Review: Iron Crowned

Iron Crowned by Richelle Mead
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the storyline in this one, but I just felt like, after reading so many of Richelle Mead's VA and Bloodlines books, that this series is less polished in its execution.

The whole ghost/murder mystery background story felt unnecessary, a lot of things felt repetitive (oh, look, I am spending more time in the Otherworld now... over and over and over)...

And the back and forth between Dorian and Kiyo is giving me whiplash. He's bad, I want that one. No, wait, that one is bad, I want this one. Oh, no, I was right before, I want the first one, the second one is bad....

And, sorry, Eugenie, sweetie, your justifications for your actions don't fly with me.

Overall, I still enjoyed the book and am enjoying the series. I'm just disappointed to see that not all her work is as awesome as prior reads.

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Review: The Ferryman Institute

The Ferryman Institute by Colin Gigl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Technology may have changed, but the job is still the same -- luckily, Charon happened to figure out a way to make his job of ferrying souls into the afterlife way easier. He created The Ferryman Institute...

Enter Charlie Dawson. Star Ferryman. 250 years of being an immortal Ferryman, and never once failing an assignment. The assignments aren't always easy, but they always end with the main objective -- open a door to the Afterlife, convince the soul to enter of its own free will. Succeed, get another successful mark on your record. Fail, and the soul is doomed to wander the earth, haunting humans and causing problems as its existence slowly fades and is lost forever.

But 250 years has had its toll on Charlie. His immortal life revolves around the sadness that is death. Men, women, young, old, accident, nature, self-inflicted... it's all tragic, and its getting to him.

A secret assignment from the office of the President of the Ferryman Institute send Charlie to assist the soul of one suicidal Alice Spiegel into the Afterlife. Or not. WAIT WHAT? For the first time ever, as time ticks close to her ETD (estimated time of death), the assignment's special envelope opens and gives him a choice... the choice to SAVE her.

What follows is a crazy rollercoaster of action, adventure, and discovery... what is the purpose, the meaning, the point of living?

Take a chance on Colin Gigl. This may be his debut, but it was a damn good one. The only thing I can complain about is that occasionally, the editors missed some repeated "in the works" and "per se" phrases all on the same pages, enough to be noticeably overused. And that's so minor. There are a few predictable things, but the ride is so fun and fresh and original that you probably won't even mind.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Thorn Queen

Thorn Queen by Richelle Mead
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If there weren't enough trigger warnings coming out of the first book, then this book would turn those triggers into fully blaring fog horn red alerts.

I really liked the story for this book. I did guess the villains early, but I didn't expect how far they would go.

I like Eugenie and this world, but two books about rape/potential rape are a lot to push through. I'll read the last two, but I'm disappointed in how this series is turning out compared to how amazing Vampire Academy and Bloodlines were.

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Review: Storm Born

Storm Born by Richelle Mead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I friggin' loved that this UF had a kitsune! How cool is that?

I love Richelle Mead -- her Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series are two of my absolute favorite YAs and UFs... so it's about time I got around to starting her adult series. :P

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Review: Blood of the Earth

Blood of the Earth by Faith Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Blown away. You can really tell when an author has grown (plant pun!!!) when she can take characters you don't really like and make them likeable. When she can set up a spinoff in the same world as her amazing other series and make it not only stand extremely well on its own, but make it so incredible that you beg for more.

Blood of the Earth literally has me begging for book two. I am so glad that Curse on the Land comes out in November, because I am in desperate need for more of this creatively original Urban Fantasy. Nell finds out some of the things she's known as truth her whole life are really lies. She finds out that the solitude she's chosen might not be the best life for her. She discovers family in so many senses of the word. She learns more about her strange powers even as they teeter vicariously on the edge of being out of control.

But mostly, Nell just wows me. She's got depth, strength, courage, passion, empathy, and in just this one book, I feel like I know her. Like I want to know her. Like I'm missing out on something amazing by not really knowing her outside the pages of a book.

You don't have to read Jane Yellowrock to enjoy this book. Reading this book will spoil some of the Jane Yellowrock series for you, but it's not required reading. There's enough backstory here to get you through, just enough to tempt you to read the Jane series without being so much information that you feel like you can skip them altogether. I would recommend it, as there's 10 books and a handful of short stories that help establish this world, but honestly, this is just as good a place to start as Skinwalker if you're okay with Rick's story being spoiled a little. Because honestly, Jane is kickass, Nell is kickass, and you need to read THEM ALL.

This is book #101 for me for the year, and it's probably my favorite that I've read so far, and I've read some awesome books.

Pick this one up. You won't be disappointed. :)

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Review: Unraveled

Unraveled by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Following the events of Bitter Bite, Finn inherits an old wild-west theme park and hotel. Gin, Owen, Finn, and Bria take a weekend trip to check out the place and see what they can scrounge up about the Circle. Little do they know, a little rootin' tootin' sharp-shootin' action is headed their way, because though they're headed there looking for the Circle, they might find more than they bargained for...

When I started to get into this one, I was a little wary of the whole Wild West amusement park theme. I mean, you've got this serious assassin storyline, and they're spending the weekend in a park full of saloon girls and cowboys and outlaws... I just pictured a ridiculous Dollywood backdrop for our intrepid assassin.

Boy was I wrong about it being cheesy! I mean, the park was a little cheesy, but the storyline picked up nicely. There were a few predictable things, but it was a solid entry into the series, a great push forward on the Circle storyline, and a lot of fun all around.

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Review: Unwanted

Unwanted by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finally! Finn's perspective! We get to see Finn play the hero without having to be rescued or passing it off to someone else.

Really enjoyed this little novella. :)

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Review: Bitter Bite

Bitter Bite by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This one was brutal. Even though we knew it was coming from the very first page, that betrayal was heartbreaking.

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Review: Spider's Trap

Spider's Trap by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I very much enjoyed getting to know a case that was a little less personal to Gin and a little more personal to someone else. It was also interesting to get to know one of the crime lords better. :)

Plus the villain was just a nasty one, and had some really neat magic.

Time for Bitter Bite!

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