Review: Bitten by Destiny by S. Young

Bitten by Destiny by S. Young
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own.

This was a much anticipated ending to the True Immortality series.  Echo is a vampire who has discovered that her maker is not the loving father she thought he was.  He has manipulated her from a young age and she has had enough.  She won't let her younger "sister" be manipulated and turned under false pretenses like she was, but in order to protect her, she must track down and partner with the fae she is supposed to eliminate.  Elijah is living the high life as a rock star.  He has known about his warlock abilities for a while, but he hasn't dipped his toes very deeply into the paranormal world.  He knows it exists, but when Echo shows up claiming he is fae he thinks she is insane.

To save the world and the people they love, Elijah and Echo have to find the other fae, who we have met in the previous books.  While this installment does read as a standalone, it does bring elements and characters together from the previous books.  I do think it elements from the overarching storyline are important to have as background and recommend reading those before jumping into this book as a starting point.  The author does do a great job giving background information and catching the reader up on past events as the last book came out 5 years ago and many of us haven't revisited this world in quite some time.  I was quickly able to remember who everyone was and what happened in their part of the story.  Each one of the fae born has a part to play in, and Elijah finds out that he and Echo are part of the bigger picture.  The are also extremely attracted to one another, but Echo has reservations especially when she is convinced she can't have anything good in her life.  Elijah is able to show her that being a vampire does not automatically mean she is evil.  There are some spicy scenes, but overall they are able to show each other how they feel and that they have each other's backs.  Not only do Elijah and Echo work as a team, but they work well with the other couples to save the world from impending doom.  It was nice to connect with the other couples for the final battle, and I also really appreciated the epilogue that closes out the storyline for each couple.  

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Review: The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard

The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both an ARC and an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I loved all of the 90s pop culture references in this!  The X-files references made me smile, I loved that show when I was in high school.  Kids today will never understand having to use dialup or use AIM or ICQ to message their friends but that warmed my heart because that's how we communicated in the late 90s and early 2000s before everyone had cell phones.

This follows Freddie, a somewhat unknown member of her high school, who as a rule follower reports some kids disturbing the peace one evening.  Those kids happen to be from the rival high school, and she just got herself involved in an ages old prank war.  Now pulled in to the popular crowd with her best friend, she pretends that her good deed was in fact a master prank and hijinks ensues.  What she didn't account for is that the her hero and neighbor, the town sheriff, has a nephew at the rival school who happens to also be part of the pranks and he happens to be very attractive.

As Freddie and Theo bond over the prank wars, they also uncover a strange series of murders in town possibly tied to a curse.  Freddie channels her inner Dana Scully uncover the truth behind the curse and figure out what the heck is going on in her town, but she quickly finds herself in a Fox Mulder situation.  Unlike Mulder and Scully (in the original series), Freddie and Theo quickly give into their attraction despite going to rival schools.  

This was a great YA Paranormal Fantasy/Thriller.  It had great banter between the characters.  Freddie has a great best friend in Divya and the rest of the prank squad is pretty fun too.  This kind of reminded me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where the kids are off doing stuff, with little to no parental supervision when it comes to the paranormal stuff going on.  Freddie does have parents whom she speaks with often, but not when it comes to the curse and her own investigation of the weird stuff happening in town.  I think that is part of why we loved teen dramas of that era, because we could for an hour once a week believe that we could fight the demons, break the curses, and lead a completely normal life on the side without our parents ever knowing we snuck out (and back in) to slay whatever came out of the hellmouth.  Freddie's and Theo's sells that same storyline, you can be the nerdy girl or boy, then become part of the popular crowd, investigate murders and curses on the side, and still be home for dinner with a little romance on the side.  I really enjoyed it.

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Review: Break Me Down by Anna Downes

Break Me Down by Anna Downes
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided a ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a unique audiobook.  The narration was very well done with a full cast, and this reads more like a play than a novel.  It has mixed media aspects with news reports, voicemails, and podcast episodes mixed in with main character's point of view.  The narration is interactive with each character being voiced by a different narrator which you tend to only see in graphic audiobooks.  This really made the dialogue interactive.  

The author has a background in acting and if you listen to the interview with the cast and the author, they discuss how accurate her portrayal of some of the crazy and inappropriate behavior portrayed in the book really is.  As I was reading I thought some of the things Georgia experienced with Marianna was a bit out there but the cast will tell you they either experience or have colleagues who experienced similar acting classes that were as out there as Marianna's.  They prey not only on your bank account but on your emotions under the guise of making you a better performer and like Marianna cross the line into abusive.

In my opinion this took far too long to get into the thriller aspect of the book.  Much of the book feels more like Georgia's autobiography while she was living in a cult, as she becomes obsessed with taking acting classes with her teacher Mariana.  Her boyfriend introduced her to the classes, and now she is determined to be the star pupil.  As a child star, Georgia is no stranger to acting, but after a long hiatus she wants to be back on top of the acting game.  Marianna's teaching methods are unorthodox, but Georgia feels challenged and ready to unlock her potential.  This has the feeling of an unreliable narrator at times as you are never sure if what Georgia is "remembering" is real or a fever dream of Marianna's making.  As the story unfolds we never truly find out what is real and what is fabricated, but we do learn that everyone has their breaking point and that with the right drive people can be driven (manipulated) do anything.

Overall the concept of this book was interesting, and I think I would have connected with the characters more if I connected more with acting.  It is a topic I'm not really interested in, and I'm not really interested in cult based thrillers where people are living their lives.  I am more of an action packed fast packed thriller person, and this was more of a slow descent into madness.

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Review: Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

T. Kingfisher's retellings are slowly becoming my favorite books!  I love the dark spin she puts on the fairy tales we all think we know.  One of my favorite things to do when I read a retelling like this is to read the original if I haven't already to see how it compares.  The originals are often dark and these more modern takes often are closer to the original than the happy animated tales many of us grew up watching.  I love that there is room for both.

This was a darker version of Snow White and follows Anja, a "healer" who studies poisons and their antidotes instead of the more traditional healing arts.  She is what some would consider odd, but her unorthodox approach is why the King has summoned her to solve the riddle of why his daughter is constantly ill.  Anja's mind for puzzles, observant eyes,  and constant quest for information, makes for the perfect kind of person to find out what is going on with Princess Snow.  Healers, Nurses, maids, guards, and every other type of of person the king can think of can't figure out why Snow's health is failing.  Anja's more scientific methods and investigation uncover a magic mirror and mirror world that might be the reason Snow is getting sick.  Aided by her body guard, Anja's quest is filled with strange sights, dangerous foes, and things she never thought she would encounter.

I haven't read the original Snow White tale, but I will be very soon.  Kingfisher always does a good job taking the key points of the original tale and staying true to those key elements while putting her own unique spin on it to make something new.  I've really grown to love her reimaginings and this is no different.  Anja was a strong and independent character who didn't bow to societal norms.   Her father and family supported her and let her be her own person and pursue her passion for poison study.  The romance was a nice addition as it wasn't the focus and happened almost organically as Anja and Javier spend alot of time together exploring and debunking.  They complemented each other nicely.  

The narrations was really great as the narrator was able to pace the book nicely and do different voices and accents for the various characters throughout the novel.

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Review: Mistress of Bones by Maria Z. Medina

Mistress of Bones by Maria Z. Medina
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC and an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This had a really interesting premise, but I found it hard to follow.  There are alot of characters with very similar names and I struggled to keep them all straight.  The timeline also jumps around alot from chapter to chapter which also makes the storyline hard to follow because you aren't really sure what part of the story you are in because it isn't consistent from chapter to chapter "when" you are.  There is some romance, however it is a secondary plotline and not the main focus.  It is more of a promise for more to come.  The magic system is interesting and Azul's dedication and love for her sister is compelling.

I would have liked more background info on the gods and how the magic is tied to them.  I love mythology and lore, but I like a bit of an explanation on how that all works together.  Hopefully there is more to come in book 2.  The pacing is a bit on the slower side for my preferences when it comes to fantasy, but the ending was interesting enough for me to want to pick up the next book and see where things go.  

The audio narration was excellent.  Ana Osoria does a wonderful job

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Review: Woven from Clay: A Novel by Jenny Birch

Woven from Clay: A Novel by Jennifer Birch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC and an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

What a unique premise!!!  This follows Terra, a normal if not overachieving high school senior who just wants to have a great year.  Enter Thorne, a mysterious new kid, who wants nothing more than to get in Terra's way and keeps spouting off weird nonsense that she doesn't understand.  She also can't understand why there is mud everywhere she goes either and why Thorne is so interested in Mr. Quill the nice old guy in town that is like everyone's grandpa.  Thorne opens Terra's eyes to the world of magic and exposes himself and Mr. Quill as warlocks.  Turns out Mr. Quill is kind of like everyone's grandpa as he created golems, hence the mud, for all of the families in town under the guise of adoption.  Terra quickly comes to understand that some of her feelings around being adopted are warranted, but not because she was abandoned by her birth parents, but because she was created.  Thorne was sent on a mission from his guild, but Terra changes that mission  so she can save herself, Mr. Quill, and those like her.  She has to work with Thorne to prove that she can control magic and is a force for good.  In doing so she uncovers a vengeance plot within the guild that Terra and Thorn have to stop if they want to save the other golems.

This had some really great commentary about adoption, loneliness, inadequacy, friendship, abandonment, and finding your place in the world.  I didn't know this was a YA book when I picked it up, and I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult.  I also think this would be great for middle grade and YA readers as well.  The magic system was well explained, there is no graphic content (there is some kissing), it has diverse characters, the pacing is great, and the plot was entertaining.

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Review: The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan

The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC and an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a unique and atmospheric thriller set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.  Private Investigator Annie Gore has been hired to investigate the long cold case of three missing girls from a small town.  Max, her latest employer, has never given up hope that his missing sister could be found and is determined to get closure on her whereabouts.  Having grown up in Appalachia herself Annie knows how private and protective people can be of their own and she is well aware of how her investigations can stir up a town.  Annie has a track record of solving cases, and while hesitant to take this one she is willing to see what she can find even if it brings up her own painful memories and angers the townsfolk.

I'm not usually a fan of thrillers that involve children, but this is captivating and the focus is more on the investigation.  Annie having spent time in the military as a special investigator is tough and she knows how to draw out information and follow a lead.  She also has great instincts and knows when her bias is possibly leading her astray.  This book kept me interested from the first minute to the last.  There are so many people that Annie interviews that could be the kidnapper, but the twist at the end really surprised me.  I also loved the addition of the tale of the "Witch of Quartz Creek", the folklore and various retellings of the tale play a key role in the investigation and the lives of the people that live in town.  I always love when folklore plays a part in a novel and story of the Witch and it's variations was a wonderful addition to the novel.

This was a fantastic debut, and I look forward to seeing what the author writes in the future.  If we follow Annie on further investigations or if there are more thrillers to come I would be happy to read them if they are all as gripping as this one.

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