Tuesday, March 26, 2024

February 2024 Book Club: A Deadly Education (The Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik

  

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong language


Lesson One of the Scholomance: Learning has never been this deadly.

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets.

There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere.

El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.

 

This was an interesting world and I enjoyed reading about it, but I didn't love it. The main character was abrasive, but once I understood why, it didn't bother me. The thing I liked most about this book is how she gradually learns to trust other people. I found the many monsters that they fought interesting and I liked the way El and her newfound friends worked together to survive. One big negative for me is that the characters just weren't that memorable or very well drawn, but I do want to read the next book.

In the book they are always having to check to make sure the food they eat isn't spoiled or contaminated in some way, so for book club, my husband decided to make our rolls look moldy with a little food coloring. They don't look very appetizing, but it did the trick! We also had a cake that he tried to do the same thing to, but it didn't work quite as well.


































Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Kickstarter for Riyria Chronicles (Deluxe, Regular Editions, and Slipcases) is now live!

If you've been wanting the Riyria Chronicles in hardcover, now is your chance to get them!

 

Here the link to the kickstarter.

 
















Saturday, March 2, 2024

March 2024 Reading List

Reading for NetGalley-

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There's nothing easier to dismiss than a conspiracy theory―until it turns out to be true When Theodosia Benton abandons her career path as an attorney and shows up on her brother's doorstep with two suitcases and an unfinished novel, she expects to face a few challenges. Will her brother support her ambition or send her back to finish her degree? What will her parents say when they learn of her decision? Does she even have what it takes to be a successful writer? What Theo never expects is to be drawn into a hidden literary world in which identity is something that can be lost and remade for the sake of an audience. When her mentor, a highly successful author, is brutally murdered, Theo wants the killer to be found and justice to be served. Then the police begin looking at her brother, Gus, as their prime suspect, and Theo does the unthinkable in order to protect him. But the writer has left a trail, a thread out of the labyrinth in the form of a story. Gus finds that thread and follows it, and in his attempt to save his sister he inadvertently threatens the foundations of the labyrinth itself. To protect the carefully constructed narrative, Theo Benton, and everyone looking for her, will have to die. 

 

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Gemma Parks is known throughout high society as G. M. Parker, a columnist renowned for her commentary on the cream of society. Behind the scenes, she uses her talent to aid the Imposters in their investigations by gathering intel at events and providing alibis for the elite firm's members through her columns. Yet her clandestine work would be more exhilarating if it weren't for the constant presence of the gentleman who broke her heart.

Graham Wharton has never had eyes for anyone but Gemma, and she left his soul in tatters when she walked away from him. When the Imposters take on a new job to recover a kidnapped boy mistaken for his aristocratic cousin, Graham is determined to use the time with Gemma not only to restore the missing boy, but also to win back the only woman he's ever loved. As they trace the clues laid out before them, Graham must devise a noble scheme to save the boy's life and heal their hearts.



Book Club Read-

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Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No doubt he's wearing iridescent silk robes that couldn't protect his frail body from a light breeze. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing, covered in esoteric symbols that would instantly show every other mage where this one gets his magic? Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object).

Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.

At least, until such irritating concepts as friendship and the end of the world get in the way.

My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title - until I discovered the people I worked for weren't quite as noble as I'd believed. Now I'm on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent.

Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job . . .

 

 

Reading at Fantasy Buddy Reads-

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Bonds of Chaos is the final installment of the Threadlight trilogy, which begins with the multi-award-winning Voice of War.

TO BREAK THE BONDS, THERE WILL BE SACRIFICES

When all was lost, the Heralds returned, and the world embraced them as gods and saviors. But there are some who know the truth: the Heralds are not what they seem.

Now, in a desperate attempt to stop them, Chrys and the others travel to Cynosure with hopes of enlisting the only Amber threadweaver with the power to help.

Chrys, Laurel, Alverax, and those they love.

Together, they will stop the gods...or they will die trying.

 

 

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Born in fire. Tempered in blood.

Epheria is a land divided by war and mistrust. The High Lords of the south squabble and fight, only kept in check by the Dragonguard, traitors of a time long past, who serve the empire of the North.

In the remote villages of southern Epheria, still reeling from the tragic loss of his brother, Calen Bryer prepares for The Proving—a test of courage and skill that not all survive.

But when three strangers arrive in the village of Milltown, with a secret they are willing to die for, Calen’s world is ripped from under him and he is thrust headfirst into a war that has been raging for centuries.

There is no prophecy. His coming was not foretold.

He bleeds like any man, and bleed he will. 
 
 
 
 
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While Mary lies in a glass coffin aboard a ghost train heading west, her minions are awaiting her re-awakening by bringing lots of new souls into Everlost to serve her. Meanwhile Jackin’ Jill has met Jix, a fur-jacker—a skin jacker who can take over the bodies of animals, most notably jaguars. Jix serves a Mayan god who collects Everlost coins, and has his own agenda. In the concluding volume of The Skinjacker Trilogy, Neal Shusterman reveals new sides of the characters of Everlost, who are pitted against each other in a battle that may destroy all life on Earth.
 
 
 
 
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THE ECHOES OF FATE, A PROPHECY UTTERED UNTO THE WORLD A THOUSAND YEARS AGO, CANNOT BE DENIED…

Mankind has lorded over the land of Illian for a thousand years, building on the ruins left by the elves, as if it were their birthright. A thousand years is a long time for an immortal race to see the truth of things, a truth that has remained unsaid for a millennium - elves are superior. They are faster, stronger and connected to the magical realm in a way that man could never grasp. Illian should belong to them.

Unaware of the shadow that looms in the east, the six kingdoms of man are fractured, unallied, and clawing at each other’s gates for more power.

This isn’t just war set to ravage the land, but a slaughter - the world of man cannot hope to survive.

Thrown into the heart of this war is a man known by many names; an Outlander of the wilds, an assassin, a ranger. Asher was born a thousand years ago, to a life he doesn’t remember. Forty years of brutal training and killing for money has beaten the earliest years of his life away, leaving his ties to the oldest of evils a mystery to all…
 
 
 
 
My Pick it for me book-
 
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Juliet Graham fervently counts the days until her twenty-first birthday, when she can claim the inheritance that will grant her the freedom she has always craved and the guardianship of her younger brother. Until then, she is trapped under her aunt Agnes’s domineering will. When forced to accompany the family to a house party at Shaldorn Castle, Juliet’s only objective is to keep to herself. That is, until a chance encounter with a boorish stranger stirs up an unexpected whirlwind of emotions in her. Thrown off-balance, Juliet does the loses her temper and insults the man—who turns out to be her unwilling host, the Duke of Halstead. Fully expecting to be sent away, Juliet is surprised when the brusque and callous duke instead takes an interest in her.

Drawn to the duke in unguarded moments, Juliet finds herself more and more intrigued by the man who shuns Society’s rules as completely as she does, and over the next few weeks, their unlikely friendship deepens into a connection neither expected.

But even as Juliet comes to recognize her true feelings, her scheming aunt issues an ultimatum that threatens the future she was just beginning to hope for. Juliet must either break the promise she made to herself years ago, or lose the man who has captured her heart and soul.
 
 
 
 
Reading with the Mystery Book Club-
 
 

What would you do if there weren't any consequences?

After twenty years on the force, Detective Chief Inspector Jack Logan thinks he has seen it all.

He is wrong.

When a nurse is murdered on her way home from nightshift, Jack and his team go on the hunt for her killer.

As more victims are uncovered, Jack finds himself tracking a murderer afflicted by a unique psychosis - one that leaves him free to maim and kill without a shred of remorse.

Facing a new type of killer in an unfamiliar city, DCI Jack Logan is about to be pushed to his limits, before being forced to realise just how little he truly knows. 




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For years Gregory Roarke and his Kadolian partner Selene worked as crocketts, combing through the atmospheres of uninhabited worlds for places that might be colonized or hold valuable resources. Now, they quietly work for the Icarus Group, a top-secret government organization hunting for portals created by a long-vanished alien race, portals that can teleport a person hundreds or thousands of light-years in the blink of an eye.

Roarke and Selene are searching one such possibility when they find that someone appears to be stalking them. They evade their pursuers and return to find that a man named Easton Dent has been searching the Spiral’s databases for the names Gregory Roarke and Icarus.

Roarke reluctantly agrees to meet with him. But that first contact is cut short, and hours later Roarke is arrested and accused of Dent’s murder.

More importantly to Roarke’s Icarus Group overseers, that brief meeting also confirms that Dent was in recent contact with a portal.

But the alien Patth are also searching for such portals, and they are also on the trail. It’s now a race . . . and the Patth have resources and ruthlessness far beyond anything Roarke and Selene can match.
 
 
 
 
 
Jackie and Pete King have lived in Dunmore for years, running one of the two local pubs in the sleepy little town. Money has been tight after the bushfires, and it’s about to get tighter if they can’t find a way to pay their suppliers to keep their business going and keep the bank from foreclosing on their property. So when Jackie receives a mysterious phone call offering them $100,000 to let someone bury a body on their land, the answer isn’t as simple as they thought it would be.

It’s a deal that could change their lives. But when a woman in the next town over goes missing, it’s a deal that could ruin them forever.
 
 
 

In this pulse-pounding short thriller for fans of Big Little Lies and The Last Mrs. Parrish, Maggie Cabot refuses to sit by idly as police re-open an investigation into the mysterious death of a woman her husband used to know.After two decades in a near-perfect marriage, Maggie and James Cabot are enjoying their first year as empty-nesters in their charming Florida suburb, until two detectives arrive at their front door and change their lives forever.The remains of a young woman have been found at a campsite in the Florida Keys. Hannah Nilsson, only 21 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen on a camping trip with a group of friends—including James, who dated Hannah long before he and Maggie ever met. Shocked and heartbroken, everyone on the trip said they assumed Hannah had wandered off toward shore, intoxicated from a long night of partying, and drowned. But the discovery of her body 25 years later, half a mile away from the campsite and buried six feet deep, makes it clear that her death was not accidental.As the police dig back into the case, Maggie begins her own investigation, desperate to piece together the truth and clear her husband’s name once and for all.
 
 
 
 
The Hercule Poirot Book-
 
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Whilst organizing a mock murder hunt for the village fete hosted by Sir George and Lady Stubbs, a feeling of dread settles on the famous crime novelist Adriane Oliver. Call it instinct, but it's a feeling she just can't explain...or get away from.

In desperation she summons her old friend, Hercule Poirot -- and her instincts are soon proved correct when the 'pretend' murder victim is discovered playing the scene for real, a rope wrapped tightly around her neck.

But it's the great detective who first discovers that in murder hunts, whether mock or real, everyone is playing a part.

 

 

Other books I would like to read-

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A headstrong princess finds herself entangled in intrigue, politics, magic, and love in this coming-of-age novel set in the world of the House Witch series.

It’s been twenty years since Finlay Ashowan, the fabled house witch of Daxaria, first cooked up supernatural hijinks in the castle at Austice. Since then, much has changed; the royal family now resides elsewhere, a tentative peace has been established with Troivack, and the crown princess, Alina, is ready to pick the perfect nobleman to be her husband.

But Alina’s quest for her ideal consort is proving rather difficult. For one, between her father’s nerves and her own health issues, relations within the family are tense at best. For another, Fin and his wife, Annika, have returned to the castle to celebrate Alina’s momentous choice, bringing with them their fiery daughter, Katarina; mysterious son, Tamlin; and mischievous familiar, Kraken—all of whom have a penchant for finding trouble that somehow surpasses that of the house witch himself. And finally, the most politically promising suitor, the king of Troivack, is nothing less than completely intolerable.

Now, Alina must manage filial expectations, flirtatious miscues, magical misadventures, and dangerous plots, all as she struggles to find her own place within her kingdom—and understand the blossoming desires of her own heart . . .

Featuring a new generation of delightful characters as well as the trademark charm, humor, and fantasy that made readers fall in love with the House Witch series, The Princess of Potential is a captivating tale of courtly intrigue, slow-burn romance, and mystical adventure that’s perfect for teens and adults alike.


 

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The specter of graduation looms large as Naomi Novik’s trilogy continues in the sequel to A Deadly Education.

In Wisdom, Shelter. That’s the official motto of the Scholomance. I suppose you could even argue that it’s true—only the wisdom is hard to come by, so the shelter’s rather scant.

Our beloved school does its best to devour all its students—but now that I’ve reached my senior year and have actually won myself a handful of allies, it’s suddenly developed a very particular craving for me. And even if I somehow make it through the endless waves of maleficaria that it keeps throwing at me in between grueling homework assignments, I haven’t any idea how my allies and I are going to make it through the graduation hall alive.

Unless, of course, I finally accept my foretold destiny of dark sorcery and destruction. That would certainly let me sail straight out of here. The course of wisdom, surely.

But I’m not giving in—not to the mals, not to fate, and especially not to the Scholomance. I’m going to get myself and my friends out of this hideous place for good—even if it’s the last thing I do.
 
 
 
 
 

Pippa Sheffield has a penchant for trouble. She doesn't ask to be thrown into slippery situations, but they tend to find her. She has worked at maintaining good behavior—she owes that much to her sister—until her new neighbor, William Blakemore, moves in. Come to find out, he is nothing but trouble.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, February 29, 2024

February 2024 Wrap-Up

  

The Jewels of Halstead Manor (Ladies of Devon #1) by Kasey Stockton

4 of 5 stars. Review to come. This was the Pick it for me book for February and I liked it so much I read the next 3 books in the series. Only one left to go and I'll have completed the whole series.




 

Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton

2 of 5 stars. This ended up being a DNF for me. Unfortunately it felt too long and I didn't care for any of the characters.



 

Thicker Than Water (DCI Logan #2) by J.D. Kirk

4 of 5 stars. This was a good second book in the series. I'm liking the characters enough to continue on.

 

 

 

 The Lady of Larkspur Vale (Ladies of Devon #2) by Kasey Stockton

4 of 5 stars. Review to come. 



 

A Deadly Education (Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik

4 of 5 stars. Review to come.



 

Mysteries of Thorn Manor (Sorcery of Thorns 1.5) by Margaret Rogerson

3 of 5 stars. It was fun to revisit Thorn manor and these characters.



 

Yule Be Sorry (Beaufort Scales #2) by Kim M. Watt

3 of 5 stars. This was another enjoyable book in this series. As I said before though, I usually enjoy these cozy mysteries more as a one and done thing and get bored with series of this genre. This one was really cute and if you like this sort of thing then I definitely recommend it, but I think two books are enough for me. Time to move on.



 

The Widow of Falbrooke Court (Ladies of Devon #3) by Kasey Stockton

4 of 5 stars. Review to come.

 

 

 

Everwild (Skinjacker #2) by Neal Shusterman

4 of 5 stars. This was an enjoyable reread. I had forgotten some of the details. I initially gave this 5 stars but this time around I'm dropping my rating to 4. 



 

Stones of Light (Threadlight #2) by Zack Argyle

3.5 stars. Review to come.

 


 

 The Recluse of Wolfeton House (Ladies of Devon) by Kasey Stockton

4 of 5 stars. Review to come.

 

 

 

The Snowman (Harry Hole #7) by Jo Nesbo

1 of 5 stars. Review to come.



Hickory Dickory Dock (Hercule Poirot #34) by Agatha Christie

4 of 5 stars

 

 


3.5 of 5 stars. This novella was predictable, but I still enjoyed getting the different perspectives of each neighbor. 

 

 

 

The Red House by George Agnew Chamberlain

3.5 of 5 stars. Review to come.

 

 


The Cabin on Souder Hill by Lonnie Busch

2 of 5 stars. Review to come.

 

 

 

The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

No rating yet, I'm still reading it. Review to come.

 

 

 



Monday, February 26, 2024

The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen

 

 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Category: Adult, Christian Fiction
Genre: Romance, Clean Romance, Historical Romance
Content: Clean

 

Finding himself the man of the family, London dancing master Alec Valcourt moves his mother and sister to remote Devonshire, hoping to start over. But he is stunned to learn the village matriarch has prohibited all dancing, for reasons buried deep in her past.

Alec finds an unlikely ally in the matriarch's daughter. Though he's initially wary of Julia Midwinter's reckless flirtation, he comes to realize her bold exterior disguises a vulnerable soul--and hidden sorrows of her own.

Julia is quickly attracted to the handsome dancing master--a man her mother would never approve of--but she cannot imagine why Mr. Valcourt would leave London, or why he evades questions about his past. With Alec's help, can Julia uncover old secrets and restore life to her somber village. . .and to her mother's tattered heart?

Filled with mystery and romance, The Dancing Master brings to life the intriguing profession of those who taught essential social graces for ladies and gentlemen hoping to make a "good match" in Regency England.

 

This has got to be the most disappointing book I've ever read by Julie Klassen. Needless to say, this has now taken the place of The Apothecary's Daughter as my least favorite book by this author.

The biggest problem I had with this was that I didn't connect with the characters. While Alec was a nice person, I didn't find him all that attractive as a leading man because he was somewhat of a dandy and that didn't come across very masculine to me. I'm also used to reading about leading men who can stand up to bullies and Alec gets bullied in this book more than once by the town bullies. I did like the clever way he stood up to them eventually, but I just wanted to read about a character who could have done that from the beginning. He wasn't a child, he was a grown man and I wanted to read about a capable one. There were also the times when he didn't want to get dirty or do any sort of hard labor that were also turn-offs for me.

Then there was the leading lady, Julia. I didn't like Julia at all throughout most of the book. She was so immature. It took way too long for her to grow up and realize how stupid her selfish, vain, and reckless behavior was. Not that I didn't understand why she had issues, but I didn't enjoy reading this book with her as a main character. There were supporting characters that I would much rather have been reading about than the main characters in this book.

The plot of this book was sort of like Footloose in the regency era. It didn't work for me. The reason why dancing was banned in the town was based on one selfish woman's secrets. I'm calling her selfish, because this woman had something happen to her and then she decided that no one else could enjoy dancing because of it. Overall, this is just a really flimsy plot that was easy to puzzle out. There were no real surprises here, just annoying characters. 

I think if this had been any other author I would have overlooked some of the annoyances, but Julie Klassen has written so much better than this. This was the last of her published novels that I hadn't yet read, and even though this one was a disappointment, I will of course keep reading her other books as she publishes them.






Friday, February 23, 2024

Esrahaddon (The Rise and the Fall #3) by Michael J. Sullivan

  

 My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Mild language

 

A hero to some. A villain to many. The truth forever buried.

The man who became known as Esrahaddon is reported to have destroyed the world’s greatest empire—but there are those who believe he saved it. Few individuals are as divisive, but all agree on three facts: He was exiled to the wilderness, hunted by a goblin priestess, and sentenced to death by a god—all before the age of eight. How he managed to survive and why people continued to fear his name a thousand years later has always been a mystery...until now.

From the three-time New York Times best-selling author Michael J. Sullivan, Esrahaddon is the final novel in the Rise and Fall trilogy. This latest set of stories sits snugly between the Legends of the First Empire series and the Riyria books (Revelations and Chronicles). With this tale, Michael continues his tradition of unlikely heroes who must rise to the call when history knocks, demanding to be let in. This is the 19th full-length novel in a body of work that started in 2008 and spans four series.

 

This is the third and final book in the Rise and the Fall Trilogy. The trilogy that bridges together The Legends of the First Empire and The Riyria Revelations and Chronicles, and it's the one I've been waiting so long to read! Since I finished The Riyria Revelations series, I've wanted to read more about Esrahaddon. He was such an interesting character, and this book did not disappoint me. I loved everything about this book. I did think it started out a little slow, but when it got going it really grabbed me, and once I got to the last quarter of the book, it was impossible to put down.

As usual with a Michael J. Sullivan book, the characters were all great. I loved the goblins. I truly came to love Hekkebah, Niblick, and Mashie. They were such a pleasant surprise. I also enjoyed reading more about the gods, Uberlin, Trilos, and Muriel and some of the revelations about them, particularly Muriel.

There was so much unexpected humor in this book. I found myself giggling quite often as I read. Not only that, but it had me feeling all the emotions. The end left me wanting more, even though I had the full story. I had to go back and reread Esrahaddon's parts in The Riyria Revelations after I finished this.


“I’m not a philosopher, but I know that worth isn’t found in a sword or the skill to wield it. Worthiness comes from the heart, from courage in the face of adversity, from fighting a battle you know you can’t win with dignity.”

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

A Lost Ship in a Dark Grave (The Lyra Cycle #2) by Rene Astle

  

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera
Content: Strong language

 

Rule number 27: Don’t trust the weird Sisters.

Or maybe it’s don’t steal from gangsters. Either way...words to live by.

The Lyra is safe. And so is Alek Wa’s secret. His mission is over, and he can leave the ship. But he’s not sure he wants to. And when the Sisters of Elazir drop them into the Green Zone, Alek’s stomach sinks. The last time he was here, he fled with his life and barely got away.

Rebeka Mino isn’t happy to be in the Green Zone, ruled by gangsters and reprobates. She can survive it though — she’s been there before. But then things go from bad to worse: her ex shows up with a treasure map to a fabled ship.

With the Lyra back in working order, Tink has no desire to chase after mythical treasure ships. She wants life to get back to normal: odd jobs, the occasional salvage and tinkering in her engine room. But with her secret exposed and unwelcome guests, she doubts if things can ever go back to normal...and Alek Wa is still onboard.

When the gangsters start shooting, their only escape might be to find a lost ship in a dark grave. Can Alek outrun his past? Can Rebeka’s ex survive their reunion? Can they uncover the mystery ship and its treasure? Most importantly, can they get out with their lives?

 

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and was looking forward to continuing with this book, but I have to say that this one was not as compelling to me. The story is hampered by too many of the same types of events repeating over and over. In the first book the Lyra is constantly tracked by another ship and they end up showing up everywhere. That continued in this book to the point that it got very old. Then, of course they decide to take on illegal cargo and they end up hiding it, just like the last book. I also wasn't crazy about the plot with the space archeologists and the hidden relics. It just felt very done before. So now I'm on the fence about whether I want to read book three. I'll think about it for a while before I decide.