We Love Lists: Books I Wish I Had Read Sooner

This last week I was able to catch up with an old friend in my local Barnes & Noble and, naturally, we got to talking about all the bookish things. We talked about the books we had recently read and what books our respective book clubs were going to read in coming months. The conversation I loved the most was the one we had about books we wish we had read sooner. And I haven't been able to get it out of my head. Especially once I realized it would make a great list prompt. So we're doing this. Here's some of the books I wish I had read way sooner than I did.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
This is one of the books I want to kick myself for not reading sooner. I adore everything about this series and I can't believe I sat on this for four years before picking it up. It's one of those books I wish I could go back and read for the first time again.

Mission: Improper by Bec McMaster
I adored Bec McMaster's original London Steampunk series and when I heard she was writing a spinoff series I was ecstatic! I bought this book the day it came out and then proceeded to sit on it for three years. Why did I wait so long? My only consolation is I was able to binge read the first four books all at once.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
I have finally read Carry On and I now I get why it gets so much hype! I adored it so much! But why did I wait four years to read it? I've owned it since it came out and I was so excited for it. I think all the hype held me back from it and I wish I hadn't let that get to me because I really needed this book in my life. Good news though! I don't have to wait as long to get my hands on the sequel because that book just vaulted up the list to take the #1 spot on my most anticipated books list.

Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett
I have owned this book for years. YEARS! And I barely picked it up towards the end of last year. Why, Past Me? WHY!?! I love urban fantasy. I love Jenn Bennett's books. So I should have been motivated to pick it up sooner. But I didn't and I want to kick Past Me. Because I loved this book and the whole series so much!

Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk
My friend, Meaghan, recommended this series to me years ago and I barely picked it up a couple years back. I have no excuse for not picking it up sooner. I kind of forgot I had a copy until I stumbled across it on my kindle. I loved this so much!

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
You know that book series that everyone recommends when you ask for recs for a certain genre and you haven't read it. That's what the Psy-Changeling series was for me for years. It's weird to think about especially since it has become one of my favorite series ever. But I totally put this series off for so many years and I wish I hadn't. I'm glad to have it in my life now though.

Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
This one is kind of a shock, right? I had read and adored the Mercy Thompson books for years before I finally picked up this companion series. I picked it up right before Dead Heat came out. I'm so ashamed! I have no idea why I waited so long but it is what it is. I'm just glad that I finally got around to reading it.

What book do you wish you had read way sooner than you actually did?

Review: The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

The Ruin of Kings
(A Chorus of Dragons #1)
Jenn Lyons
Release: February 5, 2019
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There are the old stories. And then there’s what actually happens.

Kihrin is a bastard orphan who grew up on storybook tales of long-lost princes and grand quests. When he is claimed against his will as the long-lost son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds that being a long-lost prince isn't what the storybooks promised.

Far from living the dream, Kihrin finds himself practically a prisoner, at the mercy of his new family's power plays and ambitions. He also discovers that the storybooks have lied about a lot of other things things, too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, true love, and how the hero always wins.

Then again, maybe he’s not the hero, for Kihrin isn’t destined to save the empire.

He’s destined to destroy it . . .

Uniting the worldbuilding of a Brandon Sanderson with the storytelling verve of a Patrick Rothfuss, debut author Jenn Lyons delivers an entirely new and captivating fantasy epic. Prepare to meet the genre’s next star.

Review:
I don't read many debut novels anymore but this was one of the books my book club decided to read this year and I found it more than a little fascinating! It started off slowly and I had a hard time getting into it. But by 75ish pages in I was hooked. It was one hell of a ride and totally engrossing. Jenn Lyons has created a huge world with a lot going on and a complicated history. I kind of liked her decision to drop us right into the middle of the story with very little explanation. I was lost a bit at the first trying to get names and races sorted. I really enjoyed some of the ways she revealed information about the world. It kind of felt like reading an epic fantasy video game and I'm all here for it.

The story is told in a very interesting style which took some getting used to. I wasn't a fan of the footnotes but they worked really well with the format of the story. For the most part this book follows two timelines that are told in alternating chapters. Both are focused on Kihrin but at different times in his life. The story begins with Kihrin imprisoned with a demonic jailer and being forced to be tell his story. We have no idea how or why he is there and we will not find that out for some time. His origin story is kind of split into two parts. First, he is telling us about being sold as a slave in a storyline that will eventually bring us up to the present where he is imprisoned. That story alternates with him as boy of sixteen and will bring us up to him becoming a slave. As much as I loved the non-linear timeline, I do wish that in some parts it had stuck with the same timeline for more than one chapter at a time though.

The worldbuilding in this book was amazing! There were so many races and history that it was kind of mind boggling at first. I loved it a lot though. The history is more than a bit bloody but it was intriguing to learn about the events that lead up to the ones in this story. I also really enjoyed the politics in this too. They were complicated and intriguing. I love the idea of royal houses that can't actually rule. It was strange at first but I loved how they made up for it in other areas. The magic system was lightly touched on in this book and I hope we get more explanation in the coming ones. I do wish we had seen more of the gods and goddesses. Some of my favorite parts of the book involved them.

Slavery plays a big part in the story and Jenn Lyons wrote it in such a way that was respectful but still made me uncomfortable. It's a hard subject to deal with and is a big part of the story. I'm really impressed with how Lyons handled the whole thing.
 
As much as I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the plot, what I loved the most about this book was the characters. Gods! I loved Kihrin's character arc so much! He's very much a flawed protagonist but he does some really growing in the story. By the end, he's unrecognizable from the broody, rash teenager we're introduced to at the first. he doesn't quite lose the rashness but it grows on you. I really loved him a lot even though he annoyed me in places.

I loved Kihrin but I really loved the characters that came into the story to act as his foils. I absolutely fell in love with Teraeth from the first moment the arrogant assassin appeared on the page. And I adored his interactions with Kihrin so much! They may not see eye to eye but Teraeth is always there for him. Plus, the banter between the two was excellent. I also loved Tyentso! Can I just declare my undying love for her now? Because I'm totally prepared to give her my fealty. She was one of my favorite parts of the whole story and her interactions with Kihrin and Teraeth were magic!

As for romance, there wasn't much in this book. We get to see Kihrin go through what he thinks is love and see him realize later that it really wasn't. While this book was a bit light on the romance, it made up for it in the abundance of other relationships. I loved that about the story. It focused on familial relationships and friendships and the meaning of found family. It was so great! I will say that I am hoping that a certain vané and Kihrin will get together because I really ship it and want it to be end game.

Overall, I ended up really enjoying this story despite it's slow start. And I'm excited to see where Jenn Lyons takes it in the next few books. Thank heavens we only have to wait until October for the sequel!

Audiobook Note: I listened to part of this on audio and I really wish I had listened to the whole thing. The narration was fantastic!

   

  4 / 5 Stars



Recommended for fans of: Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss

Weres Wanna Know: Do You Read Serials?

Is it just me or is serialized content becoming a popular thing again? It might just be me and the corner of the book community I see and interact with. Or is it a result of the success that a lot of authors are having doing serials as part of their Patreon pages?

Recently, M.L. Rhodes, one of the authors I've gotten into decided to release her next book in a serial format on her blog. And I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm not new to serialized media. I've been an active reader of fanfiction and manga since I was a teen. Nothing teaches you patience as much as waiting for the next chapter of your fave fanfic does. Plus, I read all of Ilona Andrew's Innkeeper as it was published to their blog. So what is different about this time?

I have to give it to Rhodes. She posts two chapters a week and she has been consistently on time from the start. And while I've more or less kept up with each update and I'm loving the story, I'm just not feeling it. I think the main reason why is because I hate having to wait to see what happens next and I don't remember feeling it quite this bad with most of the fanfic and manga I've read before.

But she's not the only author who has starting to release content via serials. Both Ann Aguirre and Susan Dennard have started writing serials. Ann's is available to her newsletter subscribers and Susan's is on Wattpad. Other authors like Becky Chambers and Max Gladstone are starting to write serials commercially for different serial websites. Plus, there is a ton of authors who are offering serialized content as part of their Patreon perks.

Thanks to this new trend, I've recently found myself with five different apps to read serialized works and I'm kind of conflicted about it. Why am I conflicted about it though? For the most part, I enjoy reading shorter works so I'm not sure if it's wait between new installments or if it's something else bothering me all together.

I don't think it's necessarily the wait because I really enjoy the webcomic/manga serializations I'm reading on Tapas and Webtoon. I've found that waiting for that kind of new content doesn't kill me as much as waiting for the next chapter in a story that will be made into a book at a later date. Part of that, I think, is because that's the way I've always consumed that sort of content. Thanks, Shonen Jump. But the stories. The stories drive me crazy waiting for the next installment.

I recently got a Serial Box account specifically so I can read The Vela because it is partially being written by Becky Chambers. I paid for the whole "season" instead of paying to read each chapter. The story is great so far and I'd highly recommend it but it's slowly killing me that I won't know how it ends for another eight weeks at least. That's a long time.

If I knew I could wait, I'd probably just buy the final books of each of these stories so I can read them all in one go. But I'm not sure the actual wait is the problem. I think it's more of a curiosity killed the cat problem and maybe it's as simple as the fact that I might not be that kind of reader anymore. Very rarely does it take me more than two or three sittings to read a book. As Gretl told me the other day, if it takes me more than two it's because I've had five days on no reading.

At this point, I don't think waiting for these stories to be finished will help. I'm already too invested and too eager to see where they will go. I could probably blame Netflix for this lack of patience due to them spoiling us by giving us whole seasons at once but I've had this problem long before Netflix was a thing. I always just want to know what happens next. Maybe this is just a me a thing. 

How about you? Do you read serials? Do you like them? Hate them? 
Have any serial recommendations for me to read?

We’re participating in the 2019 Discussion Challenge hosted by It Starts at Midnight and Feed Your Fiction Addiction. Check out all the March Discussions!

Manga Reviews: Hanger, Vols. 1 and 2

Hanger, Vol. 1
(Hanger: Shikkounin #1)
Hirotaka Kisaragi
Release: July 17, 2018
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In a futuristic Neo-Tokyo, crime is rising rapidly in the wake of a new generation of super-drugs capable of enhancing the user's physical and mental abilities. Hajime Tsukomo is a new recruit on a federal task force trained to go after these powered-up criminals. Now he must team up with Zeroichi, a so-called Hanger looking to reduce his own jail sentence in exchange for helping to take down these chemically-boosted bad guys. This is volume 1 of the series.

Review:
Last summer I went looking for more science fiction manga to read and had a hard time finding ones I was interested in. About a week into my search, I saw this volume up on Netgalley and decided to give it a try. I really enjoyed it! Like, I enjoyed it enough to request an ARC of the second volume as soon as it went up.

First up, lets talk about the illustrations. I loved the art style that the mangaka used! It's kind of that classic BL anime style but I really appreciated it. Nobody's hands were too big for their bodies and it didn't look too cartoonish. And I liked how none of the potential love interests looked like they were twelve. As much as I love BL/yaoi manga, that trend still kind of creeps me out.

I loved the world and the worldbuilding. The idea of a society that throws itself into finding a way to circumvent disease was a thrilling one and I'm always a sucker for a story that uses nanotech. I loved how the author took that miracle cure and gave it a dark side. I was fascinated by how the nano machines were used as an upper to make super powered criminals called Hangers. And the powers each person received were unique and varied. As were the consequences of gaining those powers. I think that was my favorite part of reading this manga; finding out what each Hanger's power was and the addiction that came with gaining it.

I really enjoyed the characters but I will admit that they weren't as fleshed out as I would have liked. But this is the first volume in a series so I'm interested to see and learn more about all of the characters as it continues. As of right now, the characters I really want to know more about are Hibiki and Hashima.

One thing that bothered me and took away from my enjoyment of this volume was how the author kept explaining what a Hanger was. I understand that when things are being serialized some things need to be reiterated in the next chapter but this was beat to death and was sometimes mentioned multiple times in a chapter.

Overall, I really liked it and I'm excited to carry on with the series. I can't wait to see where the author takes the story!

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

   1/2

  3.5 / 5 Stars

Hanger Manga, Vol. 2
(Hanger: Shikkounin #2)
Hirotaka Kisaragi
Release: September 4, 2018
Goodreads Amazon

In a futuristic Neo-Tokyo, crime is rising rapidly in the wake of a new generation of super-drugs capable of enhancing the user's physical and mental abilities. Hajime Tsukomo is a new recruit on a federal task force trained to go after these powered-up criminals. Now he must team up with Zeroichi, a so-called Hanger looking to reduce his own jail sentence in exchange for helping to take down these chemically-boosted bad guys. This is volume 2 of the series.

Review:
Wow! Okay. I knew I was going to enjoy this going into it but I didn't expect to end up loving it as much as I did. While I enjoyed the first volume in this series, I'm happy to say that this one was so much better. It took me a bit to figure out why but when I did everything made sense.

The difference between these first two volumes basically boils down to the fact that almost everything I had issues with in the first volume were nonexistent in this one. The repeated beating of the definition of Hanger was gone and things got definitely more fast-paced! I've decided that the first book was kind of sacrificed to introduce the world because, in comparison to this volume, nothing really happened.

Don't get me wrong. That setup is what made this one so much more enjoyable. It feels like the mangaka really got their feet underneath them and this beauty was the result. The plotting was significantly tighter and we got to see the relationship between Zeroichi and Hajime move forward. And thank god! Hajime learned to stick up for himself. But what I think made that all possible was the introduction of a main villain and his scheming. It seriously made all of the difference even though it was a bit creepy how dedicated and brainwashed his followers were.

I'm still loving the interactions between all of the main characters and I'm really intrigued by the ones that were introduced in this volume. I really want to see more of Yuki and Gaido. If I had one complaint, it would be that there wasn't as much Hashima and Hibiki in this volume but I really love how their relationship has progressed.
 
I just really need volume three to come out soon and be in my hands. I need to know what happens next and because that was a mean place for the mangaka to end that volume. I'll definitely be getting the next volume as soon as it's out. Hopefully I'll be able to get an ARC of it.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

    1/2

  4.5 / 5 Stars

We Love Lists: More Kindle Unlimited Book Recs

There's been some controversy surrounding Kindle Unlimited authors recently. (I might address that more in another post.) I've been trying to make sure I'm not reading any of the authors that are problematic, but I can see how it might turn people off from KU. So I thought this might be a good time to talk about some more of the good stuff I've found.

If you missed my first list of KU book recs, check it out here.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Rose Red says this is tied for her all-time favorite sci-fi novel. Read her full five star review here.

Note: only the first book of the trilogy is KU.

The Messenger series by Pippa DaCosta

Do I really need to say anything other than Fae in space? It’s also a slow burn reverse harem with some major surprise endings. I recommend a binge read. The first 4 books are actually leaving KU in May but if you have them checked out by then, you can keep them as long as you want. The series finale releases in June.

The Boundary Magic series by Melissa F. Olson

I recently finished Melissa F. Olson's Nightshades series which is not in KU, but pretty much her entire backlist is. I started with the Boundary Magic series because it was only three books. There’s a fourth one that came out recently which I’m hoping to read soon. The series is set in the same world as her Scarlet Bernard series, which I also hope to start soon. I've actually had the first two books on my Kindle for a few years now.

 

The Nora Jacobs series by Jackie May

I didn't include this series in my first list of KU recs because I didn't love book 1. But I really enjoyed books 2 and 3 and I like where the series seems to be going. Read my reviews of Don't Rush Me and Don't Cheat Me. There’s also a spin off book set in the same world.

The Paper Magician series by Charlie N. Holmberg
I’ve read, and really enjoyed, the first two books of the original Paper Magician trilogy. It hits some of the same notes as Gail Carriger for me. She’s written a spin-off set in the same world as well. Holmberg writes some unique and interesting magic systems. All of her books are included in KU, but if you don’t subscribe they often pop up in the Kindle Monthly Deals too.

What gems have you discovered in Kindle Unlimited?

Review: The Rising by Morgan Brice

The Rising
(Badlands #2)
Morgan Brice
Release: February 13, 2019
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A big storm is brewing, there’s a killer on the loose, and the ghosts of Myrtle Beach are restless. Psychic medium Simon Kincaide and his sexy cop boyfriend, homicide detective Vic D’Amato have their hands full helping the Grand Strand brace for rough surf, driving rain, and high winds as a winter storm roars toward shore.

Everyone’s on edge, and rumors are rampant about sightings of Blackcoat Benny, a ghostly omen of danger, and worse, the Gallows Nine, the spirits of nine infamous criminals hanged back in the 1700s, a harbinger of disaster. Rough tides wash the wreck of an old pirate ship into shallow waters, high winds threaten to damage an old mansion with a dark past, and the citizens of the beach town hunker down to ride out the storm.

As the skies grow dark and the sea turns wild, several men from prominent local families end up dead under suspicious circumstances. Simon’s premonition confirms Vic’s gut feeling—the killing is just getting started. As Simon tries to reach out to the spirits of the murdered men to help the investigation, he’s attacked by malicious ghosts that don’t want anyone getting in the way of their long-overdue vengeance.

With the storm hammering the coast, and new victims piling up, Simon is certain that the sins and secrets of the past are coming due, and that the murders have a supernatural link. Vic and Simon race to stop the murders against an unholy deadline, but as they battle rising tides and risen ghosts, can they save the intended victims without getting trapped themselves?

The Rising is the second novel in the Badlands series. It is a MM romance intended for readers 18 years of age and older.

Review:
In case you missed it, I've kind of become obsessed with Morgan Brice's books this year. It all started when I read her book, Badlands, and I ended up picking up everything she's written. I've already reread Badlands a couple of times and I've been pushing it on all of my friends. All while I've been not so patiently waiting for the sequel. And that sequel was everything I wanted and more! I loved The Rising so much!

Reading this book made me realize three things:

1. I need a lot more queer paranormal romance/urban fantasy books in my life.

2. I need more books/series that revolve around established couples because Simon and Vic are everything.

3. Morgan Brice has officially made my auto-buy author list.

Ghost pirates! Boo hags! Hoo doo! Colonial manors! Unexplainable suicides that might actually be murders! It seems like a weird and quirky mix to find in a story that should never work together but it does! It does so well! This book is so cleverly written with captivating characters. I found myself fully immersed in the story from page one and read it in one sitting. And just like the first book, I loved Simon and Vic and their relationship but the mystery was the show stealer again. It was twisty and bloody intriguing and the guesses I kept making about how things were going to go down were nowhere near correct. It was just SO good!

As I said before, I loved that while there was romance in this book we get to stick with Simon and Vic as an established a fully committed couple. I loved watching them explore and deepen their relationship and figure out how to compromise with each other. I really do need more books where the romance between established couples are explored.

And can we talk about how great all of the secondary characters are? I love Simon's bestie and Vic's partner and the dynamic they have with the main characters. But I love, love, love the fact that Simon's colleagues/mentors in all things paranormal are two older women who are the local experts in their fields of magic. I loved the mix of Simon's visions, the hoo doo, and the bruja awesomeness! It makes for a unique take on the paranormal that was refreshing to read. I also love how the paranormal creatures aren't the mainstream werewolves and vampires that I love in other series. I'm not sure if I had ever heard of a boo hag before this series. Which is saying something with how much urban fantasy and paranormal romance books I read.

I could seriously gush continuously about how good this book and this series is but I'm going to contain it to that. I loved it so much! And I can see myself rereading them over and over again in the future. Alas, I’m back to waiting for the next book. Hopefully it comes soon!  

Note: I think you need to read the short story, Restless Nights, and the novella, Lucky Town, before you pick up this book.

    

  5 / 5 Stars



My reviews of other books in this series:
Badlands by Morgan Brice

Book 8: Murder Mill- Romantic Thriller

Short Manga Reviews: Kakuriyo, Vols. 1 and 2

Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 1
(Kakuriyo #1)
Midori Yuma and Wako Ioka
Release: January 1, 2019
Goodreads Amazon

Faced with the choice of being married to a strange spirit or being made into dinner, Aoi decides to create a third option for herself!

Aoi Tsubaki inherited her grandfather’s ability to see spirits—and his massive debt to them! Now she’s been kidnapped and taken to Kakuriyo, the spirit world, to make good on his bill. Her options: marry the head of the inn her grandfather trashed, or get eaten by ayakashi. But Aoi isn’t the type to let spirits push her around, and she’s determined to redeem her grandfather’s IOU on her own terms!

Aoi wants to work off her debt to the Tenjin-ya inn, but she only has one day to find a position and none of the managers are willing to hire a human! If she can just get someone to see past her family background, Aoi is certain she can prove her worth!

Review:
My main reason for picking this manga up is solely because I adored the anime adaptation that was made. I'm happy to say that I loved the artwork! The anime did an excellent job of staying true to the manga character designs. I love the story premise of this series and the story is just wonderful!
 
This first volume sets the scene for the rest of the series where the main character, Aoi Tsubaki, is mourning the death of her grandfather. Aoi isn't a normal human. She inherited her grandfather's ability to see spirits and he has prepared her to deal with them so she doesn't get eaten. Little does she know that her grandfather promised her to the ogre, Ōdanna, in marriage to cancel out a massive debt he had.

I love Aoi so much and her determination to work off her grandfather's debt instead of marrying the ogre. I also loved the variety of characters we've been introduced to so far. I'm intrigued by Ōdanna and I hope we'll get more information about him in the manga. I also love Ginji so much! 

So far the anime followed the manga pretty faithfully so there wasn't anything new that I didn't already know. But I loved it so much despite knowing what would happen. I can tell already that I'm going to love this series a ton. It gives me a ton of Kamisama Kiss vibes and I'm all for that. I look forward to reading more volumes in this series.

    

  5 / 5 Stars

Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 2

(Kakuriyo #2)

Midori Yuma and Wako Ioka

Release: March 5, 2019

Goodreads Amazon

Faced with the choice of being married to a strange spirit or being made into dinner, Aoi decides to create a third option for herself!

Aoi Tsubaki inherited her grandfather’s ability to see spirits—and his massive debt to them! Now she’s been kidnapped and taken to Kakuriyo, the spirit world, to make good on his bill. Her options: marry the head of the inn her grandfather trashed, or get eaten by ayakashi. But Aoi isn’t the type to let spirits push her around, and she’s determined to redeem her grandfather’s IOU on her own terms!

Aoi’s having no luck finding a job at the Tejin-ya inn, but a chance encounter with the tengu Matsuba might give her another option! Her home cooking and kind manner impress the crow demon, and when he finds out why she’s in Kakuriyo, he offers to welcome her into his family as a daughter-in-law to pay off her debt! Can the still unemployed Aoi afford to turn down such a generous offer?

Review:

I was hoping that the second volume of this manga series would keep the momentum going and I can say that it does! This series is just so charming!

We're deep into Aoi's job hunt and she's getting a bit discouraged. I loved the fact that cooking is her stress relief. But what I loved the most about this book is the aftermath of the drunken tengu shenanigans of Lord Matsuba. He is such a lush but I loved him.

I loved that we got to see the world of Kakuriyo outside of the inn and see more of the city. It's a dangerous place for a human and we can see that through the art. Volume one is the set up book that introduces us to the world and sets up the premise for the whole series. Whereas this volume, we start to get into the meat of the story and the plotting is tighter. It made for an entrancing reading experience. I sat down and read this in one sitting and I was so entranced that it was over before I knew it. I can't give a bigger compliment to a manga than that.

We're starting to learn more about the characters as well as being introduced to new ones. What I loved is that we're starting to see that the ayakashi that Ōdanna surrounds himself with that have greater connections to him other than the boss-employee relationship. We're starting to see that there's more to Ōdanna than what we were originally led to believe. And I'm here for it!

I will say that reading this manga makes me so hungry and I want all the Japanese food. Why don't I live in an area with a good Japanese restaurant?

Even though I knew what was going to happen thanks to the anime, knowing hasn’t taken away from my enjoyment of the manga. I really loved it and I can safely say that I'm in for as long as this manga runs. I need more Aoi, Ōdanna, and Ginji in my life. 

P.S. I don't usually comment on them but the extra mini story in this volume was so freaking adorable!

ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.

    

  5 / 5 Stars


Recommended for fans of: Kamisama Kiss