Book Review: Archangel’s Lineage

Book 11 of 2024

Archangel’s Lineage. (Guild Hunter #16) Written by Nalini Singh

Ah. Sigh. My favourite guilty pleasure series. I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS. Which understandable makes it very hard to be objective at all! In fact I do not think I will even try.

I loved that this series took us back to Elena & Raphael and gave us some more of their story.

I like that we showed a skip in time post the battles of the previous books, although as I often find in books, I was frustrated that people just don’t get to live happily every after, that there is always a new battle, or a new issue, or something else that is getting in the way. This one was a nice way to wrap up the legion storyline, which I thought was cool.

I would genuinely just like a book of all the seven in new york going about their normal life, and us getting a glimpse into that!

Overall I enjoyed it – but fully acknowledge my bias!

Mrs K

Book Review: With Fire in their blood

Book 8 of 2023

With Fire in Their Blood. (Skeleton Keepers #1). Written by Kat Delacorte.

I LOVED this book, it was different, it was interesting, it was mostly well paced. It is set in the Italian City of Castello, which was a great setting. Although potentially could have been detailed a little more. I assumed from the beginning because of the vibes that I was getting from the setting that they were vampires, it turns out that they were not.

I really liked the concept, and the almost Romeo and Juliet esq idea that was there. I struggled with the motives of some of the characters, which seemed to lack any real consistency and reasoning. However the story was interesting enough that it was definitely able to carry my interest.

I loved the idea that the city was in our time but lacking modern technology and conveniences, however had other technology designed to help the system. I even kind of loved the teenagers attitude to school and the likes.

I also loved the Bi-curious nature of the main character, with scenes of interest with multiple people and sexes.

As with any book, and certainly any sereies there were definitely characters that were introduced that I wanted to know so much more about. However we were not there yet, and I am happy to accept that and wait!

Overall while the book was not perfect I am more than happy to give a slightly original concept in the YA world a 4.5 stars and look forward to the sequels! I would recommend this to my older students for an interest novel, but by no means something that we would study in class.

Mrs K

Side note – while we never judge a book by its cover – how gorgeous is that cover!!

Genre: Kat Delacorte, Fire in their Blood, Skeleton Keepers, retelling, Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal, Young Adult Fantasy, Contemporary, LGBT, Gothic, Magic, revenge, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult Romance, Teenage fiction, Adolescent fiction, Urban Fantasy, Book reviews, Mrs K Reads, books for teens,

Book Review: The Wood Bee Queen

The Wood Bee Queen. Written by Edward Cox

Book 4 of 2023

This was one of those books that took quite a while to get into. It had a variety of different storylines that needed to merge. Once they merged I was totally engrossed, and the book was really good, I just would have perhaps liked them to get there a little faster. Also I would have liked the ending to fit better with who the characters were, and not be so rushed. Overall the pacing of the book felt off, and made it difficult to really enjoy.

I liked that it drew on various gods, and mythology that we all already knew, while at the same time managing to complete and create something new.

I also really enjoyed the major male protagonist, I loved who he was, and how that fit into what he became. The chemistry between him and the main character was also easy to love, and enjoy.

Overall despite the pacing issues it was a really lovely read, that I would recommend to readers.

Mrs K

Genre: Fantasy, Fae, Speculative fiction, fiction, Urban fantasy, Mrs K reads, Book reviews,

Book Review: Sorrow & Starlight

Zodiac Academy Series. Sorrow & Starlight (Book 8) Written by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

Book 81 of 2022

I was super excited when this book dropepd on the 11 of December. Unfortunately what was a book I was excited about ended up to be a chore to finish that felt very much like it never ended.

I am very honest that these books are by no means any kind of literature, and in fact are not ones that I would share with students etc. However, I have still enjoyed them, and I know I wax lyrical about the importance of reading for pleasure as well. Unfortunately this book really did just feel like hard work.

It was LONG! like 1200 pages long. But with very little actual story or action. We got even more points of views from the different chapters to what we have had in previous books, but also had no understanding of time passing. The events could have been a day, a week or a year.

There were definitely some good moments, but there was also a lot of stalling, and then one of my biggest peeves of all happened, after all they have been through and you think they are finally going to have the chance to be happy there is another twist, which of course will lead to the next book as well.

Will I read the next book? Honestly I don’t think I will, certainly I will not be racing towards it like I did this one. I genuinely think that this is a case of a good idea being dragged out for money.

Mrs K

Genre: 2022 releases, kindle unlimited, romance, zodiac-academy, series, new adult, fantasy, fantasy romance, speculative fiction, vampires, phoenix, paranormal, urban fantasy, magic, enemies to lovers,

Book Review: Archangel’s Resurrection

Book 79 of 2022

Archangel’s Resurrection. Written by Nalini Singh. (Guild Hunter Series #15)

One of my all time favourite guilty pleasure series. This book didn’t disappoint however I almost was disappointed initially because the story is of Alexander and Zanaya, and I did not really see these two as worth of a story at this point.

However, once I got into this story it was another absolute ripper. I loved hearing from the point of view of people who had lived or measured time in thousands of years. I love the way they talk about things over time, and how decades etc don’t matter in the scheme of things. This was quite good because most of the other stories that we have had have been “newbies’ our younglings and it was very nice to see how they adapted to the world changing and language etc.

This story was fantastic, and I loved the cassandra storyline finishing and even the war finishing. I feel like the series is now in a good place to move forward.

Another great book in a great series. Nalini Singh beautifully develops these characters and the world.

Mrs K

Genre: Guild Hunter Series, Archangel’s Resurrection, Nalini Singh, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Fantasy Romance, Romance, fiction, Adult fiction, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy, Vampires, Angels,

Book Review: Storm Echo

Book 67 of 2022

Storm Echo. Written by Nalini Singh.

This is a continuation of the Psy Changeling Trinity series. THis was released on the 28th of July, and can sau that I read pretty much all night, and then finished this morning. WOW! I love this series, I love seeing the fall of the psy silence and seeing them discover a real life rather than just the shell of a person they were. I love it even more when they get “owned” by a changeling who by all means are the total opposite of the psy and see life so differently.

In this book I loved even more that it was about family – and that family looks different for different people. For some it is a found family and for some it is a birth family, and for others it is the family you choose through a partner and friends. I liked that we returned to the Mercant family, who we have seen quite a bit of in these last books, and also returned to the the dark river pack as well. Although there was still always less of their alpha than I would like.

There was so much to like about this book and it was so easy to read, I literally could not put it down! I thought that the pace was good, although there was a lot of relied knowledge, and if you had not been reading the whole series then it may not have made as much sense or have been as easy to settle into.

This is the 21st book of this series, but I love the way that Nalini Singh creates the worlds, that she slowly explodes out from a central point, building on what we already know, and bringing in new characters who in some ways have links to those characters that we already know. Each book focusing on a different and often new character is such a good way to expand the world for the reader.

Overall, such a great series about the need for family, and the need to rely on others. A timely reminder post pandemic that we require all types of people to work together to achieve the absolutel best that we can. Without that we end up quite isolated, alone and only able to work to a small capacity of what we are capable of.

Mrs K

Genre: Speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, family, Nalini Singh, Psy Changeling Trinity, Storm Echo, shapeshifters, paranormal, urban fantasy, 2022 reads, Mrs K Reads, book review, Adult, Romance, Abuse, Drug use, Fantasy Romance,

Book Review: Honey and Ice Trilogy

Books 63 – 65

Honey and Ice Trilogy. Written by Shannon Mayer and Kelly St. Clare .

This trilogy contained three (duh) books. Titled A court of Honey and Ash. A throne of Feathers and bone. A Crown of Petals and Ice. I read all three books during the school holidays, hence the review on them as a trilogy rather than individuals.

Ok – so the reason that I went for this book was because I thought I had read and liked Shannon Mayer – however a quick search today tells me I have in fact not read anything by either of these authors. Although am excited to note that Kelly St. Clare was born in Wellington, so there is some definite pros there! I am normally very hesitant to read anything that is A court of…. as I feel that there is an aspect there of people trying to copy Maas, and I do not like it. As well as that there is lots that normally don’t live up to the potential hype. I also really struggle with books that claim on the cover “The next….” because this I feel almost always leads to failure as it heightens (or lowers) people’s expectations and books should be able to stand on their own. Anyway I digress…

So good reads tells me that people either LOVE this book and give it five stars, or hate this book and give it one star. There seems to be noone really that falls into the middle column. I however fall into the middle – I did not hate this book, it was entertaining, and good enough that I reached and finished all three. However there was a lot that I did not like – it was very tropey – which is fine, but there needs to be something more. There was a lot of rewriting of fae law – which I did not like. The romance, was a hint, that led to something but lacked any of that slow build and masses of sexual tension. Rather there was a whole lot of not really understanding each other and then suddenly a “I must have you right now” relationship, which just felt a little out of place.

Overall, an interesting series, which was entertaining enough! Lots of good points, and the pace was quite consistent. There was lots of things I did like – such as the spirits and underhill being an entitiy and the creation of human myths such as vampires etc. However definitely a few problems, and probably won’t be seeking out either author!

In some ways a perfect holiday read – as it was better the less you thought about it!!

Mrs K

Genre: Honey and Ice, Trilogy, Book review, Mrs K Reads, Fantasy, Fairies, Fae, romance, fantasy romance, speculative fiction, magic, fiction, paranormal, adult, urban fantasy, Shannon Meyer, Kelly St.Clair,

Book Review: A Game of Retribution

Book 54 of 2022

A Game of Retribution. Written by Scarlett St. Clair

Interestingly when I was caught up in the owrld of these books I really loved them, having taken time out of that world, while waiting for the new release I was not instantly transported back to that love. Instead I found things that annoyed me quite a bit.

This is a massive pet peeve in so many books, but this time round it has really angered me. I wish that relationships were portrayed more accurately. I think that we live in a world where other than our parents often our first relationships we see of the romantic nature are all disneyfied. They are ones where there seems to be no issues, people fall madly and deeply in love at first sight, they overcome the obstacles and live happily ever after.

As you get older you perhaps see more types of relationships, these might be again your parents, or your friends, siblings etc. However I also think that books have a role to play.

A friend once told me that she had never seen her parents argue, so the first time she argued with a boyfriend she just assumed that meant that it was over. My daughter massively freaks out when my husband and I argue, but I think it is important that she sees us argue (note – not fight) and that we resolve our differences and all is fine.

In so many books I feel like their relationships are almost disneyfied – they seem to work despite the odds. Take this book for example, Hades is literally thousands of years old and lives in the underworold, Persephone, is like 20 something and lives in the upperworld. Their lack of communication causes sooooo many issues in their relationship but they overcome these simply by screwing. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some smut – but we also need to think of the example we are setting for those who are reading.

I don’t have an issue with these two getting together and making the effort, but I would very seriously have liked them to actually have talked about what was wrong with each of them, their fears, their joys, their worries. It makes me feel old but I wish communication was shown in a more positive light.

The story was fine – but I was not infatuated like I was when I first read the series. I liked it. I thought perhaps the smut was not as good, and I up not as up to date with all my mythology so lots of the background story didn’t mean as much to me, but it was still a good escapist read.

Mrs K

Genre: Fantasy, Speculative fiction, Olympus, mythology, greek mythology, Hades, Persephone, retellings, romance, fantasy romance, smut, urban fantasy, adult, kindle unlimited, fiction, A Touch of Malice, Scarlett St Clair, war, revenge, A game of Retribution, relationships,

Book Review: House of Sky and Breath.

Book 12 of 2022

Crescent City Book Two. House of Sky and Breath. Written by Sarah J Maas.

Ok. So I finished this 11 hours ago (and all I have done since then is sleep and get to work!) I am still fully processing this book. I also have the urge to be more careful than every before because it has never been more important to me to not allow any spoilers. If you have not read this book then you MUST. If you are planning to read this book but have not yet – then stay away from anywhere that could have a spoiler!

So here we are the gang is all back together and simply kind of trying to get on with their life. Which you kind of have to admire. But also says quite a lot especially about the character of Bryce. Her determination just to be. However this was never going to work out the way she wanted and so we have the premise for the book. Change is afoot in crescent city, and Bryce, despite her best wishes is drawn in.

I really liked that it felt like we got to understand many of the other characters more in this book. Ithan was a brilliant addition, and his side story was super powerful and exciting. I am super keen to see where that goes.

This book is 805 page long – it is by no means a short book. But the detail and the story that Maas is able to craft more than makes up for the length of the book. While it took a while to read at no point did I feel like it was dragging, the pace was done so well, as were smaller reveals throughout the text.

I think that Maas has a tendancy to write about some quite possessive males, but that feels a bit more toned down in this book. I almost wonder if Bryce is the character that Feyre wanted to be?? She is stubborn and unpredictable and seriously in control. ANd why there is a part of me that is frustrated that she seems to constantly get away with these traits, I am also 100% cheering for her. I really appreciated in this book that the posessive males that surrround her, kind of accepted who she was, and supported the decisions that she made, or would make, although you could see them struggle with this.

I really enjoyed learning a lot more of the world in this book, and thought that that was evident from the beginning with the description of each of the houses. I think if I had requests – I would have liked to better understand Bryce’s job and also exactly her Jessiba is. There were so many things to like I really don’t know where to start.

I think Maas is somewhat of the master of the ‘easter egg’ and I think I would need to read the book again to really comprehend this in its entireity. (This is where being an 805 page book is a put off!).

I think that this book, shows Maas’ development and complexity of an author. Because she started writing so young, we have always been able to see her development. For example the first book (s) of throne of glass, that she started when she was 16/17 are full of issues, the pace is off, the characters swing wildly around, and I struggled, even with the end of that series. In ACOTAR we were able to see her concept and planning in more detail, and her writing developed again, but in Crescent City I am actually blown away.

I am worried that this does not so much sound like a review as a fangirl moment – but I do not want to ruin this book for anyone!!! Once you have read it though, I would love to engage with you on your thoughts. Some of me is a little scared, mostly I am so excited, and could we have book three tomorrow please??

Mrs K

Genre: Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Sarah J Maas, Crescent City, House of Sky and Breath, Urban Fantasy, Fae, Faeries, Shifters, Romance, Adult, New Adult, 2022 releases, February releases, series, trilogy, Fantasy romance, paranormal, magic, Bryce Quinlan, Hunt Athalar, Ruhn, MrsKReads, Mrs K Reads,

Book Review: Wicked Lovely

Book 73 of 2021.

Wicked Lovely. Written by Melissa Marr.

So this was my final book of 2021. Squeezed in on the 31st and it was good. Not like blow your mind amazing but good. It was a book about Faeries and the mortal who could see them – although shouldn’t have been able to.

What was odd was although the Faerie were what made this book happen – the book was almost fully set in the world of the mortals. It was all about Aislinn making a choice, and was a little predictable. However there were a few changes at the end that made me smile for the way that she dealt with things.

Overall would be a good first forray into fantasy. Or alternatively – like me, a nice simple holiday read that does not require a lot of thought!!

Mrs K

Genre: Melissa Marr, Wicked Lovely, Series, Fae, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Wicked Witch, Young Adult, Teenage, Speculative Fiction,