Tag Archives: PNR

Book Review of Death’s Dancer & Dancer’s Flame (Grace Bloods #1&2), by Jasmine Silvera

I purchased copies of Death’s Dancer and Dancer’s Flame (by Jasmine Silvera) through Amazon.

Description from Goodreads:

deaths-dancerIsela Vogel has the power to attract the favor of the gods for anyone who can pay her fee but struggles to hide the degenerative hip condition that will end her career. Then she’s offered a job that will set her and her family up for life. Though her prospective patron is a formidable necromancer with a heated and infuriating gaze, she can hardly refuse the payday.
 
The Allegiance of Necromancers is powerful but not omnipotent, and when someone starts murdering his kind, Azrael must enlist a human in order to track down the killer. But why does she have to be so frustratingly stubborn–and intriguing? Azrael can make the dead walk, but he can’t make the very much alive Isela toe any line. 

Isela is thrown into a world of supernatural creatures–demons after dark, witches in the shadows, shifters running wild in city parks–where the grace of gods can truly infuse the blood of the most mortal-seeming dancer. As the danger increases with each thrilling discovery, trusting Azrael may be the only way to survive a conspiracy to destroy the fragile peace of a broken world. 

But the greatest threat is their growing attraction. Dancers and necromancers don’t mix for a reason–it turns out there are fates worse than death. 

Review:

I truly enjoyed this. Isela stood her ground no matter what the immortals threw at her. Azrael was large and in charge, without ever being an asshole about it. Isela’s interactions with the side characters (Gregor especially) amused me. In fact, I laughed out loud several times while reading the book. I appreciated the diverse cast (though I thought Kyle was maybe a little close to the cliched gay best friend).

I did feel that Isela didn’t react anywhere near enough when she found out her family’s secrets. And most of the side characters introduced at the Acadamy are just thrown at the reader too quickly. All in all, though, I can’t wait to continue the series.


Description from Goodreads:

With the help of a god, Azrael and Isela exposed a conspiracy and altered the world’s balance of power. But for Azrael, victory comes with dangerous new powers he can’t control. Will accepting his future mean losing everything he’s gained — his allies, his territory, and his consort?

Isela’s found a home, purpose and power. But if accepting her new role means giving up the life she’s worked for will the price be too high?

When an impossible creature shows up in Prague bearing a dire warning, the search for answers divides them. Now Isela must forge a bond with the power within her while Azrael fights to keep from tearing himself apart. And time is running out. Gods don’t forget or forgive, especially a betrayal from one of their own.

Review:

Since this is a second in a series and continues from book on, as opposed to a standalone story, I only have a brief review.

Another winner from Mrs. Silvera! I continue to appreciate Isela and Azrael’s growth as people and their city’s increasing sense of family and community. Like the previous book, I thought this one could use a tad more copy editing. But it’s not going to distract me from continuing to binge the series.

binding shadows

Book Review of Binding Shadows (Tooth & Spell #1), by Jasmine Silvera

I purchased a copy of Jasmine Silvera‘s Binding Shadows through Amazon.

Description from Goodreads:

There are two rules: find a way to use your magic and never reveal it to anyone.

Hunting down lost books is more than a job, it’s a way for Barbara to conceal her powers in the mundane world of the university library. One misstep and she risks exposure to ruthless necromancers willing to destroy anything supernatural they cannot control. But when the prickly new professor in charge of her latest assignment proves more than he seems, rules and reason are no match for her growing fascination.

After years of battling to cage the beast within him, Tobias returns to Prague and the safety of his pack of brothers. Unfortunately, his new job handling a collection of rare editions comes with a research assistant irresistible to both beast and man. Revealing his secret could endanger his entire family and he refuses to risk passing on the curse in his blood.

When the discovery of an enchanted book of spells triggers unpredictable surges in Barbara’s magic, unleashing the beast within himself may be the only way to free her. Trapped between a witch and a necromancer, they must survive a perilous reckoning with the past, or neither will have a future.

Review:

I absolutely loved this—grumpy, cinnamon bun hero, and a smart librarian heroine. Their romance was adorable. The mystery kept me engaged. The world was interesting (if a little vague). And the side characters made me laugh. On finishing, I immediately went to try and buy the sequel, which isn’t out yet. Why does the universe punish me like this? WHY?

My only criticism is that the book could have done with another pass from a copy editor. There are the occasional double words and thought/though kind of mishaps. But it was not enough to make me not love this. Since I couldn’t get Gruff Older Brother’s book (because that’s who it better be about) I went ahead and bought the first in the Grace Bloods series instead.

Sever the Crown Complete Vampire Romance Series

Review of the Sever the Crown series, by Mysti Parker & Lindsey R. Loucks

I received an Audible code for a copy of Emergence (book one) and then since I enjoyed it, I borrowed the compilation through Amazon Prime.


Description from Amazon:

 Start with Book One: Emergence

One woman. Five men. Together, they’ll sever the crown – or maybe the head that wears it.

Wren has a dark obsession—to find her mother’s murderers before they find her. Every new singing gig brings her closer to crossing their names from her list.

When a detective shows up with a new lead, she jumps at the chance with fangs bared. But to get the information they need, they’ll have to bust someone out of jail.

Sure. No problem. 

Ashe has just been framed for high crimes against the Southern Vampire Clan—but he’s not exactly innocent either.

While waiting for his fate, a five-pointed star tattoo appears on his wrist, similar to the tattoo of a stunning platinum-haired vampire. The sudden attraction between them is undeniable. Better yet, she’s just offered to free him. 

Sounds like a great deal. So what’s the catch?

Turns out, as their enemies close in, the catch could very well be their lives.

◆ Book Two: Defiance Everyone knows it’s not a true vampire cult party until someone gets staked.

Book Three: Obsession – Wren’s world has caught fire. But she’ll be damned if she lets it burn.

Book Four: Relentless – Wren’s fourth mate just might be the death of her…that is if the world doesn’t end first.

Book Five: Ascension – 3…2…1…It’s a race against time in an epic war for the throne. Queen versus queen.


Reviews:

I wrote reviews of these books as I went. I had more opinions at the finish of some than others. But overall, I liked the series but found myself growing bored by the end. I feel like the authors kept themselves constrained in the beginning, but by the last book, things were getting sloppy.

Emergence (Sever the Crown, #1)

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It’s not particularly deep and I was expecting the heroine to meet all of her mates here, but it looks like it will be one per book. Despite that, I laughed several times, thought the writing sharp, and I liked the characters. Plus, the narrator did an excellent job, which always contributes. I’ve borrowed the rest of the series through Amazon Prime now. We’ll see if I like them as much when reading them, instead of listening.

Defiance (Sever the Crown, #2)

I didn’t dislike this, but I didn’t like it as much as the first. With two mates located, the Wren worship is just getting to be a little too much for me. I’m pleased to say that, despite being a reverse harem story, the book isn’t bogged down in too much sex, and the sex scenes aren’t overly long. I’m moving on to book three. We’ll see how things go from there.

Obsession (Sever the Crown #3)

I gotta admit I’m getting a bit bored with this series now. Contradictorily, it starting to feel like too much of the same (basically how amazing Wren is) and like the authors got bored with the confines of their own world and blew it open. In the previous books, we only had humans and vampires. Suddenly, here in this book, we have vampires, and witches, and celestials (aka angels and demons), lion, wolf and boar shifters, banshees, and portals through time. This felt like a huge departure from what previous books had lead readers to believe were the limits of the world.

Additionally, Wren now has three male mates, which I have no problem with. But I find it really unimaginative that there is no overlap. She gives one mate at time attention, there is no jealousy but there also isn’t any crossover. Not in the sense of having more than one in bed at a time or with any of the males feeling affection for one another. Somehow it gives a sense of monogamy, even in the Polyandrous relationship. Which might work if they weren’t all together all the time.

Also worth noting is that these books do not stand alone and this one ends on a particularly precipitous cliffhanger.

Despite saying all of that, I’m still moving on to book four. Honestly, I’ll read the whole series just to see if Zac finally gets turned and to be a mate. (I’m pretty sure he will and even think I know how that will come about, but I want to see it.)

Relentless (Sever the Crown #4)

Book four of five in a series in which the books do not stand on their own. So, it starts in the middle of the story and ends on a cliffhanger. It’s OK, but the whole series has grown stale, each book just seems to be more of the same. It’s not bad, it’s just not adding anything particularly fresh with each new installment.

Ascension (Sever the Crown #5)

I was really glad to see the fifth mate came about as I thought he would (and was who I thought). But I was so ready for this series to be finished by the time I reached the end. I felt like it just went on for too long. All five mates were sweet, but having 5 men to satisfy got repetitive. Especially since this is medium-burn (that’s a quote from one of the blurbs), so most of the sex was somewhat abortive and didn’t vary far from the most basic.

Then there was the final showdown with the villains. They’re literally caricatures. I mean every time the evil mates entered a scene they came in quoting ridiculous lines, even. There is no feeling of the rest of the vampire clan(s) (or humanity, for that matter). It all felt very surface level.

I know I’ve just been complaining. That’s my frustration coming through. But I did read five books without DNFing any of them, so I obviously didn’t hate it. The writing is still perfectly readable and I did like the characters, etc.