Tagged: the devil’s concubine
The Month in Re-Reads (#1)
In addition to reading 14 new books this month, I had quite a bit of time to re-read some old favourites. It’s rare that I have enough time to actually read books more than once so I took advantage of it and re-read 10 awesome books, 1 short story and a novella. Here are the ones I read again here in January:
1. Prophecy of the Most Beautiful by Diantha Jones
I loved the first three books of the Oracle of Delphi series so much that I made a concerted effort to re-read all three. The first time around Prophecy of the Most Beautiful was awesome, but it’s even better as a re-read because I saw all the little hints Diantha Jones planted in the story for the later books. With Prophecy of the Betrayed Heir coming out in September I needed to re-read the series anyway to remind myself who everyone is.
2. Prophecy of the Setting Sunrise by Diantha Jones
This is another book that was even better the second time around. The end had been just a little confusing the first time around because I read the first book and this one so far apart. But after refreshing my memory I really appreciated all the plot twists of this novel as well as some of the foreshadowing for the third book.
3. Prophecy of Solstice’s End by Diantha Jones
Reading the third book just makes me even more eager for book four! I stayed up late to finish this one even though I’ve obviously read it once before. The best books are even better the second time around and Prophecy of Solstice’s End is one such book. One of my favourite parts of the book was the portrayal of all the Greek gods, particularly Zeus.
4. Solar, Defeated by Diantha Jones
After finishing the first three books in the series I still had a craving for more of Diantha Jones’ fantastic world. Enter Solar, Defeated, which is the Oracle of Delphi #2.5. It fills in a lot of the gaps in Strafford’s story and makes his awful behaviour in the beginning seem a little more logical.
5. The Devil’s Concubine by Jill Braden
Remember how I absolutely gushed about this book? Well, I’m back to gushing again after re-reading it! This time around I really appreciated all the subtle hints Jill Braden gave about the Ravidians’ plot as well as about QuiTai’s past. The plot was just as suspenseful as it was the first time around and I think this will be a book I’ll re-read at least once a year from now on. It’s that good.
6. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Fey series is sort of my guilty pleasure now. I actually like the love triangle in this one and Julie Kagawa’s world of faeries is fantastic. I’ll admit that her book is not the most original but it’s still good and it’s one that I like to re-read from time to time since this was actually the first book I’d read featuring faeries. It brings back good memories.
7. The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
Every once in a while I like to indulge my usually deeply buried romantic side and The Iron Fey series always hits the spot. Forbidden love, attractive men and a heroine who actually learns how to kick butt at a natural pace all make this one of my favourite re-reads.
8. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
This is probably my favourite one in the Iron Fey series that features Meghan. She really grows as a person in this one and Ash does as well. They start to overcome their differences and finally admit just how much they really love one another. And it has such a cliffhanger that you can’t help but read The Iron Knight as well.
9. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Who can resist the snarky, ruthless and occasionally sadistic main character of Mark Lawrence’s debut novel? Jorg is at the top of my list of all-time favourite characters, even if he really is a horrible, broken human being. I finished the last book in his trilogy not too long ago so it was nice to go back now and see how much he really had changed by the end.
10. The Return Man by V. M. Zito
I read this book pretty much exactly a year ago so it was nice to re-read it for the first time and enjoy my favourite characters again. I had forgotten how much I loved Wu and Marco and their gory adventures through the zombie-infested Evacuated States. The Return Man is one of my favourite books of all time and I was glad I had time to read it again this month.
11. Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh by Katie Hamstead
After reading Kiya: Mother of a King and still being anxious for the third book I decided to go back and read the first book. I liked it just as much as I did the first time around, but for different reasons. The hints that Katie Hamstead dropped for the rest of the series and the characterization were all good enough for me to overlook some minor historical inaccuracies.
12. Short Story: Feyland: The First Adventure by Anthea Sharp
I had to re-read this prequel to the Feyland series again because I didn’t review it the first time I read it. I didn’t want to rely so much on my memory from a few months ago, but I didn’t need to worry. It’s just as good the second time around as it was the first.
Giveaway: The Devil of Ponong Series by Jill Braden
Today I’m lucky enough to be doing a giveaway in conjunction with author Jill Braden and her publisher, Wayzgoose Press. For my review of The Devil’s Concubine, her first amazing book, see here. For my gushing review of her even more amazing second book, see here. The fact that I gushed in both reviews should tell you all you need to know about how awesome Jill Braden’s writing is and how lucky you would be to win a copy of her book. Just follow the Rafflecopter link below and spread the word!
This giveaway will run from today (September 23) until midnight on October 6. Winners will be announced on the seventh and in addition to the prizes listed, there might be some more special swag thrown in. Who knows?
My Interview with Jill Braden
Jill Braden is the author of The Devil’s Concubine and its sequel, The Devil Incarnate. The Devil of Ponong is her first published series and takes place in Ponong, a tropical island under colonial rule in a fantasy world. Join us for our interview as we talk about her amazing fantasy world, NaNoWriMo and how writing can be compared to watching paint dry.
1. QuiTai is a truly incredible woman in many ways. Was there a woman either in your life or in history that inspired her character? Or was there something else?
I’m glad you like her. My main literary inspiration is Irene Adler from Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Scandal in Bohemia. I don’t like modern versions of her much (and could go on forever about why) but the original is still wonderful. She was a former actress like QuiTai, and rather notorious, and she outsmarted Sherlock Holmes. I also love Amelia Peabody from Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody mysteries, Miss Celeste Temple from Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Lisbeth Salandar from the Millennium trilogy, Mattie Ross from True Grit, Joan Wilder from Romancing the Stone, and Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. Each of them are wonderfully sensible in their own way, and they have the added attraction of being so well written that they just about leap off the page. Continue reading
The Devil’s Concubine by Jill Braden
(Cover picture courtesy of Salacious Reads.)
QuiTai, ruthless concubine of Levapur’s mysterious crime lord, the Devil, receives an unexpected invitation to cocktails with disgraced Thampurian Kyam Zul. She doesn’t trust Kyam enough to drink anything he pours, and won’t help him no matter how hard he begs – or threatens. But when QuiTai’s ex-lover is murdered, Kyam is the only one who knows the name of the killer, and he won’t tell QuiTai unless she helps him first.
The torpid back alleyways of Levapur’s tropical colony hide more than lovers. There are things with claws, beings with venomous fangs, and spies lurking in the jungle.
Most of them want to keep their secrets.
One wants QuiTai dead.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I am seriously in awe of this book. Not only is it well written with amazing characters and a fast plot, but it also takes place in a fantasy world that’s not based on Medieval Europe! Instead, it’s based upon a tropical island culture with elements taken from both island and Asian cultures as well as some European ones.
QuiTai is now one of my favourite characters—ever. Considering how many books I read a year, that’s saying something. She is amazing! Sensual, manipulative, complex, intelligent, ruthless and at the same time, loyal to her conquered Ponongese people. Words can’t even do her justice. She’s such a strong woman but at the same time is seriously flawed when it comes to her lust for revenge and her distrust of people in general. Seeing her interact with the intelligent, snarky, disgraced Thampurian Kyam is fascinating especially when she becomes attracted to him. Trust me on this one though: she doesn’t fall in typical love and it certainly doesn’t blind her like it does other narrators.
I can’t get over Jill Braden’s fantasy world. It’s a little hard to get used to at first, but when you learn the backstory of Levapur you really appreciate how much detail she put into it. The Ponongese people, which seem to be almost human-snake hybrids have been conquered by the ‘sea dragons’, Thampurians. Thampurians can shape shift into a sort of fish, which I think is really cool. On top of being a colony to the ruthless Thampurians, every full moon the Devil’s werewolves lurk around threatening the populace even though QuiTai does her best to keep the island population safe from the werewolves. The dynamic between the Ponongese people and the Thampurians is ever-changing and full of tension and clearly demonstrates that Jill Braden actually understands politics.
Kyam and the Devil, much like QuiTai, are more complex than they actually seem. Each one has hidden motives that aren’t immediately apparent even to the suspicious QuiTai. The Devil seems to be your stereotypical crime lord who runs the island, but when we learn the real power behind him you can’t help but laugh. This real power also makes sense because of how the first book ends, but I can’t go into any more detail than that.
The plot is fast paced and Jill Braden constantly throws in plot twists to keep you on your toes. Even the characters themselves throw you off sometimes because just when you think you know their motives, their true motives are revealed. Especially when it comes to QuiTai as we slowly learn more of her backstory and how she came to be the Devil’s concubine. These plot twists are mostly unexpected, but they actually make sense within the story and are part of the greater politics of Levapur (especially when it comes to the island’s colony status). I guarantee you won’t see the ending coming; QuiTai has a revelation that will truly shock you.
The Devil’s Concubine was so good that I can’t wait to read The Devil Incarnate, the next book in The Devil of Ponong series. If you haven’t already read it, give The Devil’s Concubine a try. You’re pretty much guaranteed to love it.
I give this book 5/5 stars.