Fireborn - Book Review (reread)

 

Fireborn (Souls of Fire #1)
by Keri Arthur

What is it about:
Emberly has spent a good number of her many lives trying to save humans. So when her prophetic dreams reveal the death of Sam, a man she once loved, she does everything in her power to prevent that from happening. But in saving his life, she gets more than she bargained for.

Sam is working undercover for the Paranormal Investigations Team, and those who are trying to murder him are actually humans infected by a plague-like virus, the Crimson Death—a by-product of a failed government experiment that attempted to identify the enzymes that make vampires immortal. Now, all those infected must be eliminated.

But when Emberly’s boss is murdered and his irreplaceable research stolen, she needs to find the guilty party before she goes down in flames...

What did I think of it:
This is a really cool read.

I loved the concept of the phoenix. I've not read an Urban Fantasy with a phoenix before. The way Arthur set up the background of the phoenix as a mythical creature does make for a bit of a hot mess when it comes to romance, but she made me believe in it, and cheer Emberly on in her pursuit of happiness.

The action storyline was really intense as well. There's lots of intrigue and suspense, as well as cool action. There's a lot of different parties involved, but Arthur's storytelling made sure I never felt lost.

I will confess I didn't like Sam, Emberly's former lover (and one of her current love interests), but there are some other men in Emberly's life who I really liked. I do feel like I will be rooting for the wrong guy, but maybe Sam will surprise me yet.

This book ends with lots of things still unresolved, but luckily not on an unnecessary cliffhanger. Still I'm eager to get my trotters on the next book, because I want to know what will happen next for Emberly.

Notes on rereading:

I read this back in 2015 and I will confess I couldn't remember a thing about the story. The one thing I remembered was one of the men in Emberly's life, and he's not even one of the two love interests. But I very much enjoyed the story, and my previous review still stands. Now I can read the next book without feeling lost. 

Why should you read it:
It's a cool and compelling UF read.

Five Little Indians - Short Book Review

 

Five Little Indians 

by Michelle Good

What is it about:

Taken from their families when they are very small and sent to a remote, church-run residential school, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie are barely out of childhood when they are finally released after years of detention.

Alone and without any skills, support or families, the teens find their way to the seedy and foreign world of Downtown Eastside Vancouver, where they cling together, striving to find a place of safety and belonging in a world that doesn’t want them. The paths of the five friends cross and crisscross over the decades as they struggle to overcome, or at least forget, the trauma they endured during their years at the Mission.

Fuelled by rage and furious with God, Clara finds her way into the dangerous, highly charged world of the American Indian Movement. Maisie internalizes her pain and continually places herself in dangerous situations. Famous for his daring escapes from the school, Kenny can’t stop running and moves restlessly from job to job—through fishing grounds, orchards and logging camps—trying to outrun his memories and his addiction. Lucy finds peace in motherhood and nurtures a secret compulsive disorder as she waits for Kenny to return to the life they once hoped to share together. After almost beating one of his tormentors to death, Howie serves time in prison, then tries once again to re-enter society and begin life anew.

With compassion and insight, Five Little Indians chronicles the desperate quest of these residential school survivors to come to terms with their past and, ultimately, find a way forward.

What did I think of it:

This was a difficult read for me.

I'm not even sure I can do this book justice by talking about what I think of it. I loved it, hated it, cried over it, and cheered for every small moment of joy.

I don't think I'll ever reread this, but I'm glad I read it this as it's a achingly powerful read

Teaser Tuesdays - House Immortal

 

"What was I supposed to do? Feed him to Lizard?"

"Now you're thinking," Left Ned said.

(page 66, House Immortal by Devon Monk)

---------

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!