Ahoy there me mateys!  I first tried the author's nestlings and didn't finish it but I wanted to give his work another chance.  This new book sounded so interesting.  A young woman named Jess finds a five-year old boy near her apartment.  He is terrified of his father finding him.  Soon the father arrives to take back the boy.  Then a wolf creature ends up slaughtering the entire apartment complex.  Jess and the boy go on the run trying to keep ahead of the father.  Jess is also trying to figure out why the FBI is involved and what is the true nature of creature is.  Why is it determined to get the boy?

This was a very evocative read.  I was sympathetic to Jess who didn't ask for her life to go insane, to be on the run, and to deal with a five-year old and his mysteries.  She wants to do the right thing but it is hard and scary and Jess continuously wants the boy to be someone else's problem.  I loved Jess's mom Cookie and their loving if irregular relationship.  I appreciated Jess's negative relationship with her own father, her conflicted opinions, and how they influenced the story.

As for the boy, everything about him was fascinating and sad.  His attachment to a book he got from a Little Free Library was heart wrenching.  He has grown up isolated and terrified of his father.  I thought how his situation was introduced was completely effective and sobering.  I was rooting for him.  He is such a sympathetic character.

This book is not for the faint of heart.  It is bloody and gory.  There are some seemingly silly moments involving Who Framed Roger Rabbit or merchandise at Target that quickly becomes horrifying.  There is a feel of Dean Koontz's themes of young scared boy, special powers of a child, and monsters early on in the book which continue throughout.  The excellent author's note expands on these influences and other themes.

The only real negative for me was the ending.  At the 85% mark, I was a little less interested in how the plot was unfolding.  I didn't mind the unhappy ending as the foreword warned.  It made perfect sense given the context of the novel.  I was, however, not impressed by Jess's ending.  Personal preference as most of the crew loved it.

I am glad I gave the author's work another chance and will read more of his work.  Arrrr!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ahoy there mateys!  This is the third book in the Warden series.  Aelis de Lenti has been sent back to civilization and her old alma mater to help defend her mentor against a murder charge.  Aelis is thrilled to be back in the city but intimidated by the enormity of the tasks set before her.

While I did overall enjoy this book, there were some issues I had with it that felt similar to those from book two.  What I enjoyed about the first book was how character driven it was.  Book two then opened up the world a bit more and it happens again here.  I found I didn't' really care for descriptions of the city's automatons, buildings, wines, or clothes.  Politics gets more attention here and, frankly, its just boring.  Power for the sake of power.  Not a lot makes sense upon reflection.

Also, Aelis NEVER really has a plan.  It is supposed to be her modus operandi but I wish she would have growth in this area.  She took forever to figure things out.  Also I feel like so many of her solutions were to fling money at the problems.  Aelis doesn't want to be known for her family but uses those family connections at the drop of a hat.  She treats her friends with discourtesy.  She seems to have become rather hateful and lost those gains she made in Long Pine.  Also her greatest hardship seemed to be losing some sleep.

Aelis did so much at the last minute and with little thought.  The pacing was extremely slow in the middle.  I wanted Aelis to make plans with her friends and work together instead of running around all over the place.  I did like two gnomes in this.  One was at the fashion store and the other became Aelis' sidekick.

I am not sure if another book is planned as most crew are discussing this being the end of the trilogy.  A big long-range plan was set-up at the end though so who knows.  I will read another book in this series if one is written.  Arrrr!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ahoy there me mateys!  In this second book of the series, Din and Ana are back.  Several years and cases have passed since the first book.  The duo finds themselves in Yarrowdale on the edges of the Empire.  Yarrowdale is still run by a King and negotiations continue about transitioning the country into the Empire.  The problem this time is a locked room mystery where a Treasury official from the Empire has been found dead in a canal.  How did an assassin get into the official's locked room at the top of the tower without being seen?  How will the diplomatic interests of the Empire be affected?

Din, at this point in his career, is downhearted and rather jaded.  His work does not bring him personal satisfaction and he wants a department transfer to fight Leviathans on the Wall.  His family debts are smothering him and the only way to calm his mind is by a series of one-night stands.  He continues to do his best because of personal pride.  Ana at first seems her regular crazy self but time in Yarrowdale will stretch her to breaking.  Din and Ana still work well together but Din seems irritated at having to always do Ana's footwork for her.  Luckily, Din has Warden Malo with her excellent nose to help him deal with local formalities.  She was an excellent character addition and also provides lighthearted humor and banter with Din.

Of course the Treasurer's murder is just the start.  There is a lot going on with this book from the monarchy, to missing treasure, to smugglers, to Leviathans, to lots of secrets, to contagion, etc.  I was able to guess a couple of big plot twists and many smaller ones but there is plenty to discover about how the murder happened, how politics are effected, and how relationships evolve.  I really enjoyed this novel and I cannot wait for the next book.  Arrr!

Side note:  I adored the scene with Ana and the oysters!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I have Matey Tammy to thank for this wonderful Gothic Horror delight.  As she says "The nitty-gritty: A grim, bloody delight with pitch perfect black humor, Victorian Psycho will make you gasp and laugh in the same breath."  I listened to the audiobook narrated by Anna Burnett and I basically smiled like a loon the whole time.

Aye, a loon I might be given that a book filled with blood and viciousness makes me chuckle.  The story follows Winifred Notty, a governess, in Grim Wolds, England who works for the Pounds family.  She is quite unusual given her eccentric nature, bluntness, and calm but creepy observations of the world.  The story is told through Winifred's diary and it really works.  Winifred's employers are awful.  The children are despicable.  Winifred's childhood is both heartbreaking and terrible.  Truly, Winifred has a distinct voice and a distinct plan for Christmas.  But it was her everyday observations that I loved:

and

and

There are shocking moments, bloody moments, and over-the-top moments (the baby!).  The writing is evocative and vivid.  The humor is dark and black.  This  is certainly a book I will listen to again.  It was a perfect read and I, frankly, loved it.  I will be picking up the author's debut.  Arrr!

Side note: This novel is scheduled to be made into a film.  I am all for it.  Arrr!

Ahoy there me mateys!  This was the best one yet!  For me, the highlight of the author's writing is her eerie atmospheres.  In this story, Halley is hiding from political disaster fallout.  She takes a low paying job as a security guard on an ancient spaceship.  The ship holds the cryogenically frozen bodies of a prophet, more than 100 years dead, and the wealthy people who chose to be frozen with him.  Halley visited the ship as a young child when it was a museum but in recent years it has been maintained by a trust.  She feels it is a great place to hide out while deciding what to do next.

At first it seems like an easy job where she does rounds and pushes a security button to show that all is well.  However, the timing of the rounds and her own stress begin to make her sleep deprivation all the worse.  Is her imagination playing tricks on her or is there something else going on?  The only company she really has on the huge ship is a sophisticated AI program in the museum auditorium which can sometimes answer questions in real time and the frozen folks.  I would not choose to talk to either but her loneliness begins to grate.  Lack of sleep doesn't help.  And the engineer somewhere else on the ship refuses to really talk to her.

There is a lot about Halley's circumstances on board the ship that I found to be unrealistic.  Halley is a character hard to feel sympathetic towards given her privileged background and very bad choices.  However, as the novel progressed, I found that I wanted her to succeed.  Halley just wants to have purpose and help people.  She may have went about it completely incorrectly but in the end, she makes up for it.  Plus the real circumstances and truth of the ship should happen to no one.  Ugh.  As a poor sleeper, I also began to think about how lack of sleep can cause cognitive dysfunction and how that could be contributing to Halley's predicament, her missing key facts, and her second guessing.

The ending was one of the aspects of the novel that felt most realistic.  Halley pays for her bad choices, not everyone survives, and what happens to the AI was refreshing in that "science magic" can't solve everything.  There is a small amount of hope but the ending felt right for the story.

I love the author's excellent space horrors and want more!  These standalones are excellent fun.  Arrr! 

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

*** minor spoilers for other books in the series ***

Ahoy there mateys!!  This is the third and final book in the Chaotic Orbits series of novellas.  I enjoyed book one, adored book two, and found this book to be just okay.  Most people will be upset that there is no happy-ever-after here.  Aye, the ending is a cliffhanger even though it is a last book.  There is no payoff for the romance aspect.  I actually thought the ending was rather realistic, if surprising.  I rather liked it.

My problem with the book is the whole saving the world thing.  Ada’s part in this is boring.  Finding out who she works for and why was rather boring.  I missed her audacity and being ahead of everyone else.  She does, of course, do more than what she says her goal is.  I just didn’t care.  She would have failed without help.  But Rian isn’t the help she used.  That bothered me.  I wanted to see Rian and Ada work together more.  There is a little bit of that but Rian is completely overwhelmed when things do not go to plan.  I just don’t think a man with his skills would be that useless.

Even though there were flaws, the book is fast paced and I really enjoyed the audiobook format.  Plus it is another series finished.  Arrr!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Side note: Publishers stop comparing books to other things they are nothing like.  They claim the series is “perfect for fans of Murderbot novels and the Wayfairers series.”  Ugh!  These are NOTHING like either of those.

Ahoy there me mateys!  This is a new series with some big comparisons - "Becky Chambers meets Miss Marple in this sci-fi ode to the cozy mystery" and "Perfect for fans of the plot-twisty narratives of Dorothy Sayers and Ann Leckie."  I wanted to read it because it is a cozy mystery set on a generation ship where memories can be stored in the library.  This book is a novella and was just okay.  It is not like Chambers or Leckie's work though it does have a cozy vibe.

I think that the short length (112 pgs) was the biggest issue for me.  I did like the main detective character who is an older protagonist whose consciousness is pushed into the body of a younger person.  What was fascinating was the idea of the ship and the library storing the memories of the passengers.  The personal problem for me is that I wanted more world building, more exploration of the ship, more explanation for why the ship runs as it does, and more character development.  Basically every aspect felt sketched in and rushed.  I really wish this had been a novel.  

The solution to the mystery wasn't very surprising and the motive was uninteresting.  That said I wouldn't be adverse to trying the next in the series to see what the detective gets up to next given that I still love the concepts.  I would love to explore more of the world.  I listened to this on audio and really enjoyed Blair Baker's narration.  This seems like a negative review but honestly I liked enough of what I read.  I just wanted more.  Arrrrr!

I received copies from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ahoy there me mateys!  One of my favorite childhood books was Watership Down along with its scary animated movie (poor Bigwig!).  I did not know much about hares and have to admit that I thought they were more closely related to rabbits given hares' nickname of jackrabbits.  When I learned about this memoir of a woman raising a baby hare during the pandemic, I knew I had to read it.

Though it takes place during the pandemic, the focus is not at all on the pandemic itself.  The book is a mixture of memoir and naturalist guide.  The memoir side touches on how the hare helped change the author's perspectives on her home, the countryside it exists in, and her viewpoints of her job and sense of self.  The nature side gives animal facts about hares and the hare she raised in particular.   There are also quotes from historical writing about hares which I really enjoyed.  Just be aware that there are discussions about the history of hunting hares in parts of the book.

One of the interesting things about the author is that she owns up to her mistakes in dealing with the hare while not regretting the experience.  I enjoyed her personal reflections on the relationships between humans and wildlife and how they changed over time.  The writing was easy to follow and I read this book quickly.  I avidly followed the hare's life and all of the details about it living in the author's house and the accommodations she made for it.

My ebook copy did not showcase the illustrations very well so folks may want to get the physical copy for those if interested.  I am very glad to have read this one and learn more about the subject.  Arrrr!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ahoy there me mateys!  While I try to post no spoilers, this is the third book of a sub-trilogy so proceed at yer own peril . . .

I received an e-book from the publisher, read it immediately, and pre-ordered the audiobook as soon as I finished.  On publishing day, I immediately listened to the audiobook.  This book is already on the comfort reads list along with the others in the series.  Why did it take me two weeks to write a review?  Because honestly I fail to do this book justice beyond flailing.

This book is the final book in the Amalo sub-trilogy which is part of the larger Chronicles of Osreth series.  Celehar is no longer Amalo’s Witness for the Dead as he has lost his power.  He is assigned a special project to fix a municipal cemetery that has not been functioning for 50 years.  Of course the poor guy doesn’t have the best luck to he also gets kidnapped by miners and is dealing with PTSD from his ordeal under the hill.

Basically I fall more in love with the world the more books I read set in it.  I particularly love Celehar and think he is a wonderful character and is my favorite.  That said, I love all of Celehar’s friends and how much they care for him despite Celehar’s obtuseness of why he is worthy of friendship.  Iäna Pel-Thenhio and his opera antics are always a delight.  I also enjoyed the addition of guard Hanu Olgarezh.  The Emperor is always fun to read about too.  Seriously I love them all!  I will continue to reread these books.  Also while this is the ending of the trilogy, I would read a lot more books about the characters’ adventures outside of Amalo.  Write more please!

This book should not be read as a standalone.  I believe all prior books are necessary to read before this one.  That said, if ye loved those then this one is likely to float yer boat too.  Arrr!

Ahoy there mateys!  My problem with this book comes down to my sense of humor and how the women are portrayed.  I am certainly in the minority because the crew loves it and there are eight books in the series.  I am glad I got this via Audible Plus and did not spend loot on it.  I also did not know it written as a series of short stories.  This is another book where I know I read about 20% but didn't take good notes so I could have read more.

I really did like the set-up of Fred becoming a vampire and decided to continue with his regular life because he likes being an accountant.  I liked the idea of him going to his high school reunion and what happens there.  The major problem was that the story felt so light and undetailed.  This makes sense given the short story angle but I wanted a better fleshed out world and details about Fred's life.

I also hated the insta-relationship between Fred and his girlfriend.  It came out of nowhere.  Also while Fred respects his girlfriend and her skills, I couldn't stand how he talked about how hot and badass she is.  Personal preference.  The voice actor for Fred didn't help matters.  Fred sounded like a teen idiot boy instead of a grown man.

Chalk this one up to not intended for me as an audience.  Arrrr!