A Book Obsession..: 3 Bfly

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Review: Stray Moon by Kelly Meding

, by Kt Clapsadl

Stray Moon by Kelly Meding

Strays #2

Para-Marshal Shiloh Harrison has always been a great number two for the East Coast unit. But after her boss is found dead (having betrayed the paranormals he was sworn to protect), she’s suddenly thrust into a leadership role she isn’t prepared for. And it doesn’t help that she traded away memories of one of her most important team members to save another’s life during her last mission.

Too, she’s in charge of a unit that is mired in bureaucratic red tape, meaning she’s essentially under house arrest. But a West Coast Para-Marshal has astral-projected a warning: werewolves are going missing, and she needs Shiloh’s help. Last time it was vampires. This time it’s werewolves. Half-djinn herself, she knows she can’t just sit around and do nothing while paranormals are getting snatched. Her old boss may have broken his oath, but Shiloh will do anything to serve and protect.

STRAY MOON has all of the great parts of an enjoyable urban fantasy. There's great world building, an interesting cast of characters, and the heroine is tough as nails to boot, and completely likeable. The plotline kept me guessing from the start, and there's plenty of danger and action. It was very easy to get invested with the character's plight, all making for the perfect recipe for the genre.

As enjoyable of an urban fantasy STRAY MOON is, it unfortunately suffers from one major flaw. Shiloh lost her memories of the person she loved most in the world at the end of the last book. Jaxon was that person, which came as a surprise at the end of the prior book. So in this book, she's struggling with everyone knowing Jaxon and telling her they had a relationship, he's an important of the team, etc, etc. I get that struggle, don't get me wrong, but the extent it was dwelled upon and issues it caused became extremely redundant. So much so that I found myself saying multiple times, enough already!, out loud. Unfortunately this had me continually putting the book down, and it became a struggle to finish at times. It's a shame because otherwise, there's so much potential here otherwise. I just didn't care for feeling like I was hit upside the head over and over with a two by four to get that she doesn't trust him due to her memory loss.

All in all, repetitiveness aside, STRAY MOON was an enjoyable installment in the Stray series, and I'm looking forward to seeing where things lead next.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
Gizmo's Reviews
Carole's Random Life
Tome Tender

Previous Books:
1. Stray Magic

Release Day Review: Worldshaper by Edward Willett

, by Kt Clapsadl

Worldshaper by Edward Willett

Worldshapers #1

For Shawna Keys, the world is almost perfect. She's just opened a pottery studio in a beautiful city. She's in love with a wonderful man. She has good friends.

But one shattering moment of violence changes everything. Mysterious attackers kill her best friend. They're about to kill Shawna. She can't believe it's happening--and just like that, it isn't. It hasn't. No one else remembers the attack, or her friend. To everyone else, Shawna's friend never existed...

Everyone, that is, except the mysterious stranger who shows up in Shawna's shop. He claims her world has been perfect because she Shaped it to be perfect; that it is only one of uncounted Shaped worlds in a great Labyrinth; and that all those worlds are under threat from the Adversary who has now invaded hers. She cannot save her world, he says, but she might be able to save others--if she will follow him from world to world, learning their secrets and carrying them to Ygrair, the mysterious Lady at the Labyrinth's heart.

Frightened and hounded, Shawna sets off on a desperate journey, uncertain whom she can trust, how to use her newfound power, and what awaits her in the myriad worlds beyond her own.

WORLDSHAPER had a very intriguing premise, the set up is there for something really incredible, but unfortunately the characters and actual plot line didn't always live up to that amazing premise. Don't get me wrong the story was enjoyable, but unfortunately in a mediocre way leaving me searching for the greatness I felt could be there. At times it really felt like critical information was being held, with no real reason behind it. I kept waiting for the pay off of explanations or reasons by the end, but unfortunately they never came.

The characters are intriguing and full of potential, but again pieces felt to be missing. Shawna is your typical powerful heroine that didn't know she was powerful, which is a common storyline in this genre. However the problem was that the reasoning behind her memory lapse/lack of knowledge was withheld and I felt it detracted greatly from the story. I wanted to be given so much more than I was, and it just made her character feel half formed. She never got to grow enough in my eyes and her quirky personality lent to so much I think. Karl, her supposed savior wasn't much better as he just felt to be a unthinking soldier rather than a solid addition to the story. Any time Shawna questioned anything he became irate and all but threatened to leave her to die. It just left a bad taste in my mouth.

And also speaking of being half-formed, the Adversary, the villain, wasn't really fleshed out at all. He's supposed to be this terrifyingly evil man, and yet, which he does do a few things, honestly I just felt like he was the opposition rather than a true villainous force. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't root for him, but I didn't really feel any true animosity either, which made it harder to attach to our heroine's plight.

All in all WORLDSHAPER is a book with an intriguing premise, but had a rocky start to this series. I am interested in seeing where things head next and I hope much more will be revealed in the next book.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
Gizmo's Reviews

Early Review: Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

, by Kt Clapsadl

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

Everyone knows what happens in the end.
A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss.
But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends.
One feared, one royal, and one already dead.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch.

A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.

But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.

The rise of Hans Christian Andersen’s iconic villainess is a heart-wrenching story of friendship, betrayal, and a girl pushed beyond her limits—to become a monster.

SEA WITCH was one heck of a twisty-turny read that had all the markings of greatness, but suffered from some pretty significant slowness. The entire concept and the twist on the little mermaid lore was incredibly fascinating and kept me reading, but the book really dragged out at a snail's pace for the first two thirds. I also didn't appreciate the jumping forward and backward in time until near the end when a major twist was revealed. From that point on the timeline stayed mostly linear and things took off with one heck of a bang. The last third of the book completely makes the story and honestly left me reeling. This in itself was impressive as it was a villain's origin story so I should have been more prepared logically. But once that ending happened, all I wanted was a different outcome. Like I said, impressive to make me forget such a well known story's ending/beginning.

Honestly this one was incredibly hard for me to rate. The first two thirds were a two at best, with me struggling to continue at times, and then the last third an almost five where I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. But I'm glad I read this book and thoroughly enjoyed through the end, so an average of three stars overall. My biggest recommendation is to anyone getting ready to read this one is to be prepared for a slow start, but one heck of a bang payoff ending. I am eager to see more from this author as she has a way with words and I can't wait to see what she crafts with more experience under her belt. Overall, SEA WITCH is an intriguing read from this debut author that turns a well known tale on it's tail.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
The Book Prescription
The Moonlight Library
Emily May

Review: Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows

, by Kt Clapsadl

Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows

Fallen Isles Trilogy #1

Before

Mira Minkoba is the Hopebearer. Since the day she was born, she’s been told she’s special. Important. Perfect. She’s known across the Fallen Isles not just for her beauty, but for the Mira Treaty named after her, a peace agreement which united the seven islands against their enemies on the mainland.

But Mira has never felt as perfect as everyone says. She counts compulsively. She struggles with crippling anxiety. And she’s far too interested in dragons for a girl of her station.

After

Then Mira discovers an explosive secret that challenges everything she and the Treaty stand for. Betrayed by the very people she spent her life serving, Mira is sentenced to the Pit–the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles. There, a cruel guard would do anything to discover the secret she would die to protect.

No longer beholden to those who betrayed her, Mira must learn to survive on her own and unearth the dark truths about the Fallen Isles–and herself–before her very world begins to collapse.

I really wanted to love BEFORE SHE IGNITES. The premise of the blurb pulled me in, and the concept of the story was very intriguing. However the execution just left some things to be desired in my opinion. The story was told flip flopping in time back and forth between before and after the major change in Mira's life. I understand the intention was to slowly unfurl the secrets and the story, but in practice, this was more frustrating than not. Even by the end of the book I still didn't fully grasp the world, or what was truly going on, or at stake. I just wish more time had been spent setting things up rather than the continual bouncing back and forth.

Another difficulty I had with this book was my detachment from the heroine, Mira. She spends most of the book in a vapid state for lack of a better word. I hate to be so harsh, but until the very end of the book, she just didn't seem to have any substance to her. I realize she was literally raised to be an object for the counsel's use, but it just was incredibly hard to stay engaged in her plight. The only strength she showed throughout the book were her attempts to hold out against torture to keep the secret of the dragons. BUT unfortunately this didn't show real strength as there never seemed a reason for her to withhold such knowledge. Speaking of what she found is what landed her in the Pit in the first place, but upon imprisonment and torture, the cat suddenly got her tongue? It just range false.

While this first book in this new series started off rocky, by the end I was fully hooked into the world. I will be continuing on with this series to see what happens next in this fascinating world.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
The Moonlight Library
Gizmo's Reviews
Du Livre

Review: Dragon Blood by Eileen Wilks

, by Kt Clapsadl

Dragon Blood by Eileen Wilks

World of the Lupi #14

The battle against a vengeful goddess reaches a climactic point as Lily Yu must now face the ultimate challenge in a dangerous new realm—without her husband, Rule...

When a mission to rescue five children stolen by an Old One falls apart under the assault of a demon prince, Lily wakes up in a strange reality—and is immediately taken captive by the dragon spawn who rule there. Jumping worlds has fractured her party, and Cynna is her only companion.

Although the clock is ticking, time works differently, and Lily has miraculously gained a week. That means seven days to free herself, find Rule and the others, rescue the children, and make it home alive. All before the dragon spawn holding her hostage trade her to the Old One. It would almost be doable if this weren’t Lóng Jia—also known as Dragonhome: the birthplace of dragons.

I have to admit, while DRAGON BLOOD was enjoyable, I found myself skimming more often than not. It had all the markings of a five star read, but it was unnecessarily bogged down with all the details. I felt like every little thing was overly described to the point where it was either skim or my eyes would glaze. It's unfortunate as I've really enjoyed the rest of the series, and there's plenty of awesomeness in this installment as well, it's just held back by just too much side noise.

Getting to the good, however, I absolutely loved Grandmother's role in this book. She's always been a bit of a mystery, with her playing larger roles in some of the book more so than others. But this time around I felt like we got to see a whole lot more from her, and I really enjoyed it. She's so strong and regal, and keeps all the other characters on their toes. I also loved Gan, and her journey towards being more of a person and the hilarious levity she brings. Of course I enjoyed the rest of the cast of characters as well, Lily and Rule, Cynna, etc. The characters are truly fantastic and all well rounded.

All in all DRAGON BLOOD had the markings of a five star read from the amazing cast of characters to the intense action and high stakes. Unfortunately the overly descriptive nature of the book bogged things down much more than I would have liked but I'm still a huge fan of the series and I can't wait to see what's in store next.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
Gizmo's Reviews
Inside of a Dog
Wit & Wonder

Previous Books:
1. Tempting Danger

2. Mortal Danger
3. Blood Lines
4. Night Season
5. Mortal Sins
6. Blood Magic
7. Blood Challenge
8. Death Magic

9. Mortal Ties

10. Ritual Magic

11. Unbinding

12. Mind Magic

13. Dragon Spawn

Review: The Hunt by Chloe Neill

, by Kt Clapsadl

The Hunt by Chloe Neill

Devil's Isle #3

When bounty hunter Liam Quinn discovered that Claire Connolly was a Sensitive and infected with magic, he should have turned her in to be locked up in the prison district known as Devil's Isle. Instead, he helped her learn to control her power and introduced her to an underground group of Paranormals and humans who know the truth about the war and those who fought it.

Now the weight of Liam's own secrets has forced him into hiding. When a government agent is killed and Claire discovers that Liam is the prime suspect, she races to find him before the government can. But she'll discover proving his innocence is no simple matter. Their enemies are drawing closer, and time is running out....

I have to admit the first three quarters of this book frustrated me quite a bit. There was this continual pattern of someone asking Claire how she was going to handle Liam's leaving. Or telling her how she should proceed. Rinse repeat. I had hoped that once they were pushed back into proximity with one another it would lessen, but nope, not even a little. Each new person would tell her she needs to make him grovel, or that yes he does love her, just look at the way he looks at you. Etc etc etc. Then even more would call him an idiot in front of her and tell him direct he should grovel, he made a mistake. And on and on. I just felt like I was being hit over the head with the point again and again, and frankly it made this feel more like a YA book instead of an adult. Despite them trying to clear Liam's name the issue of his leaving was really the focus on all sides. And since there was no actual progress in dealing with those actions while they dealt with the romance drama, I was more than a little exasperated. I can't express how many times I wanted to roll my eyes and just say enough already! It's a shame but it really lessened my enjoyment of this book.

However, moving on, the plot itself was very interesting and twisty and there were some pretty big reveals in THE HUNT. I was really impressed with how everything continued to build and the ending. Who-boy, is it a doozy. It definitely feels like one heck of a crossroads and I can't wait to see how the showdown between every side turns out. Remember the enemy of my enemy is sometimes my friend, and it's a hard lesson some will have to learn going forward.

All in all romance drama aside, the characters and the plotline were very enjoyable in this installment, and I'm still a huge fan of this series. Claire and company are fiercely strong characters and this world is truly fantastic. With all of the new possibilities opened up with that killer ending, I can't wait to see what happens next.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
The Nocturnal Library
Between Dreams and Reality
a GREAT read

Previous Books:
1. The Veil
2. The Sight

Review: Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett

, by Kt Clapsadl

Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett

Even the Darkest Stars #1

Kamzin has always dreamed of becoming one of the Emperor’s royal explorers, the elite climbers tasked with mapping the wintry, mountainous Empire and spying on its enemies. She knows she could be the best in the world, if only someone would give her a chance.

But everything changes when the mysterious and eccentric River Shara, the greatest explorer ever known, arrives in her village and demands to hire Kamzin—not her older sister Lusha, as everyone had expected—for his next expedition. This is Kamzin’s chance to prove herself—even though River’s mission to retrieve a rare talisman for the emperor means climbing Raksha, the tallest and deadliest mountain in the Aryas. Then Lusha sets off on her own mission to Raksha with a rival explorer who is determined to best River, and Kamzin must decide what’s most important to her: protecting her sister from the countless perils of the climb or beating her to the summit.

The challenges of climbing Raksha are unlike anything Kamzin expected—or prepared for—with avalanches, ice chasms, ghosts, and even worse at every turn. And as dark secrets are revealed, Kamzin must unravel the truth of their mission and of her companions—while surviving the deadliest climb she has ever faced.

I'm honestly rather torn on my thoughts about EVEN THE DARKEST STARS. On one hand the concept was incredibly intriguing, and I loved the characters. The pacing at the start through the first third of the book or so was fantastic and I found myself turning the pages as fast as I could. However, the middle is where things bogged down a good bit for me. While the book did pick up quite a bit at the end, it didn't compensate for the middle part dragging so much. Don't get me wrong, the detail of all of the climbing aspects was incredibly interesting, but after a while, it just slowed the pacing down too much for my tastes.

Another thing that left me torn was the predictability. The concept of the book seemed so unique and fascinating, but the further I read, the more I felt like it was just like so many other YA novels out there. From the super special heroine who is of course magical at her skills, to the love triangle between the long time best friend and the mysterious new bad boy and I was left just a bit, well bored. Don't get me wrong, I love a good tried and true YA book just as much as the next gal, but it needs a strong plot in addition. I think this coupled with the entire vast middle of the book nothing REALLY happens other than climbing and more climbing, and it left me putting the book aside for other things. It's a shame because it started off with such promise, and then the ending, wow what a bang, but the middle just held this book back in my opinion. I hope the next book in this duology continues with the bang this one ended on.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
Addicted to Happily Ever After
Gizmo's Reviews
A Page with a View

Review: Lifeblood by Gena Showalter

, by Kt Clapsadl

Lifeblood by Gena Showalter

Everlife #2

My Firstlife is over, but my Everlife is only now beginning.

With her last living breath, Tenley "Ten" Lockwood made her choice and picked her realm in the Everlife. Now, as the war between Troika and Myriad rages, she must face the consequences.

Because Ten possesses a rare supernatural ability to absorb and share light, the Powers That Be have the highest expectations for her future—and the enemy wants her neutralized. Fighting to save her Secondlife, she must learn about her realm from the ground up while launching her first mission: convincing a select group of humans to join her side before they die. No pressure, right?

But Ten's competition is Killian, the boy she can't forget—the one who gave up everything for her happiness. He has only one shot at redemption: beating Ten at a game she's never even played. As their throw-downs heat up, so do their undeniable feelings, and soon, Ten will have to make another choice. Love…or victory.

I have to admit while I still really enjoy the concept behind this series, Ten's character made this a struggle for me. To be honest, Ten bothered me in the first book as well, but I chalked it up to being a new series and all the growing pains involved with that. I had hoped since she finally made her big decision by the end of the last book, she'd be less wishy-washy. Unfortunately, I think she was actually worse in this book now that she's chosen a side, but her romantic interest is on the opposite warring side. I can't count the number of times I growled in frustration at her actions and choices. It just made it hard to fully enjoy the book when I spent most of the time annoyed at the main character.

That being said, I did find myself looking past those main character frustrations and enjoying the rest of the characters as well as the very fascinating world. I feel like I had a better grip of the various elements at play this time. Sure it's at its core a story about good vs evil, but it's told in an incredibly interesting way, with no clear answers to who is really good and who is really bad. Both sides had their pluses and minus, with Troika admittedly seeming more the *good* side. The dynamic between humans and the two afterlife warring sides are incredibly fascinating and should only get more so as things progress.

Main character woes aside, LIFEBLOOD was an intriguing read that added new depth to this rich series that I overall enjoyed. It will be great to see how things turn out next!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
(un)Convntional Book Views
Shell's Stories
Under the Covers Book Blog

Previous Books:
1. Firstlife

Kirsten Reviews: Skyborn by David Dalglish

, by Kt Clapsadl

Skyborn by David Dalglish

Seraphim #1

The first in an all new fantasy series from USA Today bestseller, David Dalglish.
The last remnants of humanity live on six islands floating high above the Endless Ocean, fighting a brutal civil war in the skies. The Seraphim, elite soldiers trained for aerial combat, battle one another while wielding elements of ice, fire and lightning.

The lives of their parents claimed in combat, twins Kael and Breanna Skyborn enter the Seraphim Academy to follow in their footsteps. There they will learn to harness the elements as weapons and fight at break-neck speeds while soaring high above the waters. But they must learn quickly, for a nearby island has set its hungry eyes upon their home. When the invasion comes, the twins must don their wings and ready their blades to save those they love from annihilation.

Skyborn by David Dalglish is the first book in the Seraphim series. In a world where the last of humanity live on six islands that float above the Endless Ocean, people fight war in the sky. Their soldiers are the Seraphim, soldiers who wield elements such as fire, ice, and lightning and being trained in aerial combat.

The last remnants of humanity live on six islands floating high above the Endless Ocean, fighting a brutal civil war in the skies. The Seraphim, elite soldiers trained for aerial combat, battle one another while wielding elements of ice, fire and lightning.

After twins Breanna and Kael Skyborn’s parents are killed in battle they decide to follow in their footsteps and learn how to wield the elements and fight while in flight. These lessons have to be learned quickly as the people on a nearby island are looking to take over their home. Not only that, but as they learn how to be Seraphim, they make friends as well as enemies and must also try and navigate the romantic and political landscape of a world that is undergoing massive changes.

The twins are well fleshed out, but are rather predictable in terms of their characterization and genre tropes. Bree is more impulsive, and while she excels at flight, cannot control her fire element ability while Kael is the typical ice-wielding character and is much calmer.

This book gets off to a bit of a slow start, but the plot and pacing pick up in the second half and brings the story to a satisfying conclusion. Readers who are looking for a lot of world building and stories set in schools with training and magical elements will find this series to be a good fit and want to continue the rest of the series.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
The BiblioSanctum
Bibliotropic

Review:Winter Halo by Keri Arthur

, by Kt Clapsadl

Winter Halo by Keri Arthur

Outcast #2

When the bombs that stopped the species war tore holes in the veil between worlds, they allowed entry to the Others. Now, a hundred years later, humans and shifters alike live in artificially lit cities designed to keep the darkness at bay....

The humanoid supersoldiers known as the déchet were almost eradicated by the war. Ever since, Tiger has tried to live her life in peace in hiding. But in the wake of her discovery that Central City’s children are being kidnapped and experimented on, Tiger’s conscience won’t let her look the other way.

The key to saving them lies within the walls of a pharmaceutical company called Winter Halo. But as she learns more about the facility, Tiger’s mission is derailed by a complication: Winter Halo’s female security guards are being systematically attacked by an unknown force.

Now Tiger must summon all her gifts to stop those responsible for both atrocities—no matter the cost to herself...

There's just something about Keri's writing that feels like coming home. Each book has a familiar feel that I greatly enjoy. But don't get me wrong, that familiar feel does not mean that the books are in any way similar or redundant, it's just that they have a consistent pattern of very high stakes, stellar characters, and action that builds to a satisfying crescendo in every book. I know without a doubt that every new book she writes will be a guaranteed solid block of entertainment, and WINTER HALO was no exception.

While the first book centered more on building this new series world, WINTER HALO started to focus more on the characters, which I greatly enjoyed. Tiger is truly an amazing woman, so incredibly admirable for not becoming bitter despite all she's endured. What's even more amazing is her willingness (although somewhat reluctantly at times) to all but sacrifice herself by going into almost impossible no win situations in order to help find the children. For all the shifters hatred of her they'd be hard pressed to find a more sacrificing person among themselves. Speaking of shifters, the steam and almost forbidden yet fierce attraction between Tiger and Jonas kicked up a notch this time around. It's going to be one heck of a dance to see where things lead with them, that's for sure.

All in all if you enjoy a fast paced, action packed read with a fascinating world, and stellar characters that more than satisfy, this is the book for you. I've said before, and I'll say it again, Keri is a master at her craft.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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