Stars: 4 out of 5. I am liking this series so far. The first book was a surprise hit for me, and the second book continues the streak of good luck.  The action picks up several weeks after the events of the first book, and leaves Kate with a lot of guilt and frustration over … Continue reading Cursed Moon (Prospero’s War 2) by Jaye Wells →</a

Stars: 3 out of 5 It would be a mistake to call this book the second in this series, because it’s not a continuation of book one. More of a prequel, actually. But that’s not explained until the epilogue, so I experienced a sense of confusion when I started reading this. In book 1, we … Continue reading Empire of Shadows (Bhinian Empire 2) by Miriam Forster →</a

Stars: 1 out of 5. DNF at 50%. I think I am done with this author. This could have been a wonderful book about the price of human experimentation, damaged people, suffering and atonement… it chose to be a weak romance between two unlikable characters instead. I mean this was a subject matter ripe for … Continue reading The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley →</a

Stars: 5 out of 5. Well, this book tugged at my heartstrings from the beginning till the end. I honestly didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. I always say that I don’t particularly enjoy books with unlikeable characters I can’t empathize with. Well this book proved me wrong. Turns out, I … Continue reading Ymir (The Violet Wars 2) by Rich Larson →</a

DNF at 67%. Every once in a while, I pick up a military scifi book, because the description or the cover spoke to me. Also, just to see if I might like it. With rare exceptions, like the Old Man’s War by John Scalzi, those books are a disappointment. Unfortunately, this one will fall into … Continue reading Atlas (Atlas 1) by Isaac Hooke →</a

Stars: 3 out of 5. This novella left me in a state of confusion once I finished reading it. It was well-written and quick, at only 124 pages, but I felt like I didn’t really understand what it was about. What was the point of this whole story? I still don’t know. Sure, it raises … Continue reading Rose/House by Arkady Martine →</a

Stars: 3 out of 5 I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I really liked the first 60% of it when Aloe is in Blue Haven and strange things are happening. On the other, I didn’t like the explanation that comes in the later part of the book.  The first part in … Continue reading Blue Haven by Lisa King →</a

Stars: 5 out of 5 I really like this series so far, and that must be worth something coming from someone who doesn’t usually read YA books. Yet this is how YA should be – smart, interesting, with engaging characters and a developing plotline that evolves from book to book. The characters are engaging and … Continue reading The Whispering Skull (Lockwood & Co 2) by Jonathan Stroud →</a

Stars: 2 out of 5 I am very disappointed with this book. The blurb promised something new, fresh, and with a unique worldbuilding. The book itself was simply… boring. I understand that this is book one of a duology, but it seems like the author decided to pack all the worldbuilding and foreshadowing into this … Continue reading In a Garden Burning Gold (Agryrosi 1) Gold by Rory Powers →</a

Stars: 3 out of 5. As far as first books in a series go, this one wasn’t particularly impressive. In fact, it was almost a DNF until about 30% into the book.  It is a very slow start, but it also starts with a story that doesn’t seemingly have anything to do with magic and … Continue reading London Falling (Shadow Police 1) by Paul Cornell →</a

Stars: 3 out of 5 I’m not sure how I feel about this book. The prose is beautiful, and some of the themes are sufficiently nostalgic to be interesting. It also feels heartfelt. In a way, it reminds me of a mosaic. Each individual piece is like a gem, beautiful and shiny on its own. … Continue reading Neom by Lavie Tidhar →</a

Stars: 2 out of 5. DNF at 75%. This was going to be a solid 4 or 5 stars book until about 50% into the story. The setup was wonderful. Old manor that used to be an abbey, the moors and the fog, the cold and unwelcoming servants, and a mysterious library… What is there … Continue reading The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox →</a

Stars: 4 out of 5. This is everything the first book in a series should be. It has an engaging heroine, an interesting story that manages to get personal for said heroine. There is just enough worldbuilding to introduce the world and the main players, but we aren’t bashed in the head with infodumps.  The … Continue reading Dirty Magic (Prospero’s War 1) by Jaye Wells →</a

Stars: 1 out of 5 DNF at 40%. Well, this was a disappointment. I love discovering new authors. I also love exploring settings set up in cities other than the usual London/New York/another well-known English-speaking city. So I was very excited about this story set in Zagreb. I hoped to learn some new lore and … Continue reading The City Beneath the Hidden Stars by Sonya Kudei →</a

Stars: 3 out of 5 It is sad when you say something like “It was okay,” when you try to describe a book. Unfortunately, this is exactly what this book was. Just okay. The story was okay and moved swiftly enough to keep me interested. The characters were okay, though I question the need for … Continue reading The Beholden by Cassandra Rose Clarke →</a

Stars: 3.5 out of 5 This book has been languishing on my TBR list since 2013, and even though I own the book, I never got around to reading it. So thank you for the Cleaning out your TBR challenge for finally giving me the push I needed to tackle it. All in all, I … Continue reading Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones →</a

Stars: 1.5 out of 5 I didn’t mesh with this book at all, unfortunately. Part of it was because the ARC was horrendously formatted, making it almost impossible to read and follow the story. But my biggest problem was with the protagonist. I hated Lilith from the first pages of the book until the very … Continue reading The End of Sleep by Vyvyan Evans →</a

Stars: 1.5 out of 5. This is the case where the blurb is more interesting than the actual book. Or where the author had a wonderful idea, but lacked the skill to realize it well. It could have been a wonderful dystopian novel and a great social commentary. Instead, it turned into a frustrating slog … Continue reading Curfew by Jayne Cowie →</a

Stars: 3.5 out of 5. Surprisingly, this book pulled at all of my heartstrings. Even though it’s monster horror in space, it made me care about the characters. Well, at least the main ones.  I mean, you can’t help but feel sorry for Sean, who survived the destruction of his whole city and saw his … Continue reading The Immortality Thief (The Kystrom Chronicles 1) by Taran Hunt →</a

Stars: 5 out of 5 I continue to be impressed with this series. The complexity of the worldbuilding is staggering. Every book adds a new piece of the puzzle to the bigger picture of creation. I am fascinated and I want to know more. I also really like Jame as a character, and I think … Continue reading To Ride a Rathorn (Kencyrath 4) by PC Hodgell →</a