I’m still here!

Sorry for the unplanned hiatus. I don’t really have an excuse. I have many! But that’s just what they are, excuses. I just haven’t felt like posting. 

At first I was still writing reviews though, so I have plenty to post. I’m redoing the way I review now to make them shorter and more to the point. 

In that spirit I won’t ramble at you. See you soon! 

Books I’ve read since you last heard from me: The entire Dark Hunters series by Kenyon, (and Chronicles of Nick her YA) the entire Argeneau series by Sands, and 11 books in the Love at Stake series by Sparks. I’ve been on a paranormal romance kick this summer. 

So far this month I’ve read part of three books… I blame Netflix! My latest kick is Vampire Diaries.

What was the last show you binged? 

(I might not be able to do this whole short thing..)

Shadow Hunters Series Episodes One and Two Review

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No spoilers if you haven’t seen Shadow Hunters or read Mortal Instruments! (I’ll warn you before the spoiler-y part)

To see my review of the books click here.

Shadow Hunters has good effects for the most part. (Only one demon looked a bit hokey) The seraph blades were awesome!

So far the acting has all been good. The cast really looks like how I pictured them in the books! (Except Jace.) Jace is portrayed better in this version (even though movie Jace was way cuter) and the actor does a good job.

(See what I mean?)

They kept the characters’ personalities true to the book and included the humor! The new scenes were mostly good and nothing felt drawn out or boring. (Plus more Magnus!)

Overall: Good. 8/10 stars!

(Clary, Simon, Jace)

If you’re wondering how I’ve seen episode two already, its on the ABC family website! (I’m not sure it’s available in all countries though.)

Small spoilers if you haven’t seen the show or read the first book you might want to stop reading now!

I’m rereading the book along with the show!

Episode one is from chapter one to about chapter five.

Instead of Jace and Clary going back to her home, Simon comes to them. (Apparently the Institute isn’t protected from GPS..)

Episode two is from chapter five to chapter eleven.

(Jace, Alec, and Isabel)

Changes:

There’s a new Demon sub plot, they’re draining people’s blood.

Pandemonium is Magnus’ club. (Their way of getting Magnus in sooner.)

They changed things to make it look cooler for TV. (Clary’s in the first battle scene instead of witnessing it and there are multiple demons, not one.)

There’s more of the circle members, and we see Valentine’s side of things.

Runes can be hidden. So can Magnus’ eyes.

The Institute has a high tech look and is full of people!

Dot (the fortune teller who lived downstairs) is a Warlock and friend of Jocelyn and Clary.

Good Changes:

Luke is a cop.

Clary and company are 18 not 15.

(Marline is their age and a member of Simon’s band.)

Hodge is really fit!

Bad Changes:

Clary’s mom gave her a stele?! (No way would she do that!)

When Clary gets home from the club, her mom is there and starts to explain things.

Clary’s saved by Jace instead of killing the demon herself. (Why?!) It also wasn’t clear she’d been poisoned.

No sign of Max or Church.

Clary has a magical plot saving necklace. (Lets her know where people are.)

There’s another change, but I don’t want to spoil anything. It looks like there will be major plot changes for episode three though!

(Yes, I was so excited about this show, I made gifs!)

I plan to watch episode three! I hope they keep it good and don’t change too much!

Have you read the books? Seen the show? Want to?

Life Update and 2016 Reading Challenges!

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blogger, Copper Gauntlet, Magnus Chase, personal, reading challenges, Six of Crows, Star Wars, winter by Marissa Meyer

I’m back! I missed everyone! I wasn’t able to take my computer with me this year and I got sick.

Look how much my sister’s dog Sebastian has grown!

He’s so sweet! Whenever I coughed he’d come and cuddle me!

I hope y’all (I was in the South) had a Merry Christmas! Mine was wonderful! I got a new Kindle and three books! I also saw the new Star Wars movie, which was amazing!

I finally started a bookstagram account and I’m loving it!

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Last year I failed at my Goodreads Challenge and only read 68 out of 100 books. So naturally I set it for 100 again! (Third times the charm?) I’ve also decided to join a couple of challenges.

I made my own Challenge too! I borrowed (stole) some random ones from various challenges that I liked! I NEED to read more books I already own!

Did you make any resolutions/ challenges? How was your Christmas? Get any good books? Have you seen the new Star Wars movie? 

Air Awakens

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Air Awakens, Air Awakens by Elise Kova, author, book, book reviews, books, characters, Elise Kova, fantasy, fiction, literature, magic, magic system, novel, plot, read, reader, review, stories, story, world building, write, writer, writing, young adult

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Indie

Pages: 377

Point of View: Third Person (Vhalla)

Released: August 27th 2015 

Series: Air Awakens 1

Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)

Source: Gift from the lovely Shannon

My Rating: 10/10 Stars

Errors: I only noticed one!

My Summary:

A library apprentice discovers she processes magic. The kingdom is in dire need of magical people right now, because they’re in the middle of a war.

My Review:

I could easily relate to Vhalla. It might be that she’s as obsessed with books as I am! She’s also a genuinely nice person, but a bit of a people pleaser. I enjoyed watching her evolve over the course of the book.

When Vhalla discovers she has magic she does everything she can to deny and run from it. I understand why she’d be hesitant to leave her old life. She also doesn’t know if she can trust those in the tower or know how her old friends would treat her if they learn she has magic. It was nice seeing her ordinary world in the library and the rich magical world of the tower.

The world building was your fairly standard midieval world, but she really brought it to life. I also liked that our heroine’s kingdom wasn’t the one being attacked for once. They were the conquerors! The magic system might seem like your normal elementals, but the way she learned to use her powers and what she could do with them were wholly unique.

Romance plays a large part in this book, but I loved every bit of it! She started out pretty much hating him and gradually realized she had feelings for him. I felt the same way! I thought he was a jerk at first and hoped he wouldn’t be the love interest. But he won me over! He wasn’t a necessarily good guy, but he was smart, complex, and he really did care about her. In the end he was the best part of the book! (I was afraid of a love triangle, but she didn’t feel the same way about him, so it doesn’t count.)

Warning: the end is really intense! I lost some sleep on this one, because I just had to know what happens!

The story wrapped up satisfactorily and I can’t wait to find out what happens next! (But I’m being a good girl and reading books I already own.)

No bad for this one!

---

What books did you ask for for Christmas?

I asked for Magnus Chase, Six of Crows, and Winter!

Six of Crows By Leigh Bardugo

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author, book, book reviews, books, characters, fantasy, fiction, Grisha, heist book, Leigh Bardugo, literature, lstories, magic, magic system, novel, plot, read, reader, review, Six of Crows, Six of Crows By Leigh Bardugo, story, Thief book, world building, write, writer, writing, young adult

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Thief

Pages: 465

Point of View: Third Person (Inej, Kaz, Jasper, Nina, Mathias, and two one chapter narrators)

Released: September 29th 2015

Series: Six of Crows 1

Predictability: 2 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)

Source: Library

My Rating: 10/10 Stars

My Summary:

A new drug, Jurda Parem, appeared in Ketterdam, which allows a Grisha to have insane powers. The Fjerdan witch hunters have the maker of this drug and Kaz and his crew have been hired to break him out before someone else gets their hands on him.

The Crew:

Kaz is the mastermind. A ruthless gang lieutenant who walks with a cane, always wears gloves, and has a dark reputation.

Inej used to be a tightrope walker and now acts as Kaz’s spy. She believes in her gods and can climb anything.

Nina’s a curvy Grisha who does everything over the top.

Jasper’s a hyperactive sharpshooter with a gambling problem, but he always sees the best in people.

Mathias is an ex Witch Hunter convict who is torn and confused by his feelings for Nina.

My Review:

Although Six of Crows takes place in the same world as the original Grisha trilogy, it stands on its own. You don’t have to read Shadow and Bone to understand this book! Usually it’s still better to read the books in order for the little details, but there were only a couple of mentions of the characters from the first series. (I almost missed the one!)

The Good:

All of the characters were flawed and very real! They all had their vices, weaknesses, and shady pasts. I loved them all, but Kaz was my favorite! He might be more villain than hero, but I liked how clever he was, always a step ahead.

Most of our crew are a part of the Dregs, a gang from the barrel, the worst part of the city of Ketterdam. My favorite part was their traditions! Like saying No mourners, no funerals before a job.

As much as I liked the original Grisha trilogy, Six of Crows is miles better! Bardugo has obviously matured a lot as a writer since then. Her writing is tight and beautiful. She sets up the novel and the intricate world quickly and without any info dumping.

I had a lot of questions about the characters’ pasts and they were all answered as our characters head the capital of the Witch Hunters. The short flashbacks were interspersed as they travel and break in, and kept things interesting.

Once the job starts the action doesn’t let up! I tried to savor this book, but I gobbled if up once they reached the city. Six of Crows has the perfect combination of telling us part of the plan, but keeping plenty of surprises. Of things going to plan and going to hell. It all made for an incredible ride!

Bardugo did an excellent job of expanding her world! From the grittiness of Ketterdam to the shiny white city of the Witch Hunters, I enjoyed it all. The magic system wasn’t expanded much, but Nina’s heartrending was cool.

The Bad:

It ends to be continued! Not a little to be continued, but like I NEED the next book NOW to be continued! (I was fooled by the Grisha sample chapter! It ends at 86%!!)

What was the best book you read this year? Mine was either Six of Crows or Uprooted!

Winter By Marissa Meyer (Spoiler Free Review)

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author, book, book reviews, books, characters, cinder, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, cress, Epic Fantasy, Fairytale retelling, fantasy, fiction, Ice Like Fire, Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch, literature, Lunar Chronicles, magic, magic system, Marissa Meyer, novel, plot, read, reader, review, Sara Raasch, Scarlett, sci-fi, science fiction, snow like ashes, Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch, stories, story, who dies in cinder winter, who dies in lunar chronicles winter, who dies in winter, winter by Marissa Meyer, winter cinder spoilers, winter spoilers, world building, write, writer, writing, young adult

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fairytale Retelling

Pages: 827

Point of View: Third Person (Winter, Jacin, Cinder, Kai, Cress, Thorn, Scarlet, Wolf, Lavana, Iko, and one more)

Released: November 10th 2015

Series: Cinder 4

Predictability: 5 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)

Source: Library

My Rating: 7/10 Stars

My Summary:

Winter is the beautiful princess of Luna. Since she refuses to use her Lunar powers of deception, she’s slowly losing her mind.

Cinder and her friends are on their way to Luna to stop the evil Queen Levana once and for all.

Spoiler free review! (Even if you haven’t read Cinder) You will be warned before the tiniest of spoilers! 

Click here to find out who dies in Winter! (This obviously has spoilers!)

My Review:

I am the oddball. Again. Everyone loved this book. Except me. I LOVED this series! It’s one of my favorites! I had such high expectations for this book! I was disappointed.

The Good:

It was nice to finally see Luna. The moon and the domed cites were cool! And the crazy Lunar fashions which incorporated their Illusion abilities.

I wasn’t sure if I’d like Winter based on her part in Cress. I was worried about the crazy thing, but I found myself wanting to get back to her parts! I especially enjoyed her banter with Jacin!

Iko got to narrate!!! It was great!! I need more! How about a whole Iko book, okay?

The Bad:

I know Snow White is the Fairest of them all, but it got annoying how often we were told. Winter is so so pretty. Her scars only make her prettier.

I read this 800 page book quickly, but it did feel a touch long. Some sections could’ve been tightened up a bit. (Like Kai’s parts. They were just boring.)

This series has been predictable, but it’s just been the major plot points. In this one almost everything was predictable! It felt like the author was just going through the motions to me.

The writing just wasn’t as good and the plot got repetitive.

If you want to go into this book blind, skip to the conclusion! (Small Spoilers!)

Which couple is going to be separated next, so they can be reunited and have a moment?

There were quite a few romantic moments. Maybe it’s because I just read a Rowell book, but none of them were that amazing. Big romantic scene and I’m all ‘meh, okay.’

Some previously smart characters acted idiotically! Example:

Your friend is fighting someone with mind control powers, you’re easily controlled, so what do you do? Go to ‘help’ of course! *facepalm*

It wasn’t only stupid good guys:

Levana left her top secret research center unlocked and virtually unguarded. Seriously?!

I am mostly mad about what she did to one of the characters! I was so angry with the book I set it aside for the day. I couldn’t believe she would do that! I could rant all day about how that ruined this book, but I won’t. (Click here to find out what I mean. Spoilers!)

Conclusion:
I’m glad I read Winter and it was a quick enough read, but it wasn’t great or amazing like I hoped. Iko’s first POV chapter was terrific! And there were a few good moments, (especially between Winter and Jacin) But it wasn’t half as good as the other books! They were just so fantastic! With some really great lines! This one? Not so much. It just fell flat for me.

What books are you wishing for for Christmas?

I asked for Winter, Magnus Chase, and the Copper Gauntlet. I obviously couldn’t wait to read Winter. (Oops!)

Dragon Coast By Greg Van Eekhout

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author, book, book reviews, books, California Bones, characters, fantasy, fantasy heist book, fiction, Greg Van Eekhout, heist book, literature, novel, Pacific Fire, plot, read, reader, review, stories, story, urban fantasy, write, writer, writing

Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Heist

Pages: 320

Point of View: Third (Daniel, Sam, Gabriel, & Cassandra)

Released: September 15th 2015

Series: Daniel Blackland 3

Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)

Source: Review request.

Warning: People eat people to gain powers.

My Rating: 8/10 Stars

Small spoilers for book two were unavoidable. (Really only one spoiler, and more is revealed in the official summary than I tell.) To read my review of California Bones book one instead click here.

My Summary:

Sam is now a Dragon, or trapped inside a Dragon. Daniel’s doing everything he can to get Sam back. He had a perfect plan, but then the Northern kingdom kidnapped the Dragon. So now Daniel has to go undercover in the North to get Sam back.

My Review:

When starting this novel I immediately remembered how much I enjoy the author’s writing. He has a great voice, especially in the way he describes things.

The Good:

I wasn’t sure how he would do the whole Sam is a Dragon thing, but he impressed me. Rather than being the dragon, it’s more like Sam’s trapped inside it. As much as he tries to control it, with a cockpit and controls he fashioned out of bones, it proves stubborn and only occasionally listens.

Daniel’s been working for months on a plan to get Sam back. His old friend Moth and Em, (one of the many golem Emmas.) who is friends with Sam, are helping him. I liked them both and I’m glad they’re back. Cassandra’s in it too. My ship hasn’t sunk yet! I still think she belongs with Daniel. Jo’s even back! (The shape shifter) though not for very long.

I enjoyed all of the new characters. Annabel was my favorite! (I can’t tell you who she is without spoilers. Sorry. But she was one of the best parts of the book!) All of the people at the Northern court were interesting as well, even though Daniel couldn’t trust anyone.

Gabriel and Max’s joking, demeaning, friendship is as great as ever. Cassandra was a good addition to their group. (The three teamed up to locate the dragon while Daniel and Moth went undercover.) Water magic is as complex and interesting as everything else in these books. It’s nice that the author didn’t just do it mentally like most magics. I liked the pipe contraptions Gabriel used to manipulate water.

The pacing was steady until the end when it got a bit intense. (I may have lost some sleep.) The plot, while mostly what I expected, was done well. There wasn’t much thievery in this book, but I didn’t mind.

I hate it when a series ends! I didn’t want this one to end and I was afraid it wouldn’t end well, but I’m very satisfied. And happy. There could so be more books though!

The Bad:

It’s over!

There were a couple small continuity issues. Daniel explained his plan to steal the stone to Moth after he already knew about it. (I’m probably the only one who noticed.) And a stuffed duck momentarily turned into a rabbit. (It makes sense when you read the book.)

Do you mind it when a character comes back from the dead? (Not a spoiler, kind of the whole premise of this book, Daniel trying to get Sam back.) I used to be really annoyed back when I read comic books at all of the reincarnations, but I don’t mind it now as long as it makes sense. (My change in opinion might be due to Supernatural.)

Welcome To The Madhouse by S.E. Sasaki

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android, androids, author, book, book reviews, books, characters, comedy, fiction, literature, novel, plot, read, reader, review, robot, robots, S.E. Sasaki, science fiction, scifi, SE Sasaki, stories, story, thriller, Welcome to the Madhouse, Welcome to the Madhouse by SE Sasaki, world building, write, writer, writing

Genre: Science Fiction, Robots, Indie, Thriller, Comedy

Pages: 246

Point of View: Third Person (Dr. Grace Lord, SAMM-E 777 aka Bud, & Dr. Hiro Al-Fadi)

Released: September 15th 2015

Series: Yes. First in a new series.

Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)

Source: Author Request

My Rating: 8/10 Stars

Ratings: Rape (Only in the prologue. I recommend skipping the prologue entirely.) Mild grossness.

My Summary:

Grace is the new surgical intern on the medical space station the Nelson Mandela, under the fabulous (Just ask him) Dr. Hiro Al-Fadi.

Bud, created by Al-Fadi, is an experimental surgical Android. He’s either malfunctioning or experiencing the emotions of a human and he doesn’t know what to do about it. Why is he drawn to the spunky new doctor?

When a ship docs without any live patients, they realize a deadly virus has been released into the station. It’s up to Grace and Bud to find a cure.

My Review:

I’ve never read an indie book with so few errors! 

The real excitement doesn’t get going until after the halfway point. But it wasn’t boring and because the time was taken to establish the characters, I could properly worry about them. (The tech to resurrect people made things less scary, though I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.)

The Good:

It’s been a while since a book called to me, and this one certainly did. I also lost a bit of sleep on this one. (I suddenly realized it was 3am and the book was over..) I even laughed aloud a few times!

Normally a book has to have magic or super powers to get 8 stars out of me, but Madhouse gets it for characters alone! The characters were all so well done and fleshed out! A nurse who had only two scenes somehow felt like a person. And even the space station AI had personality! (He was a hoot!)

The relationship between the chief surgeon, Al-Fadi, and his anesthesiologist was easily one if the best parts of the book! Though a bit over the top, their constant bickering, joking relationship felt very real to me.

The entire book takes place on the space station the Nelson Mandela. (Or the madhouse as Dr. Al-Fadi calls it.) Most of the world building is confined to what is important to the doctors, but I enjoyed the hints we got about the rest of the world as mankind explores the stars. (and makes war.) One of the coolest parts of this world was the genetically adapted soldiers! Some were part wolf or tiger, or even part orca and they were not only described well, but thought really went into what these people’s lives would be like.

The best way to describe the mood would be Doctor Who. Comedy mixed with tragedy and some potentially scary scenes. (To me a virus that liquefies people is very frightening, but this isn’t horror.) The mixing of comedy and thriller is hard to do so that the comedy doesn’t lesson the stakes, but Madhouse did it well. (I laughed, I was scared, then I laughed!)

The Bad:

It was love at first sight… On the part of the robot! (I didn’t expect that.) My biggest annoyance was how he addressed her. Always by her full name and some wondrous adjective. At about forty percent he decides to stop and I cheered, but he failed at it miserably. By this point it became more funny than annoying though.

I was warned that the prologue might bother me, so I skipped it. Later, curiosity got the better of me (because I was told it was mild) and I wanted to write a full review. I liked the book better without it. I would’ve figured things out too quickly if I’d read it. I recommend skipping it.

Do you read science fiction? I used to read almost all sci-fi, but in the last few years I’ve switched to almost all fantasy. So, it was nice to read sci-fi again. (Oddly enough it’s also sci-fi month.) I’ve always been a big fan of robots! Particularly when there’s romance involved, and I’m interested to see where this one goes.

Portia By Christina Bauer

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Angelbound, Angels, author,  book reviews, book, books, characters, Christina Bauer, Demons, fantasy, fiction, literature, maxon, new adult, novel, plot, Portia, Portia By Christina Bauer, read, reader, review, stories, story, write, writer, writing

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy

Pages: 250

Point of View: First Present (Portia)

Released: October 27th 2015

Series: Standalone set in Angelbound universe.

Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)

Source: Netgalley

My Rating: 7/10 Stars

My Summary:

Portia’s the opposite of her family (and the other protagonists in this series) She’s not a fighter or good with weapons, but she is smart. She’s a top class sorceress.

Everyone is afraid of her though, because she was born Marked by the void. Meaning one day she’ll turn into a void demon.

My Review:

A lot of the good was in the last 20%, so I can’t tell you about it, but you’ll have to trust me. The end is great!

The Good:

Standalones in an already established world are tricky, but Bauer did a fine job of explaining things for new readers without boring those of us who already knew about things. I’m always impressed how this author can continue to build on the world she’s created. The Firmament and the Dragon scale markings were nice additions.

All of the old characters were back, if only briefly. Portia’s family was so sweet and understanding towards her, but when trouble started they completely ignored her. (Weren’t they just saying she was so smart and an expert on all this?)

Portia was a nice protagonist. She could’ve used some of her mother’s snark though. (That’s what made this series fun!) She was hilarious when she got drunk though! Best part of the book.

Tempest was a complex new character. I had a feeling when he appeared in Maxon that he’d be back and I’m glad he was! I wish we got the chance to be inside his head for a couple of chapters.

The romance was sweet, but

The Bad:

Tempest is the first guy to speak to Portia, so naturally she falls for him. It was too hard and too quick for my taste though. I can see her liking him, but thinking of him as hers after one meeting? Not so much. (That one scene was my main problem.) After that it slows down a bit, but it was still too quick for me. (I suppose she only had 250 pages to get them to fall in love.)

Being so short it’s really fast paced. Things happened a bit too fast at times. I wanted more explanation about Portia’s quest. I know Portia did too, but I hate being confused! (Even if the main character is.) Portia did seem to know more than we were told though. How did she know she had Firmament magic and how to control it all of a sudden?

Do I recommend this book? Yes, but if you’re curious about this series you should start with Angelbound or Maxon. Not because of continuity or anything, but because they’re better. (Click the titles to see my reviews.)

Best Quote:

“He’s smarter than he looks. If he hasn’t killed you by now, he’ll go after someone you care about.”

I can’t help but chuckle. “Then good luck to him. My family is a bunch of fighters who would like nothing better than to go after a Class A demon.”

---

How do you feel about inaccurate covers? I hate it when what’s on the cover doesn’t match the book! This book has a lovely cover, but the dragon’s not what I pictured at all. Wrong color, and not big enough. I thought it was a winged horse at first! At least the main character isn’t wearing something skimpy, even if she’s only in a dress for one scene.

Hunter By Mercedes Lackey

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author, book, book reviews, books, characters, dystopian, fantasy, fiction, Hunter By Mercedes Lackey, literature, magic, magic system, Mercedes Lackey, novel, plot, post apocalyptic, read, reader, review, science fiction, scifi, stories, story, world building, write, writer, writing, young adult

Genre: Fantasy, Scifi, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Magic

Pages: 384

Point of View: First (Joy)

Released: September
1st 2015

Series: Hunter 1

Predictability: 3 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)

Source: NetGalley

My Rating: 8/10 Stars

My Summary:

After the world ended, magic appeared and with it otherworlders, who think of humans only as prey. Luckily some rare humans with magic have a bond with magical creatures, known as Hounds. These Hunters keep people safe and are required to go in the main city of Apex.

Joy is a young Hunter, who has lived in a monetary on a mountain for most of her life. Her only family is her uncle, who is an important man in the city. When he requests that Joy join him, she has no choice, or she’ll risk the government learning about the other Hunters in the monastery.

She realizes things are more complex in the city than she thought. Her uncle is surrounded by enemies and Hunting is done very differently.

My Review:

I am proud to say I am yet again an oddball… I really liked this book!

I’ve never read a book before that started so BAD but ended so GOOD!

The Bad (the first 20%) :

Okay, so the first 20% I’d only rate a 6/10 and that’s being generous. The whole beginning is Joy riding the train to the city. It would’ve been so much better if it started in the mountains. Then we could’ve seen what it was like instead of being told about it.

It starts with TONS of info dumping! This girl has concentration issues. If she really spent this long staring into space people would think there was something wrong with her.

Seriously lots of telling! Do we really need to know how they make bread? The telling doesn’t even track! First she’s thinking about bread then it’s the armed services. She also talks to the reader a couple of times. (Which annoys me.)

I understand Joy’s never left home before and she’s homesick. But I wasn’t sure if I even liked her at the beginning! She came off conceited, constantly thinking how much better her mountain was and how silly the Cits are. (Cits = city people)

Speaking of which, I like made up magical words. But then she added in the dystopian slang too, and it was a bit much. Although I liked the names, did we really need things like coffee to be renamed?

Then she got to the Capital, sorry Apex, and Hunters are Vid stars. (It seemed very Hunger Games esque.)

The Good:

After Joy got to the city, she really grew on me! She really is a genuinely nice person. She also stopped constantly thinking of home and quoting her masters. (Which was beginning to grate on me.)

Once she she gets to Hunter HQ and starts going on hunts, the book improves drastically! The hunts were exciting and well done and I enjoyed the relationships between the Hunters. Though she not only makes friends, but also some enemies. Namely, Ace, the top ranked Hunter. He was a decent antagonist, I certainly disliked him.

There’s also a romance. The dates didn’t do much for me, because they couldn’t speak freely. (Since every minute Joy is being recorded.) There could’ve been more joking and banter, more getting to know him for me. Even though I liked him, I was never sure he was trustworthy and I think that’s why the author left him as a bit of a mystery, so there would be doubt.

The world was complex and there was so much to it; magic and psi energy, hounds and otherworlders. I love how the different mythologies come together. It’s so unique and such a good idea!

My favorite part of the book was the hounds! Joy and her hounds were more like siblings than pets. They had such a great relationship! The way they joked and helped one another. And everyone’s Hounds were so different; from winged lions to Joy’s large colorful shape changing Hounds.

The magic system was obscure, but had plenty of rules to ground it. I liked how it worked and the glyphs and the feelings she invoked. That last battle was pure perfection! Now this shows what a great writer Lackey is!

Do I recommend this book? Yes! But have patience with the beginning. It gets better, I promise!

Another reviewer complained that Joy was too special, but I didn’t think so. Sure, she was good with magic, but she didn’t start out with anything that was rare. (On the mountain at least.)

How do you feel about special protagonists? I don’t mind characters that are special. Talk about a character with a rare talent or a special magic and I’m there!

I am annoyed when they are perfect. Pretty and talented and with a perfect personality, it’s all a bit much. (And boring!)