A Review – Blade Broken (The Echelon Book 1) by Niranjan

I saw the author of the novel promoting ARC copies on Bluesky, and I am a sucker for getting an early copy of a book, so I immediately went to check it out, and to see if it looked like something I would enjoy.

Obviously, since we are now here, and you have clearly read the title of this post, I requested and received a copy!

And I absolutely did enjoy reading it.

So scroll on down and take a look for yourself, and have a gander at my thoughts!

A spy lurking in the shadows, a nation on the verge of an invasion, a man desperate to protect his home.

Lucian is the Blade of Castrial, the kingdom's spymaster and first line of defence, lauded for his success in repelling an invasion from Garaner. But the war has left Castrial's economy in shambles, and when the neighbouring kingdom of Sarian musters their armies and sends spies into Castrial, Lucian realises two things: they have a spy in their midst, and they can't afford the cost of fighting off another invasion.

And if that wasn't trouble enough, there is Alaric, the Shield of Castrial and the only man in the Echelon whose power is equal to Lucian's. Returned from banishment like the vengeful spirit of their long-lost relationship, Alaric carries a deep-set grudge against Lucian, a grudge that may well be justified.

Lucian’s desire to protect his nation is nearly equal to his wish to reconcile with Alaric, but if he cannot get his act together and convince the Shield to work with him, Castrial will fall.

Blade Broken is a queer, sword-and-sorcery fantasy and the first book in The Echelon Series. If you love flawed characters, betrayals and redemption, and gritty worldbuilding with lots of political machinations, you will love this book.

Grab a copy!

My Review!

The kingdom of Castrial is just coming out the other side from their war with Garaner. They might have been victorious, but they have a long way to go on the road to recovery. The last thing Castrial needs is another war, but something is looming, and the consequences could be deadly. Alongside the Sarian refugees making their way into Castrial, spies are slipping through, and Sarian forces are starting to assemble. 

War against Sarian would ruin Castrial. With so little recovery time after their victory against Garaner, it would be impossible for Castrial to prove themselves victorious a second time, so quickly. The only option seems to be to stop the fight before it starts, but to do that, the King must have his very best team on hand. He already has Lucian, the Blade of Castrial, who’s role was integral in their successes against Garaner. But Castrial needs it’s Shield back, and there is one man who is a clear contender for the role – and he has just been invited back into Castrial after banishment. Not only that, but he and Lucian have a difficult past, one which they must attempt to move past in order to focus their efforts on Castrial’s continued security and safety.

Alaric returning to Castrial is long awaited, but also dreaded – to return and immediately walk into such a high-commanding role as the Shield of Castrial is certain to draw everyone’s attention, and Alaric must steel himself for everything he will face on his return. Alaric is a character you cannot help but instantly like. He has been through hell in banishment, and it was all he could do to keep himself alive while he wasn’t allowed home. And yet, he is still kind, and thinks carefully about how his actions can affect those around him. Despite his traumatic exile, and although he continues to struggle with the events surrounding it, Alaric is a gentle soul, and one you just want to wrap up in a big hug.

There is much tension on Alaric’s return between himself and Lucian. The Blade and the Shield of Castrial must work together closely, and both hold high rank in the King’s office, but they are at odds. Alaric has returned from exile with a distrust towards Lucian, a resentment and bitterness that he can’t see possible to move past. They might have been incredibly close in the past, but Alaric’s time away has changed that. The emotion surrounding the two men truly hits you as you read – it is impossible to ignore, and they feel so deeply you can almost feel their pain yourself while reading. It is clear they still care for the other’s wellbeing, but whether Alaric can truly trust Lucian, whether they can spend time in each other’s company without Alaric feeling such a deep disdain towards Lucian, is another matter. Both characters have been crafted so carefully, they come alive within the pages. Every ounce of joy, pain, and emotion comes across in the writing so immensely you fall in love with them both as you read, and putting the book down feels like walking away from dear friends.

This is certainly a novel of political intrigue and strategic plotting. With spies slipping into Castrial, and attempts to keep plans hidden from those who would report them back to Sarian, Castrial must attempt to use its own methods of finding out Sarian’s motives, and attempt to stop the attack before it comes. Sylvester is an interesting character, for he is a spy himself, placing himself where the King requires him, in an attempt to find out information that would give Castrial the high ground. The intricacies of his job, as well as his devotion to his nation, make Sylvester’s perspective in this novel one that will certainly pique your interest. His is a high-stake role, and as another instantly likeable character, he will have you on the edge of your seat.

The world created inside this novel is truly magnificent. There is no block text of description, telling the reader the intricacies of how the nations are laid out, how the King’s office and laws are set out, or how the magical side of the world works, and yet, all of these things are revealed so subtly the reader never feels out of place, or as though they do not understand the world. The reader is guided through Castrial as though they have always lived there among the characters. With such carefully and well-crafted characters, it is only right that they have a fully fleshed out world to live in, and the author has done just that with Castrial. 

This is a novel you can’t get enough of as you read. You can never have ‘just one more chapter’, for you will finish that chapter and begin the next one. There is no such thing as free will when the next chapter is right there, and it would be so easy to just keep reading. This is the kind of novel you will simply devour, and be left waiting at the end wanting more. If I had one complaint, it would be that I don’t yet have book 2. 

And done!

I really am so glad I asked for an ARC of this book. I started reading it one evening in the bath, and I absolutely could not put it down. Every time I turned to the start of a new chapter, my ereader's display would only show me the first sentence or so. The problem being, I would read that, then be so intrigued and not want to stop that I would keep reading. I ended up stuck in a loop and couldn't stop reading it for over an hour. My bath was quite cold by the time I managed to get out of the spell!

Anyway, that's all for now...

Bye!

A Review – Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalo

The other week, I came across a lovely little app called 'BorrowBox'. It's pretty much an online library. You create an account by linking your library card to it, and then can then borrow books (and audiobooks)!

There is a system in place that makes it more like a library, as there are not unlimited numbers of each book, so you can only borrow it if it's available, or you can be added to a waiting list to borrow the book.

I picked this book simply because it was the first one I came across that I recognised, and was available immediately!

I've never been much of an audiobook person as I zone out quite easily, but I drive to the horse yard twice a day. Granted it's only a 10 minute journey each way, but when you think about it, that's a potential 40 minutes of audiobook listening every day. So this book was sort of the tester to see how audiobook listening/driving would work, and it did go surprisingly well! I will definitely be going through the collection of books and choosing many, many, many of them to read.

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life. Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine.

When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her back to her own sheltered world. The story's shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.

Grab a copy!

My Review!

Life as a Lord’s daughter is not necessarily all it’s chalked up to be. Audrey Rose Wadsworth might be able to enjoy a life of luxury, and want for nothing, but she is not content to sit back and plan tea parties. She longs for purpose outside of the day to day life of an upper class woman. Her mind is switched on, and she has every intention of putting it to good use. Particularly when it comes to following in her uncle’s footsteps, and practicing the art of forensic medicine.

When Audrey Rose first meets Thomas Cresswell, he comes across as pompous, clearly thinking himself superior to those around him. He does not necessarily question her decision to sneak around behind her father’s back and spend her time in her uncle’s laboratory, dissecting corpses to determine the causes of their mortal end, but he does not keep it a secret that he does not believe she is that good at what she does. He is not afraid to tell her when she makes mistakes, nor does he hesitate when there is a chance to prove to her that he is right. But when corpses begin appearing in a similar manner, there can be no denying that there is a serial murderer on the loose, and Audrey Rose and Thomas have no choice but to work together if they want to discover the truth and find the murderer before too many more people lose their lives.

Jack the Ripper is an infamous name, belonging to a case that was never solved. Embellishing fact with fiction, the author has created a gripping murder mystery novel. This novel should not be taken as a true account of the murders, as is clearly stated in the author’s note at the end, but that does not mean it is not a story worth reading. The historical setting is well researched and portrayed with a close eye for the detail. Audrey Rose and Thomas live and breathe within the pages of a novel recounting Victorian England in an incredibly realistic manner. 

Audrey Rose is a woman who does not belong in the time she was born to. She is a woman who knows her own mind, and one who refuses to be caged. She knows she can contribute towards something, and she is not at all afraid to get to work, or to work hard to achieve what she desires. Despite many characters believing her incapable simply because of her gender, Audrey Rose is determined, both to prove herself capable, and to prove others wrong. She comes across as incredibly real in the telling, and is certainly a likeable character. She is not without fault, but she is human – she does her best, and puts her all into everything that she does, but is very much held back by what is deemed socially acceptable for a woman to do. She makes the perfect protagonist to tell this story, for she is not on the front line, such as those in Scotland Yard on the police force are, but rather working behind the scenes, following her own leads, and attempting to piece together clues that are left behind after the life of a victim has been lost.

The relationship between Audrey Rose and Thomas is one that is rather entertaining to follow. Audrey Rose may see Thomas as a rival for her uncle’s praise, but she can’t deny that she needs him to be able to solve the case. If Scotland Yard, and even her uncle, couldn’t solve it and find the murderer, how was she supposed to solve it by herself. With Thomas, the world opens up, and she has a partner in crime, as it were, in her investigation. With clues bouncing between them, and two different perspectives, they manage to get much further in their investigation than they might have without each other. Although it becomes evident to the reader that they clearly care for each other, neither of them are the type of person to admit so, and instead they fall to harmless but amusing bickering and often grow frustrated with each other. 

Being a murder mystery, this novel is full of twists and turns. Even though you may attempt to deduce who the murderer is by yourself, it is almost guaranteed that you will not be able to see what is coming next until you turn the next page and read on. This novel builds to a brilliant climax, and it is almost impossible to predict what will come next.

While this book is listed as young adult historical fiction, it is certainly aimed at the older end of the young adult scale. There are several scenes that are incredibly gory, and for those who are not necessarily accustomed to blood, gore, and the aftermath of extreme violence, this book may be the wrong choice. It is not a particularly censored book, so can easily be enjoyed by older readers, and unless you knew it was aimed at young adults, you would not be able to tell. 

Even if you have no idea who Jack the Ripper is, or have never read a historical fiction novel before, this book should still be considered. This is a novel that is sure to grab your attention within the first few pages, and keep you hooked until the final sentence. With plenty of twists, drama, and unexpected suspects, this is a novel that is quite unforgettable. 

And done!

Now to spend hours scrolling through BorrowBox, adding books to the list of books I want to read, and finding the next audiobook to accompany me back and forth on my daily car journeys.

I think audiobooks may be my new favourite thing...!

Anyway, that's all for now...

Bye!

Life Update 2.0

So...

My last 'life update' was in October 2022. The last post I published was in April 2023. I have been chronically un-online for over a year.

My last life update (read it here and catch up!) was just after I took on a pub. We've been here for over two years now, and things are going wonderfully.

I have many, many (many, many, many) projects, and things I am constantly attempting to organise. For one, the pub itself is still running very smoothly. We have live music every weekend, as well as regular events, including karaoke, a quiz, bingo, open mic night, and on and on. 

When you run a pub, in a village, walking around makes you feel like a celebrity. If I walk down to the shop, there is a guarantee that I will run into someone I know, and there will be a conversation. I play a game now, when I go to the supermarket – how many aisles do I have to go down before I see someone I know? The shortest this game has lasted is getting out the car, and seeing one of my customers across the car park. 

Something I have yet to decide whether it is a good or bad thing about running a pub is that I know all the gossip of the village. Anything that happens, I know it before everyone else. Someone's just announced their pregnancy on Facebook? I've known they were pregnant for over a week. That couple are on the verge of breaking up, and those people are definitely going to get together in the very near future. I know everyone's business, and while sometimes this is great fun, I do also sometimes become aware of relationship drama before the people actively involved in the relationship. This is a very awkward situation to be in, especially if someone comes up to me and asks questions. Picking sides is not something I enjoy doing. I do like being the first to know people's good news though!

I have a horse now, of which I have many stories I can share. He is very big (17.2hh for all you horsey people). But he has a lot of medical problems, even though he is pretty much still a baby. He is only 7 years old, which is still very young for a horse. He is pretty much just a (very, VERY) big dog. I haven't ridden him for nearly a year because of his medical problems, and one of the few times I did ride him initially I ended up in A&E on a spinal board because he got scared of a very small bird and decided to very quickly turn and jump and run in the opposite direction, flinging me to the floor. (I was absolutely fine, just very stiff, and we are now much more cautious around very small birds!) Now we play like he is a dog, and run around in the arena together!

I have been trying to keep up with reading, but it is difficult to do when the only real free time I have is after we close the pub in the evenings. I have maybe an hour or so at midnight/1am depending on what time we end up kicking everyone out, when I can do what I want, before I end up falling asleep. This time is split between my many hobbies, like knitting, reading, watching Netflix series... I've been trying to teach myself crochet as well. Because somehow I think I have time for that! My current project is an attempt to create a crocheted vine to climb up the supporting beam in my bedroom, which is (I think) technically one of the building's roof beams. I have made some purple wisteria flowers, and even though I definitely have loads more to make, as well as loads of green vines and leaves, but I am fairly happy with my flowers at the moment. It won't be long and I will lose interest in the project, and it will take months to get any of it actually done, but I'm fully invested in it at the moment!

And it all comes back around to this blog. I haven't posted on it for over a year. And I really want to start posting again. So my plan is this – I might start posting and then not have time to get posts done, and then have another big break. So I'm going to get a load of posts ready to go. I've got one ready to go at the moment. I'm going to get a few written and get back into the swing of things before committing to posting again. But by the time you're reading this, I will be past this point of planning, and will have enough posts lined up ready to go so I'm comfortable I won't be falling behind.

I haven't gone very in-depth in any of the details of my life currently, but if anyone is interested, I will go further into explaining different parts of my current day-to-day life.

I'm going to go and crochet some more flowers!

Anyway, that's all for now...

Bye!