By a Thread by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think every time I start reading one of these Elemental Assassin books I get this huge rush of energy that just builds and builds. I enjoy them so much that I not only read them, but, as soon as the audiobooks come out I buy that version for my iPod. The narrator, Lauren Fortgang, does a wonderful job with the Southern accents. This book did not disappoint. I was a bit worried about how things would transition now that there was a conclusion to the Mab arc. It was such a volatile relationship that it seems like it would be hard to top or start a new story arc. What was so interesting is that for a good deal of the first few books, Mab was completely unaware of Gin Blanco, and there was this huge history between them. How do you top that fight scene? By writing an even more intensive, action-packed fight scene!
By a Thread happens within weeks of the big fight. Gin and her sister, Bria, take a road trip together to visit Bria’s childhood friend. There is tension from all avenues, between Bria and Gin, Gin and Bria’s friend and Gin and Donovan Caine. Yes, he’s back and he still has many issues, especially when it comes to Gin. Thankfully Gin has grown quite a bit and her loyalty is unwavering, which is one of Gin’s best qualities, along with her serious fighting skills. It seems that despite how cold she may appear, especially when we see her inner dialog regarding killing someone, it is obvious that when Gin loves, she loves deeply. Anyone who knows my reading tastes, or who has seen my reviews can tell that I am not a romantic, but, I was truly happy when Owen Grayson stepped up. Not only is he portrayed as this great looking guy who protects his family, but, he also is something of a bad-ass himself. He also builds awesome weapons! I digress. While on the trip Bria’s friend is being harassed by a local bad guy. Gin never sits around while someone is being threatened. She stepped up and one of the huge differences between Owen Grayson and Donovan Caine reared its ugly head once again.
Sometimes I want to grow up and be Gin Blanco, but, most of the time I’m happy to live vicariously through her action-filled fictional life. I wonder if Gin Blanco wishes she could have a few boring days where she doesn’t have to worry about how to take someone out! Of course I don’t advocate handling problems this way, but, in Gin Blanco’s world where the bad guys are running everything, it seems that sometimes extremes are all people are left with, and Gin Blanco, as Bria realizes, is the one person who has her head on straight. In By a Thread things take a turn and I seriously was afraid for her and literally sitting on the edge of my seat while I kept putting the book down and picking it up wanting the story to slow down. One thing that is reiterated in this book is that Gin doesn’t always step up and take over and save the day. She also helps the victims stand up for themselves. In this book, she is reminded that she is not impervious and sometimes she needs help and sometimes she gets it from unexpected quarters. I was extremely excited to see that Jennifer Estep sold 3 more books in this series and I cannot wait to read and listen to them all!
Review can also be seen at http://LadyTechiesBookMusings.blogspot.com

Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am the first to admit that I kept putting off reading this book over and over, though I bought it as soon as it was released. I had a fear of how things would go in this one and I was quite surprised by several parts of it. I did not want to read about Kim's mooning over Alec for an entire book and have it continue to go unresolved. I finally got over it and read it. Ruli's story was a huge shocker for me. I was quite bothered by one of the things we find out about Kim's mother and her "free love" attitude. I wish somebody in the book was bothered by it. The family's continued horrible treatment of Kim did not surprise me. It appears to go hand-in-hand with royals. Jealousy, envy, in-fighting and jockeying for position and money, all seem to be part of the life of a royal.

There was a great mystery there, not as much action as last time, but, what there was played out very well. I did miss having more of Kim's fencing. There were enough threads left for me to look forward to the next installment. I wish I could see a chart that helped me understand more about who is entitled to the crown and why Lily is a princess. Does that mean that Kim and her mom are also princesses? If so many of these people have the signature dimple are they all related and inner-marrying? Or is there enough marrying across the five families that the dimple has crossed families though it originated with the twins, Rose and Lily and their side of the family. Why did Rose dislike Lily so much, pure jealousy? There are so many avenues for Sherwood Smith to continue this series that I am excited to see where it goes next. I am a bit confused as to who the Salfpatras and Salmattas are and what is the difference between inimasang and Nasdrafus. I am hooked and will be waiting for the next book anxiously.

Review can also be seen at http://http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blo...

Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Let me preface this by saying that I have waited months to get a chance to read this book. I was able to obtain a copy through Netgalley's great e-ARC program. Royal Street is one of the books I have looked forward to since I was made aware that it was forthcoming early last summer. I have a love for stories based in New Orleans, especially urban fantasy.

Royal Street is an urban fantasy based in the time of Hurricane's Katrina and Rita and a lot of what happens has its basis in the vulnerability the wonderful city was left in because of those terrible storms. The author spent time reminding us of the devastation the different wards were left in, especially the Ninth Ward. Some of the areas continue to suffer from the results not just of the storm but also from the failure of the levees to hold. Even in 2011 there were stories of families still holding fund raisers to help neighbors repair their homes. Royal Street does a wonderful job of letting the reminding us what was lost.

This story is focused on DJ, a magic user in a level that is based more upon potions and spells along with her empathic gift. We learn about her relationship to her family, some of which she learns right along with the reader, which does a great job of helping us relate to her. There was a part of the book that I did not care for and it is not in any way related to how well the story is told. It is my personal preference to never read about certain relationships in books again. I would still read the the story even if I knew ahead of time, but, I have things I don't want to read about anymore, including things like love triangles or heroes/heroines so hard that I cannot relate to them. I won't delve any further into this because that would constitute spoilers. But, suffice it to say that it is just not a topic I like to read and has no reflection on whether the author writes a good story or develops her characters well. Alex and Jake are cousins and both have similar personalities but, we find that sometimes they are not always what they seem. I'm not particular about aspect of their competitive natures which ties into another part of the story, but, I like both of them very much. I especially like the support and love their family has for one another. DJ has another aspect to her magical abilities that is being developed in the books. Part of it was reminiscent of the Mercy Thompson series but, it took off enough and became Suzanne Johnson's story so I liked it. I also liked the remnants of Voodoo presented and would like to see more of the history of that religion developed in these books.

Overall, a good read and I look forward to the next one in the series.

Review can also be seen at http://LadyTechiesBookMusings.blogspot.c...

Thread of Death by Jennifer Estep
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It is almost guaranteed that when I read one of the installments in the Elemental Assassin series I am in for a great read. As the arc that included Gin Blanco's war with Mab Monroe came to a close I wondered how Jennifer Estep could possibly top that ending. How could she possibly write a story that would let the fans know that Gin is still going strong and there is so much more to learn about her and the other members of her family? Interestingly enough, it is weird to see so much action and excitement in such a short package as this novella, but, she makes it work. Jennifer Estep managed to draw me further into Gin's story and wonder what could possibly top the showdown between Gin and Mab. Maybe the answer is not in how to top it but in how to show the readers that there is so much more that can happen sans Mab.

In this novella we see the next few days after the showdown. We see the some of the immediate effects on Gin's life. She attends a major event in this novella and the event itself is completely turned upside down. We also get an idea of where things will begin for Tangled Threads which is due out really soon and is an also an amazing story. One of the things that we also get a glimpse of is Gin growing along with those around her realizing that maybe Gin's no-nonsense attitude towards handling impossible situations that threaten someone might just be the only way for things to go, especially if you were raised to be an assassin.

Excellent read and I can't wait to re-read all of them and get my hands on the audiobook of Tangled Threads!

Review can also be seen at http://LadyTechiesBookMusings.blogspot.c...



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The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished The Rook and I began to worry about writing a review that would due the rating I plan to give this book some justice. I started making notes about my impressions before I was even a quarter through the book. It made such an impression on me that I went to find the author's website so that I could follow him on Twitter. I started feeding my thoughts into Goodreads as I got through different parts of the book, which is something I never do. I typically post Twitter updates but this seemed easier so that it would note the percentage I was at on my Kindle Fire when I made my note. I stopped reading yesterday and became concerned that I would not get to see more of this intriguing story after I finished the book. I jumped on the Internet and went to Daniel O’Malley’s website and saw that he has plans to do more stories in the Chequy world. As I finished posting an update early yesterday on Goodreads I caught a glimpse of the overall ratings of the book and thought impossible. We all read something and get vastly different impressions of what we read. Some things work for us and some things don’t. The beginning of this book did move so fast and have such a convoluted beginning that I had to re-read some parts. When I caught on to how things worked I knew I was one of the people for whom this book worked very much.

The Rook was one of those books that I knew I wanted to read and was watching for at least a month before its release date. I was drawn to it just from reading the synopsis and kept hoping for it to be released early. I bought and downloaded it first thing the morning it was released and made the mistake of taking a peek at it before starting work. It was a mistake because I was so totally enthralled that I wanted to send an email that I was leaving for the day and go find a good cup of coffee and a quiet, comfortable place to read for hours. I did tear myself from the book until that night and was really happy that I did not have to teach at the university that night.

This book has something for just about everyone. If you want a mystery, it is there. If you love action, the fight scenes with cool supernatural powers are there. If you like a bit of horror or gore, there is a bit of that too. It is not for romance readers, though there are a couple of irons in the fire that might prove interesting. One of the great things about this book that I wanted to mention separately was the author’s humor. I finally used the highlight feature of my Kindle Fire because there were several parts in this book that literally made me laugh out loud. A great example was when Myfanwy and her assistant Ingrid left a very important meeting and Myfanwy was still feeling things out from the memory loss. She asked Ingrid her impressions from the meeting and the scene went something like this. “Yes, I want to hear your thoughts on what we jus t saw”, Myfanwy said enthusiastically. “Did you think I brought you along for kicks? That was a classic date, with snacks and a show, and now I expect you to deliver the goods”. There are so many more humorous situations throughout the book.

Let’s take a look at the characters. Our heroine with the oddly pronounced Welsh name Myfanwy is pretty much the kind to whom most of us can relate. She is thrown into her world in the most terrorizing circumstances, with no memory and surrounded by dead bodies. We follow the person that Myfanwy becomes in her new life as she learns about her important position in a secret organization. She doesn’t just jump in and suddenly know how her powers work and kick butt in the name of justice. She has serious growing pains as she is thrown into situation after situation where she has to learn not only who she is becoming, but she also has to learn who Myfanwy was before things unfolded. Ingrid is a bit of a wild card because she is the person closest to Myfanwy as her executive assistant. There is an intricate system in place in the Chequy that utilizes some of the nomenclature of the game of chess. One of the characters that came in towards the end that I really liked was L’il Pawn Alan (No this is not his name or title. He is Pawn Alan but his stature and personality earned him this nickname in Myfanwy’s head) who, like Myfanwy, turns out to be more than meets the eye.

I can say that this book was a wonderful experience and I definitely look forward to more work from Daniel O’Malley despite him being an MSU graduate when Michigan is clearly the best!

Review can also be seen at LadyTechiesBookMusings.Blogspot.com


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Raven Cursed by Faith Hunter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Truly phenomenal book! I really enjoyed this book. I even got to a point where I had to slow down because it felt like it was going too fast. I did not want the experience to end. I love both series and realized I am just a fan of Faith Hunter's writing. I was in a chat the other day where she was the featured author and it was great learning more about her writing process. It was interesting learning how hard she works to research Cherokee customs, folklore and mythology. You can even tell how diligently she researched the behavior of large cats. I enjoy a lot of authors work, but, I truly love the Jane Yellowrock series.

I had several realizations throughout the book about Jane's relationship with Big Evan. Initially I was sick of the blame game and eventually I had an epiphany and later in the book so did Jane. This book seemed like a crossroads for Evangaline, Jane, Rick, Evan, Molly, and even Beast. Heck, this book feels like change for everyone. The best parts of the story showed how well Faith Hunter writes a fight scene. As I was reading the fight scenes time always seemed to slow down and I literally could picture each shot, swipe, kick and punch and several fight scenes were so vivid that I just had to re-read them.

I tried to pay close attention to everything that I was reading so that I did not miss any important gems. There was so much good information about Jane and Beast given in this book. There were some new supernaturals brought into the story and that worked really well also. I'm keeping my eye on Leo because he seems to be up to something regarding Jane. Angie Baby and even Little Evan had bigger parts in this story and they were great additions to the action and intrigue of Raven Cursed. I spent some time digesting the story and the name fits the storyline very well. I am anxiously awaiting the next installment, Death's Rival. I would appreciate a copy right now please.

Review can also be seen at http://LadyTechiesBookMusings.blogspot.c...

To Play the Lady by Naomi Lane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I totally loved this book! I have only read a handful of high fantasy and almost all of them have been in the last year or so. The reason I have not been able to read high fantasy before is that I had an aversion to author-developed worlds, hence my preference for urban fantasy which is also not something I have always read. Previous to my introduction to urban fantasies I was strictly mysteries and thrillers and that period was the longest for me in my reading history. I have to see something in the book synopsis that leads me to believe that a book will draw me into its world. I kept seeing great reviews for To Play the Lady. I eventually downloaded the sample and knew I would enjoy it.

Jenna is a girl that you care about from the moment you see that she and her brother Peter are different from all of the other teenagers coming to court. The other girls studying with the Queen as her ladies are all nobles as are the boys training to be knights like Peter. Peter seems to not have as difficult a time with his peers as Jenna has with some of the older girls. Not only is she not a noble, but, she comes from a wealthy family, is darker skinned and comes from a dessert area. In addition, she continuously stands out for her many talents despite her age and there is nothing meaner than a teenage girl so Jenna has to overcome a lot of petty jealousies as well. She stands out even from her brother who is also very talented.

One of the great things about To Play the Lady is that Jenna is learning about herself at the same time as we are learning about her gifts and about some of her family's history. It serves as a bit of intrigue because as much as she and Peter try to keep their family's secrets the more things happen to expose them. Another great thing about this story is how Jenna's gifts are discovered. She doesn't magically have a bunch of gifts and suddenly knows how to use them. She grows in every way in this book including her magical gifts. She has some talents that she has trained in as a child might when their parents invest in piano lessons or gymnastics lessons or the myriad of other things my parents invested in for me as a child to help me develop as a well-rounded individual. Jenna did not spring up perfect with a ton of friends with no problems. This story shows how kids, even in medieval times, are subjected to prejudices and abuse. It demonstrates how they can persevere when they have the right tools and support. The princes, Sebastian, Eamon and Dominic all have very different personalities but, they have friendship between them just as the love and friendship is very apparent between Jenna and Peter. I think there are several mysteries with other relationships at court waiting to be exposed.
There are twists and turns everywhere you look in this book. There is a bad guy who we can all see and something else in the works on that front along with the many machinations and politics of court life. I was not finished reading the book before I was researching more about the author and hoping that there were more books on the horizon. I cannot compare it to other fantasy books and even if I had read more than a handful I prefer to take it on its own merits and this book is great, with good character development, good world building, and a great story. I look forward to the next installment!

Review can also be seen at http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.c...