Laurie Forest: The Shadow Wand

In The Shadow Wand, Laurie Forest shows that you cannot hide from who you are forever or those around you will seek to control you or kill you:

As the third book in a series, please don't read below as there will be spoilers for what has occurred and you really need to read the first two books in this series to understand the dynamics of this world, characters and the relationships that they have.

By book three in a series I really feel like this is a make of break point for me as to whether I will continue on, and I definitely will. This book was really good and very fast pace throughout but that did not take away from the very important events that occurred within this book. This book was truly heartbreaking throughout and just when you think Forest has broken  your heart enough nope she goes in for another kill. Although the pacing was good throughout the book, I did find that the book lacked suspense at times but i think that this is due to the training 

Elloren really grew in this book. She realizes she can no longer be passive and in the dark when it comes to to confronting evil. You know she has a long and hard road ahead of her but she now actually seems up for that challenge. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Lucas and Elloren and the relationship that they create together. They are both in hard spots but the dedication they have to each other and what it right was lovely. 

I loved that Forest had some additional POV through the book as our heroes are scattered through the empire. It was great to see how things were going for other and how their relationship to Elloren really was affecting whether they were accepted or not. Though i do hope we get a POV for Rafe in the next boo. I personally felt his absence in this one.

This third book was a whirlwind and I was here for it. The chapters were a bit long so it made it hard to find a place to stop when I was forced to put it down. I can’t wait to see where Forest takes the plot and characters of this series. Highly recommended series.

Enjoy!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out:

    

Margo Smythe: Retrograde

 

Margo Smythe takes readers to a dystopian world where one will go to any lengths for revenge.

I love the dystopian genre, especially when the author goes on the darker side of things and I was really excited to read this book and I was into this book, plot world and characters until I wasn't. I enjoyed the world and political overtaking that Smythe has. I enjoyed the capturer/captive aspect and the hate that they have for each other (really him more than her) but some how along the way I feel like Smythe lost her way and who the characters are as well as if felt rushed.

The world that Smythe has created is a bleak one, but nothing really new in the dystopian genre. Those in power are hungry for more of it and will do anything to achieve it. We mainly see what they have done through the back story POV for both Aron and Riley and it is not pretty. And the world has suffered, there are areas that are so badly contaminated that people cannot go near them or they die. It has become a very much a scavenger culture of those outside of power.

This will be a first for me when reading in this genre but I felt like we got to know Aron more than Riley. Don't get me wrong Smythe does a good job with Riley's backstory but I just felt like more effort was put in to creating Aron as a character and I was here for it. Normally it is the FMC who shines in these types of books but for me this book was all about Aron. He was such a verging on black MMC and they way he would put fear into the enemy is first class. I just wish that Aron's character Arc was better and didn't stray from who he actually was.

I thought the additional of Riley being a photographer in order to show the horror's of the war and what was really happening on the battlefields was unique and well done. It is often through these means of media that people really see what is happening, especially the atrocities so I think it was fitting for Riley to have this profession.

While I stated above that this book was on the darker side of things, I think there were times when Smythe could have pushed the envelope a little further, but that is more a personal preference than anything. If you are going to tell me this book is dark then I want dark but what is dark to one person may not be dark to me.

So this book was good, but I think it suffers when it comes to the characters in the latter part of the book as well as the ending. The ending felt rushed and like Smythe just wanted to get it done. I believe this is going to be a series and I am on the fence whether I would continue on.

Cheers!!!!

Instead of This,

Check These Books Out:

    

Kelley Armstrong: Writing Mr. Wrong

 

In Writing Mr. Wrong, Kelley Armstrong asks the question, Would you use someone from your life to feature in a story you are writing?

If you have been around here for awhile you will know that I am a BIG fan of Kelley Armstrong. I love her writing style and they way she presents each of her stories. She writes in multiple genre, but this is the first time that I have read something by her in the romance one. This was a fun, cute, easy read that had Armstrong's strong writing ability to draw a reader in.

Gemma is a relatable and likeable character. Though she, in a way, is stuck in the past with her still feeling hurt from high school with what Mason did to her, I like that she was able to channel those feelings into her writing. I did want more from her though, I mean she is in her mid thirties, still stinging over something that happened in High School and especially when it came with dealing with her ex and the whole book scandal. I wanted retribution, and just felt like I never really got it.

Mason is a Hockey play MMC, who is trying to learn from the things that he did wrong in the past. You can see him struggle once he realizes how Gemma saw him and what occurs in the book she wrote. He actually is very reflective as a character (something you don't always see in an MMC) and wants to not only do right by Gemma but make things better for her and himself.

This book had a lot of the tropes that I enjoy, hockey romance, fake dating, great banter, second chance and no third act. And just overall is a cute read, that has you rooting for the romance between the two main characters. Now that I have read one romance book by Armstrong, I'll try her other ones as well.

Enjoy!!!!

If You Like This,

Check These Out Too: