Review: A Conspiracy of Kings

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

We return to Attolia, but this time with less Gen, less Irene, and more Sophos. And Helen, who seems to be more understandable and likable in this one.

Sophos, who you might remember from The Thief, has grown up. We get glimpses of who he is becoming as he loses everything, hits rock bottom, and rises up, like a king should. And along the way we get a few glimpses of Gen and Irene, who I dearly love, and the continuing evolution of Sophos and Helen, who we were teased about from the end of book 1.

Turner's writing style takes me a while to settle into for some reason. I enjoy her stories and her characters, but they are a bit of slow burn for me. Once I get back into the groove, however, I speed right along and enjoy the journey.

Still love book 3 best, but this was a solid three star read. Can't wait until book 5 next year!

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Review: First Lord's Fury

First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

And we come to the end of our epic journey with Tavi and the rest of Alera. It was a wild ride, and I'm sad once again that it is over. Don't worry, Tavi, I'll be back again in a few months to take the trip with you all over again.

If you are reading this review and you haven't read the other books in the series, stop here. Seriously. Go pick up a copy of Furies of Calderon and grow up with Tavi. If, however, you are done with the series, you can keep reading my thoughts. This book is long and full of details. You are going to learn more about the Canim, not enough about the Icemen, and way too much about the Vord Queen, who I find tedious. I mean, I get that she is the ultimate big bad, but I find her annoying.You get the ending you want for most of the characters, and are left wanting more for others. Just like life, I suppose.

Romance, action, survival, politics, and war. Jim Butcher, can we be best friends? My favorite series of all time. 4 stars for this book and the series overall.

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Review: The Ask and the Answer

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Patrick Ness, we might have reached the end of the road together. I still haven't forgiven you for Manchee. And I am left caring less and less about Todd and the Mayor and they may have to carry on without me. I am going to blame the audio's narration for Todd. The dialogue and vernacular sucked in a listening format. Viola was good, though.

First of all, I don't love books that have scenes of cruelty. I know I seem like an immovable rock without feelings, but inside I am a marshmallow who loves puppies, sunshine, and all things good. The scenes with Davy, Todd and the Spackle almost lost me. I was pulling for Spackle 1017 to rise up and end this nonsense.

The next book should be interesting, and I admit wanting to know more about Viola's people and the origins, but it will be quite a while before I decide to return. No promises. We'll see. 3 stars because I am weird and most people love this series.

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Review: Poison Study

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So much happens in this book, I hardly know where to begin!

We have Yelena, a strong, smart heroine with flaws. My favorite. We have Valek, who is strong, mysterious, and a bit brooding. Protective, yet still treats her as an equal. Totally my jam. We have solid world building. Ixia becomes a real place in your mind. You get enough information to understand where we are going, unlike other first books in a series. And you get interesting side characters, although at times not enough of them.

Condemned to death for murder, Yelena is given a reprieve as the Commander's food taster. Facing death every day in her new role, she is able to learn the job quickly (a good trait in a food taster!) and proves to be a valuable addition to the team surrounding the Commander, who has an interesting backstory himself. It's details like these that make this book a good read. Enjoy your trip to Ixia, but be sure you have someone taste your food while you are there. I'll see you when you get back.

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Review: The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare

The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare by Lilian Jackson Braun
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

More Qwill and the kitties solving crimes in the sleepy village of Pickax, where there must be a murder every week. Qwill needs to hook up with Jessica Fletcher because they both are murder magnets. Moose County's a rough place to live, people.

The newspaper's publisher has died. Accident, or murder? Well, since it's a cozy I'll let you figure it out. Qwill is on the case, and trying to be a mustachioed ladies man about town, but the cats continue to thwart him. Go, cats. Qwill is ridiculous. Polly is way too good for you. Still the same cast of characters you know and love, with Arch, and Mrs. Cobb, and a million Goodwinters.

A fun, easy series. Really enjoying reading through them all again. 3 stars.

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Review: Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Surprised how much I liked it by the end! A bit of a slow build up, but I ended up loving how it came together.

Katsa is my favorite kind of heroine. Strong, smart, and flawed. The supporting cast is good, too. Po and Bitterblue help make Katsa who she is by the end. And she is flawed, to be sure. There were times in the book where I wanted to shake her. She has some messed up ideas about marriage, and love, but I'll give the girl a pass because of how she was raised. And the grace system is interesting, so I'll eventually read the other two books. Rounding up my 3 1/2 stars to 4 because I'm sappy and I loved Po.

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Review: Half the World (Shattered Sea #2)

Half the World by Joe Abercrombie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


More adventures with Father Yarvi and the gang. Welcome back!

Yarvi has a couple of new members of the crew this time. Meet Thorn. Tough, sassy, with a streak of insecurity inside of her. A girl after my own heart. Meet Brand. A warrior with a peaceful heart. Together they can do great things if they would just listen to Father Yarvi and the gang.

It was another great installment in the series. Yarvi has grown and matured, mostly for the better. The Queen is still fantastic, just as you would expect. And the band of misfits are all interesting and fun.

Action-packed, full of intrigue, with just a dash of romance. Good stuff.



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Half a King (Shattered Sea #1)

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


What do you do when you are the second son of a king, and one born with a crippled hand, to boot? Well, you think you would take your vows and join the ministry. However, life seldom works out as you planned. Your father and brother are both killed, and you must step up and take the crown. Wait...what's that? Betrayal and treachery lie dead ahead? Well, that's life giving you lemons once again. Poor Prince Yarvi!

Good solid entry to the series. We journey with Yarvi as he travels the road and determines where his loyalties, and choices lie. What is more important? Revenge? Family? Friendship? Read it and find out what he decides. 3 1/2 stars.





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Captain's Fury (Codex Alera #4)

Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Hail Gaius Octavian! We journey back to Alera, and lots of things happen. To everyone.
Tavi is outed. Kitai still kicks ass, and I love her. Everyone gets character development, and the world grows. If you are reading this series, you obviously love it so I don't need to sell you on how great it is. If you aren't, you shouldn't be reading a review for book 4 in a series, so move along. Nothing for you to see here.

A love letter to Jim Butcher:

Dear Jim,
Alera is my favorite place, and you are my favorite author. I love you. Not in a scary stalker, wear your face as a mask way, but in a let's be best friends and have coffee and you can tell me all of your book ideas kind of way.

P.S. Please don't contact the authorities, I am harmless. But let's be best friends. Call me!





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Red Queen (Red Queen #1)

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Torn on what to rate this...landing on a solid three stars.

Meet Mare. She's a Red, living in a world where the Silvers have all of the power. After a slow start, the action starts to pick up. She's thrust into the spotlight and fights to hide her true identity and survive. Vague description, yes, but I don't want to spoil you, friends. You will have to read it for yourself.

Gorgeous cover art, rather generic characters inside, the entire book feels like an homage to all of the other young adult dystopian novels that came before it. But there's enough there for me to read book 2.



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The One (The Selection #3)

The One by Kiera Cass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Somewhat surprised at the resolution to the series, but I liked it.

We are in the finals for the Selection, and you just know America will become "The One". But the road along the way actually surprised me. There were some frustrating parts, some sad parts, and some overall really good parts. I would say I ended up liking it enough to give it a solid three stars. Maxon was my high point. I didn't hate Celeste by the end, and America grew up, mostly. If you read the first two you will read this one to learn how it all resolves.



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The Elite (The Selection #2)

The Elite by Kiera Cass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Continuing from book 1, but now with 50% more love triangle. Seriously...glad I'm interested in the journey here, folks. The constant waffling about the two boys just about made me lose my mind.

America is still in the Selection. Maxon is convinced she is the girl for him. I'm not entirely sure why. She is a bit ridiculous at times and strings him along. Anyway. I won't spoil anything but a lot of political drama happens and we are mainly as in the dark about it as America. But we get more insights into Maxon and his way of thinking, and that is enough for me to read the next book. 2 1/2 stars for the selfish love triangle nonsense, but I'm in it until the end now.

I need more time with the Queen. Crossing my fingers that happens in book 3.



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The Selection (The Selection #1)

The Selection by Kiera Cass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Dystopian future meets The Bachelor, and it's not all bad.

Flash forward to Illéa, the America of the future. A world where you are born into a caste, and your number determines your life. The higher your number, the lower your caste. America Singer is a 5, the caste of artists and performers. She sings (get it, America SINGER?), and has the misfortune of falling in love with a 6. Her secret love is interrupted by her invitation to the selection, the contest hosted by the royal family to determine Prince Maxon's bride.

Will America make it to the finals? Well, it's a series, so you can do the math for yourself. But the path to getting there is fun, and I like both her and the Prince. And most especially I like the Queen, and I hope we see more of her in the next books. Light romance, catty women, and a strong female lead. Not particularly life-changing or swoon-worthy, but an interesting take on YA dystopia. 3 stars.



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The Cat Who Played Brahms (Cat Who...#5)

The Cat Who Played Brahms by Lilian Jackson Braun

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


It's vacation time for Qwill and the cats as they head up to Moose County, 400 miles from anywhere, to stay in Aunt Fanny's cabin for some R&R. Qwill's apartment building has been sold and it is the perfect time to take a few months off, relax, and start writing that novel. But things don't go as planned. Of course they don't, otherwise we wouldn't have a cozy to read, would we?

I think this book is where the series takes a fun turn. We get Qwill out of the city and away from the crazy newspaper beat, and we see a different side of him here. The first three books in the series were written by Braun in the late 60s, and she returned to it in the book before this one in the mid 80s. Her decision to change things up is apparent starting with this book. With age comes wisdom, I guess, and it works here.

Koko is still in charge and solving crimes, while Yum Yum sits there and looks pretty. Qwill makes several comments in this book about his penchant for young career women in their 30s while creepily stroking his mustache like a villain. He has never been written as an appealing character to me so this made me chuckle. And the ending gives the series new direction and completely new ways to grow and change the characters. Here's to new beginnings!



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Death of a Gossip (Hamish MacBeth #1)

Death of a Gossip by M.C. Beaton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Another one to add to my "quick read cozy" shelves. First book in the series, and nothing too objectionable here.

Hamish MacBeth is a constable in the Scottish village of Lochdubh. He seems slow, dim, and lazy, but that helps him to solve crimes when others underestimate him. In this first book, murder comes to Lochdubh, and it happens on Hamish's watch. A fly fishing school. A group of strangers. And a dead body. Hamish is pushed aside by the city cops who come in to solve the murder. As it is a cozy, and Hamish is the star, you know he will get his man, or woman, in the end.

Humorous and old fashioned (it was written in 1985), it is interesting to see how much things have changed over 30 years. You might find yourself laughing at some of the outdated ideas and silly character choices, but the mystery is fun and I didn't guess the killer until the very end. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie but not as smartly done, you might enjoy the plotting, setting, and Hamish himself. He grew on me enough by the end to move on to book 2.



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Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera #3)

Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I adore everything about this series. Jim Butcher, I love you. Not in a weird, trap you in my basement way, but in a "thank you for building this world and these characters and sharing them with us" way.

Tavi has graduated from the Academy and is now serving Gaius Sextus and Alera as a cursor for the realm. He is sent undercover as Captain Rufus Scipio to work with the First Aleran Legion and quickly finds himself fighting to preserve the Realm and their way of life. Classic Tavi, always smack in the middle of conflict.

Almost all of your favorites are back, and there are some major character developments by the end. Some of the battle scenes wind on for too long, keeping me from rating this 5 stars, but it is still the Alera you know and love. The battle scenes are crucial for moving the plot to the next book so hunker down and get through them because the payoff at the end is perfect. Once you finish, you will immediately want to start on the next book...the sign of a great series.



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The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern (Cat Who...#2)

The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern by Lilian Jackson Braun

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Hop in my time machine back to 1967. A place where you don't have cell phones, the internet, and it's perfectly acceptable to smoke a pipe. People still read newspapers to get their news. Meet Jim Qwilleran, old-time investigative reporter now taking on the interior designer beat. Meet Koko, Siamese cat and crime fighter. Together they stick their noses where they don't belong and save the day. And in the end, they bring pretty lady Yum Yum into the family and everyone is happy.

These books are dated, for sure. But I like Qwill and his crime fighting kitties. I read these books back in the early '90s and while the mystery is simplistic they are still an enjoyable hour or two diversion. I think the series really hits its stride when Qwill relocates to Moose County, so if you start at the beginning, stick with it. There are lots of books in the series if you like it. Cute and harmless.



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Louisiana Longshot (Miss Fortune Mystery #1)

Louisiana Longshot by Jana Deleon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Cute start to a new series. Fortune Redding is a CIA assassin (but I can't see that she was actually all that good at her job, but anyway...) and she is in hiding in a small Louisiana town of Sinful until the Middle Eastern assassins looking for her give up. She takes on the identity of her director's niece and reluctantly integrates herself into small town Southern life. Suspend all disbelief and enjoy this cozy mystery. The cast of characters are entertaining. The old lady mafia running the town made me laugh, and the storyline, while silly, kept my entertained. Lots of fun girl power and amusement in this one. I'll give book 2 a try.



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Kneading to Die (Pawsitively Organic Mystery #1)

Kneading to Die by Liz Mugavero

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


You know it is a bad sign when the main character annoys you in the first chapter. What is up with all of the "theme song" nonsense? Between that and the constant brand-name dropping and needless clothing / physical descriptions of everyone, I barely soldiered on. Plus, her name annoyed me.

HOWEVER, the mystery was ok enough to finish it without too much eye rolling. I'm down with the whole small-town, organic living, pet loving world. I'm not standing in my kitchen whipping up pet food from scratch with all organic fresh ingredients, but I have enjoyed many a farmer's market in my day. So the setting was quaint, and I enjoyed many of the side characters, even though the author threw in so many that you barely got to know any of them. She did waste half the book on a boyfriend you knew from the first line wouldn't be sticking around for book 2, and that annoyed me. I get it; it sets up the heroine for the small-town love interest in book 2.

This book was just ok. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. 2 stars.



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A Charming Cure (Magical Cures Mystery #2)

A Charming Cure by Tonya Kappes

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


My interest in this series is quickly dwindling. Book 1 was cute, and I was intrigued by the colorful characters in Whispering Falls, Kentucky. But I don't know if I can continue. The dialogue is terrible. It reads like a high school creative writing project at times. The purple prose pops up at the most awkward times and completely pulls me out of the story. I could overlook this and just enjoy the plot, but I am discovering how much I dislike the main character, June. June is insecure--a character trait I absolutely hate. She eats ding dongs non-stop, which is strange, but more importantly, she just isn't very smart. If she would stop and think before acting she would avoid most of her troubles. She is ridiculously naive about her relationship with her best friend, Oscar. I can handle the, "will they or won't they" nonsense. Hey, they are both 25 years old. No need to rush into anything. But her inner dialogue makes me cringe, and I just don't like her.

I will give book 3 a final shot before throwing in the towel, but it isn't looking good for me continuing the series. Sorry, June, you may have to continue on without me.



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