Review: The Restorer

The Restorer by Amanda Stevens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A new series. Definitely good enough to continue, although I may not go the audio route next time. The narrator kind of drove me nuts--I felt like the accent was forced.

A lot of the book spent time establishing the characters and their backstory, as you would expect. There is foundation built, but questions still remain for future books. We get to understand Amelia. A bit less about Devlin, but since it isn't from his point of view you would expect that. We were left hanging about the two of them, just a taste to get you to pick up the next book in series. I'm ok with that.

I have to admit a couple of the plot twists took me by surprise, but I was listening to the audio so sometimes I miss details in that format. A good dose of paranormal, and a moderate amount of romance. 3 stars.

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Review: The Icing on the Corpse

The Icing on the Corpse by Liz Mugavero
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

More Stan. She's a bit less annoying in this one. Still not a good listener, though. And totally insecure about her relationship with Jake. And his sister. I'm over their nonsense.

The mystery was a bit ridiculous, as you might expect. I mean, there is a dog wedding on the cover, so you shouldn't go in expecting War and Peace. But if you like animals, cozy mysteries, and don't mind ridiculous hi-jinks, you'll have fun with this series.

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The Grove

The Grove by John Rector

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I'm not 100% sure how to rate or review this book. You know how it is when you read something so outside of your norm that you are left scratching your head? That's me right now.

It's horror for one, and I rarely read horror. The main character is completely crazy. You spend half of your time doubting his narrative and the other half shaking your head because he. is. crazy. And I listened to it on audio, which changes the experience. So overall I'm landing on a two 1/2, because it was strange and I have a lot of mixed feelings about the book and the characters. So I guess the author did his job.



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Second Glance

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Coincidence, or fate? That is the question. Picoult is a favorite author of mine and this one doesn't disappoint.

Part ghost story, part romance, part history lesson, we are dropped into two timelines which are intertwined over time. A 70-year-old murder mystery and a modern day story are woven together into a bundle that all makes sense by the end. You end up with a ghost story along with an interesting history of eugenics and Native American cultures that is little-known but worth the read.

Ask yourself a few questions to see if you should read this book?
1) Do you like ghost stories? Then yes, please read.
2) Do you like murder mysteries? This one will keep you guessing.
3) Do you like stories that tie in real-life history? Read this one--it's fascinating.
4) Do you like alternating timelines? This is the book for you.

This is a hard one to summarize because so much is happening, but there is a little something for everyone inside. The strong motherhood story you have come to expect from Picoult with some supernatural twists and turns.





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Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1)

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What a great start to a series! Good stuff. Can't wait to read the next one.

Celaena is my favorite kind of character. Strong, independent, a little sassy, but still can be hurt, both emotionally and physically. She's not super-human. She's like Katniss in a fantasy setting. She says the wrong things sometimes and isn't perfect, but people still like her. In fact, there are several similarities between this book and The Hunger Games. Competition for their lives, evil leaders, love triangle. It's similar, yet different enough to work. I enjoyed the supernatural/magical element, the setting, and the characters. A very solid 4 stars for me.



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LIV, Forever

Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Insta-love and paranormal all rolled into a ball at boarding school. I nearly broke something with the strength of my eye rolling, but it was ok overall. The main character is annoying and unrealistic--a Mary Sue of an artist who got into a prestigious boarding school based on her extreme talent in--get this, COLLAGES. Really? She has bad grades but they want the collage maker to come as a scholarship student? Ok, sure. I'll overlook it, but I'm subtracting a star. Spoiler alert: she doesn't get less annoying in death. The two male main characters are stereotypical, but I liked them both by the end.

Ok but definitely not great. Overall 2 stars of "meh".



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Ghost at Work (Bailey Ruth #1)

Ghost at Work by Carolyn Hart

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


The unlikeable main character killed anything I liked about this book. Vain, self-centered, and all-around annoying. It's unfortunate because I thought it was a cute concept.



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