Teaser Tuesdays - The Atlas Six

 

Nico glanced at her, conceding to ask in a mostly inoffensive tone, "What are you thinking?

(page 58, The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake)

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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!

Into the Riverlands - Book Review

 

Into the Riverlands (The Singing Hills Cycle #3)

by Nghi Vo

What is it about:

Wandering cleric Chih of the Singing Hills travels to the riverlands to record tales of the notorious near-immortal martial artists who haunt the region. On the road to Betony Docks, they fall in with a pair of young women far from home, and an older couple who are more than they seem. As Chih runs headlong into an ancient feud, they find themselves far more entangled in the history of the riverlands than they ever expected to be.

Accompanied by Almost Brilliant, a talking bird with an indelible memory, Chih confronts old legends and new dangers alike as they learn that every story—beautiful, ugly, kind, or cruel—bears more than one face.

What did I think of it:

I love the first two books in this series, so you bet I preordered this one, especially after seeing the cover!

And this is another beautiful read. 

Where in the previous books Chih mostly gets told stories, here they are not only told stories, but are in the middle of their own. They also learn that one person's villain, can be another person's hero, and that details can change depending on who is telling the story.

All in all a wonderful read. I hope there will be many more books in this series.

Why should you read it:

It's a beautiful and engaging read.

Legends & Lattes - Book Review

 

Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes #1)

by Travis Baldree

What is it about:

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success—not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.

What did I think of it:

This book has been all over the internet and has been lauded by lots of people, but it took me a while to pick it up as I was a bit wary. Finally I caved.

And this is such a pleasant and fun read!

I loved reading about Viv's attempts to start a coffee shop, and about the people she manages to meet and befriend on the way. It's mostly a fluffy and cozy read about friendship, with just enough obstacles thrown in to keep the story engaging.

If you've played Dungeons and Dragons there's tons of things that you'll recognize, but for people who haven't, this book is a perfectly entertaining and enjoyable read as well. There's a tiny bit of romance, lots of coffee, and good friends.

Definitely a keeper!

Why should you read it:

It's fluffy, cozy, and totally enjoyable.

 

Challenges Update and New Goals

2022 was a difficult year when it came to reading. Progress was slow and I only just made it to 100 books read. And as you have noticed: I didn't always manage to review what I read.

So how did my challenges go?

I finished the Charley Davidson series in February!

As for TBR Orphans

Orphans read: 

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave by Darynda Jones (in TBR since August 2018)

Summoned to the Thirteenth Grave by Darynda Jones (in TBR since January 2020)

End of Days by Susan Ee (in TBR since May 2015)

Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs (in TBR since March 2021)

Devil's Bargain by Rachel Caine (in TBR since June 2017)

Symbiont by Mira Grant (in TBR since July 2019)

Kingdom of Needle and Bone by Mira Grant (ebook, no clue where and when I got it)

The Tin Rose by Anne Renwick (ebook freebie I got a long time ago)

Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler (in TBR since February 2020)

The Last Wolf by Maria Vale (in TBR since October 2019)

A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones (in TBR since August 2021)

Furtive Dawn by Helen Harper (in TBR since Januaty 2021)

That's 12 orphans read in 2022!

So even though 2022 wasn't my best year, I did finish my challenges! Which brings me to the challenges for 2023.

Apart from trying to get back into regularly reading and reviewing I'll give myself two challenges:

1 - read at least 12 TBR Orphans.

2 - read the Alex Craft series by Kalayna Price

I already reread the first book of the Alex Craft series in December, so that gives me 6 books I need to read. 5 are already in my TBR, 2 of them Orphans from 2014.

Wish me luck!

And let me know about your challenges.

Salvation Day - Book Review

 

Salvation Day

by Kali Wallace

What is it about:

A lethal virus is awoken on an abandoned spaceship in this incredibly fast-paced, claustrophobic thriller.

They thought the ship would be their salvation.

Zahra knew every detail of the plan. House of Wisdom, a massive exploration vessel, had been abandoned by the government of Earth a decade earlier, when a deadly virus broke out and killed everyone on board in a matter of hours. But now it could belong to her people if they were bold enough to take it. All they needed to do was kidnap Jaswinder Bhattacharya—the sole survivor of the tragedy, and the last person whose genetic signature would allow entry to the spaceship.

But what Zahra and her crew could not know was what waited for them on the ship—a terrifying secret buried by the government. A threat to all of humanity that lay sleeping alongside the orbiting dead.

And then they woke it up.

What did I think of ot:

I read the blurb of this book and was immediately intrigued. I decided to try a short story by Wallace first and when I loved that story and Wallace's writing style, I decided to get this book.

And this is such a cool read!

It's told from both the viewpoint of Zahra and Jaswinder/Jas. I liked both of them, and even though Zahra is strictly seen a bad guy I could understand why she thinks what she is doing is right. I was rooting for her from the start.

Jas is a great character as well. He is forced to return to the spaceship he barely survived the first time he was on board when he was just a kid. Now he has to face his ghosts as well as trying to get out alive once again.

As Zahra's Team enters the ship with Jas and other hostages, things start to go wrong, and strange things start happening. They will have to figure out what went wrong all those years ago, and what is happening now. 

I loved everything about this story! It's suspenseful, creepy, there's strife between Zahra's team and the hostages, strife within Zahra's team, long buried secrets, and so much more cool stuff!

The ending is totally satisfying as well, and you bet I'll be reading more by Wallace soon.

Why should you read it:

It's an amazing SF thriller.

The Whistling - Book Review

 

The Whistling

by Rebecca Netley

What is it about:

Alone in the world, Elspeth Swansome has taken the position of nanny to a family on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea. Her charge, Mary, is a troubled child. Distracted and secretive, she hasn't uttered a word since the sudden death of her twin, William—just days after their former nanny disappeared.

With Mary defiantly silent, Elspeth turns to the islanders. But no one will speak of what happened to William. Just as no one can explain the hypnotic lullabies sung in empty corridors. Nor the strange dolls that appear in abandoned rooms.

Nor the faint whistling that comes in the night...

As winter draws in and passage to the mainland becomes impossible, Elspeth finds herself trapped.

But is this house haunted by the ghosts of the past?

OR THE SECRETS OF THE LIVING..?

What did I think of it:

*warning: spoilery*

This sounded like it might be a cool creepy read, so I started on it as soon as I got it.

Yeah...

First there was the writing and the lead character. The writing felt forced and dated, as if the author tried to write in a style that did't fit them. And I didn't like Elspeth. She's self-absorbed and has a feeling of superiority in my opinion. I wasn't surprised when one of the maids didn't like her after they first met, even though Elspeth was.

But I was curious about the story, so I read on.

It never got creepy or scary for me, at times I was bored, but still I continued to see where it all would lead...

To get an ending that made no sense to me at all. It's probably all clever and smart and what not, but I didn't pick up this book for red herring switcheroos, I picked it up for creepiness.

All in all a disappointing read.

Why should you read it:

Maybe you like "clever" ghostly thrillers.

Teaser Tuesdays: Into the Riverlands

 

"Frogs and trees, I am marching through the woods with three children and an old fool," she exclaimed, but there was the slightest pink blush on her cheeks.

(page 30, Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo)

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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!