SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Archive: Past Team Challenges
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R16: Team #12 ~ Of Bards and Books
I finally pushed out that review, just hadn't had time to get it down on the computer!! Requested our immortals stamp, too.Working on my demons novel, I'm the hold-up there too. Sorry ladies.
But new shelf tomorrow! :-D
New shelf!! This one is nicely placed on our bingo card too!Shelf #6 ~ 11/4/18: Shifters
DIRECT LINK - https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
I just finished reading
before the shelf call; so for week six I'll continue the series with
, which is shelved 91 times as shifters.
Deanna, just so you know #2 Changeless ends on a cliffhanger, so have #3 handy :)
Sandra wrote: "Deanna, just so you know #2 Changeless ends on a cliffhanger, so have #3 handy :)"Thanks for the warning. I put the next one on hold.
Deanna wrote: "New shelf!! This one is nicely placed on our bingo card too!Shelf #6 ~ 11/4/18: Shifters
DIRECT LINK - https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/..."
of course, after I've already read 2 shifter books. i think my immortals after dark might work. i hope!
I might read
- although I'm supposed to read it in May as a "buddy read." It is here on the "Shifters" shelf. If not, then I'll try and be good and wait... and read
, which is here on that shelf.I'm going to see if that second one grabs me or not. (BTW, it is free on Kindle right now.) I'll let you know by tomorrow, one way or the other.
Sorry, I almost always have to read about 50-100 pages to see if a book is going to grab me or not. Especially, if it is by a new-to-me author.
Team 12: Of Bards and BooksWeek Six, Shelf: shifters
LaurLa: Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole - ★★★★ - April 14 - Review
Leah: Midnight Marked by Chloe Neill - ★★★★ - April 25 - Review
Lisa Kay: The Mating by Nicky Charles - ★★★★ - April 12 - Review
Deanna: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger - ★★★★ - April 12 - Review
I am going to read
for this shelf :-)Lisa Kay - I'm waiting for Lake Silence from the library, but I am not the first on the hold list, so probably not this week... boo!
CONGRATULATIONS, Of Bards and Books!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'Immortals'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Leah wrote: "Steph!!! This isn't right!!!"My apologies, ladies. I've fixed your card so it correctly shows the stamps you've requested to date. Sorry for the error.
...black wolf...amber eyes...SOS: Serious Overload of Series BookShelf Bingo
> R16: Team #12 ~ Of Bards and Books
my goodread review
Date Read: April 12, 2018
Shelf: May be found here on the “Shifters” shelf.
Pages: 340
The Mating, by Nicky Charles
★★★★✩ I enjoyed this book; it held my attention. I really liked that it started off with the hero and heroine werewolves already being mated, a “fait accompli.” That was a nice change. (BTW, it is free right now on Kindle.)
This was a quick read as the writing flowed. Not too many editing errors; only one really jarred me out of the story. While there is nothing really new in the story-line, the characters where likable and the pacing was good. Some things were reiterated more than I like. **shrug** Still, I gobbled it down in a day.
The heroine, Elise, is young, but thankfully NOT a pouting, immature one who is put in TSTL plot contrivances. Mostly this book has scenes of Elise mixing in with her new pack life, both domestic and political.
There is a plot about an oil company interested in the pack’s land and a mystery surrounding sabotages and pack member endangerment. Maybe an old friend who was a rival for the hero’s Alpha position? Or could all the trouble be from another source altogether? There is also the “other woman” triangle, if you want to call it a triangle, with the hero just being totally oblivious to her machinations. Nevertheless, this doesn’t prevent there being some sweet scenes between the H/h as they get to know one another and the sex scenes are well done, if almost a little too rough three-fourths of the way through.
This was the first time I read anything by this author; I recommend the book, as I’ll probably read the next in the series.
I went with the second book, Leah. As much as I'm looking forward to reading
- However, since I'm the one who asked my "buddy read" group to wait for me until May, I really should for wait until then.
Congrats on the stamp Singing Tale Bearers!
Week 6 -- Selection PostShelf: Shifters
Book: Pleasure of a Dark Prince - Kresley Cole
How it fits: tagged 123 times
Week 6 -- Completion PostShelf: Shifters
Book: Pleasure of a Dark Prince - Kresley Cole
How it fits: tagged 123 times
Read: 04.14
Rating: ★★★★
Review
I enjoyed this latest installment in the series although I did get frustrated with Lucia and her stubbornness to keep her secrets from Garreth. A lot of the bad probably could have been avoided if she had but then again, we might not have a book if she had! I didn't like the way that she found out her abilities weren't taken away and therefore that made everything okay. I would rather have seen her either choose Garreth in spite of the threat. Of course, all's well that ends well and, as always, we have a great set up for further adventures.
It took longer than I expected to get Changeless, and I haven't made much progress as yet. So I'm going to switch my book for shifters to
instead. I'll post a completion post with review later today.
Week 6 -- Completion PostShelf: Shifters
Book: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
How it fits: tagged 26 times
Read: 4/12/2018
Rating: 4 stars
Review
Sophronia is a delightfully curious and quick thinking teen with an incredible knack for getting in and out of trouble. She was definitely an excellent candidate for a finishing school for spies, although I think she may have too much of a conscience for some of the more morally questionable work beyond the first year of study. The world itself would probably be easier to understand if I had read more of this author's other series first, but the lack of knowledge doesn't diminish the entertainment of simply watching Sophie's adventures. I will definitely be finishing the other books in the seres.
Completion post: demons shelf
Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris
Date Read: April 16, 2018
Rating: 4 stars
This was a weirdly great book. Our main character is new to Midnight, Texas--a small town with odd inhabitants, all with secrets and an unspoken agreement to never talk about their pasts.
Despite the murder-mystery plot not getting going until midway through the book, and despite the 'main character' (though there is several viewpoints throughout the novel) not really being involved or too interested, it still was a good book. It's a bit slow moving but everyone is so unusual and full of subtle secrets that I wasn't bothered by the pace.
I'll definitely read the next one.
Lisa Kay wrote: "Excellent narration by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. His delivery definitely kicked this book up a notch. He pacing is perfect, as are his various accents: modern working class London, 18th century London gentleman, German, Indian, African, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, or Japanese. Stupendous!"My hubby and I listened to that one as well, Lisa, and we totally agree with your praise for the narration. Very well done :)
CONGRATULATIONS, Of Bards and Books!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'demons'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Congrats on the stamp Singing Tale Bearers!
For this week I'm going to try
, which is shelved as necromancers 4 times and is also free on Amazon.
I'm going to go with
, by Ilona Andrews, which is here on the "necromancers" shelf.It might take me a bit to get to it, as I haven't read #1 since 2011 and I'm either going to listen to it again or skim read it as a refresher.
Week 7 -- SelectionShelf: Necromancers
Book: Gunmetal Magic - Ilona Andrews
How it fits: tagged 1 time
This was harder to find than I expected. It may take me some time to get to it as well. It wasn't on my radar at all for this month...
Team 12: Of Bards and BooksWeek Seven, Shelf: necromancers
LaurLa: Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews - ★★★★ - April 28 - Review
Leah: Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone - ★★★ - May 8 - Review
Lisa Kay: Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews - ★★★★½ - April 23 - Review
Deanna: The Last Necromancer by C.J. Archer - ★★★★ - April 20 - Review
I'm going to try
.I found this to be a tough shelf - only 11 pages and a lot of them are Kate Daniels (which I have read 100 times over) and Anita Blake (which I am not a fan of).
Leah wrote: "I found this to be a tough shelf - only 11 pages and a lot of them are Kate Daniels (which I have read 100 times over) and Anita Blake..."Yes, I noticed that, Leah. But, I've been meaning to give Kate another try (I absolutely love all of Ilona Andrews' other series), so this was good timing.
That one looks pretty good, though I've never head of it. Scary but intriguing world-building.
What Kick-Ass Heroines Wear: blue panties with a white bow...SOS: Serious Overload of Series BookShelf Bingo
> R16: Team #12 ~ Of Bards and Books
my goodread review
Date Read: April 23, 2018
Shelf: May be found here on the “Necromancers” shelf.
Pages: 260
Magic Burns, by Ilona Andrews
★★★★½ (This is a review of the audiobook.) Renee Raudman does a nice job for the various characters, such as a rebellious adolescent, a deranged hyena, or a teenage werewolf, giving them personalities and keeping them differentiated; however, she’s not great with foreign accents. So, this book worked well with her reading; there aren’t a lot of foreign accents in IA’s post-apocalyptic Atlanta.
Okay. After three attempts, I’ve never been able to really get into the Kate Daniels series. I absolutely adore IA’s other series; I’ve even been known to re-read a book right after I had just finished it. But not this one.
Nevertheless, I needed it for SOS Bookshelf Bingo. So, since it has about seven years, I re-read Magic Bites yet again, to refresh my memory of the world-building. I did enjoy it more, but I still probably wouldn’t have continued with the series, if I didn’t need #2.
That said, I can’t believe how much more I LOVED Magic Burns! The story-line, with a mystery centering around a missing witches’ coven & also featuring entities from Celtic mythology, is so much better - and the characters a lot more fun. Be warned: There are poignant scenes, which certainly adds more depth to the characters. Now I can see why people just adore this series. Kate is fantastic! She’s:
• a fierce, kick-ass, sword-wielding fighter withSo, if you’ve gave #1 a go and wasn’t wowed by it, give #2 a try. Highly recommend.
super speed.
• someone trained in a wide variety of magics,
knowledgeable about Native American rituals,
skilled with Wards, herbology & the basics
of Med-Magics.
• an independent loner - whose is acquiring more
& more friends!
• a compassionate, if reluctant babysitter.
• someone who would dare “pull the Devil’s
whiskers,” if she could reach them, &
would definitely make a snarky comment while
doing so.
• good at taking in the whole scene, be it in a
fight or an opponent’s strategy for world
dominance; but, also able to humbly critique
herself & see where she went wrong afterwards.
• a mystery, who is gradually letting us know her
secrets...
Glad you're coming around Lisa Kay!!!
Lisa Kay wrote: "What Kick-Ass Heroines Wear: blue panties with a white bow...SOS: Serious Overload of Series BookShelf Bingo
> R16: Team #12 ~ Of Bards and Books
my goodread review
Date Read: April 23, 201..."
I totally agree with you, Lisa Kay. I wasn't overly enthused with the first, especially in light of all the hype, but I've liked each one more than the last. You definitely appreciate each more as you get to know the characters more as well.
Sandra wrote: "Glad you're coming around Lisa Kay!!!"LOL!
LaurLa wrote: "I wasn't overly enthused with the first, especially in light of all the hype..."Yes, I couldn't understand the hype. Now I do! :o)
I'm tempted to start #3, but I'm wondering if it might fit Wednesday's shelf call... That still might not deter me.
Lisa Kay, your review makes me want to re-read that one! I agree that the great part about the series is the poignant scenes that offset the snark and action :)
Completion postShelf: shifters
Midnight Marked by Chloe Neil
Rating: 4 stars
Date Read: April 25, 2018
I'm a fan of this series and still love Ethan and Merit. They are really settling into the relationship as adults. I loved how in this one they actually had the kind of silent, underlying fight that all couples have at some point. No yelling, just lots of brooding and tension and uncertainty.
But that was only for a small part of the novel. The rest was filled with excitement, adventure and Merit snark. I won't give too many details as this is book 12 in a 13 book series, so we are pretty deep into the plot at this point.
Only one left :'-(
Week 7 -- Completion PostShelf: Necromancers
Book: The Last Necromancer by Archer
How it fits: tagged 4 times
Read: 4/20/2018
Rating: 3 stars
Review:
I thought the idea of this book looked interesting, but the execution just didn't work for me. Charlie has supposedly been hiding on the London streets as a boy for five years; but once she is in a dress, she is suddenly a helpless woman who cannot take care of herself. Lincoln seems to have a split personality disorder. One minute he's promising to protect Charlie and the next he's paying someone to frighten her so that she will return to his house and follow his plan. I also didn't think the inclusion of Victor Frankenstein as the villain worked. The character was too different from other fictional portrayals. It would have been better to simple reference him as the villain's mentor or inspiration. Still with all the problems, I felt it earned three stars simply because of the reactions that I had to the characters. If the book had been poorly written, I wouldn't want to yell at Charlie or smack Lincoln.
For this week I'm going to read
which is shelved as hunter 5 times.
CONGRATULATIONS, Of Bards and Books!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'shifters'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
Books mentioned in this topic
Secrets Collide (other topics)Irresistibly Yours (other topics)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two (other topics)
Secrets Collide (other topics)
The Burning Maze (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Janet Evanovich (other topics)Gail Carriger (other topics)
Deanna Chase (other topics)
Anne Bishop (other topics)
Anne Bishop (other topics)
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Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Date Read: April 10
Rating: 5 stars
I LOVED this little novel. Very different than the urban fantasy I usually read, but it was such a sweet story. The fantastical elements were just the right level of fantasy to be neat and interesting and mesmerizing, but not so much that it seemed like they came out of nowhere. I know that sounds crazy talking about a book with fallen stars, witches, unicorns, and a flying pirate ship, but it's true!