Book Review: "The Root Witch" by Debra Castaneda

 

A beautiful forest. A terrifying legend.

It’s 1986. Two strangers, hundreds of miles apart, grapple with disturbing incidents in a one-of-a-kind quaking aspen forest.

Knox is a new Forest Service ranger assigned to a vast, remote territory in Utah.

Sandy is a producer fighting for her place in a tough TV newsroom.

Both have heard about the shadowy figure believed to menace visitors to the forest. When a man disappears and reports of the Root Witch begin coming in, Knox and Sandy are plunged into a living nightmare.

Their lives converge on Halloween. Sandy sends a news crew to investigate the sightings. But when the team goes missing, and a shocking video surfaces revealing the ghastly truth, Knox and Sandy face the biggest decision of their lives.

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This novel is based on a short story, "The Root Witch: An Urban Legend Caught on Tape." - from Booksirens.com

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

This is a well thought out story, based off  of a short story , about an urban legend. Castaneda had written another book I had read, also based on the similar idea (which I also enjoyed very much). I am not sure if the actual urban legend is set in the area of the US that the author put it, but it sounded/read like it was feasible there. The characters were interesting and fairly well developed. Much of the story I felt you could mach pretty good guesses as to what was going to happen, but the story still moved along at a good pace, and did not just "dump it into your lap" then run off.

Overall, I really enojyed the book, and look for future ones from this author, possibly relating to other urban legends...? After all, it does say 'A Dark Earth Rising novel'.

Book Review: "The Call of Jonas Creed" by Marius H. Visser

 Heroes may be forged in fire… but legends are born in blood.

Legends speak of a shadow realm that echoes our own, called the Void, where gods and demons roam the very paths we mortals tread, hidden from our sight and touch, judging us at our worst moments, laughing at our woes.

The Void is inaccessible to all still living save those blessed, or perhaps cursed, with the means to cross between realms. The lands of the gods are not to be trespassed lightly, but the rewards…

Deep in the heart of Yahrska, past the beautiful Brokar Valley, lies Barren Hollows: a small and peaceful village where all Jonas Creed wanted was to leave his past behind and become the loving husband and father he swore he always would be.

But fate leaves none unscathed. Someone is looking for the Voidwalker, and will stop at nothing to get what they want. - from Booksirens.com

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

There are several mixed feelings I have from reading this story, the worst of them being it was so short. I honestly felt like I was reading a novella, that would open up into this whole epic fantasy story, and perhaps it will, but for now I felt a little let-down. I'm going to kinda jump around with my thoughts....

The story drew me in, as I wanted to find out what the main character, Jonas, was going to do, and possibly lead more into telling why events happened as they did. I understand he was leading a quiet life, small family, when they were taken from him (wife killed, son abducted) all to lure him out with his special power, called Voidwalking. And that was the story. I was hoping for more of the back-story about Jonas - maybe how he came to have this ability, and the life he lived because of it. Maybe in future tales?

Obviously, I felt that character building was lacking, as was world-building. There just wasn't time in the shortness of the story to really delve into those small details. Otherwise, I did enjoy the tale, and would love to hear more about themain character. Anyone that likes short stories, woudl enjoy this one. Would be great in an anthology.

Book Review: "Devouring Darkness" by Chloe Neill

 In the newest installment of the USA Today bestselling Heirs of Chicagoland series, vampire Elisa Sullivan unearths an ancient grudge, with potentially devastating consequences.

As the only vampire ever born, and the daughter of two very powerful Chicago vampires, Elisa Sullivan knew her life was going to be…unusual. But she wanted to make her own way in the world, preferably away from her famous family. Then supernatural politics—and perhaps a bit of destiny—intervened, and Elisa had to steady her nerves and sharpen her steel to fight for the city of Chicago. Luckily, Connor Keene, son of the North American Central Pack’s Apex wolf, is right by her side.
 
When Elisa and her Ombudsman colleagues agree to escort a vulnerable supernatural to Chicago, they inadvertently set in motion a scheme of long-awaited magical vengeance. The city may pay an arcane price it can’t afford unless Elisa and her allies rise to the challenge. - from NetGalley.com

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

This is the fourth book in this spin-off sereis of Heirs to Chicagoland, and takes off pretty much from where the last book ended. I have enjoyed Chloe Neill's writing style and story-telling ability from the start with the 'Chicagoland Vampires' series, and she is able to keep a story going through the children of the main characters from that series is nice. It will be nice to see possible future installments as some issues still have not been resolved (I won't spoil by listing).

Overall was a pretty fast read for me, and kept my attention. There is some love interests, mild flirtation, and some action scenes that were written well. I would defintely recommend this series to anyone that is interested in Urban Fantasy.

Book Review: "Unbound II" Ed. by Shawn Speakman

 A magical collection of seventeen original stories by an amazing list of contributors—including a Dune story by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson!

Like Unbound and Unfettered before it, Unbound II boasts a collection of SF&F writers allowed to submit the tales they've been wanting to write for a long time—without the constraints of theme. The result? A new anthology as powerful as the first. The stories gathered here are only bound by how enchanting and enthralling they are.

Enter an underworld of history and dark creatures with Kristen Britain. Return to the aftermath of Dune's Butlerian Jihad with Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson. Revisit the Broken Empire trilogy with Jorg Ancrath and Mark Lawrence. Go on the most enchanting and dangerous of knight quests with Anna Smith Spark. Discover how Gladys got her name in a new Ink & Sigil story by Kevin Hearne. Uncover the magical truths of the Frasier family with Tamora Pierce. These tales and the others that comprise Unbound II will leave you reading long into the night and early morning hours.

Featuring all-new stories by:

• Dyrk Ashton
• Kristen Britain
• Saara El-Arifi
• Kevin Hearne
• Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson
• Mark Lawrence
• Peter Orullian
  
• Tamora Pierce
• Jordan Ross
  
• Ken Scholes
• Anna Smith Spark
• Shawn Speakman
• Jon Sprunk
• Anna Stephens
• Patrick Swenson
  
• Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Django Wexler

And an introduction by Shawn Speakman!

Following the award-winning success of the Unfettered anthology series, Unbound II offers the best manner to discover great new writers while reading authors you've followed for years—all of them master storytellers of the highest caliber.

Praise for Unfettered III:

"This powerhouse addition to the Unfettered series... boasts an incredible lineup of stories by pillars of the fantasy genre, many of whom contributed works set in the fictional worlds for which they are best known." - Publishers Weekly

-from NetGalley.com

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

Thisis the second book of short stories contributed by several authors in this series, following the success of the Unfettered series Shawn Speakman put out previously. I have been able to read each one Speakman has put out, as the collection of authors are usually some of my favorite writers, versus just some random anthology put out there.

I won't waste a lot of time by writing about each short story, just know that most were entertaining for me. As usual there is one or two that I just couldn't 'get into' but most were well written. I did enjoy Kevin Hearne's 'Ink & Sigil' short, and Django Wexler's addition as well. Overall content is pretty safe - not much in the way of bad language, or other adult situations.

Book Review: "No Plan B" by Lee Child and Andrew Child

 

The gripping new Jack Reacher thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child

“No Plan B is not to be missed. A perfectly plotted, fast-paced thriller, with bigger twists than ever before. It’s no wonder Jack Reacher is everyone’s favorite rebel hero.”—Karin Slaughter

In Gerrardsville, Colorado, a woman dies under the wheels of a moving bus. The death is ruled a suicide. But Jack Reacher saw what really happened: A man in a gray hoodie and jeans, moving stealthily, pushed the victim to her demise—before swiftly grabbing the dead woman’s purse and strolling away.

When another homicide is ruled an accident, Reacher knows this is no coincidence. With a killer on the loose, Reacher has no time to waste to track down those responsible. 

But Reacher is unaware that these crimes are part of something much larger and more far-reaching: an arsonist out for revenge, a foster kid on the run, a cabal of powerful people involved in a secret conspiracy with many moving parts. There is no room for error, but they make a grave one. They don’t consider Reacher a threat. “There’s too much at stake to start running from shadows.” But Reacher isn’t a shadow. He is flesh and blood. And relentless when it comes to making things right.

For when the threat is Reacher, there is No Plan B. - from Netgalley.com

This ARC was given to me from Netgalley.com at no cost and I am providing an unbiased review.

Some spoilers may be present.

This is the 27th book in the Jack Reacher series and finds our main character in Colorado, where he witnesses a murder. Of course, being 'on the scene' he has to find out why. Thus our story starts. As usual, the story flows in the same fashion as most of the others in the series, though I don't recall offhand some splits in how the story is told from previous books. This one splits between Reacher and a younger boy, as they both travel and get closer to where the story comes to it's conclusion.

This is the third book that Andrew Child has assisted Lee Child in writing, and I felt like I was reading more of his writing than Lee's. Not a bad thing, just a bit  ... different. The story, of course, is centered more around Reacher, and how he handles things to satisfy his own curiosities. Of course, justice is served Reacher-style, and there is bits of violence throughout the novel. World building was fine, as they traveled Colorado to Mississippi, and I do not know much of the terrain, but felt it was described acurately. There isn't much character building for Reacher himself, but some of the other characters there had development, though we rarely see repeats of many characters from the stories. The main reason Reacher didn't have much for additional character building, well, hey, we are on book 27!

Definitely was a book I enjoyed (as I have the whole series) and look forward to more to come. Also, if you have it available, you should check out the television series, Reacher, on Amazon Prime. Look forward to any additional books to come out.

Book Review: "Bleeding Hearts" by Jennifer Allis Provost

Eli never wanted to be the Mistress of Seers, but she's sure as hell not going down without a fight.

Eli's doing her best to run Nine Lives Investigations, keep the local witch clans happy as the new Mistress of Seers, and navigate her newfound closeness with Dan. Although, she's not really leading anything, and truth be told she's fine with the supernatural community looking after itself. What's not fine is that she and Tessa have been tracking Nathaniel Beauclaire for months, only to hit one dead end after another.

When bleeding hearts start popping up all over town-out of season, mind you-Eli wonders what the universe is trying to tell her. Before she can figure out what the plants mean, someone threatens the clan elders, a group of (lame) ghost hunters begin dogging her every move, and she and Dan are attacked by a demon. Worst of all, each and every clue points toward Eli's ex, Amir, a power-mad seer she hasn't seen in years and never wants to see again, as the mastermind behind every piece of bad news.

When Amir's ultimate goal becomes known, Eli hatches a mad plan to stop him for good-then a family secret comes out which could derail everything, including her newfound leadership of the seers. Will she fight for the title she never wanted, or will Amir take everything from her yet again? - from Booksirens.com

This ARC was provided at no cost to me from BookSirens.com and I am providing an unbiased review.

This is the second book in the 'Poisoned Gardens' series and takes off pretty much just a short time after the events of the first book. Our main character, Eli, has put some space between her and the human cop, Dan. Her and her co-employer, Tessa, are still trying to track down our enemy from the first book, with not much luck. From there things got a brake-check from me. I got maybe a third of the way into the story and I just felt ... lost. I don't necessarily blame the author, or the writing style. It could just be me. I did finish reading the story but my attachment to it was pretty much non-existent.

There were some things we get to find out about the main characters past, so more character building was done (bravo). World building felt fine. Wrinting style was still fluent, and though there are some minor events that I find hard to swallow (at least for now) the story was still good, I just didn't feel as pulled into it as I did on the first book. I would still conider buying this for a fellow reader.

 

Book Review: "Oleander" by Jennifer Allis Prost

 

Eli tried to leave the supernatural life behind. Problem is, it won’t let her go.

Eliza “Eli” Moore may have been born a seer, but she didn’t want to live like one. That was why she became a private detective, and opened Nine Lives Investigations. Being able to talk to the dead gives her an undeniable edge in solving cases, and she figured it was all for the greater good. Then Eli is forced to exorcise a demon, the local witch elder ends up dead, and Eli fears she’s in over her head.

Throughout it all, Eli has one dedicated ally: Dan, mortal police detective who isn’t scared of things that go bump in the night, and who hints he wants to be more than friends. But mortals and seers don’t mix… do they?

Before Eli can sort out how she feels about Dan, an enemy from her past resurfaces and threatens everything she hold dear. Eli is forced to take on the title inherited from her grandmother, and become the Mistress of Seers—but just because leading the seer community is her birthright doesn’t mean anyone will follow her. - from Booksirens.com

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

This is is the first book in a new series labled "Poison Garden" and so I am guessing that the following books of the series will be named after other delightful, yet deadly, flowers. 

This was a quick read for me, completing it in one afternoon. What helped most was that it kept my attention. This is my favorite kind of go-to urban fantasy story - strong female lead, with a slow-burn romance, that not only solves the problem, but ends up getting themselves into a bigger situation they have been trying to avoid. These types of stories just interest me quite a bit, and I find myself more open to reading a series like this, rather than some long-winded epic fantasy that just 'drags'  (in telling of the story) all over the place.

Characters were quite simple with not a lot shared about their background. We know Eli was "raised" by her mother until a magical event around 8 years old, then was raised by her grandmother, who just happens to be the Grand Poobaa of the Seer community. She comes across the police detective, Dan, during some of the few crimes she has solved (using her magical abilities) and this particular story will bring them in contact more. I would like to see if there is more to Dan - not much was said about his past, yet he seemed so open-minded about the whole magical world thing. Throw in a good friend who is a powerful witch, and you have a story.

World-building was fine. It has been a few days since I read it (trying to sort out what I wanted to write) so from what I recall, it was a typical town. I am a little confused about the "relationships" amongst the magical communities (like how they get along or divide their 'areas') but maybe there will be more in a forth-coming second book. I would recommend to a friend for reading, if they are into this kind of story. Three and a half stars....