September 2018 Book Club: The Madness Season

The Madness Season by C.S. Friedman

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-fi, fantasy
Content: Strong Language
 

This was our book club read for September, and this book is not something I would have picked up on my own, although the idea behind it sounded a bit intriguing. The main character, Daetrin has a secret that he is keeping from the alien race that conquered earth 300 years ago. He's a vampire type creature who has been alive for centuries. One day the aliens come and take him and he realizes he's been found out. This sets into motion a whole lot of events. I won't go into what they all are in my review, but I will say that at times I found this book interesting and likable, and at other times it was a dry and boring read. There were points where I skimmed text that did not further the plot.

I like the addition of the other alien races, especially the Mara. They were interesting to me and I kept reading, wanting to know more about them. I also wanted to know more about Daetrin and whether he was really a vampire or if his origins were from another alien race. To be honest I don't know if this was ever really answered in a clear concise way, but maybe I missed something. I did find myself zoning out a few times as I read and listened to this. I did like the resolution to the problem of the other aliens who had conquered earth, but was also a bit horrified by something that happened after that.

The most annoying thing about the book was the way the story jumped from one perspective to another, or back in time with no warning. There were characters I wanted to like and almost did, but unfortunately I never really felt much of a connection to any of them like I wanted to. I liked the very end, it even employed some humor, which was a surprise since this book was not really a humorous book. Overall this was just an ok read for me. I feel like there was a little too much going on in the story with the dystopian type world conquered by aliens, the vampire-like creatures, and plotting by other aliens.

A Monster Like Me by Pamela Sparkman

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Content: A brief scene that involves childhood rape



“I love the peculiar silence of shadows. They exist, but leave no mark.” 

Zeph had been a child, thrust into a war that wasn’t his. When he was older, he discovered he had landed on the wrong side of everything.

He’d been fighting for sweet revenge, because of lies he’d believed—and those lies proved to be his ruin. Falling into despair, Zeph decides living is too painful. So, he writes his final act with poison and chooses to end his story.

But Fate has other plans for Zeph and when he finds himself in the hands of his enemies, he has to decide: Does he want to live? Or does he want to die?

Or maybe that choice is no longer his to make.

Ruled by shadows and armed with secrets he never intended to share, Zeph will be put through his toughest battle yet: the war within himself.
 

When I read The Moon Shines Red. last year I was quite impressed with it. It really filled my need for a good historical fantasy with that fairy-tale type feel, so I was looking forward to reading this sequel. This time around the story is focused on Zeph, who was more of a villain type character in The Moon Shines Red. I mentioned that he was a really layered character in my review for that book, and that I could sympathize with him to an extent, so I was interested in seeing how he could be redeemed in this book. Also I wanted to know why he was the way he was. This book did not disappoint in that aspect at all. I got every answer I was looking for. Some of them were quite disturbing. Be warned there is a brief scene that involves childhood rape.

This is a story about love, forgiveness, and redemption and those are themes that I'm naturally drawn to in stories. It was nice to see Zeph grow from the tortured soul he was into someone at peace, able to love, and be loved by others. It was also nice to revisit Elin, Lochlin, Arwyn, and other characters that were in the first book. There is also the addition of a new character in this book that I liked, but wasn't really sure he was needed in the book. I guess that would be one of the criticisms I have about the book. The character just didn't really seem to go anywhere other than offer comfort to someone.

In the end I loved Zeph and his story. Maybe not as much as I loved The Moon Shines Red, but this was still very enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author Pamela Sparkman for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Space Opera
Content: Strong Language



Three people who are not who they claim to be:

Nika Rik Terri, body modder extraordinaire, has devoted her life to redesigning people's bodies right down to the molecular level. Give her a living body and a genemod machine, and she will turn out a work of art.

Josune Arriola is crew on the famous explorer ship the Hassim, whose memory banks contain records of unexplored worlds worth a fortune. But Josune and the rest of the crew are united in their single-minded pursuit of the most famous lost planet of all.

Hammond Roystan, the captain of the rival explorer ship, The Road, has many secrets. Some believe one of them is the key to finding the lost world.

They're in a race to find the lost world...and stay alive long enough to claim the biggest prize in the galaxy.


I had previously tried to read Linesmen by S.K Dunstall and while I liked it ok, it wasn't exciting enough for me. After reading the description of this book I decided to give S.K. Dunstall another chance, and I'm glad I did. This book kept me company into the wee hours of the night when I was sick with a cold and couldn't sleep. I found it very easy to read and I liked the characters a lot. The body modding was interesting. Think cosmetic surgery taken to the extreme. It's an art here. You can go into a machine and come out looking like a completely different person. I thought Nika was very indicative of what a cosmetic surgeon is probably like; always looking at people and thinking up ways to make them look different and 'better'. It's not really a good way to look at people, but it fit really well with the story.

Josune and Roystan were very likable and I liked the slight romance that was there. It was never too pronounced and was a nice touch to the story without becoming the focus. The mystery surrounding Roystan kept me reading and I feel like I should have figured it out sooner than I did.

The negatives for me were that I found it hard to believe most everyone couldn't figure out who Nika was, and also who Josune is later on in the story, but other than that I really have no complaints about the book. It was a nice, fun, stand-alone read that had just enough action for me and focused on the characters a lot, which I liked. The authors are planning to write a second book set in this world and I am planning on reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong Language, A Sex Scene, Some Gore



Kate and her father, Roland, currently have an uneasy truce, but when he starts testing her defenses again, she knows that sooner or later, a confrontation is inevitable. When a mysterious box is delivered to Kate's doorstep, a threat of war from the ancient enemy who nearly destroyed her family, she knows their time is up.

Kate Daniels sees no other choice but to combine forces with the unlikeliest of allies. She knows betrayal is inevitable. She knows she may not survive the coming battle. But she has to try.

For her child.

For Atlanta.

For the world.


Wow, what an ending to this series. I was a little apprehensive going in because I could see all kinds of tragedy on the horizon, but I enjoyed this book so much. It was better than the two previous books in the series and it was impossible to put down. I really can't think of a better ending to this series. It had just about everything I could have asked for, and reading about Kate as a mother to a toddler was laugh out loud funny at times. Speaking of funny there were so many lines in this book that had me cracking up. It was a good balance to the darkness of the rest of the story. I especially appreciated the references to book one at one point while Andrea is visiting with Kate.

The story skips forward two years for this book, and at first I wasn't sure what I thought about that, but it ended up being the right move. I like the direction the authors are taking for future books set in this world and I'm looking forward to reading them. I started reading this series when they were only 5 books into it and it's been a favorite series ever since. I've looked forward to each new book release so I will miss Kate and Curran, and the pack, and everyone else. If you like Urban Fantasy and you haven't tried this series yet, then you should really give it a try. The first book is the weakest book in the series, and even the authors have said they would probably rewrite it if they could, but I still liked it enough to keep reading the series.

Marked by Bridget E. Baker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic
Content: Some mild cursing


If one touch can infect. . .

All Ruby Behl wants for her seventeenth birthday is a good career path match, and to kiss her best friend and long time crush, Wesley Fairchild. Unfortunately, the simplicity of teenage wishes evaporated a decade ago when the Tercera virus nearly wiped out the human race. Transmitted through touch, the slightest contact is prohibited in the safe haven community of Port Gibson.

Then a kiss is deadly. . .

An innocent game of Spin the Bottle, a rite of passage for Port Gibson’s teens, provides the opportunity Ruby’s been waiting for, but when Wesley winds up Marked, Ruby realizes her first kiss may also be her last.

Marked is the first book in a new YA post-apocalyptic trilogy and it was very hard to put down. I have to say that it's was one of the best self-published books I've ever read. In fact I really couldn't tell it was a self-published book. It didn't have a lot of the issues I've run into while reading most of them. The plot was good, there were no grammar or spelling issues that I noticed, and I felt like the characters were consistent.

As for the characters, for the most part I liked Ruby, although she annoyed me a few times with her self-loathing and headstrong behavior. Despite those weaknesses, she was a strong, independent thinker. I kind of liked that her strengths were not in physical strength or combat, but in other areas. I also felt like the love triangle was handled pretty well, and the fact that there was a love triangle in this book didn't annoy me at all, which was a relief, because sometimes they can be so bad. The guy who becomes the main love interest in the book was a bit over-protective at times, but at least he listened to her when she asked him not to do something, and I was also really happy when she called him out on some of his behavior. That's more than I can say for some of the adult characters I've read about in books (see my review of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness for an example).

There were some nice twists in the book. I did predict a couple of them, but that was ok, it didn't make the book any less enjoyable. I recommend this if you like post-apocalyptic YA books. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy.

Thanks to the author for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy
Content: Strong Language (I think), Implied Sex 


How do you stop a murder that’s already happened?

At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed—again. She's been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden's only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend—but nothing and no one is quite what they seem.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a mystery that crosses over a bit into the fantasy genre. The best way to describe it would be Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day, set in an Agatha Christie like novel. I don't think I've ever read a mystery quite like this.

After what I thought was a bit of a slow start (it seemed to take a while to find out who Evelyn Hardcastle was and how she fit into the story) I found it impossible to put down, and it kept me guessing the whole time. Every time I thought I knew what was going on something else got thrown in there that I didn't see coming.

"If this isn't hell, the devil is surely taking notes."

 

The story is set in a place called Blackheath and it really isn't what it seems. I really can't say much more in my review without spoiling things, but I thought this was a well written book. I really couldn't tell that this was a debut author. The story is well constructed with lots of bits and pieces that all come together very nicely in the end, and that can be hard to do in a time loop kind of story. I definitely recommend this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

August 2018 Book Club: The Land: Founding

The Land: Founding by Aleron Kong

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy, LitRPG
Content: Strong Language (not sure about anything else)


Tricked into a world of banished gods, demons, goblins, sprites and magic, Richter must learn to meet the perils of The Land and begin to forge his own kingdom. Actions have consequences across The Land, with powerful creatures and factions now hell-bent on Richter's destruction.

Can Richter forge allegiances to survive this harsh and unforgiving world or will he fall to the dark denizens of this ancient and unforgiving realm?

I'm giving up on this one. I'm almost halfway through and it isn't so much the book as it is literary RPG just isn't for me. Although I find the book amusing there are only so many times I can read about someone going on a quest and leveling up. Maybe the quests get better, I don't know, but that alone just isn't enough for me. I need a deeper story with more in-depth characters. If there's another literary RPG out there that has those things I might be interested in trying again.