I love love love this! It is a book of poetry but not stuffy or formal poetry in any sense. It is a collection of Patrick’s writings and thoughts in a very real and immediate way.

Patrick uses words like a kaleidoscope uses colours. He has the words twisting and spinning and soaring in all sorts of unexpected ways to wonderful and creative rhythms. I am in awe of his control of language.

I am also in awe of his subject choices and the determination he shows to positively portray love and the struggle to get by in a difficult word. Here is an extract from on of his poems, ‘Ode to Damaged Souls’:

‘Running too fast, trying to change the dye that’s been cast, I’m trying to make a positive energy and doing the write thing last. Maybe I need some chocolate cake for dinner… sounds good to me, sounds like a winner, you… see this writing thing, I’m just a beginner, an artistic chain of consciousness spinner. Sometimes I am a sinner, but I try to learn something new every day. I try to be versed in the art of play…….’

Patrick covers more than just self description. He promotes love, an open minded attitude to life and an enthusiastic acceptance of the difficulties of life, even though he admits that sometimes that life is a struggle. I feel a surge of positive energy reading his work.

You can buy ‘Patrick’s Chocolate Cake for Dinner Diet’ on Amazon and you can find the author Patrick Wardell on Facebook where he often shares his writing, and I recommend you do both.

I dipped into this as something light to read. I love reading different takes on the Fair Folk, so this seemed like a good choice.

One of the best parts of this book is the world building that is subtly going on behind the scenes. You are plunged into the middle of the action as the exiled Queen Sentina and her bodyguard find a way to travel from their place of exile to the human realm at Christmas time. As the plot unfolds, small details of the world and its inhabitants leak out, so you find yourself gradually immersed in the background rather than suddenly having a lot of detail dumped on you.

I also liked the portrayal of the nature of the supernatural beings. I grew up thinking fairies were not safe, and this story echoes that impression. The Fair Folk are portrayed as scheming, difficult and indifferent to mortals and it’s incredibly entertaining, especially when they end up in our realm. The characters were shown to be unfamiliar with mortals and their culture and the clash was incredibly well shown.

I enjoyed the pace of the story, as it rattled through the entertaining scenes. There was some sex, which I thought was quite well handled. I don’t read much erotica, but I was glad to see that the sex was part of the plot, rather than the plot being an excuse for the sex. I suspect that sex will be a greater part of the plot in any subsequent stories.

This was a relatively short story. However, at the end of the story they advertised a trilogy that seemed to be focused on the same characters. I shall look out for it with interest.

I loved Charlie N Holmberg’s Paper Magician series so I was really excited to dip into her new series. I devoured the book in an afternoon and decided I had to write a review.

This is so much darker. Ms Holmberg paints the world beautifully, giving the right combination of detail and hints. The complex setting gradually unfolds as the characters progress through the smoky, polluted city, a metaphor for the corrupt and desperate society.

This dystopian setting is a wonderful backdrop for the two main characters. Sandis, the slave mystically linked to something dreadful from another plane of existence, and Rone, the rogue who tries to make the right decisions and gets things dreadfully wrong at times. The layers of their respective backgrounds and the stories that have made them are gently peeled back through the course of the well paced story.

And, darn it, the story ended on a cliff hanger and I can’t wait to read the next book. I totally recommend this story.

This is not an awesome book.  It is a frustrating book.  There is an awesome book in there, or possibly two awesome books, but this edition doesn’t quite hit the mark.

The story of FBI Agent Sierra Lancaster and her interactions with the people around her is potentially gripping with plenty of twists and turns.  There are old flames, FBI agents, partners, sort-of-estranged relatives, shoot-outs, deals, busts and a whole swathe of difficult and challenging interactions.  I am a sucker for complex interactions and intricate layers of relationships and this is almost awesome.  I found myself muttering as I read because it isn’t quite there, and it could be.  I would almost be enjoying a sudden revelation, but the foreshadowing hadn’t quite hit the mark.  I would be almost caught up in a character’s development, but it wasn’t quite consistent.  I would be almost hooked on the story but some of the details didn’t strike true.  I finished this book wanting to kick something because I read a nearly good book.

I wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending this book.  If a second edition comes out, however, I recommend grabbing it with both hands.  I sort of hope that Ms Tyree makes two separate stories out of it, because there are at least two separately awesome books in there.  I shall definitely be watching out for further work from her, as there are some great stories in there and I want to read the awesome ones.