Book review: “Fault Tolerance” (Chilling Effect #3) by Valerie Valdes

Number of stars: 4 out of 5

Genre: Space opera, Humor, LGBTQ+

Edition: Paperback

Synopsis taken from back book cover:

Nothing wrecks Captain Eva Innocente’s vacation plans quite like an anonymous threat to vaporize billions of people. Hundreds of monoliths have suddenly materialized in space, broadcasting the same looped message: surrender or be exterminated. Is the universe being epically spammed?

Surrender to whom? Exterminated when? And how is Eva, commander of a beat-up cargo ship, supposed to prevent it? As panic spreads, a mystery message sends Eva to find answers in a system that hasn’t been explored in all of recorded history.

With the crew of La Sirena Negra, a score of psychic cats, a feline-phobic robot, and a superweapon she has no clue how to use, Eva prepares to battle the unknown. But first, she has to defeat the known: mercenary Tito Santiago, whose idea of a clean fight is a shower before kill time. His mission is to ensure Eva doesn’t succeed at hers.

If anything goes wrong, the universe is doomed. But if everything goes according to Eva’s plans—wait, when does that ever happen?

My review:

Yes, the whole book read like one repetitive scene “we’ll go in, kick all the a** and get out with some injuries, and we’ll do it all over again” but I am a fan of the crew and the dysfunctional sort of family they are at this point, so I rolled with it.

The ending was neatly wrapped up in a bow, but still left some room for a possible 4th book. Either way, if this ends up being just a trilogy I’m perfectly happy with that ending.

I loved the fast pace, the descriptions of the Proarkhe, and the 3 mechs. Tons of fun and laughs to be had here.

My biggest complaint, which I pushed past in Book 1, again in Book 2, but in Book 3 it really started to get frustrating/distracting as a non-Spanish speaking reader – there are so many Spanish phrases and even whole sentences in “Chilling Effect” that are not translated at all. One needs to Google what it means or just keep skimming past them and trying to guess what was perhaps said from context. And yes, while I realize from context alone that 80% of the Spanish is probably swear words, that other 20% is something I’d actually really like to know, like Eva’s endearing nicknames for Sue, Eva’s conversations with her mother Regina or sister Mari… it was very disappointing that Valdes just threw so much Spanish in without translating or putting a glossary in the back of ANY of her books. She just expected her readers to deal with it.

I know I’m probably just being a grouch about this, but seriously. I’ve enjoyed books by other authors before where other languages are inserted excellently and there is even terms explained near the back. Take Mia P. Manansala’s “Arsenic and Adobo”. She explained everything, because there were so many Filipino references, slang, and terms. Made for a much more enjoyable reading experience.

Those are my thoughts though! I would still recommend this series, especially as a fluffy, feel-good break from more serious science fiction or space opera.

-Rlygirl

Book review: Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson #2) by Patricia Briggs

Number of stars: 2 out of 5

Genre: Urban fantasy, Paranormal fantasy,

Edition: E-book

Synopsis:

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places – and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary – and neither is the demon inside of him.

My review:

Quite a lot of cheese in this 2nd installment of the series. And unnecessary drama.

Another reviewer I admire here on Goodreads put my feelings into words quite well when they said this book did not pass the Bechdel test. Agreed.

Mercy seems very confused as to what she wants and her whole “I’m a independent woman and I don’t like to be controlled by anyone” message gets lost every time she has an idea but then backpedals and ends up giving in to a man.

Also the trope Everyone For Some Odd Reason is in Love with the Heroine is dominant in this book. We already have an annoying and rather lukewarm love triangle between Mercy and two main werewolves, but now a 3rd character ends up kissing her “passionately” in an awkward scene?

It just reads very weird… I’m not feeling the romance or any excitement. Things are happening TO Mercy, not the other way around.

Hum. Just something to think about.

Book review: “Moon Called” (Mercy Thompson #1) by Patricia Briggs

Number of stars: 3 out of 5

Genre: Urban fantasy, paranormal, fiction

Edition: E-book

Synopsis taken from Barnes & Noble e-book:

Mercy Thompson is a shapeshifter, and while she was raised by werewolves, she can never be one of them, especially after the pack ran her off for having a forbidden love affair. So she’s turned her talent for fixing cars into a business and now runs a one-woman mechanic shop in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State.

But Mercy’s two worlds are colliding. A half-starved teenage boy arrives at her shop looking for work, only to reveal that he’s a newly changed werewolf—on the run and desperately trying to control his animal instincts. Mercy asks her neighbor Adam Hauptman, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack, for assistance.

But Mercy’s act of kindness has unexpected consequences that leave her no choice but to seek help from those she once considered family—the werewolves who abandoned her…

My review:

Hum… 2 or 3 stars?

I really liked most of this book, but there were a few cringe-worthy moments and frustrations that kept me from rating this book any higher.

Now, I have to say at the time of this review I’ve only dipped my toes into the urban fantasy genre, and I find myself comparing “Moon Called” with another series when it comes to werewolf packs, sassy heroines, and world building – that series rhymes with “Tate Saniels”. Ok? So maybe that’s some of my problem. Take my review with a grain of salt. These series are different from each other but there are certain things Andrews did SO much better.

Briggs introduces us to her characters and world in an easy-going way that I found enjoyable, especially for an urban fantasy. Normally we get thrown into a semi-grimdark world full of violence and while this book starts with a troubled teenager and yes, some violence, the way Mercy handles the situations thrown at her were actually very smart, imo. She’s not “too stupid to live”. She actually picks up the phone and calls for backup when she realizes she’s in way over her head, which I found very refreshing.

Now I’m going to complain for a bit, so if you’re a super fan of this series feel free to glaze over this paragraph. Why did so much of this book have to take place in a van? I was getting pretty cooped up as a reader. Even glanced at my tablet’s percentage mark and at 68% in the e-book version I was reading Mercy was STILL hitting the highway in that van trying to solve the mystery. C’mon already. It really dragged the pace of the book down. 2nd complaint: the message “Woman is weak, even if said woman is actually a shape shifter and therefore already more unique than the average human woman, she still can’t be trusted to help out and men need to tell her to Sit, Stay” hit the reader over the head pretty regularly. Drove me bonkers.

The romance. While it’s supposed to be sweet, it is unbelievable in my opinion. The way Mercy is treated by (view spoiler) isn’t romantic. It is creepy. His favorite romantic display is to pat Mercy on the head when she’s sitting, kneeling, feeling ill and to me that’s not romantic. That’s a fatherly gesture at best and possessively disgusting at worst. Nope. Not feeling the romance there at all. I’d rather read the irritatingly slow-burn between Curran and Kate (Ilona Andrews’ series) that took 3 books of teasing before those two character addressed it than read about Mercy with (view spoiler) She could do better.

Despite all that, I feel it’s something of a trend that the 1st book of a new series is expected to meander drunkenly or even fall on its face a bit, so I will read the next book in the series to see if it gets better.

Until the next review!

-Rly

Book review: “The Hanging City” by Charlie N. Holmberg

Number of stars: 2 of 5 (I want to give it 2.5 but I have to round up or down)

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Edition: Hardcover

Synopsis taken from author’s website:

Seven years on the run from her abusive father, and with no hope of sanctuary among the dwindling pockets of human civilization, Lark is out of options. Her only leverage is a cursed power: she can thrust fear onto others, leaving all threats fleeing in terror. It’s a means of survival as she searches for a place to call home. If the campfire myths of her childhood are true, Lark’s sole chance for refuge could lie in Cagmar, the city of trolls—a brutal species and the sworn enemies of humanity.

Valuing combat prowess, the troll high council is intrigued. Lark could be much more useful than the low-caste humans who merely labor in Cagmar. Her gift makes her invaluable as a monster slayer to fight off the unspeakable creatures that torment the trolls’ hanging city, suspended from a bridge over an endless dark canyon.

Lark will do anything to make Cagmar her home, but her new role comes with a caveat: use her power against a troll, and she’ll be killed. Her loyalty is quickly put to the test when she draws the hatred of a powerful troll who loathes humankind. Still, she finds unexpected friendship in the city and, even more surprisingly, love. But if everything else doesn’t undo her, being caught in the arms of a troll surely will. Now in the fight of her life, Lark has a lot to learn—about her past, about trust and hope when all seems lost, and above all, about the extraordinary power of fear itself.

My review:

Hum. Not sure how to start this review.
I’ll just say for me personally, this was a passable romantic fantasy.

But nothing new. I’m raking my brain trying to think of something positive to say at this point.
There was the “special, gifted human holds a dark secret” trope, the “forbidden love” trope, the “outcast saves the day at the end” trope. The story moved along at a good pace, but it wasn’t a story I haven’t heard before. No exciting plots twists. All the pivotal moments I could see coming from a mile away. There were no pleasant surprises. None.

I guess pick up this book if you want a relaxed, quick read but don’t go into it with high expectations?

I’ve read Holmberg’s books before, my favorites of her works being “The Paper Magician” series. Now that was an exciting series with new concepts.

“The Hanging City” didn’t do it for me or sparked any memorable emotions.

Good luck reading!

-Rlygirl

Book review: The Left-Handed Booksellers of London (#1 in the Left-Handed Booksellers of London Series ) by Garth Nix

Number of stars: A well-deserved 4 out of 5

Genre: Urban Fantasy, British humor, Magic, Books about books

Edition: Hardcover

Synopsis taken from author’s website:

In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn’t get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.

Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones), who with the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), are an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.

Susan’s search for her father begins with her mother’s possibly misremembered or misspelt surnames, a reading room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.

Merlin has a quest of his own, to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan’s. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.

My review:

That was excellent! Loved the quirky characters, dry British humor, and excellent descriptions.

Some chapters get a little gory to be considered YA for me personally; I had to give a family member who was thinking of reading this a content warning (Chapter 13 battle scene especially) but for the most part this book is full of adventurous nerds and the lines between reality and “other” are blurred.

Enjoyable read. And I wish Merlin was a real person so I could be their friend!
Looking forward to the next one!

-RLY

Book review: Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling

Number of stars: 3.5 out of 5

Genre: Dystopian, Fiction, Mystery

Edition: Hardcover

Synopsis taken from publisher’s (Simon & Schuster) website:

In a near-future northern settlement, the fates of a young woman, a professor, and a mysterious collective of researchers collide in this mesmerizing and transportive debut that “delivers its big ideas with suspense, endlessly surprising twists, and abundant heart” (Jessamine Chan, New York Times bestselling author).

In remote northern Canada, a team led by a visionary American architect is break­ing ground on a building project called Camp Zero, intended to be the beginning of a new way of life. A clever and determined young woman code-named Rose is offered a chance to join the Blooms, a group hired to entertain the men in camp—but her real mission is to secretly monitor the mercurial architect in charge. In return, she’ll receive a home for her climate-displaced Korean immigrant mother and herself.

Rose quickly secures the trust of her target, only to discover that everyone has a hidden agenda, and nothing is as it seems. Through skill­fully braided perspectives, including those of a young professor longing to escape his wealthy family and an all-woman military research unit struggling for survival at a climate station, the fate of Camp Zero’s inhabitants reaches a stunning crescendo.

Atmospheric, fiercely original, and utterly gripping, Camp Zero is an electrifying page-turner and a masterful exploration of who and what will survive in a warming world, and how falling in love and building community can be the most daring acts of all.

My review:

That was…weird. I waffled between 3 and 4 stars, because the story was good, gripping, and very dystopian, but it got rather crazy and downright gory near the end. Glad I wasn’t eating at the time!

The first half of the book meanders. I was feeling skeptical that something was really “wrong” in the camp – just wasn’t feeling those vibes through the characters, until the 2nd half of the book kicked in and then I understood “oh yes, these people running the camp and White Alice are honestly crazy. Agreed.”

Not sure how to categorize the book. A little suspenseful? Hardcore survival? Dark? Twisted? Those words all apply, I think. A good read, but be warned and expect some blood and gore near the end.

Happy reading!

-Rlygirl

Book review: A Sinister Revenge (Veronica Speedwell #8) by Deanna Raybourn

Number of Stars: 3 out of 5

Genre: Mystery, Romance, Victorian era, Historical fiction

Edition: Hardcover

Synopsis taken from book jacket:

Veronica must find and stop a devious killer when a group of old friends is targeted for death in this new adventure from the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

September 1889. Veronica’s natural-historian beau, Stoker, has been languishing in Bavaria for months, and their relationship is at an impasse. But when Veronica appears with his brother Tiberius in tow, Stoker is coaxed back home by an intriguing job offer: preparing a Megalosaurus for a very special dinner party.

Tiberius has received a cryptic message—along with the obituaries of two recently deceased members of his old group of friends, the Seven Sinners—that he too should get his affairs in order. Realizing he is in grave danger but not knowing why, he plans a reunion party for the remaining Sinners at his family estate to lure the killer out while Veronica and Stoker investigate.

As the guests arrive and settle in, the evening’s festivities turn deadly. More clues come to light, leading Veronica, Stoker, and Tiberius to uncover a shared past among the Sinners that has led to the fatal present. But the truth might be far more sinister than what they were prepared for.

My review:

Normally I give Veronica Speedwell books 5 stars. Big fan and all of that. However, this book rubbed me the wrong way. The beginning started off cringe-worthy but the good news is it got better the closer we barreled towards the end!

Luckily, the main mystery plot itself was strong. I knew near the beginning of the book that Veronica would win her bet with the Templeton-Vane brothers and that (spoiler – Goodreads link HERE if you want to read it!) since Veronica IS our protagonist and she should naturally get her way. I’m glad there were a few “red herrings” and the mystery wasn’t boring.
I also enjoyed the reappearance of sassy J.J. and fabulous chef Julien, beloved characters from past books.

The part I immensely disliked and which this review suffered a couple stars for? I did not appreciate the not-communicating trope and “withholding sex and romance until I bring my man to heel” type messages in this particular series installment. That attitude does not a healthy relationship make and it irks me.

Happy reading!

Book review: “Spin the Dawn” (The Blood of the Stars #1) by Elizabeth Lim

Number of stars: 2 of 5

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Magic, Romance, Asian Literature

Edition: Hardcover

Synopsis taken from book jacket:

A gifted tailor in disguise. Three legendary dresses. The competition of a lifetime.

On the fringes of the Great Spice Road Maia Tamarin works as a seamstress in the shop of her father, once a tailor of renown. She dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father to court, Maia poses as his son and travels to the Summer Palace in his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she’ll take that risk to save her family from ruin and achieve her dream of becoming the imperial tailor. There’s just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.

The competition is cutthroat, and Maia’s job is further complicated by the unwelcome attention of the court enchanter, Edan, who seems to see straight through her disguise.

But nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three gowns so dangerously beautiful, it will take a quest to the ends of the earth to complete them.

My review:

I don’t know about everyone else, but often times when a publisher plugs a book as “X meets X” from pop culture such as “Spin the Dawn” being advertised as “Project Runway meets Mulan” I immediately go into the first chapter skeptical. There’s me reading with a monocle and furrowed brow peering at the pages with my most critical eye like “Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight, publisher. Allow me to prove you wrong.”

However, the good news was that this book WAS very much like the love child of Project Runway and Mulan! In both the best and worst ways. Fashion, stubborn protagonist, old fathers, demanding emperors, and drama included.

Now the bad news. I waffled between giving this book 2 or 3 stars. The first portion was amazing! Totally gobbled it up. All about the Imperial tailor competition and how our protagonist Maia overcame and made gorgeous clothing despite the high stakes, secrets, palace drama and other tailors bullying her.
There was even a nod to Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn’s “unconventional materials” challenge which had me snickering, in which Maia persevered by making a pair of slippers out of hammered glass shards.

But that 2nd half. Sheesh. It started going downhill in Part 2, or Chapter 17. Maia has to go on a D&D type quest to retrieve rare materials and of course I could see it coming from a mile away that she’d fall in love with her travel companion, tall dark and wizardly Enchanter Eden along the way. No surprises there. There’s the first eye roll.
Second eye roll: I’m all for character arcs, but ouch, why did Maia’s have to take such a severe nose dive? Suddenly our protagonist goes from being a fierce girl trying to survive in a man’s world to barely being able to do anything or save herself without her man Eden saving her. She begins to make one too-stupid-to-live decision after another until I began to gag. Seriously! I wish I could be more kind, but it’s absolutely true. Ghosts and demons chasing her? Eden says “don’t look at them? Don’t touch them?” What does Maia do? Looks at them and touches them. (Smack my head).
Third eye roll. The book ended on a pile of lies. I’m just over it. Maia makes some deals with goddesses and demons and then decides to lie to the man she supposedly loves about it so that he’ll leave on yet another D&D quest without her and think that everything’s fine. WTF? Why do authors pull that s***? That is like my most hated trope. When characters lie to each other under the “guise” of love to advance and complicate the plot.

I don’t know if I want to read the next book at this point. Thanks for listening!

Rly

DNF (did not finish) and here’s why. Q&A for “Flicker” (Ember In Space series #1) by Rebecca Rode

Book synopsis from Goodreads:

Getting sold to the empire was never part of the plan.

Ember lives two very different lives. By day she’s a mysterious Roma future-teller, and by night she struggles to care for her sick father. All she wants is the power to control her own life–no arranged marriage, no more poverty. Her future-reading talent is what will get her there.

But when the Empire discovers her gift, Ember’s life changes forever.

Ember soon finds her innocent talent is far more dangerous than she believed. The Empire wants to turn her into a deadly weapon. But Ember has plans of her own, and they don’t include living under the Empire’s control.

Because even the best weapons can backfire.

DNF at 68% or Chapter 22

It’s difficult to not finish a book; but the fact is I have a massive pile of books on my TBR list and only one life to live and read them all, so some are inevitably going to end up on the chopping block.
That being said, I’d like to share a few reasons for why I stopped reading, and I’m adopting a quick Q&A borrowed from WordPress blogger Niki at “The Obsessive Bookseller” https://nikihawkes.com/ who also borrowed it from Nikki at “There Were Books Involved”, with permissions.

Did you really give “Flicker” a chance?

Yes, I wasn’t enjoying the book when I started it last summer (2022) and put it down for a bit. Made it to the 68% mark.

Have you enjoyed other books in the same genre?

Sci-fi, space adventures, heroines with cool powers? Yes!

Did you have certain expectations before starting it?

I thought I was in for a Veronica Roth “Divergent” type read but set in space instead.

What ultimately made you stop reading?

Fed up! I can’t keep reading this book. It feels like a chore.

First of all the book’s synopsis talked about a girl living 2 lives. I really wanted more of that fortune-telling part, but we get treated to one small scene at the start of the book before main character Ember gets captured and then immediately drafted in the big bad government’s program of mind reading/manipulation. Does she handle this well? No. Of course not. You’d think she’d try everything in her power to escape and get back to her father, right? NO. Instead we get the trope of “girl from no-where, basically a peasant falls for the hottest star boy in class whom all the other girls in class are in love with too”. And star boy ignores all other girls and falls in love with peasant girl back. Cue jealous classmates and awkward “oh star boy, why do you like me? I’m nobody. I’m so surprised” romance scenes. Ugh. Why?

Is there anything you liked about “Flicker”?

The beginning. I liked the fortune-telling tent! Maybe I should just go find a fortune-telling book instead.

So you DNFed the book. Would you still recommend it?

I wouldn’t recommend this unless you want a quick, mellow girl-bumbling-around-in-space read.

Thanks for listening!

Rlygirl

Book review: “This is All Your Fault” by Aminah Mae Safi

Number of stars: 2 out of 5

Genre: YA, Books about books, LGBTQ+

Edition: Ebook

Synopsis taken from author’s website:

Set over the course of one day, Aminah Mae Safi’s This Is All Your Fault is a smart and voice-driven YA novel that follows three young women determined to save their indie bookstore.

Rinn Olivera is finally going to tell her longtime crush AJ that she’s in love with him.

Daniella Korres writes poetry for her own account, but nobody knows it’s her.

Imogen Azar is just trying to make it through the day.

When Rinn, Daniella and Imogen clock into work at Wild Nights Bookstore on the first day of summer, they’re expecting the hours to drift by the way they always do. Instead, they have to deal with the news that the bookstore is closing. Before the day is out, there’ll be shaved heads, a diva author and a very large shipment of Air Jordans to contend with.

It will take all three of them working together if they have any chance to save Wild Nights Bookstore.

My review:

I picked up this book because it was about girls saving a bookstore, and who doesn’t like that? However, I got board halfway through and put it down for awhile. The ideas were great, but I feel like Safi did a lot of “telling” and this is perhaps what made me lose interest.

The book read more like a game plan with the characters talking through their plans for chapters at a time and then running into the breakroom to go over the plan again… they even had a “Break!” moment.

I just wasn’t invested. I couldn’t connect with the cast of young people or their romances; I didn’t get any “feels”!

Happy reading,

Rlygirl