Book Review: Fairy Godmurder by Sarah J. Sover

 

Goodreads Summary: Gwendolyn Evenshine thought being a fairy godmother would be cut and dried—take on a charge, solve a royal problem, and return to the Academy for her next assignment. But she got too close.

When the beloved Princess Francesca is brutally murdered on her watch, Gwen refuses to resume her fairy godmother duties. Instead, she laces her docs and hits the streets of Boston in search of the bastard who took Frankie from her, a serial killer who operates in lunar cycles. But Gwen's magic is on the fritz, and bodies are piling up.

Gwen enlists the talents of Chessa Moon, an upbeat pixie crime blogger who will do anything for a scoop. Together, they open new leads as they race against the hunter's moon. As the killer hits closer and closer to home, Gwen is forced to confront her past and nail the killer, or she'll lose more than just her shot at vengeance—she'll lose the only person in her life worth a damn.

Goodreads Rating: 4.3 stars with 46 ratings

Genre Listing: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fae

Goodreads/StoryGraph Challenge: 17/40

2024 Reading Challenge: #3 Read a book under 400 pages

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! I hope everyone is doing well, as always. I've been swamped lately and haven't had a chance to read much or post. I'll try to post a catch-up post sometime next week. Let's jump to the book review, shall we?

I picked up Fairy Godmurder while I was at JordanCon in April. While there, I attended a panel Sarah was on, and we hung out a bit at the dance party. So, if nothing else, pick up Fairy Godmurder (and Sarah's other books) just because she's a lovely human. I was worried about reading the books I got from JordanCon because I was worried I wouldn't like them and the authors would know. That won't be a problem with Fairy Godmurder, as I really enjoyed the book.

Fairy Godmurder is an entertaining paranormal mystery. It's short and easy to get through, which is just what I needed to read. The story presents a lot of possible suspects, which I enjoyed. The murderer was one I had suspected from the beginning, but there were enough red herrings to keep it interesting. I also appreciate the gruesome details of how the murders were committed. The murder weapon was definitely different.

I really liked Gwen and Chessa. They were both a lot of fun. I loved the amount of detail that Sarah put into the story to make the world seem plausible. She thought of everything, like how a fairy or pixie would ride in a car, how their clothes would work, and so much more. There were also different types of creatures, like a griffin.

I highly recommend Fairy Godmurder if you want a Paranormal Mystery, which is a quick, light read. I'll definitely be checking out Sarah's other books in the future! 

Book Review: The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

 

Goodreads Summary: Saving the world is a test no school of magic can prepare you for in the triumphant conclusion to the New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate.
The one thing you never talk about while you're in the Scholomance is what you'll do when you get out. Not even the richest enclaver would tempt fate that way. But it's all we dream about, the hideously slim chance we'll survive to make it out the gates and improbably find ourselves with a life ahead of us, a life outside the Scholomance halls.

And now, the impossible dream has come true. I'm out, we're all out—and I didn't even have to turn into a monstrous dark witch to make it happen. So much for my great-grandmother's prophecy of doom and destruction. I didn't kill enclaves; I saved them—me, Orion, and our allies. Our graduation plan worked to perfection: we saved everyone, made the world safe for all wizards, and brought peace and harmony to all the enclaves of the world.

Ha, only joking! Actually, it's gone all wrong. Someone else has picked up the project of destroying enclaves in my stead, and probably everyone we saved is about to get killed in the brewing enclave war on the horizon. And the first thing I've got to do now, having miraculously got out of the Scholomance, is turn straight around and find a way back in.

Goodreads Rating: 4.14 stars with over 75,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Magic, Urban Fantasy, Romance

Goodreads and StoryGraph Challenges: 13/60 (I'm back on StoryGraph! Follow me here)

2024 Reading Challenge: #9 Read a book with a color in the title (find the entire challenge here)

Book Review: 

Hello, readers! As always, I hope that everyone is doing well. I'm on the mend from COVID-19, which I caught while at the convention (or traveling to/from). I'd probably feel 100% better already, but I'm also allergic to the state I live in. Ah well, at least this second time around wasn't nearly as bad as the first time. Anyway, on to important things like my thoughts on books. 

I started The Golden Enclaves in April, but I feel like I have been reading it forever. I don't know if it was all the stuff I had going on or something else, but I couldn't get interested in the book and stay interested. It just didn't have the sense of danger the first two books had, where Mals were lurking around every corner. The first part of the book was about El mostly feeling sorry for herself. I understand why she felt this way, but it made for a very dull start to the book. I finally started to get interested around 140 pages, but it didn't hold my interest.

There were pockets where I was fascinated, but overall, I just wanted to be done with the book. The last 60 pages or so had a lot of interesting turns, but I was still ready to be finished. I was considering not finishing it with 40 pages left to go. 

The book was all right; it just didn't capture me like the others did. I don't know if it's the book or my headspace. I liked that the story finished in a way that indicated there wouldn't be additional books. The ending seemed well-rounded. I may eventually reread the trilogy and see if I like The Golden Enclaves more, but for now, I'm pretty indifferent to it. I don't feel strongly about the book one way or another.

Book Review: Shadow Lands by Stacey Marie Brown

 

Goodreads Summary: I no longer walked in the gray ... I had fallen into the darkness.

With Brexley on the run and Istvan rebuilding his power in the safety of Ivanenko's territory, those who have escaped the prison are dealing with the bloody aftermath and trying to regain any hold they can on Budapest. But in Markos's absence, Sonya makes a claim for the throne and takes control of the city.

When the rebel's hideout is attacked, they are forced to flee the city they call home, heading East to destroy Istvan's rise in Ukraine.

And locate Kovacs.

Warwick is not the only one after Brexley. Beasts, humans, and fae are hunting her to seize the one item that can save or destroy not just the country but the world.

Brexley's powers are growing, but she is finding even she can't control the dangerous nectar because the more she advances her own powers, so does the nectar, containing too much magic for one person to handle.

In this final installment, Brexley, Warwick, Killian, Caden, and Scorpion fight for love, freedom, life, and their country.

Fire ignites, beasts kill, death rises . . . And every life is on the line.

Between life and death, deep in the shadows, there is The Grey...
And The Wolf ready to obliterate the world for her.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.98 stars with over 6,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fae, Fantasy Romance, Urban Fantasy, Dystopia, Paranormal, New Adult

Goodreads Challenge: 20/30

2023 Reading Challenge: #60 Free Space! Pick any book. (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! As always, I hope everyone is doing well. Life updates, in case anyone is interested. My husband and I are celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary on Tuesday. We're not really doing anything super exciting; just going out to dinner tomorrow night. Other than that, no significant updates. 

So onward to Shadow Lands. This is the sixth and final book in the Savage Lands series. I really enjoyed the series (obviously, as I burned through all of my free space on the challenge). Even though I enjoyed the series, I'm glad to finish it. There is at least one spinoff series, but I don't know if I will read it. That may be something for future years' challenges. 

Shadow Lands was an interesting change from the rest of the series, which predominantly followed Brexley's point of view. The final book, however, alternates between most of the core characters, including Warwick, Caden, and Scorpion. This gave a lot more depth and insight into their feelings. I especially liked getting more of Scorpion's back story.

The story came full circle and ended in a way that finalized Brexley's part of the story and makes room for the spinoff series(s). For the most part, it ended well for everyone. Regarding the things that didn't end well- WHO HURT YOU, STACEY MARIE BROWN. OMG. 

My favorite characters in the series were Opie and Bitzy. They are the best versions of sassy sidekicks. Esmeralda, though not a sidekick, was also fantastic. The literary world needs more Sassy Old Ladies who are sick of everyone's shit, including the ghosts they can communicate with. 

What really made me love this series are the characters, the humor, and the adventure. The actual writing leaves a lot to be desired. I don't know if that makes sense, but the actual story is fantastic; the writing is slightly above mediocre. All of the books really needed another round of editing. There were a handful of incorrect words or typos in each book. It also really needed someone to check it with a thesaurus. As I've said, the books are pretty spicy, and I'd consider them borderline erotica. The sex scenes got very repetitive, especially in Shadow Lands. They were all described in the same way with the same words. This sixth book ultimately boiled down to a forest orgy for a decent part of the book, and all of the characters who had sex scenes were explained the same way. How they felt in their relationships was described in the same way, for the most part. It got old, especially by book six. 

I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes New Adult and Fantasy Romance. I feel like ACTOR fans would like it. That being said if you're easily put off by typoes, repetitive word usage, or gratuitous sex scenes - probably best to stay away.


I'm giving it four moons solely for how much this series entertained me. Because I really did enjoy it a lot.

Book Review: Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

 

Goodreads Summary: The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid, live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.
With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.52 stars with over 19,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Witches, Paranormal, Fiction, Romance, Magic, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural

Goodreads Challenge: 15/48

2022 Reading Challenge: #44 Read a book that a movie/show you've watched is based on but have yet to read (example: Watched The Hobbit, but never read the Hobbit) ( Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, readers! I hope everyone is doing well. I just finished up a Buffy the Vampire binge with Tress. We finished up season three. I'm excited to start in on Angel's spinoff. Also, fun news. Tress is coming out to visit during our birthday week in July. I'm very excited, and we have a fun thing planned for our respective blogs. Stay tuned!

Okay, so on to Witches of East End. I watched the show a few years ago and loved it. I'm super bummed that there were only two seasons. As usually with adaptations, the book is better, and there was a lot in the show that wasn't in the book and vice versa. I'm curious to read the other two books to see if any of the show stuff was from the rest of the series. 

I was instantly drawn to this book. I think a lot of that was I already felt so familiar with the characters because of the show. The book itself is actually pretty short. I think it's around 270 pages. There was a lot of story crammed into those few pages with a connection to Norse Mythology that I didn't expect. It was interesting but felt a little misplaced. I think it was mainly because the ending, where a lot of it is, was so rushed. There was so much buildup to the weird toxicity that was going on in the town, then the last 60 pages just felt too cleanly wrapped up. It was more tell than show, so it felt like I was just getting a recap.

I really enjoyed the magic aspect of Witches of East End. I liked how Joanna, Freya, and Ingrid had their own magic brand. I thought there was a lot of really good explaining of what they could do. I think their magic and Freya's relationships were the first book's focus. I'm curious to see if their magical talents grow in the rest of the series.

Overall, I really liked this book. The only reason I haven't already dived into book two is that I've bought a lot of books lately and am trying to be good. Plus, I've got a ton of categories on the challenge still. If you like paranormal and witchy books, I'd recommend this one unless you don't want to read sex scenes. It's a quick read, enjoyable, with many details on the actual magic system. 

Book Review: The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

 

Goodreads Summary: He holds the secret that can end the world.
The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.

The records show that he died in 1418.

But his tomb is empty.

The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.

Sometimes legends are true.

And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.84 stars with over 155,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic, Mythology, Urban Fantasy, Middle Grade

Goodreads Challenge: 42/50 books (Ahh, I'm so close!)

2021 Reading Challenge: #9 Read a book by an author Mike/Michael/Michelle or variant (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! We are fast approaching the end of 2021, which means Tress and I will be launching the 2022 challenge later this month! Stay tuned. I hope you all will join us again. I'm so close to hitting my goal of 50 books for 2021. I don't think I'll get eight more books in this month, but I'm going to try. I'll be pretty happy if I get 45 books. 

I've been reading the Memoirs of Cleopatra since what feels like she walked the Earth, so I decided to try and supplement my reading with a book on Kindle since that one is a physical book. I wanted something light and fun that would be easy to get through. The Alchemyst by Michael Scott definitely fits that requirement.

I really enjoyed the story. I thought it was a lot of fun, and I wanted to keep reading it. I really liked the fantasy aspect, and the world was created. I thought having the gods of various mythologies as an elder race of humans was interesting. I felt that Michael Scott did a great job including all five senses in the story. I feel like smell tends to get forgotten about sometimes, so I really liked that all of the magic had its own unique scent. Having the magic have a color attached with the auras also helped bring in the visual effects. 

The characters were likable. I liked the dynamic between John Dee and Nicholas Flamel and how it pits their motives against one another. The twins were alright. I didn't really have any overwhelming positives or negatives for them. I did appreciate that there wasn't any romance in this book or swooning over crushes. I feel like many YA fantasy tends to focus on some teenage love triangle, and this didn't (Yay).  I liked Scatty and her Grandmother quite a bit. As usual, Sassy Grandma stole the show. 

I think my biggest issue with this book is that it moved really fast in a way that came across as "I've got this thing to tell you, but I'll tell you later." The background story ends up getting told after a bunch of other stuff happens, so I kind of forgot why it was pertinent information. It just didn't really feel like a natural story flow to me. When it came to the actual Alchemy, I thought it was more tell than show. We got told Nicholas was an Alchemyst, but I didn't really feel like it was ever shown, or if it was, it blended in with the other magic in the story. 

Overall, I enjoyed it. I'll probably get around to reading others in the series, but I probably won't make some significant effort to do so. I think it'd be a fun read for younger teenagers who like fantasy. It's listed as a YA, and the twins are 15; however, I feel like it'd be incredibly appropriate for younger like 10 or 11. I'm not a parent, though, so take that recommendation with a grain of salt. 

Book Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

 

Goodreads Summary: 

Enter a fantastical world of dangerous fairies, wicked princes, and one half-human girl who discovers her entire life is a lie. This special edition of The Iron Daughter includes the bonus Guide to the Iron Fey and an exclusive excerpt from the new Iron Fey book, The Iron Raven.
Half Summer faery princess, half-human, Meghan Chase has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter faery prince she thought loved her, she is a prisoner to the Winter Queen, Mab. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real threat is the Iron fey--ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Goodreads Rating: 4 stars with over 127,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal, Fairies, Magic, Urban Fantasy, Adventure

Previous review on the series: The Iron King

Goodreads Challenge: 33/50

2021 Reading Challenge: #36 Free Space Pick any book! (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Happy Saturday readers! I hope everyone is doing well. I basically burned through two books back to back, as you can see. In case anyone is wondering, I don't sleep and it's usually because of books. Especially fantasy books that catch my interest right away. This is one of those books.

The Iron Fey is a series that's been on my to-be-read list for a while. I read the Iron King earlier this year and really liked it, so when I saw the Iron Daughter on sale, I picked it up. I really like the world that Julie Kagawa has created where the old legends of fairy realms mix with a new modern age of fairies. The idea of there being a group of iron fey because of how the human world has advanced is really fascinating. 

In a way, I'm kind of annoyed at myself for liking this series as much as I do. The fantasy and adventure are interesting. In the Iron Daughter, there was a little bit of espionage and some unexpected alliances. All of this I love. However, at its core, it's a typical YA fantasy where the Teen girl needs to save the world, but she's too busy focusing on the two boys trying to win her affections. One of which is outright trying to kill her. It plays really hard on the Romeo/Juliet star-crossed lovers trope. I want to hate it because it's cheesy and overdone. The entire time I'm screaming at Meghan in my head to get over Ash and fall for Puck. Yet, I'm so entertained that I don't care how stupid the romance aspect is. 

One thing I do like about Meghan is she's willing to fight for herself. The boys kind of seem to start the process of saving her, but something ends up happening that gets her to save herself. She's got some emerging powers that I'm really excited to get explored.  I'm excited to see where the story goes.

The Iron Daughter is a quick read and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes YA fantasy/romance. There are some aspects that frustrate me, but I love the story so much that they seem minor at best. I'm definitely going to continue on with the series. 

Blog Post: A Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney

 

Goodreads Summary: Still reeling from her recent battle (and grounded until she graduates), Alice must abandon her friends to complete her mission: find The Heart and prevent the Red Lady's rise. But the deeper she ventures into Wonderland, the more topsy-turvy everything becomes. It’s not until she’s at her wit's end that she realizes—Wonderland is trying to save her.
There’s a new player on the board; a poet capable of using Nightmares to not only influence the living but raise the dead. This Poet is looking to claim the Black Queen’s power—and Alice's budding abilities—as their own.

Dreams have never been so dark in Wonderland, and if there is any hope of defeating this mystery poet’s magic, Alice must confront the worst in herself, in the people she loves, and in the very nature of fear itself.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.07 stars with over 1600 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings, LGBT, Urban Fantasy, Adventure, Fiction

Previous Review on the series: A Blade So Black

Goodreads Challenge: 32/50 (woohoo, back on track!)

2021 Reading Challenge: #8 Read a book where the main character is a High School or College student  (Find the entire series here)

Book Review:

Hello readers! I burned through another book. Let's all just accept this is who I am as a person, shall we? Anyways I picked up A Dream So Dark when it was on sale recently. I read A Blade So Black last year and LOVED it. I was super excited to dive back into L.L. McKinney's version of Alice in Wonderland.

A Dream so Dark picks up immediately where A Blade so Black left off, which was nice because it quickly got through the first book's recap. The story moves fast because there are nightmares for Alice and her friends to fight. I was instantly drawn back into Wonderland, and in one night, I read 40% of the book. I really like L.L. McKinney's version of Alice. I feel like she'd be someone I'd be friends with. 

There were parts of A Dream so Dark that hit home really hard for me. In some of the story, we meet Alice's grandmother Nana K, who at times suffers from Memory loss. Having watched both my grandmother and grandfather going through Dementia, this really just hurt my heart. Mostly  Nana K seemed pretty lucid, and I adored her. Sassy Grandma's are my favorite characters. Not only was she sassy, but I feel like she may have some secrets that end up playing out. This is just a hunch I have; we'll see if I'm right. I don't really have much to say about the new situation with Alice's mom. I liked it; anything I can say beyond that will give all kinds of spoilers.

I really liked how we got to see more of Wonderland. And we got to learn more about the connection between the various knights. Again, trying to not give out spoilers, but I suspect drama in the next book. We did get to meet a new gatekeeper and dream walker. I think Romi, the dream-keeper was a nod to the caterpillar. She was kind of grumpy, but I liked her and her pet dragon. While in Wonderland, Alice finds more of her "muchness". How she finds it almost had me in tears. It was somehow sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. 

The biggest disappointment in this book is that I have to wait until 2023 to read the third book. I absolutely adored it and am eager to read more. I highly recommend this series if you love fantasy, Alice in Wonderland, and retellings of classics. It's so good. 

Book Review: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

 

Goodreads Summary: Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.
For Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, there have been worse assignments than going undercover on the set of an adult film. Dodging flaming monkey-poo, for instance. Or going toe-to-leaf with a walking plant monster. Still, there's something more troubling than usual about his newest case. The film's producer believes he's the target of a sinister entropy curse-but it's the women around him who are dying in increasingly spectacular ways.

Harry's even more frustrated because he only got involved with this bizarre mystery as a favor to Thomas, his flirtatious, self-absorbed vampire acquaintance of dubious integrity. Thomas has a personal stake in the case Harry can't quite figure out until his investigation leads him straight to Thomas's oversexed vampire family. Harry is about to discover that Thomas's family tree has been hiding a shocking secret: a revelation that will change Harry's life forever.

Goodreads Rating: 4.29 stars with over 118,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Magic, Vampires, Wizards, Supernatural

Goodreads Challenge: 11/50

2021 Reading Challenge: #11 Read a book with exactly two words in the title (Find the complete challenge here) 

Other reviews on the series: Death Masks, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Storm Front, Summer Knight

Book Review:

Happy weekend, Readers! I am delighted that it is finally Friday. I'm currently spending it doing an Amazon Watch Party with Tress as she introduces me to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I never really hopped on the hype because it started airing when I was around 10 or 11. So far, I'm really enjoying it. We're nearly done with season one.

Anyways, on to a whole different universe of Vampires, the ones that Harry Dresden, wizard extraordinaire, sometimes fights and sometimes befriends. Blood Rites is the sixth book in the Dresden Files series that follows Harry Dresden. If you aren't familiar with the series, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a light, funny urban fantasy. 

With Blood Rites, I kind of lost track of what happened in the last book but was quickly caught up thanks to a Fandom Wiki. Now that I've finished this one, I have mixed feelings about it. There were a lot of good background story reveals, which I loved. There was a healthy dose of sarcasm, which is always appreciated, but the book just felt different. I felt like it lacked a lot of overall plot and character development. It was primarily focused on the Raith Vampire Clan, and honestly, it made Dresden seem like a giant pig. That stuff usually doesn't bother me much beyond an eye-roll, but it just seemed really over the top and excessive. 

I felt like the entire book was Dresden either drooling over Lara or someone hitting on Murphy and just being downright gross. Apparently, at some point, it became necessary for Karrin to take her pants off to diffuse a bomb because her ass might trip the tripwires. For the vast majority of the book, I felt like I was reading those memes of male authors writing female characters. 

The thing that really saved Blood Rites from all of this was the fact that I enjoy the series and the sarcasm. We got some interesting back story about Dresden's mom and some other long-lost relatives he didn't realize he had. There's also quite a bit of story behind why he was sent to Ebenezer. I'm really intrigued by these inclusions and am curious to see where it takes the story. 

Overall, I enjoyed parts of the story and look forward to continuing the series at some point. Hopefully, in between books 6 and 7, Dresden takes a cold shower and calms down the caveman behavior. I'm somewhat begrudgingly giving Blood Rites three moons. I don't do half-moons, and I don't feel it warranted a two. I'm not sure what's up next for reading yet. I have a massive to-be-read list, per usual. So many books, so little time. 

Book Review: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

 

Goodreads Summary:  The #1 New York Times bestselling series finale and sequel to A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night
Bringing the magic and suspense of the All Souls Trilogy to a deeply satisfying conclusion, this highly anticipated finale went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. In The Book of Life, Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London to make a dramatic return to the present—facing new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, they reunite with the beloved cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency.

Goodreads Rating: 4.17 stars with over 115,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Witches, Vampires, Magic, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Paranormal Romance

Goodreads Challenge: 8/50

2021 Reading Challenge: #28 Read a book published in the 2010s (find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Apparently, today is Easter. If you celebrate it, Happy Easter. I usually have no clue of when Easter is until right before since I don't celebrate. Case point, my husband and I got married on Easter Weekend and didn't know until we had people decline invites because of it. Whoops. Anyway, if you don't celebrate happy Sunday, or whatever day it is in your part of the world. 

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness could have landed in a few places on the challenges this year, most likely. However, putting it on #28, a book published in the 2010s, completes a category that requires thinking and research on my part. So the less I have to use my brain, the better. So with this being published in 2014, it felt like a good fit. 

I think it's been a bit since I read the second book of the trilogy. When I first started The Book of Life, I had a hard time getting into it because I couldn't remember what happened other than they time traveled and Diana got new powers. Once I got four or five chapters in, my memory was mostly refreshed, and I started enjoying the book again. 

Like its predecessors, The Book of life follows star-crossed lovers Matthew and Diana and their battles with the covenant that forbids their relationship. They've got all kinds of enemies because, now that Diana returned pregnant, the number has only increased. There is speculation on whether the offspring will be a witch, vampire, or something in between. I thought that the science that Deborah Harkness put into this was exciting. I'm not a science person, but she does it in a way that still sounds realistic but not overly technical. For the world she's created, the genetics discussed seems plausible. 

The way that Diana's powers evolve in The Book of Life is like nothing I've ever read before. It's really unique, and I found it fascinating. Also, I feel like she became who she was supposed to be. I loved reading her transition through the series from a meek university professor trying to ignore her magical roots to being an absolute powerhouse.

As usual, Matthew was overprotective and brooding. He did have some sweet moments. His mom is my favorite in the series (I can't figure out how to spell her name. It's hard.) I would really be interested in reading a prequel about her and Phillip. We get a little more of her backstory in this one. There are some admissions from Glassgow that aren't really surprising, but I do feel sorry for him. 

Overall, I really liked it and found it hard to put down. I think this is the end of the series. I know there's a fourth book, but it seems to focus more on Marcus and Phoebe and Matthew's past. I have it on Kindle, so I'll probably read it eventually. When I originally got into the series, I thought the academia aspect would be really dull, but it's not. It's definitely a unique and creative story, and I highly recommend it for paranormal romance fans. 

Book Review: Hexed by Kevin Hearne

 

Goodreads Summary: Atticus Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.
With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.

Goodreads Rating: 4.22 stars with over 56,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, Mythology, Supernatural, Witches, Vampires

Goodreads Challenge: 47/60

2020 Reading Challenge: #23 Read a book recommended by your local library's website (Find the full challenge here ). Get ready for the 2021 Challenge (here)

Previous reviews on the series: Hounded

Book Review:

Happy New Year's Eve, readers! I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. I wasn't entirely sure that I was going to finish this book before 2020 ended, but I just made it! I'll do a full review of the books read in 2020 later this weekend. For now, on to talking about Hexed.

So, I kind of cheated for this prompt. My library had recommended Hounded, but I decided it was a series recommendation and picked up Hexed instead since I already read the first book. Truthfully, I just wanted to read it and needed a place for it. Whatever.  As Co-Creator of the challenge,  I do what I want. :)

Hexed picks up a couple of weeks after Hounded ends. Atticus is trying to clean up the mess from his last battle and finds himself facing a new enemy in an unlikely alliance with the local witches. It's effortless to get back into the story, though, for some reason, I had forgotten Atticus's name and, in my head, had been referring to him as "Iron Druid." 

I think what I like most about Hexed is I get Paranormal, Mythology, and Humor. I feel like this series doesn't take itself too seriously. There's always a joke or a snarky comment, even in the most serious action moments. It doesn't ever really feel cheesy, or out of place though, it just feels like Atticus's personality to make light of things. There were many times when I just started cracking up because of some of the dialogue, especially between Atticus and Oberon. 

I think my favorite characters in Hexed were The Widow and Oberon. They're just too pure, and the Widow is just so sassy. She just seems like a fun old lady that would have some great stories. I could not stop laughing at her scene towards the end of the book when Atticus is trying to protect her. It was probably one of the most hilarious book chapters I've read in a while. I really needed the laugh that it provided.

If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you've probably realized that when I read, I get really weird and random pop culture references in my head (See any Wheel of Time review for proof where I let it be unchecked in Tress's twitter thread of our conversation.) I can't help it, and this is how my brain operates most of the time. I don't know if I mentioned this in Hounded, but when The Morgaine is described, the only thing I can picture for her is Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove. I don't know why this is the image my brain conjured up, but it's there to stay. Which made a particular scene with Atticus incredibly terrifying.  I would like some kind of brain bleach, please.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about when I say Yzma:

Anyways, back to the review. I really liked the Mythology and history that was in Hexed. I don't remember if, in Hounded, Atticus gave any great detail about specific points in time, but I enjoyed that we got a glimpse of what he was doing in WWII. I think it just gave great context for how old he actually is. I really hope that there are more glimpses into his history in the rest of the series. 

I absolutely adored Hexed, and I can't wait to read more in the series. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes Urban Fantasy and likes to laugh. The books aren't terribly long; I think Hexed was around 300 pages. It's a quick and fun read, and not hard to stay into the story between books. 

Book Review: Suddenly Psychic by Elizabeth Hunter

 

Goodreads Summary: Every woman goes through changes in their forties.Just not… these changes.

Robin Brannon was a normal wife, mom, and antique shop owner until a brush with death turned her day-to-day life upside down. Now she and her two best friends are seeing things that belong in a fantasy novel. Ghosts. Visions. Omens of doom. Nothing that belongs in the peaceful mountain town they call home.

Added to that, Robin’s marriage is on the rocks, her grandmother’s health is failing, her mother is driving away the customers at her shop, her teenage daughter refuses to get her drivers’ license, and her left knee aches every darn morning.

Robin doesn’t have the time, energy, or knees to unearth the secrets buried at the bottom of Glimmer Lake, but fate doesn’t seem to care. Some secrets are just dying to be exposed.

Goodreads Rating: 4 stars with over 6,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Paranormal, Fantasy, Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Ghosts, Romance, Contemporary, Cozy Mystery

Goodreads Challenge: 39/60 (I'm picking up steam!)

2020 Reading Challenge: #47 A book by an author named Elizabeth/Beth or a variant (find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Happy Saturday, Readers! I am SO glad it is finally the weekend. Finding something for the Elizabeth/Beth variant was surprisingly tricky. I really expected to see a ton of books to fit in this category, but it took me a while to not only find one but find one that grabbed my interest. I had picked up a few and just could not get into them. However, when I found Suddenly Psychic, I thought it seemed like a cute story idea and gave it a shot. 

Suddenly Psychic is a shorter read- around 300 pages and was really easy to get into. I instantly liked Robin, and even though I'm not a mother or in my 40s, I found her relatable and funny. I liked how she, Monica, and Val were all different personalities but were still really close. They each had their own voice, and I felt like it was easy to distinguish who was who. 

I felt like there was a surprising amount of Ghosts in Suddenly Psychic, which was refreshing. I feel like some books just limit the ghost interaction to weird noises, or feelings, or whatever. Suddenly Psychic had several ghosts, and most had some kind of background story or interaction with Robin. I loved the way she was able to conjure them. I thought it was different and really interesting. Some of the interactions were actually mildly creepy, which I thought was great. 

There was a bit of mystery in Suddenly Psychic. I thought it was a little predictable, but I honestly didn't mind that much. It made sense for the story, and I don't know that every mystery needs to be an absolute rollercoaster of who committed the crime. The presented information seemed logical for the characters and added up to the build-up with the final ghost. Boss Ghost? 

Buried underneath all of the Ghosts and psychic powers (heh, pun intended), there's a terrific story about a group of women feeling lost and not sure who they are going through the process to find themselves. Robin is often found reciting, "Is this my life?" negatively during the beginning of the story. However, after everything she goes through, it becomes "I can't believe this is my life," but with a positive spin on it. 

I really loved this book, and I can't wait to read more in the Glimmer Lake series. I think the next book follows Val, who was a lot of fun in this book. Suddenly Psychic is a quick read that stays light-hearted and funny even during some darker times of the story. The characters are relatable and entertaining. I stayed interested through the entire book and didn't want to put it down. Plus, there are ghosts!

Book Review: A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney

Goodreads Summary: The first time the Nightmares came, it nearly cost Alice her life. Now she's trained to battle monstrous creatures in the dark dream realm known as Wonderland with magic weapons and hardcore fighting skills. Yet even warriors have a curfew.

Life in real-world Atlanta isn't always so simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, and a slipping GPA. Keeping the Nightmares at bay is turning into a full-time job. But when Alice's handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she's ever gone before. And she'll need to use everything she's learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head . . . literally.

Goodreads Rating: 3.67 stars with over 4,600 ratings

Genre listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Fairy Tale Retelling, Young Adult, Magic, Romance, Urban Fantasy

Goodreads challenge: 33/60

2020 Reading Challenge: 16. Read a retelling of the classic fairy tale (pairs with 15) (find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

*Edit: Apparently, my Grammarly updates aren't taking effect when I make them. Please excuse my dust while I go through and edit hundreds of posts in between work and classes.*

 

Hello, readers! I hope everyone is staying safe, sane, and healthy. This book got recommended to me from Challenge co-conspirator.. er I mean co-creator... Tress. She knew I needed a pairing for #15 and #16 and saw this on sale. I'm so glad she did because I love a good Alice in Wonderland retelling.

For those of you who don't know, I'm a little obsessed with Alice in Wonderland things. The original is about the only classic I enjoy enough to read multiple times, and I've read a bunch of retellings of it. When I was a kid (long before Tim Burton did his versions), there were a couple TV series based on the book, which I adored. To this day, the Disney animated version is one of my favorites. Went out for Halloween as the Madhatter once upon a time. Have an Alice in Wonderland tote. Just got a new shirt. Listen. I'm obsessed.

Here's my cute new Alice in Wonderland shirt though:

So, back to the book, A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney. It's a fun read, and I liked it a lot. I thought that Alice was super relatable. I got the sense that because of her dad's passing, she had to grow up kind of quickly, which I understand entirely. Alice was also a lot of fun and felt like someone I'd want to be friends with when I was her age. 

I did feel like some things left me with questions at the beginning. I don't know if I just skipped over where it was explained, but the beginning timeline felt a little rushed. I got the impression that Hatta was surprised Alice could see him when they first met, which is fine, but then when Maddi and the bar get introduced, it seems like customers can see them. I didn't really understand what triggered the change. Also, the timeline gets a little hard to figure out. The initial incident happens in the prologue, and then it's 3 months later and then randomly a year later. Truthfully, this all ended up being pretty minor details anyways. Once I got to the year point of the story, it was so action-packed that I kind of forgot about it. The only reason I really remembered is that a lot of times, I take quick notes on my phone to remind me of stuff I want to talk about during my posts.

I probably should have reread Alice in Wonderland before reading this one so I could have a better idea of the original to compare this to. In a Blade so Black, there's a concept of "Muchness" that's present in the book. It's this whole concept of believing in yourself, and I loved it. I can't remember for the life of me if that was in the original, any of the movies, or if it's unique to the story. There are also a ton of nods to the original in the story. It is a retelling; however, it has its own unique plotline and very much takes place after the original story. I had an absolute blast finding all of the Alice in Wonderland easter eggs, and I'm sure I missed a ton of them. This alone makes me kind of want to reread it to see if I can pick up on more. 

Within the story of a Blade so Black is another story that is closely related to what is going on in the US right now, and I think it'd be incredibly insensitive of me to not call attention to it. In the story, a seventeen-year-old girl named Brionne is shot by police during a football game because of alleged gang violence. Both Brionne, Alice, and her family are black. This shooting, combined with Alice's father dying, prompts her mother to really kind of hover over Alice's every move out of fear that her baby could be next. I'm not bringing this up to get on some soapbox about what's right or what's not right. I acknowledge that I'm pretty privileged and sheltered in my life, and I don't know what the correct answers are or what the solution is. I do know that my heart hurts, especially for my parent-friends who like Alice's mom are wondering if their baby is next. I know that we can do a hell of a lot better than what we're doing and that it's long overdue. 

Overall, I really enjoyed a Blade so Black. It was a lot of fun and a fresh take on a classic. I'm going to try and get through more of the 2020 challenge before I continue on with the series. I've got it on my wish list to remind me to grab the 2nd book at some point. I've currently been stalking L.L. McKinney on Goodreads, as I typically do once I finish a book, and I'm excited to see what other adventures she's created.

Book Review: Death Masks by Jim Butcher

Goodreads Summary: Harry Dresden, Chicago's only practicing professional wizard, should be happy that business is pretty good for a change. But now he's getting more than he bargained for:
A duel with the Red Court of Vampires' champion, who must kill Harry to end the war between vampires and wizards...

Professional hit men using Harry for target practice...

The missing Shroud of Turin...

A handless and headless corpse the Chicago police need identified...

Not to mention the return of Harry's ex-girlfriend Susan, who's still struggling with her semi-vampiric nature. And who seems to have a new man in her life.

Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. No matter how much you're charging.
Goodreads Rating: 4.31 stars with over 109,000 ratings
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal
Previous Reviews on the series: Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Storm Front, Summer Knight
Goodreads Challenge: 13/60
2020 Reading Challenge: #26 Read an Urban Fantasy Novel (find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Ever since Tress and I put "Urban Fantasy" on the list, I've been needing a Dresden File fix. I finally broke down and bought Death Masks. After how long it took me to read Good Omens, I really needed something I knew I would enjoy. Dresden Files is always a good pick me up, and they read fast too.

I was able to get into Death Masks pretty quickly, which is always helpful with this series. I take so long to read the next book that sometimes I don't remember what happened. Being able to get back into it quickly makes the series easier to enjoy. Jim Butcher does a really good job of giving a recap and not bogging down the story. They're always a quick read, which I appreciate.

I feel like there was not enough Murphy in Death Masks. She makes an appearance but wasn't as big of a character as she has been in the past. Even though Murphy isn't super involved, other fun characters show up. Susan is back in Death Masks, as is Ebenezer, Bob, and Thomas. Bob is probably my favorite secondary character in the series. I felt like there was a lot of set up for future interactions with Marcone, especially towards the end of Death Masks. I think that he's probably going to be a main fixture as the series continues. There's also a new character called The Archive.

The Archive was an interesting character for me, and I'd love for her to make an appearance in later books or somehow get her own book.  She reminds me a little bit of the Red Queen from the Resident Evil movie.

I don't really feel like the magic really evolved or was super present in Death Masks. There was some, but it felt a little forgotten in this book. Most of the story seemed more centered around the conclusion of his relationship with Susan. There wasn't much to do with his private practice or the SI. I still enjoyed the book a great deal, but it more felt more like a middle book setting up for something bigger. I also acknowledge that I was about half asleep when I finished this. It was really late, so I could have missed something important.

Book Review: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Goodreads Summary: According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.
So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except for a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .

Goodreads Rating: 4.25 stars with over 490,000 ratings
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Urban Fantasy
Goodreads Challenge: 12/60
2020 Reading Challenge: #50 A book with two or more authors (see the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Yay. I finally finished this book. I had wanted to read Good Omens since I burned through the Amazon series as soon as it came out. For only 388 pages, this book took me FOREVER to read. Now that I've experienced both the book and the show, I can say that the show reads precisely how the book is written. Hopefully, that makes sense. There weren't too many differences between the two, though I think the ending in the show is a little different.

Given that I loved the show, I thought I'd really like the book. This, unfortunately, did not end up being the case. I know. I know. The book is always supposed to be better, but for me, this just wasn't the case. Good Omens features a lot of different characters and perspectives, which makes it really hard for me to follow. I like Crowley and Aziraphale, and I loved following their parts of the story. Having to read from the perspective of Anathema, Newt, Shadwell, Adam and The Them, The Four Horsemen, and probably some Satanist Nuns just made it too hard for me to follow. It's a lot of people to follow in under 400 pages.

I forgot how much I disliked Adam and his cronies of friends. I guess it's fitting that I don't like the Anti-Christ. He seems like such a spoiled brat for most of the book (which he was in the show as well), and it made me not want to read his scenes. The dialogue with Adam and The Them is so hard to read. I also forgot how much I wanted to skip through the Four Horsemen in the show. After a while, I ended up skimming their scenes as quickly as I could. If you took the Four Horsemen out of the book, I honestly don't think the story would have changed all that much. 

I will say there were a lot of bits that I quoted in this book. These were just things I found interesting or funny. You can find anything I highlight on my Goodreads (Feel free to follow me here). These are probably the bits I liked the most about the book. The aspects I like about this book are kind of weird. I liked the beginning and the end, but I found the middle almost unbearable. I needed more Crowley and Aziraphale. Less Adam and the Four Horsemen. Anathema, Newt, and Shadwell were okay. Fewer pages of footnotes at the very end of the book. 

I'm going to be smitten (attacked use, not in love with) by an angry mob for this, I'm sure, but I actually enjoyed the show more than I enjoyed the book. Having read the book, I can firmly say that the show's casting was excellent. David Tennant makes the perfect Crowley. Michael Sheen was a great Arizaphale.

Book Review: Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Goodreads Summary: Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.
Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.
Goodreads Rating: 4.12 stars with over 68,000 ratings
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fiction, Magic, Mythology
Goodreads Challenge: 13/50
2019 Reading Challenge: #20 a book published by Penguin Random House (find the whole challenge here.)

Book Review:

My friend Tress over at https://songstress7.wordpress.com/ has been recommending me Hounded for ages, and I finally got around to reading it. It seemed like an easy fit for Penguin Random House since they own Del Rey that publishes Hounded.

When I first started reading it, I wasn't sure if I'd like it. I must have liked it a lot more than I thought because before I knew it I was 40% in and annoyed I'd have to put it down to go to bed. It's a relatively short read that moves extremely fast. There's not a lot of dull moments in the story, which I appreciated. Druids aren't a class of supernatural I've read much on, so I was interested to see a take on their magic. I hope that the rest of the series gets more into the magical aspects.

Along with the druid type of magic, there were a lot of Gods introduced that I hadn't read about before. I think that The Morrigan was the most interesting to me of the Deity characters. She doesn't want to be seen as taking sides but clearly does. She is mysterious, turns into a bird, and seems to feed on death. What's not to like?

There was a decent amount of humor and snark in Hounded. It reminded me quite a bit of The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. There was quite a bit of similarity between the two books, and I think fans of The Dresden Files would like The Iron Druid Chronicles if they haven't already read it. There's lots of different supernatural creatures, a snarky main character, and lots of action. Overall, I really enjoyed Hounded. I'm hoping that the next book gets a bit more in-depth into the magic, as that tends to be my favorite parts of fantasy books. 

Book Review: Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

Goodreads Summary:  HARRY DRESDEN -- WIZARD
Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates.
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment

Ever since his girlfriend left town to deal with her newly acquired taste for blood, Harry Dresden has been down and out in Chicago. He can't pay his rent. He's alienating his friends. He can't even recall the last time he took a shower.

The only professional wizard in the phone book has become a desperate man.

And just when it seems things can't get any worse, in saunters the Winter Queen of Faerie. She has an offer Harry can't refuse if he wants to free himself of the supernatural hold his faerie godmother has over him--and hopefully end his run of bad luck. All he has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Queen's right-hand man, the Summer Knight, and clear the Winter Queen's name.

It seems simple enough, but Harry knows better than to get caught in the middle of faerie politics. Until he finds out that the fate of the entire world rests on his solving this case. No pressure or anything...
Goodreads Rating: 4.30 stars with over 110,000 ratings
Genre Listing: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Paranormal, Magic
Goodreads Challenge:  6/50
2019 Reading Challenge: #6 a book that takes place in Summer. (Find the full challenge here.)
My other reviews on the series: Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril

Review:

It always amazes me how I will have so many thoughts and opinions when I'm reading the book, but when it comes time to do the blog post I forget it all. Starting these posts are always the hardest for me.  I've wanted to read more Dresden Files for a while, so I was thrilled to see that Summer Knight by Jim Butcher was available from my Library's e-book section. I jumped right into it, and it felt like I had just finished Grave Peril. Butcher does such a fantastic job of reminding the reader of what happened in the previous book without bogging the newer book down. I was delighted this also takes place in June, so I could get #6 out of the way on the challenge. I'll try and do an update post on that soonish. I know that the partner in reading crime, Tress, is kicking ass and taking names on it. I, however, am 3 books behind. If you'd like to catch up with Tress, you can do so on her blog here.

I think the thing I love the most about the Dresden Files is the sense of humor. Harry Dresden is a super snarky main character. There were definitely some points in Summer Knight where I snickered or laughed out loud. One quote that really made me laugh was about 21% in. "I wanted to kick myself. Somewhere out there was a village I’d deprived of its idiot." I don't know that I would say that Summer Knight is a hysterical read, but it definitely has its moments where Harry Dresden is snarky and comical.

Plotwise, I think that it was a little predictable in terms of who was behind sort of framing Mab and actually stealing the mantle. I don't know that this really matters much, because even though it was predictable, I still enjoyed it immensely. Summer Knight is an action-packed story, and there's never a dull moment.

I loved the take on Faerie and all the characters involved in it. I thought it was interesting to see him interact more with Lea and get a little bit more of his crazy backstory. I felt like it had been rushed in some of the earlier books in the series. It was nice to see him interact with Elaine, the other members of the council, and have him and Karin back to relatively normal. I thought Ebaneazor and The Gate Keeper were fantastic character additions, and I hope that they get brought into the series somehow. I am anxiously waiting for Harry to get over Susan and try to develop something with Karin. I think the chemistry is there, and could slowly build there. I wasn't much of a Susan fan when she got introduced. She grew on me a bit, but I'd rather see something develop between Harry and Murphy.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series, but I think that's going to have to wait for a bit. I'm trying to get through Tier 1 in the challenge instead of jumping around like I usually do.  I still have my free spaces left, but I'm trying to save those for the once I'm running low on spaces.