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Description
The PorcupineBy: Julian Barnes Winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2011 Stoyo Petkanov, the deposed Party leader of a former Soviet satellite country, is on trial. His adversary, the prosecutor general, stands for the new government's ideals and liberal certainties, and is attempting to ensare Petkanov with the dictator's own totalitarian laws. But Petkanov is not beaten yet. He has been given his chance to fight back and he takes it with a vengeance, to
By: Julian BarnesWinner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2011
Stoyo Petkanov, the deposed Party leader of a former Soviet satellite country, is on trial. His adversary, the prosecutor general, stands for the new government's ideals and liberal certainties, and is attempting to ensare Petkanov with the dictator's own totalitarian laws. But Petkanov is not beaten yet. He has been given his chance to fight back and he takes it with a vengeance, to the increasing discomfort and surprise of those around him.
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4.7 ★★★★★
Based on 1625 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 3
So close to being good
I really wanted to like this book. It had all the makings of a strong, interesting story, but the plot got so convoluted that it was hard to follow. Also, for a "badass" FMC, Milla was amazingly inept. The writing got really stilted at times too. I will probably still read the next one anyway, because I'm curious to see where the plot goes.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2024
★★★★★ 5
FASCINATING world, great characters and swoony slow burn!
House of Bane and Blood by Alexis Menard
-Order and Chaos Book 1-
4.5/5⭐️
1/3🌶️*
2/3🦋
•My Thoughts•
What a RIDE! This world was absolutely fascinating with its 1920s mafia vibes meets magic. The characters and enemies to lovers storyline hooked me from the beginning - add in a marriage of convenience and a dash of mystery and I ate👏🏻it👏🏻up👏🏻. Milla’s growth was so good and I was cheering for her as she became more confident! I also loved Niko and his back story and resilience. These are imperfect characters you find easy to love, root for and I became enamored with their slow but steadfast (if reluctant) support of each other. I did find the government structure a little confusing but didn’t want to slow down enough stop and figure it out (if anyone reads it an wants to make a chart, please share it with me). This book was violent but also mesmerizing and full of hope for a better future. I loved the big family dynamics and the never ending plot twists that kept me guessing. This is a completed duology and with that ending, you BET I’m immediately reading book 2.
*I rated this a 1/3🌶️ because there were only a few scenes with on page intimacy. However, I would like to note that the spice involves kink: breath play.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2024
★★★★★ 4
Top tier romantasy
I really enjoyed this book! It's everything a romantasy should be, really. The interactions between the characters was good, the world was interesting, and I liked the magic system. Slow burn was a 10/10! I really love Nico. He's so intriguing and I hope we get more of his POV in the next book.
Reasons for taking off a star:
1. I didn't think the world building was set up well. I got the full picture by the end, but the author writes as if we should already understand and it was a bit confusing for quite a while.
2. Milla's characterization was inconsistent. She was wishy washy with her goals and didn't give off the bad ass vibes I think the author was aiming for. I would have also liked more showing and not telling for her background.
3. (This is me being a bit ridiculous) I didn't know if I was supposed to pronounce it as "Mih-luh" or "Mee-luh." I think the former sounds silly but my brain didn't want to read it as the latter 😅
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Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2023
★★★★★ 5
Give me a little bit’a that Nicolai Roman Attano ANY DAY. 🥵
⭐️ 5
🌶 3
🚂 Peaky Blinders Vibes
🚂 Enemies to Lovers
🚂 Sexy + Sassy Banter
🚂 Marriage for Business
🚂 Unique Magic System
🚂 Dual POV
I absolutely LOVED this book. The mafia/peaky blinders vibes — the lil’ steam punk feel mixed with magic and mayhem… add in the witty banter from Milla and Nico? ALEXIS, YOU DONE JUST ROCKED MY WORLD, FRIEND.
What I Enjoyed:
Nicolai. Roman. Attano.: Literally. This is all I’ve got to say to you, just read the book.
The Banter: When I tell you the banter between Milla and Nico is iconic — I mean it. Scroll down for some of my favorites, but my my my, my core was HEATING and I was wriggling in my seat on the airplane, my friends. OOOOOMPH.
Steampunk/ Peaky Blinders Vibes: I read this whole book with a feeling of mist on the ground, the flickering street lights, sound of a train horn, flapping of coat tails, and smell of cigarillo smoke. It was dark, broody, beautiful, and chilling. Add in a little wetness from morning dew and the scene has been set.
Plot Twists & Turns: The amount of times my eyes bugged out of my head with “OMG NO WAY”, “WHAAAT”, and “BOOIIIIIII–” should almost be illegal. I didn’t see the twist at the end coming, I loved it! Brilliant! I feel like House of Bane and Blood didn’t even allow me the opportunity to guess what would happen next, because I just had no idea where Alexis would take it.
Attano Family: I’m a sucker for a big family with many cousins, personalities, and a spicy Nonna. Throw in a kitchen scene or two and you’ve got me hooked. I loved the dynamic between the Attano family and how fast they came to bat for Milla. I throughly enjoyed getting to know the people behind Nicolai, and how they all support him and each other.
What I Didn’t Like:
The Minimal Insight on the Marchese Family: We aren’t really given much insight into the Marchese Family and Milla’s brothers. I understand this gives an ominous feel to the brothers — but I really wish we could have explored Giles and Milla’s relationship just a little bit more. I wish I understood more about the Twins than what was given. Although, I do understand the distance and the coldness, I personally just wanted a little more.
Over All Thoughts
The way I straight flew through this book — UGH. Adding Nico to my list of book boyfriends, and Alexis to my list of instant buy Authors. The way House of Bane and Blood is written is beautiful, it does not feel immature or overwhelming, there’s enough to keep you riveted and more and more unfolds with every chapter. Milla and Nico are a force to be reckoned with separately, but together? Indestructible! I cannot WAIT to see what happens in City of Mirth and Malice.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2024
★★★★★ 4
A Promising Start with a Complex Magic System
“House of Bane and Blood” delivers an engaging enemies-to-lovers romance wrapped in an arranged marriage trope, which was one of the strongest aspects of the book. The dynamic between Nico and Camilla was compelling, making their evolving relationship one of the highlights of the story. The plot itself was interesting and had a lot of potential.
However, the complexity of the magic system was a drawback. The abundance of difficult names and terms made it challenging to fully grasp the world-building, leaving some aspects feeling more confusing than immersive. At times, it was hard to keep track of what was happening and who was who.
Despite this, the book holds promise as the first installment of the series. With an intriguing setup and strong character chemistry, I’m excited to see where Book 2 takes the story. Hopefully, it will continue to build on its strengths while offering more clarity on its magical elements.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2025