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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