Review - The Clockwork Detective by R.A. McCandless

Series: Unknown

Genre: Fantasy 

Age Group: Adult

Ebook - 317 pgs

Source: NetGalley

Published - May 7th 2019

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Rating: 3/5

Diversity - This book includes LGBT+ representation and disability representation. 

Aubrey Hartmann left the Imperial battlefields with a pocketful of medals, a fearsome reputation, and a clockwork leg. 

The Imperium diverts her trip home to investigate the murder of a young druwyd in a strange town. She is ordered to not only find the killer but prevent a full-scale war with the dreaded Fae. 

Meanwhile, the arrival of a sinister secret policeman threatens to dig up Aubrey’s own secrets – ones that could ruin her career. 

It soon becomes clear that Aubrey has powerful enemies with plans to stop her before she gets started. Determined to solve the mystery, Aubrey must survive centaurs, thugs and a monster of pure destruction.

This was something I was absolutely sure I was going to love. It has all the pieces that sounded great. While I really enjoyed parts of this story I had a much harder time with this one than I was anticipating.

The first half of the book was slow with a lot of information about the world and the situation Constable Aubrey finds herself in. I especially enjoyed Aubrey as a character. She was intelligent and interesting. The city she finds herself in is also in an interesting position as it is growing very quickly and encountering new challenges every day. The second half of the book really picked up the pace and I was more interesting in picking it up after the half way point.

The writing itself was confusing. There is a lot going on in this world and I had  the sense we will see more in future books. However, the surface level introduction in this book was just confusing and limited. I liked this book enough that I would read more so I hope there is more explanation in the future.

Personally I love when books blend fantasy and science fiction so I did really enjoy the steampunk elements. I enjoyed the character interactions as well. Overall I wanted even more steampunk and fantasy elements incorporated into this story. I enjoyed the fae and other elements that were included, but I craved more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

My Last Review - Competence by Gail Carriger

Review - Competence by Gail Carriger

Series: Custard Protocol #3

Genre: Historical/Urban Fantasy 

Age Group:Young Adult

Paperback 

Source: Purchased

Published 

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Rating: 4/5

All alone in Singapore, proper Miss Primrose Tunstell must steal helium to save her airship, the Spotted Custard, in a scheme involving a lovesick werecat and a fake fish tail.

When she uncovers rumors of a new kind of vampire, Prim and the Custard crew embark on a mission to Peru. There, they encounter airship pirates and strange atmospheric phenomena, and are mistaken for representatives of the Spanish Inquisition. Forced into extreme subterfuge (and some rather ridiculous outfits) Prim must also answer three of life's most challenging questions:

Can the perfect book club give a man back his soul?

Will her brother ever stop wearing his idiotic velvet fez?


And can the amount of lard in Christmas pudding save an entire species?

While I’ve been enjoying the Custard Protocol Series, I wasn’t expecting this third book to completely steal my heart.

Our main character, Primrose, is Lady Captain Pru’s opposite in almost every way, but she and Pru are some of the truest friends I’ve come across in books. There were two particular scenes so full of friendship and sisterhood they made me cry. Thank you Ms. Gail for writing two girls who are friends and sisters above anything else.

There is also a delicious slow burn f/f romance on page that I adored. For the first time we switch between the different perspectives of Percy and Prim. This is a nice balance. The twins have very distinct voices and have very different ideas. While this is predominantly Prim’s story, Percy is a fun character to follow.

As always, Carriger’s stories are about the character so the plot meanders a bit and isn’t the main focus of the book. In fact, as always it is a little nonsensical. I adore it anyway. The focus on our characters, their relationships and friendships is what keeps me coming back for more.

My Last Review - The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas

June Wrap Up (2019)

This month has been full of rereads. I reread a lot of Mercy Thompson and some Tamora Pierce too. I think my brain needed something familiar and I wanted something I knew I would enjoy. So it was rereads and new books from favorite authors!

Review -The Immortal Heights by Sherry Thomas

Series: The Elemental Trilogy

Genre: Fantasy

Age Group: Young Adult

Hardcover - 436 pgs

Source: Purchased

Published - October 2015

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Rating: 4/5

In a pursuit that has spanned continents, Iolanthe, Titus, and their friends have always managed to remain one step ahead of the forces of Atlantis. But now the Bane, the monstrous tyrant who bestrides the entire mage world, has issued his ultimatum: Titus must hand over Iolanthe, or watch as his entire realm is destroyed in a deadly rampage. Running out of time and options, Iolanthe and Titus must act decisively to deliver a final blow to the Bane, ending his reign of terror for good.

However, getting to the Bane means accomplishing the impossible—finding a way to infiltrate his crypt in the deepest recesses of the most ferociously guarded fortress in Atlantis. And everything is only made more difficult when new prophecies come to light, foretelling a doomed effort…

Iolanthe and Titus will put their love and their lives on the line. But will it be enough?After the first two books, I was so anxious to find out exactly how Titus and Iolanthe would pull off this mighty feat of defeating the Bane. In the end I think this is a very satisfying ending. There is love, loss, and closure.

Sherry Thomas does a nice job wrapping this series up and answering a lot of my questions. There were a few moments that were very convenient. For instance a lot of information Our Team needs comes from just the right person at the just the right moment. Overall though, those moments were balanced out with good action and some unanswered questions at the end.

Once again the romance between Titus and Iolanthe is well balanced. I love how they are both intelligent and powerful. There were a few tropes in their relationship that bothered me, but they often work through those and talk about them.

Throughout this series I’ve noticed out characters rarely explain their world to the reader. I understand they are both from this magical realm so , in a way, it would be awkward to have them explain things they know. However, it is confusing as the reader at times.

Once again I recommend this series to young adults and readers that are new to fantasy. The writing style is easy and the romance swept me off my feet. Sherry Thomas blends the romance genre and fantasy together so well. This series is not epic high fantasy, but it doesn’t try to be.

Awesome conclusion. Will read more from Sherry Thomas soon.

My Last Review - Competence by Gail Carriger

Review - The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas

Series: The Elemental Trilogy

Genre: High Fantasy

Age Group: Young Adult

Hardcover - 414pgs

Source: Purchased

Published - September 2014

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Rating: 4/5

After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.


Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother's prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future.

Before rereading this book I had some clear memories of loving this book and I’m glad those memories held true.

The second in this series never felt frivolous or unnecessary like some second books can. From the beginning Titus and Iolanthe have to face danger once again and we follow some new mysterious characters as well.  Not only are they facing danger, their faith in each other is shaken because of new events. I really enjoyed this turn of events and thought it was refreshing. This wasn’t relationship drama due to a love triangle. Instead, there is a real issue they need to work through that threatens their plans.

Once again, the world building is a little vague and confusing. Even though there are a lot of good elements in this world, Thomas doesn’t take the time to explain some of those elements. If you were able to tolerate those minor issues, in book one I think you will be find continuing in this book.

My Last Review - Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen

Top Ten Tuesday - Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2019

This week I cheated a little bit and went backwards. I wanted to talk about the books I'm excited for in the next six months. I'm most excited for  Angel Mage, Call Down the Hawk, Reticence, and Capturing the Devil. I'm still excited for the others, but these four are the most exciting for me personally. Angel Mage and Call Down the Hawk are both by authors I love and they are new series. On the other hand Capturing the Devil and Reticence are both series finales! What book are you most excited for in the next six months? 

  

  

 

  

My Last Top Ten Tuesday - Books on My Summer TBR

Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

As we are at the end of June I had to film this tag video. I have enjoyed filming this tag every year since I first saw it. There are a variety of questions about the books you've read so far and the books you want to read before the end of 2019.

New Bookshelf Organization!

My dad is a carpenter and he's really talented. So when I bought a house last year, he promised to build me a wall of bookcases. I, of course, was ecstatic. So when we finally were able to install them last weekend, I was jumping for joy. Here's part of the process of rebuilding a bookshelf. I'm still thinking about moving some things around and I'm sorry not every part is in the video. I worked on this over the course of three days because of my busy schedule.

Enjoy!

Review- Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen

Series: Sarah's Scribbles #3

Genre: Graphic Novels Humor

Age Group: Adults

Ebook- 112 pgs

Source: Overdrive

Published: March 2018

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Rating: 5/5

With characteristic wit and charm, Sarah Andersen's third collection of comics and illustrated personal essays offers a survival guide for frantic modern life: from the importance of avoiding morning people, to Internet troll defense 101, to the not-so-life-changing futility of tidying up. But when all else fails and the world around you is collapsing, make a hot chocolate, count the days until Halloween, and snuggle up next to your furry beacon of hope.

As with every Sarah Andersen collection, I found this to be a funny and relateable set of comics. I laughed out loud during so many of these even though I’ve seen some before as I follow Sarah online.  I appreciated the discussion of creating in the age of social media and the internet very much and understood those struggles. Even in my own small corner of the internet, creating can be venerable.

My only critique? I expected more cats.

My Last Review--> The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

Top Ten Tuesday - Books On My Summer 2019 TBR

As I've mentioned time and time again, I'm not a good TBR reader. I tend to be a mood reader so these lists are more like guidelines than actual rules. These are 10 books on my radar right now and I hope to read some of these this summer. For instance, I have Kingdom of Ash on hold at the library so I can take it to the beach this summer without lugging the entire book along with me!

You can find all the Top Ten Tuesday Topics at That Artsy Reader Girl's blog.

  

  

  

My Last Top Ten Tuesday - Books from My Favorite Genre

Mid-June Wrap Up (2019)

So far this month I've really hit my stride reading. It has been a long time since I devoured so many book so quickly and it felt good to be anxious to read. I've done a lot of rereading so far in June and I'm trying to catch up on my reading goal. I've fallen behind a little, but I'm not stressed yet! (or at least not super stressed) 

I'm honestly really mad that I haven't read as many books from the library as I wanted to. I borrowed a bunch of graphic novels at the end of May and I just didn't touch them. I was so excited that the last six Batman comics in the New 52 comics were available when I borrowed them. Even so, I didn't get around to them because I was so focused on the books I was reading. 

June has been another month where I can't balance my time. I'm trying to listen to podcasts, watch youtube and read all at the same time. While I'm typing this I have the baseball game on and I have a comic open on the bed. Multitasking just isn't my strong suit. 

Books Mentioned:

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

Competence by Gail Carriger