Review: Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb

★★★★☆.5 promising start to the series! I am excited to keep reading.

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What’s the book about?

In the kingdom of the Six Duchies, the Farseer family rule at Buckkeep and they are on the brink of a civil war, and the last thing they needed was Fitz, a bastard son of the King-in-Waiting who then promptly abdicates his right to the crown and leaves with his wife. Fitz, who is raised in the stables of Buckkeep and finds solace in very few places, one being his affinity with animals, is despised by those at the keep. He could also be a problem to the crown one day, so he is taken under the wing of the royal family and taught the ways any young noble boy should be taught. He is also taught to be a weapon for the royal family, and tutored by Chade in the artistry of killing, and in the traditional magic of the Farseer family. With the weight of the royal family on his shoulders, Fitz must survive even when the odds are against him.

All events, no matter how earthshaking or bizarre, are diluted within moments of their occurrence the the continuance of the necessary routines of day-to-day.

My thoughts

It took me a long time to read this (partly because I set it aside for a month to buddy read Red Rising), but boy did I love this book. It reminds me of no other, it’s rife with stunning world-building and backstory. Hobb has found a way to set the scene without info-dumping, but completely immersing you into the world. Each chapter starts with a tidbit of history of their world, and these sections explain customs, laws, political intricacies and everything else you could need to understand the events of the novel without just dumping all the info on you at once. It is gradually divulged to the reader in a sophisticated and completely engrossing way. Hobb’s writing style is beautiful and unique, it’s complex, it’s gritty. She describes. the good and the bad in a way like no other author I have experienced. I am completely invested in the world she has invented, and much of that is due to her writing style. One thing I loved about this world is the custom of naming in the royal family based on the virtues or characteristics they embody. Without knowing anything about a character, you can still get a feel for the type of person they are, and I love it.

Fitz is a liminal character, existing on the boundaries of the lowest of society, whilst simultaneously existing in the world of the royals. In such a structured and political environment, he is an outcast, and he could be deadly. This book not only sets up for greater political intrigue and subterfuge in the coming books, but it is very much a coming of age story for Fitz. He grows from a young child to a young man, he develops from a boy who barely speaks to an articulate and witty character, and he goes from being a bastard, to an indispensable assassin for the royal family. This book isn’t what you may think when you hear ‘secret assassin for the royal family.’ There is very minimal action, it’s a gradual buildup to the last 100 pages where the pace picks up and the stage is set for the next book. The book is nuanced with political intrigue, and there is so much that is yet to be revealed that you just have to keep reading. It was definitely a character-driven story, dotted with an underlying magical element which I am looking forward to learning more about in coming books. Have you read this book, this series or anything by Robin Hobb? What did you think? Let me know in the comments or over on my Instagram @kell_read ✨

Most prisons are of our own making. A man makes his own freedom, too.

Review: Egyptian Mythology - A Travelers Guide from Aswan to Alexandria by Garry J. Shaw

★★★★☆ I was provided a hardback edition of this book by Thames and Hudson.

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What is the book about?

Egyptian Mythology: A Travelers Guide from Aswan to Alexandria by Egyptologist Garry Shaw takes you on a journey up the Nile as if on a tour of Egypt’s most historically rich and important sites. This tour up the Nile transports you to Ancient Egypt with evocative imagery and descriptions of what the landscape once looked like. Shaw has gone to great lengths to synthesise the fragments of texts, the wall paintings, and the surviving archaeology to present the gods, goddesses, myths and legends of each of the main sites on his tour. This includes different versions myths, the layout of building and temples long since ruined and how these deities were worshipped and praised. At the end of each chapter, after delving into the mythological history and the way it shaped the lives of the sites population, Shaw provides a quick overview of the history of the site, and what you can expect to find today. This section gives tips on what to see when visiting the ruins today.

All the best tales are fluid, reshaped again and again by storytellers for their readers or listeners.

My thoughts about the book

As with every single non fiction book I read, it took me a bit to get into the flow of it, but once I got used to it, I was hooked. Shaw has completed a monumental task, and he has done a superb job of it. He begins the book with the section titled Preparing for a Journey Along the Nile, in which he proceeds not only to describe the journey you are about to take, but takes you through terminology and chronology that you will help in your reading journey. Written as if you are about to truly set sail down the Nile River, Shaw’s poignant writing style truly makes you feel as if you’re about to embark on a great adventure through Egypt’s long history.

Each chapter begins with a snapshot into the site as it is today, with beautiful descriptive language describing what you would hear, smell and feel if you were standing at the site right now. Shaw then delves into the history of the site, Pharaoh’s who ruled, and the main gods venerated. He explores the multitudes of myths associated with the site as well as the main gods and goddesses venerated at the site. He doesn’t settle with just the main myth, no. Shaw goes on to describe fragments of myths, variations of well known tales and ways in which the central deities of this site were viewed, worshipped and developed throughout the history of the site, and Egypt. Of course, many myths and sites overlap, and notes in the text linking the stories to other chapters makes it easy to cross between the two sections. At the end of each chapter not only is each site looked at in history and today with a whistlestop rundown of the overall history of the site, but Shaw gives you handy tips for visiting the site today. This includes things to see, how long it takes to get places and things to look out for. On top of all of that, there is also a handy table at the end of each chapter which highlights the key dates and remains of the site.

Every stone, hill, temple and town that you pass as you fly over the land has a meaning, tied to the actions of divine forces.

I absolutely loved reading this book. Not only is it incredibly in depth with it’s stories of myths and tales from each site, but Shaw has written it in such an accessible and intriguing way. As you read it, you get hilarious comments from Shaw as if he were giving you a tour of the site, or telling you the myth in person. It makes the book all the more enjoyable, and a bunch of times his commentary was exactly what I was thinking! Egyptian Mythology is far less structured than that of Greece or Rome, gods turn into other gods, and they change and develop throughout time. Shaw has made Egyptian Mythology incredibly digestible, whilst linking it all to present-day Egypt in a unique and entertaining way. Any lover of Egyptian Mythology or travel (or both if you’re like me) needs to get their hands on this book. Not to mention it’s absolutely beautiful with both the dust cover and naked (and the paper is really good quality which might seem like a weird thing to add, but honestly, I love when the paper is think and good quality).

Review: A Touch of Malice by Scarlett St. Clair

★★★★☆.5 This is by far my favourite from the Hades x Persephone series so far! This is a non-spoiler review, but will spoil the earlier books!

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What is the book about?

A Touch of Malice is the third book from Persephone’s point of view from Scarlett St. Clair’s Hades x Persephone Series. The series is a steamy retelling of Persephone’s abduction by Hades from Greek Mythology, written in an urban setting called New Greece where the gods play an active role in the lives of the mortals. There are three main storylines happening in tandem during this instalment in the series; Zeus deciding whether to agree to let Hades and Persephone get married, Demeter plunging New Greece into a dangerous snow storm, and the ongoing threat of Triad and the Demigods who are getting restless over what they think is the Greek gods tyrannical rule.

“I am not sure who you think I am,” she said. “But let me be clear—I am Persephone, future Queen of the Underworld, Lady of Your Fate—may you come to dread my presence.

My thoughts on the book

Without a doubt this is my favourite book of this series so far, with A Game of Fate in a very close second (which is book number one from Hades point of view). I think the biggest thing that struck me in this book is how far some of the characters (Persephone, Hades and Apollo) have come. The personal development of these three characters in particular really struck me in this book, and it honestly warmed my heart. One of the tropes I dislike the most in books is the miscommunication trope, and is something that was evident between Persephone and Hades in the previous books, but not this one!! I was so proud of how they had grown both independently, and as a couple. Their communication and ways in which they worked together in this book made me feel as if I was a proud mother.

Having enemies is a universal truth. It means you have something worth fighting for.

The character driven style of this book really resonated with me, and I think that may be why I liked it so much. Not only do we see how Persephone’s life is evolving both in the upper world and her business, but in the underworld as future Queen, but we also get a bit more insight into what motivates some of the other characters actions.This book was full of smaller story lines, and introduced a few moving pieces which will surely climax (no pun intended) in the final instalment of this series. I loved the details we got, and the introduction to new characters and deities, and although the ending was heavily foreshadowed throughout the novel and was completely unexpected (although totally keeping with the developing story), I am still eagerly anticipated the conclusion of this story in late 2023 *sobs*. If I keep talking , I am inevitably going to spoil something, so I’ll leave my review there! Have you read this series? Do you have a favourite book? Let me know in the comments or over on my Instagram @kell_read!

August Wrap Up and September Hopefuls 2021

And suddenly winter ends and spring begins. I welcome the sun and the warmth and the new blooms 🌻

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August Wrap Up

What a wonderful week of reading August has been! I don’t usually read this many books in a month but when I have to get some read for NetGalley or for work, it really ups the number. Even better, I enjoyed every book I read this month. It was a mixed bag of fantasy, retellings, sci-fi and non-fiction and I think that helped keep me reading. 

★★★★☆.5

The first book I finished in August was Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Red Rising is a book that I have had on my shelf for yours (actually, the whole original trilogy has been on my shelf for years), and I am kicking myself that I didn’t pick it up sooner! Darrow is a sixteen-year-old Helldriver of his mining colony of Mars. As a Red, Darrow is of the lowest caste in his society which is not only colour coded, but has expanded throughout space to live on the Moon, Venus, Mercury and Mars. When Darrow and his wife (they marry young and die young in the mines of Mars) stumble upon a secret, Darrow’s life alters completely and he is sent on a mission to infiltrate the highest of their society, the Golds. It’s a brilliant sci-fi novel, and the way I’ve been describing it is, think the Roman Empire on Mars but throw in The Hunger Games. Brilliantly written and so unique, this book surprised me and was my favourite read of the month! The whole incorporation of Ancient Roman values, customs and social hierarchy reimagined in a science fiction landscape blew my mind.

★★★★☆ (I was provided this ARC for a review from St. Martin’s Press)

My second read was The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women by Nancy Marie Brown. This was such a great read because not only was it really well written, but it was a mix of archaeological and literary evidence and historical fiction. For hundreds of years, a particular burial found in Birka has been called the ultimate Viking warrior burial due to its placement close to the Warriors Hall, and large stone left atop it and the grave goods deposited with the body. However, in 2017, DNA testing on the body in burial Bj581 declared that this ultimate Viking warrior is actually a woman, and it sent shockwaves through the Viking scholars. How could it possibly be a woman when everyone knows Viking warriors were men? In Nancy’s book, she battles against the misogyny and bias prevalent in Viking studies since the Victorian Age, when they changed the history of the Vikings to emulate their social beliefs, that is, they put the Viking women in the household where they thought they belonged. Nancy’s book delves into the ample archaeological and literary record for female Vikings and Valkyries, and sheds light onto the many Viking warrior women in history that have been forgotten, using the body of burial Bj581 (who she names Hervor) as a basis for her book. I would recommend this read to anyone looking to learn about the Viking Age, and anyone who likes disrupting the patriarchy. If this sounds like something you want to read, then be sure to keep your eyes out for my interview with Nancy Marie Brown, coming to World History Encyclopedia very soon!

★★★★☆ (I was provided with this ARC for a review from Netgalley)

Book number three was another non-fiction (I know, two non-fiction reads in a row!? How unlike me!) Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome by LJ Trafford travels through the intricate and somewhat scandalous history of sex in Ancient Rome from the perfect virtuous man and the ideal chaste woman, to how to find a woman and who you are and are not meant to be seen fondling in the forum. This whistlestop tour of sexuality in Rome is an incredibly entertaining read, and Trafford uses colloquial language and brilliant case studies from Ancient Rome as examples of the debauchery taking place 2,000 years ago. Not to mention, Trafford takes it upon herself to tell us all about the sexual exploits of the most well-known figures from Ancient Rome, and she does all this with ample evidence (both textual and archaeological). In short, Trafford answers everything you have ever wanted (and really not wanted) to know about sex and sexuality in Ancient Rome! So, if you’re a lover of Ancient Rome, or you want to read about all of the scandalous things the rulers of this great empire got up to in their spare time, then this is the book for you! I adored it, and I think it was the quickest I have ever read a non-fiction book.

★★★☆☆.75

The fourth book I read this month was the YA Fantasy These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan. I read this book and annotated it for a book swap with Lumé and I ended up really enjoying it. The best way I can describe it is A Court of Thorns and Roses, crossed with Twilight crossed The Mortal Instruments crossed with the Bachelor which I know sounds insane but it was a really enjoyable read. Abriella and her sister Jaslyn are mortals who pretty much live as slaves to her cousins after the death of their mother, and the only light in Brie’s life is her sister and the hottie Sebastian who is training under the Mage who lives next door. When Jas is sold to the Unseelie King, Brie has to head into the land of the Fae to try and get her back. Prince Ronan of the Seelie Court is looking for a mortal bride, so the only way to get to her sister is to pretend to be interested in being Prince Ronan’s wife. She ends up in the middle of an Unseelie band of misfits who have their own agenda and reasons for helping Brie, not to mention their attractive Fae leader Finn. Stuck between the Seelie and Unseelie courts with a power she doesn’t really understand, Brie must stay alive and steel her heart against what needs to be done to save her sister. Out of this book, you’re going to get an easy, enjoyable read with a love triangle, magic, beasts, rival fae courts and a bit of fae politics in the middle of all that. I wouldn’t say it’s anything entirely unique but it’s definitely an enjoyable read!

★★★☆☆

My final read for the month was The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. This short novel is a retelling of The Odyssey from the point of view of Penelope (the wife of Odysseus) and the twelve maids who are hung in book 22. The story is told by Penelope who is dead, and in Asphodel in the modern-day. She retells her life from her childhood and her parents, to her marriage and the 20 lonely years while Odysseus was fighting in the Trojan War and making his long way home. Interjected into her tale is commentary by the twelve maids, who acted like a tragic theatre chorus. Their sections were written in many different forms like poetry, amock trial and an essay. It was a fascinating read, and Atwood has written it in such a way that there are so many layers to unravel. Penelope isn’t the subservient wife like she was in life, and she aims criticism as Odysseus, Telemachus and Helen primarily (although I didn’t much care for the way she talked about her cousin). My thoughts on this book are very conflicting, and chatting to some lovely people over on my Instagram about the choices Atwood made in this retelling proved just how nuanced and layered it is. Although it doesn’t add much to the overall story of Penelope, it is an interesting take on her character, as she reflects over two thousand years after her death.

September Hopefuls

August was a bit of an anomaly for me, I am a slow reader and I often only read on the weekends. I can’t see myself reading five books again this month, but these are the books I hope to either finish, or at least make a good dent in. First is Egyptian Mythology: A Traveler's Guide from Aswan to Alexandria: A Traveler's Guide from Aswan to Alexandria by Garry Shaw. This is non-fiction and I am really enjoying it. I’m about three chapters in and I really hope I can finish it this month. Next, I’d like to finish Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb which I neglected this month. I’m about halfway through so I can definitely see myself finishing it this month! I have reinstated my audible subscription (yay!) because I was really missing audiobooks, and what I was so excited to see available was A Touch of Malice by Scarlett St. Clair. I know I’ll finish it this month, because those books are SO addictive! I think I might try and pick up The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows as part of @crestfallenpages book club! I also have a non-fiction sitting on my NetGalley shelf The Greeks: A Global History by Roderick Beaton which I should really read, so maybe I’ll get cracking on that one too this month. Who knows! So many books, so little time. What are you most excited to read this month? Let me know in the comments!

Review: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

★★★☆☆ I enjoyed this one, but also had a few issues with it… Trigger warning - mention of hanging and r*pe.

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What’s the book about?

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood is a retelling of the life of Penelope, and the fate of the 12 maids from The Odyssey. In this contemporary tale, Atwood delves into the question of why were the twelve maids hanged and what led up to their fate? The story is told primarily from the perspective of Penelope, dead in the underworld, retelling her life on earth with interjecting sections from the point of view of the maids. These interjecting sections are told in a number of different forms including poetry, a trial, a play and a love song. Penelope’s tale takes us from her birth, childhood and marriage to Odysseus, through her 20 lonely years to her life after Odysseus returned and her afterlife. Atwood has filled in the gaps with how she believes Penelope may have been acting and what she may have been feeling throughout her life, and while using the maids as a sort of tragic chorus, commentating on their lives, Penelope and their hanging.

My Thoughts about the book

Like I said at the beginning, I definitely enjoyed reading this, but there were a couple of things that caused the loss of two stars in my rating. In its essence, this is The Odyssey retold from the point of view of Penelope, and the twelve maids who were hanged in the tale. I had really high hopes for this book but I was slightly underwhelmed. I think I am partially to be blamed for this because there really isn’t that much to work with from Penelope’s point of view from ancient texts, with her letter in Ovid’s Heroides as the only one that comes to mind. What we get is a retelling of the tale of the Odyssey from Penelope who is dead, and she isn’t as much of a subservient wife as she was on earth.

She aims much of her criticism at Odysseus, Telemachus and Helen. While I think that Odysseus and Telemachus deserve the way Penelope described them (especially Telemachus who is rude and disrespectful), for a feminist retelling, I was incredibly surprised with the depiction of Helen. Penelope did not hold back with her scathing remarks about her vain, attention-loving, husband deserting cousin, and I found it truly unbelievable in a contemporary retelling. That is the kind of stance on Helen that I am used to reading in myths from antiquity, because as a woman in the 21st century reading The Odyssey and any other myth relating to the abduction of Helen by Paris of Troy, I firmly believe she was damned if she did and damned if she didn’t. So, we have Penelope reminiscing on her life, with Atwood making some speculations about how she may have reacted in some situations which felt a bit forced and unbelievable. But overall, I liked Atwood’s attempt at reconstructing how Penelope may have lived without her husband for 20 years.

However, this wasn't purely focussed on Penelope and her newfound boldness in death, but also on the fate of the twelve maids who were hung in book 22 of The Odyssey. I really loved many of the sections from the point of view of the maids, they were poignant and gut-wrenching, and the use of different forms like poetry and play format added to the tragedy. I also loved the idea of the maids being like the chorus of a Greek tragedy, adding in their commentary. It added an extra dynamic to what would have been a fairly dull and speculative story. The hanging of the twelve maids in The Odyssey often comes as a bit of a shock, and prior to their deaths, they are made to clean up the carnage left after Odysseus had killed all of the suitors that were eating him out of house and home. The women were killed because they had betrayed Odysseus by sleeping with the suitors without his permission (their master who had been gone for 20 years). Atwood makes it explicit that it was r*pe, and these women had absolutely no choice in the matter (but apparently Helen did???), and continuously questions the reason for their deaths. They haunt Odysseus. He deserves to be haunted.

Many times whilst I was reading this, I noted that it felt like a modern commentary of the ancient story which was supported by Atwood’s use of modern language and having Penelope dead, in the present. She makes many comments about modern physics and spirits using telephone wires to travel and things like this which were quite jarring. I liked that Atwood highlighted the evolving beliefs and rituals attributed to the afterlife, which could also be said about the view of women in general, but I felt she took it a bit too far that it felt disconnected from the overall story. So, as you can see, I have conflicting thoughts over this, but overall it is an interesting take on The Odyssey, from the point of view of Penelope and the twelve maids. Have you read this? I would love to hear your thoughts either in the comments or over on my Instagram @kell_read!

Review: These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan

★★★☆☆.75 I read this book and annotated it for the lovely Lumé as a book swap!

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Whats the book about?

Abriella and her sister Jaslyn are mortals who pretty much live as slaves to her cousins after the death of their mother. They live in a one room basement, and Brie has to steal each month just to try and make ends meet. The only light in her life is her sister, and the hottie Sebastian who is training under the Mage who lives next door. When Jas is sold to the Unseelie King, Brie has to head into the land of the Fae to try and get her back. Prince Ronan of the Seelie Court is looking for a mortal bride, so the only way to get to her sister is to pretend to be interested in being Prince Ronan’s wife. She ends up in the middle of an Unseelie band of misfits who have their own agenda and reasons for helping Brie, not to mention their attractive Fae leader Finn. Stuck between the Seelie and Unseelie courts with a power she doesn’t really understand, Brie must stay alive and steel her heart against what needs to be done to save her sister.

My thoughts on the book

Okay, this is going to sound really weird but this book gave me ACOTAR/Twilight/The Mortal Instruments vibes which made for an interesting story. What can you expect from this book? You can expect Fae, magic, rival Fae courts, a love triangle, some Fae politics (sort of) and a bit of morally grey-ness. It was a really easy and entertaining read, but it was nothing new or unique. As with most books of this genre, you have the main girl who has powers she doesn't quite understand, you have the obvious choice who is all sunshine and light, and you have the broody guy who the MC is inexplicably drawn to and doesn’t know why.

This is a song I’ve rehearsed a thousand times, a hymn I’ve played in my most desperate moments. Better to pray to deft fingers, to shadows and camouflage, than to the old gods. (1)

I think my least favourite character is Abriella, the main character. She is pretty useless and is continuously slow to understand and process new information. She flip flops over and over about who she can trust and who is going to betray her without any real solid evidence for her change in opinions. I would have loved more interaction between Abriella and the band of Unseelie misfits. The scenes where they were involved were my favourite. The writing was good but the world building was a bit wishy washy and after reading it, I’m still not really sure how the Fae and their magic works (other than it isn’t limitless). Like, why can they do different things? Is it just random or are skills passed down in family lines? I just feel like there was a lot that wasn't explained in the detail necessary in a high fantasy kind of setting like this one. The whole time, I just didn't really trust Sebastian, and I just couldn’t root for the two of them together which made the whole ‘love triangle’ portion of the story a bit lack-lustre. Whilst reading the scenes about Prince Ronan looking for his mortal bride, it just made me think of like, a high stakes Fae ‘The Bachelor’ and once I thought that, I couldn’t un-think it! The ending was fairly abrupt, which was odd, but of course I will have to read the next one to see who she ends up with.

I will definitely read the sequel which looks to be coming out next year, but if you’re looking for a new take on mortal enters the world of the Fae and has to choose between two guys, you’re not going to find it here. In saying that, I read it quickly and overall it was an enjoyable story. Hopefully my annotations bring some extra joy to Lumé’s reading of it! Have you read this? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments or find me on Instagram @kell_read ✨

Review: Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome by L J Trafford

★★★★☆ I was provided with this ARC for a review from Netgalley

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What’s the book about? 

With this one, the entire premise of the book is in the title- Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome. Trafford begins by outlining the language used in Ancient Rome that has anything to do with sex or sexuality, she introduces these concepts and then explains them so you aren’t left lost throughout the book when they inevitably come up again. She then travels through the intricate and somewhat scandalous history of sex in Ancient Rome from the perfect virtuous man and the ideal chaste woman, to how to find a woman and who you are and are not meant to be seen fondling in the forum. She details erotic wall paintings and statues, the concept of witchcraft, the tantalising beauty and fashion and what was all the rage to help you pull on the streets of Rome. Not to mention, Trafford takes it upon herself to tell us all about the sexual exploits of the most well-known figures from Ancient Rome, and she does all this with ample evidence (both textual and archaeological). In short, Trafford answers everything you have ever wanted (and really not wanted) to know about sex and sexuality in Ancient Rome! 

My thoughts on the book

Sex was very much on public display in ancient Rome. It was depicted in art, discussed in poetry, scrawled on walls and used in politics to smear your opponent. (x-xi)

This book was a massive undertaking, and may I say the L J Trafford understood the task and executed it incredibly well. In this book, you will find chapters named things like Getting Down to Business: Sex, Sexual Problems and Solutions, Undesirable Partners and How to be Sexy: Beauty and Fashion (just to give you an idea of the types of things discussed)! As a fairly short book (sitting at only 197 pages), Trafford condenses everything you need to know about the Romans in a way that is really easy to read. Her language is colloquial, and her quips and inputs into some of the debauchery that went on in Ancient Rome made me laugh out loud. With her hilarious commentary comes an obvious attempt to remove any modern bias that could be placed upon the way sex, marriage, relationships and all that was used and experienced in Ancient Rome. She reminds the reader over and over that there isn’t really any way we can fully understand the meanings behind the erotic images, or the social importance embedded into the rules and laws attached to relationships and sex, but we can do our best! I loved that as Trafford was discussing some facet of Roman sexual experience, she would then bring in detailed case studies and examples from history.

We simply cannot know because we do not share the same cultural background and baggage. The imagery and what it means is lost to us. (158)

Although sometimes Trafford seemed to take the poetry and writings of men like Ovid and Catullus at face value, often she used it to help build the whole picture around the topic she was handling at that time. It is unsurprising that the book was focused on men and boys and what was expected of them (both from an imperial lens, but also the freedmen and slaves) rather than women for the pure reason that we have a lot more information on men than women. With that being said, Trafford interspersed what we do know about women (imperial, slaves, prostitutes etc) throughout the book in what seemed like as much detail that was available. It was really wonderful to see different types of evidence (images, paintings, statues and literature), all used together to try and piece together just what sex was like in Ancient Rome, and although it was a quick tour, it was still detailed and highly enjoyable.

Review: The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women by Nancy Marie Brown

★★★★☆ I was provided this ARC for a review from St. Martin’s Press. You can find my interview with Nancy on Youtube, and a reduced transcription of it on World History Encyclopedia!

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What’s the book about?

The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women by Nancy Marie Brown is, at its core, working to dispel the myth that Viking women stayed at home whilst the Viking men raided and traded. In 2017, DNA tests revealed that the body buried in grave Bj581 outside the Swedish town of Birka between 913 and 980 wasn’t the body of a male Viking warrior as initially assumed, but that of a female in her thirties or forties. Buried with the body was numerous weapons including an axe blade, spearheads a two-edges sword, a sax knife and a short bladed knife as well as a set of game pieces, a whetstone, traders weights, a comb, a bronze bowl and two horses (among other things). The assemblage of this burial initially caused assumption that the body was of a male, and specifically a warrior, but since we now know that it’s a woman buried with this warriors assemblage, Nancy has taken it upon herself to write a book highlighting what feels like all the times women proved their worth in the Viking Age, and the times their strength, cunning and ruthlessness was assumed as myth.

Thoughts on the book

It is obvious that this book was extensively researched. Nancy utilises sagas, poems and epics of the Vikings in conjunction with archaeological and historical evidence to question the way in which females from the Viking Age have been viewed for centuries. Rather than simply providing the evidence that women from the Viking Age have been sorely misremembered thanks to the act of sexing graves by metal, the reflection of Victorian sensibilities of the nineteenth century placed on the Viking Age and the tendency for Icelandic writers of the 12th and 13th centuries (I’m looking at you Snorri Sturluson) to mythologise and generalise the female warriors as valkyries, Nancy merges fiction and solid evidence which captures the readers interest. In order to humanise the skeleton found in Birka, Nancy names the body from Bj581 Hervor, which translates to something like Aware of Battle, after the warrior woman from the old Norse poem Hervor’s Song. Nancy begins each chapter with a fictionalised story, a bit of what Hervor from burial Bj581’s life could have been like, based upon the historical, textual and archaeological evidence provided throughout the book. Nancy not only provides the evidence for warrior women, but then imagines just how a Viking woman could have lived during the time of Bj581’s life. I found it incredibly fascinating and enjoyable to read how the physical evidence may have been interacted with during the Viking Age, in addition to these imagined sections being a breath of fresh air amidst a detailed and well researched book. One thing that annoyed me through this book was when ‘an archaeologist states,’ or an ‘expert historian says…’ I’d LOVE to know which one.

Not only does Nancy debunk common beliefs that Viking women were buried with keys which signified their role as housewives, (whereas men were buried with weapons which signified their roles as warriors, raiders and traders), she exposes the bias placed onto the sagas, poems and written sources we have of the Viking Age which were all written a few hundred years after the fact. These biases come from both the values of Victorian society and Christianity, where women were confined to the home. These strict gender lines, as shown through the extensive historical and archaeological evidence provided by Nancy, simply were not there during the Viking Age. Looking at Viking women’s graves alone shows how weapons were more commonplace than keys. I loved the incorporation of other female warriors which we know of from poems as saga’s, as well as historical Viking queens detailed in concurrence with archaeological evidence found throughout the Viking world. Going into detail about clothing, textiles, trade, architecture, boats, social hierarchies, Norse legends, historical and mythological figures and everything in between, no stone is left unturned in this detailed look at the importance of women, their roles and their importance in the Viking world. If you’re interested in relearning everything you think you know about women, queens and female warriors in the Viking Age, then you should definitely pick this book up.

Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

★★★★☆.5 this book was nothing like I expected, and I’m really glad I finally read it after it has sat on my shelf for years.

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what’s the book about?

Darrow is a sixteen-year-old Helldriver of his mining colony of Mars. As a Red, Darrow is of the lowest caste in his society which is not only colour coded, but has expanded throughout space to live on the Moon, Venus, Mercury and Mars. Darrow, his family and all the other Reds mine helium-3 under the impression that one day, Mars will be ready for life and the other colours will join them. But, when Darrow and his wife (they marry young and die young in the mines of Mars) stumble upon a secret, Darrow’s life shifts in a way he could never have guessed. Mars isn’t desolate, but a thriving planet already inhabited by the other colours. The Reds are working for a future that is already here, and Darrow is sent on a mission to infiltrate the highest of their society, the Golds.

“I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war.”

thoughts & feelings

My first thought after gathering all of my emotions after this book is wow. This book has been sitting on my shelf for years, and for some reason, I just never picked it up (despite having the whole trilogy). I personally think that by waiting to read it, I got a lot more out of it. If I read this during the dystopian hype of Divergent, Hunger Games and The Maze Runner, the nuances of it would have been lost on me. Instead, I read it for a spontaneous buddy read hosted by my lovely pal Val at literarypapier on Instagram years after it was published, and it surprised me over and over again. I jumped into this without reading the blurb, so the fact that they were on Mars was a shock to the system (it’s been a while since I’ve read a sci-fi book), but it’s written in a way that doesn’t feel like you’re drowning in an unfamiliar world with this odd terminology. It doesn't take long for the world to make sense. Darrow, our main character, is a Helldiver for the Lambda clan in the Lykos mining colony on Mars. They mine for helium-3, they marry young and they die young. Family, blood, song and dance are at the soul of their people. They are Red, the bottom of the colour caste social hierarchy, and they don’t know they’re slaves. It only takes seven chapters for this book to intensify. I was enjoying the concept of these mining colonies living unawares of the thriving city above, but then Darrow ends up on the surface, and it goes from 0 to 100 very quickly.

“Her words strike my heart. They echo through time from another’s lips. Live for more. More than power. More than Vengeance. More than what we’re given.”

The human race in Red Rising is no longer bound to Earth, but they have travelled, they have spread through the solar system, and they have a strict social hierarchy where your colour determines your role. If you are born Red, you are the lowest rung of the hierarchy. At the top are the Golds, they are the elite of the humans. They lead the armies throughout space, they rule the planets and they are inherently corrupt. The political undercurrent of this book elevates this book. The complexities of the society elevate it from early dystopian novels. It reminds me very much of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, and the philosophical discussion Erica over at MoanInc has posed if you can’t see the walls or boundaries of your prison, are you a prisoner without free will? As Darrow transitions into the world on the surface of Mars, he battles with that knowledge that his family is still below, but are they truly prisoners if they don’t know what they’re missing out on?

The other aspect of this book that caught me by surprise, but that I really enjoyed, was the incorporation of classical mythology and ancient history. The earliest indication of this is the use of the Greek Alphabet as the names of the mining clans, and their desire to win the laurel at the end of the quarter. Many of the names, especially of the golds, are reminiscent of powerful figures from ancient empires such as Augustus and Octavia. There is a number of mythological connections including names like Pollux, the use of Roman Gods and their characteristics as a way to separate and class Golds, and the titles of Praetor and Imperator. The use of an Agoge for training, and seeing a raven as an omen. Without giving anything away, this book was an amalgamation of Lore, Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, and Divergent as well as Roman History and mythology in all the best ways. It was intense, it was brutal, it was addictive and I cannot wait to continue reading this series. It completely took me by surprise, and being able to see all of the small ways ancient history was woven into this tale of humans in a futures hundreds of years from now was simply brilliant.

July Wrap up and August Hopefuls 2021

Happy August ✨ It was a slow month of reading for me, with one paper back and one audio book finished. However, I enjoyed them both so I still count it as a good reading month!

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I gave both books a ★★★★☆.5

July Wrap Up

The first book I read this month was A Game of Fate by Scarlett St. Clair which I read via audiobook. It took me a while to get used to the narrator for this one, and I wouldn’t say he’s my favourite narrator but I got used to him. A Game of Fate is essentially the same story as A Touch of Darkness but from Hades point of view. If you’re worried that you’re going to find it too similar to Persephone’s point of view, don’t! Listening to this book, although you obviously recognise the course of the events and the interactions between the two gods, but you get so much more insight into the world of the gods through Hades point of view. Hades gets up to a lot in his spare time away from Persephone, he interacts with a number of different mortals and gods, and it really opens up the politics and the wider world of the novels. It also gives the reader an invaluable opportunity to know what Hades is thinking in every interaction he has with Persephone, and how she affects him which I absolutely adored. So, if you loved A Touch of Darkness, definitely read this one!

The second and final book I finished this month was Venus & Aphrodite: History of a Goddess by Bettany Hughes. This surprising light and easy to read non-fiction takes you from the beginning of the goddess Aphrodite with her early influences in Mesopotamia, to the modern-day reception of the goddess. The book reads as if Bettany is just chatting to you, which made it easy to read and accessible for anyone wanting to learn about the goddess. The connections to the early war goddesses of Mesopotamia (Inanna, Ishtar and Astarte) were fascinating, and Bettany supported her claims with archaeological evidence and images in the book. I absolutely loved reading the changes in the goddess both through time and region, and how the depictions of her, and the connotations towards her morphed. I definitely feel like the goddess Aphrodite/Venus has been simplified into the goddess of sex and desire with little substance, and this book is out here to remind the world that she is so much more.

August Hopefuls

This month I continued to read The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women by Nancy Marie Brown. I’ve been really enjoying the intertwining of fact and fiction, and hopefully, I’ll get it finished this month! I am also half way through Red Rising by Pierce Brown which I started on a whim for a buddy read and I am ABSOLUTELY loving it! I’ve also just found out that it isn’t a trilogy anymore, and that is very exciting! I also started Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb which I have been really enjoying, but I’ve been neglecting it since I started Red Rising so hopefully I can pick it back up again this month. But of course, I am a true mood reader at heart, and it is truly impossible to plan my reading. I definitely need to finish The Real Valkyrie and I will HAVE to finish Red Rising because it’s so addicting. The final book on my radar for August it Egyptian Mythology by Garry Shaw, which I am so stocked to have an early release copy of because I’m going to have the opportunity to interview Garry about it and I’m SO EXCITED! But, other than that, we’ll just have to see what I feel like picking up. Maybe I’ll join another spontaneous buddy read, who knows. What are you most looking forward to reading this month? Lemme know down in the comments or find me over on Instagram @kell_read!

Review: Venus & Aphrodite: History of a Goddess by Bettany Hughes

★★★★☆.5 I am only now getting into reading non-fiction books for fun, and not for uni or work so I’m still working on how I feel about rating them. With that being said, overall I really enjoyed reading this book.

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What's the book about?

Venus & Aphrodite: History of a Goddess by Bettany Hughes is a light, easy read which follows the history of the goddess best known as Venus or Aphrodite, from her beginnings to the modern reception of the goddess. Using archaeological evidence with textual sources and more recent artworks and literature, Bettany traces the origins of the goddess of love, and both her movements and developments through history.

As some will know, Aphrodite is the Ancient Greek goddess of love, desire, beauty and sexuality, and Venus is the Roman counterpart to Aphrodite, and held dominion over fertility, prostitution and victory. However, as Bettany delves into in the first few chapters of her book, Aphrodite didn’t just appear in the artwork and literature of Ancient Greece suddenly, but evolved from both the Cypriot spirit of procreation and fertility, as well as the Near Eastern goddesses of war Inanna, Astarte and Ishtar. Beginning from both the mythological beginnings of Aphrodite (with the castration of Ouranos, and the goddess emerging from the sea foam caused by the god’s genitals falling into the ocean), as well as the archaeological beginnings, and moving all the way through the renaissance depictions and the morphing of her dominions and depictions through to the modern-day, Bettany has provided an accessible and easy to read guide to the goddess and her history.

“A potent idea, given a name and a face across five millennia, this deity is the incarnation of fear as well as love, of pain as well as pleasure, of the agony and ecstasy of desire”

thoughts and feelings

From the very first page, I knew this was going to be a far easier read than I was initially anticipating. Bettany has written this book as if she was just chatting to a mate, and honestly, I loved that. Although it initially caught me off guard, it made it so much more appealing, and tempted me to pick it up more often knowing that the language used was easygoing. The colloquial language, however, doesn’t take away from the importance of this goddess, and her significance throughout history, especially in ancient civilisations. What Bettany has done, is a thorough investigation on the goddess, and then turned that hard evidence into a book that is easily understood and accessible to anyone. Bettany has achieved the goal of bringing archaeological and historical facts into the world in an easy to read and enjoyable book, and I love it! Her addition of images throughout the book, both in black and white dispersed through the book, and in the middle which is full of coloured images, makes it all the more interesting, especially in the discussions around the changes in the physical depictions of the goddess.

“It [desire] is the life force that spurs us on to do, to be, to think.”

I love that it was a short, easy read. It means that there’s a far better chance that more people will pick it up (and I love the idea that the ancient world is becoming something more open and available). But, some points Bettany made, I felt like I wanted more evidence that backed up her conclusion. I am sure that she has done her research, and I don’t doubt any of the statements or conclusions she has come to in this fascinating history, but I would have loved just a bit more depth into some of the evidence (whether it be archaeological or textual), that she has used to form her conclusions. In saying that, I always want more out of my books, and I commend her for making this book so full of information, and yet so easy to read.

I definitely feel like the goddess Aphrodite/Venus has been simplified into the goddess of sex and desire with little substance, and this book is out here to remind the world that she is so much more. Bettany explores the goddesses roots in the war-goddesses of the Near East (Inanna, Ishtar and Astarte), and brings to the forefront the seemingly contradictory beginnings of this goddess through love, desire and war. This book details just how much the attitudes towards the goddess has developed throughout the millennia, and what her body and her symbols have meant throughout the years. The complexities of Aphrodite/Venus have been written and painted out of history in the last thousand years, and this book is bringing back the intricacy of this goddess, which will hopefully culminate in the respect and adoration she deserves.

Have you read Venus & Aphrodite: History of a Goddess by Bettany Hughes? What did you think of it? I would love to chat about this book, either in the comments below, or find me over on Instagram @kell_read.

Review: A Game of Fate by Scarlett St. Clair

★★★★☆.5 I enjoyed Hades point of view more than Persephone’s. Although, the narrator took a bit to get used to.

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Scarlett St. Clair’s series on Hades and Persephone is like a jigsaw puzzle, and each book you read, you get a bit more clarity on who these characters are. In case you aren’t familiar with Scarlett’s series, she has published three books from Persephone’s point of view (A Touch of Darkness, A Touch of Ruin and a Touch of Malice - the third one I have yet to read), and she is also writing the same stories from Hades point of view (A Game of Fate, A Game of Retribution and A Game of Gods - only the first of these three are out in the world). Then, the final book, A Touch of Chaos, will be the final book with both of their perspectives. Now, I know you may be thinking, wouldn’t that be a bit repetitive reading the exact same book from the other main characters point of view? And may I say that it never felt repetitive. Reading this book felt like a fresh look at a story I was familiar with, but in such a different way it felt like an entirely different story entirely. It's hard to explain, but if you’re worried that it’ll get repetitive, it doesn’t.

“What is evil to one is a fight for freedom to another.”

I really enjoyed reading this book from Hades point of view. A lot of this story from Persephone’s point of view made me frustrated because of how bad they were at communicating with each other, but having Hades’ thoughts on each interaction sort of cleared any annoyance I was feeling towards them, because now I have both sides. Being privy to each of their thoughts is such a special thing as a reader, and it’s something I would love to see more authors do.

One of the best things about having a whole book from Hades point of view, is for his inner thoughts on his progressing relationship with Persephone, and a new insight into the world of the gods that we don’t get with Persephone. Persephone is the daughter of Demeter, but none of the other gods know who she is or that she is a goddess. So, in Persephone’s books, we get her life in the mortal world, detached from the issues and antics of the gods (and there are a lot). With Hades, however, we get to see most of the olympians in this book, and we get an early glimpse into their relationships and issues that will surely be a larger part of later books. This book shows us that Hades is so much more than the god of the underworld who owns a nightclub. He deals with so much behind the scenes that Persephone doesn’t get to see, and you start to understand the layers to the god in this book.

I loved the dynamic between Hades, Hecate and Hermes. There is both a mutual respect and a deep friendship between the three of them, even though Hermes is like an annoying little brother (well… nephew) to Hades. They have all been living for thousands of years, and you could really feel the depth of their relationships, and the history between them all which I loved. Hades and Hecate are such a fun duo, and any scene that had them in it were always super enjoyable to read. And of course, every appearance Hermes makes reminds me of why he is my absolute favourite character in this series.

“Don’t ruin this for me. I might be dreaming, but I’m about to live out one of my top five fantasies—” Hades slapped the god, who looked shocked. “This isn’t a dream, Hermes.” They stared at one another, and in the silence, Hades raised a brow. “Top five, huh?”

This series created by Scarlett St. Clair is so much fun. She has obviously done A LOT of research on Greek mythology, and then used it to inform her urban setting, and her interpretation of the characters. I absolutely loved listening to this, and I am super keen to sink my teeth into A Touch of Malice!