Tag Archives: urban fantasy

wings of fire

Book Review: Wings of Fire, by Stephanie Mirro

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I received a free Audible credit for a copy of Wings of Fire, by Stephanie Mirro.
wings of fire

I wasn’t always the bad guy…

Once upon a time, I was simply Veronica Neill: daughter, sister, phoenix. But now I’m all alone, and life as the Falcon—an avian shifter and acquirer of fantastical things—is dangerously sexy and fun.

Some might even call me a thief, just never to my face.

But when my latest acquisition is stolen before I arrive and a gruesome murder is blamed on me, I’ve got a choice to make: 1) get taken in by the hotter-than-hell agent sent by the Death Enforcement Agency and let them charge me with a crime I didn’t commit, or 2) wait for my bloodsucking client to realize I’ve failed at the job he hired me for.

I don’t like either door, so I’ll take the window instead: track down the real killer and clear my name.

If I don’t solve this murder, and fast, then I might just be facing a lifetime in a grim prison—or worse, a lifetime of servitude to the man who hired me, a man who’s turning out to be more dangerous than I realized. And my kind lives for a very long time.

my review

I thought this was entertaining, but a little on the shallow side. Veronica tells us she’s badass because she’s trained her whole life to be. But you don’t really feel it. It’s just something we’re told and pops up conveniently when needed. Need weapons…oh look, she has a secret stash. Need to get around a security issue…oh look, her BFF is a hacker genius. Need to fight demons…oh look, she happens to have a demon fighting sword. Need to fight vampires…oh look she happens to have wood filled bullets. But nothing about her feels like a hardened, trained warrior or someone who has had to live the sort of life that would require it.

I liked the ‘love’ interest well enough, but he’s a cardboard cutout with the personality to match. The villain is evil for the most cliched reasons ever. I bet if I told you their gender alone, you’d be able to guess their motiviations. And I’d figured out the twist at the end very early one.

And lastly, on a purely personal pet-peeve sort of level, “Wings of Fire: A Kickass Urban Fantasy With Romance (The Last Phoenix, Book 1)” is pretentious. What the hell is that “A Kickass Urban Fantasy With Romance?” It’s not part of the title. That’s not where you’d put a tag line. It’s just this random assertion in an unexpected place.

I know that all sounds negative, and certainly the book could have been less cotton-candy like, but I did enjoy it for the mere escapism of it.

wings of fire stephanie mirro

blood heir

Book Review: Blood Heir, by Ilona Andrews

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I borrowed a copy of Blood Heir, by Ilona Andrews from the local library.

blood heir ilona andrews

Atlanta was always a dangerous city. Now, as waves of magic and technology compete for supremacy, it’s a place caught in a slow apocalypse, where monsters spawn among the crumbling skyscrapers and supernatural factions struggle for power and survival.

Eight years ago, Julie Lennart left Atlanta to find out who she was. Now she’s back with a new face, a new magic, and a new name—Aurelia Ryder—drawn by the urgent need to protect the family she left behind. An ancient power is stalking her adopted mother, Kate Daniels, an enemy unlike any other, and a string of horrifying murders is its opening gambit.

If Aurelia’s true identity is discovered, those closest to her will die. So her plan is simple: get in, solve the murders, prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled, and get out without being recognized. She expected danger, but she never anticipated that the only man she’d ever loved could threaten everything.

One small misstep could lead to disaster. But for Aurelia, facing disaster is easy; it’s relationships that are hard.

 my review

I enjoyed this, as I have almost all of Andrews books. I love post-shift Atlanta. It did suffer, as most spin-offs do, for having to cram a whole series worth of backstory and reminders into its narrative, which gets annoying, even when necessary. Also, as much as I love Aurelia, I feel like we had to sacrifice Julie at her alter to get her. They do not feel like the same character. 8 years is a lot to time to cover between books and it conveniently allowed Julie to become almost god-like Aurelia. Having said all that, I’ll be waiting with baited breath for the next book in the series.

blood heir

skin deep

Book Review: Skin Deep, by S.W. Vaughn

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I picked up a copy of S.W. Vaughn‘s Skin Deep from Amazon in the summer of 2017. Lately, I’ve been trying to read some of the books that have been buried in my kindle cloud. And Skin Deep is one such book. I think the book has since gotten a new cover, but this is the edition I have.
skin deeo sw vaughn

He knows everything about love… except how to find it for himself.

Will Ambrose hosts a popular LGBT relationship radio show, but lately he feels like a fraud. His own relationships have been anything but successful — a fact that his current partner, a sadistic closeted cop, has made painfully clear.

After his partner flies into a violent, jealous rage that leaves him battered body and soul, Will finds an unlikely savior in Cobalt, a smoking hot tattoo artist who offers shelter and healing. But Cobalt is hiding a devastating secret: He’s not human.

A Seelie Fae banished from his realm by a jealous lover of his own, Cobalt has given up risking relationships with humans. None are strong enough to handle the truth. But Will is different, and Cobalt can’t help falling for the man who’s dropped into his life without warning and captured his heart.

Unfortunately, Cobalt’s powerful ex-lover will stop at nothing to destroy his newfound happiness — and every moment he spends with Will is risking both of their lives.

I’ll give this a pretty lackluster 3 stars. It’s not that there’s anything really wrong with it, there’s just nothing especially right with it either. It’s competently written with a follow-able plot, but it’s all pretty shallow. The villains are crazy-pants evil, just for the sake of evil. No discernible motive or even enough control over themselves to be a believable villains. The lust is instant and mutual, and the love comes rushing in right on it’s heels with no real feeling of having developed. The paranormal elements are interesting, but not deeply developed, etc.

I did have a problem with the torture porn and sex though. One character is beat unconscious and raped and literally begging for sex by the next day. I think probably both the physical and mental trauma would come into play to prevent that. Plus, Will is just too stupid for words when it came to Lyle.

All in all, I don’t regret reading this but I’m in no real hurry to read the next in the series either.

skin deep