Mini-Reviews #1

Mini-Reviews #1

Hi there, Guiders! How are you this fine day? As per usual I had (well, still have actually) a huge number of arcs that needed to be read and then reviewed (why is it always the arcs?) and I decided to post a whole bunch of mini-reviews – which I realised while writing these that’s it so nicer to write the small reviews? Fewer words to write, which is great when you’ve read the arc a few months back and all you’ve got to go on is about 5 or something notes you made on Kindle and maybe 2 lines on a Notepad app about how you liked the characters- with no reasons why either. Which, for some reason, is basically the only way I write reviews – someone please stop me.

 

The Disappearance

Gillian Chan

Stars: 4

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from Netgalley and Annick Press in exchange for a free and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I started The Disappearance thinking it was just a contemporary about a male teen who found it difficult to communicate with anyone finds a home and friends in a group home. And then I read it, and suddenly there was this aspect of the paranormal and I was hooked more than what I was before (I also didn’t read the synopsis so that’s why the paranormal aspect was a surprise to me).

Mike, the main character, was my favourite and I loved him for having a hard exterior but being soft inside. I also liked how Mike didn’t see himself as much of a hero, but rather saw himself as a neutral party, someone who’s just trying to get by. And it’s not just Mike who becomes a better character, it’s also the others – Jacob, Adam, and even Paddy, to an extent.

The book opened at the end, which is something I definitely liked – being able to read what happens at the end, then reading the entire story in order to see how and why the end matches up/links back to the beginning.

 

The Cauldron Stirred

Judith Stirling

Stars: 3

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from Netgalley and The Wild Rose Press, Inc  in exchange for my free and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was an average read for the most part. I really liked the plot and setting and I felt like I was there, alongside the characters – which is why I flock to fantasy – because I like to feel like I’m there. The plot was well-written – I liked the mystery aspect and I definitely enjoyed the paranormal aspects.

I didn’t connect with the characters. I thought them a bit boring – which is a bit weird in fantasy as there’s so much room to play and you could dress them up any which way – and they were a bit unrealistic.

But all in all, this was a quick enjoyable read, definitely something to be read in an afternoon.

 

Four (#2)

Archer Kay Leah

Stars: 4

I received this e-arc through Less Than Three Press in exchange for my free and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Note that even though this is the second book in a series, it can be read as a standalone.

This (Four) was Mayr’s book, which I was excited for as I loved him in A Question of Counsel. I loved Tash (aka Halataldris – still trying to figure out how the author got Tash from that mouthful, but it’s probably the same as getting Dick from Richard). He (Tash) was a good love interest and he and Mayr balanced each other out.

Something that annoys me when I read a fantasy romance book is that the pacing and flow of the story is nearly always sped up due to the romance aspect, and when you speed up the pacing and flow of a fantasy book, the plot tends to unravel and even move away from what the original plot was meant to be. This did not happen in Four. The romance and fantasy worked together to ensure that neither plot nor romance was lost.

I loved this book and will definitely read it again in the future, or even manage a series reread when the fourth book comes out (I saw it on Netgalley and am itching to request it).

 

Blood Borne (#3)

Archer Kay Leah

Stars: 3

I received this e-arc through Less Than Three Press and Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Note that even though this is the third book in a series, it can be read as a standalone.

I like how each book expands on the world and how different characters see/experience it based on their religion or stature/class. I mean, yes, it’s the same world, but through a different character’s eyes, which basically gives the readers a chance to enter the world again.

The author incorporates the Goddess concept and characters who are Goddess touched into the story in such a way that you can’t help but get engrossed (as I love magic).

As for the two main characters, Adren and Ress, they were interesting, mostly because it took me longer to like them than in the other two books (A Question of Counsel – Aeley and Lira; Four – Tash and Mayr). They’re (Adren and Ress) not badly written, I think I just didn’t like their personalities until they proved themselves to me.

 

So Long and Thanks For All The Fish!

Disclaimer: The photo is mine. Four of the links are to the books’ respective Goodreads page. The other link is to my review of the first book in the The Republic series.