Review: Bound - A short story

Bound - A short story by Mark Lawrence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dammit, just a splash of the Book of the Ancestor when what I needed was a tidal wave. April can't get here soon enough!

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Review: Were-

Were- by Patricia Bray
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Just reading this for the Seanan McGuire and Faith Hunter stories for now. Next year I'll come back for the rest. :)

Best in Show by Seanan McGuire
A little predictable, other than that one extra twist! I was a little confused when Thea's named changed to Fiona partway through. 3.5 stars.

Anzu, Duba, Beast by Faith Hunter
I love Jane Yellowrock. I love the world, the mythology, the characters, the magic. 5 stars.

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Review: Honeymoon for One

Honeymoon for One by Keira Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

Enjoyable read. Had some things I didn't like - at some points the writing had some juvenile moments - but overall, quite entertaining. I want a Clay! #woof

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Review: The Three Secret Cities

The Three Secret Cities by Matthew Reilly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Man alive, was this one a roller coaster ride??? Oh wait, they all are. This one, though, might tear your heart out. There's torture and suffering and death.... but there's also a lot of fun classic Jack West adventure: crazy rescues, ancient cities, cool powerful artifacts, daring escapes, overwhelming odds, etc.

If you've not picked up any of Jack West's series, you should, starting with Seven Deadly Wonders. They're not deep literature, but they are absolutely fun as can be, especially if you go in expecting it to be cheesy and fun like most books can only aspire to be.

This is the fifth book in the series, so at this point, we're more invested in many of the characters... which makes some of the losses that much more painful. But I think you'll find the ride worth it. Join Jack West and his gang as they tear around the world, trying to save it YET AGAIN from both huge natural disasters and power-hungry villains, and you can be the newest part of his crew. :)

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Review: The Mansion

The Mansion by Ezekiel Boone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

And, sigh, an honest review is what they're going to get. I'm sad it's not going to be super positive. I sincerely adored Boone's Hatching trilogy. Seriously, I obsessed over it when it was coming out. I had to wait for book three for so long and read it the instant it came out. It had action. It had character development (even the red-shirts felt fleshed out before they got, well, red-shirted). It had plot. It had pace. It had fun.

Unfortunately, this one was a bust. It had so much potential - a horror story for a new age, a haunted house retelling in a world of crazy technology. And it did a lot of things well - for example, Nellie was pretty terrifying overall. The little glimpses of bad we saw really teased of things to come.

My gripe was this - the book was mostly boring. It took over half the book before they got to the Mansion. The real action didn't even start until like 80%. There was a lot of character development - Boone excels at this aspect - but the pacing was bad, and it needed more action and more actual buildup. There were hints of Nellie's bad, but they were just tiny hints, and they were similar ones over and over. And the supernatural twist didn't make much sense given the rest of the book, and lots of things were thrown in to make it seem like it would fit. For instance, there's one scene where Emily looks out the window and sees a woman in the distance. Nellie tells her it's not a woman. Emily looks again, and the woman is gone. We never are told the point of this - was there a woman and Nellie was lying? Was there no woman and Emily was seeing things? Did it even matter? Not really.

I enjoyed the characters and the rich development of the backstory. Unfortunately, that's all the book really ended up having done well. I know Ezekiel Boone is capable of much more, based off his prior trilogy. Here's hoping this was a fluke and the next one he puts out is back to his original quality. Let's be honest though, I'm still going to read whatever he puts out next. The Hatching trilogy made me a fan.

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Review: Blaze of Memory

Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My least favorite of the series so far. Dev wasn't all that likeable and Katya was up and down with me. But all in all, still a decent book.

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Review: The Mortal Word

The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for offering me an advanced copy in exchange for nothing more than an honest review.

If you haven't picked up The Invisible Library, stop reading RIGHT NOW and go pick it up. It's a clever world of time-travel-adjacent adventures with dragons and fae and even a magic language of sorts. It's like Doctor Who meets The Chronicles of St. Mary's, and it's a BLAST to read. So go pick it up. This one is book five, so reading any more now will just spoil all your fun.

Okay, to business. After the crazy rogue Librarian has caused so much trouble, the two major powers in all the universes are set to make a peace treaty, and of course, this means things will NOT go smoothly. Even more, Vale has been called to the world where negotiations are being held to run an investigation of the murder of a high profile member of one side of the treaty. Of course, Irene is to go as the Librarian representative on the team.

For the first time, we get LOTS of dragons, LOTS of Fae, and LOTS of Librarians, all in one story. Multiple major players on every side make this a mystery of Agatha Christie style - lots of potential suspects, and lots of tangled webs woven that need to be un-spaghettied. Yes, I realize that's not a real word. Too bad.

My biggest gripe is that Vale and Silver are yet again relegated to minor characters. I really want them to have the chance to play a key role, but they almost felt like filler in this one yet again, especially since Irene takes over the investigation almost immediately upon arrival. The story seems to revolve around Irene and Kai -- which is great, as they're both fantastic characters, but I think Vale and Silver both have so much potential and are wasted as plot points.

Overall though, this one is a fun romp through the Paris of yesteryear, with heavy doses of Fae chaos and dragon order and Librarian wit, so 4 out of 5 stars.

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Review: Lies Sleeping

Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another strong installment in the Rivers of London series. The battles with the dark side are becoming more and more frequent, now that we know the Faceless Man and see more of his plans. But this one takes some even twistier twists and turnier turns and ends up in a place I didn't really expect.

I had grown tired of this series after book 4, and took a VERY long break. In fact, I hadn't entirely planned on ever picking it back up again. Berkley offered me an ARC of this book in their newsletter, which I one-clicked before I thought... and I'm glad I made that impulsive decision. It made me pick up books five and six (both of which were great installments and fixed some of the issues I had with book four that made me set the series down) to get to this one and be caught up.

It's not and never will be my favorite series, but I can now say again that I do very much enjoy it. I'll definitely pick up the next one to see what's happening in the world of Peter Grant and the Folly.

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Review: Breach

Breach by W.L. Goodwater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Breach was a wild ride. It took me a while to get into it, but I'm glad I pushed through the slow beginning (which could totally have been due to my currently-on-the-way-out-finally two month reading slump) and kept going. I read the last 70% in one sitting!

This was a crazy fun alternate history historical fiction magical realism urban fantasy. It's set mostly in Europe, in the city of Berlin, after the War has torn the world (and the city) apart. Only the wall in this one is magical, impenetrable, and supposedly never coming down... until the "good guys" find a hole in the magic. Uh oh. They call for some magical support from their counterparts in the US, and the main character shows up on the scene. From there, it's a storm of spies, betrayals, magical twists, and fighting against pure evil.

I'll say, it was highly entertaining with a dash of cliche. I'd probably pick up the next one, if there's a sequel, because it was fun. I do wish the magic had been a little more developed. But hey, after that ending, there's a chance for more.

I'd say overall, good book with some great action, definitely worth a read if historical fiction with a paranormal/fantasy twist is your thing.

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Review: Archangel's Prophecy

Archangel's Prophecy by Nalini Singh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

SHATTER. SHATTER. SHATTER.

We've had a prophecy for a while now, and all of us fans have been trying to figure out what it's driving us towards. Well, obviously you already know this book is going to have some focus on that, what with it being the title and all that. ;)

This book kind of felt like more buildup, more setting up a story, with the main plotline for the book feeling like it took a major back burner to the forward momentum of the overarching series storyline. That's fine, I guess, but the way this one ended, with an almost-cliffhanger, very few answers, and lots more questions, it left me wanting more. That's normally not a bad thing, because the best books always leave you really begging for the next... which I am. I love this series (in spite of all the lady bits and "really, you're stopping to do that NOW?" moments that come with paranormal romance... UF is my typical preferred genre), so I definitely am already pumped and ready for the next book. Seriously, gimme! But normally, Nalini doesn't leave me wanting more out of the book I just finished. I'm usually satisfied with my current entree, and still ready for the next course. Unfortunately, with the main plot of this one feeling so secondary, it kind of felt like picking up a movie 20 minutes after it starts and leaving 20 minutes before it ended -- all the middle story and world-building without the big details being introduced well or tied up with a bow.

Anyways, it's Nalini and it's a great series, and it's still an awesome book. So, overall, I'll give it 3.5 out of 5, rounded up to a nice neat 4 stars. Even with the flaws, it's absolutely still a must-read, because this series is interesting and intriguing and chock full of great characters and a REALLY cool world.

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Review: I'll Be There For You

I'll Be There For You by Kelsey Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but I had to request this one. I adore the show FRIENDS! It's one of my favorite shows of all time, and this book really reinforced why I feel that way. It's got a timeless quality and delves into the feelings of what it means to have a framily when your family disappoints.

This book doesn't make it all appear to be roses and rainbows, either. It discusses the problems with the show - the gay jokes, the huge lack of diversity and representation, etc. And I can see those problems, more so as the years go by and those things have become a bigger part of the national dialogue. While it has its issues, every show does, and it doesn't diminish the huge effect that the FRIENDS phenomenon had on the world.

The author's telling of the history of the show is compelling, and I really enjoyed it.

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Review: The Hanging Tree

The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

These books aren't bad. They're really good actually, but the problem is that you always have to push through a long boring beginning before they get to that really good part.

Anyways, this one was more of a 3.5, but I couldn't see rounding it up to 4.

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Review: Bright Ruin

Bright Ruin by Vic James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Vic James has created a fantastic world, well plotted and filled with deep, complicated, flawed characters. It's hard to believe that this trilogy is her debut into the realm of published novels, because she's excelled from start to finish. This is by far one of the best YA series I've read, and I read a lot!

I don't want to give away too much, but the fallout of the end of the last book has left our set of main characters reeling and split, and this book picks up right away, finding loose ends and tying them together like Silyen and his Skill-weaving at the walls of Far Carr.

Honestly, she's left enough open for an amazing adventure to follow, and I sincerely hope we get to read more, because I will be truly sad for this world to be over and done -- but I will also be rereading these in the future, absolutely!


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Review: The Masked City

The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This one might be even better than the first!

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Review: Foxglove Summer

Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Either this story was way better than most of the others, or taking a (long) break from the series helped reboot my enjoyment of it, because I read this one quite quickly compared to the last one in the series.

This one doesn't really push the Faceless Man storyline forward, other than some phone interactions with you-know-who after that person you-know-what'd in the last book and what appears to be a dire warning.

But honestly, the fae storyline in this one was fantastic.

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Review: The Invisible Library

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely adored this book. :)

One part Doctor Who, one part Steampunk, one part Chronicles of St Mary's... toss in dragons and fae. Stir vigorously. Voila! The Invisible Library!

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Review: Foundryside

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This book had so much hype around it.
"Oh, it's going to be the next big fantasy!"
"Oh, it's so good!"
"Oh, the world-building is amazing!"

It took me a while to even get into it, so all that hype seemed like mush to me. It felt very Sanderson, almost to the point of being a melding of Mistborn and Stormlight Archives and feeling a little rip-offy (yes, I made that word up. stop interrupting!)

Then I decided to set that thought aside and give it a shot. And it went crazy! While it *is* reminiscent of Sanderson, the author has created his own unique magic system, developed a really interesting world, and introduced us to a very interesting cast of characters with depth. Most importantly, the story was FUN -- well, at least for the reader. The poor characters probably wouldn't have said any of it was fun at all.

Also, there was an unexpected but very welcome LGBT+ budding relationship that built over time, didn't feel forced, and I can't wait to see where that goes as well.

Trigger warning: There is a character who, umm, takes what he wants from women on every level (and to be fair, he does what he wants in every situation, no matter what, not just in getting what he wants from women) without care of morality or consequence. But he gets his. ;)

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Review: The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Now that was a rockin' debut novel! While the first half was a little slow, once you get deeper into it, it's compelling enough to be hard to put down. It's such an interesting concept - Agatha Christie meets Quantum Leap - that you just have to know what's going on!

I have to say, I figured out the first part of the mystery (as in who killed Evelyn) but then there was still 20% left of the book! Twist after twist after twist, and another one of my suspicions was correct.

Turton laid out the clues like a master, just like Christie, all the while hiding them in plain sight, in the middle of paragraphs where they fade into ordinary and don't stand out, but then when you get to the end and see the solution, you start to remember all those little things that were right there in front of you.

I'd definitely recommend this book as a great read with a really interesting take on a murder mystery scenario. I'll also absolutely be following the author to see if his sophomore book goes slump or champ!
---
Review to come on release date, but WOW! Great debut!

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Review: Saddle Up

Saddle Up by A.M. Arthur
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Carina Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really love Clean Slate Ranch. It's one of my absolute favorite MM Romance series, and it just works for me.

I've been waiting for two books now to get to Miles story, and the hints dropped since book one proved true as Miles and Reyes finally got their day in the sun, and it was chock full of heartache, struggle, and two broken people find their missing pieces together.

I don't want to spoil the story, but if you're a fan of N.R. Walker's Red Dirt Heart, this series should be on your to-read pile. Add it, and get to it as soon as you can, because you'll love this ranch where people come to start over, find their way, and make a new life.
---
I've been waiting for Miles and Reyes since book one. Glad we finally got there. Review to come on release date!

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Review: His Own Way Out

His Own Way Out by Taylor Saracen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. Normally I'd say "review to come upon release" but I got this one after release date, so my review gets to go live pretty much immediately! :)

I enjoyed this book. I didn't love it. It had a lot of flaws, mostly the real lack of a driving force behind the book. We all knew where it ended up - his career at Helix Studios, since it's based off of a true story - but the path there felt less like a story and more like tidbits or chunks of seemingly unrelated sections of his life. Overall, it was still entertaining, but it was hard to watch him train wreck through his life before he found success. Over and over he made such bad decisions that it made it hard to root for him at all, and honestly, other than Blake, very few of the other players in his story felt fleshed out enough to matter. Same with his situations... we'd get a few chapters on each, and then bam, move on to the next bit. It almost felt like multiple short stories in an anthology, rather than one big story.

Worth a read, but don't go in expecting it to be the best MM you've read all year. I did want a little more naughty too, rather than all the fade to black scenes. :P

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Review: The Late Great Wizard

The Late Great Wizard by Sara Hanover
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sara Hanover's debut is a fun story. It's chock full of magic and adventure and betrayals and a big scary villain. It's got ghosts and spirits and dwarves and phoenix wizards and magical relics. It's one of those books that I just expected to fall in love with.

Unfortunately, the book felt... incomplete, unfinished, lacking something. The plot was all over the place, and some of the events felt forced or shoved into the story just to have an exciting moment rather than making sense for the story overall.

I definitely think she was setting up a series, because this book spends 75% of the book or so setting up the main series villain before making a sharp turn into "here's the villain of THIS book" territory. It spent the rest of the book focusing on that before swapping back to the main villain after the climax.

Basically the dialogue and banter felt a little forced, the relationships weren't overly believable (I mean she knew them all of like a day before she cared deeply for all of them?), and the plot was kinda messy. It felt like part of a bigger story that was left unfinished. It *felt* like setup, world building, without any of the payoffs of it being a complete story on its own that just happened to also setup more.

I gave it three stars (more like two and a half rounded up) because I like the world she created and all the fun types of magic, and because I think she has potential, but if there's a book two, it's going to need to show major growth over this one for me to continue past that.

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Review: Magic Triumphs

Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OH NO. It's over. The series is over. *dies*

*remembers two more Hughs and potential same world books and kind of perks up a little tiny bit*

*throws temper tantrum*

Review to come on release date. And if you thought there was even a chance this would get less than five stars, you're delusional. ALL THE STARS.

NOTE: READING IRON AND MAGIC BEFORE READING MAGIC TRIUMPHS IS REQUIRED. DO IT. DON'T SKIP IT.
---
Thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review... I think. I mean, to be fair, it kind of means the series ended sooner for me than it should have... but yes, I definitely appreciate being trusted with an ARC of the final book of one of the best UF series of all time.

I don't even know where to begin to process my feelings, and I can't say too much without giving away spoilers.

Conlan - Yes. All the yeses. The way he is written is fantastic and funny and adorable. Bring on the teenage Conlan/older Julie spinoff, please.

Kate and Curran - plenty of their famous banter, some sexy times, lots of depending on each other, and proof that they are definitely "OTP."

Atlanta - We get to see so many characters in this one and I love it. Pretty much everyone we've ever met of any importance at least gets an appearance, and not a single one of them felt like a cameo just for a cameo. All felt like they progressed the story or helped Kate or pushed the narrative in some way or another.

Violence and Magic - lots, duh.

Iron - Read Iron and Magic before you read this. Just saying. Trust me. It's a great book anyways, but you need to. NEED TO. Thank goodness we have two more Hugh books.

The Villains - not exactly what you're thinking. Great surprises when you think the book will ONLY be about Roland. Nope. Lots of shit going on, of course, because that's when Kate thrives -- in the chaos and stress of EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE.

Future Spinoffs - Yes, give me more. Ilona has mentioned more set in this world. I would love a Julie spinoff, especially after the finale of this book. She has aged into a smart, wise, powerful young woman.

Thank you, Ilona, for this series, for this world, for the time I've spent there (and will spend in future rereads). You are truly talented.

Now, excuse me while I go weep uncontrollably that this amazing series has reached its finale.

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Review: Night and Silence

Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

No idea how Seanan McGuire does it so often, but she knows how to step up the stakes, over and over and over. And she sure knows how to make her characters suffer for the sake of the story!

If you've not been keeping up (but really, why wouldn't you be following me at this point?), Seanan McGuire is one of my absolute favorite authors. Her worlds are gloriously fleshed out, her characters are deep and nuanced, and her plots are inviting and twisty and chock full of surprises.

In this installment in one of the best series ever, Toby's family is front and center yet again - both the family she has built, and her blood relations - and yet again, those two things are at odds. Also, there are some surprising twists when it comes to villainy, one I wouldn't have expected (at least not yet!)...

But mostly, there's a cast of characters that will draw you in, make you care, and truly cause you to wish to be part of their little ragtag bunch.

Pick this one up if you're up to date in the October Daye series, but if you're not, start with book one - Rosemary and Rue. You've got plenty to binge - go on. :)

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Review: The Mystery of Nevermore

The Mystery of Nevermore by C.S. Poe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've read worse, but I've read better. The culprit was ridiculously easy to figure out. The part that lost the stars for me was the "I know I need to get out of this relationship but I don't have the courage but hey, here's a hot guy for me to do even though I'm still in that relationship." I'd consider reading the next, perhaps.

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Review: Anna Dressed in Blood

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

That was an interesting take on the ghost story/ghost hunter adventure. Supernatural-esque.

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Review: Free-Wrench

Free-Wrench by Joseph R. Lallo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pretty entertaining romp through the steam-powered airship-filled skies. Not perfect, but fun.

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Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Holly Black,

I don't know why I haven't read more of your stuff! I've read only The Darkest Part of the Forest before this one, a year or two ago, and really liked it, so I'm not sure why it's taken me this long to pick up another of your books. My mistake! I loved the flawed characters in this one, the depth of the worldbuilding without info-dumping, the creativity. Also, thanks for making sure you put representation into your book. Some people might call it "the liberal agenda," but I'll gladly wear that intended insult as a badge of honor - fighting for diversity, inclusion, love over hate, acceptance, representation... none of those things are negatives in my book.

Alas, this is only a standalone. Such a shame, as I'd love to see more of this world. :) Maybe a sequel in the future? :)

Yours,
Steven

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Review: Something Like Voodoo

Something Like Voodoo by Rebecca Hamilton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cheesy but fun, hard to put down but predictable, easy to read and lots of action. Overall, around 3.5 stars, but I didn't like it enough to round up, so down it is.

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Review: Tarnished City

Tarnished City by Vic James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A little slower than book one, but definitely expands the world. Pretty sure Vic James has been taking lessons from George Martin though. Death all over the place in this one. Ready to pick up book three! This one really left it at yet another torturous cliffhanger!

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Review: Shift's End

Shift's End by A.R. Barley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Carina Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've only read one other A. R. Barley book, but I enjoyed it enough that when I saw a Barley book with hot firefighters on the cover, I knew I had to request it. Had I known it was third in a series, I might have passed on requesting... but now I will go back and read books one and two.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a good romance, with Jack and Diesel turning into a fantastic couple by the end. I want a firefighter daddy man like Jack... woof! :)

There was a mystery involved, which made it more than just a fluffy romance. All in all, I very much enjoyed this one and will pick up the first two in the series and any subsequent releases in the series. I love me some hot firefighter man love!!!

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Review: Iron and Magic

Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you, Ilona. Thank you for writing this, for making it not a April Fools Day joke but a real thing. Humanizing and almost redeeming Hugh, making him complex instead of just another mindless Roland-drone. Creating a women definitely his equal if not his superior who is just as intriguing as any character in the main Kate series. Showing us more of the Kate Daniels world, from different perspectives and in different places and new and different magics and creatures.

And damn. I don't want to wait for the next Iron Covenant. Damn, damn, damn.

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Review: The Girl in the Green Silk Gown

The Girl in the Green Silk Gown by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Holy cow, was that book a ride! I love Seanan McGuire (she's one of my favorite authors, if you hadn't noticed), and her Incryptid series is fantastic. I love that she's melded this ghost world into the Incryptid world, and chose to expand on Sparrow Hill Road's storylines. Sparrow Hill Road was originally a bunch of different short stories that got tied into a package deal, so while it is still really good, the overarching narrative was a little disjointed. This one, however, continues the story with aplomb.

Fair warning: the events of Sparrow Hill Road are vital to understanding what's going on in Girl in the Green Silk Gown, so make sure you read that first.

Rose Marshall is trying to move on with her afterlife following the misadventures of Sparrow Hill Road, but that danged Bobby Cross just won't leave her alone. He creates an intricate plan and acts on it, and Rose has to live out the dangers (literally) and try to find her way back to what she calls home.

Because this one was planned as a full book, it was plotted and planned and developed. And boy, did Seanan do a great job! It took everything I loved about the first book - Rose, routewitches and phantom diners, interesting ghost and afterlife lore - and not only pulled all of that back into a new story, but expanded on it, kept it interesting, and kicked it up multiple notches.

I won't say more because I'd gush over it like a fanboy and spoil something, but I hope you'll pick up this one and follow Rose's shenanigans as she takes on the last thing she'd ever expect to have to face after dying at 16 and being a ghost for so long -- life.

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Review: The House with a Clock in Its Walls

The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was okay. I read it since the movie is coming out soon, but I should have saved the story for the movie, which I'm hoping has a tighter plot and that the clock plays more of a role than a side tale for 95% and then a last minute "big deal" in the last 5%.

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Review: Smoke and Iron

Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review!





This might be the best yet in the series, and I think it was definitely my favorite of the series so far. We come off of the cliffhanger of the next book with everyone in limbo, and the author uses her mighty pen to move and shift all of our players like pieces on a chess board, forcing them towards the huge clash that is destined to happen soon.

We get to read POVs from multiple characters in this one. Usually when that kind of a change happens in a series, I am a little thrown by the change, but in this one, it flows and works perfectly with the story. We get to see all the little cogs of the story turning and moving and pushing the story forward.

I just wish I had waited to catch up on this series until the last one was coming out much sooner, because the wait is going to kill me!

Pick this series up. It's a lot of fun, really well-written, full of great characters and mystery and action and romance, and you won't regret it. 


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