Teasing on a Wednesday - The Death of Jane Lawrence

The numbers had no room for kindness and humanity.

"There will be donations. there always are, in these cases."

(page 29, The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling)

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

Smoke Bitten - Book Review

 

Smoke Bitten (Mercy Thompson #12)

by Patricia Briggs

What is it about:

Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, faces a threat unlike any other in this thrilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

I am Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman.

My only "superpowers" are that I turn into a thirty-five pound coyote and fix Volkswagens. But I have friends in odd places and a pack of werewolves at my back. It looks like I'm going to need them.

Centuries ago, the fae dwelt in Underhill--until she locked her doors against them. They left behind their great castles and troves of magical artifacts. They abandoned their prisoners and their pets. Without the fae to mind them, those creatures who remained behind roamed freely through Underhill wreaking havoc. Only the deadliest survived.

Now one of those prisoners has escaped. It can look like anyone, any creature it chooses. But if it bites you, it controls you. It lives for chaos and destruction. It can make you do anything--even kill the person you love the most. Now it is here, in the Tri-Cities. In my territory.

It won't, can't, remain.

Not if I have anything to say about it.

What did I think of it:

This series keeps going strong.

At times I felt that too many things were put into one book. There's the strange creature, Adam acting out of character, one of the vampires acting even crazier than usual, and on top of that an extra threat that may or may not be linked to one of the other things already going on.

That said: I had a great time with this book. Mercy manages to stay on top of things as much as possible, even with once again people in the pack working against her. I was invested in her well being and that of her loved ones. With the creature on the prowl I feared for the lives of some of my favorite characters.

All in all a cool and fast paced read with everything that's going on. I'll be picking up the next book in the spin-off series Alpha and Omega soon.

Why should you read it:

It's a cool and action packed Urban Fantasy Read.

buy from amazon

End of Days - Book Review

 

End of Days - (Penryn & the End of Days #3)

by Susan Ee 

What is it about:

End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy. After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

What did I think of it:

I read the first two books in 2013 and made an attempt to read this book in 2015 when it released, but it didn't click back then. Recently I decided to try again if only so I could check this trilogy as finished. 

And this time I was lured in and soon as hooked as I was with the other books.

I loved getting back into this gritty angel apocalypse. Penryn is a great heroine and especially when she's with Raffe she shines.

The stakes in this book are high: Raffe is in danger of losing his wings forever, Penryn needs to find help for her sister, before she turns into a monster, and if that isn't enough: the angels are set on destroying humanity.

Raffe is being a bit of a stubborn ass at times, but all in all I loved how they work together, and how they manage when apart. Penryn knows her own feelings a lot better than Raffe knows his, and I wanted to kick him at times to get his act together.

There were some cool action scenes that skimmed the lines of going over the top, but I was so invested in finding out how everything would end, that I didn't mind too much.

All in all a really cool conclusion to a gritty and awesome Apocalyptic Adventure. You bet this goes on my keeper shelves. And I will need to investigate what other books Susan Ee wrote after this trilogy.

Why should you read it:

It's Post Apocalyptic awesomeness

Buy from Amazon

World After - Book Review (repost)

 

World After (Penryn & the End of Days #2)
by Susan Ee

What is it about:
In this sequel to Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

What did I think of it:
I loved Angelfall so much, I preordered World After immediately after I finished reading Angelfall. So when World After arrived I started on it as soon as I could.

And although this is once again a really cool read, I was missing something. I didn't really understand what it was at first. The world building was still dark and gritty, the story grim and suspenseful... So why wasn't I as addicted to World After as I was to Angelfall?

It wasn't until Raffe and Penryn encountered each other again that I understood what this book was missing until then. What made Angelfall so awesome for me was the interaction between Raffe and Penryn. They have this chemistry between them that keeps you invested and makes you want to keep reading about them. This interaction was missing for large parts of World After. Penryn on her own is still a cool character, but her complicated connection with Raffe is what makes her a great character.

Overall World After is a very cool read, and it ends in a way that made I will impatiently wait for the next book in this series, but I'll be honest and say that I hope there will be lots more Raffe and Penryn together in the next book.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool Post Apocalyptic YA read with angels

Angelfall - Book Review (repost)

 I finally read the last book, so I'm reposting the reviews of the first two books before posting my thoughts on the conclusion of this trilogy.

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1)
by Susan Ee

What is it about:
It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

What did I think of it:
Somehow this book managed to stay off my radar until recently people started talking about the upcoming sequel. (I blame Jess Haines for me picking up Angelfall btw ;-)

And let me say: Why didn't anyone tell me sooner how awesome this book is?

Because this is an amazingly cool read. Once I started on it I couldn't put it down and finished it in one afternoon. It's that addictive!

I will confess I hadn't expected that a book about angels could be this gritty. I thought it would be the umpteenth Dystopian read that doesn't really deliver, but instead it's a thrilling Post Apocalyptic tale filled with violence, darkness and danger.

I loved both Penryn and Raffe. The interaction between them was cool and believable (apart from one scene that made me want to slap Penryn for being a bit slow to grasp what was glaringly obvious). I kept rooting for them both to survive the perils they have to face.

The ending left me hungry for much, much more and I immediately preordered the next book so I can get my trotters on it as soon as it releases.

Why should you read it:
It's Post Apocalyptic Awesomness with angels.

Still on a break

Back soon.

Back Next Week

Where the Drowned Girls Go - Book Review

 

Where the Drowned Girls Go (Wayward Children #7)

by Seanan McGuire

What is it about:

Welcome to the Whitethorn Institute. The first step is always admitting you need help, and you've already taken that step by requesting a transfer into our company.

There is another school for children who fall through doors and fall back out again.

It isn't as friendly as Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children.

And it isn't as safe.

When Eleanor West decided to open her school, her sanctuary, her Home for Wayward Children, she knew from the beginning that there would be children she couldn't save; when Cora decides she needs a different direction, a different fate, a different prophecy, Miss West reluctantly agrees to transfer her to the other school, where things are run very differently by Whitethorn, the Headmaster.

She will soon discover that not all doors are welcoming...

What did I think of it:

I love this series, and this book is an awesome addition.

I liked Cora in the previous books, so was happy to see her get her own book. After events in Come Tumbling Down she's having nightmares and other problems, so she asks to be transferred to Whitethorn, a school with a very different approach as Eleanor West's school.

I loved seeing the other school and how it works. It is soon clear there's something not right there. I was rooting for Cora to come to her senses, but it looked like even that would not be enough to solve her problems.

And then Sumi entered the story!

I've loved Sumi since the first book, so I was so happy she had a big role in this book. I also loved how the lead character of the previous book in the series made her appearance in this book as well. And I really liked how another world isn't needed to make this story otherworldly and disturbing.

I was hooked from the start and had to keep reading to see if Cora and Sumi would be able to save the day, and if Cora would be able to defeat her demons.

All in all a wonderful read that will join the other books in this series on my keeper shelves.

Why should you read it:

It's a cool and wonderful read

buy from Amazon

On McPig's Wishlist - Only a Monster

 

Only a Monster (Monsters #1)

by Vanessa Len

With the sweeping romance of Passenger and the dark fantasy edge of This Savage Song, this standout YA contemporary fantasy debut from Vanessa Len, is the first in a planned trilogy.

It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.

But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn’t just a cute boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down.

As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She’ll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . .

. . . she is not the hero.

The Prison Healer - Book Review

 

The Prison Healer (The Prison Healer #1)

by Lynette Noni

What is it about:

Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years fighting for survival in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, working as the prison healer.

When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is charged with keeping the terminally ill woman alive long enough for her to undergo the Trial by Ordeal: a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water, and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals.

Then a coded message from Kiva’s family arrives, containing a single order: “Don’t let her die. We are coming.” Aware that the Trials will kill the sickly queen, Kiva risks her own life to volunteer in her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom.

But no one has ever survived.

With an incurable plague sweeping Zalindov, a mysterious new inmate fighting for Kiva’s heart, and a prison rebellion brewing, Kiva can’t escape the terrible feeling that her trials have only just begun.

What did I think of it:

This is a difficult book to review.

I finished it and was entertained, but there were also things that annoyed me. Some of the things that annoyed are hard to describe as they're so elusive. Others are personal pet peeves: the unreliable narrator, who keeps important information up her sleeve for shock reveals, the snarky love interest who thinks he's all that, stuff like that.

Biggest flaw of this book for me was that I could not care for Kiva and her love interest. I actually disliked Kiva a bit. So while I was entertained enough and curious to see where the story would go, I wasn't invested. That made this a mediocre read for me.

The ending was meant to be clever and shocking, but didn't work for me. It only confirmed that this book wasn't meant for me, and that I won't be reading the next one in this series.

Why should you read it:

If you like unreliable narrators and snarky dudes, this is your read.

Buy from Amazon

 

Teaser Tuesdays - Grey Magic

  

He gazed at her for a long moment, uncomprehending. The spikes?

“Circling the air above the dining table,” she reminded him, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, “like a pair of hawks eyeing their prey below.”

(location 902 of 5108, Grey Magic by Jeffe Kennedy)

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

buy links