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TS901: Anomaly was an amazing start to a series and the beginning a beautiful, if very flawed and post-apocalyptic, world. When a chemical intended to help humanity was introduced into the water, it had some surprising results. Individuals with certain DNA were mutated and forced into the Hive – picture detainment camp.
Thia makes it her mission to escape the Hive and expose the truth behind the TS901 chemical and how the government has been using the people mutated by it. There are a lot of twists and turns as the escape progresses and Thia and crew attempt to infiltrate a government facility to free the people held there.
Thia was an intriguing character that really draws the spotlight in the story. Even though surrounded by strong males and females she managed to shine, but somehow without taking away from the other characters. I can’t wait to get started on the rest of the series.
Thia makes it her mission to escape the Hive and expose the truth behind the TS901 chemical and how the government has been using the people mutated by it. There are a lot of twists and turns as the escape progresses and Thia and crew attempt to infiltrate a government facility to free the people held there.
Thia was an intriguing character that really draws the spotlight in the story. Even though surrounded by strong males and females she managed to shine, but somehow without taking away from the other characters. I can’t wait to get started on the rest of the series.
The Kin takes us back to the very first couple in The Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Wrath and Beth. I really loved these two, and I was excited to see an entire book revisiting their relationship and showing that there's still life after the initial HEA. And that life isn't always roses.
As the war with the Lessening Society rages on with no end in sight and the Band of Bastards has taken a toll on the king himself. When Wrath makes the announcement that he wants no children to follow him into this life, it comes at a time when Beth was deciding that children were something she desperately wanted to have.
I feel like this was one of the most "real" issues faced in the series so far. I imagine many married couples end up on opposite sides of the having kids coin for various reasons. It made them seem like like fictional characters or more like a couple that could be living right next door (minus the whole everyone is out to kill them part).
Both seek their friends and family for advice - some of which was quite on point and some of it was quite hilarious. There's a lot to consider before bringing a child into the world, and I think Ward did an excellent job of highlighting that part of the relationship between Wrath and Beth.
As the war with the Lessening Society rages on with no end in sight and the Band of Bastards has taken a toll on the king himself. When Wrath makes the announcement that he wants no children to follow him into this life, it comes at a time when Beth was deciding that children were something she desperately wanted to have.
I feel like this was one of the most "real" issues faced in the series so far. I imagine many married couples end up on opposite sides of the having kids coin for various reasons. It made them seem like like fictional characters or more like a couple that could be living right next door (minus the whole everyone is out to kill them part).
Both seek their friends and family for advice - some of which was quite on point and some of it was quite hilarious. There's a lot to consider before bringing a child into the world, and I think Ward did an excellent job of highlighting that part of the relationship between Wrath and Beth.
I'm a big fan of shared worlds and cozy mysteries so when I saw that Sweet Promise Press was releasing the Funeral Fakers series shared world of unusual cozy-style mysteries, I jumped on board. Mourning Routine introduced me to the concept of what a funeral faker is - a person paid to show up at a funeral to mourn for someone they don't know. But this particular job is a little different.
Kitty Crawford finds herself hired to play the part of the deceased's girlfriend - a girlfriend that no one really liked. But as she gets to know the family, she begins to think there's more to this death than it seems. Kitty begins to investigate with the unwelcome (but very handsome) help of the very man that ended her budding acting career.
I loved the playful feeling of Mourning Routine. There was a ton of great banter the characters, and the mystery, while not so mysterious, was fun to watch play out through Kitty's eyes. I had a big question mark after one scene though, and it still bothers me after finishing the book. If you get something poisonous on your hands, how does throwing up help expel it from your system? Did I totally miss something? I feel like I might have, so feel free to jump in and tell me what it was.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Kitty Crawford finds herself hired to play the part of the deceased's girlfriend - a girlfriend that no one really liked. But as she gets to know the family, she begins to think there's more to this death than it seems. Kitty begins to investigate with the unwelcome (but very handsome) help of the very man that ended her budding acting career.
I loved the playful feeling of Mourning Routine. There was a ton of great banter the characters, and the mystery, while not so mysterious, was fun to watch play out through Kitty's eyes. I had a big question mark after one scene though, and it still bothers me after finishing the book. If you get something poisonous on your hands, how does throwing up help expel it from your system? Did I totally miss something? I feel like I might have, so feel free to jump in and tell me what it was.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Another solid cozy mystery in the Funeral Fakers series. Mourning Commute is a stand-alone mystery that I had a hard time guessing exactly who-dun-it and why. Sam Cheever laid the clues out beautifully without giving too much away until the case was solved.
The characters may have been a little over the top, but they were more lovable because of it. Our funeral faker, May Ferth, really pulled out all the stops to make sure her grieving clients got what they needed - including a little shoulder to cry on and an ear willing to listen.
There's a touch of romantic possibility between the P.I. investigating and May that I really enjoyed. They both had moments of quick thinking and worked well as a team to solve the case and catch the bad guys. The cases in the Funeral Fakers have all been quite involved and intricate, and I'm impressed at the authors' abilities to fit so much into a novella and bring all the pieces together in a very satisfying conclusion.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
The characters may have been a little over the top, but they were more lovable because of it. Our funeral faker, May Ferth, really pulled out all the stops to make sure her grieving clients got what they needed - including a little shoulder to cry on and an ear willing to listen.
There's a touch of romantic possibility between the P.I. investigating and May that I really enjoyed. They both had moments of quick thinking and worked well as a team to solve the case and catch the bad guys. The cases in the Funeral Fakers have all been quite involved and intricate, and I'm impressed at the authors' abilities to fit so much into a novella and bring all the pieces together in a very satisfying conclusion.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Mourning Express is my favorite in The Funeral Faker series so far. I loved Rosie and her determination to do a job well. With a bad rep following her as a diva, she's struggling to find a job when she takes on the role of a professional mourner.
Her first job highlights her past and bad reputation when she's asked to give a eulogy for a man she's never met. A man that everyone seems to hate. But as she digs deeper into the man's past as research for her role, she finds out that his death was no accident at all.
With the help of her best friend - who just happens to be a stellar make-up artist - and her roommate, she takes on several really fun roles to try and find out the truth. While she hates her reputation as a diva, she finds that having made a name for herself isn't all that bad sometimes - and actually helps on occasion.
A great mystery with some of my favorite characters.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Her first job highlights her past and bad reputation when she's asked to give a eulogy for a man she's never met. A man that everyone seems to hate. But as she digs deeper into the man's past as research for her role, she finds out that his death was no accident at all.
With the help of her best friend - who just happens to be a stellar make-up artist - and her roommate, she takes on several really fun roles to try and find out the truth. While she hates her reputation as a diva, she finds that having made a name for herself isn't all that bad sometimes - and actually helps on occasion.
A great mystery with some of my favorite characters.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Heart of Destiny introduced me to a very interesting and new world. A world that has been split into separate realms by a magical wall where they only meet in the middle at the Citadel. This was supposed to bring peace, but it seems to have only brought about petty squabbles instead, especially with a corrupt emporer ruling them all.
When children begin to disappear - everyone wants to blame their neighboring realm. And here is where I wish there had been more to the story than a novella can hold. Being introduced to so many characters - one from each realm - was a bit confusing, and I still wasn't sure who was who and where they came from by the end of the book. I'm hoping they separate themselves a little more in future books of the series, because I see a lot of good possibilities ahead.
The djinn and the dragons were a great spin on more traditional creatures, and the concept of them having a triad merger of beings with girls that were taken was a fun new element.
When children begin to disappear - everyone wants to blame their neighboring realm. And here is where I wish there had been more to the story than a novella can hold. Being introduced to so many characters - one from each realm - was a bit confusing, and I still wasn't sure who was who and where they came from by the end of the book. I'm hoping they separate themselves a little more in future books of the series, because I see a lot of good possibilities ahead.
The djinn and the dragons were a great spin on more traditional creatures, and the concept of them having a triad merger of beings with girls that were taken was a fun new element.
Triplicity is an odd mix of an almost slice-of-life story and a suspense novel. As I followed the three teenagers on the cruise I continually wondered where the story was trying to go. We get a dash of a romantic triangle, misplaced blame for a thief on board, and lots of family drama. With so many different trains of stories running through, I felt like the there wasn't really an end goal.
I didn't always find the three main characters very engaging, and there were many times I flat out didn't like them. Navy especially had moments that I found to be very disingenuous. The standards that she held Isaiah and Jesse to were inconsistent, and while both of the boys also had their issues, I found them to feel more real and genuine.
The impact of the mystery the teens are trying to solve really doesn't impact the story until very close to the end, and I wish it had been integrated throughout so that it had more of a hovering presence instead of just the occasional mention to cause drama.
Isaiah was the character that saved it for me. I loved his history with the ranch, and while in the end, he did a few questionable things, it was more because he didn't see another way out. Jesse was a close second. But I found it odd how Navy looked past his lies while holding Isaiah to a different standard.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
I didn't always find the three main characters very engaging, and there were many times I flat out didn't like them. Navy especially had moments that I found to be very disingenuous. The standards that she held Isaiah and Jesse to were inconsistent, and while both of the boys also had their issues, I found them to feel more real and genuine.
The impact of the mystery the teens are trying to solve really doesn't impact the story until very close to the end, and I wish it had been integrated throughout so that it had more of a hovering presence instead of just the occasional mention to cause drama.
Isaiah was the character that saved it for me. I loved his history with the ranch, and while in the end, he did a few questionable things, it was more because he didn't see another way out. Jesse was a close second. But I found it odd how Navy looked past his lies while holding Isaiah to a different standard.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Grainne remains one of my favorite Shannara characters through the end of this series. She has such a dynamic past and is constantly evolving to adapt to her present - trying to predict what she will need to be for her future. But she has found herself in over her head exiled in the Forbidding.
Through Straken we see the resolution of Grainne's story and the beginning of Pen's. For he has the wishsong. Their stories will draw in all of the realms in true epic fantasy style.
The war between the Federation and the Free-born is raging on, with no real win in sight. A false Ard Rhys is leading the order of the druids, and Pen has sacrificed much to help make it right. Terry Brooks somehow manages to weave all these pieces together and once again reach a satisfying - if sometimes surprising - conclusion to this era of the Shannara story.
But the door is open for more - and I know there is because they are sitting on my shelf waiting. However, one of the things I like best about these series within a series is the ability to have that satisfaction of finishing - while still knowing you get to come back for a grand new adventure soon.
Through Straken we see the resolution of Grainne's story and the beginning of Pen's. For he has the wishsong. Their stories will draw in all of the realms in true epic fantasy style.
The war between the Federation and the Free-born is raging on, with no real win in sight. A false Ard Rhys is leading the order of the druids, and Pen has sacrificed much to help make it right. Terry Brooks somehow manages to weave all these pieces together and once again reach a satisfying - if sometimes surprising - conclusion to this era of the Shannara story.
But the door is open for more - and I know there is because they are sitting on my shelf waiting. However, one of the things I like best about these series within a series is the ability to have that satisfaction of finishing - while still knowing you get to come back for a grand new adventure soon.
Shannara isn't a land of the past or fantasy - it's the land of the future. It's the land that emerged after an apocalyptic time period full of demons re-emerging and humans allowing the land to go be poisoned by their greed. In Armageddon's Children, we get to see how it all happened and where it all came from.
The last remaining Knights of the Word travel the land under the direction of the Lady. Each has their own mission that will bring them together to save the last of humanity. Angel Perez and Logan Tom each have a mission to complete - a mission that brings keeps turning them closer and closer to a group of street kids that call themselves the Ghosts.
The Ghosts will play an important role in the times to come. A time full of danger and strange new discoveries of magic and mutants. They are not what they appear on the surface, but they have not yet realized their full potential.
Traveling with the characters we see the beginnings of the strange creatures that inhabit the world of Shannara - lizards, spiders, and once-men that help to make up the landscape of the Shannara series.
While I wasn't a fan of the urban fantasy tale that showed more modern times in a previous series, Armageddon's Children begins to bridges the gap between now and the future of Shannara. It's not just a dystopian tale, but the beginnings of as origin story like none I've read before. I did run into a few cases where the editing could have been better - names misspelled and words that should be capitalized weren't.
The last remaining Knights of the Word travel the land under the direction of the Lady. Each has their own mission that will bring them together to save the last of humanity. Angel Perez and Logan Tom each have a mission to complete - a mission that brings keeps turning them closer and closer to a group of street kids that call themselves the Ghosts.
The Ghosts will play an important role in the times to come. A time full of danger and strange new discoveries of magic and mutants. They are not what they appear on the surface, but they have not yet realized their full potential.
Traveling with the characters we see the beginnings of the strange creatures that inhabit the world of Shannara - lizards, spiders, and once-men that help to make up the landscape of the Shannara series.
While I wasn't a fan of the urban fantasy tale that showed more modern times in a previous series, Armageddon's Children begins to bridges the gap between now and the future of Shannara. It's not just a dystopian tale, but the beginnings of as origin story like none I've read before. I did run into a few cases where the editing could have been better - names misspelled and words that should be capitalized weren't.