SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Archive: Past Team Challenges
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R16: Team #2 ~ Breakneck Bookworms
Completion Post ... Shelf Eight ... Hunter
Hunter by Mercedes Lackey
384 pages ... tagged 5 times
Read: 4/27
Rated: ★★★★✩
Review:
Other reviewers have gone to great lengths to pan this novel for a TSTL heroine...
I cannot agree. In a world where humanity has destroyed the earth to the point of possibly precipitating armageddon, a warrior is raised from toddlerhood in an isolated monastery to be self sufficient, recognizing and dispatching some of the lesser monsters that fell into/onto the world from every mythology, past and present known to man. Onset of puberty brings her "powers" and a group of beings from the other side who come when she calls to hunt with our heroine as the leader of their pack. The series begins as our heroine moves from this seclusion to the mainstream society, and begins her acclimation.
These books are the "well edited" type, fast paced and with few grammer gargles and formatting errors, the kind I love to read.
Selection Post ... Shelf 9 ... URBAN FANTASY
Ill Wind by Rachel Caine:
303 pages ... tagged 1,089 on linked list
Read:
Rated: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½✩
Review:
℘⊃ ... ℘} ... ℘\ ... ℘/ ... ℘{ ...
Completion Post -- Hunters Book:
Completed: 5/3/18
Pages: 317
How It Fits: Page 5 on the list, Tagged Hunter x 2
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I have to admit this suffered a little bit by being the middle book in the trilogy. The story was kind of in a holding pattern throughout the story -- it was a pretty interesting and action packed holding pattern, but... There was a good deal of action, death and peril as would be expected in this type of book, but it was nice to watch the MC finally get a little emotional support and experience. The next book should be an exciting finish to the series.
Selection Post -- Urban Fantasy 
by Richelle MeadPages: 327
Selection Post ... Shelf 9 ... URBAN FANTASYBlade Bound by Chloe Neill Pages: 384
I had actually forgotten about this series. It will be interesting to see how long it takes me to remember the previous events.
Charlie wrote: "Selection Post ... Shelf 9 ... URBAN FANTASYBlade Bound by Chloe Neill Pages: 384
I had actually forgotten about this series. I..."
I always at least skim a bit of the previous one I've read first...
CONGRATULATIONS, Breakneck Bookworms!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'necromancers' and 'hunter'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Congrats on the stamps Speedy Worms!
Victoria wrote: "Selection Post -- Week 9 -- Shelf 9 -- URBAN FANTASYWitchling by Yasmine Galenorn"
Interesting choice, with over 40% rated ★★★✩✩ or lower ...
Stacey wrote: " Selection Post -- Urban Fantasy by Richelle MeadPages: 327"
Slam-bang series, Stacy ...
Art (Posting elsewhere as Whistler Reads) wrote: "Victoria wrote: "Selection Post -- Week 9 -- Shelf 9 -- URBAN FANTASYWitchling by Yasmine Galenorn"
Interesting choice, with over 40% rated ★★★✩✩ or lower ..."
LOL It's not that bad :)
That series is up to Book 21 + novellas so plenty of people must love it. I only made it to #4 though.
So far its actually not that bad :D
Completion Post ... Shelf 9 ... URBAN FANTASY
Ill Wind by Rachel Caine:
303 pages ... tagged 1,089 on linked list
Read: 5/6
Rated: ★★★★✩
Review:
I read her complete morganville 2 or 3 years ago, and now started Weather Wardens for this round of BSB Bingo...
This one's gonna co$t me...
It's another "dump-you-in-the-middle, reveal-the-characters-and- build-the-world-thru-flashbacks-and-continuous-action" type books. All the good ones are!
When storms (fire, wind, rain, earthquake, etc.) grow big enough, they become sentient, usually inimical, if a dog scratching fleas can be considered inimical. Wardens have evolved to combat these forces of nature. Humans with Psi powers have always been influencing the world thru control on the elements...i.e. earth, fire, water, and air. The reason dinosaurs are extinct is because they didn't evolve Psi Wardens.
Therein lies the premise of this series...
... ℘/ ... ℘| ... ℘\ ... ℘}
Completion Post -- Week 9 -- Shelf 9 -- Urban FantasyBook: Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn
276 pages
completed: 07/05/2018
Rating: **
Review:
While I enjoyed the book for the most part, I'm not fully convinced.
I've read other books by the author which I enjoyed a lot more. Nevertheless, there is certainly potential in this series: the plot is great, the characters are diverse and with already +20 books out, it cant be bad right?
So what didn't I like?
Well... it was.. a lot of the same. We had the same history, sentences (concerning her magic for example) over and over again and other descriptions were a tad overkill. Describing the world is super and makes it very immersive for the reader, but put too much of it in the book and it tends to stagnate and get boring.
Character development was decent. We got to know the sisters a bit, their family connection (Earthside and Otherworld) and we met a big part of the cast. I cant say we know anyone well, but rather only superficially.
From the support cast I like Smokey best... that dragon... man, I hope we get to see a lot more of him! :D
As I've stated earlier the many descriptions kind of threw a wrench in the flow of the book which was a shame as we didn't get too much action in this first instalment and as such were left with a lot of talking, descriptions of what Camille was wearing, another history lesson or warning that her magic might backfire and last but not least, some sex.
Since I already have some of the following books in the series I will read them at some point.
The plot is great, I just hope we got all of the descriptive world building and history lessons out of the way. Fingers crossed!
Completion Post ... Shelf 9 ... URBAN FANTASYBlade Bound by Chloe Neill Pages: 384
Read: 5/8/18
Rate: 4 stars
Review: I had forgotten about this series. I crash read the first 10 books and randomly read the last three. I started the series for a challenge in another group years ago to read a book that takes place were I live. It did not hurt that my library had the first several books and I was able to check them all out at once and able to loose myself in their Chicago.
There are time when I read a book from a place that I have lived or visited and think this author has never been there really. I once read book that took place where I went to school and all the scenes were so generic that really the book could have taken place anywhere. There was nothing to suggest the author had ever been on campus or even to the city. Not this book you can tell if the author has never been to Chicago that she at least did her research.
I have a hard time giving a book 5 stars but this one is close. If the series ends with this book I would be extremely happy and could see myself changing to 5 stars. Mainly because this book has a nice wrap up. However, the wrap up does have a twist for either a spin off series or maybe another book in this series.
Again, like many series I have read, book one did not really grab me but it did intrigue me enough to keep reading and eventually falling in love with either the characters or the plot. I would say that this series had enough of both. After reading many books of the same genre you start to predict the plots and twist which I believe has made it harder for me to give to 5 stars. If you look at my first reads on goodreads there are a lot of 5 stars, as the years have progressed my I like this book has moved from 4 stars to 3 stars and 4 stars is I really like it but not enough to rave. Again I would give this one 4.5 so it is getting close. If another book is released I will read it.
Completion Post -- Urban Fantasy Book:
by Rachelle MeadCompleted: 5/8/18
Pages: 327
How It Fits: Tagged Urban Fantasy 880 times
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I read the first of these books a looong time ago. Fortunately, the movie was pretty spot on, and I had seen that more recently. I liked this one and I'll continue with the series, but there was a little too much boyfriend, high school drama in this one to make it a 4 or 5 star read. I would have liked a little more action -- which didn't really get started until about 50 pages from the end. I do like that the MC is not the super special snowflake that everyone loves, and that she actually annoys people more often than not, but as much as she keeps saying shes' such a rebel, I'm not sure I actually see that. We'll see what happens in the next few books.
Let's pat each other's backs ... we're
all caught up!
>Sooooooooooo.......................................
here's the next shelf ... GOTHIC HORROR
I'm a little sad this came at the end of this round as there are a bunch of books on this list I want to read, but are waaay too long for me to be sure I can finish by next Wed. :(
Selection Post ... Shelf 10 ... Gothic=Horror
The Diviners by Libba Bray
603 pages ... tagged 7 times on linked list
Read:
Rated: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½✩ ... frac13;
Review:
... ℘{ ... ℘/ ... ℘\ ... ℘} ...℘⊃...
Stacey wrote: "I'm a little sad this came at the end of this round as there are a bunch of books on this list I want to read, but are waaay too long for me to be sure I can finish by next Wed. :("This week's shelf will put a bunch more into that stressful "need-one-more" category...
i.e. ...3,4,6,10,17,18,19, with some teams having two choices...
CONGRATULATIONS, Breakneck Bookworms!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'urban fantasy'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Congrats on the stamp Speedy Worms!
Selection Post -- Week 10 -- Shelf 10 -- Gothic HorrorThe Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
yaaaaaaaaay!!! so glad we got this one! I nearly switched my necromancer book with the Bone Witch since I was so looking forward to reading this.... happy day! :D
Victoria wrote: "Selection Post -- Week 10 -- Shelf 10 -- Gothic HorrorThe Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
yaaaaaaaaay!!! so glad we got this one! I nearly switched my necromancer book with the Bone Wi..."
I thought it was pretty good, myself ...
Selection Post -- Gothic Horror Book:
by Rick YanceyHow It Fits: Page 3 of the list.
Pages: 434 p.
I am traveling for an emergency will choose a book once I get home.
Victoria wrote: "hope everything is okay Charlie!!"Thank my Uncle passed and I had to travel home for the funeral. He is in a better place an no longer suffering.
Selection Post ... Shelf 10 ... Gothic=HorrorCruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
[bookcover:Cruel Beauty|15839984
pages: 352
Very sorry for your loss Charlie, my sympathies to you and your family.
Oh no Charlie :( So sorry for your loss :( May his transition to the other side go effortlessly and may you and your family find strength and comfort in his memories.
Thoughts are with You and Yours ...
Charlie, hope your trip goes smoothly and take care of yourself. We'll be here when you get back.
Completion Post ... Shelf 10 ... Gothic=HorrorCruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
pages: 352
Read: 5/16/18
Rate: 4.5 stars
Review: This is not a genre that I usually enjoy. I do not like horror books. I was actually shocked at some of the books listed on this list that I actually enjoy but never really considered them horror. I guess I have am very selective in this genre.
Lucky for the book! As I typically do not read this type of book I just grabbed one from the list that I could easily access and did not take the time really read reviews or excerpts like I usually do. When I started the book I was thinking ok Beauty and Beast meets Alice and Wonderland meets Aladdin.
I got caught up in what will happen, even guessing part of what would happen but there was always another twist that through me off. This book kept my mind spinning and I just wanted to finish it so I knew all the answers.
Once I finished it I had to go look up book 2 to see if it continued more with this story or was different. Thankfully it is Cinderella and new characters. I will eventually read book two but I am not sure it will be this week.
This week's shelf, SPIN-OFF, is no help for us... Team 19 can win when they complete their shelves...
Selection Post -- Week 11 -- Shelf 11 -- Spin-offThe Vampire King by Heather Killough-Walden
As t19 will prolly win... gives me some more time to read my books :)
Victoria wrote: "Selection Post -- Week 11 -- Shelf 11 -- Spin-offThe Vampire King
T-19 has three shelves to finish...
It doesn't hold out much help tho ...
This week, I'm going with Victoria (again ... she picks good ...)...
Selection Post ... Shelf Eleven ... Spin offs
The Vampire King by Heather Killough-Walden
210 pages ... tagged once on linked list
Read:
Rated: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½✩
Review:
Hihi what can I say Art, great minds think alike? (and a lot of the books are out already ;) )Hope you enjoy it!
Happy reading everyone! :D
I'm finished with my gothic horror book. Will do my post when I get home from work.
Completion Post -- Gothic HorrorBook:
by Rick YanceyCompleted: 5/17/18
Pages: 434
How It Fits: Page 3 on the list
Rating: 4 stars
Review: I actually liked this book quite a bit. There was a little bit of scary, a whole lot of gore, and lots of death. The characters were interesting, with an especially obnoxious and entertaining monster killer. I'm excited to see how the story goes in the next few books.
Selection Post -- Week 11 -- Shelf 11 -- Spin-offBlood Fury by J.R. Ward
Pages: 411
I was saving this book just for this selection :) I know it does not help us Bingo but I knew I had the book for this one.
Completion Post ... Shelf 10 ... Gothic=Horror
The Diviners by Libba Bray
603 pages ... tagged 7 times on linked list
Read: 5/18
Rated: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review:
This story has a writing style you could describe variously as:
atmospheric
descriptive
evocative
esoteric
wordy
or really, any combination of the above.
There are elements of the supernatural, paranormal, and cyborg science (a la Captain America) gone wrong. The only thing missing is the sexy sizzle, which is only hinted at, and which if added would stretch the pages way too far, as well as move the book beyond YA.
Set during the years just preceding the "crash" of 1929, The Diviners" is the coming-of-age story of several characters from scattered races, places, and sociopolitical backgrounds. Many characters receive wonderful development, only to be graphicly killed off within the next chapter or two.
I was totally absorbed, to the point of Gold stars with a fifth one(which I have been resisting), and I've purchased the following two books...
... ℘{ ... ℘/ ... ℘\ ... ℘} ...℘⊃...
Completion Post -- Week 11 -- Shelf 11 -- Spin-offBook: The Vampire King by Heather Killough-Walden
210 pages
completed: 17/05/2018
Rating: ****
Review:
Errmmm... so yeah... why haven't I read this series (and well... the former series) before???
I liked it a lot! Even though it wasn't a lengthy book, we had everything a good story needs.
I haven't read the previous series and while of course there is mention of events and characters that I don't know, I didn't find this very problematic, the story was good by itself.
Character building was good, don't go expecting to know the ins and outs of the character, you wont. But again, for this story we got more than enough. We had a good amount of conversations and inner musings.
The flash-forward at the start gave the book a great start and set the ambience.
Pacing and flow were excellent, not once during the book did I think we had too much conversation or too little. As this wasn't a lengthy book you would think it might have been rushed, but nope, it really wasn't. I had the feeling the author took the time to let the characters tell the whole story without standing next to them with a timer :)
As I read this book for a challenge, I was really pleasantly surprised and will continue (or rather... start) with the original series. I'm looking forward to it!
Glad you found a new series Victoria :)
Since the winning team is still looking at about 4 books to finish....Selection Post -- Spin Off
Book:
by Kylie ScottTagged Spin off x 1.
Pages: 288
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
Books mentioned in this topic
Chaser (other topics)The Bone Witch (other topics)
Blood Fury (other topics)
The Bone Witch (other topics)
Blood Fury (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
J.R. Ward (other topics)J.R. Ward (other topics)
Rosamund Hodge (other topics)
Rosamund Hodge (other topics)
Chloe Neill (other topics)
More...
Grave Witch by Kalayna Price
336 pages ~ shelved 2 times on linked pages
Read: 4/22
Rated: ★★★★✩
Review:
It's a complicated multi-dimensional reality that Ms Price has developed, with at least three different things things that can happen-to/be-done-with a dead body. Our MC is a "born" witch (and so much more, as revealed in later books...), able to raise Shades(one of the things-that-can-be-done). Actual Necromancy comes in around book 4 or five...
Few gramatical and formatting errors and rapid pacing all lead to a pleasurable reading experience that I highly recommend to all .......