Melanie's Week in Review - September 14, 2014

Well I can't crow too loudly this week about the number of books I have read. I am quite satisfied with both the number of and the books I read but won't be making any headlines this week. Sorry folks. So what did I read?

I finished reading Our Broken Sky by Sarah Harian. I have to say I am quite embarrassed that I didn't know before I started reading this book that it was a novella.  DOINK! I got to the last page and couldn't believe it was finished. I need to start paying attention. This short features Valerie who murders her sister's rapists and ends up in the Compass Room. This is the story of how she got there and the trials she faced while trapped with the other murdering teenagers that featured in book 1. I can't say I enjoyed it. Short stories aren't my favourite to begin with and then to add in the fact that Valerie wasn't very nice to any one and had an enormous chip on her shoulder made it rather a testing read. I was a bit ambivalent about book 1 and I really hope that Harian can find a way to make her young adults a bit more engaging and empathetic.

Wanting to read something quick and easy I went back to my Amazon recommendations and found Annie Bellet's Justice Calling. This is the first in the Twenty Sided Sorceress series (I haven't yet figured out where the series name comes from) and I quite liked it. It was a super easy and fast read. It only took a few hours to get from cover to cover. This book introduces us to Jade Crow who is a powerful sorceress in hiding. She lives in a small town, owns a comic book store and tries to keep a low profile until 'the law' comes to town and accuses her of murdering shifters. Lucky for Jade 'the law' aka a Justice comes packaged in rippling muscles and a handsome face. Jade's secret is about to be exposed when she discovers shifters, including her friends, are being petrified (not the scared petrified...the frozen like a statue variety) by magic. She has to solve the mystery, save her friends and try not to get killed in the process.

I liked Justice Calling. I thought that Bellet was able to pull off some witty writing and Jade was a likeable character. I read it so quickly that I went back to Amazon and bought book 2 - Murder of Crows. In this instalment Jade is dating the Justice, Alex from book 1, when her estranged father asks her help to find out who is murdering her former community. Duty bound Jane and Alex head out to save her family and try not to get caught by her evil ex-boyfriend who wants to each her heart and steal her magic. Again, Bellet doesn't waste time getting to the point and this was another 2-3 hour book. I enjoyed it but wonder if Bellet isn't skimming the surface a bit too much with her characters and her plot. I had to look back at my purchase history to remember that I had read this book. Not a good sign. I will still look forward to book 3 in the hopes it gains some depth.

Back again to Amazon and this time it recommended Dire Straits by Helen Harper. For those of you who read my WIR will remember that I read Harper's Blood Destiny series. This time Harper tells the story of Bo Blackman - a private investigator who gets framed for the murder of her colleagues while saving a demon. In an attempt to find the real killers and to clear her name Bo joins one of the prominent vampire families, to rather disastrous results. I was a bit conflicted about this book. Bo reminded me a bit too much of Mack from the Blood Destiny series. She wasn't a powerful shifter like Mack was but their personalities were very similar. Bo was always getting into trouble and making completely unwise decisions.  You know a character is naive when even the other characters comment on it! I have still pre-ordered book 2 though so will let you know in a few weeks what I think of this series.

The final book that I am going to tell you about (and that I finished) was also the final book of The Hollows series, The Witch with No Name. Rachel has a lot to do in this instalment - save Ivy, rescue the demons, fall more in love with Trent, save the ever after and try to find a way to get Al to stop hating her. A tall order for some but not for Rachel.

I really, really, really liked this book. It was the perfect ending to the series. I couldn't believe how much happened to Rachel and all her friends. I was completely surprised when I reached the 20% point as I couldn't think what else Harrison could do to turn her characters' lives upside down...but she did.... a whole lot more. The book almost made me want to go back and start the series again. I might just do that! This is a solid series with likeable characters, all sorts of supernatural creatures to tickle almost every fancy and some hilarious dialogue from its smallest character - Jenks the pixy.

That is all for me for another week. I am going to have a to try to keep my booking reading roll going. Wish me luck and until next week Happy Reading.