Category Archives: reviews

Review: What Happens at Nighfall by Lauren Willig

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This was such a cozy ghost mystery. I knew I was going to have to read it because it takes place in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. I live pretty close to Green-Wood and have visit it several times. They have a really cool trolley and whiskey tour. We have Jess, who is recently unemployed because she turned in coworkers for embezzling from their company and Adam, the arborist for Green-Wood and widower. It all starts, when Ben, Adam’s son runs into Jess, while she was on a tour of the cemetery. Next thing they know, they are been sucked into a mystery of Adam’s dead wife’s family. Parts of this was a bit corny and I did feel some of the elements were a little bit obvious and frustrated that it took the characters longer to figure out than it should but the romance was nice and sweet. I do not think I would be invested in the mystery if I wasn’t invested in Jess and Adam’s budding relationship. I also learned a few things about Green-Wood that I didn’t before and I really should do another tour soon.

Review: Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo

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It was kind of a trip reading this with the backdrop of the Cornell seven. It takes place at a different Ivy League school, Yale and it’s not about fraternities by secret society but still feels the same. It still has the same wealth, privilege and protect the power at all cost to it. When we pick up the story, Alex is back from hell with Darlington’s soul but she left the door open and demons are coming through. They have to figure out to close it but in true fashion, they discover that they were not the first to go through the gauntlet. The last time did not end as planned and was buried to protect those in power. To make things even more complicated. The head of Lethe has found out that Alex is a wheel walker and wants her to open a line for him for his own needs. I do like how Alex is morally ambiguous. She is not above bloody her hands if she needs to. If it means she has to murder someone, she is going to do so to protect her friends and herself. She may have been accepted to Yale due to her abilities but that doesn’t mean she isn’t smart. She has an intelligence that many of the people at Yale do not. Street smarts and a true understanding of how the world really works. This is true group effort. Darlington, who is still half demon, has gone from the brains to the brawn of the operations. Dawes comes in with her mastery of magic and knowledge of magical items. Turner, brings his detective skills. Even Tripp and Mercy play a part. The support they give each other throughout the book is really touching and think is the real reason, they were able to succeed when the previous people did not. They are not doing this for power but for survival. This was a very good series. Not the easiest read as is to touch on some sensitive topics and does not shy away from violence but I think it’s necessary. For once, the powerful privilege didn’t out right win and that’s enough.

Review: Adversary to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

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This series was just so much fun to read. The whole premise is kind of funny. Evie, in need of a job, has a chance meeting with “the Villain” and gets hired as his assistant. From there, she learns the trade of villainy and falls in love, but of course, it turns out she was the “real” villain all along. We learn in the last book that Evie and Trystan’s parents have switched their fates in hopes of preventing the curse from taking place, only for it to do so anyway. Now that they know their real fates, it takes some adjustments, and they have to race the clock and the King to prevent the curse from taking effect. Hijinks ensue. Some epic fights, some more people fall in love, everything you want in a fantasy. For me, what really makes this book stand out is the full cast of characters that build out the world. Rebecca, the head of HR for the villain, who, funny enough, first came off as cold, was just protecting herself from further hurt. Blade, the dragon herder, is just a ray of sunshine. No matter what happens, he is just positive. All of the characters are relatable and well-rounded. I believe this is the last book in the series, but I feel like there is so much more that can be done in this world, and I hope that Hannah Nicole Maehrer keeps going with it.

Review: The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker

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This one is very much like the other but with a little bit more spice. Pretty much starting right where we left it. Raeve is getting her revenge, only to have her “other” take over. I have long suspected who her “Other” is, and it was confirmed for me. Word has gone around that there will be many moon falls happening soon, so Kaan has to prepare his kingdom for that, while also keeping his loved ones out of danger. The Princess has gone missing and is in the clutches of a psychopath. Raeve still denies who she is but also accepts she is in love with Kaan. A lot is going on in this book. Almost too much. It was at times hard to remember all of the characters and all of their storylines and how they connected. Two characters who were believed to be dead have come back to life. This is after Raeve herself was thought to be dead. Kinda makes the death of a character irrelevant if they can just come back to life later in the series. Like most second books in a trilogy, it had a lot to cover to fill in from the first book and set up the ending in the next book. It was still good but didn’t quite have the same pacing or punch as the first. Raeve is still as sassy as ever. Kaan is still as sexy as ever. I can’t complain about that. It did end on an interesting cliffhanger, so I am looking forward to the next book.

Quick Review: The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

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Six is a dreamer. One of six who have the power to read omens in their dreams. The six of them are about to finish their 10 years, and then they will be able to be free, but one by one, they all start to disappear. Six has only one choice: to team up with a Rogue Knight and the King to find out what happened to her fellow dreamers and bring down the omens. It was a fun story, and I like the dynamic between the characters. Six is a smart and brave heroine. All of her life, she has dedicated herself to her craft to find out it’s all been a lie. It was a bit of a slow read to start because it took a bit to get into the world-building, but once I did, it started to pick up. I was pretty surprised by the ending. It was one of those endings that, in retrospect, should have been seen coming. It definitely did its job because I bought the sequel. Now that I know the world, I am sure the next one will be a faster read.

Review: The Children by Melissa Albert

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When I read the synopsis of this book, it reminded me of another book about a child of an author, who wrote them in their book. It took me a moment to realize that book was also written by Melissa Albert. She has a niche. This book was different. Guinevere and Ennis’ mother was a famous author who used their names and likeness as inspiration. The world started to know them as their characters. Over the years, Guin leaned into it, but Ennis didn’t. As idyllic their life seemed from the outside, it was anything but in reality. They lived in a farmhouse in Vermont. Their mom was mostly absent even though she was there, and their father was more visible but also an alcoholic and adulterer. The story goes back and forth between the present, where Guin is releasing a memoir, and Ennis decides to have a surprise art exhibition, and the past during their childhood. In the present, the siblings haven’t seen each other for over a decade, and Guin is starting to remember things about her childhood that she has forgotten or had blocked out. When she was 11 and Ennis was 13, both of their parents died in a house fire. Just weeks before their mother was to publish the fifth book in the six-book series. So how did these two become estranged? It’s not a simple story. I really liked how the story is set up. I felt like I could see the farmhouse and the freedom they felt, especially in the early years. It was disheartening watching Guin lose her innocence and her brother being more of a parent to her than her actual parents were. It does have a magical element, but most of the book is very rooted in reality. I don’t know how I feel about the ending, though. I will have to sit on it a bit longer, but all in all, it was a good book and worth giving it a shot.

Review: When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker

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Raeve is my kind of psycho killer. Okay, she’s not psycho, but also not fully sane either. She definitely is feisty, which is always a good trait in a heroine. She is a paid killer for a rebellion group in the Fade. She does her job well. Until a truly heinous man kills her friend, and she goes on a killing spree, gets caught, and is sentenced to death. Enter Kaan. The King of the Burn. He rescues her because, you wouldn’t you know, she’s his long-lost love thought to be dead. Yes. That is kind of a spoiler but also pretty obvious from the get-go. They do have a lot of fun banter between the two of them. You can see how, in a different time, they would be drawn to each other. This book has a lot of world-building. So much that it comes with a glossary and cast of characters at the very beginning of the book. It does take a few chapters to figure out the world, but once things all fall into place, it’s a very quick read. It’s an almost 700-page book that I read in less than a week. I am very interested to find out how Raeve became Raeve because it is very far from where she began. The ending introduces a new villain that I am not sure was needed, as there were already some pretty good bad guys, but hey, what do I know. I will just have to wait until the next book.

Review: I, Medusa by Ayanna Gray

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The myth of Medusa has been having a moment lately. I have seen a lot of discourse about how Medusa wasn’t the monster that she is portrayed as in the original stories but a victim. Even reframing her as a feminist heroine. This book takes on her myth from Medusa’s point of view. From her childhood as the only mortal child of minor Gods to priestess to monster. It was a tough read to be sure. Medusa is a very sheltered young woman. Her family is trapped on their island, and they cannot leave. What she knows of the outside world is what washes up on the shores. Things start to change when she accidentally kills the fiancé of her sister. This interaction introduces her to the Goddess, Athena, who is impressed with her honesty and gives her an opportunity to train as one of her priestesses in Athens. She moves to Athens and falls in love with the city but is also overwhelmed by so much of the injustice. In her time, she learns to navigate the politics of the temple and, in her naivety, makes some pretty terrible mistakes. During a festival, she leaves her friend to go to the restroom. She falls asleep and is rescued by a young man who escorts her home, but she left her friend behind. I’m sure you can guess as to what happens, and in the first moment of how cruel Athena can be, her friend is dismissed because she is no longer “pure,” even though she is the victim. Medusa will find herself in the same situation when Poseidon becomes interested in her. You know the story. Poseidon rapes her; Athena, who can’t punish Poseidon, punishes Medusa. Giving her hair of snakes and can turn anyone into stone. Her sisters stand up to Athena, and they are also turned into the same monsters. They soon take their revenge on any man that comes to their island, but Medusa is never really much into it. When her friend from Athens comes ashore, she realizes she wants more. They leave the island and start a new life, but Medusa realizes she cannot give up her rage and how it will get her friend and lover in trouble, so she leaves and goes back to the island, where she will live until she is murdered by a male “hero.” This really is a good illustration of how rape culture continues to endure over millennials. As an adult reading, I can see all the mistakes she makes and know instantly what terrible thing is going to happen because of it, because I have grown up being taught how to avoid these exact situations. This is a really harrowing book to read but I do feel it necessary.

Review: The Long Game by Rachel Reid

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The next season of Heated Rivalry is going to wreck me if this is anything to go by. Damn. While Heated Rivalry was Shane’s story of his struggle to embrace who he is. The Long Game is Ilya’s story of his finally confronting the trauma of his childhood. We pick up with Shane and Ilya about three years after the end of Heated Rivalry. They are still in a secret relationship. Ilya signed with Ottawa, the worst team in the league, but it allows them to remain close. However, their arrangement isn’t starting to wear on them. They are both tired of hiding but also afraid to come out. Ilya is fighting depression and, for the first time, really dealing with the trauma of the death of his mother. I would argue that Shane is dealing with an eating disorder, but it’s not really treated as one in the story, so I might be reading too much into it. In the first book, it’s heavily implied that hockey is the villain of the story because it is the culture that is not only preventing them from openly coming out, but also Shane’s internalized homophobia that has prevented him from truly being himself. This one is no longer implying but coming right out and saying it. Shane is not out publicly but is to his team. Word has gotten back to the commissioner of the league, and he basically threatens Shane with never coming out while he is still playing. *Spoiler* Shane and Ilya are accidentally outed by Hayden when one of his videos goes viral. Ilya’s team is much more supportive, while Shane’s worries about coming out come true when his team not only isn’t supportive of him but blame him for losing a playoff game and accuses him of throwing it for Ilya. This is, by the way, the season after they have won the Cup for the third time. The unfairness of it all is crushing, but honestly, probably a more realistic outcome if this were to happen in real life. There is a very satisfying scene at the end of the book when Shane tells the commissioner off. This book was a lot more emotional for me than Heated Rivalry, and if the show adapts it as loyally as it did the first one, we are all in for a very emotional ride. I do think I should read Role Model before the new season, as it is rumored that the book’s main characters will be the B-couple, like Scott and Kip were in the last season. It makes sense because from what I gathered from this book, it takes place at the same time, and their plots intersect in a couple of key moments.

Quick Review: Brimstone by Callie Hart

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This book was good, but Quicksilver was better. It took a bit for me to get into this one. Saeris is now half fae, half vampire, and is the Queen of the vampires because she killed the king of the vampires. This obviously complicates things because of the half-fae, but also mated to the man the vampires have been fighting for centuries now. The other issue I had with Saeris and, to a certain extent, Fisher ae becoming too powerful. It seemed like Saeris was discovering a new power that no one had seen for thousands of years to save them at the last second. It was all a little bit too convenient, but also, if a character is too powerful, it starts to take the suspense from the story because you know they will win, because no one can possibly overpower them. You know what I mean? Superhero movies have the same issue sometimes. The second issue was that there was a minor subplot of Fisher and Carrion going on a side quest to retrieve Saeris brother, but so far nothing has really come from it. Hayden is kind of a brat. She did so much to protect him, and once she was gone, he was quick to believe the Queen’s propaganda about her. But anyway, once he is rescued, he isn’t really a part of the rest of the book. I kind of forgot he was there. I assume he will play a bigger part in the next book. All in all, it was a satisfying romantasy but not as satisfying as the first book.