Tag Archives: Supernatural Book Crate

accidental fae

Book Review: Accidental Fae, by Jessica Wayne

I received a copy of Jessica Wayne‘s Accidental Fae in the September Supernatural Book Crate. It was also featured on Sadie’s Spotlight last year (though with a different cover).
accidental fae cover

A life on the verge of death isn’t living.

When the doctors mention hospice, I know it’s time to take my life—or death—into my own hands. Stumbling through a portal into the fae realm wasn’t part of the plan.

But then I see him—the man who claimed my dreams with glimpses of his piercing golden gaze and sculpted body slick with sweat as he fought bloody battles. Seeing him once gave me strength; now, he gives me hope.

The creatures here claim he’s a rebel. A murderer. A traitor to their crown—a crown they say I’m tied to in irrevocable ways. I say he might be my only path to salvation.

I refuse to waste another life waiting for answers to secrets no one dares speak. It’s time for me to break free of my prison and claim the life that was always meant to be mine. My warrior has been broken by circumstance, though, and if I can’t give him a reason to fight, it could mean the end for both of us.

my review

I feel very middle of the road about this book. I think maybe I just wanted to like it more than I did. I liked the idea of it, even if it didn’t turn out to be what I was expecting from the blurb. But everything also just felt kind of flat and predictable to me. Perhaps it’s a symptom of being a spin-off, and I’d have connected more if I’d read the other series. Maybe not; hard to say.

But I thought Ember decently developed, but also a crybaby who spent most of the book just reacting to circumstances. She didn’t seem to have much of a sense of agency. But I thought Raff was a cardboard cutout hero, Taranus a cardboard cutout villain, and most of the side characters just pop up now and again, but play no significant part in the plot.

Basically, nothing in the book was horridly off-putting. But nothing drew me in to want more either. Not even the steep cliffhanger at the end. So…middle of the road read.

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Book Review: Accidental Fae by Jessica Wayne

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Book Review: Heir of Monsters, by G. Bailey

I received a copy of G. Bailey‘s Heir of Monsters as part of my September Supernatural Book Crate. Which, as an aside, I find it hilarious because there was a book called An Inheritance of Monsters in the August box. I’m sensing a theme…that’s not a complaint. I’m all about the monster romance lately.

heir of monsters

A monster has stalked me.
But now I’m hunting him.

My job is to hunt monsters and I’m damn good at it—until a monster breaks into my apartment in the middle of the night and kidnaps me.

Turns out he isn’t just a monster.

He’s the Wyern king.

Wyern’s, a race feared by everyone, are known to be stronger than the fae who rule my world, and no one has seen them in years. The king needs my help to track down his missing sister from within a city his race is banished from and I’m the best he can find.

Only, he isn’t the only one looking for monsters in Ethereal City.

The Fae Queen’s grandson is missing.

Working for fae, monster or not, is risky. Most end up dead and I have too much to lose to end up as one of them.

I’m going to find the missing royals and be careful about it, especially with my grumpy boss breathing down my neck and watching my every move.

The Wyern King is cruel, cold, and unbelievably beautiful for a male… and my new enemy.

my review

I thought this was a middle-of-the-road read. There wasn’t anything especially bad about it, but nothing wowed me either. I liked Calliophe a lot; the writing was readable, and the world seemed interesting. However, I was always a little vague on what made a monster a monster. I sensed this was more than just a non-human with scary features, but rather a going bad of some, turning them into monsters. But I’m not sure, and that’s the problem. Plus, the twist/villain was super predictable.

heir of monsters photoI also wasn’t particularly invested in the romance for most of the book. Emerson was just such a jerk for so very long, and when Calliophe suddenly ‘caught feelings,’ I was left wondering why. By the end, I at least accepted that they had feelings for one another. But I didn’t feel like, as a reader, I’d been party to them developing. And there is no spice, FYI. I saw this described as a slow burn, but there’s basically no romantic progression here.

So, as I said, middle-of-the-road (with a pretty steep cliffy at the end). I’d probably read the next book if it passed my feed. But I’m not racing out to buy it.


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Book Review: Speak of the Demon, by Stacia Stark

A signed paperback copy of Stacia Stark‘s Speak of the Demon came in my December Supernatural Book Crate.

speak of the demon
I hunt demons.
I don’t work for them.

And I promised my mom one thing before she was murdered: Under no circumstances, would I ever go near the high demons.

But I’ll break that promise over and over again if it helps me avenge her death.

When my only lead turns to ash in the middle of demon territory, I’m suddenly a dead witch walking. Violence in Samael’s club is an automatic death sentence… unless he can use you.

And it turns out that the most powerful demon in the country has a use for little ol’ me.

Demons are being slaughtered. His demons. And as a bounty hunter, it’s up to me to find out who would dare hurt his people.

I’ve got two weeks to find the killer, and if I fail, I’m bonded to Samael. Forever.

Samael’s certain that I’ll be his, but I’m not the kinda girl who risks her freedom for a demon.

I’m the kinda girl who won’t let anyone get in the way of her vengeance— not even the Machiavellian control freak who thinks he can run my life.

The problem? I’ve pissed the wrong people off.

Now I’m the one being hunted, and someone’s coming for me with everything they have.

But I’m never more dangerous than when my back is up against the wall.

And I’m ready to come out swinging.

my review
This was a fun urban fantasy (maybe paranormal romance); hard to know exactly where the line between the two is sometimes. I liked that Danica was smart and resourceful. She was mouthy and angry a lot of times, but managed to avoid it coming across as her whole personality (as sometimes happens in such books). I appreciated having Samael’s POV and thought he was sexy. I sense it’ll be a good pairing in future books.

However, here in this book, I don’t feel like we were given enough interactions between him and Danica to feel more than we’re told in exposition, certainly not get to know you sort of interactions. So, the ‘romance’ aspect of the book fell pretty flat for me. (I felt more spark with Vas, simply because she spent more quality time with him.) Also, while we’re told Samael is super powerful and scary, and we see him unleash that on enemies at times, he’s so soft around Danica that it undermined the whole ‘big, bad alpha a-hole’ persona the reader is supposed to believe he carries.

The world and history was interesting, but I don’t feel like we were really given more than an outline of it. Honestly, the whole book felt like a second book, where I should be finding the first for all that world-building. (Edit: Apparently there is a .5 prequel. I just didn’t know before reading this book.) All in all, I had some complaints, but I’ll be happy to continue this series.

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