Reading Fanatic Reviews

All Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Paranormal Reviews

 

 

Fire & Frost by Kelsie Engen

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Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)

Fire & Frost*

Better This Time Around

I will admit that I was not a particular fan of the first book of this series as I found the heroine quite often acted in stupid ways. But I do like to give an author or a series at least a couple of chances to impress me. A book like Fire & Frost is one that makes me glad that I have such a policy. I enjoyed this book so much more than the last one. The details of the struggles of the characters were so vivid that I could easily imagine them, and I am a very visual reader. I had wondered when the Cinderella aspect was going to enter the series, as I knew it had both a Snow White and a Cinderella underpinning to it. We meet Ella here. I loved following the trajectory of the relationships between the main characters. Their inherent personalities lead to natural conflicts and seemed realistic to me. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Grumpy Old Gods Volume 1 by Various Authors

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Grumpy Old Gods, Volume 1*

Funny Tales of the Discarded Gods

Interestingly, I read Volume 2 before I read Volume 1 of this series. But, of course, it doesn’t really matter as this series is collections of humorous and fun short stories about the old gods. It was a delight to read this first one, a collection of 13 stories by different authors. Some were laugh-out-loud funny. Some authors have been very creative in thinking about how the old gods might interact with humans today or otherwise amuse themselves. These stories are all short, so they can be ready easily when you need to, say, wait at the doctor’s office or are on a break at work. If you love classic mythology, you may very well enjoy this sometimes hilarious spin on it.

Nessie and the Holiday Surprise by Isla Wynter

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Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de

Nessie and the Holiday Surprise*

Another Sweet Tale About Nessie

I had read the previous book by this author about Nessie finding out about human Christmas traditions. So I thought it would be fun to check out this next book as well. As before, I found this book to be delightful. The author has managed to imbue Nessie with quite the personality. In this one, she decides to go on holiday in the ocean, and she meets a new friend. Parts of this book were very funny, like when she first tasted salty seawater. Even the illustration of that was really cute. I like how this author includes mini activities on many of the pages, like counting seagulls or asking questions like if the reader would like algae shortbread or what would they write to Nessie on a postcard. I did catch one error. In the text, the phrase “ice floes” was correct; however, on the illustration, it was written as “ice floats.” Besides that, I found this to be a charming book that I imagine a child would enjoy.

Old Magic by Tiffany Shand

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Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de

Old Magic*

Surprising Twists in this Installment

I have been reading this series and have completely enjoyed the complex world that the author has created. After the defeat of Urien and the rescue of Xander in the last book, this book seemed to be non-stop action with some rather shocking twists. It is the kind of book that is hard to put down, gripping because you want to find out what happens next—as it is usually not what you think it will be. That doesn’t happen often enough in fiction in general and certainly in this kind of fantasy and magic story; too often they are predictable. I don’t want to give away too much, as this book is one to be savored by the reader as they experience it. I’m looking forward to the next installment of the story.

SEER by Ryan Beck

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Free with Kindle Unlimited

SEER*

One Could Almost Imagine It Happening…

While I enjoy the genre, I don’t read science fiction as often as I would like. I am continually on the lookout at my favorite book review sites for novels that I think will be interesting. I tend to like full-out space opera, humorous sci-fi romance, or technology-driven dystopian urban fantasy that is just a click or two off of our own capabilities. Yes, that is an odd grab bag of sub-genres to like, but what can I say? This story is one of the third variety. In this novel’s world, there is a ubiquitous technology that seems to anticipate an individual’s every want and need. This creates such a pleasant environment for people that they do not think about all the data that is being collected and what is being done with it. Having had some fairly recent scandals about what big companies do with our data, this particular plot seemed very on-point and applicable to our world. The author has added levels of technological complexity to it, compared to our world. (But I could totally see this kind of technology happening; it actually does in some limited applications.) The book focuses on one young woman who becomes a part of the rebel movement, though she does have some qualms about it. For a science fiction story, I thought that the characters were well drawn. Aside from the fascinating technology and modern relevance, I thought the author did an exceptional job with the plotting. The pacing was just right, with all the reveals and action seeming to happen at the precise time in the story to keep you turning the pages. I quite enjoyed this book, and if you like technology-driven dystopian sci-fi, you will most likely find it an engrossing read.

Stolen Spirts by Jen Valena

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NOT with Kindle Unlimited

Stolen Spirits*

So Many Ways It Could Be Better

I picked up this book because I was intrigued by the book blurb that stated that this was essentially going to be a fantasy in which the power structure was a matriarchy and not a patriarchy. I don’t think that concept is done often enough in fantasy, which is a perfect place to explore what it could look like if women ruled and not men. Yes, some stories are focused around strong queens, but they are still usually seen as inferior and requiring a man to co-rule, or—at the very least—others will oppose her rule because she is a woman. So, I had high hopes for this book.

Unfortunately, in the very first scene—which was actually a dramatic and good one—it is clear that matriarchy in this book is no different than patriarchy as depicted in other books. The women are harsh, ruthless, and power hungry in various degrees depending on their role in society. In fact, it might be worse for the men in this book compared to how women are often treated in the more patriarchal books. I found myself getting frustrated with this as I continued to read the story. When an author chooses to flip the power structure like this, he or she has a great chance to show how power could be different in a world that is governed by women. I actually believe if a true matrilineal, matrifocal matriarchy existed, in fiction or in real life, it would be inherently different from the patriarchal structure that we all no. Why bother to write a gender-switch power structure if you going to just have the women act like the men would in that situation? I think one of the answers is that it allows for the brutal treatment of men such as the predominantly female readers of fiction would not like to see in a traditional fantasy story that was more patriarchal. This just rubs me the completely wrong way. I am a female who is proudly feminist, but that doesn’t mean that I like to see men, even fictional ones, mistreated by ones in power. I’d like to think we’d be better than that if we ever truly had real matrifocal, matrilineal, and matriarchal power.

The Vangel by Tatenda Creed

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Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de

The Vangel*

More Supernatural Happenings

I have read the other books in the series, and the author has truly created a gripping supernatural world that is easy to get lost in. I particularly enjoyed the prequel, which sets up the series. This particular book felt a little off in its pacing. It is a long book, so it needs to have a lot going on to keep interest up. For the first part of the book, I felt like not enough action was going on, and much of it seemed repetitive. I didn’t get a sense of the build that I like to see through the first and middle portions in a novel. More twists and turns came later, but it almost felt a little too late. But enough happened near the end that I am curious to see where the story goes from here. The book is written in the first-person present, a point of view that I am not a particular fan of. I think authors believe it to be more intimate than other viewpoints, but I find it distancing. Perhaps I’m just too accustomed to third-person past, but I do find the viewpoint in this book distracting, often pulling me out of the story. If you have enjoyed the other books in this series—and you should definitely read the series in order even though each is complete unto itself as each builds on the previous novel—you will most likely enjoy this installment.

Stone and Iron by Marie Robinson

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Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de

Stone and Iron*

Fitting End to Awesome Series

I have so enjoyed this series, and I am sorry to see it end. The author has created an amazing cast of characters whom we got to know more and more deeply as the series progressed, which I think is important in an episodic series like this one, but it is not always attained by authors. Each of the characters is just incredibly well drawn and very complex. Over the course of the series, I truly enjoyed watching the various relationships evolve. Maeve and her group of dragon-men are truly special, and I love both the personal story and as well as the outside-world story. Maeve, especially, grew and changed over the course of the books; at first, she was a naive girl, but she grows into a powerful woman who commands respect and has earned her powers (both magical and mundane).

But more about this specific book. The book starts much like the two previous ones, where the first part of the book deals with the aftermath of the end of the previous one and has a few sexy, steamy scenes. But then the action picks up. And boy, did it pick up in this book! This novel certainly did have some twists and turns that made it a real page-turner that I didn’t want to put down. I especially enjoyed getting to know Gwayne better. He has been a bit of a shadowy character in the other books, but I think that was necessary to maintain a certain level of mystique with him. So I particularly enjoyed the sections that were from his perspective. He has a mental and emotional depth that was only hinted at in the previous books. Surprisingly, I found this book to be quite emotional in parts and in different ways. I definitely needed a tissue or two along the way, and I love a book that fires up my emotions. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys RH stories or epic fantasy told over the course of several books.

Black Widow by Lucy Leroux

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Black Widow*

Good at First, Then Goes Off the Rails

I am not quite sure what to write for this review. I was surprised by this book, but not in a good way. When I read the book description, I just read the summary, not the quotes from other reviewers within the blurb; I never read those or other reviews before I read a book. From the couple paragraph description, I was expecting a somewhat standard historical romance. And the first part of the book and delivered on that, along with a little romantic suspense—which I also enjoy. The heroine has a variety of secrets that neither we nor the hero is privy to for a while. We learn from the first chapter that the heroine is not a murderer, as first suspected by the hero. I actually enjoyed watching their initial dance, shall we say, as they became reacquainted with each other and he tried to figure out if she had anything to do with her husband’s death.

But then it got weird. And, frankly, I didn’t see it coming. I read a variety of books, so I don’t have anything necessarily against weird so long as I am prepared for it. I certainly did not expect the book to go the way it did in the last roughly 40%. Actually, I kept thinking it would straighten back out into a standard story instead of going into a paranormal aspect that wasn’t appropriately foreshadowed and therefore felt entirely out of place. It almost felt like a deus ex machina move, which I never like in a story as it feels like a cop-out. I did enjoy watching the push-me, pull-you relationship of the hero and heroine at first, and the heroine’s naivete was surprising (in an intriguing way) in a story about a widow (and I liked watching the hero’s education of her). I do feel that there were too many intimate scenes after a certain point in the story; they did detract from the rest of the plot because, at times, it felt like the plot existed as something to happen between the intimate moments so it wouldn’t be just all that. So, I actually enjoyed the first part of the book, but the second half fell apart for me once it appeared as though the paranormal aspect was meant to be real.

Henry and Sophie by Grant Eagar

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Henry and Sophie*

Elements Out of Place

I was not wild about this book. I’m having a hard time putting a finger on precisely why I didn’t like it. Maybe part of it is the opening scene where there was a catfight, brief though it was, that didn’t seem to fit with the story. I felt other elements seemed out of place. I was so looking forward to digging into a steampunk story, as I don’t read them that often and I usually find them quite fun. The book does have some action, though, so if you read it, you won’t be bored. And perhaps you won’t find it to be such an odd combination as I thought it was.

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The asterisks (*) by the book title denote the source of the book copy.

One star = I received it as a free advance/review copy or directly from the author.

Two stars = I borrowed it through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Three stars = I purchased the book outright (sometimes for free).

The Amazon book links on this site are affiliate links, which means I make a tiny percentage if you choose to buy a book linked from this site.

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