BOOK REVIEW: Five Mini-Reviews
Sky of Thorns, Soldier, A December to Remember, Stormwaker and The Ghost of Marlow House
I finished some of these books months ago, but with the holidays and then getting the flu, I fell so far behind in getting my reviews done. So, I have once again decided to do a mini-review of a few so that I could begin to try to catch up.
Enjoy!!!
Sky of Thorns by Fleur DeVillainy
Reading Dates: November 24 - December 23, 2023
I read this as an ARC just before its release in early December. I honestly don’t think I have read anything that would be considered a shifter book before this. But, here we are, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Sybil is a shifter who can shift between her human form and that of a unicorn, which is extremely rare and powerful. Sybil has dreams of being a healer, but after her parents’ death, she is left alone trying to do what she can in her little hometown with her ferret-esque pet, Lemon. I LOVE Lemon. Probably my favorite character!
The book is primarily set up into two parts. Part one revolves around her kidnapping and subsequent journey to Shadowvale where she must face the Queen on charges of being a rebel. Naturally, the handsome prince and his buddies are the ones sent to kidnap her! Part 2 revolves around her experience in Shadowvale and her fight to discover the truth about the Queen and what is happening to the shifters.
The world is well built, which I always appreciate. I admit that I was a little cautious because I feel a book about human/unicorn shifts has the potential to come across a little cheesy; however, I found myself engaged in the book from the beginning. The book overall, not just the world building and the characters, was well written and thoughtfully developed. It was creative and fresh, something that I haven’t read before. I thought that the conflict grew in intensity and evolved as Sybil herself grew and learned truths, intentions and motivations of those around her.
This is a story of self-discovery, resilience, betrayal, honor, and second chances. It also has fated mates, magic, adventure, friendship, dual POVs, and some romance.
Where does it land on my bookshelf? I would feel comfortable placing this on the top shelf. Maybe not on the tippy top, but I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the sequel.
A December to Remember by Jenny Bayless
Reading Dates: December 19 -December 24, 2023
I love reading seasonal books in December, and I really enjoyed previous books by Bayless. This one just fell a little flat for me. There wasn’t much of a festive, holiday atmosphere, but if you can separate that from the plot, this was an enjoyable book about family, loss, and self-discovery.
After their father’s death, three half sisters who are all as opposite as possible must come together to fulfill their father’s mission he set for them in order to receive their inheritance. All three sisters need that money desperately for different reasons. Great plot in theory. But the beginning was pretty confusing, and I felt it was just all over the place. There were so many characters all at once that I couldn’t keep them all straight. It just led to a very slow start.
Once the will was read which lays out their “tasks”, the book does become more enjoyable. I love puzzles and games, so I thought the monopoly house situation was fun and creative, but it was over almost as quickly as it began. The Solstice Festival was nice, but nothing spectacular.
Needless to say, this was not my favorite Jenny Bayless book, but that’s ok. I’ll still read her other stuff!
Where does it land on my bookshelf: Middle shelf…low middle shelf. This is ultimately a “month in the life of” book regarding these characters. It sometimes felt like a 90s sitcom where all of life’s issues can be solved in one 30 minute episode. With that said, I LOVE 90s sitcoms!
Soldier by Julie Kagawa
Reading Dates: January 13 - January 21, 2024
Book three of the Talon series continues to see the threat that both St. George and Talon each bring to the world. Garrett finds his way back to Ember, Riley and Wes with a new character, Jade. I was disappointed that Jade didn’t stick around more, but I am hopefully that she will be back in future books. The love triangle between Riley, Garrett, and Ember is still annoying, but it is resolved and isn’t a focal point of this book. I appreciate the focus being back on the plot movement - looking to take down the corruption at the top. Nothing is really as it seems and as the characters uncover secrets and put themselves in impossible situations, the desperation makes them reckless and dangerous.
The ending is more of a cliffhanger than any of the other books. That makes book four seem a little more enticing, but I really would like to see some more character development. I feel that they really have plateaued and become pretty flat. Now, Dante, on the other hand, is one of the more interesting characters. As Ember’s twin, some of the new developments create twists that impact Ember as well as Dante.
Ultimately, this was a much better book than book 2, but still not quite as good as #1. With that all said, I will continue the series. I’m a little too invested now, and I need to know what happens!
Where does this land on my bookshelf: Middle Shelf! I’m enjoying the series. It’s dragons, so it has to be at least decent!
The Ghost of Marlow House by Bobbi Holmes
Reading Dates: January 2 - January 10, 2024
This was one of the coziest little mysteries I have read in a really long time. It was even keeled and maintained a calm feeling from beginning to end. Walter Marlow doesn’t know he’s dead, and that, in part with his personality, makes him my favorite character in the book. There are characters that make you question their motives, but there is nothing that creates any major sense of tension. Even the characters you are supposed to question, I found something to like about them. Trying to solve the death of someone who died almost 100 years ago isn’t the easiest thing, but I enjoyed how Dani was able to do the research to help Walter bring closure after she inherited the house.
There wasn’t anything super fancy about this book. There was no crazy literary techniques, but it relied on just quality, solid writing. Characters were well developed, the plot was well developed and carried the conflict through in a realistic fashion. While Walter was a ghost, he was pivotal to every single thing that occurred.
If you are looking for a cozy read, one that would be perfect to curl up with on a rainy day, you definitely need to give this one a chance. This is just book one in a series, and I know that I hope to read the rest.
Where does it land on my bookshelf? I’ve put it on the middle shelf, but at the top. It was an easy read that was enjoyable. Characters made this entire book, which is what I love to see in books! Highly recommend!
Stormwaker by Kevin Cox
Reading Dates: November 23 - January 3, 2024
This was an interesting one. I read book 1, and then missed book 2 and 3, but went right to book 4. While there were clearly elements that I missed over the course of those two books, I think the author did an excellent job of embedding what happened previously into the progression of the plot. I didn’t find it difficult at all to catch up and fill in the gaps of those important plot moments. However, what I did notice was the growth and development of the writing style. The more you write, the better you become. This is clearly the case with Cox.
This installment finds Ambrielle and Gavian on a mission to fix the rift that is allowing the shadows to enter their worlds. In an attempt to find century-old guardians, the pair end up on Gavian’s home planet for the majority of the book. I loved meeting the new character; the ones that have a past with Gavian. This allowed for Gavian to have some character development as we learn a little bit more about his past and his friends. But it was Wegin who stole the show. I absolutely loved this little robotic, AI bird.
There is a great blend of fantasy and Sci-fi elements throughout. The characters have matured as they have faced life altering situations throughout the series, and the world building continues to be a strength of Cox.
Where does it land on my bookshelf? Solidly on my middle shelf. I enjoyed the development of the plot and the characters and look forward to seeing how it all ends in the final installment.
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