
I’m excited for this. I really like Leigh’s writing.
I haven’t been reading as much so it’s a good thing Kate has picked up the slack. I think I mentioned this before during the pandemic but it’s still true. I do most of my reading on my commute. I read at home, yes but not every night. I’ve been working more and more from home and not going into the office as often so I haven’t been commuting So, yeah, it took me a while to read this one. Now that I have finally finished it I don’t know. I’m not sure how I feel about this whole series. The first book was so engrossing and the second was a pretty good sequel but I had trouble with this one. It could have to do with me not reading it consistently as I’m used to. It could be that I realized that most of the characters I kinda stopped caring about or is that I’m not sure what the conclusion of this book ended up being. So, yeah I don’t really have much to say about this book beyond, I finally was able to finish i. Which leaves me kind of sad for a series that I really did like at the beginning.
This book was so funny. I listened to the audible ebook narrated by Wil Wheaton and it’s just perfection. Charlie has had a string of bad luck. He was laid off from his journalist job and now working as a substitute teacher. He’s divorced and his father just recently died. He is living in his families home that his siblings want to sell. Things are not great. Then his estranged Uncle died and he’s thrown in the world of villains. He founds out that his Uncle may have had a legit business of owner parking lots but his real business was being a villain and messing up the plans of other villains. Charlie is now a head of his Uncle’s business and with cat spies and talking dolphins. He’s a bit over his head. Even more so when a group of other villains want him to join their group or he’ll lose everything.
This is book is ridiculous in all the best ways. His cats Hera and Persephone are spies that were sent to watch him and can communicate with specialize keyboards. The dolphins that guard his Uncle’s volcano island lair want to unionize. Charlie is funny and grounded. He takes everything with an awe and WTF reaction that is appropriate in situations like this. While everyone underestimates him, he outwits all of them with his knowledge and journalistic experience to dismantle his rivals in one fell swoop. To say this book was enjoyable that I was so sad when it was over and there isn’t a sequel. I forgot what it’s like to read a standalone book. Go read the book or listen to the Audible. You will not be disappointed.
I’ll admit I was curious of what Cassandra Clare could do outside her Shadowhunter series. Sword Catcher is a good book. It actually is better than her last couple of Shadowhunter books. I think it was good for her to explore a different kind of world. This is a high fantasy that is set in the kingdom of Castellane and is narrated by Kel, the Sword Catcher or the body to the Prince and Lin, a physician outcast. An outcast because not only she a woman in a man’s field but she’s an Ashkar, who can’t live in the city but only in the Sault. Kel was an orphan who looks enough like the Prince that with a talisman he can look just like the Prince and stand for him if needs to. Kel was raised in the Palace, among the courtiers and wealthy but will never be one himself. Both Kel and Lin are outsiders to this world but they collide when he is stabbed and left for dead. Now they are caught up in the political intrigue that neither knows what to do with it.
Now, it wasn’t the best book I’ve read but it was definitely entertaining. I really liked both of Kel and Lin’s voices as they navigated a world that needs them but doesn’t necessarily want them. This was a good set up novel. I am not sure how many books are in the series but it was a good introduction to the world. People and the upcoming trouble to come. It still leaves a lot to explore, like what is the madness the king suffers from? Is Lin really the returned Goddess to bring magic back to world? All and all a good start.

New Year New Books. With that in mind I have set my Goodreads reading challenge to 20 books. I read 35 last year but I do most of my reading on my commute to work but since I work more from home lately I don’t think I’ll be doing as much reading this year. I wasn’t sure if I was going to read this one from Cassandra Clare but it was on sale. It’s the first in a new series not based in the Shadowhunter world so I guess I’ll give it a go.
I thought at the end of The Final Gambit that this series wrapped up nicely. I didn’t know what else needed to be said. True, Avery’s journey was wrapped up nicely. She made it a year, inherited the Hawthorne fortune and figured out what she was going to do with that vast wealth. However, Grayson and Jameson’s stories has some work to do. True their relationship with each other have improved. They both still have some major daddy and granddaddy issues to work out. Both of them get intertwined with their father’s families. Jameson’s father shows up out of the blue and wants him to infiltrate a secret club to play a game to reclaim his ancestor’s home. Grayson, who’s father kidnapped Avery and died in the last book has been keeping tabs on his half sisters. He jumps into action when his sister Gigi gets arrested. At first, I wasn’t really all that interested in Grayson and Jameson’s troubles and wondered why that it was necessary but as it went along I started to go with it. Grayson’s sisters Gigi and Savannah are a welcome addition to the story and it’s good to see Grayson have a family that he always wanted whether he admits it or not. Jameson, to be honest, my least favorite of the Hawthorne’s and was a bit bummed that he ended up in Avery but there were moments, I really felt for him. The emotional abuse inflicted on all his brothers by their grandfather is tragic. I do think that Jameson ended in a better place at the end then Grayson did but guess what there is going to be more books. The journey of the Hawthorne brothers continue as Avery is creating a new game for anyone can play and change their fortunes. I do hope that Xander plays more of role in the next book.