Review: The Lost Sisters

The Lost Sisters by Holly Black
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Do. Not. Like. Taryn.

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Review: Queen of Air and Darkness

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this trilogy. It had a lot of fun points, twists and turns, magic and mayhem. I liked that the author was being inclusive and diverse in her characters, but it felt a little bit too much like she was checking off boxes. But I do appreciate the effort, so it's hard to be disappointed in it.

Anyways, I'm ready for the sequel trilogy. I know she's got The Last Hours coming up, set as a followup to Infernal Devices. I'm excited about that for sure... but after this ending, I'm ready for her to bring on The Wicked Powers, the trilogy that will tie everything up. I need to know what happens next!

I guess a lot of people are tired of these books or don't like Cassandra Clare. To me, though, the books are FUN. They're not amazingly written. They're not masterpieces, crown jewels of literature... but they're entertaining and fun and magical, and provide a few hours in a world of magic and mischief. I'm game for more of that!

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Review: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Boy was that ending devastating. LOL

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Review: The Silent Patient

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was good, but I actually didn't find the twist all that shocking, and I really wish I'd had someone to root for. I would have been rooting for Alicia, but I didn't feel very connected to her at all.

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Review: Tallowwood

Tallowwood by N.R. Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really really enjoyed this one. The main reason I deducted a star is because there was ONE very unbelievable moment, near the end. If you read it, you'll know what it is. The smart, on top of it cop wouldn't make such a stupid mistake.

But overall, I really adored this book. NR Walker is so great!

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Review: Revolution

Revolution by W.L. Goodwater
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.

If you haven't picked up Breach, then you're missing the first book in the series so you'll need to read that before you pick this one up.

I really like the main protagonist, Karen O'Neil. The first book showed her gumption and drive to become a great magician, and this book continues that journey for her. She also shows a great compassion for others, a deep moral compass, and a sense of responsibility to using magic properly.

Unfortunately for her, unchecked capitalism is what it is, and the drive to profits and power has led some to abuse the strength of power and start harming kids. And she just won't stand for it.

I really enjoyed this one, but it isn't perfect. Pierce felt like a cardboard cutout without much depth, and the villains seemed kind of stock/trope types. But the plot is pretty fast paced, draws you in (because who doesn't want to root for the good guy trying to save a kid!?), and shoots you to an explosive finish.

There's enough left hanging for at least one more. I'll definitely be picking that one up.

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Review: Lord of Shadows

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OMG THAT ENDING WAS BRUTAL. *wails*

At least this book kicked it up a notch from the last one... but it still probably could have cut 200 or 300 pages and been complete.

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Review: Sharpest Sting

Sharpest Sting by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not great, not terrible, a little predictable, but I’m still invested and will finish the series. All in all a decent entry.

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Review: Lady Midnight

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I felt like this was a good story that could have used a decent editor to shorten some of the unnecessary length.

3.5 stars or so.

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Review: Ninth House

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. Leigh Bardugo, you have dark, hidden depths that you haven't revealed to us before. Perhaps YOU are the reincarnation of the Darkling?

This book was magnificent. It was dark, it was gritty, it was hard, it was magical, it was rough, it was deep, it was powerful, it was GOOD.



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Review: Shattered Bonds

Shattered Bonds by Faith Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

Faith, you've done it again! A culmination of so many storylines, this book might have become my favorite in the series. It's got depth and darkness and light and hope and grief and connection. It's got a big bad that's actually pretty damn terrifying. It's got lots of twists and turns. It's got lots of emotion and heart. Most of all, it's got Jane truly recognizing, on a deep soulful level, what's most important - the bonds she has forged with the people and creatures that have become her Clan, and similarly, accepting *who she is*, every single aspect.

While the title of this book is Shattered Bonds, don't let that fool you into thinking that Legs will be alone. Change, reforging, making something stronger is the name of the game.

There were quite a few emotional moments, but one that really stood out to me was a moment between Jane and Beast. It hit me really hard, and was absolutely mesmerizing and beautiful. Might have been my favorite moment of the series.

I really adore this series (and its spinoff, Soulwood) but if you've not read it, please start at the beginning with Skinwalker. Trying to jump in on this one will just spoil things and devalue the emotional payoff that comes with the events of a long-term series. HIGHLY recommended. ALL THE STARS.

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Review: Lucky Break

Lucky Break by A.M. Arthur
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I really enjoy this series. It's fun to read about sexy cowboys falling in love with each other. :) I love being able to see all of the characters from the past few books interacting in this one, building lives with each other and their respective partners.

Overall, these fluffy MM romances with a little bit of realism (tragic events in this one, sadly) usually just make me happy and ease some stress. Though to be fair, there isn't TOO MUCH realism... I mean, really, a whole ranch full of gay and bi men? Also, if that IS a real thing, can someone point me in the right direction? I need to book a week vacation there. :)

Highly recommend this series for those who like MM romance and like to escape a little... especially with cowboys. :)

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Review: Tower of Dawn

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Every act of kindness has an effect, stirs and causes a ripple on the waters of this world. Don't ever underestimate how even the tiniest of them can change the world.

While I'm particularly glad that I didn't have to wait years in between books (because I waited until the whole series was out), I don't think I would have been upset with this one not picking up following the cliffhanger of the last after I'd finished this one. Fantastic!

Maas' books are un-put-down-able!

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Review: Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck--Why Some Thrive Despite Them All

Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck--Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by James C. Collins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the lessons this offered, but it felt a little... "toot my own horn" at the beginning, and it kind of turned me off a little. The historical examples, especially those involving the South Pole expeditions and the IMAX trip to Everest, were interesting reads.

3.5 stars, really.

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Review: The Furies

The Furies by Katie Lowe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Not entirely sure how to write a review of this book. On the one hand, it delved deep into human relationships and how twisted they can be, and how dark and damaged people can become. It was vivid and complex in its portrayal of broken people doing breaking things to other broken people. In that way disgustingly and exceedingly successful. On the other hand, though, not a single character was likable. I couldn't root for any. Even the one that the author kind of made me want to cheer for... yeah, well, she ripped that little bit of redeemable quality right out of the character.

I'm still not quite sure if the supernatural part was real or not, and I both hate and love that about the book. Almost everything about this book was lukewarm (beyond the depths of dis-likability of the main characters) or left unsure or hanging.

Mostly, there was one twist I didn't expect (and if there wasn't actually any supernatural, then it wasn't a twist at all) and that, coupled with how well the author managed to make complex, deep characters, left me with a middle of the road, "liked it" three stars.

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Review: Rosemary and Rue

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Seanan McGuire is one of my favorite authors. I make no secret of that. She's prolific, she's friendly, and her books are kickass. I love the October Daye series, but I've only read it once all the way through. I've been meaning to get around to a reread for a while, so what more perfect way to do that than with the 10th Anniversary edition of book one? Right?!

The main story is the same as the original publication. It's not the best in the series, but it does set up one of the most interesting Urban Fantasy worlds out there, and lays the groundwork for some really cool storylines and some great characters. Definitely worth a read - this series really comes into its own in book three, one of my favorite books, not only in the series but in general.

The best part was an added novella, only available currently in this 10th Anniversary edition. Strangers in Court was a Pre-Rosemary and Rue TOBY story! We've seen the history of this world in many of Seanan's short stories, but we finally get to see a glimpse of Toby before the events that led to Rosemary and Rue COMPLETELY UPROOTED her world. Pre-fish, y'all.

Highly recommended... HIGHLY.
---
Main review to come upon release.

The main novel was a reread for me - and was awesome! My first reread of the series, this time knowing everything that's coming!

The bonus novella was the real icing on the cake. Finally a pre-fish Toby story! :)

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Review: Imaginary Friend

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

I can't believe I didn't DNF this one. It was over 700 pages, and at least half of that could have been edited out to tighten up the plot and get to the action faster. There was a lot of repetition, and seriously, there were multiple climax points of the story. The "big final battle" happened three or four times. Much of the story never made sense, and if it was allegorical, well, it didn't really do well on that front either.

Overall, I was invested in a handful of the characters, so I stuck it out for them, but I didn't much enjoy the book. It was a rambling, poorly plotted, "trying too hard to write a Stephen King-esque epic horror fantasy and not succeeding," confusing mess of a book.

I hate giving poor reviews of novels, but alas, I promised honesty. I can't really say I recommend this one much at all.
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Review to come upon release, but honestly, this was too long, very weird, rambling and poorly plotted King-wannabe type story. I can't believe I didn't DNF it, honestly.

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Review: The Library of the Unwritten

The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith
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.

I'm really glad I didn't DNF this book. It was slow starting and took forever for me to get invested, but I feel like that was probably more a *me* issue than a *book* issue, so please take my average rating and review with a grain of salt.

What an original concept! It was quite a ride, and the idea behind it all - that there is a library in the afterlife where those books and other art projects that never get finished reside - is really unique. Add into it the imagination that went into bringing them to life, the muses, the Damsels, the different afterlifes and characters, and you had a pretty good book.

I'll consider reading the next one, and hopefully be pleasantly surprised to find that my slow investment and boredom at the beginning *were* just my mood and not the book.

Recommended with the warning that the first half might be a little slow to get going and hard to get into.

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Review: Archangel's War

Archangel's War by Nalini Singh
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.

THIS BOOK IS INSANE.

Seriously, chaos. War comes to the planet, and the characters we've come to know and love have to fight to save their world. Like, the WHOLE world.

I don't know how to write this review without spoiling anything, and as this book is a COMPLETE GAMECHANGER for the series, I don't want to spoil even a little bit for you.

There was a little monotony in the battles in the second half, but all in all, great book and an excellent installment in the series. Can't wait to see what happens in the next book... which is hopefully the book I've been waiting for.

Highly recommended with one caveat - read the rest of the series first, if you haven't.

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Review: When Did You Last See Your Father?

When Did You Last See Your Father? by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fun little adventure in framing an asshole... in Leon's POV. Love.

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Review: Sword and Pen

Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

I'm so sad that this series is over. What a fun and fantastic world that Rachel Caine has created! She's got a handful of deep characters that I've grown to care for, and now, they'll have to live on through rereads I guess.

Sword and Pen is the final book in the Great Library series, and it goes out with a bang! Character growth, plot twists, major events, Indiana Jones-esque tombs, and evil villains all abound in this one, and the war for the sanctity of the Great Library escalates into an all out war with the dethroned Archivist and the nations that see an opportunity to take control. Embattled on all sides, our crew must fight with everything they have to not only see the Great Library remain to live another day, but for it to be reformed into the shining beacon of hope and knowledge that it once was.

If you haven't read this series, you should definitely pick it up. I highly recommend it. It's fun, exciting, and extremely entertaining. Five stars!

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Review: The Unkindest Tide

The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

LUIDAEG! LUIDAEG! LUIDAEG! Everyone shout it with me!!!

(Now, ask yourself... were you pronouncing it correctly as "loo-shack"... or incorrectly as "loo-ee-day-g"... or struggling to pronounce it at all?)

Yeah, Antigone of Albany, the sea witch, Cousin Annie, the Luidaeg is my favorite character in the October Daye series, and this one has SO MUCH LOOSHACK that I can't function! We get to see deep into her soul!!!

Okay, enough fanboying. I absolutely loved this installment in the Toby series. Multiple firstborns, good old fashioned murder (yikes, poor victim), political posturing involving arrests and undersea rescues), and most importantly LOTS OF FAMILY. Lots and lots and lots. And mostly, that's Toby's adopted family - the family of choice, the family of people who come together and create a bond of family that isn't there because of blood or birth, but because of as conscious choice to love. The best kind of family.

Also, did I mention, this one is set out on the seas? Like a pirate adventure? YASSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Apparently, I love Toby and the Luidaeg so much that I have to ramble and fanboy and squee.

There's also a short story/novella at the end from Raj's POV, totally worth reading. 4 stars for that.

5 stars! READ TOBY!

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Review: Old Bones

Old Bones by Douglas Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

Preston & Child have done it again! I've been super excited about this spinoff to the Pendergast series since I read the news a few months ago. For those who don't know, I've been following Pendergast on his adventures for a good 15 years, and absolutely love the world and cast that Preston & Child have created. Of course, I was elated to find out that two of my favorite secondary cast members were not only making an appearance again, but were STARRING in a new spinoff that will be a SERIES of its own!

This one takes place out near the west coast in the infamous Donner Pass. Well, mostly. There are some scenes elsewhere, of course, but most of the action takes place in the creepy setting of a locale where some crazy events went down. You know, group of travelers headed west for a new life, get lost in the mountains, snowstorm cuts them off, starvation leads to cannibalism, the usual story, am I right? *shudders* Anywho, Nora Kelly, archaeologist extraordinaire, works for the Institute that gets sent to do a dig and help find out what happened at what is dubbed the "Lost Camp" - a separated group of the Donner party that the whole camp was lost to history. Shenanigans ensue, obviously. Meanwhile, Corrie Swanson - all grown up and employed by the FBI - finds herself working a case with some strange connections to the Donner Party, leading her in Nora's direction. The story comes to an explosive ending with some fun moments and some setup for future adventures.

Wherever the authors take these two, I'm there. I've got skin in the game!

Please note that you CAN read this without reading the Pendergast series, but not only will you have missed out on seriously character development for the two main characters, but you'll also spoil quite a few big details from the main series. I highly recommend you binge read the Pendergast series first - and don't forget to read Thunderhead in between Reliquary and Cabinet of Curiosities. You don't want to miss out on Nora's introductory novel!

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Review: Becoming

Becoming by Michelle Obama
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Obama were a class act, and this book not only served as an interesting glimpse into the life of former First Lady Michelle Obama, but also as a reminder of what a presidency and country can be when hope, optimism, empathy, love, generosity, tolerance, togetherness, and respect reign over bigotry, cronyism, greed, corruption, and petulance.

Here's to hoping we can one day find our way back to that.

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Review: The Escape Room

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book was insanely hard to put down. Once you get past the beginning where everything gets introduced, you get pulled into this web of deceit and lies and bad behavior. It's like watching that train wreck -- you can't tear your eyes away even though what you're seeing is awful and shameful and terrible.

I really liked this book. It was a great story, chock full of the things that make thrillers what they are. Overall, it wasn't even super thrilling - you can totally predict the end if you're paying attention, and much of the stuff that happens isn't "edge of your seat" material... but it's so compelling that it's still fantastic.

I think the only negative for me in regards to The Escape Room is that, well, there isn't all that much "escape room" stuff in it, and since that's what it is being marketed as containing, I was a little disappointed in that one aspect. But mainly, WOW. Great book.

4.5 stars!

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Review: The Turn of the Key

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion! It was much appreciated!

This book tore at my heartstrings. The atmosphere was astoundingly perfect. Old house in the middle of pretty much nowhere, updated with some modern touches, but for the most part, still carrying around the haunting history of its past. The loneliness of being one of a handful of people, isolated on the grounds of an estate far from the city. Creepy noises at all hours of the night, items going missing, a hidden dangerous garden, scared children... this could have been a perfect horror novel. But what drives the narrative is that you know someone is going to die, and you want to know who causes this to happen... all that other stuff just helps create the atmosphere of tension and building anticipation that most writers try to set up and fail at spectacularly.

The twists will throw you for a loop, and some of them seem to come out of nowhere. It's not your typical mystery in that you can't guess a lot of the things that will happen... but it's worth the read.

Probably my favorite of Ruth Ware's novels so far. I can't wait to see what comes next.

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Review: Sapphire Flames

Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to the authors for hosting a contest on their blog. I won this advanced reader copy through that contest, but am still providing an honest review.

I wasn't sure how I was going to like this book, what with Nevada and Rogan's three book story shifting focus in this one to younger sister Catalina and the Italian stallion Alessandro. The novella in between, which was the first to star Catalina as the main POV, was decent, but not as good as the first three books. But let's be honest here, it's Ilona, and we all know that everything Ilona writes is gold or close to it.

They didn't disappoint. At all. This one was a thrill ride through a new world, or at a least a world that's different than Nevada's. Catalina is now head of House Baylor, she's out of the closet as a Prime Siren, and she's a few years older - three years have passed since the novella.

The House is running smoothly, and Nevada and Rogan have gone on a trip to Europe (for Rogan family business), so Catalina is really given the opportunity to shine in this novel, without the "oh, let's depend on Nevada" mentality, for her and for the readers who are still adjusting to the POV shift. And I'm glad of that. Turns out, Catalina is just as interesting as Nevada. She's deep, has insecurities and strengths, and is pretty effin' badass. And Alessandro isn't just a pretty playboy either.

All in all, we got a good case, deeper character views, and a whole lot of fun with magic powers and danger.

5 out of 5 stars. Duh!

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Review: Salvation Day

Salvation Day by Kali Wallace
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.

I'm going to be completely honest here... I was ambivalent about this one when I accepted the ARC. I put off reading it, fiddlefarted around, avoiding it. But I'm so glad I finally picked it up! Once I got sucked in, I couldn't put it down! I read huge chunks every sitting!

It's an almost-horror sci-fi thriller novel, set in space, on an abandoned spacecraft... haunted in a science fiction technical kinda way. The pacing is fast, but not so fast that it blows past the story. You get depth and developed characters, but it never sits down or goes so slow that you get bored.

I won't say more about the plot, because spoilers, but I definitely recommend this book to readers of sci-fi/space thrillers who like a little bit of potential horror mixed in. It wasn't really horror, but horror-adjacent, as I never found any of it SCARY. But it was on the cusp of being something terrifying, so that added stress really set a darker, higher stakes tone for the book.

Overall, I really liked it. 4 stars!

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Review: In the Shadow of Spindrift House

In the Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Everyone who knows me or follows my reviews knows that I adore Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant. Her prose is magnificent, her worlds are deep and inviting (even when they're terrifying), and her characters become real on the page.

This story is no different. She paints a brief picture of the history of the house, a history of the three main characters outside of the narrator, and a history of Harlowe, inside whose head we reside. As their journey into Spindrift House deepens, so does the sense of foreboding at how the story will play out.

I won't spoil anything, but there seem to be some Lovecraftian elements to the story that you should be aware of - some people don't like that kind of story.

All in all, my biggest complaint is that this would have made a much better long novel than this quasi-novella length. I wanted a deeper, scarier, bigger story. But since Seanan has mastered the short story length, this one still had all the components needed to be complete and good. It just left me wanting that much more.

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Review: Wanderers

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

I don't know how I feel about this book. I enjoyed much of it, and other parts of it really ticked me off. It felt grand on an epic scale, but then certain parts made it feel small and not so epic.

Pros- good character development, interesting storyline, cool concept

Cons - twice as long as it needed to be, unnecessary rape scene, end with little to no closure whatsoever.

Overall, I enjoyed it enough to finish, but I didn't love it and I think it would have benefited from an editor who could help slim it down and get rid of a lot of unnecessary fluff. Also, seriously, if you're going to put in a rape scene, it had better have some significant point in the story... rather than just a little bit of shock value. *shakes head* I thought you were better than that, Chuck.

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Review: Wade's Workout

Wade's Workout by Daryl Banner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not much in the way of sexy times, but character development!

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Review: Murder in the Crooked House

Murder in the Crooked House by Sōji Shimada
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

I'm not entirely sure how to rate this book. I enjoyed certain aspects of it - the remote and uniquely interesting setting, the challenge of the locked rooms, the snow piling up and trapping the guests, the Agatha Christie feel of it all - but I also disliked a lot of things. I didn't like that the main/brilliant detective didn't show up until well past the halfway mark. I didn't like the shift in perspective from third person to first person (into the brilliant detective's friend's POV). I didn't like the wildly improbable (yet still intriguing) explanation of the murder. I also didn't like the feeling that something vital was being lost in translation, nor the fact that the formatting of the ARC meant I didn't get copies of the illustrative figures that were used within the story to show how things were laid out. I feel like that made me miss some necessary pieces of the puzzle.

I will say that, while I didn't guess the method of the murders or solve how the murders took place in locked rooms, I did guess the culprit correctly. Just an inkling I had at one specific point that really nailed it down for me, but I spent the rest of the book wondering HOW, and after that ending, there was absolutely no way I could have guessed.

So overall, I loved the nostalgic Christie feel and the twisty mystery and the fantastic setting, but didn't like the late arrival of the real protagonist, the shifts in perspective, or the completely unguessable method of murder.

I guess I'll rate it right down the middle then!
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A few positives, a few negatives, and an overwhelming sense that much was lost in translation. Still entertaining overall. Review to come upon release.

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Review: The Evil Queen

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

This sounded like a great book. The concept is fantastic - I'm a huge Disney villain fan, and retellings of fairy tales can be really fun, especially when told from the villain's perspective. Alas and alack, this one felt like reading a rushed first draft of a book. It was full of childish dialogue, whirlwind speed scene changes with very little substance, and little to no real character development.

I understand that it's a YA, so it's going to be written to appeal to younger readers, and the prose will be at a different level than a book written for adults, but honestly, it felt like a middle schooler wrote it.

I feel like it was a great concept with poor execution -- lots of potential, but never quite lives up to it.

All in all, I felt like it was appropriate to give this one two stars, the extra star because of the interesting concept and relatively neat magic system.

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Review to come, but boy, this was a mess of a book. Felt like a rough draft of a middle grades book, rushed into production because of the big name. :(

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Review: Caysen's Catch

Caysen's Catch by Daryl Banner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Entertaining, some hot moments... damn those "to be continued" endings though LOL

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Review: Middlegame

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

All the stars. Every single one.

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Review: Recursion

Recursion by Blake Crouch
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.

Blake Crouch is a wonder. Seriously, the man has good ideas - great concepts... AND, he knows how to execute them. I loved Wayward Pines and Dark Matter, and Recursion follows in a similar vein.

Can you imagine a world in which the construct of time - that keeps us sane, and our lives and minds in order - has been circumvented? Well, Blake did, and he wrote about it and knocked it out of the park. This thrill ride of a novel starts a little slow and then rockets to the ending. It's kind of like Aerosmith's Rock 'N' Roller Coaster at Walt Disney World. The first bit, you're loading into the ride vehicle, pulling around to the waiting area, and sitting there for a few minutes waiting for the ride to start. A countdown happens, and BAM, you shoot off at 60 miles an hour, race through the darkened coaster ride, until the ride comes to a skidding halt. You get off, stumble around for a minute as you catch your breath and your balance, and then proceed to jump back in line to ride it again. That's this book. So much fun!

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Review: The October Man

The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch
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!

So this little gem of a novella takes place in the same world as the Rivers of London, but in Germany instead, and features a new main character in a similar role as Peter Grant there in Germany. The mystery/police procedural with magic worked well for this novel, and we got to meet a few new characters that I'd love to see make appearances in the main series novels.

After the end of the last main series novel, I was unsure as to where the series would be going. I'm even more excited now that I've seen a glimpse of a bigger magical world.

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Review: Naturally Tan

Naturally Tan by Tan France
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! Non-fiction is rarely my genre of choice, and I don't read a lot of memoirs. I can count on one hand how many non-fiction books I've read in the past five years. But I saw the Fab 5 member Tan France had written something and I just had to read it. As a gay man, this new Queer Eye has been a revelation. I adore them all - the cast members, the "heroes" as they call them (meaning the people they're going to help), everything and everybody.

It was so interesting to get insight into who Tan is as a person - both before his time on the show, and after. And I love that he's pretty much exactly the same person as before, just more recognizable on the streets.

I won't say the writing is perfect. It wasn't. There's a lot of train-of-thought writing and incomplete sentences and sometimes even the paragraph splits don't seem just right... but it didn't matter, because it very honestly felt like I was sitting down and having a conversation with Tan, and just listening to him speak.

Highly recommended.
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Lots of train of thought writing, which can be jarring, especially for someone like me who usually avoids non-fiction, but I just love the Fab 5 and it was a pleasure to read about his life.

Better review upon release.

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Review: Red, White & Royal Blue

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was AWESOME. Seriously, I loved every minute of it. It was light-hearted, but still felt like it had high stakes. It was political, but not so much that it was depressing or overbearing. It was almost fairy-tale-esque romance, but not so much so that it didn't feel deep or true or powerful. It was realistic in ways that, unless you've gone through coming out and hiding love, you just wouldn't understand the depth of the realism.

Set in a world where the hateful didn't win 2016, it's a world of hope, and Alex and Henry are a breath of fresh air. It honestly makes me want a dreamy prince of my own... but to be fair, I've been told I look a lot like Prince Harry, so it might be awkward to marry a doppleganger prince... and he's taken now anyways. *sigh*

I adored this book and highly recommend it. Five stars.


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Review: Storm Cursed

Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Ace/DAW for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

First, let me get this out of the way: OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGWOW. Okay. Phew, that's all said and done.

Patty, you've outdone yourself. What a rollercoaster! Bringing back the vampires, throwing in a bunch of dark witches, tying a bunch of storylines together and revealing that you've got a much more devious master-plan kind of mind than we've realized before... game officially upped!

This one starts with all of the craziness that happened in Europe still fresh on everyone's mind. Lots of little things start to happen that seem to indicate something bigger is going on, and someone is playing with Mercy and the pack because of their declaration over the Tri-Cities area. Meanwhile, you've got the Fae and the government trying to work out a deal/peace between everybody, and of course, Mercy and the gang are all wrapped up in that too. Nothing like having a bunch on your plate, right? At least the stakes are super low, right? Oh wait, no, just the fates of humanity and Fae and everything in between on the line. Lots of pressure, check.

I can't really say much more without spoiling a ton, but let's just say it had everything I've been wanting from an urban fantasy book lately - humor, witches, werewolves, fae, plot twists - and also included things I had no idea I needed - like zombie Nigerian dwarf goats. Yep, turns out those are a necessity. :)

Highly recommended (and as always, I definitely suggest reading the entirety of the Mercyverse beforehand - both Mercy's books and the Alpha & Omega series).

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Review: Dark Shores

Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

Wow, what a ride! I *loved* this book. I didn't expect to love it, but I did. I expected the romance to be typical YA, which it had hints of, but seemed to be a little more realistic in my opinion. I expected the characters to be all tropy, which for the most part, they weren't (and where they were, the author really tried to flip the tropes upside down). I expected the stakes to be lower in the first book, since we knew already that it was going to be a series. Nope, they were pretty high.

Overall, I was impressed at how this book wowed me, because I just really didn't think I'd love it going in. I loved the main characters, but the secondary ones really won me over. The world was awesome - I loved the magic and the gods and the god-marked... I want more of that in the next books!

One downside to loving this one so much? Now I have to wait forever for book two! *sighs heavily*

Highly recommended.

PS- While the main female character and her nation are labeled pirates, they're really just swashbuckling traders that sometimes trade contraband. They don't rape, pillage, steal, kill, etc. They do drink and gamble though. Just a heads up for those going in with the OMG PIRATE GIRL mindset so they don't get their hopes dashed.

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Review: Little Darlings

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

This book is difficult to review, probably because it was so hard to read. Not because it wasn't well written, mind you, in fact the opposite is true. It's fantastic... but it's difficult because of the awful nature of events. I think it was mostly supposed to be a quasi-urban-fantasy-sci-fi-thriller-mystery-with-a-twist amalgamation, but it was also psychologically a little bit in the horror genre as it explores many people's deep-rooted fears - children being kidnapped, not being believed and everything thinking you're crazy, being locked up and medicated in an institution, creatures that are coming after you, etc.

Honestly, this book was super compelling, hard to put down, and successful in what it attempts to do - get in your head, stir up your mental pot, and set things a-boiling.

I don't want to spoil too much, so I can't really go into too much more detail, but I also feel like this book could be an exploration of post-partum as well. As someone who can't and will never experience that difficulties of childbirth and postpartum, I can't speak much on the subject or whether this is the author's intention.

But I will say this much. #notteamPatrick
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This book was hard and powerful and devastating and intriguing.

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Review: Hope for the Best

Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I. LOVE. THIS. SERIES.

AND. PUTTING. PERIODS. RANDOMLY. FOR. EMPHASIS.

AND. MADELEINE. MAXWELL.

Huh, that makes me feel like A.I.D.A.N.

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Review: The Last

The Last by Hanna Jameson
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!

This review is hard to write. I mean, the end of the world happens, and the following days are slow, haunted, and devoid of much action... and yet, I had a driving interest that made this hard to put down. I just knew the story was building to something bigger. Hints of supernatural, a murder to solve, danger in the woods, a huge hotel where unknown others could be hiding, tension between characters... there were so many threads woven into this story and unfortunately, many of them were either left dangling or given an unsatisfactory ending.

For most of this, I enjoyed it. It was atmospheric, and it felt reminiscent of a King novel. And just like most of the King novels I've read (aside from a handful of his masterpieces), there was great character development and excellent setting and fantastic concept... and a disappointing ending. But King still normally pulls things off better than this one, which was abrupt and weird and not at all satisfying.

Overall, since I enjoyed probably 90% of the book, I'm going to go with 3 stars. I liked it enough, but didn't love it.

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Review: Holy Sister

Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

Mark Lawrence, you've done it. You've created a high-ish, dark-ish trilogy that not only was executed perfectly, but also helped restore my faith in the fantasy genre. I don't read a lot of fantasy, mostly because it's long-winded, overly descriptive, and just plain boring (at least in the past I've felt it so, mostly because my mood for fantasy had long-since died). But, over the past few years, the fantasy genre has started to rejoin my reading repertoire, mostly because of two big reason: Brandon Sanderson and Mark Lawrence. Sanderson's first Mistborn trilogy and the Stormlight Archives went a long way towards rekindling my love for the genre, but one author can't single-handedly carry the burden of the genre alone. So when Grey Sister (the second of the trilogy by Mark Lawrence) showed up in my Berkley newsletter, I took a look at Red Sister to see if it would be of interest. It had rave reviews among friends, so I accepted the Grey Sister ARC and got my copy of Red Sister so I could read it first. And boy, was I not disappointed!

This trilogy is a roller coaster ride! We meet Nona when she's but a wee pup, and we watch her grow throughout the trilogy into a strong, confident, amazing woman, capable of changing the world. I don't want to say too much, because of spoilers, but the growth in this character alone is enough to impress, but the cast of secondary characters is fantastic as well.

I HIGHLY recommend this trilogy. Can't wait to give Lawrence's other trilogies a try soon, but I'm sad to be finished with Nona and her friends. They were a pleasure to discover.

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Review: PERfunctory AfFECTION

PERfunctory AfFECTION by Kim Harrison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

I love Kim Harrison. I tore through her Hollows series and fell in love with that world all over again with her prequel. I read both of the Drafter novels that were published, and would reread them and buy the third if it ever gets published. I'm sad that it hasn't. I'm super pumped that she's got more Hollows in the works.

Unfortuntely, it seems that the Hollows is where she shines, and, at least thus far, her more science fiction leaning books aren't as good as her urban fantasy. The Drafter was good, but nowhere near as good as her Hollows, and this standalone was an entertaining read, but it also didn't live up to her Hollows standards.

In this one, I really liked her concept and her execution. The ending, though, didn't feel like much of a payoff after reading so much to build to that point. I feel like it was a little cliched with the potential of a nice twist that instead was left hanging.

I enjoyed the book though, just by the end wasn't super excited about it when I know she's capable of much more as an author. I hope she finds her mojo again! 3 stars, recommended for those who like thriller-type stories where you're never sure if the protagonist is cray-cray or not.

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I loved Kim Harrison's the Hollows, but I think she's lost her confidence with her Peri Reed series not doing very well. I hope she finds it again.

Review to come upon release, but I was disappointed that she had the opportunities to break some cliches in this book and turn them on their heads, and she just went straight with the cliches. :(

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Review: Obsidio

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I. LOVED. THIS. TRILOGY.
Wasn't sure I would. but i did....

Read it. AIDAN DEMANDS IT.

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Review: A Beautiful Corpse

A Beautiful Corpse by Christi Daugherty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

After the fallout from the first book, Harper McClain has spent the last year rebuilding her life, and focusing on her crime reporting career. But a murder closer to home will drag her back into the limelight and test every ounce of grit and gumption that she's got.

This book was great! Harper was just as interesting a main character as in the first book, but having gotten to know her in the first book left this one with plenty of room to develop her more deeply, rather than having to introduce her and set everything up. She's kickass and brave and determined to find the truth, and I adore her character, even when she's making big mistakes!

Daugherty's writing is spot on as well. The story didn't feel too extraneous, and the only times it felt drawn out were the times it was *supposed* to feel that way - when Harper is struggling for leads and desperate to weed out the truth. It really helped me lose myself into her world and her life.

The twists in this one aren't as big as in the first one, but the story is solid, and the path to get there is zig-zaggy enough to keep the readers on their toes.

Plus, the ending - more about the mystery of Harper's mother's murder (when Harper was a child) - really left me excited about the prospect of more. Definitely think it's going to be an agonizing wait... *sighs*

Highly recommended to lovers of mystery/thrillers... but read book one first. :)

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Review: Verses for the Dead

Verses for the Dead by Douglas Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Now THAT was a Pendergast book. I loved the last book, because, well, I love anything Pendergast, but let's be honest here... it felt a little like a retooled previous entry in the series. This one, on the other hand, was a top notch return to form. One of my favorite of the recent volumes in the series. Highly recommended.

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Review: The Stranger Diaries

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
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.

Elly Griffiths writes some great books. I love her Ruth Galloway series, and I've started her Stephens and Mephisto series (though I've got to catch up on that!). Her work always has great characters and a deep, dark mystery, and this standalone is no exception. I really enjoyed this one, maybe even more so because it was a standalone, so it felt like everyone was at risk, as opposed to a series where you know, at the very least, that the main character is pretty much safe the whole time, even when they're in "danger."

The Stranger Diaries had some excellent twists and turns, multiple murders, and a very intriguing murderer reveal. I *did* guess the murderer correctly, but it was really just a whim I had that turned out to be correct. I think most people will probably be questioning up until the reveal.

Highly recommended, great mystery, excellent characters, and really good atmosphere. :)

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