Enslaved by King
Kregant’s army, Dar survived by befriending the fierce orcs who were
also forced to serve. Now she has escaped–only to find that the price of
freedom may be her destiny.
Calling on her untried leadership
abilities, Dar guides the surviving orc soldiers to the safety of their
homeland–but the clan leaders refuse to accept her unless she can
release their queen from Kregant’s fortress. Shaken by her growing gift
for dark prophecy and a fate she feels unprepared to accept, Dar must
infiltrate the very heart of the despot’s empire. There she will
discover unexpected treachery and an ancient power that threatens the
future of all.
My Review:
Having
escaped from the army, Dar uses her visions and leadership skills to
try to safely guide the Orcs to their homeland, hoping that she can live
there with Kovok-mah, though not all the Orcs trust her or approve of
taking her along. Her welcome once there is mixed and Kovok-mah's family
want them seperated. Fearing for the future Dar goes on a quest to find
and release the Queen of the Orcs from the very army that she has just
escaped from, aware that her mortal enemy is looking for revenge.
Dar's
relationship with Kovok-mah develops into a love affair that horrifies
some of the Orcs and there can be no future for them without the
approval of his family, which he believes will not come. Dar is in
despair and when the Orcs are sent back to fight with army, she decides
she must go and find the Queen, to persuade her not to send the Orcs to
their death in the human King's war. Trying to get to the Queen unseen
by her enemy is going to be a challenge...
Readers of this book
seem to fall into two categories-those who are for the relationship and
those who are against. I was in the 'for' category as I love Kovok-mah
and it seemed obvious to me in book 1 that the friendship was going to
become love. The new characters throw up some interesting plot twists
and the tension filled rescue plan was well written and exciting. I'd
love the chance to read these books again and see if I put my rating up
to 4 stars but sadly I read them in a bookcrossing book ring so I don't
have my own copies!
3 stars.
Born into hardship, Dar
learns to rely on herself alone. When her family betrays her, Dar is
conscripted into King Kregant’s army and its brutal campaign to conquer a
neighboring country. Now she is bound as a slave to a dreaded regiment
of orcs, creatures legendary for their savagery and battle prowess.
Rather
than cower, Dar rises to the challenge. She learns the unique culture
and language of the orcs, survives treachery from both allies and
enemies, and struggles to understand a mystical gift that brings her
dark, prophetic visions. As the war escalates–amid nightmarish combat
and shattering loss–Dar must seize a single chance at freedom.
My Review:
Dar's
family abandon her to a group of soldiers where she is branded and
forced into slavery. Part of the job is to serve the Orc Army who also
fight for the King and his troops and who can only be served by women
according to Orc Law. When a commanding officer decides to claim Dar as
his, she seeks protection from Kovok-mah, an Orc with a sympathetic
attitude who is willing to risk a split in the camp to keep her safe.
Dar
is a good strong character who does make mistakes. She goes against all
the rules to shun being a man's mistress to befriending an Orc. The
women call her an Orc whore, thinking there is a sexual relationship
with Kovok-mah, the shunned man is determined to get Dar at all costs
and the Orc clan also disapprove of this new friendship. As the fighting
grows more intense Dar has to keep her wits about her to stay alive.
This
is certainly dark fantasy, and a very grim world for the female slaves.
There are the women who betray their kind to tell tales to their
soldier lovers, the soldiers who are evil rapists and the brutal
fighting Orcs with their own rules that are greatly feared. But the
author paints the picture of the Orcs as a race who are unaware that
their strength is being used to save soldiers risking their own lives,
and we start to see the different personalities of the Orcs coming
through in their interactions with Dar. The monsters have feelings and
the true monsters are the soldiers themselves.
This was different
from anything I had read before and it doesn't go too heavily into the
fantasy side. It is more character based than that which is why I liked
it.
3 stars.
Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at http://www.wishfulendings.com/ to spotlight and discuss books we're excited about but haven't read, which may not even be released yet.
The biggest solar flare since the 1859 Carrington Event is about to bring the world to its knees.
When
a huge plasma ejection from the sun hits the Earth’s atmosphere, the
resulting EMP pulse fries electricity grids and disables fragile
electronics. Transmission wires melt, transformers explode and modern
vehicles cease working. In less than a minute, the world is taken back
two centuries.
Sergeant Rick Nolan is in Syria on a
covert ops mission against ISIS. When the solar storm wipes out his
communications and his air cover, he and his team find themselves on the
same level as the enemy that surrounds them. Caught in a desperate
fight for survival, Rick thinks about his wife and children and wonders
how he’ll ever get home to them.
Lauren Nolan is
attending a seminar in New York when the blackout hits and the
transportation system grinds to a halt. Trapped in the panic that
envelops the metropolis, Ellen worries for her two children, five
hundred miles away in North Carolina. Unable to get word to them and
stuck on her own, she needs to find a way back before it’s too late.
Twelve year old Josh Nolan
is in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his grandparents. Witnessing
society’s terrifying collapse as water pumps fail, food runs short and
the law ceases to exist, he has to do what he can to protect his little
sister.
Seven year old Lizzy Nolan can’t understand what’s happening. Frightened and bewildered, she only wants to know one thing:
When are Mom and Dad coming home?
I can never resist a good apocalypse book and EMPs are particularly enjoyable! I love the collapse of society and the scary aftermath where everything has changed. This was released on July 22nd and I hope to try it soon!
I'm taking a mid year look at what is on the blog and what I can do to improve things. What I'm looking to do is find out which features you like in my regular posts and which posts you don't generally look at for whatever reasons. I'd appreciate it if you could give your opinions on the questions below, in the comments section. Thanks!
1) Book Reviews
-How many book reviews do you prefer to see in a week on a blog?
-Would you prefer to see a different genre on each review posted in a week?
ie one apocalypse, one UF, one horror?
-Do you prefer full series reviews spaced out over weeks or one after the other?
-Favourite genre being reviewed on this blog?
2) Chuckles Chat
Which kind of topics do you prefer for these posts? Which would you comment on or avoid? Do you have any topic suggestions you would like to see featured?
3) What are your favourite posts on the blog?
4) Which posts don't you usually look at? (you can say why if you want!)
5) Anything you'd like to see more of each week?
6) What do you like on other blogs that you don't see at the Book Cave?
Top Ten Tuesday
is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the
Bookish in June 2010. This feature was created because we are
particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love
to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your
top ten lists! http://www.brokeandbookish.com/
TTT is still on hiatus so here is part 4 of my Best Urban Fantasy Series.
1) Christina Henry-Black Wings
Maddy is an Angel of Death who escorts souls to the afterlife who is about to face off against a demon that eats souls before she can reach them. With a father from Hell (literally), a popcorn eating gargoyle and a new tenant bodyguard, life is going to be far from dull. I loved Beezle the gargoyle! Maddy is a great character and I liked the mix of action and humour, along with the visits to Hell and demon fighting. Need to finish this series.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7832158-black-wings
2) KA Stewart-Jesse James Dawson
Jesse is a modern day warrior who can be paid to fight for those who endangered their souls in bargains with demons but his fellow warriors seem to be dying a lot more regularly. The rules have changed and Jesse must adapt or die. I liked that the MC is married with a kid which is unusual in the genre. It is a bit slower than the usual UF but it is well written with an interesting plot.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7193686-a-devil-in-the-details
3) Jennifer Rardin-Jaz Parks
Jaz is a human brought back to life after a traumatic event that killed her team and is paired with vampire Vayl. Now a cult are raising a demon, Vayl's psycho wife is back and a vampire terrorist is planning to release a plague. Allin a days work...I love Jaz and Vayl and root for them to be a couple and I love nerdy paranoid tech geek Miles and witch Cassandra. Great action and humour and flawed heroes.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2439634.Once_Bitten_Twice_Shy
4) David Bussell-The Ghosted
Jake is an exorcist with a deteriorating marriage, a partner he hates and he has just been pushed under a train and has to deal with being dead. As a ghost he is determined to solve the mystery of his murder and get a bit of payback. I read this short story prequel and really liked it so I'm planning to read the entire series. Jake is a great character and there was plenty of humour which I hope continues.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34532502-deathday
5) Alex Hughes-Mindspace Investigations
Adam is a telepathic former addict brought in to look into the mind of the five year old witness to a murder, to find the truth. This was a good short story to introduce Adam and Isabella the cop who calls on him. It has an intriguing idea for the MC and his past could be interesting to explore. I've only read the short story but I want to read the main series now.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21402185-rabbit-trick
6) Carrie Vaughn-Kitty Norville
Kitty is a werewolf DJ who hosts a late night talk show popular with paranormal fans and who has a difficult relationship with her Pack. People are being killed in violent attacks and a werewolf hunter is after her but who hired him? I liked Kitty but I read this book so many years back that I can't remember much about it so I need to reread it before I finish the series.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14461.Kitty_and_the_Midnight_Hour
7) Rob Thurman-Cal Leandros
Cal was once taken by evil elves and now they are chasing him and his brother Niko again. Cal is the key to them unleashing evil in the world and the brothers must find a way to stop them. I've read about half of the book and was loving it but somehow never finished it which is strange but I'm looking forward to reading it and the rest of the series.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/421007.Nightlife
8) Thomas E Sniegoski-Remy Chandler
Remy is an angel who has turned his back on heavenly wars to live as a human with his dog Marlowe and his wife who is now dying. The last thing he needs is to learn that the sacred scrolls which can start the apocalypse are missing along with the Angel of Death himself. I like the characters and the plot. I didn't actually finish the series as I did find it a bit too slow in places for my reading tastes but I wanted to include it to tell others about it.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2915837-a-kiss-before-the-apocalypse
9) JA Cipriano-Lillim Callina
Lillim is part of a race of guardians, meant to protect humans from supernatural threats but she has run away and doesn't want to alert her family to her location. Jean Luc knows who she is and asks for help in ridding his town of vampires. I just read this one a few weeks ago and I liked what I saw in this short story. Lots of action and supernatural monsters and an interesting MC with magical swords! I plan to read on in the series.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31208036-wardbreaker
10) MV Stott-London Coven
Stella is the newly created familiar for the London Coven and her first mission is to track a shapeshifting monster who is killing humans. However Stella is new to her job and things don't go according to plan. This was a good story to start a series and I very much liked Stella and look forward to more about the Cove. Lots of action in this book.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34536084-underground-magic
