Saturday, April 18, 2020

Review: The Witchkin Murders

The Witchkin Murders The Witchkin Murders by Diana Pharaoh Francis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm usually not one for dystopian futures, but this book really drew me in from the start. I liked Kayla and found this world super interesting.

This book is about the start of Kayla's journey. She was forced to give up the thing she loved most - her job with the police, when it turned out that the magical d-day made her into what she sees as a monster. Since the police force is tasked with fighting these "monsters," she quits with very little explanation. This leaves her partner justifiably angry. Ray, said partner, also has some secrets of his own, once of which is the candle he's got burning for her.

A couple witchkin (magical folk) murders ends up putting these two together, forcing them to face and resolve their issues or, quite literally, die. While Kayla's decisions were sometimes questionable, her growth in this book had me rooting for her, especially in the end. She's like a whole new person, and I'm eager to see where she ultimately ends up. The big bad in this book is mostly vanquished, though if you ask me to explain who or what it was, I think I might fail. The world building was great, though, and I love all the side characters (Logan in particular). As a starter book for a series, this checks all the boxes and has me ready for more.

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Thursday, April 9, 2020

Review: Reign of Monsters

Reign of Monsters Reign of Monsters by S.M. Reine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Shatter Cage is the hero I didn't realize I needed. He is such a good guy!

We join this world, already in progress. If you didn't read book #1 - what are you doing here? Go back and start there (or, better yet, at the beginning of this whole universe, because it's awesome). He and his ex had... a misunderstanding... that left Cage off with the hero cult that adopted him and his ex with some super shady characters. Cage is clearly the star of the show, in that he is completely delusional but you can't stop yourself from rooting for him.

The overall story this time revolves around Cage and who he can/cannot trust. There's bad stuff happening to the less wealthy citizens of this post-apocalyptic world, and, of course, Cage is trying to help them. There's also bad stuff happening to magical artifacts that sometimes involve Cage stealing them. This ends up biting Cage in the end, but not before there are oodles of twists, turns, and betrayal along the way. Throughout, the gel that holds the goo of this world together, is the characters. Vex in particular are shining examples of the awesomeness that is Cage's magnetism for great people. Sure, they're all flawed, but great none the less. In the end, here, I'm even more committed to Team Cage and cannot wait to see where he takes us next time.

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Sunday, April 5, 2020

Review: Wicked Bite

Wicked Bite Wicked Bite by Jeaniene Frost
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Lupine

Lupine Lupine by Serena Dracis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a unique spin on your typical werewolf story with a healthy dose of sexual sizzle.

Alisa is a tough as nails attorney for environmental causes in her day job and a fun party girl at night. These two personas end up clashing when she discovers the hottie she was eyeballing is her new employer and the person heading what could be her dream cause. Geremy is trying to find a safer home for some wolves currently in a sanctuary. This gets a bit personal when we find out that he and most of his coworkers are a form of werewolf, the wolf halves of which are house across the veil.

Alisa and Geremy's romance is a little bit fated mate, and a whole lot sexual chemistry. They dance around one another, guided by the werewolf equivalent of a god (I think). They are further pushed towards one another by the endless danger Alisa finds herself in (sometimes pretty graphic). The political drama that drives the rival wolves to go after her end up going way too far, even for bloodthirsty wolves in most stories. While we get some resolution here, this book definitely is set up as the beginning of something more, coming to a critical turning point just at the end. I'd be interested to see where this all ends up.

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