Marie Sinadjan
Bio
Filipino spec fic author and book reviewer based in the UK. https://linktr.ee/mariesinadjan • www.mariesinadjan.com
Stories (183/0)
Book Review: The Garden of Delights by Amal Singh
A world where petals are currency and flowers are magic. A man battling a curse of eternal old age. A girl who can be his boon. But it's not all tulips and roses. There are also nettles and thorns. Where Delights persist, Sorrow must follow. In the city of Sirvassa, where petals are currency and flowers are magic, the Caretaker tends to the Garden of Delights. He imparts temporary magical abilities to the citizens of Sirvassa, while battling a curse of eternal old age. No Delight could uplift his curse, and so he must seek out a mythical figure. A god. When a Delight allows a young girl an ability to change reality, the Caretaker believes he’s at the end of his search. But soon a magical rot takes root in his Garden, and the Caretaker must join forces with the girl and stop it from spreading.
By Marie Sinadjanabout 23 hours ago in BookClub
Happy book anniversary to Monster Ridge!
Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime? Victor and Silje thought they'd already left Hotel Fen and its horrors behind. But hunting them are Victor's godly brothers: Thor the Thunderer, Tyr the Battle-God, and Hodr the God of Winter. Convinced that Ragnarok, the end of all things, is about to begin, they either want Victor fighting on their side — or out of their way. With Ada the gretten katt and their dwarven weaponsmith Ivaldi, Victor and Silje set off for Vanaheim, seeking out the Vanir runemistress Freya, and a safe haven. But the more their pasts unfold, the more they realize that they're caught in the crosshairs of an ancient feud between Odin, the King of the Nine Realms, and his blood brother Loki, the Destroyer of Worlds.
By Marie Sinadjan7 days ago in BookClub
Book Review: The Theatre of Glass and Shadows by Anne Corlett
Sometimes the greatest spectacle hides the darkest secrets . . . In an alternate London, the city's Theatre District is a walled area south of the river where an immersive production - the Show - has been running for centuries, growing ever bigger, more sprawling and lavish. The Show is open to anyone who can afford a ticket but the District itself is a closed world; even the police have no jurisdiction within its walls. Juliet's mother died when she was a baby. Brought up by her emotionally distant father and even more distant stepmother, she has never felt wanted. It's only when her father passes away that Juliet - now nineteen - learns her birth was registered in the District. Desperate to belong somewhere at last, she travels to London where she hopes to unearth the truth about her identity, her mother's death and her father's years of silence - and claim her birthright. But in the District, there is only one central truth: the Show must go on. And in a world where illusions abound, and powerful men control the narrative, Juliet has no idea of just how far some will go to ensure certain stories are never told . . . For fans of The Miniaturist and The Doll Factory, The Theatre of Glass and Shadows is a place where nothing is as it seems.
By Marie Sinadjan15 days ago in BookClub
Book Review: Snowblooded by Emma Sterner-Radley
Valour and Petrichor are esteemed members of the Order of Axsten, an assassin’s guild tasked with keeping order in the rough city of Vinterstock. Plucked from the streets as children and raised to compete for their guild’s approval, Valour uses her brawn to survive, while Petrichor strives to be a gentleman assassin. When they’re given their biggest job yet—to kill Brandquist, the mysterious leader of the city's illegal magic trade—it’s a recipe for disaster. If they can quell their rivalry long enough, the reward will be enough to settle their debts with the Order and start new lives. If this job wasn’t dangerous enough, Valour is saddled with protecting the aristocrat, Ingrid Rytterdahl. Valour finds her dangerously attractive, but Petrichor can’t wait to be rid of them both. He begrudgingly accepts Ingrid’s knowledge and connections as they navigate the city’s criminal underbelly in pursuit of Brandquist. As secrets bubble to the surface, the duo must outwit the thugs on their tail, keep Ingrid alive, and—hardest of all—work together without murdering each other.
By Marie Sinadjan15 days ago in BookClub
Book Review: In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune
In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe. The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans. When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming. Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?
By Marie Sinadjan18 days ago in BookClub
Audiobook Review: Circle of Magic - Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce
Set in a different universe than Tortall, The Circle of Magic quartet centers around four unusual young mages. Sandry, a noble whose parents died recently, has power with thread, from spinning and weaving to simple knot-tying. Daja, a Trader, is the only survivor of a shipwreck in which her family drowned. Declared to be bad luck and banned from life with other Traders, she is free to learn to work metals and, through metal, to work magic. Tris, the merchant’s daughter, is no orphan, but her family doesn’t want her. Briar is a street rat, a thief and convict. Only at the temple city of Winding Circle does he learn that his strange love of growing things is more than a need to garden. Brought together in a house inside the temple city’s walls, watched over by the mages Lark, Rosethorn, Frostpine, and Niko, the four struggle to be friends, to exercise their magic, and to survive. Each book centers on one of the four, but make no mistake: they are bound tightly together, and the events that affect each of them also strengthen their connections to one another. Check out the rest of the quartet here and the universe here. --- The Circle of Magic universe has its roots in the medieval Middle East and Central Asia: a crossroads of cultures and peoples, where trade and the pursuit of knowledge bring four ends of a vast continent together. Beginning with Winding Circle Temple in the city of Summersea, four young people from very different walks of life come together for an education. One is a merchant’s daughter who discovers a fantastic magical talent for manipulating the weather. One is the daughter of a people who live by trade alone, the sole survivor of her family’s ship, the possessor of the power to work metal in many ways. The third is a nobleman’s daughter, the great-niece of Summersea’s ruler, whose unladylike preoccupation with sewing, weaving, and the manipulation of anything resembling thread is revealed to be pure magic. And the fourth is a boy, reared on the streets as a thief, rescued from slave labor to discover he has magic with plants and the making of medicines. Taught by mage (wizard) teachers at Winding Circle Temple’s school and beyond, these four grow to adulthood learning about their world, coming under attack by pirates and plague, journeying out to a city beset by fire and a kingdom haunted by strange beings, and learning the ways of the great and powerful in foreign courts. Together or apart, with their beloved teachers or new friends, the four always find new experiences, and new mages with talents even more unusual than their own!
By Marie Sinadjan18 days ago in BookClub
Book Review: Sanctuary of the Shadow by Aurora Ascher
Enter at your own risk—and discover the greatest show unearthed in this explosive, darkly imaginative debut fantasy… For humans, the circus is a place filled with wonder and amazement. For Harrow, though, it’s a place to hide from those who slaughtered her entire clan. Disguising her abilities as part of her act has kept her true identity safe for years. Until he arrives. A strange new attraction with no name, no memory of who—or even what—he is, let alone an explanation for his odd yet deadly powers. But beneath the layers of anger and isolation, one glimpse into his inky eyes reveals a soul that calls out to the loneliness in her own. And so she chooses him. Harrow is drawn to the darkness, to her insatiable need to soothe the beast who threatens their very existence. But with every secret she unlocks from his past, another from hers whispers free as well—luring enemies who will stop at nothing to get their final revenge on Harrow. And she’s afraid she’s given them the perfect weapon against her…because he’s not what he seems. But maybe it’s time they finally learn—neither is she.
By Marie Sinadjan18 days ago in BookClub
Audiobook Review: The Mystwick School of Musicraft by Jessica Khoury
Humor and heart shine in this middle grade fantasy about a girl who attends a boarding school to learn how to use music to create magic, perfect for fans of Nevermoor and The School for Good and Evil series. Amelia Jones always dreamed of attending the Mystwick School of Musicraft, where the world’s most promising musicians learn to create magic. So when Amelia botches her audition, she thinks her dream has met an abrupt and humiliating end—until the school agrees to give her a trial period. Amelia is determined to prove herself, vowing to do whatever it takes to become the perfect musician. Even if it means pretending to be someone she isn’t. Meanwhile, a mysterious storm is brewing that no one, not even the maestros at Mystwick, is prepared to contain. Can Amelia find the courage to be true to herself in time to save her beloved school from certain destruction?
By Marie Sinadjan18 days ago in BookClub
Book Review: Guns and Almond Milk by Mustafa Marwan
Meet Luke Archer, a British Egyptian doctor who struggles to be from two worlds at the same time. He's working in one of the world's most dangerous hospitals in Yemen. When rebel forces take over the city, a group of Western mercenaries take refuge inside the hospital and Luke and his team find themselves in the middle of a deadly clash. To make matters worse, leading the mercenaries is an unwelcome figure from Luke's past. After years saving the lives of others, Luke needs to face the demons of his past in order to save his own. Set in the UK and Yemen, Guns and Almond Milk is a literary thriller that deals with identity, diversity and old coins of arguable value. It's The Sympathizer mixed with M.A.S.H by the way of Ramy. A Page Turner Award finalist.
By Marie Sinadjan20 days ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Time-Marked Warlock by Shami Stovall
Adair Finch is the most powerful warlock in the world, and one of the best private investigators for hire. He has dealt with corporate vampires, murderous werewolves, and even fae royalty. Everything was perfect until he lost one case—the case where he also lost his brother. So Finch retired. From magic. From PI work. From everything. Bree Blackstone, a twelve-year-old witch, doesn’t know or care about any of that except Finch’s reputation. In the middle of the night, she bangs on Finch’s door. Her mother has been murdered, and now the assassin is after Bree as well. Reluctantly, Finch agrees to help, only to discover something sinister has been brewing in town while he ignored the world… He’ll need to dust off all his old skills and magic before it’s too late.
By Marie Sinadjan22 days ago in BookClub