Book Review: Edged Blade by J.C. Daniels

OMG.... I was waiting for this book to be released having devoured the previous books in the series over one long weekend last year. So when I was granted the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review on Netgalley I jumped at the chance. I quickly moved this book to the top of my TBR pile and begin reading it as soon as I finished the Immortals of Meluha. I plan to continue reading the books in that trilogy but I just could not wait or control myself, I had to know what was happening to Kit. I love a strong female lead and J.C. Daniels found the right mix of strong and venerable to make Kit really pop.

In this installment we find Kit working again as a private investigator and delivery person for the supernatural world in East Orlando. In the last book in this series Kit was trying to overcome her personal demons and phobias about Vampires that were brought on by events that occurred in the second book of this series. In this book Kit finds herself interacting with a number of vampires in different situations which illustrates that she is indeed working to free herself from the fears that she is harboring.

Justin, Kit's Ex-boyfriend and male independent witch, comes and ask for her help to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of several members of the supernatural community. Early in the book we find them completing a search and rescue mission that leaves them with more questions than  answer. Namely, Who is kidnapping supernaturals?, Are they connected the "Hospital"?, and Why these particular individuals?

I loved this book, especially with the surprise cliff hanger at the end!!!! Mind Blown with that one. But there were some things I was disappointed with this book. First Kit didn't seem to progress much in this book, especially compared with the last book which was all progression for our female lead. This book also introduced a lot of loose ends that weren't explained well, nor expounded on in a way that made me think they would become important in later installments. Im still waiting for the ousting of the crazy wolf alpha that Kit encountered in book two, and in this book another alpha comes on the scene and seems to challenge Kit specifically but we don't see this character much in the story line.
Also different in this installment is we aren't left with a definitive conclusion to the problem i.e. all those questions that I mentioned earlier were not answered. Hopefully the next installment is not long in coming because I didn't feel this installment was enough to tide me over for this series for more than six months much less a year.

Overall the action and plot twist definitely kept me interested and I do look forward to hearing more from the Colbana files. I am giving this book 3.5 out of five stars only because the book didn't not have a definitive ending and seemed kinda rushed to me. Would have been a solid 4/5 had the plot of this book come to a conclusion. A 5/5 would have needed more development for Kit's character and more interaction and discovery about Doyles' past and heritage. Definitely a good read but I have a feeling if you were to skip this book and pick up the next book in the series, when it is released, you wouldn't be missing much and that is kind of a shame.

This book is scheduled to be released on 2/3/2015.

As always comment below if you have read the other books in this series or if you pick this one up let me know if you liked it or not below.

Book Review: The Immortals Of Meluha

I wandered into the public library the other day to renew my membership because they have made some changes to their system that rendered my current library card unusable. I also haven't been to the library in a few years due to time constraints and accessability of ebooks. But I was interested  in the new features that the library has to offer such as ebook check out through Overdrive, streaming movies and independant films, and magazine subscriptions throuh Zinio. So after renewing my membership I decided to look around and see if there were any books that caught my interest and I came across this book "The Immortals of Meluha" written by Amish Tripathi.

The Immortals of Meluha is the first book in the Shiva Trilogy, a work of fiction that delves into the history and eventual rise of the Indian God Shiva. Because of my very limited knowledge of Indian culture or religion I cannot speak to the accuracy of the depiction of Lord Shiva in this book but it stands as a good read for the uninformed.

The story opens with Shiva debating on whether to move his clan to the kingdom of the Meluha to escape the constant battles with neighboring clans for land and resources. They move and discover that this adopted country is inhabited by people who live to be over 200 years old! Along with their health and longevity they have developed a way of life that eliminates poverty and everyone is cared for and afforded the chance to elevate themselves from their birth station through education.

Shiva soon finds out the real reason his clan was invited to immigrate to Meluha was to find the prophesied Neelkanth, or Savior. Shiva finds himself fulfilling this prophecy and tries to understand his place and path in this new society.

My problems with this story are the decisions Shiva makes once he moves to Meluha. In the beginning of the story Shiva is tired of fighting and decides to move his clan to get away from the constant fighting only to end up in a country set on going to war. Not once does Shiva think "hey" this isn't what I signed up for.

Overall an interesting read and I would rate this book about 3.5/5 stars. Not unhappy with this random library rental.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!!!

We made it.

As the clock struck midnight on New Years Eve I began thinking about my reading goals for the New Year. Hey what else was I supposed to do I was at work. This year I am setting a Goodreads goal. I haven't done this in the past and hope that I can complete this goal by the end of the year.

My Goodreads goal for 2015 is 50 books. I know that doesn't seem like a lot but I have never counted the books that I read during a year. So this year is just about counting.

I am also debating on purchasing a kindle. I have the kindle app on my Ipad and Iphone but I think I want a dedicated kindle without any tablet features.

So my non book related resolution for the year is to get out of debt . I need some freedom from payments.

What are you resolutions for this year. Are you making a goodreads goal this year? Did you guys have a good Holiday Season?

I look forward to this year and reading and reviewing with you guys.

Cheers

Book Review: Julie's Butterfly

Julie's Butterfly was definitely a different read for me in that it was written specifically to give perspective on a very rare medical condition called Epidermolysis Bullosa. This condition has varying extremes of presentation and is characterized by bruising and blisters due to the skin not having the appropriate connective tissues. The author, Greta Milán, is married to a "Butterfly Child" which is the name given to sufferers of this disease due to their fragile nature. 

In this book the author gives us a rare look into life with people living with this condition. She also illustrates that they are capable of loving and being loved. One of the best aspects that is addressed in this book is the topic of bullying at the childhood level and its effects on individuals well into adult hood. The main character Bastion deals with some very deep ingrained bias and phobias due to abuse he suffered during his childhood. This leads him to isolation and leaving behind his family who cared for him in exchange for a life of solitude.  A very lonely life indeed.

I would definitely recommend the reading of this book, but not for the obvious reason of the romance story but for the struggle and psychological effects of the characters involved. I definitely shed tears throughout this book. There were a number of highly emotional moments that kept me reading and hoping.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars, and I hope that you take the time to read it and leave me your opinion in the comment section down below. If you have already read this book, feel free to leave me some feedback. I love to discuss books that moved me in some way.

Whats your Favorite Reading Method?

Recently I have been watching a lot of BookTube videos and I have noticed the obsession some people have to own actual physical books, preferably hardbacks. Lately though I have been consuming the great majority of the books I read in ebook format. There are a number of reasons for this which I will get into in a minute, but foremost I just don't have the space to store hundreds of books. When I was living with my parent I definitely didn't have the space ( and I lived with my mother through my twenties because I like her and I was saving money), now I have a large home and still don't have a wish to fill any of the rooms in my house with books. Especially if I have no intention of lending these books out to people. I keep a few series that I love in large format paperback in my living room but other than that my books are generally ebooks.

A good friend of mines was just telling me the same thing about her book life. Things had gotten so bad she was storing books in the trunk of her car because she had no where to put them. Suffice it to say she has recently switched to reading ebooks as well.  Do we miss holding and reading physical books? Not really. The one thing I do miss is being able to visually see how much of the book I have left to read.

But here is a list of reasons I love Ebooks:

1. I have the ability to carry hundreds of books where ever I go.
2. My place in my books syncs across my devices. (iBooks and Kindle)
3. Multiple devices ( I can read on my iphone, ipad, or computer)
4. Sharing/ Social Media Integration (I can post progress to my bookclub, goodreads, or facebook)
5. Availability ( I can go online and download a new book from where ever I am)

I could go on but as you can see I am a convert.
Whats your favorite reading method, have you given ebooks a try, and what are your experiences?

Currently Reading: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
Next review: Julie's Butterfly by Greta Milán

Book Review: Sleepers By Megg Jensen

The description of this book really caught my attention and I decided to give it a try.

"An adoptee raised in a foreign land, sixteen-year-old Lianne was content with her life as handmaiden to the queen, until a spell cast on her at birth activated. Now she's filled with uncontrollable rage and access to magic she thought had been bled from her people years ago. Even her years of secret training in elite hand-to-hand combat and meditation can’t calm the fires raging inside her. 

Her heart is torn between two boys, the one she’s always loved and the one who always ignored her. But when the kingdom threatens to tear itself apart due to rumors surrounding the queen’s alleged affair, who will Lianne protect and who will she destroy?" 

So first I didn't realize just how short this book was because I received it as an ebook. But this is a very short book and I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for something to sit and read during a 24 hour period. Its also the first book in a series and the second and third books in the trilogy are available so if you like to marathon a series this would make a great series to marathon.

I can say that was honestly surprised by this book. The main character Lianne is a adopted child sent from a kingdom that was conquered by the kingdom she currently lives in. Her people have magic but this magic supposedly has disappeared leaving them defenseless and at the mercy of the Faithians. Lianne spends most of the book debating on the choices she should make. She is definitely torn between two boys and these boys are the other two adoptees from here country. Each boy has an idea of how Lianne should help them, their country and countrymen, and the friends they have developed during there time there. 

Ultimately Lianne has to learn to make her own decisions and to trust her gut. I definitely would like to continue this series because the twist at the end of this book left me speechless and kinda mad because the entire book steered your feelings towards things in one direction and them BAM! plot twist. 

I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars, it was an excellent read and I loved that the book stood alone in the trilogy and left me with a sense of closure about the events of this story. I hate waiting to see what happens to culminate a story line and I can say that Megg Jensen managed that closure while still keeping me wanting more. The only reason I deducted the star was I thought the book was a tad short and because of this the first few chapters of the book felt rushed. A little more character development would have gone a long way in this first book. Otherwise a good read.