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Sunday 19 June 2022

THE 13TH WITCH

The 13th Witch by Mark Hayden
Book 1 in The King's Watch series
Narrated by Ciaran Saward
Genre: urban fantasy crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


Ever had a text from a deity?
Conrad Clarke did.

Someone has plans for Conrad, and those plans don’t involve an easy life.

Conrad Clarke, former RAF pilot and alleged gangster is dragged out of his comfort zone by a visit from The Allfather.

Norse gods in twenty-first century England?
Don’t be silly. Load of nonsense.

Before you can say “Ragnarok”, Conrad is plunged into a world of gods, Mages, Witches, Dwarves and one rather aggressive giant mole.

But he has next to no magick of his own.

Armed with nothing but a sense of humour and a willingness to cheat, Conrad has to save the Witch — and his life.
Source: Info in the About The 13th Witch was taken from Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36533380-the-13th-witch on 30/05/2022.


Buy Link(s):

  Audible Books


Odin's Valknut
My Thoughts:
This book reminds me of the Blue Moon Investigations Series. Both have the same typical white mundane male protagonist with military background. The same mystery, investigatory-driven theme. The main difference being that in Blue Moon Investigations Series there is no big paranormal governmental organisation while there is one in this book.

As I read on, I had to constantly look things up from the internet because the language in the book is so entrenched in English vernacular that I do not understand some of them, i.e., the Summoner in Chaucer's the Canterbury Tales, to understand what the fluff is the author going on about!!! I've heard of the Pendle witches though, simply because I've read some of the Spook's Apprentice books... This "having to look things up" thingie made the going just a little bit slower than it would have been otherwise.

Usually, I am very tolerant with plot holes and plotless-ness in urban fantasy, but not so much in crime thrillers. However, this series is not just urban fantasy, it is supposed to be an investigative one as well. So the plotholes kinda matter...


Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = (10 hours listening time)
Plot = 3
Narration = 4.5


Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The King's Watch Series:
Book 1: THE 13TH WITCH Book 2: THE 12 DRAGONS OF ALBION Book 3: THE 11TH HOUR Book 4: TENFOLD Book 5: NINE OF WANDS Book 6: EIGHT KINGS Book 7: THE SEVENTH STAR Book 8: SIX FURLONGS Book 9: FIVE LEAF CLOVER Book 10: FOUR ROADS CROSS

 
Meet The Author

About Mark Hayden:
Mark Hayden is the nom de guerre of Adrian Attwood. He lives in Westmorland with his wife, Anne.

Adrian has had a varied career working for a brewery, teaching English and being the Town Clerk in Carnforth. He is now a part-time writer and part-time assistant in Anne's craft projects.

He is also proud to be the Mad Unky to his Great Nieces & Great Nephew.

His current writing project is the King’s Watch series of urban fantasy novels, from 13th Witch all the way down to Zero Hour. If he can keep it up.


The Narrator

About Ciaran Saward:
I’m a London-based voiceover artist who loves discovering new things.

From small businesses and indie video games, to big publishers like William Collins and big authors like Wilbur Smith, I’ve worked with a range of clients to get their stories heard.

If you need a flexible & enthusiastic voice to bring your project to life, you’ve come to the right place.

Please have a listen to my voicereels, read some testimonials and see how I could help you!



FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Sunday 5 June 2022

FULL MOON HOWL


Full Moon Howl by Orlando A. Sanchez
Book 2 of the Montague & Strong Case Files series
Narrated by Kevin T. Collins
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


About Full Moon Howl:
Mystery. Malice. Revenge.

Broken bodies and bloody messages are appearing in the darkest corners of New York City. Infected werewolves are roaming the streets attacking innocents.

The Dark Council demands answers. They summon Simon and Tristan to investigate. The evidence points to the work of a powerful mage, unfortunately, there is only one mage in the city powerful enough to cause this kind of infection-Tristan Montague.

Now, Simon and Tristan must locate the source of the magical infection before the Dark Council declares Tristan a dark mage, destroys the werewolves, and shatters the fragile peace in the supernatural community.

Join the Montague and Strong Detective Agency while they are hunted and chased. All while trying to uncover the identity of their unseen enemy before it’s too late!
Source: Info in the About Full Moon Howl was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35288695-full-moon-howl on 30/06/2019.

Buy Link(s):


Peaches
My Thoughts:
The book picks up where the first book left off. We get more of the same action like we did in the previous book. It is still exciting, however, I fear that it is going to get monotonous soon! I hope Orlando Sanchez has some more tricks up his sleeve for the next book...

Kevin Collins' voice is not bad, but for some reason I needed to stop listening and start reading with my own eyes instead. I don't know if it is just me wanting to savour the book, something to do with the narrator's reading, or something to do with the book, or a combination of factors... I don't know. One thing is for sure, I ended up reading this book instead of listening to it.

Anyway, at the end of it, I enjoyed this book and looking forward to the next instalment in the series! Peaches is still my favouritest character!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 3.5
Plot = 3.5
Narration = 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Books in the Montague & Strong Case Files series:
Book 0.1: THE WAR MAGE   Book 0.5: NO GOD IS SAFE   Book 1: TOMBYARDS & BUTTERFLIES   Book 2: FULL MOON HOWL   Book 2.5: THE DATE   Book 3: BLOOD IS THICKER   Book 4: SILVER CLOUDS DIRTY SKY   Book 5: HOMECOMING   Book 6: DRAGONS & DEMIGODS   Book 6.5: A PROPER HELLHOUND   Book 7: BULLETS & BLADES   Book 7.5: HELLHOUND BLUES: A BREW & CHEW ADVENTURE   Book 8: HELL HATH NO FURY   Book 9: REAPING WIND   Book 9.5: A PERFECT CUP   Book 10: THE GOLEM   Book 10.5: SAVING MR K   A Montague & Strong Short Story Collection   Book 11: DARK GLASS   Book 12: WALKING THE RAZOR   Book 13: REQUIEM   Book 14: DIVINE INTERVENTION   Book 15: STORM BLOOD


Meet The Author

About Orlando A. Sanchez:
Orlando Sanchez has been writing ever since his teens when he was immersed in creating scenarios for playing Dungeon and Dragons with his friends every weekend. An avid reader, his influences are too numerous to list here. Some of the most prominent are: J.R.R. Tolkien, Jim Butcher, Kat Richardson, Terry Brooks, Piers Anthony, Lee Child, George Lucas, Andrew Vachss, and Barry Eisler to name a few in no particular order. The worlds of his books are urban settings with a twist of the paranormal lurking just behind the scenes and generous doses of magic, martial arts, and mayhem. He currently resides in Queens, NY with his family and can often be found in the local coffee shop where most of his writing is done.


The Narrator

About Kevin T. Collins:
Kevin T. Collins is an actor, singer, and recording artist with a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He has performed in numerous theater performances, including Angels, City of Angels, Paradise Lost, and on television in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, As the World Turns, and The Guiding Light.


FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook copies of the book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

 
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