A story about the faerie world written by Holly Black. I knew that I would have liked this so I went into this expecting great things but came out reaA story about the faerie world written by Holly Black. I knew that I would have liked this so I went into this expecting great things but came out really disappointed.
Hazel and Ben live in a town alongside the faerie folk. Ever since they were kids, they have been visiting a boy asleep in a glass coffin. As far as anyone knows that boy has been asleep in that coffin for a very long time. Then one day, the boy in the glass coffin wakes up and everything goes awry.
The blurb sounded fascinating and the story itself was quite interesting and the characters were quite different too not to mention that I had read and heard great things about this gripping and very dark tale of the Faerie world and in the beginning I had really liked it but it quickly took a completely wrong turn in the forest and instead of a dangerous, delicious and amazing things all I got was disappointment after disappointment. I still kept on reading this thinking that it will get better and that maybe we were working towards a great finale but it just didn't work. All those promises and they fell short for me.
Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold is a collection of ten short stories or I should say re-tellings of ten short stories. I love short story collections Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold is a collection of ten short stories or I should say re-tellings of ten short stories. I love short story collections and I love the re-telling versions even better. These are all written by female authors so obviously, I was doubly excited. The original stories are mentioned at the back which was great because I was not familiar with a few of these stories. After reading the collection, I have to say that I was disappointed a lot. I have reviewed each story separately.
1. A Retelling by Daisy Johnson - 1 star Based on - The Green Children of Woolpit
Inherent in retelling is - at first - destruction.
Daisy Johnson starts off this story by telling us that she is asked to do a retelling of The Green Children of Woolpit and then she starts to see this woman who maybe resembles the girl from that original story only now a grownup. This story works like magical realism. I honestly did not like the story or the narration style of it nor do I understand the point of it.
2. Sour Hall by Naomi Booth - 2.5 stars Based on - Ay, We're Flittin'
TW/CW - Miscarriage
Ashleigh and George move to George's parents' farm, Sour hall farm after she inherits the farm. They start working on renovating and also how to make a profit from selling cheese and milk and the likes. It is rumored that the farm is haunted by The Boggart. Ashleigh starts to see some strange things that are somehow related to her past.
This was slow but creepy. I did not particularly like the story but I did like how it connected to Ashleigh's past. This was not bad.
3. Rosheen by Irenosen Okojie - 2.5 stars Based on - The Dauntless Girl
She herself a stranger in the land before she had dreamt of the wide flat skies and horizons, the sprawling dappled green landscape, windmills dotted along the Broads' periphery spinning like moored gods.
Rosheen was born to a Trinidadian father and an Irish mother in Ireland's small County, Kerry. She'd never met her father and when she was all grown up, she leaves the town she grew up in to move to the big city and finds work on a secluded farm where the owner doesn't pay her much and got her to work tirelessly. When she demands her share of the money, she experiences something stranger, stranger than fiction as they say.
This was an eerie story with just enough creepiness. I was on an edge throughout because of the way it was told but the twist wasn't as great as it was built out to be.
4. Between Sea and Sky by Kirsty Logan - 3 stars Based on - The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry
Sometimes the thing we think we're the most sure about actually turns out to be our biggest mistake.
Skye is a single mother working in a small town in Scotland as an archeologist. She is the talk of the town as no one knows who the father of her baby is and she keeps it a secret as well. When the baby's father comes to get the baby exactly six months after the baby, Muir was born, Skye can't stop him. After that the baby, Muir starts to spend six months with his mother and six months with his father until one day, he decides that he wants to spend all his time with his mother.
I really liked the story in this one. By far, this was my favorite story but it had a slow start. I did like the twist and that ending made me so so sad.
5. The Panther's Tale by Mahsuda Snaith - 4 stars Based on - Chillington House
' It is not where I have been that matters,' she says. 'It is where I am going.'
John Giffard collects exotic animals and brings them to his house in Chillington Hall. When he captures a panther that reminds people of the devil himself, things turn out to be even more magical than they could have imagined.
This was the best of the bunch. My favorite story, not only in the way it was told but also because the twist was pretty good. The only complaint is that the ending could have been better.
6. The Tale of Kathleen by Eimear McBride - 0 stars Based on - The Tale of Kathleen
Kathleen loved a young man and he was lost at sea. When Kathleen is given a chance to see the young man once again by a mysterious figure, Kathleen agrees to all the terms, after all, she'd be able to see her love once again. But there's a catch.
I don't know why so many people liked this story but I did not. The main reason is that - this re-telling isn't a re-telling at all, it is a word-to-word story copied from the original tale, even the title is the same. The only thing different is the way the writer added weird details such as, 'we don't know whether her hair was black or ebony, we'll never know.' I was promised a re-telling or at least something different, not the same story.
7. The Sisters by Liv Little - 1.5 stars Based on - The Brothers
Grace and Maya are twins but they are completely different from each other except for the way they look. But as they grow up, turns out that they aren't as different as they once thought.
I did not like the story or the characters or anything else about it. It is also heavy on infidelity which I am not a great fan of. However, the writing was not bad.
8. The Dampness is Spreading by Emma Glass - 1 star Based on - The Fairy Midwife
TW/CW - Child Birth, Miscarriage
Eira is a midwife and she comes across a pregnant young woman. Eira thinks that she knows the young woman and she helps deliver the baby only to find out that things aren't as they seem.
This was not an easy story to read. I wish this came with trigger warnings. Horror is one thing but this was on another level. Also, after reading the original, I have to say that the original was way way way better.
9. The Droll of the Mermaid: Natasha Carthew - 4 stars Based on - The Mermaid and the Man of Cury
Lowan has a family secret, the one that comes with a great cost. When it's time for Lowan to pay the cost, he comes up with something completely unexpected and things turn around for him.
I see a lot of people not liking this story mainly because of the grammatical errors. So, the copy I have did not have any of those issues, the grammar was spot on so maybe that's why I enjoyed it more. I also liked the story and the message that it sends. After reading the original story, I'll say that this is more like an extended version down a few generations rather than a full-on re-telling but it works here, at least for me. I liked it a lot.
10. The Holloway by Imogen Hermes Gowar - 4 stars Based on - Old Farmer Mole
TW/CW - Domestic violence/abuse, Manipulation
Evie witnesses domestic violence caused by her father toward her mother. Her brother, Luke tells her a story of Pixies who live in their garden and beyond. Evie doesn't believe him until her wish comes true.
This works in a magical realism way too. Was it magic or was it a coincidence or was it real? A simple story rooted in domestic violence/abuse and how it affects people around it. I quite liked the ending.
As I have said that some of these were good but the majority didn't work for me. And these should come with trigger warnings.
Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold is a collection of ten short stories or I should say re-tellings of ten short stories. I love short story collections Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold is a collection of ten short stories or I should say re-tellings of ten short stories. I love short story collections and I love the re-telling versions even better. These are all written by female authors so obviously, I was doubly excited. The original stories are mentioned at the back which was great because I was not familiar with a few of these stories. After reading the collection, I have to say that I was disappointed a lot. I have reviewed each story separately.
1. A Retelling by Daisy Johnson - 1 star Based on - The Green Children of Woolpit
Inherent in retelling is - at first - destruction.
Daisy Johnson starts off this story by telling us that she is asked to do a retelling of The Green Children of Woolpit and then she starts to see this woman who maybe resembles the girl from that original story only now a grownup. This story works like magical realism. I honestly did not like the story or the narration style of it nor do I understand the point of it.
2. Sour Hall by Naomi Booth - 2.5 stars Based on - Ay, We're Flittin'
TW/CW - Miscarriage
Ashleigh and George move to George's parents' farm, Sour hall farm after she inherits the farm. They start working on renovating and also how to make a profit from selling cheese and milk and the likes. It is rumored that the farm is haunted by The Boggart. Ashleigh starts to see some strange things that are somehow related to her past.
This was slow but creepy. I did not particularly like the story but I did like how it connected to Ashleigh's past. This was not bad.
3. Rosheen by Irenosen Okojie - 2.5 stars Based on - The Dauntless Girl
She herself a stranger in the land before she had dreamt of the wide flat skies and horizons, the sprawling dappled green landscape, windmills dotted along the Broads' periphery spinning like moored gods.
Rosheen was born to a Trinidadian father and an Irish mother in Ireland's small County, Kerry. She'd never met her father and when she was all grown up, she leaves the town she grew up in to move to the big city and finds work on a secluded farm where the owner doesn't pay her much and got her to work tirelessly. When she demands her share of the money, she experiences something stranger, stranger than fiction as they say.
This was an eerie story with just enough creepiness. I was on an edge throughout because of the way it was told but the twist wasn't as great as it was built out to be.
4. Between Sea and Sky by Kirsty Logan - 3 stars Based on - The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry
Sometimes the thing we think we're the most sure about actually turns out to be our biggest mistake.
Skye is a single mother working in a small town in Scotland as an archeologist. She is the talk of the town as no one knows who the father of her baby is and she keeps it a secret as well. When the baby's father comes to get the baby exactly six months after the baby, Muir was born, Skye can't stop him. After that the baby, Muir starts to spend six months with his mother and six months with his father until one day, he decides that he wants to spend all his time with his mother.
I really liked the story in this one. By far, this was my favorite story but it had a slow start. I did like the twist and that ending made me so so sad.
5. The Panther's Tale by Mahsuda Snaith - 4 stars Based on - Chillington House
' It is not where I have been that matters,' she says. 'It is where I am going.'
John Giffard collects exotic animals and brings them to his house in Chillington Hall. When he captures a panther that reminds people of the devil himself, things turn out to be even more magical than they could have imagined.
This was the best of the bunch. My favorite story, not only in the way it was told but also because the twist was pretty good. The only complaint is that the ending could have been better.
6. The Tale of Kathleen by Eimear McBride - 0 stars Based on - The Tale of Kathleen
Kathleen loved a young man and he was lost at sea. When Kathleen is given a chance to see the young man once again by a mysterious figure, Kathleen agrees to all the terms, after all, she'd be able to see her love once again. But there's a catch.
I don't know why so many people liked this story but I did not. The main reason is that - this re-telling isn't a re-telling at all, it is a word-to-word story copied from the original tale, even the title is the same. The only thing different is the way the writer added weird details such as, 'we don't know whether her hair was black or ebony, we'll never know.' I was promised a re-telling or at least something different, not the same story.
7. The Sisters by Liv Little - 1.5 stars Based on - The Brothers
Grace and Maya are twins but they are completely different from each other except for the way they look. But as they grow up, turns out that they aren't as different as they once thought.
I did not like the story or the characters or anything else about it. It is also heavy on infidelity which I am not a great fan of. However, the writing was not bad.
8. The Dampness is Spreading by Emma Glass - 1 star Based on - The Fairy Midwife
TW/CW - Child Birth, Miscarriage
Eira is a midwife and she comes across a pregnant young woman. Eira thinks that she knows the young woman and she helps deliver the baby only to find out that things aren't as they seem.
This was not an easy story to read. I wish this came with trigger warnings. Horror is one thing but this was on another level. Also, after reading the original, I have to say that the original was way way way better.
9. The Droll of the Mermaid: Natasha Carthew - 4 stars Based on - The Mermaid and the Man of Cury
Lowan has a family secret, the one that comes with a great cost. When it's time for Lowan to pay the cost, he comes up with something completely unexpected and things turn around for him.
I see a lot of people not liking this story mainly because of the grammatical errors. So, the copy I have did not have any of those issues, the grammar was spot on so maybe that's why I enjoyed it more. I also liked the story and the message that it sends. After reading the original story, I'll say that this is more like an extended version down a few generations rather than a full-on re-telling but it works here, at least for me. I liked it a lot.
10. The Holloway by Imogen Hermes Gowar - 4 stars Based on - Old Farmer Mole
TW/CW - Domestic violence/abuse, Manipulation
Evie witnesses domestic violence caused by her father toward her mother. Her brother, Luke tells her a story of Pixies who live in their garden and beyond. Evie doesn't believe him until her wish comes true.
This works in a magical realism way too. Was it magic or was it a coincidence or was it real? A simple story rooted in domestic violence/abuse and how it affects people around it. I quite liked the ending.
As I have said that some of these were good but the majority didn't work for me. And these should come with trigger warnings.
And in time, at last, with the innocent curiosity of a wild thing which knows itself rare and precious in the world, the creature appeared.
A stag withAnd in time, at last, with the innocent curiosity of a wild thing which knows itself rare and precious in the world, the creature appeared.
A stag with gold rings on its antlers blesses the couple's unions in the woods. No one knows where the stag got the gold rings from but George-the-Wolf heard that the stag is made of living gold and he plans to get its blessings to wed Red Elsie but Red Elsie wants nothing to do with George-the-Wolf. George-the-Wolf thinks that once he gets the stag's blessings, Red Elsie wouldn't have any other choice but to marry him. Would he be able to find the stag?
It was enchanting initially, but it ended abruptly. I know it is a short story but even by short story standards, this felt even shorter. I did like the dark fairy tale elements. I just wish the ending made a bit more sense.
When you begin to realize the true weight of your actions, you will awaken to become the person this world needs you to be.
Emily, Navin, their mother aWhen you begin to realize the true weight of your actions, you will awaken to become the person this world needs you to be.
Emily, Navin, their mother and other friends all make it to the lost city of Cielis. They are keen on asking help from the council but strange things are afoot. Not everything is what it seems to be.
Emily has to go through the trials to be on the council and Leon finds a mysterious stranger helping them. Miskit also finds someone who becomes an ally.
I have been enjoying this series a lot. Some things are quite predicable but still it is quite interesting, mysterious, somewhat dark, completely action-packed and the art is amazing. I am loving where the story is going.
Goddess Artemis is back in present day Athens looking for the other gods. She is accompanied by her pack of dogs. WhilsIn Athens, stray dogs run free.
Goddess Artemis is back in present day Athens looking for the other gods. She is accompanied by her pack of dogs. Whilst she's looking, searching, her dogs are hungry and they haven't had a hunt for a while so they hunt or eat whatever they can.
“The pack needs a purpose, Goddess. We aren’t neutered terriers content to steal meat skewers from the market. We need to take down game. We need to shred.”
This was a bland yet dark story. Things made a bit more sense towards the end but I was confused for the most part. Writing and the characters had no depth.
The Rebel Army is the final issue in the series. At the end of the Night of Knives, Rowan escaped to White London and now heNothing but ash and blood.
The Rebel Army is the final issue in the series. At the end of the Night of Knives, Rowan escaped to White London and now he has gathered the rebel army. Back in Verose, Maxim is training the soldiers and they get a message saying that the rebel army draws near.
The rebel army is burning all the ports on its way to Verose. Maxim is trying to gather allies and also he is trying to understand how the rebel army has become so powerful. He learns that Rowan is still alive.
The future is built one stone at a time.
Maxim sends a word to his father that the rebel army is approaching. Maxim is staying in Verose to fight against the rebel army and he's gathered some allies with his speech. The rebel army arrives in Verose and the fight starts.
A weapon is only as strong as its wielder.
Maxim follows a plan he came up with along with his allies/soldiers and he faces Rowan all by himself. Rowan does something completely unexpected. Maxim wins the fight and he heads back to London as ordered back by his father, King Nakil Maresh.
I know it's a short read but everything happened way too fast in this final issue. I liked some things about this whilst not others like why did Rowan just kill himself? It made no sense. He was quite powerful and he could have gone over to a different London for sure. Anyway!
This was a mess in terms of art. I liked the art better in the Night of Knives but this felt like a completely different style. Also, I have an ebook of this and the print was so hard to read. I just wish that the writers would consider people with ebooks because this isn't the first graphic novel where the print is quite hard to read. Action sequences are very haphazard. I had to re-read some of the parts and match the artwork with it and it was confusing to say the least.
The story was also quite messy. I had high hopes after liking the Night of Knives but this fell short on my expectations. As for magic in this entire series, nothing has yet been explained and I'd really like to know something, anything really. That ending has left me curious though.
This starts off right where The Steel Prince finished. Prince Maxim is staying in Verose even after the pirYou cannot be their better and their equal.
This starts off right where The Steel Prince finished. Prince Maxim is staying in Verose even after the pirate queen is dead. He wants to change things around here and wants the soldiers to train properly but the soldiers don't respect him and they think that he is a danger for them here in Verose. There's also someone who's been killing the soldiers and Maxim finds out who it is. And to win the soldiers' respect, he gets a suggestion and it is called Night of Knives.
Anyone can be born a prince. But no one is born a leader.
Maxim decides to enter the Night of Knives which is made of four trials. Each trial is designed to challenge a different kind of strength. Isra warns him to not enter because she entered and quit in the second trial and no one has ever gotten to the fourth door. Maxim still enters.
Magic may be infinite. But spells are made by men.
Maxim's night of knives trials start. Maxim makes it through the first but barely. Then he manages to make it through the second and the third. Maxim decides to quit before the fourth trial starts as he promised Isra that he'd quit after the third but then things take a turn.
Fear is no excuse for tyranny.
Maxim gets sucked into the fourth door and he finds an Antari magician inside who designed the trials disguised as one of the soldiers. Isra and two other loyal soldiers help Maxim and he comes out on the other side of the fourth trial successful in winning the soldiers' respect. That end was surprising.
There's always a line between truth and legend.
The story continues from The Steel Prince and I like where it is heading. Art was definitely an improvement but may be because there weren't that many action sequences. As an ebook, I still had a lot of difficulty with reading the print on this. I still don't know how the magic works and there are some unanswered questions but the story is getting mysterious and I liked this way better than I expected myself to. I loved the trials of the night of knives, I only wish it was longer and things were again explained. Throughout this series, my major issue is the writer not explaining the magic or anything really. So, why I enjoyed this? I think in this instance, my love for fantasy prevails.
In the beginning there were four worlds but then three worlds were destroyed and only one world was left intact. Maxim Maresh is the Prince of one LonIn the beginning there were four worlds but then three worlds were destroyed and only one world was left intact. Maxim Maresh is the Prince of one London that's left and he wants to prove himself to his father, King Nakil Maresh. When the King sends Maxim away to a port city, Verose, Maxim learns how differently things work here. Maxim isn't exactly welcome here.
The Marsh may rule in the capital, but when the iron grip docks in Verose, Arisa Rasora is Queen.
Maxim then learns of the pirate queen and her ship and her affect on people here in Verose. He also learns how the pirate queen doesn't leave any survivors until she leaves one. Maxim finds the survivor who happens to be Isra, pirate queen's niece and things start to become interesting.
A game is worth playing if you stand a chance at winning.
The pirate queen holds a tournament for someone to earn a place among her crew on the ship. Maxim and Isra both join the tournament and they have different opponents to fight. The winner gets to challenge the pirate queen herself.
After Isra wins the tournament, she challenges the pirate queen but the pirate queen says that the fight would happen tomorrow. Maxim knows it's a trap and they come up with a plan to stop the pirate queen.
An intriguing story but throughout all this, not even once it was explained how the magic works and this was my biggest gripe. A lot of interesting things happen but as a reader I found that things were just thrown at me without any explanation. It was like I had to keep up with this world which I know nothing about because I haven't read Shades of Magic series and this being a prequel, I feel that the writer should have explained how the world works. Secondly, the art work was just messy. I found it to be too busy and all over the place. This was even worse in action-sequences as I didn't know what was happening. All the fighting scenes were really confusing. Having said all this, I really liked the story even without the magic system making any sense.
The rebel army arrives in Verose and the fight starts. Maxim follows a plan he came up with along with his aA weapon is only as strong as its wielder.
The rebel army arrives in Verose and the fight starts. Maxim follows a plan he came up with along with his allies/soldiers and he faces Rowan all by himself. Rowan does something completely unexpected. Maxim wins the fight and he heads back to London as ordered back by his father, King Nakil Maresh.
I know it's a short read but everything happened way too fast in this final story before the actual series of Shades of Magic. I liked some things about this whilst not others like why did Rowan just kill himself? It made no sense. He was quite powerful and he could have gone over to a different London for sure. Anyway!
Artwork was not bad and I could actually read the print in my ebook in this part so that was good. I have never really wanted to read the Shades of Magic series before but now I'd like to read it and mainly for two reasons - first, that ending has left me curious and second, I still don't know how the magic works in this series. So just to get some answers may be I will pick it up someday. May be.
Maxim sent a word to his father that the rebel army is approaching. Maxim is staying in Verose to fight againsThe future is built one stone at a time.
Maxim sent a word to his father that the rebel army is approaching. Maxim is staying in Verose to fight against the rebel army and he's gathered some allies with his speech. The rebel army arrives in Verose.
I am quite liking the story but the artwork is not as good. Action sequences are very haphazard. I had to re-read some of the parts and match the artwork with it and it was confusing to say the least. I still don't know how the magic works though.
The rebel army is burning all the ports on its way to Verose. Maxim is trying to gather allies and also he is trying to undeNothing but ash and blood.
The rebel army is burning all the ports on its way to Verose. Maxim is trying to gather allies and also he is trying to understand how the rebel army has become so powerful. He learns that Rowan is still alive.
I like where the story is going but the art style isn't great. As for magic in this entire series, nothing has yet been explained and I'd really like to know something, anything really. Again for this part, on my ebook it is so very hard to read. I just wish that the writers would consider people with ebooks because this isn't the first graphic novel where the print is quite hard to read.
At the end of the Night of Knives, Rowan escaped to White London and now he has gathered the rebel army. Back in Verose, Maxim is training the soldierAt the end of the Night of Knives, Rowan escaped to White London and now he has gathered the rebel army. Back in Verose, Maxim is training the soldiers and they get a message saying that the rebel army draws near.
This was a mess in terms of art. I liked the art much better in the Night of Knives but this felt like a completely different style. Also, I have an ebook of this and the print was so hard to read. The story was also quite messy. I had high hopes after liking the Night of Knives but this first issue fell short on my expectations.
Red's brother is stolen by the fairies and she wants to get him back. So she goes to the fairy realm but things arenWe are back in the Elvesden manor.
Red's brother is stolen by the fairies and she wants to get him back. So she goes to the fairy realm but things aren't easy as she can't just get him back. She is tasked with retrieving the thirteen treasures and in her search for the treasures, she comes across Tanya and Fabian. Together they start to look for the treasures and shocking secrets are revealed one after the other.
This book was even more darker than the first in the series and Red was a great addition as I quite liked her. Tanya and Fabian were their usual adventurous selves. The story was quite interesting and it took more unusual turns than I could have predicted. That ending kinda broke my heart. I mean after all this, Red still didn't exactly get what she wanted. A good sequel that didn't slow down even once.
Maxim decides to walk away from the fourth trial but he gets sucked into Fear is no excuse for tyranny.
There's always a line between truth and legend.
Maxim decides to walk away from the fourth trial but he gets sucked into it and finds an Antari magician inside who designed the trials disguised as one of the soldiers. Isra and two other loyal soldiers help Maxim and he comes out on the other side of the fourth trial successful in winning the soldiers' respect. That end was surprising.
Night of knives comes to an end. There's still a few questions unanswered but I still enjoyed the story a lot. Art was also better in this series.
‘I am Judge Dee,’ he said. ‘Do you dare question me?’
Sherlock Holmes and Watson are back, I mean Judge Dee and Jonathan are back.
Judge Dee is a v‘I am Judge Dee,’ he said. ‘Do you dare question me?’
Sherlock Holmes and Watson are back, I mean Judge Dee and Jonathan are back.
Judge Dee is a vampire and goes from place to place to deliver justice. He is accompanied by a human, Jonathan. They have been summoned to investigate the death of the vampire Count Werdenfels. When they reach the castle, three different people/vampires are claiming to have killed the Count.
Judge Dee and Jonathan do what they do best which is for Judge Dee to examine and investigate and Jonathan to feed himself every chance he gets.
The view would be considered breathtaking; but as Jonathan liked to say, you couldn’t eat the view.
I quite enjoyed the story and I already love Judge Dee's style and I love Jonathan's grumpiness and his odd observations. He almost smiled then, and not for the first time Jonathan thought what an odd being the judge was.
But I do have to say that in this I had already guessed the twist unlike in Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law. I am wondering Jonathan's place in this too like other reviewers. I did like this a tiny bit less than the previous but of course, I am eagerly awaiting to continue reading about Judge Dee and Jonathan's travels and adventures.
The Lives of Saints is a collection of short stories of the saints in the Grisha world. Each story is only a couple pages long but it kept me hooked. The Lives of Saints is a collection of short stories of the saints in the Grisha world. Each story is only a couple pages long but it kept me hooked. Some stories were really good whilst others were a bit meh but overall, this was a nice collection. Even though this book doesn't really add anything to the Grisha world, it was still fun to read.
I have said this before and I will say it again that Leigh Bardugo writes amazing dark and twisted stories full of violence and bloodshed and I don't know how she does it. And to top it off, the illustrations are beautiful and the details are breathtaking.
**spoiler alert** Ritter finds himself along with Freki in the middle of yet another murder investigation. This time the murder happened at an institu**spoiler alert** Ritter finds himself along with Freki in the middle of yet another murder investigation. This time the murder happened at an institute where people with foresight are trained.
Ritter finds out that the clairvoyants have been stealing ideas for invention from the future and enjoying those things in their present. He also finds out that because of all the time travel and time manipulation, more and more possibilities and apparitions are occurring. Ritter wants the institute to close down but Sir Toby denies this request as he insists that they need the clairvoyants for the war against The Mongolian Wizard. What would transpire from all the apparitions and this denied request?
All these stories are quite different from each other but they always involve an investigation of some sort. And these stories in their own way are progressing towards The Mongolian Wizard. The journey isn't wasted I'd say. I can't wait to read the next story and see where the writer takes us.
**spoiler alert** Ritter is accompanied by Freki and Ritter is undercover when they arrive in Krakow. They are trying to gather information against Th**spoiler alert** Ritter is accompanied by Freki and Ritter is undercover when they arrive in Krakow. They are trying to gather information against The Mongolian Wizard as the Wizard continues gaining on Europe.
Ritter is undercover as a blind man but sees through his connection with Freki. He is helped by Katarzyna Skarbek, another undercover agent. She doesn't have magic but she has her ways and I loved her and wish to see her in the upcoming stories.
As the stories are progressing, they are getting darker and darker and this was pretty dark and horrifying as we learn some things about The Mangolain Wizard. Freki and Sir Toby were barely there but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
**spoiler alert** Sir Toby and Ritter along with Freki are back to solve yet another mystery. The threat of the war is closer than ever and the Salama**spoiler alert** Sir Toby and Ritter along with Freki are back to solve yet another mystery. The threat of the war is closer than ever and the Salamander has been captured.
Ritter receives a coded message from Sir Toby to investigate a murder that happened in a locked room. Ritter accompanied with Lady Angélique, a surgeon, arrives at the house to investigate. They find out that the murder was an act of passion. Ritter with Freki's connection finds out something else too. Sir Toby makes a brief appearance.
It was a nice addition to this world and I enjoyed this story too. More mysterious, more mysteries and nice addition of characters along with an amazing combination of sci-fi and fantasy. I can't get enough of these stories.