Book Reviews

Harmony Black (Harmony Black #1) By: Craig Schaefer

Harmony Black

Harmony Black (Harmony Black #1) By: Craig Schaefer

Plot:

Harmony Black is much more than your average FBI special agent. In addition to being a practicing witch, she’s also an operative for Vigilant Lock, an off-the-books program created to battle occult threats—by any means necessary. Despite her dedication to fighting the monsters threatening society, Harmony has become deeply conflicted about her job. Her last investigation resulted in a pile of dead bodies, and she suspects the wrong people are being punished for it.

While on a much-needed vacation, Harmony gets pulled back into action. This time, though, she’s gone from solo work to being part of a team. Their target: the Bogeyman, a vicious and elusive figure…and the creature that destroyed Harmony’s childhood.

Surrounded by quirky, fascinating characters as dedicated to one another as they are to their new partner, Harmony must learn to trust her team—and a new romantic interest—on a dangerous and deadly mission that conjures up memories she’d much rather forget.

Review:

While looking at the top books in Urban Fantasy on Amazon, I came across this book. I liked the cover and thought the blurb sounded interesting. It wasn’t until the end of the book, when I read the Author’s Note, that I realized this was a spin off series. I didn’t feel lost at any point or like I was missing jokes, and I never would have realized there was another series if the author hadn’t mentioned it.

The world and characters created were detailed and fleshed out, but not to the point where I was bogged down in details. It was darker than I normally like and dealt with kidnapped infants, which had me reading into the late hours of the night cause I needed to know if they survived.

I liked Harmony, she was very straight laced and by the book, but not to the point of stupidity. Her new partner, Jessie, was more annoying. She would have been a better character for TV, I think, but in the book was kind of annoying to read the way she talked.

It was well written, with good pacing. There was build up, but it wasn’t constant.

Actually, it really reminded me of a Criminal Minds episode, a lot. A Paranormal Criminal Minds, that would be interesting to watch.

Overall, I liked the book, but because of how dark it was I’m not in a rush to read the next, which is good since it’s not out yet.

4/5

Recurve (The Elemental Series #1) By: Shannon Mayer

Recurve

Recurve (The Elemental Series #1) By: Shannon Mayer

Plot:

My name is Larkspur, and I am an Elemental. My people use the power of the earth to sustain life and defy our enemies. I should be at my father’s side as a royal princess. But as a half-breed, bastard child, that isn’t going to happen. I’ve been accused of attacking the queen, my wicked stepmother, and my life is suddenly on the line. I have only two options left to me: banishment, or training to become one of the King’s Elite Guards, an Ender. Option one will kill me. Option two is meant to break me, but it’s the only way to survive. Did I mention I have no power like the rest of the elementals, and my connection to the earth is worth next to nothing? Could things get any worse? Of course they can. Welcome to being an Elemental
Review:

It’s been a while since I read the Rylee Adamson series and I keep meaning to get back into it. Since this was the first book in a new series I thought it might be easier.

I read somewhere this is in the same universe as Rylee, but I don’t think that comes into play at all in this book. You’re in the world of an elemental, which sounds almost like a different dimension. Lark is an Earth elemental that doesn’t have any power, or is/does she?

The book starts off with a fairly brutal introduction to the world that had me crying and wondering if I wanted to continue, but I had to see justice, and thankfully I got it. A good power hungry villain was introduced and they weren’t defeated, but they were dealt a devastating blow, which I always like in a first book.

Lark was an interesting character. She was very much a bad-ass, but she had some negative qualities that made me unsure if I liked her by the end. Her views on sex are just different from mine, which are fine, but I don’t necessarily enjoy reading it.

Anyway, I really liked the book and while I want to continue with the series, I think I might pick up with Rylee first.

4/5

Thicker Than Blood (Twenty-Sided Sorceress #6) By: Annie Bellet

Thicker Than Blood

Thicker Than Blood (Twenty-Sided Sorceress #6) By: Annie Bellet

Plot:

If you are going through hell… keep going…

Wounded, defeated, and flung across the wilderness, Jade Crow and her peeps faced their worst enemy and not all have escaped… or survived.

Separated from her friends, their fates unknown, and without her magic, Jade must discover her own heritage and unlock her true powers… or else her next fight with Samir will be her last.

For Jade, life has come down to two choices…
Level up. Or die.

Review:

So I really like this series, the ideas the characters, the nerdy references, but the last two books have been too short. They’re in line with the rest of the series, but the final battle just keeps getting dragged out. There still isn’t a resolution at the end of this one and the side characters are almost not in it at all. It’s disappointing.

Maybe if the series was advertised as a serial instead it wouldn’t be as bad because you’d know what to expect, but the first four books had fairly self-contained stories and the last two haven’t. I keep reading because I’m invested in the world and the characters, but I don’t know how much longer I’ll stick around.

If you liked the previous books you’ll like this one, but don’t expect a satisfying ending.

3/5

The Eye of Zoltar (The Chronicles of Kazam #3) By: Jasper Fforde

The Eye of Zoltar

The Eye of Zoltar (The Chronicles of Kazam #3) By: Jasper Fforde

Plot:

Orphans Jennifer Strange 16, manager of Kazam mages, and apprentice Tiger Prawns 12, stand in the way of The Mighty Shandar. Shandar must kill last two dragons for King of Snodd in Ununited Kingdoms. Jen needs legendary jewel The Eye of Zoltar, last seen on pirate, and to tutor spoiled Princess Shazzarine. Perilous journey has 50% Fatality Index.

Review:

So I’m pretty pissed off at the ending of this book. Basically a huge cliffhanger, have no idea what’s going to be done with the Eye of Zoltar or what’s happened to most of the side characters and no idea when the next book will be published.

The last Nursery Crimes book came out in 2004, and there’s been a third book listed on Goodreads for a long time now. Fforde’s also got another series that ended on a cliffhanger this big and yet the last I read he was writing a book that wasn’t involved in either universe.

Ugh.

Annoyed.

Angry.

Someone else is going to be locked up in my writer’s dungeon.

Anyway, the story was good, hilarious at parts, moving at others. Lots happened, lots. My favorite quotes are:

“If we didn’t execute bankers and rogue traders found guilty of financial mischief, it might give them a clear signal that it’s actually okay, and then where would we be?”

 

“She did break the law—what do you think they should have done? Given her a bonus for her daring and ingenuity?”

 

Enjoy the series, now I just have to wait god only knows how long before I get the next book.

4/5

 

Star Wars: Before the Awakening By: Greg Rucka Illustrator: Phil Noto

Star Wars Before the Awakening

Star Wars: Before the Awakening By: Greg Rucka Illustrator: Phil Noto

Plot:

A companion piece to the “Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens” character novels, Star Wars: Before the Awakening is an anthology book that focuses on the lives of Rey, Finn, and Poe before the events of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Review:

The book is broken up into three short stories, one about each of the new Star Wars characters.

I liked Finn’s/FN-2187’s story, though it was the shortest by a lot. It really helped build his character and filled a lot of holes that the movie left. You still don’t know much about his history, how he became a storm trooper, but you find out that he was in the top 1%, that he excelled at everything, and that he was very empathetic. That Captain Phasma picked him out specifically and was watching him. The story ends immediately before the movie.

Rey’s story I didn’t like so much. I ended up skipping some pages of it so I might have missed some stuff, but it was so depressing and from the minute the new characters were introduced you knew they were going to take advantage of her, and they did. I guess the point of the story was to show how she was such a good pilot, she ran simulations, and it showed just how much she wanted to stay on Jakku, though it didn’t give any more details about her family. It didn’t do much to make Rey’s character seem interesting or fun or awesome in any way.

The story you learned the most from was Poe’s. You got his back story and more about the New Republic and the Resistance. It ends right before the movie starts, but you get to see Leia and C3-P0 and there’s lots of space flying. The First Order is even a part of it.

Overall, if you loved the characters and demand to know more, I would recommend reading this. Other than that, though, I really don’t think there’s a reason to.

3/5

Side note: Illustrations were cool to look at