Thursday, 22 June 2023

Grave Destiny - Book Review

 

Grave Destiny (Alex Craft #6)
by Kalayna Price

What's it about:
Grave witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, and that makes her a dangerous enemy for anyone with something to hide. . . .

Alex is still trying to come to terms with her changing powers and her growing ties to Faerie when a case she’d rather avoid falls right into her lap. A fae prince desperately needs Alex to investigate a politically sensitive murder. She reluctantly agrees to the case, taking FIB agent Falin Andrews along as her backup.

But as Alex begins to delve into the mystery, she realizes that the intricate web of alliances and intrigue in the Faerie courts is strained to its limits. War is about to break out, one that threatens to spill over into the mortal realm. This murder is tied right to the center of centuries-old arcane unrest, and if Alex isn’t careful she may follow the twisting path ahead of her right into her grave end.

What did I think of it:
I'm so loving this series.

There's war brewing in Faerie and Alex must do her best to solve a murder or thing might go wrong fast. 

During her investigation you learn more about all the different courts and their scheming. There are new characters who might play a big role in the last book, there's intrigue, half truths, danger... And the conclusion of this book! 

You bet I'll be picking the last book up soon because I need to know how this series will end!

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


Wednesday, 21 June 2023

The Luminous Dead - A DNF

 


The Luminous Dead
by Caitlin Starling

A thrilling, atmospheric debut with the intensive drive of The Martian and Gravity and the creeping dread of Annihilation, in which a caver on a foreign planet finds herself on a terrifying psychological and emotional journey for survival.

When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she’d be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck—enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother—meant she’d get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane.

Instead, she got Em.

Em sees nothing wrong with controlling Gyre’s body with drugs or withholding critical information to “ensure the smooth operation” of her expedition. Em knows all about Gyre’s falsified credentials, and has no qualms using them as a leash—and a lash. And Em has secrets, too . . .

As Gyre descends, little inconsistencies—missing supplies, unexpected changes in the route, and, worst of all, shifts in Em’s motivations—drive her out of her depths. Lost and disoriented, Gyre finds her sense of control giving way to paranoia and anger. On her own in this mysterious, deadly place, surrounded by darkness and the unknown, Gyre must overcome more than just the dangerous terrain and the Tunneler which calls underground its home if she wants to make it out alive—she must confront the ghosts in her own head.

But how come she can't shake the feeling she’s being followed?

Why Did I Not Finish:
I picked this up for a horror book club. I've read a more recent book by Starling that I enjoyed until it derailed near the end, but wast told this one was really good and creepy.

Yeah...

Although the writing was good, I didn't really connect with Gyre or the story in general. Nothing much was happening apart from Gyre winding herself up over nothing if she wasn't having conversations with her handler. There were some set ups that didn't seem to pan out as well.

At about halfway through the book I was bored and decided that I just didn't have the stamina to keep reading to see if anything creepy was going to happen ever. Maybe it gets really creepy after that point, but that's to discover for readers with more staying power. 

Why should you read it:
Maybe the atmosphere and storytelling of this book is more to your tastes than mine.




Tuesday, 20 June 2023

Teaser Tuesdays - The Last Astronaut

 

And that was it. The die was cast. No going back to the Hive, not now.


(page 14, The Last Astronaut by David Wellington)
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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!


Thursday, 8 June 2023

Sister, Maiden, Monster - Book Review

Sister, Maiden, Monster
by Lucy A. Snyder

What is it about:
Sister, Maiden, Monster is a visceral story set in the aftermath of our planet’s disastrous transformation and told through the eyes of three women trying to survive the nightmare, from Bram Stoker Award-winning author Lucy A. Snyder.

To survive they must evolve.

A virus tears across the globe, transforming its victims in nightmarish ways. As the world collapses, dark forces pull a small group of women together.

Erin, once quiet and closeted, acquires an appetite for a woman and her brain. Why does forbidden fruit taste so good?

Savannah, a professional BDSM switch, discovers a new turn-on: committing brutal murders for her eldritch masters.

Mareva, plagued with chronic tumors, is too horrified to acknowledge her divine role in the coming apocalypse, and as her growths multiply, so too does her desperation.

What did I think of it:
This is such a weird and beautiful read!

After catching a virus Erin and other survivors of the virus start craving brains, while other survivors start craving blood . What at first seems like a viral apocalypse that's creating living zombies and vampires soon starts to get freaky as Erin learns more about herself and her desires.

And then there's Savannah who undergoes yet another transformation.

Only when I got to Mareva's part of the story things started fitting together again and you could view the full scale of this apocalyptic event. 

I was totally on lose footing for most of the story, but enjoying it nonetheless. There were some Lovecraftian themes that gave me some idea where this story was leading to, but I was still surprised by the overall story. No Lovecraftian Mythos prepared me for the horrors Snyder managed to come up with.

All in all a cool, weird, and freaky read. I will have to investigate what else Snyder has written (apart from the Jessie Shimmer series of which I read the first book ages ago).

Why should you read it:
It's totally weird and cool!


Wednesday, 7 June 2023

The Kaiju Preservation Society - Book Review

 

The Kaiju Preservation Society
by John Scalzi

What is it about:
When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls "an animal rights organization." Tom's team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.

What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world. They're the universe's largest and most dangerous panda and they're in trouble.

It's not just the Kaiju Preservation Society that's found its way to the alternate world. Others have, too--and their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.

What did I think of it:
This is a fun and cool read!

Who can resist reading about a society who's observing and preserving dinosaur like monsters? I couldn't anyway!

This book is a fun and fluffy story. There's some problems and bad guys along the way, but mostly it's a very enjoyable fantasy about an alternate world where we can live next to big Godzilla Dinosaurs.

I liked Jamie and his new friends. The bad guy is glaringly obvious, but that's by design. I really enjoyed Scalzi's writing and world building as well. I might have to investigate his other books.

Why should you read it:
Godzilla Dinosaurs!

 


Tuesday, 6 June 2023

Teaser Tuesdays - The Luminous Dead

 


"You'll clear it?" Gyre laughed sharply, incredulously.
"Right, what would you do otherwise, lock my suit? Take me to court?"


(page 48, The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling)
---------

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!



Thursday, 1 June 2023

Dead Space - Book Review

  

Dead Space
by Kali Wallace

What is it about:
An investigator must solve a brutal murder on a claustrophobic space station in this tense science fiction thriller from the author of Salvation Day.

Hester Marley used to have a plan for her life. But when a catastrophic attack left her injured, indebted, and stranded far from home, she was forced to take a dead-end security job with a powerful mining company in the asteroid belt. Now she spends her days investigating petty crimes to help her employer maximize its profits. She's surprised to hear from an old friend and fellow victim of the terrorist attack that ruined her life—and that surprise quickly turns to suspicion when he claims to have discovered something shocking about their shared history and the tragedy that neither of them can leave behind.

Before Hester can learn more, her friend is violently murdered at a remote asteroid mine. Hester joins the investigation to find the truth, both about her friend's death and the information he believed he had uncovered. But catching a killer is only the beginning of Hester's worries, and she soon realizes that everything she learns about her friend, his fellow miners, and the outpost they call home brings her closer to revealing secrets that very powerful and very dangerous people would rather keep hidden in the depths of space.

What did I think of it:
I loved Salvation Day, so I got my trotters on Dead Space as well.

And Dead Space is also a really cool SciFi Thriller. 

The action is slow to start, the first part of the book is all investigation and back story about Hester, but I didn't mind as I love Wallace's writing style, and the investigation and Hester's past were really intriguing. 

I loved Hester's colleagues, especially the lead investigator Adisa, so when the action started and things went wrong, you bet I was worried about the outcome and who would or wouldn't survive.

I think I liked Salvation Day just a bit more than Dead Space, but overall I had a really great time with this book and will most definitely read more by Wallace.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool SciFi Thriller