Asterion, encouraged by Icarus, stands up (literally) to King Minos. (Icare, 2022)

bashing myself in the head with a frying pan rn

“so you ain’t getting a say in it.”

sumi needed a touch up to go w/ the main cast’s redesign!

if u like my content, my comms and ko-fi are linked in the pinned post!

~~~shadow wand spoilers!!~~~

YVAN HAS FRICKEN HORNS AND FANGS AND CLAWS I LOVE IT

Also like he probably has slit pupils and I am HERE for this!

Well, well, hell, we can always trust the devil to be the devil.

@kierongillen But I bet Lucy’ll burn in her own flames ?

The shadow wand book review

**SPOILERS**

This wasn’t a bad book it just didn’t felt like a real continuation of the story more like fanfiction. This was still very well written besides the mention of “Line” every two seconds. This would have been an okay standalone book as the romance (if you didn’t think about the situation too hard) was good but as an instalment it didn’t make any sense. I didn’t really think the introduction of so many new characters so far into the story worked. It really needed a stronger editor.

The main problem is Elloren and unfortunately she is the story. The in your face toxic feminism was so staunch and was so different from the first two books where it was about equality. Elloren would rage against the patriarchy but it felt so false because she was so reliant on Lukas and his wealth and power and protection to make herself feel safe, she felt very “white woke”. There was no point of the girl power anthem when Elloren couldn’t back it up until the end the very last chapter. This whole book could’ve avoided if Chi Nam had given Elloren the glamour runes in the beginning and she could’ve gone back in disguise or gone east to find Yvan and her brothers. Legit did not make any sense besides for the fact of her boning Lukas (not complaining that was a well done chapter).

Lukas: I feel sorry for Lukas’s back because he carried this book and Elloren. He must be so tired. Lukas’s BDE was the only saving grace. I don’t think his character was done justice in this book. He went from a realist telling Elloren he didn’t love her and didn’t believe in love to burning for her. Lukas deserves better than Elloren. The man was a saint for putting up with Elloren and saving her for Damien Bane but she treated him like shit because she was too self-involved. She shut him down every time he tried to make a joke?! Almost laughed when she asked Lukas if he would mourn for her when she mourned for Yvan for less than half a day before moving on. And at the end when she told him she loved him, thirty minutes later when he was “Dead” she found Yvan. Elloren cannot be alone for a moment and is that girl who always has to be in a relationship. The only problem with Lukas was the writer was trying to show how he was always trying to give Elloren a choice. We get it he invented feminism.

Yvan: deserves better. He bounded to her and she was unworthy of him. I honestly don’t know why she didn’t go and find him this whole book couldn’t been cut if she had just gone to him. He is a powerful dragon he could have protected her. WTF. Missed Yvan because he was one of the people who would call Elloren out on her entitlement. The romance between Yvan and Elloren was just so well done in the first two books and she had chosen the smart, sensitive and nice guy, to see her betray him was such a deep cut. (It goes to show how well of an author Laurie is that I am so heavily invested in her characters)

Elloren: She lost all the progress in the last two and reverted back to the annoying, self-absorbed, needs constant validation girl from the start of the series. I THOUGHT WE WERE PAST THIS. She went from a budding Karen to a SJW and then to whinny debbie downer. WHY. The end of the second book made it appear she was ready to fight so her regression made no sense. Everyone else had to solve her problems for her, protecting her, harbouring her, giving her runes. She didn’t try to grow or solve her own problems but was forced to do it. The only reason why she can throw knifes is because of the wand. I totally understand why everyone wanted to kill her. 

Would still recommend the book and will be reading the following books. Here is to hoping that Lukas is still alive and that Lukas and Yvan realised they are both too good for Elloren and run off together. Lukas x Yvan

predictions - Voguel is the Icaral. Elloren has lots more dyrad blood

other thoughts on the black witch

this is just some ramble-y thoughts on the black witch that didn't quite fit into my review but that I wanna address or hash out more. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.

protagonists can be horrible, unlikable, and problematic

narrators can be unreliable, it’s up to the reader to sort that out

hence when elloren says and thinks things that are massively problematic the reader is not meant to sit there smiling and think ‘as yes this is fine’ they’re supposed to see that elloren is unreliable and problematic 

unlearning prejudice takes time, there is no flick of a switch, magic button or anything of the sort. so of course she’s still saying crappy bigoted stuff even as the book progresses. it’s a process.

i thought this process was well done actually. it was laid out so carefully and thoughtfully. very intentional.

also everyone is cool with leigh bardugo’s character Matthias (Six of Crows duology) who goes through a very similar process (unlearning prejudice that he was taught from a young age through his culture, religion and history). we just don’t see it as much as we do with elloren in The Black Witch. Yet Bardugo is praised for this. and Bardugo does it well too. I just don't understand the double standard

it is a harsh book, especially anyone from marginalized groups. i get that. it isn’t supposed to be an easy book though. it’s dealing with tough topics. topics that still persist today in our world. and they exist in this book in a fantasy setting to allow us to unpack and explore these topics at a slight distance. to give everyone room to think things over.

i really just disagree with the sentiment that this book was written for white people who don’t think they’re really racist. Elloren’s journey in unlearning prejudice through this book starts off with her thinking that facts are facts and that her people are simply truly good and superior. she then begins to question things. she accepts the truth thrown at her eventually. she accepts the feelings of marginalized people in the book (I’m thinking of the time that Elloren is told by Ariel that Ariel wishes she could kill all of the Gardnerians and Elloren herself. And Elloren notes that this is a fair thought. a deserved one. just as one example) elloren also joins the revolution by the end and is activeily working to do more than just get a pat on the back for not being prejudiced. (freeing a selkie slave, trying to get her fae friends smuggled out of a dangerous place, freeing a dragon/wyvern-shifter, etc) 

also even if this book was written for white people that think they aren’t racist. then good. imagine some prejudiced kid/teen/whoever picking this up and being able to learn from Elloren. pick up on things about subjective histories and ignorance and prejudice and how to unlearn all of that. what if elloren could provide a model for others? not a terrible thing at all.

yes the world is racist, xenophobic, homophobic, sexist, etc. that was done on purpose. for a reason. not just cause all that’s fun to throw into a fantasy setting.

also a lot of the reviews i’m reading seem to really miss out on the point that this is a series. which baffles me as it states so on goodreads and the ending is pretty damn clear about that. so yeah the wand doesn’t come up much. it’s part of a bigger plot arch.

Professor Kristian points out that pretty much all the “races” in this land are all actually ‘mixed’ and that racial purity “is the biggest myth of all”. pointing out that religion and history was used as a tool to paint a certain mythos about the Gadnerian people (and that all groups in this book do this; and we see evidence of this from several groups). because it happens in real life too. all the time. 

and where icarals come from is not clear within the story itself. that’s not spotty world building. having all of the answers is unrealistic. Professor Kristian follows the theory that they are the result of wyvern-shifter lineage in the bloodlines of several races/species/cultures within this world.

Drive for Speed Simulator: Blue Icar Car New Spoiler Unlocked Mission 11 to 14 - AndroidGameplay https://ift.tt/2ZfzWYg

So I have driven quite a few hybrid vehicles lately I’ve never actually driven a pure electric vehicle or EV before so I was a bit excited when Hyundai gave me the keys to the IONIQ Electric for the week. Hyundai have doubled down on the IONIQ by not just bringing out an EV model but also a Hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of it as well. On the outside I quite like the sloping fastback profile, the frontend features LED day time running lights DRL’s, front bumper air ducts (which create an air curtain around the front wheels to improve high-speed aerodynamic efficiency), and active grill shutters which will open when the engine needs more cooling. While the frontend isn’t too bad I’m a fan of the grey grill I would prefer it to be black. The 16inch alloy rims are Aerodynamically designed to minimise air turbulence, The rear end features LED tail lights, integrated rear spoiler and a matte grey insert to tie in with the front end another one of those personal things I would prefer it to be black and it would suit the gleaming white paint work better as well.

On the inside the IONIQ is where Hyundai have extended the car green credentials through the use of eco friendly materials. With sugar cane by products accounting for 25% of the raw materials for the soft touch door trim panels and recycled plastic, powdered wood and volcanic stone contributing to 10% of the plastics used elsewhere inside. Bio fabrics were used to make the carpets and head lining where sugar cane by products made up 20% of the raw materials. The slip behind the flat bottomed leather clad wheel that’s not only comfortable to hold but the right thickness for me, behind the wheel  your greeted by a 7 inch high resolution TFT LCD that provides information including energy flow, battery state and Eco drive info as well as a digital speedo.

The slim dash line brings your eye sight to the main focus of the interior the 10.25inch multimedia touchscreen that dominates the centre stack with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and full Bluetooth connectivity which can be accessed via steering wheels buttons you hardly have to take your hand’s off the wheel. I found the system very easy to use and connecting my phone via android auto took no time, the standard fit satellite navigation system works wonderful and also features a ‘Charging Station’ category allowing you to identify nearest Type 2 charging stations from your location which I did use and it worked great. The bottom of the centre stack features the climate control aircon buttons that are touch controls, which integrate well into the centre stack and the piano black finishes just adds to the look. The leather appointed seats are comfortable and supportive being the premium model they also the front seats are air ventilated and heated and there is also a memory function to keep you fav driving position. The rear seats are comfortable and offer a decent amount of legroom but the fastback styling means rear passengers have to watch their heads getting in. Storage wise the Ioniq has plenty of storage available with a big glove box, console storage bin with a USB connection,  door pockets with bottle storage, dual cupholders near the gearshift, wireless charging bay, a tray for other items which has two 12-volt sockets and a USB connection. The back seat has plenty of options as well including a map pocket on the back of the front passenger seat, door pockets, 2 cupo holders in the fold down centre arm rest boot space is an ample 462 litres with the seats up and grows to a healthy 1417 litres with the 60/40 split folding rear seats.

Under the bonnet is where all the magic happens and the IONIQ electric is powered by a 100kW electric motor connected to a 38.3kWh lithium-ion polymer battery. Since it was my first experience with an all-electric I wasn’t sure what to expect on the road but the advantage of and electric engine is you have all that wonderful torque available from the moment you push that go pedal which means not only can the IONIQ easily with traffic and sit on the speed limit on the freeway it can also get along quite rapid if you want.

The IONIQ Electric uses regenerative braking to add charge to battery while driving which works really good, using steering wheel mounted paddles you adjust the level of brake force while on the move. By using the left hand paddle, you’ll increase the regenerative braking effect while as the right hand paddle will decrease the regenerative level, coasting further to maximise efficiency. The IONIQ Electric, with a choice of Eco, Normal, Sport and all new Eco+ drive modes to choose from  which maximise the performance of IONIQ. Eco setting the controls to the most efficient balance, while Normal mode harmonises responsiveness and efficiency, Sport mode offers instant throttle response. The all new Eco+ drive mode maximises vehicle range by setting a 90 km/h speed limit, switching off the air conditioning, heating, and fans (user override-able), as well as optimising the default regenerative braking level. As far as charging goes  time it takes the Ioqniq to charging varies depending on what method you use. Hyundai sells what they call an emergency charge cable which lets you charge from any standard 10a power point not exactly how long it would take from dead empty to 100% but it took just over 5hrs to charge it to 100% from 73% when I charged it at home. You can also buy a home charger unit from Hyundai for your garage which will charge it to 100% in just over 6 hours. The Ioniq can also be charged from a 100kW fast charging station and which will charge the Ioniq to 80% in 54min or 57 min from a 50kW charging station quoted range for the Ioniq is just over 370km depending on how you drive it. But that means that most people using it for a commute in the city would probably only need to charge it once a week my commute is not that long so I recon I could go 2 or 3 weeks in between charges.

If you want to take a longer trip however it would require some planning though. On the road and the Ioniqs has benefited from Hyundai’s local suspension tuning program and it rides awesome I found it great to drive it soaks up small bumps and even bigger surface imperfections with ease, the steering has decent feel and will go where you point it, remember this is not a sports car so it’s not going to handle like one it makes one hell of great cruiser. Safety wise Ioniq has 5 star ANCAP rating  and comes with huge list of safety features including  7 airbags ABS, brake assist, EBD, as well as traction and stability control, Hill-start Assist Control, Blind Spot Collision Warning, Forward Collision Avoidance Assis’ (city/urban/interurban/pedestrian) Lane Following Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Collision Warning and Smart Cruise Control. It gets full and bonus points from me for having front and rear parking sensors as well a rear vision camera. Warranty wise the ioniq comes with Hyundai’s ‘iCare’ ownership program 5 year/unlimited km warranty, with 12 months roadside assist and a (complimentary) 1500km first service included. The Ioniq battery warranty extends for eight years/160,000km. Service intervals for the Ioniq Electric are every 12 months and cost $160 each year for the first 5 years. Servicing your car with a an authorised Hyundai dealer will get you 10year sat nav update plan and a roadside support plan.

Pricing The Ioniq was my first step into an all electric car and I can’t help but can’t come away more impressed,  Ioniq electric is great car that is comfortable to drive and ride in has a decent amount  of room is well equipped and comes with a bucket load of safety features. Price wise the Elite version starts at just over $53,300 while the Premium model I tested starts at just over $57,000 and yes cars when you compare them to a similar sized conventionally powered car then yes it looks a little expensive but compared to others in it’s class it’s priced well. Really if you are in the market for an electric vehicle you should have the ioniq on your list for more information on the Ioniq visit Hyundai’s website www.hyundai.com/au/en .

2020 Hyundai Ioniq Premium Electric review So I have driven quite a few hybrid vehicles lately I’ve never actually driven a pure electric vehicle or EV before so I was a bit excited when Hyundai gave me the keys to the IONIQ Electric for the week.

Envol Icare by André Dziezuk (Icare, 2022)

The Iron Flower by Laurie Forest

Ever imagined a school not unlike Hogwarts located in a realm called Erthia, that is reminiscent of Middle Earth with Witches, Shape-Shifters, Fae, Selkies, Icarals, and Dragons?!

Well, Laurie Forest has and this world exists in her mind and on the pages of this EPIC fantasy series.

Book two of The Black Witch Chronicles is every bit as amazing as the first, The Black Witch. No spoilers here! The…

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