This Week's Reads

Tarantulip 
by Cryptid-Creations (DeviantArt)

**Still waiting on Spring around here so went with cute and Spring-like.

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
(Goodreads)
**A town haunted/cursed by three sisters that they killed for witchcraft centuries earlier. I couldn't pass this one up. I love a good witch story and this sounds promising.

Dawn Study by Maria V Snyder
Soulfinders #3, Study #6 (Goodreads)
**I'm actually doing a reread on this series. The first three, especially Poison Study, are some of my favorite books ever.

A Time of Dread by John Gwynne
Of Blood and Bone #1 (Goodreads)
**I'm not really sure about this one. It was sitting there looking all fantasy like, plus, it has angels vs demons with others mixed in. It seems to have good ratings so definitely giving it a try. 

New Releases ~ week of 01/30/2017

A Death at the Yoga Cafe by Michelle Kelly (#2 Downward Facing Death)

A Note Yet Unsung by Tamera Alexander (#3 Belmont Mansion)
Ashes to Fire by Emily B. Martin (#2 Woodwalker)
B.U.R.P. Strikes Back by Wendy Mass (#5 Space Taxi)
Between the Devil and the Duke by Kelly Bowen (#3 Season for Scandal)
Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor (#2 Binti)
Call to Honor by Tawny Weber (#1 SEAL Brotherhood)
Caraval by Stephanie Garber (#1 Caraval)
Crossroads of Canopy by Thoraiya Dyer (#1 Titan's Forest Trilogy)
Dark Side of the Rainbow by Danielle Paige (#0.8 Dorothy Must Die)
Dawn Study by Maria V Snyder (#6 Study)
Distraction by Nicole Edwards (#10 Club Destiny Novel)
Drowning Tides by Karen Harper (#2 South Shores)

Entertaining Death by Lesley Cookman (#2 Alexandrians)
Falling for the Highlander by Lynsay Sands (#4 English Bride in Scotland)
Fever in the Dark by Ellen Hart (#24 Jane Lawless)
Final Exit by Lena Diaz (#3 Exit Inc.)
Fury on Fire by Sophie Jordan (#3 Devil's Rock)
Hard Rhythm by Cecilia Tan (#3 Secrets of a Rock Star)
High Force by L J Ross (#5 DCI Ryan)
Into the Firestorm by Kat Martin (#3 Boss)
It Started With A Kiss by Marina Adair (#1 Sequoia Lake)
Jacked Up by Samantha Kane (#3 Birmingham Rebels)
Justice Delayed by Patricia Bradley (#1 Memphis Cold Case)

Justice Syndrome by Rebecca Zanetti (#3 Scorpius Syndrome)
Law and Murder by Mindy Klasky (#2 Fright Court)
Long Way Home by Katie McGarry (#3 Thunder Road)
Meet Me at Willoughby Close by Kate Hewitt (#2 Willoughby Close)
Mogul by Joanna Shupe (#3 The Knickerbocker Club)
Moonlight Prince by Karpov Kinrade (#4 Vampire Girl)
Moving Target by Lynette Eason (#3 Elite Guardians)
Murder Go Round by Carol J. Perry (#4 Witch City Mystery)
Murder Wears White by Stephanie Blackmoore (#2 A Wedding Planner Mystery)
Rattle the Bones by Eric R Asher (#6 Vesik)
Rescue Me by Susan May Warren (#2 Montana Rescue)
Samuel by Beth Williamson (#3 Circle Eight - Millennium)

Seven Days to Hell by William W Johnstone, J A Johnstone (#5 Savage Texas)
Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James (#10 Desperate Duchesses)
Spawn Campers by Skyler Grant (#2 The Crucible Shard)
Still Life by Dani Pettrey (#2 Chesapeake Valor)
The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman (#2 Lady Helen)
The Ghoul Vendetta by Lisa Shearin (#5 SPI Files)
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch (#6 PC Peter Grant)
The Knight by Skye Warren (#2 Endgame)
The Maverick Cowboy by Kate Pearce (#2 Morgan Ranch)
The Newcomer by Suzanne Woods Fisher (#2 Amish Beginnings)
The Omens and Artifacts by Elizabeth Hunter (#3 Elemental Legacy Novellas)
The Prisoner by Alex Berenson (#11 John Wells)
To Tame a Wild Lady by Ashlyn MacNamara (#1 Duke-Defying Daughters)
Uncharted by Evangeline Anderson (#18 Brides of the Kindred)
Unpunished by Lisa Black (#2 Gardiner and Renner)
Valley of Bones by Dusty Richards (#10 Byrnes Family Ranch)
White Hell by Remington Kane (#17 Tanner)
Wicked Cowboy Charm by Carolyn Brown (#4 Lucky Penny Ranch)
Wires and Nerve, Volume 1 by Marissa Meyer (#1 Wires and Nerve)
Yours Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick (#2 Pumpkin Falls Mystery)

Book Review ~ Night Study

Night Study (Soulfinders #2)

by Maria V Snyder
published by Mira Ink
release date: January  26, 2016
genre: Fantasy, Adult, 

**E-galley received via Netgalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary (Goodreads): Ever since being kidnapped from the Illiais Jungle as a child, Yelena Zaltana's has been fraught with peril. But the recent loss of her Soulfinding abilities has endangered her more than ever before. As she desperately searches for a way to reclaim her magic, her enemies are closing in, and neither Ixia nor Sitia are safe for her anymore. Especially since the growing discord between the two countries and the possibility of a war threatens everything Yelena holds dear.

Valek is determined to protect Yelena, but he's quickly running out of options. The Commander suspects that his loyalties are divided, and he's been keeping secrets from Valek...secrets that put him, Yelena and all their friends in terrible danger. As they uncover the various layers of the Commander's mysterious plans, they realize it's far more sinister that they could have ever imagined.

My Thoughts: Another great addition to this series/world that Snyder has created. I had a few problems but not enough to take me out of the story. We'll start with the good.
This may sound weird but I was glad when Yelena and Valek went their separate ways. I love them as a couple and was happy with the family, commitment stuff but was ready the action/trouble that I'm used to from this series.
There was a definite focus on Valek in this book. A lot happens with the magicians but there didn't seem to be enough of a focus on it all. It seemed as if every step Yelena, Ari, and Janco took there was some bad thing waiting to take them more than two steps back. I was also glad to start and get some small explanation as to what has been going on with Yelena's magic. Which takes us back to Valek.
My favorite parts of this book revolved around Valek. Always moving forward trying to find his way back to Yelena  but still being able to get things done and scare a few people along the way. Figuring out who and where the storm thieves were. Finding the twins, taking them home before sneaking them into Sitia, and learning that they are family. I will say Valek's mother did not leave me with a good impression, I definitely liked his dad better.  I also liked how his immunity to magic and new abilities worked. Every part that took place made sense to both the character and this world.
The biggest problem with this book was that it felt like a middle book of a trilogy. There were a 100 pages left and it felt like nothing had happened and there wasn't much time left. At 40 pages, some things had happened (everyone was in one place) but it still felt like there was no way there was going to be any resolution in this book.  When the book ended and our heroes were not out of danger but at least together it worked, sorta.
This book definitely set up book three. Cannot wait for the battle/confrontation with the commander and Owen, Bruns and company. I'm really hoping for a resolution to everything we learned in this book without it turning into a sappy cop out. I want everyone to have an HEA (at least the good guys) but I want it to be believable. Now for the long wait...

Rating: 4

New Releases ~ week of 01/25/2016

Arrows by  Melissa Gorzelanczyk
The Brimstone Deception by Lisa Shearin (SPI Files #3)
Back to the Vara by John Kerry (The Vara Volumes #2)

Broken Hero by Jonathon Wood (Arthur Wallace #4)
City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett (The Divine Cities #2)
Front Lines by Michael Grant (Soldier Girl #1)
Graveyard by William C Dietz (Mutant Files #3)
Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti (The Scorpius Syndrome #1)
Night Study by Maria V Snyder (Soulfinders #2)
Numbers Ignite by Rebecca Rode(Numbers Game #2)
Otherworld Secrets by Kelley Armstrong (Otherworld #4)
Rise of the Wolf by Jennifer A Nielsen (Mark of the Thief #2)
Roadside Magic by Lilith Saintcrow (Gallow and Ragged #2)
Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace
Spider Game by Christina Feehan (GhostWalkers #12)
Staked by Kevin Hearne (The Iron Druid Chronicles #8)

The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn #6)
The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman (Lady Helen #1)
The Dragon’s Return by Stan Lee, Stuart Moore, Andie Tong (Zodiac #2)
The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry
The Memory of Light by  Francisco X. Stork
The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos
The Morrigan’s Curse by Dianne K Salerni (Eighth Day #3)
The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow (Elementals #1)
The Rule of Luck by Catherine Cerveny
The Siren by Kiera Cass
Your Lycan or Mine? by Michele Bardsley (Broken Heart #14)

Year End: Favorite Reads of 2015

These are some of my favorite books that I read in 2015. Not all are from 2015 but I was surprised to see how many new books I was able to read this year.

Shadow Study by Maria V Snyder
Released: February 2015
Rating: 5
**This is one of my all time favorite authors and I was thrilled to get to go back to this world.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Released: February 2015
Rating: 4.5-5
**Loved this book. From the characters, the plot, and the setting it all just worked. Cannot wait for book 2.

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
Released: July 2015
Rating: 4.5-5
**This was another that hit on all high points for me.

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
released: originally 1990-2012
**I'm trying to get book three finished before 2015 ends. Definitely the longest books I read this year.

The Grendel Affair by Lisa Shearin
Released: December 2013
**I've been enjoying everything I've read by this author so far.

New Releases ~ week of 02/23/2015

A Sinful Deception by Isabella Bradford (#2 Breconridge Brothers)

After Ever Happy by Anna Todd (#4 After)
Allegiance by D. J. Molles (#5 The Remaining)
Armageddon Rules by J C Nelson (#2 Grimm Agency)
At Wolf Ranch by Jennifer Ryan (#1 Montana Men)
Bound by Bliss by Lavinia Kent (#3 Bound and Determined)
Broken Honor by Tonya Burrows (#3 Hornet)
Cursed by Fire by Jacquelyn Frank (#1 The Immortal Brothers)
Demon Child by Kylie Chan (#2 Celestial Battle)
Devils And Dust by J D Rhoades (#4 Jack Keller)
Dorothy Parker Drank Here by Ellen Meister (#2 Dorothy Parker)
Double Fudge Brownie Murder by Joanne Fluke (#18 Hannah Swensen Mysteries)

Dove Arising by Karen Bao (#1 Dove Chronicles)
Empire Rising by Rick Campbell (#2 Trident Deception)
First Time in Forever by Sarah Morgan (#1 Puffin Island)
Fury of Obsession by Coreene Callahan (#5 Dragonfury)
Grave Matters by Lauren M Roy (#2 Night Owls)
Homecoming by Kass Morgan (#3 The Hundred)
Hush Hush by Laura Lippman (#12 Tess Monaghan)
I Loved a Rogue by Katharine Ashe (#3 Prince Catchers)
I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871 by Lauren Tarshis (#11 I Survived)
Kalahari by Jessica Khoury (#3 Origin)
Kings and Emperors by Dewey Lambdin (#21 Alan Lewrie)
Lamentation by C J Sansom (#6 Shardlake)

Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A Nielsen (#1 Praetor War)
Mightier Than the Sword by Jeffrey Archer (#5 Clifton Chronicles)
Mission Titanic by Jude Watson (#1 39 Clues: Doublecross)
Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles by A L Herbert (#1 Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery)
My Healer by Alanea Alder (#3 Bewitched And Bewildered)
Okay by Danielle Pearl (#2 Something More)
One Kiss More by Mandy Baxter (#2 U.S. Marshals)
Playing With Fire by Deborah Fletcher Mello (#1 Sultry Southern Nights)
Quake by Patrick Carman (#3 Pulse)
Running Blind by Cindy Gerard (#3 One-Eyed Jacks)
Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott (#2 Fire & Flood)

Secret of the Water Dragon by Tracey West (#3 Dragon Masters)
Shadow Study by Maria V Snyder (#1 in Soulfinders)
Slow Burn by K. Bromberg (#5 Driven Trilogy)
Soulbound by Kristen Callihan (#6 Darkest London)
Stiff Penalty by Annelise Ryan (#6 Mattie Winston)
Stone in the Sky by Cecil Castellucci (#2 Tin Star)
Teaser by Burt Weissbourd (#2 Corey Logan)
Tempt the Night by Dixie Lee Brown (#5 Trust No One)
The Burning Gates by Parker Bilal (#4 Makana Mystery)
The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale (#3 Princess Academy)
The Girls of Mischief Bay by Susan Mallery (#1 Mischief Bay)
The Griffin's Riddle by Suzanne Selfors (#5 Imaginary Veterinary)

The Immortal Who Loved Me by Lynsay Sands (#21 Argeneau Vampires)
The Rookie Blue Jay by David A Kelly (#10 Ballpark Mysteries)
The Secret Cipher by Whitaker Ringwald (#2 Secret Box)
The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury (#1 Sin Eater's Daughter)
The Tempting of Thomas Carrick by Stephanie Laurens (#22 The Cynster Series)
The Winter Foundlings by Kate Rhodes (#3 Alice Quentin)
One Wish by Robyn Carr (#7 Thunder Point)
Twelve Hours by Leo J. Maloney (#4 Dan Morgan)
Unchanged by Jessica Brody (#3 Unremembered)
Uncharted Redemption by Keely Brooke Keith (#2 Uncharted)
Unleashed by Sophie Jordan (#2 Uninvited)
Welcome to the Jungle by Matt London (#2 The 8th Continent)
When Irish Eyes Are Haunting by Heather Graham (#14 1001 Dark Nights)
Wrongful Death by L J Sellers (#10 Detective Wade Jackson Mystery)

Book Review ~ Shadow Study

Shadow Study (Soulfinders #1)

by Maria V Snyder
published by Mira
expected release: February 24, 2015
genre: Adult, Fantasy, 

**Received via NetGalley and Publisher in exchange for honest review

Summary (Goodreads): Once, only her own life hung in the balance.
Oddly enough, when Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. But she'd survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia. Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands and protect her relationship with Valek.
Suddenly, though, they are beset on all sides by those vying for power through politics and intrigue. Valek's job - and his life - are in danger. As Yelena tries to uncover the scope of these plots, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked. She must keep that a secret - or her enemies will discover just how vulnerable she really is - while searching for who or what is responsible for neutralizing her powers.
Yes, the days of tasting poisons were much simpler. And certainly not as dangerous,

My Thoughts: First, the cover. While I don't hate this cover, it doesn't go with this series. It feels way too much like YA Fantasy when the main characters are clearly adult and have been since the first Study series books came out.

The Study series is a favorite go to for re-reading. I was thrilled when I heard that there was a new trilogy coming with characters from the original series.
Shadow Study starts around six years after the previous series. I loved getting the POVs of Valek and Janco as well as Yelena. To be honest, Valek's chapters were my favorite. We get to find out not only how he really joined the Commander but also how he was trained to be an assassin. All of the flashbacks played well with what was currently happening both in the castle and along the borders of Sitia and Ixia.
I'm not sure where the author is going with the Commander's story but I see nothing good coming from it. Between the new people in the castle, illegal products, and people coming back from the dead it all spells trouble for Valek and Yelena. It will be interesting to see where loyalties fall once more of the story comes out.
Overall, this was another great addition to this series. The author was able to find a way to bring back loved characters and mix them with new blood to keep the world fresh. There was also enough revealed to make the story satisfying but enough questions left to make you want more. Now for the wait until book two comes out.

Rating: 5

What I'm Reading

I'm kind of scattered in my reading right now. Which means I haven't finished anything to write a review about. I recently finished Taste of Darkness by Maria V Snyder but am still unsure how I feel about it.
Instead, I decided to give a glimpse of the three books that I'm currently reading.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Goodreads) - I finally watched the movie for Divergent. It was what I expected but I found it entertaining. It also made me want to finally get around to the second book. All I can say right now is it's interesting. Not sure how I feel about Tris or Four. Some of the things they are doing just make me cringe at the stupidity. I do like the overall story of the factions and the differences between them. Learning more about them and why the would or wouldn't become involved in the war that is going on.

Half Bad by Sally Green (Goodreads) - This is told in both first and second person. It takes some getting used to. Even the first person reads weird at times. I'm not far enough in for the story to have left an impression. Nathan is kind of depressing as a character. There hasn't been much good in his life except his brother and sometimes one of his sisters. There is talk of black witches and the council but I still feel like I need to know more to understand what is happening.

Shadow Study by Maria V Snyder (Goodreads) - I'm only two chapters in but already the Yelena and Valek goodness has started. There's a mystery assassin, unknown toxin/illness, and Valek rushing off to the Commander as usual. I cannot wait to get more into this one.

End of Year Week ~ Looking Forward 2015

I'm starting my end of year posts by looking forward. These are some of the books I'm most looking forward to in the coming year. I'm sure there are many obvious ones that I'm missing.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (Goodreads)
by Sarah J Maas
published by Bloomsbury Children's
expected release: May 5, 2015

The Heir (Goodreads)
by Kiera Cass
published by Harper Teen
expected release: May 5, 2015

Red Queen (Goodreads)
by Victoria Aveyard
published by Orion
expected release: February 10, 2015

Ensnared (Goodreads)
by A.G. Howard
published by Amulet Books
expected release: January 6, 2015

Shadow Study (Goodreads)
by Maria V Snyder
published by Mira
expected release: February 24, 2015

The Orphan Queen (Goodreads)
by Jodi Meadows
published by Katherine Tegen Books
expected release: March 10, 2015

Vision in Silver (Goodreads)
by Anne Bishop
published by Roc
expected release: March 3, 2015

Instinct (Goodreads)
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
published by St Martin's Griffin
expected release: March 31, 2015

Prudence (Goodreads)
by Gail Carriger
published by Orbit
expected release: March 17, 2015

An Ember in the Ashes (Goodreads)
by Sabaa Tahir
published by Razorbill
expected release: April 28, 2015

Armchair BEA 2014 ~ Middle Grade/ Young Adult

Today's prompt: YA/MG: If you do not normally talk about this genre on your site, maybe you want to feature books that you remember impacting you during this stage in your life. If this is where you tend to gravitate, maybe you want to list your favorites, make recommendations based on genres, or feature some titles that you are excited to read coming later this year.

**This was probably my hardest one to think of something for. I read both YA and MG but would not call them my preferred genres. I find if I read a book in either of these I then need to read an adult book next. That being said some of my favorite reads over the years have been either YA or MG.
I originally started reading YA when I was looking for more books by some of my favorite Adult authors. I read Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series and came across her Morganville series when I was looking for more. Myrnin is one of my favorite vampires in any book and I enjoyed the world and characters as a whole. It was the same with Richelle Mead. I read her Georgina Kincaid series and eventually ended up loving her Vampire Academy books.

Some other favorites are: Cinda Williams Chima's Seven Realms and The Heir Chronicles (Goodreads)

Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments (first 3 books) and The Infernal Devises. (Goodreads)

Victoria Schwab's The Archived and The Near Witch (Goodreads)

Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson, The Kane Chronicles, and Heroes of Olympus (Goodreads) 

Maria V Snyder's Glass series, Insiders series, and Healers series (Goodreads)

Brandon Sanderson's The Rithmatist (Goodreads)

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series (Goodreads)

I'm sure I could keep going so just going to stop now. Hope everyone had a Great Armchair BEA week!

2013 Wrap Up Post

I have been setting a reading goal on Goodreads for the past several years of 150. I usually come close but not this year. I ended the year with only 90 books read. I will say while my numbers were down, due to several reading slumps, the majority of my books were 3.5 ratings and above. I was putting a lot of books down and starting new ones instead of forcing myself to read something I wasn't enjoying.

Stats for 2013
First Book Read: The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan
Last Book Read: The Problem Child by Michael Buckley (book)
                           Welcome to the Jungle by Jim Butcher (graphic novel)
Longest Book: Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Here's a list of all my 4.5-5 star reads this year.

The only challenge I've signed up for so far in 2014 is the Goodreads challenge. Signed up for 150 again. Hoping to either finally beat it or get much closer than this year.

Have a Great and Happy Reading Year in 2014!