#BoneDriven #NetGalley

Title: Bone Driven  Author: Hailey Edwards    Publish Day: May 31, 2018   Rating: 5/5

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group UK/Piatkus From: Netgalley!

Book is available as an eBook & hard copy. I'm sure this is available at other people's libraries. But none of her books are available at Tulsa Library and I don't know how to suggest they get there.

I'm late i'm late for a very important date.. but here is the review.

 Description

'Edwards creates amazing fantasy worlds that the reader becomes completely engrossed in' (Goodreads)

The bayou is burning, the battle is just beginning - and Luce Boudreau is smack in the middle of no-man's land . . .

Life as a cop in Canton Town, Mississippi, is never dull - particularly when hiding deep within you is a demon bent on the apocalypse. Luce is doing her best to pretend her two worlds aren't crashing into each other, but what should be a routine arson investigation takes a shocking turn when Luce discovers a link between the suspects and her own dark secrets. There's no turning back, even though her search for the truth threatens to burn her old life down around her.

Lines are being drawn in a war Luce barely understands, and she just might be on the wrong side of them. Now she must embrace her powerful destiny, or the ones she loves most will pay the ultimate price.

Always Possible Spoilers In My Reviews. 

Review:

Picked this one up the moment I completed Bayou Born. In most reading experiences I need a day before diving into another book. For this series so far that wasn't the case. This series so far is very character driven that is the focus while the plot is helping us learn more of the characters.

It's a paranormal set in Canton, Mississippi so it's a small town atmosphere. A place where odd things get to happen in swamps or the woods. What I love so far is the consistency of the main character as she's growing into who she is or whatever she decides she is. I struggle with reading paranormal / urban fantasy because female protagonists often have unnecessary short fuses.

This book is a segue for Luce from her human life to her demon life. She struggles with guilt and balancing her two worlds. It's noted of her guilt when leaving her dad, and aunt/uncle when she's off with the group. Then, the guilt when she is with the group and not with her dad and uncle/aunt. While she struggles with this worlds collide in a tearful and horrible way.

She's lovey-dovey with her male coterie folk but isn't so much with Portia. I can't remember specifically but I believe portia and her have a different relationship. Then, she's now possessing Luce's bestie I feel this is not only a story builder but possibly away to keep her love-dovey way only with the men?

This one is more focused on Luce on being an active character. It felt like she was more present, not just a damsel in distress. I understand that she was under the impression that she was human..and violent things happening around her. Whereas in this one she's warming up to her new reality and present.

Since I read this right after reading the first one I cannot tell if you can read this one alone. Unlike the first one thought I do believe it'd be hard to read alone without the first in the series.

The romance is present but it's still not the major aspect of things going on. She wants to be with him when she's 100% certain it's not her being the person who captured him. There is more interaction with Rixton and Sherry (Love them!!), her dad and her uncle/aunt (love them!). We don't get a lot of interaction with her father due to the problems that happened in the first book. This goes for Portia and Maggie, too.

Once more it's hinted at that Miller is a terrible demon? Looks ugly? Can't control himself in his original form? But we do not see him in this way this book. That's something later on in the story or just something that will get touched on once in awhile.

Overall there is a fun story to be had while reading this. If you're wary about paranormal/ urban fantasy think this one is a good starting place. It's how you'd imagine the genre to be..but don't see it much.

Recommend? Yes

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#BayouBorn by Hailey Edwards

Pictured above is the image from my nook. For whatever reason Nook's browser version doesn't register the book that I've purchased. Ugh.

Title: Bayou Born
Author: Hailey Edwards
Published:  October 17, 2017
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Description:

Her beginning may be our end... Deep in the humid swamps of the Mississippi bayou, a mysterious, half-wild child is dragged just in time from the murky waters. She has no memories, no family and is covered in strange markings, the meaning of which no one is able to decipher. Adopted by the policeman who rescued her, Luce Boudrou follows him into the force, determined to prove herself in the eyes of those who are still suspicious. However, there's more of a battle ahead than Luce could possibly imagine. She may be an orphan without a past, but no one - including Luce herself - could ever be prepared for the truth of her dark, powerful destiny...


With possible spoilery information.

My Review:

I enjoyed this a lot more than expected. I was worried. This is my first read of her books. I've been following her and in her book group for awhile before reading. I know probably sounds weird but I do this a lot with books I'm interested in but not sure..

Things I absolutely love and thanked her was:

This book does not include the 24 hour waiting to report a  missing persons myth unlike..

Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari & Daddy Darkest by Ellery Kane

It's a stupid myth that pops up regularly in these books. I wish someone would smack their hands when they type it up.

"The first twenty-four hours are the most critical." He couldn't argue with me there.

"You're going to file a missing person report."

"The quicker the report filed, the sooner the search can begin and the sooner I can access full departmental resources to help locate her."

Out of Order Quotes to help with not being too spoilery.

Errors / Writing Mishaps?

There was at times where words felt oddly places. Or typos. There was a few points where my phone had boxes. A few times I had to flip the page/page back to make Nook calm down. So, I'm not 100% certain if typos/words where they shouldn't be was the book or if Nook was being an asshole.

Annoying bits:

The lead male love interest constantly being described as a mountain And he ...growls. I don't quite get the growling a lot thing at all. Unless it was a hint at not being human.  

"I'm here to speak with Luce Boudreau," he rumbled in a deep tenor befitting a half-man, half-mountain. A mantain?" 

When characters are described as mountainous or anything I probably... imagine the opposite of what this is supposed to trigger. These descriptions make the character seem more cartoonish for me. So.. y'know. 

Enjoyable:

The mystery and the way the supernatural elements are introduced in the story. The connection to the private company and the main character. We're given answers as to why the main male lead is always around the main female.. usually it's done in an annoying way.

The "twist" / supernatural element and how everything is wrapped up in this. 

Stand Alone or Series?

This is a series but you can comfortably read it as a standalone. To do it comfortably...don't read the epilogue. Otherwise, it works alone or continue onward..I absolutely loved that. 

The will they? Won't they? If you don't give a shit about romance this book works, too. There is romance but it's not strong enough to worry about. 

THE BIG BADDIE:  There's pieces to thread into the next book but really you don't have to jump into it. The issue is wrapped up in this book.

Recommend? Yeah, it's good reading. I'm reading the 2nd one and will have the review up some point tomorrow. 

“Beauty is a reflection on the genetic soup we got served. It says nothing about your character or personality. Pretty is just that. Pretty. Substance is what matters. Clichéd as it sounds, it really is what’s inside that counts.” ― Hailey Edwards, Bayou Born

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#WeedingWednesday: Pure / The Slave Players / All The Birds in the SKy

Title: Pure Author: Kim Alexander Shelved: October 24, 2017 

Survive/Weed: Keep! It's short and isn't a series. And there's a unicorn. Last series I read with a unicorn was a Mercedes Lackey series when I was in high school.

The Slave Players by Megan Allen Shelved: April 4, 2018

Survive/Weed: It's getting weeded. It was a giveaway book that I've no interested in going through with reading it..since I didn't win it. Haha.

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders Shelved: July 3, 2017

Survive/weed: Book club read that I didn't make it through. I like the idea of what it was going for but didn't happen.

Your Opinions are always wanted! Lemme know if you've read any of them or if you think they may be interesting to read!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Last weeks post here. 

The Reckoning - Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Reckoning Author: Kelley Armstrong Rating:  4/5

One super annoying thing about this story though:

Chloe and Derek's relationship seems as if it's cooling down in the possessiveness of Derek. But in the next set of trilogy where they meet up with the next group of kids....he's still annoying. 

I enjoyed the way this trilogy ended. It was weird but better than the way most trilogies end. This is book 3 in the Darkest Powers Trilogy

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

1

Title: The Awakening Author: Kelley Armstrong Rating: 5/5

Summary: 

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl - someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I’m as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment - not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters. I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control: I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

Now I’m running for my life with three of my supernatural friends - a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch - and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

Review:

I wish I could find in gif format this local commercial where the dad says, "I like it." 

Read this on my way out of high school and enjoyed the series. 

#Thirst by Claire Farrell Review

Title: Thirst
Author: Claire Farrell
Publisher: Amazon
Release Day: November 10, 2010
Rating: 4 out of 5
Summary: Ava Delaney calls herself a hybrid - a living, breathing human who happens to have vampire poison running through her veins. The only thing greater than her thirst for human blood is her capacity for guilt. She does her best to avoid the human world, for everyone's sake.

 About Author: Speculative fiction writer from Ireland. She's a mother of 5 human children, 3 dogs, and a rabbit. Based on her website dated November 25, 2017 she's quit writing and all her books are listed as free on Amazon.

 Review: Spoilers exist in this review because I have issues and lack of restraint. It's common that I read fantasy stories because it's a genre that I absolutely love but I don't read vampire-focused stories very often. I've read Vampire Academy and the books the Vampire Diaries are based off of. I tried reading Sookie Stackhouse but never made it through.

This is about a vampire who can move around through the day. A vampire called a daywalker. My boyfriend when I told him what I was reading said this is like Blade. This is also something that happens in Shadowhunter... day walking vampires are a thing.

What I liked about this is the character is fairly normal and does things like anyone else does. The main character's source of income is Ebay. She's afraid to interact with people because she may kill someone which she doesn't want to happen. So, she works online.

While I did enjoy this book.. it left some things confusing -- Why does she leave twice from Peter's to do things? How does she just "find" the villains mansion? Did I miss when/how this was possible? Is Peter a vampire hunter or just a hunter in general? Why does he seem to have connections and can go around the vampire world if he's a vampire hunter? Because if he's not killing vampires then I can see why he has connections to the vampire world.

Another thing that is bothersome and doesn't need to be in the story is the fact she has a counting thing. It's mentioned and doesn't do much to the point or build a character description and just ends and doesn't do anything for the plot.

Another thing that I like is she accidentally enthralls an attractive person and doesn't take advantage of him in this state. I am so used to characters who take advantage of this situation either sexually or drinking blood from them..and that we should easily forgive & forget when these things happen. But she doesn't do this... in this book. I don't know about the others as I haven't read them.

It has its problems but I gave it a four star rating because I enjoyed my time with the story. 

 Recommend: Yes. Her stories are all free so you don't have to worry about losing money if you don't like this story. There are six books in this series.

#WeedAppreciationDay - No not that! Book Ideas

From the national calendar it's National Weed Appreciation Day.

My favorite weed was and still is the dandelion. I am allergic to them and could only participate with observing those who blew on them for wishes for the most part.

So, my list of books I've found are focused on book covers with Dandelion's on them. I wasn't aware of just how many books have Dandelion's on them until today.

Blowing On Dandelions by Miralee Ferrel  A Christian historical romance fiction. About Katherine Galloway in 1880

About a cursed island called Greene Island. Follows a seventeen year old who doesn't care about whether it is cursed. Dandelion on Fire written by Sherry Torgent is book 1 in a series

The March of the White Guard by Gilbert Parker.  On Goodreads it says this about it, "

A tale of adventure and daring, loyalty and deceit, bravery and cowardice that captivates the imagination. It is a narrative that warms the heart and manifests the belief in goodness of man and the reward that follows it. The depth and goodness of characters is gratifying and visionary of morals.

"

Send Me A Sign is a YA romance/realistic fiction by Tiffany Schmidt.  About a girl named Mia who has cancer and is dealing with life around that.

The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith -- A YA realistic fiction  about a young lady who struggles with assault.

3 Books I'm In -

Spoilers

3 Books I'm Currently Reading...

Daddy Darkest

Purchase

Daddy Darkest started off with this, "I wish my first plane ride had ended in a crash. first line of story". I downloaded this through Netgalley to read. It's already out and ready to be read. It came out in June of last year.

Currently, Amazon has the ebook listed as 99 cents.  It moves from the past and present. The past is things about the girls mom and the future are the incidents that are happening to her daughter.

The way it is set up you are aware of when you're time jumping which is nice.

I'm 30% in this book and so far enjoying every moment of the story. It's bizarre and interesting enough.

I will say that for sexual assault it is possibly triggering. The mother in the story thinks about the time she was molested by her best friends father. She works in a prison and there are suggestive stuff that occurs by an inmate that doesn't like her.

The beginning of this book annoyed me with the whole must wait 48 hours to do a report. The daughter, at first doesn't want to tell her mother that her friend has gone missing,etc. I was frustrated because it's a myth (apparently not in Michigan but most places) that you have to wait x-amount of time before filing a missing persons. I wanted to throw the book when she was talking about not wanting to tell her mom.

"Here. Take my card. If you haven't heard from her in forty-eight hours, we can file a missing person's report. In the meantime, I'll take a walk up to the bathroom and see what I see okay?"
"Forty-eight hours?" Our flight home left in less.

"I nodded, hoping my face didn’t give it away. No chance in hell I planned on telling my mom about any of this. Not yet anyway. She’d already responded to my I’m-fine-and-will-call-when-I-get-to-the-hotel text with three unanswered calls. I pocketed Officer Guthrey’s card and left the security desk. Still Ginny-less."

But these things are handled later on. She tells how the police didn't believe that her friend was missing. She calls and tells her mom that her friend is missing.

“Mom?” Now seemed as bad a time as any to tell her. “I can’t find Ginny.”“You what?”“We got off the plane, and she went to the restroom. It sounds insane, but she never came out. I told the police, and they didn’t—”

My prediction for this: The daughter is Cutthroats daughter & Levi is Dumas son. Don't tell me if I'm right or wrong though. Since this is book one we get only some of the answers to the questions before spinning onward to something else.

The sequel comes out April 1st of this year. Resisted reading the summary. Oh lord.

Heir Ascendant

 This story begins with, "Discarded wrappers littered the slate-grey counter top, rustling as small hands added one more to the pile."

Purchase

Heir Ascendant is another book I picked up from Netgalley that is already published. It came out on October 5, 2017. It's free through Kindle Unlimited and $4.99 to buy out right.

I'm 30% in this as well. It starts off kind of iffy but then things escalate fast and change of scenery and pace.

Maya, a CEOs daughter was abducted by people outside the sanctuary zone or whatever it's called. They aren't friendly, they want to use her for money and to get medication. Medication is for people to be cured or help from what they call Fade. There isn't so far a lengthy discussion on this but if you get it you die. 

"Headcrash screamed and put a hand on his sidearm. He stared at Maya and babbled, spittle flying. She gave him an innocent face while gnawing on the candy, figuring he’d finally realized she’d been close enough to grab his gun but hadn’t."

When things change I feared that we were going to go round and round with the same thing. Characters are paranoid, argue, throw each other. Except things... end up deadly for some of these paranoid folk.

They are all paranoid and getting bested by a 9 year old. Calm down y'all.

Maya's abductor, Genna, becomes her replacement mother. Her actual mother is not motherly she has more concern for making money and controlling things as boss. A very terrible person who shouldn't be allowed to have kids but I'm not in charge for that -- especially -- in a book I didn't write. 

She wiped tears from her cheeks. “Does Genna live here?” He nodded. “Then I am home. ..."

How to Save an Undead Life

 First sentence: "I jolted awake sitting on the hardwood floor in my bedroom with my back wedged into a corner."

Purchase

This is not a Netgalley read. I saw the ads on Facebook and was won over to start reading it. Yes, sometimes ads work on me and I'm totally fine with that.

This is SUPER descriptive with things but it's fun to read so far. I'm not that far into it but I am loving it.

Can a haunted house pitch a hissy fit? Yes. Yes, it can. 

A haunted house in this story and she's kind of friends with the house? Why yes I am signing up for this.

Spring had arrived a week ago, tossing clouds of yellow pollen like confetti at its own welcome back party, but the night air still held a bite even if the daytime temps caused me to break a sweat. 

Example of the super descriptive the story has and it works. It's free through Kindle Unlimited which is how I am reading it. It's $3.99 to buy and keep it.

Summary on Amazon: 

The Beginner's Guide to Necromancy, Book 1

Grier Woolworth spends her nights weaving spooky tales of lost souls and tragedies for tourists on the streets of downtown Savannah. Hoop skirt and parasol aside, it's not a bad gig. The pay is crap, but the tips keep the lights on in her personal haunted mansion and her pantry stocked with ramen.

Life is about as normal as it gets for an ex-necromancer hiding among humans. Until the society that excommunicated Grier offers her a second chance at being more than ordinary. Too bad no one warned her the trouble with being extraordinary is it can get you killed.

Warning: This book contains one ex-con heiress with a pet zombie parakeet who lives next door to her ex-army crush. Brace yourselves, we're talking more exes than a pirate treasure map here.