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QUICK FIRE FANTASY BOOK TAG
This is a super quick fun tag was created by The Bookworm Dream. I wasn’t tagged but I thought I’d give this a try.
Here are the rules:
Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post
Link to the creator’s blog (thebookwormdreamer.wordpress.com) in your post
Answer the prompts below – all fantasy books!
Tag 5 others to take partI really just want an excuse to post pretty book covers. Here goes…
5 STAR BOOK
review here Ok, technically this is paranormal. But paranormal falls under fantasy, right? I only picked this up because look at that cover! Happily, the story was just as perfect. I’m still waiting for the day Tom and Sanders adopt me.
ALWAYS GOING TO RECOMMEND
This is a hilarious laugh out loud comics about Ada, a beautician cum drag queen who turns into the superhero, Zsazsa Zaturna by swallowing a huge rock from outer space. She battles alien monsters and Amazon warriors while her alter ego tries to build a new life in Manila with the love of his life, Dodong. I really wish this could be released internationally but the local gayspeak, inside jokes and references are almost impossible to translate.
OWNED BUT HAVEN’T READ IT YET
The setting and the premise all sound fantastic but I heard it could be a challenging read. I’m also sitting on those Scarlet and The White Wolf books. Someday, Kirby Crow, I will read your books.
WOULD READ AGAIN
review here It’s been a while, Lucien. How I miss you getting wrapped around the pinkie of a certain pint-sized redhead Judiciar.
IN ANOTHER WORLD
review here A Venice-inspired city on Mars is the setting of this meandering manga that is filled with a constant sense of wonder and dreams.
BACK ON EARTH
review here I rarely venture into mainstream new adult but the blurb and this pretty cover just grabbed me. It was as good as promised. Too bad they changed covers.
Wow! I thought it would be easy. Turns out I don’t read as much regular fantasy books as I thought I did. Paranormal though, I got tons.
Hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to tag yourselves. (｡^‿^｡)b
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MANGA: Bokura no Shokutaku
Bokura no Shokutaku – Mita Ori
Yutaka, who’s not very good at eating together with people, met a pair of brothers one day in the park. This is the story of how lives changes and feelings unravelled when three people begin eating their meals together .
Mita Ori does it again! So precious and cute
I want some of that onigiri!
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REVIEW: Kitto by Harper Fox
Tyack & Frayne: Kitto – Harper Fox
Now Lee is free from the malevolent ghost of Morris Hawke, his clairvoyant gifts are expanding fast. Too fast for comfort, and he and Gideon find themselves wrestling with his unsettling capacity to see the future. In some ways this new power is wonderful, and Lee finds himself a local hero after predicting a flood.
But there’s one aspect he can’t bear, and that’s the blind spot he sees when he thinks about the wedding plans he and Gideon have started to make. It’s as if this event, which he wants more than life, simply isn’t going to happen. He’s troubled and stressed out, and Gideon decides to intervene, whisking him off to an isolated creek-side cabin in the mysterious Cornish ria country. All is peaceful there, and the clamour in Lee’s head subsides. It’s time for companionship, peace, good food and plenty of sex…
Then a young man wanders out of the woods and turns their blissed-out retreat into chaos. Kitto is harmless – a charming drifter, very handsome. To Gideon he’s just a kid, flesh and blood and a bit of a nuisance. But Lee reacts with horror. Since when can Gideon – Lee’s rock, his connection to the real world and sanity – see ghosts?
Mysterious midsummer is rising in the deep green Cornish countryside, and as the village gears up for the eerie Golowan festival, Lee and Gideon face their toughest case yet: a battle between the real and spirit worlds that threatens to tear their own apart.
Kitto started off with an air of nervous anticipation. Lee and Zeke form an unlikely friendship and embark on a search for the perfect ring. The wedding is near and Lee is turning into a Bridezilla. Zeke, in his usual dry humor tries to comfort his brother’s fiance. Lee then receives a vision of a natural disaster, cue Zeke’s hilarious reaction and our favorite psychic becomes a hero. It all became too much for him. He and Gid decided to go on a vacation to get away from it all but a certain ‘teenage nutcase‘, falls into their hands. The psychic is convinced he’s a ghost but the copper insists he’s real and sets out to prove it. For the first time in their relationship, conflict and ugly fights ensue. At one point, Lee even tells his boyfriend in no uncertain terms to “fuck off“. To his amazement, Gideon still calls him “love” after that. ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)
After that flood and the boys took a break, I was expecting something sedate. But again, they were thrust into another mystery, this time not that creepy but more disturbing . The monster is very real and very sinister because of the implications and that eerie horse skull. I wasn’t familiar with the Penglas character but I definitely don’t want him lurking around.
The couple were also roped into joining the Golowan or the Midsummer festival. There’s always something so dark and primal about these pagan festivals and Harper Fox did a good job using this not only to give an extra thrum of chaos and heighten the suspense at the climax but also in binding the two men together in an ancient ceremony. The confrontation with the monster was brutal. There were heart stopping moments when all seemed lost and the wedding almost didn’t happened. But after hanging on by the skin of their teeth, and some backseat interlude, they finally made it.
And so, the wedding. Lee and Gid looked dashing in their dove gray suits. Their happiness was contagious. Everybody was there including Isolde. And then Lee’s sister showed up and dropped a bombshell. I thought this part was a little too much too soon. I expected it to happened, not then and there, but perhaps sometime in the next books. Oh well, I guess the boys get an early start on raising those goldfish.
Kitto was another enthralling installment of the Tyack & Frayne series, serving up spooky romance with a rich play of words and a Celtic vibe. At this point, I am committed to seeing this series through to the end. Love Lee and Gid! Can’t wait to see what that goldfish turns out to be.
P.S.
Tyack and Frayne is best read in order. Review of the other books in the series here.
Reviews of Harper Fox’s books here.Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: The Mirror
Artist: Damaged Bug
Album: Cold Hot Plumbs -
SOUNDTRACK: The Mirror by Damaged Bug
Soundtrack to Tyack & Frayne: Kitto by Harper Fox
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“Look, don’t make me say you are my sunshine, or I’ll have to kill us both.” Gideon kissed his brow. “But you are, love. You are.”
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MOVIE FEATURE: Pink Narcissus
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ABC BOOK CHALLENGE – D
This seems like a fun challenge to participate it. Let’s see how many letters I can get.
D is devils, dream thieves and dark ones.
MOST MEMORABLE READS WITH THE LETTER D:
review here I like how those Desert Eagles look like they’re cuddling. We get Ethan’s POV here! I nearly died.
review here I am so tired of metaphorical uses of devil on book titles, I gave a big hurrah when Devil Take Me was released. With stories ranging from rom-com to full on gore, this anthology puts the Devil on the spotlight. It was a blast!
Sebastian St. Vincent. The quintessential rake with whom all historical romance male love interests pale in comparison.
review here Grey finally comes out to play.
review here Ronan. Love him.
One of my Japanese acquaintance recommended this book because the detective was a physics major and the suspect was a math professor, both of which were related to my undergraduate degree. The twists were very interesting. One of the most enjoyable mysteries I have read.
If someone went around interviewing people what they think about me, my neighbors will say I am an ill-mannered weirdo who throw horrendous tantrums. Partly true especially when I wasn’t yet on meds but I don’t feel the need to explain that to them. The Daughter of Time was memorable because Jennifer Tey took one notorious villain and peeled off layers exposing the misunderstood human beneath.
Watch series is an all-time favorite of mine. Daywatch is the second book and sheds some light on the dark ones which of course totally drew me to their side.
BOOKS ON MY TBR
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MANGA: Suki Dakara Kiss Shita no
Suki Dakara Kiss Shita No? – Kinoshita Keiko
It happened in a sunny day right before summer. Fujisawa Souta?s first kiss was with his older classmate, Ayase Chihiro. It?s now their summer vacation, and yet, nothing has happened between the two of them! What?s worse? he discovers that he wasn?t actually Ayase?s first kiss, and now regrets kissing him.
Best thing about all this is Rui. The rest was plain boring
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REVIEW: Don’t Let Go by Harper Fox
Tyack & Frayne: Don’t Let Go – Harper Fox
What’s haunting Lee Tyack? He’s moved in with Gideon Frayne, and they’re both loving their new lives. But the shadow is still there – a voice from hell that torments clairvoyant Lee, and which even the pragmatic copper Gideon can hear.
Gideon’s determined to protect his lover. But after a serious injury on duty, Gideon finds out the hard way that he needs protection too. His job’s on the line and he’s scared. Worst of all, he thinks he knows who that voice belongs to – and he can’t stop Lee from heading off to confront this most terrifying ghost from his past.
When the full spring moon rises over Cornwall’s rugged coast, and the veil between the worlds grows thin, Tyack and Frayne must join forces to solve a decades-old mystery that still has the power to tear their world apart.
A couple of years ago, I started on Tyack & Frayne. It was OK but book two, Tinsel Fish, wasn’t all that spectacular and I dropped the series. I passed too hasty a judgment it turned out because Don’t Let Go, the third book, succeeded in captivating me this time.
Some things I liked:
Zeke, who was introduced on Tinsel Fish, was a revelation. Gideon’s Methodist preacher brother showed Lee and Gid that he wasn’t the stone cold religious conservative Gid thought he was. Loved his dry sense of humor.
Lee and Gideon had moved in together and I totally loved how their relationship grew. Gid was a stubborn git when faced with his convalescence but Lee, bless him, dealt with it all like a saint. That’s true love for you.
Meeting Lee’s family and getting some closure. Locryn is a beautiful name. Lee and Gid exorcised a monster from the past. Boy, was it creepy, especially when listened to at wee hours of the night.
Once again, Harper Fox made me want to go to Cornwall and visit these two men. Her trademark lyrical prose is best read with a British accent and Tim Gilbert did a good job making it all come to life. The way HF describes Bodmin, the imagery she used, was very evocative. I’m glad I gave this series another chance. While it does meander a bit, it delivered a riveting and emotional story. I have loved Lee and Gid’s chemistry from the get go and here they are evolving into a comfortable domesticity which is just lovely and ‘normal’ in contrast to all the excitement of chasing criminals, ghosts and psychic monsters. Someday, when they are both old men, they could rest in front of the fire and feel nostalgic about all this but for now, they’re still up for another adventure in book 4, Kitto.
P.S.
review of Once Upon a Haunted Moor here
review of Tinsel Fish here
review of Harper Fox books hereRating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Hold On
Artist: Flor
Album: Come Out. You’re Hiding -
SOUNDTRACK: Hold On by Flor
Soundtrack to Tyack & Frayne: Don’t Let Go by Harper Fox
