Smorgasbord Fantasia

The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis , almost went under my radar. But boy, am I glad I picked it up at least now. I frankly didn't have much expectation heading into the story but the singular voice of "Elka" and the lyrical quality of the writing, not to mention, the intriguing post-apocalyptic set up of a wild frontier land, just swept me away and before I even realised, I was deep into the book - hooked into the fascinating story of survival and coming-of-age of a young girl in the cold unforgiving lands up north in a wild Wild West setting.  Elka, who grew up with her 'nana' till she was seven years, dreams of her parents who have gone 'north' searching for gold, joining the 'gold rush' up there. Even as she yearns for the love of parents she has never known, her world is shattered one day when a hurricane hits her home and she wakes up in an unfamiliar forest. That is when she meets the mysterious 'trapper' - who for some unfathomable reason, ...

 I have recently concluded that the best kind of audio-books are mysteries or thrillers. And psychological thrillers are definitely up there at the top. And so I stumbled onto Alice Feeney , hailed as the queen of the domestic twisty psychological thrillers ( "His & Hers" ) and her latest, Rock Paper Scissors is again a domestic puzzle-box of a story with unreliable narrators, harrowing shocking twists and fabulous storytelling that goes deep beneath the layers presented.  The story is about Mr and Mrs. Wright - Adam and Amelia, who have won a weekend getaway to the Scottish highlands, a stay at this romantic secluded church, known as the Black Loch Chapel. This is a last-ditch attempt by both of them to save their marriage, which is on the rocks. But once they get to this isolated church, they realize that the secluded chapel may not be the most romantic place on earth. While the views themselves are to kill for, the place is creepy, almost haunted, gothic. With a histo...

Courtesy the wonderful folks at Audible ( An Amazon Company ) - I've got a free audiobook clip from Brandon Sanderson 's latest, Legion: Skin Deep for you folks!! Say whaaat !! Legion was the first novella that introduced me to Brandon's genius - while it didnt really blow me away - it being an novella - and brandon's writing style doesnt allow him to do that heavy-lifting of world building and detailed magic systems in the confines of a novella - it still convinced of his GENIUS. And then I read The Way of Kings . And now I'm convinced he is indeed the most profilic and talented epic fantasy writer out there. If you haven't read Brandon Sanderson - the Mistborn trilogy would be a great place to start. But heck, take a listen to Legion:  Skin Deep. And come back and tell me :) Click Here to listen. Does that sound interesting ? ( Pun intended) If yes - you can actually check out/buy/listen to the entire book here .

Whitefire Crossing, the first book in the Shattered Sigil is Courtney Schaffer’s debut that came way back in 2011. I’ve had my eyes on this one since then. And yet I never got around to reading this book. I had heard all good things about Courtney’s terrific debut – combining her love for mountaineering with the undying passion for anything fantasy. So I’m really glad I finally read this one. This book also happens to be my first ever audio-book that I finished listening to. So hey, claps go! A terrific debut by all rights – a wild thrilling adventure set atop treacherous mountain passes laced with a delightfully detailed magic system along with an unforgettable and charming duo of protagonists – Whitefire Crossing is a refreshingly original take on epic fantasy – with an entirely new setting for the story (well most of it anyways)  to unfold - The wild untamed mountains called Whitefire where the winds can tip you over and the slightest whistle can bring down avalanc...