Review: Diablo Mesa

Diablo Mesa by Douglas Preston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This one started with a bang and then kicked it up a few notches. Wasn't really expecting an alien/UFO storyline, especially with Nora Kelly, who is very scientific and quite the skeptic. I also wasn't sure if I'd like it... but I did.

Lots of twists and turns. Lots of buildup. Lots of tension and knowing things are coming but not being able to do anything but observe (aka read).

I'd have totally given this one 5 stars, but there was a serious "plot armor" situation going on that made me reduce to 4.5 stars, and I couldn't round up. It takes some of the tension out of the end, really, and took me out of the story a bit.

Overall, another fantastic entry into the Pendergast-verse, this time in the Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson series. Pick it up, but if you're not going to read the entire Pendergast series, at the very least, read the first two in this spinoff before jumping in here.

View all my reviews

Review: Two Truths and a Lie

Two Truths and a Lie by April Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time putting this one down. I love an isolated murder mystery, and I've always had an obsession with Agatha Christie. This one was a compelling story. The short chapters made it so easy to just "one more chapter" this one late into the night, and the setup was riveting.

Unfortunately for me, the ending fell a little flat. It was kind of predictable, as I guessed the solution really early. And while I know this one was YA, I never really felt like the stakes got high enough.

Overall, I'd give it 3.5 stars out of 5, and I'll round up for the amazing start and the way it held my attention enough to read it so quickly in two sittings. I also really liked the main character, so that bumped it up too.

View all my reviews

Review: Kingdom of Bones

Kingdom of Bones by James Rollins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A giant thank you to William Morrow for sending me a physical advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I've been a big fan of James Rollins since I randomly picked up Map of Bones to have something to read in the car on a road trip with my brother - that should tell you how long I've been following this series!

This one had a breakneck speed - the story hits the ground running and doesn't really ever stop. I very much enjoyed some of the new characters that were introduced. Even though they might just be one-offs, I hope we get to see some of them again!

Definitely pick this one up. There's a bit of backstory that you'll miss out on if you haven't read the rest of the series, but it's not 100% vital to have done so. Maybe 80% vital? :)

Highly recommend this series!

View all my reviews

Review: His Fresh Start Cowboy

His Fresh Start Cowboy by A.M. Arthur
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

When I heard the Clean Slate Ranch was done, I was so sad, so finding out there was going to be a spinoff involving Colt's family, I was over the moon! Hugo was the perfect character to start this series off with.

I felt so bad for the guy. He's had a lot of disappointment and heartache in his life and had the courage to face his past head on... and it was a bumpy ride. But of course, the story took us where we needed to go.

This is a little reminiscent of Red Dirt Heart by N.R. Walker - not a ripoff or anything like that, just a similar setting. That made me love this one so much more because I adored Red Dirt Heart and there just aren't many books like it out there.

The miscommunications were a little cheesy but typical for the genre.

All in all, a great start to a spinoff series. Bring on book two!

View all my reviews

Review: The Starless Crown

The Starless Crown by James Rollins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest here - I had a hard time getting into this book at the beginning. Whether it was my own personal mood or just a slow start, I can't say. But I pushed through, and am SO glad that I did.

The story really started picking up steam in the middle, and the more I got invested in the characters and intrigued by the mysterious nature of most of the events, I was hooked.

I did drop half a star for the slow beginning. I felt it wasn't fair to drop a whole star for that, since it could have just been me. It also lost another half a star for the sheer volume of losses that poor Nyx had to suffer in this book. After a certain point, it was just pure cruelty and I don't know how she's still functioning. I know it's fantasy, but yeesh. Spread the suffering around a little!

All in all, an excellent start to a new fantasy series from one of my favorite authors, James Rollins. I'm excited to see where it goes next.

View all my reviews

Review: Where the Drowned Girls Go

Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Tordotcom/Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series! I really don't know how the author has all these amazing stories in her head from all of her different series and the ability to get them into words so well. I wish I had 10% of her talent!

Anyways, on to the story. Cora has gone through her door and back again, and then through other doors and back again on quests, and now she's in trouble. The Drowned Gods of the Moors have their eye on her, and want her for their own. And she's scared. So she makes a decision. It's time for a change - and she's decided to go to...that other school... the one Eleanor West tries very hard to be different from... The Whitethorn Institute is a very different place. They are rigid and structured and any talk of quests or other worlds is strictly forbidden. It's a rehab facility and a prison, basically. So Cora must figure out whether or not she wants a normal life or to accept her place in another world and fight against the Drowned Gods. The problem is... her new school isn't quite welcoming to the idea that she gets a choice.

I loved some revisited characters in this one, and I really enjoyed the new setting and new characters. The new school felt very realized and detailed, without spending too much time with overly long description.

Pick up this series, but start at the beginning. The beginning might just be YOUR door.

View all my reviews

Review: The Untold Story

The Untold Story by Genevieve Cogman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

Wow, now that is what I call fun... for me, that is. Not really all that much fun for Irene and her motley crew. No, not fun at all for them. Really, the exact opposite of fun.

Big developments in this one. HUGE ones. Like super uber ginormous. With vast repercussions for the library and every single world.

I really want to be a Librarian, just so I can explore worlds and use the Language. But maybe I'd like it a little more AFTER the events of this book, considering.

I know, I know, I'm beating around the bush a lot. But I really don't want to spoil anything.

Pick this one up as soon as you can, but only if you've read the rest. This one is the culmination of a SERIES WORTH of storyline.

Highly recommended.

View all my reviews