As my first by Lisa Edmonds, this urban fantasy world was set with betrayal, murder, and exposed dark secrets. Alice fakes her own death to escape her abusive and murderous family. Under a new name and face, she works as a magical private investigator. She manages to keep a little profile until hired to retrieve a powerful magical artifact that will could bring the city to its knees. I liked what Edmonds achieves with this gritty mage society and Alice’s attempt to save her world. I liked her characters, and the werewolf gets my favorite vote. Though, I think her writing style fell a bit flat for me since I felt like something was missing. I’m torn on whether I should read book 2 and give this series another try… (3/5 rating)
Tag: 2022
Book Review – Darkfever (Fever 1) by Karen Marie Moning
As my first by Moning, I was excited for this series, since I’ve heard so many good things about the Fever series for years. I struggled to rate this book since I hated both main characters. I felt like the plot was slow and the chapter endings made me want to rip some parts out. I eloped in Scotland and spent two weeks crisscrossing the country. After that, I feel like her world building was the strongest part of the story. The Fae magic system was also well constructed. If I didn’t already have more of this series purchased, it’s possible I would have DNF’d this. I am also wondering if this should have come with a young adult tag. (2/5 rating)
Book Review – For the Hell of It (Razing Hell 1) by Cate Corvin
As my introductory book by Cate Corvin, I was excited for this fallen Angel story. Milisandre is removed from heaven for crime she didn’t commit. Betrayed, she is forced to find a new life in her new home, Hell. She is captured by a Prince of Hell and must win her fights to win her freedom. I loved Milisandre and her history. This had a good balance between the romance arc and plot aspects of the story. I didn’t want to leave the intricate world Corvin created, particularly the layout of Hell and its boundaries. Her writing style was engaging from the first chapter. It seems I have another author to add to my favorites list this year. (4/5 rating)
Book Review – Gypsy Blood (All The Pretty Monsters 1) by Kristy Cunning
Checked out with my Kindle Unlimited September 2022 and added to my physical collection today. Violet is our local Portocale gypsy who can see the undead ghosts and perform rare magic. After her mother’s mysterious death, she moves into her mother’s old house and a new city. Her new home comes with a wide range of monsters that are all vying for her attention. I enjoyed the large cast of characters and the underlying tensions between species. I had a love and hate relationship with Violet because some of her actions were craziness. I loved Anna as her sidekick and I’m hopeful she will last in the second installment. The plot pacing was a quick clip and right up my alley even though I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending. My favorite aspect of Cunning’s writing was the way she painted this new home of Violet’s. It was gritty, bloody, and full of magical systems for each species. (3/5 rating)
Book Review – House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
After a childhood of growing up in the slums, Marion Shaw is drawn to an advertisement in the paper for a blood maiden position. Within the confines of her southern city Prane, all she knows is blood maidens work in the north and make elite levels of money after their bleeding tenure. Days after her blood is tested, she finds herself in service to the infamous Countess Lisavet who rules the House of Hunger. This was my first by Alexis Henderson. This was the epitome of a gothic tale set with a dark foreboding atmosphere, lies, betrayal, and murder. I loved Marion in her quest for truth that forces her to become Lisavet’s direct target. The ending was a twisted mess. It would appear I need to give Henderson’s, Year of the Witching a try sometime soon. (3/5 rating)
Book Review – Friends with the Monsters (Friends with the Monsters 1) by Albany Walker
This was my first novel by Albany Walker. Like many of you, I purchased this for the cover alone. This focuses on our main character, Damiana, who feeds off the sins of others. For that reason, she is forced to find sustenance at local clubs on a regular basis. One night, she stumbles into a world of witches, shape shifters, and bigger monsters then the ones that visit her house. There were aspects of this story that were enjoyable, particularly the first third of this story. Once Damiana meets her fated mates, it felt like she grew incredibly childish, and I struggled to connect with her past that point. Her mates, Grim, Calix, and Runmar, and their relationships felt underdeveloped within the time we have with them. The plot was a bit all over the place and it didn’t feel like much was resolved by the end though I don’t think I’ll be reading the next one. (3/5 rating)
Book Review – Cloudy with a Chance of Witchcraft (Grimm Cove 1) by Mandy M. Roth
This has been on my TBR for about 2 years and my first book by Mandy M. Roth. Poppy is recently divorced and moving home to her grandparent’s old house within the town of Grimm Cove. Brett is her old flame and the towns chief of police. Poppy’s world is tipped upside down when she discovers she’s from a local witch line hand Brett is her faded mate and a wolf shifter. The trail of death between murders created a nice murder mystery atmosphere. I loved Grimm Cove as a town, and I would absolutely live there. It was nice to see Poppy choose herself and Brett finally find his destiny. I liked the supporting characters. I need to read book 2 soon so I can learn more about the rest of them. (3.5/5 rating)
Book Review – The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
As a tale of jilted ghosts and witches set in the unfortunate town of Sparrow, I was excited to read my first by Shea Ernshaw. Penny Talbot has lived in Sparrow her entire life, even though every summer boys are drowned by 3 sisters killed for witchcraft two centuries ago. Bo is an outsider looking for work but unfortunately stumbles into Sparrow the night before the killing is scheduled to start. I thought Ernshaw created a wonderful atmosphere of the sea and the life of living on an island. I liked the first half of this story, but the second half just fell flat for me. I also struggled to connect with Penny or Bo as characters. I enjoyed the secondary characters more. I also struggled with aspects of the plot, particularly regarding Penny. I just didn’t enjoy this one. (2/5 rating)
Book Review – Can’t Fix Cupid by Raven Kennedy
Our female main character, Trix, is a Cupid with wonky powers that don’t work right but she’s determined to make at least one person fall in love. In steps our male main character, Warren Knight. He’s the resident CEO, perennial bachelor and determined not to create attachments. Trix has her work cut out for her in this showdown of wills to keep her Cupid job. This was just what I needed today since I laughed through most of it. I loved Trix and her attitude. I enjoyed the unique plot line and the awesome array of background characters. (My favorite was Blue.) I needed this book from a favorite author to break up my reading slump and this Cupid love story did just that. I may have to move Kennedy’s full Cupidity series higher on my TBR list. (4/5 rating)
Book Review – Dark of Winter (Wild Haven 1) by Lizzy Prince
Checked out with Kindle Unlimited in July 2022. I chose this urban fantasy based in Maine as my first series by Lizzy Prince. I’m grateful I gave this lower review count a try, because I fell in love with Prince’s writing style and the Fae story that gripped the area and characters. Each book in this series follows a different couple from the island. Miri Wild is the female main character who returns to her family’s ancestral home within Wild Haven. Davis is our male main character who grew up on the island. I enjoyed watching them find each other and fight off the incoming darkness together. I’m obsessively hooked so I’ll likely be adding many of her books to my permanent collection. (4/5 rating)
