Review: Servants of the Storm by Delilah S. Dawson

Servants of the Storm
Delilah S. Dawson
Release: August 5, 2014
Links Goodreads Amazon
Reviewer: Gretl

Summary: A year ago Hurricane Josephine swept through Savannah, Georgia, leaving behind nothing but death and destruction — and taking the life of Dovey's best friend, Carly. Since that night, Dovey has been in a medicated haze, numb to everything around her.

But recently she's started to believe she's seeing things that can't be real ... including Carly at their favorite cafe. Determined to learn the truth, Dovey stops taking her pills. And the world that opens up to her is unlike anything she could have imagined.

As Dovey slips deeper into the shadowy corners of Savannah — where the dark and horrifying secrets lurk — she learns that the storm that destroyed her city and stole her friend was much more than a force of nature. And now the sinister beings truly responsible are out to finish what they started.

Dovey's running out of time and torn between two paths. Will she trust her childhood friend Baker, who can't see the threatening darkness but promises to never give up on Dovey and Carly? Or will she plot with the sexy stranger, Isaac, who offers all the answers — for a price? Soon Dovey realizes that the danger closing in has little to do with Carly ... and everything to do with Dovey herself.

Review: I don't read YA very often, though I'm not really sure if that makes me more or less qualified to judge, but Dovey feels like a real teenager to me. She’s naïve in some ways, but she’s also fearless. Her best friend is the most important person in her world. I really wish I could have met Carly before the storm. Dovey's memories of her past make her present even more tragic. And Dovey's passion for the theater also makes her feel wonderfully youthful.

When Dovey first stops taking her pills, she doesn't really know what she's going to find. She's not sure if she's still under their influence, so she doesn't quite trust what she sees. Her uncertainty really ups the creep factor as she starts to explore her new reality. Savannah after the storm is filled with mysterious creatures, like a fox-eared girl and Dovey's dead best friend, who disappear before she can confront them. I knew the demons were there even though Dovey didn't know yet, so the first third of the book was like walking through a haunted house waiting for the monsters to jump out.

Once immersed in the demon world, Dovey gets more confident. She starts to actively pursue answers and the action really picks up. It almost feels like a different story. It's no less creepy, just not as subtle about it. For example, when Dovey goes to the not-so-abandoned-after-all amusement park and sees the expressions of ecstasy on the demons’ faces while they watch people scream on the broken down rides she really starts to understand their cruelty and their inhumanity. The scenes at the park provide some wonderfully vivid, fantastic and horrific imagery. They also make me think that Servants of the Storm might make a great movie.

Servants of the Storm is not a romance, but it does have a love triangle. Baker is a childhood friend who grew up while Dovey wasn't looking and now wants to be more than friends. Isaac is Dovey's Morpheus. Instead of a red pill, he has a red liquid that helps her see the real world. But she's still not sure if she can trust him. She needs to pretend to be interested in him to further her investigation, but while her body might be willing, her heart's not really in it. It seems that Dovey's desire for romance was stunted while she was in her medicated haze, so she's not really sure what to do with either of the men when they show an interest in her. And her quest to find Carly is far more important to her than a relationship. If she gets to have more books in her series, I expect that will change eventually.

I have some mixed feelings about the end of this book (though after I figured out the Matrix analogy I started to feel a lot better for some reason.) There's an action-packed climax that makes me think I'm about to get everything I wanted. But then the end raises even more questions, which is certainly effective in upping the creep factor, but it's frustrating. It also adds to my feeling that this book should be a movie. I could totally see a movie ending like that, suggesting maybe there's a sequel, but maybe not. There is a second book planned, but not yet contracted, so everyone please read this one so I can get some answers.



Recommended for fans of: teen horror films, YA bad boys, creepy demons

    

4  stars

Review: The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley

The Mirror Empire
(Worldbreaker Saga #1)
Kameron Hurley
 Release: August 26, 2014
Reviewer: Rose Red
Goodreads Amazon

On the eve of a recurring catastrophic event known to extinguish nations and reshape continents, a troubled orphan evades death and slavery to uncover her own bloody past… while a world goes to war with itself.

In the frozen kingdom of Saiduan, invaders from another realm are decimating whole cities, leaving behind nothing but ash and ruin.

As the dark star of the cataclysm rises, an illegitimate ruler is tasked with holding together a country fractured by civil war, a precocious young fighter is asked to betray his family and a half-Dhai general must choose between the eradication of her father’s people or loyalty to her alien Empress.

Through tense alliances and devastating betrayal, the Dhai and their allies attempt to hold against a seemingly unstoppable force as enemy nations prepare for a coming together of worlds as old as the universe itself.

In the end, one world will rise – and many will perish.

Review by Rose Red:
--> If you belong to the SFF community, I bet you’ve heard of The Mirror Empire since it has been promoted like no other. If you are part of the community and haven’t heard of it, what rock have you been hiding under?

I will admit that writing this review was not an easy task. Mainly that’s because I read this book slowly, like forty pages a day slowly. This book is definitely different and it was challenging in places. It’s really dark, guys. For the most part, this book blew me away. It's really intense. Kameron Hurley definitely deserves a slow clap for how imaginative this is and for the role gender plays in the story. I really haven’t read anything quite like it before.

This is a brilliant epic fantasy and it explores some interesting ideas on gender, roles, and relationships. It made me a little uncomfortable at times, but that’s a good thing. The Mirror Empire is definitely an amazing book that promises to be the start of an incredible series.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I would recommend picking it up blind. And by blind, I mean with no knowledge other than what was in the synopsis. Trust me, you just want to go into this book with no preconceived ideas on how the plot is going to go. So this post is going to be mostly a “ZOMG! GO READ THIS BOOK!” recommendation as well as a small discussion about how Hurley’s take on gender impressed me to no end.

So that being said, this isn’t going to be like most of my reviews. I’m not going to go into the plot or character development. I will say that this book reminds me of why I fell in love with this genre and why I continue to fall in love with it. The world building yielded an imaginative and fantastical world that is unrelenting and more than a bit frightening.

The storyline is a little confusing and it’s meant to be that way. Hurley is in full and complete control and you're just along for one hell of a ride. It’s engaging and the pacing is phenomenal! But what made this book for me was the use of gender in each of the different cultures in this world. For most of them, women are the dominant leaders in society. In some of the cultures, women are in complete control and men are just property. In others, women are the leaders but men have a more equal footing.

This book was amazing because this wasn’t just a gender flip. The female characters have jobs in every walk of life and are not just one type. And the male characters have diversified roles as well. I can’t wait to see what Hurley does with some of the characters.

Even though I read this slowly, I was fully immersed in the world. It was fantastic and it has haunted my thoughts since I finished. I will definitely be picking up the next book! With how dark this book is, I would recommend picking up a light book to read after this one.


**I received an eARC of this book from Angry Robot Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

    

 4 / 5 stars

Read This F@!%ing Book 23

 

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 it's 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: 
Gretl!

Read This F@!%ing Book Post 23: The Grendel Affair by Lisa Shearin

 

The Grendel Affair

(Click title for Amazon)

 

Why I Love It:

Makenna Fraser is a seer for SPI, Supernatural Protection and Investigations. She can see through magical disguises and find the bad guys. Until a few months ago she was a journalist, so she has some investigative skills, but she's still learning about the paranormal and law enforcement aspects of the agency. My first impression of this book was that it really accurately captures the feeling of being new at your job. Mac is inexperienced, but she's not incompetent. She has to rely on her co-workers more than she would like. Her partner Ian is kind of a typical cop/former military badass, but the way he looks after Mac is really sweet.

 

She's also got a great supporting cast made up of vampires and elves and a lot of other favorite supes. The SPI headquarters is a big melting pot that allows a lot of different types of characters to be introduced in a short amount of time and seeing Shearin's versions of all the different species is a lot of fun. I also love the way she manages to combine characters from medieval literature, like Grendel, with blockbuster films, like Jurassic Park, in the same sentence.

 

 

Why I'm Pushing It:

There are a lot of paranormal police procedurals out there. They can get kind of dark and heavy. What I love about this one is its humor. For example, some of the characters take their stereotypes literally. Mac's dragon lady boss is actually a dragon and the agency's lawyer is a vampire. Looking back at it now brings to mind Guardians of the Galaxy. Not in its setting, but in the fact that it's full of action and outrageous characters, but what I remember most is that it's funny.

 

Pop Culture with a Purpose!

Strangely, my favorite thing about this book about monsters from literature is its use of TV and film. The Grendel Affair has the most helpful pop culture references I've ever encountered. That may not exactly sound like a compliment, but let me explain. When a character is described as having "a square jaw and an aquiline nose," I know what those words mean, but they don't create a clear image in my head. When Shearin writes, "I'd always thought he looked like Anderson Cooper, minus the giggling sense of humor," I know exactly what Alain Moreau looks like. When a woman in the cemetery looks like the Queen of England in a blue coat, I know exactly what that means (and am even more amused by what happens to the woman later.) However, I think this is my favorite character description: "Minus the funky haircut, he looked disturbingly like a young version of the Mr. Spock cookie jar he kept on his desk filled with wasabi-covered peas." All these references add to the fun I had while reading the book, but it also helped to drive home the point that Mac lives in the same world that we do. She's just learned some things about it that the rest of us don't know yet.

 

The Grendel Affair is the first book in the SPI files series. A prequel novella, Lucky Charms, about Mac's first day (where she has to provide security for a leprechaun bachelor party) will be released November 25, 2014 in the anthology Night Shift. The second book in the series The Dragon Conspiracy is out January 27, 2015

 

 

 

Have you read this book?

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

Let us know in the comments below!

Coastal Magic Featured Author Spotlight Post and Giveaway - Kelly Meade!

Kelly Meade

Check out Kelly Meade's Fast Five below, then enter to WIN in the Rafflecopter form!!!

  

First, tell us something we HAVE to know about your new Cornerstone Run series!

Three Sexy Wolf-Shifter Brothers. Need I say more? Okay, I'll say a little more. The series is set in a small town of wolf shifters, called loup garou, and focuses on the lives of three brothers: Rook, Knight and Bishop. Each brother is featured in one of the three books in the trilogy, and they each meet their match in their future mate. Plus magic, vampires, and lots of action!

Fast Five:

1. Strangest thing ever said to you at a signing/convention: 

Just recently, a little old lady who couldn't have been younger than seventy-five or so ambled over to my table at a signing. She leans in real slow and says, "Are you premature gray, dear?"

2. Dream vacation destination: 

A nice cabin with air conditioning, up close to a lake, in the middle of the mountains. A week to read, swim, maybe hike a few trails. Just get away from technology and work and people for a while. I don't even care which state or country it's in (although bonus points if it's one I've never been to).

3. Yummiest munchie: 

Puppy chow! Although I think most people call it Chex Muddy Buddies, but that's the name I first called it. It's basically Chex cereal coated in melted chocolate and peanut butter, and then tossed in powered sugar. I could eat an entire batch in one sitting if I let myself.

4. Movie that scared the crap out of you: 

The Exorcist. I am a big fan of horror movies, and I grew up watching them. But something about that movie...gah. I can't watch the exorcism scenes again. Actually, exorcism movies in general give the willies more than any other kind of horror film, so I try to stay away from them. Give me Freddy Krueger any day.

5. Book/series you wish you'd written: 

Anything with "#1 New York Times Best-Selling Author" stamped on the cover.

Thank you for playing Kelly! And in case you readers live under a rock, Kelly Meade is also Kelly Meding, author of the Meta Wars series and one of my favorite UF series, Dreg City!!!

Author of the Dreg City UF series (Bantam) and the MetaWars superhero series (Pocket). AKA Kelly Meade, whose new PNR series debuts this summer with Berkely Intermix.

Come see Kelly Meade/Kelly Meding along with 49 other authors at Coastal Magic in February!

Enter to win an ebook copy of the first book in Kelly's PNR series, BLACK ROOK!



This giveaway is international as long as you can receive the ebook.

(Winner must be 13 or older)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Dark Heat by Donna Grant

Dark Heat: The Dark Kings Stories
(Dark Kings #0.1-0.3)
Donna Grant
Release: December 31, 2013
Reviewer: Rose Red
Goodreads Amazon

The Dark Kings are sworn to defend an ancient legacy of dragon magic. But their fiercest challenge lies in the modern world, where a woman’s love conquers all. These are their stories.

This book contains the first 3 Dark Kings prequels + a bonus story, "Passion's Claim":

"Dark Craving"

Fueled by ancient magic—and enflamed by human desire—the Dragon King known as Hal can transform himself at will into one of the legendary winged creatures he is sworn to protect. But one thing he can never do is fall in love...with a mortal woman.

"Night’s Awakening"

The dark immortal warriors were never meant to experience human desire. But when Guy, a member of an ancient order of shape-shifting warriors, meets Elena—a mere mortal whose beauty and blind ambition shakes him to his core—all bets are off...

"Dawn’s Desire"

For centuries, the Dragon Kings have hidden their shapeshifting powers from the world. But when a mortal enemy threatens to expose them, the warrior Banan must leave his secret lair in the Highlands to risk his life for the dragons within—and resist the temptations of human love.

"Passion’s Claim"

Banan has been waiting for centuries for someone like Jane. Guy knew it was love at first sight with Elena. Can two Dragon Kings commit to two immortal women for eternity? Or does fate have something else in store?

Review by Rose Red:

Dark Heat: The Dark Kings Stories contains novellas written by Donna Grant that set up her new dragon shifter series. I’m a huge fan of Grant’s Dark Sword/Dark Warriors series. So when I found out that she was writing a new series I jumped on that as quickly as I could. I enjoyed the stories but found that the development of the story lines were a bit rushed and would have done better as full-length novels instead of novellas. But theses stories are meant more as a teaser of what is to come in the series instead of stand alones.

The collection consists of three novellas and a short story. I decided to divide my review up by novella instead of a large review. It just makes more sense to do it that way.

Dark Craving (3 Stars)
Cassie has fallen on hard times and has moved to Scotland to stay in her brother’s rental cottage. The move is just the beginning of her problems though. She has to drive herself from the airport on what feels like the wrong side of the road and in the middle of a Highlands blizzard. She finally reaches her destination and finds herself locked out because her brother forgot to give her the security code. Then Duke, her brother’s dog, escapes the car and takes off running. Duke is later found running around by Hal, one of the workers who resides at the neighboring Dreagon distillery. Hal finds Cassie nearly frozen to death in her car. He gets her inside and takes care of her until she comes to.

But Hal has a secret. He is one of the Dragon Kings tasked with protecting both dragons and humans. Hal and the other Dragon Kings are not supposed to feel love for a human. But he starts falling for Cassie.

I was really into this story until one part of the story. It was a bit ridiculous even though it kind of fit. After that, I had a hard time taking the novella seriously. The romance was very much an instalove situation and there is no development in that department whatsoever. It was all very rushed. I know it’s a novella with a small amount of pages, but I still needed more. Several things were brought up that seemed important but were never mentioned again like The Silvers moving.

I did like the novella but it definitely should have been a novel. That way more things could have been explained and the romance could have developed at a more reasonable rate. It was a good introduction to the Dragon Kings though.

Night’s Awakening (3.5 Stars)
Elena Griffin and her new boss, Sloan, trespass onto the private property consisting of Dreagon Industries to go caving. As it is her first time, Elena is very anxious about the whole affair and ends up just stumbling around trying to follow her boss. Sloan is so excited about their spelunking that she pushes Elena to the point of exhaustion. It is only once they are deep within the cave that Sloan allows Elena to rest. Leaving Elena alone on a ledge, Sloan decides to lower herself down to a branch off the cavern to explore on her own. Things happen and Sloan ends up falling.

Elena panics when she realizes what happens and that Sloan most likely dead. As a newbie, she can’t recall the way they entered and she has no knowledge of how to get herself out of the cave. After wandering and getting injured, Elena is finally found by three of the Dragon Kings who come to investigate the noise Elena and Sloan were making.

Guy, one of the three Kings, takes an immediate interest in her. Grant allows their romance to bloom at a more believable pace than the first novella, but it’s still really fast. Naturally, Constantine and the other Kings are suspicious of Elena since she was found trespassing on their private property. However, Guy slowly comes to trust Elena. Enough so that he wants to reveal what he truly is to her. Will Elena accept him or shun him for what he is?

Guy comes up with a way for her to prove her innocence, but it is up to Elena to decide if she can follow through with it. But will this plan reveal a further plot against Dreagon and the Dragon Kings’ secret?

I enjoyed this novella better then the first. Although, I felt like the first one set us up but this one really took us into the story with the Kings. This story is intense and fast paced. We learn more about the Dragon Kings’ history and as well as getting a re-cap of the information initially revealed in Dark Craving. I liked the relationship between Guy and Elena and part of that may be that Guy kind of knew what to expect after watching Hal fall in love with Cassie. These novellas are definitely setting up a plot with a villain. That plot is slowly being revealed which I think will make things much more interesting later.

Dawn’s Desire (4 Stars)
This novella is hands down the best in this set of three novellas. We get a sinister plot as well as the romance.

After the revelations in the last novella, Elena goes back to London and her job in hopes of discovering more information for the Dragon Kings. This is when we meet Jane. As a secretary for PureGems, Jane is just trying to simply live her life. She dislikes her pompous and bigoted boss, Richard Arnold. But who doesn’t hate their bosses anyway, right? It is only when she overhears her boss talking on the phone about Sloan and Elena’s accident that she realizes something is truly not right. But will that something get her in trouble?

When someone starts following Jane, the Dragon Kings step in to help and hopefully find more about why Sloan was in that cave. Banan starts to fall for Jane as a more sinister plot comes to light during their investigation.

This was my favorite of the novellas, but I wanted more. Banan is my favorite of the Dark Kings so far. He seemed the most relatable, the most down-to-earth, and I loved his sense of possessiveness when it came to Jane. It’s possible that I just want to read more about Jane and Banan together. Okay, I wish we had had a full-length novel about their relationship. Also, with all of the action, everything happened too quickly and I want more details. I would have liked to see more of the dragon mythology played out. Grant always does a great job at world building. I can’t wait to see where this story line goes when the full novels start with Darkest Flame.

Passion’s Claim (3.5 Stars)
This is a short story that explores both Elena and Guy’s and Jane and Banan’s relationships further. I liked it but there was one part that made me angry, but I won’t say anything since this is a short story and it would spoil it.

Overall, I found Dark Heat to be an enjoyable introduction to Donna Grant’s newest series and I look forward to reading more about Dragon Kings and seeing where this plot goes. Although, I would definitely recommend reading Grant's Dark Sword series and its spin off, the Dark Warriors series, before this one.

  1/2

 3.5 / 5 stars

Really Short Reviews: Mandy Baxter, Nalini Singh and Shiloh Walker

It's official! Really Short Reviews are a hit! So keep an eye out for them periodically here at Goldilox and the Three Weres. This week I'm reviewing some Contemporary Romances I've read recently.

One Night More (US Marshals #1) by Mandy Baxter

Release: September 2, 2014 Source: ARC provided by publisher

Links Goodreads Amazon

My Really Short Review: Galen and Harper had a one night stand that ended in a huge misunderstanding. A year later she witnesses a murder and he's the US Marshal assigned to protect her. He pretends not to remember her in order to stay on the case, which only makes the situation more awkward. I really liked Harper and Galen. (And Landon, who's the hero of the next book.) I also enjoyed Harper's pop culture references -- she's a really fun narrator. The last 25% or so of the book was really exciting! There was a little lull in the middle, but Harper was getting bored too so I guess it makes sense.

I had to question Harper's and even Galen's investigative skills though. She's a journalist and he's in law enforcement, and at one point I thought it was obvious who was after her but they didn't even try to figure it out. They seemed to get too distracted by their relationship to worry about the danger she was in. I still really liked the book. It was exciting and sexy and kept me turning the page. I'll just try not to think too hard about why the characters didn't see all the clues that I did.

 

    

 4  stars

Rock Addiction (Rock Kiss #1) by Nalini Singh
Release: September 9, 2104 Source: ARC provided by publisher
Links Goodreads Amazon
My Really Short Review: Nalini Singh wrote a rock star romance! Fox is the lead singer of Schoolboy Choir, one of the biggest bands in the world. He meets Molly, the band's publicist's little sister at a party and convinces her to take him home. The two agree to turn their one night together into a month while the band vacations in New Zealand, but Molly is terrified of being photographed with Fox. Her politician father's scandal made her hate the media. Fox wants to make their relationship permanent but doesn't know how to help Molly overcome her fear.

 I know everyone is all excited about this book, but I thought it was just ok. I like the main characters, Fox and Molly. I like the supporting cast. I especially enjoyed the scenes with the rest of the band. It seems to set up three other couples for future books. (The one I'm most interested in is Charlie and T-rex and since they're not part of the band, I'm not sure how they would fit into the series.) The story just sort of dragged for me. Not much happens in the first half, other than lots of sex, which is not as graphic or as kinky as I would have expected given the quantity. (That's just an observation, not really a criticism.) I didn't feel like Fox and Molly's relationship was really challenged by anything other than their personal baggage. Though the would-be obstacles were interesting, they didn't seem to really threaten the relationship.

I will still keep reading this series to see what happens with the other characters. I think the members of Schoolboy Choir have a lot of potential.

   

3  stars

You Own Me by Shiloh Walker

Release: August 4, 2014 Source: ARC provided by publisher

Links Goodreads Amazon

My Really Short Review: Lizzie and Decker were best friends in high school. Then he went to prison. Exactly what he did isn't revealed until the end, but it's clear early on that he was protecting Lizzie. Shortly before Decker's release, Lizzie starts dating Noel and Decker thinks he's missed his shot to be more than a friend. But when Noel asks Lizzie for an open relationship, he sees his chance. He goes about winning her over in kind of an unusual way though.

I really enjoyed this story. But it's one of those romances that falls apart a little if I think about it too much. Noel has a lot of holes in his story and I got increasingly frustrated with Lizzie for not figuring it out. I wish she hadn't been such a doormat. I liked Decker even though the tattooed mechanic ex-con is a bit of a cliché. If you enjoy friends to lovers stories or tortured, tattooed heroes give this novella a try.

 

   1/2

 3 1/2 stars

Read This F@!%ing Book (22)

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 22: The Glamourist Histories by Mary Robinette Kowal

   

  

(Click book cover to go to Goodreads page)

*Of Noble Family doesn’t come out until Spring 2015 but I wanted to include the cover because it’s so pretty!

 
Jane Austen With Magic! 

I’m a huge fan of both Regency romances and fantasy. When the two genres are combined, you can just take my money now. The Glamourist Histories were recommended to me as “Jane Austen with magic” which is so true! It should be noted that while similar to Austen these books are not retellings of any of her novels. But they have the same feel. Mary Robinette Kowal has done her research and it is downright impeccable! The book feels authentic to the time period it recreates. Except for, you know, the magic.

This alternate reality is set up in such a manner that it doesn’t seem like a divergence from our reality. The magic is slipped into the first paragraphs of the book as if it was perfectly natural, and it almost seems like our world has always had glamour in it. In fact, I can see perfectly in my mind the alternate Pride & Prejudice where the Bennet sisters work with folds of glamour while discussing potential suitors.

Also, the romance in this series is so sweet and delightful to read! They are some of my favorite Regency romances ever! And there are freaking Doctor Who cameos in each of the books. Let's give a slow clap to Kowal for some of the best Easter eggs ever! Plus, all of the covers are downright gorgeous!

Austen-esque Shenanigans! 

Not only is the research top-notch, Kowal also managed to capture the style of Jane Austen’s novels and yet have it still be original. It has all of the societal intrigue as young ladies are paraded before eligible bachelors, issues of propriety, scoundrels, and so on. And there are all the elements we love in Austen novels: the silly mother, the sisters who are complete opposites, rich neighbors, dinner parties, issues of propriety, unexpected friends, and villains… They are just amazing!

As the series progresses, the plot gets more and more action-packed and exciting! Valour and Vanity is described as what you'd get if Jane Austen wrote Ocean’s Eleven. Seriously. That's quite an apt description.

The Audiobooks!

If you like Audiobooks, then you have to listen to this series! The author, who happens to also be an award-winning puppeteer, is the one who narrates them and they are phenomenal! I found myself so caught up in the story that I didn’t realize that I had stopped washing my dishes and was just standing at my sink with my hands in the water for a good hour while I was listening to Shades of Milk and Honey. All of these audiobooks are just so good!

If you’re a fan of Jane Austen, I’d highly recommend picking this series up. 

Have you read this book?

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

Let us know in the comments below!

Audio Review: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Silver Shadows
(Bloodlines #5)
Author: Richelle Mead
Narrator: Emily Shaffer, Alden Ford
Release: July 29, 2014
Goodreads  Amazon

Audible

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.
Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .
Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

Review:

Adrian and Sydney. Just. Love. Them. In Silver Shadows we see the consequences of their actions in the previous book, and with the way that one ended we knew things were going to be bad.

When the book starts, Sydney is in the Alchemists' reeducation center and things are not looking good. Throughout the first half of the book we see Sydney going through hell - isolation, torture, etc. - and Adrian going through a different kind of hell not knowing what happened to Sydney and not being able to get in touch with her through her dreams at all. Even though they are apart for most of the first half, I still felt their romance through their feelings for one another. One of my favorite quotes is when either of them is feeling desperate about the situation, but then remembers their personal saying, "The center will hold".

I always gush about the two of them when I review these books, but I just can't help it. In the last two books I've said I love Adrian and Sydney more than Dimitri and Rose. I KNOW. But the way each of them is written, so completely opposite of the other, I find myself really drawn to their relationship. I adore Adrian's bad-boy-made-good-by-a-smart-girl and how he continues to struggle with both staying sober and the craziness that comes with being a spirit user., both of which are explored more in this book.

The plot of this one goes back and forth with the action, but it largely takes places in the final act of the story. And it's a lot of action for this series! I enjoyed the build up of the plot and the unexpected ending! That ending!

Notes on the Narrator: This series is one of my favorites on audio. Something about Emily Shaffer's voice is just perfect for Sydney. Her voice sounds young enough but at the same time has that maturity behind it that Sydney exudes. Plus there's the wry quality to her voice that's perfect for Syd. Alden Ford joined the audios with the previous book because of the new dual POV and he's been a perfect addition. In Silver Shadows, he delivers Adrian's down and out moments flawlessly. I highly recommend listening to the audios for the Bloodlines series!

Recommended for fans of: YA bad boys, Adrian, Vampire Academy series, opposites attracting,

    1/2

  4.5 / 5 stars