Tag: book review
-
Review: The Vital Abyss (The Expanse #5.5) by James S.A. Corey
This novella in the midst of the epic saga of The Expanse fills in some interesting blanks. It explains the missing years of a relevant character’s life and how he eventually ends up where Our Heroes encounter him again. It also shows the evolution of the character and his history…
-
Review: Gods of Risk (The Expanse #2.1) by James S.A. Corey
This novella brings us back to the series roots of interstellar events occurring as a backdrop to regular people’s normal lives. But this normal person is the gifted sixteen-year-old nephew of Bobbie Draper, so how normal is he? Certainly normal enough for some health doses of adolescent angst while he…
-
Review: Deosil (Whyborne & Griffin #11) by Jordan L. Hawk
This series closes out in a maelstrom (pun intended) of heroism, madness, horror, love, triumph, and just a few tentacles. Everything comes full-circle (pun also intended) as Whyborne and Griffin join with new and old allies to defend their home of Widdershins from the extra-dimensional Masters who have returned to…
-
Review: Vampromance (Reluctant Necromancer #2) by Kaye Draper
I don’t get to binge-read this series like I did Draper’s previous reverse harem epic, but I’m enjoying it all the same. Esper is an intriguing character, and I appreciate the set-up of her being lost from her family line as a way for the audience to learn about the…
-
Review: Gilded Cage (Lilywhite Boys #2) by K.J. Charles
I re-read the first Lilywhite Boys book right before starting this one, because I could and because it’s that good. This book concludes the short series admirably, though I highly recommend also making sure to read “The Ratcatcher’s Daughter” to get a better feel for the overall conflict. The first…
-
Review: Ghostromance (Reluctant Necromancer #1) by Kaye Draper
I probably shouldn’t have read this so close on the heels of Draper’s previous reverse harem series, Gesa’s Menagerie. I prefer Gesa as a character to Esper, but that doesn’t mean anything is necessarily wrong with Esper. I got a bit tired of her “Woe is me, I’m so ugly”…
-
Review: The Expanse: Origins edited by James S.A. Corey
Favorite Story “Naomi Nagata” by Georgia Lee (illustrated by Huang Danlan): This isn’t Naomi’s “origin story,” which is covered very well in the books themselves. Instead, it shows us the first introduction between Naomi and Amos prior to the events of the books/television show. I loved the growth shown by…
-
Review: Gesa’s Menagerie #2-#9 by Kaye Draper
Usually when I read series, I try to break them up with other books so that I don’t get burned out. But sometimes a series is less of a series and more of a really long epic book broken up into eight separate novellas. And sometimes I get sick and…
-
Review: Gryphon’s Pride (Gesa’s Menagerie #1) by Kaye Draper
The author warns in the book description that this is “not your typical reverse harem.” I would also happily argue that this is not a typical romance or typical urban fantasy. With that combination, I was immediately sucked into the world-building, the plot, and the characters. Gesa is the “strong…
-
Review: Homeworlds (SG-1/SGA Traveler’s Tales #3) edited by Sally Malcolm
Disclaimer: I am friends with the editor and multiple authors in this collection; I purchased a hardcopy of this book from one of the authors for full price. Favorite Story “The Mysteries of Emege” by Jo Graham: I could say that the ending of this story had enough emotional impact…
-
Review: The Bartered Brides (Elemental Masters #13) by Mercedes Lackey
I’m not going to lie. I significantly prefer the fairy tale retellings in this fantasy series to the Sherlock Holmes pastiches featuring Nan and Sara. I didn’t dislike this book, but I found myself not as invested in the main characters as I could have been. Both women gain new…
-
2019: A Year in Reading
This year, I wrote one (1) novel, wrote one (1) short story, revised most of (like, 80%) of another novel, and according to Goodreads, read 147 books. This means I won my Goodreads Challenge goal of 50 books. Pretty cool, right? Except Goodreads is weird, so it’s not quite 147…
-
2019 Resolution Project: Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels #10) by Ilona Andrews
My 2019 Resolution Project over at my other blog, Speculative Chic, is to read the entire Kate Daniels urban fantasy series by Ilona Andrews, finishing up with a first read of the final book in the series. This is my first time reading this novel. You can read my full review here.…
-
2019 Resolution Project: Iron and Magic (Iron Covenant #1) by Ilona Andrews
My 2019 Resolution Project over at my other blog, Speculative Chic, is to read the entire Kate Daniels urban fantasy series by Ilona Andrews, finishing up with a first read of the final book in the series. This is my first time reading this novel, which the authors have advised should be…
-
2019 Resolution Project: Magic Binds (Kate Daniels #9) by Ilona Andrews
My 2019 Resolution Project over at my other blog, Speculative Chic, is to read the entire Kate Daniels urban fantasy series by Ilona Andrews, finishing up with a first read of the final book in the series. I’ve read the ninth book, Magic Binds, before, and originally reviewed it in June 2017. You can find NEW…
-
Review: The Churn (The Expanse #3.5) by James S.A. Corey
Despite it’s placement in the series order recommended by Goodreads, I’m glad that I read “The Churn” after book 8, Tiamat’s Wrath. Names are important in this book, and Amos hasn’t always been known as Amos Burton. In a way, this novella is as much about Earth as it is about…
-
Review: No Rest for the Wicked (Immortals After Dark #3) by Kresley Cole
I adored everything about this book — except for the two main characters, who fell short in contrast to the scope of this exciting tale. Sebastian’s character arc may have been typical of alpha romance heroes when this book was first published, but it doesn’t hold up as well in…
-
Review: “The Butcher of Anderson Station” (Expanse #0.5) by James S.A. Corey
I’m on a mission to read all the short fiction installments in The Expanse series before season 4 of the television show premieres in December 2019. This story was a good place to start, especially if you’re a fan of both the books and television version of this series. It…
-
Review: Beguiled (Enlightenment #2) by Joanna Chambers
Two years later, David Lauriston and Murdo Balfour meet once again. The events of this book revolve around King George’s visit to Scotland, which personifies one of the things I’m most enjoying about this trilogy. So much of Regency(ish) romance takes place in London and English estates. Shifting the location…
-
Review: Provoked (Enlightenment #1) by Joanna Chambers
The list of romance authors I follow seems to be growing, as I add yet another writer whose books I shall now proceed to devour all of. I read this title in a single evening and immediately purchased the next in the series. Many romance books star lovers from vastly…