Review: Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth

Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This was a great start to a new dystopian series!  The audio has a full cast narration and follows several different characters which made it really easy to understand who's perspective you are following.  This follows two women who's countries are at war, and who's lives are intertwined by the same prophecy.  The prophecy indicates that one of them will lead their people to victory, but doesn't state who will win.  It also states that their lives will be impacted by the same man.

This was a great blend of sci-fi and fantasy.  I love a good dystopian story, and this really delivered for me.  Some people develop abilities if they survive the deadly fever that plagues one colony, while the other colony is highly advanced in technology.  Both of our female characters are very capable soldiers, and there is quite a bit of political and military posturing and maneuvering going on as their nations wage war and negotiate peace with one another.  

This was action packed and had great world building and character development.  There are quite alot of characters to keep track of but again the multi-narrator cast really helped with the audio as it was really easy to keep track of what was going on and who was the focus.  There are also several different plot points going on that all converge.  In addition to the prophecy and the ongoing war, there is also what seems like an unrelated plot to meet others from outside their universe, but that becomes very related to the central plot as things come together.  I really liked how the author brought things together and laid things out.  I'm really exicted for the next book in the series and wish I had it now.  

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Review: A Woman of Whispers by Carey Caffrey

A Woman of Whispers by Cary Caffrey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an Audible code via the author, all opinions are my own.

The narration was fantastic! There are alot of characters and the narrator did a wonderful job with accents and differentiation between all of the various characters.

This follows Little Wolf, a sort of halfling who is part Skarrowyn which is a kind of water people and part human. She is a mercenary and travels with a group of mercenaries. We meet her after she wakes up not remembering who she is or anything about her past. As she regains her wits she slowly beings to regain her memories especially as she reunites with her crew.

Wolf has some interesting relationship dynamics within her crew, which only get more complicated as new characters are introduced. Wolf is not a fan of feeling her own emotions, and frequently uses sex as a distraction whenever those pesky feelings creep up. That being said, she is eventually forced to face her fears and feelings and shows good emotional growth within herself and her relationships as the story develops. There is good action and world building as the crew takes on a job that involves a witch. Wolf doesn't believe in witches or magic, only her abilities and the silver delivered when a job is done. As they complete the job she learns that sometimes things you can't see actually exist.

Overall this was a good setup for the series.

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Review: The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean

The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Mercy can speak to ghosts.  She doesn't know why or how she has this ability.  She can't remember her past, but she makes her living working for a local triad boss dealing with angry spirits that inhabit the city she lives in.  A new and powerful ghost is wreaking havoc around the waterways of Hong Kong, leaving messages for Mercy hoping to jog her memory of the past and make amends for her past deeds.

This is told in both the past and present as Mercy tries to uncover what is happening in the present and as we find out what happened in the past.  We also get to know the ghost who is haunting Hong Kong and how she is connected to Mercy and why she is so angry.  This novel is full of lore and myth and ghosts.  It is a puzzle that slowly puts itself together over time as the characters tell us their stories.  As Mercy begins to remember her past, she slowly beings to understand what she must do to make amends despite.  This by far is one of the more unique ghost stories I've read in a while and it certainly touches on vengeful spirits and generational trauma.  There is alot of emotion between the pages as both women are unsettled and looking for something to bring them peace, contentment, connection, forgiveness, etc.  

Natalie Naudus did a fantastic job with the narration as always.  She is an amazing narrator and among my favorites!  

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Review: The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea: A Novel

The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea: A Novel by C.L. Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however as this has been out for a while, I opted to listen to the audiobook in an attempt to get my review posted in a timely manner. 

I am really enjoying this series.  Freya and her zany Aunt Carole are off to another adventure, this time on a cruise around the Red Sea ending in Jordan.  Once again Arthur has left clues for the pair to uncover and thwart "The Collector" once and for all.  With help from some familiar faces Freya is able to use her antique's knowledge and her ability to solve puzzles to put together the clues to figure out who is behind the trafficking of the artifacts.

This was another fun, cozy mystery as Freya tries to establish herself as an expert in antiques recovery.  Carole is up to her antics again trying to matchmake Freya and the FBI agent as well as make friends everywhere she goes.  This had a fun cast of characters that keeps you on your toes wondering who the shady Collector is.  Arthur's clues weren't as present as they were in the first installment, but they were there and as always his orchestration is key to the plot.  This is a fun read and I am looking forward to getting to the third installment and seeing what Freya and Carole get up to next and who returns to aid them and who is still getting in the way.

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Review: The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This book was like an intense fever dream. You were never quite sure if main character Macy was actually experiencing the things happening or if she was having a bad dream that she can't quite wake up from. Down on her luck after the passing of her father and unable to keep a good paying job to support herself and her teenage sister, Macy is desperate. She finds a weird add on Craigslist for what turns out to be a housesitting job with some strange stipulations, but the pay is too good to pass up. She figures she can follow the weird rules for 3 days, she can really use the money. Her younger sister doesn't want her to take the job, but they need the cash.

This quickly takes on the unreliable narrative as we get to know Macy and her backstory. You aren't quite sure if the anxiety and dread she is feeling is actually happening or if it is a side effect of her grief and depression. This book is atmospheric and leaves you with that feeling of isolation and tension that you want from a psychological horror/thriller. You never know what is coming next and every time you put it down you are left with questions of "what did I just read?" and "what is happening?" especially at the end! The worldbuilding is done so well to leave the reader with the doom and gloom feeling and the feeling that the house and the woods are just as much of a character as the "visitors" and Macy are. If you are looking for suspense and madness this is a great read.

This book is a great lesson for not taking weird Craigslist jobs for homes in the middle of nowhere with weird rules, no matter how good the pay is and no matter how desperate you are.

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Review: The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder: A Novel by C.L. Miller

The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder: A Novel by C.L. Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however as this has been out a few years, I opted to listen to the audiobook in an attempt to get my review posted in a timely manner.  The third book in the series has recently come out and I have all three books for review and I wanted to start at the beginning of the series.

This is marketed as a thriller/mystery but it definitely leans more on the cozy side!  Freya Lockwood loves hunting for antiques and her passion is making sure they return to their rightful owners, but long ago her mentor betrayed her and her passion was taken from her.  This really impacted Freya's identity, and she has spent the last 20 years in an unhappy marriage and in a job she doesn't really love.  Her Aunt Carole, who is eccentric and wonderful, has called to let her know that her mentor Arthur has died suddenly.  While Freya has no love for Arthur any longer, she loves her Aunt like a mother and is quickly thrust back into the world of antique hunting and mysteries that she swore off when Arthur betrayed her.  With Carole and Freya on the case they are sure to find out if there was foul play involved and what Arthur was really up to all those years ago.

I really enjoyed getting to know Freya and Carole as they navigate the eccentric cast of characters and the darker side of the antique trade.  The writing is a bit repetitive at times, but overall I enjoyed Freya's character development and her search for the truth.  This was a nice mix of humor, history, and cozy mystery.  I look forward to going on more adventures with Freya and Carole in the future.

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Review: Drifting Dawn by Samantha Young

Drifting Dawn by Samantha Young
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This is the second book set on the small island community of Leth Sholas.  While this does read as a complete standalone, there are things mentioned that will make more sense if you have read Half-Light Harbor prior, though they aren't critical to Quinn and Taran's story.

Taran has returned to the island she grew up on to take care of her ailing mother and her affairs after moving away for college and having her heart broken.  The cause of her heartbreak still lives on the island and wants to pay his respects and make amends after 19 years.  Quinn was never good at sharing his emotions when they were younger and he realizes that it may have been what truly caused him to make the biggest mistake of his life.  He and Taran still have unresolve feelings for one another and alot of unspoken words to say if she ever will give him an opportunity to say them.  It is pretty clear if they can come to terms with their emotional baggage their second chance romance might just be the happy ending they were both looking for and the whole town has been rooting for.

I love a good second chance romance especially when the couple is willing to talk things through.  While it takes both Taran and Quinn a bit to get there, they slowly come around to laying things out on the table and be honest with each other.  Fortunately for both of them they have good support systems in place as they come to terms with their feelings and where to go next.  This is also important as the suspense aspect of the book takes place as Taran and Quinn are harassed in and out of town.  The suspense aspect was minimal, taking backseat to the romance.  I thought the reveal was a bit obvious compared to some of the other more complex suspense plots we've seen from the author in the past, it worked given everything else that was going on in the book.  

Yet again, Samantha Young has me longing for a trip to Scotland with her descriptions of the lovely people, the landscape, the music, the food, and more.  I hope to one day travel there with my love and see it for myself.

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