Book Review: And Blue Skies From Pain by Stina Leicht

And Blue Skies From Pain by Stina Leicht

Series: The Fey and the Fallen, book 2

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“And Blue Skies from Pain,” is the second book in the The Fey and the Fallen, series. This book started off right where book 1 left off, though it includes an intriguing prologue featuring Father Murray ( Making me wish she would write a prequel with Father Murray as the main character).

Stina Leicht continues to excel with her well researched history and attention to details of the time period. Immersing the reader in the troubled times of 1977 Ireland. Leicht's use of an Irish brogue is seamlessly interwoven with the book's prose, giving a lilt of rhythm to the dialogue that flows effortlessly. 

This sequel pushes more into the fantasy as the first book, though unexpectedly the author has focused more on spirits than the Fae. For me this was the one downside to the book.
Still a fascinating read and well worth the time.

I highly recommend this book to fans of magical realism and dark, gritty Urban Fantasy. If you have interest in the turbulent era of the 70's and want a glimpse into the life of that time in Ireland this book really good at pulling the reader into the struggles of that time and place.

Warnings, this is dark, and the brutality is real, most of the brutality is of the historical human kind.

Awards:
Nominee: John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, 2013 

Details:
Series: The Fey and the Fallen, book 2
Published March 1st 2012 by Night Shade Book

Links:
Stina Leicht

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Book Review: Of Blood and Honey

Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht

Series: The Fey and the Fallen, book 1

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this story, it is a full of realism and a wonderful blend of historical fiction, and urban fantasy. The fantastical is a backdrop to the story, more in the vein of magical realism than typical paranormal or Urban fantasy's, but still essential to the story. But the main strength of the book is the characters. 


Of Blood and Honey, is a phenomenal debut novel by author Stina Leicht with real characters, fantastic pacing and a great story. The book has an early urban fantasy feel, yet it is edgy, dark and brutal. Where this book differs from many newer gritty and dark fantasies, is the well researched historical aspects of the book, Ireland in the 1970's is what sets the brutality if the book. Like its own antagonist the story of the clash between the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the British Army (BA) is the backdrop of the story, weaving the atrocities, struggles and battles that took place in the streets and lives of the people throughout the book.  

This is a book of struggles. The typical fantasy trope of good vs evil, is brilliantly entwined by Leicht with the struggles of a young man as he tries to find out who and what he is, the horrific and brutal struggles in Ireland of the 1970's, mixed in with the age old battle of priests vs Fallen Angels and demons, along with the struggle between christianity and the pagan religions and the Fae.

Leicht continues to create a real feel to this story with the typical struggles of the characters as they struggle to stay alive in turbulent times. The main protagonist Liam and all of the side characters are wonderfully written. The people in this story are dark, complex, and feel very real. They are all well defined and actualized as they deal with the everyday troubles we all deal with family, love, marriage and tragedy. The protagonist Liam's struggle with life and his own darker impulses is tragic and heart-rending, there are moments in his life that are difficult to read.

The Troubles (1968-1994) is a fascinating and utterly tragic time period in Irish history. (Although, there isn't much in Irish history that can't be described as tragic.) . . . I guess you can say it's my way of finding a real situation that fits extreme good versus extreme evil. 

Stina Leicht, May 9, 2012

I highly recommend this book to fans of magical realism and dark, gritty Urban Fantasy. If you have interest in the turbulent era of the 70's and want a glimpse into the life of that time in Ireland this book really good at pulling the reader into the struggles of that time and place.

If you prefer the less realistic paranormal fantasy this may not be something you will enjoy.

Warnings, this is dark, and the brutality is real, most of the brutality is of the historical human kind and includes rape and torture. ( though written well without any glamorization or belittlement of the victims)

Awards:
Nominee: John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, 2013 

Details:
Series: The Fey and the Fallen, book 1
Published February 1st 2011 by Night Shade Books

Links:
Stina Leicht

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Book Review: Working for Bigfoot

Working for Bigfoot by Jim Butcher

Series: The Dresden Files, Book 15.5

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a great little collection of three Dresden Novellas with a themed timeline. I really enjoyed reading this without all the Fae politics and mess, of the later books. This is back to classic snarky Harry Dresden Wizard for hire!


Includes the Following Novellas

• B is for Bigfoot: 
• The Dresden Files, 2.5
• Takes place between Fool Moon and Grave Peril.
• Originally Published in the Anthology  Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron.

• I Was a Teenage Bigfoot: 
• The Dresden Files, 6.5 
• Takes place circa Dead Beat.
• Originally Published in the Anthology Blood Lite III: Aftertaste. 

• Bigfoot on Campus: 
• The Dresden Files, 11.7  
• Takes place between Turn Coat and Changes.
• Originally Published in the Anthology Hex Appeal.

Details:
Series: The Dresden Files, Book 15.5
Published June 30th 2015 by Subterranean Press

Links:
Jim Butcher

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Mummy Brown and Other Historical Colors – Veritable Hokum

  Everything © Korwin Briggs

How did humanity discover how to make colors?

The quick answer is that we, even as cave-dwellers, ground up everything we could get our hands on. Comic creator of Veritable Hokum and historian Korwin Briggs recently assembled a chart that demonstrates the incredible millenniums-long process that resulted from that urge. Many of the paint colors that we take for granted today were actually difficult to come by for most of human history.

Often because the stuff we ground up to make colors was poisonous and kind of killed us!   - From Tor.com 

See the Infographic and read more:  

Mummy Brown and Other Historical Colors – Veritable Hokum:

JRR Tolkien: Interview from 1968

An interview with Tolkien, originally published in The Telegraph magazine on March 22. 1968.

For a fascinating look at the author behind the myth, and the discussion of his "epic fairy-tale", language, fairy-tales and the world of Middle Earth, in an era when fantasy wasn't fantasy yet.

What is also fascinating, is the language and skill of the article itself, this is before the media-zation of information. When writing was well written, and enjoyable to read in any medium.

 - Tolkien’s imaginary landscapes grew out of his predilection for creating languages. “Anyone who invents a language,” he said, “finds that it requires a suitable habitation and a history in which it can develop. A real language is never invented, of course. It is a natural thing. It is wrong to call the language you grow up speaking your native language. It is not. It is your first learnt language. It is a by-product of the total make-up of the animal.” Read the full article - telegraph.co.uk :

Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Narrated by Steven Crossley 

Series: A Darker Shade of Magic Book 1

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the Ford Audiobook Club. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I enjoyed this book, and the reader was excellent. The book reads more like a contemporary fiction book or magical realism, though this book is all Fantasy otherworld/hidden worlds Fantasy.

The author has presented the reader with a historical London setting, and combines it with unfamiliar parallel worlds, it is a fascinating, concept, I give Schwab credit, in the length of the novel, she has attempted to world build not just one, but four worlds at once. This may have resulted in an expansive, but less developed world building, that includes a bit of info dumping" or "stop and smell the roses moments", that pull the reader out of the action, and storyline.

Overall, A Darker Shade of Magic is a good, and different fantasy read, with interesting and engaging characters. This is a fantasy book, that is not all encompassing and has a medium learning curve.

Details:
Series: A Darker Shade of Magic Book 1
Published February 24th 2015 by Tor Books
Links:
V.E. Schwab


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