May 2019 Book Club: Good Omens

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
                              Content: Strong Language
 
According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.

So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .

This was our book club read for May and it was one of the rare times I listened to an audio book. Others in the book club said it was slow at times and hard to get into, but the audio I listened too was a dramatization and a lot of the tedious parts were cut out. I did find the dramatization hard to follow now and then without having a visual of what was happening, but for the most part it was fun to listen to.

One of the most fun things about reading this for book club was choosing refreshments to go with the theme of the book. We do this at every one of our book club meetings. Some books are harder to think of refreshments for than others. This one was a breeze! We had angel food cake, deviled eggs, devils food and angel food cupcakes, Nutter Butters, a witch's brew for drinks, and bangers and mash.

I thought this was a fun, quirky book, and the first thing I've ever read by Terry Pratchet. It left me interested in trying one of his other books. I had previously only read one book by Neil Gaiman and I liked it. I think these too authors make a good writing team and I would be interested in reading another collaboration.

Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong Language, A mild sex scene

 
My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic.

And a coyote shapeshifter.

And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack.

Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn't stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who lived in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and treat with the fae.

The reality is that nothing and no one is safe. As generals and politicians face off with the Gray Lords of the fae, a storm is coming and her name is Death.

But we are pack, and we have given our word.

We will die to keep it.

This was a great addition to the Mercy Thompson series. I never get tired of reading about the characters in these books. In many ways this felt like a classic Mercy book. Mercy has rebuilt her garage, an aspect of the books that has been mostly pushed aside for a while. Zee and Tad were helping out with running the garage. Mercy was once again driving an old VW, this one she was in the middle of fixing up. Stefan and the mystery machine were back. All those elements were things that were in just about every one of the older Mercy books. Recent books have been more focused on the pack and politics which wasn't a bad thing at all. I like every aspect of this series, but it was fun to have all those old elements back.

We've covered the werewolves, the Fae, the vampires, and Old Coyote a lot in this series, so I was happy that we got to see a lot more about the witches this time around. I was a little surprised at some of the developments concerning Elizaveta, and am wondering what will be next for the witches. We also got more of the Goblins in this book, and I have a feeling a future book will go into a lot more detail with them. There were also some cool creatures added to the book that we hadn't seen before, and I loved the way the author was able to weave zombies into the world. It worked surprisingly well. I'm looking forward to continuing to read this series.

The Spirit War by Rachel Aaron

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong Language


 
Eli Monpress is vain. He's cocky. And he's a thief.
But he's a thief who has just seen his bounty topped and he's not happy about it. The bounty topper, as it turns out, is his best friend, bodyguard, and master swordsman, Josef. Who has been keeping secrets from Eli.

Meanwhile the Spirit Court has been usurped by the Council of Thrones and someone calling herself the Immortal Empress is staging a massive invasion. But it's not just politics --- the Immortal Empress has a specific target in mind: Eli Monpress, the greatest thief in the world.

I read the first three book in this series a few years ago and liked them a lot, but I got busy reading other things and never finished it. I'm happy that I finally got back to this series and with the fourth book read, I only have one left.

Previous books focused on Eli, Miranda, and Nico. This one focused on Josef. I enjoyed reading his back story, finding out who he really was, and how he obtained the sword. I would say that was the most enjoyable part of this book. Other characters were sparse, Miranda became slightly annoying, there wasn't enough magic used, and the series as a whole has taken a decidedly darker turn, with the ending feeling a little depressing to me. The previous book had some darker tones to it but they were balanced out pretty well with the lighter parts. This book was missing a lot of that light-heartedness. I definitely preferred the light-hearted tone to the previous books over this one.

All that being said though, I didn't dislike this one. Like I said, I enjoyed reading Josef's back story and that alone made this book worth reading. Because this book ends on a big cliffhanger I'm definitely anxious to get started on the last book in the series.

Relic of Sorrows: 2nd Epilogue by Lindsay Buroker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Space Opera
Content: Clean


 
With some series I don't really feel the need to read every novella, but with this one I have to read every little thing I can get my hands on! This extra little epilogue was fun to read, just like the rest of the series. I loved the brownie baking and that Leonidas and Beck are starting to get along.

Relic of Sorrows by Lindsay Buroker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Space Opera
Content: Some sexual innuendoes 


 
Captain Alisa Marchenko finally has a lead on finding her daughter, but her passengers want her to take them on their quest instead. They have power she cannot fight, and she finds herself with no choice but to accept another detour.

But the ancient relic they seek has the ability to destroy worlds and is coveted by many. The path leading to it is riddled with competitors and littered with the dead, and even a cyborg and a Starseer may not be strong enough to fight the obstacles in the way.

The plot thickens in this fourth book in the series. There was tomb raiding in space, lots of action, progress with a relationship, and of course the wonderful banter between characters. I do think that the one thing that is lacking is a sense of urgency on Alisa's part to find her daughter. Sure, she is at the whim of Abelardus who refuses to help her until his quest is complete, but Alisa sits back and takes that way too easily. As a mother myself, I would be frantic with worry about my daughter, and the book just doesn't convey that at all about Alisa.

One of the best things about this book to me are that Beck and Leonidas are getting along. I hope to see a real camaraderie develop between them. The novella that follows this story helps to build on that. Then there is the step toward a romantic relationship between a couple of the characters. I like the way it is heading, but it looks like it will take a while to get there, for reasons I had already guessed, but will not divulge here.

Overall, another solid book, in a series that just keeps on entertaining. It's rip-roaring fun and I'm enjoying the heck out of it.

The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal. Mystery
Content: Implied sex, Gruesome deaths 


Death hasn't visited Rowan Rose since it took her mother when Rowan was only a little girl. But that changes one bleak morning, when five horses and their riders thunder into her village and through the forest, disappearing into the hills. Days later, the riders' bodies are found, and though no one can say for certain what happened in their final hours, their remains prove that whatever it was must have been brutal. Rowan's village was once a tranquil place, but now things have changed. Something has followed the path those riders made and has come down from the hills, through the forest, and into the village. Beast or man, it has brought death to Rowan's door once again.
Only this time, its appetite is insatiable.

3.5 stars.

I've had this book on my to-read list for a long time and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. This was different, and I thought that was mostly a good thing. There is a paranormal element, but it also has a fairy tale type feel to it, and a mystery. Another reviewer pointed out that it has elements from several different fairy tales in it, especially Snow White. I didn't think of that while I was reading, but now that she pointed it out I can see it. There's the glass casket, and the way that character is described among other things.

The main character Rowan is the daughter of a scholar. Her father doesn't believe in the town folklore of fairies and witches and such, so neither does Rowan, but she's about to have some eye opening experiences. There are mysterious deaths in the woods, and an ominous presence is felt there, but not seen. The mystery continues to ramp up when the deaths start happening within the village itself. I liked the mystery that surrounded the woods and the village and it took me a little while to figure it out.

I liked most of the characters in this book, and even the multiple possibilities of a love interest for Rowan was well done. I did however get annoyed with the instalove between two of the characters. It didn't really make sense and I thought for a while that it would be explained as some sort of enchantment, but unfortunately it wasn't. There was just no real substance there, and as far as I'm concerned, those characters were just infatuated with each other. I honestly never really liked either of those characters very much in the first place. That's really the only negative part but it's why I'm giving it 3.5 stars instead of 4.

If you like dark, creepy fantasies with a fairy tale feel, then you might like this book.

Finding Liberty by Bridget E. Baker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance
Content: Clean

 
Billionaire heiress Brekka Thornton is headed for Olympic fame and glory until a car accident destroys all her plans.

An IED blast sends Marine Rob Graham back to the US with a purple heart and a broken back.

When Brekka’s brother proposes to Rob's best friend, their paths are destined to cross at the upcoming wedding. Even so, Rob isn't prepared for Brekka to roll into his life and turn it inside out.

Brekka hasn’t been on a date since the car accident, and Rob’s quick wit and winning smile unnerve her.

Can love mend these two broken spirits, or will the weight of the past shatter them beyond repair?

If you only read one book in this series, make it this one! I got to read a rough draft of this book and I was very impressed with it, even in that form. This is the fourth book in this companion series, and I think it's the best one yet. I loved both Brekka and Rob. They are now my favorite characters in the whole series. Brekka dealing with her disability, and the things Rob went through as well, gave this book added depth and meaning that the other books didn't have. Don't get me wrong though, those books were good. I enjoyed them very much, and although they are pure escapism, they each had their own deeper meaning that is eventually revealed. This one however, was just special. I actually got emotional a couple of times while reading it.

There were a few times where the characters don't communicate with each other as well as they should have, but I've come to accept that this is standard procedure for the romance genre, so it doesn't bother me as much as it used to. It may have been done fewer times here, but I felt like it worked to illustrate Brekka's insecurities, which I thought were very realistically written. I've read very few books that feature a main character who is disabled and reading this one made me want to find more of them.

All the characters from the previous books are revisited in this book at some point, as they are all gathering for the wedding of Geo and Trig from book two, Finding Cupid. Trig, being Brekka's brother is in the book quite a bit. He is my least favorite character from the series, mainly because he has a lot to learn. I will say that he had me very annoyed at certain points in this book, but he also does end up learning a few things that make him more likable. And even though he annoyed me, I could also understand his misguided efforts where his sister is concerned. Sometimes it's easy to be too protective of the people we love.

Thanks to Bridget Baker for letting me read a rough draft of this and valuing my opinions. I'm not sure how helpful I was, but I do appreciate getting to read this.

The Cruel Stars: A Novel by John Birmingham

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Space Opera
Content: Strong language (lots of F words and the C word), Gruesome deaths


The galaxy was once terrorized by the Sturm, "species purists" intent on destroying any human with genetic or cybernetic enhancements. They cut a bloody swath across the stars, killing countless people before finally being defeated. Centuries later, this sect has returned, close to the brink of victory. Now five people must work together to stand against the invaders.

Going into this book there were a lot of characters and info thrown at the reader, so it took a while to get used to and to figure things out. I was immediately drawn to the first character that was introduced, Lucinda Hardy and continued to enjoy any chapter she was in. Other characters took a little while to grow on me, but they eventually all did. McClennan in particular was crass and I could have done without some of the profane things he said, but at the same time he could be amusing as well. I think less profane language in the book in general would have been a good thing. It was excessive for me. I do wish there was a bit more character development, but with this many characters that would be hard.

I liked the mix of drama and comic relief. I thought the book had a good balance of it. There were a couple of scenes that unexpectedly had me really laughing. One involved a hedge trimmer, but that's all I'm going to say. These scenes were needed because there were some rather gruesome scenes to get through as well. In the end this wasn't a favorite, but I liked it enough that I would probably read the next book in the trilogy (at least I think it's going to be a trilogy).


Some other things I liked about the book:

-Ships that are bigger on the inside, like the Tardis.
-Loading a persons consciousness into different bodies or even machines.
-The beautiful cover.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.