More Quick Book Reviews

And here are some more quick reviews of books I read a while ago, but never got round to reviewing.

Home Improvement: Undead Edition
A really fun anthology. My favorite stories were those by Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Stacia Kane and Suzanne McLeod.

Blood Before Sunrise (Shaede Assassin #2) by Amanda Bonilla
I really tried to like this book, but I just couldn't connect with the lead characters. I won't read other books in this series.

Dime Store Magic (Otherworld #3) by Kelley Armstrong
A really enjoyable read. Not my favorite of Armstrong's books, but a gripping read nonetheless. I should read the next book in this series one of these days.

Code Name Cassandra (1-800-Where-R-You #2) by Meg Cabot
A light and fun read. There's a mysterious disappearance to solve, Feds to fool, unruly kids to wrangle, but Jess can handle it.

Shaedes of Gray - Book Review

Shaedes of Gray (Shaede Assassin #1)
by Amanda Bonilla

What is it about:
Darian has lived alone for almost a century in the shadows of the night. Made and abandoned by her former love, Darian is the last of her kind—an immortal Shaede who can slip into darkness as easily as breathing. With no one else to rely on, she has taught herself how to survive, using her unique skills to become a deadly assassin.

Darian finds herself struggling to keep her employer, Tyler, at arm's length, especially since his seductive smile makes her want to break her rules about love. The work he offers is necessary to protect the innocent—and a welcome distraction. But when Darian's next mark turns out to be Xander Peck, King of the Shaede Nation, her whole worldview is thrown into question. Darian begins to wonder if she has taken on more than her conscience will allow, but a good assassin never leaves a job unfinished.

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

I really liked the world building and creatures Bonilla came up with. They were different and intriguing.

I had some trouble with Darian at times. For someone who's been an assassin for that long she didn't act like it. She was rash and gullible in my opinion. But she grew on me, flaws and all. Of the other characters I really liked Raif, who becomes her instructor. He was mysterious and very intriguing. Darian's love interest Tyler didn't get enough screentime to get a good grip on him I will confess. So far he has't made a big impression on me yet.

The story itself was complex and with lots of intrigue. At times I feared Bonilla was making it too much of an 'end of the world' disaster if Darian would fail, but luckily she managed to keep a balance I could live with.

In the end I very much enjoyed this book and I'm curious where Bonilla will go from here, so I will probably continue reading this series.

Why should you read it:
It's an enjoyable Urban Fantasy read.