Suzi

It took me a little while to get used to the 2 different POVs of Gormflaith and Fodla - very different women (one a queen, one a healer), but both trying to survive in a bleak and brutal world of men, kings and Vikings.

Historical fantasy is definitely one of my favourite sub-genres, and this hit a lot of high points for me - I loved the setting and the politics with all of the clans and kings over Ireland. I enjoyed the characters, although I did get them mixed up at times. The pacing and writing were great, and I especially enjoyed listening to this one on audio, to hear the Irish names pronounced correctly (instead of being butchered in my head!).

I'll be reading book 2 very soon.

I wasn't quite as connected to this instalment as I was with the previous two but I did really enjoy the direction this has taken after the Scrimmage.

I also like how we see how Paige isn't the shiny infallible chosen one, yes she's in a position of power but she's still young, impulsive and isn't immortal so does actually have to work for their goals.

Definitely one of the strongest instalments in the series.

This follows the progression of Henry VIII from a young and promising Prince, to the brutal, paranoid despot he ended up, all told through the life of Margaret Pole.

I always like that these stories are often told from the point of view of someone outside of the immediate royal family, so we get a sense of the goings on of a household, political maneuvering and drama but also the family life of those in the court.

I've always had a bit of an up and down relationship with King's books - at the core they are great stories, but they're often long, meandering and bloated with unnecessary tangents.

This book did have some of those things, but compared to others it was nearly as bad and I ended up really enjoying it. I even teared up a little at the end!

Definitely my favourite King to date.

Well that was underwhelming.

Given how much I loved and reread the original trilogy, and how much I enjoyed Haymitch's character, I expected to love this but I was so disappointed.

There's 200 pages of build up in a 372 page book, then a completely dull "games", him pining over "Lenore Dove" and then a super quick ending.

I haven't read Ballad but I am now even less excited to do so. Ugh.

5 stars, as usual. The woman cannot write a bad book. I'm so glad to see this is going to be a series too.

Another great instalment in this series, I especially enjoyed the setting in Chinatown and the Chinese mythology sprinkled throughout.