Review: Fortune Favors the Cruel

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Fortune Favors the Cruel is a compelling start to the Dark Maji series. This book encompasses what I suspect to be the bulk of the world-building and overall plot trajectory. The world that has been created by Kel Carpenter is lush and darkly alluring. There are light, dark and gray maji, as well as mundane non-magical people. The landscape changes as our main characters traverse the realm, but the author brings each territory to life with just enough description to give you an idea and let your imagination fill in the rest.

ARC Review: Spells for the Dead by Faith Hunter

Series:	Soulwood #5
Pub. Date:	July 28, 2020
Publisher:	Ace
Length:	384 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

I so enjoy spending time with Nell Inghram, our widder-woman who liberated herself from a cult in East Tennessee. Oh, and a yinehi with unique powers and abilities. I have loved watching her come into herself as the series has progressed. As Nell's experiences have grown beyond pizza and Krispy Kreme, she has amassed a family through blood and the land. So Nell is no longer our loner against the church, but now has a team to help fight battles both personal and professional. Her common sense approach to life and solving crimes is endearing and inspiring. And her relationship with Occam, the werecat, is so dang cute that I can't help but smile at their interactions.

ARC Review: The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter

Series:	Forest of Good and Evil #1
Pub. Date:	June 25, 2019
Publisher:	Inkyard Press
Length:	544 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

The Evil Queen is the first installment of the Forest of Good and Evil series, which will apparently be a retelling or reimagination of our favorite fairytales a la Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, etc. 

ARC Review: The Beyond by Chloe Neill

Series:	Devil's Isle #4
Pub. Date:	June 4, 2019
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	336 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

It's always a happy-sad moment when you come to the end of a series, and The Beyond, the final installment of the Devil's Isle series, is no exception. After living in New Orleans (and moving away a couple years ago), Devil's Isle has held a special place in my heart. Chloe Neill is also an author who does New Orleans right... even though Devil's Isle is somewhat post-magical apocalypse, Neill is spot on with her New Orleans layout and history. I have loved her re-imagining of New Orleans in this series.

ARC Review: The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross

Pub. Date:	Feb. 12, 2019
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	416 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

It's been a while since I've read a retelling, and I have always been a sucker for Beauty and the Beast themes. So I was intrigued by the premise of this story, as a retelling from the Beast's perspective. And I have to say, I was not disappointed.

ARC Review: Circle of the Moon by Faith Hunter

Series:	Soulwood #4
Pub. Date:	Feb. 26, 2019
Publisher:	Ace Roc Books
Length:	368 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

I'm a huge fan of Faith Hunter, and this series is a perfect example why. Our heroine, Nell Ingram, is such a unique and interesting character that I could read about her every day and never get bored. I love the aspect and characteristics of her power and land, and her upbringing in a polygamous cult adds a dynamic aspect to her character that brings her down to earth and makes her relatable. Not because of the cult aspect, but just her simple common sense approach to everything, and even her ability to turn on the church widder woman persona when she wants to prove a point or manipulate someone.

Audiobook Review: The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Series:	Gilded Wolves #1
Pub. Date:	Jan 15, 2019
Publisher:	MacMillan Audio
Narrator:	Laurie Winkel P.J. Ochlan
Length:	11 hrs 55 min
Source:	Publisher

I have been a fan of Roshani Chokshi since I first picked up The Star-Touched Queen. I was expecting The Gilded Wolves to be similar in nature, with loads of beautiful prose and maybe some Hindu and Indian Folklore. So I was quite surprised by this book, as it stepped away from the prose and focused more on dialogue, character relationships and a linear plot.

ARC Review: Motion by Penny Reid

Series:	Law of Physics #1
Pub. Date:	Feb. 11, 2019
Publisher:	Cipher-Naught
Length:	200 pgs
Source:	Author

Motion is the first book in a new trilogy from Penny Reid, Law of Physics, which is marginally connected to her Knitting in the City series and the Elements of Chemistry trilogy. The Law of Physics line of stories seems to be classic Penny Reid: smart and unique heroines paired with likable heroes. 

Audiobook Review: The Voodoo Killings by Kristi Charish

Series:	Kincaid Strange #1
Pub. Date:	May 10, 2016
Publisher:	Audible Studios
Length:	11 hrs 41 min
Source:	Audible

Kristi Charish is a new-to-me author, and one I am happy to have found. I am always looking for more talent in the realm of urban fantasy, and the Kincaid Strange series has definitely piqued my interest.

Audiobook Review: The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman

Series:	Invisible Library #4
Pub. Date:	Jan 9, 2018
Publisher:	Audible Studios
Narrator:	Susan Duerden
Length:	10 hrs 23 min
Source:	Audible

The Lost Plot is the fourth installment of Genevieve Cogman's unique and fascinating The Invisible Library series. The release of this book snuck by me, and I didn't realize it was out until I went to read the ARC of the next book, The Mortal Word. So I listened to this one on my recent road trip over the holidays, and it made the drive home go by relatively painlessly.

Audiobook Review: Fury by Rachel Vincent

Series:	Menagerie #3
Pub. Date:	Oct 30, 2018
Publisher:	Recorded Books
Narrator:	Gabra Zackman
Length:	8 hrs 29 min
Source:	RBDigital

This is a blogger shame review as it's quite overdue, but life has gotten crazy busy for me the last few months. So I was happy that I found an audio copy of this book available at the library so I could listen on my drive home over the holidays. 

ARC Review: Exile of the Seas by Jeffe Kennedy

Series:	Chronicles of Dasnaria #2
Pub. Date:	Sept. 4, 2018
Publisher:	Rebel Base Books
Length:	206 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Exile of the Seas is the second installment of the Chronicles of Dasnaria series, featuring our lost princess, Jenna, the Imperial Princess of Dasnaria, and runaway wife of Rodolf, the vile and sadistic lord with eyes to the throne. The first book, Prisoner of the Crown, was a good, but heartwrenching read. But Jeffe really hit it out of the park with this second installment, I was totally captivated by Jenna's journey. So much so, that I found myself stretching this read out because I didn't want it to end!

Audiobook Review: Faery Born by Donna Joy Usher

Series:	War Faery #1
Pub. Date:	June 12, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Rachael Beresford
Length:	7 hrs 39 min
Source:	Publisher

Faery Born was a somewhat surprising read. I didn't realize it was young adult when I started it, and while I do read some young adult, it's not something that I pick up often. This story did seem somewhat juvenile, but I think that was partially because the narrator sounded so young. So I wasn't sure that I was going to finish the story at first, but something about it kept my attention and kept me listening until the end. So I think the story was good, I just had to get over the age and maturity level of the characters.

ARC Review: Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill

Series:	Heirs of Chicagoland #1
Pub. Date:	Aug. 14, 2018
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	352 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Wild Hunger is the first book in the Heirs of Chicagoland series, is a spinoff of Chicagoland Vampires. I admit that I have been eagerly anticipating this book as I was totally sad that the original Chicagoland was ending. It's so hard to believe that the entire series had taken place in approximately a year... and now here we are about 20 years in the future.

ARC Review: Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi

Series:	Star Touched Queen #2.5
Pub. Date:	Aug. 7, 2018
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Length:	304 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Roshani Chokshi has a beautiful flowery writing style. Her writing seems rich and decadent to me, and I enjoyed the first two books of this series very much.

ARC Review: All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella's Stepmother by Danielle Teller

Pub. Date:	May 22, 2018
Publisher:	William Morrow
Length:	384 pages
Source:	Edelweiss

All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella's Stepmother is Danielle Teller's fiction debut*, and she certainly starts off with a unique premise and interesting tale. Teller is a former doctor with some impressive institutions on her curriculum vitae, and I am a sucker for a brainiac fiction author. So this was a book that I was highly anticipating once William Morrow brought it to my attention.

As you can tell from the title, this is the story of Agnes, the well-known evil stepmother to beloved princess and cinder girl, Cinderella. But All the Ever Afters provides an alternate view, and I enjoyed the reimagining of the story through Agnes' eyes. This is not a romance, nor is it a story I would recommend for children. It tackles some serious subject matter, adult situations, and I think will be appreciated by more mature fantasy and fairytale fans.

ARC Review: Someone to Care by Mary Balogh

Series:	Westcotts #4
Pub. Date:	May 1, 2018
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	384 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Someone to Care is the 4th book in the Westcott series, revolving around a family who got the shock of their lives to discover that their father/husband was a bigamist, thereby illegitimizing his (second) marriage and his children of the second wife. This was quite the scandal back in the day, causing the ton to scorn the family. So we follow the Westcotts as the navigate this new dimension of their lives, learning to manage the fall-out and find a way to move on.

ARC Review: My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

Pub. Date:	April 3, 2018
Publisher:	William Morrow
Length:	652 pgs
Source:	Edelweiss

I love the Dray-Kamoie writing duo. I think I've learned more from these two ladies than I did in my entire high school American History class. That is just sad. But their captivating writing draws me in and keeps me turning the page (until 3:30am consequentially). I only wish more authors of history books wrote in this storytelling style as we would surely retain more than I did from the bare recitation of facts in a history book.

My Dear Hamilton is the story about Elizabeth Schulyer Hamilton, the wife and champion of founding father, Alexander Hamilton. Told from Eliza's point of view, we get an intimate and eye-opening glimpse into the life of a great, but flawed, man. We also see the strength and courage of a female patriot of the time, working to support her husband through thick and thin, despite danger, strife and betrayal. I have the utmost respect for Eliza, truly one of the mother's of our great country.

ARC Review: Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Pub. Date:	April 24, 2018
Publisher:	Wednesday Books
Length:	352 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Sky in the Deep is the debut fantasy novel from Adrienne Young, and I see good things in this author's future. While this book has been classified as fantasy, don't expect many fantastical elements.  There are no magical or futuristic elements. We are basically operating in a made-up world that had a Viking feel with two warring people's who follow different gods. So you can expect lots of action and fighting and conflict.

Audiobook Review: Making Faces by Amy Harmon

Pub. Date:	March 19, 2014
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrators:	Rob Shapiro
Length:	6 hrs 33 min
Source:	Audible Romance

This is a book from my blogger shame pile that I got from NetGalley some time ago. I actually picked it up and put it down a couple times due to the age of the characters. I am not much of a young adult reader and I didn't realize that this was a young adult coming-of-age type novel. I generally like Amy Harmon, so I didn't want to write the story off so it has sat out there lingering for a while. But when I saw that it was available on Audible Romance, I decided to give it another shot. I'm glad I was listening while I was at home, as there was definitely some ugly crying and tissues needed for this one.