ARC REVIEW: THE HEXOLOGISTS BY JOSIAH BANCROFT

• STAR RATING:  4.5 stars
• PAGE LENGTH: 318 pages
• DATE PUBLISHED: September 26, 2023
• PUBLISHER:  Orbit
• CONTENT WARNINGS: Death, Alcoholism
• IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS

The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. Aided by hexes and a bag of charmed relics, the Wilbies have recovered children abducted by chimney-wraiths, removed infestations of barb-nosed incubi, and ventured into the Gray Plains of the Unmade to soothe a troubled ghost. Well-acquainted with the weird, they never shy away from a challenging case.
 
But when they are approached by the royal secretary and told the king pleads to be baked into a cake—going so far as to wedge himself inside a lit oven—the Wilbies soon find themselves embroiled in a mystery that could very well see the nation turned on its head. Their effort to expose a royal secret buried under forty years of lies brings them nose to nose with a violent anti-royalist gang, avaricious ghouls, alchemists who draw their power from a hell-like dimension, and a bookish dragon who only occasionally eats people.
 
Armed with a love toughened by adversity and a stick of chalk that can conjure light from the darkness, hope from the hopeless, Iz and Warren Wilby are ready for a case that will test every spell, skill, and odd magical artifact in their considerable bag of tricks.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve actually written a whole review for a book. Life’s taken a million turns, and we’ve been so busy lately that I just haven’t had the brain power to do anything other than sit and play video games at night. But I finally scrounged up enough oomph to finish an ARC. It’s late, of course, but it’s done!

The Hexologists was a book that I grew interested in after hearing about it from Orbit’s monthly newsletter. It looked vaguely steam-punky, vaguely historical, and it just sounded extremely unique. Well – I’m happy to say that it lived up to all of that and more. I’m not sure I would have picked this one up without Orbit harping about it. The cover is beautiful, but it doesn’t really give you a hint at what’s inside. I think they maybe did a disservice with the cover, but whatever. The book is worth picking up!!

However, it’s hard to find something similar to compare it to. The closest I can come is — The Parasol Protectorate series. There’s differences, of course, but it has the same ~serious but also a little silly~ vibe to it. There are tentacle monsters, talking birds, ghosts, magic, and just…it’s just wildly original, and so much fun. The setting is interesting but vague enough that the author can add on to it at any point without it feeling forced.

I adored the main characters – Iz and War. Iz is a no-nonsense hexologist (a type of magician) who investigates mysteries for a living. Her husband does not appear to have any magic, but is more of her body guard than anything else. I love love loved how much they cared for one another. This was so apparent right away, I never had any question that War or Iz would give their life for the other.

The mystery at the center of the book had so many twists and turns that it was hard to follow. The reveal at the end was jaw-dropping, mildly terrifying, and so worth the journey. I will be lining up to read the next book in this series, no question.

THE HEXOLOGISTS WILL BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 26, 2023.

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ARC REVIEW: KNOCKOUT BY SARAH MACLEAN

• STAR RATING:  4.5 stars
• PAGE LENGTH: 416 pages
• DATE PUBLISHED: August 22, 2023
• PUBLISHER:  Avon
• CONTENT WARNINGS: Sexual content, Classism, Sexism, Body Shaming
• IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: Literally any of Sarah MacLean’s other works

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS

New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean returns with the next Hell’s Belles novel about a chaotic bluestocking and the buttoned-up detective enlisted to keep her out of trouble (spoiler: She is the trouble).

With her headful of wild curls and wilder ideas and an unabashed love of experiments and explosives, society has labeled Lady Imogen Loveless peculiar…and doesn’t know she’s one of the Hell’s Belles—a group of vigilantes operating outside the notice of most of London.

Thomas Peck is not most of London. The brilliant detective fought his way off the streets and into a promising career through sheer force of will and a keen ability to see things others miss, like the fact that Imogen isn’t peculiar…she’s pandemonium. If you ask him, she requires a keeper. When her powerful family discovers her late-night activities, they couldn’t agree more…and they know just the man for the task.

Thomas wants nothing to do with guarding Imogen. He is a grown man with a proper job and no time for the lady’s incendiary chaos, no matter how lushly it is packaged. But some assignments are too explosive to pass up, and the gruff detective is soon caught up in Imogen’s world, full of her bold smiles and burning secrets…and a fiery passion that threatens to consume them both.

Sarah MacLean is one of my favorite romance authors. I would even hazard to say that she’s my favorite historical romance author, period. There’s something about her heroines that I haven’t found in any other romance book that just really resonates with me. They’re powerful, they’re not afraid to break out of their assigned roles, and they (usually) take absolutely zero shit from their men. That’s the case here, with Imogen in her very own book, Knockout. We’ve seen Imogen before, in the other two Hell’s Belles books, and I was always very interested in her. What’s not to love with a curvy heroine who has a penchant for explosives?

Is this Sarah MacLean’s best work? I would say no, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t have fun. Imogen was explosive (heh), eager to help those less fortunate, and head over heels for Tommy Peck. (Sidenote — I don’t love that the love interest was a cop in this one, but seeing as Peck was probably one of the only good cops ever, and also head over heels for Imogen, he gets a pass.) Tommy Peck is huge, bearded, and ready to take down the entire Scotland Yard to protect his lady love. He didn’t think he deserved her but damn if he was going to let something happen to her.

I loved them together, but I do wish I could have smacked Tommy over the head a couple times. Maybe Imogen should have lightly exploded him just to get his head on straight. Dude was ready to give up the love of his life just because she was a lady and he was from Shoreditch. Imogen didn’t care, so why did he???? (There’s actually a really good reason that he did, so again, he gets a semi-pass.) ANYWAY, Imogen and Tommy forever.

All in all, this is almost five stars, but not quite. I can’t even pin down why, but there you have it. Do I recommend this? Yes, if you love historicals, you’ll love Knockout. But bet sure you read the first two novels or you’ll miss some things.

KNOCKOUT WILL BE RELEASED AUGUST 22, 2023.

Add to your Goodreads, or preorder at at the following links:

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ARC REVIEW: SISTER OF THE BRIDE BY LAUREN MORRILL

• STAR RATING:  4 stars
• PAGE LENGTH: 296 pages
• DATE PUBLISHED: September 1, 2023
• PUBLISHER:  Yellow House Media
• CONTENT WARNINGS: Sexual content, Grief
• IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: Lovelight Farms by BK Borison

Thank you to Netgalley and Yellow House Media for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS

A romcom retake on Father of the Bride about letting go, falling in love, and a whole lot of lasagna

For someone who doesn’t do well with change, Pippin Marino sure is dealing with a lot of it. First her twin sister returns from Europe with a fiancé and a plea for Pippin to plan the wedding. Then her mom announces plans to sell the 100 year old family restaurant that Pippin has been running since her father died.

But at least there’s one good development in Pippin’s life. Her best friend Toby Sullivan surprises her by moving back to Boston. Having him back is the one bright spot amidst her summer of panic, especially when he offers to help her plan the wedding.

But then one kiss changes everything.

And Pippin Marino does not do well with change.

Sister of the Bride is a remarkably cute friends-to-lovers contemporary romance. The absolutely adorable cover is the reason I requested an ARC of this one, and to be completely honest with you, I wasn’t sure if the book itself would live up to the cover. But I am happy to report that it does! I, for some stupid reason, thought this was going to be one of those stupidly chaste closed-door contemporary romances, but nope. We get a full steamy scene, with a few not-quite-all-the-way scenes thrown in for good measure. There’s dirty jokes, and heavy references to ~adult~ things that I fully appreciated.

What I did not appreciate, though, was Pippin. I wanted to like her so much, but girl. CALM. DOWN. She was upset over literally everything — which, I mean, makes sense bc her entire life was crashing down around her — but reading about her freaking out got old really quickly. It did not ruin the book for me, but it came close. Especially when she took so damn long to realize what a catch Toby was. Which, by the way, takes over 50% of the book. They flirt pretty well together, but Pip is DETERMINED to not be attracted to Toby. Idiot.

Toby, however, is a giant precious cinnamon roll. I loved every second he was on page — especially his stupid dad jokes that began every chapter. He’s smart, hot as sin, funny, and a doctor. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT, PIP. Seriously, woman, tell me.

ANYWAY, Sister of the Bride is absolutely worth the read, especially if you like friends-to-lovers. Four stars!

SISTER OF THE BRIDE WILL BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 1, 2023.

Add to your Goodreads, or preorder at at the following links:

GOODREADS | AMAZON 

A HIATUS

Hi Everyone! Unfortunately, blogging has become something that is just adding to my stress. It’s no longer fun, and that just means I’m dragging myself to do it. I do plan to come back, but I think I need a nice healthy break away from this. I love all of you still, I just think I’ve burnt myself out. You’ll see me pop on every now and then to post ARC reviews that I’ve already agreed to. Hopefully, I won’t be gone too long!

See you,

Jordyn

ARC REVIEW: DARK WATER DAUGHTER BY H.M. LONG

• STAR RATING:  3 stars
• PAGE LENGTH: 464 pages
• DATE PUBLISHED: July 11, 2023
• PUBLISHER:  Titan Books
• CONTENT WARNINGS: Death, Gore, Blood, Slavery, Kidnapping, Murder
• IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott, or Sistersong by Lucy Holland

Thank you to Edelweiss and Titan Books for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS

A stormsinger and pirate hunter join forces against a deathless pirate lord in this swashbuckling Jacobean adventure on the high-seas.

Launching the Winter Sea series, full of magic, betrayal, redemption and fearsome women, for readers of Adrienne Young, R. J. Barker and Naomi Novik.

Mary Firth is a Stormsinger: a woman whose voice can still hurricanes and shatter armadas. Faced with servitude to pirate lord Silvanus Lirr, Mary offers her skills to his arch-rival in exchange for protection – and, more importantly, his help sending Lirr to a watery grave. But her new ally has a vendetta of his own, and Mary’s dreams are dark and full of ghistings, spectral creatures who inhabit the ancient forests of her homeland and the figureheads of ships.

Samuel Rosser is a disgraced naval officer serving aboard The Hart, an infamous privateer commissioned to bring Lirr to justice. He will stop at nothing to capture Lirr, restore his good name and reclaim the only thing that stands between himself and madness: a talisman stolen by Mary.

Finally, driven into the eternal ice at the limits of their world, Mary and Samuel must choose their loyalties and battle forces older and more powerful than the pirates who would make them slaves.

Come sail the Winter Sea, for action-packed, high-stakes adventures, rich characterization and epic plots full of intrigue and betrayal.

I’ve loved pirates and just about anything to do with them since Pirates of the Caribbean came out way back in 2003. I saw that movie more times than I want to admit in theaters, and well……..the obsession has stayed with me since then. I loved Black Sails, and am always on the lookout for unique takes on the subject. Upon hearing about Dark Water Daughter…I had high hopes. Extremely high hopes. It sounded like a blend of fantasy and history and just…yes. Yes, yes, yes. Unfortunately, this book didn’t really do it for me.

Dark Water Daughter was a resounding meh. There are many characters, and I didn’t care about any of them. Except for one — Captain James Demery. He’s a side character at best, not on page all that much but he was THE ONLY ONE I remotely cared about. I didn’t give two blinks about the main characters, Mary and Samuel. I didn’t believe their weird romance-on-and-off-like thing they had going on. I wanted to like these characters, but they were so incredibly blank that there was nothing to like!! The only mildly interesting thing about Mary and Sam was that they could do magic! THAT’S IT. They didn’t have hobbies, or cool personalities. They were literally just husks for magic.

That’s not to say that the magic wasn’t really cool, because it was. There are three different types — Stormsingers, Sooths, and Magni. Stormsingers do literally what it says on the tin — they can change the weather through song. Sooths can see the future. Magni can influence people without them knowing about it. The ideas behind the magic were unique, and cool. It doesn’t, however, make me care about any of the characters, or their fates. Something drastic happens to one of them towards the end of the book and I swear to you that I originally thought it happened to a different character because I COULDN’T TELL THEM APART.

Not to mention the overarching plot was a tad bit confusing. They were going for a treasure hoard but also to rescue Mary’s mom? But also kill a dangerous pirate and rescue tree spirits? Too many things going on, too much confusion. Needed some streamlining. I might be completely on my own by saying this, but I was disappointed by Dark Water Daughter. I wanted so much more.

DARK WATER DAUGHTER WILL BE RELEASED JULY 11, 2023.

Add to your Goodreads, or order at at the following links:

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BOOK REVIEW: CLOUD CUCKOO LAND BY ANTHONY DOERR

• STAR RATING:  4.5 stars
• PAGE LENGTH: 626 pages
• DATE PUBLISHED: September 28, 2021
• PUBLISHER: Scribner
• CONTENT WARNINGS: War, Animal death, Death
• IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

SYNOPSIS

When everything is lost, it’s our stories that survive.

How do we weather the end of things? Cloud Cuckoo Land brings together an unforgettable cast of dreamers and outsiders from past, present and future to offer a vision of survival against all odds.

Constantinople, 1453:
An orphaned seamstress and a cursed boy with a love for animals risk everything on opposite sides of a city wall to protect the people they love.

Idaho, 2020:
An impoverished, idealistic kid seeks revenge on a world that’s crumbling around him. Can he go through with it when a gentle old man stands between him and his plans?

Unknown, Sometime in the Future:
With her tiny community in peril, Konstance is the last hope for the human race. To find a way forward, she must look to the oldest stories of all for guidance.

Bound together by a single ancient text, these tales interweave to form a tapestry of solace and resilience and a celebration of storytelling itself. Like its predecessor All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr’s new novel is a tale of hope and of profound human connection.

Books about books have always struck a chord with me, and Cloud Cuckoo Land was no exception to that rule. At the very heart of this story, we have a lost ancient Greek text whose remnants leave echoes through history. This story takes place across thousands of years — we see two characters at the sacking of Constantinople right around 1500, then we see another during the Korean War, another in the early 2010’s, then another way in the future, after Earth has burned and is no longer inhabitable. Throughout all of these people’s lives the tale of Cloud Cuckoo Land rings loudly. We have some characters who use the story as a means to carry on with their lives, others who’s life work it is to translate the text, others still who do whatever they can to protect the text itself.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is an astonishing love note to humanity, and our need to create and belong beyond all else. I thoroughly enjoyed this, but I can see how others might find it boring. It is a history book, peeking backwards at our fore bearer’s lives. There are sections where nothing much happens — sections where you get the chance to breathe the story in a bit more. I loved the pieces in Constantinople, I loved seeing how people must have lived back then. I love history — I always have — and Cloud Cuckoo Land hits a lot of my buttons in such a good way.

I really don’t want to say too much about the plot itself, because I really do believe this is one of those books that you have to discover as it unfolds. This is not one you want to go into with too much information. It’s better left a bit mysterious.

If you have any interest in history, anthropology, or just love a good book about books, please check this one out.

Add to your Goodreads, or order at at the following links:

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BOOK REVIEW: WAITING FOR A SCOT LIKE YOU BY EVA LEIGH

• STAR RATING:  4.5 stars
• PAGE LENGTH: 354 pages
• DATE PUBLISHED: February 23, 2021
• PUBLISHER: Avon
• CONTENT WARNINGS: Sexual content
• IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean, and When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare

SYNOPSIS

For a merry widow and a stoic major, it’s a bumpy road to love…

Adjusting to life in peacetime isn’t easy for Major Duncan McCameron. Escorting a lady on her journey north seems like the perfect chance to give him some much-needed purpose. That is, until he learns the woman in question is the beautiful, bold, reckless Lady Farris. She makes his head spin and being alone together will surely end in disaster.

Beatrice, the Dowager Countess of Farris, is finally free of a stifling marriage and she has no plans to shackle herself to any other man. Ready to live life to the fullest, she’s headed to a week-long bacchanal and the journey should be half the fun. Except she’s confined to a carriage with a young, rule-abiding, irritatingly handsome Scottish soldier who wouldn’t know a good time if it landed in his lap. But maybe a madcap escapade will loosen him up…

Between carriage crashes, secret barn dances, robbers, and an inn with only one bed, their initial tension dissolves into a passion that neither expected. But is there a future for an adventure-loving lady and a duty-bound soldier, or will their differences tear them apart?

This was an astoundingly lovely historical romance with: an age gap with the woman being the older, a stiff-backed military man forced to bend his self-imposed rules, a secondary gay couple, and doesn’t end in a marriage or with the couple expecting a baby. All things that are relatively rare in this particular genre. I loved this. It was so, so much fun, with quite a lot of steamy bits interspersed.

Duncan McCameron and Beatrice, the Dowager Countess of Farris, are absolutely two puzzle pieces that needed to be forced together. They start off very prickly towards one another, but can’t help but fall for each other as circumstance after circumstances smooshes them against one another. Beatrice is on a mission to go to an orgy held out in the countryside, and Duncan has been tasked with bringing her there safely. So so much goes wrong, but they manage to get through it all without major bodily harm. Duncan is SO rigid and unbending that it was a little frustrating, but Beatrice got him to warm to her relatively quickly.

BEATRICE herself is just…a warm spot of sun. She’s a widow, and absolutely determined to bring herself as much happiness and joy as she can. Her thought process was literally, “If I want to do it, and it brings no one else harm, why shouldn’t I do it?” She was delightful, and I loved her to pieces.

There are a few giggles, but honestly this one was just a huge breath of fresh air and I’m so glad that I read it. Four and a half stars!!!

Add to your Goodreads, or preorder at at the following links:

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BOOK REVIEW: INK BLOOD SISTER SCRIBE BY EMMA TÖRZ

• STAR RATING:  3.5 stars
• PAGE LENGTH: 416 pages
• DATE PUBLISHED: May 30, 2023
• PUBLISHER: William Morrow
• CONTENT WARNINGS: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Body horror
• IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean, and When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare

SYNOPSIS

In this spellbinding debut novel, two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family’s library of magical books must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection–a tale of familial loyalty and betrayal, and the pursuit of magic and power.

For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of ancient and rare books. Books that let a person walk through walls or manipulate the elements–books of magic that half-sisters Joanna and Esther have been raised to revere and protect.

All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna’s isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they’ll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries . . .

In the great tradition of Ninth House, The Magicians, and Practical Magic, this is a suspenseful and richly atmospheric novel that draws readers into a vast world filled with mystery and magic, romance, and intrigue–and marks the debut of an extraordinary new voice in speculative fiction.

To make what will ultimately end up being a rather long review short — I wanted more from Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe. This book has all the markings of being a phenomenal piece of fiction, but it sort of squanders all its potential. The beginning lagged — it lags HARD. Nothing happens until about fifty percent of the way through the book, and then things start to get interesting. A lot is laid out in the beginning, but you feel adrift in everything — nothing is really hammered down or set in stone. It’s all vague, and not in a way that makes you want to keep reading. Instead, I almost ALMOST dnfed this one.

I’m glad I didn’t — it does get better. I think Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe needs a complete restructure of the beginning because it does itself no favors. I would have loved LOVED to see Joanna and Esther’s childhood, but instead we’re given brief glimpses of their younger years. In order to really hammer home the connection these two had — or didn’t — it would have been much MUCH easier to see through their eyes. A lot of telling was going on, basically. I wanted to FEEL the emotions. Instead, I’m just told about them.

Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe could have been a great book about sisterly love and affection, and family duty above all, but it really isn’t. We’re given a book about a cool magic system that is barely touched on, with a heavy dose of powerful man as the villain. The action, like I said before, doesn’t kick off until about 50% of the way through the book! Who does that to themselves!! Gist of the action is that there are magical books — only some people can read them and perform magic — and the books are being sought after by one particular man. He’ll do anything to collect more books, including murder, torture and blackmail.

I liked the characters, but I connected with Esther WAY more than her sister. Her sister I wanted to shake or yell at, multiple times. But of ALL the characters, I completely fell head over heels for Collins. Do I wish he had more lines? Do I wish we got a better sense of who he was? Absolutely. STILL. He was amazing.

Basically, this book had potential that it absolutely did not live up to. Three and a half stars.

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SERIES REVIEW: BIG BAD WOLF SERIES BY CHARLIE ADHARA

• STAR RATING FOR WHOLE SERIES:  4 stars
• PAGE LENGTH: Around 300ish pages for the whole series
• DATE PUBLISHED: 2018 – 2021
• PUBLISHER: Carina Press
• WHAT BOOK DO I START WITH? The Wolf at the Door
• HOW MANY BOOKS IN THE SERIES? Five
• CONTENT WARNINGS: Murder, Sexual content, some Animal death (off page)
• IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: The Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs

SYNOPSIS OF FIRST BOOK

An ex-FBI agent is partnered with the enemy in this suspenseful first installment of Charlie Adhara’s Big Bad Wolf series

Hunting for big bad wolves was never part of agent Cooper Dayton’s plan, but a werewolf attack lands him in the carefully guarded Bureau of Special Investigations. A new case comes with a new partner: ruggedly sexy werewolf Oliver Park.

Park is an agent of The Trust, a werewolf oversight organization working to ease escalating tensions with the BSI. But as far as Cooper’s concerned, it’s failing. As they investigate a series of mysterious deaths unlike anything they’ve seen, every bone in Cooper’s body is suspicious of his new partner—even when Park proves himself as competent as he is utterly captivating.

When more people vanish, pressure to solve the case skyrockets. And though he’d resolved to keep things professional, Cooper’s friction with Park soon erupts…into a physical need that can’t be contained or controlled. But with a body count that’s rising by the day, werewolves and humans are in equal danger. If Cooper and Park don’t catch the killer soon, one—or both—of them could be the next to go.

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, then you know very well of my journey to find the perfect werewolf book and/or series. I love werewolves, and have for years. I read gobs and gobs of werewolf books to only (usually) be disappointed. I picked up the Big Bad Wolf series on the recommendation of one of you Book Bloggers, and well, I was pleasantly surprised. Was it perfect for me? No, but it came pretty dang close.

The Big Bad Wolf series is set in a world where most people have no idea that werewolves exist. However, werewolves tend to be at the heart of almost every extremely violent crime, so a subset of the FBI has been created to look into said crimes. Our main character, Cooper, is an agent of this subset, the BSI. He is not a werewolf, but he was attacked and disemboweled by one a few years before the series starts. He’s got a prejudice against werewolves miles and miles wide, though he swears that he doesn’t. Cooper, throughout the whole series, drove me insane. He second guesses himself and his motivations in almost every single book. I know he’s supposed to be competent, but very frequently he hides what he’s thinking from the people around himself. It was infuriating, especially when it came to his relationship with his partner, Park. Cooper is forced to partner with Park in an experiment for the BSI. Park is a werewolf — now they’re working together with the wolves, and at first, Cooper hates this.

Stepping back from that explanation there to say this: Cooper and Park obviously end up together over the course of the series, and they form a very tight knit partnership. However, it takes quite a while for them to admit that. They are adorable together, not to mention the extremely steamy sex scenes in every book. I loved how protective Park was of Cooper. Park was absolutely my favorite character in this series, and I thoroughly wish that he had been the POV character. Cooper’s self-hatred became a little much by the last book.

Each entry into this series is centered around a murder mystery, and though it sounds like it might get old, I think Adhara wraps the whole thing up before it does. Each book is different enough that you aren’t bored by the premise. We see Park use his wolfiness to help find clues, and then we see Cooper use his giant brain to ultimately solve the case. They work excellent together, and it’s so much fun to watch them parse it out. I love mystery books like these, even if I’m horrible at figuring out who did it. I don’t think I guessed it once in this entire series. Whoops.

Ultimately, I wish there had been a lot more wolf bits to this series. I really wish we saw Park as a wolf way way more. I think we see him in his wolf form for the first time in the third book. That’s way too late for my tastes!!!! More lore surrounding werewolves would have been good, too, but I’ll take what we got. If Adhara ever feels like writing more into this series, I would absolutely not hesitate to pick the next one up. The whole series is on KU, and I recommend you check them out soon!!

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WWW WEDNESDAY – JUNE 28, 2023

It’s Wednesday, the wildfire smoke is back and I’m apparently just not supposed to breathe at all this week. It stinks. Here’s hoping the smoke goes away quickly, I can’t handle another whole week like this. PLUS we’re supposed to go to the Ren Faire this weekend, and I WANT TO GO. Therefore, nature needs to cooperate with me.

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words. The idea is simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s: What are you currently reading? What have you just finished reading? What are you going to read next?

I’m almost halfway through Cloud Cuckoo Land, and it’s extremely unique so far. I’m enjoying it, but it is rather dense so I’m not reading as fast as I usually do so I don’t miss anything. I finished up Wolfsong over the weekend, and I adore that book to pieces. It’s just about as perfect a werewolf book as I have ever read. I wish there were more LIKE this one. Next, not sure what I’ll read so I’m throwing Dark Water Daughter in here as a placeholder!

Happy Wednesday!