Black Magic Author: Mark Feenstra / Alexis Blakely Title: Black Magic Series: Black Records 1 Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/F Rating: One Petal On the Author's Website: http://www.alexisblakely.com/ Summary: Using her magic to help others is the only way Alex Black knows how to stay out of trouble herself. After years of living on the street and trying to come to terms with the growing ability she had to teach herself to control, she's happy to have settled into the relatively quiet life of finding lost pets, crafting the odd charm, and helping people deal with annoying fae creatures and spirits. But when Alex is asked to investigate the gruesome murder of an artifact dealer who'd lost his life trying to protect his latest acquisition, she's thrown headlong into a world of paranormal violence threatening to cut her career short at every turn. Desperation forces her to turn to the local vampire crime lord for help, but has she only put herself at risk of losing everything she cares about? The closer Alex gets to tracking down the killer, the more dangerous the trail becomes -- and the more she discovers what terrible things will happen if the true potential of the artifact is ever unleashed. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I tried over and over and over to read this book. I started it, put it down and read something else, then went back to this book and couldn't get more than a few pages in before I ended up putting it down again. That cycle happened at least three times before I just couldn't force myself to pick this book up yet again. I kept going back to this book because I couldn't honestly think of any reason why I shouldn't like it. There was a strong main character with interesting powers, a brewing mystery, and the start of good world building, yet none of that was at all able to keep my interest. Needless to say, I didn't finish this story. Maggie's Recommendation: I wasn't able to finish this story. There wasn't anything that hooked me, which I found disappointing because this book should have been very interesting. I can't recommend it.
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Forest of Thorns and Claws Author: J.T. Hall Title: Forest of Thorns and Claws Series: None Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/M, M/F Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: https://jthallwriting.wordpress.com/published-works/ Summary: Donovan McGinnis, a veterinarian and conservationist at a research center in Sumatra, is fighting to save the rainforest from poachers and politicians alike. One day he discovers a tigress trapped by a snare, and while treating her injuries, she bites him. He becomes ill with strange symptoms that leave him feverish and dreaming of the jungle and blood. Kersen and his family are part of the Siluman harimau, a clan of tiger shifters hidden away in a secret village near the rainforest. When Kersen’s sister is caught, he knows he must free her before she infects someone with their magic and reveals their secret. But Donovan has already been turned, and only time will tell if he can control the tiger within. Kersen must help him, but will the fierce attraction between the pair bring ruin to them all? With the rainforest under threat from outside forces, they may be doomed anyway, unless Kersen and Donovan can find a way to defeat the danger from inside and out. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Donovan's life's work is trying to save the jungles of Sumatra. In particular, he is trying to keep the tigers unique to that region of the world alive. What Donovan never expected was for the tigers to be fighting for the same thing, or that the handsome man he meets after rescuing a tiger from a hunter's snare is much more than he appears. My favorite part of this story is the amount of research that had to have gone into a story this complex. The jungles of Sumatra are described perfectly, as are the cultures of the various peoples who live there, their style of houses, and even their religious practices. All of that detail gave this book a sense of realism that served to augment and ground the supernatural parts. It was a really well written story. The only complaint I had with the book was the ending, which stretched the realism to its limits. I won't go into it now so I don't spoil it for you, but after all the great things in the rest of the book, the ending was disappointing. Maggie's Recommendation: The research in this book was phenomenal, with details about Sumatra that brought the pages in the book to life. Even the supernatural parts felt real because of that. I had some issues with the ending, but I still do recommend this book. Wraith Hunter Author: Clara Coulson Title: Wraith Hunter Series: City of Crows 3 Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/F, Bi Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: https://claracoulson.com/books/ Summary: It’s another bright and sunny day in Aurora, Michigan…when a mysterious building collapse kills sixty-seven people. It's been four months since the devastating battle on Primrose Avenue, and DSI still has its hands full. The local ICM chapter is now unstable, no leader to corral its members. The werewolves are moving in strange ways, like they're keeping secrets. And there's a traitor inside DSI, waiting to strike again. Cal Kinsey and his team, now back on the job, are desperately searching for the answers they need to restore balance in the supernatural community. But so far, they've had little success. Then, to make matters exponentially worse, a major Aurora convention center collapses without warning, killing dozens and injuring hundreds more. With all signs pointing to a supernatural terrorist attack, Cal and his team are thrust back into the danger zone once again. And this time, they're playing for keeps. Because according to the riddle-filled letter that arrives on DSI’s doorstep, addressed to one Captain Nicholas Riker...the destruction of Aurora is only just beginning. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Magic and mayhem are loose again and it's Cal's job to figure out the who, where, and why of it all. The only problem is that the longer he takes to find answers, the more people might end up dying in the end. It's a race against time and Cal's pretty sure he lost the moment the first building exploded. This book was the best in the series so far. It had all the things I really liked in the previous books--the brilliant characterizations, an engaging plot, and wonderful world building--and it somehow also managed to feel unique and new at the same time. I was hooked from the first page until the end and am absolutely looking forward to the next book in the series. The only issue I had with the story was a stylistic choice Coulson made. At the beginning of every chapter was a one sentence explanation telling the reader exactly what was going to happen later on in that chapter. It did make for good foreshadowing, but it also lessened some of the level of drama. Maggie's Recommendation: I'm really enjoying reading this series and I absolutely recommend this book and the entire series. The characters, the plot, and the world building are all phenomenal. I didn't really like the one sentence explanations at the start of every chapter, but it didn't really hurt my overall enjoyment of the book. GlamourAuthor: Kayla Bain-Vrba Title: Glamour Series: None Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: Three Petals On the Author's website: https://kaylabain-vrba.com/glamour/ Summary: Pip is a hopeless romantic living in a small town with his cobbler father and stepmother. His stepmother's greatest wish is to move to court, but his father insists they find Pip a husband first. Not willing to wait any longer, his evil stepmother spreads a rumor that Pip can turn pebbles into jewels, and make those precious gems into slippers. When the Aelfin king hears of this, he has Pip captured and thrown in the dungeon. Pip has one night to make the king a pair of gemstone slippers, or his life is forfeit. Luckily for Pip, who has never worked with a single gemstone much less an entire slipper's worth, the king's son has magical powers that can make bejeweled slippers—and he wants revenge on the king for casting him out. The two strike a bargain, but one pair of jeweled slippers leads to more and more demands, and Pip swiftly runs out of things to trade, until all that remains is his heart... Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Pip's stepmother needs Pip to get married and leave the house in order for her plans to make it big in the city to happen, so she hatches a plan: tell the evil fairy king that Pip can turn pebbles into gemstones. The fairy king immediately kidnaps Pip and shoves him in a cell, except Pip's not alone. The other man can save Pip for a price, but Pip isn't sure whether he might have to bargain away his heart as well. Overall I thought this was a cute and simple retelling of a classic fairy tale. I enjoyed the fact that Pip was a cobbler instead of a miller and that it was gems instead of gold, but the bones of this story were kept strong. That grounding gave Bain-Vrba the chance to really explore the story and adding the world of the fairy king and court was a nice touch. This story did have a few gaping plot holes that I had some difficulty with. The main one was the stepmother herself. One, why would she think marrying a simple cobbler in a very small town would in any way get her to court in the big city? Two, how would she have ever been near enough to the fairy king to tell her tall tale about Pip? And three, she had a lot influence over Pips father, so why did she have to resort to getting Pip kidnapped? The rest of the story and the other characters had equally as many plot holes associated with them, all of which made an otherwise enjoyable fairy tale a bit difficult to read. Maggie's Recommendation: I liked this retelling of a classic fairy tale, particularly how Bain-Vrba left the bones of the story alone so the rest of the plot could diverge beautifully without taking away from the original story. There were a number of very large plot holes that hurt this story, but overall I enjoyed reading it so I will recommend it. No Ordinary Fairy Author: Claire Davon Title: No Ordinary Fairy Series: Shifter Wars 1 Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/F Rating: Two Petals On the Author's Website: http://clairedavon.com/books/no-ordinary-fairy/overview/ Summary: Mysterious. Magnetic. Deadly. And his only hope. When the new guy in town blows into Pani’s pet shop, bristling with impatience as icy as the Wyoming winter, she knows instantly he’s not there to buy dog food. She also knows exactly what he is. A cougar shifter. An apex predator not unlike herself. Rafe Anderson needs help, which isn’t easy for a cat to admit. Not only has his dog mysteriously vanished, so has his ability to shift. The only creature who can find both is Pani, a woman the local coyote pack warned him to avoid. But he’s desperate—and running out of time. The longer his cat is caged, the closer he edges to insanity. As a Vila, a fairy with the power to enchant men, even to their death, Pani has never dared reveal her true self, much less fallen in love. But something about Rafe’s fiery green eyes and uncommon vulnerability calls to her. And his touch tells her the feeling is mutual. Desire rolls over them like thunder, but their search uncovers a dangerous secret that could turn everything to ashes…and bring destruction howling down upon all shifter kind. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. When Rafe gets stuck in human form and his dog is kidnapped, he goes to Pani for help. All he knows about her is she's powerful and that she might be able to help. He doesn't expect to meet a beautiful woman that stirs both his human and cat side. Pani never expected to fall in love with a human either, but her strange feelings aren't even close to the worst problem they're about to endure together. The best part of this story was the unique powers that were incorporated into the story. I had never heard of a Vila before, but I was able to learn a lot about Russian fairies thanks to the way Pani and her powers were introduced throughout the story. There were additional interesting creatures that made the story really interesting to read. The problem I had with this book was the characterizations. Aside from their powers, Rafe and Pani didn't have anything interesting about them. They were both one-dimensional with serious Mary Sue issues. That made Rafe being stuck in human form and the rest of the plot feel stretched and difficult to enjoy. I also had a lot of trouble believing in their relationship for the same exact reason. Maggie's Recommendation: I wanted to recommend this story because the powers the characters used were so interesting and unique. Unfortunately, aside from those powers, the characters were completely flat and boring. I therefore can't recommend this story. The Innkeeper Chronicles, Volume 1 Author: Ilona Andrews Title: The Innkeeper Chronicles, Volume 1 Series: The Innkeeper Chronicles Genre: Paranormal Fantasy and SciFi Pairing: M/F Rating: Five Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/book/innkeeper-chronicles-vol-i/ Summary: Meet Dina Demille, a nice Texas gal who runs a seemingly ordinary, quaint B&B. But Dina’s inn is a magic, thinking entity; her fluffy Shih-tzu, Beast really is a beast; and her guests are the kind that no one on earth is supposed to know about: guests like a dethroned galactic tyrant with a massive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced—and superhot—alpha-strain werewolf. So don’t expect a normal stay…and don’t stand too close, or you may be collateral damage…. In Clean Sweep, Dina—with the unwanted assistance of newcomer (and alpha werewolf) Sean Evans and Arland, a cosmic vampire soldier—takes on an extraterrestrial killing machine that could destroy her Inn, her neighbors, and everything she holds dear. Sweep in Peace, finds Dina hosting an anything-but peace summit between three warring intergalactic species; Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char. One Fell Sweep sends Dina to the galaxy’s worst penal colony to rescue her sister; and back home to fend off a clan of assassins in pursuit, all while saving a guest’s civilization from annihilation…and searching for her missing parents. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Dina is an Innkeeper for people visiting Earth from all across the galaxies. She's prepared to house and help all sorts of creatures and her main directive is to keep her guests safe at all costs. Sometimes her guests need more help than others and the subsequent disasters Dina has to endure differ for each of the three books inside Volume 1. The world building in this series is particularly amazing. The way Andrews incorporated what appears to be a magical inn with the more scientific aspects of space flight and alien life, and then managed to place it all on Earth was perfectly crafted. The next time I go past a B&B, I know I will be wondering if maybe that's an Inn just like Dina's. Dina herself was a joy to read as well. She's powerful, but flawed in such a way that she seems so real. Sean is also all too real. The balance he maintains between his werewolf half, his life on Earth, and his life among the stars really brings him to life. Every scene with one of them alone is interesting, but when Dina and Sean are together I can't help hoping for more. Maggie's Recommendation: I love this series so much. The world building for all the different types of worlds in this story was amazing. The character building was even better. I finished each book wanting more and I can't wait for book four to be released. I absolutely recommend this series. The Lonely Merman Author: Kay Berrisford Title: The Lonely Merman Series: Landlocked Heart Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/M Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: https://kayberrisford.com/my-books/ Summary: It's Friday afternoon, and the last thing Ben wants to be doing is trudging through a wet forest in search of a public hazard. But duty calls, and turns out more exciting than Ben imagined when he encounters a magical ruin, an enchanted pool, and Lyle—a merman who's cursed to be landlocked many miles from the sea. Lyle is flamboyant and exciting—he's got tentacles, for goodness sake!—and Ben falls hard. But Lyle's been hurt before and finds trust difficult, refusing even to reveal how to break the curse that imprisons him. Ben's just an ordinary guy, and can't help wondering if he can ever be the hero Lyle needs. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. When Ben stumbles upon Lyle in the woods, Ben doesn't know what to think. He's repulsed by the creepy guy in an oversized cloak, yet at the same time he can't help being intrigued. They keep meeting more and more until intrigue becomes love, but love might not be enough to save Lyle, who is dying from a curse every day he remains trapped in the woods. This was a very cute story. I liked the balance of Ben's conservationist need to inspect the tower and lake where Lyle lives and his need to understand and then protect Lyle. The magic involved was interesting too. Lyle's curse and the magic he uses to keep himself safe was very interesting to read about and was definitely the best part of this story. What I didn't like was all the time skips and the moments when a character explained what happened five minutes ago instead of Berrisford taking the time to write out the full scene. It made the story feel choppy and rushed. What could have been a very interesting love story lacked the proper build-up because of those missing scenes, which unfortunately made a lot of the plot feel unnecessary. By the time I got to the end I was ready for the story to end. Maggie's Recommendation: Overall I did enjoy reading this story, which is why I do recommend it. It was cute with interesting characters and well written magic. However, the story itself felt rushed and choppy thanks to a lot of time skips and the characters explaining instead of showing. |
Magnolia's Reviews
Maggie reviews paranormal and fantasy novels and novellas. She also interviews authors and hosts giveaways. Archives
April 2018
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