Book Review: "Hate Machine" by Stephen Blackmoore

 

The eighth book of this dark urban fantasy series follows necromancer Eric Carter through a world of vengeful gods and goddesses, mysterious murders, and restless ghosts.

If there's one thing Eric Carter can count on, it's his past coming back to bite him in the ass.
 
Gabriela Cortez, La Bruja, has had her soul trapped... somewhere, and the only one who knows how to get it back is the Oracle of Las Vegas, a powerful artifact that Carter helped create almost thirty years before. It doesn't just predict the future—it makes things happen, influencing events to reach the goal it wants.
 
Only somebody's gone and stolen it, attempting to turn it into an artifact that doesn't just change the future, but also the past.
 
Eric needs to find it and steal it back before this comes to pass. If he doesn't, Gabriela's soul is lost. And quite possibly the future as well. - from Netgalley.com

I received this ARC from Netgalley.com at no cost and am providing an unbiased review.

This is book eight in the Eric Carter series by this author, and I have been an avid fan of Blackmoore from the start. It is written in a way you pretty much have to know what is going on in the series to understand completely what is happening in the story. This part of the main character's journey is returning to Las Vegas, where from prior books, all we know is he had some bad history there. This book opens up the past and we get to learn a bit more about the how/why Eric is the way he is.

Being a fan of this series makes it hard to write about the book, besides it was good! I enjoyed learning more about the Eric's past. We find out (again) how seemingly cruel and heartless he can be when needed, yet find out how much he yearns for a love that never seems to go well. Many other new characters are brought forth in this story, mostly from the MC's past. Not much time is spent on building their past, as throughout the story, they end up dead. World building - heh - more like world destroying. In typical Carter fashion, Las Vegas does lose a few memorable buildings during his short stay.

Overall, this was a wonderful addition to the series, and rounds up the storyline coming from book seven. Not sure where Blackmoore will go from here, but I am hoping he does, or creates a new series that has a similar character. I really enjoy the snark and sarcasm he brings to the character.

Book Review: "A Shift in Fate" by Maddox Grey

 

Doing a favor for a daemon is always a bad idea…

Six months after Nemain defeated the warlock leadership known as the Circle, she’s soaking in the freedom that comes with no longer being hunted. Her former lover turned enemy, Sebastian, is dead and the Circle has retreated in defeat. However, her reprieve comes to an end when a friend asks for a favor that she can’t refuse. Not when it could lead to answers that Nemain wants and alliances she desperately needs.

After a young fae boy with extraordinary magic wandered into a remote village in one of the fae realms, the village was destroyed. No one knows the identities or allegiances of the fae who destroyed the village, but one thing was clear, their magic consumed other magic. They were devourers—or at least part devourer. While most didn’t believe that was possible, Nemain certainly did. She had been hiding her devourer heritage for her entire life.

While Nemain and her friends set out to find the mysterious child and search for answers about the fae with magic so similar to hers, they discover that there are more secrets in their world than they ever thought possible. Old secrets, new secrets. Ancient secrets long forgotten. Secrets from both friend and foe. And Nemain is in the center of it all. Can she save herself and the fae child? And how much is she willing to sacrifice? - from Booksirens.com

I received this ARC at no cost from Booksirens.com and am providing an unbiased review.

This is the second book in the 'Lost Legacies' series (trilogy? Maybe more?) and after very much enjoying the first one, I knew that this would be just as good. Our regular characters are back, and just getting better. Character development is progressing well, with many fo the characters learning more about their powers. Our MC discovers things about her past and family. All while completing a favor from a demon-friend.

After reading this book, I feel like there will be only about three books in all for this series. The way the story is advancing, I just feel that the third book is going to wind up with the conclusion about things. Of course, I have my own thoughts as to what will happen and what will be revealed.

Truly enjoyed reading this story, and would like to see more maybe set in this world, or maybe on pre-quel stuff from some of the supporting characters.

Book Review : "A Shift in the Shadows" by Maddox Grey

 

Secrets can only stay hidden in the shadows for so long.

Nemain is a feline shapeshifter with dangerous skills and even more dangerous magic. Her entire life she has hidden her magic from the fae, daemons, and every other being that inhabits the human realm and beyond. But now her former lover turned enemy, Sebastian, is hot on her trail after she escaped from him with the help of an old friend. The warlock is relentless in his pursuit… and he knows Nemain’s secret.

Seeking refuge in the daemon-run town of Emerald Bay on the Washington coast, Nemain works with her friends to ensure she is finally ready to face Sebastian when he finds her. It’s only a matter of time until he does. But soon she learns it’s not just Sebastian after her, the leaders of the warlocks know about her magic and they now seek her as well. To make matters worse, they’ve enlisted the vampires to help them.

With her enemies closing in around her, Nemain must fight to keep herself free and her loved ones safe. All while keeping her magic a secret. Because if the fae and daemons find out about her magic and what she truly is, they won’t want to capture her. Nemain poses too great of a threat to be allowed to live, if her secrets become known… Nemain’s life will be forfeit. - from Booksirens.com

I received this advance reader copy from Booksirens.com and am providing an unbiased review.

This is probably one of the better female-lead stories I have read in a while. As you read above, the plot synopsis explains that our MC is a shifter, with additional talents, that even she is not sure of. Yes, she is being chased/sought after, but one can only hide for so long. I cannot express how much I enjoyed reading this book! My attention was kept in the story throughout the whole read. I really enjoyed so much of the world building, how daemon/fae/vampire/werewolf/other exist amongst the realm(s), and the magic system in place. Our main character is strong-willed, yet flawed in relationship material (as are many) yet able to still kick-ass (and kiss ass) with the best. Looking forward to the next book in this series.

Book Review: "Master of Shadows" by Joss Walker

 

A lost grimoire. A dangerous new enemy. And a powerful magical weapon that could destroy the world.

Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian, is back for another exciting mission. When her mentor goes missing, Jayne is sent to Paris to find him, only to land in the crosshairs of a deadly terrorist organization and their diabolical weapon, a mysterious poison that renders their enemies powerless.

Fighting to combat this weakness, Jayne struggles to make peace with her sister, who has been hiding the truth of their family history for years, and overcome difficulties with her shifter boyfriend, who can't quite sync up with Jayne's new powers. Even worse, the terrorists demand she locate a necromantic grimoire in France, or they will kill her mentor.

As Jayne hunts for the grimoire, she unlocks the secret to summoning the Master of Shadows—a long-dead master magician possessing a dark and destructive magic. With this lethal power unleashed, she must protect her team from the worst magical threats they've ever faced… or suffer the deadly consequences. - from Booksirens.com 

I received this advanced review copy from Booksirens and am providing an unbiased review.

This is the second book in the 'Jayne Thorne - CIA Librarian' series, so before I could actually read it, I had to go find the first one.I know some authors, you can pick up a book further in the series, and still be kept pretty much up to date regarding events from prior books due to the author adding that backstory, but I don't care for that. In fact, in some ways I get irritated becasue I have to read info I already knew about - rant for another time....

So I'm not going to ruin this with spoilers, but book one is about how Jayne becomes a CIA Librarian, gains her magical abilities, and  provides much about the MC's background, as well as other supportive characters. The author has done a very fine job of background information on characters, and into the second book, has added more depth for the reader to understand how the characters are acting/re-acting to things/events. In book one, we find out that there is an 'evil' group called the Kingdom, that is going after some major artifacts/grimoires to gain power. Book two begins a new case for Jayne and another group enters the story, not aligned with the Kingdom, but not with the CIA either. So we are finding out more about the magical communities in this world the author has created. In this Case, it seems more geographical, than world-wide. Book two is based in Paris and surrounding area, and seemed fairly accurate (I don't know the place physically, so can't say) and the writing detail was fine.

I do like stories with a strong female heroine/lead, and this series is definitely in that category. Sarcasm and snark are always welcome to come across in dialogue, or references to 'nerdy' movies (basically any sci-fi/fantasy). I think that much of the convos in this second book just was a little over the top on all that talk. By mid-way through, I felt like every conversation with the MC almost had to end with some witty quip, or sarcastic thought. Maybe a little less of that, and it would be a bit more enjoyable.

Overall, I felt it was a good story (both books, and the pre-quel) and am looking forward to seeing (at my guess) at least two more stories in this series.

#Booksirens #MasterOfShadows

Book Review: "Modern Magick" by R. J. Johnson

 

Witches, warlocks, and magic spells. They were only stories. Until now.

Everything people think they know about magic is wrong.

Reporter John Jupiter is no stranger to strange news. But when news about the murder of reclusive billionaire Alan Knickerbocker falls in his lap, the story of a lifetime drastically changes his life.

After a mysterious amulet gives John the ability to cast magic spells, it’s up to him and a handful of brilliant misfits to stop a team of mercenaries known as the Triumvirate, who are determined to release an ancient threat and use it to bend humanity to their will.

No one else will believe them. No one else knows. Magic is real… - from Booksirens.com

I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

This is the first book in a new series by this author, called 'The Omnichron Chronicles'. The plot description was enough to get my attention, and being a series, I decided to try it. The basic storyline is of a honest news reporter gets a lead on the death of a very rich man, discovers an amulet with an odd saying inscribed on it that once read, gives out 'magical power' to the people around the amulet. As this discovery is going on, and he surrounds himself with a rag-tag team of misfits, they discover there are some baddies that have some magic as well. Needless to say, good guys want to stop the bad guys, who just want to control the world, and unleash a power into our realm that could destroy it.

Okay, sounds great. Except it wasn't. It was just ... okay. There is no major background story on any of the characters. All you learn about them is the very basics. MC is a news reporter that considers himself with integrity and honesty - but we don't know why. Don't know anything about how he got to where he is, etc. And each character is like that. Even the baddies we know not why they are bad. Just that they have done "jobs" and it has always been the three of them. Though, I guess you could say we know they are baddies because they tend to hurt people. 

Of course, there are group dynamics going on. In our group of good people, there is some romantic interests between four of them (two and two, not four on four) that doesn't really seem to go much of anywhere. It is written defintely with YA crowd in mind as it is so basic. There was not much said in regards to the magic. It seemed anyone with it had similar powers, but each had a somewhat individual strength in some area. Practicing the magic seemed to make you stronger in its use, but potions had to be taken to quickly "re-up" the mana. It was never really said where the magic came from (this world, that world, etc) only that it had been taken out of our world to stop a major event several hundred years prior.

Overall I was let-down about how this story turned out. I felt at minimum it is a YA read (which I usually do not care for). I think the character backgrounds could be a bit more detailed, otherwise I felt like I was reading a comic strip, knowing the characters only as how they look. World building was okay. Off the top of my head I don't remember what city this was taking place in, could have been NYC, but it also could have been any larger city. Nothing in particular stood out in my memory as to distinguish major landmarks. I think most of it didn't matter unless it was partial to the story. Well, practice makes perfect, and I would consider reading the next book in the series to see if the author's writing style has gotten better in fleshing out details and maybe more background.

Book Review: "Final Heir" by Faith Hunter

 

The stakes couldn’t be higher in the newest novel in the New York Times bestselling, pulse-pounding Jane Yellowrock series.

Jane Yellowrock is the queen of the vampires, and that makes her a target as she fights to maintain control and keep peace in the city of New Orleans. She has enemies at every turn, because vampires live forever, and they keep their grudges alive with them. That includes the Heir, the vampire sire of the Pellissier bloodline, which gave rise to Leo Pellissier himself—Jane’s old boss and the former master of the city.

With the Heir and all the forces of darkness he can muster arrayed against her, Jane will need all the help she can get. She’ll find it in her city, her friends, her found family, and, of course, the Beast inside of her. - from NetGalley.com

I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

This is the fifteenth, and final, book in the Jane Yellowrock series. That saddens me a bit as I have found myself really enjoying the characters and stories in this series. I know there are possibilities of some cross-over stories, and will look forward to any of those coming along.

Easy for me to say I really, really liked this book. As I had an ebook copy, I couldn't swear to it, but it felt longer - like it was more pages than an average book. I just checked and that is not the case. That must mean I was slow to read it as I knew it was the final book, and just did not want it to end. Faith Hunter has doen a wonderful job creating a story world and characters, with background that at times even I could not keep track of. Being able to sort of 'wrap all the loose ends' together in this final book was interesting. I don't think it was loose ends per se, but more of finalizing what happens to the characters, and the state of the world with the effects of said changes. All in all it was wonderfully done, and I would definitely refer this series to anyone that enjoys adult urban fantasy.

Book Review: "Death Replaced" by Matthew Sleadd

 

An untimely death leads to a second chance on the other side…

Riley is at the ultimate low. After leaving pharmacy school with mountains of debt, he accepts a minimum wage job as a glorified shelf stocker in a small Virginia town. He can’t pay his student loans, rent, or afford much food. And his biggest setback: getting shot and killed during a standoff with police.

But unlike most deaths, this one comes with a job offer and an opportunity to turn his life around.

After two-thousand years working as the Angel of Death, Azrael is out of touch with humanity. He needs a replacement—and has his eye on Riley—who hesitantly agrees. The transition goes anything but smoothly; Azrael rushes through training then leaves without warning. Riley is uncertain about his new job responsibilities and mistakenly kills a demon—who retaliates on the mortals. Now lives are at stake, souls kidnapped… and fate lies within the hands of a rookie. - from Booksirens.com

Thanks to Booksirens and the author for allowing me a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

The story synopsis for this one caught my eye. It reminded me of Piers Anthony's On A Pale Horse, and so I had to check it out. The story started out well, giving us a good setting for the MC, and how he ended up to where we are in current story-time. There is brief mention at the start about Death itself, but there are a couple small sections that reveal him, leading up to the replacement. Now the whole idea of Death needing a replacement, due to being 'out of touch with humanity' leaves me scoffing a bit, but for story purposes, I was content.

From this point, the story is nothing more than one philosophical idea of how the"job" of Death should be done. Obviously, a rookie thrown into the position without much instruction is going to screw things up, and that does happen. Demon-type dogs are our anti-heroes, and there are several confrontations between our rookie of Death and the canines. Our MC is constantly remionding the readers about his viewpoints, in fact, for me it got a bit repetitive. I started to skim pages rather than read them.

Overall, it was not a bad read. The idea of a new Death in training is not a new one, though this one had a a little different version. I liked a little of the twist at the end regarding who holds Death as title (no spoiler). I was a bit not happy about the seemingly (to me) repetitive philosophy (-ies) that seemed that the MC had to share constantly.