Happy Thursday everyone! Today, I'm sharing two ARC mini reviews - Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked #1) by Kerri Mansicalco (available October 27, 2020) and The Tower of Fools (Hussite Trilogy #1) by Andrzej Sapokowski (available October 27, 2020). I received them from NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews. Read on to see my thoughts:
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Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked #1) by Kerri Maniscalco was one of my most highly anticipated releases of this month. I absolutely adored her Stalking Jack the Ripper series, so my expectations were pretty sky high for her newest series opener. Luckily for me, it mostly pulled it off. The atmosphere of this book is off the charts and I also particularly enjoyed the world-building of the story's 19th century Italy and Sicily setting. The magic system and fantasy elements are quite unique. As for the new cast, I particularly appreciated the reluctant partners in crime dynamic. My only real issue with the novel as a whole is the pacing. It takes a bit of time to get going and it also seems to come to a close way to quickly. In the end, though, I can't wait to see where this series is going to go. There's so much potential for this to become a new favorite. If you've enjoyed Mansicalco's previous releases, I think you're going to need her newest novel in your life.My review is also on Goodreads.
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The Tower of Fools (Hussite Trilogy #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski is an historical fantasy novel that was original published back in 2002 and has just now been translated into English by David French. I've read some of the Witcher books and stories as well as the Netflix adaptation which I've enjoyed so I had high hopes for this new to me series opener. There's quite a bit to like here, but it never quite worked for me. I liked the combination of historical fiction elements and fantasy, but I just felt out of loop part of the time. Perhaps I just need to know more about Polish history? Also the misogyny and racism is a deal breaker for me as well. I don't think I'll be back for the rest of the series.
My review is also on Goodeads.
Have you read any of these novels or are you looking forward to either of them? As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!
I've been interested to read Kerri Maniscalco's Stalking Jack the Reaper but I never really got around to actually reading them. I'll probably do that soon then keep my eyes out for how this new series will go but from the looks of it, it had a pretty good start.
ReplyDeleteI loved that whole series. This looks like its going to be a great new series.
DeleteOh I'm glad you enjoyed Kingdom of the Wicked! I'm excited to read that one.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it, Molly!
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