One Enchanted Season
by C.L.
Wilson, Erica Ridley, and Elissa Wilds
Rating:
4 of 5 stars
My
Review:
All
three of these are sci-fi/fantasy stories set near Christmas-time.
They're all different flavors from each other. I enjoyed each story
for different reasons and I felt like I should have given myself a
break in between each one because it was hard to jump right in to a
completely different story after finishing one.
Upon A
Midnight by C.L. Wilson, 5 stars
This one
is more of a supernatural/urban fantasy style. Contemporary, except
with angels and other supernatural powers. The story is totally
engrossing and very emotionally gripping. I was crying within the
first five pages and almost didn't stop until the end. C.L. Wilson
has this way of writing that overflows both your heart and mind. The
characters are so caring and compassionate, but need each other to be
complete. Some of the themes felt very religious in nature (part and
parcel with the Christmas and the angels theme), but other parts
completely turned expected religious norms on their heads. I could go
on for ages saying what I enjoyed about this story, but I'd end up
giving away too much. For this story alone, the book is worth your
purchase.
Let It
Snow by Erica Ridley, 4 stars
This was
more of a silly book. The characters don't exactly take themselves
seriously. It was fun to read, but coming right off a heavy story
like Upon A Midnight, it felt like whiplash. I should have given
myself a day before I started this one. Lance is a treasure hunter
who decides he's going to get this treasure from an enspelled castle
to pay off the bounty on his head. Marigold has been trapped in the
castle for the last 600 years. It was quite a puzzle over how to
break the spell. I had bunches of guesses as I read and still didn't
get it right so A+ on the riddle. Lance and Marigold were fun
characters and I liked how they got along and cared about each other.
Snowman
by Elissa Wilds, 4 stars
An alien
race who founded the human race now at odds with itself over the
destruction of humanity. One of the rebels protecting the humans
saves a woman from his own kind. He finds her to have strong
recessive genes of his people and that's why she's always been an
outcast on earth. Love and sex ensue. This book was the shortest of
the three and really constrained since they spent all their time in a
cabin during a snowstorm. I enjoyed it but felt like I barely got a
taste of the characters and the world building.
I received a complementary ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Redemption
by C. J.
Barry
Rating:
5 of 5 stars
My
Review:
I just
finished reading C.J. Barry's book, Unchained, when I started this
one. The writing style is so wonderful that I just couldn't put it
off until the next day. I think I finished this one in 2-1/2 days,
reading whenever I had a free moment and staying up late to keep the
story going. Hello, awesome Urban Fantasy! This one is set in New
York and is a sort-of Spiritual Urban Fantasy. The ultimate battle
between good and evil, angels and demons, different dimensions, even
some Atlantis thrown in. It was totally compelling and somewhat
creepy. The kind of book that I need to stay up late for just
because I can't leave it at a creepy part and expect to sleep.
Reya is
a Redeemer. She's given the information of when/where some “bad
guy” will die and it's her job to see if he'll repent before he
dies. It's a very grey area sort of book. Her job is not to stop
their deaths, but simply to give them the opportunity to say “sorry”
before they die. She's tough, kick-a** and sexy and it appears that
every person she approaches brushes her off because they're so evil.
Thane is
his own sort of vigilante. He's a cop that does what's necessary to
make the bad guys pay for their sins. Planting evidence,
“accidental” shootings, lying on the witness stand – he will
make sure the guy pays for what he's done. He's hot and sexy, but
that's almost not the point. He and Reya are each other's destiny
and even with free will these two are metaphysically connected.
Neither
character is hugely like-able to start out with. They both walk that
border between good and evil, light and dark. They fulfill their
jobs in the way they see is best, but neither one is fulfilling the
intention behind the job. In fact, in some cases you really want to
dislike them, but they are so sympathetic that you know exactly where
they're coming from and wonder if you'd have the ability to do any
better than them in their situations.
The
action is pretty much non-stop and nothing simple or predicable
(besides the requisite “end of the world” sorts of danger). Each
individual piece of the plot is not so complex that you're left
feeling confused, many ideas are common enough that you've probably
heard some variation, but woven together, it's a pretty awesome take
on the world of urban fantasy and it definitely took some higher
brain power to put the pieces together as they appear.
I was on
the edge of my seat for most of the book, especially as I got closer
to the end. There were a bunch of plot twists and some tears from
me, but everything worked out spectacularly in the end.
I've
read pretty much all of C.J. Barry's books and this one will keep me
looking for more, and probably re-reading some of the others in my
collection. She has an awesome voice and when you need smart,
intuitive characters and a sweeping storyline, this is one of the
books you should choose.
I
received a complementary ARC of this book in exchange for my honest
review.
