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)
Tag: romance
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)
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)
Book Review – Chaotic (Arcane Mage 1) by T.S. Snow
Checked out with kindle unlimited, March 2023. Charisma is a magical engineer who just graduated from her magical academy on her own. After her family kicked her out at 18 for not possessing enough magic to be the magical heir of their house. She uses her gift for magical technology to pay her way through school. Once she finally graduates all the magical houses want to enlist her services, casting her carefully planned life out the window. I appreciated the magical system of this story. The plot was convincing, and her array of characters kept me reading until the end. Her writing style had me engrossed from the first chapter. I liked Charisma and her mission to stand on her own two feet. I didn’t care for Logan and his attitude towards anyone else. I’m curious to uncover his true motives for many of the things he does. I’m still trying to decide if I like the rest of her love interests or not. This would be considered a slow burn from the romance side of the fence. The ending made left me frustrated with the four of them. (4/5 rating)
Book Review – Academy of Assassins (Academy of Assassins 1) by Stacey Brutger
Checked out with kindle unlimited, March 2023. I was eager for this novel by Stacey Brutger as it was recommended to me as a story with a powerful heroine. Morgan is an orphan with no memories who is taken in by a legendary assassin. Training her to protect herself from an early age, she is eventually invited to join the Academy of Assassins – a rare honor given her female status. Her mentor sends her to learn her craft but also to find and stop a murderer targeting the Academy’s students.
I loved Morgan and her story. I found the plot aspect of the narrative, the part that had me reading until midnight to finish this. Even though the romance aspect felt slow at times. I could relate to Morgan’s desire to maintain her independence after a lifetime of choosing her own path and not the one society chose for her fellow hunters. This did not end on a cliffhanger, for which I was appreciative. I was immersed in the writing style and dangerous atmosphere. Brutger’s characters were multi-dimensional. I’m not sure what my ultimate opinion is of Kincade since he had several unlikable moments with Morgan. I liked Ryder, Draven, and Ascher. Atlas was the one character I felt we didn’t understand much of until the epilogue. Ready for book two. (4/5 rating)
Book Review – That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Mead Mishaps 1) by Kimberly Lemming
I totally picked this one for the title and cover. In this first book of the series, our unwilling heroine, Cinnamon, is a spice farmer who just wants to be left alone to live her rural life. After drunk Cinnamon revives the demon, Fallon, from a witch’s spell, he is hell bent on releasing his fellow demons from her grasp. I was impressed with the breadth she created with only 182 pages of text. I’m so glad I gave this a try since Kimberly Lemming has quickly become a new favorite author. This world had everything a fantasy nut could want, from quests to magic, and impossible enemies. I laughed throughout most of this, but she kept an impeccable balance between the romance, humor, and the more serious plot aspects of the story. (4/5 rating)
Book Review – Newly Undead In Dark River (Dark River Days 1) by Grace McGinty
I was excited for this urban fantasy vampire novel from new-to-me author, Grace McGinty. Mika McKellen’s Canadian backpacking trip must be delayed after she wakes under the of the road, with no memory of how she got there. The town of Dark River must become her new refuge after Mika learns she’s a vampire too. I love the way this vampire world presents their power hierarchy and way of life. At times, Mika annoys me with her actions, however she also learns to take advantage of her new lease on undead life. I enjoyed watching her fight back against anyone trying to hold her back and grow into the woman she always wanted to become. The pace felt a bit slow but with the plot, they set up the betrayal cliffhanger nicely at the end. Her cast of characters were engaging, and the Sherriff vampire was my favorite. I am eager to continue this series as well as the shapeshifter series also set in this universe. (4/5 rating)
Book Review – Embrace Me Darkly (Dark Alliance 1) by Kira James
Checked out with kindle unlimited, February 2023 to test this debut series by Kira James. Sara is out celebrating a huge win at her prosecutor’s office when she meets a beautiful, mysterious stranger at her favorite bar. After one passionate night together, Sara discovers he is a vampire named Luke and implicated in the murder of a local retired judge. As a prosecutor for a supernatural judicial system, Sara and Luke will be forced to work together to overcome a much bigger threat to their city than Luke. This was the first in a six-book series. This was an engaging mix of supernatural crime and romance. This world is also rife with political alliances, betrayal, and webs of deceit. I liked James’s take on Vampires and the laws governing them. The pace remains blinding from the first page to the last. I struggled to rate this book since there were aspects that I loved and hated. I know I will read book 2 eventually to see how this plot progresses. (3/5 rating)
Book Review – The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air 1) by Holly Black
This book centers around twin human sisters (Jude and Taryn) and one Fae sister (Vivienne), growing up alongside Fae children after their mother is killed. The only way for Jude to find a future among them will force her to compete at a famous yearly fighting competition. If she does well enough, she would be granted knight status. But one bloody night will change life as they know it and throw the realm into chaos. I feel like I read this at a bad time, or maybe my expectations were way too high, but I struggle to connect with some aspects of the story. I liked Jude and her desire to find her place. I liked this world and the political plot points that set up the ending. Given the circumstances that bring the sisters into Fae, I struggle with Madoc’s behavior. I feel like I would have enjoyed this more from the viewpoint of Vivienne. (3/5 rating)
Book Review – A Ruin of Roses (Deliciously Dark Fairytales #1) By K.F. Breene
This is the first in Breene’s latest book series. I wanted to wait until the entire series had been released until I dug back into this one. I was excited for this since it is a retelling of The Beauty and The Beast storyline. I loved every word and detail of this world and its characters. Breene, as usual, set the first book up to be a series of epic proportioned. I loved our strong heroine, Finley, and the fact that she refuses to back down from Nyfain, especially in the face of his obvious physical strength over her. Hadriel became a favorite side character since he made me laugh a lot. He was a perfect dose of hilarity amongst the heavier tones within this. The pace remained quick while the world building was off the charts. This is exactly why I horde my other Breene books, like a dragon myself. No one does it the way she does. This is not a typical fairy tale, but it is Breene’s fresh take on it, that makes it something else entirely. (5/5 rating)
