Review: Wild Country

Wild Country by Anne Bishop
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

Anne Bishop has really outdone herself with this one. I adore her series, The Others. The first five books take place in Lakeside and are some amazing books. I was so sad when I heard that Simon and Meg's story were done, and then elated to hear that she was going to continue the series with books set in other locales around the world she'd built, with different casts of characters. I enjoyed book 6, set in Sproing, and really liked the characters there, but book 7 completely knocked it out of the park.

This one is set in Bennett, near Prairie Gold, and if you remember the events of the other 6 books, the Terra Indigine and the Humans First and Last movement's clash reached a tipping point in that area. This is the rebuilding book, and the stakes are very, very high. The cast is different from that of book 6, so I'm hoping we'll get to see the Sproing residents again some time in the future, but I really, REALLY want a follow up to this one. I really like the characters in this one, and the setting, and the events of this book really build a bond between reader and cast. She might move on to another town in the next book, but I hope we'll get more visits to Bennett in the future.

Honestly, though, as long as she keeps writing stories set in this world, I'll gobble them up like candy no matter the setting or cast of characters.

Highly recommended (but read the rest of the series first if you haven't yet)!

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Review: That Ain’t Witchcraft

That Ain’t Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

Seriously, thanks. Because WOW. Seanan is just a master of her craft. She threw some huge curveballs into the storyline in this one and the risks paid off! I'll spoil as little as possible, but I have to say a few things to get my feelings across.

First, I adore Annie and her friends. I'm sad this is the last Antimony book for now. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about Sarah's two books coming up next, but I really like Annie's sarcasm and wit, and I like Sam and Cylia and Fern as well. I'd really like to see when Annie returns home, dragging her ragtag crew behind her. Maybe we'll get to see that one day.

Second, I really like how Seanan has made the Covenant a huge force to be reckoned with but not always the villain of the story. Even when they're not the main bad guy of the story, she reminds us they're there, and is building towards a huge finale in the long run.

Third, I love the world-building. The cryptids, the magic, the ghosts, the crossroads, I just love this world. It's urban fantasy at its best.

One major complaint: I need the Aeslin mice! Luckily in this one, we get to hear a little catechism of the Aeslin mice, even if we don't get to see them.

So if you haven't read this series yet, pick it up. And try to read as many of the shorties in between books as you can because they're all fantastic AND they develop the characters more. If you have read it, then this installment will definitely be worth your wait. :)

HAIL SEANAN, THE PROLIFIC WRITER OF WORDS AND THE STORYTELLING PRIESTESS.

(PS - for everyone who reads the audio book, this one has a short story at the end about Alex/Shelby/Sarah and the Gorgons. It's a MUST READ.)
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Review to come upon release... but dang, I don't want to wait another year for more Incryptid.

Sarah's up next with Imaginary Numbers.

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Review: The Malta Exchange

The Malta Exchange by Steve Berry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy, provided in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Steve Berry and his Cotton Malone series. It's in my top favorites. Sadly, to me, this entry fell short of Berry's usually high standards.

It wasn't the plot that fell short, as the plot was a really entertaining one. Papal conclave, secrets that could devastate the church, twisty betrayals and double agents... all check. Sadly, the big twist was predictable, and I saw it coming from the moment they introduced the second character involved.

Also, Berry usually excels at weaving the history lesson into the story in a way that doesn't feel like an infodump or a lecture, but in this one, it felt very "plot point/action moment, long history lesson, plot point, long history lesson, plot point, long history lesson"... just alternating between the two, rather than weaving them together.

Cotton and Luke didn't feel as deeply developed as they usually do, Stephanie was barely in it, and Cassiopeia wasn't in it at all.

It had its strong points as well, though. The history was fascinating. The locale and details of the church's history on the island of Malta was very interesting, and was definitely a cool concept for a book.

I just feel like, overall, it wasn't as cohesive or developed or well-woven as his books usually are, so I give it 3.5 stars, rounded up.

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Review: In an Absent Dream

In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

That was heartbreaking... even though we know what happened because of book one, it was hard to see her life and then that final page closing the door. :(

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Review: Circle of the Moon

Circle of the Moon by Faith Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

First and foremost: SPOILER WARNING! The Soulwood series is a spinoff of the Jane Yellowrock series and takes place in the same world. The books are publishing in alternating sequence, and as such, this book (Soulwood #4) takes place after the events of Dark Queen (Jane #12) and has MASSIVE spoilers for Dark Queen. So please be aware! My review, though, will be as spoiler free as possible.

Faith, you are a master of the long game! You rival even Leo Pellissier! The story of this one involves history we've seen before AND new plot, all mixed together into an epic installment of Soulwood.

We see growth (plant pun intended!) in Nell and her relationships - her relationship with herself, with the Church, with Mud, with Occam, with her team, with the new higher up, with the Knoxville vamps, with her land and the vampire tree...

I love Faith's world, and seeing how all the paras' worlds interact with each other. This one really led to some clashing with the worlds of vampires, witches, weres, and PsyLed all racing head-on to a fiery finish. Nell's powers yet again intrigue me, and we see that maybe, just maybe, she's not the only woodsy-woman around. We get Nell finding her place on the team. We get a new character thrown into the mix with some interesting implications for the future.

But I do have one favor to ask. Faith, can Rick get a break at some point? He's suffered sooooo long.

Anyways, I can't think of much more to say that wouldn't spoil too much. Pick this one up. If you're not up to date, go read Jane and Nell first. :)

THE COVER IS SO PRETTY

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Review: Vultures

Vultures by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While the previous entry wasn't my favorite of the series, this entry stepped back up to being more along the same lines as the rest of the series... which is good, because this is the very last one!

Miriam Black's story has reached its conclusion, and honestly, I think Wendig did a great job tying up some loose ends. I'm still kind of bitter about a big loss from the last book, but at least this book provides some not-quite-as-good copy of what I wanted to happen with someone else. (Can't say much more, it's already borderline spoilery!)

I'll miss Miriam's sass and foul mouth. Overall, a fantastic series with some really good highs and some blah lows, but I'd recommend to anyone who can get past potty mouth (or enjoys potty mouth!) for some fun urban fantasy.

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Review: The Break Line

The Break Line by James Brabazon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

That was one crazy ride! The last 40% was intense, fast-paced, and action-packed. The first 60%... not as much. There was some action, but it was a slow, slow burn.

I probably would have enjoyed this one a lot more if the book hadn't pitched to me because of my love of James Rollins' novels. It was very different from those, but the whole time I was expecting it to involve history, archaeology, techonology, science... but it really was just a spy/assassin thriller with some horror-sci-fi elements thrown in. Because of this preset expectation, I think I enjoyed this less than I would have had I just picked it up for what it was. Don't get me wrong, I still ended up on the positive side of the fence when it came to liking the book, but I can't give it as many stars because I only liked it instead of loving it.

I think fans of spy and assassin thrillers or action movies with sci-fi-esque twists will love this one. Jason Bourne fans will probably eat this one up! For me, though, it was just an okay read. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
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Review to come on release. Pre-review: Decent book, just not really like what was pitched to me so had high expectations going in. 3.5 stars

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