R17: Team #3 ~ Four not Three

[Marisa]

Announcement Post

Shelf #8 ~ 31/10/18: Dragon
DIRECT LINK - Dragon shelf

[Marisa]

Weekly Tracking Post

Week 8: Dragon

● Loriidae: Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron (07/11/2018 - ★★★★) Review
● Marisa: How to Drive a Dragon Crazy by G.A. Aiken (04/11/2018 - ★★★★½) Review
● Martha: The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb (06/11/2018 - ★★★★) Review
● Sunshine: Oracle's Moon by Thea Harrison (02/11/2018 - ★★★★) Review



General Tracking Post

[Marisa]

Selection Post - Week 8 - Dragon: How to Drive a Dragon Crazy by G.A. Aiken

Pages: 480
How it fits: Shelved 64 times as Dragon

[Sunshine✰✰✰]

Selection Post
Week 8: Dragon

Book: Oracle's Moon by Thea Harrison
How it fits: Shelved Dragon 14 times
Pages: 336

[Martha]

Selection Post
Shelf #8 Dragon

The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb
Shelved 6 times as Dragon
906 pages!

Even longer than Outlander! But I’m making my way through the Realm of the Elderlings series and this is the next up. The reviews say it has pacing issues in addition to being so long but I’m compulsive enough I can’t skip a book.

[Martha]

Sunshine✰✰✰ wrote: "Selection Post
Week 8: Dragon
[bookcover:Oracle's Moon|11458578

I loved the Elder Races and this book was one of my favorites, I hope you enjoy it!

[Marisa]

I agree with Martha, this is one of my favorite books in the series.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

After Dragon Bound, #4 is my next favourite book in the series :)

What could go wrong with a Djinn & an Oracle. Hehehehe

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Selection Post - Shelf Eight - Dragon

Nice Dragons Finish Last (#1 Hearstrikers) Rachel Aaron
Pages: 287
How it fits: Shelved as Dragon

[Marisa]

Well, I have to write my review as I've already finished with Izzy ;)

[Sunshine✰✰✰]

Completion Post
Week 8: Dragon

Book: Oracle's Moon by Thea Harrison 11/2/18
How it fits: Shelved Dragon 14 times
Pages: 336
Rating: 4 Stars

Review:
Grace is the Oracle and as such, she pretty much has to drop everything, no mater the time, to grant an audience with anyone who asks. Since gaining the power from her sister when she died, she also became a single mother to her sister's two small children.
Khalil is a Djinn. He brought Carling & Rune to see the Oracle, and while there, became fascinated with the tiny humans and vowed to protect them. I'm not a love at first site kind of gal so I liked how Grace & Khalil had to grow to love one another.

I though it was crazy unfair that Grace was expected to do her duties as Oracle but was forced to struggle through daily life. I'm glad she was able to take control of the power in full but I didn't like how it meant she would be the only one. I hope the immortal power ends up making her immortal too. I don't want Khalil to become human. :-/

[Marisa]

Completion Post
Shelf 8: Dragon
Book: How to Drive a Dragon Crazy by G.A. Aiken
Pages: 480
How it fits: Shelved 64 times as Dragon
Read: 04/11/2018
Rating: ★★★★☆



Review

I'd forgotten the delights of the war :D A book that, in other hands, would be filled of violence, horror, pain and angst is, instead, full of humor, violence (for sure) and love/sex/bantering. Keep in mind, I find quite funny all Shelly Laurenston's books, even her crows (I love them), that perhaps are more related to this than her Shifter books. The way she writes dragons that, yes, they turn humans but they are dragons, not a lot of grey there, for sure. I've deeply enjoyed the book, I don't have more pending dragon books :( ... So, we'll wait for the next honey badger.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Four Not Three!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'shifters' and 'time travel'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Marisa]

Thank you, Steph!

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamps Three not Four!

[Marisa]

Thank you, Sandra!

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Completion Post - Shelf Eight - Dragon

Nice Dragons Finish Last (#1 Hearstrikers) Rachel Aaron
Pages: 287
How it fits: Shelved as Dragon
Review: I was a little dubious heading into this one as a lot of people have shelved it as ya. I can see where that is coming from. Julius is only 24 and Marci, 25. They both come across as very young and Julius certainly is very naive. This is more a coming of age story, as Julius works with Marci to solve family problems while working to overcome a massive inferiority complex because he's doesn't fit the norms of dragon society.
Rating: ★★★★✰
Read: Nov 7

[Martha]

Completion Post
Shelf #8 Dragon

Mad Ship by Robin Hobb
Read: 11/6/2018
Rating: ****
I’m totally loving these Robin Hobb high fantasy trilogies. I missed out on reading them back when they were published, but now I get to read them without having to wait for the next book which is great because I get so into the stories. The character development is outstanding! Malta changes from a spoiled little girl into someone quite extraordinary. The pirate captain, Kennit, is such an interesting character, too—his interior dialogue is all evil but his actions are often good.

This was book two in the trilogy and in spite of some reviews I read I didn’t find it slow going at all. I was completely wrapped up in the story for the entire book. I’m definitely looking forward to book three but I’m going to take a bit of a break because the books are so long and intense that they exhaust me.

[Marisa]

Well, stamp requested. Let's chant for "Witches", please 😉

[Martha]

Chanting commenced

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Witches, witches, witches : :D

Notice also we are the only team with all our shelves completed. Way to go team!

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Martha wrote: "Completion Post
Shelf #8 Dragon

Mad Ship by Robin Hobb
Read: 11/6/2018
Rating: ****
I’m totally loving these Robin Hobb high fantasy trilo..."

I think that is what I decided to take a break 20 years ago and never went back, I know I have definitely read this one.

[Marisa]

Announcement Post

Shelf #8 ~ 07/11/18: Urban Fantasy
DIRECT LINK - Urban Fantasy

[Marisa]

Weekly Tracking Post

Week 9: Urban Fantasy

● Loriidae: Grave Witch by Kalayna Price (09/11/2018 - ★★★) Review
● Marisa: Ghost Shadow by Maria E. Schneider (10/11/2018 - ★★★★½) Review
● Martha: Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (09/11/2018 - ★★★) Review
● Sunshine: Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh (11/11/2018 - ★★★★) Review



General Tracking Post

[Marisa]

Not good luck for us this week either. *sigh*

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Marisa wrote: "Not good luck for us this week either. *sigh*"

No not at all, but on the bright side for me. I promised myself at the start of Bingo that if this shelf came up, I could start a new series. Usually I try to read out at least two series before I begin a new one.

[Sunshine✰✰✰]

Selection Post
Week 9: Urban Fantasy

Book: Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh
How it fits: Shelved Urban Fantasy a billion times (jk. about 456 times)
Pages: 337

[Marisa]

Yes, a lot of Urban Fantasy LOL

[Martha]

Selection Post
Shelf #9 Urban Fantasy

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
Shelved 2,139 times
346 pages

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Completion Post - Shelf Nine - Urban Fantasy

Grave Witch (#1 Alex Craft ) Kalayna Price
Pages: 325
How it fits: Shelved as Urban Fantasy Page 2
Review:
This is one of those books where the reader is plonked down in the middle of the story without background telling. It does make the first 20%, a little difficult to begin with but as details emerge it is an interesting mix easy to slide into the world of Nick Cross City. Alexis a grave witch, is able to raise the souls of the Dead and question them on behalf of relatives or the police department. Overall I enjoyed this book and I will definitely move on with the series however there were a few TSTL moments which relegated it from 4 stars to 3, as am example Alexis confiscates an illegal item, then the next day is detained for carrying that same illegal item into a police station, explanation she forgot it was in her purse.
Read: Nov 9
Rating: ★★★✰✰

[Marisa]

Loriidae, please, could you add the date? It looks like you read it in September, so it wouldn't qualify.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Marisa wrote: "Loriidae, please, could you add the date? It looks like you read it in September, so it wouldn't qualify."

Sorry I copied and pasted the stars. Fixed now!

[Marisa]

Thank you! No problem, I was a bit surprised 😄

[Martha]

Completion Post
Shelf #9 Urban Fantasy

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
Read: 11/9/2018
Rating: ***
This is an interesting introduction to a series and I would have liked to rate it higher but a few things detracted from my enjoyment. October (Toby) Daye is a Changeling, which in this world is someone who is half Fae. I liked her character but I felt some of her flaws made her almost too weak. Her judgement of others is sometimes overwhelmed by her need to belong, most notably with her horribly abusive former mentor Devin. It bothered me that she was willing to get involved with him again at the same time that she is rescuing other people from his clutches. Also, having weak blood, her powers aren’t strong enough for her to take care of herself. I lost count of how many times she almost died. Finally, there was too much exposition—introducing the many different types of Fae and a complicated magic system. I hope all the setup pays off in future books in the series because this one was interesting enough that I’m going to read further.

[Marisa]

Martha, please, could you check the read date? Because I think there is some mistake.

[Martha]

Sorry, I changed it

[Marisa]

Thank you! Tracking updated.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Martha wrote: "Completion Post
Shelf #9 Urban Fantasy

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
Read: 11/9/2018
Rating: ***
This is an interesting in..."

Yes, exactly I slowly made my way through the first three and honestly only continued because my friend raves about Tybalt constantly. But after that I was hooked, I am currently reading #8 and so far it is a roller coaster.

[Marisa]

Completion Post
Shelf 9: Urban Fantasy
Book: Ghost Shadow by Maria E. Schneider
Pages: 211
How it fits: Shelved 6 times as Urban Fantasy
Read: 10/11/2018
Rating: ★★★★☆



Review

This was a book that I purchased some time ago (I like a lot the series) but, because of who knows, I had let in my TBR. It fit for the challenge and I had read another book by the same author and I thought: Why not? I'm very glad. The MC is different of the other books in the series. The MC is a soul in something that, in Christian iconography, you could call "Purgatory". You find her after a prologue which joins with the previous books. Be aware, better read the books in order even if it can be a stand-alone.

I've enjoyed it a lot, a different landscape of other fantasy books, and in some sense, a very known set. You can find demons, hounds, fairies, witches.. but not you common variety. Perhaps the beginning is a bit slow but the pace is steady and you want to know what's happening in so a strange place. I'm eager to know what she will bring in the next book in the series (I hope there is one).

[Sunshine✰✰✰]

Completion Post
Week 9: Urban Fantasy

Book: Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh 11/11/18
How it fits: Shelved Urban Fantasy a billion times (jk. about 456 times)
Pages: 337
Rating: 4 Stars

Review
Jason, one of Raphael's Seven, travels to the Archangel Neha's court to find out who murdered her Consort. As proof of his loyalty to Neha for this one thing, Jason swears a blood oath to Mahiya. Mahiya was born out of deceit and lived her life paying for her parent's sins. Her father is the murdered Consort and her mother is the twin sister to Neha.

I loved these two together. They learned to see each other in ways no one else bothered to and this brought trust and love. I am not one who can go into explaining the complexities of these characters. Suffice it to say that I love a strong quiet hero. :-D

[Marisa]

Well, I'll go to request our stamp in a bit. We have been fast this week ;)

[Martha]

We’re such a good team but Mr. Randomizer hasn’t been on our side!

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Yay Team! UF is a nice broad shelf, unlike say Superhuman, I really hope that one doesnt come up

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Four Not Three!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'dragon'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congrats on the stamp Three not Four!

[Marisa]

Thank you, Steph! Thank you, Sandra!

[Marisa]

Announcement Post

Shelf #10 ~ 14/11/18: Dragon
DIRECT LINK - Kindle Freebie shelf

[Marisa]

Weekly Tracking Post

Week 10: Kindle Freebie

● Loriidae: Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic by Meghan Ciana Doidge (21/11/2018 - ★★★) Review
● Marisa: The Ghost and the Graveyard by Genevieve Jack (16/11/2018 - ★★★) Review
● Martha: The Vampire's Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter (17/11/2018 - ★★★) Review
● Sunshine: Wedded Blintz by Leighann Dobbs (18/11/2018 - ★★★) Review



General Tracking Post

[Martha]

Selection Post
Shelf #10 Kindle Freebie

The Vampire's Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter
370 pages
Shelved 18 times

[Sunshine✰✰✰]

Selection Post
Week 10: Kindle Freebie

Book: Wedded Blintz by Leighann Dobbs
How it fits: Shelved Kindle Freebie 1 time
Pages: 213