quippe | Entries tagged with trilogy

The Blurb On The Back:

A mysterious key unlocks a perilous adventure …

Face-changer Ista Flit has saved the magical town of Shelwich but her Pa is still missing.

His trail leads Ista to the Marsh Court, where a beautiful queen tricks runway humans into joining her endless revels.

The only way to rescue Pa is to venture inside, but as the Tide rises, so too does the Marsh Queen’s power. Can Ista, Nat and Ruby use their own magical Tide-blessings to outwit her, or will they all be lost forever … ?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The second in Clare Harlow’s fantasy trilogy for readers aged 9+ (featuring Kristina Kister’s evocative illustrations) is a clever and gripping adventure about friendship and family set against the sinister Marsh Queen’s court. Ista remains interesting and resourceful and although I wish that there had been more between her, Nat and Ruby, the friendship that develops with Tamlin is believable. I am very much looking forward to the final book.

TIDE MAGIC: ISTA FLIT AND THE IMPOSSIBLE KEY was released in the United Kingdom on 1 May 2025. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Do you bear the sign of the witch? Because if you do, gods help you.

It has been seventy-five years since the dragon’s rule of fire and magic was ended. Out of the ashes, the Solmindre Empire was born.

Since then the tyrannical Synod has worked hard to banish all manifestations of the arcane from existence. However, children are still born bearing the taint of the arcane, known to all as witching. Vigilants are sent out across the continent of Vinterkveld to find and capture all those bearing the mark.

No-one knows when the Vigilants of the Synod will appear and enforce the Empire’s laws…

But today they’re coming …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Den Patrick’s fantasy novel (the first in a trilogy) has interesting world-building that incorporates Norse and Russian history and tries to subvert the tropes of normal ‘young people discover magical powers’ fiction. Unfortunately the pacing is slack, the storytelling doesn’t stand on its logic and the characterisation - particularly of the antagonists - is rarely above the superficial, meaning I won’t be reading on.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

I’m Harper Drew and my life is completely beyond normal!

Current evidence:

1. My brother Troy … has a skateboarding vlog. But only owns half a skateboard.

2. My uncle Paul … has a diamond toe ring and is apparently a Hollywood movie producer. But no one has ever seen a film he’s made.

3. My dad … has just crashed the school minibus in front of a police officer.

And that’s before I even got started on my mum, my baby brother (the Prune) or the llamas on our disastrous family holiday …

Does anyone else have this much drama in their life?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Kathy Weeks’s debut humorous novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a trilogy) has a good narrative voice and builds its funny scenes well while Aleksei Bitskoff’s energetic illustrations bring out the absurdity of Harper’s family and the situations that she finds herself in. My biggest criticism is that the family’s attitude to arriving on time for things triggered my anxiety and I would have liked a bit more normality to make it feel grounded.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

An idyllic village in the Alps.
A legacy of sin.
An evil lurking in the woods.

In a quiet village surrounded by centuries-old woods and the imposing Italian Alps, a series of violent assaults take place.

Police inspector and profiler Teresa Battaglia is called back from the city when the first body is found in the woods, a naked man whose face has been disfigured and eyes gouged out. Teresa quickly realises that the killer intends to strike again, and soon more victims are found - all having been subjected to horrendous mutilations. When a new-born baby is kidnapped, Teresa’s investigation becomes a race against the clock …

But Teresa is also fighting a different kind of battle: a battle against her own body, weighed down by age and diabetes, and her mind, once invincible an now slowly gnawing away at her memory …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Ilaria Tuti’s debut thriller (the first in a trilogy and translated from Italian by Ekin Oklap) draws on an actual event as the basis for this uneven story of child cruelty and village secrets. Battaglia held my interest with her health issues, the hints at previous spousal abuse and her attempts to deal with the onset of Alzheimer’s but the profiling feels very old-fashioned and her relationship with the under-developed Marini doesn’t convince.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Venture into the world of Alexandre Dumas as you’ve never seen it before, where pirates rule the high seas and vampires lurk on land …

Morgane grew up at sea, daughter of the fierce pirate captain of the Vengeance, raised to follow in her footsteps as scourge of the Four Chains Trading Company. But when Anna-Marie is mortally wounded in battle, she confesses to Morgane that she is not her mother.

The captain of the enemy ship reveals he was paid to kill Anna-Marie and bring Morgan home to France and her real family. Desperate to learn the truth about her lineage, Morgane spares him, leaving the Vengeance and everything she knows behind.

Her quest reveals a world of decadence and darkness, in which monsters view for control of royal courts and destinies of nations. She discovers the bloody secrets of the Four Chains Trading Company, and the truth about her real mother’s death, nearly twenty years before …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Emma Newman’s fantasy novel (the first in a trilogy) is a sapphic romp featuring vampires, werewolves and pirates but while there’s fun to be had with Morgane’s ignorance of social mores and colourful swearing, Morgane is one of those annoying characters who doesn’t ask questions and rushes into things without thinking. The plot is uneven, the antagonist two-dimensional and Lisette an insipid love interest whose introduction comes too late.

THE VENGEANCE was released in the United Kingdom on 8 May 2025 and in the United States in 6 May 2025. Thanks to Solaris Books for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Nothing can be gained without sacrifice …

Desperate to free the shikigami, Kurara journeys deep into the mountains of Mikoshima - through villages devastated by a roaming swarm of shadowy monsters, and a country at war across land and sky. If Kurara cannot find a way to make the Star Seed bloom, the suffering she has caused will be for nothing.

But there is more to lose than she knows.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The conclusion to Ann Sei Lin’s YA fantasy trilogy delves deeper into the mythology of her Japanese-inspired world and focuses on themes of grief, loss and guilt. However there’s too much plot here for the length of the book, which means that some storylines unfurl in too perfunctory a way and don’t have the room they need to give the emotional punch Lin wants readers to experience, which is a real shame in the case of one specific character death.

REBEL DAWN was released in the United Kingdom on 7th November 2024. Thanks to Walker Books for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Can one girl succeed against the force of an empire?

Kurara and her shipmates have escaped the clutches of the princess and set a course for the Grand Stream. There they hope to find the most powerful shikigami of all: a legendary paper phoenix. It may hold the key to releasing shikigami from their eternal bonds for good - if they can reach it before the imperial powers do.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The second in Ann Sei Lin’s YA fantasy trilogy delves into the mythology of Lin’s world, especially the backstory for Kurara and Haru and includes some heart breaking scenes as Lin also explores the bond between shikigami and Crafter and what it really means. However Tomoe and Sayo are very much bit players here and while I enjoyed the character development for Himura, Tsukimi remains too broadly painted to be a credible antagonist.

REBEL FIRE was released in the United Kingdom on 6th July 2023. Thanks to Walker Books for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

”Here, we will teach you to do wrong, but only so that one day you will put the world right.”

When talented pickpocket Gabriel is recruited to Crookhaven, he is welcomes into a whole new world. This secret school trains its students in classes like Forgery, Deception and Crimnastics - all so that one day they will go out into the world and do good.

On the first day, the mysterious headmaster Caspian announced the infamous Crooked Cup competition. Determined to win, Gabriel soon realises his best chance will be to assemble a crew of multi-talented misfits. Except that’s not exactly encouraged.

But when has breaking a few rules ever stopped a crook?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

J. J. Arcanjo’s criminal adventure novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a trilogy) is basically all backstory and world building to set up the next two books. The story is just Gabriel learning about the school and doing lessons - particularly disappointing the heist itself comes very late in the book and mainly occurs off page. It’s all readable, but it also feels like one long prologue to book 2, which I’m not sure I’d rush to read.

CROOKHAVEN - THE SCHOOL FOR THIEVES was released in the United Kingdom on 2nd March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

In a country town ravaged by drought, a charismatic young priest opens fire on his congregation, killing five men before being shot dead himself.

A year later, journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write a feature on the anniversary of the tragedy. But the stories he hears from the locals don’t fit with the accepted view of events.

Just as Martin believes he is making headway, a shocking discovery rocks the town. The bodies of two backpackers are found in the scrublands. The media descends on Riversend and Martin is the one in the spotlight.

Wrestling with his own demons, Martin finds himself risking everything to uncover a truth that becomes more complex with every twist. But there are powerful forces determined to stop him, and he has no idea how far they will go to make sure the town’s secrets stay buried.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Chris Hammer’s debut crime novel (the first in a trilogy) is a solidly written whydunit rather than a whodunit but the depiction of a town dying from drought is more convincing than the human characters, who are thinly drawn. The pacing is thrown off by key strands of information being withheld back until the final quarter, some of the journalistic practices were unconvincing while the tentative romance between Martin and Mandy was a bit icky.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

1967: Ye Wenjie witnesses Red Guards beat her father to death during China’s Cultural Revolution. This singular event will shape not only the rest of her life but also the future of mankind.

Four decades later, Beijing police ask nanotech engineer Wang Miao to infiltrate a secretive cabal of scientists after a spate of inexplicable suicides. Wang’s investigation will lead him to a mysterious virtual world ruled by the intractable and unpredictable interaction of its three suns.

This is the Three-body Problem and it is the key to everything: the key to the scientists’ death, the key to a conspiracy that spans light years and the key to the extinction-level threat humanity now faces.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Cixin Liu’s award winning SF novel (the first in a trilogy) rises above dull characterisation and inconsistencies in plotting in part due to excellent translation by Ken Liu (who provides some context via footnotes), but also by the way the story uses both the horrors of the Cultural Revolution and the three-body problem from orbital mechanics to ground the rest of the plot. It held my attention but I don’t know if I would automatically read on.

The Blurb On The Back:

Welcome to a world of sky ships, flying cities and powerful paper sprites …

When servant girl Kurara’s trick of making paper come to life turns out to be a power treasured across the empire, she escapes her old life to become a Crafter on board a skyship. There she learns to hunt wild paper spirits called shikigami - and a whole new world begins to unfold.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Ann Sei Lin’s debut YA fantasy novel (the first in a trilogy) makes the most out of its very original concept (inspired by Japanese history and culture) and unfurls at a breakneck pace that keeps the action coming thick and fast. However, this is one of those rare books that I wished had at times slowed down to explore and explain some of the core ideas and allow the character relationships to breathe and develop more naturally than they do.

REBEL SKIES was released in the United Kingdom on 5th May 2022. Thanks to Walker Books for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Dead girl walking.

Pip Fitz-Amobi is haunted by her last investigation. But soon a new case finds her and this time it’s all about Pip.

She has a stalker, one who keeps asking: Who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears?

Pip soon discovers a connection between her stalker and a local serial killer, but the police refuse to act. As the dangerous game plays out it’s clear that if Pip doesn’t find the answers, she’s as good as dead …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The conclusion to Holly Jackson’s YA thriller trilogy is a dark and unsettling affair that works as a natural progression to the earlier two books (both in terms of plot and character) but there is a disturbing message here about how police and criminal justice system failures justify turning vigilante without any real consideration of proportionality or personal responsibility and I think the book loses something because of that.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Someone is missing. Nobody’s talking. But this time EVERYONE is listening …

Pip Fitz-Amobi is not a detective any more. Her true crime podcast about the murder case she solved last year has gone viral. Yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to go back on her word when someone close to her goes missing and the police can’t do anything about it. If they won’t investigate, then Pip will, uncovering more of her town’s dark secrets along the way. But will she find the answers before time runs out?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Holly Jackson’s YA thriller sequel accomplishes that rare feat of being an even better read. Jackson sensitively deals with the fall out from the first novel (for Pip and her friends and family) and then creates a new mystery that significantly overlaps with the first. I have some nitpicks (mainly around the rape trial but also some about Cara) but it is a genuinely gripping read and I am looking forward to the concluding book in this trilogy.

The Blurb On The Back:

For generations the Freyls have ruled Springfield, Illinois, capital of a state of Great Lakes and rivers. Now convicted killer David Marion threatens their invincibility, and he threatens it from within their own ranks.

Water: it’s blue gold, and the price on world markets is soaring. When Springfield gets a new mayor, it finds its supply under threat, not only from corporations out for the money but from a disease that appears from nowhere, that nobody can identify and nobody can treat.

None of this interests David Marion until his own past surfaces and he finds himself caught between multinational leviathans at war over America’s heartland.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Joan Brady’s thriller (the third in a trilogy) is a mixed bag. Brady’s created a clever multi-faceted plot that combines political thriller and corporate conspiracy and throws in societal collapse to sophisticated effect with anti-hero David Marion’s backstory helping to flesh him out. However with the exception of Becky and Jimmy, characterisation is thin and unconvincing and as a result the book doesn’t hang together in a satisfying way.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

I am a Belle. I control beauty.

In the opulent world of Orléans, the people are born grey and damned, and only a Belle’s powers can make them beautiful.

Camellia Beauregard wants to be the favourite Belle - the one chosen by the queen to live in the royal palace and be recognised as the most talented Belle in the land.

But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favourite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that her powers may be far greater - and far darker - than she ever imagined.

When the queen asks Camellia to save the ailing princess by using her powers in unintended ways, she faces an impossible decision: protect herself and the way of the Belles, or risk her own life, and change the world forever …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Dhonielle Clayton’s YA fantasy (the first in a trilogy) has interesting ideas about the power of beauty and society’s obsession with it. Unfortunately the pacing was far too slow, the plot relies very heavily on contrivance (with Carmellia behaving foolishly when needed) and the characterisation just isn’t interesting or consistent enough to hold my attention notably the “friendship” between Amber and Carmellia, which never convinces.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Dazzling with imagination, brimming with passion and crackling with wit, The City We Became is a modern masterpiece of culture, identity, magic and myth in contemporary New York City.

Every great city has a soul. Some are ancient as myths; others are as new and destructive as children. New York? She’s got six - and all six will be called to arms in the greatest battle the city has ever fought.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

N. K. Jemisin’s urban fantasy (the first in a trilogy) is a smartly imagined rejoinder to H. P. Lovecraft’s racism by using his concept of “eldritch horror” and updating it to the ever-present problem of racism, “gentrification” and white privilege while making clear that New York’s strength comes from its vibrant, cosmopolitan population. It’s a clever, vivid read that really conveys the city’s vibe and I look forward to reading the sequel.

The Blurb On The Back:

Agatha Oddly: No case too odd …

Agatha Oddlow’s just stumbled across her next big case … a murder at the British Museum.

But as Agatha starts to dig beneath the surface she begins to suspect that a wider plot is afoot below London - a plot involving a disused Tube station, a huge fireworks display and five thousand tonnes of gold bullion.

Luckily, Agatha’s on the trail …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The second in the AGATHA ODDLY TRILOGY by Lena Jones (a pseudonym for the Tibor Jones Studio) for children aged 9+ is a ho-hum, formulaic mystery adventure where the murder mystery hook fades away in favour of the overriding story arc of the Gatekeepers’ Guild. Pacing is okay but the characterisation very thin and I have to say that I never believed in Agatha as a character as her reactions never ring true and the Poirot element is very gimmicky.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Some books should be banned or destroyed. This is the story of one of them ...

In a coastal town, a strange, out-of-print children’s book is found, full of colourful stories of castles, knights and unicorns. But the book is no fairytale. Written by Austerly Fellows, a mysterious turn-of-the-century occultist, it is no mere entertainment. In fact, those who start it find that they just can’t put it down, no matter how much they may want to.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Robin Jarvis’s dark fantasy novel for children aged 11+ (the first in a trilogy) is a weird, sinister affair that bucks many of the conventions in children’s literature (including by having a largely adult cast) and takes a jaundiced view of modern life and the attitude of teenagers. However the way Jarvis intermingles backstory with the plot works really well and the body swapping is really disturbing such that I want to check out the sequel.

Thanks to Harper Collins for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

The case is closed.

Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final-year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Holly Jackson’s debut YA thriller is a page turner that’s perfect for SERIAL obsessed readers that cleverly mixes third person narration with extracts from Pip’s report notes to provide background, advance the plot and allow readers to take stock. However, there’s perhaps too much plot for this novel and some strands don’t get developed as much as they should, while the revelation at the end didn’t quite convince in terms of motivation.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Grandmother said I will be a powerful witch doctor one day.

But I cannot wait that long.

Arrah’s fate was foretold in the bones.

Descended from a long line of powerful witch doctors, she is desperate for a taste of magic. No matter what the cost.

As strange premonitions and spirits descend upon the Kingdom, Arrah discovers she will do anything to save her people - even if it means sacrificing years of her own life.

Arrah must find a way to master this borrowed power. But how much time does she have left?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Rena Barron’s debut YA fantasy (the first in a trilogy) makes excellent use of its West African inspiration to build a vivid world populated by tricksy gods that’s a must for anyone bored with generic European worlds. However, the plot is messy with key events happening off page, a central character who is hamstrung for much of the book and predictable twists and pacing is not helped by too big of a cast such that I’m not sure I’d continue.

KINGDOM OF SOULS was released in the United Kingdom on 19th September 2019. Thanks to Harper Voyager for the review copy of this book.

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I Read, Therefore I Blog

A Book Review Blog Belonging to Caroline Hooton

Entries tagged with trilogy

Ista Flit And The Impossible Key by Clare Harlow

Witchsign by Den Patrick

What’s New Harper Drew? by Kathy Weeks

Flowers Over The Inferno by Ilaria Tuti

The Vengeance by Emma Newman

Rebel Dawn by Ann Sei Lin

Rebel Fire by Ann Sei Lin

Crookhaven - The School For Thieves by J. J. Arcanjo

Scrublands by Chris Hammer

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

The Blue Death by Joan Brady

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

Agatha Oddly – Murder At The Museum by Lena Jones

Dancing Jax by Robin Jarvis

A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson

Kingdom Of Souls by Rena Barron