|
|
|
|
Click on the pictureS to get the Nephilim Quest books with a discounted price
when you buy direct from me, the author.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
ONLINE BOOK REVIEWS
BY LEENA MARIA
Here are my online book reviews. Writing my own books takes almost all my free time, but do my best to find time for reading as well. (Usually when I eat, a habit I learned already as a child as my father usually always read a book while we ate.)
So here are books I have enjoyed reading with links to my reviews on Goodreads. I will be adding more with time - and while I am cleaning my bookshelves I'll probably meet many an old friend I want to say a few a words about.
online book reviews A-G
(authors in alphabetical order)
miriam bibby
|
|
|
|
mistress meg and the prigger of prancers
Perhaps the story doesn't begin with a big bang, but it certainly draws you in and soon you notice you don't want to put the book down. Here you can clearly see that Miriam has a deep knowledge horses and history. I enjoyed the "sidekicks" most - the rogues. They are delicious characters - not evil, just opportunist. And they sure made me chuckle on several occasions. And Mistress Meg... She remains somewhat of a mystery, but in a good way. The way she is described makes you really wonder where she comes from and what her past was. I will definitely read every Mistress Meg story - I want to know what happens to the characters in the future.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
mistress Meg and the Silver Bell
Perhaps the story doesn't begin with a big bang, but it certainly draws you in and soon you notice you don't want to put the book down. Here you can clearly see that Miriam has a deep knowledge horses and history. I enjoyed the "sidekicks" most - the rogues. They are delicious characters - not evil, just opportunist. And they sure made me chuckle on several occasions. And Mistress Meg... She remains somewhat of a mystery, but in a good way. The way she is described makes you really wonder where she comes from and what her past was. I will definitely read every Mistress Meg story - I want to know what happens to the characters in the future.
|
|
|
|
|
|
umberto eco
|
|
the name of the rose
Here's a book I read several times (been a few years already, maybe it would be time to return to it again). The story captivates you from the start, and the characters are interesting. Also the story paints the times in a fascinating way - the religion of the times, the layers of society... And the basic human nature you find under the skin of every monk, no matter how "holy" they wish to appear. That is the most interesting thing in any story, really. Yes, I think it definitely is time to re-read this again.
|
|
|
Michael David Lukas
|
|
|
|
the oracle of stamboul
The way the author goes inside the mind of a little girl is impressive. I could feel her emotions and yet remain an outside observer. The way the author weaves the language is poetic without being stuffy. Beautiful, beautiful language! I love historical fiction when it makes an era alive for you, and this book certainly did that - presenting the high and mighty along with ordinary people so that together they made you see into the times that have passed. The description of the physical surroundings only added to the poetry of this book. And the end result was quite surprising, yet I understood the motivations of the little Eleonora Cohen so well. Thank you for writing this beautiful story - this will be one of those books I will be reading again and again. Bravo!
|
|
|
|
david penny
I love historical novels, and David Penny's are top notch. Even if I don't really have time to read, I find myself glued to his stories. His Thomas Berrington novels are set in the times of Queen Isabella of Spain, the last chaotic years of Moorish Spain. There is adventure and fighting, but still the stories have a deeper level of how Thomas Berrington changes through the years. Deep thoughts about friendhsip, love and justice. And the historical figures are brought to life as living, breathing humans. Highly recommended.
the red hill
thomas berrington book 1
|
breaker of bones
thomas berrington book 2
|
the sin eater
thomas berrington book 3
|
the incubus
thomas berrington book 4
|
the inquisitor
thomas berrington book 5
|
the fortunate dead
thomas berrington book 6
|
the promise of pain
thomas berrington book 7
|
the message of blood
thomas berrington book 8
|
thomas berrington -series. Books 1-3
|
|
C.J.Sansom
I'm hooked to C.J. Sansom's writing style. The way he brings out the conflicts of religion and politcs is delicious. I like the slow style his stories develop - they aren't boring in the least, and the way the characters get more meat over their bones in every book gives the feeling they are real people, not just puppets meant to push the plot forward. Also this era in England's history interests me, and the books reveal the author has researched the era extensively. It is a gift to make history alive without giving the feeling you are being lectured to.
|
|
dissolution
This was my first encounter with Matthew Shardlake and luckily I happened to buy the first book of the series first (together with the second one, Dark Fire). The plot was very well woven and even though I have to admit the idea of who murdered the first victim did pop to my head quite quickly, I did not believe it myself, and so forgot all about it until the case was solved. C.J. Sansom certainly fooled me there - which is as it should be with a good detective novel. I enjoyed how well he conveyed the religious atmosphere of the monastery, and how well he built the characters and let them develop through the story. A very good book indeed.
|
|
|
|
|
dark fire
Enjoyable story with a bit of a surprise ending if you aren't familiar with the history of the times of Henry VIII - and if you are you'll wait with anticipation what will happen to Cromwell's assistants at the end of the story. The language is delicious, and the two cases intertwining with each other happen in two different levels of the society. This gives a more rounded view of the times. Recommended for sure if you love historical detective novels. (I do, the longer the novel, the better...)
|
|
|
|
|
sovereign
I like the way the times of Henry VIII come alive in this book. And as always - the characters develop into well rounded personalities when the story progresses. <br />I tried to figure out who it was that tried to kill Master Shardlake, and it was only after the story moved back to London that I began to suspect who it was. Still, I could not be sure. And the reason why took me quite by surprise. Excellent book, well written, a must read for anyone who likes historical mystery stories.
|
|
|
|
|
revelation
One of those book series you wish would never end. I like books that give time for the characters to develop and aren't full of explosions and scooting around at warp speed. The Shardlake series is everything I love - history, a long story that doesn't end too soon for a fast reader, well rounded characters you get to know well when the story moves peacefully forward, and an underlying theme that carries through all the books in the series. Here, again the plot was excellent. I began to have a hunch who was behind the disappearance of the queen's book, but the story was again so well told that I thought I had to be wrong - until the end almost. Such a good story, much recommended (and you can read it even if you haven't read the previous volumes in the series).
|
|
|
|
|
revelation
With the French fleet preparing to cross the channel to England, the English fleet gathers in Portsmouth. Again Matthew Shardlake is solving a mystery which took me by surrpise. It was really there in front of me all the time, but took me by surprise. Excellent book for anyone interested in historical mysteries and Tudor England.
|
|
|
|
|
lamentation
One of those book series you wish would never end. I like the books that give time for the charaters to develop and aren't full of explosions and scooting around at warp speed. The Shardlake series is everything I love - history, a long story that doesn't end too fast for a fast reader, well rounded characters you get to know well, and an underlying theme that carries thorough all the books in the series. Here, again, the plot was excellent. I began to have a hunch who was behind the disappearance of the queen's book but the story was again so well told, that I thought I had to be wrong - until the end almost.
|
|
|
|
|
tombland
The first book in the series (Dissolution) and this are probably my favourites in the Shardlake series. The plot seems to proceed slowly, but things are happening under the surface all the time. The loose ends from the earlier books are tied together, and the new mystery Matthew Sharlake is asked to solve took me by surprise again. (I really love books that keep me guessing till the end.) I only wish I could read this book for the first time again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Click on the Leenasbooks Newsletter headline above to go to the newsletter blog's first page on Substack to see what it is about. You can read the past posts there, and check if you are interested in listening to the audio chapters of my published books, or follow my stories as I write them.
|
|
|
|
Upon subscribing you will get the Prequel to Nephilim Quest: Angel. Over two hundred years before Nephilim Quest 1 / Shadowhunter the roots of the story are planted. A little girl missing her mother, in the palace of the mightiest of the dark Nephilim, hoping for an escape ... This book is not for sale anywhere - only readers who have subscribed to my mailing list will get it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back to Homepage from Leena Maria's Online Book Reviews
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...
Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?
- Click on the HTML link code below.
- Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.
