Tag Archive | Lady

The Magician of Hoad… a book review

Sometimes a book grabs you and just won’t let go. The Magician of Hoad by Margaret Mahy is one of those books. Full of magic and mystery, intrigue and politics, love and hate, secrets and imagery. I cannot remember where or how I came across the name Margaret Mahy but I am so glad I did.

The Magician of Hoad follows the paths of four youths as their lives come together and change their world. The magician, the prince, the noble girl and the hero. Destined to walk paths that are at once solitary and yet dependent on the actions and reactions of the others. I cannot even say if I truly understood and grasped the nuances of this story but I loved every confusing and exciting moment of it.

Margaret Mahy has an amazing gift of storytelling. Her world draws you in and her characters absolutely keep you enthralled. This is definitely no younger than a young adult book, BUT I found nothing lacking reading it as an adult as well. There is some violence (after all the book begins at a time of war) and a discussion of love and relationships, as well as a statement of action (though no details and in a romantic sense).

You can follow Heriot Tarbas as he finds out what it truly means to be a Magician of Hoad while learning of the balance between the King and the Hero. I honestly cannot explain more than to say, your time will not be wasted! I am already on the hunt for more by this most amazing author!cvr9781416978084_9781416978084_lg

This entry was posted on 23/12/2015, in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

Unlocked, A Book Review

This novella is a bit out of my comfort zone. It is NOT based in the height of Regency time… AND it has a definite sex scene (though only one). But even with those personal drawbacks I found this a good afternoon read. The sex scene was handled well though with more details than I personally enjoy or WANT to read. 

Unlocked is written by Courtney Milan. I would say there are two main characters really – the Earl of Westfeld (Evan Carlton) recently back from mountaineering and the Lady Edith a wallflower. This story is based on their shared history which is further exasperated by the Earl’s cousin the Lady Diana. Apparently in their youth Evan spent his time making Lady Edith’s life horrible through nasty words and actions aided by Diana. Now returned he wishes to right that wrong and make Lady Edith aware of his personal truth –  that he has actually been in love with her all along. 

What redeemed this story for me was the length of the conflict and resolution… Edith does not just BELIEVE Evan that he was a changed man and Diana herself is not instantly a nicer person. Add to the story a VERY intelligent mother (Edith’s) in a time when women were NOT to be so openly learned and it really was an enjoyable afternoon read. My biggest beef was the lack of time spent on the growth of the friendship. 

At 99 cents on Amazon (Kindle app) it is worth a read, or a borrow! But if you do NOT like sexual scenes give this one a miss, or as soon as you come upon that portion skip it on by. BUT if you were ever teased and taunted in your life… the wonder of healing from that is brilliant in this first novel. I myself have put my copy up to be borrowed on booklending.com.

Unlocked