wondering if I could give up my day job, move to Dublin and study literature full time.

The story takes place in 2 different time periods and is told from the perspectives of 2 incredible women making their own paths despite trauma and hardship.

Really really beautiful.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Posted in Reviews

Review: The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis 🎧

Posted on by Tarryn Atkinson

I love a good book about books 🥰 Add some magic and I am in! There is some romance and I am generally not a big romance reader but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The romance wasn’t the main story which suits me perfectly.

A book restorer comes into possession of 2 old but very unusual books, with no authors, no publishers, no information at all. Her investigation into the 2 books unearths a mystery that she can’t resist.

The book moves across two periods in time, and the story is told from the perspectives of the 3 main characters and the differing versions of events add to the intriguing story.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator for Hemi was how I imagined Henry Cavill would sound as a narrator 🥰 A girl can dream right?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Posted in Reviews

Review: Fairy Tale by Stephen King 🎧

Posted on by Tarryn Atkinson

Thoroughly enjoyed this! I haven’t read a Stephen King in years, but this was the selected book for a virtual book club I joined on the Fable App.

I opted for the audiobook, and I am so glad I did. The narrator was superb. The story was not your standard Stephen King horror but a beautifully told dark fairy tale.

The first half took the shape of an ordinary story about a boy living in a small town, building the characters and developing the relationships. The second half is really where it takes a turn into the dark fantasy realm.

King creates an amazing world through his writing and the characters are superb, made better by the excellent narrator. Also, one of the main characters is a dog so it can only be a wonderful story.

Definitely recommended! One of my favourite books over the past few years 🥰

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Posted in Reviews

Review: Zero G by Dan Wells 🎧

Posted on by Tarryn Atkinson

Trilogy (Zero G, Dragon Planet, Stargazer)

My sons (14yo and 11yo) are real bookworms and they especially love audiobooks!

We listened to this trilogy over the past few weeks but finished a significant portion of it while we were travelling and on holiday at the Kruger National Park (South Africa) last week.

The story revolves around Zero, a young scientist to be, whose family is being relocated to a new planet to start a colony for Earth. Through the 3 books, Zero has many adventures, meets a fairly wild bunch of characters including space pirates and discovers some really amazing new creatures on the new planet.

These books are really funny, but also have some cool science concepts that kids can easily grasp. We had many discussions on cryogenics, gravity, gases, buoyancy etc.

My boys really enjoyed it, and it was a great break from our ongoing Rick Riordan marathon.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Posted in Reviews

Review: My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood 🎧

Posted on by Tarryn Atkinson

Thoroughly enjoyed this short story. It really wasn’t what I had expected and I found myself delighted.

I listened to the audiobook on my way to the office on Tuesday and ended up sitting in my car in the basement parking so I could finish it.

A daughter reminisces about her unusual mother. Tales about magic, potions, curses and her father, the garden gnome had me smiling and laughing with joy.

Definitely recommended.

My one word to describe the book:

Whimsical ✨

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️