Review: SIGHTWITCH by Susan Dennard

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SIGHTWITCH
Susan Dennard

Series: The Witchlands #0.5
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 208
Release date: February 13th 2018

Ryber Fortiza was a Sightwitch Sister at a secluded convent, waiting to be called by her goddess into the depths of the mountain. There she would receive the gift of foretelling. But when that call never comes, Ryber finds herself the only Sister without the Sight.

Years pass and Ryber’s misfit pain becomes a dull ache, until one day, Sisters who already possess the Sight are summoned into the mountain, never to return. Soon enough, Ryber is the only Sister left. Now, it is up to her to save her Sisters, though she does not have the Sight—and though she does not know what might await her inside the mountain.

On her journey underground, she encounters a young captain named Kullen Ikray, who has no memory of who he is or how he got there. Together, the two journey ever deeper in search of answers, their road filled with horrors, and what they find at the end of that road will alter the fate of the Witchlands forever.

Set a year before Truthwitch, Sightwitch is a companion novella that also serves as a set up to Bloodwitch, as well as an expansion of the Witchlands world.

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“Paths do not come to you.”

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Sightwitch is a tense and suspenseful prequel to The Witchlands series. The novel continues to expand this unique universe’s world-building and once again presents strong female characters and a focus on the relationship between women. The pace does drag some, but with the addition of beautiful illustrations, this ends up being an entertaining read.

Susan Dennard’s writing is very easy to get into. The set up to Ryber’s story is wonderfully done and really interesting, although the rather abrupt shifts in POV throughout the story hurt that dynamic a little. The way the illustrations complement the narrative are also done rather well and are a true highlight in this novel.

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Mini Review: SON OF THE DAWN + CAST LONG SHADOWS by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan

The following novellas are part of Ghosts of the Shadow Market: An Anthology of Tales.

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SON OF THE DAWN
Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan

The Lightwoods, the Shadowhunters who run the New York Institute, are expecting a new addition to their family: the orphaned son of their father’s friend, Jace Wayland. Alec and Isabelle aren’t too sure they want a new brother, and their parents are not assuaging their fears, too occupied with the dark news that Raphael Santiago, second-in-command of the New York vampire clan, has brought from the Shadow Market.

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Son of the Dawn is a fine glimpse into one of the stepping stones of the Shadowhunter world. The short novella is both lighthearted and bittersweet, as it revisits the past and gives insight into how everything started.

WWW Wednesday: Read, Reading, Will Read (52)

Welcome to WWW Wednesday, a meme currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s a place for you to do a little update on what your reading plans are.

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The Three W’s are:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

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What are you currently reading?

   

1. Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

Yup, still reading this. At this point it just kind of feels like an endless action scene? With so many enemies? And pretty much no character development? It’s getting tiring to read about the bang get into trouble and miraculously fight their way through it over and over again.

2. Sightwitch by Susan Dennard

YA Fantasy! Really like how suspenseful this prequel is. The middle drags a little bit and the shifts in POV are a bit abrupt and odd., but I’m still interested in knowing what’s going on. And the illustrations by Rhys Davies are amazing!

3. The Last Move by Mary Burton

Mystery! I am, once again, in a murder kick, so this book is serving me really well so far. The writing is a bit stiff, but the plot is really intriguing and engaging. I’m almost halfway through the novel and looking forward to figuring out what’s going on.

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What did you recently finish reading?

1. 1. Cash Plays by Cordelia Kingsbridge: M/M Mystery! Another incredible addition to the series! Amazing character development too. Reviewed here.
   2. Son of the Dawn by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan: YA Fantasy! Nice little novella about a stepping stone in the Shadowhunter novels. Review to come.
   3. Cast Long Shadows by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan: YA Fantasy! Unnecessary angst. Too many characters to keep track of. Review to come.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Ocean Light by Nalini Singh

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Same pick as last week!

Security specialist Bowen Knight has come back from the dead. But there’s a ticking time bomb in his head: a chip implanted to block telepathic interference that could fail at any moment–taking his brain along with it. With no time to waste, he should be back on land helping the Human Alliance. Instead, he’s at the bottom of the ocean, consumed with an enigmatic changeling…

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What books did you recently finish reading? What do you plan on reading next?
Tell me in the comments!

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Top 10 Tuesday: London Calling!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is: Books That Awaken the Travel Bug In Me.

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I am actually traveling right as this posts! I’m spending the month in London with family, so for the purposes of this T10, I’m picking all books set in London 😀

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

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Harry Potter’s life is miserable. His parents are dead and he’s stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he’s a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

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The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them…

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

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Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

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Under the streets of London there’s a place most people could never even dream of. A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks. Richard Mayhew, a young businessman, is going to find out more than enough about this other London. A single act of kindness catapults him out of his workday existence and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and utterly bizarre.

The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

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“The body you are wearing used to be mine.” So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her. She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Chequy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

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Since Doyle created the immortal Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson, no other mystery writer has come close to eclipsing him as the standard bearer in crime fiction. A brilliant London-based “consulting detective,” Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess and renowned for his skillful use of astute observation, deductive reasoning, and inference to solve difficult cases.

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

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Meet Bridget Jones—a 30-something Singleton who is certain she would have all the answers if she could: a. lose 7 pounds b. stop smoking c. develop Inner Poise. “123 lbs. (how is it possible to put on 4 pounds in the middle of the night? Could flesh have somehow solidified becoming denser and heavier? Repulsive, horrifying notion), alcohol units 4 (excellent), cigarettes 21 (poor but will give up totally tomorrow), number of correct lottery numbers 2 (better, but nevertheless useless)…”

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What are some books that make you want to travel?
Let me know in the comments!

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Review: CASH PLAYS by Cordelia Kingsbridge

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CASH PLAYS
Cordelia Kingsbridge

Series: Seven of Spades #3
Genre: LGBTQ+, Mystery
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Pages: 339
Release date: June 4th 2018

The Seven of Spades is back with a vengeance—the vigilante serial killer has resumed their murderous crusade, eluding the police at every turn. But a bloodthirsty killer isn’t the only threat facing Sin City. A devious saboteur is wreaking havoc in Las Vegas’s criminal underworld, and the entire city seems to be barreling toward an all-out gang war.

As Detective Levi Abrams is pushed ever closer to his breaking point, his control over his dangerous rage slips further every day. His relationship with PI Dominic Russo should be a source of comfort, but Dominic is secretly locked in his own downward spiral, confronting a nightmare he can’t bear to reveal.

Las Vegas is floundering. Levi and Dominic’s bond is cracking along the seams. And the Seven of Spades is still playing to win. How many bad hands can Levi and Dominic survive before it’s game over?

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Don’t push your luck.

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Cash Plays is an intense and incredible addition to the Seven of Spades series. The stakes are higher than ever, with a fast-paced and complex plot that deals with murder, romance, betrayal, and intrigue. The characters are very well developed and, together with the main mystery, deliver a story that is entertaining and impossible to put down.

Cordelia Kingsbridge’s writing just gets better and better. This is such an amazing novel. It hooks you in right from the first chapter and just keeps upping up the tension. The story is a bit darker than the previous installments, but it works very well with the direction the series is going. Another one for my favorites’ shelf!

Review: ARTIFICIAL CONDITION by Martha Wells

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ARTIFICIAL CONDITION
Martha Wells

Series: The Murderbot Diaries #2
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Tor.com
Pages: 158
Release date: May 8th 2018

It has a dark past – one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot”. But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more.

Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue.

What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks…

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Find your crew.

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Artificial Condition is an amazing and fast-paced sequel to one of the best and funniest Sci-Fi series out there. Murderbot continues to shine as a main character and is relatable as hell, the plot and world-building are well-developed despite this being a novella, and there is lots of action and tension all around. Some questions from the previous installment are also answered, but there is still plenty of mystery to go around.

Martha Wells delivers another intriguing and marvelous novella with this sequel. The writing, as technical as it gets, is entertaining and hooks you right in. The humor only adds to how lovely this story is, even as it plays with Murderbot’s I’m-Done attitude while in his quest for answers about his past.

Review: HER LAST WORD by Mary Burton

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HER LAST WORD
Mary Burton

Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Pages: 360
Release date: May 8th 2018

Fourteen years ago, Kaitlin Roe was the lone witness to the abduction of her cousin Gina. She still remembers that lonely Virginia road. She can still see the masked stranger and hear Gina’s screams. And she still suffers the guilt of running away in fear and resents being interrogated as a suspect in the immediate aftermath. Now Kaitlin has only one way to assuage the pain and nightmares—by interviewing everyone associated with the unsolved crime for a podcast that could finally bring closure to a case gone cold.

But when a woman Kaitlin questions is later found stabbed to death, she fears that she’s drawn a killer out of hiding. It’s Detective John Adler’s fear that the murders have only just begun. Now his job is to keep Kaitlin safe.

As a bond between Kaitlin and Adler builds, the past closes in just as fast—and it’s darker than Kaitlin remembers. Soon, her wish will come true. She’s going to find out exactly what happened to Gina. Someone has been dying to tell her.

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All I wanted was the truth.

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Her Last Word is an intriguing Mystery novel with a steady pace and developed characters. The premise catches your attention right away, and the narrative helps it along with interview files in between chapters. The main plot is well done, although it drops some unresolved threads along the way and doesn’t develop the romance very well.

Mary Burton delivers a unique story that mirrors contemporary times really well. The podcast idea works nicely within the narrative, guiding the story forward and uncovering some secrets along the way. The writing is also really easy to get into, if lacking a tiny bit of emotion at times.