Author Archives: Sadie

Book Review: Invitation to Hell, by Amber Bunch

I accepted a review copy of Invitation to Hell (by Amber Bunch) through R&R Tours. It was also featured over on Sadie’s Spotlight. You can hop over there for an excerpt, author information, an opportunity for some pre-order swag, and a chance to win a copy of the book for yourself.

What if, all you’ve ever known was ripped away from you…

You were thrown into a world full of the same creatures that have haunted your nightmares for years. Magic, and the Gods are no longer a myth, but a part of your destiny.

Now, you’re about to lose everything and everyone you love to an evil King known as the Devourer of Souls.

Then, there’s Hades son…

The ruthless Prince that drives you crazy and thinks you are a waste of his time.

You can’t stand him, but he has been instructed to protect you, so now you have to deal with his arrogance on top of everything else.

The two of you must travel across the Realms to find a way to stop King Lucius before all is lost and you still don’t even know how to use your newly awakened power.

Well, this should be fun.

I’m afraid I was not impressed by this one. I think it has an interesting idea, with the mixed mythologies, secret child of divinity, alpha a-hole romance, etc. But the whole thing is just SO RUSHED. There is basically no build-up to ANYTHING. The book reads like an outline—like ‘here are what will be the highlights of the plot’—but also like the author then forgot to go back and flesh it out. I felt no connection to the characters, just felt confused by the multiple pantheons, got whip-lash from the romance, and then finished the book with a shrug (and that’s even with the hook for book two in there).

Mechanically, the writing seems as fine as I can judge in an ARC (and ‘unedited ARC’ at that). I can’t speak to editing, etc—again, I read an ARC. But I can say it’s readable, just sparse on the buildup and rushed in the plotting. I also hope the author invests in a better cover before publication.

Other Reviews:

I Smell Sheep: book review Invitation to Hell

https://jessicabelmont.com/2022/08/23/booktour-invitation-to-hell-amber-bunch-abunch0615-rrbooktours1-rrbooktours-darkfantasy-darkromane/

Book Review: Of Visions & Secrets, by Kathryn Ann Kingsley

The darkness took Emma’s brother. Now it yearns to claim her.

When Emma Mather’s twin brother, Elliot, goes missing from Arnsmouth University, she is determined to stop at nothing to find him. Yet as she follows the clues left behind, she learns that there are far more sinister monstrosities lurking in the shadows of her city than she could have ever imagined.

Elliot’s former teacher, Professor Raphael Saltonstall, may be Emma’s only hope in finding her brother. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long for Emma to realize Rafe is hiding secrets of his own. Despite the sizzling attraction between them, Emma isn’t entirely sure if Rafe is a friend or foe.

As two opposing cults hunt her down for their own twisted agendas, Emma finds tendrils of darkness closing in from all around. Pulsating Things live in the darkness…wriggling in eager anticipation to take her.

If they have their way, they’ll consume her mind, soul…and body.

This was a surprise winner for me. I enjoyed the heck out of it. I loved how upfront and ready Emma was. She put her authentic self right out there for the world to see, and I appreciated it. I thought the world interesting and the characters engaging. They’re all so marvelously morally grey. The writing is clean and easy to read, and I’m invested in what happens next.

I did wish for a little more certainty on the fate of the brother…and admittedly more tentacle action than we were given. The story really is a little slow to get going, and I thought Emma lost a little of her assertive spark as soon as the romance started to build. But I will certainly be continuing the series.

Other Reviews:

I have big news on the personal front.

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I talked about this over on Sadie’s Spotlight already. But I should post here, too. I have exciting personal news that will affect the running of See Sadie Read. I am going back to university to get a Ph.D. I’ve been saying I was going to do it for a while now. The bio on my About Sadie page has said, “I still plan to pursue a Ph.D. at some point, if life would just get out of the way…” for about 7 years. It’s long been the plan. But kind of a formless, “one-day” sort of plan. Now it’s a starting August 25 and finishing by 2029 kind of plan!

This is of note here on See Sadie Read for obvious reasons. For the last several years, I’ve had an abundance of free time and have read accordingly. Thus, we’ve seen 200-300 reviews a year for the last few years. That number is going to drop significantly.

Reading fiction is still my favorite hobby. So, I expect to still read and review fantasy. But I’ll be squeezing it in in a way I haven’t had to in a while. What’s more, I’ll be reading a whole heck of a lot of non-fiction. Already I have Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Media Surveys and The Public Policy Theory Primer sitting on my coffee table. I don’t plan to regularly review any of the texts I read for class. But if something strikes me as review-worthy, I might drop one here and there.

For the most part, what you need to know is that I will be reviewing less fiction for a while. But See Sadie Read will remain, if in a diminished capacity…at least for a little while.

But in the end, I’ll be a doctor and have finally completed a life-time goal I set many, many moons ago. I’m nervous-excited. So, wish me luck.