In light of recent events and as the victims of both Sam Sykes and Myke Cole speak out on the sexual harassment, misconduct, and assaults perpetrated by one or both, I have removed my review and will no longer be supporting this or other authors that have been accused.

Believe the victims.

Perhaps someday, these authors' actions will finally outperform their words of, "I need to do better." I hope they will. But regardless, no action can remove the harm they have done to women and young authors who looked to them for guidance and leadership.

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I absolutely loved this book!

It's filled with non-stop action, a strong female protagonist, and humourous lines that actually made me laugh out loud. This was one of those books that I hated putting down because at the end of every chapter I found myself thinking "I can't stop reading now, something big was just about to happen", because like I said, it's just non-stop!

I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, and other books by this author as well. ( )

Trying to start Sword and Laser books again. This was for October 2019. The book was quite long, but in the end I couldn't really put it down. And I cried. I wish the ending was less open, but I guess it's normal, since this is going to be a series. And part of it was wrapped up. I definitely want to read more. Also other books from the same author. I feel a bit emotionally empty now, the book took a lot out of me, as best of them do. Also extra bonus for a man who can write women well. And to have a grown woman be the main character is also something I enjoyed a lot. A broken one, but a grown one.

Will make it to the in person book club in LA on Saturday, so I'm happy I finished the book before that. ( )

It's the tale of a woman who seeks revenge on the magical former comrades who ruined her magic. When successful she crosses them off her list. some tasteful lesbian love included. ( )

This is book 1 of a new series by Sam Sykes. I really liked, or rather enjoyed, because she isn't a particularly likable character, the protagonist. The method of telling the story is unusual, and sometimes a bit hard to follow in the audiobook, but it works. The story plays out intermittently as flashbacks. The narrator is excellent. I love her accent, which i think is Australian. The reason i'm only giving it 3 stars is twofold: It's more of what i think is now called "grim dark" fantasy, and it's the first book in a series, so it's laying groundwork and the ending is more of a preparation for coming books than an actual ending. "Grim Dark" fantasy is a newer genre, the best examples of which are The First Law series and A Song of Ice and Fire series. I couldn't finish the first book in the First Law series after 3 separate attempts, and the George R.R. Martin series is hard going. I'm up to date on that series, but it certainly isn't fun reading. I suspect this new series by Sam Sykes may fall between the two. An easier and more fun read the ASOIAF and less hard than The First Law series. If you like the grim and dark fantasy genre, definitely get this one. ( )