Tag: book review

Book Review: A Drop of Corruption, by Robert Jackson Bennett

Random House Publishing Group.

Title: A Drop of Corruption    
Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Genre: Mystery/Thriller, fantasy    
Rating: 4 out of 5 

In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, an impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—abducted from his quarters while the door and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard.

To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial investigator, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol.

Before long, Ana’s discovered that they’re not investigating a disappearance, but a murder—and that the killing was just the first chess move by an adversary who seems to be able to pass through warded doors like a ghost, and who can predict every one of Ana’s moves as though they can see the future.

Worse still, the killer seems to be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud. Here, the Empire’s greatest minds dissect fallen Titans to harness the volatile magic found in their blood. Should it fall, the destruction would be terrible indeed—and the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that allows its wheels of power to turn.

Din has seen Ana solve impossible cases before. But this time, with the stakes higher than ever and Ana seemingly a step behind their adversary at every turn, he fears that his superior has finally met an enemy she can’t defeat.

The world this is set in so strange to me—but its uniqueness makes it a lot of fun to read. Ana’s just as a crazy as can be and you never know what she’s going to do or say next, which adds a whole other level of entertainment to reading. Kol is a great character: sometimes he’s super smart and observant, sometimes, he’s fumbling around in Ana’s shadow like the rest of us. I did figure out who was behind everything before the big reveal, but I think that was sheer luck. If you’re looking for something unique to read, give this a shot.

Robert Jackson Bennett is an award-winning author. A Drop of Corruption is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #323

This was a good writing week! I wrote my March reading post, my best books I read in March post, Austen at Sea, by Natalie Jenner, and Time Loops & Meet Cutes, by Jackie Lau.

Happy writing!

Sundays are for Writing #324

This was a decent writing week. I got in some journaling, and three book reviews: Time Loops & Meet Cutes, by Jackie Lau, It’s You Every Time, by Charlene Thomas, and The Language of the Birds, by K.A. Merson.

Happy writing!

Book Review: Love, The Duke, by Amelia Grey

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: Love, The Duke  
Author: Amelia Grey         
Genre: Romance   
Rating: 3 out of 5 

When the Duke of Hurstbourne receives a letter from his childhood friend asking him to marry his sister Ophelia, Hurst declines. He’s not adverse to taking a bride, but he believes in love at first sight that stirs his desire―not marriage sight-unseen.

Adhering to society’s strict propriety for ladies, Ophelia Stowe has no choice but to present herself as a man to seek the Duke of Hurstbourne’s favor. If not for the dire situation she finds herself in, she wouldn’t have asked for help from the handsome man who had rebuffed her. When the alluring duke’s response is a plan of his own, Ophelia never dreams it would be a proposal of a marriage of convenience.

But the stakes are high, and the good name of the Stowe family will be damaged if a missing antiquity isn’t found. When she accepts his offer, she quickly finds she isn’t immune to the passion building between her and her new husband―or how real the marriage begins to feel.

This was an okay read, but the two main characters were both needlessly headstrong and stubborn, refusing to see the other’s point of view or bend at all. That didn’t really work for me, in fact, it had me skimming at times just so I could get through the sections I found pointless. This wasn’t bad, I just didn’t really connect with the characters or find the whole scenario believable enough to be invested in.

Amelia Grey lives in Florida. Love, The Duke is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Wandering Season, by Aimie K. Runyan

Image belongs to HarperCollins Focus.

Title: The Wandering Season
Author: Aimie K. Runyan
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Unraveling the tangled roots of her family takes her places she never expected.

Veronica Stratton, a specialty food broker with a business riding close to the margins, visits her parents in idyllic Estes Park for Christmas. With the holiday comes a DNA test from her younger sister and an engagement ring from her longtime boyfriend. The test confirms her secret she’s adopted. The ring rattles her even more, and she realizes that she might not be as ready to commit as she’d thought.

With so much that she’d counted on suddenly falling apart, Veronica is looking for an escape. Inspired by her best friend, she plans to go to Europe to see four of the places listed on her DNA ancestry report. She treks to County Mayo in Ireland; the Dordogne region of France; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Tuscany in Italy. She hopes to learn a bit about where her family lived and to make more connections for her struggling business, but she finds that each stop brings her visions of her ancestors that raise more questions than they answer. And among those pressing questions is how brooding Irish restauranteur Niall Callaghan will fit into her visions for the future.

I really enjoyed this from the very first page. The food aspect was fascinating and made me want to try everything they talked about, and I’ve always loved travel novels like this. (I think that started with Eat, Pray, Love, years ago). Journeying with Veronica to find her roots was a fascinating read, and the vignettes she kept seeing of the women in the past were engrossing and added even more enjoyment to the story. Really liked this read!

Aimie K. Runyan lives in Colorado. The Wandering Season is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of HarperCollins Focus in exchange for an honest review.)

The Best Books I Read in March (2025)

In March, I read 23 books, bringing my total for the year to 65 books read. I also DNFed five books. Of the 23 books I finished, most were solid, several were meh, and three were really good.

Magic to the Bone, by Devon Monk. I read these books years ago when they first came out, and decided to re-read. I actually enjoyed this just as much as I did the first time around (unusual for a re-read like this). I like the world and the characters and am looking forward to re-reading more.

The Notorious Virtues, by Alwyn Hamilton. I loved the steampunk feel of this, loved the characters, and enjoyed the setting and worldbuilding quite a bit. I’m looking forward to reading more.

The Amalfi Curse, by Sarah Penner. I was intrigued by this from the beginning. The setting and premise was unique to me, and I enjoyed the characters in both timelines a lot.

What I Read in March (2025)

Books Read in March: 23
Books Read for the Year:  65/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Monthly Books:
Siege and Storm, by Leigh Bardugo (audio): I enjoyed this second book!
Gemstones, Elves, and Other Insidious Magic, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR): This felt like an ending to Jade’s story.
The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey (TBR): Parts of this were really good, parts felt a bit slow.
Magic to the Bone, by Devon Monk (re-read): I really enjoyed reading this again!
Symphony for a Deadly Throne, by E.J. Mellow (TBR): Loved how this trilogy wrapped up.
The Taken Ones, by Jess Lourey (TBR): This was creepy.
Nine-Tailed, by Jayci Lee (TBR): I enjoyed the first 2/3rds a lot, but not the last bit.

For Review:

A Drop of Corruption, by Robert Jackson Bennett (review forthcoming). This series has such a unique world and setting, and I enjoy it very much. The characters are also quite intriguing, keeping me eager to read more.

The Notorious Virtues, by Alwyn Hamilton (review forthcoming). This had a bit of a darker, steampunk-esque feel to it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The two MCs were a little unlikable at first, but they grew on me. Looking forward to reading more of this.

While We’re Young, by K. L. Walther. This was a cute, fun read, and I spent an enjoyable couple of hours binging it. Definitely a strong Ferris Bueller’s Day Off vibe here, but it was fun.

All the Stars Align, by Gretchen Schreiber (review forthcoming). This was a cute read, although the aunts were a bit much. Nothing unexpected, but it was cute.

Some Like It Scot, by Pepper Basham (review forthcoming). This was a cute, fun book. The secondary characters (mainly his family) were fantastic and made the story.

Boys with Sharp Teeth, by Jenni Howell (review forthcoming). This was a very meh read for me. The faking-her-way-into-an-elite-boarding-school premise wasn’t in the least believable, and it felt like the four MC were the only students even at the school.

The Summer of You and Me, by Denise Hunter, (review forthcoming). Like all of Hunter’s other books, this was a solid, sweet romance. A bit of a surprise at the end, and an enjoyable read.

The Amalfi Curse, by Sarah Penner (review forthcoming). I really enjoyed this read! The setting was wonderful, and I enjoyed both the present timeline and the past one. This was an engrossing read with a solid dose of adventure thrown in 

The Traitor of Sherwood Forest, by Amy S. Kaufman (review forthcoming). This was a meh read for me. Very solid writing and setting, I just didn’t like the story.

I Would Die for You, by Sandie Jones. This audiobook was a blast from the past, but Cassie got on every single nerve I have.

Bait and Swiss, by Korina Moss (review forthcoming).This was a cute, fun read. And the cheese talk made me hungry.

Night Swimming, by Aaron Starmer (review forthcoming). This felt really pointless to me.

The Staircase in the Woods, by Chuck Wendig (review forthcoming). This also felt pointless to me, with the addition of characters I didn’t like and having to hear about the author’s political agenda.

The Murder Machine, by Heather Graham (review forthcoming). Graham is normally a solid, reliable read, but this felt both very rushed (the relationship’s progression, anyway), and the whodunnit aspect felt like she was trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat with no clues beforehand.

Austen at Sea, by Natalie Jenner (review forthcoming). This was a good read from an author I liked. I liked the characters themselves, and I enjoyed this historical aspects, too.

Just Because: I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith. I enjoyed this read. Nice voice.

Left Unfinished:
Any Trope But You, by Victoria Lavine. I didn’t make it very far in this because the MC got on my nerves.

The Page Turner, by Viola Shipman. Nope. The first few pages felt like it just jumped around randomly. Chaotic.

The Gods Time Forgot, by Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez. I didn’t make it very far in this. I felt like I’d been dropped in the middle of a chaotic mess, and I didn’t like the MC enough to sort it out.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, by Kylie Lee Baker. Cora was a hard character for me to like or care about. I really couldn’t do it. She was was too far into her own head.

The Payback Girls, by Alex Travis. Why would I want to read about unhappy, mean people who have no qualms about lying or cheating or stabbing each other in the back? These are horrible people.

Book Review: Holy Terrors, by Margaret Owen

Image belongs to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

Title: Holy Terrors
Author: Margaret Owen
Genre: Fantasy, YA   
Rating: 5 out of 5

It’s been nearly two years since Vanja brought down the cult she started, and she’s still paying the price. As the Pfennigeist, she bucks the law in order to help the desperate and haunt the corrupt all across the empire—and no matter what, she works alone.

But an impossible killer is tearing through royalty, and leaving Vanja’s signature red penny on every victim. Suddenly the Pfennigeist is no longer a folk hero but a nightmare. When even the Blessed Empress falls, the empire’s seven royal families must gather to elect her successor within a matter of weeks, or risk the collapse of reality itself… even though it puts every house in the killer’s sights.

Vanja tells herself she’s wading into the royalty’s vicious games only to save the name she made, and the loved ones also in jeopardy. But the Order of Prefects has also put their sharpest official on the case, the one who swore he’d always find Vanja—until she broke his heart. Journeyman Prefect Emeric Conrad may no longer be the boy Vanja knew, but they’ll have to work together one last time to have any chance of surviving the deadly catastrophe coming for them all.

With bloody conspiracy, sinister magic, and old adversaries closing in, it will take everything Vanja has to save not just the people she loves, but the future she’s fought for.

I really loved this! Vanja’s voice, her wry sarcasm, is just so on point it had me laughing all through the book. She’s a great character: she can see her flaws, but she just goes ahead anyway—and somehow it works out for the best (mostly). Emeric is so uptight it makes me laugh—and Vanja’s descriptions of him are even funnier. Junior and the sausages probably made me laugh the most.

As far as the murder mystery…I never had a clue what was going on, who was going to die next, or who the murderer was—much less how Vanja was going to figure out the whole mess. I enjoyed all of this book immensely!

Margaret Owen has a degree in Japanese. Holy Terrors is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Deathly Grimm, by Kathryn Purdie

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: The Deathly Grimm   
Author: Kathryn Purdie        
Genre: YA, Fantasy   
Rating: 4.0 out of 5

The story hasn’t ended yet.

After surviving the Forest Grimm and defeating the Wolf, Clara and Axel have made it back to their village, the one place they can be safe behind the forest’s borders. But when the forest itself begins luring in more villagers, it’s clear that Clara and Axel have only treated the symptoms of the forest’s curse, not the cause—and it’s getting worse.

Burdened with visions of the past and learning to navigate her fragile new relationship with Axel, Clara finds herself entering the forest with Axel yet again to discover the truth once and for all: the identity of the murderer who caused the curse. As they fight murderous woodsmen with incomprehensible riddles, ladies who will drag you into an eternal dance, and ghosts with the power to wield the forest against them, Clara and Axel realize the stakes are higher than ever. If they don’t survive the dark, deadly twists of the forest once more, not only will they never escape, they may also no longer have a home to escape to.

I enjoyed this second book in The Forest Grimm duology. It was good seeing more of these familiar characters, and the quaint village they call home. I like the creepy fairy tale characters, too. The answer to who the murderer really was didn’t really come as a surprise to me, but I still enjoyed the story a lot and read the whole thing in one day.

Kathryn Purdie is a bestselling author. The Deathly Grimm is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #322

This was a good writing week! I wrote four book reviews: Bait and Swiss, by Korina Moss (solid cozy mystery read), Night Swimming, by Aaron Starmer (meh, kind of pointless), The Staircase in the Woods, by Chuck Wendig (meh, pointless, not horror), and The Murder Machine, by Heather Graham (very disappointing meh read from an author I usually enjoy).

Happy writing!