Review: Three Kinds of Lucky

Three Kinds of Lucky by Kim Harrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the early copy of Three Kinds of Lucky. Below you'll find my honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Kim Harrison's Hollows novels - both the original series and the recent continuation. I liked her Drafter novels and was disappointed we never got the end of the trilogy.

This one was a really good series opener. She built a cool world with an interesting take on magic, along with some great characters. I did figure out the "traitor" early on, but she did set it up to be obvious to the reader.

I had trouble putting this one down and absolutely loved it - except for one thing. I'll put it at the bottom so you can choose whether or not to read it. This will slightly spoil, so look away if you're not interested in a spoiler.

All in all, definitely recommend for Urban Fantasy fans or fans of The Hollows. 4 stars.




CONTENT WARNING

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THE DOG DIES.

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Review: Murder Road

Murder Road by Simone St. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the pre-release copy. Below is my honest review.

A wrong turn leads a newlywed couple down a back country road where they find a bloody injured woman wandering aimlessly down the middle of the road. They pick her up and take her to the local hospital, and on the way, they're chased down by pair of headlights belonging to a speeding pickup truck. When they get there, the police show up and tell the couple not to leave town... because they're now suspects. Things go sideways when legends of a local haunting creep into their own investigation, raising the stakes much higher than anticipated.

I really enjoyed this one and will definitely pick up more by Simone St. James. The twist was a little predictable if you were paying attention, but guessing it ahead of time didn't detract from the story at all. The characters were full of depth and the story was dark and twisty.

Definitely recommended for thriller/light horror fans.

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Review: Aftermarket Afterlife

Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and DAW for the prerelease copy. Below is my honest review.

I can't. There aren't words. I am struggling to write this review. Was the book good? Of course it was. It was five stars. It's Seanan-freaking-McGuire, so of course it was good. It was great. But...

It was also devastating. I wasn't prepared for this, even a little bit. I know Seanan can be brutal, but wow. WOW.

I don't want to spoil anything, so let me give you the quick rundown: All of the series leading up to this point has been about moving pieces into place. And those pieces? They're moved. And now, there is war. And neither the Covenant nor the Price-Healy clan are going to pull their punches.

Prepare yourself before reading this.

Also, this is one of those books that you REALLY need the context of the rest of the series going in, so do yourself the HUGE favor of reading all the fantastic books leading up to this one (including the three Ghost Road novels too, please and thank you). You won't regret it... though you might regret the trauma this book is likely to cause. *breaks down weeping*

HIGHLY recommended.

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Review: Rift in the Soul

Rift in the Soul by Faith Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the pre-release copy. Below is my honest review.

I love Nell Nicholson Ingram and her ragtag crew of strays that have formed not only her PsyLED team, but a little found family. This one throws them all into the middle of a very old vampire's machinations, which really gets complicated when the implications of Jane's Angel giving the vamps their souls back and removing the curse on weres comes into play. (This does beg the question - what happens to the grindylows? Because I love them!) In addition to that, Nell's connections to Soulwood *and* the creepy tree with a mind of its own also toss some crazy into the mix.

I really liked this one, and hope hope hope this isn't the end. With Jane ending last year, I'm not ready to lose Nell too. Fingers crossed!

Highly recommended, but please AT LEAST read the rest of the Soulwood series, but be warned that it does exist in the Jane Yellowrock world and is affected by events of that series as well.

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Review: A Fate Inked in Blood

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Ray for the pre-release copy! Below you'll find my honest review.

I put this one off for a bit because I wasn't sure I was in the mood for fantasy. Then I realized it comes out this month and that I needed to read it before release, so I dived right on in.

I shouldn't have hesitated, even a little bit. It was so good! The magic was really cool, and I really liked so many of the characters. Did Freya have some whiny moments? Sure, but she kind of has a lot going on in her life. Is it a little unfair that Bjorn is as sexy as he is but trapped in the book and not here with me? Definitely.

Once I really got going, the pages flew by. It was hard to put down and I just wanted to read a little bit more, a little bit more, to find out what happened next.

I can't recommend this one enough for fans of mythological fantasy stories with spicy romance mixed in. Five stars.

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Review: A Haunting in the Arctic

A Haunting in the Arctic by C.J. Cooke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with a copy of this novel prior to release. Below you'll find my honest review.

So, this one was a hard one to review. Mostly because it was insanely compelling and hard to put down, but had one major glaring issue - the twist is sooooo obvious. Like, neon lights big enough to see from space pointing at the twist saying "HERE! LOOK!" kind of obvious.

But the two timeline stories unfolding chapter by chapter, with a third timeline woven throughout with research notes, etc, really were so interesting to read. I was invested in both of the main storylines and just couldn't fight that "okay one more chapter" feeling late into the night.

There are also some MAJOR trigger warnings for this one when it comes SA/R scenes, so be aware going in if these things are difficult for you to read.

All in all, the twist being obvious didn't take away from the compelling nature of the read or the desire to see how and when the reveal would happen, so I rated this one highly.

Definitely recommend to fans of supernatural mysteries set in cold, remote climates and hauntings.

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