Review: ‘Misfortunes of Vision’, by Christy Nicholas

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Misfortune of Vision by Christy Nicholas,

Book #4 in The Druid’s Brooch Series

Historical fantasy set in 12th century Ireland

~ Prophecy can be dangerous ~

In 12th century Ireland, Orlagh has been Seer to her king for forty years. He doesn’t want to hear her prophecies of war and destruction, and dismisses her efforts to warn him. Therefore, she is determined to fulfill her own quest: to find a worthy heir for her magical brooch.

In the course of events, she must pass judgment on a thief, escape a Norman war camp, and battle wits with a Fae lord. She receives some prophecy of her own and enlists the help of a grizzled old warrior, who happens to be a long–time friend.

Links:

Publisher link: http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Nicholas_Christy/index.htm

Website: http://www.greendragonartist.com

Blog:  http://www.greendragonartist.net

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/greendragonauthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/greendragon9

Author Bio:

Celtic Fairies, Fables, and Folklore! Bestselling author (top #100 Amazon Canada, #1 in Paranormal Fantasy, Amazon Canada)

Christy Nicholas, also known as Green Dragon, is an author, artist and accountant. After she failed to become an airline pilot, she quit her ceaseless pursuit of careers that begin with ‘A’, and decided to concentrate on her writing. Since she has Project Completion Disorder, she is one of the few authors with NO unfinished novels.

Christy has her hands in many crafts, including digital art, beaded jewelry, writing, and photography. In real life, she’s a CPA, but having grown up with art all around her (her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother are/were all artists), it sort of infected her, as it were.

She wants to expose the incredible beauty in this world, hidden beneath the everyday grime of familiarity and habit, and share it with others. She uses characters out of time and places infused with magic and myth.

Continue reading “Review: ‘Misfortunes of Vision’, by Christy Nicholas”

Bonus Review #2: ‘Goat Castle: A True Story of Murder, Race and the Gothic South’, by Karen L. Cox

Published By: University of North Carolina Press

Publication Date: 9th October 2017

I.S.B.N.: 978146963503

Price: $26.00

Format: Hardcover

 

 

 

 

Blurb

In 1932, the city of Natchez, Mississippi, reckoned with an unexpected influx of journalists and tourists as the lurid story of a local murder was splashed across headlines nationwide. Two eccentrics, Richard Dana and Octavia Dockery—known in the press as the “Wild Man” and the “Goat Woman”—enlisted an African American man named George Pearls to rob their reclusive neighbor, Jennie Merrill, at her estate. During the attempted robbery, Merrill was shot and killed. The crime drew national coverage when it came to light that Dana and Dockery, the alleged murderers, shared their huge, decaying antebellum mansion with their goats and other livestock, which prompted journalists to call the estate “Goat Castle.” Pearls was killed by an Arkansas policeman in an unrelated incident before he could face trial. However, as was all too typical in the Jim Crow South, the white community demanded “justice,” and an innocent black woman named Emily Burns was ultimately sent to prison for the murder of Merrill. Dana and Dockery not only avoided punishment but also lived to profit from the notoriety of the murder.  In telling this strange, fascinating story, Karen Cox highlights the larger ideas that made the tale so irresistible to the popular press and provides a unique lens through which to view the transformation of the plantation South into the fallen, gothic South.

 

Continue reading “Bonus Review #2: ‘Goat Castle: A True Story of Murder, Race and the Gothic South’, by Karen L. Cox”

Bonus Review #1: ‘The Biophilia Effect’, by, Arvey G. Clemens

 

Happy New Year!

Let’s start the year off with an unscheduled book review

Published By: Sounds True Publishing

Publication Date: 1st February 2018

I.S.B.N.: 9781683640424

Format: Paperback

Price: $17.95

 

 

 

Blurb

Discover why being in nature may be the best thing you can do for your health. Did you know that spending time in a forest activates the vagus nerve, which is responsible for inducing calm and regeneration? Or that spending just one single day in a wooded area increases the number of natural killer cells in the blood by almost 40 percent on average? Most of us have experienced an intuitive sense of the healing power of nature. Clemens G. Arvay’s new book brings us the science to verify this power, sharing fascinating research along with teachings and tools for accessing the therapeutic properties of the forest and natural world. Already a bestseller in Germany, The Biophilia Effect is a book that transforms our understanding of our interconnection with nature — and shows us how to engage the natural world wherever we live for greater health, inspiration, rejuvenation, and spiritual sustenance.

Continue reading “Bonus Review #1: ‘The Biophilia Effect’, by, Arvey G. Clemens”

New Year’s Eve and I’m listing the good things

So, there’s three hours of 2017 left and I’ve been thinking of the good things that have happened this year.

  • I published the first two novels in the Fire Series in June and December;
  • I survived my first year of my MA in Creative Writing;
  • I’ve reviewed more books this year than last;
  • I’ve made useful connections with book publishers and promoters;
  • I made some progress, medically, getting my MI and autism diagnoses and decent medication;
  • I survived moving house!

I’s a short list, but it’s progress.

January Review Schedule

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

One review a week this month, because I start back at university soon. There will of course, be the bonus reviews when I get a chance, but these are the scheduled reviews, and blog tours. Enjoy!

  • 7th
    • Misfortune of Vision
      Christy Nicholas
  • 10th
    • The Wolves of Winter
      Tyrell Johnson
    • Blog tour
  • 17th
    • Choose to rise
      MN Mekaelian
  • 30th
    • Veronica’s Bird
      Veronica Bird
    • Blog tour

 

End of year grousing about mental illness and autism assessments

I don’t often post personal updates these day; the blog has evolved over the last year. Of the last twenty posts, sixteen have been reviews, or blog tour related. The other four have been about my novels. I feel like I need to write a personal post today though.

Continue reading “End of year grousing about mental illness and autism assessments”

Bonus Review #5: ‘Shadow Man’, by, Alan Drew

9781786493316

Published by: Corvus

Publication Date: 4th January 2018

ISBN: 9781786493316

Format: Paperback

Price: £12.99

Blurb

Southern California, 1986. Detective Ben Wade has returned to his hometown in search of a quieter life and to try to save his marriage. Suddenly the community, with its peaceful streets and neighbourly concerns, finds itself at the mercy of a serial killer who slips through windows and screen doors at night, shattering illusions of safety.

As Ben and forensic specialist Natasha Betencourt struggle to stay one step ahead of the killer – and deal with painful episodes in the past – Ben’s own world is rocked again by violence. He must decide how far he is willing to go, and Natasha how much she is willing to risk, to rescue the town from a psychotic murderer and a long-buried secret.

With eerie, chilling prose, Alan Drew brings us into the treacherous underbelly of a suburban California town in this brilliant novel of suspense; the story of a man, and a community, confronted with the heart of human darkness.

Continue reading “Bonus Review #5: ‘Shadow Man’, by, Alan Drew”

No Review This Week

I had planned to review Pangaea: The End of Days, Revelations, by, Bolivar Beato tomorrow. Unfortunately, I started reading the book and realised it wasn’t for me. Since I try to be fair I won’t review a book that I realise doesn’t fit with my tastes. It wouldn’t be fair to give a bad review because I’ve realised it’s not aimed at my demographic and it doesn’t meet my preconceived ideas and expectations (there’s a person who reviewed one of my novels that could do to learn that lesson).

I’m also feeling more than a bit rough, I came down with a cold a few weeks ago and I still can’t get rid of it.