Reading Fanatic Reviews
All Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Paranormal Reviews
Call of Darkness by Isadora Brown
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Call of Darkness*
Many Secrets Revealed in This Installment
Kelia is now a Sightless as punishment after all that transpired in the last book. Even though Drew had offered her escape, she wants to stay within The Society to learn more about why they killed her father. Rycroft is brutal and cruel, and he gets her to go along with a rather insane, harsh breeding program. Again and again, Kelia goes along with what Rycroft and others want simply because she wants to know the truth or wants to protect someone.
This is a dark, dark book. We don’t necessarily see all the darkness playing out in front of us, but it’s alluded to, and the effects of it are seen. Rycroft is pure evil. Drew risks himself by entering the fortress to see Kelia. Compared to the last book, he is active and bold. You can see the evolution of the way he cares for Kelia; it becomes something deep and meaningful (even if he still likes to goad and challenge her). Their relationship has changed them both, even if what everyone thinks—that they had a sexual relationship—is not true. Many secrets get revealed in this volume—and Kelia gets to understand more about her father than she wants to know–and the depth of the danger that Kelia and Drew have faced and are facing becomes increasingly evident. Those on opposing sides of this world both conspire for the downfall of Kelia and Drew and those who care about them in order to maintain the status quo or seek vengeance. The book is so horrifying at times, and it is a compelling read just to see what was going to happen next. What trouble would Kelia get herself into? How will she get herself out of it? Or will she be able to get out of it at all? When will Drew show up? Drews is such a complex character; he’s the kind of person I’d like to have my back.
Unfortunately, the book seems to have more than the average number of errors in grammar, punctuation, and usage; this was distracting at times. For instance, a word was randomly capitalized in the middle of a sentence; this word also needed some capitalization around it.
Goddess of Marriage by Fallyn Briggs
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Goddess of Marriage*
Not Easy Being the Host of Hera
We first meet Zach and Helen when they are teenagers learning about Zeus and Hera in Greek history class; they believe themselves to be genuinely in love. It flashes forward to 10 years later when they are married and are parents to a little girl named Cassandra. She is two, and Helen is ready to go back to work, so they’re looking for a nanny but without much success until they interview Sebastian. He has experience taking care of his siblings as well as working as a nanny for three different couples. He’s hired. In his personal life, he’s engaged to Kat and has only recently moved to Elysium.
If you aren’t familiar with this series, characters in it become essentially possessed by the spirits of the ancient Greek gods and goddesses. This inhabitation is typically familial, as it is here for Helen and for the heroine in the previous book of the series. So she and Zach aren’t just Helen and Zach; they also hold within themselves the spirits of Hera and Zeus. These Olympians can make themselves heard in their hosts’ minds as well as make them act out; the hosts pass out and don’t know what has happened. If you’re familiar with the legends and myths of Hera and Zeus, you will understand that Helen and Zack are not having the best relationship.
Along with following Zach and Helen’s relationship, we also follow up Sebastian and Kat’s. He’s quite content to be a nanny, though he has other dreams as well. She is really pushing him to go back to school to learn about business.
I enjoyed the first book of this series, and I enjoyed this one as well. My goodness, Hera and Zeus really put Helen and Zach through so much. Those love-struck teens didn’t stand a chance once the Olympians possessed them. Hera is not happy that Helen is considering divorce. She is the goddess of marriage after all, and she cannot inhabit a divorced woman’s body, and her host must be married to the man who is possessed by Zeus. The drama on all sides made for a good read. The very end of the book was a total shocker that I didn’t see coming. Oh, my gosh! I won’t give it away, but it completely follows from what we know even though it is a surprise.
If you enjoy ancient Greek mythology, you might enjoy this series’ modern spin on it. I quite enjoy watching the gods and goddesses torment these poor humans; it’s cool to see the myths come to life.
Consumed by Magic by Kelli McCracken and Elena Gray
No Universal Book Link
Usually given away in BookFunnel giveaways, so if you are on author newsletters you may run across it
Consumed by Magic*
Short Story Packs in a Lot
Samara is frustrated by a spell. Soon she is distracted, though, by a voice speaking to her in what appears to be Latin. Zander, one of her harem, shows up, and they reconnect—literally. What else will the night hold for her?
For such a short read, this is surprisingly steamy. We meet one of her current harem and one she’s hoping to add—though it could be dangerous as he is a human, not paranormal—as well as her protectors. The writing is tight and descriptive but with a little more profanity and crude words than I like. Still, I think this is a good short to whet your appetite for this series.
Plague of Death by D. L. Armillei
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Plague of Death*
New Challenges and Choices
Van and Paley are back. Van, after all that she went through the previous book, is a different girl than what she was before in many ways, yet still in others, she is that vulnerable and not-always-making-the-best-choice girl that she was back then. She has much to contend with in this book: the fact that she and Brux can’t be together because he’s her protector, her stepmother’s new boyfriend, her guide who pops up at the right moments but talks in riddles, the rougher part of the Living World she is exposed to, and of course, her new mission.
Van is taking her role that she must play for her people very seriously. She’s working hard to train her body and get better control of her mind and emotions. This doesn’t always work. She feels a darkness within herself that she doesn’t like but doesn’t know to handle. She is definitely more serious in this book, though she still acts like a teenager at times, especially when she’s with Paley. This author does seem to have a good insight into the way that a teenage mind works, especially when that teenager has so much going on and so much riding on her. At times, Van takes stupid risks, just like the last book.
While I would definitely recommend that the first book be read before this one, the author does an excellent job of pulling in little facts and tidbits from book one so that if you start with this book, you won’t be at all complete loss. Although to fully understand this very complex society and its two worlds, I would strongly recommend reading the first book before diving into this one.
I look forward to further adventures in this well-built world of realistic characters.
Mermaids Be With You by Jamie Brindle
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Mermaids Be With You*
Funny Send-Up of the Fantasy Genre
If you ever thought that fantasy fiction takes itself too seriously with its world-defining quests and fickle kings and queens, you should read this series. It’s like Monty Python meets Princess Bride. It clearly, and definitely, spoofs the tropes of the fantasy genre. From the offbeat names to the characters’ quirky self-awareness to the strange situations the characters find themselves in, everything (and everyone) is up for ridicule and laughs in this book. I find the book is best taken in small doses. Trying to read it quickly will not allow time before they humor to mellow, and it might get to be a bit much. Some of the interior monologue and self-awareness of the characters is truly funny. The authors clearly enjoy lampooning this genre.
And, yes, tell me more about the Age of Gerbils!
If you’re expecting serious fantasy when you download this book, you will be disappointed. Go into it knowing that it’s firmly tongue-in-cheek, and let yourself just go along for the ride. If you do so, you will most likely enjoy the trip.
Bridge to Eternity Romola Farr
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Bridge to Eternity*
Not Just Any Property… or Place
Audrey decides to buy an old boarding school in the north of England; she’s from the south. The place has been empty for a long time, and she was able to get it at a reasonable price. The realtor wasn’t pleased to get this assignment, as she felt that it would never sell. But it did; Tina feels guilty that she didn’t disclose the place is supposedly haunted. Even as Tina tried to prepare the property for sale, it gave her a creepy feeling. When’s Audrey moves in, we meet a quirky cast of characters from the neighboring area. Audrey finds an old diary that details events of a particular time at the school. Audrey even meets a widower who is of interest to her, but what secrets is he hiding?
I felt this book meandered a bit. The writing could have been tightened. Quite often, I just didn’t feel like much was going on, or I wasn’t sure where a scene was supposed to take me. The book also jumps around a bit in time, which seemed a little confusing on occasion. There is an essential mystery here, but I felt like its resolution was abrupt. The main text takes up about 82% of the book. The rest is the first act of a play that Audrey and Tina supposedly act in.
Shock of Fate by D. L. Armillei
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Shock of Fate*
Girl’s World Not What She Thinks
This book puts you right in the middle of the action immediately, which is always a great way to start a book! Michael Cross, part of an elite group, is out with a rookie doing a little demon hunting. Things go south rather quickly as the newbie puts herself in danger while she believes she is actually protecting an innocent. After this scene with Michael Cross, the book focuses on his fifteen-year-old daughter, Van. She’s celebrating with her friends after the placement ceremony, and after some issues with her boyfriend, she heads home. However, all is not as it should be there. She sneaks around the perimeter of the house and overhears that her father is missing and is believed to have killed some sort of prince. She slips into a ground floor room, her father’s study, and finds a few strange objects, which she takes with her. Most fascinating, perhaps, is a partially charred and singed book full of mysterious writing. The next day, she finds out that she will be going on a special mission for the group that her father works for during her summer break.
Where exactly is this mission? What has happened to her father? Has he really killed someone?
This book was surprising to me in a few ways. I was able to really get into that first scene with the father, the rookie, and the tragedy that followed. So I was surprised that the book took a completely different turn to focus on his teenage daughter, Van. The world of this book is very complex, and the details of it are slowly revealed—both to us as the reader and to Van. The world in which she grew up is so much more than she realized. And she and her father are caught in the maelstrom of what could be a catastrophe for everyone if she doesn’t live up to her destiny. So much was hidden from her growing up. What will it all mean for Van and her future?
Because I read a fair amount of paranormal, regular fantasy, and urban fantasy, I read more than my fair share of YA novels. Often in these books, the teenagers are actually quite mature, more like mini adults. But in this book, Van, Paley, and even Brux are definitely teenagers who don’t yet have the full control of their executive prefrontal cortices. In fact, sometimes the decisions made by the two girls made me just want to give them a firm shake, and say, “Girl, what are you thinking?” they get themselves into so much danger, sometimes unwittingly and sometimes by choice.
Still, the characters in this book, including these teenagers, are well-drawn and multi-dimensional. So much is going on here, both what we can see and what is hinted at under the surface. With great world-building, solid characterization, and a well-paced plot, I found this book to be a compelling read.
Body
A Captive Heart by Thalia Blake
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A Captive Heart*
Childhood Betrothal Becomes Love Match
Princess Avenie is mourning the death of her father when her brother informs her that she is soon to leave the kingdom to wed a prince of another land. Apparently, they have been betrothed since they were children, but this is the first she has heard about it. Theoren, the prince, soon learns about this marriage-to-be as well, and he is not too pleased about it, wishing he had some control over who would become, ultimately, his queen.
The book alternates between Avenie’s and Theoren’s perspectives written in the first person. We see their lives as they begin to intertwine and as they separate. These are two people who had no control over whether they would come together, but a bond begins to form slowly. Unfortunately, the prince is taken away soon before the marriage because of issues with another land that he needs to attend to. What will this mean for Avenie and Theoren?
I love the way the book opened with a brief page that sets the scene about what is happening in Rayterre with gravitas. It puts you in the mind of a fantasy setting right away and gets you immersed in the book. Avenie is such a sympathetic character right away. Her brother treats her terribly and relishes doing so. He is a petty, mean-spirited man. But Avenie is resigned to her fate; could it be much worse than what she already knows? But she will be tested more than she realizes, first in her prince’s realm and then farther away as she tries to take charge of her life in a world where princesses aren’t supposed to do that.
I enjoyed this well-written fantasy novel where the characters grew and changed over the course of the story. Avenie’s and Theoren’s concurrent plotlines are intricate. I love how they danced around each other, bringing the characters together, tearing them apart, and then bring them back together, each now having a completely different perspective on themselves and each other through the trials that they had gone through.
House of Scarabs by Hazel Longuet
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House of Scarabs*
Immersive, Fast-Paced Read that Harkens Back to Ancient Egypt
Ben and Ellie have come to an out-of-the-way bookshop in a small town in England. After a pleasant time, as they’re walking out of the bookstore, they make accidental contact with a man coming in. Immediately, they seem to be transported far away in a strange sphere. They each receive an ancient Egyptian symbol and are then whisked away back to the present. A shadowy group of whom we know nothing seems to know that this has happened, even before the participants debrief, and mobilize to negate the group. Soon, Ben, Ellie, and Gerhardt are in a fight for their very lives that takes them from England to Egypt, all the while trying to understand what precisely has happened to them and what it means.
I read the prequel to this book first, Genesis. I really enjoyed immersing myself into a different and magical culture made real by descriptions of that very different world. The author pulled me into this book right away as well, even in the more familiar surrounding of a bookshop. She has a way of describing things that is very visual, so I can very plainly see both the usual and the unusual, yet the descriptions don’t seem over-wrought. Too often, I see writers who seem to use adjectives and adverbs as a crutch for not being able to find the right word, whereas this writer is able to choose words of all categories that are strong and make the world come alive for the reader with seeming ease. She is even able to make the more magical, otherworldly elements of this book seem wholly real.
This book is fast-paced, and oh, what a ride it is! I became absolutely immersed in its world and was loath to come out. I hope Ms. Longuet has a sequel up her sleeve; I will be one of the first in line to read it.
Finding My Lich by Christina Winds
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Finding My Lich*
Beautiful Love Story Cloaked in Morality Play
Eric is the king of Abaddon who has been tasked with figuring out the way that his banished people will be allowed to be brought back to Earth. He has a portal through which he can go between Earth and Abaddon. He had thought this would be a relatively easy task, but centuries have gone by. He learned some lessons early on, like charity and justice, but others took longer to appreciate. Sands in an hourglass mark this immortal’s progress, and he hasn’t seen any in decades. What pieces of the puzzle is he missing?
This book comes across, and not in a bad way, as a mixture of morality tale and paranormal romance. Eric and Tamara are decent, good-hearted, and kind people who want the best for their worlds. They have different strengths and weaknesses, yet their strengths are intensified when they are together and their weaknesses diminished. It was interesting to watch Eric struggle as he was trying to figure out this big puzzle that has been set before him. He wanted to do right was by his own people, getting them back to a world they had been banished from, and by the humans, with whom he wants to coexist peacefully. The lessons that he learns are lessons that would benefit us to fully appreciate, which is why I call this, at least in part, a morality tale. But it is told with such beauty and elegance that it doesn’t feel like the author is preaching or moralizing. The love story between Eric and Tamara is beautifully rendered. You can truly see how each makes the other into a better version of themselves, in ways that are physical, mental, and spiritual.
The book did have some strange issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage. Some punctuation was left off, like an occasional period, and hyphens were not always used appropriately.
That said, I found this book to be an engaging read, both in the gentle moments and in the more harsh ones. Eric and Tamara are a great couple to follow as they learn about each other, each other worlds, and their true roles within them. It’s hard for me to figure out the precise genre for this, as it has elements of science fiction, romance, and the paranormal. There’s even a touch of suspense as Eric tries to figure out precisely what he is supposed to learn. If you like stories that cross genres like that, you might find this book to be as compelling as I did.
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