Category: Book Review

Book Review: Impervious

Erin Penn

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Impervious by A.J. Hartley

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON (for the EUROPEAN EDITION)

Trina Warren didn’t plan on being anyone’s hero. She planned on going to fourth period as normal. But then there was a bang, and an overturned chair, and everything was different. Now Trina finds herself in a fantasy world, pursued by a faceless, nameless monster that only she can stop. Just one second is all it takes for Trina to turn from a regular clumsy high school girl, to a monster-fighting warrior. Just one second is all it takes for everything to change …

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON (for the AMERCIAN EDITION)

Trina Warren didn’t think she was going to be a hero. She thought she was going to go to fourth period, hopefully avoiding any more hassle from the jocks about dropping their plates at her waitressing job the night before. Then there was a bang, and an overturned chair, and everything was different.

Now Trina finds herself in a fantasy world, pursued by a faceless, nameless monster that only she can stop. But she doesn’t know how to stop it, she doesn’t have any weapons, and her only clue is the necklace that arrived in a mysterious package that morning, with no return address and a cryptic note inside. She must navigate an unfamiliar world full of monsters, magic, and danger if she is to defeat the mysterious Soulless One and save her friends. And herself.

 

MY REVIEW

Who will? I will.

First, Trina thinks she is chosen because she is special, in the classic Young Adult (YA) story arc of the destined one. It is the stories she grew up reading and loving. Destiny, magic, special. So unlike her life with her dad still mourning the death of her mother, while she is a dead-end waitress while attending high school in a dead-end town. Being special is something.

Except for the thing that you need something special for. That special horror.

But what if you aren’t special, what is if the horror is just like you. not special but every-day? And every-day person facing an every-day horror? Can you still stand up? Who will stop the every-day horror? Will you? And are you willing to pay the cost?

(Received for an honest review)

If shared with a young adult, be prepared to have a discussion about it (i.e. you need to read it too). The topic, underneath everything, is school shootings. This is a great bridge to create a heart-to-heart with a person about their daily fears.

Q is for Quinn – Book Review: When You Had Power

Erin Penn

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When You Had Power by Susan Kay Quinn

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For better, for worse. In sickness and in health.
It’s a legal vow of care for families in 2050, a world beset by waves of climate-driven plagues.

Power engineer Lucía Ramirez long ago lost her family to one—she’d give anything to take that vow. The Power Islands give humanity a fighting chance, but tending kelp farms and solar lilies is a lonely job. The housing AI found her a family match, saying she should fit right in with the Senegalese retraining expert who’s a force of nature, the ex-Pandemic Corps cook with his own cozy channel, and even the writer who insists everything is stories, all the way down. This family of literal and metaphorical refugees could be the shelter she’s seeking from her own personal storm.

She needs this one to work.

Then an unscheduled power outage and a missing turtle-bot crack open a mystery. Something isn’t right on Power Island One, but every step she takes to solve it, someone else gets there first—and they’re determined to make her unsee what she’s seen. Lucía is an engineer, not a detective, but fixing this problem might cost her the one thing she truly needs: a home.

When You Had Power is the first of four tightly-connected novels in a new hopepunk series. It’s about our future, how society will shift and flex like a solar lily in the storms of our own making, and how breaks in the social fabric have to be expected, tended to, and healed. Because we’re in this together, now more than ever before.

 

MY REVIEW

Hopepunk – Climate change science fiction. This novel is a short read at only 200 pages – a pleasant afternoon and a bright change after the last book I slogged through. The main character (MC) is extremely likeable, the supporting character cast a delightful mix, the mystery provides all the pieces you need to solve it alongside the MC, the worldbuilding solid, the hint of romance adding that final dash into the mix to offset the metallic tang of thriller-style danger to make it perfect.

Beach read, end-of-day beside the bed, winter snuggles with hot cocoa – however you like your lighthearted fare, this will do you.

And if you like meatier subjects, the eco-realism of climate change and renewable energy research providing the worldbuilding can be treated in more depth than a simple “oh, cool sci-fi backdrop”.

NOTE 1 – Ongoing plotlines. This is one of a series of short intertwined novels. Lucia’s portion of the story ends with her HEA. But the mystery-thriller continues in the next book.

NOTE 2 – POC. Main character is Puerto Rician. (MC in the next book is Black, and the third book Asian American.)

D is for Drowning – Book Review: Into the Drowning Deep

Erin Penn

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Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

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The ocean is home to many myths,

But some are deadly. . .

Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy.

Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life’s work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves.

But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

 

MY REVIEW

Read for book club.

Near-future sci-fi fantasy horror. Climate change has impacted the ocean, and the change of environment modifies territories – what is available to hunt, eat. Things which should not come to the surface do so – from the Drowning Deep.

Preachy in the way that only sci-fi can be preachy. Taking a premise and drawing it out into a possible conclusion.

Great things – lots of different characters with different motivations. A unique monster that might be real (the very best option for horror). A reason, which while not quite sane but was still reasonable, to go “into the dark room” – you know, what we normally scream at people for in the horror movies we watch at home. Lots of different types of science, and no one person is an expert in any type – more like the normal science community than most books. Some great quotes. Deaf characters.

Not as great – preachy got a little noticeable. The scientists were a little too uncaring about their chances – a few did go “I know I might die, but this is the only chance and the knowledge is worth it”, but I really think more would do it. Giving that they had the entire world to draw on, I do see the company underwriting the expedition getting enough scientists willing to make the trade between research and safety to fill the ship. Not enough language barriers when dealing with a large scientific contingent – but since it was for an entertainment company, I could see them limiting it to pretty and/or well-spoken scientists who speak their audiences language.

The bad – you know, nothing was really bad. The book was a fun read.

I could put down the book when I needed to (not a horror fan), but it was engrossing when I read it. I marked lots of quotes.

To sum up: Near-future sci-fi fantasy horror – which hits all the ticks for its genres.

Book Review (SERIES): Season of the Vampire

Erin Penn

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Season of the Vampire (Series) by Lana Pechercyvk

  1. The Secrets of Shadow and Blood
  2. A Labyrinth of Fangs and Thorns
  3. A Symphony of Savage Hearts

I really enjoyed Lana Pechercyvk’s Deadly Seven superhero romance prose series and wanted to try other books by her. I didn’t like the Season of the Wolf (too Alpha male fated-mate for my tastes) but decided to try again with the Season of the Vampire. The results were … mixed.

 

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON FOR THE SECRETS OF SHADOW AND BLOOD

In the shadows, vision can turn blurry. Truths can become lies. Enemies can become lovers.

When Violet inexplicably wakes thousands of years after a nuclear holocaust, she finds the world very different. Fae exist now. They’re vicious, animalistic monsters who pervert magic and can morph into any shape—including vampires. They hoard the bounty of the new world, and keep humans banished to the wasteland. At least, that’s what the humans of today have told her. Determined to make up for an unforgivable mistake in her past, she becomes a covert assassin and seeks revenge for her human brethren. And she’s good at it. But when the thing she hunts saves her life, injuring himself in the process… her crystal clarity suddenly becomes blurry.

Vampires are meant to be monsters, not protectors… not charismatic, annoyingly handsome and loyal and… everything.

Indigo is a Fae Guardian, and a ruthless vampire protector of Elphyne. The Order has tasked him with finding a human with deadly secrets before the unhinged Unseelie Queen, or the fanatical human leader, can exploit her. They chose him for one reason, and one reason only – the taste of human blood does things to him. Addictive, dark, insatiable things. And when he catches Violet’s scent, they know he’ll do everything in his power to possess her and keep her safe. But Indigo hides his own shameful secret in the shadows of his heart, and if it ever comes to light, Violet will never trust him. She’ll kill him.

The Secrets in Shadow and Blood is the next installment in the Fae Guardians series, and the first in the Season of the Vampire Trilogy. Each book features a separate couple with a satisfying HEA, but to enjoy the full benefits of the over arching plot, start the Fae Guardian journey with book one of Fae Guardians: Season of the Wolf. All Fae Guardian books include steamy romance, a splash of time travel, monster hunting, a band of brothers, fated mates, growly fae protectors, and their strong willed women from our time. If you love your books full of page turning action, romantic tension, and world building you can get lost in, then this series is for you. Warning: Trusting these seductive fae will lead to sleepless nights. But it will be worth it.

MY REVIEW FOR THE SECRETS OF SHADOW AND BLOOD

I started this back in October 2021. Normally I swallow books whole, but the holidays pushed this novel to the backseat. I just couldn’t find time to finish it — until late January 2022, and I’m glad I did.

This is a dark post apocalyptic world, and the women coming forward from our time for the Season of the Vampire series are ones who had a hand in destroying their world, Violet most of all. Her brain conceived the bomb that destroyed everyone she knew. It left her broken in strange ways. And the new world, on her “waking” day, welcomed her with a nightmare PTSD-inducing moment.

Her response is to lash out. To hunt. Push the border of serial killer. To hate herself every moment. To try to redeem her soul. Or, more accurately, pay some imagined balance enough weight of good to offset being one of the instruments which killed billions.

It’s an interesting exploration of psyche. And matches many of the comments I’ve read about those who participated in building and dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

That being said – this is a romance, an action adventure, and a fantasy story with vampires and magic, high fantasy politics and guardian organizations. The dark mental exploration weaves throughout.

If you want a romance that is bit grittier than normal, The Secrets in Shadow and Blood delivers.

 

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BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON FOR THE LABYRINTH OF FANGS AND THORNS

Since Peaches woke up in a fantasy world full of monsters and fae, she’s been treated like a piece of tasty human meat. After six years as a blood slave to vampires and the evil Unseelie queen – beholden to all, and master of none – there’s nothing left but a broken shell with a fractured soul. Until a deadly warrior turns up unannounced in her room.

Vampire Haze is the muscle of the Fae Guardians elite Cadre of Twelve. He is a spy, a protector of the weak, hammer and sword, a rigid enforcer of rules. He allows no one close to his heart, lest they see the shame driving him. But when he stumbles across a beguiling woman with sad, desolate eyes, he knows he must help her. She calls to him in more ways than one, igniting a passion neither of them can deny, despite the risks.

The Unseelie queen has other treacherous plans for Haze and Peaches. From a twisted masquerade ball, to a labyrinth filled with goblins, to a hidden prison deep underground, they must work together to survive. The only way out is to trust each other…easier said than done when all he wants to do is feast on her blood.

MY REVIEW FOR THE LABYRINTH OF FANGS AND THORNS

Normally books with a small, delicate, frightened female latching onto the largest, strongest male she finds annoys the crap out of me. THIS ONE WORKS!

Peaches had a PTSD-inducing week when she was brought forward from the past to this post-apocalyptic fantasy world. She manages to survive but she develops classic abuse-survivor symptoms. She can’t escape her present situation because she has never been able to escape before and she has “learned” to just keep the head down and survive. When the perfect chance to escape the clutches of the evil queen shows up in the form of Haze – the biggest and strongest of all the Guardians of the Well -, she timidly choses the situation she knows.

I love this story, as Peaches develops past her abuse personality. THIS CAN BE A HARD READ FOR SOME. (Trigger considerations – we don’t see much of the actual abuse, and the abuse in more fantastical in nature (blood drinking by vampires and psychic damage from magic).)

The Season of the Vampire is a very gritty part of the Fae Guardian series. I didn’t make it deep into the Werewolf trilogy, but I am really loving the Vampires. Looking forward to Feb 2022 and Shade and Silver story.

These stories are a mix of action-adventure, fantasy, and romance and delivers everything these genres represent pitch perfect.

 

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BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON FOR THE SYMPHONY OF SAVAGE HEARTS

Silver is a beautiful liar.
She’s human.
And a fierce killer of fae.
She marks her kills on a silver vambrace so everyone can see her savagery and stay away. As long as she keeps protecting downtrodden humans from monstrous fae-folk, and hiding the true reason for wearing magic-cutting silver, her loneliness is of no consequence. Selected for a high priority mission, she bravely heads into Elphyne, never expecting one of their worst waiting for her. Wanting her. Craving her.
Shade is sinfully attractive.
He’s a vampire.
And the most hard to resist of the Fae Guardians.
From the Queen’s bed to The Order, he uses the power of sex to get what he wants. Eventually they all succumb, and they all fall short of harmonizing with the darkness hidden in his soul…. until he finds the one woman who resists his every charm.
Seducing Silver will be a challenge, but it’s one he was made for.
Nothing will get in his way. Not the evil creature terrorizing Elphyne. Not the human enemy with dastardly plans of their own. Not the Unseelie Queen’s obsession with him. Not even the betrayal of the one person who can hurt him the most.
This courting of savage hearts is a symphony.
And theirs will be one for history.

MY REVIEW FOR THE SYMPHONY OF SAVAGE HEARTS

I’m not into BDSM and the central romance for Symphony are two characters who need that type of relationship, so I struggled to finish the book. The first 50% of the book centered on the relationship between the two, and, for the most part, they were the only characters for the first half of the book.

This is the standard setup for most of the series.

First, introduce the world and two romantic characters. Next, get the romantic characters to accepted their fated-mate status – hot, hot relationship actions are involved. Then, the second half of the book focused on moving the series story forward – reintroducing all the other characters of the series, explaining where things are, what the leads for this book bring to the table to shift the series plot forward, and then exciting rise and fall of action.

Loved the second half of the book – and the setup for the next trilogy of the Fae Guardians (the Elves) – makes me want to see all their romances and continue to watch as the overarching storyline continues. Will the fae queen continue her descent into madness, or is she savable? Will the fae kingdoms devolve into war and poison the Well beyond redemption? Will the human leader continue his plans? Can humans and fae come to live together?

Book Grade – great for the series, didn’t like the romance or the lead characters of this book at all.

What I would recommend – see if you like the characters. If so, follow their romance. Otherwise, if you are reading this just for the series – jump to the 50% mark and go from there.

What I didn’t like about the romantic leads: The lead characters really are villains. Selfish, wallowing in their black hearts. After power. Don’t consider more than one side to any story until forced to. People love them for no reason. They are like two black holes – taking and not giving. On the other hand, these are very real type of people. I just don’t like them or want to spend time with them, however beautiful and magical they are.

Book Review: Spoiler Alert

Erin Penn

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Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade

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Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. The world may know him as Aeneas, star of the biggest show on television, but fanfiction readers call him something else: Book!AeneasWouldNever. Marcus gets out his frustrations with the show through anonymous stories about the internet’s favorite couple, Aeneas and Lavinia. But if anyone discovered his online persona, he’d be finished in Hollywood.

April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she’s long hidden her fanfic and cosplay hobbies from her “real life”—but not anymore. When she dares to post her latest costume creation on Twitter, her plus-size take goes viral. And when Marcus asks her out to spite her internet critics, truth officially becomes stranger than fanfiction.

On their date, Marcus quickly realizes he wants more from April than a one-time publicity stunt. But when he discovers she’s Unapologetic Lavinia Stan, his closest fandom friend, he has one more huge secret to keep from her.

With love and Marcus’s career on the line, can the two of them stop hiding once and for all, or will a match made in fandom end up prematurely cancelled?

 

MY REVIEW

In the world of fix-it fanfic, finding your OTP (one true pairing) is central to the story. In Spoiler Alert, a pair of fan-fic writers cross with cosplay and crash together in the real world.

Time to turn off of the brain and go for the fluff! Like every romantic genre, certain breaks with reality are expected (in billionaire romance, that the cultural and economic differences won’t crush the couple) – for the fanfic/social media genre-based romance (which is beginning to gain traction), we continue the romance tradition of “every-woman” captures the “amazing man”. Here an overweight, but extremely smart geologist meets up with an actor of her favorite show and they fall in love. Both crush hard on being Mary Sue/Gary Stu, but each comes with two flaws to make them human, one personal and one relationship – her personal one is the previously mentioned weight and his is dyslexia – and in both cases, the toxic relationships with their families despite the love from all sides involved.

Well-written with fully realized characters, this story is a great read. The only piece I disliked was after all the issue about the work-out and buffet – for him to offer the “test the food establishments in the area where you just moved” and her jump at that – did not work at all for me, especially for the food focus. Though the caffeine results makes me understand why the author kept Darling – it’s very cute.

Lots of explicit activities. This is not a closed-door book.

Spoiler Alert is the first of a series, but works fine as a standalone. The next of the series is coming out in Summer 2021 according the back matter.

Checked out through the library (and finished the same day) because (1) dang, the kindle is overpriced at $11, and (2) the book is really fun to read.