To Kill a Badger by Shelly Laurenston: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

To Kill a Badger by Shelly Laurenston

This is book six in the Honey Badger Chronicles of a group of borderline insane honey badger shifter women who wreak international havoc when they’re not playing basketball. In this book, the last of the women, Nelle Zhao, the youngest daughter of a rich and influential Hong Kong honey badger family, finds her mate in Keane Malone, a Siberian tiger shifter who only cares about football, his family, and getting revenge on de Medici lion shifter coalition. Not necessarily in that order.

In the previous book, de Medicis released a drug that can kill honey badger shifters who are pretty much indestructible otherwise. In retaliation, Charlie, the oldest of the women, delivered a message, the dead body of the de Medici head of the family. In this book, de Medicis retaliate. Too bad they go after the wrong group of insane honey badgers. Now the previous generation is involved too.

Nelle, the fixer, needs to fix things before an all-out war breaks out—or before Charlie meddles again, because she’s not subtle. She heads to France to negotiate with influential honey badgers to form a coalition against de Medicis, and takes Keane with her. Things don’t go exactly smoothly, but the two end up bonding.

This was a great book, maybe the best in the series. Like always, there are several POV characters, some for only a half a chapter or less. Several things happen at once, but they were fairly easy to follow for a change. And as always, things were chaotic and bat-shit crazy, as some characters enjoy stirring shit. (Looking at you, Max.) The crones were highly annoying, but unlike in the previous book where they were just thrown at the reader who hadn’t read their series, they were properly introduced and given their separate identities.

Romance isn’t the driving force of the plot and is mostly on the background, like in the earlier books. However, the couple actually spends a lot of time together here and the reader can follow their bond forming. Nelle and Keane made a really good couple and their chemistry felt real, so that by the time they end up in bed together, it feels earned. Nelle wasn’t half as annoying as she’s appeared to be in earlier books and Keane was absolutely delightful for a grumpy, constantly angry tiger. Theirs might be a true union, unlike the other girls’ whose mates basically ended up as background characters the women barely interact with.

I think this is the last book. All the women have now found their mates and the Malones have had their revenge. If that is the case, the series ends with a high note and leaves things in a good place. However, the ending sets the stage for a new story, so there could be a spin-off in the making too. I would love to read that, or anything the author writes under her two names (I’m still waiting for more Crows), as no one does insanely violent women like Laurenston/Aiken.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, Vol. 1 (light novel) by singNsong: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint vol 1 by SingNsong

The original Korean light novel of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint by SingNsong (a writing duo pseudonym) is finally available in print and ebook in English. I’ve read the manhwa serialisation on Webtoon (first seven volumes are also available in print in English), so I was familiar with the story and characters going in.

Dokja Kim (Kim Dokja in original Korean; all the names have been westernised for some annoying reason) is an unimpressive office worker in his late twenties. The sole solace in his joyless life is a serialised novel Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse, which he has read over a decade, most of it as its sole reader. After three thousand chapters, the book has come to an end, and just as he wonders what he’s supposed to do next, the world ends.

The end isn’t random or a complete destruction. Humanity finds itself as participants in a universe-wide reality show for the amusement of Constellations, god-like beings who observe the show through thousands of channels somewhere in the universe. The show is deadly and very unfair. But Kim Dokja immediately realises he knows how the show is run. Because he’s been reading about it the past ten years.

Armed with the knowledge of the story and the rules of the new world, he sets out to survive. And from the very first scenario given to humans through game interfaces, he starts to change the story.

The first volume sets the scene, completes the first deadly scenario and starts the second. The scenarios are run by goblins who are hosts of the channels, their sole interest to amuse the gods and making as much money of them as they can. The gods interfere by claiming favourite players and paying in coins for interesting events.

From the start, Kim Dokja gains the attention of the gods, not least because he knows how to game the game. He also gathers a small group of people around him who all will play a great role in the story later. He doesn’t do it solely for kindness though. He does it to survive.

The manhwa adaptation is fairly faithful to the light novel. Not much is left out. There’s not much to leave out anyway. The narrative is fast-paced and sparce. Kim Dokja’s thoughts are portrayed well in the adaptation too.

The only difference I noted from the beginning is the way the second main character, Yu Junghyeok (Junghyeok Yu in English version), the original lead of TWSA novel, is portrayed. He's a regressor who has lived through the scenarios many times over, starting from the beginning every time he dies and getting stronger and more inhuman in every round. Kim Dokja makes clear in his inner thoughts that he’s afraid of Yu Junghyeok and sees him as a monster, though he admires him too. We also get Yu Junghyeok’s inner thoughts, which we seldom get in the manhwa. It adds an interesting layer to the novel.

The bromance between the pair is a fan-favourite that’s absent from the manhwa. I don’t know if it’ll develop later in the series, but it’s not here yet. Yu Junghyeok is absent most of the story anyway.

This was a good, fast-paced read, and a morally very grey story. Kim Dokja is the hero, but he’s not heroic or good in a sense we expect heroes to be. Side characters didn’t really become their own persons here yet, but as we learned, Kim Dokja’s abilities and knowledge of the story gives him insight into them too.

The layout with several different fonts, one of which was very difficult to read, made it visually busy. I also missed character profiles at the beginning—or end—of the book, like in the manhwa. And I don’t usually judge the cover, but I think the publisher could’ve gone with a better one. This one doesn’t reflect the story at all. There’s a long way for the characters to go yet, and even though I know how the story goes, I’d like to read the original version too.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Manhwa cover of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. Art by Sleepy-C.

 

Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovitch: review

3/5 stars on Goodreads

Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovich

This is already book 10 in the main Rivers of London series, on top of which there are some in-between books and comics that I haven’t all read. There’s a two-year time jump between this and book 9, and Peter’s twins that were born at the end of the previous book are now two years old and a handful.

Peter and Bev are on a holiday in Aberdeen of all places, and they’ve taken half the Folly, his parents and his dad’s jazz band with them. They end up camping in the garden of a colleague of Dr Walid, who has sent Walid samples of a dead sheep killed by something that’s not native to Scotland. Walid’s there to investigate.

Peter’s holiday starts well, with beach days with his family while Nightingale and Abigail investigate the mysterious animal and his dad performs with his band. But when an assault victim turns out to have gills, he’s called in to consult the local police. It leads to a full-blown investigation of not only a murder but a missing person, a summoner of weird creatures, a crooked oil company, and forced labour of people who are not quite human.

Meanwhile, Abigail and Nightingale investigate what turns out to be a black leopard, but not quite. They’re not the only people after the creature. A young woman is hunting it too. Abigail is instantly attracted and the two end up having a nice holiday romance. And it turns out, Ione isn’t quite human either.

This was a nice holiday read but not among the best Rivers of London books. I’m not entirely sure it was even a very good book. For one, the structure where both Peter and Abigail had their POV chapters left both their stories lacking. Admittedly, neither of them had enough to do to fill the entire book, but the separation of the storylines didn’t form a satisfying whole. Abigail is also in mourning of someone, but since I haven’t read the book where the death took place, I wasn’t entirely invested, though the grief felt real.

There were too many characters with nothing to do. Peter’s dad and his band were probably supposed to be the comic relief, but all their scenes turned out to be fillers. I don’t think Richard said a word, at least not in direct dialogue. Peter’s mom at least was given a role as a cook and a babysitter, but she didn’t contribute much to the story either. Nightingale, likewise, was underused. Abigail would ditch him constantly, and then call him to help, after which his contribution was covered with a couple of lines. The solutions to the mysteries were mostly accidental.

The narrative as a whole was heavy on telling and not showing, which gave it a slightly distant feel. It was bogged down by description of everything in Aberdeen, but like always, not the main characters. I always find this irking. I read a lot and can’t remember what the main characters of a series I’ve last read three years ago look like, and as six years has gone since the start of the series, there must’ve been changes. Abigail, for one, is no longer a little girl. The stakes were low throughout, the bad guys were mostly human, and nothing blew up. Peter had almost no role in solving things. And there were a few plot holes that were ignored.

The rest is very spoilery, so stop reading here if you haven’t read the book yet.

Here are some plot holes that bugged me after I’d finished. Who ransacked the home and office of the missing woman and why, if they thought she was dead and her contribution for the work was done already? Why did the people who rescued her lock her up when it would’ve been in their interest to let her go to the police? How were the selkies captured when they appeared to be very powerful and also so secretive that other water creatures didn’t even know about them? Why did the panther roam the forests if it was summoned in the city? If it was summoned by using the circle in the forest, why was it covered in a century’s worth of soil? If it was the same panther that had roamed there for centuries, why would they assume that it would go away once the summoner was dealt with?

These aren’t necessarily serious issues, but combined with the narrative as a whole, it gives a notion that the book was a holiday work for the author too. Nevertheless, it entertained me enough to give it three stars, maybe even 3,5 rounded down. And I’m not ready to give up Peter and his gang. But I’m hoping for a more substantial story next time round.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh

Primal Mirror is already eighth book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity spin-off series, 23rd in the overall series. The formula has remained the same from the beginning: the romance is set against the backdrop of the politics of the complicated near-future world that threatens the happily ever after. In the original series, the Psy were unchallenged overlords, but in the spin-off, they’re about to go extinct, their annihilation imminent in this book.

Remi Denier is a leopard changeling and the alpha of RainFire pack he’s started. The new pack doesn’t have a high position yet, but they have good connections with powerful groups. He has some trauma in his backstory, but he’s mostly worked them through and they don’t dominate his life or actions. All in all, a mature character and a great romantic hero.

Auden Scott is the daughter of the two worst councillors of the former ruling coalition of the Psys. They hadn’t been above experimenting with their child’s brain in order to give her a more active Psy trait than the one she was born with, which has caused her a permanent brain damage. After her parents’ death, she’s supposedly in charge of the family assets, but she’s all but a prisoner, suffering from memory losses. And she’s pregnant, with no recollection of giving consent to the IVF treatment (the Psy way to procreate).

The two meet by chance, and he’s instantly intrigued by her. She doesn’t know if she can trust him, but as her pregnancy progresses, her mind starts to clear—after a fashion. Because it soon becomes evident, that there are two minds inside her head competing for dominance, a deadly condition for a Psy. But she’s determined to protect her child, and so she decides to put her trust in Remi.

This was a good story. The conspiracy surrounding Auden was complicated and the medical problems weren’t easily solved. The romance progressed slowly, due to her pregnancy and mental condition, but it was lovely. The pack dynamics that are the salt of the series were wonderful, with great new characters introduced for future romances. Kit made an appearance, as did Kaleb. The final battle was rather quick, and the tension among the Psy about their impending mass extinction event didn’t quite come through, as if the ordinary people weren’t aware of it at all. The way it was once again postponed was a bit of a deus ex machina solution, but it worked for the book. Overall, the book left me warm and fuzzy, just like I hoped. This is one of my favourite series and looks like I won’t have to give it up any time soon.

An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka: review

3/5 stars on Goodreads

An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka

An Inheritance of Magic starts a new series of the same name by Jacka. It’s set in present-day London where the world of magic called drucraft is semi-hidden from ordinary humans—though I don’t see how it’s stayed hidden, considering its importance to institutions like NASA and the military.

Stephen Oakwood is in his early twenties and without a direction in life. He’s had a series of odd jobs to stay afloat after his father disappeared a couple of years earlier, and affinity to magic. But without money, he hasn’t been able to do anything he truly wants, like trying to locate his father (his mother has left when he was a baby) or improve his skills in magic.

Out of the blue, a young woman shows up and tells him he’s connected to one of the important families in the magic world he knows absolutely nothing about. She needs him as leverage in an in-house inheritance battle, but when it turns out he might be more powerful in magic than her, things turn violent. It’s the jolt he’s needed to find his focus. Abandoning everything else, he focuses on his drucraft to be able to defend himself in case her violent thugs return—which they do.

This was a mixed read. I almost abandoned it at the beginning when it took its time to get to the point. It picked up pace and became interesting, if a bit action movie cliched, when a loved one’s (cat in this case) horrific fate pushed the protagonist to action. In a true action movie fashion, Stephen decides he needs physical strength and armaments in order to take down his enemies, even though he is told that he might focus on outsmarting them instead. What follows is the classical training montage. Only, it takes the rest of the book.

There really is no proper plot, just Stephen learning drucraft. At no point is he moving the story forward to direction he needs to go (the half-hearted attempts to locate his father don’t count); he’s only reacting to events. The plot about succession battle in the House Ashworth happens behind the scenes, and the entire book is preparation to something that never comes. Stephen is given a chance to best a few thugs, followed by a slap on a wrist by the grownups, and sent to home to sulk. And that’s the end.

Nevertheless, I persisted to the end. I liked Stephen, even if he was a bit of a sulky baby in his dealings with other people, especially women. His love for his cat made up for a lot. But I disagreed with his notion about what he needed. I never root for the strongest character but the smartest, and he’s never the smart one. The magic system was interesting with its limitations, and the narrative pulled me in easily. I might read the next book too, just to see if that one actually goes anywhere.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs

Fourteenth Mercy Thompson book is a good addition to the series and a welcome interlude after the previous book. Mercy is suffering from consequences of the artefact that took her over, and no one can help. But when her brother by the Coyote, Gary, needs her help, she puts her issues aside and heads to Montana with Adam.

An artefact has been stolen from the Frost Giant and until he gets it back, he’s going to bury the mountains in snow. That’s not even the worst part: if the ritual where the artifact is needed isn’t performed, the world will end. No pressure.

Despite the high stakes, the case is relatively easy to handle for a change. There isn’t an overwhelming evil to kill and even the main adversary is a fairly benign creature. It takes a bit of a toll on Mercy nonetheless, but she has good help too.

On top of the main story, there are random side stories that don’t seem to have any importance, and minor characters’ points of view glimpses. They add to the length of the book, but don’t really offer anything to the overall story, except maybe the one about Sherwood. My only gripe is that despite it taking place in Montana, not a single member of Bran’s pack made an appearance. All in all, a less intense but interesting addition to the series.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hell for Hire by Rachel Aaron: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Hell for Hire by Rachel Aaron

Hell for Hire starts a new Tear Down Heaven UF series. It’s set in a modern-day Seattle and a world where humans are ignorant about the supernatural around them. It’s not a fun or good world for non-humans. 5000 years ago, Gilgamesh conquered the Paradise that held both heaven and hell, killed its rulers and enslaved all demons. Magic is strictly regulated for warlocks and sorcerers. Only Blackwood witches hiding inside magical forests are allowed to do free magic. And they’re all women.

Adrian Blackwood has been given to warlocks as a child to train with them, a concession Blackwood witches do to keep their freedom. But he escaped and trained as a witch, and the warlocks have hunted him ever since. He’s come to the other side of the States to Seattle to grow his own Blackwood forest, to lure the warlocks there and fight them once and for all.

He hires security that turns out to be four free demons who really shouldn’t exist, as all are enslaved by warlocks. Their leader, Bex, turns out to be more than meets the eye, and she draws the ire of the heavens on them too in addition to the warlocks. Fighting Gilgamesh is something she’s been doing for a long time, but for the first time, she has magical help.

This was a good start to a series. The world is interesting and based on a fresh mythology, and Adrian’s magic is fascinating. Adrian and Bex are great characters with backstories that were only brushed here. A romance may be building between them, but it’s only hinted at here. Side characters, Bex’s demon team and Adrian’s familiar Boston, remained a bit one-dimensional, but perhaps we get to know them better in following books.

Nevertheless, this didn’t hit me quite as hard as Aaron’s previous UF series set in post-apocalyptic Detroit. The pace was slow, the third person point of view was distancing, and there was no proper plot that the characters would be driving, just events. This is sort of a two-act book, where there is preparation for an event that is known from the start, and then the event, the final battle. No highs, lows, or turning points in between. It feels short an act and low on emotions.  The ending is good though, and sets the war to come. It’ll be interesting to see how the odd group pulls that off.

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Small Gods of Calamity by Sam Kyung Yoo: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Small Gods of Calamity by Ssam Kyung Yoo

Small Gods of Calamity is an urban fantasy/paranormal mystery set in modern Seoul, South Korea. Kim Han-gil is a homicide detective with a special ability to see spirits, both of the living and the dead. His reputation among his colleagues is bad because of it, and his partners never last. The latest has been with him for two weeks and is already showing signs of leaving, when they get a case that appears to be a suicide. Han-gil knows differently.

For years, he’s been hunting an evil spirit that caused his mother’s death. It moves from person to person, causing them to either kill people or themselves. From the police’s point of view, the crimes are separate, and it doesn’t help that other spiritualists can’t see the spirit either, so they’re not willing to help him. Only his adoptive sister, a powerful practitioner, is there for him.

This time, she arranges a partner for him—against his will. Shin Yoonhae, the only person who has survived the spirit. For Han-gil, he is someone to blame for his mother’s death. Yoonhae is a timid person greatly affected by his past and harsh words Han-gil has said to him when they were children. But when a sacrifice is needed, he’s willing to step in.

This was a great story; for a debut, it’s excellent. It’s not terribly long—I read it in one (looong) evening—and the mystery isn’t very complicated. But the world is interesting—I especially liked how Han-gil detected the spirits of living as sounds and smells—the characters with their complicated backstories are very likeable, and the narrative flows in an easy pace that keeps the reader’s attention. It’s mostly told from Han-gil’s point of view, but Yoonhae gets a few chapters too, broadening the backstory.

For a Korean society, it’s very inclusive, with bi and trans characters, and attention is paid to pronouns in a very natural way. More could’ve been done with Han-gil’s anxiety, but it’s the first book so maybe later. Korean society and culture weren’t very prominent either, it’s mostly about forms of address, but the author is American, which probably explains it.

The new partner, and the entire police force, was left out of the story rather easily. With him there, the tension between practitioners and people who know nothing about the spirits could’ve been stronger, but that had already happened in the backstory. But since things with him and Han-gil’s work were left open, it’s maybe something that’ll be explored in subsequent books. This was a good start for a mystery series, and I definitely hope there will be more.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Legacy of Temptation by Larissa Ione: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Legacy of Temptation by Larissa Ione

Legacy of Temptation starts a new Demonica spin-off series, Demonica Birthright. I’ve been reading these books since they first began to appear 16 years ago, and although this one has a 30-year time-jump, the complex world and the characters are the same, and everything felt familiar.

The premise is the same too: humans still hate and mistrust demons, and at the centre of the hatred and misinformation is the Aegis agency. It felt a bit dated—haven’t they learned anything in thirty years?—but the plot that was based on the hatred worked fine.

Demons have their own agency, DART, for fighting evil demons. An exchange program between the two brings humans in the middle of demons, and things don’t go well. The focus is on Logan, the son of one of the four horsemen, Thanatos, and Eva, a spokesperson for the Aegis. She’s the typical brainwashed hater that the series has introduced before, difficult to like at first, but with demon trouble of her own. And she does change in the end. Logan is the typical hothead hero with a good heart.

A romance happens, sort of. The two barely interact during the first third of the book, and right after things start to warm up, the plot takes a turn that basically ruins the chances for any romance. Logan and Eva spend most of the book apart, dealing with their own family dramas and other emergencies, and the romance is very much like an afterthought. The spicy scenes are stolen moments in the middle of drama, sex for sex’s sake, and they don’t feel very romantic. It’s not the emotional rollercoaster of the earlier books, but love is declared and a happy ending is had, so I guess it’s a romance.

But the book is full of supernatural action of other kind. Lilith is on the loose, causing trouble for Logan. A demon colleague of his is about to turn permanently evil, and the hunt for him is on too. And there’s trouble brewing in heaven, with different point of view characters. It makes for an exciting book, but it also feels like a setup for the series to come. There will be interesting action. I hope there will be better romances too.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Born to Be Badger by Shelly Laurenston: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Born to Be Badger by Shelly Laurenston

Born to Be Badger is the fifth book in the Honey Badger Chronicles that follow a group of basketball playing honey badger shifters who moonlight as thieves, killers and rabble rousers. They’re borderline sociopaths and a reader can never be sure how they react in any given situation (other than with violence.)

In this book, the playoffs that brought the girls to New York in the first place are still going on, but while it’s mentioned several times, not a single game is played. Instead, the group learns of a new poison that might be the only thing in the world that can kill them. Not that it worries them long. The story progresses to a violent ambush and a declaration of war among shifters. All in a day’s work for the girls.

The romantic (sub)plot is between Tock Meyerson-Jackson, the bomb expert of the group (not that she blows anything up in this book), and Shay Malone, a tiger shifter footballer. Like in previous books, the romance is sort of in the background, isn’t terribly romantic or emotional, and kind of just happens. There’s no inner monologues or other indications about why they like one another, let alone love, so it’s mostly about attraction and lust until it isn’t. The best interactions by far and scenes where both characters come to life are when they deal with Shay’s daughter Dani. In the end, she’s as good a reason as any for the two to become a pair.

Like always, the cast of characters is large and the reader never really knows who is important. Some appear for a scene, others clearly have elaborate backstories and might show up again. Some are characters from author’s earlier series that were given more than necessary airtime, but since I haven’t read those books, their appearance and tendency to take over wasn’t so much nostalgic as it was annoying.

Still, I would’ve like if the main pair was given as much space and as good descriptions as the guests. Now it wasn’t until half-way to the book that I realized that Tock is Black and Shay—the guy with Irish name—is Asian. Maybe earlier books brought that up, but I can’t remember things from that far. Their ethnicity doesn’t play a role in the story, but details like this are what bring these stories alive.

Compared to earlier books, the story advanced in a rather straightforward way. Like always, events and violence sort of spring up, and the plot happens in the background, moved by forces that aren’t shown, and the girls simply react to events. But side-plots were kept to minimum, and we sort of finally know who killed Shay’s father, so that’s progress. The ending promises more violence to come. I don’t really read this series for the romances, so I found this entertaining in a totally bonkers way. I’ll likely read more.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlaine Harris: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlaine Harris

All the Dead Shall Weep is the fifth book in Harris’ alt-history western series, Gunnie Rose, set in 1930s America that’s been divided to small, lawless countries. After the events of the previous book in the point of view of Lizbeth’s sister, Felicia, the story returns to Texoma and Lizbeth’s hometown Segundo Mexia, where she has settled with her husband Eli, the grigori prince from the Russian governed San Diego.

But all is not well. Lizbeth has recently suffered a miscarriage and Eli doesn’t seem to care. The arrival of Felicia and Eli’s brother Peter push things to a point, and Eli leaves to his home in San Diego, taking Peter with him. The things he says before he goes indicate that he’s not coming back.

Lizbeth and Felicia are left behind; Felicia mainly because her growing powers as a grigori mean she’s not safe in San Diego. But turns out she’s not safe in Texoma either. Word of her powers have spread and a magic family after another sends their most eligible members to woo her—and not all of them do it nicely. People are targeting Lizbeth too, on top of which a strange militia keeps attacking her hometown.

After several books, the world is familiar and the backstory has grown interesting. Lizbeth is as tough as ever, but with a vulnerable side too. Felicia’s death magic is terrifying, but it’s not a complete cure-all, as the story shows. The narrative alternates between the women, giving the inner thoughts of both of them—and they both have a lot on their plates. Death still comes easily and is easily cast away, but only when it’s about people trying to kill them.

This was a fast-paced, quick read and another excellent book in the series. However, I was a little disappointed with how things were solved between Lizbeth and Eli. It seemed a bit of a copout after everything she went through. The addition of details from Europe, like Agatha Christie’s books and Hitler seemed a bit superfluous, but they help to ground the story in its era and promise interesting things to come. I’m looking forward to reading more.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ravensong by TJ Klune: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Ravensong by TJ Klune

Ravensong, the second book in Green Creek urban fantasy series continues where the first ended. I’ve wanted to read Gordo’s (and Mark’s) story since then, and it didn’t disappoint.

It wasn’t an easy read though, and I’m not sure I was emotionally in a right place for this book. I almost gave up several times when poor Gordo was put through the wringer over and over again. These wolves are such assholes in how they treat people.

Like the previous book, the narrative consists of short scenes in unchronological order, some important scenes playing out several times. The tight narrative makes it a heavy reading when there are no breathers, only important scenes.

But I’m glad I persevered to the end, because it’s good. It’s not a happily ever after—that’s impossible with these wolves—but it’s happy for now. And there’s already a promise of more pain to come. I’m not sure I’m strong enough to read on.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Resonance Surge by Nalini Singh: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Resonance Surge by Nalini Singh

Resonance Surge is already book 7 in Psy-Changeling Trinity series and we’re back in Moscow with bears. Which is as it should be.

Yakov is a laid-back bear-changeling who has inherited the ability to see future from his F-Psy great-grandfather. All his life, he’s seen visions of a woman he knows is his mate. But now the visions have changed and she dies in all of them.

Theodora Marshall is a low gradient Psy and a great disappointment to her brutally ambitious family, especially her grandfather Marshall Hyde, the villain in the original series, now dead. If she weren’t deeply connected with her brilliant twin Pax, she would’ve been killed already as a child. The family has kept them separated and made a use of her as they’ve seen fit.

Now that he’s in charge of the family, Pax sends Theo to Moscow to unravel the family’s dark secrets. Yakov is ordered to be her bodyguard, and the connection that has existed since his childhood brings them fast together. But it turns out that this particular family secret is very personal for Theo.

This was an excellent book, with a good balance between the fun and the mystery. Yakov and Theo made a good couple, even if the romance happened a bit fast. She had a lot going on as she tried to make peace with her past and he was her stalwart support.

There was also a secondary romance, between Yakov’s twin Pavel and E-Psy Arwen Mercant, which has been going on for a couple of books already. It’s a nice, uncomplicated romance, which is probably why it never made its own book. At the beginnings of the chapters, we follow a heart-breaking story from the past during the time the Psy first implemented Silence protocol. And there’s a buildup for Pax’s story, which might end with him becoming the villain of the series—or the saviour.

Soul Taken by Patricia Briggs: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Soul Taken by Patricia Briggs

Soul Taken is the 13th book in Mercy Thompson series. It came out last year and is being reissued so I got a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It had been a while since I read the previous book, but I caught up pretty fast on who was who and what was going on. Wolfe, the insane vampire who has been stalking Mercy goes missing and Mercy and the wolf pack are issued an order to find him. But things aren’t what they seem and she realises pretty fast that it’s the other vampires that need finding. Wolfe, on the other hand, is in much greater peril.

A centuries-old possessed weapon has found its way to Tri-Cities and whoever is wielding it is killing people who possess a little magic. And now it wants Mercy.

This seemed a shorter book than usually. The book had barely gotten on the way when we were already facing the final battle. There were all sorts of side plots going on, like Sherwood finally figuring out who he is—a huge surprise there—which threatens the pack dynamic. But everything was interesting and held my attention well like always.

The final battle was shorter and less destructive than usually. I like how Mercy isn’t all powerful, even if she yet again managed to win against great odds. I must say though, that at this point in the series, the battles aren’t as interesting as the family and pack stuff—probably why the book was balanced towards the latter. Still, I’ll continue with the series, if for nothing else then to find out what’s going on with Samuel.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London takes place in alternative London of 1983; alternative, because magic and magical beings exist, and because post-war Britain has seen greater advancement in women’s rights than the actual Britain, though the only evidence of that is an earlier woman prime minister and a woman detective at the Met.

Susan Arkshaw has turned eighteen and is about to start in an art school in London in the fall. She has the summer to experience the big city after growing up in a farm outside Bath, and find her father that her mother never talks about. The first clue leads her to a man that turns out to be not only a criminal, but not even a human.

This brings her to the attention of an organisation of booksellers, both left and right-handed, that exists to keep the Old World and its creatures in check. But the Old World is curiously interested in Susan, which makes the booksellers suspect that her father might not be a human either. Unfortunately for Susan, it has been the policy of the booksellers to kill such children outright.

Not all booksellers are so old-fashioned though. Helping her are Merlin, a left-handed bookseller and a charming man—most of the time—of nineteen, and his sister Vivian, a right-handed bookseller. Together, they journey through England to find the truth about Susan’s father. Action, adventure and a rather high body count follow.

This was a great book. Susan was a levelheaded young woman who took her new circumstances in a stride. For an art student, however, she was curiously uninterested in expressing herself with art. Only her encyclopedic knowledge of everything from old grandfather clocks to architecture and weapons revealed her hobby, and even then, it might be the narrator’s knowledge. Merlin was a delightful character with his interest in clothes, both men’s and women’s, and he made a good love interest. The booksellers were a fun bunch with their eccentricities and love for books.

Narration was from the third person omniscient point of view, which gave the book a somewhat old-fashioned feel. It also led to some abrupt changes in point of view, but for the most part it worked well. I’m definitely interested in reading more.

Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai: review

3/5 stars on Goodreads

Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai

I picked up Bitter Medicine thinking it was UF with romance in it, but it was romantic fiction with UF elements. It was also a somewhat odd book, consisting of two uneven parts. First storyline came to a point at around 60% mark. It was ok, even if the romance was very slow-burn with rather odd intimate scenes. If the book had ended there, I might have given it a better rating. Unfortunately, it continued.

The latter part was a meandering mess that didn’t need to be that long; a couple of chapters would’ve sufficed. The conclusion was very unsatisfying. It’s a happily ever after, but at a cost that went against the tropes of fantasy genre, and not in a good way. Kudos for originality, but … no.

Fantasy elements were a mishmash of everything, but mostly western. The description promised xianxia inspired fantasy, but it was inspiration in name only. The main character, Elle, was Chinese, but nothing in her behaviour made me believe it. She was very American in her thoughts and deeds, though incredibly stupid for some reason (she could use a computer but not a smartphone?). For his part, Luc didn’t feel very French, and the Catholic elements seemed really odd.

I was especially disappointed with Elle’s family relations. As a western reader, one thing that makes Asian fiction feel authentic to me, is the idea of duty to one’s family and elders that is very alien to western society. Some lip-service was paid to it here, but in actual dealings with each other, the characters were wholly western. Even the premise was about Elle taking away her brother’s immortality—without his consent, I might add—so that he could escape doing his duty to his family.

Maybe modern Chinese are more western in this respect, but these characters were over a century old and from the heartland of China. If the characters hadn’t been Chinese, the premise would’ve worked. Now it only irked me. As a whole, the book left me unsatisfied both as a romance and as a fantasy.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Archangel’s Resurrection by Nalini Singh: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Archangel's Resurrection by Nalini Singh

Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series has advanced to its fifteenth book. What began as a series about vampire hunting woman and her archangel, has expanded to an entire world of vampires, angels, and archangels. In Archangel’s Resurrection the world expands even more, tens of thousands of years into the past.

We follow Alexander through his childhood and advancement in ranks over the millenia, until he becomes the Archangel of Persia. He’s already thousands of years old when he meets Zanaya who is only at the beginning of her journey to become the Archangel of North Africa, and he’s willing to wait a thousand years more, until they’re more equal in strength, to start their first romance.

It’s a story of two powerful, stubborn archangels who love for a thousand years and fight for another, only to return to each other to start the cycle of toxic love affair again. But neither can let the other completely go, even when Zanaya choses to sleep for ten thousand years to avoid the madness of angels.

The first half of the book is fairly slow, the details brushed over, with only brief moments of the two together. And when Zanaya finally awakens in the modern world, it’s only to perish at the hands of the Archangel of Death, and so Alexander has to wait a decade more for her to heal.

The main story happens in the last third of the book. Zanaya and Alexander are finally mature enough to break the cycle of stubbornness and anger and become vulnerable enough with each other to let the other in to start a proper relationship. There’s also some aftermath of the war with Lijuana to deal with that threatens to destroy their newfound happiness.

Despite the tempo difference between the two halves, this was a good book. It was interesting to see what the long lifespan of angels does to them, and to meet familiar names from earlier books. The toxic romance was a change of pace too and kept the story fresh. In the end though, I couldn’t help wishing that it hadn’t taken them quite that long to get to their senses. The ending hints at the next romance, which will likely be even longer in the timespan than this one. I can’t wait to read it.

Moonlight and Magic by Darynda Jones: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Moonlight and Magic by Darynda Jones

Moonlight and Magic is the fourth book in Jones’ Betwixt and Between series that follows two forty-something women who suddenly find out that they are powerful witches, charmlings. The first three books were about Defiance. This one is about Annette.

Having powers came as a huge surprise to Annette, because unlike Deph, she knows who her parents are and they’re not magical at all. So, it must mean her father isn’t who she thought. Determined to find out the truth, she travels back home to ask her mother about it.

Before she’s even taken off her coat, things get out of hands. A warlock appears, but one only she can see; a ghost of a little girl needs help, and her mother’s new man turns out to be even more evil than the warlock—who doesn’t seem all that evil after all.

It takes most of the book to set things straight, before Nette can return home to Salem, where she discovers that the warlock wasn’t who she thought—and turns out to be something better. But the troubles follow her home. Luckily her new family—and the house—are there to help her.

This was a good book. Fairly short, but with a good mystery and a complete plot. It’s still difficult to imagine Nette is a grownup woman in her mid-forties, but she was a fun character now that we get her point of view. She didn’t get to use her new powers much, but when she did, she made a difference, in more ways than one. And if a few things were left unsolved, like the statue, they’ll likely continue in the next one.

The familiar cast didn’t have a large role, but they seemed fresh through Nette’s eyes. Nette’s mom was a good and surprising addition, and the warlock was excellent. Ghosts and other incorporeal heroes aren’t my thing, but considering Nette’s infatuation with Percy, the spirit controlling the house, this was an improvement—in more ways than one. And the little cliffhanger at the end ensures I’ll continue with the series.

Junk Magic by Karen Chance: review

4/5 stars on Goodreads

Junk Magic by Karen Chance

Junk Magic starts a new spin-off series, Lia de Croissets, set in the world of Chance’s Cassie Palmer and Dorina Basarab series. While it can be read separately, it also presumes that the reader is familiar with what’s going on in the other two series, namely the war with gods, and how the world works, i.e. the Magic Corps, vamps, weres, and fay. None of it is explained in any way, so a new reader to Chance may find it difficult to understand everything that’s happening.

Accalia—Lia—de Croissets is a daughter of a war mage and a werewolf. She hasn’t taken the bite to Change to a werewolf though, ostensibly so that she could become a war mage, but in truth because she carries a disease that prevents it. Because of it, she’s at odds with the were world. And that was before she shacked up with an outcast were.

Her boyfriend, Cyrus, has begun to rescue other outcasts, mostly teenage boys. When one of them suddenly transform to a monster of nightmares, Lia sets out to investigate. It leads her to a doctored drug that triggers old supernatural genes. And then she is dosed with it herself.

This was a familiar affair of Chance’s, with political machinations—werewolves this time instead of vampires—sinister villains, chapters-long, confusing battle scenes, and a powerful underdog heroine who must face them if not alone, then vastly outnumbered. Lia was a good MC, intelligent, resourceful, and goodhearted, and unlike Cassie, knew what was going on the whole time. And like all Chance’s heroines, played it so close to her heart that the villain came completely out of the blue. Moreover, missed its mark badly this time.

Of the supporting cast, Caleb, Lia’s war mage partner, was the only one that we’ve met before, and I liked that he was finally given a bigger role. Cyrus, her boyfriend, was a great character, but following a relationship that’s been going on for a while wasn’t as satisfying as watching a new one grow. Lia’s students and the rescued boys were a good addition, but there were so many of them that most of them were left in the background.

All in all, this was a good, coherent book and a great start to the series. I’ll be reading more.

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

 

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

 

The Golden Enclaves ends The Scholomance trilogy, and what a wild ride it has been. El, the sourly mage-to-be, has spent four years trying not to become an evil maleficer in the school for mages that has tried its best to kill her. She’s desperately trying to avoid fulfilling the prophecy of her as a destroyer of enclaves, the safe havens of mages. She’s now out of the school, which she has destroyed, and she’s saved everyone. All except Orion Lake, the boy she’s reluctantly come to love.

The book begins right from the cliff-hanger ending of the previous one. Orion has pushed El out of the school and stayed behind to fight a maw-mouth, the worst monster there is, a hungering blob that devours the living, never stopping. She tries to save him, but he won’t let her.

Grieving and traumatised, she’s moping in her mother’s yurt in the healing commune, when her friends from London enclave ask her help in killing a maw-mouth, a near-impossible feat which she’s done before. Someone’s attacking the enclaves by emptying them from their protective magic, which either plunges them into the void, killing everyone inside, or weakens the wards, opening them for monster attacks.

With nothing better to do, she sets out to help, with her friends facilitating her, as her ability to survive the outside world is sketchy at best, thanks to her isolated childhood in the commune. And then she learns the secret behind the enclaves, the evil magic they’re based on. She has to decide, if she wants to save the enclaves, or become the destroyer of the prophecy after all. It’s not an easy decision and nothing in the book is black and white, good or evil. Everything she does has consequences, and some of them are catastrophic.

This was an excellent book and a wonderful conclusion to the trilogy. The book moves smoothly from one disaster to another, forcing El to reveal exactly how powerful she is. All her closest friends are with her, ready to help, which she’s sort of coming to terms with. She isn’t without enemies who have waited for her to graduate for a long time, but she also learns that she has allies and a family that loves her.

And she doesn’t give up on Orion, if her plan basically is to kill the maw-mouth that got him. But he has a surprise for her—and the reader. Orion has been a tragic figure from the start, an exploited hero who wants nothing more than to help others by killing monsters. I badly wanted a good ending for him, even if it would mean putting him out of his misery. It’s not an easy decision for El, but in the end, she knows what she must do—which was nothing I could’ve predicted.

An ending to a great trilogy is seldom perfect, but I am perfectly satisfied with this one. It’s not a fairy-tale or happily-ever-after ending, but it’s good enough for everyone, and it suits the world and the characters. And El may even have found a way to become content after all.