In this installment of Shara Isador’s life, we finally get to see her up against the Triune after she is called to her rightful seat on the courts. This world and cast of characters, quickly became one of my favorites. Burkhart created a perfect balance between the plot and romance aspects of this series. I was impressed with how deep into the details we were among court politics, the goddess/god aspects, or even how vampires are changed after they feed from their Queens. I’m glad this book won’t be the last in this world. Since Shara still needs to fill her court, that series will introduce us to her partners. I’m excited to see where this is headed. (4/5 rating)
Tag: urban fantasy
Book Review – Run & Hide (Myths & Monsters 1) by Beatrix Hollow
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t pick this out for its cover. Ava is the daughter of a famous ghost hunting family but terrified of taking over the family business. She sets out on a cross country photography trip with her childhood friend, Caspian, to escape her family’s grasp. Only to find the family business catch up with them all too soon. I’m grateful I checked this out with Kindle membership first since I had several issues with this story. I liked the first half, but the second half careened into a mess. Ava frustrated me at several turns, including her inconsistencies between Caspian and Mothman interactions. For someone from a paranormal family, I’m not sure I feel like her running from Caspian was a real response, among others: she ran way a lot. Ava ruined a lot of this for me, with dumb decision after dumb decision. I enjoyed the horror aspects of the story, and I did like Caspian as a water shapeshifter character. The Mothman was as inconsistent as Ava, at least with the portion of the plot he was in. I felt like this had potential, but this just wasn’t for me. (2/5 rating)
Book Review – Reaper Unleashed (Deadside Reapers 7) by Debbie Cassidy
This was my first series by Debbie Cassidy. Seraphina is raised in the human world until she discovers she has both Reaper and shapeshifter abilities within herself. Cora is her best friend that she somehow manifested after the death of the woman who adopted her. The world is chaos by this book, including a massive war and insurrection in the underworld, an energy imbalance between the realms threatening collapse, myths of the world making appearances and even the creation of super vampires that are impossible to kill. I’m grateful I found this author since this series became a quick favorite. While this is the end of Fee’s story, the next series based here follows her friend Cora’s life. – which I will be adding to my TBR. This world and various plot chains were as spellbinding as her characters were compelling. I loved watching Fee claim her heritage for both her werewolf and demon sides. The pace stayed at a quick clip and kept me reading late into the night. (4/5 rating)
Book Review – Faded Luck (Twisted Luck 6) by Mel Todd
I’m glad I got to finish this 6th installment of the series. If you haven’t read the previous ones, don’t read this review because it will be full of spoilers. Cori becomes a surrogate for Jo and Sable’s child, since neither of them can safely carry it on their own. During the in vitro process, they discover she’s carrying twins and her magical abilities begin to run haywire. Cori must work to find a new normal amidst the chaos that is her life. It was interesting to see Cori’s magical weakness, since it left her with a new perspective of other mages in her world. I loved that this book spent more time with the denizens of Carelian’s world, since Carelian it is my favorite among the wide array of characters. It was also fun to watch the arrival of the twins bring them all closer than they were before. I know this isn’t my typical read, but I’m deeply invested in this world. If you are looking for a deeply intricate magic system with suspense at every turn, then this is for you. (4/5 rating)
Book Review – Feather (Angels of Elysium 1) by Olivia Wildenstein
Checked out with my kindle unlimited membership in January 2023 to try this angel book by Wildenstein. Leigh is a fletching angel trying to finish her wings. She takes on Jarod Adler because is she saves him; she could complete her set and ascend to Elysium. After she meets him though, he puts all her angelic rules to the test. I am really torn about how to rate this book. I loved Leigh and Jarod and Leigh choosing herself for once. I loved the world and the angel rating system much better than other angel tales I’ve read so far, BUT I HATED the ending. I’m sure I’ll work up to reading book 2, but it won’t be today. (3/5 rating)
Book Review – Heart of Malice (Alice Worth 1) by Lisa Edmonds
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)
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 – 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 – 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)
