Emilia Hart: The Sirens

Emilia Hart is back with another take on a mythological creatures, the Sirens:

In 2019, Lucy awakes with her hands wrapped around, a man's neck, a man that she thought she could trust. Horrified with what she had done, and what was being said about her, Lucy flees to New South Wales to her sister Jess who she hope can help her understand what was happening. When She arrives she discovers Jess is gone and in order to understand her sister better, Lucy decides to snoop. In the 1800s Mary and Eliza are sentenced to deportation to Australia and they must suffer the many month trip at sea in the darken hold, with other women, but the more time they spend at sea the more they see the changes in their bodies. Centuries apart but connected in a way that no one would understand.

After reading Weyward, which I thoroughly enjoyed this last year, I was super excited to read The Sirens. Where Weyward was more whimsical when it came to the idea of witches, Sirens is more dark and eerie like the deep Ocean. If you are looking for something similar to Weyward, this book does have some of the same elements (especially when it comes to men and male characters) but the atmosphere is very much different. I personally liked the more eerie atmosphere, but i did not think that it entered in the creepy or disturbing areas, was more just greys and deep blues, well like the Ocean.

I found the historical timeline more interesting than the more modern one, though I did feel for what Jessica and Lucy have gone through, I just thought that it was the weaker of the storylines, and something that I had read before. Hart could have written an entire book about Mary and Eliza and I would have devoured it. I will say that how Hart interconnected the timelines was well done and how she chose to do this was interesting as well. It may not be for everyone but I liked it.

I appreciated Hart's take on Sirens, what they look like, how they hid in plain sight and the ever call to the water. I also like the Mission that they set upon for themselves, not quite the Sirens from Greek mythology. I think that Hart's take is more modern and I was here for it.

I was able to figure out the "twist", i think it was supposed to be a twist but I felt it was quite obvious. This book is much more of a character driven book than plot one, so i'm never sure about twists in what happens.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, especially the farther I got into it. I will say that don’t go into this book expecting another Weyward, which is not a bad thing, but I read some reviews that that is what they were expecting and not what they got. I would read another book by Hart and I look forward to see what mystical creature or folklore she takes on next.

Enjoy!!!!

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Alex Finlay: Parents Weekend

Alex Finlay is back with a thriller where every family has its secrets:

It's Parents Weekend, that one time during the year where the parents come to college and check up on their kids. It's supposed to be a time of reconnecting, meeting the friends they have been hanging out with and maybe a nice dinner. This was supposed to happen at a small private school in California, instead the night turns into a nightmare with five kids disappearing without a trace and the clock is ticking down to if they will find them before it is too late.

I have been reading Finlay's book and Agent Keller from the beginning, and I love that she is back in this book and a different capacity. She has totally moved away from financial crimes but I love that she still has that mind in her tenacity of look for data. If you have not read and books with Agent Keller, that is okay, while there is a sentence or two that relate back to other books featuring her, you do not need to read them to understand this book. I will say that because there are multiple POV in this book you may not feel the connection to Agent Keller or any of the characters as they do not get a lot of page time.

There are a few things that you need to know before going into this book, if you like short chapters this is for you, the chapters are only a few pages long at most. There are quite a few POV (and if you have read other books by Finlay this will not be a surprise for you), six families to be exact plus some POV from the college students as well. So if you do not like multiple POV this book will not be for you, but i do think that Finlay does a good job of keeping them unique so that it was not confusing

I love that this book was full of secrets. Everyone and every family seemed to have a secret that they were keeping from other family members and each has hope that theirs will not be discovered. I enjoyed how all of these secrets interfered with the investigation as each one comes to light it needs to be investigated for a connection. This felt very real to me, and the whole no stone unturned in order to kind the college students. I will say I was able to figure who was responsible, but Finlay does a great job in have lots of twist, turns and red herrings along the way. I enjoyed how each new piece of evidence was discovered even if it was relevant or not.

This was a fun ride, not my favourite in the Agent Keller series (The Night Shift is my favourite so far) as I felt she had less page time than I would like, but still a solid read that I think that people will enjoy whether they have read Finlay before or not.

Enjoy!!!

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Stacey Marie Brown: Savage Lands

In the first in a series Stacey Marie Brown takes readers to the war between Humans and Fae:

The Barrier between Earth and the Otherworld fell and the Fae Wars began. The Fae one, but there are some Human only strong holds, normally led by the rich and one of these is in Budapest. The battle for dominance between the Fae and Human Elite is about to reach a breaking point. Brexley has grown up privileged, but it has not been without struggles and hardships in her life. Now the ward of General Markos, she is forced to train to become a fearsome warrior against the Fae but she is also a political pawn. One night Brexley make a decision that will change everything, she is captured and thrown into The House a Death, a prison where no one leaves alive. Brex must learn to survive the worst of the human and Fae criminals and him, Warwick, the most brutal and feared man in the prison, The winner of the Pit Games.

When I read the premise of this book, I was like yup, that sounds like something that I want to read. I’m surprised that I have not seen anything about this book before, it was recommended for me on my Libby app. This book had a lot of things I enjoy in the fantasy genre; fast paced, darker elements (I mean it is a prison and there is a pit for fighting to the death), a FMC that knows how to fight, a mystery to solve, and some twist, that might not be original, but interesting nonetheless.

 At the beginning I really liked Brex as a character. Her recklessness, her fighting abilities and cocky attitude but I felt when she went to prison, she lost all of that. I understand that ending up in a prison that no one leaves would change anyone, but it is like she forgot her backbone and ability to fight completely. For quite a bit of time she becomes a completely different character. Once again I get it she is trying to figure out her place in the prison but to not stand up for herself at all especially towards people who do not have her training was just a weird way to take her character. She was all badass, even just before entering the prison by fighting some Fae but as soon as she descended this was all gone. I will say that Brex did not lose her brain though, she was smart with some of her choices, like her name and who she sat with

I’m extremely curious as to what Brex powers are going to turn out to be. I have some ideas but won’t know more till late in the series I think. The one thing that is lacking in the book is the powers of the Fae and Demons that are in Prison. It appears the shifters still have some powers but not their full strength. So we didn’t get to really see what "people" could do. The fights were straight fist fights with barely any powers. This is what happened in prison, powers were limited or taken away altogether. I think it would have been interesting (and probably darker) if Brown had decided not to strip every one of their powers. I want to see what a Demon can do, what the Fae can do in this world.

I like that Brown did not have this turn into a spicy book and I think it could have gone either way, but I liked that Brown just kept it at tension and it will be interesting to see how it plays out especially with how this book ended.

This was a great start to series and I'm happy that there are already quite a few books released for me to read. I think if you want a fast paced read, where Humans and Fae are pitted against each other then this is one to check out.

Enjoy!!!

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Neal Shusterman: All Better Now

Neal Shusterman is back and this time all he is trying to do is make the whole world Happy:

A new pandemic is traveling the world, the first symptom is a fever that may kill you, but if you survive something magical happens, you feel utter contentment, happiness, everything is new again and beautiful. No negative thoughts, or worries, nothing to weigh a person down, those thoughts and emotions no longer exist. Some people flock to get Crown Royals, others will do everything in their power to eradicate Crown Royal. Who is on the right side, wanting Crown Royal to unburden them or those who see the disease as a case of the body snatchers, only time will tell.

Wow, this was such a unique concept, not so much the idea of a pandemic but the idea that a virus can make all your worries, all your bad thoughts, your inclination to do bad things go away. One now exist in this concept of enlightenment and everything will be okay. What better way for a virus to spread than to have the people who have had it be so happy that they want to share it with everyone.

I think that Shusterman did a good job of showing multiple POV in this book, from those who have had and recovered from Crown Royal and those desperately trying not to catch it. While those who are trying to not catch it are painted in a more negative light, I think Shusterman tries to maintain this balance through Mariel and her interactions and questioning what Ron is doing.

What I liked about this book is that it made me think. Who is right who is wrong? Is it right for those who have Crown Royal to spread it even though some who get it will die and is Crown Royal really all that great as it inhibits your ability to think rationality about situations. And those who are searching for a cure (basically the wealthy, as they worry about their fortunes) is it so bad that they don’t want to catch it and change who they are and what they believe in even if they are horrible people. I don’t know if i can say who were the true Bad Guys in those general terms.

I think that Shusterman created such a unique story that I am glad I read it and had to think through it. That said I think you need to be in the right headspace to consume this book. I will admit there were times when I did not want to pick this book up as I needed something more fluffy and popcorn to escape in but I am still glad I read this book.

This book is said to be more YA (12+) but I question that. I think the topic may be a bit heavy for the younger side of YA reading group but maybe I am a bit out of touch of this.

I do wonder if there where be another book after this one, just based upon how this one ends. And out of pure curiosity sake I would probably pick this one up, but I really need to be in the right Mood to do so.

Enjoy!!!

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Sabaa Tahir: An Ember in the Ashes

In the first of a series, Sabaa Tahir has a slave and a solider one fighting for freedom the other fighting to betterment of the empire:

Laia lives a sheltered but not naive life under her grandparents, until one night the Silver faces come and change everything. Now she will risk it all in order to dave her brother. Elias, has never fit in with the other Soldiers in training, he is the best of them, but he does not want the silver mask to be a permanent part of his body. He wants freedom and not to be part of the Tyranny he is training to enforce. And neither of them know that the choices that they make could change the very fate of the empire itself. 

WOW, this book was amazing, had me hooked from start to beginning and I did not want to put this book down. I have no idea why I don’t see more about this book and the only thing that I can think of is that this book in 2015 but this means that I don’t have to wait to read the rest of the series as it is complete. This book is stated to be a YA novel as both of the main characters are younger but it is on the darker side of things and I found that both the main characters were mature for their age, which would be due to their circumstances and how they were brought up.

This book is fast paced throughout, there is the political intrigue as well that is happening and the magic system (which I admit do not fully understand yet) is very unique in who receives the power. It very much has the you don’t know who you can trust, especially as you get further into the book and you just feel for both Laia and Elias and what they are each wanting to achieve. As the world is based upon Ancient Rome, not a lot of world building was required and Tahir was able to get right into the story and what was occurring.

I was invested in both Laia and Elias, and i question how you could not be. Laia especially goes on a journey to show just how tough and resourceful she can be in order to achieve something to save her brother's life. The Commandant is just a vile human being that both Laia and Elias have to interact with. Both characters are strong, determined and both believe that they are doing the right thing. 

The whole Silver mask part and it becoming one with the person who is wearing it was pretty creepy and I can understand why Elias chose to continually remove his. 

I think the one thing that I will criticize of this book is that they ending was predictable, you knew what was going to come. But i still loved this book and really enjoyed the ride.

I highly recommend this series if you enjoy the fantasy genre and even if you do not it is not that High of Fantasy that one would become confused. The fast pace of this book, with the political intrigue thrown in that does not take away from the pace is done right. Cannot wait to read the next book. I can see this book being one i recommend for a long time.

Enjoy!!!

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Elle Cosimano: Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave

This is the 5th book in the series so you will need to read the first four before this one. Start with Finlay Donovan is Killing it and go on from there.

Elle Cosimano brings Finlay Donovan is back and there is another body in her backyard, well her neighbours:

Finlay and Vero are happy to be home and looking for things to settle down and Finlay knows that she needs to get some writing done. What neither of them expected is for a body to be found in their neighbour across the street back yard and none could believe that Mrs. Haggarty was arrested for the murder. When the police clear her, her house remains an active crime scene, she has no where to go other an into Finlay's house and Stephen now becomes the prime suspect. As much as Finlay hates Stephen at time, she can't let him be charges with murder and Finaly and Vero know a few things about murder. 

I would have been fine with this series ending with book 4 as all the main plot points had been wrapped up. But I will say that it was fun to dive back into this series and this one took the more cozy roots and we seem to be done with gangsters and have moved back home with the same antics that Finlay and Vero seem to get up to in every book. I will say that they book feels familiar with some of the things that Finlay and Vero do in this book, mainly throwing all caution to the wind, but it also felt a bit predictable in the sense of oh they need to find this piece of evidence or information, what is the most crazy and outlandish way to get it.

I feel like Mrs. Haggarty was not only a great addition to the side characters but really stole the show in this book. I loved learning about Mrs. Haggarty's life and how gangster she has been in what she has chosen to do with her life. I feel like we all need a Mrs. Haggarty on our street keeping track of everything and setting things right.

This book was fun, I don’t think as good as the first two in the series, but I enjoyed it while i was reading it as I need to read something more cozy in awhile. This does end on a cliffhanger of the one plot point in the series that has not been wrapped up so I'll most likely read the next book in the series.

Enjoy!!!

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