Binge Reading and Familiar Characters

I am currently deep into a reread of all things Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs!

Mercy Thompson has a sister series, Alpha and Omega and I'm currently working my way through all of them, chronologically. 

Here is the order I'm reading in:

Moon Called Alpha & Omega Cry Wolf Hunting Ground Blood Bound Iron Kissed Bone Crossed Silver Borne River Marked Fair Game Frost Burned Dead Heat Night Broken Fire Touched Silence Fallen

I'm not properly reviewing them, this is about finding the love, not doing the work. I'm just starting Iron Kissed and loving every second of it. I wanted to shoot a quick update, all FR books on hold for a bit. *shrug* 

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1) by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air)


☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

No spoilers and colorful language abound! This review contains quotes of the final published edition. They have been carefully chosen to prohibit spoils, but none the less, they are still in here.


Holly Black is a powerhouse of an author, there is no way around that. Black's writing is both profoundly understated and eloquent beyond measure. The way she can pack a single sentence with tremendous emotion and vivid imagery leaves me speechless and craving more. In addition to the gorgeous prose, her character development is delicious, The Cruel Prince is nothing short of a novel worthy of her name.

... and this is about where I lose ability to speak coherently and start gushing. I've decided to spare you, instead, I offer you proof of my above statement. Come with me on a journey, 10 quotes to whet the appetite.

I can see why humans succumb to the beautiful nightmare of the Court, why they willingly drown in it. I know I shouldn't love it as I do, stolen as I am from the mortal world, my parents murdered. But I love it all the same.

These clothes are a costume for me. I am playing dress-up in ignorance. I no more can guess the assumptions that go along with glittering sneakers than a child in a dragon costume knows what real dragons would make of the color of her scales.

...I say, not giving her the satisfaction of being shocked by what she said about our parents. She acts like we don't remember, like there's some way I am ever going to forget. She acts like it's her personal tragedy and hers alone.

Maybe growing up the way we have, bad things feel good to us. Or maybe we are stupid in the exact same way as every other idiot mortal who's pined away for another bite of goblin fruit. Maybe it doesn't matter.

Instead, I shake my head at the thrill running through me at the sheer lunacy of what I'm about to do. It's the thrill of leaping without being able to see the ground below you, right before you realize it's called falling.

...he sees something else entirely. There's an intensity in his gaze that makes me stand up a little straighter, despite the dirt. "Because you're like a story that hasn't happened yet. Because I want to see what you will do. I want to be part of the unfolding tale."

I cannot seem to contort myself back into the shape of a dutiful child. I am coming unraveled. I am coming undone.

I smile wider, and kissed him longer, that is a kind of deceit that even the Folk cannot Condemn. Now, however, the night feels like one long, impossible dream.

For a moment, we just look at each other. He's a monster, so if I want to do a very bad thing, he's not going to judge me for it. Much.

That's what comes of hungering for something: You forget to check if it's rotten before you gobble it down.

It's gorgeous. It just is, so is all of her writing. BUY IT. READ IT. LOVE IT. 

Mia's Musings: Kitty the Tiger Fairy (The Baby Animal Rescue Fairies, #2) by Daisy Meadows

☆☆☆☆


This review was written by my 8 year old daughter Mia, with a little help from me. No spoilers!


We are back with Kirsty and Rachel at the Wild Woods Nature Reserve, they once again need to help the Baby Animal Fairies from Jack Frost. Jack has his sights set Sheba the tiger cub. Kitty the Tiger Fairy and the girls must find Sheba before the goblins or she will be captured and never seen again! 



I really love the tiger cubs playing being happy, and seeing them swim, all the baby animals are my favorite. I like that these chapters are short and easy to read. 

-Mia

Mia's Musings: Mae the Panda Fairy (The Baby Animal Rescue Fairies, #1) by Daisy Meadows

☆☆☆☆

This review was written by my 8 year old daughter Mia, with a little help from me. No spoilers!

Rainbow Magic books offer all sorts of fairies and their adventures to entertain even the pickiest of readers. The Baby Animal Rescue Fairies called to me because there is nothing I love more than baby animals! I had to read it! 

We start off with Kirsten and Rachel headed to Wild Woods Nature Reserve to for a week long summer vacation. They make a new frog friend named Bertram who has fairy magic, and he takes them to Fairyland. Kirsten and Rachel shrink, grow wings and head off to explore. They meet all the Baby Animal Rescue Fairies just as Jack Frost bursts in with a loud growl from his truck. Jack Frost is here to take the magical keychains that help capture animals. He wants a zoo for himself, and to keep the animals locked up in cages. Mae, the panda fairy joins in with Kirsten and Rachel to save PanPan the baby panda. 

I think other kids might like reading this book if they love animals and a bit of magic. My favorite part was the fairy illustrations, they are awesome and have a cool sense of style. I really love this series and am ready for the next one. 

Check back for more reviews on the next book I read! 

-Mia 

Unlikely Mates Bundle (Unlikely Mates, #1-3) by Charlene Hartnady

☆☆☆

No Spoilers! Definitely colorful language abound! 


Unlikely Mates (The Chosen Series Book 3)


Whoa y'all. That's enough of that.


Listen, there is a time and a place for getting lost in the idea of being the stuffing between a werewolf and vampire sandwich. It was yesterday, in the wee hours of the morning. I struggle with stories such as these, something will happen and I suddenly can't turn off my analytical mind. How critical can I really be here? I'm debating on if I should delve into the crisis that is m/f/m DP mechanics. Is that something I even need to be discussing? I don't know... yet here we are.


Perhaps some things are better glossed over, purposely discarded in the name of fun. Perhaps. See you on the next round, Hartnady. We in this for the long haul, girl.

Stolen by the Alpha Wolf Bundle (The Chosen #2) by Charlene Hartnady

Stolen by the Alpha Wolf (The Chosen Series Book 2)

☆☆

Some Spoilers! Definitely colorful language abound! Trigger warning, sexual assault discussed below! 


I recently found myself lost and longing for memories of my past self, so I dove deep into the mother of all angsty-teenage-nonsense, otherwise known as the Twilight Saga. It left me with a softer understanding of who I once was, and who I had grown to become. It was an interesting retrospection in growth, but I was done, and was in desperate need of a palate cleanser. I find that smut plays an integral roll in a balanced book diet. When used appropriately it will sweep away all unpleasant or otherwise useless emotional memories of the previous read, lower ones standards and bring everything back to a comfortable neutral. It is a highly effective tool of divine distraction.


That being said, y'all I fucking hated this book. This wasn't my first tango with Hartnady, I enjoy her ahem, panache. I thoroughly enjoyed Chosen by the Vampire Kings, and stepped into this with the full expectation of a good time. **This is where I venture into some spoilery territory. If that isn't your thing, its time to part ways.** 

TWO GOT-DAMN-PERCENT into the book I'm flooded with rage, and then panic.

"Her shoulders sagged in humiliation. At least they weren't going to rape her. That was something... Her blouse was shoved roughly to the side. "Not bad, I'm semi hard." If she wasn't wearing a gag, she'd puke for sure. Her stomach churned."

Excuse me, the fuck is this?  She's a vampire, she is bound and gagged, at the mercy of her werewolf abductor. He touched her leg, grabbed her ass, removed her shirt and bra, he assaulted her and alluded to what else he'd like to do.

I nearly quit right then and there. My hands shook, I had to get up and take a lap and walk off my anxiety. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE DIVINE DISTRACTION. NOT A TRIGGER FOR MY #METOO ANXIETY. FUCK. YOU.

The author used this scene to prop up the alpha, Ward, as the 'good guy', as he barged in, beat the shit out of the lower wolf and assured her that she was safe and would be returned home. Ward insisted she couldn't be left alone, they had to remain together at all times. He made it clear the other wolves would murder her if she tried to escape. Mmmkay.




19%: He insisted she come with him to his outdoor shower, he was, of course, aroused, and needed to cool off. LOL. But then he just started jerking off, in front of her, without permission.

WE LEAVING THIS SHIT IN 2017 WITH LOUIS CK'S CAREER, OKAY? 

20%: "I don't think I've ever wanted to be inside someone so badly." He growled nipping at her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Stephany, I don't think that I could stop now, even if you wanted me to."

First of all, that's not how consent works, ever. Consent is all the time, or it's never. There is no "point of no return", either you have permission or do you do not. FUCK YOU.

It was about here that I realized I hated Ward. I hated his wolves. I hated Stephany. I hated them together.

It pretty much devolved like this until it was finally over. Sooooo, why didn't I quit? Excellent question! I don't really know, tbh. I think, once I isolated it was the characters I disliked, it was easy for me to compartmentalize and select the plot from everything else. There is a phenomenally interesting development that occurred in this installment. There is the sex, sure, but there is also a complicated relationship between vampires, humans and others. The dynamics based on a rudimentary and biased religion will crumble, things are in motion I am eager to the see through till the end. I cautiously started the third installment last night and it looks as though this particular theme  was isolated to these characters. Heres to hope?

The Five Books That Made Me Fall In Love With Reading: #3 Twilight Saga

The Twilight Saga Complete Collection

My rating: ☆☆☆☆☆



No Spoilers! Definitely colorful language abound!




Ok. Deep, breaths. I can do this. Now, before you unfriend me for this rating, hang in there till the end, please? I started this series of reviews back in 2014, and I've been putting this one off ever since. Who we once were, is not always how we would like to remember ourselves, and this hard truth is one I often keep to myself. Twilight was truly instrumental in me falling in love with reading. Take a walk with me and let me tell you a story.

It was my 22nd birthday, and my boss always gifted us an usually long lunch break, so I decided to pop into the book store for an iced coffee. I was listening to my iPod, at most only casually aware of all the books around me. I hadn't loved to read in years, and since the last Harry Potter book wasn't due out till the end of the year, I was just biding my time in the warm heat and quiet of B&N. I had picked up a glossy black cover with porcelain white hands holding a perfect red apple. I wondered if this was a new take on Snow White, so I flipped the back over and read the synopsis. 

“About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him-and I didn’t know how potent that part might be-that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.” 

I had sat on the ground, only to be pulled from the pages when my phone buzzed. It was my boss, he wondered why I hadn't come back and if everything was ok. How much time had passed? The ice had melted in my coffee and it was time to head back into real life. 

When I got home that evening, I was utterly consumed. I had never read anything like this before, in fact my knowledge of otherness in books was so limited, I knew of no other than Anne Rice, who never had been able to ensnare my attention. Suddenly the possibilities overwhelmed me, this was a genre, I had so much to explore! 

Twilight hit so close to a place in my mind that I had long ago walled off, the memories too vivid and painful to be allowed free reign. However, amongst the pages, he came to life and I had fallen in love with him all over again. My first love was one that had burned so intensely it transformed who I was. My devotion to him was near child-like in its purity. I saw his face, I heard his voice, I felt his skin, I was transported into another time and place, but he was only accessible as Edward. It gutted me, but made me feel alive at the same time. Again, I had never felt anything quite like this before, it was visceral, it had swirled around me like magic. Reading was magic, if you found the right book.

Now, nearly 11 years later to the day, I picked up Twilight and read it again in one sitting. Except this time, I didn't see him, I saw what I had gloriously outgrown. I didn't feel gutted, I feel charmed by my own innocence. I feel a fondness for that time, that place, for that version of myself. Mostly however, I feel a deep gratitude, Twilight opened a door I hadn't even known existed, and I've been joyfully escaping to this wonderful wold of other ever since. This book isn't a 5 star book, but then again, I owe it so much that perhaps it is?


Is there a book that defined your love of reading? I would love to hear your experiences! 

Hidden Legacy #4 Needs to Happen

I got to the end of Wildfire (HL #3), which was exceptional btw, and I felt a slithering tendril of panic creep into my thoughts. What was happening with the epilogue... was this some sort of thinly veiled closure? I couldn't breathe. I reassured myself that Ilona Andrews would never do this to me (because when you've read and fallen madly in love with every single thing they have written, it feels personal) and I went about gif hunting for my review.

I struggled for the rest of the day trying to decide what I should read next. Nothing on my TBR shelf seemed all that appealing, none of it was what I wanted. So, like the IA junkie I am, I scoured their blog for hints on the next installment...only to find that this was a trilogy. As in, only three books? Could this be correct? No, oh god no.

Now I sit here obsessively contemplating all the reasons why there is no way in fuckery this can be a trilogy. I do not accept.

• The story line is marvelous.
• These characters are stunningly developed.
• The world. Oh fuck this world. It's wondrous. 
• The magic. The Houses. The drama. Superb! 

This cannot be the end. I read an interview on Heroes and Heartbreakers where they said this:

We’d like to, but Wildfire is the last book we are contracted for. It would largely depend on Avon and our editor Erika Tsang. If they chose not to continue with the series, we will probably self-publish more stories in the future.

So, from one Erica to another, get it together, and sign them up for another three books. This series is easily one of their best.  I need more. We the fans need more. Don't make me start a hashtag and petition on change.org.

Wildfire (Hidden Legacy, #3) by Ilona Andrews

Wildfire: A Hidden Legacy Novel


My rating: ☆☆☆☆☆



No Spoilers! Definitely colorful language abound!

 I have read a lot of books, a lot of terrible-no good-waste-of-my-got-damn-time books. This soothes the burn of a thousand let downs.

I'm speechless. I really thought I understood how good IA is, like they couldn't just sneak up on me, I expect wonderful from them. BUT THIS IS MORE THAN THAT. THIS IS FUCKING GREAT. If you want to be punched in the gut with sheer awe, this is the series for you.

ALSO

THE LAST LINE

ON THE LAST PAGE

Damn IA, damn it, you are so good.

White Hot (Hidden Legacy #2) by Ilona Andrews

White Hot: Hidden Legacy 2


My rating: ☆☆☆☆☆



No Spoilers! Definitely colorful language abound!

     This is easily one of the best Urban Fantasy series out there that does not include vampires, and that is saying something. I am completely and utterly wound up in this fantastic and fascinating new universe and I never want to leave. In all honesty though, that normally happens to me with every IA book I read. I am an escapist reader, and IA is one of the best escapist writers and if you aren't reading their books, fix it.





I am careful never to speak much on the plot of any first installment, simply because, that's not really what gets most of us to pick up a book. It's the joy one expresses that really gives us hope that we too will fall in love.

Typically, I don't want to be a character, I may want to befriend them, or simply be a creep stalker (Kate Daniels, cough) forever but I don't really identify with many lead characters. It's always that awkward sub character with ambiguous morals that I identify with most. Nevada however, I want to be. Reading this series is like slipping into a dream land, one where all things are possible, and this just happens to suit me perfectly.

Rogan is...

Speaking of which, I've already started the third so I got places to be. READ THIS.

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5) by Sarah J. Maas

Empire of Storms (Throne Of Glass Series Book 5)

My rating: ☆☆☆☆☆


No Spoilers! Definitely colorful language abound!

45.0% "I am blissfully lost and in lust with this series. All that it has built so far...sigh. I haven't paused to update or review, the reading is just too good."

- Me



Oh man. You guys. I got totally lost in this series. I didn't even stop to review Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, or Queen of Shadows. I just didn't have a reason to pause, or much to say other than the following:

And then a lot of this, at the end.

As far as the next installment, I think I may just not. Honestly, I fucking hate Chaol. I also hate the spelling of his name. And his attitude. And how he just sucks the damn life out of everyone all the time, insufferably guilty for never knowing up from down or left from right. GET IT TOGETHER. WHY DO YOU EVEN GET YOUR OWN BOOK. BOOHISS ON YOU.


Over all this series is great, sure there are lots of things I could pick apart and rag on if I had my reviewer persona on, but frankly, screw that stuck up bitch. This was good fun, plain and simple. Let Maas take you away from reality for awhile, get lost in this truly gorgeous world she's created.

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass series Book 1)
My rating: ☆☆☆

No Spoilers! Definitely colorful language abound!

Eh. Listen, lets be honest here, okay? I spent the majority of this book being annoyed by everything. Albeit mildly, but still, it was there under the surface, brushing up against the edges of my mind.

That being said, I enjoyed it sometimes? It took me awhile to read, I got to the last third of the book and I could only manage to stay awake for five pages at a time. What does that say about the book you are reading? You can't be arsed to stay awake during the "good part"? Ehhhhhh. Neat.

So why the three stars? Good question actually. I could feel more being built. There is a bigger picture, there is tremendous growth potential for all the characters, there is more.

Also, Choal and Dorian are the fucking worst. Me every time they were in a scene:

I'm going to read the next one and see what happens. There was one quote, very early on in the book that I can't stop thinking about. I'm hoping we learn more about it.

One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles, #3) by Ilona Andrews

One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles Book 3)
Sweep in Peace (Innkeeper Chronicles, Book 2)

Clean Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles, Book 1)


My rating: 5 of 5 stars








Oh man.

This is it. This is the best IA series.

It's true.


I can't review this. I like it too much.

Bound by Flames (Night Prince, #3) by Jeaniene Frost

Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Holy shit.

This was way more intense than I ever anticipated.

I'm going to say it now.

...


I loved this series way more than Cat and Bones.

THERE. I SAID IT.

The fourth and final is due out in 2016 but no over or details. Excuse me while I scour the interwebs for more info.


You can find it here:

Twice Tempted (Night Prince, #2) by Jeaniene Frost

Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Sigh.

So some aspects got hella annoying here, but mostly I didn't care. I stated in the review of the first one I read these two in one day so it all sort of blurred together. I think I started this one around 8pm and was done around midnight, I don't even remember my husband putting my kids to bed.


*Shrug*

Also, I may be like 40 pages into the 3rd one already so um. I gotta go, bye.




You can find it here, DO IT.

Once Burned (Night Prince, #1) by Jeaniene Frost

Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


All the stars!


What can I say? This is just one of those books that speaks to me, but I knew that would happen. Vlad has been my favorite in the Cat and Bones series, so, duh.

True story? I read this one and the second one in the same mother flipping day. Completely and totally absorbed. Infatuated is more like it. This was a rare reading moment for me, where all critical thinking turned off and I can't even think of anything to criticize.

I'm 100% certain that if I were to reread this at some point, I'd feel differently. BUT RIGHT NOW WHATEVER WHO CARES.


You can find it here:

Sweep in Peace (Innkeeper Chronicles, #2) by Ilona Andrews

Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Have you ever clapped and giggled after finishing a book?

I have.

I'm going to say it. This is my favorite IA series. The Edge books were my favorite, but the way these two have tied together has soothed a long standing irritation.

If you felt wronged by lack of closure on Jack and George, read these now! You will be delighted.

Kate and her world has always had an end, a brilliantly conceived end that I eagerly await to enjoy and mourn. The Edge brought something new, and once again highlighted IA's ability to create magic that excites the mind, but it never felt finished. There were simply too many possibilities. This series has a thick thread is joy woven in all the pages, you can feel how much IA loves writing it. It's an intoxicating experience for a reader who is intimately familiar with an authors works. Although, if you never read anything by them, you would not be disappointed, it's wonderful through and through. I can't wait for more!

You can find it here:

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


WHY WAS THIS SO GOOD?

Ok, so this series needs to be expanded with a minimum of 5 more books, full length that explores every fucking aspect of this incredible universe.

Excellent, seriously.

Aliens? CHECK

Space travel? CHECK

Magical fucking house? CHECK

Fantastic new worlds? CHECK

Humerous and charming new characters? CHECK

The pure goodness only IA can deliver? CHECK.

Also, I spoted some adored characters all grown up!

LOVED IT. WANT ALL THE BOOKS.


You can find it here:

Feverborn (Fever, #8) by Karen Marie Moning

Feverborn by Karen Marie Moning

My rating: 2 of 5 stars





Pointless. Plotless. I feel nothing.

I had a cathartic low with this series during Burned, I let it all out in my review and made peace with the loss. My expectations were hovering around "trash heap" for this book, I knew it would center around Mac, and Dani would be an odd after though of awkward proportions. I was correct. Essentially, nothing happens aside from a desperate attempt at character development, similar to a first book in a long series, so it feels out of place.

Mostly, I spent my time disinterested and mildly bored. You ever get back with someone who has cheated on you? They tell you all the things you want to hear, remind you of how good it was in the beginning, then shower you with love and attention. For a short while you remember, you feel it and then you go out to eat and all you hear is how loud he breaths, his once charming strong chin now looks comically out of place, and his jokes are childish and offensive. All the sudden you have no idea what you were thinking. He is trash. He is behind you. He is irrelevant.

That's precisely how I feel about this book. I'll read the rest of the series, for the same reason you don't unfollow him on Instagram.

One Grave at a Time (Night Huntress, #6) by Jeaniene Frost

One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


☆☆☆

No Spoilers! Definitely colorful language abound!


I really love this series and world the author has created, and I usually am delighted to step back into it but this book... this book was rough. I flew through the first half and hit a wall with the second. I simply could not get down with the antagonist for this installment. Simply put, I'm happy its over and to be moving on.

I think there was an intent to do something a little different? However, it was just drawn out and boring. There was a lot of repetition and what was supposed to be a shock and awe moment fell flat. There are some loose ends here, as always, so I'm eager to read the next one... after a break.

It doesn't speak well for a book if you aren't dying to jump into the next one. Boohiss. Frost has more than earned a little slack in this department, so I'll shift gears for now and come back to the NH series later.