Assassin's Creed: Heresy by Christie Golden - A Review

Today we talk about another book that belongs to my favorite Assassin's Creed Series. This one is called Heresy and it's written by Christie Golden. 

Heresy is set in the universe of Assassin's Creed and through it we relive the memories of  high-ranking Templar Simon Hathaway's ancestor who fought beside Joan of Arc. He  slowly uncovers secrets of the past that could dangerously impact his present  and that of the entire Templar order. An endless conflict. An old wrong. A new revelation.

Simon Hathaway, member of the Templar Inner Sanctum, brings a cool head and detached manner to his new role as Head of Abstergo Industry's Historical Research Division. But Simon also has an insatiable curiosity, and is fascinated by the thought of experiencing history first-hand through his ancestor Gabriel Laxart, who fought alongside the legendary Joan of Arc.

When he enters the newly-designed Animus for its initial project, Simon finds himself unprepared for what he discovers: how deep the conflict between the Templars and the Assassins goes, and what his ancestor is willing to do for the woman he loves. And as he slowly uncovers secrets of the past, Simon is confronted with the most dangerous truth of all:

Who is the heretic and who is the true believer?

I really enjoyed reading Heresy and from all the books that I have read in this universe this is a little bit different from the normal Assassin's Creed style. It is written in a different style and it combines the present day London and Abstergo with the past (when Joan of Arc lived). 

The world building was good and it shows the medieval/renaissance world with authenticity and does set the scene really well. In terms of characters I liked the modern and historical characters. I really liked all the modern characters and found they really had a story of their own. The plot was well paced and had a lot of action. Lots of battle scenes as you would expect but also some good character development. There was also some surprises and shocks. 

It may sound weird but in this book, I liked more the parts of the book that had to do with the present. Finally I liked the ending which was something I didn't expect.

Have you read this book?

You can buy this book from Book Depository using this link (affiliate link)

Athina

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Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik - A Review

Today we will talk about the book Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, author of Uprooted (Translated in Greek by Sελίνι). 

The book is a very loose retelling of the story of Rumpelstiltskin and you would recognize some elements of it like turning things into gold and the importance of names.  The books of Naomi Novik have this magical and atmospheric thing that you want from a fairy tale.

Well, what can I say about this book...
I really liked it  and that's why I gave it 4 stars at the end. But I had my issues with it. It was very slow paced for me in some places and the multiple POVs (I think I counted six) sometimes confused me. It would be better with less narrators in my opinion.

Despite that it still kept me captivated from the beginning until the end . It is a magical and very atmospheric book. I liked the story and how the author managed to compile so many aspects of it into one which made sense during the book. I liked the characters and in the end I was rooting for the Winter King. I loved the world building and the description of places and scenery was amazing.

Summary from Goodreads:

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders... but her father isn't a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife's dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers' pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed--and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold.

But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it's worth--especially when her fate becomes tangled with the cold creatures that haunt the wood, and whose king has learned of her reputation and wants to exploit it for reasons Miryem cannot understand.

You can buy this book from Book Depository using this link (affiliate link)

Athina

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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - A Review

Today's book review is about a well known classic that I only read recently. I am talking about The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. 

The novel takes place in the 1920s New York and it's a glamorous, ironical and compassionate book. It is the story of Jay Gatsby who came so mysteriously to West Egg, of his sumptuous entertainments, and of his love for Daisy Buchanan – a story that ranges from pure lyrical beauty to sheer brutal realism, and is infused with a sense of the strangeness of human circumstance in a heedless universe.

It is a magical, living book, blended of irony, romance, and mysticism.

It is indeed a very interesting and magical story that describes perfectly the charm and glamour of the 1920s. We see the life of the mysterious Jay Gatsby through the eyes of our narrator Nick. We observe how money can make you look different in the eyes of others and how at the same time when you need them people can abandon you.

It is a sad book but it is also very beautiful. The author writes very beautifully and he creates the perfect atmosphere for the novel. 

I wish I had read it sooner because I really liked it and it among my favorite classics. 

You can buy this book from Book Depository using this link (affiliate link)

Athina

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March 2019 wrap up

March is over and we are in full Spring mode and ready for April and the festivities it brings.

This month I managed to read  6 books and I think it's time to see them one by one.

Goldfieber - Endstation Geldspercher

It is a German reproduction of many Disney stories all around the theme of  gold, treasure and treasure haunting of course. 

I really liked reading some of my favorite stories with Scrooge McDuck  etc. Also because it is in German I could practice my long forgotten German skills. 

From Russia with love (James Bond 007 - Original Series #5) - Ian Fleming

This one was a little different from the previous books because we got to see James Bond after page 130. That of course didn't bother me and didn't affect the way I enjoyed the book. 

It has all the classic tropes that we love to hate in James Bond books and movies.

I am off to see the movie now.

Είναι αρρώστια τα τραγούδια - Μάνος Ελευθερίου 

(Einai arrostia ta tragoudia - Manos Eleftheriou)

This short book contains a collection of essays regarding the case of the Greek song industry. Of course there are also essays about composers, songwriters and singers. 

The essays were well written but this book was not for me. I am not regretting reading it though.

Vengeful (Villains #2) - V. E. Schwab

I finished Vengeful and I found it more fascinating than Vicious. I loved the plot and how everything unraveled through the end.

A will have a more detailed review soon on the blog.

Μιλώντας στην κόρη μου για την οικονομία - Γιάνης Βαρουφάκης
(Talking to my daughter about the economy - Yanis Varoufakis)

It's another book in the series Patakis Books are doing with the general title "Talking to ..." This time the theme was the economy and capitalism mainly. The author is an expert on his field but somehow I didn't enjoy this books as much as I wanted to.

Spinning Silver - Naomi Novik

I really liked this one. It's a very loose retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale and it is very well done. I wish only there were less POVs.

My full review will come soon.






Have you read any of these? If so, what were your thought? I would love to hear!

Athina

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