Category: Reviews

Reviews

Review: Imprudence by Gail Carriger

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Book Review

Imprudence
Imprudence by Gail Carriger
(The Custard Protocol #2)
Steampunk, Fantasy, Paranormal, Adult
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Synopsis
Rue and the crew of the Spotted Custard return from India with revelations that shake the foundations of England’s scientific community. Queen Victoria is not amused, the vampires are tetchy, and something is wrong with the local werewolf pack. To top it all off, Rue’s best friend Primrose keeps getting engaged to the most unacceptable military types. 

Rue has family problems as well. Her vampire father is angry, her werewolf father is crazy, and her obstreperous mother is both. Worst of all, Rue’s beginning to suspect what they really are… is frightened.

Read-along
Midway through 2018, I decided that I wanted to read the books from Gail Carriger’s Parasolverse in chronological order. This led me to start the journey of the Parasolverse Read-Along in August 2018. If you would like more information about the read-along please visit my post about it here. At the beginning of each month, I will have a brief read-along post go up letting you know what the book for that month is.

What I thought
This book is Rue’s journey in which she discovers that she can be loved and not be used as a pawn.  Don’t get me wrong none of her parents attempt to do that. Rue makes the statement that the only people that would be interested in her would be due to wanting some advantage with her parents.  

Rue goes through most of this story avoiding how she feels, due to statements above. And then Quesnel, oh Quesnel, not understanding and thinking she felt nothing. What makes all of this so amusing is that all of this is obvious to everyone else aboard that Spotted Custard.

Alongside Rue’s story, you see the beginnings of Prim’s story, which is focused on in Competence and you don’t want to miss that.

I enjoyed this book so much more than the first one! The journey that Rue is on I feel that so many people can relate to, and seeing how it all works out was just beautiful!

My Rating: /55 StarsFollow me on other platforms:
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Review: Cage of Deceit by Jennifer Anne Davis

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Book Review

cage-of-deceit
Cage of Deceit by Jennifer Anne Davis
(Reign of Secrets #1)
Fantasy, Young Adult Romance
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Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Allyssa appears to be the ideal princess of Emperion–she’s beautiful, elegant, and refined. She spends her days locked in a suffocating cage, otherwise known as the royal court. But at night, Allyssa uses her secret persona–that of a vigilante–to hunt down criminals and help her people firsthand.

Unfortunately, her nightly escapades will have to wait because the citizens of Emperion may need saving from something much bigger than common criminals. War is encroaching on their kingdom and in order to protect her people, Allyssa may have to sacrifice her heart. Forced to entertain an alliance through marriage with a handsome prince from a neighboring kingdom, she finds herself feeling even more stifled than before. To make matters worse, the prince has stuck his nosy squire, Jarvik, to watch her every move.

Jarvik is infuriating, bossy and unfortunately, the only person she can turn to when she unveils a heinous plot. Together, the unlikely pair will have to work together to stop an enemy that everyone thought was long gone, one with the power to destroy her family and the people of Emperion. Now the cage Allyssa so longed to break free from might just be the one thing she has to fight to keep intact. In order to save her kingdom, she will have to sacrifice her freedom, her heart, and maybe even her life.

What I thought
Cage of Deceit is the first book in the Reign of Secrets series, which is a spinoff of the True Reign series. No worries though they can be read completely separate from one another. I really love it when you can just pick up a series and not have to read multiple series first. This is an Enemy to Lovers story so I loved every second of it. This story just pulls you right in and I did not want to put it down.

Princess Allyssa, the heir to the throne, is not a weak princess and can take care of herself. The story opens up with Allyssa chasing down a criminal, yes a princess racing across rooftops chasing a criminal. So, to say the least, this story is action-packed. Allyssa may be a badass cleaning up her kingdom at night, but when men from her military come back from a terrible tour she shows how much heart and compassion she truly has. Allyssa is willing to marry a prince she does not love just to save her kingdom and at one point Jarvik even comments “at least you’re loyal”. The back and forth with Jarvik was to live for I loved it all so much!

I am not one that usually likes cliff hangers but this ending… I need to get to the next book ASAP!!

My Rating: /55 StarsFollow me on other platforms:
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Review: Of the Clouds by Selina J. Eckert

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Book Review

of-the-clouds
Of the Clouds by Selina J. Eckert
(Seasons of Magic: Fireflies & Faeries, #1)
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Synopsis
What would you do to be free?

Shaman-in-training Quri only knows her master’s hut…until the neighboring prince arrives, showing her what life could be. But her master has other plans for Quri, and she will stop at nothing to keep her young apprentice from leaving her, including locking her in an old tomb. Now, Quri must defy her master to learn the magic she needs to free herself or lose her chance for the prince, her own happiness, and the life she wants. Can Quri find the strength she needs to save herself and the prince, or will the shaman keep her locked up forever?

This sweet and exciting retelling of Rapunzel will have you asking what you would do for your freedom.

Trigger warning: some abusive situations between the shaman and apprentice, but with a happy, hopeful ending.

What I thought

I was kindly given a copy of this book by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This novella is a YA fantasy retelling of Rapunzel. The story was told well and felt whole even though it was a novella (70 pages). I like the atmosphere of the story and I believe it may even incorporate some South American Lore.

I enjoyed how the character Quri just didn’t sit around and expect someone to just save her.  She proved to be a stronger person than she thought she was. One thing that I really liked was even though the prince wanted to save her he acknowledged that she just needed help not saved. He acknowledged that she was not weak.

I know that this was a retelling but I found it to be very similar to a story I read years ago.  The elements that should have made this story unique are what I remembered.  Reading the story was like having Deja Vu in many cases.

My Rating: /53.5 starsFollow me on other platforms:
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Review: Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster

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Book Review

heart of iron
Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster
London Steampunk #2
Steampunk, Paranormal, Fantasy
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Synopsis
In Victorian London, if you’re not a blue blood of the Echelon then you’re nothing at all. The Great Houses rule the city with an iron fist, imposing their strict ‘blood taxes’ on the nation, and the Queen is merely a puppet on a string…


Lena Todd makes the perfect spy. Nobody suspects the flirtatious debutante could be a sympathizer for the humanist movement haunting London’s vicious blue blood elite. Not even the ruthless Will Carver, the one man she can’t twist around her little finger, and the one man whose kiss she can’t forget…

Stricken with the loupe and considered little more than a slave-without-a-collar to the blue bloods, Will wants nothing to do with the Echelon or the dangerous beauty who drives him to the very edge of control. But when he finds a coded letter on Lena—a code that matches one he saw on a fire-bombing suspect—he realizes she’s in trouble. To protect her, he must seduce the truth from her.

With the humanists looking to start a war with the Echelon, Lena and Will must race against time—and an automaton army—to stop the humanist plot before it’s too late. But as they fight to save a city on the brink of revolution, the greatest danger might just be to their hearts…

What I thought

I didn’t think I was going to be able to like this book more than the first one but I was very wrong. The way this series works is they are all companion novels, so you follow different main characters with each book. So technically you can read them in any order; however, you meet the main characters in the previous book and I liked the background you get.  This book takes place three years after the first book ends, and we follow Lena, Honoria’s sister, from book one and Will Carver Blades man.

Lena has gone back to join the Echelon blue bloods, because she felt like she didn’t belong in Whitechapel. Will being werewulfern is afraid he is going to hurt her. The romance in this second book runs hotter and is forbidden, which apparently I really liked.  I did not want to put this book down. I carried it everywhere I went until I was finished

My Rating: /55 StarsFollow me on other platforms:
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Review Throwback: Air Awakens by Elise Kova

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Air AwakensAir Awakens by Elise Kova
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Synopsis
A library apprentice, a sorcerer prince, and an unbreakable magic bond…

The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war.

Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all—the Crown Prince Aldrik—she finds herself enticed into his world. Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined.

What I thought
Air Awakens is the first book in an adult fantasy series.  In this world, Sorcerers can have affinities to the 4 types of elemental magic.  Vhalla a library apprentice lives a quiet life until the sorcerer prince takes notice of her.

In the beginning, Vhalla is naive and that leads her to trust a little too easily but that is remedied when Aldrik helps her awaken. Yep, he pushes her off of the roof and feels quite justified by doing so because it proved him right about her powers. Can one be redeemed by such a move? Maybe.

I loved this book!  Once I started reading it I was pulled in.  I can not remember the last time I stayed up until 2am to finish a book knowing I had to work the next morning. Heck, I don’t do that when I don’t have to work. I can’t just pick one thing that I liked about this book because I loved it all the world, the characters, the political intrigue.  I can not wait to pick up the second book.

There is one description that I loved and no this is not about the prince 😉

“He seems about as pleasant as a rabid weasel in a bag of vipers”

My Rating: /55 Stars

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via Review: Air Awakens by Elise Kova

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Review: The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab

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Book Review

The Near Witch
The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab
Fantasy, Paranormal
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Synopsis
The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. 

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

There are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger, a boy who seems to fade like smoke, appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

All-new deluxe edition of an out-of-print gem, containing in-universe short story “The Ash-Born Boy” and a never-before-seen introduction from V.E. Schwab.

What I thought
This was my first V.E/Victoria Schwab book and I really enjoyed it.  The story takes place in the village of Near, which is surrounded by moors. This kind of setting gets me every time. When I decided to pick this book up and read I thought I would read a little of this one before bed every night and it turned into being the only thing I wanted to read and I had it read very quickly.

This story really shows the negative side of small towns/villages and how they can completely scorn outsiders. This story also covers loss/grief and how it affects people in different ways.  You see how Lexi handles it verses how her mom is able to handle it. You also see it in Cole. I loved the slow burn romance and the relationships throughout the whole book. There was only one character in the book that I did not like.

I really loved how the story was written so I can not wait to pick up another one of her books.  I currently have A Darker Shade of Magic on my self and I foresee it getting picked up sooner rather than later.

My Rating: /55 StarsFollow me on other platforms:
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Review: Bitches and Brawlers by Melanie Karsak

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Book Review

bitches-and-brawlers
Bitches and Brawlers by Melanie Karsak
Steampunk Red Riding Hood #4
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Synopsis
Just when things start going well for Agent Clemeny Louvel, a bitch has to make trouble. Since Cyril’s death, an uneasy peace has existed between Alodie and Lionheart. Her brothel closed, her rank in the werewolf pecking order obliterated, and shunned by the Templars, Alodie has been living on the fringes of the dark district. Determined to get vengeance on Lionheart and Clemeny, Alodie hatches a monstrous plan. Just in time to ruin Clemeny and Edwin’s first outing as a couple. Alodie will do anything to see a new alpha rise. Unless Clemeny can stop her first.

Badassery and steampunk unite in New York Times bestselling author Melanie Karsak’s retelling of the classic Red Riding Hood fairy tale set in gaslamp London. Bitches and Brawlers is book 4 in the Steampunk Red Riding Hood series.

What I thought

Life is going pretty good for Clemeny, she still does not have a partner yet but she has at least made a few steps forward with Edwin. Finally. So all is looking up until Alodie begins seeking revenge. Clemeny introduces Edwin to Quinn, which is a big step for her!

This is book 4 of this series and I am loving how it is progressing,  I love that these are novellas because when I start reading them I never want to put them down. The author is wonderful at building this world and I love all the books that are within it.  If you have Kindle Unlimited go and grab these books you will not regret it. Wolves and Daggers is FREE right now on Amazon so you have nothing to lose.

If you have read this book…What is up with that ending? What is Lionheart thinking? What is his motive? What does he know?

I really need to read the next book!

My Rating: /55 StarsFollow me on other platforms:
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