Ahoy there mateys!  This is the second book in a series.  I loved the first book very much and have reread it.  I had been meaning to read this one for a long, long time.  I tried it a couple of times and couldn't seem to get into it.  In this read, I think I made it more than half-way through but am not sure because I did not take good notes.  Maybe because I was so sad I finally have to abandon it.

The setting is a fairly short time after the events in book one.  The village saved by Isabel is trying to adjust to their new lives after the defeat of the Catchkeep-priest.  However, they get word of a coming raid of a nearby town due to a natural disaster.  Isabel will again have to find a way to save those she cares about.

The majority of this book takes place in the tunnels beneath the town.  I enjoyed this creepy setting and the struggles that arise.  I think the biggest problem with the book that I couldn't overcome was that a dead character comes back and I didn't like that choice at all.  I mean ghosts are part of the first story so it is not like there isn't precedent.  However, the particular person who comes back seemed like a horrible choice given how book one ended.  Once the raid begins, I just never felt the urge to pick it back up.  So book one is a favorite and I will let book two go.  Arrrr!

Ahoy there mateys!  The silly but awesome cover and the author is what led me to try this one.  A virus is taking over the world and the people who catch it get utter contentment.  This happiness leads to unusual circumstances.  For example, the richest man in the world gives away his fortune.  But there are those in power who don't want to catch the virus and lose control.  What is the proper path forward for Earth?

There are four main characters in the novel.  Mariel Murdoch is a homeless teen who lives with her mother in her car.  She seems to be immune to the virus.  Rón Escobedo is the favored son of one of the world’s wealthiest men but is lonely and feels like he has no purpose outside of his father's plans for him.  Dame Glynis Havilland is an elderly adult who needs someone to run her empire and continue the quest for a cure to the virus.  Margot Willmon-Wu is an intelligent but ruthless 19-year-old who inherits this empire.  I found the teens to be caricatures.  Dame Glynis was my favorite because of her transformation after catching the virus.

Once again the set-up was the better part of the novel.  I stopped reading at the 45% mark.  Rón ends up becoming a super spreader with no real care about how 1 in 25 people die.  While the concept of people people happy from a virus was interesting at first, the consequences of this happiness causes a lot of scary problems.  For example, a boat overturns and an entire group is compelled to jump into the water to save them and many die because of the current or not being able to swim.  So the virus is killing more people then Covid, is taking away their autonomy, and has horrible irreversible side effects.

Full disclosure, is that I was recently diagnosed with Long Covid and my autonomy is actually being taking away due to the side effects I am experiencing.  So when the happy people began to actually die and be controlled like infected zombie ants, I just couldn't bring myself to read more of this book and actually started to have more PTSD symptoms.  What started out as silly turned into a kind of offensive read for me based on my personal circumstances.  No more for me.  I cannot even recommend this book.  Arrrr!

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

Ahoy there mateys!  The main characters of a bio-prosthetic surgeon and her personal AI are what captivated me about the book.  Saint Enita Malovis is one of the city's elite thanks to the sacrifices her family made when the city was founded in order to save humanity after the cataclysms.  She does not have to work but chooses to be a surgeon.  She has no children so she decides to create a body for her house's AI system, Nix, and train it to take over when she dies.  Cool right?

The set-up and history of how the city is structured was fascinating.  I loved Saint Enita and Nix's relationship.  I loved the body horror in how they grow prosthetics.  I also appreciated the body horror in Body Martyrs and how they donate organs to the elite in return for credits towards living expenses.  There is also a murder with interesting ramifications for why the city is failing.

I managed to get to 61% of this novel before I found it dragging.  The problem was that I was not interested in the newer characters and the revolution.  I also found that a lot of the world building and the politics did not always make sense and ended up being confusing once the setting extended outside of Saint Enita's home.

The ideas here were worth exploring but the novel didn't seem to have a strong focal point.  There was the AI portion of Nix exploring the world with a new body and then the sections about the poor and how they are exploited. But overall it became muddy in both plot and purpose.  However, what I did enjoy was evocative.  I am willing to try whatever the author writes next.  Arrrr!

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

Ahoy there mateys!  This was a romantic fantasy about an "evil" queen who hires a dark magician to organize her library.  Queen Saskia is actually highly loyal to her country and friends.  The dark magician is a case of mistaken identity.  Felix is an archduke on the run from his minister who has abused him his whole life.

I am normally a huge fan of this author's work but have to admit that this one was not to my taste at all.  Surprisingly, I had problems with the characters and the world building.  Everything seemed too simplistic.  The romance was too much of insta-lust.  Even though the queens are supposed to be the focus of the story, we got a lot more of Felix being the central character.  Saskia felt immature and threw temper-tantrums.  Even the plot was just okay.

I did like the bats.  I don't have a lot more to say given how little this worked for me.  I will not be reading the rest of the series.  I am in the minority though because other fans of the author are loving this.  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 series continues to be wonderful (if silly) and I loved this third installment.  This book could be the series ender but I would read more if they happen.  As a reminder, these books should not be read out of order and readers really should finish the Rockton series before beginning this spinoff.  Otherwise confusion is likely.

Casey is now eight months pregnant and the pregnancy has not been as smooth as she would like.  Dalton is trying not to be overprotective but it is a struggle.  Then one of the women in town is drugged and dragged out of town.  She is rescued but one of the 70+ town residents is responsible.  How can Casey solve the issue when weather and baby brain is in the way?

Lots more happens in this book.  We have another close ridiculous animal encounter.  There is a couple in a marital dispute.  Another murder.  An intense whiteout blizzard.  Casey is trying to survive her pregnancy and has to (gasp!) ask for help.  Plus it is hard to rule anyone out including Casey's close friends.

While I did guess who-dun-it, the how and why tripped me up.  There were multiple twists that I did not see happening.  Even though some of the ending was absolutely over-the-top, I didn't care because watching Casey deal with cases is always a good time.  And how the killer is dealt with was unexpected yet inevitable.

I absolutely love  the characters in these books and never get tired of reading about them.  I will read anything set in Haven's Rock.  Arrr!

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

Ahoy there mateys!  I am not sure if this is supposed to be the beginning of a series or is just a jam packed standalone.  There is a lot to like here but ultimately this was just an okay read for me.

The alien Cutters have destroyed Earth and the majority of its colonies.  The refugees of Earth are at the edge of the galaxy making colony ships and hoping to save as many as possible before the Cutters reach them.  Ursula is one of those refugees that made it off Earth with some help from an infection by a long extinct alien race's artifact.  She may hold the key to humanity's survival.

I really enjoyed Ursula as a character.  She has changed a lot since her student days studying archeology.  We get flashbacks into her time on Earth, her time with the alien artifact, her relationship with her ex-boyfriend Jack, and her relationship with alcohol.  I appreciate that going through the end times not only produces trauma and regret but also personal growth and reflection.  How she handles the reappearance of Jack and his new loves, the ship's AI and its avatar, was another highlight.  We also get journal entries from the ship itself.

The major problem I had with the book was the overall plot itself and how Ursula's infection worked.  I just didn't find the circumstances to be that exciting.  I liked the pieces of the puzzles but not the execution.  The other characters on the ship, particularly Siegfried and Mouse, had potential but seemed to be used as plot devices only.  Several of the other crew had mentions but didn't really do anything.  The ending itself was hopeful but much too convenient for me.

In general, I seem to find the author's books to have fun concepts and characters but lackluster plots and solutions.  I am not sure if I would read anything else by the author due to this personal taste.  Again I am in the minority though but the rest of the crew loved this.  Arrrr!

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

Ahoy there me mateys!  This is a new series set several centuries after the events in the Empire of the Wolf trilogy.  While this series can be read separately, I think it is a much richer experience reading the trilogy first.  There is a trickle down effect where having history of the previous Empire helps explain the politics and opinions of the current regime.

This book has three points-of-view.  The first is Renata, the junior ambassador to the the Stygion Merfolk.  She and her boss are often ridiculed because most people don't believe the Merfolk even exist.  The second is a lieutenant named Peter who has been sent to the fringes of the Empire.  An unknown phenomenon is killing the soldiers and driving men mad.  Poor Peter is sent out to investigate.  The last viewpoint is Von Oldenburg, a man who is out for himself.

The contention in this book is due to the prophecy of the Great Silence which could lead to doom for the whole world.  All three characters become involved in different ways.  I found Renata's time with the Merfolk to be wonderfully weird and exciting.  Their culture is fascinating.  Peter's timeline is a close second because he does not have the best luck and he is fighting his own fears.  Von Oldenburg is, well, dislikeable if interesting.

Book one is very much a set up with very few answers but the hints about where book two is headed make me wish I had a copy now.  Arrrr!

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

Ahoy there me mateys!  I was overjoyed to hear about this novella set in the same world as the goblin emperor.  Reading about this world is a comfort to me and I have already read this book twice.  This features Ulcetha Zhorvena, a disgraced historian whose best friend dies in an airship blast and leaves him a puzzle.  This puzzle leads him to an artifact, treasure, and a murder.

On the first read, I found Ulcetha Zhorvena to be a bit distasteful while still compelling.  This is because he uses his history background to write fake provenances for false artifacts because it pays well.  And he enjoys it even though selling the fakes does make him a bit uncomfortable.  It was interesting to read about a character in the world that is disreputable given that the other books set in this world have exemplary main characters.

On the second read, Ulcetha Zhorvena had a lot more of my sympathy.  He is kicked out of university due to a stolen artifact and he was innocent of the charge.  In addition, one of the leaders of the university is completely prejudiced against Ulgetha for class issues and that is awful.  His best friend is dead and leaves him a puzzle that leads to painful truths and Ulcetha Zhorvena chooses to do the right thing even though the consequences for him are stark.  Plus the years of being outside the university system do cause him to mature in unexpected ways.  Ulcetha Zhorvena may have made bad choices but fundamentally is a good person in the end.

Reading about Ulcetha Zhorvena is fascinating but so is the world building and history.  This novella ties in nicely to the events of the world as seen in other books but very subtly.  I continue to love insight into the culture and politics.  I would very much love to read future events of Ulcetha Zhorvena and see what happens to him next.  Arrr!

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

Ahoy there mateys!  I tend to get focused on the new shiny treasure.  But part of what I love about readin’ is re-visitin’ old friends.  So I have a category where I take a second look at a previously enjoyed novel and give me crew second reflections, as it were, upon visitin’ it again . . . 

*** SPOILERS BELOW.  PROCEED AT YER OWN PERIL! *** 

I had found Kate Forsyth's Witches of Eileanan series at a used bookstore and bought the whole thing based on my recollections of loving her Rhiannon's Ride series back in the day.  I figured I would reread the books about Rhiannon before embarking on the Witches series.  Yikes!  I ended up thinking the first book in the trilogy was barely okay and that book two was a ONE star read.  This series walks the plank!  What in the world was younger me thinking? 

Let's go back to somewhere around 2006.  I know exactly what caused me to want to read this series:  

Aye, flying pony on the cover.  I can be extremely shallow at times.  To be fair, even though I prefer sea tales, I will still pick up pony books especially if they have talking ponies.  Now the pony in these series does not talk but flying will work just as well.  So that is why I chose this trilogy but liking it? 

Rhiannon is a half human/half satyricorn.  The satyricorns are women with something like rams horns that basically hunt, sleep, and eat.  They like to catch human males to breed with though they treat them like animals and slaves.  Theirs is a group with a pecking order based on ferocity.  Rhiannon's mother is the head of the satyricorn herd.  If Rhiannon's horns do not grow in she will be killed.  She "tames" the flying horse to escape. 

In reading book one, I could see some of the appeal.  Young me certainly liked the idea of satyricorns and Rhiannon not fitting in.  I also liked that when she joins humans, she judges them through her mother's culture and thinks a lot of customs and rules were ridiculous.  I could relate.  And, basically, at that age, I wanted a flying pony. 

However, much of the first book deals with Lewen (the love interest) and his teaching Rhiannon to be more human.  Lewen's main interest in her is "she's hot" and "I want to protect her" even though Rhiannon should want to stab him (I did) and could kill him easily.  The horse taming happened in basically one day by Rhiannon tying herself on the horse and not falling off.  Then the horse plays basically no role in the plot.  

Rhiannon is in trouble because she killed a king's messenger even though her background meant she couldn't have known about it being a hanging offence.  She travels in a caravan of magical youngsters who are insipid and caricatures.  There is an evil necromancer who steals kids and does death magic.  He has a poisoning sidekick.  Somehow only Rhiannon knows this.  The "Rhiannon is uncultured so can't possibly have morals or ever tell the truth" got old real fast and is the common theme of the series.  The adults in this book don't use their brains.  Seriously, and I mean SERIOUSLY, no one thinks rationally.  Rhiannon saves a child and helps fend off dangers and yet she is always considered a threat.  The blurb says "Rhiannon, the rider no one can catch."  She spends much of this book tied up, locked up, or chained.  But I couldn't help but like Rhiannon despite the ridiculous nature of the book. 

But book two!  Ugh.  No joke, Rhiannon spends about 300 pages of this novel locked up in prison.  That's right, the main character cries, gets depressed, and sits in jail.  Her magical flying horse could help her escape and fly away but no.  Lewen is ensorcelled under a love spell and NONE of the greatest magic users notice.  Rhiannon turns into a lovelorn idiot.  The supposedly intelligent adults never think.  Rhiannon gets the blame for everything EVEN THOUGH SHE IS IN JAIL. 

Other messes include an undead queen spirit floating around that all the magic users miss.  Another evil witch breaks free from the spell that keeps her from talking, performs in local pubs, and NO ONE notices.  The poisoner from book one leaves jail and poisons the head healer.  Does anyone notice?  The head female prison warden makes sexual advances towards female  prisoners, tortures them, and some die.  Everyone knows this except the magic folk who are supposed to keep the prison humane.  Then we spend a stupid amount of time on the royal part-fish girl who flirts and makes people jealous and talk about her upcoming wedding.  And drama with other royal family members.  I am tired just thinking about it.  

Rhiannon's trial is a joke.  I laughed (in pain) about how stupid it was.  Lewen saves her anyway by hanging on a bell.  The necromancer escapes prison and there is death and kidnappings and poisonings.  Rhiannon has been an absolutely horrible and boring character to read about in this book.  She has been treated like garbage for two books.  Yet she is the only one who can save the day?  Let the city burn and she should run fly away to another country.  I hated this book and only finished it out of pure stubbornness to see if I could remember what happens after the cliffhanger ending.  I remembered just enough to give up on this series.  Young Me was wrong and Old Me is disappointed. 

Do I read the Witches of Eileanan series?  Do I keep the copies of the Rhiannon's Ride trilogy that I have lugged with me all over the country from place to place?  I will never read these again.  But, the covers are just so pretty. 

Thoughts?  Arrrr! 

Ahoy there me mateys!  I am in one of those weird reading periods where I am having trouble finding something to fit my mood.  I was scrolling through Audible Plus when I found a novel called "Dead Bolt."  That was a silly name so I randomly clicked on it.  It follows Mel Turner, a contractor, who restores historic homes in San Francisco and finds out she can see ghosts.  Can she solve the murders and still get the projects done in time?  I wanted to find out.

I enjoy other people's home renovation projects - especially the historical ones.  I am a nerd for rediscovered fireplaces and original lighting fixtures.

Mel is volunteering with a local charity to update a disabled man's home.  She only meant to donate her personal construction skills but instead she has been convinced to run the project.  While there, she learns about the next-door Murder House where a father killed members of his family.  Only two of the children escaped.  Of course while working on the project, she discovers a dead body.

At least Mel isn't a suspect this time.  This book was the least favorite so far.  The Murder House subplot was easily figured out so I didn't have a  lot of suspense reading this.  Mel is also hired as a ghost investigator for the police which I thought was a weird choice.  I still enjoyed all of the characters and Mel but thought this book wasn't as well thought-out or written as the others.  A lot of Mel's ghost skills were weird.  Apparently all ghosts are different and so that is why there don't seem to be a whole lot of continuity in ghost rules.

This will not stop me from reading the rest of the series though.  I am addicted to these cozy mysteries.  Arrrr!