Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Hardcover: 381 pages
Publisher: Penguin
Release date: July 29th, 2014

Series:  Kate Daniels #7

Source: 

Reviewed by: 

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

No matter how much the paranormal politics of Atlanta change, one thing always remains the same: if there’s trouble, Kate Daniels will be in the middle of it…

As the mate of the Beast Lord, Curran, former mercenary Kate Daniels has more responsibilities than it seems possible to juggle. Not only is she still struggling to keep her investigative business afloat, she must now deal with the affairs of the pack, including preparing her people for attack from Roland, a cruel ancient being with god-like powers. Since Kate’s connection to Roland has come out into the open, no one is safe—especially those closest to Kate.

As Roland’s long shadow looms ever nearer, Kate is called to attend the Conclave, a gathering of the leaders from the various supernatural factions in Atlanta. When one of the Masters of the Dead is found murdered there, apparently at the hands of a shapeshifter, Kate is given only twenty-four hours to hunt down the killer. And this time, if she fails, she’ll find herself embroiled in a war which could destroy everything she holds dear…

I know I am super late to this party as this book released a few years ago, but there is so many books to read and so little time! Don't make the same mistake I did though, get on reading this series ASAP and you won't be disappointed.

Magic Breaks is the seventh installment in the series and is the culmination of an incredibly suspenseful story arc between Kate and her evil father Roland. In the midst of her previous adventures, Kate built her confidence, learned to let people into her heart, knitted solid friendship and painfully gathered important allies and she needs every trick in her bag to survive her current adventure. In fact, in this novel, d'Ambray, master puppeteer that he is,  made sure Curran was busy half-way across the world to plot a full blown war between the Pack and the People while Kate was alone in charge. She had to prove her leadership within the pack, protect its members by unfolding a mysterious murder, all the while preventing a terrible war. I loved how she shone with all of her qualities and was able to metaphorically kick in the butt the opposition.

The entire book was suspenseful and action-packed and at times I had to remembered to breath because I was so caught-up in the story. Every event was engrossing, the death of some characters stunning and some revelations were simply beyond amazing. I know I sound like a gushing mess, but really, this novel was amazing beyond words. And I don't want to give anything away so I won't get into details, but Curran's grand entrance toward the end was just mind-blowing. I really loved the escape part of the story line.

I loved that every character joined the party and that we got to discover more about Gastek in particular. D'Ambray was an especially annoying display of strength and I almost pity him, while Roland was an awe-stricking revelation.

Ilona and Gordon really wrote a masterpiece with this series and this novel has blown away my expectations. If I hadn't known this novel wasn't the last one in the series I might have died of an heart-attack but thankfully there are more adventures to come. If you love urban fantasy, you do not want to miss this amazing series.

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by Tynga at Friday, March 31, 2017

 contemporary, Fantasy, Ilona Andrews, Kate Daniels, Magic, Penguin, Publisher, Review, shapeshifters, Urban, Urban Fantasy, vampires  1 Person left their mark

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Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs

Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Hardcover: 371 pages
Publisher: Ace Books
Release date: March 7th 2017

Series:  Mercy Thompson #10

Source: 

Reviewed by: 

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

In the #1 New York Times bestselling Mercy Thompson novels, the coyote shapeshifter has found her voice in the werewolf pack. But when Mercy's bond with the pack and her mate is broken, she'll learn what it truly means to be alone...

Attacked and abducted in her home territory, Mercy finds herself in the clutches of the most powerful vampire in the world, taken as a weapon to use against alpha werewolf Adam and the ruler of the Tri-Cities vampires. In coyote form, Mercy escapes only to find herself without money, without clothing, and alone in the heart of Europe...

Unable to contact Adam and the rest of the pack, Mercy has allies to find and enemies to fight, and she needs to figure out which is which. Ancient powers stir, and Mercy must be her agile best to avoid causing a war between vampires and werewolves, and between werewolves and werewolves. And in the heart of the ancient city of Prague, old ghosts rise...

For once, Mercy was minding her own business, heading to the convenience store, a necessary step to feed chocolate chip cookies to a horde of video game playing werewolves, when she got caught in a near-deadly kidnapping plot. Unconscious and very badly injured, she was hauled all the way across the Atlantic ocean, in Italy, far from everyone she knows and cut off from her pack bound. How will she get out of this one alive?

The Mercy Thompson series has been one of my favorite for years and I am happy to say this novel did not disappoint. It actually made me fall in love all over again with my favorite characters! As much as I love my heroines getting the guy of their dream along a book series, couple lives can get a bit dull around the corners so I was very happy that I would get to see Mercy, and Adam, on their own in this novel. There is just this special and desperate energy going on when you are facing extremely dangerous situations by yourself and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Mercy's determination, resourcefulness, and surviving skills were at the fore-front and I truly enjoyed it. I loved her spunk and the way she built on her coyote skills in this novel. On the other hand, I loved how Adam was forced to let Mercy deal with things on her own and how he had to develop his negotiating skills in a dire situation. Honey, a character I wasn't a fan off in the past, also happily surprised me. I did not expect it from her, but she really rose to the challenge.

This novel has a very special time-line and you have to pay close attention if you don't want to be confused. Add to it narration alternating between Mercy, Adam and other important characters and you have a recipe for chaos (if you don't follow along!) or sheer genius (if you pay close attention lol). Briggs really took her story-telling skills up a notch in this installment, and I'll tell you off the bat she threw one spectacular curve-ball that made me want to re-read the novel as soon as possible.

I don't think I could ever tire of these characters and it's a shame we have to wait so long between installments. I'm already super impatient for the next novel to release! If you haven't picked up this series yet, I urge you to start with the first novel, Moon Called, and I am sure you will crave for more!

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by Tynga at Friday, March 17, 2017

 Ace, Adult, Fantasy, Mercy Thompson, Netgalley, Paranormal, Patricia Briggs, Penguin, Review, Romance, Shifters, Urban, Urban Fantasy, Vampire, werewolf  2 People left their mark

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Blood on the Earth (A Soulwood Novel) by Faith Hunter

In the backwoods of east Tennessee there was a woman who only wanted to be left to herself.  Just when she thinks she has found peace away from a family and religious  situation that was less to her liking, she has the (mis)fortune to run into our favorite (or at least my favorite) vampire bounty hunter, Jane Yellowrock.  The aftermath of that meeting is what brings us to the beginning of Blood on the Earth by Faith Hunter.  It is the first in a series that not only comes from a good pedigree but shows promise in its own right.

Faith Hunter brings into what some may think of as the 'Deep South', east Tennessee.  Having never really spent much time east of Chattanooga myself, I give Ms. Hunter credit for accuracy.  It is certainly a modern look at the more rural living conditions of some areas.  The South seems to be a favored setting for many stories like these.  The diversity of culture and the mixing of so many of the same makes for a rich treasure trove of mythologies to choose from and Faith does that very well in all stories including this one.

The people we meet this time around are mostly new with the exceptions of Rick (Ricky Bo) Lafleur and Nell Ingram.  We met Rick and some of his entourage throughout the Jane Yellowrock series while it's not until Off the Grid that we  meet Nell.  While getting reacquainted with Nell, we meet more of her family, friends and neighbors.  While there are some of the typical archetypes for this kind of story, they don't come off as 'cookie-cutter' or caricatures.  They all bring something to the story in ways that feel unique.

I like Nell and believe this is a good start to what may be a great series.  I cannot say I fell in love with Nell the way I did with Jane in her first book but, there is potential.  There is some harsh language and mature situations in this book.  None seem gratuitous but, I would still keep this out of the hands of those under 15 earning it a PG13 from me.

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by Tynga at Wednesday, August 17, 2016

 contemporary, Deep South, Faith Hunter, Fantasy, Paranormal, Paranormal Detective, Penguin, Soulwood, Urban  Leave your mark

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The Demonists by Thomas E. Sniegoski

On All Hallows Eve, when the boundary between this world and The Otherworld, John Fogg , his wife Theodora Knight and their team of paranormal investigators and TV crew investigate a haunted house.  The only problem was there were no ghosts.  They only found a strange container that would change their world forever.

The Demonists by Thomas E. Sniegoski is a book that is root world of demonology.  There are other paranormal aspects but, the subject of demons is really at its heart.  The book takes us on a journey mainly with John Fogg and the steps he takes to deal with what happened on that fateful Halloween night.  We go through his struggles and fights and the war he wages on that which upended his life.

The story itself moved along well.  It takes the reader event to event with all the exposition it offers in between the action.  It' does not feel  overly predictable or contrived   The problem I had was, the scenery.  Now, this may be a personal preference but, I believe certain types of stories require sufficient description.  In this case, I think it would have done much to contrast the demonic from the mundane worlds with a better description of the latter.  We get some very good ideas of the way demons appear as well as some of the more grotesque scenes.  What we don't get is memorable descriptions of the nicer scenes or even  characters.  This was a missed opportunity for contrast.  Bright colors, beautiful people or inspiring vistas could have create a defining line between worlds.  There wasn't even enough confusing grays to create or enhance conflict.

There is some very good exposition for John Fogg and we get an idea for many of his motivations.  He and his wife Theodora get the most development throughout the story though  we get some resolution for FBI Agent Brenna Isabel.  Most other characters seem a little like set pieces.  There are two exceptions that I believe will show up in any sequels.  Even with the growth these characters show, I still had trouble really connecting with them.  Of course, that could be from some of the uninspiring descriptions.

Overall,  The Demonists by Thomas Sniegoski is a tale with promise that can be realized in future books.  The violence and language get very graphic making me lean toward rating it R.

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by Tynga at Wednesday, March 02, 2016

 Dark Fantasy, demons, halloween, horror, Penguin Publishing Group, Review, Thomas E. Sniegoski, Urban  Leave your mark

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Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh

Shovel Ready is a dark, fast-paced, adult, dystopian noir novel.  I read mostly Juv and YA, so I always expect adult books to go a little more slowly.  Y'all, I flew through Shovel Ready!  It's a true page-turner.  There's not a single unnecessary sentence in the whole novel.

Shovel Ready is a dark dystopian- it takes place in a future NYC, about a year after nuclear bombs were set off in Times Square.  Most people fled the city, so it's a little odd to be reading about the main character moving about downtown so quickly and easily.  There's never a wait for transportation or traffic to contend with.  In fact, the main character, Spademan, doesn't even have a legit job anymore- he was a garbageman, but there just isn't that much garbage to collect.  Now he has the illegitimate job of hired assassin.  Very convenient that he used to be a garbageman- he knows how to get rid of "trash."  I found it interesting, though, that as the book progressed, I liked Spademan more and more!  I never thought I'd find myself liking a hit man!  I think it was at least partly his snark.  I do love me some snarky characters.  I'll take "dark" or sarcastic humor over slapstick any day of the week.

One thing about the book, though- the layout of the text.  This is not usually a detail worth talking about, but it is in Shovel Ready.  You see, there are no quotation marks.  At first this gave me a little pause, but I got used to it really quickly.  There is still indentation to signify that a new thought or new speaker was beginning, so that's good.  I loved the flow of the writing so much, though.  I put a snippet from the first chapter down below to try to entice you to try this book.

Beyond the book taking place in a dystopian NYC, there's also futuristic tech featured.  After the world went to pot, some enterprising entrepreneurs came up with a new kind of internet called the limnosphere.  People can "tap in" through special beds- they go unconscious in physical body while their subconscious hangs out in the limnosphere, where they can be anything and do anything they want.  Some of the richest people left in America even pay special nurses to come by and give them IV nutrition so that they never need to leave the limnosphere.  This ends up playing a huge part in the book, with the main characters interacting both in the physical world and the limnosphere.

I loved Shovel Ready, and plan to read the sequel, Near Enemy, soon!  Here's a small snippet from the book so that you can see the way it's laid out, and how sarcastic Spademan is:

People get upset when you say you kill people.

Fair enough.

But wait.

What if I told you I only kill serial killers?

It's not true, but what if I told you that?

Now what if I told you I only kill child molesters?  Or rapists?  Or people who really deserve it?

Wavering yet?

Okay, now what if I told you I only kill people who talk loudly in movie theaters?  Or block the escalator?  Or cut you off in traffic?

Don't answer.  Think it over.

Not so self-righteous now.

I'm just kidding.

There's no such thing as movie theaters anymore.

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by Tynga at Thursday, February 18, 2016

 Adam Sternbergh, Dystopian, Fiction, NYC, Purchased, Review, Spademan, Urban  Leave your mark

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Shadow Rites: A Jane Yellowrock Novel by Faith Hunter

This is a review of the 10th installment to the Jane Yellowrock series.  A thus far intriguing and exciting series that I would not want to spoil for any of you who may not be current in it.  If that is you, stop reading this and start reading the first book right away, I'm sure you'll be hooked immediately.  When you've caught up, come back and read up on what's new with Jane.

The Big Cat is back!  Along with her partners Eli and Alex  and so many of her friends and acquaintances that we have grown to know and appreciate.  Still in the Big Easy and still Enforcer for Leo Pellissier and getting ready for the big meeting between witches and vampires.  The only problem is, two witches decide to visit Jane early and leave a mystery in their wake.

When it comes to stories about anything fantastical or paranormal in the U.S., it's hard to beat a New Orleans for the setting.  It is a city rich in cultures and the histories that surround them.  Faith Hunter makes good use of this setting every time she brings back to visit with Jane.  In this book, as well as the others, her use of scenery enhances the mood either by matching it or by contrast.  Well appointed offices, posh parlors and smelly swamps all do their parts to lull the reader into false security or to put the reader on guard for the next beastly attack.

One of the traps for a series of this depth is the possibility of a lack of growth in the characters.  At ten books into the series, the Jane Yellowrock series does not have that problem.  Jane herself continues to have enough mystique in both her future and her past that we may yet see a great deal more of her in books to come.  Her compatriots get similar treatment.  We still don't know much of Eli Younger's past and Alex Younger might be a future that bears watching.

The plot and pacing themselves are somewhat familiar but, don't feel forced or formulaic.  We have general ideas that conflicts will happen and resolutions reached.  Thing is, it may not happen in the order you expect.  Some resolutions may be from books past some conflicts remain in place.  Much like real life, you don't know when things will settle down.

Shadow Rites: A Jane Yellowrock Novel by Faith Hunter  maintains and actually boosts the momentum initiated by the previous installments of this series. Very entertaining though it lands comfortably in the PG13 rating for me.  There's very little in the way of language but, the violence and mature situations keep it there.

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by Tynga at Wednesday, February 17, 2016

 Faith Hunter, Fantasy, Jane Yellowrock, Netgalley, Paranormal, Penguin, Review, Skinwalker, Urban, Vampire, Witch  4 People left their mark

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Daring by Elliott James

Daring is the sequel to Charming, of the Pax Arcana series.  You can see Jenn's review of Charming HERE.  I totally, 100% agree with her enthusiastic praise of Charming.  And I, too, couldn't wait to get my hands on Daring.  I was on my library's request list for it before the release date!  I wasn't surprised to find myself in love with Daring, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved it for very different reasons.

So far, this series has been my first and only foray into adult urban fantasy, but I'm so glad that I've found this genre!  The main character, John Charming, has been dealt a rather hard hand in life.  He comes from a long line of Charmings who are all Knights Templar, tasked with slaying monsters and dragons.  In this modern age, the Knights Templar keep the busiest making sure that regular folks like you and I don't encounter any nasty creatures like vampires or werewolves.  Unfortunately, he was cursed from birth by a werewolf's bite.  So what do you do when you're under a magical geas (compulsion) to fight creatures like werewolves... but yet, you are part werewolf?

While Charming shows the Knight side of John, Daring lets the reader get to know John's werewolf side.  He's left his bar in Virginia and joined a werewolf pack in Wisconsin.  If you're a fan of the supernatural, this book is definitely for you!  Nearly the entire book follows werewolves as they work with a wizard to battle immortal Knights Templar.  The author does a fantastic job with the narration; I really felt like I was in John Charming's head the entire time.  I love how smoothly James Elliott works in explanations for all the supernatural phenomena, and how the Knights Templar manage to keep regular folks from seeing any of it.  The reader gleans a ton of information as John explains situations to other characters, or as he thinks through solutions to problems or threats, without ever feeling "preached to," and with little or no break in the action.  Another bonus:  John's characteristic humor is present in full force in this book too!  A little bit dry, and sometimes self-deprecating, it kept me smiling throughout the novel.  However, if you're looking for the same swoons from Charming, you may be slightly disappointed.  Daring focuses entirely on John and his mission with the werewolf pack.  I didn't even think about romance (or the lack thereof), because I was so caught up with the action.  This one is just more action-packed and less smooches-packed than the first installment.

I'm not sure if this is in every edition, but my copy had an "Extras" section at the end that contained the first few chapters of the third book!  While you could possibly read Daring on it's own, my recommendation would be to start with Charming for maximum enjoyment.  Then you can join me in waiting impatiently for the third book!

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by Tynga at Thursday, January 22, 2015

 contemporary, Elliott James, Fantasy, Library, Orbit, Paranormal, Pax Arcana, Review, Urban, Urban Fantasy  3 People left their mark

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