Book Review: The Ninth Rain (The Winnowing Flame Trilogy Book 1) by Jen Williams (published by Headline)
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Fantasy novel The Ninth Rain is set in an amazingly rich world with an intriguing past, curious creatures and gods, and with a touch of Sci Fi thrown in.  It tells the story of an unlikely trio: a human, a fell-witch and an Eboran who are searching for an answer to the mysterious Jure’lia, or worm people, who invade their world every few hundred centuries flying in from the sky in great behemoths, woodlice-like creatures, that carry beetle soldiers.  The last invasion, the Eighth Rain, was thought to be the one that ended them all, but all signs are pointing to a ninth… 

Book Review: The Secret by Kathryn Hughes (published by Headline Review)
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The Secret is an easy, enjoyable, quick read which has a lovely ending (and don’t we all need a HEA every now and then!).  It is set partly in 2016 and partly in the mid-70s and tells of an event in the seventies that remained secret for decades, only coming to light after the death of Beth’s mother Mary.

​Her palms prickled and a hollow dread feeling swept from her belly up to her chest.  Tamza stood to the side of the stage in the great marketplace, staring at the wooden planks, forcing herself to notice every flaw, raised nail, splinter.  To not think about what was coming.

She had positioned herself behind a group of loitering fire eaters, to keep as much distance between her and the audience.  Most performers had been on already, to cheers or boos, depending on the fickle mood of the onlookers.  Some, like her, were still waiting their turn.  But Tamza’s act was the headline of the Festival of Many Gods, and tonight, for the first time, she’d be performing without her father. 

She’d be the one speaking… from that stage… to the entire town gathered in the square.
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Tamza gulped down the ticklish nerves that crawled up her throat.  It was almost time. 

Audiobook Review: Paternus (Paternus Trilogy Book 1) by Dyrk Ashton (published by Paternus Books Media)

​I won a free audiobook of Paternus in a giveaway hosted by the author.  Intrigued by the blurb, I started listening immediately and - mind blown – this book was brilliant!  It’s a unique blend of urban, contemporary, mythical fantasy, and it features the most incredible beings – called the Firstborn.