vintagebookcollector

‘She Who Became The Sun’ by Shelley Parker-Chan

To be published July 22nd 2021… Zhu-Chongba is marked for greatness. But then he dies. It is no simple thing for his sister, marked for nothing, to take his identity and, with it, his fate. At first she is driven by desperation, by survival. Then by want. And later, by desire. First a monk, thenContinue reading “‘She Who Became The Sun’ by Shelley Parker-Chan”

‘A Witch in Time’ by Constance Sayers

In trying to save her daughter from ruin a well-meaning mother accidentally curses her instead, binding her for four lifetimes to a doomed relationship cycle with different reincarnations, the man who ruined her. Juliette and Marchant in 1890’s France, Nora and Billy in 1930’s Los Angeles, Sandra and Rick in 1970’s Los Angeles, and HelenContinue reading “‘A Witch in Time’ by Constance Sayers”

‘Feathertide’ by Beth Cartwright

Born covered in feathers, Marea grew up hidden away from view. Even though the women in the whorehouse where she lived revered her and treated her as a precious treasure, she began to hate that which made her special and to question more and more her own existence. Eventually she makes the difficult decision toContinue reading “‘Feathertide’ by Beth Cartwright”

‘The Hollow Places’ by T. Kingfisher

Kara, a.k.a Carrot, is going through a tough time: she’s penniless, homeless, and getting a divorce. But when she moves in with her Uncle to help him run the ‘Wonder Museum’, she makes a discovery that causes all her other troubles to pale in comparison. The hole to another dimension seems sinister from the outset,Continue reading “‘The Hollow Places’ by T. Kingfisher”

‘Queens of the Abyss: Lost Tales from Women of the Weird’, ed. by Mike Ashley

This anthology introduces the forgotten women ‘weird tale’ writers from the last two centuries and presents us with some of their previously unexplored short stories. It contains everything from ghosts and vampires, to carnivorous plants and cursed songs; it has mystical fog, magical hands of creation, fortune-telling gypsies and mystery horses. Interwoven with the elementsContinue reading “‘Queens of the Abyss: Lost Tales from Women of the Weird’, ed. by Mike Ashley”

‘Ink and Sigil’ by Kevin Hearne

When Sigil Agent Al MacBharrais loses yet another apprentice in a freak accident, he starts to think there might be more to his curse than he realised. Not being able to speak aloud is one thing, but seven dead apprentices is more than he can handle. When he starts to investigate Gordy’s death, he realisesContinue reading “‘Ink and Sigil’ by Kevin Hearne”

‘The Devil’s Due’ by Bonnie Macbird

Sherlock Holmes is on the case of a serial killer who is working through the alphabet, killing off philanthropists with dark pasts; a killer who Scotland Yard refuses to believe exists. He is hindered by the new head of Scotland Yard, Titus Billings, who would rather have him arrested than let him help on aContinue reading “‘The Devil’s Due’ by Bonnie Macbird”

‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ by Suzanne Collins

(SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers for the original ‘Hunger Games’ trilogy) Coriolanus Snow lost everything during the war: his parents, his family’s money, his innocence. The only things he has left are his grandmother, his cousin, his home, his name, and his reputation. To protect the Snow name and reputation they must keep theirContinue reading “‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ by Suzanne Collins”

‘Wild Time’ by Rose Biggin and Keir Cooper

This book promised an alternative ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ “as never seen before” and it definitely delivered. The human lovers of the original tale become galactic entities, whilst the fairies and mythical elements of Shakespeare’s story become the central focus of the narrative. Furthermore, every inch of the book is hyper-sexualised to an explicit extent.

‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig

After an attempted suicide, Nora Seed hovers between life and death in a library where every book is a possible life she could have lived. Guided by her old school librarian, and a book titled ‘the book of regrets’, Nora explores the many different choices she made in life and the alternative choices that sheContinue reading “‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig”