Between the Sea and Sky

***

3 Stars/5

All Esmerine, a mermaid, wants to do is to become a Siren and work with her sister, Dosinia. When Dosinia is believed trapped on the land by a human, Esmerine decides to rescue her, but changing her tail into legs means that every step is painful. In the capital city Esmerine meets a friend who she has not seen for years Alander who belongs to a winged race of people called Fandarsee, and together they search for Dosinia. As they get closer to Dosinia there rekindle their friendship but is it able to develop into more with them being from different worlds.

Between the Sea and Sky is an enjoyable, sweet fantasy novel with a fairytale feel to it. It is a bit slow paced and while it is predictable it is a nice romantic book.

Esmerine is a sweet and naïve girl but she never gives up and a likeable character. Alan is distant and cold to begin with but he does get better but I still struggled to connect with his character.

Between the Sea and Sky is a cute book and I would recommend it to people who enjoy light fantasy novels and the other book by Jaclyn Dolamore.

My Soul Immortal

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to Jen Printy and Red Adapt Publishing for giving me this book to review.

Jack is always moving from one place to another because he does not die or age. When Jack moves to Portland, he meets Leah, the spitting image of the girl he loved who died over a century ago. As Jack begins to obsess about Leah, he also starts to question his sanity. When he is approached by the mysterious Artagan who claims to have information about what Jack is. As Jack and Leah grow closer, Jack realises he is putting her life in danger and will do anything to protect her and her soul.

My Soul Immortal is an enjoyable YA paranormal romance, which is romantic, mysterious and reminds me a bit of the TV programme Forever. It is interesting to have a paranormal romance novel to have to POV from a man, however, it came across to me that Printy did not fully research Britain, for example, while I am not a fan of cricket, I am fairly sure that you don’t score in it and the fans don’t wear jerseys.

Jack grew on me during this book, as in the beginning I could not connect to him but as I got to know him better I found him interesting, protective and caring, however, I felt he acted more like the age he looked than the age he actually was. I liked Leah as she is nice and kind although I felt she was a bit too perfect. Although I felt that I could not trust Artagan he was the most interesting person in the book.

This book ends on a bit of a cliff hanger and I hope there is another book in this series. I recommend My Soul Immortal to fans of Grasping at Eternity by Karen Amanda Hooper.

Raven

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and AltWit Press for giving me this book to review.

Raven was trained by her father to be a Reaper; a bodyguard/assassin, who believe that for every life they take, they have to save another. Since her father died, she has spent years redeeming lives so that she can settle down and marry the man she loves. But when she saves Darius, the young Baron of New Hope, from drowning she is drawn into a mission she cannot refuse. She must find the Wood Witch to stop the fits Darius has or his father will kill him as he fears Darius is possessed, however they are being pursued by the determined Captain Jack and another reaper who is very deadly under the orders of Darius’s father.

Raven is a very good YA steampunk/fantasy novel which is very well written and descriptive. It was a bit slow to start but really picked up after that and has lots of action and suspense in it.

Raven is a very tough girl but also has her vulnerabilities which she worked though during the book. I really like Jack as he is loyal but also knows what is right and wrong, and I really liked that he did not try and prove he was a better fighter than Raven, which is unusual in most books. I also really liked Darius and I am glad he is not as spoiled as he could have been, however, I knew who Monroe was as soon as I met him.

Even though the ending was a bit rushed, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next book about Darius. I would recommend Raven to fans of Throne of Glass and Nihal.

Abhorsen

***

3 Stars/5

Lirael has just discovered that she is the Abhorsen in waiting and with her sister in Ancelstierre it is up to her, along with Prince Sameth, The Disreputable Dog and Mogget, to stop The Destroyer from returning. They have to stop Sam’s best friend, Nick who is unknowingly helping the Necromancer Hedge free The Destroyer. With Lirael having a heavy burden with only the help of a single vision to guide her, they must travel far in both life and death to stop The Destroyer before it is too late.

Abhorsen is the good third book in the YA fantasy series the Old Kingdom and better than the previous book, Lirael. It has action and unique magic but still think this book and the previous book should have been combined into one book with less filler.

Lirael is stronger in this book now that she has found her true purpose but I still do not like her as a character compared to Sabriel. I liked Sam more in this book but this book did focus more on Lirael than him.

I enjoyed this book more than the previous book but I hope Clariel, is more like Sabriel than these two books. I would recommend Abhorsen to people who enjoyed Sabriel.  

Lirael

**

2 Stars/5

Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr, as she is long past the age where she should have gained the sight.  She becomes a librarian, which has given her a purpose, learning charter magic and, with the help of the Disreputable Dog, stopping and destroying the evil in the library. At the same time, across the wall, in Ancelstierre, Prince Sameth is attacked by a powerful Necromancer. When he returns to the Old Kingdom, this experience has emotionally scarred him and is afraid to learn to be an Abhorsen, like his mother. Unknown to Lirael and Sam, their destiny’s are tied together as evil forces are growing on both sides of the wall.

Lirael is the second book in the Old Kingdom series, however, I did not enjoy it as much as Sabriel. Not much happens in this book, and I feel that this book and Abhorsen should have been merged into one.

 Lirael is full of self-pity and an annoying character as she thinks she is worthless and ugly while is actually powerful and attractive. Sam was not much better as, while I understand he was traumatised, he came across as an angst-filled teenager not a prince who is responsible for his people.

Lirael felt like an introduction for Abhorsen and I would recommend it if you want to read the next book. 

Sabriel

***

3 Stars/5

Spending almost all her life in a boarding school in Ancelstierre, Sabriel has little experience of the Old Kingdom and its magic. After her father the Abhorsen, a person who binds the dead and makes sure they stay dead, goes missing she must enter the Old Kingdom, with her limited knowledge, she finds help in Mogget, a mysterious magic spirit cat, and Touchstone, a young charter mage who has been trapped as a figurehead for decades. With threats mounting on all sides, will Sabriel be able to save her father, who is trapped in death, and stop the evil Kerrigor.

Sabriel is an enjoyable epic fantasy adventure with unique magic and an intriguing concept but an underdeveloped romance. While I never got bored I wish it was faster paced as it was a bit slow, and it was not as good as I remembered when I first read it when I was younger.

Sabriel is a likable, independent and mature teen who is not perfect, as she makes mistakes, but she learns from them. While I liked Touchstone I did not feel like we got to know him that well, but he was nice and brave. However, my favourite character is Mogget as he was funny and sarcastic.

Sabriel is a good and unique fantasy story and I would recommend to fans of the Healer series by Maria V Snyder and The Seven Kingdoms by Harry G Sherwin.

Doctor Mars

***

3 Stars/5

Thanks to T A Uner for giving me this book to review.

In the early 22^nd century, Mars has been terraformed and is inhabited by humans. Liberty Rise is a gifted mutant, who is a member of the Mars Colonial Police Force, and uses her power to manipulate time, to help solve crimes. When a murder investigation involves the scientist Dr Hitzig, it threatens the safety of not just Liberty but all of Mars.

Doctor Mars is an enjoyable sci-fi/paranormal crime novella which has action and a bit of romance. It is fast paced which makes the book seem even shorter but it has a unique concept and a good setting.

All of the characters are strong, distinctive and interesting including the bad guys. Liberty is a very strong female character who is resilient and intelligent and I look forward to seeing more of her.

The ending had something I did not expect and this novella is an enjoyable introduction to the series and I look forward to reading the next book. I would recommend to fans of sci-fi crime short stories. 

Follow me Through Darkness

*

1 Star/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Spencer Hill Press for giving me this book to review.

Less than a year ago Neely Ambrose believed in the elders and her only worry was that she does not have the freedom to do want she wants. Then she discovers the elders plans and that her whole life has been manufactured. Now Neely is on the run in the dangerous wasteland and has 40 days to find out the truth and to save everyone she knows and loves.

Follow me Through Darkness is a young adult dystopia but I could not get into it. I was confused all the time during this book, as the main character already knew what was happening but us, the readers, were not told and I did not like it so I stopped reading it.

I could not connect with Neely but she seemed a nice enough character. Thorne did not interest me much especially as I was really confused by the twin thing. The only person who truly interested me was Xenith but he was not in it that much.

Unfortunately I could not get into Follow me Through Darkness. 

Broken Promise

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Jen Wylie for giving me this book to review.

After delivering the Prince to his home, Aro and her boys need to recover from this last year. They decide to stay in the city of Westport for the winter, to figure out what to do next, and to discover what happened to Aro’s brothers. However, not everything goes to plan as the Were King is displeased with the group’s disregard of Were law, and the Elves are displeased with the change in the Prince and use his only weakness, Aro, against him. Aro is forced to rely on a new ally, the ruthless pirate, Roan, with secrets and an agenda of his own, should Aro really trust him?

Broken Promise is the really enjoyable third book in the Broken Ones series. It is slower paced than the first two book, especially the first half. The second half is better as it is action packed and has bits of romance.

Aro has been though an awful lot in the last two books and I am glad she got a bit of a break in this book, even though I did get a bit bored of her moping after the Prince, but there are lots of people after her either to kill or use her. Kei and Prince are not in this book as much as I would have liked and I did miss them, but there was an interesting new character, Roan, as I never knew what he was thinking or what he was going to do next.

I really liked this book and am looking forward to the next book in the Broken Ones series. I would recommend Broken Promise to fans of Jen Wylie, especially those whose who enjoyed the first two books in this series, Broken Aro and Broken Prince. 

Collision

****

4 Stars/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Baen Books for giving me this book to review.

After Sera gives up her angelhood in return for John Murdock’s life, she is heartbroken to discover that he has lost all memory of her, his powers, and the Thulian invasion of Earth. Bella is still trying to come to terms with being the official leader of Echo, and Victrix is dealing with Overwatch now being an official part of Echo. How will all of them cope with their altered roles in post Invasion Atlanta?

I really enjoyed Collision; but whilst it was quite slow paced at the beginning, it more than made up for that with the end battle. However, the battle scenes took up an immense amount of the book which left less time for us to follow the characters.

I liked Sera in this book, as she is more human, and you can feel her pain at losing all that she had known, including John.  I really felt for Victrix throughout the whole series, as she has overcome extreme adversity, and still suffers emotionally whilst still coming through for Echo and the CCCP. I did feel that this book focused on John and Sera’s problems to the detriment of other story lines, and would have liked to see more of the underlying CCCP, and Verdigris arcs be shown.

I really liked Collision and would recommend this series to readers of other Mercedes Lackey and Cody Martin books.