I'm torn on this one. I really love the story between Grace and Sam but felt like I was left hanging at the end. I get it - use your imagination but sometimes I really just want someone to tell me how it all ends. I really wish there were an actual resolution here as I feel like Sam and Grace are still in this Limbo as to how they will end up.

I am glad that Cole and Isabel got some time in this story and I'm not going to lie - Shelby got hers...and I'm glad.

Those who have read the other 2 books should definitely read this and there were some lines in the story that prompted me to go back and re-read pages. Bittersweet end to this story....I still want to read more.

The last 25% bumped this to 5 stars for me.

The Mime Order is the second book in The Bone Season series and I can’t believe I have to wait another year (or so) for the next book. Admittedly, this book was about 3.5 stars for me….until the last quarter of the book. Holy crap that ending pushed it up to a 5 star and now I have to wait and we all know how patient I am…right? Spoiler free review to follow.

Paige has escaped Sheol I but she isn’t really free. She is back with Jaxon Hall and the most wanted person in Scion so she doesn’t have many options open to her. As Paige continues to look for a way to get the mime-lords and mime-queens to listen to her, she is also wondering where Warden is and whether he is safe. Admittedly…so was I.

I can’t say much about the story without giving anything away but if you remember, Paige was not super excited with Jaxon based on what happened in book one so the fact that she has to rely on him to stay safe doesn’t really make her happy. She spends the majority of the book figuring out how she can warn everyone about what is coming as well as how to get out from under Jaxon’s thumb. No question – she does it all with a bang and you won’t believe how it all comes together at the end.

I thought Samantha Shannon did a great job building up the world these characters are living in and moving the story along. The front end felt a bit slow to me but once things started moving, they didn’t really slow down again. If you liked book one, definitely check this one out when you can, you won’t regret it. All the things I enjoyed about The Bone Season carried through to this book and that was a huge plus.

That’s really all I can say – no spoilers here and hopefully you understand that I am holding onto all the details for your protection. Go get this book when you can!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the review copy!

The Collector is one of those books that I heard everyone raving about but I had to hold off on reading it due to some other deadlines. I am actually happy I waited a bit

The story itself may sound familiar…good vs. evil, heaven vs. hell, etc. but what makes it different (at least for me) are the characters. Ok, specifically Dante and Charlie.

Dante is a Collector and he works for the “boss man” down below. He is one of 6 guys who wander the earth and collect souls. He also really enjoys it. I won’t lie – at first I was a bit put off by Dante and his ego/arrogance. If I would have ever met him in real life my first response would probably have been “Are you for real?” to which he probably would have had some sort of smart ass response that would have either made me laugh or just walk away. Surprisingly, it works for him and eventually becomes a part of his charm. Yes, I said charm.

Charlie is the unexpected surprise of the story. When we first meet her, she is described as having frizzy blond hair, crooked teeth, and bad skin. Definitely not someone that Dante would normally associate with but he has a job and as the story progresses, she wins him over with her personality. The catch I guess is that when all is said and done and both are sharing their feelings about each other, Charlie now has a very different outside package. The bigger question in my mind is would Dante truly have fallen for her if she still looked the same? I like to think that with the growth I saw in his character that the answer is yes.

Overall I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick, engaging read with some interesting characters. I am definitely going to continue with book two, The Liberator, when it comes out as I am very interested in seeing what happens both with Dante and Charlie as well how Dante adjusts working for the “big man”.

Wandering Star is the second book of the Zodiac series by Romina Russell. If you haven’t started this series yet and are looking for something science fiction, definitely consider them. I enjoyed book one a lot so I was excited to get my hands on book two so I could find out what was going to happen next.

This book jumps right back into Rho’s story and Russell immediately dives into the action. With Rho disgraced, she assumes she will live a quiet life with her brother and a new friend, but a terrorist group threatens to strike the houses and Rho finds herself at the center of things again.

I do think that Rho has grown up quite a bit between the first book and when this one ends. I admit, I don’t agree with all of her decisions but that’s ok. I can’t / won’t say much about some of the twists that Russell puts into this book because I don’t want to ruin it but one of them has a major impact on Rho and some of the decisions she has made. In addition, while she is a bit gun shy in making decisions based on what happened to her in Zodiac, she is definitely thinking things through differently. At first she tries to avoid any type of leadership but eventually she realizes that this is something that she can’t really step away from.

As the story progresses, we learn more about the group that is threatening the houses and the twist to this plot is that Ochus is the one who wants to help Rho. Where previously he threatened the houses and Rho, now he is contacting her to provide her with help and guidance to defeat the group. Again, I won’t say much here due to the fact that I don’t want to ruin any bit of the story but I loved what Russell did with this book.

There is definite story progression in this book which is great and I might even go so far as to say I enjoyed this book a bit more than I did book one. Mostly because there is plenty of action, character development, and the story gives us more information about the houses. Of course the bits with Hysan were definitely some of my favorite parts as well. Consider checking this series out if you haven’t yet done so. I know am looking forward to the next book in this series and can’t wait to see where Russell takes the story.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

Zodiac by Romina Russell was a solid four stars for me. I found it full of action and the space travel and science fiction aspect only added to the story. I won't be saying a ton about the details of this book only because I don't want to give anything away - apologies but I don't want to spoil it!

Russell built the structure of the space system and the planets so that it was easy to create a picture in my mind of the world these characters live in. I loved the space travel and the differences between each of the twelve houses…and the mystery surrounding the mythical 13th house.

Rho is an interesting character and I liked her. I have to admit, I was frustrated with some of the decisions she made but she made those decisions with the right intentions…in most cases, I think. As she is thrown into a life she never imagined she jumps right in and embraces all aspects. The thing that stands out for me about Rho is the fact that she never changes her point of view on what is really going on regardless of what people are telling her. This is most evident when she is trying to figure out if she should hide her belief of Ophiuchus and the fact that he is the one attacking the houses.

I thought that both Mathias and Dysan were solid characters as well. They were almost complete opposites of each other but when it came to Rho, they both cared a lot about her and were willing to do whatever they could to keep her safe. I’m not going to say too much about these two as I don’t want to give anything away but I will warn you, if it isn’t clear, there is a bit of a love triangle. With that said, it doesn’t take over the story but it does flow through the book and plays a part in some of the decisions made.

As Rho tries to navigate the politics of being Guardian of House Cancer as well as figuring out how to get everyone to see how much danger they are in, she is also faced with the potential loss of her family and has to figure out how to keep going without know where they are or if they are safe.

I can’t really say too much about the rest of the story as I don’t want to give anything away but I think the bigger mysteries still exist around Ophiuchus and Rho’s mother. I felt like we – just like Rho – don’t know what happened to her mother and I have a feeling there is still something to be revealed about her. As for Ophiuchus, there is more to come…I know it and I can’t wait to see where Russell goes with that part of the story.

Russell created a wonderful story with a unique spin around the zodiac and as soon as I picked it up, I had a hard time putting it down. I'm absolutely looking forward to the next book in the series and if you are looking for a new Dystopian/Science Fiction series, definitely consider checking this one out.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.

Just realized that I forgot to write my review for this book. Since it has been a while, just know that this was a good story.

I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to book 2.

Anyone that knows me knows that I don't handle cliffhangers well...Despite that, I enjoyed the book.

I am happy to see that Lena has toughened up and isn't just relying on others to make decisions for her. Initially I thought that she would end up exchanging Alex (as someone leading her) for Raven...It does happen but Lena eventually realizes that she believes in things a bit differently and needs to stand on her own if she can't support what the rest of the group is doing. I am happy that Raven & Tack did end up helping her and they were successful getting Julian.

Alex - I knew he would be back (it was a feeling) but the way he comes back is what gets me. I wanted something (even just a little hint) that told me what happened to him and have a feeling there will be a lot of anger coming from him in the next book based on the ending. I would have hoped he and Lena would have gotten a reunion but I am curious to see the reactions and how the next book opens based on his introduction back into her life now that Julian is there.

Overall, I liked how the story progressed as we got to learn more about the invalids as well as become introduced to some additional characters.

I was warned about the cliffhanger but still....I don't really count patience as a really strong trait of mine so waiting for the next book is going to be painful.

I won't give anything away here. I will admit I was more than a little let down by this ending as I was hoping for so much more.

I was glad to see more of Alex because he is one of my favorites. I definitely recommend you read this if you have read the others in the series but if you are anything like me, you may not be happy with the way this ended.

I remember why I loved this book when it first came out...Alex is swoony although I didn't remember Lena being so annoying. Regardless, I enjoyed this and thought the narrator did a great job. Check it out!