Review: Dark Triumph

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this book from net galley for an honest review.

Dark Triumph is the second book in his fair Assassin. I have to say this is my favorite book thus-fair. I didn't like Ismae's book, I had trouble finishing as it was just boring and making me dislike the character. But Sybella was a character that I was interested in the first book and her book didn't fail me. The first couple of chapters are slow but it does pick up as we get into her past and learn why she was such a wild child when we first met her.

There is romance between Sybella and the Beast, but we've learned that the beast isn't as horrible as his name sounds or as people think of him. He isn't the normal handsome guy but he is a kind person and tries to protect Sybella in many ways, yet lets her protect herself as well. He doesn't try to control her and he accepts Sybella for who and what she is.

The book flows rather well as long as you get past the couple of chapters. The character's have a great dynamic, and mesh well compared to what I felt for the first one.

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Review: A Wounded Realm

A Wounded Realm by K.M. Ashman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this book from net galley for an honest review.

This book was a different type of read for me as it's historical mediaval fiction. Even with all the characters the plot was thought out well and different twists and turns. The writing is well done and everything flows smoothly. The characters each have their own story, and it's not a dull moment with the group that you get to read about. Mr. Ashman did a great job in keeping everything straight and not having things confusing or making you feel things were out of place. I didn't read the first one and was still able to understand what was going on. This book is one that I'll pick up again to read.

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Review: Dragon Soul

Dragon Soul by Diana Green
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

This takes place several years after Dragon Warrior and features Hathos (Nyssa's and Hathir son) and Valla. While at first we meet Hathos and this adventure begins with him and goes on his journey with his powers it also shows Valla a warroir she-dragon, who doesn't seem to have any skills as special as Hathos. You're getting Hatho's story and Valla combinded into one book and it's done very well. We also get to know more about the sorcerer Vadin. Who froze the dragons and put them into deep sleep, and why he has such a hatred for them. Taking the adventure further Valla has to work with Vadin who hates dragons, and Valla has to try and trust the man who hurt her friend. Valla shows how she's more than just a warrior, she's gentle, kind, and loyal to her word. While Vadin has valid reasons to hate the dragons he knew he decided to harden his heat till he meets Valla and has to work with her. He finds himself wanting to seek redemption and have a second chance with Valla even though he's human.

The pace of the story is steady, you're simply reading wanting more with each page you turn. Ms Green's writing keeps you entertained, and flows easily between Valla and Hathos as their journey separated and was able to keep going without it feeling disjointed.

I enjoyed this one more than I dragon warrior. Valla is someone I can relate to and made the book enjoyable for me. I love how she's quirky and trying to figure out her feelings and denying them at the same time. I loved this book, and knowing the history of Hathos' life made things a little easier knowing where Valla came from.

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Review: Broken Monsters

Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Copy of book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This thriller sort of threw me for a loop. I'm use to movie thrillers and psychological twists so this was a different experience in reading one. I'm still not too sure of how I enjoyed the book but the writing was well put together and flowed nicely. It does give you that creepy thrill of reading a Serial Killer novel. The story is written in different POV's from the Killer to the Detective, to the detective's daughter, and a blogger/journalist wanna-be and a homeless man. While switching to the POV's is done well it is also a bit annoying with some of the characters. There are character's you'll be annoyed with and some you'll love.

With the start you've got the typical Creepy serial killer who believes he's being controlled by evil. His mental stability isn't there and he believe's he's creating art with glueing a boy's top half with a deer's bottom half. You get some detective work and there are some sub-side stories along with the main case. I wasn't thrilled with the Pedophile side story, it seems like it was just put in there to add more pages to the book. The plot requires full attention and not half of it, and is not rushed. Part of me feels that it was a bit drawn out with all the POVS as your going around but I possibly didn't give the full attention to this book as I should of. The ending has an intense climax but it leaves you feeling unfulfilled. It gives you the ending of "think of it as you want" type of thing whether it is supernatural or not. It keeps you thinking and though I love movies they usually give you some sort of coverage for your psyche and this didn't.

As I said, the writing is well done, and flows wonderfully. It just wasn't what I expected with a thriller and perhaps I'll have to take a second look at it when I have more time to give it a bit more extensive look.

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Review: Angels' Blood

Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was recommended to try this series out to see if it would help me get back into reading. I have to say I loved this book, and the characters. The main character Elena reacts to things as any human would, and she grows so much and has the emotions that move you. Nalini gives you characters that are brought to life and it's not that their just words on a page, you can see the characters alive. The emotions are real that come off the pages and you're right there with Eli as she's trying to solve this mess and the pull she feels for the Archangel Raphael.

Raphael the Archangel of Manhattan, he's known for being kind but also very strict and doesn't deal with betrayal. He's beautiful in very way as if he was sculptured and there was no imperfection but at the same time his power waves off him that makes him a deadly force.

Elena is a hunterborn, who is able to track vampires easier than others and has heighten scenes. She's very strong and doesn't like being told what to do in her hunts. She takes things seriously and likes to push Raphael to the limit at times. This usually leads her to having confrontations and getting on the bad side of Raphael as he isn't use to someone not listening to him. Their relationship grows as we go deeper into the things of the Angels and learn about them. They have a secret that they need to keep and will do whatever it's

Elena likes pushing Raphael's buttons and Raphael is trying to figure out the guild hunter and his emotions with her. While yes, this is a love story it's also adventures and tracking and it grips them closer to one another. While they are cleaning up messes of an Angel, Elena battles her own past that seems to try and catch up to her. There are a lot of twists and we get to meet some of Raphael's seven and just how loyal they are to Raphael. The end turns tables as it has a big twist and opening for the second book and I don't want to spoil it but it's a real game changer. I love how everything ties together and it's not left leaving you clueless or having more questions than answers.

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Review: Dark Rising

Dark Rising by Monica McGurk
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Copy of book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


Dark Rising is the second book to Monica’s Archangel Prophecies Trilogy. I have to say my opinion about how angels are have been set in a certain way and may affect how I view this book’s angels. The book was a fairly fast read for a young adult romance it was alright. The way the Archangel Michael acted seemed to bother me, he was like a teenage boy trying to figure out if he loved someone or didn’t. Instead of an angel who had a duty to do and to try and figure it out.

The main character Hope is different and tied with emotions that make her very contradictory. She just wants this trip over searching for her ‘quest’ she loves Michael but wants him to suffer for him burning her skin. She doesn’t know how to deal with her feelings about Michael. It’s in between love, fear, and anger and they all come and go sometimes with a flip of a page. While her development seems a bit stunted by her obsession with her teenage love of the Archangel.

The plot brings you up to speed of what happened in the previous book, and takes you on the journey to Istanbul to France and back and forth. You meet Enoch and Raphael who doesn’t care for hope and Enoch treats her like a child he use to have. The story leads to the growth and fighting between angels and the dark ones and the humans.

While you see the pain that Hope’s family deals with as Hope has vanished and no one knows what happened. They think she’s been taken by a sex slave ring instead of on a mission from ‘God’. Her parents are divorced and both are suspects in her kidnapping at first then it seems she may have been taken by a sex traffic ring. It sends her parents into more worry about how to live and the father starts to reflect more on the bible relating it to his daughter. By the end of it the dark ones think they have won the battle when it seems to be a reflection of Christs death but with Michael taking Christs place and allowing those ‘Dark’ angels to be forgiven. With the world in chaos Hope makes it to authorities and is traumatized and gets home. Her mother saddened by her ex-husband’s loss has trouble getting back into a normal life.

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Review: Grave Mercy

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Only giving this 3 stars because I wasn't able to be dragged into it. This is the story about 17 year old Ismae. We see her father who has no love for her sell her to her future husband. Before he has time to bed with her she escapes and is taken to St. Mortain's convent. St. Mortain is the god of death and is taught in how to become an assassin. Her first job is done without much of a hitch and she doesn't fear it like she thought. All of the girls are considered the daughter of Mortain and each have a special gift. Ismae after her first kill is tossed into protecting the duchess of Brittany and in doing that has to live in the noble court one where she doesn't like being in. She also finds herself falling for the man she is suppose to be watching yet she has a distinct hate for all men due to her father and husband.

It was very hard to get through this book, the first couple of chapters were boring and some things left out. You were wondering if you had missed something or not when a character had things on or not. The Heroine wasn't all that great as certain things seemed to make sense and she didn't seem to catch on till later. I think the development of the main character wasn't as developed as it should of been or some things she should of known by her training for three years. It felt as if she wasn't ready to go out and do her job with how she acted. It does go into political and historical statues yet it wasn't as gripping as I had hoped it was. I'm all for historical aspects of things but this was not one of those times I enjoyed it.

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