The Amber Owl

This is a review of “The Amber Owl” by Juliet Marillier. It is the first book in the Heartwood Duology.

This book follows (and is told by) three central characters: Stasya, Aleksis and Lukas and one other character: Rihard.

Stasya is the main character of this novel. She lives on the outskirts of Heartwood Village, right near the forest and is viewed as an outsider by the other villagers. Raised by her grandmother, she has no real memories of her parents. Her grandmother has raised her to respect and protect the forest. Stasya has lived alone since she was eleven years old, when her grandmother died. She lives with her pet dog Flip. To earn a living in the village Stasya often helps others with any tasks requiring an extra pair of hands. She is also a wonderful storyteller. It’s common knowledge in the village that Stasya has a gift for calming animals and livestock. This astonishing gift is only properly understood to its full extent by herself and possibly her only friend Lukas.

Lukas is a goatherd, and he likes to end his days by spending time in Stasya’s company, listening to her tales and sometimes sharing one or two himself. His family do not really approve of Stasya, but Lukas is very fond of his friend.

Life is very suddenly and violently interrupted when a Commander Rihard is sent to Heartwood Village and forest to find a fabled treasure under orders of Ruler Lady Elisabeta. The villagers are expected to follow commands and cease their own work, with the men of the village tasked with felling trees and forging a pathway through the forest. No one is happy with this, but any who speak out are punished severely. After a terrible tragedy Stasya and Lukas are taken to court to speak with the Ruler, by advisor Aleksis and his entourage.

Aleksis is remote and hard to read, but he is not unkind. He tries his best to protect and direct Stasya while they are at court, but Lady Elisabeta is hell bent upon getting the information and outcome she wants for Heartwood Forest and its hidden treasure.

*Potential character trajectory spoilers ahead*

I will say that although I am a big Marillier fan, this book was not one of my favourites of hers. In saying that, I did want to keep reading it, and finished it quite quickly. (To be fair, I may have had some trouble transitioning from the world of the Blackthorn & Grim Series).

It was nice to have a change in setting and region for this historical fantasy. I did not feel quite as invested in these characters as I have been in the characters from some of Marillier’s other novels. And that’s totally okay, as they may have been perfect for someone else. I found it harder to connect with a lot of the characters in this book, especially at the beginning of the novel.

I also found the character of Flip to be quite confusing at first, until I understood a little more about what was going on.

Again, as a neurodivergent person it was nice to be able to relate to a lot of Stasya’s experiences and way of thinking as she is positioned to be an outsider, as someone who is gifted but very different.

Stasya’s friend Irina’s storyline was very tragic and heartbreaking.

I did like the character of Aleksis, and even more so as he warmed up and we learned a little bit more about his backstory and personal history.

I also enjoyed the side characters of Matiss and Karolis.

I am looking forward to seeing how this story progresses and wraps up in the next novel, The Hidden Way.

Den of Wolves

This is a review of “Den of Wolves” by Juliet Marillier. It is the third book in the Blackthorn & Grim Series.

This book follows (and is told by) four main characters: Blackthorn, Grim, Cara and Bardán.

As this book is part of a series, be mindful that there may be some spoilers for the first two novels “Dreamer’s Pool” and “Tower of Thorns” or the series as a whole.

Back at Winterfalls, Blackthorn and Grim have settled back into their cottage. Blackthorn is continuing her work as Wise Woman and Healer to the region and is still keeping her promise made in “Dreamer’s Pool” to her fey benefactor Conmael. Grim – as busy as ever, continues to turn his hand to many tasks and trades. Grim is approached by a wealthy land holder, a Master Tóla of nearby Wolf Glen. Master Tóla wants Grim to work on a very intricate and involved building project called a Heartwood House; a house that uses every wood found in the surrounding forestry.

Master Tóla is a cold, standoffish man. The Heartwood House project is an old one, first started over a decade ago. A Heartwood House is believed to bestow luck. Building ceased when master builder Bardán went missing. As the house wasn’t completed, Tóla believes the resulting bad luck is responsible for his wife passing. Now Bardán has come back and Master Tóla wants it finished.

Bardán is wild and unkempt and his hands are badly crippled. He disappeared suddenly during the first build, but now he has returned 15 years later. His hands are very badly damaged and he is quite disoriented and muddled in his mind. Grim must act as his hands and do the hard labour for the build while Bardán instructs. He is the only builder with the knowledge of how to build a Heartwood House. The inhabitants of Wolf Glen are cold and distant toward Bardán, but Grim can’t help but feel for this forlorn fellow.

Cara, daughter of Master Tóla – has been sent to the household of Prince Oran and Lady Flidais. Cara is a quiet young woman, who finds it hard to find her words, and prefers the company of birds and trees to climb. She knows the forest of Wolf Glen intimately. Tóla wants her to become more worldly, to learn about social etiquette and mingle with others, but Cara is intensely homesick. While trying to sneak away and head home, she meets Blackthorn and is convinced by her to stay. Blackthorn makes Winterfalls feel more tolerable for Cara. But still, Cara misses Wolf Glen and doesn’t understand why she can’t return home, not even to visit.

The job at Wolf Glen is long and arduous, but Grim has negotiated that he be allowed to ride home daily to Blackthorn. Over time, Grim gets to know Bardán a little better, despite being warned not to talk to the wild man about anything other than the job, as Bardán’s confused talk begins to paint a picture of a tragic life. Grim can’t quite work out why he’s come back. For her part, Blackthorn can’t make sense of why Master Tóla has not visited his daughter, nor explained to Cara why it is so important for her to stay at Winterfalls. It’s very apparent that the girl is homesick.

*Potential character trajectory spoilers ahead*

I am a huge Marillier fan, so it’s safe to say that I loved this book. I loved the progression of the characters. As we know from the first two novels, Blackthorn and Grim (and other characters) have suffered extreme trauma. I loved seeing their healing journey continue in this book, and also how they used their experiences to have empathy for and assist other individuals who have suffered trauma. Grim is very sweet and protective of Bardán.

It was very moving and beautiful to see how Blackthorn and Grim slowly became aware that their feelings for one another had grown and changed over time. I did cry a number of times reading this one. (Them writing to one another, Grim daring to imagine what his own daughter may look like…).

Grim and Blackthorn have an extremely slow burn but it’s one that is incredibly poignant, beautiful and vulnerable. It’s so worth it. I love how Marillier shows the trust deepening within her characters and them both slowly (but surely) realising just how much the other means to them.

As with the other novels in this series, I enjoyed the change in writing style for each of the character’s chapters.

As a neurodivergent woman and mother to neurodivergent children, I could relate to the characters of Cara and Bardán a lot. Cara reminds me so much of my youngest sister as she was as a child.

It was also nice to see another (perhaps softer?) side to some of the characters (Blackthorn and Conmael spring to mind). It was good to see them finally get some personal justice in the end too.

Tower of Thorns

This is a review of “Tower of Thorns” by Juliet Marillier. It is the second book in the Blackthorn & Grim Series.

This book follows (and is told by) three main characters: Blackthorn, Grim and Lady Geiléis.

The tale begins with Lady Geiléis requesting aid from the Court of Dalriada to help with a creature who has blighted her land, a place called Bann. A monster has been howling each day during the daylight hours, from a tower close to her holdings. The tower has been surrounded by impenetrable thorns, keeping the monster isolated and impossible to reach and the Lady is desperate for aid. It seems that the monster can only be reached if certain conditions are adhered to, and Lady Geiléis needs help.

Still keeping her promise made in “Dreamer’s Pool” to her fey benefactor, Blackthorn has become a prominent healer in Dalriada. (To recap: Her promise dictates that Blackthorn must return to her work as a wise woman. She must head north to Winterfalls, she must aid any who directly ask her for help and she cannot seek vengeance for 7 years). Her friend and companion Grim has become a respected member of the community in Winterfalls and has been known to turn his hand to many a job or trade.

An old friend from Blackthorn’s old life has also shown up; Flannan – a scholar. He brings with him memories of her previous life, and also revives her need to see justice done. He proposes a plan to her, one that would harm Mathuin of Laois (a corrupt and murderous chieftain) but Blackthorn is conflicted. While she is pondering what to do, she decides to help the mysterious Lady Geiléis with her monstrous problem. Of course Grim decides to follow and protect her.

Bann is a strange place. The monster’s howling is terrible, it invokes and amplifies each individual’s bleakest moments from their lives. Stuffing your ears helps some, but there is no doubt that Bann is an unpleasant place with a heavy air and some rather strange and standoffish people. If you spend too much time outside, you may also see some small folk. The monster cries all day, stopping only at night, leaving everyone feeling drained and morose.

There is also a Christian Monastery near the residence of Lady Geiléis, and it is here where Flannan says he wants to complete some work as a scholar. Grim seems to be particularly affected by the monastery, but as he is a man of few words, it’s not surprising that he doesn’t expound on his reluctance to visit the Christian Brothers. Over time, it also becomes apparent that the Lady may know a bit more about the monster and its curse than she is letting on…

As with most of Marillier’s work, I loved this book. In keeping with the first novel of this series, it did a realistic and beautiful job of depicting characters who have lived through severe trauma. It was really moving and captivating to gain insight into Grim and learn his backstory. He really is a wonderful character. I’ve said in my last review that he is very like my husband and that still remains true as of this review.

Marillier nicely showed how different personalities and circumstances can shape how trauma is dealt with. There is a chapter that particularly resonated with me, where Blackthorn helps a young mother with a very ill baby. My middle son was born with congenital heart defect in 2018, and I have not reread this book since my first time reading it (around 2015). This little story snippet hit me harder this time around and left me feeling very grateful that I live in this current time period. It was touching to see the prickly Blackthorn helping this young mother and reminding her that it’s okay to reach out for help (even though she herself hates to do just that!)

I love how Marillier shows her characters learning how to begin to trust others again and allowing themselves to receive support. I love the grace that Blackthorn and Grim show one another.

As with the first book, there is physical assault in this book, there is also some sexual assault with a side character. If you have been affected by either in your life you may be triggered, however as she does in many of her other books, Marillier also shows her characters healing as well as portraying how trauma can affect an individual.

Like the first novel, I enjoyed the change in writing style for each of the character’s chapters. I just love Grim’s chapters so very much.

I’m looking forward to reviewing the last book in this series.

Dreamer’s Pool

This is a review of “Dreamer’s Pool” by Juliet Marillier. It is the first book in the Blackthorn & Grim Series.

This book follows (and is told by) three main characters: Blackthorn, Grim and Prince Oran.

The tale begins in a godless place, a lock-up, a gaol of the worst kind. Our main female protagonist has lived through the unimaginable and has been unfairly imprisoned by the morally corrupt Mathuin of Laois.

In there with her is a man, big in size and short on words. His hulking presence and gentle respect in this hellish place bring a sort of camaraderie to his fellow female prisoner, while her flame-red hair reminds him to be courageous.

Prince Oran is a dreamer. He is due to be wed, and this is a source of trepidation for him. He wants to do his duty well (as is fitting for a future King) but he has always wanted to marry for love. His mother and father may have found a suitable match for him, but to see if there is a connection that will sustain marriage, Oran begins to write to his parent’s choice, a Lady Flidais.

A mysterious visitor arrives at the prison and a promise leads to a fortuitous (and somewhat mystical) escape. Meeting again on their journey north, the two prisoners decide to take up new names for themselves, to leave that dark time well and truly behind them: Blackthorn and Grim.

As part of the bargain made that saw them freed by their mysterious benefactor, Blackthorn must return to her work as a wise woman. She must head north to Winterfalls, she must aid any who ask her and she cannot seek vengeance for 7 years. She finds this quite loathsome and tiring.

They arrive at the village surrounding Prince Oran’s residence Winterfalls, and there, ready to be fixed up, stands the cottage of the previous wise woman who has been dead many years. Grim gets to work repairing the cottage, and though she is battered and much changed from her time in Mathuin’s prison, Blackthorn returns to her craft, helping the others in the village and its surrounds.

Having become smitten with his Lady Flidais through their written correspondence, Prince Oran is eagerly awaiting her arrival, after which they are to be handfasted. But when the Lady arrives, she is not at all like the woman he expected her to be…

Blackthorn and Grim solve a mystery of the nearby village, and in doing so they cross paths with Prince Oran who then seeks counsel with them.

Can they help Oran get to the bottom of what is wrong with Lady Flidais?

I loved this book. It is one that I first read quite some time ago, but I did not write a review at the time. I was going through a lot, and suffice it to say I could really relate to the character Blackthorn.

There is sexual and physical assault in this book. I feel like if you have been affected by either in your life you may be triggered. However, what I have always loved about Juliet Marillier’s writing is that she shows her characters healing from these things and also has realistic portrayals of how one might be affected by such trauma. This book has both female and male victim survivors of physical and sexual assault.

I enjoyed the change in writing style for each of the character’s chapters. This gave them a unique voice and helped you to really get a feel for each of them. I also enjoyed seeing each character from the other protagonist’s perspectives.

Grim reminds me a lot of my husband. ☺️

A great start to this series, written by one of my favourite authors.

I’m back 💛

It has been a long time since I have reviewed a book.

It’s actually been a few years since I have been able to read with the enthusiasm that I used to hold.

Life has been busy and topsy turvy, and I did lose myself for a little bit.

Most notably, my second son was born in 2018. He was born with a heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot.

He has required surgeries, many appointments and my brain has been full of worry, anxiety and exhaustion since. Of course there is a lot of love and growth too, of the deepest kind.

I’ve been healing and learning and adapting to this new life of mine.

I’ve started returning to the hobbies I once loved, as well as trying my hand at some new ones.

So hopefully, I’ll be reviewing any books I do manage to read in the future.

~Pokarlla

Stiletto

This is a review of “Stiletto” by Daniel O’Malley.

I first read this book when it came out, but I never wrote the review as I had planned. I have given it a re-read as I am about to read the third installment in the series “Blitz”.

“Stiletto” is the second novel in Daniel O’Malley’s Checquy Series. It follows on from “The Rook”.

Unlike the first novel “The Rook”, which wholly centred around the character Myfanwy Thomas, “Stiletto” follows the two characters Odette Leliefeld and Felicity Clements. (We do sometimes get a peek into Myfanwy’s world too).

Clements is a Pawn and member of the Checquy. Her most recent assignment has gone terribly wrong. Because of the nature of the assignment and the things that occurred; and because she needs to keep an eye on the newest members of the Checquy- Rook Thomas has asked Felicity to act as a guard to Odette.

Odette is a grafter. A member of a secret society of highly skilled surgeons known as the Broederschnap. Enemies for centuries, many of the members of both the Checquy and the Broederschnap are not keen on this merger. Odette is none too thrilled about being slapped with Felicity as her personal guard either.

Clements wants to find out what went wrong in her assignment, namely who is responsible for it? As more manifestations occur, it seems like Odette and the other Broederschnap might know a little more than they have been letting on…

Meanwhile Rook Thomas is trying to make this merger run as smoothly as possible, all while completing her job in all other areas. One area being: trying to solve a string of murders where the victims have been impaled by crystals.

Full of action, creepy scenes and more weird and wonderful characters, “Stiletto” is a humorous, mysterious and suspenseful follow up to “The Rook”.

I loved this book just as much as I loved the first installment (if not more). As I said in my review of “The Rook”, The Checquy Series is reminiscent of X-men and Men In Black and with the Broederschnap in this novel- throw in some ER as well. There were also some sad scenes that touched me in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the cameo with Shantay at the end.

I’m looking forward to reading “Blitz”!

Tempt the Stars

This is a review of “Tempt the Stars” by Karen Chance. It is book 6 in the Cassandra Palmer Series. It follows on from “Hunt the Moon”

As this book is a part of a series, the following review may reveal some details of the previous novel/s. Do not read if you intend to read this series in the future and don’t want to know of any potential plot spoilers. As this book is also part of a larger series (it ties in with the Dorina Basarab Series) it may be wise to use caution when reading these reviews on the Cassandra Palmer Series. I may unintentionally give out spoilers for part of that series, though Karen Chance is pretty good at keeping the two story arcs fairly separated.

Cassie has just found out that she’s the daughter of a goddess. It was a bit of a shock. That coupled with the loss of her War Mage bodyguard, has made her a mess. She’s having a hell of a time. Like, literally. She’s got to figure out a way to get Pritkin back, coz being a Pythia sucks, and without him, it blows even more.

Poor Pritkin is trapped in hell with his demon lord father, who plans to pimp him out to further the bloodline and keep him there indefinitely. Cassie hasn’t got the first clue as to how to get him back. The only thing she can think of is to go back and ask her mum. She’s had first-hand experience with the hell plane after all. Meeting your parents properly for the first time (when you’re an orphaned adult) is a little … weird to say the least.

Cassie’s mama clues her in on how to get Pritkin back, and off she heads to get the job done, with the aid of some unlikely companions. Can Cassie take on hell and the demon council and come out on top? And why does it feel a little bit like Mircea is avoiding her? Also…are there witches in her lounge room? *Sigh*

I enjoyed this one. It was great to get a glimpse of hell, get to know Cassie’s parents and see Cassie stand up for herself and what she wants. I’m starting to really feel for her though. Being the Pythia sounds utterly and absolutely exhausting. I hope she gets to have a holiday soon. I was also hoping that this would be the novel that she met Dorina, but it wasn’t to be.

Strata

This is a review of the novel “Strata” by Sir Terry Pratchett.

I am still coming to terms with the fact that this wonderful man is gone from the world.

I was given “Strata” as a birthday present some time ago, by one of my dearest friends. Due to the sheer number of books I have had in my To Be Read pile, I have only just gotten to it.

Kin Arad is one of the foremost experts on terraforming. She is a planetary engineer and a famous author to boot. She is very, very old. She has lived many lifetimes, but never has she met anyone quite like Jago Jalo.

Jago is a human from a time long ago. Yes, he’s even older than Kin. He says he has found a world that is not a sphere, nor a planet, but a disc. And Kin’s curiosity is sparked. She follows Jago’s instructions and meets with Marco, a four-armed, frog-like, paranoid warrior Kung, and Silver, a Shand, a shaggy bear-like creature. Kin knows that they are not human like her, but their differences sometimes take her by surprise. They set out to find the Disc, but never did they imagine what they would find, or just how their expedition would pan out.

I loved this novel. It had a very Pratchett feel (of course) but it was also very different to a lot of his other works that I have read. I loved his slant on a more sci-fi type of work. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I enjoyed it quite immensely. The tone of this novel seemed more serious and less flippant than his novels in the Discworld Series, and I still appreciated that.

  

Good Omens

This is a review of the novel “Good Omens” by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

I love Terry Pratchett’s novels. I was devastated to hear of his passing earlier this year, and I truly feel as though I have lost a friend.

I have had this book that he wrote with his friend Neil Gaiman for a while now. I bought it some time ago, but life has been busy for me of late, and I haven’t really been reviewing or even reading at a fast pace for a while now. I decided it was time to get back into the swing of things. And what a book I chose to swing with!

“Good Omens” is a very funny, witty novel about the end of days.

The ultimate battle between heavenly and demonic forces is fast approaching, and both sides have been preparing for centuries. Aziraphale is an angel, and Crowley; a demon. They enjoy a certain camaraderie with one another. Not quite “friends”, not really enemies. Both know that the apocalypse is nigh, and they’re not really sure what to do about it…

The Antichrist is on Earth, among humankind. He was switched with another baby in a hospital by satanic nuns, and big things are expected of him.

Anathema Device is a modern witch who lives her life according to a book of prophecies left behind by her ancestor, one Agnes Nutter. Anathema knows what’s coming, and she knows she has a part to play in the grand scheme of things, she just wishes she could decipher Agnes’ prophecies just that little bit quicker sometimes.

Newt Pulsifer is an aspiring computer engineer. Or he would be, if he was not so hopeless at anything to do with electronics. He’s stumbled across Shadwell, an old (and questionably sane?) and ferocious witch finder. Little does he know that Agnes saw him there at the end too.

This book is hilarious, and highly entertaining. It contains a lot of the wit and humour that Pratchett is renowned for, and has made me keen to read more of Gaiman’s work. There were a few lines that I have read before, or that were very similar to lines in some of Pratchett’s other works, but they were great words, placed in a perfect order, so I didn’t mind reading them again. And who knows? I am not an expert on the chronology of Pratchett’s entire body of work, but perhaps this book was written first. In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. 

 

Cress

This is a review of “Cress” by Marissa Meyer. It is book 3 in The Lunar Chronicles. It follows on from “Scarlet“.

As this book is a part of a series, the following review may reveal some details of the previous novel. Do not read if you intend to read this series in the future and don’t want to know of any potential plot spoilers.

Cress is a lonely Lunar teen. She’s not like other Lunar people. She’s a shell. This means that she does not possess the Lunar gift that allows Lunars to manipulate the bioelectricity of other humans. She is also immune to the “glamour” that this gift produces. This means that she can see the true nature of other Lunars through the facades that they often project, and even more dangerously, she cannot be manipulated against her will. On Lunar, shells are taken at birth and slaughtered. But Cress herself is evidence that this is not quite the case. She lives in a satellite, at the behest of her cruel Mistress, Sybil Mara, head thaumaturge to Queen Levana. Cress is an expert hacker and programmer and seeing value in this, Sybil moved her to a location that was closer to Earth, in order to allow Cress access to the many Earthen satellite, camera and security systems.

Cress is lonely. She hates being forced to spy on the Earthen people. She even attempted to make contact with Prince Kai to warn him about Levana (in “Cinder“). Instead, she made contact with Cinder, who rushed to the ball and ended up being arrested. She hasn’t given up hope of finally getting out if the satellite one day. She’s done a lot of research into, and keeping track of Cinder and her band of outlaws. She’s particularly taken with Captain Carswell Thorne.

Who is just as arrogant and superficial as ever. Cinder is still trying to formulate a plan to overthrow Levana, and stop Kai from making the biggest mistake of his young life. Wolf is adjusting to normal life and he and Scarlet are completely taken with one another. Scarlet is still mourning the loss of her grandmother, and has vowed to continue her life’s work, by aiding Cinder. And Dr Erland is still awaiting Cinder in Africa…

I really enjoyed this book. I actually did not want to finish this book because I know I have to wait for the next one. I enjoyed the character of Cress, and the character development of Carswell. I found the dialogue to be witty, and reading this book was an overall pleasing experience. As I said, I am really looking forward to “Winter”, the next installment, which is out next year. I have also discovered, whilst checking out Marissa’s website, that there are short stories set in the Cinder-verse. Woohoo 🙂