book review

  • Review: MAGIC GIFTS by Ilona Andrews

    This is a fun filler novella that takes place during Ilona Andrews’ novel Gunmetal Magic. Because so much urban fantasy/paranormal romance involves a burgeoning romantic relationship between the main characters, it’s always a treat to stop by and visit Kate and Curran. Especially when they are trying to do cute couple stuff, which always seem to…

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  • Review: FROST BURN by K.T. Munson and Nichelle Rae

    DISCLAIMER: I received a free ebook copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It’s really easy to make assumptions about this book from the artwork and back cover blurb. The good assumptions are right on the nose for a happy ending: strong female characters and two kingdoms that must unite to overcome adversity.…

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  • May Wrap-Up & June Goals

    I’m not going to lie: This month has been really busy and kind of rough. I’m satisfied with my progress on some things, and not as happy with others. Unfortunately, June is looking like more of the same. May Wrap-Up: The Steel Magic cover reveal happened, to great success! A great group of people came…

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  • Review: LIVE BY THE CODE (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #4) by Christopher L. Bennett

    DISCLAIMER: I received this book as a freebie from the publisher at Cleveland ConCoction 2016, where Bennett was the author guest of honor. Though book titles should always have something to do with the contents of the book, I will always appreciate a book title that is also a good pun. Live by the Code can…

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  • Review: Uncertain Logic (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #3) by Christopher L. Bennett

      DISCLAIMER: I received this book as a freebie from the publisher at Cleveland ConCoction 2016, where Bennett was the author guest of honor. My favorite aspect of this novel was the fact that Bennett allows a Starfleet ship to make a major mistake. This series might be about the ascension of the Federation to a…

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  • Review: TOWER OF BABEL (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #2) by Christopher L. Bennett

    DISCLAIMER: I received this book as a freebie from the publisher at Cleveland ConCoction 2016, where Bennett was the author guest of honor. My only major complaint about this series is also, oddly, one of the things that I like most about it.

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  • Review: A CHOICE OF FUTURES (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #1) by Christopher L. Bennett

    Though Star Trek Enterprise is not my favorite of the television series, I found myself easily sucked into these tales that follow the on-screen adventures. The first four books made for great vacation reading, and I anxiously waited for my turn to read them since my husband had laid dibs first. (Star Trek Enterprise is…

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  • Review: BREAK THROUGH THE ICE by Rachell Nichole

    Disclaimer: The author is a friend of mine. However, I purchased this ebook for full price. This was a well-written novella that I found particularly humorous to read as an urban fantasy author myself. There is a certain amount of wish-fulfillment that I couldn’t help but enjoy, considering the author main character is getting pretty…

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  • Review: THE CURIOSITY KILLERS by K.W. Taylor

    Today I’m celebrating the launch of K.W. Taylor’s first science-fiction novel, The Curiosity Killers! This book is close to my heart because I have been friends with the author since she was still writing it, cheered her on as it passed as her thesis for Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction graduate program, and then threw…

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  • Review: NOTES OF TEMPTATION by Rebecca Halsey

    Disclaimer: I am friends with the author. However, I purchased my copy of the book for full price. Notes of Temptation is a mixed book: part romance, part historical drama, part urban fantasy, and all fun.

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  • Review: THE MAGICIAN’S LAND (The Magicians #3) by Lev Grossman

    Some trilogies work well when the author tries to have every book tell a story in a very different way. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of them.

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  • Review: THE MAGICIAN KING by Lev Grossman (Magicians #2)

    This novel was easily my favorite in the trilogy, for a few different reasons.

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  • Review: THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman

    First of all, let’s get a few things straight. (1) This is a literary fantasy novel. (2) This novel was much more influenced by The Chronicles of Narnia than by Harry Potter. (3) I read this trilogy because I adore the television show currently airing, so my review is going to be linked to that bias…

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  • Review: BLOOD RED by Mercedes Lackey

    It’s always fun to return to one of my favorite series, and it’s even better when that series manages to consistently surprise you. Though there have been some departures,  Lackey’s formula for her Elemental Masters series has been “Traditional fairy tale retold in historical (mostly British) urban fantasy setting and concludes with female elemental master…

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  • Review: MAGIC SHIFTS by Ilona Andrews

    Part of me keeps waiting for anything about this series to get stale or boring or overdone, because it can’t possibly keep being this damn good. Sure,  not every novel in the series  is the best thing I’ve ever read, but one thing I appreciate about Ilona Andrews (referred to as “they,” since it is…

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  • Review: CRUCIBLE edited by Mercedes Lackey

    Favorite story: “The Note” by Phaedra Weldon. While many of the stories in this anthology rated between 3 and 4 stars for me and were cute and enjoyable but not amazing, this penultimate tale punched me right in the feels. There are so many things about the life of a Herald that are explored in this tale,…

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  • Review: THIRD PATH (Stargate Atlantis) by Melissa Scott and Jo Graham

    And thus, we finally come to the conclusion of the Stargate Atlantis Legacy series, which continues the story past season 5 of the television series. Overall, this novel was both a bittersweet and very satisfying ending to a much larger and more complicated story line. 

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  • Review: STEAMPUNK WORLD edited by Sarah Hans

    DISCLAIMER: I share a publisher with one of the authors discussed below. However, I purchased my copy of the book at full price from the anthology’s editor, not the author, and I do not consider our relationship to have bearing on my review choices. I was not a contributor to the Kickstarter campaign that initially…

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  • Book Review Policy

    As I slowly get caught up on the never-ending list of finished books that need to be reviewed, I figured I should put together an official review policy (even though I definitely don’t consider myself an official book reviewer). Go here or click the “Review Policy” tab at the top of the page for information…

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  • Review: CLOSER TO HOME by Mercedes Lackey

    I think my biggest complaint about this book is probably the fact that the back cover text has very, very little to do with the actual plot of the novel. And if that’s my biggest complaint, I will definitely call this book a win. I’ve read every Valdemar book by Mercedes Lackey, many of the…

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