Rogue Familiar -Out Now!

Get it here: https://jeffekennedy.com/rogue-familiar

On McPig's Wishlist - Some Desperate Glory

 

Some Desperate Glory

by Emily Tesh

While we live, the enemy shall fear us.

All her life Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the murder of planet Earth. Raised in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she readies herself to face the Wisdom, the all-powerful, reality-shaping weapon that gave the Majoda their victory over humanity.

They are what’s left. They are what must survive. Kyr is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a dead planet. But when Command assigns her brother to certain death and relegates her to the nursery to bear sons until she dies trying, she knows she must take humanity’s revenge into her own hands.

Alongside her brother’s brilliant but seditious friend and a lonely, captive alien, she escapes from everything she’s ever known into a universe far more complicated than she was taught and far more wondrous than she could have imagined.

A thrillingly told queer space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find, and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you, Some Desperate Glory is award-winning author Emily Tesh’s highly anticipated debut novel.

Grave Ransom (Alex Craft #5)

by Kalayna Price

What is it about:

Grave witch Alex Craft is no stranger to the dead talking. She raises shades, works with ghosts, and is dating Death himself. But the dead walking? That’s not supposed to happen. And yet, reanimated corpses are committing crimes across Nekros City.

Alex’s investigation leads her deep into a web of sinister magic. When Briar Darque of the Magical Crimes Investigation Bureau gets involved, Alex finds herself with an unexpected ally of sorts. But as the dead continue to rise and wreak havoc on the living, can Alex get to the soul of the matter in time?

What did I think of it:

I'm totally hooked on this series!

And there are even some kind of zombies in this book!

I like how this series mixes up cases having to do with faerie and with other supernatural occurrences, making you guess what and who is causing trouble this time. I love the lore and how it's used in the story. 

I really do not like Briar, I'll confess, but as she's not meant to be liked (I think) I loved to hate her.

The love triangle seems to be taking a turn I might like, but I won't relax until I've finished this series, there's still a lot to resolve.

You bet I'll pick up the next book soon.

Why should you read it:

It's awesome UF!

Teaser Tuesdays - Dead Space

 

"Don't be stupid," I said, relief making me gruff.

"You don't be stupid," they retorted, and something tight and painful eased in mt chest.

(page 90, Dead Space by Kali Wallace)

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, previously 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!

Update on my Challenges

 

Even though I'm not reviewing a lot and I've read more graphic novels than my usual books, my two challenges are going reasonably well.

So far I've read 3 TBR Orphans (the third only just deserved that title when I picked it up, but who's counting), so if I pick up a 4th before the end of April I'm on track.

So far I've read 5 books in the Alex Craft series all 3 Orphans are from that series? What a surprise!, so just 2 more to go.

Now I just need to get back in my usual reading groove, or all my books end up Orphans, making my TBR Challenge a very easy challenge.

How's your reading going?

The Hollow Places - Book Review

 

The Hollow Places

by T. Kingfisher

What is it about:

A young woman discovers a strange portal in her uncle’s house, leading to madness and terror in this gripping new novel.

Pray they are hungry.

Kara finds these words in the mysterious bunker that she’s discovered behind a hole in the wall of her uncle’s house. Freshly divorced and living back at home, Kara now becomes obsessed with these cryptic words and starts exploring the peculiar bunker—only to discover that it holds portals to countless alternate realities. But these places are haunted by creatures that seem to hear thoughts…and the more you fear them, the stronger they become.

What did I think of it:

I loved What Moves the Dead so wanted to read more horror by Kingfisher.

And this is a really awesome read!

The style is very different from both What Moves the Dead and A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, but it really fitted the story. I loved Kara's uncle's weird little museum and all the strange exhibits he has. And then the weird creepy shit starts: there's suddenly an opening to another dimension in the museum!

As Kara and her next door neighbor Simon starts exploring the the strange dimension it gets creepy fast. They encounter some squickworthy things I can tell you. I loved being in the dark together with Kara and Simon. Where in a lot of books leaving things unclear feels like a cop out, here it worked and it always delivered.

I had trouble putting this book down: I had to know if Kara and Simon would survive and figure out what was going on. I had a great time with this book, trying to guess if there's be a happy end or if things would only get worse.

All in all a cool and creepy read. I need more of this!

Why should you read it:

It's an awesome, creepy read.

Redzone - DNF Review

 

Redzone (Mutant Files #2)

by William C. Dietz

What is it about:

The year is 2065, almost thirty years since a bioterrorist attack decimated the population. The world has been divided, and new nations have formed. Those mutated from exposure inhabit the red zones, while “norms” live in the green zones.

In the nation of Pacifica, Los Angeles detective Cassandra Lee is in charge of investigating a disturbing case, tracking a cop killer dubbed the Bonebreaker. But strange new murders have occurred, falling outside the normal pattern and leaving Lee and her team wondering if the serial killer has become unpredictable—or if he’s no longer acting alone…

To make matters worse, Lee’s attention is diverted after she receives a letter from her long-lost mother. Now she must venture into the red zone, a lawless land where might makes right—and where the biggest danger may be her own family.

What did I think of it:

I had my problems with little miss perfect ass Cassandra Lee in the first book, but I was interested enough in the Bonebreaker case to finally give the second book a try.

It got off to a bad start: Perfect 10 Lee hits a reporter, but gets away with it and practically gets a standing ovation for her actions. Ok... Moving on. 

The story then gets interesting for a while, focusing on the Bonebreaker case.

But it was not to be: Lee gets a letter from her mother and then gets sidetracked into a Mutant Hillbilly Kingpin plot that didn't really work for me. I decided to DNF slightly after the midway point of the book.

I sure won't give it a second try. I might try to read another book by Dietz from another series as it's already somewhere in my TBR mountain though.

Why should you read it:

If you like Mutant Hillbilly Kingpins this is your book.

Grave Visions - Book Review

 

Grave Visions (Alex Craft #4)

by Kalayna Price

What is it about:

If you want to hear voices from the dead in Nekros City, you call Alex Craft. She's a Grave Witch with reasonable rates and extraordinary powers, who specializes in revealing the secrets of the dead. But now she's the one fighting to keep her own secret. She's not human—and her newly discovered heritage is causing havoc for her both in the human realm and in Faerie. But her status as an unaffiliated fae also makes her an ideal candidate to investigate a new street drug that has surfaced in several of the spaces between the human and fae worlds.

This glamour-infused drug causes hallucinations that turn real—at least for a while and often with deadly consequences. Searching for the source of this drug—and its purpose—lands Alex front and center in the conflict brewing in Faerie and she must find answers before she's dragged so deep she loses her freedom.

What did I think of it:

This series is so cool!

Once again I was hooked from the start and eager to find out what was going on. Some things seemed obvious to me as the reader, but I could understand why Alex didn't immediately connect the dots.

I'm still loving the worldbuilding and there's new interesting tidbits throughout this book. The love triangly thing isn't going where I want it to go just yet, but I keep hoping.

All in all this series is cool, suspenseful, and fun. You bet I'll be picking up the next book soon.

Why should you read it:

It's an awesome UF read.