Book Review – For The Throne (Wilderwood 2) by Hannah F. Whitten

I had high expectations for this since the first book was one of my favorite reads of 2021. Since I don’t read nearly as much young adult anymore, that means it must be exceptional. I’m sure I’ll be in the minority when I say I didn’t like this one as much. I was excited to read about Neve’s side of the story after she is trapped in the Shadowlands. I loved the lore side of this story that expounded on many of the plot points of book one and two. The worldbuilding remained exceptional but the pace felt much slower to me. I had to keep coming back to finish it a few chapters at a time. I felt like Neve and Solmir don’t get time to form the same connection that Red and her Wolf created in book one. I loved Red in book one, but her actions while attempting to rescue Neve were frustrating. I didn’t enjoy Neve in book one, but I found a way to like her is this one, especially with her seemingly insurmountable task of defeating the Kings with Solmir‘s help. Raffe, the Wolf, and Solmir were the characters that remained the same for me in both. This wasn’t for me, but I am sure plenty of other people will love it. (3/5 rating)

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Book Review – The Stalking Dead (Gang of Ghouls 1) by Eva Chase

Checked out with kindle unlimited, February 2023. This was my second book by Eva Chase, and the first book in an intriguing ghost series. Lily is a new college student after being held in mental ward for 7 years. She can’t remember what she did in her youth to get landed there. The arrival of ghosts from her past (pun intended) have her questioning her hard won sanity. The premise of this sounded good, but the execution of that idea left a lot to be desired for me. The plot and atmosphere were all right but not what I was expecting for a ghost story. Some of the bullying situations were a bit too extreme to be believable and the MC’s reactions were a frustrating mess. I did enjoy some of our antiheroes and their ability to scheme, even as ghosts. I struggled to rate this book since this was an obvious (it’s me, not you) situation. I’m glad other people could enjoy it; this just wasn’t for me. (2/5 rating)

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Book Review – Angels’ Blood (Guild Hunter 1) by Nalini Singh

This was my second series by Nalini Singh. Vampire hunter, Elena Deveraux, calls New York City her home. That home also belongs to Archangel Raphael. Forced to work with him to bring a rogue Archangel to heel, Elena must remain on guard as her list of enemies grows rapidly and includes her traitorous heart. I struggled to rate this one, since my expectations were high, and this fell a bit flat for me in places. Singh created a suspenseful but stunning atmosphere in this version of New York. I enjoyed Elena as a strong, fighting female. Raphael was a beautifully flawed character, but I was frustrated with how much information he withheld from Elena until the end. I also struggled with Dimitri’s character arc and where it stands at the end. I liked this book’s version of how vampires are created. The plot moved quickly, but the romance aspect felt stalled. I likely need to read book 2 to see how some of these issues are resolved. (3/5 rating)

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