Ahoy there mateys. This is a standalone fantasy that has been reissued with the author's preferred text.  I found the post-apocalyptical fantasy world building to be lovely.  I really enjoyed the wasted landscape, the cities struggling to survive, and the importance of water to the culture.  I loved the non-human kris race.  I loved the trade of relics.  I thought the main character of Khat was worth rooting for.  This is, however, a slow build up.  The actual reasons for the conflict are not revealed until the 3/4 mark.  The mystery was a bit lacking and I thought the climax to the ending was fast paced and not that all interesting when the truth comes to light.  The solution to the problem was basically a character's magical intuition.  I am not a fan of that these days.  I also cannot say that this book is super memorable.  The details are already starting to fade.  There was one character introduced in the very end that had an expected entrance and ending.  I loved that.  Glad I read it but not in the least of favorites.  Arrrr!

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

Ahoy there mateys! I love Garth Nix.  This is an omnibus of all eight stories (and a bonus) about mercenary and knight Sir Hereward and the sorcerous puppet Mister Fitz.  I actually enjoyed the premise of the two taking down proscribed gods from the list.  Woe to anything or anyone who gets in their way.  While I loved the characters and the world, I found these stories to overall be unsatisfying.  The each felt like sections of a chapter taken out of a larger work.  I really wanted the larger work.  Where did the Agents of the Council of the Treaty for the Safety of the World come from?  I wanted more about Sir Hereward and his life growing up in a society of witches.  I certainly wanted way more about Mister Fitz's background and how his magic worked.  I also felt that the plot of every story was just a bit too similar.  The tactics used by the duo did not seem to vary much.  It took me a while to get through the book because I wasn't desperate about what came next.  This sounds so negative but I really am glad I read this.  I just can't help but want the novel behind the hints of the short stories.  Arrr!

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

Ahoy there mateys! I thought I would enjoy this tale of a little black kitten, Nimbus, trying to make her way back to her owner and friend.  Sadly, I abandoned this one at 27%.  I found Nimbus to be tiring.  She was bristling with annoyance, was single-minded to the point of stupidity, and did not thank those who were nice and helping her.  She came across and unintelligent and stubborn.  Then the author introduced magic dreaming and how Nimbus was a special one.  Prophecy?  I have no idea but I did not care about a kitten and that is not usual for me.  I liked the silly rat much more.  Kids may love this but this I did not feel like reading anymore to find out the redemption of the kitten. Arrr!

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

Ahoy there mateys! I have only read one other book by this author but I want to read her entire catalogue.  This is an omnibus of the three books in the Small Change series.  Published by Tor Essentials, this imprint "presents new editions of science fiction and fantasy titles of proven merit and lasting value, each volume introduced by an appropriate literary figure."  This series is an alternate history of World War II where the war ended in 1941 with the  Farthing Peace between England and Germany.  This trilogy is excellently written and was extremely hard to read.  This was because it was written too well.  The hatred for the Jews and other undesirables rolled right off the pages.  Each novel is told mostly through a different woman's perspective but has a plot through-line via chapters interspersed with the viewpoint of Inspector Carmichael of Scotland Yard.  This is a political mystery, a social commentary, and a warning about prejudice and hatred today even if the first book was written in 2006.  It made me heart heart.  It made my head hurt.  I didn't enjoy the entire read and I don't think I was supposed to.  There isn't a happy ending and it is not satisfying.  That said, I have been thinking about it ever since I finished.  It is powerful.  I have no regrets about the book but many about how our society continues to function.  Arrr!

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

Ahoy there mateys! This book completely floated me boat.  I loved the characters.  I loved the world building.  I loved the plot.  The prologue was an immersive and harrowing introduction to the character of Kissen (the godkiller) and also of how the gods in the world work (scarily). 

Kissen grows up to be the godkiller and she is the snarky, truthful, strong-willed type that I love.  Another pov is that of Inara, a young noble, who is bound to a young god named Skedi.  The third pov is that of ex-knight turned baker named Elogast who lives in torment from his past.  Of course, all of these characters' paths eventually intertwine.

I loved that all four of the characters deal with tragedy.  Kissen has a prosthetic leg, a lost family, and a new found family to fight for.  Inara is trapped on the manor with a mother she loves but one she knows is keeping secrets from her.  Elogast suffers from PTSD and can't escape his memories of the war and pushes everyone away.  Even Skedi, the god, is terrified of dying and doesn't remember his past.

The plot has a bit of an old-fashioned feel with a journey and quest-of-sorts.  The way the gods work highly interested me and I particularly enjoyed finding out the details of the previous god war.  Kissen dealing with the gods and providing insight into how they worked was a highlight.  Inara grew on me.  Skedi (a god of white lies) made me grumpy but eventually redeems himself.  I loved how the book ended.  It can be read as an open-ended finale to a standalone just fine.  But I am glad that another book set in this world is currently in the works.  Arrr!

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

Ahoy there mateys! I really wanted to like this book where Prince Charming is a thief and the princesses want revenge. Unfortunately, I did not like the writing style at all and didn't care about the characters. Tried to finish this multiple times and have to give up. Not sure how far I got but don't want to spend any more time on a book I was not enjoying. Arrr!

Ahoy there mateys! This one was an adult thriller with paranormal underpinnings. Laney Kilpatrick owns the only house on Hemlock Island in Lake Superior. However, due to a divorce, she can only afford to keep the property as a vacation rental. Problems arise when guests start finding hexes and other unusual things on the island. After the most recent panic, Laney goes to investigate and takes her niece. Laney’s ex-husband and ex-sister-in-law show up to help. As does Sadie and her brother, other ex-friends. Lots of unwanted folks show up to help right? And, of course, once they get there the fighting begins. Then a chopped-off hand is discovered, the only way of the island goes missing, and a horrible storm is coming in. Quite the mess huh? I was able to suspend disbelief for about 3/5 of the novel and really enjoy things. But as the characters continue to do dumb things and the horror turns into the paranormal, I got a little restless. It was just too much and too silly. I also didn’t like the niece subplot, the sabotage, or the ending. I wish it would have stayed as a more straight horror/thriller. Oh and money solves almost everything. It was a fast read and good for the fall season but I would not read this again. Arrr!