SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Archive: Past Team Challenges
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R20: Team #10 ~ Team Lark
CONGRATULATIONS, Team Lark!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'free space'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Ooh exciting another stamp :)I'll have my shelf 4 review up sometime in the next couple of days. My laptop died and I'm hopeless at typing out on my phone...
And ill pick my shelf 5 book too.
Congrats on the stamp KARLys!And bad luck on the laptop Kate, such a pain when that happens :(
I hate when technology fails....Shelf 5 i am chosing
....I really enjoyed the first one when I read it last summer....
Shelf #4: ShapeshifterBook: The Good, the Bad, and the Undead
Date Read: 24/3/2021
Rating: ★★★
Review:
It has been such a long time since I read the first book in the Hollows series. I had forgotten all the character and the particular eccentricities of the world but it didn't take long to get me back into things. I liked following Rachel as she tried to solve the witch hunter mystery. She's got her faults and that made me like her more.shes so far from perfect. Her job as an independent runner seems to cause her more problems than she solves. Her roommate situation is more complicated than ever and her magic feels like it has a life of its own.
Jenks is fun and offers some comic relief when Rachel gets into some sticky situations. I'm not sure about certain characters but they've got me curious enough that I'm excited to read book three in the series. I didn't love how the plot worked out in the end... I'm not entirely sure why but I just wasn't overly thrilled by how it all came together. But Rachel is engaging and her magic is fascinating. It was a fun read and I'm glad I decided to return to the Hollows.
Completion Post ... Shelf 5 ... Auto-Buy(s)
Book: Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs
Series: Alpha & Omega #6 | Media: Kindle/Audible
How it Fits: On first page of Auto-Buy Shelf (shelved 2x)
Read: 03/28/21 | Pages: 368 | Rating: ★★★★☆
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Review:
Charles and Anna (and the Alpha & Omega series) have always been favorties for me. I like the Mercy series too, but this one was my fave. That being said, this was not my favorite book of the series. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't as great as I was expecting.
It has a lot of darkness and it had me thinking that Anna was going to lose all the progress she had made since meeting Charles. Did I say dark?? No spoilers, so you'll have to read it for yourselves!
The epilogue was out of nowhere and left we wondering and wanting more. That's the mark of a good book when you don't particularly like the story but the ending draws you right back in!
I didn't know that book had been released yet. And you make it sound so good, Angie! I like Anna and Charles more than I do Mercy. I'm sure I'll be reading this book some time before Bingo ends. It would fit for so many shelves
It was just released March 16, Kate.
Completion PostHome Before Dark
Shelf: Auto Buy
Date Read: 3/29/2021
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Review: I have very mixed feelings about this book. Bottom line is that this book is about a family whose father wrote a book about them living in a haunted house. The author switches back and forth between current day in the house and 25 years prior when the family lived there. I really enjoyed this writing style and it really drew me into the story. The house has been sitting empty for 25 years and after her father's death, the daughter Maggie returns to spruce it up for resale. When Maggie lived in the house before, she was 5 years old. The book that her father had written about their time in the house called "House of Horrors" was all that she knew about the house...she had no memories of living there. This book was a real page turner going back and forth and between times and following Maggie's journey of discovery. All was well and good until the end. The conclusion for this book was a real let down for me and was really disappointing in my mind...It could have been so much better.
Completion PostShelf 5 Auto Buy
White Hot by Ilona Andrews
Date Read: March 30 2021
Rating 4 stars
Review
A couple of months after the first book ended. I really enjoy this writing couple. Their writing is so seamless. Complete escapism. The world building is A+. I love the magic houses in Houston. I am sure there would be so much fodder for the rest of the series. Nevada and Rogan are an interesting pair. I love the banter. I really enjoyed the family scenes. The story was a good mystery and there were surprises. Definitely continuing with the series.
Shelf #6 ~ 31 March: Urban FantasyDIRECT LINK(s) ~
(Urban Fantasy + SOS' UF &SOS' UF w/romantic elements
Shelf #5: Auto-buyBook: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (shelved 2 times as auto-buy)
Date Read: 30/3/2021
Rating: ★★
Review:
I had started reading this book years ago and abandoned it for some reason. I loved the first book - it was one of my favourite books of 2015 and I remember having high hopes for the series. But this book just kept annoying me. The things I had loved about the first book were twisted on their head and I found myself resenting some of the characters and questioning most of their choices. I liked that it wasn't predictable. But I was irritated by the main character. I don't like perfect characters and Feyre had turned into on of those characters who is perfection personified and can do no wrong. Everyone loved her. The characters from the first book are not who we were lead to believe and I just... I don't know. Maybe I had romanticized the first book in my head too much. But I just couldn't get on board with this one.
I still like the world. And I think I could get on board with following some of the secondary characters around. Maybe I just need to give it some time before I delve into this series again because there's a lot to like. I adore Maas' style of writing and I just think maybe I was too attached to the plot of the first book.
For Shelf #6 I'll be reading Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs which as been shelved 242 times as Urban Fantasy.
Selection Post...Shelf "Urban Fantasy"For this shelf I will read Year One
Shelved 257 times as "Urban Fantasy"
CONGRATULATIONS, Team Lark!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'shapeshifter(s)'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Congrats on the stamp KARLys!
I'm trying to decide on a book for this round....I'll post something soon.
Shelf 6 - Urban FantasyBook:
Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz
shelved 67 times for Urban Fantasy
Rating 3 stars
Date Read: April 4 2021
Review: I decided to read this book because i only had two remaining books in the series to complete. I remember zipping through the others. This one seemed to drag on and I couldn't remember some of the past books. Note to self - I really need to continue with series that are complete and read them all together(not waiting 5 years to try to finish the series).
I did enjoy the story and characters. The newly bonded couple of Schuyler and Jack go to Egypt to find the Gate of Promise. i liked the chapters where it was about Allegra and the timeline in the past in San Francisco.
I found the ending rushed and a cliff hanger. Yeesh..
Completion PostYear One
by Nora RobertsShelf: Urban Fantasy
Date Read: 4/4/2021
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review: This story drew me in from the beginning. Maybe not the best time to read a story about a pandemic, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless. Definitely a survivor story typical of these types of scenarios, but this one added a magical element for a nice twist. Some of the survivors developed magical skills (some dark and some light) which created even more forces of good and evil battling together while trying to survive. The story is told by jumping back and forth among several groups of survivors. This way we meet quite a few characters and get to go on the survival journey with each of them. I knew once I got into the story a bit that this tale could not be told in just one book. The book ends with so many unsolved elements and I am really looking forward to starting the next in the series.
Selection Post...Shelf "Magic"For this shelf I will continue on with my series from the last shelf and read Of Blood and Bone
by Nora RobertsShelved 99 times as "Magic"
Hey team...after this "magic" shelf we will be one away from a bingo...Woohoo!!! 🥳🥳🥳
Completion Post ... Shelf 6 ... Urban Fantasy
Book: The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Series: N/A | Media: Kindle/Audible
How it Fits: Tagged Urban Fantasy (shelved 84x)
Read: 04/06/21 | Pages: 410 | Rating: ★★☆☆☆
_______________
Review:
This one was not my "thang". Love the title and the premise, but the book itself was very lacking in my view. It seems like it would be a light-hearted fun kind of vampire read. When in fact it is quite gruesome in a gross kind of way. There were some cute parts, but not nearly enough to make up for everything else. This book has gotten really good review; guess it's all about the reader's taste and in my case mood.
Selection Post ... Shelf #7 ... Magic
Book: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Series: Darkness Rising #1 | Media: Kindle/Audible
How it Fits: Tagged Magic (84x)
Read: xx/xx/xx | Pages: 373 | Rating:
Shelf #7: MagicBook:Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison (shelved 295 times as magic)
Date Read: 12/4/2021
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
It's getting interesting to see how Rachel's actions are having an impact on her world. And one of the things I'm enjoying most about this series are the consequences. Rachel is getting into quite a bit of trouble with the supernatural community (and with her partners). She's struggling to keep her soul and herself out of danger with her actions sometimes nudging too close to the evil she's trying to stop but ultimately she acts in a way which adhere to her own personal code of ethics. She's unpredictable and I never quite know what's going to happen.
But I'm not entirely convinced that's a good thing. Whilst I'm enjoying it for the action side of things, I'm dubious regarding her romantic decisions. I don't really see the appeal with the leading man here and kind of hope it will be over by this time next novel.
I liked the introduction of a few new characters which will no doubt be an important feature in the future and I'm curious where things will go to from here because there's a lot happening in this series after only a few books.
And I'll have my review for the urban fantasy shelf up tomorrow. I'm not slacking off, i promise! It's just been a really busy few weeks.
I thought I posted my review for the Magic shelf! I'll get it done today.
Hey everyone I will get my review up tonite and update the posts...
Work has been crazy busy....
Shelf #7: MagicBook:
Shelved on page 2 SOS magic (would tell you how many times shelved but on the beta version I cant find that info)
Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton
Date Read: April 13 2021
Rating: 3.5 stars
Review: I normally dont like to read cozy mysteries as I find them very formulaic. This time this is what needed to read. Nothing that requires me to think too much. The story was very straight forward and at times I was getting annoyed with all the references to people looking like movie stars...Interesting town with supes but I way more prefer The Others series by Anne Bishop.
Completion Post ... Shelf #7 ... Magic
Book: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Series: Darkness Rising #1 | Media: Kindle/Audible
How it Fits: Tagged Magic (84x)
Read: 04/08/21 | Pages: 373 | Rating: ★★★½☆
_______________
Review:
The setting for this book was great - a very small, isolated town on Vancouver Island with only 200 residents which includes wilderness, wildlife, a shady research corporation that provides excellent benefits to their employees and families...but at what cost??
I like the characters as well. Maya is the main character who is 16 has a great relationship with her parents. She has a natural ability with the animals and mysterious abilities that she doesn't learn about until mid way into the book. Her supporting characters are interesting as well. (Daniel, her best friend and the boyfriend of her best friend who lost her life in an accident prior to the start of the book and Rafe, the resident bad boy, who has a lot of secrets)
While this book was interesting and held my interest, there isn't a lot actually happening. I mean of course things happened but the story doesn't address any of the major questions that come up. (Since it's a trilogy, I'm guessing that it is a long story broken down into 3 parts.) The ending was a semi-cliffhanger, no major/exciting end like iI was expecting. I will continue to read as I want to know the answers to tall the questions!
Shelf #6: Urban FantasyBook: Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs (shelved 242 times as Urban Fantasy)
Date Read: 12/4/2021
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review:
I went into this book with high expectations and I wasn't let down. I love Charles and Anna and this latest adventure has them travelling to the Californian mountains (with Tag tagging along) to try and get to the bottom of a mysterious disappearance. It was great getting to learn more about some of the characters who are part of Bran's pack (and also yay! No fae! I enjoy them but sometimes I feel they overwhelm everything). Tag is hilarious with a certain darkness he keeps leashed. And Leah! Leah is someone I had been so curious about since we were first introduced and I appreciated how much we got to know about her and her past in this book.
The tie between magic and music is something that's been addressed before in the series and it was interesting getting to see how it worked in this situation and also how it played with the bonds between the characters. Briggs is known for putting her characters in some pretty dark and grim places - both physically and psychologically - and this book is no exception. But ultimately I left this book feeling hopeful for the characters. There were times when it wasn't the easiest book to read because of what was happening/had happened but I did feel a certain level of pride when things were resolved.
More than other books in the series so far I'm excited to read the next one because after Wild Sign there are some deep conversations needed to be had and things to be resolved between characters. It's fun. I didn't love the epilogue... whilst those events were somewhat hinted at extremely vaguely... I just.. nope. I'll choose to ignore that for the time being and concentrate on the last chapter instead.
I sort of gave up on Mercy Thompson a few years back and I think I'll have to go back and get back to them as I really do enjoy Briggs' writing and her characters.
CONGRATULATIONS, Team Lark!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'auto buy' and 'urban fantasy'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Congrats on the stamps KARLys!
Completion PostOf Blood and Bone
Shelf: Magic
Date Read: 4/16/2021
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Review: As we left the last book Fallon was just a baby ("The One" born into the world). This second book begins just before her 13th birthday. This book is definitely a middle book but was still very enjoyable. We get to experience Fallon's 2 years of training with Mallick and it is quite fun to watch her learn and come into her potential as well as mature into a young lady. We also get some flashbacks to the town of New Hope to check in with some of the characters from the first book. A huge battle between light and dark will be coming in the third book, and all are getting ready for it. I am looking forward to the final book of this series.
Selection Post...Shelf "Kick Ass Heroine"For this shelf I will be reading The Bite That Binds
Shelved 27 times as "Kick Ass Heroine"
Completion Post ... Shelf #8 ... Kick-Ass Heroine
Book: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #1 | Media: Kindle/Audible
How it Fits: Tagged Kick Ass Heroine (54x)
Read: 04/16/21| Pages: 369 | Rating: ★★★☆☆
_______________
Review:
I chose this book because it will soon be a Netflix series which looked interesting and I wanted to have read the books before watching the show!
The book was okay, it was a little boring in parts but not so much so that I didn't want to finish it. Seems it didn't meet my expectations based on the reviews that I see posted. I shouldn't have read the reviews prior to reading the book; whenever I do that I come out totally opposite of the review! Some of the reviews did say that the story gets better, we shall see.
Alina for me was a bit hard to get behind and root for...maybe that I found her a bit naive. I wanted to know more about the Darkling and Mal, I didn't like at all. The world is quite interesting and I'm looking forward to learning more about the Grish and their power hierarchy.
Completion Post - Shelf 8 - Kick Ass HeroineImmune by Shannon Mayer
Shelved 13 times Kick Ass Heroine
Read April 18 2021
Rating: 2 stars
Review: Decided to give this series a try. I did enjoy book 1 but I had hopes that book 2 would get better. I was disappointed. I didnt think that the writing had progressed. Yes there is lots of action but as for the story gelling and progressing I didnt think it followed through. The romance between Rylee and O'Shea I didnt get it. Rylee goes from a kick ass gal to a a love sick teenage gal and I didnt like that. Nope not gonna continue the series and will pack up the rest of the books and donate to goodwill.
CONGRATULATIONS, Team Lark!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'magic'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Congrats on the stamp KARLys!
Shelf #8: Kick Ass HeroineBook: Immortal in Death by JD Robb
Date Read: 22/4/2021
Rating: ★★★
Review:
I rather enjoyed this one. I like how rich Eve's world is getting the more we get to spend time in it. Her family is growing without her even really knowing it. Her friends are quirky and they're starting to add to the overall plot without just being side pieces for Eve to react off (How awesome is Peabody?). I enjoyed how Eve's relationship with Roarke is developing. This book got quite dark in some places with Eve revisiting parts of her past. It was nice to see how that was dealt with. As for the overall who-dun-it... I didn't feel super satisfied by it. I loved the fashion element as well as Eve's distraction and how that event tied in with it all... but just.. the final reveal felt a little rushed.
Overall really enjoyed the book but I won't be reading the next one for a while. I found my attention hooked for the first half of the book but then my mind started to wander and it was a bit of a struggle to finish. Great series. I can see why there are so many installment and when I do come back to it I'm excited to see what happens next.
Completion Post
Shelf: Kick Ass Heroine
Date Read: 4/21/2021
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Review: This was a great continuation from book 1. There are several storylines going on at one time. Sam and Jared are preparing for their binding ceremony while at the same time working a child abduction case. Also, while on a job, Sam gets exposed to some vampire "magic" and feels as if something is happening to her but doesn't know what. All the old characters are back along with a few new ones and Sam is as snarky as ever. This is kind of giving me some "Love At Stake" by Kerrelyn Sparks vibes and I loved that series. I am really enjoying the originality and humor of this series and will definitely be reading the next book.
Selection Post...Shelf "Alpha Male"For this shelf I will be reading Taste of Torment
by Suzanne WrightShelved 42 times as "Alpha Male"
Completion Post - Alpha Male
Date Read - April 20 2021
Shelved 165 times for Alpha male
Rating 3 stars
Review:
I wasnt wowed by this story. I found the story just bland. I didnt like Emma she was just so annoying. I struggled to get into the story and the various supernatural families involved in the book. Perhaps this was an off day for me. Just couldnt get into the story or feel connected to the characters. I really wanted to enjoy this as I have enjoyed Kresley Cole writing. May give the next one a try.
CONGRATULATIONS, Team Lark!You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'kick ass heroine'.
[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]
Good Job!! :D
Congrats on the stamp KARLys!
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
Books mentioned in this topic
Lover Unbound (other topics)The Sinner (other topics)
Taste of Torment (other topics)
A Hunger Like No Other (other topics)
Lover Unbound (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
J.R. Ward (other topics)Kresley Cole (other topics)
Kristen Painter (other topics)
George R.R. Martin (other topics)
Shannon Mayer (other topics)
More...
For this shelf I will read Home Before Dark
Shelved 2 times as "Auto Buy"