Book Review: Spellweaver by Tamara Grantham

Spellweaver by Tamara Grantham

Crimson Tree Publishing © 2015

Kindle Edition

Fantasy

Reviewed by Leah

Spellweaver on Amazon

Okay, first of all: let the drooling commence over that absolutely gorgeous cover!  It is a worthy successor to the cover of Dreamthief.

Summary:

As if Olive Kennedy didn't have enough problems, now she is required to save Faythander.  Again.  From goblins.  Again.  So much for the peaceful fairy world of her childhood.

Tracking goblins would have been easier if Olive wasn't surrounded by a bunch of Wult warriors, she imagined.  Yet, she stuck with them for one Wult in particular: Kull.  Having proven himself a remarkably lucky companion during her Dreamthief escapades, Olive has committed herself to helping track the goblins in order to rescue Kull's sister.  Except, his sister is in love with the goblin leader, Geth, who is on a mission to destroy magic in Faythander.

When Geth succeeds in destroying the Everblossom–a tree containing the last vestiges of pure magic in either world–it is Olive's job to restore the magic to the fairy realm, or watch every magical creature die a slow and painful death.  A point that is driven home the moment she returns to the dragons and seeks her stepfather's advice and finds the Sky King in mortal peril.

Relying more heavily on her Earth Kingdom magic, Olive must locate the Everblossom's last bloom and find where it belongs before all of Faythander's magic is extinguished.  Each step of the way, she fights against Geth's interference, and a few personal obstacles that involve a boyfriend that needs to be slapped with an 'ex' label, and a mother whose mind is clearing by the day now that the spells on her memories are losing their hold.

Perhaps worst of all, however, is the decree that the Wult King has made: that Kull and Olive can never be.  For the Wult Prince's marriage must have political significance, and he does not consider Olive worthy.  And she can't decide if it is better or worse that Kull is eager to discount threats of his inheritance in order to be with Olive.

Being a savior is a tough gig.

Initial Thoughts:

I love Olive.  Kull is hilarious.  The plot is never ridiculous or tests my patience.  And the writing is superb.  This is a series I very much want more of.

Characters:

Olive Kennedy is a desperate woman who doesn't get paid enough to do what she does.  After saving Faythander once before from the threat of the return of the Goddess Theht, she was kind of hoping for some down time.  That didn't happen.  A simple rescue mission turns into another save the world escapade.  And does she flinch from that responsibility?  Hell no!  This woman rolls her shoulders back, gives a sigh that sounds like a muttered 'not this shit again,' and does her job.

She's snarky and realistic.  My love for Olive is unnatural and a bit pathetic.  But it's true: I am in love with Olive's character as a whole.  This is one woman you can count on to do the right thing, no matter the cost.  And sometimes the costs are high, but she does what she needs to anyway.  I really love this aspect to her.

Kull is still his cocky, arrogant, brash, bold self, and damn is it a treat reading about him.  Loyal to the point of stupidity, sometimes, while pushing boundaries he shouldn't at others, Kull is a warrior through and through.  Most compelling is his passion when on a mission.  He has no qualms about charging into danger because danger is where the fun is at.  And his luck often works to counteract Olive's ability to court catastrophe.  They're a perfect pair.

Again, other characters could be discussed at length, but when you have these two, there's really no need.  This is a 'you'll have to read it to understand … so go read it already!' kind of deal.

Plot & Setting:

Magical fairy realm mixed with a little Texan flare.  That's our setting, as Olive moves between the worlds and gives us a very detailed explanation of just what the hell is going on.  It's neither overdone to the point you choke on the details, but nor is it a blank canvas that you have to provide all the details for.  A perfect balance, in my opinion.

As far as the plot…  How do I describe this without spoilers?  This is difficult…

Okay, so the plot is packed with a lot of questions, sporadic answers which induce more questions, and a double dosage of 'don't trust anyone.'  There's intrigue and life-threatening adventure.  Each step makes sense and each plot point drives home the reality of their situation should the magic not be restored.  It's fast-paced and addictive.  And I loved every minute of it.

Writing Style:

If you're not sick of this word yet, I'm going to make you sick of it, because I LOVED the narration and storytelling ability put into this book.  Olive's voice is engaging and serves to cement her character in your mind.  The mark of a damn good writer, in my opinion.  Again, this book was as fun as its predecessor, without losing any of the seriousness that the situation calls for.  At times it was also just plain heartbreaking.

My biggest compliment to this author is her ability to create separate story lines for each novel, while maintaining that single strand of 'underlying cause' that connects the books.  To me, this is how every series should be, though I know they are often not.  I truly enjoy books that seem as if they are a standalone, when really you're given the opportunity to continue the journey with these characters.  Which is why this is easily becoming one of my favorite series to date.

Overall Opinion:

I loved it.  Do I really need to say more?

Book Review: Crushed by Kasi Blake

Crushed by Kasi Blake

Clean Teen Publishing © 2015

Kindle Edition

Urban Fiction

Reviewed by Leah

Crushed on Amazon

A standard love story between the stereotypical popular genius and the bad boy with secrets.  This book didn't irritate or anger me as much as it could have, but only because I found it incredibly boring.  On a positive note, however, that cover is freaking gorgeous!

Summary:

Every year of high school, the Noah triplets have played a game: Crushed.  Born witches, it took help from their grandmother to learn what they should know about their powers, since neither of their parents were magically gifted.  However, the girls have their own idea that what Grandma Noah doesn't know won't hurt.  Which is why they keep the love spell game Top Secret.

The other reason they have to keep their game a secret is because the revelation that they are witches would mean the instantaneous loss of their powers.  Yet, that doesn't stop the game.

When Kristin Noah is dared to crush Zach Bevian, however, she's going to get a whole new taste of what dangers the game presents.

Initial Thoughts:

I would love a book about witches that was about the magic more than the love story.  Sadly, I am unable to find said book.

Characters:

I'm just going to say one word and it will cover everyone: Stereotypical.

Kristin Noah was the popular girl who cared only about her reputation, grades, and future.  She was irritatingly organized and had never been on a date in her life.  Poor, poor Kristin.

Her sisters, Brittany and Cyndi are referred to as 'the twins' because they're identical out of the triplets, where Kristin is not.  Britt is the typical bad girl who wears baggy band shirts and pajama bottoms to school.  Cyndi is the sister that likes peace and calm and wears identical clothing to Brittany's so that she can pretend to be her whenever she needs to cover her twin's ass.

Zach is typical bad boy with a heart of gold.  He's a loner at school who can't stand the Noah sisters and their misuse of magic.  Until, OF COURSE, he realizes there's something "different" about Kristin.  *Gag me.*  He is also a bit of a naive idiot.

Morgan is the only interesting character out of the whole book and I can't even say why because it's a massive spoiler.  Just … be prepared.

Plot & Setting:

No real setting here other than mansions and school.  No details really given or needed there.

As for the plot, it was decent but predictable.  There's a realism in Kristin not understanding what is gong on, and also a realism in Zach's determination to keep it that way.  They're both harboring secrets, and those lead to some disastrous results.

Writing Style:

I'm not sure what to say here.  This is a run-of-the mill paranormal romance.  There was nothing spectacular about this book or anything that stood out as unique or different.

Overall:

This was a boring read.  Nothing engaged me and so I slogged through it the best I could.  For a predictable, easy read that is a stand alone novel (though it's part of a series, each character group is different per book) then I say go for it.  But if you wanted more, then this book didn't deliver.

Book Review: Reluctant Guardian by Melissa J. Cunningham

Reluctant Guardian by Melissa J. Cunningham

Clean Teen Publishing © 2013

Kindle Edition

Urban Fiction

Reviewed by Leah

Reluctant Guardian on Amazon

***SPOILERS AND SWEARING BE HERE***

When I first read the prologue, I thought I was going to love this book.  For one brief moment, I thought this book was going to show everyone what it felt like to be suicidal.  To explore exactly how much you didn't want to feel anything anymore, while at the same time harboring the inability to feel anything at all.  That prologue gave me hope … which the rest of the book stole from me.

Summary:

Alisa Callahan is a sixteen-year-old girl who has survived a horrific childhood, only to be left alone.  Despite having a family that loves her, nothing can compare to the lives that were already lost.  With her grandmother gone and her best friend and fellow victim having died recently, she feels that she has nothing else to live for.  The pain caused by her past is as fresh and painful as if it happened yesterday.  Left without a comforting voice to guide her, Alisa decides it isn't worth it to live anymore.

She takes her own life.

An action that comes with a price.

The only way to atone for this sin is to help someone in a way that she couldn't help herself.  Assigned to Brecken Shaefer as a Guardian, Alisa naively believes that a few days will earn her an after-lifetime of peace and happiness with her grandmother and best friend in a place she cannot go.  That is until she actually meets Brecken.

Born with gifts of his own and a life that isn't all that great, Brecken wants nothing to do with another Guardian.  Least of all the smart-mouthed, irritating, goody-two-shoes Alisa.  He doesn't want anymore lectures or interference on how he does things.  The way he sees it, he's taking care of his family and anyone else who thinks differently can bite him.

Yet, despite their initial reactions to one another, the two are drawn together.  The relationship that forms causes far more complications than either of them anticipated.  There are consequences for every action, and they're about to figure that out the hard way.

Initial Reaction:

This is the kind of book that pisses off everyone who is/has ever been suicidal.  The feeling of hopelessness and disgust with yourself and everyone around you completely vanishes after the prologue.  This is not a book about a girl who committed suicide.  It is a love story about some stupid dead girl and an even stupider 'bad boy with a heart of gold.'  I regret ever picking up this book.

Characters:

Alisa is a spoiled, arrogant, ignorant little twat.  I would try to tone this down for a review, normally, but I can't.  This girl is the very definition of a naive moron.

Let me fill you in on depression a little bit, and thus what Alisa should probably be feeling at some fucking point throughout this story: you hate everything.  Yet, you loathe nothing like you loathe yourself.  Your lack and failure light up behind your eyes like neon signs and you're forced to see each mistake you've ever made with glaring clarity every single day.  You feel hopeless and useless in ways you didn't think a human being was capable of.  You look at the world around you and all of the obstacles standing in your way and you realize that you were never capable of changing a damn thing.  Your world is the way it is and you are powerless to do anything about it.  There is no hope.  Nothing to live for.  You're stuck between a rock and a hard place and there's nowhere to go.  It is the knowledge that your life is meaningless and nothing you do will have an affect on anyone or anything, so why should you bother?  At the same time, you want to be useful.  You want to prove you're not a waste of space so desperately that you become a nuisance to your family, friends, and anyone else who cares about you.  Yet, you can't make yourself get off that computer, or go out and have fun, or even drag yourself out of bed when no other obligation throws you into a panic attack over what must be done.  Depression is knowing that you mean nothing, and the world wouldn't care that you're gone.

Do you think, for one solitary second, that Alisa felt this way at all?

If you said no, you would be correct.  This girl is naive and stupid in all the worst of ways.  When she commits suicide, she has expectations of what death is going to be.  She pretty much demands that she be allowed to float around with her grandma and friend in chapter one.  When she learns that she can read minds, she is excited.  Death, apparently, has resolved all those years of psychological self-mutilation for her.

Yeah, I'm calling bullshit.  Especially when the world she arrives in is more conducive to making her depression stronger rather than weaker.  I mean, if you're expecting nothing but relief from all of the fucking pain, and you wind up with assignments and classwork, all within the realm of purgatory … yeah that's going to cure you all right.

Also, the reason for her so-called depression: she was molested as a child.  A fact that is literally dropped on us in a passing fashion.  No build up.  No lingering horror to plague the pretty little ghost.  Only one tiny hint in the prologue before we're ten chapters in and are hit with that fact like a brick to the face.

Alisa is a jackass to everyone around her, and especially to her charge.  Not that he's anything special … oh wait…

Brecken Shaefer is a special snowflake.  In the cosmic, angels hath no fury, kind of way.  He has gifts that allow him to hear and sometimes see his Guardians.  He's also got a healthy dose of 'I have to do everything myself, which is why I don't take my sisters to my aunt's, even though she could take much better care of them than I can' along with 'must steal to survive, even though I feel guilty about it every single time I break into someone's house.'  He was such a worthless character to read about.  I felt nothing for him, almost as if he were a cut and paste trope.  Actually, having read this months ago, I don't even remember him that well…  So we'll be moving on now.

Plot & Setting:

Otherwise known as: ridiculous & non-existent.

I know this was trying to make a new spin on the whole 'life after death' scenario, but damn did it fail.  Especially where the suicide came in.  If you want to read a decent book with a suicide-city type of portrayal, then read Sanctum by Sarah Fine instead.  It has a more realistic view of what depression can do to a person, and a grittier version of what suicide gets you in the afterlife.

The plot according to this book was a love story.  That's it.  Anything else happening around it was just fodder.  Everything that occurred within this novel was for the specific contrivance of having Alisa and Brecken fall in love.  Again: ridiculous.

The setting here failed at doing anything.  There are brief glimpses of a place Alisa isn't allowed to go to, a half-assed description of the place she's stuck in, a better description of the place she could wind up if she fails, and that's about it.  I don't even care enough to attempt remembering it.

Writing Style:

All telling, no showing.  Immature characters, especially for the themes touched upon.  Inability to decently handle the themes brought into the novel.  This author is not for me and I will not be reading any further works.

Overall Opinion:

I regret reading this book.  As someone intimately familiar with depression, suicidal thoughts, and the knowledge of what sexual abuse can do to a person, I am pissed off with the portrayals of any of these throughout this novel.  Everything was handled with such a cavalier attitude and none of it actually affected the characters who were supposedly consumed by it.  So no thanks.  Fuck this.  I'm done.

*Note to Authors*

If you are going to touch on any of these sensitive subjects, do them justice.  They are not a plot device or an excuse for why your character acts the way they do.  These are real conditions that do have real life damaging results.  Talk to anyone you know, and you will find out, because they are far more common than you think.  Then ask them what damage these conditions have done.

Now try and write a stupid love story where these are merely plot points.

Book Review: Wolves of the Northern Rift by Jon Messenger

Wolves of the Northern Rift by Jon Messenger

Crimson Tree Publishing © 2015

Kindle Edition

Steampunk Fantasy

Reviewed by Leah

Wolves of the Northern Rift on Amazon

On GoodReads, they have a rating system involving stars.  One star means 'did not like' while two stars means 'it was okay.'  For me, this is a two star book.  Because of me.

This was pretty much my first foray into the steampunk genre, but it wasn't a memorable journey and so I must say that this genre is not for me.  That is not a criticism on the book, just the fact that it is a personal preference.

Summary:

In a kingdom that fears magic above everything else, the Royal Inquisitors are on the hunt for anything that may have drifted in from the Rift.  Devoted to science and innovation, Inquisitor Simon Whitlock lives in a kingdom that has no patience for what they cannot understand.  Knowing full well his duty and obligations, Simon travels from place to place looking for magical abominations, dragging along his friend, Luthor Strong, the apothecary.

When the town of Haversham reports werewolves haunting its tundra homeland, Simon is skeptical.  Experience has taught him that reports are typically exaggerated, and humans often prove to be behind the monsters people see.  Yet, a strange mystery awaits Simon and Luthor on the frozen wastelands.  It seems that the werewolves are very much real, and have a very decided grudge against one man in particular.  All too soon, Haversham proves to Inquisitor Whitlock that not all is as it seems, and some monsters are more dangerous than others.

Initial Thoughts:

I'd never gotten into steampunk, but when this book kept getting talked about around me, I knew I would have to find out for myself what was going on.  It is a decision I do not regret, as it was a learning experience.  One in which I learned that I do not enjoy steampunk settings much and the balance of the fantasy and the mechanical aspects of this world did not interest me much.

Characters:

Simon Whitlock is cunning, confident, and a bit of an idiot sometimes.  At times, Simon was a condescending prat.  If there is a fault to be given to any character, that would be his.  The most frustrating part of this was that he had every right to be condescending.  He was surrounded by people who were inferior to him in ability and wit.  At times, Simon made the book.  Other times, he was the reason I can't rate it above 'it was okay.'  I think he's a very hit-or-miss kind of character for that reason.

Don't get me wrong, he's intelligent and witty which made him a smart, cohesive main character.  There were very few things you wanted to yell at him for during the course of the novel.  Yet, he also reminded me too much of Sherlock Holmes.  (The forever-calm, less passionate novel/short story version, not the fun Robert Downey Jr. version.)  In that way, whatever Simon is working on is always the focal point of the story, and any personal characteristics are left by the wayside.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is no feeling of having the 'whole' story as opposed to having the 'conflict resolved' … if that makes any sense.

Also much like a character in Sherlock Holmes, we are given Luthor Strong.  Except, his character more closely resembles the Dr. Watson played by Jude Law instead of the very placid portrayal given by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  He's responsive, useful, and has a few tricks of his own up his sleeves.  Luthor, in my opinion, was a far more worthy character than his counterpart.  Where Simon acts out of his need to solve the case, Luthor acts with a much greater motive: to help.  Luthor wants to help the werewolves, he wants to help Haversham, and he most especially wants to help Simon.  All the while, he has to do his best to help himself.  The dynamics of Luthor's character were much more intriguing than what Simon offered, I think.

Of course there are more characters, but I feel to expand on any of them would sort of spoil the book.  As I am unwilling to do that, we'll just move on…

Plot & Setting:

Okay, so here's the thing about Steampunk: you HAVE to get the setting right.  Habits, mannerism, dress, technology, etc.  And Wolves delivered on that front.

Given that we get one city and a frozen tundra as our setting, one wouldn't expect that a lot could be done with that.  Wolves sees your skepticism and raises you frozen hell!  Keeping in mind the things that would be most likely to occur in a city stuck in a frozen wasteland, the author produced a realistic, practical way in which the people survived the obstacle known as the elements.  Whether it be convenient tunnels beneath the city that were far more alive than the upper streets, or the need to unthaw the doors that led out of the city, it was everything you expected to happen in a city that sees more snow than sun.

The setting here was very properly portrayed and led to a realistic view of the city of Haversham.

Now let's talk plot.  It was intriguing and full of potential.  Without giving away spoilers, there's not much I can say.  Yet, the way in which Simon and Luthor work to uncover all of the mysteries Haversham has to offer is a journey in itself.  There were elements of the plot I enjoyed a great deal, but they were spread out so far that the momentum of one point was often diluted before it met up with its brethren.  Though the plot in itself had a solid foundation, the pacing for it could have used some work.

Writing Style:

Other than the setting of a Steampunk, there's one other element that must be represented: writing in the style of the era.  Jon Messenger also accomplishes this, but not in a way that induced me to want to continue.  Honestly, this is my real barb as far as Steampunk goes.  I do not like books that prattle on and on about details that hold no use to the plot.  Unfortunately, in the Victorian Era, where Steampunk derives its roots, novels were often written with an excess amount of detail.  They didn't trust their readers to use such nuisance things like imaginations, so the writers of that time gave them every detail so that they might see it as the author envisioned and in no other way.  While the author does not pay us that great a disservice, to keep with the era, there were excessive, useless details shared with the readers.  And while I appreciate that he kept to his genre and expressed it well enough, I know that it is not to my taste.  So this is a case of: it's me, not the author.

Overall Opinion/Rant Column:

As far as the book itself goes, it just wasn't for me.  While I love my paranormal, I couldn't get past the excessive detail enough to like the book itself.  That simply means that this genre is not for me, and is not a reflection on the quality of the book in itself.

However …

And this is a BIG one …

What IS a reflection on this book is the very poor editing job that it received.  Personally, I am tired of having to point this out every time I read a CTP book.  When I read a book from either Clean Teen or Crimson Tree Publishing, my first thought upon noticing SEVERAL errors should not be that 'this is standard fare from this company.'  That is unacceptable.  And while it has no bearing on this book, the fact that I found so many simple problems is enough for me to want to scream.

At this point, I am just going to point it out at the end of every review where I find issues such as these and hope that this company realizes that it needs a few more editors on staff before they publish.  Or they need to give the books more time before their signing date and release date in order to do a proper job of it.  This is no reflection on the people devoting their lives to giving their readers stories, but quality must come before quantity or speed.  As a business, this needs to be a requirement. *End of Rant*