The Immortal Prudence Blackwood - Review

Title: The Immortal Prudence Blackwood

Author: Stephanie Grey

Synopsis:  “Justice watches from the shadows in this unique and suspenseful twist on a serial killer manhunt…

     “Throughout history, the world has witnessed cruel, gruesome, and twisted murders at the hands of the most notorious serial killers.  For those who were never caught – Jack the Ripper, the Atlanta Ripper, and the Cleveland Torso Murderer – their crimes will live on in infamy as their identities are forever chased, but never revealed.

     “It’s 1947 in Washington, D.C. and a dangerous murderer has boldly discarded two headless bodies nearby the White House and the Jefferson Memorial.  With no leads, Detective Clive O’Reilly is feeling desperate.  When a stranger convinces O’Reilly to join him at a local pub, he is treated to a wild tale about Prudence Blackwood, an immortal who seeks vengeance for those murdered by history’s most notorious serial killers.

     “Initially in disbelief over her existence, O’Reilly is surprised to discover that she’s very real and she’ll be assisting in the investigation.

     “But Prudence has unorthodox methods.  With the body count rising, O’Reilly will have to find a way to work with her to stop the most brutal killer in D.C.’s history before more victims are added to the list.”

Review:  I found the premise of The Immortal Prudence Blackwood interesting, and the story did keep my attention.  However, I only rated this book 3/5 stars because I found the writing sadly lacking in detail.  The character of Prudence was not fully brought to life for me. I found myself wanting more detail about her, and why she is actually immortal.  The book was fairly short, at only 208 pages, so there was definitely space to add in these details that would have fully fleshed out the story for me and added the depth that I felt was lacking. 

**I was provided this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Publisher:  BHC Press

If you this book interests you try reading these:

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Stolen Things - Review

 Title:  Stolen Things

Author:  R. H. Herron

Synopsis:  “Laurie Ahmadi has worked as a 911 police dispatcher in her quiet Northern California town for nearly two decades.  She considers the department her family; her husband, Omid, is its first Arab American chief, and their teenaged daughter, Jojo, has grown up with the force.  So when Laurie catches a 911 call and, to her horror, it’s Jojo, the whole department springs into action.

     “Jojo, drugged, disoriented, an in pain, doesn’t remember how she ended up at the home of Kevin Leeds, a pro football player famous for his on-the-field activism and his work with the CapB- “Citizens Against Police Brutality” – movement.  She doesn’t know what happened to Kevin’s friend and trainer, whose beaten corpse is also discovered in the house.  And she has no idea where her best friend Harper, who was with her earlier in the evening, could be.

     “But when Jojo begins to dive into Harper’s social media to look for clues to her whereabouts, Jojo uncovers a shocking secret that turns everything she knew about Harper – and the police department – on its head.  With everything they thought they could rely on in question, Laurie and Jojo begin to realize that they can’t trust anyone to find Harper except themselves… and time is running out.”

Review:  You all know I’m about mostly spoiler free reviews, and since this novel started off with a bang and didn’t let up, this review will be short.  Stolen Things is supremely well written, and extremely hard to read.  I’ll give you the trigger warning that I didn’t get: this novel deals with the rape of teenage girl.  It’s disturbing, it’s creepy, and it ultimately made me very uncomfortable; which is why you know it’s very well written.  I read the novel in about 3 hours.  I was speed reading because I just had to know what happened next.  I could absolutely have read it in 2 hours, but I had to keep taking breaks because the subject matter made me so uncomfortable.  If you decide to read Stolen Things make sure you have a lot of uninterrupted reading time available to you, and things to do during your reading breaks the will help you decompress (I cleaned and cooked).  This all said, I do highly recommend Stolen Things.  If a book made me feel this uncomfortable you know it was good!

**I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Publisher:  Dutton

If you like this book you may want to read:

Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson

Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag

More BookGirlR!

If you don't follow BookGirlR on Facebook you're missing out!  All Book Reviews are posted here on the blog, but there is a lot of content that is only posted on Facebook,  Check it out!

The Gossamer Mage - Review

Title: The Gossamer Mage

Author:  Julie E. Czerneda

Synopsis:  “Only in Tananen do people worship a single deity: The Deathless Goddess.  Only in this small, forbidden realm are there those haunted by words of no language known to woman or man.  The words are Her Gift, and they summon magic.

     “Mage scribes learn to write Her Words as intentions: spells to make beasts or plants, designed to any purpose.  If an intention is flawed, what the mage creates is a gossamer: a magical creature as wild and free as it is costly for the mage. 

     “For Her Gift comes at a steep price.  Each successful intention ages a mage until they dare no more.  But Her magic demands to be used; The Deathless Goddess will take Her fee, and mages will die.

     “To end this terrible toll, the greatest mage in Tananen vows to find and destroy Her.  He has yet to learn She is all that protects Tananen from what waits outside.  And all that keeps magic alive.”

Review:  You all know that Julie Czerneda is one of my favorite authors, so when she asked if I would be interested in an advance copy of Mage I freaked out.  But, the freak out was on the inside because we were in public.  It was when I went to Albany NY.  Flights of Fantasy bookstore had a multi author event this Spring.  Julie Czerneda, Anne Bishop, Kristen Britain, and Deborah Blake were all there.  Last fall I promoted Julie’s new book Search Image, you can check out the live videos on Facebook and read the review of Search Image here on the blog.  It was my last blog push before taking a little break for my mental health, and I’m glad that it was for my favorite science fiction series.  So, anyway, I met Julie in person at this event and she asked if I would like to review Mage.  It was a crowded event and I was nervous (crowds in small spaces make me anxious, even when they are friendly book loving crowds), but I managed to blurt out an affirmative.  Poor SuperSteve had to listen to me chatter about it all the way home (it was a 4 hour drive and we stopped for dinner at Cheesecake Factory).  It went something like this:

Me: “I introduced myself, but she knew who I was!”

SuperSteve: “That was awesome.”

Me: “She asked if I wanted to review Mage!”

SuperSteve: “That’s awesome!”

Me: “I shook her hand.  And I talked to her!  I mean, I talked a little.  I was really nervous, and it was crowded.  But she knew who I was!”

SuperSteve: “That’s awesome!”

    Yeah, I admire authors like others admire actors.  But would you expect anything less from someone who is obsessed with books and reading?  So I got Mage in the mail, and even the cover is so pretty that I took tons of pictures of it. 

     I stayed up hours past my bedtime to finish The Gossamer Mage because once I reached a certain point, and you’ll know it when you get there, I could not stop reading and just had to know what was going to happen.  I think that this is Julie’s best work so far, and that’s saying a lot because I absolutely love her Web Shifter’s series.  Mage hooked me in the first page and held me spellbound until the final word.  As is typical with Julie’s works, the world building is perfectly done, and the characters come across so real.  The interactions with Kait, her son and her uncle are beautiful.  All of the details have been fully thought out and are absolutely wonderful.  And there’s maps!  Because of Julie’s attention to detail I became fully immersed in the story, and frequently lost track of the real world around me.  Mage is darker than anything I’ve read by Julie before (and I’ve read everything she’s written).  There is always a price to pay for magic, and the price that mages pay to use Her Gift is unique (and dark), and Mal’s quest to destroy the Goddess to eliminate that price is fascinating.  Even though this is a dark fantasy it has many light moments that balance out the dark perfectly.    

     The Gossamer Mage is the most beautiful work of art that I’ve read in a long time and I might turn right around and read it again.  It releases on August 6, 2019.  Thank you Julie and DAW for sending me an advance copy!  

Publisher:  DAW

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Night’s Edge Series by Julie E. Czerneda

Ephemera Series by Anne Bishop

Harmony - Review

Title:  Harmony

Author:  Lilith Saintcrow

Synopsis:  “After an accident claims her unconventional mother, Val Smith has to live with her boring, reliable father.  Grief and change aren’t good for anyone, but Val and her dad are doing okay—until they visit a place like paradise.

     “Harmony Home is safe, secure, and secluded, a place where everyone belongs to everyone else.  For a commune it’s a pretty okay, at least at first.  There are strange things – the metal boxes in the clearing, the Red House where secrets are kept, and little Sarah, who pushes buttons inside people to “make them glow".  Val and her dad are honored, temporary guests, at least at first, and it’s exciting to be special, to be chosen.  By the time Val’s uneasy, it’s too late.

     Even heaven can be a trap, and Val’s going to need all her new talents to break free…”

Review:  Ever since I read The May Queen Murders in 2017 I’ve been looking for more books like that.  A quick google search revealed a genre that is relatively new referred to as “Folk Horror” defined as: “a sub-genre of horror fiction characterized by reference to European, pagan traditions.  Stories typically involve standing stone circles, earthworks, elaborate rituals, or nature deities” (www. Folkhorror.com).   I’ve been devouring everything that I can find that seems to fit that profile since then, although I haven’t found very many.  I found Harmony by chance, and I’m thrilled that I did as it’s one of the best folk horror novels I’ve read recently.

     I enjoyed Val as a character and felt that her struggle to relate to a father that has been absent for most of her life was very realistic.  I could definitely see the appeal of a place like Harmony Home, but I also figured out the dangers and found myself yelling at Val and her dad because I was angry that they couldn’t see what was happening.  Even though I figured a lot out before it happened, the book was still suitably creepy and I really enjoyed it.  I finished reading it the day before my book club meet-up and I suggested it to everyone at there, and to you.  If you are interested in the folk horror genre I recommend reading Harmony, it will not disappoint. 

Publisher:  Lilith Saintcrow

If you like this book you may want to read:

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Swansong by Kerry Andrew

Maplecroft by Cherie Priest (The Borden Dispatches #1)

The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude

Impromptu Readathon

It’s hot today. This winter when our weather was similar to that of planet Hoth I promised I wouldn’t complain about the heat this summer. So I’m not complaining. I’m just commenting about how hot it is. We don’t have air conditioning, and I’m too hot to go anywhere that does, so I’m having an impromptu readathon. I have snacks, ice water and a stack of books. Let’s see how many I can read before bedtime!

What Are You Reading?

Happy Tuesday every one!  It got up to 90 degrees here today, and we don't have air conditioning.  That never stops me from reading, though.  I think the only thing that ever stopped me from reading was two years ago when I scratched my cornea and wasn't allowed to read for several days.  The heat does make it uncomfortable to sit in front of the computer however, so here is a quickie post about what I'm reading right now.


The books I have currently in progress are:

Harmony by Lilith Saintcrow
     This came out May 28, 2019 but I just found it a few days ago.  I'm really into the folk horror genre right now, and I'm hoping that this will fit into that category.

The Toll by Cherie Priest
     This came out July 9, 2019.  I'm about halfway through it right now.  Cherie Priest is really good at gothic and weird horror, aka: Lovecraftian horror.  If you haven't read her work before I highly recommend her novel Maplecroft.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power
     This one also came out on July 9, 2019.  I just discovered it today and after reading the description just had to download it right away.  This appears to be an apocalypse by plague novel that mainly takes place at a girls school on an island.  What's not to love?


Look for reviews of these novels in upcoming posts.  What are you reading on this scorching hot Tuesday?

Salvation Day- Review

Title: Salvation Day    

Author: Kali Wallace

Synopsis:  “A lethal virus is awoken on an abandoned spaceship in this incredibly fast-paced, claustrophobic thriller.

     “They thought the ship would be their salvation.

     “Zahra knew every detail of the plan.  House of Wisdom, a massive exploration vessel, had been abandoned by the government of Earth a decade earlier, when a deadly virus broke out and killed everyone on board in a matter of hours.  But now it could belong to her people if they were bold enough to take it.  All they needed to do was kidnap Jaswinder Bhattacharya – the sole survivor of the tragedy, and the last person whose genetic signature would allow entry to the spaceship.

     “But what Zahra and her crew could not know was what waited for them on the ship – a terrifying secret buried by the government.  A threat to all of humanity that lay sleeping alongside the orbiting dead.

     “And then they woke it up.”

Review:  I absolutely loved this book.  Salvation Day starts off at a fast pace and doesn’t let up, there isn’t a single slow moment in all 320 pages.  The story is told from two points of view.  There is Zahra, who is from the Wastelands of North America.  She is a member of a cult who are among the outcasts of current civilization, who are looking for a home.  And there is Jas, an orphan and the sole survivor of a tragic viral outbreak on a spaceship.  He represents the civilization that Zahra’s cult family hates.  Normally I dislike head-hopping in a story told using first person narrative, but the author makes it work. 

     I purchased this novel at noon, and was finished reading it by 5pm.  I did take a short nap and eat lunch in there somewhere.  I got so into the story that I was seeing it happen in my head like an awesome science fiction/horror movie, think Aliens.  And as I was reading I just kept going faster and faster because the last third of the book is pretty much all climax and I just had to know what was going to happen.  Seriously, I thought my Kindle was going to start to glitch because of how fast I was tapping the screen to turn the pages.  Then, the ending was just so perfect that I had to just sit there for a moment to take in what had just happened.  I highly suggest Salvation Day as top priority Summer read.

Publisher:  Berkley

If you like this book you may want to read:

Alien: Echo by Mira Grant (Read BookGirlR’s review here)

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig (Read BookGirlR’s review here)

The Toll by Cherie Priest

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

Alien: Echo - Review

Title:  Alien: Echo

Author: Mira Grant

Series: “An original young adult novel of the Alien universe”

Synopsis:  “Olivia and her twin sister Viola have been dragged around the universe for as long as they can remember.  Their parents, both xenobiologists, are always in high demand for their research into obscure alien biology.

     “Just settled on a new colony world, they discover an alien threat unlike anything they’ve ever seen.  And suddenly the sisters’ world is ripped apart.

     “On the run from terrifying aliens, Olivia’s knowledge of xenobiology and determination to protect her sister are her only weapons as the colony collapses into chaos.  But then a shocking family secret bursts open – one that’s as horrifying to Olivia as the aliens surrounding them.

     “The creatures infiltrate the rich wildlife on this virgin colony world – and quickly start adapting.  Olivia’s going to have to adapt, too, if she’s going to survive.”

Coming from Titan books 10/29/19

Coming from Titan books 7/30/19.

Review:  I’ve spoken before about how much I love the Alien franchise.  I was very excited to find out that there are several new Alien books being released this year.  Alien: Echo by Mira Grant is the first this year, Alien: Isolation by Keith DeCandido releases on July 30 and Alien: Prototype by Tim Waggoner releases on October 29. 

     I accidentally bought both a digital copy (Kindle) and a hardcover copy of Alien: Echo because I got so excited when I saw it at Barnes & Noble I forgot I had preordered it for my Kindle.  (This actually happens to me a lot.  Don’t judge.  I like books more than I like people.)  I read it in 3 hours when I got home from the bookstore.  I just plopped down on the couch, started reading, and didn’t move until I finished.  I mean it.  I didn’t get a drink.  I didn’t have any reading snacks.  I didn’t even go to the bathroom.  I’m pretty sure my husband tried to talk to me and I didn’t even pause to give him the death glare. That’s how good it is.

     Mira Grant is one of my favorite authors, and Alien is one of my favorite series.  (I’ll read anything written by Mira Grant, no questions asked.)  Put the two of these together and it’s a match made in heaven.  The world building and character development that went into this novel is amazing.  Olivia is an awesome character.  Even without the chest bursting aliens, they don’t show up until about halfway through the book, I would have loved a book about her.  She’s the new girl, and her parents are weird.  She has a mysterious twin sister that nobody has ever met; and a crush on one of the popular girls at school.  She even breaks the rules to impress the girl she has a crush on.  She is definitely a well written teenager!  The world is awesome.  It’s Mira Grant, so of course the xenobiology is well thought out and well written.  Also, there are chest bursting aliens.  You don’t want to miss this one!  If you’re like me you may even get so excited you accidentally buy two copies!

Publisher:  Imprint

If you like this book you may want to read:

Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant

Harmony by Lilith Saintcrow

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (read BookGirlR’s review here)

Valdemar: Eye Spy - Review

Title: Eye Spy

Author:  Mercedes Lackey

Series: Valdemar: Family Spies #2

Synopsis:     “In this second installment of the Family Spies series, set in the bestselling world of Valdemar, the children of Heralds Mags and Amily must follow in their parents’ footsteps to protect the realm.

     “Mags, Herald Spy of Valdemar, and his wife, Amily, the King’s Own Herald, are happily married with three kids.  Their daughter, Abidela, dreams of building upon her parents’ legacy by joining the Artificers, hoping to offset her seeming lack of a Gift.

     “But when Abi senses the imminent collapse of a bridge only moments before it happens, she saves countless lives, including that of her best friend, Princess Katiana.  The experience, though harrowing, uncovers her unique Gift – an ability to sense the physical strains in objects.

     “Intrigued by the potential of her Gift, the Artificers seek to claim her as their own – but so do the Healers.  Through training with both of them, Abi discovers unique facets of her Gift, including a synesthetic connection to objects that allows her to “see” as well as feel the strains.

     “Her Gift may also grant her a distinct advantage as a spy – there won’t be a building in the entire kingdom of Valdemar with a secret room that she doesn’t know about.  With the help of her mentors, she must hone her gift to uncover the hidden secrets in the depths of Valdemar.”

Review:  This was a fabulous second book in the Family Spies series about the children of Mags and Amily.  The first book, The Hills Have Spies was about the oldest child in the family, Perry.  This second book is about the middle child Abi.  Abi thinks that she is ungifted until the incident on the bridge that reveals her Gift, which allows her to sense the physical strain in inanimate objects.  She begins training with the Artificers and the Healers.  Just as she is completing her training she has to leave on a special journey to help Valdemar’s neighbors. 

     You all know by now that Valdemar is my favorite series.  If you don’t know all about it check out that post here.  This most recent installment in the series does not disappoint.  I enjoyed finding out more about Abi and was delighted by the inclusion of an asexual character in the Valdemar universe.  Representation matters!  Whether you’re a fan of Valdemar or not you will want to add Eye Spy to your collection.

***I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Daw

If you like this book you may want to read:

If you haven’t read any Valdemar novels and want to start I recommend you start with one of these:

Vows and Honor Series (The Oathbound, Oathbreaker, Oathblood)

Or

The Arrows Trilogy (Arrows of the Queen, Arrow’s Flight, Arrow’s Fall)

If you’ve read the Valdemar novels and are looking for something similar:

The Quarters Quartet by Tanya Huff

The Green Rider Series by Kristen Britain 

The Chronicles of the Necromancer by Gail Z. Martin

Valdemar: The Hills Have Spies - Review

Title: The Hills Have Spies

Author: Mercedes Lackey

Series: Valdemar: Family Spies #1

Synopsis:  “Mags, Herald Spy of Valdemar, and his wife, Amily, the King’s Own Herald, are happily married with three kids.  The oldest, Peregrine, has the Gift of Animal Mindspeech – he can talk to animals and persuade them to act as he wishes.  Perry’s dream is to follow in his father’s footsteps as Herald Spy, but he has yet to be Chosen by a Companion.

     “Mags is more than happy to teach Perry all he knows.  He regularly trains his children, including Perry, with tests and exercises, preparing them for the complicated and dangerous lives they will likely lead.  Perry has already held positions in the Royal Palace as a runner and in the kitchen, useful places where he can learn to listen and collect information.

    “But there is growing rural unrest in a community on the border of Valdemar.  A report filled with tales of strange disappearances and missing peddlers is sent to Haven by a Herald from the Pelagirs.  To let Perry experience life away from home and out in the world, Mags proposes that his son accompany him on an expedition to discover what is really going on.

    During their travels, Perry’s Animal Mindspeech allows him to communicate with the local wildlife of the Pelagirs, whose connection to the land aids in their investigation.  But the details he gleans from the creatures only deepen the mystery.  As Perry, Mags, and their animal companions draw closer to the heart of the danger, they must discover the truth behind the disappearances at the border – before those disappearances turn deadly.”

Review:  Valdemar is my favorite series of books of all time.  I talked about that in an earlier post (see that post here) so I won’t go into much detail about that in this review, but suffice to say that it helped me get through some hard times and was my first introduction to fantasy written for adults.

     The Hills Have Spies is the first book in a new Valdemar series (Valdemar: Family Spies) which is pretty much a continuation of the series before it (Valdemar: The Herald Spy), which is about Mags, Amily and their friends.  This new series is about Mags, Amily and their children.  I love Mags so I was really excited for another series about him!  This book focused a lot on Perry, Mags and Amily’s oldest child.  He has the gift of animal mindspeech, which I think sounds amazing!  There is a Kyree character that I absolutely love and made me nostalgic for The Vows and Honor series, I may have to go back and read that series after I finish book 2 in this series Eye Spy which comes out on Tuesday 7/9/19. 

     The Pelagirs have always fascinated me and I don’t feel like we have had enough stories about it during our travels through Valdemar, so I was excited to get to explore a little bit more.  We got to meet quite a few new characters in The Hills Have Spies, and I found the interactions between Mags and Perry heartwarming and real feeling.  The story is entertaining and the big bad is believably big, bad and scary.  Returning to Valdemar is always a treat for me.  I can’t wait for the next installment!

Publisher: DAW

If you like this book you may want to read:

If you haven’t read any Valdemar novels and want to start I recommend you start with one of these:

Vows and Honor Series (The Oathbound, Oathbreaker, Oathblood)

Or

The Arrows Trilogy (Arrows of the Queen, Arrow’s Flight, Arrow’s Fall)

 

If you’ve read the Valdemar novels and are looking for something similar:

The Quarters Quartet by Tanya Huff

The Green Rider Series by Kristen Britain 

The Chronicles of the Necromancer by Gail Z. Martin