Review: Dragon Blood Omnibus by Lindsay Buroker

  

Title: Balanced on the Blade's Edge (book 1), Death Maker (book 2), and Blood Charged (book 3)

Author: Lindsay Buroker

Format: Audible

Length: 27 hours 34 minutes

Imagine waking up 300 years after being trapped in a mountain that collapsed on you. What would the world be like? 

Sardelle wakes up after the mountain where her friends and family had made their home was attacked and collapsed on her. But she is no longer in her time. People are coming to break her out of the rubble, and thanks to her soul blade, she has a clue to be careful what to say to them. In this world, magic is feared. Those with dragon blood like her are killed.

There is a bit of romance as she runs into and ends up helping a soldier who arrives at the mountain, which has turned into a mine. He is sent as punishment, but really changes how the mine is run. The people there may be criminals, but that doesn't mean they should be treated as less than human.

Even if this wasn't a bind up, I'd have likely marathoned the books. Each one left me wanting more. Now, I have to go find the fourth book. This series is likely to become one of my favorites.

There is a shared feeling of being trapped and wanting out, or wondering how to safely get items needed before leaving. But then what? The family and friends you once knew are gone, long dead. Are there cities where you remember them being anymore? Are they even named the same? 

To keep this spoiler free I won't say much about Death Maker and Blood Charged. I will say there were additional characters added, a new story line, and everyone gets together towards the end of the second book, and team up together to accomplish two goals in the third.

Now, I'm off to read more books already on my shelf, so I can allow myself to get the next book...I will try to be strong. (Don't be surprised if you see coming up, that I loose my inner battle and get the next book. Maybe you'll see a review of the next book in the series soon.)

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Review: House of the Rising Sun by Kristen Painter

Title: House of the Rising Sun

Author: Kristen Painter

Series: Crescent City - book 1

Format: Paperback (borrowed from my Library)

Length: 403 pages

Genre: Fantasy







Harlow is a Fae, but she doesn't like this fact, and does what she can to hide it. She's lucky, unlike some other Fae, that she doesn't have horns. Augustine is one of those Fae who has horns. He is also not comfortable with his Fae blood and cuts off his horns. These two come together when a war against vampires invading the great haven city of New Orleans comes to their doorstep.

What makes a great story? To me, part of this is after putting a book down, not being able to stop thinking about it. I finished this book days ago, and I can't stop thinking about it. I'm trying to figure out how to cheat in my book buying ban - I'm already failing at - to get the next book.

I really connected with Harlow. I haven't experienced her specific struggles myself, but I really feel for her and was happy with her as she learned to slowly, accept her Fae blood and abilities. Harlow, at the start of the story, has been set up and charged with a crime. A crime she unknowingly committed, thinking it was an actual job, and that she had been hired to find the holes in a company's systems. She has a huge fine, sucks it up and goes to ask her mother for help. She's basically cut her mother off, but is at a dead end, and either pays the fine, or goes to jail.

She's cut off communication with her mother because her mother refuses to say anything about her father. All her mother will tell her is that he is a dangerous man. Thank goodness for Augustine, because after her mother is killed by vampires, Harlow finds out just how dangerous of a man he is.

There is one thing about Harlow I found rather annoying. I felt like some of her problems she didn't want to face, and so the solutions were put on others to carry out. For example, when her father sends her something after she told him no, she puts it on Augustine to do something with the item. Not only, does she put it on Augustine to do something with the item, but when the item arrives Augustine is out, working. She calls him to come home and tells him it's an emergency, do not pass go, do not collect your $200 dollars, do not stop to smell the roses. The item, is not something that would cause an emergency. I felt she was a bit of a child in this scene and some others.

I'm not saying this is not in her character. But, when those moments came up in the story, I wanted to reach in the book, slap her, and tell her to grow up.

Danger isn't exactly lurking around each and every corner. What kept me turning the pages was seeing both Harlow and Augustine grow, and having things unfold almost like watching a chess match between the two great chess masters. The book also doesn't exactly end on a cliff hanger, but you do know there is more of this story to come. There are things left unresolved.

I give this book 4 of 5 stars, and do look forward to reading the next book - City of Eternal Night - sometime this year.

 Click the picture to start your free audible trial and download your copy of House of the Rising Sun by Kristen Paitner, plus get another book free with your trial. By clicking on this link, I will receive a small commission.

You can find me on Twitter, Goodreads, YouTube, and Facebook. Or email me at sarah_telling@outlook.com.

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Friday Reads

Recently finished...

Dragon Blood Omnibus - audible

Currently reading...

House of the Rising Sun - paperback (from library)

Currently listening to...

Nothing.

Next audiobook...

Dark Witch - Book 1 of the Cousin's O'Dwyer trilogy

You can find me on Twitter, Goodreads, YouTube, and Facebook.

You can also help support this Blog and use this link to Join Amazon Kindle Unlimited with a free trial. I will get a small commission if you use this link to sign up now for Kindle Unlimited. This is a service I can get behind, and enjoy using. I would never recommend something I don't myself use or support.

Review: A Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau and Joe King

Title: A Reaper of Stone
Author: Mark Gelineau & Joe King
Series: A Reaper of Stone # 1
Format: Kindle (eARC via NetGalley)
Length: 108 pages
Published: September 15, 2015

This was a seriously short, quick read. The only reason it took me almost a week to finish was because I'm having trouble with the tablet I use to read my ebooks on. (I need to hurry and finish 10 of my books purchased last year or sooner, so I can get the quest reward of a new tablet.)

The writing has left me wanting more. Thank goodness the second book is already published - Broken Banners. I'm trying to get through my backlog of books, but I will definitely be checking this out in the future.

Elinor is the King's Reaper, and when a noble line is ended, she goes to reclaim the land in the name of the King. The new lord of the land who she is to transfer this unclaimed land to, may not be worthy of the land. Elinor thought she'd be a hero of the old world, but now finds the old is lost, and must find a new world.

The first half of the book is basically setting the stage, but then the last half is just one thing happening after another, which is what I really enjoy in fantasy books. I love the action, and suspense. This book was perfect for me which is why I am sure to go get the next book for this series and I'll probably even go check out some of their other books not part of the Reaper of Stone series.

Over on Goodreads I rated this 4/5 stars. This was just a little too short for how great it was, and I would have preferred a little more content. But the story itself was fantastic. I felt the struggle of the characters, their pain, and wondered how everything was going to be resolved. When it was resolved, I was very satisfied as a reader. I wanted more, but I wasn't left in a lurch for what will happen next. All the issues of this story are resolved by the end.

I received a free copy of this book for review in exchange for an honest review via my request to NetGalley.com.

You can find me on Twitter, Goodreads, YouTube, and Facebook.

You can also help support this Blog and use this link to Join Amazon Kindle Unlimited with a free trial. I will get a small commission if you use this link to sign up now for Kindle Unlimited. This is a service I can get behind, and enjoy using. I would never recommend something I don't myself use or support.

February Wrap Up

Books Read:

• A Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau & Joe King (eARC)
• Death Before Decaf by Caroline Fardig (eARC)
• Born of Vengeance by Sherrilyn Kenyon (audible)
• Echoes in Death by J D Robb (audible)
• Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews (audible)
• Dance with the Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon (audible)

Currently Reading:

• Dragonblood Omnibus by Lindsay Buroker (audible)
• House of the Rising Sun by Kristen Painter (paperback from library)
• Thief of Hearts by Tess Gerritsen (Kindle)

Books I'm looking forward to reading in March:

• Malice by John Gwynne (paperback from library)
• Killing Secrets by Dianne Emley (eARC)

You can find me on Twitter, Goodreads, YouTube, and Facebook.

You can also help support this Blog and use this link to Join Amazon Kindle Unlimited with a free trial. I will get a small commission if you use this link to sign up now for Kindle Unlimited. This is a service I can get behind, and enjoy using. I would never recommend something I don't myself use or support.