Category: Book Review
Andromeda’s Fall by Abigail Owen
(Cover picture courtesy of Masquerade Tours.)
Mountain lion shifters have allied into ten groups called Dares which together form the Shadowcat Nation. A rocky alliance at best, its success is vital to their survival against other species of shifters who threaten their very existence.
Andie Reynolds is being hunted. After witnessing her mother’s violent death at the hands of a pack of wolf shifters, Andie has devoted her life to protecting her community of cougar shifters from a similar fate. But now, a greater threat lies within her own dare, and she must run. If she stays, Kyle Carstairs will try to force their Mating, seeking the added power their union would provide.
Andie would rather chew off her own foot than end up with Kyle. Though, knowing him, she won’t live long either way. Andie’s only hope of survival is to Mate the Alpha of the Keller Dare with which she is seeking asylum. But before she can get to him, Andie must first go through A.J., one of the Alpha’s Protectors. The incredibly frustrating shifter insists on challenging her story, her skills, her trust… and her heart.
Andie is running out of options and out of time. But risking the life of someone she loves – just to save herself – goes against every instinct she has.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through the Andromeda’s Fall blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
I was quite pleasantly surprised by Andromeda’s Fall. It was my first real shapeshifter book so I didn’t quite know what to expect but I’m definitely pleased with how the book turned out.
First off, the characters are awesome. Andie is probably one of my favourite heroines in paranormal romance because she’s just an incredible woman. She’s a high-ranking female in a world where high-ranking females are few and far between. At the same time, not many people recognize and/or respect her power. They still see her as just a woman in her old dare, which is why I like how Andie is allowed to show her real self in the Keller Dare. Her uncertainty of her position in the new dare as well as her growing feelings for A.J. certainly make things interesting plot-wise. But the thing I liked most about Andromeda’s Fall is how she slowly comes to realize that the Keller Dare is her new home and that maybe, just maybe, she’s found where she really belongs.
The world-building in this book was excellent. I like how Abigail Owen had the characters maintain some of their cat-like personalities while in human form. Cougar shifters don’t like being cooped up and they certainly prefer their own company in human form, creating just that extra bit of tension for the novel. Not a lot of authors do this, but I liked how there was just a brief one page introduction to the history of the formation of the cougar dares before the novel even started. It wasn’t an info-dump, but rather it gave us important background information that was just enough to get the story started. I don’t think an intro like that should be used often, but it definitely worked for this book.
The plot was incredibly fast-paced considering that this novel was largely character-driven. Abigail Owen played A.J. and Andie off each other well, heightening the character tension while at the same time, having external forces try to keep them apart. By the end you’re really wondering whether they’re going to end up together or not, but I won’t spoil the ending by telling you how it turns out. I will tell you, however, that the ending is very satisfying.
In short, even if paranormal romances aren’t really your thing, you’ll probably like Andromeda’s Fall. This was an excellent book and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the series plays out.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
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As a bonus for the tour there’s a giveaway for a $40 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash! It’s open internationally. All you have to do is click the Rafflecopter link below to get started on entering. But hurry! The giveaway ends on April 7.
Amplified by Alexia Purdy
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Who wants to be the prey in a world full of hunters?
In the aftermath of the end of her world, April Tate decides that it’s high time to leave the city that never sleeps, Las Vegas. After learning the origins of a Zompire Plague remedy, she risks her life to steal the antidote, makes the decision to separate from Jeremy for a while, and joins a small band of new and old comrades on a trip to the Pacific Coast. There they search out a legendary hive of vampires who are more than just wild, blood drinking creatures, they could be the very people she needs to help her.
On a mission to save the last of humanity, April will use the antidote to save some from eternal damnation, but will her decision bring hope for the future or create an ever bigger, unforeseen devastation?
[Full disclosure: Alexia Purdy provided me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]
I never quite know what to expect from Alexia Purdy but it’s usually good. Amplified was no exception. It was amazing!
April is a very changed person. She’s found the best friend she thought was dead, is blood-bonded to Christian (her former enemy) and is determined to find the cure for the vampire plague that’s devastated her entire world. Looking back on who she was in the first book, April has changed quite a bit. She has to learn to let go of her mother, who committed suicide and she must do the same with her little brother because he wants to stay in the underground human city. It’s time for her to grow up and move out and a lot of the book focuses on that as she journeys to find her way in a world that has been turned upside down.
The plot was very fast-paced, more so than the first two books in the series. You have April seeking a cure at Christian’s old colony and then her travelling elsewhere. There’s danger around every corner with Ferals and other nasty things lurking about. Alexia Purdy rarely lets the pace drop and when she does it’s only so you can catch your breath before she throws the next plot twist at you. It’s very intense and I honestly couldn’t put my Kindle down until I finished.
I liked how April’s world expanded throughout the novel. We get to travel to different places and see how badly they were hit by the plague. We get to see other parties vying for a cure and still others trying to suppress a cure at all costs. There are some very important moral questions brought up and I like how at the end there’s still some ambiguity surrounding whether or not to release a cure into the world. Have we seen the last of some of these important questions? Absolutely not! There’s still a long way to go and I know April will rise to face any challenges that come her way.
A kick-butt protagonist, excellent world-building, a fast-paced plot and some very interesting moral dilemmas make Amplified my favourite book in the Reign of Blood series so far. I can’t wait for book 4!
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Reborn in Shadow by Cynthia Luhrs
(Cover picture courtesy of Cynthia Luhrs’ site.)
A GHOST GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE…
Hamish Campbell committed so many sins he’d lost track of them all. The worst? Murdering his brother in a fit of rage. Granted another chance by the god of Shadow, Lord Campbell joins the Shadow Walker brotherhood.A WOMAN FULL OF LIGHT…
Anna Duncan is goodness personified, casting warmth on everyone she encounters. A chance encounter throws everything she knows upside down when she meets a man with haunted eyes. When a murderer sets his sights on Anna, she realizes the line between good and evil isn’t black and white but made up of varying shades of gray.OUT OF DARKNESS, HOPE RISES
Though death draws them together, Hamish has too many secrets. If he’s not careful those secrets may spell the ruin of humanity and cost him the only woman he’s ever truly loved.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.]
I honestly didn’t expect to like Hamish. His actions make him an evil, cheating, lying, brother-killing traitor so why on earth would he be brought back from the dead 400 years later to be one of the good guys? And yet Hamish seems to have changed. He really does regret all the actions and events leading up to his murder of Colin. His horrible childhood really doesn’t excuse his actions toward his own brother, but I am definitely more sympathetic toward him than I was before. I feel like I can understand what led to his jealousy of Colin and his affair with Abigail.
The characters in this one were wonderful. Hamish goes through a very powerful personal journey of forgiveness, proving that with a little help no one is beyond redemption. Anna is a little naive and sweet but her refusal to see the bad things in the world reminds me of a friend of mine. Yes, she’s rather naive, but it’s realistically so and her views on humanity do change slightly the more she’s with Hamish. Even if the rest of the novel was awful, Cynthia Luhrs’ characters would be enough reason to read it.
The rest of the novel is not awful, thankfully. I found the plot was much more fast-paced than the previous books in part because of the rising tensions between Shadow Walkers and Day Walkers are reaching the boiling point. Dayne and Thorne are at each others’ throats and we really learn the importance of Draken being introduced in Desired by Shadow. There’s actually a greater, overarching plan for the series rather than just a bunch of vaguely connected romances that end with each book. Cynthia Luhrs ends this one on such a cliffhanger that I can’t wait for Embraced by Shadow.
I love how she also expanded on the world of Shadow Walkers and Day Walkers. We learn a little more about Draken and Fury as well as the fae. It was interesting to see things from Thorne’s point of view as he’s tormented by the apparition he believes is the long-lost love he killed in a jealous rage. I don’t fully understand his reasons for bringing Hamish back but it seems they’ll be fully revealed in the next novel. For now the explanation presented in Reborn in Shadow is satisfying.
If you’ve loved the series so far, you’ll love Reborn in Shadow as well. Hamish will surprise you, I guarantee!
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Novella: Iced in Shadow by Cynthia Luhrs
(Cover picture courtesy of Wicked Green Smoothies.)
Beware… there’s a nasty spirit threatening to ruin Christmas. Come spend the holiday at Ravensmore Castle with your favorite Shadow Walkers. Iced in Shadow may be read standalone. It takes place after Desired by Shadow.
If you enjoy persnickety gods, supernatural creatures and ghosts with the ability to manifest physical bodies, then try Iced in Shadow.
[Full disclosure: Cynthia Luhrs contacted me and asked me to review her novella after seeing my reviews of the first two books in the series. She provided me a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.]
Most novellas in series don’t actually add anything to the series. They’re just sort of a slice-of-life of the characters that can be read as a standalone novella or are just rehashings of events already covered in the previous novel(s). This is not the case in Iced in Shadow! It’s not necessary to read before Reborn in Shadow (book 3) but it does some really important setting up for the novel that gives it a little more depth.
Hamish, Colin’s brother that quite deliberately caused his downfall, is back as a Shadow Walker. How does such a villain get to fight on the side of good, the side that protects humans? Is he really all that evil in the first place? I won’t spoil too much but I have to say that maybe things aren’t as straightforward as they seemed in regards to Hamish’s character from the first two novels. He’s more complicated than I thought and it adds quite a bit of depth to someone who’s shaping up to be a very three dimensional character.
Also unlike a lot of novellas, this one actually has a plot. There’s a very deliberate reason behind writing this and I loved the surprise ending. I don’t want to give too much away again but let me just say there’s going to be some family in-fighting in Reborn in Shadow because of the confrontation at the end of this novella. I also think there will be a little more romantic tension between our two Shadow Walkers and their wives because of the events that take place here.
Yes, this can be read as a standalone but you will get so much more out of it after you read Lost in Shadow and Desired by Shadow. It really builds on the story and it makes me even more eager to get a start on the third book, Reborn in Shadow.
I give this novella 5/5 stars.
Third Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn
(Cover picture courtesy of The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment.)
The Third Daughter of the Queen wants her birthday to arrive so she’ll be free to marry for love, but rumors of a new flying weapon may force her to accept a barbarian prince’s proposal for a peace-brokering marriage. Desperate to marry the charming courtesan she loves, Aniri agrees to the prince’s proposal as a subterfuge in order to spy on him, find the weapon, and hopefully avoid both war and an arranged marriage to a man she does not love.
Third Daughter is the first book in the The Dharian Affairs Trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter). This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance that takes place in an east-Indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue. And, of course, kissing.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I almost didn’t pick Third Daughter to request because the cover gave me the impression it would be a stereotypical Bollywood sort of novel with no real substance. Still, the blurb was good enough that I decided to ignore the cover and give it a chance. And honestly, thank goodness I did!
I’ll be honest with you guys in that I really haven’t read much steampunk. It was only really last year that I actually picked up my first steampunk novel. Still, I absolutely loved the world-building in Third Daughter. It’s set in an Eastern-flavoured world on the verge of an industrial revolution. Many courts like the ones in Dharia favour the old-fashioned styles of dress with corsets and starched skirts, but at the same time there are things similar to handheld computers for long-distance communication and airships. It’s a time of upheaval as new weapons are being created and the kingdoms engage in subtle power plays for supremacy. Really, Susan Kaye Quinn couldn’t have chosen a better time as a setting for her fantasy world.
The characters are wonderful. I absolutely loved Aniri. She’s sort of your typical rebellious princess in the beginning but when she agrees to go on a mission for her mother you really get the feeling that she also cares about her country. Aniri isn’t selfish, even if helping her country means leaving behind the courtesan she loves and pretending to be engaged to a ‘barbarian’ prince. She and Ash (the aforementioned prince) develop slowly over the novel and their feelings for each other become more and more complicated as emotion gets in the way of duty. There’s a lot of romantic tension in this novel but it’s not a romance novel per se.
The plot was truly wonderful. I loved the twists and turns that kept me guessing right up until the end. I sort of knew who was behind the big airship plot but it turns out I was only half right. That’s the thing about Third Daughter: it keeps you guessing and just when you think you’ve figured everything out, Susan Kaye Quinn throws you for a loop.
Even if you’re not the biggest steampunk fan out there, I’d definitely recommend Third Daughter. It has great characters, is set in a well built fantasy world and the plot is fast-paced and unpredictable. You can’t ask for more.
I give this book 5/5 stars.