Tag Archives: fantasy

Book Review: Monster Whisperer, by JB Trepagnier

I picked up a copy of JB Trepagnier‘s Monster Whisperer as an Amazon freebie.

My clients at my vet clinic have always called me an animal whisperer. I’ve never questioned it. Until I started hearing monsters too.

A man came in right at closing with a sick dog. The dog told me why he was sick and I was able to treat him. I had no idea his owner would kidnap me. I had no idea his owner had an entire dungeon of monsters he wanted me to treat. I’ve met a minotaur, a mysterious kraken, a phoenix, and this really massive spider.

I can hear them too. If monsters are real and I can talk to them, then what am I?

Honestly, just not very good. The editing is pretty clean, and the writing is mechanically fine. The book is readable. But that same writing, plotting, and dialogue all feel too linear and…well, I hate to say it, but amateurish. There is almost nothing in terms of world-building, no character growth for any of the characters, and all of the attraction/love is instant. For those that care, there also isn’t any sex. I appreciate that there is a woman in the ‘harem,’ and the heroine is clearly going to rescue everyone. But I will not be continuing the series.

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Book Review: Escape of the Fae, by Taylor Spratt

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I picked up a copy of Taylor Spratt‘s Escape of the Fae as an Amazon freebie.

A thousand prisoners against one? Bring it on…

The name’s Jessy Gilchrest and I’m nobody’s fairy Princess. I’m a Cage fighter, pack leader and all around bad-ass alpha Fae. They say I’ve got a little impulse control problem and they’re right about that.

I robbed the Vampire King’s Castle and it got me thrown into Poison Penitentiary, home of the most blood-thirsty creatures in the Magical Sect. A dark secret haunts this place, clinging to the air like a disease and in here, everything goes bump in the night.

I’m not worried though. Because I may be crazy, but I’m not stupid. I got caught for a reason. They’ve got my younger brother locked up in here. He’s innocent and I’ll stop at nothing till he’s freed. There’s just one problem with my brilliant break-out plan. Remember that little impulse control issue I mentioned earlier?

I got in a fight with the warden on the first day and now she’s promised freedom to any prisoner who can finish me off.

Four of the prison’s deadliest inmates’ step in to help me. A Werewolf, Dragon shifter, Vampire and Demon. What do they want in exchange? Let’s just say they’ve got a taste for Alpha Fae. A big one.

Honestly, this was just bad. I knew it was going to be a slap-stick sort of read. So, that wasn’t a surprise. I was hoping for something light-hearted and sexy-funny. But there is ridiculous and silly in a fun way, and there is ridiculous and silly in a stupid way. I was hoping for the former, but this book is the latter.

The characters are somehow both overblown and flatly underdeveloped. The villain is cliched. The dialogue is an embarrassing mess. There are plot holes galore. The book barely seems to have been edited at all, and then it all ends on a cliffhanger.

I am not interested in continuing the series.

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Book Review: Cruel Shadows, by Harper A. Brooks

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I picked up a freebie copy of Harper A. Brooks‘ Cruel Shadows through Amazon.

I’m caught in the shadows…
…and the shadows want to play.

I thought I’d dreamed up the shadow realm and the place I called Dark Castle.

But it’s very real. And he’s still here.

My prince, my savior, my captor…

The monster in my bed.

But this time, he’s not alone.

I must escape, but first, my prince and his shadow men want me to fulfill their demands.

All of them.

The longer I stay, the harder it is to resist their dark promises, their insatiable hunger. Because, while these monsters’ smiles are cruel, their touches are the most delicious torture.

But they aren’t the only threat in this world. The darkness that wanted me before has found me again, and like my Shadow Prince, it’s ready to claim me as its own…forever.

This was a pretty big “meh” for me. It held my attention for about half the book, and then it lost me to boredom. I only finished it to finish it. The writing is fine. There’s a little inconsistency to it, but it’s perfectly readable. The characters could be interesting if they weren’t just cardboard cut-outs. The world could be intriguing if it were actually developed. The plot might have been fun if it actually materialized before the ~85% mark.

Let me be clear here that I’m not actually complaining about the lack of plot. I know what kind of book I picked up. But, for a book this length, I needed something to make me care about the characters and all the sex they were having. I don’t even necessarily need to like them, but I need to care. And that’s where Cruel Shadows fails. I didn’t care. No one grabbed my attention. Nothing kept me interested. All in all, like I said, “Meh.” It’s a thing I read and will quickly forget.