A month gone again,
time for another Review Round-up!
July has seen some
great releases from many different publishers, I am doing my utmost best in
catching up with existing ongoing series and reading the new releases on time,
but it just comes down to a shortage of time. I got a full time job and reading
is more on the side but it is taking over! As much as I enjoy it, I also got to
train for the marathon, and do other stuff. That being said I still managed to
put out quite a few reviews this month.
I have also decided
to make the Review Round-ups more interactive I initially only typed text but
found that putting book covers in them will make it much more appealing, also
below each recommendation you can find the links to the reviews about them.
Without further ado
here is my selection of 5 must read books:
1.
The
Thousand Names by Django Wexler (Del Rey UK)
The Thousand Names
has been a book that has been high on my reading list. When I read the synopsis
of it it just stuck and got nestled in. And this book really is a stunning
piece of work. I was aiming at a desert themed, war campaigning military themed
story, but I was proven wrong. Django Wexler involves a lot more in The Thousand
Names. The whole aspect of magic, the naat¸
and how Django worked this is a cool aspect of the book and even more so when
you learn what the Thousand Names are really about. Keep a close eye on this series!
See the full review here
2.
Mr.
Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan(Atlantic Books)
I solely wanted to
read this book because it featured a 24-hour bookstore now who doesn’t want to
have that around the corner? I was pleasantly surprised by what Robin Sloan had
written down. It starts of quite different from where it ended. Because Mr.
Penumbra’s 24-hour bookstore is just a front for a much larger deal. Think
secret organizations and the key to something. This neatly transformed the
initial storyline to w wild chase involving amongst others Google HQ and other
high tech stuff. Robin Sloan managed to turn a cool concept in a terrific story
See the full review here
3.
Prince of
Thorns by Mark Lawrence (Harper Voyager UK)
Another book that
has been on my to read list for over a year now but hadn’t found the time to
get around reading it by now that I have. I have been convinced. The Broken
Empire is the next big hit in Epic Fantasy. Prince of Thorns isn’t your average
Epic Fantasy though. From the start the setting is dark and gritty and the main
protagonist, Jorg, is kind of a “psychopath”. Mark Lawrence start of this first
book perfectly with showing how Jorg became the Jorg you see in the story and
it is maybe justified… Prince of Thorns has some great characters, fighting
scenes and the world is just as interesting I feel a bit of a sci fi influence
and the first encounter with it felt like Stephen King’s Mid-World. High hopes
here for King and Emperor!
See the full review here
4.
Demon’s
Watch by Conrad Mason (David Fickling)
Besides reading
adult fantasy I really enjoy reading children’s and young adult books because they
have a great of playing right into your imagination and Demon’s Watch isn’t an
exception here. Conrad mason really know to what audience he writes and creates
for children and rich story filled with pirates, magic and other fantasy
creatures. But where this story for a lot of children will be filled with
action and other cool stuff, for me this book really shines with two
characters. The half goblin Joseph and Tabitha, they make up most of the story
and Conrad Mason has created two very strong protagonists in them, they boys
will opt for Joseph and the girls for Tabitha. Demon’s Watch is an energetic
and lively story.
See the full review here
5.
Stray
Souls by Kate Griffin (Orbit)
Urban Fantasy has
been on the rise since the last few years and is a genre that appeals to a broad
audience. I only just starting reading this genre two years back and actually
started with Kate Griffin’s first series, Matthew Swift and was quite shocked
(in a good way) by how Kate Griffin wrote this series and how rich and
imaginative it was. Stray Souls is the first book in her new series and focuses
on a completely new character, the urban shaman Sharon Li. Again Kate Griffin
proves that she is right on top of her game in writing this urban fantasy! The overall
tone of Stray Souls goes more towards the humorous side, where the Matthew
Swift was more focused on horror, that aside, Kate Griffin’s books should be
made compulsory.
See the full review here
These were my picks
of July but there are a lot more superb books that I have written and can
recommend as well like Swords of Good Men, River of Stars, Angel City, Seven Forges and Reviver! Check
out those reviews as well.
July author interviews:
-
David
Wingrove here
-
James A.
Moore here
And lastly a bit of
a general update about my blog.
Some people might
say that I give only positive reviews and that is mostly because I only read
the books that I can get “into”, if a book just proves to be a struggle to get
through I will likely abandon it, I will give it a second attempt but if it
still isn’t working ill put it aside, sorry if this might happen (it hasn’t happened
that much though), but there is just so much to read and time is proving to be
the limiting factor!
Also there might be
some spelling errors in my reviews, I try to get them as clean as possible but
with English being my second language (I’m Dutch born), some might still slip
in. sorry about that.
The Book Plank now
has been running on its own feet for about two months and want to give a huge
shout-out to all the people who have been giving me positive feedback, saying
that I write thoughtful reviews and such. I have to give the bigger thanks to
you for taking the time reading my reviews and for everyone who has been
involved in sending books, either the authors or publishers! It wouldn’t be possible
without you. With the reviews now going live every few days or so, I have been
investing time in doing more with my blog like: author interviews (they have
been a hit), guest posts and blog tours (first will be up soon). Maybe expanding
it more when it is all going according to plan! Hoping to do giveaways in the
near future.
Keep a close eye on
the blog, as August will see more amazing books!
Bests,
Jasper