Mini-Reviews: Leviathan Wakes / And Then He Kissed Her / Spider's Bite

I built up a little review backlog while I was away, even though I didn’t get a vast amount read. To clear up some of this, here are a few completely unrelated brief mini-reviews. Actually, they are related in one aspect; these are the books I read when I’m stressed and solely seeking pleasure.

Leviathan Wakes, James S.A. Corey

I’m always in the mood for an excellent space opera, and Corey’s debut was lauded by many of my favourite SF bloggers. James S.A. Corey is actually a pen name for Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who collaborated on the book, and I’ve actually been meaning to read Abraham for some time now. This seemed like a fantastic chance, and it was indeed a good and gripping book, a surprisingly fast read for its imposing size, and a relatively satisfying story. It felt, in places, a bit detective noir, which was probably my only actual issue with it, as I’m not a huge fan of that particular genre, but there was enough Firefly-esque space opera to keep me very happy indeed. The authors are clearly going for that group crew vibe and, for the most part, succeed nicely, with some interesting characters and relationship dynamics. I’d recommend it to someone looking for more character-driven sci fi with a mystery attached.

And Then He Kissed Her, Laura Lee Guhrke

This was a fantastic romance – set between a working girl turning 30 and her oblivious boss in Victorian England, it did an excellent job of showing how people hide parts of themselves from others and how romance can slowly grow. Emma has always wanted to be a writer, and so she works for a publisher, Harry – but he’ll never read her work, a book of advice, because it’s written for women and outside of his interest completely. When she turns 30, she gets fed up and decides to go after her dreams, teaching Harry to look at the world outside of his box in the process. I loved it and I immediately bought the next in the series.

Spider’s Bite, Jennifer Estep

I’m never opposed to more urban fantasy in my life, and this is a series I’ve been eyeing for a while. A lot of people have called Estep’s Elemental Assassin a favourite, so I decided that, as I’m still waiting for new installments in several of my own favourites, that I’d take this one on as well. I immediately liked it; Gin is an assassin who really doesn’t have any problems at all with her job, until someone targets her nearest and dearest for an attack. A quick and enjoyable read which had me ready for the next in the series, and which has satisfactorily filled the gap while waiting for my favourite UF authors to write more books!

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