Review: Archangel's Resurrection

Archangel's Resurrection by Nalini Singh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the advanced copy! The following review is my honest opinion.

Oh, man, that ominous title got me!

I really enjoy Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series. It's creative and fun, and I'm invested in a lot of the relationships. I was especially hoping that this one would be part two of the 'ship from the previous book, which progressed a lot slower and didn't go as far, romance wise, as the couple's usually do in these books. That being said, when I found out it was Alexander and Zanaya, I was a little disappointed. But I enjoyed this story too, and the long history of "Xander and Zani."

The current timeline plot was good too - a dark force rises from the grave (no spoilers!)... but what I really struggled with was the way this book was structured compared to others. In most of the books, if there is history between the characters, we see flashbacks sprinkled throughout the modern day storyline. In this one, it started waaaaaay back in the day at their very beginning, and the first 40% or so of the book was their history, with minimal reference to the current events. It made for a slow, slow start, in my opinion.

I also struggled with Alexander and Zanaya's on-again, off-again relationship and constant repetition of the issues that they faced in their relationship. It got very tiresome to have the same thoughts and feelings dredged up over and over and over. We got it the first few times.

All in all, I still love this series and will definitely continue, but this one was a weak entry for me. Three and a half stars, rounded down. I absolutely still recommend this series, and don't suggest skipping any, this one included.

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Review: Sign Here

Sign Here by Claudia Lux
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the advanced copy. Below is my honest review.

I was sold when I read the blurb for this one. A worker from Hell who makes Faustian deals as a main character? Yes, please. A family with dark secrets as some of his targets? Yes, please. A character named after Legend of Zelda? Yes, please.

This one had great plotting - the reveals were just at the right times, the character development was spot on, the darkness of the secrets was sufficiently deep. There were some twists that were, well, predictable, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of watching it play out on the page. In fact, this would have been a five star read for me in spite of that, if not for what, to me, feels like a very abrupt ending that didn't provide the most satisfying ending after building emotional connections with these characters throughout the book. Thus, I had to make it a four star rating.

Overall though, it was compelling and hard to put down, and I am now hankering to get my hands on any other Faustian deal books I can find. :)

Definitely recommended - and I'll definitely read more Claudia Lux.

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Review: Dead Man's Hand

Dead Man's Hand by James J. Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the early copy. This is my honest review.

Jim Butcher has made a big name for himself in the Urban Fantasy book world. He's huge! So when his son decided to throw his name into the ring as well, I knew I had to give him a shot - a fair one, of course, without judging him by his father's reputation.

I'm so happy that I did! What a fun story! The world-building was great - it was revealed as needed, and explained thoroughly without coming across as info dumps or lecturing. The cast is recognizable based off of some tropes, but also provided enough depth and characterization so that they're not JUST tropes. The plot was well-constructed, and things that seemed extraneous had huge payoffs by the end.

The author also manages to avoid some of the things that people complain about in his dad's work, namely the commentary on every female character's body.

All in all, I really enjoyed this one and will pick up book two if and when it releases. Recommended for urban fantasy fans.

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Review: The Sacrifice

The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for the advanced copy. Below is my honest review.

I was really in the mood for a good horror novel, and this one fit the bill.

Deep in the wilds of the Philippines lies a mysterious island, said to be cursed and home to a god, waiting for sacrifices to awaken and remake the world. Young Alon and their dog are the only locals willing to step foot on this island, full of things seen only out of the corner of the eye, so when a film crew swoops in to make a documentary of the sordid history of strange occurrences and deaths, Alon steps in to help guide them in an attempt to quell the spirits of the island's desires. Thing is, not everyone who came along is there to be respectful, and inner demons will clash with outer ones in this dark tale of secrets and judgment.

Also really liked the multiple forms of representation in this book. It was really well done.

I just wanted a little bit more, so four and a half stars, rounded to four.

Definitely still impressed with this one, and absolutely want to pick up more of this author's works.

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Review: House of Hunger

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the advanced copy. Below is my honest review.

I really enjoyed the author's debut novel, The Year of the Witching, so when I saw this one, I knew I had to pick it up.

This one was fantastic! It was an interesting take on a historical legend (no spoilers), and was really well done. It was so compelling that I read it in less than a day! I just had to know what was going to happen next... and then I got the end and was disappointed that such a good story was over.

Looking forward to her next idea! :)

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Review: Monsters Born and Made

Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for gifting me an advanced copy. The opinions below are my own honest review.

The Pros: a (mostly) strong female protagonist, neat mythical creatures, a high stakes tournament, a relatively interesting caste system

The Cons: feels a lot like a ripoff of Scorpio Races and Hunger Games, a confusing world - both in setup and in mythology (the mythology feels like a very poorly executed amalgam of too much mythological lore crammed together), a bit predictable, and it took way to long to really understand why so much revolved around maristag hunting (seriously, aren't there other ways to get income?).

Overall, it was a decent book. I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. I'm not sure I liked it that much, so, an average star rating it is. Two and a half stars rounded up. Recommended for patient enjoyers of dystopian YA with lots of mythological influence.

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Review: Final Heir

Final Heir by Faith Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for gifting me an advanced copy. Below is my honest review.

Final Heir... the last book in the Jane Yellowrock series. I wasn't ready for this. I've been following this series for years, and I knew it was coming, and I still wasn't ready for the end.

Thankfully, Faith Hunter did an excellent job tying up the series with a satisfying ending and a helluva ride to get to that ending.

This series is long - this is book 15 - and you definitely need to read the rest for the proper appreciation of all of the character development and plot woven into Final Heir.

Highly recommended series. One of my absolute favorites, it will be missed greatly.

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