So many books and not enough time to write reviews! I find myself once again reading faster than I am getting my reviews done, so as much as I would like to write full reviews for these books, I think it would be better to just get something done before I forget what they were about.
These were all good books, some better than others. I quite enjoyed reading them. The titles are linked to their Goodreads pages if you want to know more about them.
Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake
Three Dark Crowns Book 4
I debated for awhile about doing a series review, but I finally decided just to do a mini review of this final book in the series. It was just too hard to talk about the books without spoiling. Also, this one was a little bit of a let down? I have mixed feelings about it. The ending was pretty much what I expected, but the how and the why was a bit muddled. There were still a lot of plots that didn’t seem finished to me. Like the whole Blue Queen story line was just sort of dropped and didn’t really go anywhere. There was also an important death that happened so fast that I didn’t have time to realize what was happening until it was over. But there was still some really good things about the story. Loved Arsinoe’s character development in this one. Also Katherine’s struggle was done so well. Overall it was a solid ending to a really good series.
Hammered by Kevin Hearne
The Iron Druid Chronicles Book 3
“Now go and stake some vamps. Especially the sparkly emo ones.”
I can not express how much I am enjoying this series. It just keeps getting better with each book I read. In this one Atticus takes on the Norse gods, more specifically Thor. His friends and allies are out to kill Thor for some past wrongs he committed. The author does an excellent job of weaving not only Celtic lore and mythology in this Urban fantasy, but many other religions and gods as well. Atticus has lunch with Jesus, who gives him a friendly warning not to go through with his friends revenge quest against Thor. We also learn a bit more about Gunnar and Leif and how they became what they are. Plus these books are just full of witty banter and cultural references that just make me smile. This is definitely a series you need to read for yourself to appreciate.
Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw
Dr. Greta Helsing #1
“Above, in the city, it was raining again: that slow but insistent icy rain that characterizes London for much of the winter. Not quite cold enough to be actually frozen; certainly cold enough to be utterly miserable for anyone unlucky enough to be out in it.”
I listened to the audiobook, and I am not sure that I would recommend it. The reader, Susanna Hampton, was good. I would certainly listen to her again. It was the production that wasn’t very good. There was very little pausing between POV switches which made me bonkers, because it would take me time to realize that there was a switch and then figure out what was going on. Also, the male characters names were very weird, and all sounded similar so I had a hard time keeping in my head who was who. I’m reading the next book to see if that helps a bit. This was another Urban fantasy and was also really good. It is a bit dark, but not as dark as I thought it would be. I really liked Greta and her dedication to helping supernatural creatures who are ill. Who knew that they could get the flue just like us? The overall plot was very interesting as well as somewhat scary. I am very interested to start the next book soon.
Now Entering Addamsville by Francesca Zappia
“How could you convince people of the truth when they had already decided what version of the story they wanted to believe?”
I’m not sure what to say about this book. I liked it? Maybe? I don’t know, I mostly felt befuddled as I was reading it. I kept thinking I was missing something, because the whole supernatural plot just didn’t make any sense? I mean I got the big picture, there were dangerous creatures in town that started fires and were after Zora because she could kill them, but the finer details just were not there, or I missed them maybe. That said, I did like Zora, her sister Sadie and her cousin Artemis. I would have liked to see more of Zora’s group of friends as they were very interesting as well. The plot was pretty good, but not compelling and like I said something was missing. I think I felt compelled to finish it because I kept hoping things would get explained, but they never did. And the final sentence just made no sense what so ever. I still like the author’s writing though, so I will not hesitate to try her next book, even though this one did not live up to my expectations.
So those are my mini-reviews for this month. Have you read any of these? What did you think? Leave a comment and let me know.
Confessions of a Serial Reader 