Station of Shards Author: Aimee Villarine Title: Station of Shards Series: None Genre: Sci-Fi Pairing: M/M Rating: Two Petals On the Author's Website: The author does not have a website. Summary: Life as a private detective aboard a space station isn't the most exciting, usually involving nothing more than background checks and the occasional surveillance, but Kelley has no real complaints. Still, when his friend and sometimes lover Simon comes to him with something new, he's not going to complain about that either—except for the part where figuring out what's going on might get him and Simon killed. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Kelley works as a private detective on a space station. His usual cases that are fairly boring and easy to solve, but it's work that he's good at so Kelley doesn't seem to mind. Simon is a friend Kelley made on the journey to the space station and they quickly become more than just friends. When Simon rushes into Kelley's office with a case that shatters his boredom, Kelley is quick to jump on it. The dangers they encounter on the way, however, make him wish for boring to return quickly. Station of Shards feels like an old noir film. The text reads like Kelley is talking directly to the readers, much like the opening of those films. A sort of "it was a dark and stormy day when she walked into my office" feel. From a stylistic standpoint I thought it was a very interesting way to convey the plot and it worked as a detective's novel. Had it not been a detective's novel, the writing style wouldn't get any praise. It was difficult to read at times with Kelley giving his very one-sided impressions without enough detail to actually flesh out the plot, the characters, or the setting. For example, Kelley and Simon are hiding from the bad guys behind some crates and Simon manages to knock over a crate and give them away. Kelley's reaction is a shrug and a thought something along the lines of: "Simon's luck was either really good or really bad." Yet, there's absolutely no evidence prior to or directly after that statement that provides any context. It read more like Villarine was desperate for an excuse to have Kelley and Simon be discovered and that was the best Villarine could come up with. The story also lacked emotional depth. Kelley basically shrugged when Simon knocked the crate over. The was no panic, distress, worry, or anger. Just bland acceptance. I found myself unable to connect with Kelley's character, which made it difficult for me to root for his success or even want to finish the book. Maggie's Recommendation: I liked the old noir feel to the narrative of the book and thought it worked well as a detective's novel, however the lack of depth, detail, or emotional connection made this book very difficult to read. I can't recommend it.
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A Question of Honor Author: Matthew Angelo Title: A Question of Honor Series: None Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: M/M Rating: Three Petals On The Author's Website: http://www.matthewangeloauthor.com/?book=a-question-of-honor Summary: Ash loves being a knight, but hates that it leaves him little time for himself—and even less to spend with his forbidden lover, the half-elf Havyn. Finding time to be together is even more difficult under the watchful, hateful eyes of his captain. Havyn is suffocating, forced to watch the man he loves from afar, living in fear of the day they are caught—especially since he's already despised for his mixed blood. He buries himself in his magic and studies, ever hoping for a day when they can love openly instead of living constantly in fear. But their wish for more time together comes at the price of saving the world from destruction, and it's a price that might very well tear the two lovers apart, if it simply doesn't kill them first. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Ash and Havyn are lovers, but their relationship must remain a secret. Men in love with other men isn't allowed in the human world., which is where they live. It is part of the elven world, and since Havyn is a half-elf he's partially accepted being in love with a man. Ash is still struggling with the idea. Then they are sent on a quest to save the world and the time spent together means they'll have to finally figure their relationship out. I really like the world Angelo created. It's a mix of science fiction and high fantasy, although high fantasy was definitely the stronger. The different gods, the way the roles each person took in their lives (knight, mage, or other) corresponded with those gods, and the struggle to keep the balance between good and evil was very well explained. It gave the plot and the characters depth that allowed the book to really shine. However, I also found this book very difficult to actually read. I have to be careful here because I'm reviewing an ARC that hasn't been fully edited. I have no idea what will be different in the final version versus what I read. That said, I think much of what I'm going to say will probably still be the same. There was no flow to the sentences or even continuity to the facts. For example, Ash receives a cut on one arm during a battle. A few sentences later he thinks about how his armor survived the fight intact, except for the cut on his arm. There's no mention of what parts of his body the armor actually covered--so there's no way to tell if that part of his thought is even relevant--and no mention of how badly he's injured or if he bothers to bind his wound at all. The thought literally ended there with nothing more added to give any depth or continuity. Some of my problem there was definitely the lack of description, but the flow issues were what hurt this story the most. I really, really hope the final version of this story with all the editing completed fixes all of this because the rest of the story was really nice. Maggie's Recommendation: The world building was a very interesting mix of sci-fi and high fantasy that gave this story a unique twist that I enjoyed reading. There were some issues with flow and description, which did make the story difficult to read, but overall I liked this story and therefore recommend it. Cast in Flight Author: Michelle Sagara Title: Cast in Flight Series: Chronicles of Elantra 12 Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: M/F Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: http://michellesagara.com/series/chronicles_of_elantra Summary: New York Times bestselling author Michelle Sagara returns to the city of Elantra with a thrilling tale rife with ancient magic, assassination attempts and political intrigue. Private Kaylin Neya already has Dragons and Barrani as roommates. Adding one injured, flightless Aerian to her household should be trivial. Sure, the Aerian is Sergeant Moran dar Carafel, but Kaylin's own sergeant is a Leontine, the definition of growly and fanged. She can handle one Aerian. But when a walk to the Halls of Law becomes a street-shattering magical assassination attempt on the sergeant, Kaylin discovers that it's not the guest who's going to be the problem: it's all of the people who suddenly want Moran dar Carafel dead. And though Moran refuses to tell her why she's being targeted, Kaylin is determined to discover her secret and protect her at all costs—even if keeping Moran safe means dealing with Aerian politics, angry dragons and something far more sinister. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I love reading this series. Every single book is amazingly well written with a plot that contains so much depth and so many twists that it often takes me multiple reads before I really understand everything that occurred. The world itself is beautifully imagined. Every single creature has a distinct culture, the city itself has history that has impacted each culture and the present as it occurs in each book, and Kaitlin's own personality and each of her actions is influenced by every single one of those aspects. Cast in Flight takes readers to the Aerie, where the winged beings called Aerians make their homes. Every other culture has been highlighted in previous books, so I was very glad to see depth given to this one as well. Prior to this book, Aerians were interesting creatures, but they were only given as much depth as Kaylin understood them. She quickly learns more as the book progresses and suddenly the Aerians were more than door guards or humans with wings to me. It was a wonderful change. However, I felt this book was lacking in details. For example, Kaylin has to wear a nice dress for a dinner party in the book, but not once was the color of the dress, the style, or even the barest detail given about it. Yes, I can extrapolate which dress it was given that Kaylin has only had one opportunity in the past to really wear a dress she hasn't subsequently destroyed, but that was a few books ago. More than some raised eyebrows at her choice of dress was necessary for me to be one hundred percent certain. Unfortunately, it felt like the Aerie suffered from the same lack. There was so much more detail Sagara could have gone into to provide that much more depth, and the fact that it wasn't given really hurt this book. Cast in Flight honestly felt like a bridging book to me. It tied off some minor plot lines from previous books and provided foreshadowing for future books. The plot exclusively focused on Cast in Flight, rather than on the past or the future, was limited, which in turn limited my overall enjoyment. Maggie's Recommendation: I honestly can't say enough good things about this series. Every single bit of it is amazingly well-crafted, with detail and beauty evident in every word on the page. However, Cast in Flight was easily the weakest of the books. It lacked detail where no other book has before and felt more like a bridge to connect past books to future ones rather than a story that could stand on its own. I still recommend it, but I can't help hoping the next book in the series will be better. VespersAuthor: Irene Preston & Liv Rancourt Title: Vespers Series: Hours of the Night 1 Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/M Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.irenepreston.com/blog/hours-of-the-night/vespers/ Summary: Thaddeus Dupont has had over eighty years to forget... The vampire spends his nights chanting the Liturgy of the Hours and ruthlessly disciplines those unnatural urges he's vowed never again to indulge. He is at the command of the White Monks, who summon him at will to destroy demons. In return, the monks provide for his sustenance and promise the return of his immortal soul. Sarasija Mishra's most compelling job qualification might be his type O blood... The 22-year-old college grad just moved across the country to work for some recluse he can't even find on the internet. Sounds sketchy, but the salary is awesome and he can't afford to be picky. On arrival he discovers a few details his contract neglected to mention, like the alligator-infested swamp, the demon attacks, and the nature of his employer's "special diet". A smart guy would leave, but after one look into Dupont's mesmerizing eyes, Sarasija can't seem to walk away. Too bad his boss expected "Sara" to be a girl. Falling in love is hard at any age... The vampire can't fight his hungers forever, especially since Sara's brought him light, laughter and a very masculine heat. After yielding to temptation, Thaddeus must make a choice. Killing demons may save his soul, but keeping the faith will cost him his heart. Vespers is a complete novel with no cliffhanger. It can be enjoyed as a standalone or read as the first book in the Hours of the Night series. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Vespers begins with Sara on a road trip, heading to the strange swamps of New Orleans for a job that sounded sketchy from the outset, but the money was too good to pass up. Sara's never quite been what his family wants: he barely got through college, has no interest in being a lawyer or a doctor, nor has any interest in continuing his education. In fact, all he knows is because he didn't get a full ride scholarship like his siblings, his family is mired in his debt. The mysterious job he signed up for will fix all that. It also has the bonus of getting him far away from his demanding family. I liked Sara and the depth the authors gave to his characterization. He's a kid aimlessly trying to figure out his future and being snowballed with a vampire was exactly what he needed. I wasn't as impressed with the characterization of Dupont. He's definitely interesting. He's suffering because of sins he committed in his past and is trying to live a righteous life all while knowing his soul is damned because he's a creature of the dark. It was very compelling, yet at the same time it read a bit like a caricature. He was a monk as a human, tied to the Church as tightly as a person could ever be, so I understand that as a vampire that aspect of his beliefs didn't need to change. However, his religion is used almost as a hammer. Each time he does something drastic because of it, it feels like the authors were trying to preach to me the evils of Christianity in the modern world. It went a little overboard. That wasn't the only issue I had with religion in the book. Sara is sent a Hindu shrine by his grandmother. He sets it up, prays, and goes about his day. There were two issues with that. One, he never actually goes into any descriptions about what the Hindu religion entails, what the items on his alter are, or how the prayers work. After the over-emphasis of the Christian practices, I found the lacking description a little odd. Which brings me to my second issue, which is it felt like the only reason Hinduism was brought into the story at all was to point out (ie. bludgeon) the fact that Christianity wasn't the end-all religion. There are other options in the world and Hinduism is one of them. I was very glad to see the diversity, but there needed to be much more depth given to Sara's religious beliefs and how they might have helped him in the demon fight for any part of the Hindu bits added to the story to feel believable. Maggie's Recommendation: I do recommend this book and am looking forward to the next one in the series. Overall, I liked the plot and thought the characterizations were very well done. I thought Sara was interesting and Dupont was a good contrast with him. However, the overemphasis of the religious aspects in the story almost seemed to mock instead of embrace religion, which greatly hurt my overall enjoyment. Royal Airs Author: Sharon Shinn Title: Royal Airs Series: Elemental Blessings 2 Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: M/F Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.sharonshinn.net/roayalairs.shtml Summary: Josetta is a princess of one of the Five Families. But she is far from the throne, so she is free to spend her days working in the poorest sections of the city. Rafe Adova, an outcast since he was born, lives the life of a career gambler in those slums. He has no ambition other than cheating at the card tables—until the night he decides to help a girl named Corene, who looks like she's stumbled into the wrong bar. She, too, is a princess—sister to Josetta, who finds her with Rafe. He fascinates her. Josetta has never encountered anyone like him—someone seemingly devoid of elemental blessings. He is drawn to her, though he thinks they are unlikely to ever meet again—but their connection grows strong when she nurses him back to health after he is assaulted by foreign mercenaries. And when they learn the reason he's being hunted, they know that the truth about his history could endanger not only their love but also their very lives... Maggie's Review:
I had a hard time figuring out this book. It's a direct continuation of the first in the series, with a different main character, yet the plots don't appear to have any connection. Yes, everything that happened in the first book in the series absolutely has weight on this second book, but it's such a divergent plot that it took me a while to settle in. In some ways it felt like book one was was supposed to be a stand alone book, which meant it hadn't provided anything for an entire series, so when book two came around Shinn had to force it a bit. Josetta went from a spoiled princess to a woman that has dedicated her life to helping the poor. She opened a half-way house of sorts where people can spend a night, seek food, and get medical attention. It's a dangerous job, but she appears to be completely ignorant of that fact. Her life is idyllic; the scum of the district where she set up her house never seems to touch her. It honestly got a little ridiculous at times how ungrounded she could be. Yet, I had to remind myself that this is the world where blessings dominate the psyche. She was supposed to be flighty and a bit silly because that's the blessings she was born under. Her personality was as much a plot device as when Corene is saved by Rafe. I found Rafe to be a much more interesting character, which might be because his personality wasn't entirely dictated by the blessings. He is an outsider trying to fit in, is obsessed with flying machines, and can't help falling for Josetta at first glance. I liked him. Maggie's Recommendation: I found this story a little difficult to settle into. The plot is so drastically different from the first book, with very little connections to smooth the way, that it took me some time to figure out what was what. That wasn't helped by the fact that Josetta's personality was gratingly stupid at times--exactly according to her blessings--and only Rafe's timely interference saved this book. I do recommend it, but I liked the first book in the series better. Shield of the Dragon Author: Megan Derr Title: Shield of the Dragon Series: Dance with the Devil 6 Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Pairing: M/M, M/F, Poly Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://maderr.com/?page_id=31 Summary: In the aftermath of destroying two powerful syndicates and joining league with the last person he expected, all Ken wants is a chance to catch his breath, and maybe regain the attention of the man who said he wanted Ken as more than just a Steward but now seems to have lost interest. But every other day brings a new crop of people wanting to kill them, and it's only a matter of time before they succeed. All Amr wants is time—time to move his clan and settle them into their new home, time with the dragon he never thought he'd own, and most of all he wants time for his Steward, to see the man rest and recover and stop getting himself almost killed every week. He wouldn't mind a chance to rekindle their fragile relationship either. Diamond wants a life that feels worth living. The one he left behind wasn't all that great, but it beat waking up to the nasty results of a curse that should have killed him and working as a hitman for the Cambry Syndicate. Then he goes to fetch someone for his boss, and gets dragged even deeper into the strange paranormal world he's still learning to call home... Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The book opens from Diamond's point of view. A long time ago he was hit with a semi-failed Snow White curse, which means that he looks like a corpse and his blood is poisonous, but he's alive. That curse brought him into the supernatural world where he now works for a dragon pit boss. Exactly how he was cursed was given just enough detail to satisfy, but never really given enough depth to make Diamond's condition really sit well throughout the book. It just didn't gel properly for me. Yet, at the same time I liked his personality and overall characterization. I sometimes found myself speeding through the portions of the book narrated by Ken just to get back to Diamond. He was just that interesting. Ken's story picks up where it left off at the end of Sword of the King, the direct prequel to Shield of the Dragon, and all the issues I had with SotK came roaring back. SotK was written twice, once well before Derr began publishing her work and a second time with LT3. The problem I've always had with SotK, and the series as a whole, is Derr can't seem to keep straight which portions of the series were posted for free online a long time ago and which parts of that original version were subsequently put into the series she's published. Much of the explanation and history for SotK, in particular, was never put in a published format and that lack continued forward to this story as well. (Some of it was eventually written in Risk it All, but not enough of it.) It made Shield of the Dragon difficult to follow at times. Also, much of the detail that was given in previous books was relied on too heavily. Character descriptions, powers, how magic works, the world-building, etc., was all explained in other books in the series. Yes, this is a sequel to those books, but at least a minor refresher was necessary to make certain this book had enough depth, and I wasn't given any of that. To fully appreciate Shield of the Dragon, I would have had to read both versions of Sword of the King as well as all the other books in the series first. My other issue with this story was it felt like it was written more to set up additional books in the series rather than to have its own plot. Two potential sequels for Midnight were clearly outlined: one directly after Midnight ends and one set in the present time. Too many pages of the book were focused on that, rather than on the actual plot. I do have to say, what little plot actually made it into this book was an excellent read, which is why this story deserved three petals. I'm looking forward to rereading the entire series and then trying Shield of the Dragon a second time to see if that helps with my overall enjoyment. Maggie's Recommendation: I do recommend this book. It was yet another interesting and well-formed story, exactly what I've come to expect and appreciate from Derr. However, I thought the plotting was a little weak in this story. It relied too heavily on things in the past and future books, rather than highlighting its own, distinct plot. Overall, I liked it, but there were enough issues that I could only give it three petals. The Grimrose Path Author: Rob Thurman Title: The Grimrose Path Series: The Trickster Novels 2 Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/F, M/M Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: http://robthurman.net/new/the-trickster-novels/ Summary: I looked at the metal coated with blood—so very much blood—the same color as the darkest crimson rose. I was undoing this. I was making this right. And I’d like to see the son of a bitch who thought he could stop me. Bar owner Trixa Iktomi knows that inhuman creatures of light and darkness roam Las Vegas-especially since she’s a bit more than human herself. She’s just been approached with an unusual proposition. Something has slaughtered almost one thousand demons in six months. And the killing isn’t going to stop unless Trixa and her friends step into the fight. Maggie's Review:
The first book in this series, Trick of the Light, was amazing. The twists, the turns, the snark, and the action keep me turning the pages no matter how many times I've reread it. The Grimrose Path had a lot to live up to, and it didn't quite manage to be as good. Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy reading The Grimrose Path, but comparing the two books side-by-side reveals an obvious lack in the sequel. There's still twists and turns, a good bit of humorous snark, and a ton of action--all of which I really liked--but, again, it just wasn't as good this time around. If you remember my first review, I said I couldn't give away too much of the plot because any hint might ruin the big twist. That's true for The Grimrose Path as well. Trixa is on a different sort of quest in this book, one to survive the consequences from the previous book, and another to save the world from annihilation. There's a lot going on at every moment and trust me, you'll miss an important clue the first time you read, so be prepared to reread (and to enjoy every reread just as much as the first time). Maggie's Recommendation: If you haven't read the first book in this series, Trick of the Light, drop whatever else you're reading and go pick that one up. In comparison, The Grimrose Path can absolutely be added to your to-read list with the knowledge that you will eventually get to it. It's not nearly as good as Trick of the Light, but I still liked it and I therefore recommend it. FourAuthor: Archer Kay Leah Title: Four Series: The Republic 2 Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: M/M, M/F, Poly Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: https://archerkayleah.wordpress.com/archers-work/the-republic-series/four/ Summary: On the outside, Mayr seems to have it all: a successful career as Head of the Guard for a prominent politician, family and friends who adore him, and the attention of beautiful women. But appearances are a good way to bury secrets, including the fact that while Mayr is a romantic at heart, searching for the one person to share his life with, his lovers keep leaving him. When his last girlfriend takes him back and suggests an intimate night with Tash, one of her lovers, Mayr reluctantly agrees. The last thing he expects is to fall hard for Tash, who is nothing like Mayr's previous lovers—and about to undertake the Uldana Trials. If Tash fails, he'll likely die. If he succeeds, he must give up Mayr, and become the latest to leave Mayr standing alone with a broken heart. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. For the first half of this book I kept waiting for the larger, overarching plot to start. Mayr is Head of the Guard. His job is to protect his charges, so I was waiting for an attack against him. He also has a number of terrible, jealous women as ex-girlfriends, and I couldn't help wondering if one of them was going to start something. Or, we learn that Tash has a terrible gang out for his blood. I kept waiting for the gang to make a move. When I reached the halfway point I realized that wasn't what the book was about. Like the summary says, Mayr is a man unable to keep a steady relationship until he finds Tash, who, like the rest of Mayr's partners, is planning to leave him. That drama within the budding romance was the plot, and it was very well written. My big disappointment with this book was the world building. There is a lot of detail about the four goddesses, which helped give Tash's quest to become a priest depth, but that was it. The name of the country Mayr lives in, the name of the town he is sworn to protect, how the governing system works--which was important to know since Mayr relies on that Council a few times--was never given any detail. Admittedly, this story had a laser focus on Mayr and Tash's relationship. Anything outside of that wasn't really necessary for the plot to flourish, but a touch more explanation would have helped a lot. Maggie's Recommendation: I enjoyed reading this book. It was very well-written and hard to put down, and the romance was perfect. I do wish there was a secondary plot for more of the book and that the world-building had a broader focus, but that didn't detract from what I liked about this story. I do recommend it. Werewolf's Tale and a Druid's Sword Author: Lexi Ander Title: Werewolf's Tale and a Druid's Sword Series: I.O.N. 2 Genre: Paranormal Pairing: M/M Rating: Three Petals On the Author's Website: http://www.lexiander.com/ION-Series.html Summary: After he's kicked out for being gay, still reeling from being abandoned by the man he loves, Jude goes to live with his brother Beck, who thankfully is more than happy to take him in. But Jude has other secrets he's yet to share, for fear that even Beck will reject him, leaving him well and truly alone. Then he draws the attention of werewolves, and discovers that everything he thought he knew about Levi, the man who abandoned him, is a lie. But one lie leads to another, ending in a vast conspiracy that threatens to destroy everything Jude loves—and that doesn't even begin to include the challenges that Beck is facing. Maggie's Review:
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Jude is a new main character with his own story set within the world of I.O.N. He's a kid trying to find his place in the world, but instead the world finds him. It's a struggle for Jude to fit in with Beck, who already knows who he is, and figure out the magical world at the same time, and that is the crux of the plot. Like the first story in the series, this book was very interesting. I liked the world and how each type of creature has its own distinct culture and society. The werewolf society was highlighted in this story and the terrible things that happened to them. Jude is quickly pulled into the drama as he tries to save Levi. It definitely kept me turning the pages. However, like the previous book this story also lacked description. Jude's powers are a mystery to me. I won't give away what they are here, because that would ruin the story, but I also don't think I could accurately say what those powers are. There are therefore big holes in the story and in my understanding of the plot, which is a shame considering how much I otherwise enjoyed this book. Maggie's Recommendation: I'm noticing a theme with this series: I'm really enjoying reading each book because they're interesting and overall well written, however the story lacks so much description that I feel like I'm missing something. I liked this story so I recommend it, but there were too many holes for me to give it high marks. |
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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