rowena_m_andrews's reviews
538 reviews

The cover -which is stunning- and the premise were what drew me into this book, and I found it an enjoyable read. I enjoyed the worldbuilding, and magic, although I would have liked to see if developed or maybe explained more - for example what were the limits of Yarrow's power? There was also a feeling of being rushed along too quickly, perhaps if it had been longer this wouldn't have been the case, but I felt that there wasn't quite enough time for the development of Siria's powers and the relationships that we saw. It also felt that there were a lot of revelations towards the end of the book, that weren't explored properly and left more questions. Still, for all that, I really did enjoy it, and I think it would be a great introduction to fantasy.

*I received an e-arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This book is a masterclass.
I could almost sum up my love for this book in that sentence. Along the Razor’s Edge is beautifully, skilfully written to create a dark, brutal and consuming narrative.
Sometimes, I struggle with reading first-person POVs, but not here. In part, I think because of the interweaving of flashbacks, and glimpses of the woman that Eska the MC has become and what she had endured. Knowing that she has survived to tell her tale and seeing how the past is woven into her present, and how the future has changed her view of those same events, was fascinating, and pulled me completely into her story. There is also the fact that Eska is such a fascinating character, she’s young and has already seen far too much of the world, but despite that, she is still a teenager. Her decisions, her emotions, and the way she interacts with the other characters are relatable, even when they are frustrating. Especially, with the added depth, of the older Eska reflecting on where she had gone wrong, on the fact that she was young, and too emotional, mistaking lust for love, for example.
This level of character development is not limited to just the MC. The entire secondary cast, from allies to antagonists and everyone in between are beautifully developed and believable. Whether you liked the character or not, you were invested in their part in the story.
The worldbuilding is superb and cleverly developed and revealed, layer upon layer being peeled back to reveal more throughout the book. We spend most of the time following Eska’s life in The Pit, which is described so vividly that it is impossible not to feel how bleak life is down there, the dark, the press of rock and loss of freedom. Yet, the flashbacks to her life before The Pit, and the flashes we are given of what is to come, build up an image of the broader world, in a tantalising way without betraying too much, and in stark contrast to The Pit. Not only has this left me wanting to know more about the world beyond The Pit, and about the magic system. But those glimpses mean that it is impossible not to understand Eska’s longing not only to escape but to have revenge for what was taken from her, even if her childhood/education were questionable.
The magic system is fascinating, and although we were learned quite a bit about Sources and Sourcerers through the flashbacks and what Eska herself talked about, it feels as though we have only just scraped the surface and I look forward to seeing this develop in the next book. My favourite form so far is Impomancy. The glimpses we were given of The Other World as well as Eska’s ‘relationship’ with Ssserakis, and her reflections on this form of magic, left me desperately wanting to know more and see the full depth of what this branch is capable of.
Along the Razor’s Edge was a darkly, intense read that gripped me from start to finish, perfectly paced, and balanced between past, present and glimpses of what to come. Honestly, I can’t recommend this book highly enough, and I am very much looking forward to delving into the second one this week.

This is the first paranormal crime book that I’ve read and what a fantastic introduction. The title – the idea of justice being fallible – and the cover, which is alluring caught my attention, but it was the writing that hooked me in right from the beginning. ‘I am running through the wilderness, and the wilderness runs through me.’ The descriptions throughout the story were lyrical and vivid, particularly where magic was involved giving the world a wonderfully mystic feel without losing the grounding needed by the crime aspect of the story. It was a story that was woven, rather than told, fantasy and reality twined together.
Fallible Justice had all the facets of a traditional crime novel, the twists and turns, and clues that weren’t clues. It was well-paced, balancing the urgency of solving the mystery and racing against the clock, with slower, character moments. And these were set against the backdrop of a complex, beautifully imagined world. What I enjoyed, was that this wasn’t two worlds entirely at odds with one another, but two communities trying to live together – not perfectly, and not without tension and some misconceptions – another way of grounding the fantastical in the real.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding, not just the combination of the magical and mundane, but also the breadth of the fantasy world. There was such a variety of magical users and beings, each with their own powers, and personalities, and all with their own place in the world. I especially enjoyed the concept of the Heralds and the way the belief that they were infallible in their omnipotence was built into the world.
Yannia, the main character, a magic-user trying to make a place in Old London away from the world she had grown up on, was a fantastic character. She had power, but it didn’t solve all her problems. She still had to solve the mystery through detective work and deal with questions about her personal life, and the chronic pain that plagued her, without an escape clause that magic can sometimes be. Her relationship with Karrion was a well-developed friendship built on honest affection, and working together, and it was wonderful to see him finding his path and learning from her. Other stand characters are Wishearth and Lady Bergamon, and I hope that we will see more of them in the future. Each character had a distinctive voice and role, threads that draw the reader deeper into the narrative, and has left me wanting more.
This book is a blend of crime and fantasy, old and new, reality and the magical, and has laid a strong foundation for the rest of the series. I would definitely recommend this book, especially to anyone wanting to find read something different.

I have yet to read The Book of the Ancestor, which is set in the same world as this book, although Red Sister is sat on my shelf staring at me accusingly. However, that did not detract from my understanding, enjoyment and love for this new book (and has bumped the other series right up my TBR pile).
What a fantastic book.
To be honest, I am still unpacking everything that happened in the Girl and the Stars, and I feel that I probably will for a while. That is not a bad thing, as I love books that stay with me. That leaves me gnawing at the details, finding new aspects, and I suspect that I will be rereading this quite soon, chasing down those questions and answers.
However, I do know what I enjoyed about this book -admittedly most of it – but in particular, it was the worldbuilding that drew me into this book. I fell in love with the Ithca, and the icy world that tribe inhabited, and how it had shaped them and the tribes around them. The myth and history, the way survival had been built into their culture and even their relationships with one another. To the point, where adulthood hinged on being judged for your ability to survive, weaknesses – differences – setting you apart, marking you as impure, broken. Someone who had no place on the ice, because they would not survive. It was harsh, and from the beginning ‘The Pit of the Missing’ was there, in Yaz’s thoughts, in the conversations.
It became so much more.
I fell in love with the ice-covered world above, but it was what lay under the ice that truly made this book spectacular. Beneath the surface, Lawrence mapped out an entire world where past and present collided, trapped together, in an environment that was every bit as harsh as the ice above. Everything is still about survival, but of a different sort. Here being ‘broken’ is a strength, the differences that brought Yaz and the other characters to this place now the key to their survival, but the dangers are vastly different – from the Hunters to the Tainted (who I loved, because although they were the ‘bad’, it was far more complicated than that), to political and personal conflicts that could spell life and death. All of this wrapped into an oppressive atmosphere that was a threat in and of itself, the dark, the tunnels and the dangers that lay within all felt vividly real, and I found myself holding my breath more than once, expecting the threat to reach for me too.
In terms of the characters, Yaz was a fantastic protagonist, and following her from the beginning above the ice, before the fall into the world below and everything that followed, you can see how she develops and grows. How she questions everything, herself and her choices, the people around her, and even the world that she was raised to believe in. She isn’t perfect by any means – and there were times when I found myself annoyed not so much with her decisions, but with her distractions. At times, she seemed to drift, caught too much by the world around her rather than standing on her own two feet. Still, that is a minor complaint, because for the most part, I loved how she grew, how she redefined her world and what it was to be ‘broken’ and human, and learned to use that as a strength that was as strong as the magic she used.
That cast of characters around her was just as interesting and diverse, and there were twists and turns, developments that left me unable to look away for fear of missing a single moment. I was as invested in their stories, secrets and fate as I was Yaz, and I felt that each one added a different facet to the Broken, and to being human in a world where humanity itself can be a weakness.
The plot is fast-paced, and so much happened – twists and turns, secrets revealed, and more questions asked – that you couldn’t help but be swept along, and there were moments where I had to stop and go back because I had missed something. There is a lot in this book, and it was a journey, to say the least. A fantastic blending of worldbuilding, characters and action, with sci-fi elements woven seamlessly with the fantasy, and with so many threads leading on into the next book.
The Girl and the Stars blew me away from start to finish, and that ending has left me reeling and desperately in need of the second book. I honestly can’t recommend this book highly enough. I don’t have the words to describe just how much I loved this book, and I know that I will be filling the time between now and then, catching up with Lawrence’s other books that I haven’t yet had time to get to.

*I received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review*

The Heron Kings is a brutal book. It does not shy away from the horrors of war, especially for those caught in the middle. That said, it will not be for everyone. There is a lot of violence and gore, with attempted rape, death of a child and one particularly horrific scene involving a Pregnant woman that may discourage some readers. At times, it feels a little too extreme, even when considering that within the context of a war that has been raging for years, that has pushed all sides to extremes. Yet for the most part, you can see the reasoning behind each act, no matter how horrific and how much you disagree with it, and it fits in with the savage world of the story.

What ‘The Heron Kings’ does, that many books don’t is that it is written from either side of the war, but rather about those who are caught in the middle. Not soldiers, nobles or bankers – although they all play their role throughout – but the peasants, who have suffered because of the war because of raids, conscription, lack of supplies, and the need of both sides to send a message. This is not a story about choosing sides. It is about remaining neutral, surviving in a world where everyone apart from those trapped in the middle with you would kill you in an instant, revenge and trying to bring the war to an end. Not so that one side can triumph over the other, but so that the characters – and the people they represent – can survive and reclaim the world that had been taken from them by the war. I enjoyed this approach, and for me, this is where the biggest impact of this book lay.
In terms of characterisation, I felt that the strength lay in the main characters rather than the secondary characters. Alessia caught my attention from the start, not least because she wasn’t a warrior but a physic who wanted to help people and was ultimately prevented by the war trying to cast her on one side of the conflict which set her on her path into that middle ground. She is an interesting character, because while she has the ideals of being ‘lawful good’, she isn’t a saint, and she develops and changes because of what she witnesses and endures. Ulnoth lost everything and turned to revenge, but even that wasn’t that simple, because it wasn’t targeted only at the side that had destroyed his life, but at both sides of the war, understanding even in his grief and occasional ‘madness’ that both sides were responsible for the conflict. They made for an unusual pair, initially brought together by circumstance, but through wit, banter and negotiation, their relationship and approaches dovetailed nicely and brought together the rest of the cast.

Another character who played a large role in the story was Vivian, a common-born Spymistress, and she was written exceptionally well, showing a great deal of intelligence of personality. We were given hints, and intriguing plot points via her character, and I would love to have learned more about her, both in terms of her backstory but her role in the larger war. Still, the intrigue around her character was done beautifully and added another facet to the story.

The secondary cast certainly added to the story, showing different parts of this middle ground – some were there for survival, some by chance – but all affected by the war in one way or another, and wanting to stay out of the conflict. There were points where they seemed to blend into one another, and with a few exceptions, it was sometimes difficult to feel invested in enough in certain individuals to appreciate them fully. In some ways, The Heron Kings feels that it should have been a longer book, and maybe with more room for the development of the cast, this would not have been the case.

I enjoyed Lewis’ writing, and for the most part, I found it incredibly well-paced, if a little too dialogue-heavy at parts, but there was enough action and key events to stop that from slowing the plot down. The description is very bare-bones, whether about characters or setting, and much of what we learn about the context and world-building is through conversates and inside thoughts, something that worked very well in this book, allowing the characters to carry the story. The ending did feel a little rushed, again giving the impression that the book should have been longer to do it full justice, but for all that, I enjoyed the ending, and in particular, I liked the fact that it didn’t just automatically reset things. The characters didn’t just slip back into their old lives, the losses and suffering left scars that would endure.

For me, the good points certainly outweighed the bad, and I was gripped from start to finish reading this book in the space of an afternoon. If you like darker, grimdark fantasy and aren’t squeamish then this is a book I would highly recommend, especially if you want a unique view of war and its impact on those caught in the middle.

Sometimes, it is hard for the second book to live up to the first. That is not the case here. The Lesson’s Never Learned built beautifully on the world and characters that I fell in love with during Along the Razor’s Edge, and I would say that I found book 2 even more gripping as I was unable to put the book down from start to finish. It left me needing more, and all I can say is thank the stars book 3 is less than a month away because I need to know what happens and you can bet I will be there at midnight waiting for it to download so I can devour it.
The superb world-building from the first book pales in comparison to the world that we are shown in this book, and I am honestly in awe at Hayes’ ability to create a world with such breadth and depth. The Pit is still there, looming in the background, and you can feel its effects through flashbacks, and how those who lived there and escaped react with the world around them. But now, we get to experience in high definition, the world that had been hinted at through the tantalising flashbacks in the first book and what a world.
Flying cities.
Magic.
Gods.
In this book, we get to learn more of the history of the world – and the Other World – again drawing, past, present and the future hinted at through Eska’s thoughts and comments together. And we get to understand more of what the ‘War Eternal’ means, although not in its entirety, leaving us with answers and even more questions. Honestly, I could read dozens of books in this world there is so much in it, and yet it is so beautifully delivered that even as you want more, you can’t help but feel completely satisfied.
It was a delight to return to Eska, to see her growing and coming into her own in the world beyond the Pit, but still shaped by it. She becomes an adult, a part of the whole – she doesn’t have many that are close to her, but she is fiercely protective of them – willing to risk everything. The losses in the Pit. The betrayals and secrets. Everything is written into her choices and sacrifices, and each step is well developed, and you empathise with her. Yet, for all her changes and growth, she remains true to who she is, and what she wants, even as the world and the people around her shift and offer her new things, both hopes and dangers, secrets and lies. She is an exceptionally well-written character, and even if you disagree with what she is doing, you can’t help but relate to her and understand.
The secondary cast has grown and developed with her. Her choices and changes are shaping them, as much as they shape her. There are many wonderful moments, where they get to just live in this book, breathing points amongst the action, which not only develops the characters and their relationships, but also raise the stakes because there is more to be lost, and more to be protected. Tamura has also become a firm favourite, especially as we’ve learned more about him, and his past. I have always loved how he speaks and interacts with the world, and it felt very much as though he came into his own in this book.
I can’t recommend this book, series and author highly enough and the 26th May cannot come soon enough!

The Unspoken Name was a book that I fell in love with at first sight. You’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but sometimes you just fall in love because of the cover, and that was the case here. And for the most part, I was not disappointed by what the story itself. There were a few places where the pacing was off, particularly towards the start of the book which I found dragged a little, and it took a little while for me to get into, whereas later there were moments where there was too much going on and not enough time to breathe. There was also a slight tendency towards telling, rather than showing. That said, these issues pale in comparison to the whole. There was much more to enjoy than find fault with.
World-building was one area that I felt The Unspoken Name succeeded, from the details of Csorwe’s life as a Priestess, and the prospect of her death in service of the titular God, to the world that unfolded when she is drawn away from that path. What was fantastic, is that as we are discovering the world and its possibilities, so is Csorwe. As she travels and explores, discovering the world she had never been able to or inclined to learn about when every path had led to her destined death, and finding new goals and destinations, so are we, and that invested me in both her story and the world. It helps, of course, that this is a wonderful, whimsical world, that for the most part has a good combination of breadth and depth.
The magic and multiverse were both complex, and somewhat convoluted at times, which left me with quite a few questions – especially about the travelling between worlds and I hope that this will be explored more in future books. However, what we did experience was fascinating, and left me wanting more at all turns, and there were lots of twists and turns, both in the world and with the characters.
The book is very character-driven. Even the world-building is more a vehicle for the stories of the characters, and is certainly second to those arcs, although the world played a vital part in shaping those same characters. I enjoyed the characterisation and development of the cast, and the focus on growth and self-discovery versus rigidity, in those opposing the protagonists. Csorwe was a fantastic main character and following her from the beginning – incurious about a world that she was never going to see, to seeing her bloom as she learned new things and skills, and discovered the wider world, you couldn’t help but relate to her. Her journey felt vivid and relatable, and her mistakes and discoveries held weight, as she learned and grew from both, and connected her with the characters around her.
This was a fantastic read that I thoroughly enjoyed and was actually nothing like I expected. It was whimsical and something different, beautifully written, and all in all, even with the issues I mentioned at the start, I would recommend this book. I will certainly be eagerly waiting for the next book and keeping an eye out for anything else that Larkwood releases.

https://beneathathousandskies.com/2020/05/10/book-review-the-unspoken-name-the-serpent-gates-1-a-k-larkwood/

I fell in love with the cover and the premise for this book, the summary made it sound like everything I was looking for. Unfortunately, the execution let it down in this case, and I was not swept away by the story. I very much enjoyed the use of language, and the writing style and there were places where the atmosphere were fantastic, but despite that, I did struggle to finish this one.