Review: Tiger and the Wolf

The Tiger and The Wolf 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher, Tor

In the bleak northern crown of the world, war is coming

Maniye’s father is the Wolf clan’s chieftain, but she’s an outcast. Her mother was queen of the Tiger and these tribes have been enemies for generations. Maniye also hides a deadly secret. All can shift into their clan’s animal form, but Maniye can take on tiger and wolf shapes. She can’t disown half her soul, so escapes – with the killer Broken Axe in pursuit.

Maniye’s father plots to rule the north, and controlling his daughter is crucial to his schemes. However, other tribes also prepare for strife. It’s a season for omens as priests foresee danger, a time of testing and broken laws. Some say a great war is coming, overshadowing even Wolf ambitions. But what spark will set the world ablaze?

Oh wow you guys, this book really is something else! I'm still half stuck in the world of the book as I write this review! This book blew me away with it's world building and mythology and completely sucked me in to the story! 

The world of the book is harsh and bleak, but it still manages to suck you in and spring up around you as you read. I thought it was original and richly created and I enjoyed learning about the world of the book as well as the rich mythology that went along with it. It was just completely fascinating and original and I loved it and wanted more of it! 

I loved watching Maniye grow and change as the book went on, watching her go on this journey and it really had a coming of age feel to it. I was rooting for her, she was a fantastic character and I felt all the feels at the end of the book! I completely hated her father, like he was kind of crazy because he just couldn't make like Elsa and let it go. He kept coming and coming and it was like dude...relax. He felt he needed her in order to use her to get what he's always wanted and there was a really nice plot twist that I didn't see coming that thwarted that a little bit! He still resents her though and the rest of her tribe aren't exactly nice to her either because of what she is. I also really liked Hesprec the prisoner Maniye takes with her when she flees, and oh my God, my heart broke at one point because of his character but then there was this awesome plot twist and I was cheering and everything! I'm so fascinated to learn more about his clan as well as Loud Thunder! I wasn't sure of him either in the beginning but I ended up loving his character. Honestly there are so many great characters in the book, both good and bad and even the bad ones you kind of like because they're just such GOOD bad guys you know? 

Oh and I liked Broken Axe, like in the beginning I didn't, but it turns out there's more to him than meets the eye, I kinda got Snow White vibes from his story, sort of. You'll see what I mean when you read the book! But I liked him and even before I started to like him, he was intriguing because he didn't always do what you thought he was going to do and you wanted to know more about him, I was gutted about the ending he got! 

Maniye was the main focus of the book, obviously, but we still kept up to date with what was going on with her father and a few other characters, as well as a group comprised of Asmander, a champion from the South, his slave Venateer and Shyri, who completely fascinated me because again...more clans, with more different things to lean about. The switches between the different groups where very well done, and I loved reading what each was up to, but I'd end up reading one chapter then being desperate to know what was happening with the group we just left and then it was like a cycle repeating itself! 

Each clan has different beliefs to them, and I loved learning about them, although as there where so many you only really got tidbits and I was left with a burning desire to know more and learn more about the different clans. I'm really hoping to see and learn more about them in the rest of the books of the trilogy because it would be a shame to not get to explore them all! I was enthralled with the clans and how different each was! 

That was one little problem I had with the book, another was that I found the book a bit slow going in the beginning. Everything was being set up, and I was intrigued, but my attention hadn't been grabbed so I was glued to the book at that point. So I found it slightly difficult to get in to in the beginning, and while I loved the plot, I did feel like things where a bit repetitive with the constant battles between clans and her running away and so on. But then, there was so much more about the book that I loved that makes up for these few little things. 

The Tiger and The Wolf may have gotten off to a slow start, but there's a hell of a lot of information in the book that needs to be gotten across in order to make the story and world work and I was fascinated with all the mythology to the book and the clans. It was original, once you became invested in what was going on it was hard to put down, and it leaves you wanting to know so much more about the other clans that make an appearance that you don't get to learn as much about as you'd like! The book was complex, and intricate and fantastically written. The atmosphere is something you can feel, along with the characters emotion, the sense of despair some of them had and so on. I got such a vibe from the book and I loved it. I'm intrigued to see what's going to happen in the next book, and hoping to learn about some more of the clans! 

Guns Of The Dawn

Guns of the Dawn
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

Denland and Lascanne have been living in relative peace for centuries, allies against any other foe. But then one day the news reaches Lascanne...the Denlanders have assassinated their King and the entire Royal family, and now their newly formed parliament has now turned it's eyes to Lascanne, still ruled by a King and a seeming threat to their new found monarch free way of living.

Now the two are at war, on two fronts, and Lascanne's redcoats, as well as the Wizards are fighting against the Denlanders. Emily Marshwic has watched the war take her brother in law, and then, when the need for more soldiers became greater, she watched the war take her younger brother, newly turned 15.

Then the next proclamation comes. More soldiers needed, from a land with no more husbands and brothers and males left to give. So it's the woman who have to go. One from each family. Many other households are sending servants, but not the Marshwic's, Emily is determined to go herself, and when she's offered a way out of the front, a way that could have saved her brother...she's even more determined to go and do her duty.

Emily braves through the training, making rank early on, and when she reaches the front, she gets a firsthand view of warfare. She has barely enough training to hold a musket, and she's faced with endless slaughter, and it's in the face of this slaughter that Emily finds herself becoming braver than she knew, and elevating up the ranks, taking command when no-one else will and doing a damn fine job. The only thing keeping her sane however, is the cynical Survivors Club, created by her brother in law, and other members of the army on the Levant front.

It's when she's captured by the enemy, she escapes with the help of a tracker and some locals who live in the swamp, that she starts to doubt, starts to wonder if what they know of the war and how it started is actually true.

I PLOUGHED through this, it was SO good, and there where so many echoes of both World Wars for me, after reading about both certain little facts started to stick in my brain, and when I was reading some things rang true, censoring letters, not knowing what was really going on at the front, all sorts.

I'm in such a fantasy mood lately, and so I devoured this! Being a standalone, the world building was very well done, I was just sad I didn't get to see more of it, I wanted to know what happened after the end! It was such an interesting take, war and defeat from the point of view of the losers, the winners changing their tune and rounding up wizards for the execution, it was a fascinating chain of events to read about.

The book drew me in from the first page, constant action, the story moving forward fast and slick. You where glued to the page, reading about all the tactics, vividly living the battles through the characters. I loved Emily, she was easy to connect to, and she was such a badass. I can't even. She suddenly was rising in the ranks because she was taking command and leading her troops whenever there was no other to command. She literally just took charge, and then got promoted and then again, and she was so awesome.

I have to say I loved each member of their club as well, especially Mallen, he was totally cool and had such an interesting background to him! Not to mention the Wizards, I wanted to know more about them too! But yeah, the club where a colourful bunch of characters and the camaraderie oozed off the page and started to infect you as well!

I was never sure what was going to happen next, it was a ride that's for sure, the ending didn't half surprise me either and I was so gutted it ended there because it's a one off book, and like I said, I wanted to see what was going to happen next, what the repercussions would be! Although to be honest, I kinda shipped Emily with Scavian and was a bit sad about who she chose! My ships aren't doing very well lately on all fronts!

An addicting read, Guns of the Dawn has a strong leading lady you root for, plenty of action, fascinating views and tactics and military battles that you have you on the edge of your seat, and will take you on a ride with all the twists and turns! Muskets, magic and mayhem at its finest!