All posts by skyebjenner

The Becoming by Jeanne C. Stein

April 11, 2020Book ReviewAnna Strong Chronicles, Jeanne C. Stein, Strong Women, Urban Fantasy, Vampiresskyebjenner

Image result for book cover the becoming jeanne c stein

Title: The Becoming
Author: Jeanne C. Stein
Series: Anna Strong Chronicles #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Strong women, Urban fantasy, Vampires
Dates read: 1st – 8th March 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: I replace the receiver, frowning at both the implication and infelction of his tone.

My name is Anna Strong. I am a vampire. How I became one is the reason for this story. I tell it the way it happened. It may not be what you expect.

She’s a bounty hunter – tought beautiful, and trained for the unexpected. Until the night she’s attacked and left closer to death than she can imagine. She awakens to an indoctrination into a dark new world where vampires walk among us. But this time, a tight grip on a .38 won’t stop what she’s hunting for.

Existing between the worlds of the living and the dead, Anna is torn by her love for two very different men. Max, a DEA agent, all too human, and vulnerable. And Avery, a Night Watcher who’s joined Anna in pursuit of the rogue vampire who changed her life that terrifying night. Now, as her two worlds collide, fate plunges Anna into the ultimate battle between good and evil where survival is not just for the living…

I quite enjoyed this novel. It wasn’t one that made me stop in my tracks and need to just stick my nose as far into it as I could. But it was one that I enjoyed. After I got past the very first opening scenes – rape is just not something that I enjoy reading about. Even if it was brushed over pretty quickly. It just made for an uncomfortable beginning to the story. One that did make me pause in my reading for quite a while.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Stein’s writing and world building was her subtly different take on vampires. It’s nothing outrageous such as other vampire stories I’ve read. But their gradual change, their ability to walk in the sunlight. I kind of liked the differentiation. I also liked that most of the rules of her vampire world are still not quite explained in this story… it’s all written as Anna discovers who and what she is… and then you find out that she’s being lied to a fair bit.

I was expecting a bit of a twist toward the end of the story – there were a few too many hints at the secrets being hidden throughout. Yet, even when I found out what it was, I was kind of thrown. In the best way possible. I only had an inkling of the villain and the true story just before Anna herself realises. It made it so much more intriguing, sweeter and fun.

This is a great first story. It’s about becoming a vampire and being thrust into a new world. But it barely even scratches the surface of the life Anna is about to embark on. One that I’m looking forward to reading more about. One that I can’t wait to read more about… if I can just find where I put Blood Drive in my piles of books that I want to read.

<- Anna and the Vampire Prince

Blood Drive ->

Image source: Goodreads

In the Season of Rains by Ellen Steiber

April 10, 2020Book ReviewEllen Steiber, Fantasy, Lust, Sirens and Other Daemon Loversskyebjenner

Image result for sirens and other daemon lovers book cover

Title: In the Season of Rains
Author: Ellen Steiber
In: Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Fantasy, Lust
Dates read: 8th March 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: EOS
Year: 1998
5th sentence, 74th page: She reached a hand toward him and the scent of the datura became stronger.

Enrique has always pushed women away. Always kept himself in control of the relationship. Until one dark night when the rain is thundering down on his garden… then everything changes.

This short story had a great… quality about it. There was the sense of another (non-Anglo Saxon) culture about it. Although, it was a little vague on exactly which culture was inspiring the mythical woman in this story. I also loved the imagery of the garden and the rain. There is nothing like having a beautiful garden. And the sound and scent of rain surrounding it? Also stunningly beautiful. It worked well with a random, half-dressed woman strolling through the plants.

I felt like I should have had a little more sympathy for Enrique. But, honestly, I felt like he kind of got his comeuppance. He constantly wanted to show that he was less caring than the women he bought home. So he kind of got his poetic justice for using people. Fine, he did tell them that he wasn’t into commitment… but honestly, that’s just a kind of insane way to approach any kind of intimacy.

Although this story had a slightly dark feel to it, it also had me smiling all throughout. Probably because I really appreciated the poetic justice in it. There was just something refreshing and enjoyable about the whole story. Kind of like standing in the garden after a fresh rain.

<- Attachments

Bird Count ->

Image source: Goodreads

9 from the Nine Worlds by Rick Riordan

April 10, 2020Book ReviewEasy Reading, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Norse Mythology, Rick Riordan, Urban Fantasyskyebjenner

Image result for book cover 9 from the nine worlds

Title: 9 from the Nine Worlds
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Companion
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Norse mythology, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 8th March 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Collection
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: I faced the inside of the V so I could keep an eye on the harp and the giant.

How well do you know the nine Norse Realms?

Do you get all those heims mixed up? Well, this collection of rollicking short stories – each set in a different world and told by a different character from the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series – will help straighten you out. And even if it doesn’t, you’ll enjoy reading about how Alex saves Amir’s pants, Samirah plucks a giant’s harp, Mallory teaches a dragon how to throw down insults, and much more. Just watch out for Thor, who is running through the whole thing and raising quite a stink.

This was such a nice way to round out the end of the Magnus Chase series. It’s not the ending perse, just a way to revisit all of the characters after Magnus and Loki’s final, epic battle. You get to go on a journey through each of the nine worlds with nine different, well loved characters. As I said, a nice, easy way to round out the series.

This story kind of reads like a bit of an epilogue. It tells you of the adventures that the secondary characters all have after they’ve postponed Ragnarök. I like that although the end of the world has been postponed, these characters are still constantly fighting little battles. Finding a way to carve out a better reality for themselves as they live out their (mostly) immortal lives.

I think that one of the reasons I’ve loved the Magnus Chase series so thoroughly is the fact that it has a hugely diverse set of characters. They’re part of the LGBTQI community, or the Muslim community… or… well, there are a number of minorities represented in this story. And they’re actually the ones that feature within this book. Not the lead, but all of those fantastic secondary characters that are a great way to bring acceptance and understanding into peoples’ lives.

<- Hotel Valhalla

The Sword of Summer ->

Image source: Amazon

To Sir Phillip, With Love – The Second Epilogue by Julia Quinn

April 9, 2020Book ReviewBridgertons, Historical romance, Julia Quinn, Regency romance, The Bridgertonsskyebjenner

Image result for book cover the bridgertons

Title: To Sir Phillip, With Love: The Second Epilogue
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgertons #5.5
In: The Bridgertons (Julia Quinn)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Regency romance
Dates read: 8th March 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Avon
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: “I always have wishes,” he remarked.

Those cute kids from romance novels aren’t actually supposed to grow up, are they?

When last we saw Amanda Crane, she was eight years old and (in her own words) a blight on the face of humanity. Now she’s grown up, remarkably well-adjusted, and ready to fall in love. All she needs is the right gentleman…

Although they were completely impossible and terrifying… I actually fell completely in love with the Crane twins in Sir Phillip, With Love. There was just something about their need, their spirit and their intelligence that made me fall head over heels in love. So, when I turned to the first page of the second epilogue and found out that it was about Amanda… well, a huge grin broke out across my face.

Unlike the rest of the series, where your point of view is on the shoulder of one of the characters, this entire short story is written in first person. Almost like a diary. And it worked so well. I don’t know if I would enjoy the whole series like this… it’s important to have distinct tones of voice, and you wouldn’t get this in every book. But for one short story? It’s kind of brilliant.

I loved seeing Amanda grow into the woman she could become. You have this great image and hope for it at the end of a story. Yet, it isn’t until the conclusion that you wonder if you are right with your predictions? Did Amanda and Oliver straighten out? Truly fall in love with Eloise? Did Phillip become a better father? These questions are all answered in this short story. That, and you get to watch the next generation fall in love and find their own happily ever after…

<- To Sir Phillip, With Love

When He Was Wicked ->

Image source: HarperCollins Australia

To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn

April 9, 2020Book ReviewBridgertons, Historical romance, Julia Quinn, Regency romanceskyebjenner

Image result for book cover to sir phillip, with love

Title: To Sir Phillip, With Love
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: The Bridgertons #5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Regency romance
Dates read: 8th March 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Avon
Year: 2003
5th sentence, 74th page: His children had not been kind to their governesses, and he did not imagine they’d be much more charitable to a female guest who was obviously there in the role of prospective stepmother.

She wrote him a letter…and he stole her heart.

Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he’d proposed, figuring that she’d be homely and unassumig, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except…she wasn’t. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her… and more.

Did he think she was mad Eloise Bridgerton couldn’t marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking… and wondering… and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except… he wasn’t. Her perfect husband wouldn’t be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled… and when he kissed her… the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn’t help but wonder… could this imperfect man be perfect for her?

I’m not sure if Eloise or Hyacinth are my favourite Bridgerton sisters… probably Eloise, she has all of Hyacinth’s opinions and intensity, but just a little smoother and, well… less terrifying. So reading a story about Eloise and her man… that was always going to be something that I loved. Especially when the entire story begins with Eloise making an incredibly impulsive decision. I’m after all, fairly, ridiculously impulsive… even at the best of times. So I can relate WAY too much to her impromptu decision making…

Sadly, I read the Romancing Mister Bridgerton Second Epilogue before sinking my teeth into this, so Eloise’s impulsive decisions and the way in which Phillip and Eloise decide to get married wasn’t as much of a revelation as I would otherwise have wished for. Though, it was still an incredibly fun and humorous little adventure. One that had me giggling quite happily throughout. And made me smile. Especially since of all the sisters, Eloise is the only one who acknowledges that she specifically needs a man who is able to stand up to her four brothers. Something that I’m sure all of them feel, but Eloise’s moment of epiphany is kind of cute and sweet.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this story is that it involves children who already exist. Unlike the other books in this series, Phillip already has two children which have to factor into his relationship. The fact that they are twins and total terrors… well, it’s incredibly amusing and seriously fun. Something that made it not only impossible to put this book down… but also had me giggling out loud frequently. And loudly. With much mirth.

So far I think that this is probably my favourite of The Bridgertons books. Firstly, I relate to Eloise more than I have any of the other female leads, but I also found myself absolutely loving her paramour. The fact that he is a good father (although it takes him a little while to figure out how to do this), and a botanist… that definitely drew me in. unlike the other gentry in this series, Phillip actually has an occupation and a degree that he uses. I can’t WAIT to read this book again and again and again!

<- Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The Second Epilogue

To Sir Phillip, With Love: The Second Epilogue ->

Image source: Julia Quinn

Blood and Gold by Erin M. Hartshorn

April 8, 2020Book ReviewDieselpunk, Dragons, Erin M. Hartshorn, The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunkskyebjenner

Image result for the mammoth book of dieselpunk book cover

Title: Blood and Gold
Author: Erin M. Hartshorn
In: The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk (Sean Wallace)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dieselpunk, Dragons
Dates read: 8th March 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: The other dragons had come too close that time.

He’s a dragon who is looking for a new place to make his own. When he finds what he’s looking for… he will reign down blood and gold.

I really liked the use of a dragon in a Dieselpunk story. It was certainly different and unexpected. The imagery of him curled around the skeleton of the Chrysler building (even though I don’t know what the Chrysler building looks like) were kind of brilliant and poignant. And it gave this very industrial, turn of the century feel to the storyline. There was just something great and unique about this.

At first, I felt like the dragon would be somehow beneficent and a bit of a protector of the city. There seemed something about him that kind of screamed justice. And then I continued onwards with the story. And realised that that wasn’t really the case. He was just greedy and finding a way to gain the blood and gold that he needed.

Although I prefer my dragon stories to be about the powers, might and just simply placing the dragon on the “right” side of the argument, I kind of liked that this wasn’t about that. Sure, the power and might were there. But it was more about that traditional image of a dragon – one that wants power, might and gold. And really doesn’t give a damn about us measely little humans. It was nice to go back to something a little more traditional…

<- Act of Extermination

Floodgate ->

Image source: Running Press

A Wish from a Bone by Gemma Files

April 8, 2020Book ReviewDark Fantasy, Gemma Files, Gods, The Monstrousskyebjenner

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Title: A Wish from a Bone
Author: Gemma Files
In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow) & Fearful Symmetries (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Gods
Dates read: 8th March 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Tachyon
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Reluctantly: “The last couple times I did this, there was a physical copy of the Liber Carne in play, so getting rid of that helped – but there’s no copy here, which makes us the Liber Carne, the human pages being Inscribed.”

They just wanted to discover something new and exciting. And catch it all on film of course. And they did… sort of. Just not the kind of excitement they really wanted.

This short story seriously reminds me of another story that I’ve read. Something about the nine pre-gods of ancient times. But I can’t quite pinpoint which story it was… I did love that feeling of aching familiarity that I felt though. It was kind of fun, definitely intriguing. And something that I will continue to think about, long after I’ve turned the final page of this story.

It did take me a little while to get into this story. Hence the lower rating… if it takes me a little bit to get into a short story, then I don’t tend to love it as much. There just isn’t enough time otherwise. But it was still enjoyable. I especially liked the slightly jumpy way in which the story leapt forward in snatches.

Most of all I liked the ending of this story. There was something about that statement that we are never truly alone that was far more creepy than comforting. Which, really, is exactly how it should be.

<- The Beginning of the Year Without a Summer

The Last, Clean, Bright Summer ->

Image source: Amazon

Romancing Mister Bridgerton – The Second Epilogue by Julia Quinn

April 7, 2020Book ReviewBridgertons, Historical romance, Julia Quinn, Regency romance, The Bridgertonsskyebjenner

Title: Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The Second Epilogue
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgertons #4.5
In: The Bridgertons (Julia Quinn)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Regency romance
Dates read: 7th March 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Avon
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: “There really wasn’t an appropriate time.”

We can’t really say more without giving away a big, fat spoiler, but it turns out that Colin is a bit of a meddler, Hyacinth is more of a meddler, and the only time all of the Bridgertons stop talking at once is when Penelope has something really embarrassing to say. Hey, we never said it was easy to marry a Bridgerton, just that it was fun.

This wasn’t quite the epilogue that I was expecting. I had kind of thought that it would be much further into the future than it was (or at least further than the initial epilogue). And, I didn’t expect it to centre so much on Eloise and Penelope’s friendship.

Not that that’s a bad thing. Sometimes the most surprising moments are the ones that you enjoy the most. Sometimes it’s those small glimmers that make you go wow. I didn’t know that I needed this. And this second epilogue was kind of like that.

I can’t really say much in this review without giving away one of the big wow moments in Romancing Mister Bridgerton, but I can tell you that this is a great story. It highlights the Bridgerton relationships in a much more pointed way. It’s also made me love Eloise and Hyacinth even more. There is just something about these two meddlesome, troublemaking sisters that makes me grin like a maniac. Who wants a boring family anyway?

<- Romancing Mister Bridgerton

To Sir Phillip, With Love ->

Image source: HarperCollins Australia

Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

April 7, 2020Book ReviewBridgertons, Historical romance, Julia Quinn, Regency romanceskyebjenner

Image result for book cover romancing mister bridgerton

Title: Romancing Mister Bridgerton
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgertons #4
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Regency romance
Dates read: 5th – 7th March 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Avon
Year: 2002
5th sentence, 74th page: But Penelope had a feeling she wasn’t quite as firm in her convictions as her friend.

IEveryone knows that Colin Bridgerton is the most charming man in London…

Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend’s brother for… well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret… and fears she doesn’t know him at all.

Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought of as nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can’t seem to publish an edition without mentioning him. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad, he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same – especially Penelope Featherington! The Girl who was always simply there is suddenly the girl haunting his dreams. When he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide…is she his biggest threat – or his promise of a happy ending?

I’ve been wanting to know how Penelope and Colin ended up together ever since their appearance in The Duke and I: The Second Epilogue. It was a bit of a hint as to what was to come, but, since these are romance books as soon as you read about the two leads, you know that they’re going to end up together anyway. But the way in which they do it? That’s the journey that I was excited about. And it turns out that the excitement was TOTALLY justified.

Of the two “spinsters” in this story, I’m more like Eloise than Penelope. I’ve never been the full centre of attention, but I also haven’t been a total wallflower with no attention. Yet, it was still kind of relatable reading about a woman who is like this. She’s not odious, she’s not ugly. But she also doesn’t get attention. She’s kind of invisible. Which is a little gut wrenching, but I love how Penelope isn’t bitter and snarky about it. She just kind of accepts that this is what life will be and continues to hold her loved ones close.

Colin is probably my favourite of all the Bridgerton brothers. He has been since he was announced as Daphne’s favourite in The Duke and I. Which made it incredibly nice to find out that he also gets an amazing happily ever after. Especially when the happily ever after has been in front of him for TWELVE damn years. Who said men aren’t just a little bit silly?

But, even though the romance in this was fun, witty and quite light… it was actually the shock reveal that was the best. For two people who have known each other for twelve years, you would think that Colin and Penelope have got a pretty good understanding of each other. They don’t. they both have secrets that they’ve kept hidden from everyone. And I just LOVED the jaw drop moment when these secrets are revealed… it certainly left me in my deliriously happy place.

<- An Offer from a Gentleman: The Second Epilogue

Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The Second Epilogue ->

Image source: Julia Quinn

Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs

April 6, 2020Book ReviewAnthropology, Crime, Kathy Reichs, science, Strong Women, Temperance Brennanskyebjenner

Image result for book cover break no bones

Title: Break No Bones
Author: Kathy Reichs
Series: Temperance Brennan #9
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Anthropology, Crime, Science, Strong women
Dates read: 31st January – 6th March 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Arrow
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: In one fragment, I was sitting in a circle at an AA meeting.

Dr Temperance Brennan and her students are working on a site of prehistoric graves on an island near Charleston, South Carolina, when a decomposing body is uncovered in a shallow grave off a lonely beach.

The bones are fresh and the remains are still topped by wisps of hair – it’s a recent burial, and a case Tempe must take.

She determines that the deceased is a middle-aged white male – but who was he? And why was he buried in a clandestine grave?

Before long, another body is discovered – and Tempe finds herself drawn deeper into a shocking investigation which will challenge her entire view of humanity.

It’s been a while since I picked up a Temperance Brennan book. And I had honestly forgotten how damn amazing the writing in these are. Not just the great science behind the criminal investigation (which, lets face it, that alone would have me intrigued). But also the touching storyline, the intriguing mystery and the intense reveal at the end. There is a reason that I started reading crime novels after I picked up my first Kathy Reichs novel.

One thing that always makes me laugh a little at the Temperance Brennan stories is that Tempe ALWAYS manages to get herself into some kind of trouble. There is always a moment that she is in danger because she just can’t let the mystery lie. She has to discover the truth. Alright, laugh may not be the right word… I’ve jumped out of my skin a few times when she’s attacked, I did in this story! But it’s an intriguing story tactic – one that not only ups the stakes, but, since you suspect something bad is going to happen to her at some point, you also spend most of the story with your heart in your throat…

This Temperance Brennan story deals a little more with Tempe’s relationship to ex-husband (or estranged, whatever), Pete. Although he’s made many appearances in past novels, he is actually present throughout the majority of this one. Which is quite interesting. That dynamic between two people who have ended their relationship, but still have close ties to one another. And it goes beyond the fact that they share a child together. I loved this insight into not only Brennan’s relationships, but also a relationship dynamic that I have never experienced or witnessed up close. Yet more insight into a world that I am not intimately familiar with.

The culprit, the motive and the activities of the “bad guy” in this story were seriously creepy. Somehow, the reasons behind the killers’ killing were enough to bring up goosebumps, even after I had guessed it before the great reveal. There was just something spine-tingling about it, probably because it is a more likely motive than just the run of the mill serial killer…

<- Cross Bones

Bones to Ashes ->

Image source: Penguin Books Australia

Earth and Skye

The ramblings of a bibliophile.