ARC Review: The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix

 So, yet again here I am reviewing a Garth Nix book - I can't help it he's one of my favourite authors, and I absolutely adored the first in this series (The Left-Handed Booksellers of London), so as soon as I saw it on Netgalley I knew I would have to request it - and I recently got the beautiful physical ARC which I am now in love with too! So, without further rambling, here's the book:

There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity who inhabits the ancient hot spring. Yet this time it is not from Sulis Minerva that trouble starts. It comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger. A desperate rescue is attempted by his sister the right-handed bookseller Vivien and their friend, art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.

The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery performed by an Ancient Sovereign and guarded by monstrous living statues of Purbeck marble. But this is only the beginning, as the booksellers investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths and try to unravel the secrets of the murderous Lady of Stone, a serial killer of awesome powers.

If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.

One thing you have to know about this book is that you really jump right into the action, and it stays action packed the whole way through. I liked this about that as I've read quite a few things lately with slower starts, and I really wanted a fast-paced read which this was. It did however mean I didn't want to put it down, but where's the problem in that? I have been reading less and less recently and a lot slower too but it felt like I breezed through this it was so great.

I will say, it is probably a book you could read without reading the first in the series, but I would highly recommend reading both (just because you get to know the MCs a bit more and you get a bit more backstory, especially of Susan which I think is important). And now I have to mention yet again my love for Merlin in this book, in my previous review for Left-Handed booksellers of London I did say how much I love him - and that love is just brought right back in this book too. He is just one of the most unique MCs and I just can't get over how well written he is.

One thing I think I always say is that Garth Nix is very good at creating creatures and characters in his books - this is repeated in both of his Bookseller titles. This book in particular had some rather terrifying new creations, and I loved trying to picture them all in my mind. On top of that, you got to meet some new Booksellers and hear about other bases that they have, which I hope means that we will get to see even more of this world in the future (fingers crossed).

I've just loved getting to return to the world of the Booksellers and the Ancient Sovereigns, and I give this book: 5 cats!

So, if you liked the first book I can assure you that you will definitely liked the second and I highly recommend buying this when it is out on the 21st March!

Review: Terciel and Elinor by Garth Nix

Guys, I cannot tell you my excitement when I found out that there was going to be another book in the Old Kingdom series coming out, this series is one of my favourite and I just knew that I'd have to read it, luckily Hot Key accepted me for an e-ARC and I just flew through it! (If you're interested the link to my Sabriel review can be found HERE)

Here's the book:

In the Old Kingdom, a land of ancient and often terrible magics, eighteen year-old orphan Terciel is learning the art of necromancy - but not to raise the Dead, rather to lay them to rest. He is the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, the latest in a long line of people whose task it is to make sure the Dead do not return to Life.

Across the Wall in Ancelstierre, a steam-age country where magic usually does not work, nineteen year-old Elinor lives a secluded life, her only friends an old governess and an even older groom who was once a famous circus performer. Her mother is a tyrant, feared by all despite her sickness and impending death . . .

Elinor does not know she is deeply connected to the Old Kingdom, until a plot by an ancient enemy of the Abhorsens brings Terciel to Ancelstierre. In a single day of fire and death and loss, Elinor finds herself set on a path which will take her into the Old Kingdom, into Terciel's life, and will embroil her in the struggle of the Abhorsens against the Dead who will not stay dead.

So, if you're new to this series I will say you can start here if you would like, as it is a prequel to the original series starter, Sabriel. It is a mixed story of the younger lives of both her mother and father, which I found really interesting. You never hear much at all about Sabriel's mother in the first book, and you would have only known small amounts about her father, the previous Abhorsen, before this book came out. However, I would suggest reading the other books first purely because you meet a few of the characters from the other books - my particular favourite was Mirelle who you meet in the book Lirael.

Elinor was my favourite character in this, mainly because we got to learn a bit more about her history and it mixed in a lot with the Clayr, who are some of my favourite characters in Lirael (but I may be biased as Lirael is my favourite character of this series overall). We also got to see her come into her own as she learns about the Charter and how to use her Charter marks. I found this particularly fascinating as we had never really learnt too much about the Charter and how it is taught, but in this book you get to see the bare bones and how one would learn if they were just starting their tuition. I've always quite liked learning about the particulars of magic in different books, so getting into how you would learn the Charter magic was really exciting for me.

That is not to say I didn't like Terciel - seeing into his life prior to Sabriel was definitely exciting, and it was because of him we also got to see a bit more of Mogget (fans like me returning to the old kingdom will surely love to see the return of him) as well as how he became an Abhorsen. It's also very interesting to see his and Elinor's relationship develop through the book, and you really start to understand how his ideas changed on their relationship as you went through.

I could write for hours on this, but I'll keep it short, this is yet another great story from Garth Nix, and it is always a pleasure to return to the Old Kingdom when he brings out a new book. I don't think this review has given it nearly enough praise, but I tried to put my thoughts into words as best I could. Here's hoping there will be many more stories from the Old Kingdom to come, I'd love to see more development from so many of the other characters you see in the rest of the series too!

I give this book: 5 cats!

Terciel and Elinor is out today, and you should definitely go and pick up a copy, and whilst you're there get the rest of the series too!

Comment below and tell me if you have a favourite in the series.

Review: The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

 Many of you may know by now, Garth Nix is one of my favourite authors. So, as soon as I saw this available on Netgalley I just knew I would be requesting it, and I also have the Waterstones special edition now too (sprayed edges and an extra story!!)

And, as I expected, Garth Nix has written yet another fantastic and action packed book, one that I will definitely be going back to read again and again.  

Here it is:

In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn't get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.

Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones), who with the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), are an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.

Susan's search for her father begins with her mother's possibly misremembered or misspelt surnames, a reading room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.

Merlin has a quest of his own, to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan's. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.

Can I just say I absolutely love how Garth Nix writes characters? I've never found a character that I hated in his books and this is the same for this book too - I absolutely adore Merlin, and Susan is just as good too (but Merlin is definitely my favourite) and throughout the whole story you just feel as if you are actually running around with the characters yourself.  Even his creatures in this book were written incredibly, but I expected that as in my opinion Garth is always good at writing such unique characters that you can really visualise and put your own spin on in your mind.

I admit though I was delightfully confused through most of this book, just wondering what was happening as he jumps right into the action, it was both a puzzling and fast-paced storyline, and one that definitely keeps you hooked.

The thing that I enjoyed the most in this book was the way that Garth has interwoven the real with dark legends and folklore like goblins, giant wolves and lake creatures, it really made me want to look up these legends and just see where he got the inspiration from and I love when that happens in a book I read.

All in all I am obsessed with this world of Left and Right Handed Booksellers now, so I will definitely dive back in with happiness if Garth decides to come back to writing in this particular story.

Overall I give this book: 5 cats!

Have you read this book yet? If so comment below, I'd love to hear some other opinions on it!

Blog Tour: Angel Mage by Garth Nix

Oh guys, you have no idea how excited I was when I heard that Garth Nix was writing a new fantasy book. He has been my favourite author for a long time, and I knew that I needed to read it as soon as I heard about it. I was lucky enough to be one of the people asked to be a part of the blog tour, and I jumped at the chance.

And well, I have to say that Garth Nix has struck again with yet another spectacular book that will drag you in and keep you reading until the very end.... Here's the book for if you were wondering what it was all about:

More than a century has passed since Liliath crept into the empty sarcophagus of Saint Marguerite, fleeing the Fall of Ystara. But she emerges from her magical sleep still beautiful, looking no more than nineteen, and once again renews her single-minded quest to be united with her lover, Palleniel, the archangel of Ystara.

A seemingly impossible quest, but Liliath is one of the greatest practitioners of angelic magic to have ever lived, summoning angels and forcing them to do her bidding.

Liliath knew that most of the inhabitants of Ystara died from the Ash Blood plague or were transformed into beastlings, and she herself led the survivors who fled into neighboring Sarance. Now she learns that angels shun the Ystaran’s descendants. If they are touched by angelic magic, their blood will turn to ash. They are known as Refusers, and can only live the most lowly lives.

But Liliath cares nothing for the descendants of her people, save how they can serve her. It is four young Sarancians who hold her interest: Simeon, a studious doctor-in-training; Henri, a dedicated fortune hunter; Agnez, an adventurous musketeer cadet; and Dorotea, an icon-maker and scholar of angelic magic. They are the key to her quest.

The four feel a strange kinship from the moment they meet, but do not know why, or suspect their importance. All become pawns in Liliath’s grand scheme to fulfill her destiny and be united with the love of her life. No matter the cost to everyone else. . .

So, this book has quite a few different POVs - something that I can't usually get on board with, but I had no issues here. All the characters personalities came through really well, and I feel like you really got to know all of the MCs separately - not one of the characters overshadowed any of the others which I found particularly wonderful. I know it's weird, but I did love Liliath's POV the most, and I actually really liked her as a character, she was one of my favourites despite everything that went on in the book, and I think that you really see her complex personality come through once the book concludes.

Most Garth Nix books have amazing world-building, and this one lived up to that reputation too, with different countries and different Archangels for each of them. It was such an interesting take on Angels being part of the world, and I loved hearing about all the different angels and their different 'scopes' that each has - it will be so fun to re-read this book now I have a physical copy with all the maps, it will be so much easier to visualise everything with how beautiful the maps are.

Well, if I don't stop now I'll just keep singing the praises of this book, so all I'll say is that if you are a fan of Garth Nix's previous books you won't be disappointed, so you should pick it up. I know this is a standalone book, but I really hope to see more of this world at some point - and I can't wait to get my hands on the bonus chapter in my Waterstones edition of the book when it comes!

Overall, I give this 5 cats (of course)

This book is out 17th October, you should definitely go and order your copy. Don't forget to keep an eye on the rest of the tour stops this month, with the first half shown below!

Review: Sabriel by Garth Nix

Okay, time to fess up, I haven't read this book this week (or fully for a little while) but I constantly have it on my Kindle for when I finish a book and have nothing else on me to read, so I think I'm about 50 pages in on my kindle version at the moment.

Yes, I do have both a kindle version and a book version, this is how much I love this book.

So much that the series is on my top 5 re-reads (see these here) and that I have actually read it an unknown amount of times (that means a lot). So, here it is:

Dark Secrets, Deep Love, and Dangerous Magic

Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him. She soon finds companions in Mogget, a cat whose aloof manner barely conceals its malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories.

As the three travel deep into the Old Kingdom, threats mount on all sides. And every step brings them closer to a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death—and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own destiny.

Okay, so, one thing I love about this book, and which makes me read it more, is that technically it could be read as a stand-alone. So, if you're short on time and just want a travel read, or just don't want to commit to a series just yet, this book is great. Plus, then, if you love it like I did, you can just choose to read the other books too!

Why do I love this book so much? I hear you ask. Well, there's just too many reasons to explain! But one reason is the world that it is based in. One half of the land seems like a normal, if dated, version of where we all live now (Ancelstierre), while the other half of the land is just magical (The Old Kingdom). The only thing that separates these two halves of the land is a Wall. Yet, the seasons differ, and no technology can survive past the Wall into the Old Kingdom. It just makes it so much easier to connect to this book when you can see that Ancelstierre is just like a normal dated country.

One thing I love about this book is that while it shows the difficult journey that Sabriel has to take from the place where she has grown up (Ancelstierre) to the place where she was born (the Old Kingdom) it also shows her more personal journey from just a schoolgirl to a woman and more importantly, her journey to becoming Abhorsen. Which is a pretty big jump. And I don't know why, but big personal journeys like that always interest me in books!

But, come on, if any of you have ever read this book, I bet you're all asking why I have yet to mention the character that is the best and most mysterious, the cat Mogget. Well, technically he isn't just a cat, but the cat is my favourite Mogget shape. He's just my favourite fiction cat ever. His personality in the book is just amazing, and I think if you read this you can't help but love him, and his mysterious origin is tackled in later books (if you choose to read them).

So, that's only like, 3 reasons why I love this book, and there are so many more but if I wrote them all I would just end up with a giant post that no-one would ever get through. Which wouldn't be good.

All I can say now then, is that I highly recommend this book, and even this series, and it is highly likely that I'll eventually get round to reviewing the whole series at some point. 

Garth Nix's world he imagined in this book is just amazing and if you don't read this book, I think you'll really be missing out on a stunning adventure.

Feel free to leave your comments on the book!

My Favourite Re-Reads

So, first blog post for me!

I thought I had best start with those books that I just love, and can't help but to re-read.

So, be aware, if I don't post for a while, it's probably because yet again, I am re-reading one of my favourite books (though I will tell you that on Twitter so you don't think I've just given up on reading!).

Granted, the next time I re-read something, you will all get to see my lovely review of whatever book it is, as I'll just HAVE to review them, but I doubt you'd all want to hear my raving reviews of the same books over and over.

So, just to get it out of the way, I'll give you a list of my top re-reads!



1) Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

Okay guys, time to get it out there now: I am a Potterhead. I love everything to do with the Harry Potter world! (even joined a HP society at uni, but that's info for another time). I have read these books multiple times (unfortunately not recently), and I will probably re-read them forever. So, be prepared for multiple Potter posts.

2) The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix

I have read these books so many times, and have them in both paperback as well as on kindle, that is a sign of how much I love them. Obviously, there are a few more books added to these three now, but I've not had a chance to re-read the others yet.

3) The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

So, these are some of my favourite childhood books, and occasionally I like to re-read them and remember my childhood and the lovely magical world that C. S. Lewis created.

4) The Study Series by Maria V. Snyder

So, these books, I have read at the least 10 times each, I just keep going back to them. There is more to the series, but I haven't been able to get around to them yet. However, the first three are some of my favourite books and ones that I can just re-read whenever.

5) His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

I love these books, I mean, who doesn't?! And I was super excited to hear about the new books that are coming out to do with this series too. My excitement to read them can't be contained! Hence, these make my list as I can re-read them many times before the new book comes out, to add to the other times I've read this series too.

Of Course these aren't my only books that I re-read, you'll find I like to re-read books a lot, it helps me to get to know different points of the stories each time. But, these are some of the books that I always go to when I feel like just reading something I know.

But, I thought I'd tell you about them, and maybe encourage you to read them yourselves before I get around to reviewing them myself, as they are all amazing books.