Soul Taken (Mercy Thompson #13) by Patricia Briggs
3 August 2023
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Mercy Thompson #13, Patricia Briggs, Soul Taken
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Number Thirteen, Unlucky for Some
There are two elements to the storyline of Soul Taken. Firstly, it appears that a couple of vampires have gone missing and the finger of suspicion is on Adam, Mercy and the Colombia Basin pack, meaning they need to figure out what’s really going on. On top of this, as Mercy and Adam start to investigate it soon becomes clear that for some time members of the community have been turning up dead! Things are about to get frantic. There appears to be a figure straight out of a horror movie stalking the streets and the latest issue with the vampires threatens to shatter the alliances.
It took a little while to get into the story this time around but once the action kicked in the pacing was good. I actually really enjoyed the strange links between the horror movie and the actual soul stealer. I loved some of the reveals and also looking back at some of the history of the vampires and there are plenty of favourite characters thrown into the mix here. Plus I do love Mercy. She’s such a great character.
But,I have slightly mixed feelings with this one. On the one hand, I love this series and I can’t imagine ever reaching a point where I don’t want to continue. The characters are like old friends and picking up the next instalment is like putting on your comfiest PJs. It’s just a no-stress, no-brainer really and I love sinking into this world. It’s full of everything that makes urban fantasy so great to read and during the course of this series Briggs has added layer upon layer resulting in a rich world with complex characters. So, with slight hesitation I would say that two things held me back from loving this one as much as previous books. Firstly, it took a little while for the story to take off, which is partly due to explanations and recaps that feel a little unnecessary, well, I understand the desire to bring new readers up to speed, and sometimes a little memory boost is a good thing, but, it felt a little too much with this one like the balance was off. And, although I did like the plot here, it felt a little like a stepping stone to what’s possibly coming next.
All that being said,I do love this series. I feel excited when a new release is due and it feels like there is still so much potential.
I received a copy courtesy of the publisher, through Netgalley, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 3.5 of 5 stars
Can’t Wait Wednesday : The Sight by Melanie Golding
2 August 2023
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Can't Wait Wedesday, Melanie Golding, The Sight, Wishful Endings
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that was originally created by Breaking the Spine. Unfortunately Breaking the Spine are no longer hosting so I’m now linking my posts up to Wishful Endings Can’t Wait Wednesday. Don’t forget to stop over, link up and check out what books everyone else is waiting for. If you want to take part, basically, every Wednesday, we highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to. This week my book is : The Sight by Melanie Golding. The description and cover follows:
In the tradition of Camilla Sten and Victor LaValle, Melanie Golding’s newest thriller is a chilling carnival-set suspense, perfect for fans of Stranger Things .
Look into her eyes—she can tell you how you’ll die . .
As a child, Faith acquired the ability to see when and how people would die—a “gift” she neither wanted nor could get rid of.
After foreseeing a family tragedy and being ostracized, Faith learns to control her visions, and returns to perform in her family’s traveling carnival. But when an unruly customer attacks her, she has a vision in full view of a crowd
She is banned from the carnival she loves—and loses her only source of income to support her dying mother. Desperate to support her mother and with only one friend standing by her, she sees no reason to continue hiding her ability and goes to dangerous lengths to earn money. But when she sees herself in a man’s future death, Faith must face her own fears of her powers and tune into her gift to fight against a future that would ruin her life—and end someone else’s.
With The Sight , celebrated author Melanie Golding delivers another suspense-driven masterpiece with unforgettable characters and an ending that will leave you stunned.
Expected publication : September 2023
Claws and Contrivances by Stephanie Burgis (Regency Dragons #2)
1 August 2023
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Claws and Contrivances, Regency Dragons #2, Stephanie Burgis
My Five Word TL:DR Review : I Absolutely Loved This Book
Well, this is not my first book by Stephanie Burgis and it certainly won’t be my last but I can say it’s my favourite book so far. I adored it. There’s a sweet, slow developing romance. A chaotic family who are totally lovable. A young female who has an almost modern feel to how she bends the Regency rules that constrained most women during that period. And, of course, dragons.
Claws and Contrivances is the second in the Regency Dragons series, the first being Scales and Sensibility. The first story brought to us Elinor Tregarth, orphaned and living with relations and this second story revolves around her sister Rose. I would say that although the stories are set in the same world, and indeed the protagonists are related, I don’t believe it’s necessary to have read Book 1 before picking this one up. I would of course suggest you do so because it is such a delightful read so why deprive yourself.
So, this time around we meet Rose. Similar to Elinor she finds herself at the mercy of relatives. Fortunately, her uncle and his family are totally lovely, in a madcap, chaotic and eccentric fashion, made even more crazy by their slowly crumbling away mansion. Rose’s uncle is a scholar, and fascinated with the study of dragons. In fact as the story begins the household is in turmoil trying to prepare for a visit by a prestigious dragon expert. At the same time a stray dragon manifests at their home and, believing this to be the property of their neighbour, Rose sets out to investigate.
I won’t discuss the plot further, suffice to say that a madcap romp ensues.
What I really loved about this book and in fact the series so far.
Firstly, we have this wonderful Regency creation that doesn’t totally adhere to all the rules and makes it a charming and oftentimes funny read. The characters and storylines have an Austen feel and certainly Austen readers who are not averse to fantasy should definitely pick these up. The fantasy elements in fact lend themselves very well to the story.
Secondly, the characters here are totally lovable. Plus we have this absolutely dreadful villain and the storyline feels like it could have popped straight out of Northanger Abbey and definitely plays into the love of anything gothic (or terrifying) that seemed to take hold during that period.
Thirdly, a lovely, slow burn romance, one in fact that the main character is oblivious to for the majority of the novel even though she seems to be the only reason for a certain young man to take his head out of a book.
In conclusion. I highly recommend not only this book, but this series. I cannot wait to see what the author comes up with next (no pressure there then). Literally, when is the next book due and please tell me there are quite a few more in the pipeline. My cunning plan is to gobble up everything that is forthcoming from the Regency Dragon series.
My rating 4.5 of 5 stars
I received a copy from the author for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
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