Review: Hex You

Hex You by P.C. Cast
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mercy and Hunter are now the protectors of the Gates since their mother was murdered by a demon. These gates lead to different underworlds where creatures of legend and mythology are real. When Mercy and Khenti get trapped in the Ancient Egyptian Underworld, Hunter must determine what needs to be done to get them out. Of course, one catastrophe is not enough. Amphitrite has not been completely defeated and she plans to get revenge on Hunter. Since Hunter is stretched thin with too many magical attacks, the Gates are no longer keeping the creatures at bay. Will Hunter save her twin and the residents of Goodeville? What sacrifices will need to be made along the way?

Hex You is the third book in the Sisters of Salem series. This supernatural novel takes off quickly and does not spend a lot of time rehashing events from the previous books (thank goodness), yet I had no problem following along and quickly remembered who everyone was. This is not a very long book so the twists and turns came regularly and the characters were varied, yet relatable. I believe this is supposed to be a trilogy (and this part of the story is complete), but I can see Cast and Cast creating more stories in this world they created.

View all my reviews

Review: Going Dark

Going Dark by Melissa de la Cruz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Josh is at the airport ready to head home after a wonderful trip to Rome with his girlfriend.  The problem is she has disappeared.  They were having lunch before going to the airport when she suddenly got angry and left.  When he gets home he doesn’t know what to do.  He decides to do nothing … until people begin to wonder if he did something to her.  How do you prove you are innocent when there is no body?  What really happened?

Going Dark is a stand-alone mystery that had me thinking I knew where it was going and left me surprised with the truth.  This is not a jaw-dropping surprise, but it didn’t end with what I was thinking during the first half of the book.  Cruz has stepped out of her normal fantasy genre and has hit a home run with a great escape read that is also a quick read.  I recommend Going Dark to all mystery fans.

View all my reviews

Review: Queen Among the Dead

Queen Among the Dead by Lesley Livingston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Magic has been banned in the kingdom of Eire but the Druid priests are keeping it alive in secret.  Neve is the youngest princess and Ronan is on the path to be a Druid priest.  Their roles may be against each other, but when Eire is threatened they work together in an attempt to have Neve on the throne.  What will Neve learn about magic and herself?  Will the kingdom of Eire survive?

Queen Among the Dead is a stand-alone fantasy adventure that will bring Irish legends to a new set of readers.  I love retold fairytales and legends and was looking forward to this novel, but the final result left me feeling unimpressed.  I’m not sure what was missing, but my mind kept wandering and I had to stop often and try to think about the story to help it make sense to me.  A good read, but shouldn’t be rushed to the top of a TBR list.

View all my reviews

Review: The Stranded

The Stranded by Sarah Daniels
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Forty years after an apocalyptic war, the decedents of the passengers of Arcadia are still on the ship.  Some have a plan to get off the ship and onto the mainland, but many know that they are stuck until their last breath because the residents of Arcadia are not allowed to leave.  Esther is working hard to better herself, but life is not fair and many obstacles are in her way.  Nik wants to liberate the Arcadia and is willing to do anything to break free.  When these two lives cross, the lives of everyone around them are also changed.

The Stranded is the first book in the Stranded series and it isn’t really in one genre.  I would almost say it is a sci-fi adventure, but that doesn’t do it justice either.  The entire time I was reading this book I was thinking about how I would react … how would I behave … what would I do to survive?  This is a series, so there isn’t a clean ending, but readers are not left with a cliffhanger.  I will definitely be looking for book number two next summer.

View all my reviews

Review: The Secret Gift

The Secret Gift by Bethany Atazadeh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jezebel has a secret … she has the Gift of shape-shifting and can’t let anyone know.  Many would want to exploit this gift and others would want to take it away from her.  She knows she needs to keep it hidden, but when one of her friends sees her practicing her Gift, her fears are realized and she is blackmailed into using the Gift for selfish reasons.  What will Jezebel be asked to do?  How will she respond? 

The Secret Gift is the first book in The Queen’s Rise series.  The description asks “WHAT IF THE EVIL QUEEN WAS INNOCENT UNTIL SHE WAS BETRAYED?” and that made me want to read this book, but Jezebel is far from being royalty, let alone the actual queen.  Knowing that “EVIL QUEEN” is in her future, this story was fascinating and fun, but without that one statement, I’m not sure I would know what the purpose of this book was.  I want to see how the next book continues the story to see if it is a true fairytale retelling.

View all my reviews

Review: Lady Reaper

Lady Reaper by Christina Bauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Many readers are already familiar with Myla and Lincoln.  If you aren’t, don’t start with this book; you could, but why would you?  With that being said, Myla and Lincoln are back in their early years and readers discover some missing elements of what shaped these young people into the bad@$$ adults they became.  Myla never shirked a good fight and after she learns that Lady Reaper will be visiting Purgatory’s Annual Lust Festival, she plans to take care of business.  Lincoln is approaching his eighteenth year and he has many obligations being a part-angel prince.  During a mission, he discovers his best friend might be hiding secrets from him and the adventure just flows from there.

Lady Reaper is a prequel novella for the book Reaper Games.  This is also the tenth book in the Angelbound Origins series.  This series is a spin-off of the Angelbound series and the Angelbound Offspring series.  I have read all these books in publication order and it does take some time to keep characters straight, but I enjoy going back in time and learning new nuggets about characters I have been following across so many stories.  This is short and will feel like a teaser to many, but hopefully, when we get Reaper Games, we will fully understand the task at hand.

View all my reviews

Review: Lumara

Lumara by Melissa Landers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Talia does not like Mystics. She believes they are all scammers after one told her she wasn't really sick. When her boyfriend admits he is a Mystic and wants her to meet his family, she decides to try and be open-minded. Talia learns that his family isn't all bad and starts to change her opinion of Mystics until the wedding party goes into a coma and she is blamed. As she tries to prove her innocence, she learns truths about herself and her family that shake her beliefs.

Lumara is a stand-alone fantasy novel that sounds like it would be a captivating read, but in reality was one-dimensional. The last third of the book redeemed the majority and I finished happy I stuck it out. This is a short read, so most readers won't feel frustrated with the overall storyline. I recommend this book for those who need something to read, but not worthy of a TBR list. 

View all my reviews