Review: Heat

Read if you like: huge, sweeping fantasy stories with romance subplots, dragons, and wars between supernatural characters.

Heat | Donna Grant

Series: Dark Kings

Genre: Adult Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Released: January 30th 2018
Pages: 336
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

Nikolai is a dragon shapeshifter who knows well the meaning of loss. Orphaned and raised to be a Dragon King, he never accepts defeat. Now, Nikolai prefers his solitude . . .until a beautiful, irresistible woman calls upon him for help—and Nikola’s whole word goes up in flames.

Ever since MI5 agent Esther woke to discover her mind taken over with magic, she feels like stranger to herself. She looks to a notorious dragon, one who has the power to help her find her memory. But as she and Nikolai come closer to discovering what really happened to her, a dangerous passion ignites between them. Can this lone Dragon King help the woman he’s grown to love to uncover the truth about her past—or will a deep and fiery danger tear them both apart?

I'm a bit miffed that the blurb on Netgalley didn't make it clear this isn't the first in series, or able to be read alone. This is the second time I've come across this problem in the romance genre. I should learn to check on Goodreads if they're like book one, not twelve.

This isn't bad but I'm not sure I'll remember it. I didn't mind the central romance, but all the other characters just overwhelmed me. I got there was a war going on but all I wanted to know about was Nikolai and Esther. One thing that did seriously impress me was the fact that Nikolai's voice had a Scottish dialect and I ACTUALLY QUITE LIKED IT? I've lost track of the number of books I've DNF'd because of the horrific word choice and voice that knocks me out of the story but this was written really well.

Maybe a better book for someone else, although there's plenty to like here if you're into huge, sweeping plots in your romance.

2 stars

Review: Wolf Hollow

Read if you like: interesting worlds, stories with dystopia-survival elements, shifters and pack life.

Wolf Hollow | Nikki Jefford

Series: Wolf Hollow Shifters

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic
Released: October 23rd 2017
Pages: 415
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

A REBELLIOUS OUTCAST

Cocky. Coy. Wolf shifter. Tabor is the hollow’s only half-breed, scorned and forbidden to use his powers. Constantly overlooked despite his strengths, Tabor believes Sasha is as shortsighted as the rest of the pack until she proves there’s more to her than a blindly obedient lapdog to the council.

A DUTIFUL PUREBLOOD

Spirited, stubborn, and deeply loyal, Sasha feels the pressure from her pack to claim another pureblood, yet no one is brazen enough to defy the elders and toy with her . . . no one besides a sexy, hotheaded half-breed.

AN ATTRACTION THAT THREATENS THE FUTURE OF THE PACK

Bewildered by the deceptively proud and surprisingly sensual Sasha, Tabor would risk everything to claim her. Despite her vanishing bloodline, Sasha can’t resist the charismatic half-breed even as predators threaten their pack and the elders pressure her to breed with a pureblood.

In a fantastical post-apocalyptic world, where only the strongest survive, sometimes trusting the heart is the bravest act of all.

Ehhh I did not love this.

The beginning was pretty promising, though it was weird how it set up Aden as love interest and Actual Love Interest (I LITERALLY just finished and I can't remember his name) as antagonist. Pretty jarring. I didn't mind Sasha but never connected to her, and it was odd how she went from super against Love Interest to jumping his bones. Plus there was a LOT of gratuitous sex, which would have been fine if I liked the characters. The story itself ... there were so many of plot points one after another but even with so much happening, the book dipped in the middle. I just got bored, which was sad because I thought I'd love this book.

I guess this book and I were just a bad match.

2 stars

Review: Graveyard Shift

Graveyard Shift | Michael F. Haspil

Published by: Tor Books, July 18th 2017

Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal

Pages: 352

Format: Hardback

Source: Tor Books

Police procedurals go supernatural in this gritty urban fantasy debut 

Alex Menkaure, former pharaoh and mummy, and his vampire partner, Marcus, who was born in ancient Rome, once hunted evil vampires for UMBRA, a super-secret unit of the NSA. That was before the discovery of a blood substitute and a Supreme Court ruling allowed thousands of vampires to integrate into society.

Now, Alex and Marcus are vice cops in a special police unit. They fight to keep the streets safe from criminal vampires, shape-shifters, blood-dealers, and anti-vampire vigilantes.

When someone starts poisoning the artificial blood, race relations between vampires and humans deteriorate to the brink of anarchy. While the city threatens to tear itself apart, Alex and Marcus must form an unnatural alliance with a vigilante gang and a shape-shifter woman in a desperate battle against an ancient vampire conspiracy.

If they succeed, they'll be pariahs, hunted by everyone. If they fail, the result will be a race-war bloodierthan any the world has ever seen.

Gritty urban fantasy and hard-boiled noir packed into a hand grenade of awesome! Mario Acevedo, author of Werewolf Smackdown 

I wanted to like this book SO MUCH. A guy who used to be a mummy but who's now part of a special vampire branch of the police? Sign me the heck up. But I just could not get into the writing style. It's very detail-packed, down to the specific type of gun used, and I just could not connect with the voice. But that's a 100% personal thing, and I know a tonne of people will love this book.

Characters ★★★☆☆

Setting/world ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★☆☆☆

The Here And Now (Review)

The Here And Now | Ann Brashares

Published by: Hodder Children's Books, January 1st 2015

Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Romance, Time Travel

Pages: 303

Format: Ebook

Source: Hodder Children's Books, via Netgalley

TIME TRAVEL AND FORBIDDEN ROMANCE FROM THE BEST SELLING AUTHOR OF THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELLING PANTS


Thrilling, exhilarating, haunting and heartbreaking, The Here and Now is a twenty-first-century take of an impossible romance. 

There are rules.
Never reveal where you’re from.Never be intimate with anyone outside the community.And never interfere with history. 
Seventeen-year-old Prenna James emigrated to New York when she was twelve. But Prenna didn't come from a different country, she came from a different time - a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins. 
Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules. Prenna does as she's told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth and take the lives of her younger brothers. But everything changes when she falls for Ethan. 
She might be able to save the world ... if she lets go of the one thing she's found to hold on to.

This book wasn't terrible but the trouble was I just never cared about any of it at any point. I wasn't bothered about the characters, never connected to them, and because the book skips the 2 years where the main characters fall in love, the romance just felt flimsy, and I as a reader never fell for Ethan because I never read through Prenna doing the same. Another thing was this book had no real sense of urgency - there were less than 24 hours until the world went to crap, but they were out buying bathing suits and lounging on beaches and playing cards. It all felt distant, not dangerous or thrilling. But overall it's not a bad book - some parts are exciting, the time travel parts aren't bad, and I liked the whole controlling higher powers of Prenna's community thing, and kinda wish we saw more of this. That danger felt really vital and threatening at that point, until it suddenly petered off and didn't. The book went downhill from there, and concluded with a really un-fulfilling ending.

Like I said, it's not a bad book, but I wasn't impressed in the least.

Characters ★☆☆☆☆

Setting/world ★★☆☆☆

Writing ★★★☆☆

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The Arctic Code (ARC Review)

Dark Gravity Sequence: The Arctic Code | Matthew. J. Kirby

Published by: Blazer + Bray, April 28th 2015

Genre: MG, Science Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: Ebook

Source: Balzer + Bray, via Edelweiss

It is the near future, and the earth has entered a new ice age. Eleanor Perry lives in Tucson, one of the most popular destinations for refugees of the Freeze. She is the daughter of a climatologist who is trying to find new ways to preserve human life on the planet. Dr. Perry believes that a series of oil deposits she has found in the Arctic may hold the key to our survival. That's when she disappears—but not before sending Eleanor a series of cryptic messages that point to a significant and mysterious discovery. Now it's up to Eleanor to go find her.

This search will launch Eleanor on a breathless race to unlock the mysteries of what has happened to our planet, solving the riddle of the cold that could be humanity's end—and uncovering a threat to the earth that may not be of this world.

Just a short review for this one.

The Arctic Code never really captured my attention, or my imagination. I was fairly interested in the trip to the Arctic, the threat of being caught, but after that it lulled and became monotonous and, at times, mind-numbing. I was bored for the last 50% and skimmed the last few percent just to be finished with it. The actual plot with the gravity and dark matter and planets and stuff came MUCH too late to interest me. I didn't particularly like the characters either - the brothers felt a little surplus to requirements. Not to mention this book is about aliens, without, somehow, being about aliens at all.

Not the best book I've read. Not the worst, certainly, but it was just flat.

Characters ★★☆☆☆

Setting/world building ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★☆☆

Justice Calling (Review)

The Twenty-Sided Sorceress: Justice Calling | Annie Bellet

Published: July 23rd 2014

Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Pages: 119

Format: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Gamer. Nerd. Sorceress. 

Jade Crow lives a quiet life running her comic book and game store in Wylde, Idaho. After twenty-five years fleeing from a powerful sorcerer who wants to eat her heart and take her powers, quiet suits her just fine. Surrounded by friends who are even less human than she is, Jade figures she’s finally safe. 

As long as she doesn’t use her magic. 

When dark powers threaten her friends’ lives, a sexy shape-shifter enforcer shows up. He’s the shifter world’s judge, jury, and executioner rolled into one, and he thinks Jade is to blame. To clear her name, save her friends, and stop the villain, she’ll have to use her wits… and her sorceress powers. 

Except Jade knows that as soon as she does, a far deadlier nemesis awaits. 

Justice Calling is the first book in The Twenty-Sided Sorceress urban fantasy series. Readers who enjoyed The Dresden Files or The Iron Druid Chronicles will likely enjoy this series.

This book has a lot going for it. It's got a Native American protagonist, with a bunch of other POC characters - one of whom is gay. It's got shifters and witches and all sorts of paranormal coolness. It even has a decent underlying threat - with a sorcerer who eats hearts to gain power.

HOWEVER it is way too short to do anything in the way of character development, lore explanation, and plot. Stuff happens but way too quick, with no time to let suspense build, no mystery surrounding the murderer. There's next to no character development. Jade is an alright character but I didn't connect with her in the 100 or so pages. The romance went from nothing to making out in a day or so, even though she barely knew this guy. There was no tension between them, no spark, nothing. And the actual threat of Jade's ex boyfriend made no appearance whatsoever, with not even the murders in the books tying in to the bigger threat. I'd have liked to have more about this heart-eating sorcerer than Jade talking about him briefly. The actual 'villain' in this 'book' might as well not have been there.

The gaming references had a tendency to overtake the writing, too. There were parts I flat-out didn't understand and I felt that bogged down the writing. Maybe they'd be great for a gamer, but not for me. I can handle a couple references I don't get but one every other paragraph? Overkill.

I found Justice Calling to be alright. It had potential but nothing special, and nothing was explained or developed in great enough detail for me to have enjoyed it. But I liked the POC characters and maybe I'll give the next book a chance sometime. Doubt it, though.

Characters ★★☆☆☆

Setting/world building ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★☆☆☆

A Wicked Thing (ARC Review)

A Wicked Thing | Rhiannon Thomas

Published by: HarperTeen, February 24th 2015

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Retelling

Pages: 352

Format: Ebook

Source: HarperTeen, via Edelweiss

Rhiannon Thomas's dazzling debut novel is a spellbinding reimagining of Sleeping Beauty and what happens after happily ever after.

One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairy tale.

Her family is long dead. Her "true love" is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept. 

As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her. With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run.

Rhiannon Thomas weaves together vivid scenes of action, romance, and gorgeous gowns to reveal a richly imagined world … and Sleeping Beauty as she’s never been seen before.

The blurb promised spellbinding and dazzling but I found this book to be missing that. A Wicked Thing is pretty much on one level, and that level is an alright story set in that one fantasy/historical world, you know the one - the one in every fairy tale retelling. They all have different names, but the worlds feel the same, with no distinguishing features to be found.

 The fantasy part doesn't come into most of this book, despite Aurora being cursed, and I found it lacking the magic I was hoping for. A heartfelt or sweeping romance might have made me like the book more, as would a main character I could connect with, a more evident threat, a world that was unique or actually explored, or a story that was more there. I was just about interested enough in the plot to reach the end, but most of the book was flat. Being honest, my favourite character was Roderick, and I thought he was very under-appreciated by Aurora even if I understand why she disliked him.

It took me until around 70% to finally find a bit of what I was looking for - danger, magic, excitement - but by then I'd already zoned out. Maybe you'll like A Wicked Thing more than me, but I found it to be monotonous and too much alike so many other, better, books.

[EDIT: just found out this is the start of a series, which explains the lack of everything. Guess the actual story is in the other two books. Boo.]

Characters ★★★☆☆

Setting/world building ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★☆☆

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The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf (ARC Review)

The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf | Ambelin Kwaymullin

Published by: Candlewick Press, April 8th 2014

Genre: YA, Fantasy, (minor) Dystopia

Pages: 384

Format: Ebook

Source: Candlewick Press, via Netgalley

A compelling debut novel asks what happens when children develop inexplicable abilities—and the government sees them as a threat. 

They’re known as Firestarters. Boomers. Skychangers. The government calls them Illegals — children with inexplicable abilities — and detains them in menacing facilities so that society is kept out of harm’s way. Ashala Wolf and her Tribe of fellow Illegals have taken refuge in the Firstwood, a forest eerily conscious of its inhabitants, where they do their best to survive and where they are free to practice their abilities. But when Ashala is compelled to venture outside her territory, she is betrayed by a friend and captured by an enemy. Injured and vulnerable, with her own Sleepwalker ability blocked, Ashala is forced to succumb to a machine that will pull secrets from her mind. It’s only a matter of time before the machine ferrets out the location of the Tribe. Her betrayer, Justin Connor, is ever-present, saving her life when she wishes to die and watching her every move. Will the Tribe survive the interrogation of Ashala Wolf?

Let me just start by saying I have absolutely no idea what happened in this book, what I was supposed to get from it, or what it was all about.

I started off thinking it was a dystopian society in which people with strange abilities, Illegals, were being hunted and detained in camps for the safety of the greater public. Which was awesome - I LOVED the first few chapters. But then ... things got weird. More and more fantasy elements were added, and while it wasn't how I expected it to go, I just rolled with it. After recently loving After The End, a book with dystopian and fantasy elements, I was open to see where The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf would go.

And where it went was ... not really anywhere. There was a lot of ambling along, being tested and subjected to a machine that failed to intimidate, and then we hit around halfway and there was this ENORMOUS dumping of backstory in the form of memories regained. And it was terrible and boring and I just wanted to switch off.

There was no emotional connection between me and any of the characters. The world building was at first subtle and clever and immediately confusing as heck after that. And the story itself was just all over the place.

This book was not what I was expecting in any way. I'm still very confused about what really went on in this book - all I know is there was a dystopic setting, a weird talking snake, and a kid turned into a dinosaur.

Characters ★★☆☆☆

Setting/world building ★★☆☆☆

Writing Style ★★☆☆☆