Author: cherylmahoney

I'm a book review blogger and writer. I have published four novels, The Wanderers; The Storyteller and Her Sisters; and The People the Fairies Forget; and The Lioness and the Spellspinners. All can be found on Amazon as an ebook and paperback. In my day job, I'm a Marketing Specialist. Find me on Twitter (@MarvelousTales) and GoodReads (MarvelousTales).

Blog Hop: Bookless Days

On By cherylmahoneyIn Blog Hop1 Comment

book blogger hopThis week’s Book Blogger Hop question: Can you recall a time in your life when you were not reading?

Tragically, yes. Sort of. One semester in college, I was severely overloaded with reading for classes. Three out of four classes were heavy on reading, averaging roughly one Shakespearean play, one novel and one nonfiction history book every week. I read everything (I was conscientious that way), which left virtually no time for pleasure reading. So I was reading…but not anything I wanted to read (well, some of those assigned books were good, Shakespeare especially, but none were exactly light, relaxing reading).

It was miserable, and I vowed never to let that happen again. So far, so good!

Book Review: Star Wars – Survivor’s Quest

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews, Science Fiction1 Comment

I enjoyed the new Star Wars movie quite a bit, but I still had to chant “alternate universe” a lot—because I like the Expanded Universe of the novels. As I mentioned in my movie review, the movie sent me running to read a Timothy Zahn book, just to bring some balance back. So I pretty quickly read Survivor’s Quest (and took a while to post the review…), the chronologically-last Zahn Star Wars books, after already having read the previous five he wrote. And it really did feel so nice!

By this book we’ve reached some twenty years beyond the original trilogy (not that you can tell from Luke’s face on the cover…) This one focuses exclusively on Luke and Mara Jade, now married for three years. They join an expedition to find the remains of Outbound Flight, a colony ship sent 50 years ago in an (unsuccessful) effort to reach another galaxy. It swiftly becomes clear a saboteur is aboard the expeditionary ship, with a whole host of possible suspects.

Reading this book definitely fulfilled my goal—it just felt so comfortable to read a story about Mara Jade (probably the break-out star original character of the Expanded Universe), where Luke is training up a new generation of Jedi. We didn’t get to see Han and Leia, but we know they’re out there. I loved that. Continue reading “Book Review: Star Wars – Survivor’s Quest” →

Book Review: The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus series)

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Reviews, Young AdultLeave a comment

I finished out my read of Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series just before the end of the year with The Blood of Olympus, fifth and final book. It was dramatic and exciting and a good conclusion to the series…if not quite everything I might have hoped for.

The waking of Gaea, the terrifying Mother Earth, has been drawing closer and closer throughout the series and now is only days away. Most of our (several) heroes are aboard the flying Argo II, heading towards the Parthenon, site of Gaea’s waking, fighting monsters and questing for the ingredients of the Physician’s Cure along the way. Meanwhile, the motley band of Reyna (Roman praetor), Nico (antisocial son of Hades) and Coach Hedge (war-mongering satyr) are trying to deliver a giant, ancient statue of Athena to Camp Half-Blood in time to prevent a war between the Greek and Roman demigods.

Everything that was here was good, and my biggest disappointment was what wasn’t here. Namely, anything from Percy or Annabeth’s point of view, because they’re my favorites. I actually flipped through when I was somewhere near the beginning to see what the POVs were going to be—and it turns out to be Jason, Piper, Nico, Reyna and Leo. To be fair, Percy and Annabeth got a lot of play in the last three books, especially 2 and 4, and there is a certain appropriateness to returning to Jason, Piper and Leo in the final book, when they were the focus of book 1…but I like Percy and Annabeth. And don’t get me wrong, they are here…but not the primary focus this time around. Continue reading “Book Review: The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus series)” →

Fiction Friday: The Lioness and the Innkeeper’s Daughter

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fiction Friday3 Comments

I’m spending January deep in revisions for my next Beyond the Tales novel, The Lioness and the Spellspinners.  You can read the whole thing (if all goes well) in the fall, but in the meantime I thought I’d share an excerpt.  The Lioness of the title is Karina, who’s on the run and currently stuck on a very small island.  She’s gone into town with Forrest, a local, looking for a ship…

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For such a small town, it seemed to take a long time to get through, but at last they reached The Wool and Spindle. It was the second largest building in town, after the royalty’s house. Two stories, a thickly thatched roof and a wooden sign hanging above the door. Karina glanced up at the sign as they passed under it. It showed, predictably, a sheep and a spinning wheel.

Inside, she let out a relieved breath to find herself on more familiar footing. Taverns are taverns the world over. It was a little cleaner and more light shone than in most of the places she frequented back home, but the scattering of tables, big fireplace, and long counter at the back were familiar enough. And it was blessedly empty, apparently too early in the day for hard-working, respectable townsfolk to be at the tavern. Which meant there was no one to stare.

She had started to relax when a girl came into the room, from a doorway probably leading to the kitchen. The girl’s face broke into a broad smile as soon as she caught sight of her visitors. “Oh, Forrest!” she trilled. “You haven’t been in to visit in ages!” Continue reading “Fiction Friday: The Lioness and the Innkeeper’s Daughter” →

Book Review: Winter (The Lunar Chronicles)

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews, Science FictionLeave a comment

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the final book in Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles ever since May, 2014…when I read the previous book!  Happily, Winter did not disappoint in the slightest.

The story has grown complicated and the cast has grown large by this fourth book…catch up on my earlier reviews of Cinder, Scarlet, Cress (and Fairest, a prequel).  Spoilers to follow for the earlier books!

In a more-or-less distant future, Earth is on the brink of war with Luna, whose wicked Queen Levana is bent on world-domination, and she has an army of mutant soldiers, a plague virus and some nasty mind-control to back her up.  The one hope is Cinder and her rag-tag collection of allies.  Cinder is both the long-lost heir to the Lunar throne and a cyborg…who once left her mechanical foot behind at a ball.  Her allies include Scarlet, a pilot with a fondness for a red hoodie sweater and a certain Lunar soldier named Wolf; Cress, a brilliant but naive hacker who was held captive in a satellite by Levana until rescued by Cinder and co.; Carswell Thorne, a dashing captain who will tell you just how wonderful he is…while secretly doubting that he’s as good as Cress thinks he is; and Emperor Kai, who was abducted in Book Three but isn’t very sorry about it, considering he and Cinder have a romance that is (slowly) heating up.

Book Three also saw Scarlet carried off to captivity on Luna, but she’s fallen under the (doubtfully effective) protection of mad Princess Winter, and by extension her one loyal guard, Jacin.  The only chance of rescuing Scarlet, defeating Levana and reclaiming the Lunar throne is for Cinder and co. to somehow make it to Luna, probably under cover of plans for the royal wedding between Kai and Levana.

Are we all caught up now?  🙂  Continue reading “Book Review: Winter (The Lunar Chronicles)” →