eyes.2c Reviews

Falconbrow  (The Painted Blade #1) by Peter Eliott         ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hell’s Labyrinth was once an artistic city state now it’s a ruined wasteland run by criminal overlords. A fourteen year old girl, Terza Jaidenson’s very existence is challenged by the world around her. Daughter of the Foreman, a soldier, Terza has been trained in fighting.  Her interest is in art. Both figure in her journey towards fulfilment. This is Terza’s story. Of how she “ turned into the notorious Contract Blade, Terza Falconbrow, one of the most imposing figures to ever work the criminal byways of Hell’s Labyrinth.” Dark and dangerous, yet empathetic. An absorbing read. A Victory ARC via NetGalley.                                               Many thanks to the author and publisher. Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change.

Book of Queens :  The True Story of the Middle Eastern Horsewomen Who Fought the War on Terror   by Pardis Mahdavi       ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you love horses and enjoy strong women with soul this is the book for you. An historical look at the Caspian horses of the Middle East, and the freedom fighters, the warrior women who bred, trained and ensured their survival.  Paradise Mahdavi explores her family history for the truth about these horses and the women who dealt with them. Her journey takes her across the Middle East, to the United States, and to England. We’re taken from Afghanistan to Virginia and back. From Mahdavi’s Iranian grandmother to the now. A big part of the story is the search for the studbook of the Caspian Horses. Important for the provenance and history of bloodline. Along the way we discover the women fighters who take on the Taliban, ISIS and warlords of the northern regions. A tribute to the forgotten history of the women of Persia, of Iran,...

A Highland Wrath (Mercenary Maidens #3) by Madeline Martin  I do love warrior women stories and this one, part of Martin's Mercenary Maidens series is no exception. Having trained as an assassin now is the time for Sylvi to find those who murdered her family. On the trail things don't go quite as planned. When Sylvi's blade misses its mark, her target Ian Campbell more than amply repays the mistake, even if it does take a long time for that trust to cement. Sylvi's fellow trainees are every bit as lethal, all in different ways. I veered between putting this into the Highland historical fiction category or straight up  fantasy. Either call, I loved this novel. We have lovely assassins, betrayers, rapid villains and an agonized hero. An excellent finish to the series. A NetGalley ARC *****

Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor #2) by Mark Lawrence I hung in every word, I was caged with the children sold by their parents, ran the path with Nona, sweated with Abbess Glass as the inquisitors took her for trial, and waited with baited breath as actions and plans came into being, at a cost and with little hope of survival. Nona as the scapegoat, is pursued by assassins and is the target of a vengeful wealthy family. Lawrence maintains the intensity and the raw untrammeled moments of terror brilliantly. A NetGalley ARC *****