Nadine Matheson: The Jigsaw Man

In the first book in a series Nadine Matheson show how some cases never really end:  

We are always told that imitation is the best form of flattery, but not when it involves body parts being washed ashore on the River Thanes. DI Henley is just starting back to work in the field after some time off, and this is not what she thought her first day back would look like. She did not think that it would bring her back to the case that caused her to go off work and the the Jigsaw Man, Peter Olivier, would be making a reappearance in her life ever again. But someone is trying to get his attention and using his methods to do it and Henley and her team now have to find and put together the links before more bodies are found.

I love starting a new series and I feel like I have not read a police procedural book in a long time. I was not sure what to expect out of this book, as I have not read anything by Matheson before but I remember this book being all the rage a few years ago but I have not heard much about this series since. As this was the first book in a series, you always need to get a feel for the characters you are reading about. You understand that they have history before this book and you are seeing them as they are now, but I felt like there was a whole other book before this one as events that happened previously are referenced multiple times throughout the book especially at the beginning in a way that felt more like i had missed something major along the way. This makes this book read more like a second book in a series instead of a first one.It does get better with not feeling this way the farther you read into it, I was just put off a bit at the beginning because of this.

I enjoyed and appreciated how Matheson let the investigation(s) unfold in this book. Matheson showed that not every lead was going to be the one they needed or take them where the investigators thought it would lead. Investigations hit dead ends and a promising lead can lead to nothing or even something that they could use. I liked that Matheson understood circumstantial evidence and that this was not enough to charge a person and that they needed more.

While we did not get the first case that featured Olivier we certainly see the affects he has had on DI Henley. I think that Matheson did a good job showing some of the affect of PTSD as well as Henley's will and desire to just push through it all and do her job even to the detriment of her mental health and her family life. DI Henley is a complicated character at times, her desire her passion for the job is admirable but the toll it takes on her is not. It is interesting see the other side of the coin with the female officer and the Husband taking point of caring for their child and the resentment he feels towards her and her job for the time it take her away from the family. I think that Henley's home life is portrayed pretty accurately in this book and while I do not agree with all the decisions Hadley makes, I did like her as a character as she felt her portrayal was very real.

There are a few disturbing chapters, that are short, that are told from the killer and/or victim POV when they are doing the killing or being killed. They are not overly descriptive but Matheson does enough for someone to get the uncomfortable feelings about what is being done. 

I did end up really enjoying this book even after a somewhat slow/confusing start of this book relying a bit too heavy on past events. However once you're in it you’re in it and the twists and turns keep coming till the end. I look forward to continuing on in the series.

Enjoy!!!

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Madeline Miller: Circe

Madeline Miller brings to life one of the lesser-known Greek Goddess, Circe:

The mightiest of the Titans, Helios, another daughter is born to him and is named Circe. However, Circe is a strange child, not strong like her father or beautiful like her mother, but Crice is much more, more than she knows but she will shake the foundations of the Titans and Gods. Zeus feels so threatened that Circe is banished to live on a deserted island, but this allows her to hone her craft and be more powerful than any of them thought she could be,

This is the first book that I have read by Miller and granted she has not released many books, and I have not read many Greek Mythology books, but man did Miller have me invested in Circe and her story. I will be first to admit I did not know who Circe was in Greek mythology, other than the Main Gods this is not in my wheelhouse of knowledge. I feel like Miller did a great job at the beginning in setting up who Circe is and where she came from and what she was searching for within her eternal life.

Although Circe is a Goddess, and you feel her search for wanting other to love her and not be alone, but she also had the very human trait of curiosity. It is this curiosity that transforms Circe not only from a Goddess but something more, a Witch. And this is something to be feared above all else and by everyone human or God.

I found the chapters long but each chapter seemed to represent a certain time/event in Circe’s life and I am not sure why Miller mainly delineated them by chapters instead of maybe doing different parts. This would allow for shorter chapters which is what I prefer.

As she lives for centuries, I found that certain times or events felt glossed over, as this book could have been twice as long if Miller had not done this. But as someone who did know really know who Circe was and the Lore around her I wanted more. I could have read a book that was twice as long as this one as I was fascinated with the story.

I really enjoyed this story that Miller presented even though i did not know about Circe herself. I think it is a book that can be enjoyed by those who love Greek mythologies and by those of us that do not know much about it.

Enjoy!!!

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Rebecca Yarros: Onyx storm

In the third book in the series, Rebecca Yarros shows the lengths one will go to protect those they love:

Time is an uncertainty at Basgiath College but also for Violet, Xadan and all those that had sided with them. Enemies are closing in on them on all sides both within Basgiath (those who don’t think what they did was the right thing) as well as the Venin Traveling farther and farther into their borders. Both Violet and Xadan know that they have tough times and tough choices ahead of them but will they be able to rise and make the right choices when the time comes.

What does one say about the third book in a series? Is it often someone’s favourite (I can only think of two series I have read where the third is my favourite) and I feel like this book suffers from a third book phenomenon of, Did anything really happen in this book? This book very much feels like a filler book in this series where it is setting things up to come, with hidden tidbits throughout. Is this to say I did not enjoy the book, No. I did enjoy the book and I am still invested in the story and characters but reading it I felt like a lot of the book was unnecessary.

This book became about side characters that I did not really remember or pay attention to all that much and had Google to figure out who they were and what they could do. I did not like this aspect. It seems to me that Yarros expects the reader to remember everything about all the secondary and tertiary characters but she does not dedicate any time to them, other than that first meeting.

I did enjoy that Xaden and Violet seem to have fixed their communication with each other, for the most part. And I enjoyed the banter they had with each other. I feel like although things are a bit fucked up after the events of Iron Flame, it also seemed to bring their relationship to a better place. They still try to protect each other more than they should rather than trusting each other but vast improvement from the first two.

I feel that you know how part of this book is going to end as Yarros makes no secret of it and give multiple hints throughout the book. So most of the ending was not a surprise.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, am I pissed at it too? Also yes, as I wanted more, more than just a filler book, but this will not stop me from continuing on in the series.

Enjoy!!!

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Liv Zander: Feathers so Vicious

In the first of a series, Liv Zander shows what happens when a women is just a pawn in a war:

Galantia has never felt love, never felt wanted in her own family. Her mother hates her, her father mainly avoids her and other than her maid she has no companions. Now she has figured out her value, she is to be a pawn and sold off to marry the Prince, to strengthen the alliance between them and finally be able to end the war against the Ravens. But the Ravens have other plans, they have seen that Galantia is important person in this war and they will do whatever it takes to get her, keep her and if need be destroy her.

This is the first book I have read by Zander and it will not be the last, minus the fact I NEED to read the next book in this series, Zander knows how to not only get you invested in the characters but an interesting plot, story and spice. Now with all that said this book is DARK, and not just a touch dark, it is probably one of the darkest romances that I have read (I will admit I have not read a lot). You will need to check your trigger warning for this book and take them seriously.  if you are looking for Emotional Damage then this book is for you.

I have not read many books where the shifters are birds and not just one bird for several birds and each bird represents a different part of the person and their power. Due to the fact that one changes into several birds, if one bird is killed does not mean that the person dies. It was also interesting the different forms of powers that they birds were afforded, and not all were battle related. From the ability to wield shadows, see the future, be a pathfinder there were also more subtle forms of magic like being a fabric weaver. 

I loved that this had three POV, felt like I really got to know the characters more, but Malyr is still very much a mystery to me, but I think that Zander does this on purpose for what he had suffered. You really get to know Galantia the best in the book as she is much more open as a character and is very honest in her search for acceptance and love. 

If you are looking for a book that will give you emotional damage look no further than this book, you will have some many feelings throughout this book and many of them are not happy ones. I will say that I predicted one part of the ending, but this did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

I don’t think you can end this book and not need to pick up the other. I personally liked how Zander wrote this dark romance and not so much in the spiciness in the book but along the lines of the plot and what each character has suffered.

Enjoy!!!

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Rachel Harrison: Such Sharp Teeth

Rachel Harrison shows what happens going from human to werewolf in a modern world:

Rory never wanted to return to her hometown, she thought she had put the place behind her and the memories along with it. But her twin sister Scarlett is pregnant and wanting her help as she is now estranged from the babies father. For Scarlett Rory would do anything. While on a night out, Rory runs into an old friend who has always had feelings for her and Rory thinks what if? While driving home that night she hits a large animal with her vehicle. When she goes out to investigate suddenly Rory is now the prey and finds herself in the woods and bitten. When Rory wakes up in the hospital, she is happy to be alive but things do not feel right. She's changing, changing into something else, something new, something that shouldn't exist.

I was not sure what to expect with this book as i have not Harrison before. I will say that in order to enjoy this book you need to like books that are more character driven than plot driven. This book is very much an exploration of Rory coming to terms of now being a werewolf and what that entails, the good, the bad and the downright ugly. I appreciate that Harrison did not make being a werewolf glamorous (other than some amazing hair and super strength). Rory's transformation is pretty gory, with just enough description of being disturbing and have you cringe a bit here and there. Also what happens after the night of the full moon is not fun either.

Rory is reluctantly back in a town that she does not make a habit of visiting and basically tells everyone she fled this place for something more. Rory is trying to not only figure out herself but also this new self that she is at and I cannot think of a worst time to start dating. Trying to date in regular life is hard enough, then trying to do it after being bitten by a werewolf adds a whole new level. But Rory handles it as well as I think all of us would, panicking and binge eating certain foods (though in Rory's case it is A Lot of Protein).

Not sure if it was just me but i liked the juxtaposition between Rory becoming a werewolf and Scarlett being pregnant, as both were stating the same things about changing bodies and their bodies feeling like they don’t belong to them anymore. Only for Scarlett, she will no longer be pregnant as some point, but still her life and body will be forever changed.

I was also able to figure out who the werewolf was / who bit Rory.

This was a good read and i enjoyed going along with Rory as she tries to figure out how to be a werewolf in the modern world. I would read another book by Harrison.

Enjoy!!!

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Kate Alice Marshall: A Killing Cold

Kate Alice Marshall takes readers on a journey of a woman who doesn't know who she is:

Theodora Scott cannot remember anything before she was 4 years old. All she remembers after that is that she was not a good child and that she was not worthy of love. Theo has been searching for it ever since. When Theo and Connor have a whirl wind romance that leads to an engagement, Connor tells Theo that she has to be accepted by his wealthy family as well. At an isolated winter retreat, Theo begins to remember things of her past, memories she thought were long lost. But there are secrets in this family and those who will go to any lengths to keep them hidden.

I have enjoyed the previous Marshall books that I have read and this is no exception. This book had me hooked from the beginning. Give me a domestic suspense where everyone has secrets they are trying to hold on to, plus an isolated place where anything can happen and you have me sold in reading the book.  I think that Marshall did a great job with the mystery aspect as to how Theo's mom passed away and who was responsible. I was guessing quite a bit on this aspects as the plot was unfolding.

I felt invested in Theo right from the beginning. Her questions about who she is and where she came from and then being thrown in to meeting a family that is well about her socially and financially is one that would stress anyone out. The pointed questions some of the people ask her is horrible and just shows how much people will believe what they want to believe no matter the circumstances. None of the side characters are really likeable especially when they interact with Theo, even Connor has times when i don’t really like him and his insistence on being there with his family.

I found the book a little drawn out, we know who Theo is, but her letting others know that she has discovered something important in her past takes quite a few chapters. And I just felt like getting on with it.

Another book I really enjoyed by Marshall and she is fast becoming an author i look for in the domestic suspense/thriller genre. I look forward to see what she comes out with next.

Enjoy!!!!

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