Review copy was received from Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the contenThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
By a Silver Thread is the first book of the DFZ Changeling, a brand new series set in the DFZ (Detroit Free Zone). If you have read Rachel Aaron's HeartstrikerSeries or DFZ then you will be very familiar with this world and the rules of it. But have no fear, you don't need to have read those other series to have a good time starting off in this one.
Lola is a changeling, made by fae magic to substitute for the child stolen from our side of the vale. She was never supposed to live, but she has a silver thread that ties her to the child stolen. It gives her a purpose, stay alive and keep your sister alive too. She still wouldn't have been able to accomplish this if a blood mage hadn't found her and decided she was useful. Victor has used his magic/blood to keep Lola alive and begrudgingly loyal. She is one of his favorite tools, since she can manipulate magic and change shape, she can go anywhere and be anyone.
When Victor disappears under suspicious circumstances, Lola has to find him and she only has a short period of time to do that. She is on a clock since she only has enough of his pills to keep her from turning into a monster to last about a week. Her deadline is looming and with each new discovery she makes on what happened to Victor, the more questions she has.
Lola is off to learn why the fae aren't playing a bigger role in world and if they could be involved in Victor's disappearance; what Victor is planning, and why he needs Lola and her magic, and what it has to do with the movie Fenrir that seems to be everywhere and all the humans in the city is dreaming about. At least she has one ally to help her, even if he seems dangerous with a past of his own and secrets to hide.
With realms of Fae to visit, plots and plans decades in the making and Lola at the heart of it all there was a lot to discover in By a Silver Thread. Having read the other two series set in this world, I was hoping to see a few more cameos but the series is still young and I'm sure I will get to see a few more of my favorite characters from before.
Just remember sometimes the monster is the hero too.
He was the hero. And he'd come to kill her. Because she was the monster.
Song of Flight is the final book in the Warrior Bards series and I believe it is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy tying up the story lines of thSong of Flight is the final book in the Warrior Bards series and I believe it is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy tying up the story lines of the mysterious Crow Folk; how they came to be in this world, why they are here, what they are searching for and how to save them.
Liobahn and Dau have found their way to one another and while living on an Island of warriors trained to run secret missions isn’t totally conducive to a having a relationship, they are figuring out what it means to them. They are also finding out how hard it is to be separated when they have to go on missions separately.
Liobahn is training one of the new Swan Island warriors, but as always, she lets instinct guide her, even when it goes against all of the Swan Island trainings. She has a knack for getting into trouble but she also is great at going with her intuition and seeing where it takes her. This time it will take her to the origin story of the Crow Folk and how she can help to set them free.
Dau has been sent to look for the prince who has gone missing. He is undercover n a court trying to find out if some lore of the land might lead him to a door to the fae realm where the prince might have ended up. What he finds is a terrible plan that will use the Crow Folk for war and sever any hope they have of finding the redemption they need.
Brocc ah my poor Brocc, I feel the most for this character caught between two worlds and just trying to find a way to save both his child and the Crow Folk. He has an arduous trial ahead of him and risks all he has left in order to fulfill his destiny. He will lose much in the path the fates have set before him.
A few of the new characters the Prince Aulo and Liobahn’s other brother Galen also get much page time in the story. The best part of that is we get to go back to Liobahn’s home and see Blackthorn and Grimm. I have missed them since their story ended and I loved seeing the life they built together and what it looked like years later.
This is a story of sacrifice and redemption. Old enemies come back to cause trouble and new ones arise and all of our characters will play a role in making right some old wrongs. Highly entertaining and a well thought out conclusion to the story.
Merged review:
Song of Flight is the final book in the Warrior Bards series and I believe it is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy tying up the story lines of the mysterious Crow Folk; how they came to be in this world, why they are here, what they are searching for and how to save them.
Liobahn and Dau have found their way to one another and while living on an Island of warriors trained to run secret missions isn’t totally conducive to a having a relationship, they are figuring out what it means to them. They are also finding out how hard it is to be separated when they have to go on missions separately.
Liobahn is training one of the new Swan Island warriors, but as always, she lets instinct guide her, even when it goes against all of the Swan Island trainings. She has a knack for getting into trouble but she also is great at going with her intuition and seeing where it takes her. This time it will take her to the origin story of the Crow Folk and how she can help to set them free.
Dau has been sent to look for the prince who has gone missing. He is undercover n a court trying to find out if some lore of the land might lead him to a door to the fae realm where the prince might have ended up. What he finds is a terrible plan that will use the Crow Folk for war and sever any hope they have of finding the redemption they need.
Brocc ah my poor Brocc, I feel the most for this character caught between two worlds and just trying to find a way to save both his child and the Crow Folk. He has an arduous trial ahead of him and risks all he has left in order to fulfill his destiny. He will lose much in the path the fates have set before him.
A few of the new characters the Prince Aulo and Liobahn’s other brother Galen also get much page time in the story. The best part of that is we get to go back to Liobahn’s home and see Blackthorn and Grimm. I have missed them since their story ended and I loved seeing the life they built together and what it looked like years later.
This is a story of sacrifice and redemption. Old enemies come back to cause trouble and new ones arise and all of our characters will play a role in making right some old wrongs. Highly entertaining and a well thought out conclusion to the story....more
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
Backpacking through Bedlam is the 12th book the Incryptid series, unless you are reading all the short stories as well, then I think it is closer to triple digits. You should read the entire series in order to really understand everything happening in this book, at minimum you will need to have read Spelunking Through Hell, Alice's story to find her husband lost for 50 years due to a deal made with the Crossroads. Reunited, they are now trying to figure out how to live together after so long apart and find a new path together.
Thomas and Alice have a rare and unique love and kept it alive for fifty years while they were separated. Alice has been fighting on her own for so long she isn't used to having a team to depend on. Thomas has been the leader of a population of others also stranded in the same place he was, he feels responsible for all of those people and wants to help find them a home before Alice and Thomas and Sally, Thomas's adoptive daughter, head back to earth. This story actually feels like it is two separate stories. There are the travels to get Thomas's people somewhere they can call home and then there is the second half that is a story of getting the Covenant out of New York. It is a bit disjointed and I will say the plot is almost non-existent in installment, it is more like two or three shorter stories pressed together into one book.
Verity and Sarah are helping the Cryptids of New York hide from the long time Price family nemesis the Covenant, an organization bent on exterminating non human beings that don't 'fit' into there version of what sapient creatures should be. The Covenant has heard of a dragon in New York and are there to find William (said Dragon). This is actually the most interesting part of the story where all the plotting really is. There are some reunions with family, understanding of Alice's non human heritage and how it plays into her unique luck and imperviousness to telepathy. I was a bit bored as we travelled to find homes for Thomas's charges from a bottle world, the second half of the story was much more interesting to me.
We can really think of books 1-9 as world building books with interesting stories in them. After that for Sarah and Alice's books, I think we are nearing the possible end of the series, or at least it feels like that. Backpacking through Bedlam had some interesting moments but I would say it is one of the weakest plotted books in the series, so it seems like unless there is a shift of some kind in the next book, we are at the end. This second chance romance was one I have been pulling for, for years through the other books and as Grandma Alice has now found the love of her life, Thomas, it felt like we are close to the end.
Overall, not my favorite book of the series, there are so many great ones leading up to this one to compare it to. But if you have read the rest of the series, you are also probably pulling for Alice and Thomas to get a HEA after all of these years. A must read for series lovers to get the closure many of us were looking for....more
I accidentally read the second book of this series first, not realizing it was part of a serieThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
I accidentally read the second book of this series first, not realizing it was part of a series. I liked it so much I came back to the beginning to see how it all began. The Left-Handed Booksellers on London is the first book a series of the same name, focused on three characters. This is a slightly different London in 1983 where the Old World (magic, gods, goblins, etc) sometimes leaks over into the real world and the booksellers are the ones that deal with it and the magic community when needed.
The booksellers are a different breed than you are probably used to. Yes they run bookstores, collect rare finds and most of the times that is about it. But sometimes, the old gods or their acolytes stir up trouble in the main world and that is when the booksellers are called out to keep things under control. Merlin and Vivien are twins and both booksellers, Merlin Left (the fighting kind) and Vivien Right (the thinking magic kind). Together they have been pulled into a weird situation when it seems like most of the old world is after one human girl and no one can quite find out why.
Susan thought she was just a regular girl getting ready to go off to a school for the arts. She is hoping to figure out who her dad is from some of the clues her mom has dropped throughout the years. But London is dangerous for her as all the magical beings seem drawn to her and are trying to kidnap Susan. The booksellers are her only hope to find out who/what her dad really is and keep her safe from whatever is trying to make sure Susan doesn't realize who or what she really is.
The is such an interesting world. I really liked how the realms of the different gods and magical creatures or everything old world was just a smidge away from the normal world and could bleed over into our world. You are pretty safe unless you know it is there, but once you do, you can't really go back.
There was plenty of adventure and a bit of mystery to figure out Susan's heritage and who might want her dead or kidnapped for unknown nefariousness. I enjoyed the conclusion of the story and really liked our main cast. Merlin was a little over the top for me in some regards, so not my favorite in the cast, but Vivien and Susan are wonderful, strong female characters.
The worldbuilding was really well done making this a very believable alternate version of London. I really like when the rules of the magic system make sense, are laid out through storytelling and build a world that seems like it could be alive and well today.
Narration: Marisa Calin is a new to me narrator. She did a good job representing the voices in the story and seemed to capture the feel of the time and place. I enjoyed her performance and delivery. I listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Dare I hope that with the title to the series being the Wilminton Years #1, this will be the first of many fun future installments to check in on the Dare I hope that with the title to the series being the Wilminton Years #1, this will be the first of many fun future installments to check in on the lives of some characters that feel like family to me??? Well, I do hope so since you know raising Conlan is going to be a handful and trouble will find Kate no matter where she goes. [image] Kate and Curran are trying to give Conlan the best chance at a normal upbringing in a place that doesn’t know who his parents are. It is a great ambition but we’ve all met Kate and Curran, so how long did we really think they would be able to lay low and now become legends in their new home? There probably is a betting pool back in Atlanta on that very thing.
Hi, honey, I accidentally exploded some kind of baby kraken in the Cape Fear River in broad daylight in front of a dozen witnesses. Yes, I do remember that I was the one who originally insisted on the lying low thing. Yes, I do recall that you said it would never work. No, it’s not funny…
While settling in and doing house renovations, that do not at this time involve a moat (yet), Kate learns of the abduction of a child and heads off to rescue him. Since Curran knows his wife very well he starts to get their new home *cough* Fort *cough* ready for the upcoming battle that will ensue in Kate’s wake.
This is where I love the new set up of these stories. We get both Curran and Conlan’s PoVs in the book. Curran giving daddy wisdoms to Conlan and seeing Conlan’s view of the world were such a great bonus to being in Kate’s head all in the same book.
As we tag along with Kate on her child saving mission we get to meet all the bigger players of the city. Apparently Kate is horrible at laying low and so in our adventures we get to see the Order of the Knight Protector, The People and run into the local offshoot pack from Atlanta as they preform super serious initiation rituals. Fun, fun and the most fun right there. Keelan of the Wilmington pack knows Kate and Curran he is going to be so happy to spread word of all of their new adventures in Wilmington and old adventures from Atlanta.
“I’ve seen her kill a dragon,” Keelan told him in a confidential tone. Thomas jerked, startled. “Oh, it was glorious.” The werewolf raised his hand, drawing a wide arc across the sky. “The world was smoke and fire. The dragon spat flames like a jet of napalm to and fro. People died where they stood, and their bodies turned to ash. And she ran up its head and thrust two swords into the dragon’s eyes while her husband tore out its throat.”
Reading an Ilona Andrews book is always like coming home. There are a lot of great stories out there but there are only a few authors I connect to in such a way that when I pick up one of their stories it makes everything else I’m reading pale in comparison. I was just so sorry it was over so soon.
All the magic I expect for Ilona Andrews. I look forward to reading about Kate, Curran and Conlan through the Wilmington years as I’m sure they will be formattable and formative for our young Conlan in the building of his legend.
“No, lad. The story of how the Beast Lord’s son, when he was just a small boy, beheaded a magical wereboar with his bare hands. That’s the important bit. That’s the part people will remember.” We were alone, but his voice was barely above a whisper. I frowned. “He’s not the Beast Lord. Not anymore.” Mr. Keelan rubbed his hands together and smiled again. “Is he not? My mistake. No matter.”
And the moral of the story kids….You can take the Beast Lord and the Sharratum out of Atlanta, they can lay down their titles, but your character is your destiny and no matter where you go it will follow you....more
Review copy was received from . This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of mThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from . This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
The Dominionseries is the spin off series to The Vessel Trilogy diving into some of the side characters. While I think it would probably be helpful to have read the Vessel trilogy first, it isn't necessary as I've followed along with this series just fine without reading the initial series. Hardest Fall is the second official book of the series as The Deepest Well was more of a bridge book between the two series.
Xander was tempted by the dark side in his youth when he was a rake and libertine of sorts. Corrupted by a demon, his soul was damned to hell. But on the edge of death, his ancestor was able to call the angel Uriel to remake him into a demon hunter to save his soul. He has been hunting demons for centuries and now, in the time of the apocalypse, he is more dedicated than ever to his cause. He just never thought he'd fall in love with a Demon.
Bone was once an angel who decided to walk away when others fell from grace. She has lived on the edge of both worlds for so long trying not to take sides. But that all changes when she decides to heal Xander when he is mortally wounded. Now she is going to have to pick a side. Does she help the humans and Angels fighting evil or does she try to stay neutral and end up a tool for Demons?
I had fun with most of this story. Bone is really a cool chick that forges weapons and can manipulate bronze with her seraph song. I loved the concept of it and her history with the humans that led her to falling from grace. She is an interesting character overall and you can tell she has been so lonely for so long. Xander, I was glad to see has come along way since we saw him in TheDeepest Well. He still has so much guilt over what happened to Kat and his role in her captivity in hell. I was a little worried when I saw he was the hero of this book because of my feelings for him in The Deepest Well.
I could see how these two fit together and could understand each other better due to their pasts. Once Bone accepted which side she was going to play for, she became a fierce force to be reckoned with. Overall the apocalypse is an interesting place and I am enjoying the story of humanity fighting against demons on earth and how some of those Demons are switching sides and looking for some kind of redemption.
Narration: Allie Rose did a good job on the narration. I did have a few points when I wasn't sure if it was Bone or Xander talking as they seemed a bit similar in tone of voice. Still, overall the emotion and passion of the story was there in the performance.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
The Luminaries is the first book in The Luminaries;it started as an experiment on twitter where the audience got to direct some of the choices the heroine made and then was converted into a novel. I think because of that, the direction of the story takes a few unexpected twists along the way and sometimes flows a little choppily but it does make for some fun discoveries.
This is an interesting world. There is a forest and along the border of the forest is the small specialized town of Hemlock Falls has different families/clans that are responsible for fighting off the monsters who rise in the night in that forest. Winnie Wednesday's family used to do that too until they became outcasts because of her father. Now she has one chance to save what is left of her family. She is going to have to sneak into the forest on her sixteenth birthday and try to pass the first of the trials to become a hunter. If she can do that, she can help to move her family out of being shunned and prove her loyalty to the clan. The only problem is Winnie is in over her head and if she can't get help she is only going to end up dead.
Jay Friday and Winnie used to be best friends but when her family was shunned he disappeared from her life. Now she needs his help if she is ever going to survive. Seems like Jay has some secrets of his own and while we didn't get to explore them much in this book I'm pretty sure I know what at least one of them is and hope we get to focus on that in the next book.
The shortcoming of this book is I think the worldbuilding wasn't built quite enough. The Luminaries fight the monsters in the forest that rise in the night because they are tied to a great spirit. There are witches who are bad, although I'm not quite sure why or if there could be good witches too. I really wanted to learn more of the Dianas (the bad guys in league with the forest spirits), what the Friday's true function is since they seem to be better fighters than all of the other clans and I really wanted to understand what the really big bad thing in the forest is that seems to warp the world around it.
There is enough in this book to keep me really interested in the series. There are hints to bigger plots afoot and maybe the world Winnie has grown up in has a lot of little dirty secrets that she and a few friends can ferret out. You can tell there is going to be a nice slow burn romance possibly in the future but in the Luminaries there wasn't really enough time to focus on it as Winnie was more worried about trying to survive than kissing boys, which for me was a nice change. The forest was a character all by itself, I can't wait to learn more about the world, the forest and the people of Hemlock falls.
That's why we're called the Luminaries, Winnie: we are lanterns the forest can never snuff out.
Greywaren is the final book in the Dreamer Trilogy a spin off series to The Raven Cyclefollowing the Lynch boys and a few other interesting and dangerous characters in their adventures to save the living dreams in this world. Ronan has always been a favorite of mine and seeing his story come to full fruition as he discovers the power within himself has been a journey through dreams which sometimes can be a bit confusing but always wondrous.
The apocalypse is nigh and only the Lynch brothers and a few others will be able to stop it. Without giving too much of the story away, there are dreams walking in this world pulled out by the dreamers. Matthew is one of those dreams and Jordan is another, when the leyline was corrupted all the dreams fell asleep and you have to have a sweetmetal (creativity infused object) to be able to wake them now. Or at least that is what was thought, but some fell asleep and Jordan didn't or at least hasn't yet. Matthew is only awake because of a sweetmetal and Ronan, well he is asleep but no one knows why.
Carmen Farooq-Lane (cool name really) and her visionary, Liliana, have found they are on the wrong side of the issue in Mr. Impossible and have jumped to the other side with a crazy all over the place Hennessy to figure out what and where to go next. Hennessy is proving difficult to live with, which should not be surprising to the gentle reader as they have lived with her for two other books
Hennessy was loud. She seemed to feel that if a monologue was worth delivering, it was worth delivering at top volume, from atop furniture or cars or roofs, an ocean of relentless, throbbing words.
With the apocalypse still coming, even after the destruction of the power source, for it we will need all the Dreamers and dreams to work together to make sure the bringer of the apocalypse, not Ronan to everyone's surprise, is still coming and there is more work to do. But to do that work, some of the other Lynch brothers are going to have to help each other in some unexpected ways. Ronan specifically is needed, his origin story is so different than I expected it to be, but then of course, it would be.
Look at that poor asshole lying on that packed dirt, look how lovingly tattooed his skin was, each mark a small confirmation that even though it felt like he hated his life and his body, deep down, he wanted to keep it, to redecorate the place to his own liking.
Greywaren is like a dream. There is so much going on and all the pieces fit together in different ways but once I closed the book there are moments that stick out clear as day and other items that drift in and out of my recollection nebulous in the aftermath of waking up. Overall I leave this collection of dreams on paper with satisfied feelings and new questions and hopes of more books with characters from The Raven Boys as Blue and Gansey have seemed to have adventures of their own.
I love Steifvater's writing. It is lyrical and wondrous in nature and it is always full of strangeness and uniqueness. I can only name a handful of writers that have brought a story so to life that I look for the characters in my everyday world certain they are real people out there in this world and she is just telling their story. I want the world of the Dreamers to be real, in some ways as it is so full of possibilities, like all dreams.
Narration: Will Patton breathes life into this story and the characters in it. I have loved his performance of all of the books and novellas set in the world of The Raven CycleI can't even begin to imagine what this series and the other would have been without his magical narration of the story. He, by far, made the books an even better experience and while that doesn't detract from what Stiefvater does with her writing, it just adds cumulatively to the enjoyment of the book. If you have never tried an audiobook before I highly recommend The Raven Cycle to be your first.
Gideon loved a woman a long time ago and he thought he lost her to death. But now she has moved over to the real world from the Fae/fantasy one they uGideon loved a woman a long time ago and he thought he lost her to death. But now she has moved over to the real world from the Fae/fantasy one they used to be in and he will do anything to figure out how to keep her here.
Arabella Locksley was Robin Hood in the make believe land they came from and a descendent of Arthur (yes that Arthur of the round table). She was lost and then one day she wasn't, but she is fading and no one knows why. Gideon has just been reunited with his one true love and will go on a quest to find all the relics of Arthur in this new land of real life to protect the woman he loves from fading away.
Arabella could be a little infuriating. She has been running her entire life and it is just a natural instinct to run away from, well everything. Gideon is a true hero and no matter what she tried this time he is going to convince Arabella that running is the last thing she ever needs to do again, unless she is running to him.
Gideon is adorable and I love his Fae heritage. This is a cute tale blending Robin Hood/Arthur and the Lady of the Lake along with some Fae trappings. I was pulling for the characters all the way through and I've even decided to like the Faery king who trapped Gideon into his service after Arabella's supposed death.
Overall a very interesting ending to this story with a few unexpected developments. It really led me to believe there might be some other stories in the mind of the author for this world....more
Munro and Ren were always fated. But Munro missed his fated one through her first life. When the warlocks decided to try and force Munro into their seMunro and Ren were always fated. But Munro missed his fated one through her first life. When the warlocks decided to try and force Munro into their service they went through time to find her and present her to him. When she died in his arms loathing Munro he does whatever it takes to break free of the warlock's hold and use their own magic to go back in time for her.
Ren is a hunter of Lorians and she is deadly with her enchanted knife. Munro shows up on the day of her wedding to break her out of her time where she is dead before 30 and bring her to his. Thing is she kinda likes her time and killing Lorians and feels a deep commitment to her people. But Munro is willing to make any bargain to his fated mate into his time, even if it means fighting off a pack of young werewolves.
Ren thought she knew what her life would be. But this new adventure with a man she doesn't want to be attracted to but ultimately is drawn to physically is growing on her. If only he would listen to her and not try to force her into becoming an immortal. She might truly fall for him then.
I liked this story but didn't love it like I have some of the others. Ren was a good character and she brought some feistiness into story. Munro like many of the alphas has been too protective, too harsh and sometime way too stubborn. But a good woman can stand up to all of those things it seems. They have a cute courtship and Ren is able to figure out what real love is. I did enjoy the courtship at least.
Overall an decent addition to the IAD series and Nix is a trixie one always. It will be interesting to see how much longer until we get to Fury's story because that is the next one I'm super excited for....more
Seasparrow might more aptly be called the care and feeding of foxes since a lot of the book is spent on that. This book focuses on Hava, Bitterblue’s Seasparrow might more aptly be called the care and feeding of foxes since a lot of the book is spent on that. This book focuses on Hava, Bitterblue’s half sister that the was hidden away most of her life to protect her from the evil king. She isn’t as easy to read a PoV from since she still has a lot of residual anger and hurt from that time in her life that seems to seep out at strange times.
"I want you to know why I'm angry... I want you to know why I'm mean. The anger inside me is too big. If I look at it too close, I feel too much grief to survive."
Hava is Bitterblue’s spy most of the time. Her grace is to be able to look like something else in the room. A barrel, curtain or a statue and then she can evesdrop and learn secrets for the good of the kingdom. She likes having a purpose and she loves Bitterblue but she is also full of angst and anger and since the book is from her PoV it is a bit difficult to relate to sometimes.
If you like character driven stories then this is probably going to work for you in a lot of ways. For me, I got bored through the long sections of first sailing and then trekking across a frozen expanse after being shipwrecked. There were some small intrigues on the ship that were interesting especially with the finding of another blue fox but other than that a lot of it is just talking and being inside Hava’s head.
I did better once they were back in the Kingdom and working some political intrigues instead of just trying to survive. Hava is so broken in so many ways and lashes out at so many around her that care about her. Caring for the baby foxes helps her for sure to learn how to love and care for something and heal a little but overall, she is just prickly.
I liked the conclusion to the book, however I don’t think we needed so many pages to get there, that was the struggle for me. It seemed like a good third of the book is about the foxes and fox babies while cute not really plot driving. ...more
This world's peoples split about a thousand years ago. Some went to live in the sky on city shThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
This world's peoples split about a thousand years ago. Some went to live in the sky on city ships as big as islands, while the other people stayed on the land. Much of that is covered by at least a little water with only a few dry and non-swampy parts. North is a Prince of the sky and Nimh is the living Goddess of the land but they are tied together by prophecy and will either be the saviors of their peoples or the destruction in The Other Side of the Sky the first book of The Other Side of the Sky duology.
North is the adventurous Prince of his people. He has been working on a craft to make it to the land and finally has his day to present to the council. When that doesn't go well, he decides a surprise demonstration will be what is needed to change their mind. But his craft was tampered with and he ends up crashing on the land below completely unprepared for what he finds there. Nimh is searching for the star, foretold in the prophecy that will help her destroy her world so it can be born again. She did not expect 'the star' to be a boy from the gods that left the ground to live in the sky. But prophecies are funny things with lives of their own and interpretations that might not make any sense until the moment they are meant to.
I enjoyed this book for the most part. Yes, there is the trope of the chosen one and some big insta-love happening but I surprisingly was not annoyed by it. Maybe it is because they seemed to be fated to be together with the prophecy in some form that I was able to accept it more readily. Nihm is so innocent in a lot of ways. She has been isolated and untouched since becoming the living embodiment of the goddess for her people. She wields some magic but has yet to manifest her true power and it makes her feel like she is less than she should be for her people. North is a spoiled and overconfident Prince of his people who until now has never thought much past the now of his life and most situations. But he knows he likes this girl, even if he hates her interpretation of the prophecy and his part in it.
“I don’t know if I believe prophecies. I don’t know if I believe in her gods or her destiny. I don’t know if I believe in any of this. But I believe in her.”
Inshara, a powerful wieldier of magic believes the prophecy is hers and will stop at nothing to make it to the people in the cities in the skies. She is strong and cruel, destruction is her only goal. North and Nimh must find a way to stop her before she hurts more of the people Nimh loves and is duty bound to protect. Nimh will have to find a way to stop all of Inshara's plans and find the power within her first if she is even going to have a chance.
I like the world in this book. It is interesting and magical how the people of the land adapted after North's people left and how those stories were passed down over time and changed. Seeing the world through North's eyes made it feel all the more wondrous and magical since tech is the language of his people and it has been almost completely lost to the people on land. It is a great blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy and right up my alley. There are some YA tropes but the writing is good and most of the pitfalls I would normally find with those tropes I was able to completely overlook.
“It's not magic," I say. "It's science. Science means that you can explain it, that you know how each part of it works. Magic is - I mean, it's science you haven't figured how to explain yet." "I can explain my magic," Nimh replies. "And you just said you could not explain your engines.”
Narration: Caitlin Davies I know very well from Penryn and the End of Days series. She has a great voice for a young girl trying to make her way in an unknown world and performs the drama and longing in the story well. Johnathan McClain has also played the voice of some characters in Kauffman's other series and is well known to me. He was perfect for the confident, in charge Prince lost on a land he doesn't understand. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My favorite novellas have tended to be set in series where I've already read multiple books. It is a great way to tell a story about a side character or expand on some details of some of the current main characters that maybe are only in the author's head. The Transplanted Tales series takes characters from Fairy Tales and some other literature and throws them into real life here in the real world. It is a little like a show I loved when it came out Once Upon a Time, except they are scattered all over the place and you are just as likely to have characters from Shakespeare as you are to have Little Red Riding Hood.
Grimm Consequences happens a few months after Red in the Transplanted Tales series and is told solely from Nate's PoV. He has loved Red from afar for so long, now that they are finally together he might have to pay for some of the rules he has broken as a Reaper to save her.
Nate saved Red from dying in the land of Fairy Tales and gave her to Gram to heal. That was so long ago and that moment changed him. It saved him from the heartless unfeeling existence he was living. But he paid a price for that day and has the flames burning into his soul to prove it. He has paid that price a few times since then as he broke rules to interfere and affect Tess Little's life. But now he knows the Judges are waiting and biding their time to punish him for saving the love of his life; it is just a matter of time.
Someone from Nate's past is stalking him, waiting in the shadows to strike and Nate needs to be ready to protect not only himself this time but Tess too. He will pay any price for the woman he loves. But, what is it going to cost Tess?
This was a great novella that delved a bit into the world of the Reapers. It gives us a look at Nate's co-reapers and how one man's twisted jealousy against Nate might cost him dearly. He is going to have to think quickly and pull out all the Reaper tricks if he is going to save Tess. I liked seeing a bit more of what Reapers can do and meeting a few good and bad to see how Nate's life became entangled with our Tess Little's life. Really good expansion into the series....more
The Walking Stick is a well known staple of the Mercy Thompson world and readers are well aware of how a magical artifact can change over time. But whThe Walking Stick is a well known staple of the Mercy Thompson world and readers are well aware of how a magical artifact can change over time. But what if there was an artifact that's purpose was different and had been used to kill many already. What would that turn into after thousands of years?
Wulfe has always been a bit of an enigma and that is no different in Soul Taken. Wulfe seems to have an unhealthy obsession with Mercy and when Marcillia comes to Mercy and tasks her to find Wulfe or all will be lost she knew something was wrong and somehow the vampires are involved.
The Mercy Thompson world is rich with lore, characters and connections. I enjoy being in this world and even when we are looking for the wielder of a scythe that seems to be reaping the souls of slightly magical beings it is still a good time. Mercy and Adam are again adorable together and I like that every once and awhile we get a PoV from Adam now. The love he has for Mercy and the way he has convinced his wolf they are taking care of her by not over-protecting her is really well done.
The plot for the story is well done again and I always enjoy time with Zee and even the creepy Underhill. She does seem to have a little vendetta against our Zee and wants everyone to remember that the kind yet grumpy mechanic used to be force of nature to be reckoned with and served his enemies wine out of a goblet crafted from the skulls of their sons. I mean we all know Zee has not always been a good guy, to be fair they had kidnapped and imprisoner him.
Sherwood is character that we got a few more details of who he really is and why Bran might have sent him to be a part of Adam and Mercy's pack. But there are a few dynamics to figure out when some of those memories come tumbling back.
Another great story and honestly one that works well in the fall and Halloween time. Mercy and crew bring together another great story, with fun times to blend into the serious ones and a few deeper discoveries along the way....more
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Seanan McGuire has built a fantastic world in the October Dayeseries. A world rich in characters, histories, prophecies and magic. Toby McGuire is a hero in this world and in Be the Serpent she is about to be tested in ways she maybe wasn’t prepared for. This book ended up darker than some of the others in the series with a twist that I never saw coming.
“We could be standing at the intersection of twenty different flavors of reality and only seeing the two where we have any business being”
Titania is back and she is just as brutal as she ever was. Toby is going to have to reconcile herself to the implications of this and find a way to save all the Brown children who have ended up in Titania’s sights. With the help of her crew being Tybalt, Toby’s new husband and Cait Sidhe king, her trusted squire Quinten, fetch May, newly acquired father Simon, The Luidaeg (famous Sea Witch of the sea, yes that Sea Witch) and more but those will be the main player along with a very reluctant Oberon who are tasked with containing the newly returned Titania.
This story was WOW, I don’t know why I thought it was possibly going to be a little fluffier with a newly married Toby trying to figure out how to balance marriage with all of her hero duties but this was full of tense moments, emotional hits to the gut and a deeper understanding of The Three (Titania, Oberon and possibly Maeve). They are the makers of Faery and they have a lot of explaining to do in Toby’s eyes.
Toby is very hard to kill but she has a big part to play in this fight and she is going to be stretched farther than she ever has before. Not to mention the little secret she has yet to tell her new husband that is weighing on her mind.
This story was an unusual one for the October Daye Universe because there is definitely one completed story in this book but normally books in the October Daye series wrap up and end at a solid ending. We have a bit of a cliffhanger in Be the Serpent and I am on pins and needles seeing how it works out in the next book. Really a phenomenal story. I love Toby’s irreverence in the face of danger and those with more power than her. There is enough quick wit and funny things said to help with the dark tones of the book and give it a good balance. One of the best in the October Daye world.
It seems like Toby and Tybalt have been trying to get married forever and it is finally going to happen in this book, probably. No just kidding they dIt seems like Toby and Tybalt have been trying to get married forever and it is finally going to happen in this book, probably. No just kidding they definitely make it to getting hitched but in true Toby fashion everything goes wrong, someone or someones end up dead and Toby gets stabbed possibly more than once. Let the good times role.
“Are you okay?” he asked, in a small voice. “I don’t know,” I said. “Apparently, my entire family has been conspiring to abduct me to Canada because I can’t be trusted to know the date of my own damn wedding. So I’m feeling a little left out and a little disrespected and a lot like I need to go lie down in my bed or stand in a hot shower until I stop wanting to stab you all.” “We don’t heal the way you do,” said Dean. “Hence the restraint,” I said, through gritted teeth.”
How is the best way to get Toby to her own weeding? Sneakily. In her hero squad’s defense, she just said they could plan it and just tell when and where to be. So everyone is headed to Canada, to Quinton’s parents for the wedding. Quinton it seems might be feeling a little bit of teenage resentment towards his parents for the future Kingdom he is supposed to take over leaving Toby his first love and all his friends behind. Good thing he is in an exceptional disguise that no one will know it is him at Toby’s wedding.
Toby’s wedding guest include none other than the Sea Witch, Oberon, Toby’s newly recognized father, her complete hero squad and her longtime childhood changling friend. I do love seeing the legendary Sea Witch in her teenage girl guise and so many making large mistakes in front of her. With all of those people in attendance you know that something big is about to go wrong and it does when someone tries to kill the King of the Winterlands and Toby is there to make sure that doesn’t happen. But man the potential overthrow of the government is delaying the wedding…again and no one is more upset about it than Toby.
“I wasn’t looking to make myself angry. I was trying to triangulate how angry I should be. There’s a difference. Honest, there’s a difference.”
In order to get her wedding going she will need to figure who is trying to overthrow Quinton’s dad and put a stop to it.
Again we have a greatly fun story that involves Toby acting irreverently in front of Monarchs, pushing boundaries and figuring out how to save some of the creatures of faery from itself. I love seeing how close Toby has become to the group of teenagers in her care and how living in the chaos has just become normal in her life. It is always entertaining and keeps the reader guessing what shoe is going to drop next. ...more
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
Kaitlyn is a shifter who has never shifted. She was basically chained to her human form by her former alpha and has grown up with a wolf inside her that had never been let out. In Broken Moon, the first book of the Kait Silverseries, Kait works as an investigator of sorts, sometimes for the paranormal community, the police or just your everyday people who have a haunting. She is good at her job and built a life she can live with, but when the new Alpha of a different pack lets her know he can release her wolf if she helps him, it is an offer too good to pass up.
Jared is the son of the alpha that didn't take Kait or her mom in when they were cast out of their own pack. He needs help finding a creature killing off his pack members and Kait is his best bet. But there is also something about her when they met that told him he could bring her wolf back out and he is willing to do that and let her and her mother into his pack if she can help him. There are hinted at other reasons too as to why he can help her wolf but we will come back to that in other books probably.
Just to make things extra fun there is a demon running around looking to harm or influence Kait since she killed off his corporeal form and took his knife. And Kait has just made a new friend in Lucy, a psychic who is also a baker and her brand new roommate/sidekick. Nice to have an early warning system living in your apartment.
Broken Moon has some very interesting premises for a not really new genre, I mean shifter stories are not new and seem to be everywhere. Overall, I enjoyed the read as Kait is likeable and I wanted her to get her wolf back and save people. I also am a fan of 'mate' stories so the hinted at mate status of Kait for Jared is a big draw. There are a few first book issues here with scene transitions could have been a little bit better but overall I enjoyed the story and the potential I saw for the series. This one of those series I will continue to see if the next few books increase my interest in the series.
Narration: Sierra Kline is an accomplished narrator with over 800 titles under her belt. Amazingly I think this is the first time I've listened to a book narrated by her. She puts forth a solid performance and I really enjoyed her vocal performance. She had a clear voice for all the characters and did well with the material. I was able to listen to Broken Moon at my usual 1.5x speed.
The premise of this story, which I think you are going to have to look at as 4 parts to one book instead of looking at each book individually, is fourThe premise of this story, which I think you are going to have to look at as 4 parts to one book instead of looking at each book individually, is four fated couples must unite and fall in love to defeat an ancient evil rising from it's sleep.
This has a much different pacing from Ashley's other books that usually focus on one couple at a time. I will say I'm enjoying the overall story but it is not going to be for everyone. There is a lot of sex, like a lot and it is one of downfalls of this book because it seems like most of the couples got closer and started have sex at about the same time and so it seemed like almost 100 pages in a row dealt with a couple and their sex life. I just think that should have been broken up a little better.
The four couples have read the prophecy wrong and believe they just have to marry and copulate and somehow that is going to save them from the monster rising. However that is not what is needed. They must fall in love if they are going to defeat this beast. It isn't clear yet why that is other than each of the women carries magic of some kind and together it will help them.
There are plots to thwart and kingdoms to take over to consolidate power if they are going to have the force required for the upcoming battle. I have liked the multiple moving parts of the story and even though it has a lot of sex and violence it has been a good storyline overall but like most KA books you have to be willing to go on the journey to get there, because her Romantasy's are wordy.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I have been waiting FOREVER for Alice and Thomas's story and finally with Spelunking Through Hell, the 11th book of the Incryptid series, we are finally here. Alice has been on a journey to find her husband, taken by the Crossroads over fifty years ago. It is her obsession and if all she finds is a headstone, well that is fine too at least she will know. But, she has loved Thomas since before she was supposed to love a man and she can't move on until she knows.
"Nothing is lost forever. Sometimes we just pretend not to understand what it would cost to find it." --Juniper Campbell
With the Crossroads gone, Alice's quest has been reinvigorated and she is more determined than ever to find the love of her life. She has confirmation that Thomas is still alive and out there somewhere. After finding a book from a long ago dimensional traveler and cartographer, she has a new direction and hope to go towards and some doubts about the individual she considered a friend that had helped her all of these years.
Alice will risk everything to be reunited with her husband. Will she find him? Well I think it is a sad story indeed if that didn't happen. Will he remember her? Alice is pretty unforgettable and she is going to need all the Healy luck to be able to convince the universe it is time to give her husband back.
The readers get to find out so many mysteries in this series. Such as:
1 - How is Alice in her eighties now but still look to be 19 or 20. Let's just say ewww and ouch.
2 - What kind of impact did this have on her kids growing up? Hard to have mommy bail to go find daddy and never really come home.
3 - What has this life cost her? So much more than she probably knows.
4 - How does dimensional travel work and how can Alice do it?
5 - Where was the Crossroads stashing some of the people it made bargains with.
So many questions answered and so much chaos ensues, but what else would you expect with Alice jumping around in the Universe.
I had so much fun with this book, although I was a little impatient to get to the part where we actually find Thomas. But patience pays off and I'm really looking forward to how all of these new developments are going to rock the world of my favorite Cryptozoologist family....more
Well the Andrews have done it again and created a great story with plenty of twists and turns in it. How do you make a magical inn bonded to an InnkeeWell the Andrews have done it again and created a great story with plenty of twists and turns in it. How do you make a magical inn bonded to an Innkeeper to ignore most the laws a physics even more interesting. You host a Royal Bachelor competition Intergalactic style.
Sean and Dina are settling into life together at the Inn and everything is going pretty well overall. The Inn is growing. The permanent guest, Her Grace Caldenia, is content and the live in Chef Orro happy. Everything is going great until we learn Wilmos is missing and may need a little rescuing.
“Nothing can ever be easy,” he said. “Nope. We can’t even just walk into a trap like normal people. We have to work really hard first.” ....“We haven’t done anything dumb or dangerous for almost six months.” Sean pushed away from the wall on which he was leaning, walked over, and kissed me. “Let’s do this.”
To save their friend Sean and Dina need the use of a very special portal that only the Dominion can grant access to. No problem...they can strike a deal. Catch is to use the portal the Emperor of the Dominion (Caldenia's Nephew, cue family drama because she killed his father) needs the inn to finish out the Royal Selection (#Intergalactic Bachelor) at the inn so he can get it done and maybe not lose any more contestants.
I LOVED this. This isn't creepy bachelor where we watch one guy smooch on multiple chicks until he picks the hottest and most smoochable. No no no. Everyone still in the spouse selection is there for a boon for their people from the Dominion. Twelve contestants, from various sectors of the galaxy will compete to see who would be the best spouse, parent and partner to the Emperor. Everything is televised to the people of the Dominion and they get to vote on who they like the best.
The contest was so much fun...Seriously seeing characters from cultures we already know about was great but taking a tour of some of the other creatures from the galaxy was so interesting. The Andrews are so good at showing their readers through actions and events what drives certain characters and they did that beautifully here as well. I loved seeing all the characters interact with each other pushing buttons and seeing how the subtly tried to maneuver through the competition. Caldenia is definitely the best at it.
“He seems rather annoyed,” she said. “You permanently damaged Surkar.” “I did no such thing.” “You broke his spirit.” “Then it wasn’t that strong to begin with. Pain is the best teacher. Whether he learns his lesson is of no interest to me.”
The story is a big blend of political intrigue along with manipulation to get to the final selection. I loved every minute of it. Then there is all of the action of trying to find Wilmos and getting him back. Which led to some interesting discoveries and brought up more questions.
Thank you to the Andrews for another fun and fantastic story. Also bonus to the readers who loved the Edge Series...we get an update on some of our, favorite kids grown up, characters of George, Sophie and Jack.
Narration:
Nora Sofyan is new to the narration of Innkeeper chronicles. We previously listened to the fantastic Renee Raudman and while I'm not sure of the details on why the need to change I think Nora did a really good job picking up a series that previously had a different narrator. Dina the main voice of the series seems to be in good hands and while I did need to adjust my listening speed to 1.65x instead of 1.5x the feeling and voice of all the characters was preformed well and was well distinguishable. ...more
I liked this book and it was a decent story. I just didn't get as into it as I seem to get into the other Ilona Andrews books. I'm just going3.5 Stars
I liked this book and it was a decent story. I just didn't get as into it as I seem to get into the other Ilona Andrews books. I'm just going to say that I totally must have read it wrong or was distracted by all the holiday shenanigans to really focus on it.
Ramona and Matias have just found out their respective spouses have run off together with some pretty top secret tech and a bunch of money. They need to team up and find them before word gets out and destroys their houses.
I always like the worlds so much in Ilona Andrews books. They do great at building up a real magical society and I liked the way that Ramona and Matias's magics and fighting styles blended together. Family is always such a big part of Ilona Andrews books and that is no different in Fated Blades. Both Matias and Ramona have some pretty extreme obligations as the head of their houses and in charge of making sure they stay on top. That is exactly how each ended up in a marriage that was more for show than for love.
The kinsmen series are just short stories and so there isn't a lot of time to really love the characters. Still a solid read just not one of my all time favorites.
Cytonic is the 3rd full length novel In Brandon Sanderson's Skywardseries. Just a note - therThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Cytonic is the 3rd full length novel In Brandon Sanderson's Skywardseries. Just a note - there are 2 novellas between Starsight and Cytonic, which I highly recommend you read before you begin Cytonic or you will spend the entire time wondering what is going on with Jorgen, FM, Rig and all the rest of Spensa's friends and family.
Spensa is in the nowhere, the space between, where Cytonics pull their power from and how starships travel throughout the galaxy. It seemed like a good idea at the time to step through the portal to the nowhere since she basically had an army after her. Now she is stuck in this strange place with M-Bot, who might just be a little mad at her and are those some pirates about to kidnap her? Well this place isn't anything like I thought it was going to be.
“I’m not exactly a “there are nuances to this situation” type of girl. I’m more of an “if it’s still moving, you didn’t use enough ammunition” type of girl.”
Spensa grew up on all her Gran's stories from the old world and now it feels like she is in one. On a heroic quest to discover the secrets of the past, figure out what the Delvers are and somehow figure out a way to get back to her crew on Detritus. Good thing she found this nice cytonic Chet to help her on this epic quest and show her the lay of the land or is that too good to be true too.
I almost always have a great time in Sanderson stories. There is always some new revelation or world building or story facet that just amazes me. Cytonic has that as well. It is a slower moving story from the others in this series in that there are not nearly as many fights or training. But there is a great story of a girl on an adventure to truly discover who she is as she makes some very hard life choices. Spensa has come a long way from the girl that said "I’ll make a pile of everyone’s skulls, then stand on that to help me behead the people who were too tall for me to reach", in Skyward. She has grown from a bundle of anger and bravado to a genuine person who wants to do the right thing, the hard thing, but is also loving this adventure and wondering if she really wants to leave it to go back to war and fighting.
“I could be afraid, then become courageous. I could be small-minded, then come to understand. I could be selfish. Then move beyond it. I could start as human, then allow myself to become something more.”
Sanderson characters always become so real to me. They are imperfect people, finding strength when it is most needed and sometimes falling short of the people they hope to be. Even side characters that don't get a lot of page time feel real. I enjoy all the wisdom presented either from a AI system that is figuring out feelings or a little fox man busting out some serious knowledge on life and choices. I enjoy it all, the worldbuilding especially. Sanderson stories always have rules to the universe and he lets you in on their secrets one sweet reveal at a time.
“You look just fine." "Ah, 'just fine.' Exactly what a woman loves to hear." "I'm sorry," he said. "I meant to say that you look like a barbarian who just finished killing her seventeenth rabid tiger to make a necklace out of their incisors.”
Another great addition to the Sanderson library.
Narration: Suzy Jackson, I honestly cannot say enough good things about her and her narration of this series. She is a perfect fit to the story and I love how she brings every character to life. Her voice really adds to these books and they are better for her performance of them.
I have put this review off for so long because I really don't know how to do justice to it. How do I tell you that the entire series was a rollercoastI have put this review off for so long because I really don't know how to do justice to it. How do I tell you that the entire series was a rollercoaster ride and full of both beautiful and heartbreaking moments that stick with you. Like Cat, I'm still grieving for her in some ways two books later.
This has a very satisfying conclusion to the story. Not perfect, not all HEA or anything rubbish like that but truly satisfying. Aurora's End spends a little bit of time doing time jumps. Some characters end up in the past and others in the future as we see what will become of the Universe if the Eshvaren are allowed to grow and take it over. We see the price humanity plays. We also learn how the team has found all the things it needs to get by so far. I really liked who their benefactor was.
I will miss all of these characters. Zila, once a mystery to me has really become a favorite of mine as she is so smart and yet so innocent in some ways. Scarlet, well who doesn't love a girl full of confidence and sass. Tyler, oh captain my captain is always fun to hang out with and see how much trouble he can both get into and out of. His taste in women is questionable though. Finian, you might be punching out of your league with Scarlet but if anyone can match her sass it is you. And then their is my favorite couple Kal and Aurora. I was worried the most for them throughout the entire book. How much with Aurora have to give up to save us all and will Kal follow her to the end of the universe and back.
Truly epic conclusion that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. ...more
Review copy was received from . This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Shadow in Ember is the first book the Flesh and Fireseries which is also a prequel to the Blood and Ashseries. You should have read the first three books in the Blood and Ash series before jumping into this. I am a total rule breaker apparently since I've only read the first two books of that series, but I knew enough enjoy it. I probably am just missing out on some of the plot correlations but I'm hoping to catch up with that soon. It is a Persephone and Hades retelling without the kidnapping so I was interested to see what a god of death would look like in this world.
A Shadow in Ember is set many years before Blood and Ash. The land of Lasania is dying; the blight as it has been called, encroaches on the land a little more everyday. Seraphina has a chance to remedy that. She was promised to the primal of death a decade before her birth, to be his consort. Most think that is all there is to her destiny, but she knows her job is to make him fall in love with her and when he is weakened she must kill him. That is the only way to save her home.
Sera is pretty easy to like. She is headstrong and tries to help those around her. She is a fighter for the people and there are some mysteries to be solved. Like why is the blight eating the land and why are some of the gods randomly killing people in Lasania. Sera meets Nyktos on a night she sees the horrific deaths of a family. He didn't know what he was getting into when he stopped her from trying to confront two gods. She is a tempersome creature who likes to fight with him more than anything else. I did like how the heat between them was almost instantaneous as they bantered with each other.
Nyktos wasn't ever going to claim his consort. He tried to let her have the life he thought she wanted, but after spending time with her that is out of the question. He has so many enemies; it is not safe for a mortal he cares about to be in his court. Still Seraphina has a way of getting under his skin and making him make unwise decisions. She might just be his undoing.
I really felt for Sera, how hard is it to know that you will have to kill someone, even more so if you have to sacrifice someone you are growing to love. Nyktos/Ash seems like a good guy in the grand scheme of things. He is a god capable of terrible things but he is also much more kind than most of the gods. He still has some humanity left in him which makes Sera's task all the more troubling. I spent the entire book wondering if she could ever really go through with it.
There are people from the Blood and Ash series in this book and we get more of the history of the gods, the ascended and can compare the happenings in this series to what they become later in the timeline. It is great seeing the Draken (dragons) at multiple stages of their lifecycle and how they are so protective of Nyktos. I really liked how the realm of death worked for both gods and mortals and how both Nyktos and Sera were so similar in they had been both been so alone before finding each other.
I have one small complaint about this book. It is long, like 700 pages long. Armentrout uses the same storytelling technique of Blood and Ash series where a lot of the world is explained in Q&A type sessions. There are action moments too but conversations and discussions are really how we get details about much of this world. I really like the show me in fantasy much more than the tell me. Still there are enough steamy drawn out lusty moments between Ash and Sera to make this hotter than many books in this genre and put it firmly in the Romantasy category.
I will be very interested to see where the author takes this series next and how it ties in with the Blood and Ashseries. Narration: Stina Nielsen was also the narrator for the Blood and Ashseries. She does well with the characters and I like her innocent portrayal of Sera and of Poppy in the other series as just curious girls who have also been trained to kill. She does a great job with the more sultry moments of the book and I have enjoyed her performance of the story. Even through the slow parts of the book she is able to keep me interested in the story.
Suri and Minna have been best friends and practically sisters forever it seems by the time we meet them in Legends of the First Empire. But this is a Suri and Minna have been best friends and practically sisters forever it seems by the time we meet them in Legends of the First Empire. But this is a story where Tura is still with Suri and she and Minna are learning the ways of Elan.
Suri finds a pile of bones in a cave and it is her wake up call that not everything is nice in the forest and there are bigger things to be wary of than just bears out there.
This is an interesting story that let's you in on a few secrets of the past and what could happen to mystics after they die. I think it is well done and a good intro to the writing style of MJS. I was hoping for some larger insight to the world but except for something hinted at, at the very end I think it is just a fun short story. ...more
The wrap up to this trilogy was done well. We travel across worlds and dimensions in the search of Wisdoms Grave, the place of all power. Again characThe wrap up to this trilogy was done well. We travel across worlds and dimensions in the search of Wisdoms Grave, the place of all power. Again characters from Craig Schaefer's other series make appearances throughout and I will say it made me want to catch up on the Daniel Faust series.
Marie is somewhere across the multiverse in a different dimension and we will learn just who has been pulling their strings. It was a bit twisted and this character is more like the one I remember from the Revanche Cycle series in that she is brutal and will do anything to win, no matter the cost.
Nessa is stuck on earth and without Marie is going to go out with a bang unless someone can get her under a little control and direct all of that fury. She also has a big problem and without some divine intervention is slated to die soon.
With the help of some trusted friends they will find Wisdom's grave and discover the true purpose of the first story. They will also discover who the Kings of Man are and how they came into power. I will say the Mythos used here was interesting and I really loved this part of the story.
While I don't think we are done with Nessa and Marie, there are a few Kings of Man that still need to be dealt with I will say this was a fun book and great story. There are a few parts that got a little strange like hey when you meet a version of yourself, what will you do, kind of strange. But the characters are interesting as they make the choices that will save or destroy them. Will Nessa and Marie go out in another blaze of glory just to be reborn in their story again or will they be able to break free from the wheel and change their futures forever? Well you will have to read it to see but it is worth it as the story is full or great battles, moral conundrums and the origins of magic....more
I blew through this series so quickly that I finished this book as it has a small cliffhanger of sorts and dived into the next right away so in my heaI blew through this series so quickly that I finished this book as it has a small cliffhanger of sorts and dived into the next right away so in my head, they are pretty intertwined. Marie and Nessa are on the run together. They are looking for Wisdom’s Grave and a power source to be able to save themselves and the world possible. What they need to find is a few friends to help them out.
Enter some of the other characters from Craigs other series. I’m familiar with these characters but I’m only caught up on the Harmony Black series. Still, it was great fun to visit the Bast club and see Daniel Faust through some of his magic around.
I was a little concerned that Nessa would go full tilt evil in this book but so far, the characters walk the line really well. They are not all good but they are definitely not as evil as in other incarnations. It was fun to wander the country with them looking for Carolyn and a few of the other characters of the first story doomed to relive their lives and mistakes.
This as a great ride with a good blend of story and action. I really like Marie and Nessa together and I’m rooting for them ultimately. But I also still worry they will go full tilt evil at some point. Here is hoping they can get off their tragic wheel of meet, fall in love and die a horrible death to their enemies. ...more
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the contThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Empire's Ruin is the first book in The Ashes of the Unhewn Throne series set about five years after all the events in the parent series the Chronical of the Unhewn Throne . I was on the fence about if I wanted to jump into this series. The reason, I loved the first two books of the Unhewn Throne but the third really didn't live up to my extremely high expectations. Staveley is a great writer though and I loved Gwenna from the first series so I gave it a try and I am not disappointed. This is a series you really need to have read the parent series, at least up to the third book to really get a lot of the history, especially of the Kettral.
Gwenna, was probably my favorite female character from the parent series. She is a fiery girl who likes to blow stuff up and has proved her strength in so many situations. She came to leadership through some hard battles and rolled the dice and won so many times she sometimes feels invincible and that every crazy plan is going to work, until it didn't. She made some calls and lost the last Kettral and a few of her team. Now she has to go on some crazy mission in hopes of redeeming herself and the mistakes she has made. It is a hard road out of that dark place she is in with her confidence lost. She will pick up a few new friends along the way and make plenty of enemies. Her story is action packed in a strange land with danger and monsters around every corner. My favorite new ally was Rat, a little girl in this monstrous land with a lot of fight in her.
Ruc was a priest of the goddess of love. Well at least that is the role he has played for the last fifteen years, prior to that he was raised by godlike creatures in what basically amounted to a swamp. He learned how to kill, how to hunt and how to live in the swamp until he found he was also supposed to kill the humans that came there as tribute. He is trying so hard to suppress the violence inside him which becomes neigh on impossible once his temple is burnt down and he is thrown into a gladiator style competition with his long time lover, Baen. They will have to escape if they really want to survive, but they will also need to hurry because a new God is headed to his city and that God wants all to live in chains of submission.
This story line was just as exciting as Gwenna's, probably because I always enjoy Gladiator type scenarios in stories and I really wanted to learn more about Ruc's past, living with two of The Three (the gods of the city he currently lives in). Plus this is the only story that had any hint of love/romance not that those ever seem to work out in Staveley books. Ruc and Baen do love each other but have both been keeping pretty big secrets, so I'm not sure they will survive the series, let alone come out the other side still connected by love.
The last PoV that really gets the least amount of time in this story is Akiil. He was one of the monks who grew up with Aidan from the first series and we met him briefly. He has pretty much been a grifter since the destruction of his Order of Monks. He has come to the capitol to perform the biggest grift of his life on the Emperor. There are transportation gates you can use if you know how to get to the right mindset, Akiil is going to temp the Emperor with the idea that he can train her how to use those gates. She is going to need them with the Kettral gone and her empire in trouble from multiple sides. If she is going to hold onto power, she will need something huge to help her.
This was a pretty action packed story and I really had a great time being in the world. All the PoVs were interesting but Gwenna's and Ruc's PoVs were so intense at times. I love Staveley's prose; he is so good at describing what things feel like and the flow of the story is really strong. He really is a great fantasy writer, here is hoping he doesn't break me in my journey through his new series. Narration: As a reader I really appreciate when there are multiple narrators for different PoVs. Moira Quirk did a great job with capturing the spunk, depression and desperation in Gwenna's chapters. Her representation of Rat and all the other characters really made them come to life. Joe James0n and Oliver Cudbill also were fantastic in really bringing their PoVs to life and making the listener really feel the danger and hope the characters have. This is a series where the audio helps make the book even better. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Steelheart was the first Brandon Sanderson book I read, so it holds a special place in my heart. To really get this book you need to have at least reaSteelheart was the first Brandon Sanderson book I read, so it holds a special place in my heart. To really get this book you need to have at least read Steelheart, if not the entire first trilogy.
Lux follows a different Reckoner team in Texas as they try to fight a different band of Epics. Jax is the central character to the story and gets the most PoV time. An Epic killed his brother when he was ten, Prof found him and sent him to the Coop to be raised and trained. He grew up pushing himself to the limit and now it is time to go to war.
This is a solid story. With the different PoVs and present/past jumps the characters unfold. I really liked Jax, he is smart and motivated. He has spent his life training to fight and now it is time. It just is harder than he ever thought it would be. He is going to lose people he loves, he is going to be betrayed and he is going to have to bury some grudges if he is going to make it through.
I liked there are a couple Easter Eggs in the story for fans of the series and Steelheart's origin story. The city of Lux is both a paradise and a parasite. It shows a strange dichotomy of what people are willing to overlook so they can have some comforts. I really liked exploring the motivator technology too and how it worked with Epic DNA.
The ending was a bit of a surprise since I thought this would only be one book, but it looks like there will be at least one follow-up book. While I missed some of the crew from the original series, there were a lot of likeable characters and Jax makes a pretty great hero.
This is a book for fans of the original series and shouldn't be missed if you loved the Supervillian dystopian world of the Reckoners. ...more
I enjoy the Harmony Black series. It has some fun characters and there is almost always a good story happening. We are definitely at the point where yI enjoy the Harmony Black series. It has some fun characters and there is almost always a good story happening. We are definitely at the point where you can not read a book in the series without having read others. And on top of that I'd suggest that you read the Wisdom's grave series too before starting book 5 of this series. You don't have to on that second one but it helps with a few characters and motivations.
Harmony is dealing with a few personal issues. Like she appears to be a little addicted to sucking the energy out of demons. She has a lot of shame about it and it will more than likely kill her, but no time to deal with that as there is a secret auction happening in Vegas for some unknown military type tech and Harmony and Jesse will need to infiltrate and get the drop on a demon Harmony has a personal vendetta against. Still Jesse and April know something is up with their girl and they want to get to the bottom of it and help her.
“Are you…concerned about how she’ll react if she finds out you invaded her privacy?” “I’m concerned about my best friend carrying a secret so heavy she can’t share the weight.” Jessie paused. “I’ll worry about the consequences after we get to the bottom of this.”
Harmony is sometimes hard to get excited about. She is very clinical in her thought processes and definitely the straight man in the story. Jesse is really my kind of character. She is a bundle of emotions and anger and channels it all into her job and finding the bad guys. They compliment each other well.
This is a decent story. Infiltrate a secret auction, find the tech in question so no one else gets it and if you get to financially destroy your opposition at the same time all the better.
The story has pretty good pacing and before I knew it we were done. Harmony made some questionable moral calls in this, but they felt like they had to be done and fit her character shades of grey mentality. The teaser at the end is what I really got excited about, what could be going on with our Harmony? Well I guess we will have to wait until the next book to find out but it looks like it will be interesting and throw her world for a loop.
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