Wickedly Dangerous - Book Review (repost)

Wickedly Dangerous (Baba Yaga #1)
by Deborah Blake

What is it about:
Known as the wicked witch of Russian fairy tales, Baba Yaga is not one woman, but rather a title carried by a chosen few. They keep the balance of nature and guard the borders of our world, but don’t make the mistake of crossing one of them…

Older than she looks and powerful beyond measure, Barbara Yager no longer has much in common with the mortal life she left behind long ago. Posing as an herbalist and researcher, she travels the country with her faithful (mostly) dragon-turned-dog in an enchanted Airstream, fulfilling her duties as a Baba Yaga and avoiding any possibility of human attachment.

But when she is summoned to find a missing child, Barbara suddenly finds herself caught up in a web of deceit and an unexpected attraction to the charming but frustrating Sheriff Liam McClellan.

Now, as Barbara fights both human enemies and Otherworld creatures to save the lives of three innocent children, she discovers that her most difficult battle may be with her own heart...

What did I think of it:
This is a fun book.

I really liked the concept of Baba Yaga being a job title instead of being just one person. Barbara is and intriguing character, and I liked her and her otherworldly friends.

The story was fun although I thought there could have been a bit more obstructions along the way. But even though it didn't seem to take any real effort, I very much enjoyed the read.

I thought when I started on the book that the whole series would have the same lead character, but it turned out that each book has another lead character, so there are no big cliffhangers to frustrate you at the end of the book.

All in all a fast and fun read that falls somewhere between Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance.

Why should you read it:
It's a very enjoyable UF/PNR read

Reading Update - Podcast

Kindling the Moon - Book Review (repost)

Kindling the Moon (Arcadia Bell #1)
by Jenn Bennett

What is it about:
Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.

But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sexual spells and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.

What did I think of it:
In an attempt to at least get one TBR-orphan read this month I picked up Kindling the Moon from my tbr-pile.

And now I'm wondering why it took my so long to get to reading it!

This is such a cool read.

I fell in love with the setting and with Arcadia from the start. The world building is fun and original. And then Lon entered the stage and I was completely sold. Lon is gruff, grumpy, but strangely likeable. I loved getting to know him.

I also love how Lon, as the love interest, has a son who is also part of the story. I usually get annoyed by lead characters or love interests with children/wards, because those children are often only there for being cute or showing the vulnerable/softer side of the parent/sibling. Not so with Jupe. He's past the age to play the cute card. instead he's a teenager and a handful. I really like how he got included in the story and I'm actually hoping to see lots more of him in future books.

The action is almost non-stop and I almost couldn't put this book down. I had to keep reading to find out what happened next. All in all I finished this book in two days and that's only because I had previous engagements that I couldn't cancel in favor of reading.

So you can bet on it that I'll be getting my trotters on book 2 as soon as possible and that it won't end up as a TBR-Orphan.

Why should you read it:
It's an awesome UF read with magicians and demons.

Teaser Tuesdays - Girls of Paper and Fire

I'm finally about to be trained for the most important role of a Paper Girl-and the one I've been dreading the most.


(page 140, Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan)


Buy from bookdepository

---------

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!

Of Monsters and Madness - Book Review (repost)

I'm behind on my reading, so more reposts this week


Of Monsters and Madness (Of Monsters and Madness #1)
by Jessica Verday

What is it about:
A romantic, historical retelling of classic Gothic horror featuring Edgar Allan Poe and his character Annabel Lee, from a New York Times best-selling author.

Summoned to her father's home in 1820's Philadelphia, a girl finds herself in the midst of a rash of gruesome murders in which he might be implicated. She is torn romantically between her father's assistants-one kind and proper, one mysterious and brooding-who share a dark secret and may have more to do with the violent events than they're letting on.

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

Verday used poems and stories by Edgar Allan Poe as extra inspiration for this YA retelling of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

If you are an E.A. Poe fan and can't handle it when people take liberties with the truth you should probably avoid this book. For people who don't mind a little bit of history bending and enjoy retellings of classics, this is a fun read.

I liked Annabel and her maid. It's clear from the start that Annabel has something to hide, and even though she is the viewpoint character we're not told what it is. But that annoyance aside I very much enjoyed this book. There are no big surprises for those familiar with the original tale, but I don't read to be surprised.

All in all I can advice this to anyone looking for an entertaining historical YA read.

Why should you read it:
It's a very nice retelling of a classic.


Buy from amazon

Rosemary and Rue - Book Review (repost)

I need to read more books in this series


Rosemary and Rue (October Daye #1)
by Seanan McGuire

What is it about:
October "Toby" Daye, a changeling who is half human and half fae, has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the Faerie world, retreating to a "normal" life. Unfortunately for her, the Faerie world has other ideas...

The murder of Countess Evening Winterrose pulls Toby back into the fae world. Unable to resist Evening's dying curse, which binds her to investigate, Toby must resume her former position as knight errant and renew old alliances. As she steps back into fae society, dealing with a cast of characters not entirely good or evil, she realizes that more than her own life will be forfeited if she cannot find Evening's killer.

What did I think of it:
I really liked McGuire's Discount Armageddon, but her book Feed (written under the name Myra Grant) was boring imo, so it was a DNF for me. That's the reason I was hesitant to start on this series, and this book stayed in my TBR pile for a long, long time before I dared pick it up.

This turned out to be a cool read though!

I loved the world building and the faerie world. McGuire uses a lot of old faerie mythology, but weaves it into the story so it feels like it belongs.

October had to grow on me (she's a bit too closed off and self reliant when she should know she should ask for help), but some of the other characters I was intrigued by from the start. Especially Tybalt, king of the Cat Faeries sounds like a character I want to read lots more about.

There were two possible love interests, both not to my tastes and with their own set of troubles, but luckily the romance isn't too present in this book, so it didn't spoil the story for me. although I am wary for how things might develop later on in this series.

The situation Toby is in felt desperate at times, and I had my doubts if things could turn out right. It did keep me reading though, to find out.

All in all I enjoyed this book much more than I ever expected, and I will pick up the next book in this series soon. I will most probably also dig up the second book in McGuire's InCryptid series as my next TBR Orphan.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool Urbab Fantasy read.


buy from bookdepository

Love Minus Eighty - Book Review (repost)

Love Minus Eighty
by Will McIntosh

What is it about:
Years in the future, dead women in cryogenic dating farms await rich, lonely suitors to resurrect them and take them home.

LOVE MINUS EIGHTY follows interconnected lives touched by these dating farms.

There's Rob, who accidentally kills a jogger, then sells everything to visit her, seeking her forgiveness but instead falling in love. Veronika, a socially-awkward dating coach, finds herself responsible for the happiness of a man whose life she saved against his will. And Mira, a gay woman accidentally placed in the heterosexual dating center near its inception, desperately seeks a way to reunite with her frozen partner as the centuries pass.

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

The future world McIntosh describes feels cold and impersonal. People interact mostly through screens, with help of coaches. Dead women, who have been frozen after death, have to try to seduce rich men with lurid promises so they can get resurrected. Still this story breathes warmth and love. It shows that human interaction and friendship is important to stay human yourself.

The stories of Rob and Veronika are the most worked out, while Mira's story seems almost an afterthought at times. Added only to show the horrors of the frozen women, who have to date and catch a husband even in death. Still her story might have been small, but it touched me the most. Rob's quest to make enough money to keep visiting the woman he accident killed was touching as well, but it felt more like a faerie tale at times, where Mira's struggles felt more real to me.

I also really enjoyed Veronika's story line. She's the character in this book that grows the most as a person. Starting out as insecure, with an impossible crush, but blooming into the person she is meant to be.

All in all this is a story about friendship, love, and fighting for what you believe in. I will most certainly put this book on my keeper shelves, and I will investigate what other books McIntosh has written.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful and though provoking read.


buy from bookdepository