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 This book is the sequel to Dragon Keeper. The books are virtually one story, so read that one first (and before you read this review!)
The dragons and their keepers continue their slow and perilous journey up the Rain Wilds river. As they journey closer to the land they hope is fabled Kelsingra, the secrets that the small society has kept from each other are finally coming clear. Thymara is astonished to discover that her fellow marked Rain Wilders are blatantly defying the rules of their society back in Trehaug and for the first time realizes that she can be more than just a strange-looking girl who should have been killed at birth. She also grows closer to Alise, former Bingtown lady, who also has a few uncomfortable truths about her life to face on the journey.
Robin Hobb is one of my favorite fantasy authors. I really enjoyed Dragon Keeper but I was disappointed that it ended so abruptly – it was pretty clear to me that the two were truly meant to be one book. So I wasn’t surprised that this picked up exactly where the last left off; it followed through really well and successfully concluded this story and in turn the story of the dragons which had really begun in the Liveship Traders trilogy. This is perfectly understandable even if you haven’t read that trilogy, though; it’s just a matter of added depth and richness to Hobb’s world.
This is a book I was thrilled to sink my teeth into. I love living in Robin Hobb’s worlds and I could have happily spent way more than 500 pages immersed in this one. The characters are always so interesting and engaging and that’s especially so in this one. Their disputes really come to a head and all secrets from the first book are finally revealed and even developed further.
This book is really about the women; Thymara and Alise each find their freedom in different ways. They’re equally trapped by society before the embark on their journey; Thymara is so heavily marked that she’s forever an outcast, forbidden love, children, or a normal life and considered an abomination. Alise, on the other hand, is stifled by fitting in perfectly, by marrying a man she did not love and who did not love her but who was an excellent catch nonetheless. By traveling with the dragons, both women find themselves and embrace their freedom to be who they want to be, not who society says they should be.
Robin Hobb continues to produce writing that is genuinely amongst the best in epic fantasy today. Honestly, I wish I could read all of her books over again for the first time. Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven together make up a wonderful duology and one that I will happily recommend to all who enjoy fantasy.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free from the Amazon Vine program.
 This is book four in the Kate Daniels series. For the first book, check out my review of Magic Bites.
Nothing ever goes right for Kate Daniels. Not only has Curran, the Beast Lord, stood her up after an agonizing wait, right when she thought she might be ready to surrender her heart, but her family connection is finally coming back to haunt her. Facing down a relative is Kate’s worst nightmare, especially when her shapeshifter friends prove especially vulnerable, but with every step she begins to realize that her father might find her and destroy everyone and everything she cares for.
The husband and wife writing team of Ilona Andrews didn’t slack at all with this book. It truly feels like the series is building up to a climax – Kate’s confrontation with her father, the famed Roland. The battles are ratcheting up in intensity as Kate learns what she can and can’t do and similarly what her famed family can do to make her life miserable. The intensity and epic feel of the book still surprised me; for a slim volume, it truly does feel like Kate is battling for the world, which is something I enjoy greatly in fantasy especially.
I loved the romantic angle in this one as well. Kate and Curran have been alternately at loggerheads and in lust for some time now and I think all fans of the series are eager for something to happen between these two. The initial setup here has the couple again opposing one another, as they both believe different stories about what happened on their designated date night. What happens after that I won’t spoil, but in this aspect as in so many others, Magic Bleeds is far from a let down.
There is plenty more to love about this book, like Kate’s wicked sense of humor, numerous cultural and literary references, the fantastic and well-described world (with a few more details about the mythology here), the exceptional and realistic character growth of all the characters, and so on. Probably the only thing I’d say wasn’t perfect was the sheer number of fight scenes, but it fits in with the mythology and with the previous books, so it’s hard to complain. This is now by far my favorite urban fantasy series – something I’d never have predicted with the first book.
If you enjoy urban fantasy, you should be reading this series.
I am an Amazon Associate. I purchased this book.
 This is a novel in three parts, all about women. The first part is the story of a woman and her elderly mother, whose faculties are starting to flee in the face of age. The second delves into the lives of three older women on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to a spa in a totally different country. The last section embarks on a fictional literary analysis of the first two stories and ties them in with the traditional Baba Yaga myth.
This book was really difficult to get into. I have never actually read any of the Canongate Myths series despite intending to for a good long time now. This was to be my introduction, and unfortunately the fact that the first two segments had almost nothing to do with Baba Yaga put me off to a certain extent. They were all about older women and while I could see how they tied into the myth slightly, it was often frustrated to feel like I just didn’t know enough to “get” the book the way I wanted to get it.
I’ve said before that I’m not a short story fan and that hindered my appreciation of the book as well. Just when I got interested in the first story, it switched over, and the second story was a bit peculiar. I actually found the literary analysis section quite interesting because while I knew a little about the myth from learning Russian, I didn’t know anywhere near what the book told me. It was all really fascinating. And then to my surprise, I found the last five pages amazingly powerful. The end is almost brutally about women’s rights – about how wrong it is that women are so often the witches and the subjects while men who wear fancy hats decide our lives for us – and I almost wanted to stand up and cheer for Ugresic.
The last section also cast the book in a whole new light. I’d almost like to read it again just to pick up what I knew I was missing the first time, but the analysis was so good I’m not sure I need to – I was reminded of literature classes, but in a good way. It was a bit slower going but it really made the whole book an intriguing intellectual exercise that I felt was rewarding despite the initial frustration.
In short, if you enjoy the idea of myths and literary analysis, I think Baba Yaga Laid an Egg will work for you. It also would be a fantastic choice for feminists, just for those five pages alone.
Anyone out there have a suggestion for another Canongate Myth for me to try? I have a PDF of The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, I just need to figure out how to get it on my phone for easy reading.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free from the publisher for review.
 This is book five in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs and as such there may be spoilers for the first four books. Check out my review of Moon Called, the first book in the series.
The fae are possessive and secretive. So when Mercy Thompson’s friend, who is slightly fae but mostly human, loaned her a book, she probably shouldn’t have accepted it. But she did, and now he’s disappeared and a faery queen wants that book from her. Meanwhile, her dear friend and former love Samuel is losing his will to live, letting his wolf take over (a dangerous situation for any werewolf) and she’s still trying to navigate the murky waters of her new and uncertain mate bond with Adam, the alpha of her new werewolf pack.
I’ve said it on every single review of these books but I love them! I think they’re fantastic and Patricia Briggs has a great story in every book. She never goes too far, it’s always just the right mixture of plot and character development. In each book, the main plot wraps up but the overarching plot keeps developing – the characters grow and change over the whole series. This book isn’t an exception. I loved returning to her world and picking up the same characters’ stories.
In this particular volume of the installment, I really appreciated where the characters’ relationships went. I have always totally loved Adam and I’m so encouraged by his relationship with Mercy. It was fantastic that there was more of him in this book. And Samuel – I may not like him as much as Adam, but I was still very captivated by what was going on with him in this book. I liked how she wove in aspects from her other Alpha and Omega series, too, because I also like Charles and Anna.
I liked the plot, too. I didn’t remember the person who lent Mercy the book, but I thought enough was explained that it didn’t matter. It wasn’t entirely suspenseful because I didn’t think anything particularly bad was going to happen to the characters (although I have been shocked by that in other series) but I was definitely intrigued by what happened. In fact, the book captivated me enough that I could read it in the space of three hours while sitting in a noisy van moving furniture. Yes, it’s that absorbing.
In short, I still love this series! And now I have a really, really long time to wait for the next installment. But when it comes out, I’ll be reading. I highly recommend Silver Borne and the rest of the Mercedes Thompson series to anyone who likes urban fantasy.
I am an Amazon Associate. I purchased this book.
 The Nameless One is stirring, gathering huge armies that are going to threaten the city of Avendoom. It’s up to Shadow Harold to stop them, because only he is talented enough to steal something which could change the course of history. But first he has to thwart the demons he created out of his own curiosity, explore the forbidden interiors of his own city, and prepare to save everything he knows.
I so wanted to like Shadow Prowler! I’ve seen positive reviews of it elsewhere and as I mentioned on Sunday, I’ve really been looking for the book that will make me crave epic fantasy like I used to. Unfortunately, this book is not it. I thought the story itself was fairly interesting. I like epic quests to save the world. In this case, it was the execution rather than the plot which really let me down.
First off, it takes so long for Harold to actually leave. We learn about his mission and the issues in the first few pages of the book, so my summary isn’t giving anything away. It opens well, with a theft in progress. But after that the book just seems to drag painfully because it takes so long for him to get going on the quest. By the time the little party set out, I already had lost interest and forgotten what happened in the beginning.
I also just plain didn’t like the way the story is told. This is actually quite strange because initially I thought it felt very Russian and I liked that, just in the way Harold approached his life. My appreciation diminished quickly because I got tired of the main character’s stupid jokes and info dumping. Moreover, there was absolutely no build-up of suspense. In short, it didn’t feel epic, even though it’s meant to be. Nothing was serious even when Harold’s life was in danger. I want to be moved, not roll my eyes. I just never cared about what was happening.
I also had the nagging feeling that this book had been done before. A hero quest is absolutely nothing new, the different races are nothing new, but I think it can be done in interesting and exciting ways. Sadly not much about this book feels fresh. I love that Russian fantasy is now being translated into English – I’ve had my eye on the Night Watch trilogy for a while now – but not if it’s just more of the same with a different attitude.
I honestly couldn’t tell you if I’ll continue to read this trilogy or not. I did enjoy some of the flashbacks and I think the past and present could merge in interesting ways in the next couple of books. But it will most definitely be a library choice, not a purchase.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free from the publisher for review.
I fully intended to write full reviews for these books, but time has gone away from me! I thought mini-reviews would be easier and then I’d have less chance of forgetting what I actually read.
 Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher
In this memoir, Carrie Fisher takes the opportunity to humorously reflect on what she remembers of her life since she got electroshock therapy. The famous actress talks about such topics as her parents’ many marriages and her movie experiences with pictures to illustrate her life.
I mostly chose this book because I’ve always been a huge Star Wars fan. I knew Carrie Fisher has had quite a challenging life, so I thought it would make for interesting reading besides the Star Wars memories. Unfortunately I was disappointed on both fronts. She mentions very little about Star Wars and she treats her whole life as a joke. I could definitely tell the book was first a stand-up routine, but it wasn’t really funny in writing. A couple of jokes caught me, but for the most part I could tell it was meant to be funny but wasn’t working.
On the bright side, the book was short and it took me less than two hours to read, making it a good Read-a-Thon choice from a totals perspective!
 On the Edge, Ilona Andrews
Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the magic world (The Weird) and the nonmagic world (The Broken). Edgers can easily travel between the worlds – Rose works in the Broken – but don’t feel at home in either. Because Rose’s magic is far stronger than it should be, she’s been pursued as a marriage prospect for years. All she wants is to stay home and take care of her little brothers. The world’s not going to leave her alone, though, because one day Declan Camarine, a noble from the Weird, walks straight into her life and refuses to leave. When strange things start attacking people in the Edge, Rose has to get past her dislike of Declan and work with him to save her home.
Ilona Andrews, really the pseudonym of a husband and wife pair of writers, continues to put out awesome books. This one is definitely not an exception. It’s more romantic than the Kate Daniels series (not like I mind!) and is quite self-contained, so I’m not sure whether not it will be developed into a series. I really liked the two boys, Georgie and Jack, and the different ways they, Rose, and Declan all had magic. If there is another book in the series, I hope we can spend more time in the Weird!
I am an Amazon Associate. I borrowed one of these books and purchased the other.
 This is book 9 in the Sookie Stackhouse series (and thus completes the challenge for me. Yay!). For the first book in the series, see my review of Dead Until Dark.
The weres are finally coming out to the world, and Sookie stands by as her friend and boss Sam changes in front of all the bar patrons where Sookie works. Not everything about the reveal goes well; Sam’s stepfather shoots his mother when she tells him that she’s a were, for example. But even worse happens when Crystal, Sookie’s brother’s cheating pregnant wife, turns up crucified in the bar’s parking lot, with parts of her in panther form. Sookie wants to exonerate Jason, but she has other problems, namely that she’s caught in the middle of a fairy war, and half of them want to kill her.
As with all the books in the series, I enjoyed this book. I finally found it in the library (these books are very popular and they only have one copy) and dove right in, finishing it the same day. I do think it was better than book 8, which seemed sort of random. This one is put together more coherently and all the plot elements are, amazingly, related. Things change a lot in Sookie’s world, too. The outing of the weres is not particularly smooth, and the fairy war is difficult for Sookie to deal with given that no one believes in their existence except for supes.
For perhaps the first time the simple writing grated on me; even though I enjoyed the book, I wondered how often I really needed to hear about Sookie slicking up her ponytail or putting on her barmaid outfit or putting her purse in the spare drawer in Sam’s office. I think this is because I’d just finished the fantastic Kate Daniels series, which doesn’t really have any of that going on. And I noticed that even though violence happens, it’s hardly described, and doesn’t necessarily give off the same horrific feel. I think that’s why these are comfortable rather than scary given the subjects dealt with, and even though a lot of bad things happen, I wasn’t really that worried about the characters, though perhaps I should have been. I was also really disappointed that the tantalizing ending in book 8 just wasn’t at all expanded upon, and it’s like the author just dropped that plotline except for a short mention. And I was glad that Eric and Sookie seem to be having a relationship, but then Eric went and shared a whole lot of information about his past in the bar, which struck me as odd, and also that Sookie doesn’t even care that he’s now controlling her life. She’s more obsessed with the blood bond than trying to figure out why she likes him suddenly, and I was a little tired of hearing about that, too. Have to say I may have even liked Vampire Bill better in this book! He was given a lot of great lines and I think he’s gone very far in trying to prove himself.
In short, I can’t say Dead and Gone was the best installment in the series. I have to wonder if it’s ever going to end, because it certainly doesn’t seem to be heading for an ending, and ten books is a lot for a series. I will continue reading it through the library, though, and I look forward to the release of book 10 this year.
I am an Amazon Associate. I borrowed this book from my local library.
These are books 2 and 3 of the Kate Daniels series and these reviews may contain spoilers for the first book. See my Magic Bites review for book 1.
 Magic Burns
Normally, magic and tech waves alternate in Kate Daniels’ Atlanta. This time, however, a magic flare is coming, which means that every magical situation gets even more dangerous. Gods can walk the earth and magic users have more power than they imagined possible. Kate’s mission starts simply, with retrieving some stolen maps for the Pack, the weres. But then she finds a teenage girl whose mother is missing, a man who can disappear at will and regenerate body parts, and a strange hole in the ground. Kate discovers that two gods are struggling to take a place on earth, and she’s caught right in the middle.
As with the first one, I liked this book. The additional character of Julie was a great touch and allowed a softer side of Kate to be exposed. She’s a properly tough girl and it’s hard to get in to her real self, but Julie is clearly paving the way. I also thought the book had an appropriate dangerous feel, and it’s all very dark. Andrews doesn’t spare any details, unlike some other urban fantasy novelists, and the world gives off a feel of neglect and violence. A good addition to the series, I thought, and I wanted to pick up the next one immediately. I also like the sort-of growing relationship between Kate and Curran. It’s strange, but I was definitely curious as to where it was going.
 Magic Strikes
Kate now works for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, and she’s been very busy as a consequence, not only working but avoiding werelion Curran. She can’t avoid the weres forever, though, especially when her friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, and no one knows if he’ll recover. Kate has to investigate the Midnight Games, a dangerous illegal operation, in an attempt to figure out what’s wrong with him. The game is much larger than that, and involves someone Kate wishes she’d never have to deal with again.
Whereas I liked the two previous books in this series, I loved this one and it may actually have become my favorite urban fantasy series in the space of one book. About halfway through, I realized I adored these characters. I love Kate’s blend of badass snark and wishing for something else that she’s convinced herself she can’t have. The interactions between all of the major players shine, and I now am a huge fan of the possibility between Kate and Curran. Their relationship has proceeded in such an out-of-the-ordinary way, but it’s exactly that which I like. And the story here was just so enthralling and for a 300 page book, had an amazingly epic feel, which of course is a huge draw for me. It’s desperate and violent but I was glued to the page, heart pounding. Kate’s backstory is revealed and a lot from the previous books starts to make sense, including her attitude. And with all of this is Kate’s trademark humor which had a smile on my face, even when she was hurt so badly she couldn’t move. It’s a perfect blend. I don’t know how I’m going to wait until May for Magic Bleeds but I’m so glad I started reading this series, and I have a feeling I’m going to read everything the husband and wife team of Ilona Andrews writes.
I am an Amazon Associate. I purchased these books.
 After Emily Benedict’s mother dies, she goes to live in Mullaby, North Carolina, the hometown that Dulcie Benedict left behind and never discussed, with the grandfather she never knew she had. Emily wants to learn more about her mother’s past, but in the process she finds a house where the wallpaper changes, where lights dash through the forest behind her house, and where some people have a “sweet sense” and can see cakes being baked. Emily’s neighbor, Julia, a former outcast, does her part to help Emily adjust to the knowledge of her mother’s past, but she has to face some demons of her own.
While I found Allen’s last offering, The Sugar Queen, to be a little too sweet, I thought this book found the perfect balance. I loved all the characters, even if they’d made mistakes in their past. Julia’s story in particular I found to be heart-wrenching, but she had me cheering for her throughout the entire book. She has a more mature story, knowing all the town’s secrets, while Emily has a lot to learn. There are two separate love stories in the book, but neither is really given much preference and both are wonderful.
I also really enjoyed the doses of magic spread throughout. They never seem out of place, but fit beautifully within the story and add to it, not at all taking away from the feelings or personalities of the characters. The Girl Who Chased the Moon never feels unrealistic or absurd. It is fairly light fiction but I loved it and I’m very much looking forward to further books from Sarah Addison Allen.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free from the Amazon Vine program.
 Elena Deveraux is the best vampire hunter out there, but she begins to regret it when the angels come to her for help. Archangel Raphael, who has control over the United States, hires her to track a rogue Archangel, and in the process sets about seducing her. Despite her insistence that she can’t smell angels the way she can vampires, Elena is trapped in a dangerous mission, probably destined to die either on the impossible job or afterwards when she discovers too many of the angels’ secrets.
I actually really enjoyed this book and I feel like I’m getting a hint as to why Nalini Singh is so popular. I really liked Elena for the most part. She’s an interesting character with a backstory that relates to this novel and I loved her snarky, risk-taking attitude. I have to say her decision to sleep with Raphael made little sense, though; she’s frustrated so she appears to decide that she wants to sleep with him just to relieve stress. Yes, that is a great idea when your chosen lover is so powerful he can kill you with a thought, and probably would when the relationship was over.
Minor point, though, because for the most part I found their relationship sweet, a bright point in a darker book, and I suppose women are often drawn to power, especially when wrapped in an extremely attractive package, so maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Plus the romance often took a backseat to the more exciting plot, and I was happy for that a romance, the ending was not what I predicted! And the characters’ stories are carried on in the next book! I think that this might actually qualify the book as urban fantasy, but I’ll have to see where the series goes to decide which way it leans.
I loved the world, too, and I thought it was a fair amount darker than most of what’s out there in urban fantasy or paranormal romance. There is a lot of brutal killing and the characters themselves don’t escape the savagery. A lot of Elena’s growth is based upon the horrors in her past and her determination to stick up for herself and what’s right even when that means death. There isn’t all that much humor when people’s hearts are being ripped out of their chests. It all feels very serious. There are some gaps in the world-building, mostly because we know very little about what angels do. They control vampires and they fly around with pretty wings, and they obviously are in charge of the world, but aside from the councils of the most important angels we just don’t see that much. I suspect this will be elaborated on in the next one, though, given how this wraps up, and so I’m willing to let the gaps rest for the moment. The angels seem to have no connection to any modern day religious faith, which was appreciated.
Overall, I enjoyed Angels’ Blood. I’m glad that this series has been picked up by a UK publisher so I can follow it in a more timely fashion. And many thanks to Tasha for sending this book to me. I think I liked it more than she did!
I’m still an Amazon Associate.
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