Book Review: The King’s Wife by Crispina Kemp

The King’s Wife, released in January 2024, is the third book in the Alsaldic Lands Trilogy by Crispina Kemp. My thanks to Crispina for sending me a copy of the book to review.

Summary (from Goodreads)

Trouble Lies In The Hatching Of Deceitful Plans

Bregan knows her destiny is to be more than the King’s Wife, chief brewster of the Alsaldic Lands. But even that prestige position could be lost if the truth of her illegitimate birth were known. A cuckoo-child, she believes herself the daughter of a woodland daen. Yet her father is more formidable than that. He is an Immortal, an Asar.

The appearance of a mysterious black cloud causes widespread chaos and destruction, and weakens the Uissid, the Alsaldic Lands’ real power. When in the aftermath her father arrives, it’s time to ask if Bregan’s destiny is truly hers. Or is it all part of her father’s plan?

A Review in Five Parts

There’s no denying I love Crispina Kemp’s books – I love them, I love them, I love them – and once I start reading them, I find it very hard to stop.

Like the others I’ve read, the story is complex, entertaining, engaging, highly imaginative and beautifully written, and what’s more, I love how new characters mingle with ones we’ve met previously in other books from The Spinner’s Cycle (Note: you don’t have to have read the other books from The Spinner’s Cycle to read this trilogy, The Alsaldic Lands, but I can and always will recommend them!).

Crispina crafts her locations with beautiful descriptions that jump off the page into fully-fledged, vivid scenery which is easy to imagine, planting the reader in amongst the unfolding storylines (see the two quotes I’ve included below, and I think you will agree).

The list of characters is extensive, and each one comes across as authentic and believable. Bregan was my favourite character, with an interesting story and complicated history, but most importantly, she was strong and determined.

The story itself is an intriguing, engaging yarn, unique (I think), in its setting and style, and unpredictable in its unfolding. It is woven of a number of storylines, which deftly come together to create a rich story, set in an ancient landscape, where myths and legends are very real to those who live there. Fast-paced, and filled with drama and action, this is a tale on an epic scale, and not to be missed.

A Feast of Favourites

• Favourite name from the book? Bregan

• Favourite word from the book? Daen

• Favourite character from the book? I have a fondness for owls, so Vissi

• Favourite chapter: Chapter 11, where Elgelden is preparing himself and gathering the things he might need for the Games to become Reksan.

• Favourite quote from the book: I couldn’t choose between these two:

Those rivers flowed full, breaking their banks, and demons lurked everywhere along them. (pg 55)

~ I think I will remember the one above next time the river in our village floods…

Now an utter darkness yawned between each ghost-like flickering stone, broken only when that restless firelight happened upon one of the fire stone-doors of Sauen’s cave. (pg 58)

Would I Recommend this Book?

Yes, definitely, with my whole heart. If you love fantasy inspired by prehistory, which I do, I think you will enjoy this book. But be warned: these stories will pull you in and make you want to read more and more and more, until you’ve read them all.

Rating

5 / 5

Bookish Reflections – April 2024

Reading Goals for April 2024

My monthly reading goal for April was 4 books, which at the time I thought too steep to achieve (yet decided on it anyway), though it did give me something to aim for. I was pleasantly surprised to learn I hit my target. Woohoo. Also, still listening to a lot of podcasts so no audiobooks books were listened to last month at all.

What did I read in April 2024?

1. Compartment No. 6 by Rosa Liksom – 2 /5
2. The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith – 4 / 5
3. The Garment by Catherine Cookson – 4 / 5
4. Render Unto Caesar: A Novel by Gillian Bradshaw – 4 / 5

What did I listen to in April 2024

Nothing.

Currently Reading

1. Death at Devil’s Bridge by Robin Page (slow read)
2. The Return of The King by J.R.R. Tolkien (year-long read-along)
3. Indigo Slam by Robert Crais
4. The King’s Wife by Crispina Kemp

Number of books read in 2024

23 books so far!

What books did I buy in April 2024?

• A Gift of Sanctuary by Candace Robb – I can’t resist an Owen Archer Mystery!

Reading Goals for May 2024?

• I think I’ll keep this the same as last month. I’ll aim for a book a week, even if it feels a little steep at the moment: 4

Book Cover Love #9

Dissolution by C. J. Sansom

There are two things about this book cover that I love. The first is that the image looks like a wall painting. The second, is the calligraphy of the title. Two things which nicely ground this story in both time and place.

I read and reviewed this in August 2016, awarding the full five stars. “The story is rich and flows with ease. The descriptions and historical detail provided by the author are vivid, bringing both the story and the time period to life. Dissolution is a great first book for a series.  It had me hooked from the start…”

You can read the review in full here.

Bookish Reflections – March 2024

Late sharing this, but accountability is everything 💕

Reading Goals for March 2024

I set my monthly reading goal at 5 for March, but when March arrived, I finally hit my reading slump. Sigh. It probably didn’t help that I reverted back to listening to podcasts rather than listening to audiobooks. Hey ho…

What did I read in March 2024?

1. Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran – 4 /5
2. Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death – 4 / 5

What did I listen to in March 2024?

1. The Three Strangers by Thomas Hardy – 4 / 5

Currently Reading

1. Death at Devil’s Bridge by Robin Page (slow read)
2. The Return of The King by J.R.R. Tolkien (year-long read-along)

Number of books read in 2024

19 books so far!

What books did I buy in March 2024?

• None (but I was given a whole bagful from the Mother-in-Law!)

Reading Goals for April 2024?

• I’ll aim for a book a week, even if it feels a little steep at the moment: 4

Five Reviews for…Books with Angels

I haven’t shared one of these posts since June 2019! I think it’s time for another one. This time the theme is Angels…

Below you find links to reviews I’ve written about books I’ve read that feature angels. There’s a wide selection here, from YA to romance. The covers look interesting side-by-side; notice how they are either dark or light…

Angelology by Danielle Trussoni – A long, heavy at times, book, with a beautiful cover, interesting characters and vivid descriptions. At the time, I only rated it “2 / 5”, but I think, looking back over the review, I would like to give the series another go. (Reviewed in February 2017)

Angelfall by Susan Ee – Another beautiful book cover. This was reviewed before I changed my review format to include ratings, but the review I wrote was a glowing one. If I was to go back and rate it based on that review I think I would have awarded it “4 or 5 /5”.(Reviewed in June 2016)

Fallen by Lauren Kate – A middle of the road YA paranormal read. I rated it “2.5 / 5”, but I enjoyed the second book in the series, Torment, much more, with a rating of “3.5 / 5”. (Reviewed in June 2017)

Learning to Fly by Crispina Kemp – My favourite of the five listed here. Here’s the shortened summary taken from the review:

Learning to Fly is a captivating read. Entertaining and engaging, this perfectly-paced tale is historical fantasy on an epic scale. Well-written, and filled with colourful characters and rich, vivid descriptions, it’s impossible not to get pulled into the gripping story-telling.  Highly recommended! 5 / 5

(Reviewed in April 2021)

I Let You Fall by Sara Downing – And this is my second favourite of the books in this list. Here’s the shortened summary taken from the review:

A thought-provoking, poignant paranormal love story, I Let You Fall takes you on an emotional rollercoaster of journey. 4 / 5

(Reviewed in June 2022)

Book Promotion for Authors

Photo by Rahul Pandit on Pexels.com

I mentioned briefly in the post I shared after my break away from the blog, that I would be happy to help promote the works of other authors. Whether you are self-published, traditionally-published, have stories posted to Wattpad (or any other reading and writing platform), are published by a small, boutique publisher, etc, I would be happy to share your books, pamphlets or collections, be it novels, non-fiction, novellas, short stories, or poetry. The only thing I ask, in the case of the work being posted to writing platforms, websites or blogs, is that it is complete.

If any authors would like me to promote their work, take a look around this site and see what sort of books I’m interested. If you think your book will be a good fit, or if you are not sure and want to ask, then send an email to:

sammi cox books @ gmail . com (don’t forget to remove the spaces!)

Your email should contain the following:

• a JPEG of your book cover
• the book blurb / summary
• a 100 word author bio (with 1 link only, preferably to your author blog / website rather than social media)
• when the book will be / was released (it doesn’t have to be a new release)
• where readers can find it

I would like these posts to focus on a single book rather than a series, but if the book is part of a series, then please do mention it. We can then, if you would like, share other books from the series at a later date.

Also, I’m not sure if it needs stating, but this is FREE

Book Cover Love #8

A Medal for Murder by Frances Brody

I love all the covers to Frances Brody’s Kate Shackleton books. To me they look like travel posters from the 1920s and 1930s, and I would happily have them on my wall, framed and displayed like the works of art they are.

I read and reviewed this in December 2018. Giving it a rating of five out of five stars, I really enjoyed this cosy mystery (as I have all the books I’ve read in the series so far). In my review I mentioned, “The setting was perfect…The story is full of plenty of twists and turns, clues and red herrings…The pace was gentle…An enjoyable, easy read that will keep you guessing.”

You can read the review in full here.

Bookish Reflections – February 2024

Reading Goals for February 2024

My reading goal for February was smaller than January’s because I knew at some point my reading rate would drop back down into the good-for-me realms of a book-a-week. So I set the goal at 4. I’m pleasantly surprised to know I got 6 books under my belt. Woohoo!

What did I read in February 2024?

1. The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith – 4 /5
2. The Dinosaur Feather by Sissel-Jo Gazan – 4 / 5
3. Pyramid by Tom Martin – 3 / 5

What did I listen to in February 2024?

1. An Imaginative Woman by Thomas Hardy – 4 / 5
2. The Awakening by Kate Chopin – 4 / 5
3. The Boarded Window by Ambrose Bierce –

Currently Reading

1. Death at Devil’s Bridge by Robin Page (slow read)
2. The Return of The King by J.R.R. Tolkien (year-long read-along)

Number of books read in 2024

16 books so far!

What books did I buy in February 2024?

• Romanitas by Sophie McDougall
• Dinosaur Feather by Sissel-Jo Gazan (already read and rehomed!)

Reading Goals for March 2024?

• As I still seem to be reading quite a bit, I think I’m going to up my target to: 5

Bookish Reflections – January 2024

Reading Goals for January 2024

My reading goal for January started small but grew, until I found myself wondering if I could beat my rather lofty (for me) target of December 2023: 11. I managed 10. I count that as a win even if I didn’t hit it.

What did I read in January 2024?

1. OxCrimes: 27 Killer Stories from the Cream of Crime Writers (anthology) – 3 / 5
2. A Very Murderous Christmas (Cecily Gayford, ed) (anthology) – 4 / 5
3. A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris – 4 / 5
4. Real Murders by Charlaine Harris – 4 / 5
5. A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris – 5 / 5
6. Three Bedrooms, One Corpse – 5 / 5

What did I listen to January 2024?

1. The Florence Cusack Mysteries by L. T. Meade – 5 / 5
2. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton – 4 / 5
3. Pagan Papers by Kenneth Grahame – 3 / 5
4. The Planet Savers by Marion Zimmer Bradley – 3 / 5

What books did I buy in January 2024?

• The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
• Merlin of The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
• The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart

Reading Goals for February 2024?

• I’ll be aiming for a more manageable target of: 4

2023 in Review

As we come to the end of February 2024, it might seem like this post is a little bit on the late side, but never mind. I think it’s a helpful way to draw a line under last year whilst reviewing what worked and what didn’t in terms of my reading habits and goals…

Photo by Ricky Esquivel on Pexels.com

Reading Habits of 2023

My reading was very up and down throughout 2023. There were weeks (if not months) where I read very little at all, bar the reading for The Lord of the Rings read-along I’m hosting over on my writing site. If you’re interested in that, head over and join in. You’d be very welcome!

I had also fallen behind on the From My Bookshelf Reading Challenge, and at one point I think I opened 3 books on the same day! However, I did get back on track with that (see below).

As I stopped posting on this site halfway through 2023, I used Goodreads to keep track of what I had read and what I was reading. I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to be pretty consistent with it, updating every one or two weeks, although even over there, I only rated books rather than reviewing them.

LibriVox was my greatest find of last year. Although I had heard of it before (and listened to a book or two), it was towards the end of the year that I became an avid listener of their audiobooks. The reason which prompted this was I was (and always seem to be, and still am!) thinning out my books, but I buy books quicker than I can read them, and always have. This has led to me having far too many books. So I started listening to the books I owned instead of reading them. This I could do whilst doing chores, designing, and I found that I got through so many more books than I otherwise would have. I also found that I wanted to listen to books I would never have considered before, and discovered new-to-me authors, which is always wonderful.

Books Read in 2023

And so, rather surprisingly, my total books read in 2023 was 60, 3 more than my most recent high of 57 back in 2017. The list of books I read last year can be found at the bottom of the post, alongside what I rated them over on Goodreads.

From My Bookshelf Reading Challenge 2023

This was a super fun reading challenge, where I basically gifted books to myself that had been languishing on my bookshelves for years. Wrapping them up and accompanying them with little treats (incense, candles, chocolates, cakes, tea, hot chocolate, etc), it’s no surprise really that this has been the only self-set challenge I have completed within the year it was set!

Would I do it again? Definitely. Though not this year…

My original challenge post has been updated to include the full list of books I read as part of the challenge, and their rating, as well as links to posts and reviews, if there are any.

Reading Goals for 2024

The only one I will be actively focusing on is to beat 2023’s total of 60 books read.

A bonus would be to rehome at least half of the books I read in 2024.

Photo by Wallace Chuck on Pexels.com

List of Books Read in 2023

Where I have written reviews for the books, links will be provided. To see which books I listened to via LibriVox, check out my bookshelf, “Listened To” on Goodreads.

1. Accident, Manslaughter or Murder?: Life and Death in Victorian Staffordshire by Anthony Hunt – 5 / 5
2. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Parry – 4 / 5
3. Complete Guide to Knitting and Crochet by Nicki Trench – 3 / 5
4. Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood – 5 / 5
5. A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder by Shamini Flint – 5 / 5
6. Good Cop, Bad Cop by Simon Kernick – 4 / 5
7. Manna from Hades by Carola Dunn – 3 / 5
8. A Whisker of Trouble by Sofie Ryan – 5 / 5
9. By A Whisker by Sofie Ryan – 5 / 5
10. The Prince and the Pilgrim by Mary Stewart – 3 / 5
11. Jamrach’s Menagerie by Carol Birch – 1 / 5
12. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir – 5 / 5
13. A Spoonful of Murder by J. M. Hall – 5 / 5
14. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris – 4 / 5
15. The Blue Cross: A Father Brown Mystery by G. K. Chesterton – 4 / 5
16. Murder and Manslaughter Around Cannock Chase by Anthony Hunt – 5 / 5
17. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong – 5 / 5
18. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris – 4 / 5
19. And Only To Deceive by Tasha Alexander – 1 / 5
20. Sorry I Missed You by Lorraine Brown – 4 / 5
21. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty – 5 / 5
22. The Brontesaurus: An A to Z of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte by John Sutherland – 3 / 5
23. More Murder and Mayhem around The Chase by Anthony Hunt – 5 / 5
24. The Songs of The Kings by Barry Unsworth – 4 / 5
25. Spartacus: The Gladiator by Ben Kane – 4 / 5
26. Stone of Fire by J. F. Penn – 4 / 5
27. Don’t Look Now by Daphne du Maurier – 4 / 5
28. The Wrong Shape: A Father Brown Mystery by G. K. Chesterton – 4 / 5
29. The Honour of Isreal Gow: A Father Brown Mystery by G. K. Chesterton – 4 / 5
30. The Invisible Man: A Father Brown Mystery by G. K. Chesterton – 4 / 5
31. The Flying Stars: A Father Brown Mystery by G. K. Chesterton – 3 / 5
32. The Queer Feet: A Father Brown Mystery by G. K. Chesterton – 3 / 5
33. The Secret Garden: A Father Brown Mystery by G. K. Chesterton – 4 / 5
34. The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg – 4 / 5
35. Prospero’s Children by Jan Siegel – 5 / 5
36. Cleopatra’s Shadow by Emily Holleman – 3 / 5
37. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris – 4 / 5
38. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris – 4 / 5
39. Cousin Phyllis by Elizabeth Gaskell – 4 / 5
40. The Riddle of The Sands by Erskine Childers – 4 / 5
41. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris – 4 / 5
42. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris – 4 / 5
43. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley – 4 / 5
44. Death of a Blue Blood by Jessica Fletcher – 4 / 5
45. The Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing – 4 / 5
46. Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit – 4 / 5
47. The Sword In The Stone by T. H. White – 3 / 5
48. The Mask of Apollo by Mary Renault – 5 / 5
49. The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien – 5 / 5
50. The Sky is Falling by Lester del Ray – 3 / 5
51. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs – 4 / 5
52. The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs – 3 / 5
53. Outlaw by Angus Donald – 4 / 5
54. A Gathering of Ghost by Karen Maitland – 5 / 5
55. Sir Nigel by Arthur Conan Doyle – 1 / 5
56. The Invisible Host by Gwen Bristow – 5 / 5
57. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris – 5 / 5
58. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris – 5 / 5
59. Silas Marner by George Elliot – 4 / 5
60. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris – 5 / 5