Waiting on Wednesday (51)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. We hadn't done Waiting on Wednesday since early last year, but we recently decided it's about time to bring it back.  So here's this week's WOW pick:

Is it just me or have we been waiting forever for the last book in The Lunar Chronicles series?

I need this book in my life! I needed back in February when we all thought it was going to be released instead of Fairest. I've been dying to learn more about Princess Winter as well as see what shenanigans our favorite group of rebel misfits get up to in this book. Especially after what happened at the end of the last book! I have absolutely no idea where this story is going to go and that absolutely delights me and downright terrifies me. Marissa Meyer has shown that she doesn't pull her punches when it comes to her characters in the previous books and I'm nervous for all of my darlings!

The best thing I've learned about this book so far? It's going to be 800 pages long! That kind of makes up for the fact that I will have waited twenty-one months for this book by the time I get my hands on it.

Winter
(The Lunar Chronicles #4)
Marissa Meyer
Release: November 10, 2015
Links: Goodreads Amazon

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend–the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

What book are you waiting on?

Goldilox's Greatest Hits Volume 9

Goldlox's Greatest Hits is our monthly wrap up feature. We'll recap our favorite books we've read this month and show you some of our favorite posts that you might have missed, as well as what's coming up next on Goldilox and the Three Weres. The feature's getting a bit of a makeover this month, so let us know what you think.

What We Reviewed

Rose Red says Jenn Stark's Immortal Vegas series just became an auto-buy. She gave the first book, Getting Wilde, 4 stars. She called  Time Salvager by Wesley Chu "the sci-fi/dystopian/thriller mashup that I never knew I wanted" and gave it 4.5 stars.

Gretl gave the House Immortal series finale, Crucible Zero by Devon Monk, 4.5 stars.

What We Recommended

This month Read This F-ing Book posts featured Ilona Andrews's  Kate Daniels series, Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho, and the Damar series by Robin McKinley.

We also just celebrated the third anniversary of Read This F-ing Book. Check out our anniversary post! The giveaway is open until October 5.

 

And we brought back Waiting on Wednesday recently. This month's picks are Soundless, Thinning the Herd, and The Aeronaut's Windlass.

 

What We're Watching

Some months our reading, and therefore reviewing, gets completely derailed by a Netflix binge. And a lot of times my binges can be blamed on someone raving about a show on social media. So this month I decided to pay it forward.

I'm totally taking credit for the fact that my co-bloggers are both obsessed with Killjoys! I mentioned it in my Sell Me on SciFi post and now it's everywhere. It's recently been featured on Heroes and Heartbreakers and The Mary Sue. Yup, that was all because of me ;) This one's not on Netflix yet, so check On Demand, SyFy.com or iTunes.

A couple of my favorite authors loved Justified. I got Amazon Prime last month so I finally got to watch it. I love Raylan Givens! And Walton Goggins is always amazing. I've even added the books that the show is based on to my wish list.

While I'm waiting for season 6 to start streaming, I decided to get my lawman fix with Longmire on Netflix. I didn't realize it was possible to be even more rural than Harlan, Kentucky, but Durant, Wyoming manages it. Sheriff Longmire's county borders a Cheyenne reservation, and the Native American politics and culture in the show make it unique among crime dramas.

What We Found

You might remember me raving about Carolyn Crane's Associates series in a few different posts. I recently got a postcard from one of the Associates! After I figured out that I didn't have a stalker, because I totally forgot I signed up for these, I decided this is the coolest thing ever.

What We're Working On

It's almost time for Goldilox and the Three Scares again! The event starts at the end of the month. We're lining up authors and giveaways for you as we speak.

Happy F@%!ing Anniversary RTFB!

Three Years ago today, Goldilox debuted Read This F-ing Book.

 

I discovered several of my favorite series because of those early RTFB posts. Since then we've featured so many of our favorite books and series and hopefully introduced our readers to some new favorites. And we're about to post our 50th installment!

 

Here's a look back at the history of RTFB. (Click to see the original posts.)

  

Read This F-ing Book (1) The Bloodlines Series By Richelle Mead

Read This F-ing Book (2) The Elemental Assassin Series by Jennifer Estep

Read This F-ing Book (3) Transplanted Tales by Kate Serine

Read This F-ing Book (4) The Disillusionists Trilogy by Carolyn Crane

Read This F-ing Book (5) The Dreg City Series by Kelly Meding

Read This F-ing Book (6) The Charlie Madigan Series by Kelly Gay

Read This F-ing Book (7) The Maker's Song Series by Adrian Phoenix

Read This F-ing Book (8) Renegade by J.A. Souders

Read This F-ing Book (9) The Rhiannon's Law Series by J.A. Saare

Read This F-ing Book (10) The Shaede Assassin Series by Amanda Bonilla

Read This F-ing Book (11) The World of Lupi Series by Eileen Wilks

Read This F-ing Book (12) The Jane Yellowrock Series by Faith Hunter

Read This F-ing Book (13) Daughter of the Sword by Steve Bein

Read This F-ing Book (14) The Celestial Blues Trilogy by Vicki Pettersson

Read This F-ing Book (15) The Haven Series by Kalayna Price

Read This F-ing Book (16) The Kitty Katt Series by Gini Koch

Read This F-ing Book (17) The Dark Mission Series by Karina Cooper

Read This F-ing Book (18) The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne

Read This F-ing Book (19) The Sin City Collectors Series

Read This F-ing Book (20) Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Read This F-ing Book (21) The Blud Series by Delilah S. Dawson

Read This F-ing Book (22) The Glamourist Histories by Mary Robinette Kowal

Read This F-ing Book (23) The Grendel Affair by Lisa Shearin

Read This F-ing Book (24) Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron

Read This F-ing Book (25) The Immortal Empire Series by Kate Locke

Read This F-ing Book (26) The Study Series by Maria V. Snyder

Read This F-ing Book (27) The House of Comarre Series by Kristen Painter

Read This F-ing Book (28) Can't Buy Me Love by Rin Daniels

Read This F-ing Book (29) Jackaby by William Ritter

Read This F-ing Book (30) The Iron Seas Series by Meljean Brook

Read This F-ing Book (31) The Others Series by Anne Bishop

Read This F-ing Book (32) The Legend Chronicles by Theresa Meyers

Read This F-ing Book (33) The Darkest London Series by Kristen Callihan

Read This F-ing Book (34) The Roaring Twenties Series by Jenn Bennett

Read This F-ing Book (35) The Jessica Series by Beth Fantaskey

Read This F-ing Book (36) The Jane Jameson Series by Molly Harper

Read This F-ing Book (37) The Downside Ghosts Series by Stacia Kane

Read This F-ing Book (38) The Wait For You Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Read This F-ing Book (39) The Plum Orchard Series by Dakota Cassidy

Read This F-ing Book (40) The Alpha and Omega Series by Patricia Briggs

Read This F-ing Book (41) The Generation V Series by M.L. Brennan

Read This F-ing Book (42) The Psy-Changeling Series by Nalini Singh

Read This F-ing Book (43) The Cassandra Palmer Series by Karen Chance

Read This F-ing Book (44) The Midnight, Texas Series by Charlaine Harris

Read This F-ing Book (45) The Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs

Read This F-ing Book (46) The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

Read This F-ing Book (47) Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
Read This F-ing Book (48) The Damar Series by Robin McKinley

 

We'd also like to thank everyone who's guest posted over the last three years.

If you have a book that you'd like to see us feature, let us know. We'd love to have you!

 

To celebrate RTFB's anniversary and 50th post, we're giving away five first books in series that we've featured here. One winner gets copies of:

 

Bitter Spirits (Roaring Twenties #1) by Jenn Bennett

Blood Rights (House of Comarre #1) by Kristen Painter

Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega #1) by Patricia Briggs

Firelight (Darkest London #1) by Kristen Callihan 

Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1) by Nalini Singh
and swag from some of the series we've featured on RTFB.

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Review: Time Salvager by Wesley Chu

Time Salvager
(Time Salvager #1)
Wesley Chu
Release: July 7, 2015
Goodreads Amazon

Convicted criminal James Griffin-Mars is no one’s hero. In his time, Earth is a toxic, abandoned world and humans have fled into the outer solar system to survive, eking out a fragile, doomed existence among the other planets and their moons. Those responsible for delaying humanity’s demise believe time travel holds the key, and they have identified James, troubled though he is, as one of a select and expendable few ideally suited for the most dangerous job in history.

James is a chronman, undertaking missions into Earth's past to recover resources and treasure without altering the timeline. The laws governing use of time travel are absolute; break any one of them and, one way or another, your life is over. Most chronmen never reach old age; the stress of each jump through time, compounded by the risk to themselves and to the future, means that many chronmen rapidly reach their breaking point, and James Griffin-Mars is nearing his.

On a final mission that is to secure his retirement, James meets Elise Kim, an intriguing scientist from a previous century, who is fated to die during the destruction of an oceanic rig. Against his training and his common sense, and in violation of the chronmen’s highest law, James brings Elise back to the future with him, saving her life, but turning them both into fugitives. Remaining free means losing themselves in the wild and poisonous wastes of Earth, somehow finding allies, and perhaps discovering what hope may yet remain for humanity's home world.

Review by Rose Red:

I’ve been a fan of Wesley Chu’s books since I first read his The Lives of Tao. Time Salvager definitely has a darker, more gritty vibe than the Tao books. The future is not the nice, shiny golden age that we all expect. Humanity is barely hanging on. They may be able to travel through space and they’ve colonized many planets and moons, but they’ve lost a lot of their technological advancement because of wars and other things. Earth, itself, is a toxic dump that everyone with any means left a long time ago. In order for humanity to survive, they have to send people back in time to salvage resources they need. It is not a great time to live in. This book was the sci-fi/dystopian/thriller mashup that I never knew I wanted. I loved it! It had everything I love about science fiction! What enthralled me from the start was the dark and depressing take on time travel. I don’t know about you but I’ve gotten sick of time travel books and movies that emphasize the time paradox where you go back in time and do something that results in you never being born or completely altering history. That’s not how it is here.

Things involving time travel in this book get pretty timey-wimey really quickly: time ripples, time lag, preserving the chronostream. But there are rules. Very strict rules that allows Chu to ignore most of this because the Time Laws are designed to avoid making ripples in the timeline. They only take resources that would be destroyed in events soon after salvage, so anything missing would automatically be assumed that it was destroyed in whatever calamity that had occurred. The most important rule though is to never bring anyone from the past back with you. Sometimes ripples can’t be avoided. You accidentally save someone who was supposed to die in World War 2, and they go on to have a family? No matter, a car crash will kill them all, so their descendants don’t exist and so can’t contribute to change. You get rogue chronmen that don’t want to go back to their time so they hide in other periods. Most of the time the timeline can heal itself which sets things right. Other times, Chronocom sends in an auditor to correct things. The timeline is something of a fluid thing and subject to change, but capable of being repaired. I really enjoyed the way Chu handled time travel.

I also liked how he handled the mental health of the chronmen. They all suffer from differing levels of PTSD. It makes so much sense. These time travelers are repeatedly sent back in time to major disasters to salvage things but to not interfere with the events. Watching that much death and destruction has to wear on a person. Not to mention, how jarring it would have to be having to travel back to better times only to return to a pretty crappy present. It makes sense for the chronmen to be suffering mentally and emotionally. It’s a rough lifestyle.

One thing I’ve come to appreciate about Chu’s work is that he always has a cast of diverse and complex characters to lead the story. It’s always a treat to read his books because he writes such realistic characters. They feel like proper and real people and not just stereotypes or caricatures. James Griffin-Mars is a complicated lead. He’s not always a great guy and he does some stupid things while frequently being selfish and surly. He was so unlike most SFF protagonists I’ve read. I’ll be honest, I didn’t like him at first but as the book progressed he grew on me. Even with his gruff manner, he was quite a refreshing character with how different he was from most sci-fi protagonists. Elise, on the other hand, has an air of innocence and hope to her. It fit her well because she is someone who believes that what she’s doing can change and improve the world. She’s optimistic and that’s a trait that humanity has lost over the centuries. I love that while she has hope, she’s not naive. She understands just how bad off things are in James’s time when compared to hers. Despite what had to be a shocking transition, she adapts to everything while staying the person she was in her time. I will say that one of my favorite characters overall in this book turned out to be Grace, the Mother of Time, and that was not something I expected when I started reading. She was absolutely fascinating!

I loved this book and I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on the sequel. Time Salvager does a fantastic job setting up for a fast-paced sci-fi thriller series that is brimming with potential and you really can’t ask for much more in a first book. GAH! I need book two! May 2016 is so far away! I need to know what happens!

Recommended for fans of: 
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Zero World by Jason M. Hough

    1/2

  4.5 / 5 Stars!

Waiting on Wednesday (50)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. We hadn't done Waiting on Wednesday since early last year, but we recently decided it's about time to bring it back.  So here's this week's WOW pick:

I have a confession to make.

I've never read a Jim Butcher book.

I know. I love urban fantasy but yet I haven't picked any of the Dresden Files books. I am kind of ashamed of that. I do have have the first nine books scattered throughout Mount TBR. I just need to read them.

I decided earlier this year that The Aeronaut's Windlass will be my first Jim Butcher book and I'm going to stick to that decision. It's the start of a new series plus it's a steampunk book with airships! It sounds like a great starting place to me! I don't know much about this book other than that but I'm so excited to read it! So many of my blogger friends who got ARCs have loved it! I need this book in my hands ASAP! I hear it even has a talking cat in it.

The Aeronaut's Windlass
(The Cinder Spires #1)
Jim Butcher
Release: September 29, 2015
Links: Goodreads Amazon

Jim Butcher, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Dresden Files and the Codex Alera novels, conjures up a new series set in a fantastic world of noble families, steam-powered technology, and magic-wielding warriors…

Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace.

Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship, Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion—to join a team of agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory.

And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake…

What book are you waiting on?

Read This F@!%ing Book (48)

Welcome to a feature I'm going to post on Mondays called:

Read This F@!%ing Book!

This is a feature for me to push my favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention! 

I'm also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you have a book that you just LURVED but feel like its not getting the play it deserves? Email me to let me know and I'd be THRILLED to have you post about it here! Especially if its something I haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)! If you're interested email me: 

Goldilox3weres@hotmail.com

 This week's post comes from our very own: 
Rose Red!

Read This F@!%ing Book Post 48: The Damar Series by Robin McKinley

 

(Click book cover to go to Goodreads page)

I've recently been rereading some of my favorite books from when I was a kid. It's been fun reconnecting with some of these older books that I read ragged. Much of my pre-teen and teen years were devoted to reading everything I could get my hands on by Robin McKinley. Her books are what got me into reading fantasy. I had never read any fantasy books before I read The Blue Sword and it immediately hooked me on the genre. Before I read it, my reading tastes were totally different and ran along the lines of classics like The Swiss Family Robinson, The Boxcar Children series, and Nancy Drew books. Let’s just say that if I hadn’t picked it up my reading tastes would probably be very different today. So today, I kind of want to write a different post for Read This F@!%ing Book. I want to tell you why you should read this book as well as how much this book got me into one of my favorite genres and how that influenced what I read today.

Let’s flashback to the 90s. 1995 to be exact. 

Nine year old me was browsing through the books in the local library and I found this beautiful book called The Blue Sword. The cover drew me in. I was so intrigued by the pretty horse and awesome glowing sword on the cover, I just had to check it out. As soon as I was home, I sat down and read it in one sitting. That book made me a Robin McKinley fangirl for life. It had everything I never knew I had wanted. There were kidnappings, magic, horses, swords, a kick butt heroine, and just a hint of romance. I loved it. Like loved it so much that I immediately reread it. I actually reread it four times before we went back to the library a week later.

I was obsessed! I wanted more of the world and more of the horses! The magic system is still so different from any magic systems I’ve ever read and it’s been about twenty years since I’ve first read this. Also, the world building is epic! There are horses, magic swords, battles, seers, and political intrigue! Gah! It’s just plain amazing! I’m still fascinated at how much thought and effort went into just how the Hillfolk ride their horses in this book alone. But everything in this book is like that.

 

When we returned the book, I asked my librarian if The Blue Sword was part of a series. She just smiled knowingly and lead me to where all of McKinley’s books were located. Let’s just say that my librarian made sure that I went home with The Hero and the Crown, the companion novel in the Damar series, as well as with Beauty, McKinley's first Beauty and the Beast retelling, in my hands. And I loved them every bit as much as I had The Blue Sword.

The Blue Sword Was My Gateway Book.

It became my gateway book into fantasy. Every time I returned to the library after that, the librarian always had a couple books set aside that she promised that I would love because I loved The Blue Sword. I devoured each and every book she gave me after that. And guess what? She was right. I loved all of them! And each one was always a fantasy novel. That librarian recognized the intense love I was developing for that genre and she kept the fire stoked. She and the books she gave me became a lifeline. I didn’t have a lot of friends because I was that weird girl who read all the time. I was the one who loved books and horses more than sports and gossiping. Each book offered an escape and I took it every chance I got.

Over the next several months and years, my librarian introduced me to some of my favorite books of all time. After I finished Hero and Beauty, I was introduced to Patricia C. Wrede and her delightful Mairelon the Magician books as well as her wonderful Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Those were quickly followed by Ella Enchanted, Gom on Windy Mountain, and The Hobbit. Which then led to me devouring the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy. From there it snowballed dramatically. I quickly picked up Sabriel and my first Shannara book. And then the wonderful and magical Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released and books with magic and mythical creatures became cool in my small town. I was no longer the weird kid who read all of the fantasy books she could get her hands on. I became the person that people came to for book recommendations after that. Ironically enough, that’s something that hasn’t changed and I still read fantasy with an undying fervor. My current bookshelves and life wouldn’t be the same without this little book’s influence because it didn't only set me up to read high fantasy. It gave me the foundation to discover other fantasy genres that I love  through some of my favorite authors from that time like urban fantasy and paranormal romance when Robin McKinley released Sunshine or historical paranormal romance when I picked up Sorcery & Cecilia by Patricia Wrede.

I think the most important moment in my reading life can be pinned on that moment when I picked up The Blue Sword for the first time. It started my life long love affair with fantasy and all of its awesome subgenres. That book and that librarian helped shape who I am as a reader and as a person today. I shudder to think of all the books I would never have found if I hadn’t read it and asked my librarian that all important question that lead to all of this. I wonder if I would have been brave enough to pick up the books I love today without it. I can’t imagine my life without steampunk, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, or Brandon Sanderson books in it. I’m so grateful that Past Me was so intrigued by the cover and that my local librarian knew exactly what books I needed to build my fantasy foundation. I wouldn’t be the same if I hadn’t taken it home that day. 

You All Need To Read These Books!

The Blue Sword is still my favorite Robin McKinley book and it's considered a fantasy classic. You definitely need to read it! If it helps, it was also a Newbery Honor book in 1983, if those kinds of things float your boat. If I’m to be honest. this is the McKinley book that I push on everybody followed closely by its companion novel. Even though The Blue Sword is technically the second book in the series,  I highly recommend it picking it up first. It is a better introduction to the world and makes The Hero and the Crown a less confusing and more enjoyable read.

Waiting On Wednesday (49)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. We hadn't done Waiting on Wednesday since early last year, but we recently decided it's about time to bring it back.  So here's this week's WOW pick:

I was so excited when I saw this cover reveal on Facebook a few weeks ago because it meant that Adrian Phoenix finally had a new book coming out. I enjoyed her Maker's Song series and the sixth book just kept getting pushed back. I think her Hoodoo series has a lot of potential but the third book in that series seems to have been postponed as well.

Thinning the Herd looks like it's completely different from either of those. It sounds kind of like Ghostbusters with werewolves. It's either going to brilliant, or really bad. But it's only $1.99 to pre-order on Kindle right now so I definitely think it's worth taking a chance on. What do you think of this blurb?

Thinning the Herd
Adrian Phoenix
Release: January 4, 2015
Links Goodreads Amazon

From the New York Times bestselling author of A Rush of Wings and The Maker’s Song series, a humorous, action-packed urban fantasy about a werewolf pack and an animal control officer in way over his head!

Someone is picking off fortune tellers and hippies in Oregon, snatching them out of their Birkenstocks mid-stride. And when the legend himself, Hal Rupert, Animal Control Officer, gets a whiff of the mystery, he knows he’s the man to solve it. In between proudly wrangling out-of-control cats and dogs, he’s noticed a peculiar uptick in another sort of animal…werewolves.

Hal infiltrates the country fair to investigate the disappearance of the flower children. But his real priority is protecting the love of his life, Desdemona Cohen, whose long purple tresses and black-glossed lips captured his heart the moment he first saw her standing behind the register at Hot Topic. Desdemona may have nicknamed Hal “Creep,” but he’s determined to win her heart. And, you know, save everyone else, too.

 

What book are you waiting on?

Read This F@!%ing Book (47)

Welcome to a feature we're going to post on Mondays called:

 

Read This F@!%ing Book!

This is a feature for us to push our favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention! 

We're also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you have a book that you just LURVED but feel like it's not getting the play it deserves? Email us to let us know and we'd be THRILLED to have you post about it here! Especially if its something we haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)!

If you're interested email Goldilox3weres@hotmail.com

or send us a message on Facebook.

  This week's post comes from our very own: 
Gretl!

Read This F@!%ing Book Post 47: Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

It's been a while since we featured a new release or, for that matter, a single book rather than a series on Read This F-ing Book, but Sorcerer to the Crown came out a few weeks ago and really made an impression on me. So I thought I'd share my thoughts.

Something for everyone
I'm not a big fan of Historicals with their stilted language and puffy skirts, but I loved this book set in nineteenth century England. Sorcerer to the Crown hits a lot of the same notes as some of my favorite Steampunk series, despite its complete lack of dirigibles. In fact, it feels a lot like The Clockwork Dagger (which we loved, so that 's definitely a good thing.) Zen Cho imagines some wonderful magic, which was a fine substitute for those gadgets that I always rave about.

I think this is also a perfect book for fans of YA. (It may be too violent for very young readers though.) It features a nineteen year old heroine who discovers shocking news about her parents and goes on to shock society. There's a romance but it's very subtle, and chaste even by YA standards.

And if you happen to like the Regency era language and balls with all those puffy skirts, you'll find that here as well.

Politics
The hero Zacharias gets caught up in a political battle with the British government on one side and the Fairy Court on the other. Cho treats the Fae as if they are any other country. They use magic like another country would use oil, threatening an embargo to get their way. I always love supernatural politics, but this idea of the supernaturals participating in human politics is even better.

I also loved that the hero and heroine, both people of color, challenged race and gender conventions without making feel beaten over the head with a message.

Dragons!
I loved the variety of Fae creatures in this world and the fact that they were more or less out in the open. I don't want to name all of the wonderful magical creatures in Sorcerer to the Crown or the role that most of them serve. That would require lots of spoilers. I will say that there are dragons since you meet one early in the book. (There's even one on the cover.)  And if you read it just for the dragons I don't think you'd be disappointed.

Read my review on Goodreads.

 

Have you read this book?

Did we persuade you to add it to your TBR mountain?

Let us know in the comments below!

 

 

Waiting on Wednesday (48)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. We hadn't done Waiting on Wednesday since early last year, but we recently decided it's about time to bring it back.  So here's my second ever WOW pick:

 

 

Anything that Richelle Mead writes is a must-read for me, so I'm really excited about Soundless. It's completely different from anything else she's written - there don't seem to be any vampires in it. I'm not terribly familiar with Chinese mythology, but I assume some kind of magic is involved in keeping sound away from the village. I'm curious about what kinds of creatures might show up. Also, it's a standalone and it seems like I rarely read anything that isn't part of a series. I'm just so intrigued by everything about this book. . .

 

Soundless

Richelle Mead
Release: November 10
Goodreads Amazon

From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore.

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever...  

What book are you waiting on?

 

    

Read This F@!%ing Book (46)

Welcome to a feature I'm going to post on Mondays called:

Read This F@!%ing Book!

This is a feature for me to push my favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention! 

I'm also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you have a book that you just LURVED but feel like its not getting the play it deserves? Email me to let me know and I'd be THRILLED to have you post about it here! Especially if its something I haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)! If you're interested email me: 

Goldilox3weres@hotmail.com

 This week's post comes from our very own: 
Rose Red!

Read This F@!%ing Book Post 46: The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

    

    

      

 

(Click book cover to go to Goodreads page)

It's no secret that I absolutely adore the Kate Daniels series. I've reviewed almost the whole series here at Goldilox and the Three Weres so you all know exactly how much I love these books. This series is one of my all-time favorites! I've reread it multiple times and I still adore everything about it! The writing duo that makes up Ilona Andrews just has the perfect combination of action, snark, and mythology down. These books will make you laugh as they tear your heart out. I want to approach this Read This F@!%ing Book post a little differently than normal. Instead of my gushing for 1000+ words about why I love this series, I want to tell you some of the reasons why you should read these books.

Five Reasons Why I love the Kate Daniels Series:

1. Kate is a snarky heroine who is a legit badass. I love Kate. She knows her strengths and her weaknesses and lives with it. She learns some hard truths about her past, and needs to make some major decisions about how she is going to face (and survive) the future. She is strong, but not all powerful. We also get to see her evolve throughout this series from loner to someone with friends to someone who is in a committed relationship. It wasn't an easy transition for her and we are there for every struggle, regret, and happiness as she goes through that process.

2. The characters are just plain fantastic and so are their relationships with each other. One of the best things about this series is the supporting characters and their varying relationships with Kate. I seriously love so many of them! Kate started out as a loner and has slowly built a support group of friends around her. The world doesn't revolve around Kate. She maybe the main character, but the series is about more than just her. Life goes on for others. I loved that we can get glimpses of the lives the others lead around her. Some characters get more page time, but the authors do an excellent job of writing the characters in to have a function in the narrative and not just because they need more characters.

3. Each book is filled with non-stop action and so many different mythologies. One thing that remains constant throughout this series is that each book still has tons of action and a mystery that propels the narrative forward. Each book has its own monster of the week, but each book is steadily building Kate up for that final showdown that we know is coming. And with each book, we're introduced to more and more mythology and creatures from the different versions. One of the things that I love about this series is that I have no idea what new kind of mythology or lore will be added to this intriguing world. It's getting to be an excellent mythological melting pot with every mythology adding its own unique twist to the story.

4. The swoon-worthy romance is... well... swoon-worthy. I adore Kate and Curran's relationship. It hasn't been an easy road. They went from disliking each other to respecting each other to being interested in each other to (finally) being in a relationship. Their romance was a slow burning one and by the time they do get together it's believable that they really do care for each other. They both have strong personalities and they have to work at it. They don't all of the sudden fall for each other and become attached at the hip. Their romance is one of my all-time favorites and I don't think that will change any time soon. Not only is Kate and Curran's relationship well done, but so are the relationships of those around them. They all have their ups and downs.

5. The shifters in this world are a great combination of unique attributes and some of the more common tropes. This is one thing that I love about this series. In so many Urban Fantasy books, shifters always have to obey their leader if they're given an order. But in this world they're allowed to disagree and challenge their leaders and if there is a huge falling out they can always leave the pack. That doesn't mean they won't get in trouble for disagreeing. It just means that it's an option. Another thing I love in this series is that shifters can have families....they can and do have kids. It's not like other series that once they are a shifter that they are suddenly unable to procreate. Granted, there's a large chance that a child will go loup when they first shift, but at least they can have kids. The last thing I appreciate about the shifters in these books is that they don't live forever. Death comes to all shifters at some point. The whole weres get to live forever as long as they don't get killed by other means gets old after awhile. In this world, shifters are born/created and they live a long life (they do live longer than others since they can heal faster and more easily), grow old, and then they die at a very old age. Also, I'd like to note that the vampires are really, really dead. A vampire is a dead body that is controlled and "navigated" by a necromancer. And that body is literally the only thing left of that person after they are infected with the virus.

If you like Audiobooks, then you have to listen to this series! Renee Raudman is the narrator and she does a phenomenal job! She nailed all the voices perfectly to what I imagined them sounding like in my head. I have a confession to make. I love these audiobooks and these stories so much that I have been listening to the audio on a continuous loop this year. They are really just that good, guys!

I love this series so much! I always need more Kate and Curran in my life! Seriously. I can't wait for the next book to come out next summer! They are so freaking fantastic that I may cry when the series ends! If you haven't started this series, you need to get on that.

 

My reviews of the books in this series:

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews 
Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews
Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews
Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews
Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews   

Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews

Review: Getting Wilde by Jenn Stark

Getting Wilde
(Immortal Vegas #1)
Jenn Stark
Release: August 18, 2015
Goodreads Amazon

Using her well-worn Tarot deck, magical-artifacts hunter Sara Wilde can find anything—for a price. And the price had better be right, since she needs to finance her own personal mission to rescue several young psychics recently sold on the paranormal black market.

Enter Sara’s most mysterious client and occasional lover, the wickedly sexy Magician, with a job that could yield the ultimate payday. All she’ll have to do is get behind Vatican walls… and steal the Devil himself.

But play with the Devil and you’re bound to get burned.

Pressure mounts for Sara to join the Magician’s ancient and mysterious Arcana Council, as militant forces unleashed by even darker powers seek to destroy all magic—including the young psychics Sara is desperate to keep safe. The Council may be their only hope. . . but it could also expose Sara’s own dark past.

From the twisting catacombs of Rome to the neon streets of Vegas, Sara confronts ancient enemies, powerful demigods, a roiling magical underworld about to explode… and immortal passions that might require the ultimate sacrifice. But oh, what a way to go.

No matter how the cards play out, things are about to get Wilde.

Review by Rose Red:

Artifact hunting and tarot cards?!? How could I not read this book? Also, the covers for this series are awesome! I requested the book off Netgalley almost solely based on the cover.

I would actually recommend reading the prequel novella, One Wilde Night, first. As of writing this review, it’s available for FREE, which is a great price if you’re on the fence about trying this series. The novella was a great introduction to the world and it held me captivated from page one. It also gives you a great introduction to who the heroine, Sara Wilde, is! She’s kind of an Indiana Jane badass in the fact that she’s an artifact bounty hunter. I loved her snark and how she uses her tarot cards to find things! I seriously was intrigued by her ability the whole time.

I don’t know much about tarot cards, but this prequel did a good job of easing us into this world with a fair bit of worldbuilding and interesting mythology while not being info dumpy at the same time. I was a little confused about who and what exactly the Connected are but I can say that I am definitely hooked. Also, I want to give Jenn Stark a slow clap for setting this in South America! That's not a location that makes it into many books! *slow claps*

Now, let’s talk about Getting Wilde! I loved it! I have added yet another series to my auto-buy list! Sara is quickly becoming one of my favorite heroines. She’s quite well balanced. She’s not perfect and is totally fine with the fact that she has undesirable qualities. Sara has clearly had a traumatic past and there are certain things Sara’s mind has blocked off even from her for her own protection. I think this also means the extent of Sara’s power has yet to be seen, so it will be interesting to watch her grow throughout the rest of the series.

We're also introduced to several intriguing characters that I hope we see more of in the rest of the series. I loved that the characters that make up the Arcana Council are based on major arcana tarot cards! The Council and the Connected live in the shadows of our world.And I will say that The Magician seriously intrigues me! He's powerful and shrouded in mystery. He clearly has plans but his end game is not known at the moment. The Council’s main focus is to keep the balance of all magic regardless of whether it's light and dark magic. Maintaining this balance means that The Magician’s goals will not always mesh with Sara’s and it will be interesting to see how they clash. While Sara has every right to be wary of him, I love that he’s an enigma. He's not the only one though. I’m intrigued to see how the other major arcana cards pop up as characters. Bring on the crazy!

Getting Wilde is a great start to a brand new urban fantasy series! It was unique and fast-paced with a well-developed plot. I did have a couple of problems, the major being that I was a little lost going from the prequel to the first book. I’m kind of confused. A lot has taken place in between the two stories, some of which are referenced in Getting Wilde, but are never fully explained. Maybe will get more of an explanation in the next books, but I wish more had been explained in this one. Things felt disconnected for me because of it and I feel like I missed something important. According to the author’s website, the next books should be released fairly close to one another which makes me insanely happy! Wilde Card, book two, is set to come out on November 17th. I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

Recommended for fans of: 
Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish

An eARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

    

  4 / 5 Stars!