Book Review: The Last Emperox (The Interdependency #3) by John Scalzi

The Last Emperox
by
John Scalzi

 

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
My rating: 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Publisher: Tor

I loved it!! I want to say so much but this is a finale and no matter one's enthusiasm, it can't be ruined for others. 

Review: Pure

Pure by Julianna Baggott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



4.5 stars for this one. My usual criteria for rating a book five stars is that it captured me so deeply that I'd read it again. I don't come across those reads very often but Pure is almost one of those.The writing was evocative & atmospheric and made it one of the most well done dystopian novels I've read. It also was one of the best modern YA novels I've ever read. Everywhere there are hallmarks of taking flight to freedom. A boy named nicknamed Partridge. Pressia's mechanical pet Freedle. Lyda's wire bird. The birds forever fused to Bradwell's back. Partridge's mother's swan pendant & card with their messages. The theme isn't heavy handed & just flows quietly along in the story as the characters from inside & outside the Dome struggle with the idea.

Also this is not a world populated by perfect pretty main characters or those who'll be fixed by some wave of the hand to become aesthetically palatable. Radiation & being forever fused to organic & non-organic things sort of negates that whole thing & I really liked that. When I came across this book, I read that Pressia (the female main character) had a doll head fused to her hand & knew that I needed to read this. It doesn't take long into the story to realize that as fusings go, Pressia & her grandfather are pretty lucky. I have to admit that I was impressed by the description of the Dusts, Beasts & Groupies, the Mothers & Special Forces. And as those in control inside the Dome, their worldview is nastily warped with the Return to Civility. The road taken to achieve it is flat out barbaric & it's not any more able to be overlooked than the physical damage those outside the Dome have. As I read, I could see the beauty of the survivors on the outside. I'm still looking for the same in those in control of the Dome dwellers. This is a place that I was fascinated to read about but I don't know that I'd want to see this as a movie. This is a world that's difficult to look at. The beauty of a scar as a symbol of survival is a powerful thing but watching people fused with window frames, glass shards, cell phones, earbuds, other people, appliances, trees and all manner of other things, just works better for me on a page.

Anyway, the general thrust of the story is Pressia & her need to escape OSR as she's turned sixteen & Partridge (Ripkard?) bailing the Dome to go on a search for the mother he believes is alive outside. They meet up, things go not entirely as expected & the quest to go up against the establishments will ensue & play out over the course of a few books so no tied off story here. There are explanations given about what led up to all this (a merging of politics, religion & social beliefs) & I was impressed that so much detail was given. In the end, it left me wanting to know so much more about Partridge's parents & everything else leading up to the Detonations. Willux is of course, flawed but I couldn't also help but hold annoyance with Aribelle for practically writing off Sedge & just focusing on Partridge for code disruption. I didn't find the reason she did it wholly satisfying but I know it's supposed to absolve her of a bit of culpability. I wasn't expecting any huge resolution & very much tempered my expectation that I would find out what the hell happened that led to the day of the Detonations. What happened to the existing government? The rest of the globe? Hopefully those will be covered a bit in the rest of the series.

I very much liked the interaction of Bradwell & Partridge. They had good banter & bicker moments. At times, I was more interested in their part of the journey than I was in Pressia's (El Capitan did make for an engaging addition to the story though). Lyda turned out not to be a one off character but her part of the story, while interesting, was very slow going. To be fair, she has fewer entries than the others. Sedge's fate was so underscored in the beginning that I figured he had taken a different path. It was only a matter of time until that was revealed. I worked out the twist about Pressia as well, but I didn't feel it was a flaw in the narrative.

All in all, I'm glad that I read this book. It wasn't a very quick read for me as the images tended to stick in my mind & I wanted breaks along the way. I need to get the next installment from the library soon because I need to know what's next.



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Review: To Seduce an Earl

To Seduce an Earl by Lori Brighton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I was looking for something light & frothy & this fit the bill. I'd call it fairytale fluff. Super angsty but pays off in the end. In order to get the man (& security) she's been pining for, Grace needs to acquire some experience so after what begins as a humorous initial meeting, she forges ahead with Alex, our hero/brothel attendant. I liked the set up of the story & found it a fun read. It's not a new trope but it was well done & I liked Grace & Alex so much that it kept me reading. Earl Roderick was not as deeply drawn a character to ever rival Alex for me, so I mostly ignored him. Lady Lavender is a piece of work & I didn't like her from the start. Also, I wanted Alex to find his way out of this terrible situation he found himself in & for his family to be understanding. Grace's brother, John, I wanted to be left to absolutely nothing & sequestered in Debtor's Prison for his complete disregard for his family & entitled nature. There was, of course, a satisfying ending & good set up for the next in the series and I'm interested enough in Gideon (though more in James).



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Book Review: Extinction Point by Paul Antony Jones

Extinction Point by Paul Antony Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: 47North


Summary:  Reporter Emily Baxter has a great job, an apartment in Manhattan, and a boyfriend she loves. All that changes the day the red rain falls from a cloudless sky. Just hours after the first reports from Europe, humanity is on the brink of extinction, wiped from the face of the earth in a few bloody moments, leaving Emily alone in an empty city. As she struggles to grasp the magnitude of her situation, Emily becomes the final witness to the end of our world… and the birth of a terrifying new one. 

The world she knew and loved is dead and gone. Now Emily must try to find a way out of New York as the truth behind the red rain is revealed: the earth no longer belongs to humanity.

Review: Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



One of my favorite genres is historical fiction but the Tudor reign is not my absolute favorite time or place to immerse myself (Southern Europe, Egypt, House of Este, Borgias, Cleopatra, etc, is where I like most to linger). Even so, I have to say that this was a very engaging read. There's no need to rehash the main players here but I did find the take on the Thomases fairly addictive & fascinating. I must admit that like others, I had to get used to the "he" pronoun in the narration. I've not come across that device much (maybe I've seen it once before) but certainly not in so long a work. Once I got it, I felt it was a more personal way of existing with Thomas & it worked for me. I was really taken with the story & once I got about 60% in, I ended up reading all night to finish. I'll have to read "Bringing Up the Bodies" & won't leave it as long as I did this one.



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Review: Mystic City

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



More like a 3.5.

This was a terrifically light read with great world-building (which accounts for it being a page-turner for me) & stock characters.

I space out my YA reads because I need distance to avoid the sameness I start to see if I read them in close succession. So, I had been waiting a while to get to this one & it's lovely cover. It wasn't a bad story but the character development was fairly soft. Usually, I find characters to be the more interesting thing in stories & find world-building to be lacking, especially in YA dystopian tales. Mystic City was the opposite. The world-building & politics was my favorite aspect of the story & the characters (especially the mains, Aria & Hunter) were basically stock & left a lot to be desired in the depth department. Odder still, the main characters that I should care most about, Aria & Hunter, I care least about. Basically, they're just my means to an end of getting to hear about everything else. Of course that means that their love story, is mostly irrelevant to me (though I do think tween & even teen girls will adore it).

I wanted to know more about virtually everyone else in the story. Thomas (more interesting than I think the writer intended), Kyle, Davida, Kiki, Bennie, both sets of parents, Violet, Elissa, Benedict. You get the point. Aria can only be excused for part of her blandness as she has selective amnesia. Ostensibly she never had a deep thought, question or clue of anything in her world before her amnesia set in but now that it has, she's just a lightning rod for finding everything & everyone so unsatisfying & stifling. It's laughable & annoying altogether. I didn't so much root for her as tolerate her to get information on what's happening in the story. Apparently, all Aria's girlfriends are first class twits too (the writing of them is so heavy handed to make them unlikable) but she was close to them before her "accident" so I can only assume that Aria too was a socially scathing twit until she met the awesome that is Hunter & he changed her whole outlook to the point that she needed her mind wiped. Aria seems to be another YA heroine in a long line of them that has friends she regards almost contemptibly yet they seem never to tire of her & think she's irrefutably wonderful. They always invite her out, throw her parties, simper when they don't receive her adoration in kind, their calls & texts go unanswered by her & yet they never really call her out for ignoring them & she never has to display any sort of interest in their lives because she's so self-involved. I ask myself for the millionth time, where does one find friends like these? I only hear of them in books & they never resemble any of the friendships I've had with my girlfriends as a teen or an adult woman. A conundrum, to be sure.

In other character oddities, Aria also takes that a guy hasn't shaved for the day & has a hint of stubble as meaning he has an air of danger & trouble about him. This would be less stupid if she didn't also know that her father is a criminal overlord, clean shaven & impeccably coiffed & she's lived with gun toting, hulking bodyguards her entire life. Sadly, Aria racks up more inconsistencies & I don't have the inclination to list the rest here. Hunter has a lot to go to get real cred as the story's "bad boy" because currently, it's basically his zip code that clinches it for him & not his actual personality, such as it is or his actions. If the author couldn't be bothered to give him layers, then neither can I care too deeply.

Two bores together do not a blistering (or interesting) love story make & that's just what we are given in Aria & Hunter. Mary & Gary Stu in bland bliss with all the Deux Ex Machina luck that comes with the assignation. They fit in the slots well enough but there's nothing even remotely new here. There's no real triangle angst even with Thomas in the mix & I really didn't feel any tension or moral outrage about Gretchen on Aria's behalf. She had Stu, I mean Hunter, so no big deal. I don't care if they refer to themselves as Romeo & Juliet, this is no soul stirring retelling of The Bard. And, they're still alive at the end of the story so... again, no.

I'll read the next because I want to know more about the aftermath of the showdown in the Depths & I think the author's way with world-building (the description of the mystic's power is very well done) is worth reading another. Maybe there'll be some decent people to be found in the Aeries other than the sainted Aria. You know, other wealthy people working to support the cause of freedom & equality. Surely the inhabitants above are no more a monolith than the people in the Depths. There needs to be a lot more grey and less White Hat/Black Hat happening for me to really buy into this having a tight plot. I'm going to hope Aria & Hunter turn it up on the interesting metre also.



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Review: When Empires Fall

When Empires Fall by Katie Jennings

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I really enjoyed this family saga. Grant/Quinn were really the heart of the story for me & the characters I most invested in. The close runners up are Madison & Kennedy. Madison & her relationship with Cyrus is deliciously twisted & I look forward to seeing where Madison's allegiance to him takes her in the next installment of the series. I'm quite interested in Kennedy mostly because she is so little mentioned in comparison to the other siblings but is often mentioned to be most like the ill-fated Win. Charlene is still very one-dimensional for me but she has potential. I honestly never became invested in Linc/Lynette. Linc is fairly flat as a character as a counter to his brother Grant & Lynette is always referred to as a "girl" not a woman (as the other women in the story are) so I had some difficulty seeing her as a woman involved with a 27-28 year old man. Their angst was all related to her parents & felt like over-wrought teenage drama. I wasn't sure what the author was trying to convey (was it ingenue vitality & innocence because she's a prima ballerina or some "just legal" status?) but it just felt off in the telling.

The murder mystery (or murders, really) are a compelling angle of the story & even if the details to the triple homicide seemed a bit pat, I liked it. More than anything, I just want to see what the knowledge of the circumstance will bring out in the characters next. And finally, who left Madison that note at the end? I can't wait to find out & what the Queen will do when she finds out.



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Review: World of Shell and Bone

World of Shell and Bone by Adriana Ryan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I came across this book in my Amazon recommendations & the title & cover caught my eye. I downloaded the sample & as soon as I'd finished reading it, I bought the book. I had to know where this was going to go. I am happy to say that I enjoyed where it did go & I've found out that there's going to be another book to follow, so I'm looking forward to that.

There were some things that didn't seem very fleshed out & the progression of time was hard to get a handle on (save one instance where the fact that two weeks have passed is mentioned at the outset of a chapter). There certainly was no insta-love between Vika & Shale & it is shown that they do have feelings that are deeper than the original matching of them but to have refer to him as the man she loves was a bit jarring. Up to that point, she had never made any sense of her feelings & expressed mostly wonder at them. She lives in a society in which there are no "boyfriends" & no opportunity to have crushes on the opposite sex, so I didn't know how she made that leap. It's never even established that she's had a girlfriend so that she has some knowledge of experience with romantic love. Still, that .

Vika also seemed to pick up a few "skills" out of nowhere (driving the bus) & was strangely lacking in others. She's given a pistol but has no knowledge or experience using them, yet it is not a concern in any way to her or thought that she should maybe ask someone how to use it (how she gets it back after Drew takes it from her is also a mystery). We're told often that the matriarchal society in which she lives is one that sees men as inferior & inherently dangerous physically but it does not appear that any of the women have taken the time to learn basic skills of self-defense, just in case. I had to wonder how that planned infiltration & takeover of China is really going to go down successfully. Part of me loved that after repeated situations that turned more complex & not quite what was told to her, Vika had an openness & willingness to trust that remained. It seemed nice even if it were also foolhardy. Just as a facet of self-preservation, I wanted her to be more critical & circumspect & not keep thinking that things would just work out. I wanted her to be a planner & take on more of her own agency to reach her goal instead of relying on what others told her. But, this is just the first book & she grew quite a bit, so I temper my expectations.

Even so, there were many moments that I found fascinating, endearing & memorable. Vika's interactions with her mother, Mica & Ceres are all wonderful & the characters shine. I almost felt some sympathy for Vika's mother when she's rendered as the poster child of futility in their society. I never stopped wanting to know more about Mica because his appearances were always reminders that his life has been as much a mystery to Vika as it is to me. I was just glad Ceres turned up alive & Vika found her and their interactions were truly special. The scene where Vika braids Ceres's hair & the other girls with flowers really struck me as beautiful. I really wanted some vicious retribution to come Moon's way early on (she was a great character) & it only increased when she reappeared at the end of the story (though how she goes from administrative code enterer at BoTA to qualified for heading up a group of acid hose toting Maintenance workers sent to clear up the "secret" camp in the desert many hours outside of Ursa is still a mystery. Moon displayed calculating vitriol & opportunism not leadership & trustworthiness.) The ending isn't a typical cliff-hanger & could serve as a good ending to a stand-alone story but it did leave me wanting to see what will happen next in Vika & her companions' journey.



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Review: The Wild Rose

The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The melodrama of the Finnegan siblings comes to a close in this third installment of the trilogy. I have to admit that while I'm satisfied with the ending, this did not rank as highly for me as the first book. Like the others, this one is well written & filled with lush detail. I liked Willa very much initially but there was so much back & forth with she & Seamie that I honestly began not to care (especially because I figured the formula for the prior two books would prevail & starcrossed lovers would get their happy ending). The happy ending is a bit more bittersweet for Seamie & Willa but it exists nonetheless. I had true care for Jennie but she lost me when she & Josie embarked on their scheme. I lost a lot of respect for Jennie & knew (per the prior two books) that the trope would play out in such a way that she would lose everything. So that, much like a lot of the story, was just waiting for the inevitable. There were also what have now in the series become, reliable conveniences to make things work out or not. This being the third installment & the mains being less endearing, it plays out as more unforgivable contrivance than the same did in "The Tea Rose". Also, there's enough reference to the happenings in the second book (& some of the first) that one really can skip the middle book & not miss much.

All that said, I did find this one more enjoyable than the second in the series. In the end, the "Rose" that could never be compared or magic recaptured was Fiona. Ingrid nor Willa ever matched my interest in her & Joe's story. I did like that Fiona & Joe were carried through in all the books, I think they provided a much needed anchor.



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Review: The Winter Rose

The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



This is the first book that I've finished of 2013 & I hate to say it, but I didn't enjoy this book very much. Even Fiona & Joe couldn't save it for me. I never cared about India and as much as I tried I just wasn't engaged with Charlie. Maybe I never invested much in Charlie from the first book in the series & that hampered my enjoyment. The opium dens were depressing & while I liked the Parliamentary angle, it wasn't enough to save the story for me. I never felt the same romance for Charlie/Ingrid as I did for Fiona/Joe. I slogged through & the best thing that I can say is that I'm glad it's over. So put off was I by this second book, I did something that I never do with series, I began the next one while I was still reading this one. I'm really enjoying the third.



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Review: The Tea Rose

The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Oh, the melodrama! It's soaptastic! I'm usually a much more cynical chica but I have to admit that I loved this story. I rooted for Fiona & was worried and sad when things went from awry to totally off the rails for her. I cheered when things turned around & held my breath for the next catastrophe. Joe garnered my annoyance early on but I never got to full on hating him & have to admit that when he was missing from the story for long stretches, I was wondering & concerned about him. His major crime was having been hapless, naive & easily manipulated. He paid in deep dividends so I couldn't wish more ill on him. All in all, I was pulling for a "Happily Ever After" & I'm not usually one who pines for those. This was the first I've read of Jennifer Donnelly but she was able to pull me in & play me from beginning to end.

For the most part, the rest of the cast of characters were very well drawn. I especially adored Nicholas (his father was a particularly nasty piece of work), Seamie, the Munroes & Uncle Michael. I didn't feel much investment in Will. He just felt like a temporary character (along with his family) meant to propel the plot. Like Fiona, I was dialing it in & just passing the time while Will was around. Millie wasn't well fleshed out & I didn't like her but I kept wondering why she was the way she was. Still, when she was gone, I was glad. All the characters tied to Burton & the union were okay but if I'm honest, I wasn't really into them much. They provided a particular counterpoint in the story but that aside, I didn't find them especially compelling. I thought the Ripper angle would factor in more but I don't mind that it didn't.

This was not my usual historical fiction read but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was long, played some common tropes & strung out the starcrossed lovers theme to the point I thought it would break. And somehow, it all worked for me. I never stopped caring, kept turning the pages & hoping for the best. It's not deep or revelatory but it definitely engaged me. The setup for the next installment was handled deftly, so I'm looking forward to it & I enjoyed the preview of "The Winter Rose" in the paperback version I read. I recognized the mains quickly. I must say that I'm sorry it took me so long to read this one but I'm thrilled that I finally have.



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Review: Beyond Shame

Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Dystopian erotica novel. I did like the setting but I kept wanting to know more about the world Noelle came from. Eden sounded like an interesting place & we're given mentions & clues but nothing really substantial to really set the place. Maybe that will come in the rest of the series. For the most part, this story takes place in the place outside of the utopian enclave city Eden & is mostly a sex fest. There's nothing wrong with that (it's fairly hot) but I was looking for a bit more substance in the world building. Because that wasn't what is given, I must admit that I had a bit of a difficult time connecting to Noelle fully & her moments of internal conflict. She'd think to hedge for a second & blush at the scandal of her feelings (or at least scandal & scorn that would have applied in Eden) but that never prompted hesitation in her actions once she fell in with the O'Kanes. While that was fun, it was a little hard to take whatever stifling life she had in Eden leading up to her exile, seriously. She shrugged it off mostly so I couldn't care about it much no matter how many times it was referenced. Just because it's repeated that it was oppressive & sheltered & a sham, doesn't make it real. But I never stopped wanting to care more deeply & so I kept reading. I thought Noelle & Jas definitely had sexual chemistry but I didn't feel romance between them. I'm not sure I was supposed to get romance from them, so I didn't find that a hinderance to my enjoyment.

This is definitely good for a fun, quick read. Definitely read it if you're looking for something steamy. Not so much for the world-building & deep character development. I'd likely read the next in the series because I'm interested in where this is going & of course, am curious to know more about Eden.



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Review: Before She Dies

Before She Dies by Rita Herron

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is a short prequel to the Slaughter Creek series. We meet the parents of twins, Sadie & Amelia & have basically the set up to the main story that comes in the first book. I enjoyed this but it was very short & ends at a pivotal point. I was so surprised that it stopped where it did that I yelled at my Kindle. Just when this one gets good, it's over. The next book is supposed to pick up 25 years after events in this short with Sadie as our lead character, so I can only figure this cliff hanger (forgive the pun) remains such & is just finished off in flashback or something. It'll be a bit of a tough wait for the next installment. I'd recommend this if you are going right into the next in the series or if you don't mind a little frustration.



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Review: Her Royal Spyness

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Being a minor royal isn't easy...

I read the introductory novella e-special to begin this series & this is the first actual book in the series. I have to admit that it's a very easy read & that was part of the charm & draw I had to the series. Georgie is delightful & very funny. I was thrilled when Darcy finally showed up & as he was prominently featured in the short, I already liked him & was rooting for he & Georgie. I also was pretty sure that he wasn't the threat or shady dealer Tristram cautioned Georgie about. I imagine that if I hadn't read the novella, my opinion on Darcy would have been more of a question mark. Just the same, I enjoyed Georgie's perspective coming to know him.

The main mystery (HRH is worried about Mrs.Simpson) is done well enough & isn't too serious. This is cozy not some deep dark mystery but I must admit that everything else was so well done that I never felt that aspect was taking too long in its arrival. Georgie embarking on a career as a maid that opens up houses was fun as well as dealing with Binky (a chore in and of itself) & the real murder mystery that is tied to Castle Rannoch's ownership. I liked Georgie's Granddad & wanted to set her mother's hair on fire as she was such a pain. I will read the rest of this series for sure (I already own the next two books in the series) & recommend this for a good book to bring along when travelling or over a weekend. Lots of fun.



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Review: Beyond the Stars: Kataria

Beyond the Stars: Kataria by Kelly Beltz

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is a scifi adventure with some romance & I think I liked it. Okay, I liked the scifi adventure part more than the romance. The beginning really dragged for me as we get to know about Sami's life before this big trip to the space resort that she's embarking on. It was a big flashback of her life from her first day at work on the project to the moment we meet her in the opening. It documented her meeting her husband, getting married & having a family well enough but it wasn't very exciting. It was sweet though. Also, there are bits about the progress of the project to make the space resort, so it did help to keep me engaged & interested enough. After reaching about 24% of the way through though, the adventure kicks in & it's a fun & quick paced ride. I have to admit that there were many times that I read something and thought "What? Oh, come on, that's convenient" but all those moments did move the plot along at a good enough pace that I wanted to continue reading. I liked the writer's style & felt that for a story told in the first person, it was pretty good & didn't get bogged down. Because of the POV, I could overlook that in some instances I didn't feel much for the other characters. We're told everything, so there's not very much "show" going on. Overall, I liked it well enough once it got going. I have the second book in the series on my Kindle & will read that as well.



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Review: Masked Ball at Broxley Manor

Masked Ball at Broxley Manor by Rhys Bowen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I am embarking on this series & thought I'd begin with this introductory novella. It was perfect in that it told an intriguing little mystery (who was that masked man that danced with & kissed Georgie?) & gave me enough of a sample of the main character's voice to make me want to know more. I liked the insert of Wallis Simpson & wonder if she makes another appearance in the series. I am already taken with Darcy O'Mara & am pulling for he & Georgie. I find Fig insufferable & wonder what it is that Binky sees in her. I liked the pace & tone of this short & can't wait for the first three books in the series that I've ordered to arrive in the post.



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Review: The Force of Wind

The Force of Wind by Elizabeth Hunter

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Not as great as the first two but still a good installment in this series. I did find Giovanni's tendency to lose all rational sense where Beatrice was concerned to be a bit tedious. He wasn't very much like that in the first two books & this time around it all centered on Beatrice taking steps to become more independent in her abilities to learn to protect herself. Paranoia, whiny & over-bearing doesn't translate very well as strength of love to me, so it put me off just a bit. I was glad that Beatrice didn't suffer him and went ahead with whatever she was going to do anyway & told him he was being a dolt. I did tire a bit of her bravado when she clearly had no ability to win or even a plan. Her mouth ran ahead of her brain & physical capability more than it did in the last book. And then there's the relationship between Giovanni & Beatrice. Their couplehood is solid so there's really nothing that I read as a real threat. Not even Baojia. I didn't see the point of the pseudo-flirtation with a triangle. There seemed to be more romance & one on one bonding in this book and honestly, it started to get a little formulaic. After the third declaration of eternal love & "balance in this life & any life" in a vampire story, I've kinda had enough with the trope. I'm starting to want one of them to die in book 4, just to have the perverse thrill of the opposite or at least a very bittersweet, short union. I did like that there weren't just easy wins & smooth sailing when it came to vampire showdowns.

I missed Carwyn's presence a lot and hope he's featured a lot in the final book. Stephen was great to finally meet & get to know (& sad to see depart). Everything about Tenzin is interesting, as always. They mystery of the book & the alchemist's immortality formula is still running & as before, I wanted more of that in this book. It was interesting to spend so much time in the court at Penglai & I liked all the political intrigue. I'm hoping Rome is the big deal in the last book, because Livia... I think there's a story there.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. It took me a little longer to get through than the others but that's probably because I know what I'm looking for in the resolution department and I want to get there already.



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Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I have had this trilogy on my bookshelf long enough & decided to jump in and read it. I must admit that I have mixed feelings for this first book. It's well written and kept me consistently interested but I also feel that not much happened overall. It's historical fiction but the tone of the narrator's voice and some of the phrases she used, felt very modern. I don't think that was an accident and wonder if it was done because this is a YA novel to make it more relatable. I read my fair share of historical fiction novels and this is not something I'm used to seeing. I also worked out the secret fairly early that took Gemma quite some time to suss out. As this is a YA read, I'm not really dissatisfied with that. The way it unfolded for Gemma read credibly.

I enjoyed Gemma. She had a quick wit and also had a decent enough depth of character that following her through the story was enjoyable. I thought the circle of friends, Felicity, Pippa & Ann was an interesting dynamic because the girls are at a far off boarding school, so it's more like a lifeboat situation than it is a flowery bonding with kindred spirits thing. Because of this, I thought the friends/frienemy aspect rang true. The girls were kind, vicious, jealous, needy, simpering & cloying all at different intervals as they tried to work out their positions in the group. It was uncomfortably real in some exchanges and I thought, well done. I did like that all the girls had very much in common the painful absence of parents and family. They've all been sent away to be shaped and groomed into proper standard bearers to deeply flawed families. Ironic.

The thread of the story that has to do with Gemma and her new found ability seemed to get a bit of short shrift in the explanation & unfolding the mystery department. It really comes together in the last third of the book. There are two more books, so I'm not worried that the main will be lost on that one. The Order, the Rakshana & the malevolent Circe have my attention and I want to know more. I am also interested in how the friendships of the girls will evolve now that one is not with them & I'd like to know more about Kartik.

Overall, this felt like a solid set up for a series. The next two books are longer so I'm assuming that bodes well. I do have to say that I quite like Libba Bray's writing style. It's worth a read, just for that.



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Review: This Same Earth

This Same Earth by Elizabeth Hunter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A great second entry into this series & no typos here. The story picks up and we find that Giovanni as exiled himself from Beatrice's life by pretty much freezing her out. He sends her occasional plane tickets to visit the house in Chile but he never responds to her messages or anything. This goes on for five, almost six years. It's hard on Beatrice but we get to see her grow in many ways & that was great. Her interests, confidence, career & personal relationships flourish in a good way, even though she hasn't forgotten Giovanni. Her hurt was well crafted & with that pulling against her growth, it was bittersweet to read. I really loved that.

Then Giovanni returns & most of the story is about the two reconnecting as friends and moving forward to more. Again, as in the first book, this all feels very organic and real. The depth to the characters doesn't falter here and I was glad of that. I was hoping for more action & involvement in the search for Stephen, Lorenzo's return & they mystery of the books but there are two more installments so I can live with it. They mystery is very engaging & I can't get enough of that. That alone is quite the page-turner for me.

Carywn was fantastic & is one of my favorites of the supporting characters. Deidre was fascinating as well & certainly provided a good bit of perspective for Beatrice. The addition of Benjamin caught me by surprise because I so quickly found him a needed character. I like the added dimension he adds to Giovanni. We know Giovanni raised Caspar but now in this book we get to see him in this capacity & that was quite nice. The epilogue actually made me teary.

I have the next book on my Kindle already so... must get on to that.



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Review: A Hidden Fire

A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This has to be one of the most impressive indie books I've read. On story alone, I'd give this 5 stars. The only reason I'm holding to 4 (or 4.5) is because there are about 30 typos sprinkled throughout and I have to keep myself honest on my criteria. This is damned close to perfect though.

I am absolutely enamoured of the entire vampire mythology presented here and it drew me right in. There are plenty of vampire books around but this didn't feel like one of those "so inspired by something else that it was distracting". This felt like its own story. The elements being an aspect of the vampire characteristics was fascinating, as well. I was completely caught up in the research/librarian aspect of the story as I've always had "archivist" as my dream job. I pretty much squeed reading that the second level of Giovanni's manse was a library. I knew Beatrice was a kindred when she told him that given the choice between the company of the hot PhD & the library, the library wins. Every time. *sigh* The mystery of the papers, books & where Stephen was just made for a great read & smoothly propelled the story along.

The characters are great and I must admit that as much as I think Lorenzo is a vile, twisted little blood-sucker, I love him! He's a worthy adversary for Giovanni. And Giovanni is a great main male character. His whole dark & brooding didn't go overboard and neither did his alpha male (re: general jerkdom). He was very easy for me to like even when I didn't like what he was doing. Beatrice is a fantastic heroine with wit, strength and sensibility. I was very happy that she came across as a grown woman who didn't just lose her ability to reason because Giovanni was the hot, wealthy, worldy PhD. It was refreshing. This also made the relationship between the two feel organic and on pace. There's no insta-love for no tangible reason or declarations of eternal love out of nowhere and for that I was grateful. They had normal conversations about things and got to know one another as the reader gets to know them. They spoke and reacted as normally as I could imagine people would given the circumstances. I also enjoyed that Giovanni (who literally has nothing but time) was keenly aware of how young Beatrice was. I liked that he had respect for her living her own life and didn't take any action to subsume hers into his just to have her. And Beatrice kept her senses about her and beyond her feelings for Giovanni, she never forgot her grandmother or her PhD program. She never forgot her dreams & plans. I liked the maturity both displayed. It made for a bittersweet romance. It felt honest and not just like they were props for the plot. I loved their attraction and of course, am pulling for them but I like where this installment ends for them. The remainder of the characters, Carwyn, Isadora, Tenzin & even Doyle, the cat, were extremely enjoyable & very well drawn. I can't wait to get back to them all.

I already have the second book on my Kindle, so I need to get on to reading that. Like, now.



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