Blog Tour: Under Ordshaw

Hello everyone! Today is my date for this amazing blog tour that Storytellers On Tour has organized for this amazing book and the audiobook! Yep, because soon we would get an audiobook for this one!!!

I enjoyed reading this book, a lot (I know, a bit of spoiler!) and I think that the audiobook would be a great experience if you like listening to them!

Title: Under Ordshaw
Series: Ordshaw #1
Author: Phil Williams
Publication Date: May 29th, 2018
Audiobook release: April, 2020
Genre: Urban Fantasy; Thriller; Contemporary Fantasy; British Contemporary; Horror subgenres
Pages: 301

Welcome to Ordshaw.
Don’t look down.
Pax is one rent cheque away from the unforgiving streets of Ordshaw. After her stash is stolen, her hunt for
the thief unearths a book of nightmares and a string of killers, and she stands to lose much more than her
home.
There’s something lurking under her city.
Knowing it’s there could get you killed.
This blend of urban fantasy and contemporary thriller takes you on a journey into the heart of Ordshaw, in
the company of such richly imagined characters that you won’t want to leave.

Book Links

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40092074-under-ordshaw
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0993180868
Barnes & Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-ordshaw-phil-williams/1129205591
Book Depository:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Under-Ordshaw-Phil-Williams/9780993180866

My Review!

When I was selected for this book I was very very happy, because I have read some good reviews around, and I was curious about this one. And I am happy to say that I enjoyed the reading a lot!

I think that we have a lot of original things in this book, and it’s a peculiar one, in some ways. And all of this helped to enjoy the ride. On one hand, it has a ton of original ideas here, but on the other ones, it remembered me a little of the books written by Kate Griffin. And I am not saying that this is a bad thing! I am saying it in the best possible way, so if you are Griffin’s fan I think you would find yourself at home between the pages of this book!

One of the peculiarities of this book is that it has quite the horrors vibe, but for a good part of the story there is something that reminds you of the noir or hard-boiled novels. And I loved it. I know that maybe this is not making sense, but you have this feeling while reading on, and it was somewhat a big plus for me.
And another one is the story. It is complex and we get to know how this world works, and what is happening while we are in the midst of it. We get to think something is this way, but then we discovered that it is not really so. And that what we were thinking could be, at least, partially wrong. It is hard to understand who are the good guys and who are not, the line is not so neatly drawn and this was a very well developed point. It is hard to have a good balance because sometimes you make the reader so confused that it is no more enjoyable. But this is not the case, here. We have the mystery, and we have the balance, and this is what keeps you hooked up, while you are trying to make sense of this strange world, with all his dangerous and supernatural creatures.

The characters are also a strong feature of this book. They have a really vivid interior life. We see them daydream, we see their hope and their fear, we see their internal process if I can say so, and it was fascinating.
Pax is a sort of motor for all the other characters, and it is interesting to see how a good person, who is just trying to do the right thing because it is what a decent person would do (and not because she is a saint since she is quite far from that definition herself), can change the world around her. She is the one who pushes the others around, just by being herself. And this was another peculiarity of this book.
I liked a lot Letty, too, even if it took me some time before warming to her. But she is unique, that’s for sure. And I appreciated Casaria, sometimes, Grace is a nice addition to the mix, and Barton is on the outside of the main action, but he is quite useful nonetheless. My biggest problem with the book and it wasn’t such a big problem, it was Holly. I disliked her from the start to the end. And I think that she is not only the less likable character but the weakest one, writing-wise.

It was a fascinating reading, that kept me busy for an enjoyable couple of days! If you are in for something original and captivating, this one could be the right reading for you!

Author Information

Phil Williams was born in the commuter-belt of Hertfordshire, where he learnt to escape a comfortable life through sinister fantasy fiction. His erratic career has variously involved the study of language and relationships – and took him to such locations as Prague, Moscow and Abu Dhabi. He finally settled on the quiet Sussex seaside, where he lives in Worthing with his wife and his fluffy dog, Herbert. He divides his time between writing educational books that help people better understand English and fantasy books that help people better escape reality.
So he tells himself.

Phil’s novel series include:
Ordshaw: a collection of urban fantasy thrillers set in and around the UK city of Ordshaw – a place where dark secrets threaten the modern world. The Sunken City trilogy follows card sharp Pax Kuranes’ introduction to a labyrinthine conspiracy, starting with Under Ordshaw. Expect monsters, diminutive fairies and a mystery that’ll take a lot of late nights to unravel.
Estalia: starting with Phil’s debut novel, Wixon’s Day, in 2012, this post-apocalyptic series explores a dystopia powered by steam. With reconstructed steampunk machines and an anarchist government, Estalia is a deadly place that gets more tense and chaotic with each instalment in the series.
His work also includes stories set in the post-World War 3 dystopia of Faergrowe (including A Most Apocalyptic Christmas and an upcoming five-book action-thriller arc starting with The Worst Survive), as well as various standalone stories and screenplays.

Author Links
Website:
https://phil-williams.co.uk/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/fantasticphil
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/philwilliamsauthor/
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6579274.Phil_Williams

Tour Information
Dates:
April 20th-April 24th

Don’t forget to check out the other dates to know more about this book!

Have you read it? Or have you read something else from this author? Let me know!

Happy reading!
S.