Gypsy Madden's Blog, page 3
March 7, 2022
Book Review: Princess of Thorns (Curse of the Dark Kingdom)
Princess of Thorns (Curse of the Dark Kingdom) by Amberlyn Holland
4 stars
Category: YA
Note: Novella-length
Summary: Princess Islyne is asleep under a curse in the remote winter palace, hidden in the middle of an impenetrable forest of vines and thorns. But her astral self is free to wander the palace grounds, which is far more freedom than she’s ever had in the past. Duke Conall of Lakentre, Islyne’s betrothed, who only met her once and didn’t bother to make eye contact with her, who only ever saw her as a weak, shy, awkward girl raised by a monster of a dictator king, has come to wake her with a kiss and claim the throne and usurp her brothers also trapped under curses.
Comments: This is, of course, a short re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty story with predictably all the royal siblings under the usual fairytale curses. It does feel like a retread of the Dragon Ever After series, also by this author, but without any dragon shifting. It has the same idea of royal siblings being caught under curses and the same overly complicated struggles for power around them orchestrated by some unknown force that’s staying hidden and doing it remotely, just like Aunt Velia did. The beginning of this story focuses on some very heavy-handed author orchestrating as Islyne travels through a series of magic circle portals to listen in on her brothers as they info-dump key background information of the crazy complicated political situation, led there by a cat, which also feels like a heavy-handed plot device used to push the characters into a direction the author wants them going in, instead of letting the characters naturally and organically find their own way. The portals didn’t serve any other function during the course of the book and were only used in the opening scenes, also to introduce us to her brothers as future starring characters.
Beyond those two heavy-handed plot devices to force characters into certain directions and hear key information, this is a fun romantic story. I did love the journey Conall took to the palace, stubbornly determined to do what he wanted and determined that what he wanted was the best for everyone. And I loved Islyne’s yearning to retain her freedom and horrified at the idea of being back under the thumb of someone who wanted to marginalize her and keep her trapped as just a pawn and a means to an end. He saw her as a means to legitimize his claim on the throne. So I loved when she decided to just lead him in circles and then lead him back out of the forest. It took a lot of character growth on Conall’s part to help him see things from Islyne’s point of view, when he had the outlook that he knew he was good looking and could charm women into doing what he wanted and realize that charm wasn’t really working on Islyne and for him to admire his courage and actually feel for her being trapped. I really would have loved this section following Islyne and Conall to have been longer.
4 stars
Category: YA
Note: Novella-length
Summary: Princess Islyne is asleep under a curse in the remote winter palace, hidden in the middle of an impenetrable forest of vines and thorns. But her astral self is free to wander the palace grounds, which is far more freedom than she’s ever had in the past. Duke Conall of Lakentre, Islyne’s betrothed, who only met her once and didn’t bother to make eye contact with her, who only ever saw her as a weak, shy, awkward girl raised by a monster of a dictator king, has come to wake her with a kiss and claim the throne and usurp her brothers also trapped under curses.
Comments: This is, of course, a short re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty story with predictably all the royal siblings under the usual fairytale curses. It does feel like a retread of the Dragon Ever After series, also by this author, but without any dragon shifting. It has the same idea of royal siblings being caught under curses and the same overly complicated struggles for power around them orchestrated by some unknown force that’s staying hidden and doing it remotely, just like Aunt Velia did. The beginning of this story focuses on some very heavy-handed author orchestrating as Islyne travels through a series of magic circle portals to listen in on her brothers as they info-dump key background information of the crazy complicated political situation, led there by a cat, which also feels like a heavy-handed plot device used to push the characters into a direction the author wants them going in, instead of letting the characters naturally and organically find their own way. The portals didn’t serve any other function during the course of the book and were only used in the opening scenes, also to introduce us to her brothers as future starring characters.
Beyond those two heavy-handed plot devices to force characters into certain directions and hear key information, this is a fun romantic story. I did love the journey Conall took to the palace, stubbornly determined to do what he wanted and determined that what he wanted was the best for everyone. And I loved Islyne’s yearning to retain her freedom and horrified at the idea of being back under the thumb of someone who wanted to marginalize her and keep her trapped as just a pawn and a means to an end. He saw her as a means to legitimize his claim on the throne. So I loved when she decided to just lead him in circles and then lead him back out of the forest. It took a lot of character growth on Conall’s part to help him see things from Islyne’s point of view, when he had the outlook that he knew he was good looking and could charm women into doing what he wanted and realize that charm wasn’t really working on Islyne and for him to admire his courage and actually feel for her being trapped. I really would have loved this section following Islyne and Conall to have been longer.
February 23, 2022
Book Review: Crimson Son (Crimson Son Universe - Book 1)
Crimson Son (Crimson Son Universe – Book 1) by Russ Linton
5 stars
Category: YA
Summary: Spencer is the powerless son of the world’s strongest augment (genetically modified human through a secret government science program) Crimson Mask. When the apartment that Spencer shares with his mother is attacked by The Black Beetle (Crimson Mask’s nemesis) and his mom is kidnapped, Crimson Mask rescues Spencer, taking him to a bunker in the Arctic, where Spencer suffers in isolation for two years while his superhero father is off saving the world. Government secrets come to light, and superheroes aren’t the paragons of virtue we want them to be, and superheroes don’t make the best parents.
Comments: Yes, I’m a sucker for superhero fiction. Especially books with a Superman-type figure in it, and especially if there are colorful costumes involved. This book stars the powerless son of said Superman-type character (though the superheroes in this are government-funded genetically altered human weapons of power). I loved how the hero wasn’t idolized in his son’s eyes. I loved how Spencer saw him as fallible and a horrible role model for parenting. From Spencer’s point of view, the hero was an absent parent always off saving other people and because of his father having so many enemies Spencer had to keep moving with his mom, adopting fake names, and constantly changing schools. I loved the section in the Arctic bunker in the middle of nowhere (can we say Fortress of Solitude?) when his father realized he had forgotten to stock the fridge and the kid was trying to live off crackers. I totally felt for the teenager stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no food, no TV, no internet, and no means of escape outside of freezing to death. Though the technobabble in the beginning nearly made me dump the book, I slogged through it and the book vastly improved. I loved how Spencer probably had a power of his own in being a genius with electronics, enough to take care of himself tackling with the drones after him, hot wiring cars, etc. I loved Spencer meeting up with his best friend, how he had been envying him being able to live a life free while Spencer was imprisoned in the bunker, but then to see what his abrupt disappearance after his apartment had been turned to rubble had done to his friend. The Black Beetle suit reminded me of Ironman, especially with the electronic voice on the inside of the suit. I loved all of the side characters (especially the WW2 vets at Whispering Pines – though I have no interest in reading a book set during a war, so I have no interest in revisiting them in Empty Quiver, and I loved Dr. Martin like when he was beaten up, needed to know if Spencer was okay). The confrontation with The Black Beetle seemed a bit anti-climactic (so I was glad that the book didn’t stop there and had an even bigger confrontation). I loved the ironic humor and Spencer being a typical teenager with all the patience and selfishness of a teenager and the teenage angst. I am very much looking forward to continuing the series, and seeing Spencer finally confront his dad with everything he’s pent up (specifically the adultery, which he didn’t bother to confront him about when all was said and done). I’m dying to see the two of them actually together in the same room in more than just passing and actually get everything out there, I’d love to see them try to understand each other and maybe even do some parent-child bonding or save the world together.
5 stars
Category: YA
Summary: Spencer is the powerless son of the world’s strongest augment (genetically modified human through a secret government science program) Crimson Mask. When the apartment that Spencer shares with his mother is attacked by The Black Beetle (Crimson Mask’s nemesis) and his mom is kidnapped, Crimson Mask rescues Spencer, taking him to a bunker in the Arctic, where Spencer suffers in isolation for two years while his superhero father is off saving the world. Government secrets come to light, and superheroes aren’t the paragons of virtue we want them to be, and superheroes don’t make the best parents.
Comments: Yes, I’m a sucker for superhero fiction. Especially books with a Superman-type figure in it, and especially if there are colorful costumes involved. This book stars the powerless son of said Superman-type character (though the superheroes in this are government-funded genetically altered human weapons of power). I loved how the hero wasn’t idolized in his son’s eyes. I loved how Spencer saw him as fallible and a horrible role model for parenting. From Spencer’s point of view, the hero was an absent parent always off saving other people and because of his father having so many enemies Spencer had to keep moving with his mom, adopting fake names, and constantly changing schools. I loved the section in the Arctic bunker in the middle of nowhere (can we say Fortress of Solitude?) when his father realized he had forgotten to stock the fridge and the kid was trying to live off crackers. I totally felt for the teenager stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no food, no TV, no internet, and no means of escape outside of freezing to death. Though the technobabble in the beginning nearly made me dump the book, I slogged through it and the book vastly improved. I loved how Spencer probably had a power of his own in being a genius with electronics, enough to take care of himself tackling with the drones after him, hot wiring cars, etc. I loved Spencer meeting up with his best friend, how he had been envying him being able to live a life free while Spencer was imprisoned in the bunker, but then to see what his abrupt disappearance after his apartment had been turned to rubble had done to his friend. The Black Beetle suit reminded me of Ironman, especially with the electronic voice on the inside of the suit. I loved all of the side characters (especially the WW2 vets at Whispering Pines – though I have no interest in reading a book set during a war, so I have no interest in revisiting them in Empty Quiver, and I loved Dr. Martin like when he was beaten up, needed to know if Spencer was okay). The confrontation with The Black Beetle seemed a bit anti-climactic (so I was glad that the book didn’t stop there and had an even bigger confrontation). I loved the ironic humor and Spencer being a typical teenager with all the patience and selfishness of a teenager and the teenage angst. I am very much looking forward to continuing the series, and seeing Spencer finally confront his dad with everything he’s pent up (specifically the adultery, which he didn’t bother to confront him about when all was said and done). I’m dying to see the two of them actually together in the same room in more than just passing and actually get everything out there, I’d love to see them try to understand each other and maybe even do some parent-child bonding or save the world together.
February 18, 2022
Book Review: Amnesia Bites (Shady Arcade - Book 1)
Amnesia Bites (Shady Arcade – Book 1) by Sharon Stevenson
4 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Only $0.99 cents on Amazon.
Summary: Zack is a private detective (who seems to spend next to no time actually working). Because of a vampire attack, he lost his memories and now has a vampire bodyguard posing as his secretary. But now he has to understand and navigate the paranormal world around him with all of its politics and factions compromising the small town.
Comments: This is really a paranormal cozy, kind of like the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries. It’s got a quaint, small town and different types of paranormal beings (vampires, necromancers who control the vampires since they’re technically dead, and Zack with his psychic touch power), with a larger population than the basic humans. Zack has no memory, so we really don’t know much about his history. He is a psychic schizophrenic with multiple personalities talking to him. One problem I had with this was that the side characters all have very generic names and personalities, so I kept getting them all confused (specifically I got Kenny and Rick and mixed up frequently and I mixed up Cassandra, Amira, and Mary several times as well). The other problem I had with it was that in tradition of cozies, it doesn’t delve into emotions and keeps everything at a superficial, surface level. Sex is treated as a cheap thing here and characters think nothing about sleeping around. Zack is in his office rather constantly but he does next to no work. How does he pay his bills? During the course of this book, he had one client (a kid who couldn’t pay him) and that subplot got tied up by halfway into the book. One thing I never got was that Zack was a victim of a vampire attack, but for some reason the council assigned him a vampire bodyguard. I did like the character of Larry who was teenage and suddenly found himself in the middle of the paranormal world and had to get used to a whole new set of rules while he had the control and patience of a teenager.
This is written by a British author, who’s definition of arcade is apparently totally different from mine, which I had to remind myself rather constantly. With the series title Shady Arcade, I expected a darkened gaming room with a young adult cast, but it actually refers to a cluster of businesses and shops which is what us Americans would call a plaza or a mall. I was also expecting the mystery of the missing girl to be the central focus, but it was barely a foot note with the focus being on mostly the struggle for power between the vampires and necromancers.
In all, the story doesn’t really encourage me to read more, but I do want to know what happened to Zack’s parents and what will happen to Larry.
4 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Only $0.99 cents on Amazon.
Summary: Zack is a private detective (who seems to spend next to no time actually working). Because of a vampire attack, he lost his memories and now has a vampire bodyguard posing as his secretary. But now he has to understand and navigate the paranormal world around him with all of its politics and factions compromising the small town.
Comments: This is really a paranormal cozy, kind of like the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries. It’s got a quaint, small town and different types of paranormal beings (vampires, necromancers who control the vampires since they’re technically dead, and Zack with his psychic touch power), with a larger population than the basic humans. Zack has no memory, so we really don’t know much about his history. He is a psychic schizophrenic with multiple personalities talking to him. One problem I had with this was that the side characters all have very generic names and personalities, so I kept getting them all confused (specifically I got Kenny and Rick and mixed up frequently and I mixed up Cassandra, Amira, and Mary several times as well). The other problem I had with it was that in tradition of cozies, it doesn’t delve into emotions and keeps everything at a superficial, surface level. Sex is treated as a cheap thing here and characters think nothing about sleeping around. Zack is in his office rather constantly but he does next to no work. How does he pay his bills? During the course of this book, he had one client (a kid who couldn’t pay him) and that subplot got tied up by halfway into the book. One thing I never got was that Zack was a victim of a vampire attack, but for some reason the council assigned him a vampire bodyguard. I did like the character of Larry who was teenage and suddenly found himself in the middle of the paranormal world and had to get used to a whole new set of rules while he had the control and patience of a teenager.
This is written by a British author, who’s definition of arcade is apparently totally different from mine, which I had to remind myself rather constantly. With the series title Shady Arcade, I expected a darkened gaming room with a young adult cast, but it actually refers to a cluster of businesses and shops which is what us Americans would call a plaza or a mall. I was also expecting the mystery of the missing girl to be the central focus, but it was barely a foot note with the focus being on mostly the struggle for power between the vampires and necromancers.
In all, the story doesn’t really encourage me to read more, but I do want to know what happened to Zack’s parents and what will happen to Larry.
February 17, 2022
Book Review: Immersed (The Clockwork Siren Series - Book 1)
Immersed (The Clockwork Siren Series – Book 1) By Katie Hayoz
5 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Novella-length
Summary: Melusine Dore has been making her way through life on her own, supporting herself as a monster hunter. When famed monster hunter Levi Cannon hits town, Melusine knows she has to make herself scarce. Not only does she not want to get in his way and hates competition, and she can’t stand the idea that he does the monster hunting as a hobby while she does it to earn a living, but because she is trying to avoid her reaction to him. So when she finds Levi waiting for her on her last job before she can properly hide from him, she lashes out at him only to have him insist that they’ve both been hired by Lord Edwin to hunt a sea creature that has been wrecking his merchant vessels.
Comments: I’m already itching to read more of this fun adventure series. It has it all: a strong leading lady, the flair, freedom, and inventiveness of Steampunk, fantasy monsters to be hunted, a romance, plenty of humorous moments and banter, and mermaids. I loved all of the imagination that went into the monsters. I loved the trolls that infested the mud outside of Melusine’s boarding house that she treated as an annoyance instead of something to be eradicated. And I loved that Levi was this larger-than-life famous rich boy monster hunter who Melusine had so many pre-conceived notions about and he was actually adorably hurt that she ascribed those things to him and he was determined to show her the truth of himself and change his reputation in her eyes. And I loved the messes she kept getting into and the perverse pleasure she got out of dirtying up Lord Edwin’s upholstery. And I loved Melusine’s character history which made her a dimensional person with a lot of questions still to be answered. Though I did keep wondering why she didn’t just tell him as soon as she noticed any sort of pull between them. To not tell him felt idiotic. And I loved the quirky side characters bringing to life the Steampunk world from the robot butler to Edwin who was part cybernetic, to the inventor of gadgets, to the land lady who didn’t approve of Melusine. And I loved the adventure and thrill of trying to tackle a giant, ravenous sea creature who could eat them like a snack.
Even though this is book 1 in a series, it is a full story (albeit novella-size) with a satisfying ending. Though I can’t wait to see further into the lives of Melusine and Levi and what their next adventure will be.
5 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Novella-length
Summary: Melusine Dore has been making her way through life on her own, supporting herself as a monster hunter. When famed monster hunter Levi Cannon hits town, Melusine knows she has to make herself scarce. Not only does she not want to get in his way and hates competition, and she can’t stand the idea that he does the monster hunting as a hobby while she does it to earn a living, but because she is trying to avoid her reaction to him. So when she finds Levi waiting for her on her last job before she can properly hide from him, she lashes out at him only to have him insist that they’ve both been hired by Lord Edwin to hunt a sea creature that has been wrecking his merchant vessels.
Comments: I’m already itching to read more of this fun adventure series. It has it all: a strong leading lady, the flair, freedom, and inventiveness of Steampunk, fantasy monsters to be hunted, a romance, plenty of humorous moments and banter, and mermaids. I loved all of the imagination that went into the monsters. I loved the trolls that infested the mud outside of Melusine’s boarding house that she treated as an annoyance instead of something to be eradicated. And I loved that Levi was this larger-than-life famous rich boy monster hunter who Melusine had so many pre-conceived notions about and he was actually adorably hurt that she ascribed those things to him and he was determined to show her the truth of himself and change his reputation in her eyes. And I loved the messes she kept getting into and the perverse pleasure she got out of dirtying up Lord Edwin’s upholstery. And I loved Melusine’s character history which made her a dimensional person with a lot of questions still to be answered. Though I did keep wondering why she didn’t just tell him as soon as she noticed any sort of pull between them. To not tell him felt idiotic. And I loved the quirky side characters bringing to life the Steampunk world from the robot butler to Edwin who was part cybernetic, to the inventor of gadgets, to the land lady who didn’t approve of Melusine. And I loved the adventure and thrill of trying to tackle a giant, ravenous sea creature who could eat them like a snack.
Even though this is book 1 in a series, it is a full story (albeit novella-size) with a satisfying ending. Though I can’t wait to see further into the lives of Melusine and Levi and what their next adventure will be.
February 12, 2022
Book Review: Hook's Pan (Kingdom Series - Book 5)
Hook’s Pan (Kingdom Series - Book 5) by Marie Hall
4 stars
Category: Adult
Note: I obtained a free copy via the author’s newsletter.
Summary: Fairy godmother Danika is determined to find fated mates for all of her fairy tale villain charges before they cease to exist. Trishelle is the best friend of Betty who recently married Gerard (Gaston from the Beauty and the Beast tale). When Betty tries to tell Trishelle that Danika is convinced that she’s Captain Hook’s mate, Trisha refuses to believe it even though she’s currently starring as Peter Pan in a local theater production. But she starts believing in fairy tales rather swiftly as Danika suddenly drops her on the deck of the Jolly Roger. But their insta-lust for each other isn’t enough to convince her she’s in love with the famed pirate, not even telling her that she’s the re-incarnation of his mermaid girlfriend. Because Trisha saw her older sister die from spouse abuse to a man she loved, she has refused to be tied down and suffer the same fate as her sister.
Comments: I’m always a sucker for adventures with pirates in them! It might be the thrilling adventure, the danger of treading on the side of villainy, the exotic locations, all of which is in this book and so much more. Not only does this bring to life the dangerous, reckless pirates, but it also spends time with the Neverland mermaids and visits their underwater kingdom. The scenes of the underwater kingdom and traveling to there, were incredibly imaginative. And there were so many interesting things to discover aboard the Jolly Roger. But Trisha, I never warmed to. The whole point was that she was this tough, cynical woman who pretty much just used sex to scratch an itch. So, the sex scenes were frequent and they all felt cheap so I found myself skimming them. Also, with being cynical, she had a potty mouth which spewed 4-letter words rather constantly. She seemed rather Mary-Sue generic average modern woman to me. With the title of Hook’s Pan, I expected her to have a Peter Pan personality where Hook would practically have to tame her rather than the tedious having to convince her that they were in love, that he did love her, etc. Hook and Smee were both re-invented for this book, turning them both into handsome, dangerous pirates, so they weren’t the buffoons from the Disney cartoon, it did make them more real as men rather than cartoons. The twist of Hook being a rogue pirate with a heart of gold and Peter being the villain is rather popular in indie books these days after the idea was introduced in the TV series Once Upon a Time, so it isn’t like I haven’t seen that twist before. In fact, books of Peter being the good guy are actually getting rather rare. I did love the brief glimpse of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell and there feels like there should be a book about him being brought to justice since he really shouldn’t be allowed to get away with what he did to Talia and that he can just kill and get away with it if he considers it a game. I loved the book about Hatter and Alice and I loved the story about Betty and Gerard, but I’m getting a bit tired of ramming the idea home that Danika has to find “fated mates” (such an indie cliched term/idea which feels really stale) for everyone and most of them have to be modern generic author-insert women. (Though I did like this tale more than Red and Wolf and Paz and Genie). I am dying to see more of Sirroco (and it looks like I’ll get that wish in Pirate’s Dream).
My copy also came bundled together with a copy of The Sea Queen. I ended up passing on it. I just didn’t care for all the sex talk going on in it, modernly updating all of the Greek gods as cheap lust-filled characters.
4 stars
Category: Adult
Note: I obtained a free copy via the author’s newsletter.
Summary: Fairy godmother Danika is determined to find fated mates for all of her fairy tale villain charges before they cease to exist. Trishelle is the best friend of Betty who recently married Gerard (Gaston from the Beauty and the Beast tale). When Betty tries to tell Trishelle that Danika is convinced that she’s Captain Hook’s mate, Trisha refuses to believe it even though she’s currently starring as Peter Pan in a local theater production. But she starts believing in fairy tales rather swiftly as Danika suddenly drops her on the deck of the Jolly Roger. But their insta-lust for each other isn’t enough to convince her she’s in love with the famed pirate, not even telling her that she’s the re-incarnation of his mermaid girlfriend. Because Trisha saw her older sister die from spouse abuse to a man she loved, she has refused to be tied down and suffer the same fate as her sister.
Comments: I’m always a sucker for adventures with pirates in them! It might be the thrilling adventure, the danger of treading on the side of villainy, the exotic locations, all of which is in this book and so much more. Not only does this bring to life the dangerous, reckless pirates, but it also spends time with the Neverland mermaids and visits their underwater kingdom. The scenes of the underwater kingdom and traveling to there, were incredibly imaginative. And there were so many interesting things to discover aboard the Jolly Roger. But Trisha, I never warmed to. The whole point was that she was this tough, cynical woman who pretty much just used sex to scratch an itch. So, the sex scenes were frequent and they all felt cheap so I found myself skimming them. Also, with being cynical, she had a potty mouth which spewed 4-letter words rather constantly. She seemed rather Mary-Sue generic average modern woman to me. With the title of Hook’s Pan, I expected her to have a Peter Pan personality where Hook would practically have to tame her rather than the tedious having to convince her that they were in love, that he did love her, etc. Hook and Smee were both re-invented for this book, turning them both into handsome, dangerous pirates, so they weren’t the buffoons from the Disney cartoon, it did make them more real as men rather than cartoons. The twist of Hook being a rogue pirate with a heart of gold and Peter being the villain is rather popular in indie books these days after the idea was introduced in the TV series Once Upon a Time, so it isn’t like I haven’t seen that twist before. In fact, books of Peter being the good guy are actually getting rather rare. I did love the brief glimpse of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell and there feels like there should be a book about him being brought to justice since he really shouldn’t be allowed to get away with what he did to Talia and that he can just kill and get away with it if he considers it a game. I loved the book about Hatter and Alice and I loved the story about Betty and Gerard, but I’m getting a bit tired of ramming the idea home that Danika has to find “fated mates” (such an indie cliched term/idea which feels really stale) for everyone and most of them have to be modern generic author-insert women. (Though I did like this tale more than Red and Wolf and Paz and Genie). I am dying to see more of Sirroco (and it looks like I’ll get that wish in Pirate’s Dream).
My copy also came bundled together with a copy of The Sea Queen. I ended up passing on it. I just didn’t care for all the sex talk going on in it, modernly updating all of the Greek gods as cheap lust-filled characters.
February 10, 2022
Book Review: Fragile Magick (Descent Trilogy - Book 1)
Fragile Magick (Descent Trilogy – Book 1) by Heather Marie Adkins
5 stars
Category: YA
Note: Novella-length
Summary: Brigitta is a teen witch, daughter of a famously powerful witch father. He loves his daughter fiercely, though he does still mourn her mother who died in a car accident while Brigitta was still in the womb. When Brigitta returns home one day, she finds her father slumped over his work, non-responsive. The spidery black veins covering him show someone magically poisoned him. In a bid to save his life, her cousin sends her to go talk to a mysterious someone, which turns into a journey to the Underworld.
Comments: Usually I make my decision to read a book at three chapters. So, I toughed it out as Brigitta mooned over the barista at the local coffee shop, agonizing over the idea that if she did have a relationship with him that it wouldn’t last because she was a witch and would outlive him. And I toughed it out through her gossiping with her cousin Jerick who was flamboyantly gay and obsessed with fashion. And at that point I decided the book was just not something I wanted to continue with. So I read through a bunch of reviews and ran across a mention of a journey to the underworld and decided to stick around for the journey. I’ve liked other books by the author. And it’s worth it reading Brigitta’s journey into the Greek Underworld. I loved the vampire she meets along the way. I thought it was hilarious when he told her he wanted to be known by a tough name, but she kept calling him by his real name in her head. I loved how she kept bugging him with questions while he was trying to cultivate a tough, dangerous façade. One word of warning is, this is book 1 in a trilogy (according to the title) but there are no other books in the trilogy out. Considering this book was published in 2017, I’ve got my doubts on getting a continuation on this, which is a problem since it ends on a cliffhanger. It is by no means a full adventure since it raised a ton of questions and didn’t answer any of them and she didn’t even accomplish the thing she set out to do.
5 stars
Category: YA
Note: Novella-length
Summary: Brigitta is a teen witch, daughter of a famously powerful witch father. He loves his daughter fiercely, though he does still mourn her mother who died in a car accident while Brigitta was still in the womb. When Brigitta returns home one day, she finds her father slumped over his work, non-responsive. The spidery black veins covering him show someone magically poisoned him. In a bid to save his life, her cousin sends her to go talk to a mysterious someone, which turns into a journey to the Underworld.
Comments: Usually I make my decision to read a book at three chapters. So, I toughed it out as Brigitta mooned over the barista at the local coffee shop, agonizing over the idea that if she did have a relationship with him that it wouldn’t last because she was a witch and would outlive him. And I toughed it out through her gossiping with her cousin Jerick who was flamboyantly gay and obsessed with fashion. And at that point I decided the book was just not something I wanted to continue with. So I read through a bunch of reviews and ran across a mention of a journey to the underworld and decided to stick around for the journey. I’ve liked other books by the author. And it’s worth it reading Brigitta’s journey into the Greek Underworld. I loved the vampire she meets along the way. I thought it was hilarious when he told her he wanted to be known by a tough name, but she kept calling him by his real name in her head. I loved how she kept bugging him with questions while he was trying to cultivate a tough, dangerous façade. One word of warning is, this is book 1 in a trilogy (according to the title) but there are no other books in the trilogy out. Considering this book was published in 2017, I’ve got my doubts on getting a continuation on this, which is a problem since it ends on a cliffhanger. It is by no means a full adventure since it raised a ton of questions and didn’t answer any of them and she didn’t even accomplish the thing she set out to do.
February 8, 2022
Book Review: School of Nine (Mythic Academy Collection)
School of Nine (Mythic Academy Collection) by Amanda Marin
4 stars
Category: YA
Note: I read this as included in the Academy of Magic anthology.
Summary: Bianca is training how to use her muse powers at Brightling Academy for Muses. The headmistress points out to her that she is currently set to fail because her grade in Poise and Charm class is pulling her GPA down. As extra credit they assign Sebastian to her the first boy student at the school, to help show him around and help him fit in. Bianca and her best friend/roommate have also recently noticed the number of muses seems to be declining, movies and music has become repetitive, and a famous painting was recently stolen, all things mentioned as signs on Clio’s lost scroll that Bianca’s grandmother translated, heralding the end of imagination and goodness in the world.
Comments: The writing in this is excellent. It fully kept my attention with the mystery of what was happening to the magic in their world, and the romance between Bianca and Sebastian and just what was he hiding. I did love Sebastian for his nervousness as a new student. Bianca came across as rather bland in personality. There wasn’t anything that really stood out about her, making her a rather generic narrator. I did like that the author used a supernatural type (muse) that really isn’t used much in paranormal books these days, keeping it fresh and inventing how they used their magic in the modern world. It made a nice change from all of the vampire academy, werewolf academy, monster slayer academy, angel academy, fairy tale academy, and wizarding academy books on the market these days. I also tend to grade these academy books on how magical the school is, and if imagination was actually put into making the classes different. And in this one, the school was basically a Victorian girls’ finishing school, complete with classes in poise and charm, etiquette, dancing, and wearing long dresses and heels. The other problem is that Bianca, our main character mostly just watches the events unfold. Her purpose is mainly to lay out all of the events, and tell us the parallels and put the pieces together, but she doesn’t really take part until near the end of the book. She only uses her muse powers maybe once in the book, in the first chapter. Kash is a lot more active than Bianca.
4 stars
Category: YA
Note: I read this as included in the Academy of Magic anthology.
Summary: Bianca is training how to use her muse powers at Brightling Academy for Muses. The headmistress points out to her that she is currently set to fail because her grade in Poise and Charm class is pulling her GPA down. As extra credit they assign Sebastian to her the first boy student at the school, to help show him around and help him fit in. Bianca and her best friend/roommate have also recently noticed the number of muses seems to be declining, movies and music has become repetitive, and a famous painting was recently stolen, all things mentioned as signs on Clio’s lost scroll that Bianca’s grandmother translated, heralding the end of imagination and goodness in the world.
Comments: The writing in this is excellent. It fully kept my attention with the mystery of what was happening to the magic in their world, and the romance between Bianca and Sebastian and just what was he hiding. I did love Sebastian for his nervousness as a new student. Bianca came across as rather bland in personality. There wasn’t anything that really stood out about her, making her a rather generic narrator. I did like that the author used a supernatural type (muse) that really isn’t used much in paranormal books these days, keeping it fresh and inventing how they used their magic in the modern world. It made a nice change from all of the vampire academy, werewolf academy, monster slayer academy, angel academy, fairy tale academy, and wizarding academy books on the market these days. I also tend to grade these academy books on how magical the school is, and if imagination was actually put into making the classes different. And in this one, the school was basically a Victorian girls’ finishing school, complete with classes in poise and charm, etiquette, dancing, and wearing long dresses and heels. The other problem is that Bianca, our main character mostly just watches the events unfold. Her purpose is mainly to lay out all of the events, and tell us the parallels and put the pieces together, but she doesn’t really take part until near the end of the book. She only uses her muse powers maybe once in the book, in the first chapter. Kash is a lot more active than Bianca.
February 3, 2022
Book Review: Another Midnight (Happily Other After)
Another Midnight (Happily Other After) by Amanda Marin
5 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Novella-length. I obtained a free copy via the author's newsletter.
Summary: In a Cinderella-inspired short story, we join Emmeline in the middle of the prince’s ball after she has snuck in after her stepmother and half-sisters told her she wouldn’t be accompanying them. She dances her way through the noble gentlemen at the ball, getting to know all of them and their faults, and even the prince isn’t the catch that she had expected. But at the stroke of midnight, she escapes the palace only to slide on the icy steps and suddenly finds herself repeating the night, but each time in a different man’s arms. Like an episode of The Bachelorette, she has to find her match and figure out how to escape the cycle.
Comments: I loved that even though the story was a re-telling of Cinderella, it stayed fresh by giving it a Groundhog’s Day twist, forcing Emmeline/Cinderella to get to know other people at the ball, rather than just be fixated on the prince. It made the ball feel more real and fleshed out and I loved seeing the faults of all of the characters there. Emmeline herself was mostly what you would expect of a Cinderella, with very little difference outside of the usual mold, same with her stepmother and half-sisters and fairy godmother. I look forward to seeing more inventive twists on old classics.
5 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Novella-length. I obtained a free copy via the author's newsletter.
Summary: In a Cinderella-inspired short story, we join Emmeline in the middle of the prince’s ball after she has snuck in after her stepmother and half-sisters told her she wouldn’t be accompanying them. She dances her way through the noble gentlemen at the ball, getting to know all of them and their faults, and even the prince isn’t the catch that she had expected. But at the stroke of midnight, she escapes the palace only to slide on the icy steps and suddenly finds herself repeating the night, but each time in a different man’s arms. Like an episode of The Bachelorette, she has to find her match and figure out how to escape the cycle.
Comments: I loved that even though the story was a re-telling of Cinderella, it stayed fresh by giving it a Groundhog’s Day twist, forcing Emmeline/Cinderella to get to know other people at the ball, rather than just be fixated on the prince. It made the ball feel more real and fleshed out and I loved seeing the faults of all of the characters there. Emmeline herself was mostly what you would expect of a Cinderella, with very little difference outside of the usual mold, same with her stepmother and half-sisters and fairy godmother. I look forward to seeing more inventive twists on old classics.
February 1, 2022
Into the Darkness (Darkness - Book 1)
Into the Darkness (Darkness - Book 1) by Nora Ash
5 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Free on Amazon. Novella-length.
Summary: Kathryn is an independent blogger who lives in a corrupt, crime-riddled city where superhuman beings run around acting as costumed superheroes and villains. She witnesses Lightning, the most famous of the city superheroes, stop a robbery at a convenience store. When she stops him to get a quick interview for her blog, he shocks her by making innuendos and coming off as a total jerk, suggesting that he only dons the costume and fights crime to get girls. When she blogs about her experience, painting Lightning in less than stellar colors and even suggests that there might be corrupt elements in the government, Lightning pays her a personal visit in her apartment. Using mind control to fuel her lust, her marks her by biting her neck, telling her that will warn away all other superhumans from doing her harm, but he will be watching to make sure she stays in line. But it's like he's never met an intrepid reporter before.
Comments: I adore superhero fiction! And the superheroes in this were epic, larger than life, with all of the super powers and costumes. So many stories these days just have the basic demon slayers, or mages, or military ops groups in normal clothes or boring black leather and market them as superheroes. For the record, this is mis-marketed as a PNR (paranormal romance). The only PNR thing about it is the cringey cliched mating marking (are they part animal? I’m really wondering what the logic of the marking is. In the usual PNR fare the characters doing the marking are usually part animal, but as far as I can tell, there’s been no mention of the supes in this being part animal). Kat (Kathryn) is a chubby (which gets mention far too often. Speaking of which, the lady on the front cover isn’t chubby, so no idea who that’s supposed to be) Lois Lane. Lightning is pretty much a dark corrupt version of Superman and The Shade is pretty much like Batman, and we all know the rivalry between the two. In the cartoon they did in fact squabble over Lois. Just like Lois, Kathryn has a determination to expose the truth, gets herself in way over her head, and does some very idiotic things in pursuit of her story. I love that this is updated so we’ve now got the internet, and cellphones, but oddly no cars? (At least she doesn’t seem to have one). This is erotica, so she’s constantly having sexual thoughts (which seemed really over the top and out of place at times), and the sex scene was graphic. I wavered on whether it felt hot verses times when it felt very rapey. There was use of words like forced and pain, which definitely weren’t hot to me as well as a point when she pleaded with him to stop. It did bug me that she didn’t question at any point what the guys looked like beyond the costumes or who they were as people, not even during the sex scene. In all, I bought the rest of the series as soon as I finished this section because I really do need more superhero fiction in my life. If anyone else is considering it, it’s two dollars cheaper to buy the collection/box set rather than buying the books individually.
5 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Free on Amazon. Novella-length.
Summary: Kathryn is an independent blogger who lives in a corrupt, crime-riddled city where superhuman beings run around acting as costumed superheroes and villains. She witnesses Lightning, the most famous of the city superheroes, stop a robbery at a convenience store. When she stops him to get a quick interview for her blog, he shocks her by making innuendos and coming off as a total jerk, suggesting that he only dons the costume and fights crime to get girls. When she blogs about her experience, painting Lightning in less than stellar colors and even suggests that there might be corrupt elements in the government, Lightning pays her a personal visit in her apartment. Using mind control to fuel her lust, her marks her by biting her neck, telling her that will warn away all other superhumans from doing her harm, but he will be watching to make sure she stays in line. But it's like he's never met an intrepid reporter before.
Comments: I adore superhero fiction! And the superheroes in this were epic, larger than life, with all of the super powers and costumes. So many stories these days just have the basic demon slayers, or mages, or military ops groups in normal clothes or boring black leather and market them as superheroes. For the record, this is mis-marketed as a PNR (paranormal romance). The only PNR thing about it is the cringey cliched mating marking (are they part animal? I’m really wondering what the logic of the marking is. In the usual PNR fare the characters doing the marking are usually part animal, but as far as I can tell, there’s been no mention of the supes in this being part animal). Kat (Kathryn) is a chubby (which gets mention far too often. Speaking of which, the lady on the front cover isn’t chubby, so no idea who that’s supposed to be) Lois Lane. Lightning is pretty much a dark corrupt version of Superman and The Shade is pretty much like Batman, and we all know the rivalry between the two. In the cartoon they did in fact squabble over Lois. Just like Lois, Kathryn has a determination to expose the truth, gets herself in way over her head, and does some very idiotic things in pursuit of her story. I love that this is updated so we’ve now got the internet, and cellphones, but oddly no cars? (At least she doesn’t seem to have one). This is erotica, so she’s constantly having sexual thoughts (which seemed really over the top and out of place at times), and the sex scene was graphic. I wavered on whether it felt hot verses times when it felt very rapey. There was use of words like forced and pain, which definitely weren’t hot to me as well as a point when she pleaded with him to stop. It did bug me that she didn’t question at any point what the guys looked like beyond the costumes or who they were as people, not even during the sex scene. In all, I bought the rest of the series as soon as I finished this section because I really do need more superhero fiction in my life. If anyone else is considering it, it’s two dollars cheaper to buy the collection/box set rather than buying the books individually.
January 24, 2022
Book Review: Gifted (A Dark Forgotten Novella)
Gifted (A Dark Forgotten Novella) by Sharon Ashwood
5 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Christmas Novella
Summary: A short Christmas adventure featuring all of the characters from The Dark Forgotten series. When a demon who likes using Christmas themed things to terrorize the citizens of their small city attacks the senior citizens Christmas party, Alessandro, vampire sheriff comes to the rescue, he manages to temporarily dispatch it with the help of Perry and grandma Carver. His wife, Holly Carver, tackles solving the origin of the demon and permanently sending it back to where it came from. And in the meantime, we get a holiday glimpse of all of the characters touched upon in the series. We join Perry and Errata doing their holiday market shopping, Alessandro searching for the impossible to find Christmas toy, grandma Hazel Carver reminiscing over her deceased husband, and Joe finding new ground with his brother. This is set well after the Dark Forgotten series, with plenty of spoilers of the futures of all of the beloved characters.
Comments: So, I’ve read Ravenous (Book 1) and Frostbound (Book 4) and, yes, I know there are two books in there that I haven’t read yet that I really need to read. That said, I’m really wondering when the turning point came when the series turned into a cozy. I remember the first book as being gritty urban fantasy with Alessandro being almost a take on Lestat. Now, he’s turned into a cuddly version of Eric Northman and even adopted Eric’s title of sheriff. And I really need to read those two books I haven’t gotten to and figure out when/how he got a child (I skipped them because Book 2 sounded like it basically starred a character I didn’t care for from the first book, and Book 3 focused on Holly’s sister who sounded like the basic Buffy the Vampire slayer type, but if you said we get to see Holly and Alessandro in the swing of their romance, I would be all in on reading them since I only got to see it at a beginning point in Ravenous). Don’t get me wrong, I did love the humor in this. I loved Alessandro searching the stores for the impossible to find hot Christmas toy, and using his vampiric powers to do so. I loved those fairy children. And while I love romance at Christmas, I hated seeing Perry with Errata. I love Perry to death (from the first moment I saw him in Ravenous). I keep whining for him to get his own book. But, they’re really mis-matched, and I don’t mean their species. Errata hits me as being high-maintenance fashionista, while Perry is more soft shoe. In all though, this was a fun adventure with plenty of Christmas moments. Think Charmed meets True Blood, but as an innocent cozy. It has plenty of magic, all sorts of paranormal creatures, traditions and memories dredged up, and a must-have purple unicorn.
5 stars
Category: Adult
Note: Christmas Novella
Summary: A short Christmas adventure featuring all of the characters from The Dark Forgotten series. When a demon who likes using Christmas themed things to terrorize the citizens of their small city attacks the senior citizens Christmas party, Alessandro, vampire sheriff comes to the rescue, he manages to temporarily dispatch it with the help of Perry and grandma Carver. His wife, Holly Carver, tackles solving the origin of the demon and permanently sending it back to where it came from. And in the meantime, we get a holiday glimpse of all of the characters touched upon in the series. We join Perry and Errata doing their holiday market shopping, Alessandro searching for the impossible to find Christmas toy, grandma Hazel Carver reminiscing over her deceased husband, and Joe finding new ground with his brother. This is set well after the Dark Forgotten series, with plenty of spoilers of the futures of all of the beloved characters.
Comments: So, I’ve read Ravenous (Book 1) and Frostbound (Book 4) and, yes, I know there are two books in there that I haven’t read yet that I really need to read. That said, I’m really wondering when the turning point came when the series turned into a cozy. I remember the first book as being gritty urban fantasy with Alessandro being almost a take on Lestat. Now, he’s turned into a cuddly version of Eric Northman and even adopted Eric’s title of sheriff. And I really need to read those two books I haven’t gotten to and figure out when/how he got a child (I skipped them because Book 2 sounded like it basically starred a character I didn’t care for from the first book, and Book 3 focused on Holly’s sister who sounded like the basic Buffy the Vampire slayer type, but if you said we get to see Holly and Alessandro in the swing of their romance, I would be all in on reading them since I only got to see it at a beginning point in Ravenous). Don’t get me wrong, I did love the humor in this. I loved Alessandro searching the stores for the impossible to find hot Christmas toy, and using his vampiric powers to do so. I loved those fairy children. And while I love romance at Christmas, I hated seeing Perry with Errata. I love Perry to death (from the first moment I saw him in Ravenous). I keep whining for him to get his own book. But, they’re really mis-matched, and I don’t mean their species. Errata hits me as being high-maintenance fashionista, while Perry is more soft shoe. In all though, this was a fun adventure with plenty of Christmas moments. Think Charmed meets True Blood, but as an innocent cozy. It has plenty of magic, all sorts of paranormal creatures, traditions and memories dredged up, and a must-have purple unicorn.
