Tag Archives: vampires

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Book Review: The Poisoner, by I.V. Ophelia

I purchased an e-copy of The Poisoner, by I.V. Ophelia.

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Amidst the gaslit alleys and cobblestone streets of Victorian London, two killers find themselves entangled in a waltz they cannot escape.

Alina Lis, a botanist and hobbyist poisoner, has a pastime of killing unsavory men in her twisted sense of poetic justice. When she targets the conceited playboy, Silas Forbes, only to find him in her apothecary the following week, she discovers human men are the least of her problems.

The pair’s unlikely association sparks gossip among affluent society. As their mysterious bond deepens, a chilling truth emerges—concealed identities, lurking foes, and questions as plentiful as the hydra’s head brew within this haunting Gothic tale of violent passion.

Will Silas and Alina find themselves in each other’s arms, or will the shadows of their past keep them apart?

my review

I really enjoyed the sheer chaos of the first 2/3 of this. I liked the characters and the world. Plus, the writing was easily readable. But I feel like the plot diverted too far in the last third. Plus, I feel like Silas’ character lost a lot of his previously established strength. He just felt useless in the face of the challenges at the end. I realize the situation was part of that, but those are the poisoner photocircumstances the author chose, and she undermined him as a character, IMO. (There better be significant groveling in book 2!)

I still liked the book. It’s like the author read The Lost Apothecary and then said, “Now add vampires.” If the second were out, I would have jumped right in. (Though I was disappointed by the cliffhanger, since I didn’t know it was part of an unfinished series.) But I didn’t love it as much as I could have (and expected to).


Other Reviews:

Books, Burgers, and Backpacks: The Poisoner

Somebody to Open: The Poisoner

 

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Book Review: King of Battle and Blood, by Scarlett St. Clair

I borrowed an e-copy of Scarlett St. Clair‘s King of Battle and Blood from the library.
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Their union is his revenge.

Isolde de Lara considers her wedding day to be her death day. To end a years-long war, she is to marry vampire king Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, and kill him.

But her assassination attempt is thwarted, and Adrian threatens that if Isolde tries to kill him again, he will raise her as the undead. Faced with the possibility of becoming the thing she hates most, Isolde seeks other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court.

Except it isn’t the court she fears most—it’s Adrian. Despite their undeniable chemistry, she wonders why the king—fierce, savage, merciless—chose her as consort.

The answer will shatter her world.

my review

This was entertaining enough. I wouldn’t call it overly original, but I enjoyed it. I liked that Isolde had a backbone and stood up for herself. Yes, she could come off as a petty bitch sometimes. But she was raised to be a queen. So, it felt appropriate. Adrian falls first and is a complete softy (only) for her. I liked that a lot.

I did find it overly long; the villain is a bit cliched, and the twist toward the end is predictable. Plus, it includes a plot device I dislike (but it’s a spoiler to say what). All in all, again, even if not original, it was a fun read.

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Book Review: King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

 

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Book Review: In Her Thrall, by Chloe Parker

I picked up a copy of Chloe Parker‘s In her Thrall as an Amazon freebie, over the summer.
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Rumor has it there’s a beautiful beast stalking the English countryside.

For hundreds of years, the Van Helsing family has searched for the creature Dracula, a demon of the night that stalks the shadows for hapless prey. Freshly returned from service in the Great War, Van Helsing heir Jonathan Edgewood finds himself in the English countryside on a hunch that the creature has taken a new form: the Lady of Harker Heights, Bianca Ivyshade.

Each year on All Hollow’s Eve, Bianca hosts an extravagant ball, and Jonathan has landed an invitation. He brings with him two other vampire hunters and his Great War compatriots: shy scientist Marcus Ryder and charming occultist Edward Shelley.

When a storm confines the guests to the manor for the night, Jonathan, Marcus, and Edward find themselves irresistibly drawn to the beautiful Bianca. And they soon learn that there are secrets hidden at Harker Heights—and perhaps even a greater evil than the vampiress herself.

Will the men escape with their lives? Or will they fall under the vampire’s thrall?

my review

To begin with, the blurb is a little inaccurate about the setup of the plot of the book. While not devastatingly important, it is annoying. So, I figured I’d mention it.

More importantly, this is mostly smut, with just enough plot to string it all together in some sort of context. That’s not a criticism; just making sure we’re on the same page about what sort of book this is. It’s pretty good for what it is, too. The villain (and thus the challenge that gave the book what little plot it has) is pretty cliched; nothing new, original, or interesting there. The same could be said for Bianca. She challenges none of the norms for female characters of her ilk. But I liked her well enough.

I found Jon, Marcus, and Edward interesting. Perhaps not particularly well-developed since the book isn’t deep enough to allow for it. But I enjoyed them all the same. There is sword-crossing and a genuine pre-existing relationship between two of the men, and I liked that. However, by the end of the book, the relationship configuration felt like two couples who overlap rather than one polycule, which is perhaps a little disappointing. But, again, enjoyable enough.

I have book two of this series, which I intend to read. And honestly, the fact that I’m willing to continue the series says more about the book than any of the above.

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Other Reviews:

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