All posts by skyebjenner

Bleeding Edge Beauties – August 2018

August 1, 2018Challengesskyebjenner

Duration: 1st August – 31st August
Number of books: 6
Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession

Check out these gorgeous dolls!! Get one each month by completing at least 2 tasks out of a set of 6.

The dolls you collect will be in your Vampire Heart thread. Don’t have a thread? You can still do the challenge if you want 🙂

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August

1. Read a book with no people on the cover. – Wild Rain by Christine Feehan
2. Read a book by one of your favourite authors. – The Awakening by Christine Feehan
3. Read a book that will help you complete another challenge. – Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
4. Read a book with a vampire in the story. – Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
5. Read a book tagged ‘fantasy.’ – Burning Wild by Christine Feehan
6. Read a book with a dark cover. – Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Tipping the Scales

August 1, 2018Challengesskyebjenner

Duration: 1st August – 31st August
Number of books: 3
Hosted by: Bookworm Bitches

There are 3 tasks, you only need to read three books to finish this challenge. Or pick one task and read 3 books for that one task.

August
1. Read a thriller – Sekret by Lindsay Smith
2. Read a story that the main character is a policeman or lawyer – The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith
3. Read a book where a trial is part of the plot – Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Playing with Fire by Derek Landy

July 30, 2018Book ReviewCrime, Dark Fantasy, Derek Landy, Easy Reading, Paranormal Fantasy, Skulduggery Pleasantskyebjenner

Title: Playing with Fire
Author: Derek Landy
Series: Skulduggery Pleasant #2
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Dark fantasy, Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: “I’m afraid I can, and I have.”

“Valkyrie Cain looked down at her own dead body, cold and unmoving. She kept expecting to see it breathe. But it just lay in the boot, a thing, a corpse with her face…”

With Serpine dead, the world is safe once more. At least, that’s what Valkyrie and Skulduggery think, until the notorious Baron Vengeous makes a bloody escape from prison, and dead bodies and vampires start showing up all over Ireland.

With Baron Vengeous after the deadly armour of Lord Vile, and pretty much everyone out to kill Valkyrie, the daring detective duo face their biggest challenge yet. But what if the greatest threat to Valkyrie is just a little closer to home…?

Skulduggery Pleasant is the kind of series that I can pick up and put down whenever I feel like something light and kind of sarcastic. This week, that’s exactly what I felt like. So I picked up Playing with Fire. And I read it in just over a day. Actually, the bulk of the book get read in one night. While I was watching Pride and Prejudice. A little bit of an odd combination, but it worked really well…

There are two things that I love about Landy’s writing and Skulduggery Pleasant series. The first is the fact that the main character is a thirteen-year-old girl. I don’t find many action-type books that are aimed at a young audience, potentially male, that has a young girl as the lead. Especially when said series is written by a man. Valkyrie might be the sidekick to the magic-wielding skeleton detective, but the storyline tends to centre on her, rather than him. And I love it. It’s so important to have a strong, female lead and one that young girls can look up to. We’re not pretty little wallflowers after all.

The second thing I love is the sarcastic wit and the dialogue. I find it hard to find a book that will generally make me laugh. Actually, I find it hard to find anything comedic that I enjoy. It has to be witty and clever. And generally it has to be sarcastic and a little dark. All of which this style of writing manages to accomplish. The dry, droll, sense of humour is exactly what I love and, although the storyline is good, it’s really the sarcastic wit with which it is carried forward that makes me read the story so quickly and vehemently.

<- The Lost Art of World Domination Review

Gold, Babies and the Brothers Muldoon Review ->

Image source: Thirst for Fiction

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

July 29, 2018Book ReviewAustralian Authors, Celtic, Fae, Fantasy, Juliet Marillier, Sevenwatersskyebjenner

Title: Daughter of the Forest

Author: Juliet Marillier

Series: Sevenwaters #1

Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)

My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Celtic, Fae, Fantasy

Pace: Slow

Format: Novel

Publisher: TOR Fantasy

Year: 1999

5th sentence, 74th page: “You bruise too easily,” he said indistinctly.

Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only duaghter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives: they are determined that she know only contentment.

But Sorcha’s joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell that only Sorcha can lift – by staying silent. If she speaks before she completes the quest set to her by the Fair Folk and their queen, the Lady of the Forest, she will lose her brothers forever.

When Sorcha is kidnapped by the enemies of Sevenwaters and taken to a foreign land, she is torn between the desire to save her beloved brothers and a love that comes only once. Sorcha despairs at ever being able to complete her task, but the magic of the Fair Folk knows no boundaries, and love is the strongest magic of them all…

I have stopped and started this book a number of times. The first time, I liked it, it was a little slow to begin with, but I just had too much going on to really settle into it. The second time, I got 100 pages in and then a similar thing happened. After two weeks, and a lot of other things going on in my life, I picked it up again. It turns out like 101 pages in the pace of this story changes dramatically. And then I couldn’t put it down…

I recently read a collection of Hans Christian Andersen fairytales. One of them was about a sister whose brothers were turned to swans and she had to stay silent until she could break the curse. Daughter of the Forest follows this storyline. And although I liked the original fairytale, this version with the Celtic folklore, Irish history and amazingly painful and beautiful storyline was ten thousand times better. There was something about the fleshing out of a tale that I already knew in a way that was so realistic, and heart felt. Something about the way that I actually had tears on my cheeks in some of the more horrifying moments, and also at the end when the happily ever after is finally reached. Marillier took a story that I thought I knew and built upon it in a way that took me on an insane roller coaster ride of emotion.

Although there is a love story spun in here somewhere, it is the secondary relationship right throughout. This story is about sibling love and integrity. Honesty and those strings that bind family together. It was nice to have such a change in pace to most stories I read where the romantic one is the primary tale, and it is the familial ties that tend to take a backseat.

<- Flame of Sevenwaters Review

Son of Shadows Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

Dark Lady by P.N. Elrod

July 28, 2018Book ReviewDark and Stormy Knights, P.N. Elrod, Paranormal Fantasy, Vampire Files, Vampiresskyebjenner

Title: Dark Lady
Author: P.N. Elrod
Series: Vampire Files #12.6
In: Dark and Stormy Knights (P.N. Elrod)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Even the undead need an edge.

A local undead club owner has a ghost. And a brand new conspiracy to deal with.

I love the noir gangster setting of this short story. It made me think of the 20’s, and some of the old movies that I’ve admittedly never gotten around to, but always plan to watch… it was kind of dark, lots of fun and incredibly captivating. The only complaint I have about this story is that it was over way too soon.

This short story starts off with a dame in trouble, there is also a ghost and a conspiracy that twists and turns with every passage. Which, of course, is why I enjoyed it so thoroughly. Nothing was quite like I expected, and although Elrod followed noir themes and styles, it is also a little different and unexpected. At least for me, since I don’t really read much of the noir genre.

Myrna is a fun change from the rest of the story – a ghost that likes dance music and plays her part in the chaos that unfolds. She’s small, sweet and one that I would really like to get to know better…

<- Even a Rabbit Will Bite

Beknighted ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Britlingens Go to Hell by Charlaine Harris

July 27, 2018Book ReviewCharlaine Harris, Must Love Hellhounds, Paranormal Fantasy, The Southern Vampire Mysteries, Vampiresskyebjenner

Title: The Britlingens Go to Hell
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse #9.5
In: Must Love Hellhounds (Charlaine Harris)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Books
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: She had little use for Trovis, and she’d never hidden her opinion.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Follow paranormal bodyguards Clovache and Batanya into Lucifer’s realm, where they encounter his fearsome four-legged pets in The Britlingens Go to Hell.

Inter-dimensional, cross planetary travel with a side of assassin type bodyguards. You can’t really get much better than that with a novella. Especially when the two bodyguards and their client (who happens to have two penises) have to go to hell. Lucifer’s domain. And fight their way in and out while finding stolen property and avoiding a sexual deviant… or ten.

It’s pretty obvious that there is going to be a hook-up at the end of this story. Most of the paranormal fantasy stories that I read have some kind of romantic and / or sexual entanglement. That was until I read the two penis comment… which just lead to a lot of questions and confusing thoughts… ones that I think are better left unsaid.

I’m not sure how this fits in with Bacon and the other Sookie Stackhouse short stories. But it was certainly an enjoyable story. And now I need to find some more of these tales…

<- Must Love Hellhounds

Angels’ Judgment ->

Image source: Goodreads

Etched in Silver by Yasmine Galenorn

July 26, 2018Book ReviewDark Fantasy, Fae, Inked, Otherworld, Paranormal Fantasy, Yasmine Galenornskyebjenner

Title: Etched in Silver
Author: Yasmine Galenorn
Series: Otherworld #0.5
In: Inked (Karen Chance)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Fae, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Books
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: “Can’t stop… would… kill us…”

In New York Times bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn’s “Etched in Silver”, a supernatural agent is on the trail of a sadistic serial killer when an unexpected – and dangerously seductive – ally comes to her aid, setting in motion a magical ritual that may end up binding them together, body and soul.

I didn’t know what to expect from this story. It is the first time that I’ve read Galenorn and it’s the prequel to her Otherworld series. So I really had no idea what I was getting myself in for, I just knew that I liked the cover of the novels within this series, so I figured reading the prequel novella would be a good way to introduce myself to this world. And I really wasn’t disappointed.

A mixture of the fae, a seedy underworld and hunting an evil creature worked really well to create a multilayered universe with a fast-paced plot. The fact that there was an incredibly potent and powerful attraction in between and a fierce sexuality which doesn’t quite manage to steal centre show just helped to make it all the more racy. After all, adding in a sexual / romantic encounter or two only helps to raise the stakes of the chase.

I absolutely loved the ending of this novella, and I can’t wait to crack the spine of Witchling – I want to see how much of Camilla’s choices are reflected in the novel and how her sisters react to them. Actually, it’s taking a lot of self-control to not rush around and read the rest of the series right now…

<- Armor of Roses Review

Earthbound Review ->

Image source: Pinterest

Even a Rabbit Will Bite by Rachel Caine

July 25, 2018Book ReviewDark and Stormy Knights, Dragons, Easy Reading, Fantasy, Rachel Caineskyebjenner

Title: Even a Rabbit Will Bite
Author: Rachel Caine
In: Dark and Stormy Knights (P.N. Elrod)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dragons, Easy reading, Fantasy
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: I checked every day, but it was pro forma, the work of thirty seconds, and then I went on with my life, such as it was.

Two aging enemies are forced to face off one last time… but will they be able to triumph over the past?

I didn’t know what to expect from this story – especially when the heading is Even a Rabbit Will Bite. Actually, I was expecting a killer rabbit, like the one in Monty Python. But I didn’t get that… I got something SO much better. Which left me with the happy feelings at the end of the tale.

This is a story about a decrepit old dragon slayer, and the only dragon left in the world – also decrepit, old and cranky. They both understand that eventually there will be a fight to the death, but they also want to live out their lives in peace. This juxtaposition builds slowly until the final conclusion, which is actually kind of beautifully poetic and sweet… in a killing, battle to the death kind of way…

<- The Beacon Review

Dark Lady Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

Beastly: Lindy’s Diary by Alex Flinn

July 24, 2018Book ReviewAlex Flinn, Easy Reading, Fairy tales, Kendra Chroniclesskyebjenner

Title: Beastly: Lindy’s Diary
Author: Alex Flinn
Series: Kendra Chronicles #1.5
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fairy tales
Pace: Slow
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Teen
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: Now I did.

See the #1 New York Times bestselling story Beastly through Lindy’s eyes! This is her diary, kept while living in captivity with the beast. Lindy’s Diary captures all the romance and edgy mystery of the original!

Diary,

I am locked away . . . with no one to confide in but you . . . and him. His fur, those claws—they caught me off guard at first, but now I’m noticing something else about him—something deeper. It’s the look in his eye. It tells me he’s got a secret to keep. That’s okay—I’ve got one, too. I think I’m falling in love with him. . . .

Lindy

It’s always fun to reread a story from a different person’s point of view. It just gives a nice, different point of view and lens through which to watch the same actions that you have already watched, and often thought you understood. When it’s a novella that tells the other side of a romance, then it just makes me all the more happier. Lindy’s Diary does this.

I love Beauty and the Beast, whichever version it happens to be. I love the idea of two outcasts finding one another and finding solace in each others’ company. It’s not about Stockholme Syndrome (just had to throw that one out there). And I love the idea that true love is about two souls, not the way that each other looks. But, attraction is a physical thing too. I think that my partner is a gorgeous man. Now that I know him, I know that I would love him regardless. I don’t know if I would have fallen for him regardless of his looks. I don’t know how the process would have happened in the case of Beauty and the Beast. Lindy’s Diary helped to make me understand this. It was also a nice way to see why she held off with saying the magical words.

Sometimes diary formats kind of annoy me – they can be read quite clunkily and just don’t have the flow that I love in well-written prose. I wouldn’t have liked the tale of Beastly written as a diary. It would have made the story a little too time-conscious and the time passages would have felt almost lazy in missing out chunks of time to move the story forward. After all, the tale takes place over a two year time period. But as a brief glimpse into Lindy’s thoughts and feelings, it works really well. It places the actions of Adrian within the context of their year together and helps to show how Lindy falling in love was a slow and gradual progress.

<- Beastly Review

Bewitching Review ->

Earth and Skye

The ramblings of a bibliophile.

All posts by skyebjenner

Bleeding Edge Beauties – August 2018

Tipping the Scales

Playing with Fire by Derek Landy

Image source: Thirst for Fiction

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Image source: Goodreads

Dark Lady by P.N. Elrod

The Britlingens Go to Hell by Charlaine Harris

Etched in Silver by Yasmine Galenorn

Image source: Pinterest

Even a Rabbit Will Bite by Rachel Caine

Image source: Goodreads

Beastly: Lindy’s Diary by Alex Flinn

Image source: Harper Collins Publishers