*****BOOK REVIEW*****
Title: No Bad Deed
Author: Heather Chavez @iamhrchavez
Publisher: William Morrow - Penguin Random House @williammorrowbooks @penguinrandomhouse
Publication Date: February 18th, 2020
Rating: 9/10
Synopsis: Cassie Larkin has a problem: she was on her way home from work when Cassie helped a woman whom she saw on the side of the road being attacked by a man. As the three of them struggled for control, the man made an offer: Let her die, and I’ll let you live. When Cassie refused the man ran off with her van. And her purse.
Cassie calls the police and is able to identify the man right away. The police then inform her the man is a violent criminal they for whom they had already been looking. And now this same man had access to all of her information: her name, address, kids’ names, husband, where she works. He now also had a motive to come after her.
Cassie tries to put it all out of her mind until her husband goes missing the next day while trick-or-treating with their daughter, which happens to be Halloween. Cassie does not know what to think, though, as she begins to get eerie text messages from him.
I need time.
Cassie had felt her husband slipping away of late, but was she imagining things? The police are not helping, so she decides to do some detective work herself. But, the deeper Cassie digs, the more dirty the secrets become. It turns out her good deed could cost her everything. Can she look beyond the shroud surrounding her family and rescue them? Or is it too late for heroics?
There can be no doubt about it: Cassie is in for the fight of her life and must save her family – in more ways than one.
Review: No Bad Deed is Heather Chavez’ first published novel, and what a debut it is! This book grabbed hold of me from the first sentence and took me for a wild ride, not letting go until the very last line. It tells a story so thrilling and twisted I could not put it down, no matter how hard I tried. (Not that I wanted to, but the body cannot sustain on book alone). Highly recommended for fans of the mystery/thriller genre.
Full review up at FanFiAddict.com.
*****BOOK REVIEW*****
Title: Sword of Fire
Series: The Justice War #1, Deverry #16
Author: Katharine Kerr
Publisher: Daw @dawbooks; Penguin Random House @penguinrandomhouse
Publication Date: February 18, 2020
Synopsis: In the Kingdom of Deverry, bards are highly regarded as the voice of the commoner. When one of the most well-regarded bards is allowed to starve himself in an attempt to force change, the people are on the verge of revolt.
Alyssa and Dovina are two ladies of the court who side with the commoners. They have come up with a plan to retrieve an ancient text that highlights traditional law that would turn current political theory on its head.
As each traverses the Kindgom to fulfill their end of the pact in hopes of enacting new (old) laws that favor a more just judicial system, they find the journey is more than they bargained for. The road is dangerous, and the courts are fraught with corruption. Despite the perilous nature of the voyage, Alyssa and Dovina will do whatever it takes to bring a sense of fairness to Deverry.
REVIEW: Sword of Fire is my first Deverry novel, and I find this world really intriguing. This book in particular did not hit the mark completely for me, but I can see value in reading more if the series. The setting is interesting and there is a lot of scheming and politics, the characters are very unique, and based in some of the plot points in this book I am interesting in more Deverry stories.
Sword of Fire itself, though, felt more like a prologue to a longer story than anything else. I felt myself waiting for the story to climax, but it never did; basically, it was the same note the whole time without any ebbs or flows.
In the end, the story was good, not great, but definitely left me wanting to read more of this series. I recommend Sword of Fire for those who we just political or military fantasy.
Full review can be found at FanFiAddict.com.
Happy Sunday, Book Friends! I hope you are all having a relaxing weekend. I am reading a lot, which is about as good as it gets.
Wanted to keep you all in the loop, so here are my next five reads (swipe for full frontals). *No Bad Deed by Heather Chavez: I am excited to start and hopefully finish this book tomorrow. *The Goblets Immortal by Beth Overmyer. This is another Flame Tree Product, as I am participating in the Random Things Tours. My stop is on February 24th, so keep an eye out for it.
Black Leviathan by Bernd Perplies. Tor sent this book to me a couple months ago. I have been dying to read it, but my schedule had not allowed it until now.
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. After squee’ing about Gideon so much, I have been enamored with the thought of reading the sequel. Not sure how I waited until now to get to it, but IT IS TIME.
A Hero Born by Jin Yong. Michelle (@nurse_bookie) sent this book to me, oh, I don’t know, six months ago now, maybe 😬. I have been staring at it, drooling for the day I fit it into my review schedule. Very happy to be finally getting there.
That is my next 5, Book Friends. What do you think? Have you read or will you be reading any of these? Drop me a line!
*****BOOK REVIEW*****
Title: The Wolf of Oren-Yaro
Series: Chronicles of the Bitch Queen, Book 1
Author. K.S. Villoso
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: February 18, 2020
Rating: 5/10 😕
Synopsis: Queen Talyien has been ruling alone for years. Her estranged husband, Rayyal, left 5 years ago under mysterious circumstances, leaving Queen Tal and her son to fend for themselves. Just as greedy warlords are threatening her rule, Tal receives a letter from her husband stating that he wants to see her. Even though the place Rai proposes to meet is in a strange land, Tal jumps at the chance to reconcile. Their marriage was meant to unite the Kingdom, and it has been falling apart ever since.
Tal takes a small retinue with her to the meeting, and it does not take long before assassins descend on the gathering. Tal narrowly escapes, but now she is alone in a strange land where she has no friends or allies and no one knows she is a queen.
Tal must do whatever it takes to find her husband and bring him home. But, first she must navigate dangerous waters. Alone.
Review: I am sorry to say this is the first book in a long time that I have not really enjoyed. I had trouble connecting with the MC, TAL, mostly because it seems every decision made in the book was the wrong one. And he internal monologue would say so, but she would do it, anyway. This kept taking me out of the story because I was frustrated. It was also a really dark adventure-type fantasy. I live dark, and I love adventure, but the two did not mesh well with me in this book.
Have you read it? Please leave a comment and let me know, as I am looking for other perspectives. If you read it and liked it, please let me know why.
My full review can be found at FanFiAddict.com.
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*****BOOK REVIEW*****
Title: The Queen of Raiders
Author: Sarah Kozloff @sarah.kozloff
Series: Nine Realms Book 2
Publisher: Tor @torbooks
Publication Date: February 18, 2020
Rating: 10/10 😍
Synopsis: The Nine Realms epic continues in Book 2 of the Series, The Queen of Raiders, as the Oromondo continue to occupy the Free States. Cerulia persists in her search for a path back to Weriandale (and its throne) after fleeing her enemies and landing on the island of Slagos. The would-be Queen must learn how to master her Talent as she learns more about herself and her ability to lead.
Meanwhile, supported by an underground resistance group, Thalen and his raiders continue to pester the Oros and have come up with a grand plan - one they hope will force the occupiers to leave their home forever.
In the background, the political games continue. Regent Matwyck, ruling as Lord Regent of Weirandale, works to keep a grip on Weirandale. And the Oros have mobilized their powerful Magi to deal with the raider problem.
As the story of the Nine Realms develops further, some characters will find that their goals align, while others will clash. The Series continues to evolve as The Queen of Raiders brings many of these storylines together in an epic fashion.
Review: Sarah Kozloff has done it, again, as this series continues to be ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. As with the first book, I was enamored from beginning to end. The writing is wonderfully immersive, the story is intriguing, and the characters keep me on my toes.
I love this series, and if you are a fan of high fantasy, I recommend it to you. And for anyone else looking for a book they cannot put down, as well. I am so happy Book 3 is only a month away. This is my favorite series of the year, so far, and it is going to be hard to beat.
My full review is up on a FanFiAddict.com.
*****BOOK REVIEW*****
Title: Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line
Author: Deepa Anaparra @deepa.anappara
Publisher: Penguin Random House @penguinrandomhouse
Publication Date: February 4, 2020
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis: Nine year-old Jai lives with his family in a small village in India. He attends school, hangs out with his friends, and dreams of a better life – one where his family does not need to scrap for every rupee and the government cares just as much about the poor as they do the rich.
One day, a boy from Jai’s village goes missing. Jai and his friends search everywhere, even going so far as to searching all the way to the last station on the Purple Line train. Jai knows from watching police shows on TV that the first 48 hours are the most crucial for finding a missing person, and as that deadline comes without resolution, Jai and his friends become even more concerned.
Then, another kid goes missing. And another. Now the whole village is in an uproar, as they hold their loved ones close and blame the police for their inaction. There is political upheaval and fingers begin to point in every direction as the search for this missing children continues.
Is someone from the village snatching kids? Is it one of the rich people living in the high-rise buildings taking kids and selling them as slaves? Or could the myth about evil Djinns be true – the spirits are kidnapping them because the souls of children are the “most delicious”? Jai and his friends are set on finding out.
Review: I was not sure going in if I was going to be able to connect with this book. From my home in Suburban Chicago to a small rural village in India. I found once I got into the story, though, the connection was there, and I could not put it down. The writing was enthralling, and I needed to know what happened next.
The story is told through the eyes of nine year-old Jai, which is very evocative considering it is is about kids going missing. I came to care for Jai and all of his friends and family. It was a heart-wrenching story, and I am happy I picked it up.
I recommend Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line to fans of mysteries and anyone who wants to be taken out of their comfort zone.
