Waiting on Wednesday & I'm back

Well it has been a long time since I posted on here but I am delighted to be back. In the quiet I quit my job to stay home and allow my son to pursue acting full time, had my third child, and found new employment working from home as an adjunct math instructor with a few different universities. Life has had a lot of changes in the past year but I am finally settled and have time to get back to one of my favorite hobbies: reading!

Since I have gotten back into reading I have been doing a lot of catching up with series that I have fallen behind on. The up side to this is that I don't have to wait near as long for the next installment. The book that I am eagerly waiting on this week is Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep.

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads: I should have known that my first official date with Logan Quinn was destined to end in disaster. If we’d gotten into a swordfight, or been ambushed by Reapers, I’d have been more prepared. But getting arrested mid-sip at the local coffee hangout? I didn’t see that one coming.

I’ve been accused of purposely helping the Reapers free Loki from his prison—and the person leading the charge against me is Linus Quinn, Logan’s dad. The worst part is that pretty much everyone at Mythos Academy thinks I’m guilty. If I’m going to get out of this mess alive, I’ll have to do it myself.

The thing that I really enjoy about this book is that it involves a lot of different mythologies. It is still paranormal with a touch of romance but without all of the usual suspects (vampires, werewolves, etc). Since there are several different mythologies it really holds your attention as you try to keep up with what is going on. Lastly, there is a lot of butt kicking going on in this book. If you are looking for a great series to start reading check out the Mythos Academy series. It would make a great winter read!

Spellcaster by Cara Lynn Schultz

Spellcaster is the second book in a series by Cara Lynn Schultz. It is a nice deviation from the typical paranormal YA. It has a touch of a historical romance feel to it but it is set in the present day. Here’s the description from Goodreads:

Finding your eternal soulmate - easy.

Stopping a true-love-hungry evil - not so much…

After breaking a centuries-old romantic curse, Emma Connor is (almost) glad to get back to normal problems. Although...it's not easy dealing with the jealous cliques and gossip that rule her exclusive Upper East Side prep, even for a sixteen-year-old newbie witch. Having the most-wanted boy in school as her eternal soul mate sure helps ease the pain-especially since wealthy, rocker-hot Brendan Salinger is very good at staying irresistibly close....

But something dark and hungry is using Emma and Brendan's deepest fears to reveal damaging secrets and destroy their trust in each other. And Emma's crash course in über-spells may not be enough to keep them safe…or to stop an inhuman force bent on making their unsuspected power its own

If you thought the first book in the series was action packed then you will love this one. This book kept me on the edge of my seat with all the action that was happening. I loved that the plot kept a quick pace all through the book. There were still sweet moments between Emma and Brendan but the storyline didn’t linger too long on them.

What Emma and Brendan face in this book is so logical and semi-realistic that it made the book that much more enjoyable. While there is a paranormal element to the issue at the heart it is something that anyone could face without the paranormal side. I also loved how much Emma grew in this book. She was NOT the type of heroine to hide behind Brendan anymore. She becomes a fighter. I could liken her to a young Merit from Chloe Neill’s books. She decides that she will fight to keep Brendan and she definitely takes care of things.

The relationship between Emma and Brendan is very well written. I like that they are waiting to tackle the physical aspect of their relationship and Cara doesn’t let it take away from the intimacy that they share. The moments that they share just holding hands are written so well that you feel their intimacy there.

There is also a lot of disclosure in this book. More people get brought into the world that Emma, Brendan and Angelique are in. I think this will make for a great continuation on the series. Overall, this book is definitely a 5/5. I like the unique historical romance side of things with them being reincarnated souls that share a past. It makes for a unique book in a genre that has so many things that are alike. 

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

I have really come to love the YA greek myth/paranormal novels. It is a slightly smaller genre but I have always loved greek mythology. I was so excited to come across Goddess Interrupted in my Netgalley account. Here’s the description from Goodreads:

Kate Winters has won immortality.

But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

First of all I want to point out that this is the second book in a series. You really need to read the first one before picking this one up. There is too much that happens in the first novel to start with this one.

As far as plot this book has everything. There is mystery as something begins to stir in the underworld, there is romance in the relationship between Henry and Kate and there is plenty of side stories with the other gods. I love the way Amy writes and I was a little unsure of what was stirring despite having a good knowledge of Greek mythology. I also like the Americanized names of the Gods. In this book they get a little more into who is the god of what. While it is necessarily surprising it was intriguing to see some characters and know who they are in mythology.

What keeps you reading this book is the frustrating relationship between Henry and Kate. The great thing about it is his past haunts Kate. How many of us can honestly say we aren’t haunted in some form by our other halves ex? There is always a little jealousy with an ex. Aimee magnifies this in her book to a much larger scale but it is still very relatable.

For me I kept rooting for Henry the WHOLE book. Even when it looked like he was going to be a complete idiot. There is something about his character that is very compelling. I like Kate but I love Henry. He makes the book for me.

If you aren’t a fan of cliffhangers this is NOT the book for you. I finished this book around 2 AM and panicked because it will be quite a while for me until I see the third book since I got this one early. If you aren’t hooked on the series there is no way you can read this one and not want to read the next one. Not only are you left wanting to see more of Kate and Henry but you also are left wondering what is going to happen next in the plot.

I give this book an enthusiastic 5/5. It was a great read that was VERY hard to put down. 

Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantasky

I have been waiting for the sequel to the first Jessica book for quite awhile. I read the first book and the web story and have been anticipating this book for quite some time. I can't help but feel that this raised my expectations considerably. There are several things that make this series great: Jessica's strong personality and a leading lady, Mindy (enough said) and the relationship between Jessica and Lucius. The sequel feel a bit flat as we really don't get to see much of Jessica and Lucius. The majority of the book they are separated physically but even when they are together there is an emotional block in their relationship. I realize there is strain in the storyline but I find it odd that Jessica finally gets married and turns into the timid mouse she is portrayed as in the book.

Honestly, Mindy was one of the best parts in this book. Her sense of humor and strength carried the book for me. I found myself more interested in the side story between her and Raniero than the main characters. All in all after the enormous wait for this book it just didn't measure up to the other books or my expectations. Key aspects of the book were missing. Although, the plot moves and there is some fun dialogue it is just missing that "it" factor the other two have.

I also recommend that you read the first book in the series and the web book on Beth's website before reading this book. If you haven't read the wedding story you will be missing some small pieces needed for this book.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me is one of my first forays into the futuristic writing world. I have really been trying to avoid picking up a future society book because they really don’t interest me. However, I am very glad I picked this one up on the Vine. Here’s the description from Amazon:

"You can't touch me," I whisper.

I'm lying, is what I don't tell him.

He can touch me, is what I'll never tell him.

But things happen when people touch me.

Strange things.

Bad things.

No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon.

But Juliette has plans of her own.

Wow! This book was amazing. While the description is very vague it really was an incredible read. The book starts out with Juliette being locked away for what her touch has done to another. We see crazed interaction with herself and her cell mate. Then suddenly she is pulled from that life into a political pawn role with the new government. From there the plot thickens as Juliette fights to be true to herself.

Juliette was an amazing character. I loved how passionate and compassionate she was without ever really being able to experience love and affection. I also loved some of the surprises that were thrown our way with her love interest and the villain. I really can’t say much because it will spoil the book but there were several curveballs that were thrown in the plot.

The writing was very fast paced and I truly enjoyed the author’s style. She managed to use small things in her writing to give some clues as to what was going on without the reader being able to figure out where the book was headed. I particularly enjoyed being able to think back to the beginning and follow the “crumbs” to what happened in the end. I am still very curious about how her touch works and it isn’t as clear cut as it seems.

I give this book a 5/5 and highly recommend it to people even if you are skeptical about futuristic books. 

Explanations

So in case you haven't noticed I typically post more during the school year as I tend to be in one place and have more time with my kids in school. I have been pretty bad so far this year with posting regular reviews and have a HUGE backlog of things I want to write a review for.

However I can FINALLY talk about the reason why. I have mentioned in the past my son has been taking acting classes and went to a national competition in Los Angeles this summer. Well what I couldn't talk about was the fact that he got 18 call backs and that we were traveling back out there to meet with them over a longer period of time. We went back out a few weeks ago and as of yesterday we officially signed with Clear Talent Group Los Angeles. It has been a long few months as we have been evaluating what is best for my son and which agency to ultimately go with. Not to mention he has a crazy swim schedule. I am so proud of my little man and hopefully now that we have chosen an agency things will slow down a little until I head back out to LA for him to work. I am going to start working on that backup of reviews that I have to get done :)

Reckoning by Lilith St. Crow

I must say that I am very saddened to see the end of the Strange Angels series. I really love Lilith St. Crow’s YA work and like the world that she has created. Here’s the summary of the fifth and last installment from Amazon:

Nobody expected Dru Anderson to survive this long. Not Graves. Not Christophe. Not even Dru. She's battled killer zombies, jealous djamphirs, and bloodthirsty suckers straight out of her worst nightmares. But now that Dru has bloomed into a full-fledged svetocha - rare, beautiful, and toxic to all vampires - the worst is yet to come.

Because getting out alive is going to cost more than she's ever imagined. And in the end, is survival really worth the sacrifice?

I had to actually hunt this book down. I thought it would be released on Kindle however it was only in paperback. Thus, had to hunt a copy down at the local bookstore or risk having to wait to read it. I read it in a few hours. The books in this series are always packed with action and this one this one is no exception.

In the latest installment Dru fully grows into her character. Throughout the series she is strong and independent to a fault. In this book she finally starts to learn to trust others and seek help when she needs it. She does get a lot more emotional in this book as well which might get annoying at times.

There is too much spoiler information in this installment so I will talk vaguely about what I liked in the story. I liked the way that the action is continuous in this book. It is definitely not a book to read if you have other things going on in your life. You will not want to put this book down. There is a lot going on all at once.

I also liked the simplicity of the book. For most of the book it is just Dru, Graves and Christophe. This lets us really see the dynamics between them. There also isn’t five other plot lines going on in the story. Several of the books I have read lately have too many subplots going on. Lilith’s writing is beautiful in its simplicity.

I also liked the flashbacks that happened in the book. Some things that I didn’t get before were finally explained and some plot holes were finally filled in.

 I did not care for the ending of the book. Up until the end of the book I loved it. In the last few pages. I didn’t care for the ending. It would be a good ending for a book but as the end of the series I didn’t like it. I felt it was left very unresolved as far as Dru’s story. I realize what the author was trying to do and it is very innovative, however, I didn’t like it. I am sure there are others that will but for me it was too open.

Overall I give the book a 4/5. I loved it up until the last few pages. While I understand why the ending was done that way, I still didn’t like it.