L.R. Braden's Blog, page 2

Review: City of Day

City of Day by October K. Santerelli
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun adventure that grabbed me from the first page. The world Santerelli created is rich and vibrant, conveyed in delicious details that managed not to detract from the pacing of the story. The island country of Astera suffers from a corrupt ruling class and an ancient curse that causes deadly specters to walk the streets at night. The book's protagonists will have to face both.

Thislen is a street urchin who hides his true identity. He makes a point of not caring about others, but he's not very good at it. From the very first chapter all his efforts go toward helping others. Mila is an apprentice apothecary with a family secret that even she is unaware of. She's spunky yet vulnerable, and she's a bit of an adventure seeker, at least until she actually experiences adventure first hand. Both protagonists are interesting, believable characters who bring a unique perspective to the narrative.

The one place this book falls down for me is the ending, or lack thereof. This book ended not so much in a cliffhanger as a sinkhole. There really was no aspect of resolution. The characters are left in limbo and none of the antagonists have been dealt with in the slightest. I knew going in that this was the beginning of a series, so I assumed the Vaim (the main conflict) would not be resolved, but I did expect at least some small measure of closure, perhaps the thwarting of a lesser bad guy so there was some sense of progress being made.

As Mila succinctly puts it at the end of the book: "We can't leave things this way." We literally can't, because it's not a complete story yet. Luckily, Santerelli is planning to release book 2, City of Night, soon. I don't doubt it will be another wonderful adventure, and I'm excited to see what happens next.


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Rifter audio goes wide!

Calling all audiobook listeners! The audiobook editions for both Demon Riding Shotgun and Personal Demons (originally produced by Bryant Street Publishing and released exclusively on Everand) have now been released widely, meaning you can listen to them on the platform of your choice!

Since most listeners seem to use Audible, I will put the link for that here:

https://www.audible.com/pd/Demon-Riding-Shotgun-A-Magicsmith-Universe-Novel-Audiobook/B0DHT3LXR8

but if you prefer Apple, Chirp, Everand, etc. You should be able to simply search for Demon Riding Shotgun and pull up the audiobook.

Thanks, and happy listening!

Review: Bane of Giants

Bane of Giants: Legacy of Shadows by Todd Fahnestock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is the conclusion of Fahnestock's Legacy of Shadows series in the Eldros shared universe. I've enjoyed the previous installments in this series quite a bit, and I was eager to dive back into Fahnestock's well-imagined world.

Slater remains my favorite character and, if anything, becomes more interesting and pivotal to the plot. My second favorite character, Khyven, finally faces a challenge he can't surpass with his skill alone. Luckily, he isn't alone. Every character that makes up this found family has a vital role to play. Without any one of them, our underdog heroes would surely fail.

There are a number of fun twists, plenty of action, and some tender moments as our heroes struggle, fail, and grow to their full potential. The climax was satisfying, but the resolution felt a bit drawn out...perhaps because Fahnestock needed to wrap up the whole series and not just a single story. I was pleased that Nevalos did not slip away unscathed, though for such an initially pivotal character, he felt like a bit of an afterthought by the end.

All in all, this was a satisfying conclusion to a wonderfully creative epic fantasy series.

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New Release: A Demon Faerie Tale

A Demon Faerie Tale, Book 3 in the multi-award-winning RIFTER series, is now available!It’s always a demon, right? Unless it’s a curse . . .

When a fellow PTF agent dies of unnatural causes, Ty suspects a demon, so who better to help him track down the killer than his demon-possessed partner, Mira? But one wrong turn in the investigation lands Ty in the crosshairs of a deadly curse that turns simple desires into lethal obsessions.

With less than 48 hours until Ty's sanity unravels completely, the partners must track down the culprit and neutralize the magic . . . or Mira will lose the only person she's ever let near her heart.
 Order now:
Add it on Goodreads or BookBub This third installment in the multi-award-winning RIFTER series is a novella, which means it's about half the length of a full novel. But don't let its wordcount fool you. This little story still packs quite a punch! Check out what early reviewers are saying:
* * * * *
"This novella delivers 100%... Saddle up and join the ride you won’t regret it!" - Richelle R., NetGalley reviewer"Mira (with Number Two on board, heh heh) and Ty are back again and it is non stop snark, action, and adventure on their newest caper that touches a bit too close to home." -BONITA S., NetGalley reviewer"For a shorter story line, the pacing, characters, and plotline were all solid and the ever present snark from Mira's demon was on full display making this such a welcome edition to one of my favorite series." -Jess B., Librarian"I was on the edge of my seat, sometimes holding my breath, to see if Mira could unravel the mystery of this curse before it killed Ty!" -Cathy M., NetGalley reviewer"I so enjoyed this book!...It's got all the dips and trips in emotion that I love as they race against an unknown curse." -Laura O., NetGalley reviewer"This is well-written and engaging, and I just love the characters in this world. I can’t wait to read more." -Penny N., NetGalley reviewer local_library Read Chapter 1 Need to catch up on the series? Start with Rifter Book 1:
Demon Riding Shotgun "A fast-paced, engrossing, unexpected and tension filled magical work...A great read for every female lead Urban Fantasy enthusiast."
-The Queen of Swords, NetGalley Reviewer

"Holy Wow!!! I absolutely loved this book!!! I'm dying for more of this world it is incredibly compelling with vivid world-building and fasinating well developed characters!"
-Witch-at-Heart, Amazon Review

Review: The Prisoner's Throne

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story is all about Oak trying to protect the people he loves. He makes some bad choices, as do the other characters, but their actions, good and bad, are fairly believable (especially when you remember that the characters are teens) and help solidify the characters as multi-dimensional, struggling people. The one exception I found to that is when Hyacinth tells Oak to send Roach away, then immediately tells him to follow him. I understand this series of events from a plot perspective, but it didn't make much sense.

Oak and Wren continue to struggle with their desire to trust one another and their naturally suspicious natures as the storm hag manipulated the situation to her own end, drawing both of the protagonist's families into the plot. There were a couple of moments during the climax that didn't ring true to me, but I won't discuss them here because I don't want to spoil the story.

As usual, Black's descriptions are deliciously detailed and her pacing was spot on. Overall, this was a fun, fast-paced, character-driven story that's sure to please YA romantasy fans.

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Personal Demons wins CAL Award!

The winners of the Colorado Authors League Award for Writing Excellence were announced at a banquet on July 21st, and I'm thrilled to share that Personal Demons took home first place in the Fantasy/Paranormal category!

You can find a list of all the winners and finalists on the CAL website.
Personal Demons is the second book in my Rifter series staring demon-possessed magic practitioner Mira and her new PTF partner Ty.

Grab your copy today to find out why this book was recognized as an example of "writing excellence"!

Prefer the audiobook?

Series Starters Sale!

If you haven't yet found your way into my books, you're in for a special treat:
From now until July 31st, the series starters for both of my award-winning urban fantasy series are discounted to just 99¢! That's hours of entertainment for less than the price of a coffee. Magicsmith Book 1: A Drop of Magic A first-in-series tale woven with magic and secrets. Reclusive metalsmith Alex Blackwood wants nothing more than to make her art in peace, until her friend is tortured and killed, and the couch-crashing fae who shows up to investigate reveals she's not as human as she thought. In a society where magic is feared and persecuted, Alex's first reaction is to ignore the crazy claims of the stranger on her doorstep and leave world-saving to the professionals, but Alex's dormant powers may be the only way to stop a killer whose crimes threaten the delicate truce between the humans and fae. As magic bleeds into her mundane life, Alex must reconcile the conflicting sides of her existence in order to catch her friend’s killer before another body drops.

Winner of the Eric Hoffer Award for SciFi/Fantasy, the First Horizons Award for Outstanding Debut Authors, and the Imadjinn Award for Best Urban Fantasy. Rifter Book 1: Demon Riding Shotgun Sometimes it takes a monster to catch a monster...Possessed by a demon since she was a child, Mira Fuentes maintains a fragile alliance with the snarky soul who shares her body. Together they hunt down magical troublemakers the human world is ill-equipped to deal with, but a decade of hiding who she is in a world that would just as soon see her dead has left her with a mountain of insecurities—especially where interpersonal relationships are concerned. When a routine hunt goes wrong, Mira quickly finds herself in over her head and at the top of Baltimore's Most Wanted. She’ll have to set her trust issues aside and enlist the help of the cop assigned to bring her in if she hopes to prevent the human race from becoming meat puppets for the denizens of the Rift.

Winner of the Next Generation Indie Book Award for Paranormal Fiction, the Colorado Authors League Award for both Fantasy and Paranormal categories, and finalist for the Colorado Book Award.

Review: The Stolen Heir

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holly Black delivers another enchanting read. Masterful character work, beautiful prose, and a fast pace. I can't say I was surprised by the book's twists, having discerned them well in advance, but it was still satisfying when they came to pass. I'm eager to read the second book, but also worried. Because Wren does something so out of character at the end of this first book, I fear where I believe the second book may be going. I love Oak and Wren as characters, and I'm rooting for them. I just hope Wren manages to grow up before she loses herself entirely.

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Silver Falchion Top Picks 2024

Personal Demons has been chosen as a "Top Pick" in the 2024 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards!The 2024 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award Top Picks are a diverse collection of the top Silver Falchion books of 2024, which represent the Best Books received of 2023, as determined by the contest judges.You can find the complete list of Top Picks divided by category HERE. Stay tuned for news about the category finalists and winners!

Review: Slayter and the Dragon

Slayter and the Dragon: Legacy of Shadows by Todd Fahnestock
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I love the world and characters that Fahnestock has created in this series. The books definitely need to be read in order for them to make sense, but that's no hardship since they're all good. :)

Slayter is probably my favorite character from this series, so it was fun for him to get his own book. Although, to be fair, the characters mostly share all the books. Slayter is a neurodivergent character who looks at situations quite differently than everyone else. He relies on logic and practicality rather than emotions, and he often misses social cues. He's definitely the character I feel the most kinship towards.

My only complaint about this book is that there were more typos than average. I appreciate that the author is producing these books quickly, but I wish a little more care had been taken with the editing.

If you love fast-paced, epic fantasy with high stakes, a unique world, and characters you want to root for, read this series! I'm excited to read the next, and I believe final, book: Bane of Giants!

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