This goes only for Ilona Andrews's A Questionable Client. Four not so strong stars but still very enjoyable. For me this prequel is the start of Kate Daniels. Good short story and great introduction to the series. I get a taste of how badass Kate is and I like her. The story is about a strange and a little creepy shapeshifter Saiman, who hired Kate to be his bodyguard. Saiman is a tad annoying but still very interesting. He stole something from the Russians and definitely needs some protection now (enjoyed the Russian/Slavic references very much).Although it's short the story is full of humour and was a quick, fast paced read. Looking forward to book 1.
Armina Books and Baubles
I'm a dreamer and I love to read.
This goes only for Ilona Andrews's A Questionable Client. Four not so strong stars but still very enjoyable. For me this prequel is the start of Kate Daniels. Good short story and great introduction to the series. I get a taste of how badass Kate is and I like her. The story is about a strange and a little creepy shapeshifter Saiman, who hired Kate to be his bodyguard. Saiman is a tad annoying but still very interesting. He stole something from the Russians and definitely needs some protection now (enjoyed the Russian/Slavic references very much).Although it's short the story is full of humour and was a quick, fast paced read. Looking forward to book 1.
This book was exciting, it was emotional, and it meant a lot of changes for Rachel! Five devilish stars! Full review to come.
Croak
Grim Reapers? check.Mystery and death? check.Very dark humour? check.The ending? WOWFull review to come.*Buddy read with Rh3a and Gavin. I'm starting sometime later in the Saturday afternoon /Aug 24/.
What makes us human? A simple question. Here we get the answer from an android girl.My expectations were not too high when I started the book because of the mixed reviews. The first half was somewhat uneven and with a little bit annoying emphasis on romance but then we were rushed in an amazing action-packed second half with adrenaline pumping through our veins. And guess what - I'm an action girl - I loved it!The series have huge potencial.This is just my initial thoughts. Full review to come after some time.
Review to come.
Actual rating 3.5 stars.Strong, impressive writing. Too short. Excellent finish(great surprise if we didn't already know the premise)! Fulfills it's purpose to stir our appetite for book 1 perfectly.
This instalment seemed a little darker than some of the previous books in the series. What I didn't like so much is that it started a little slow and very little happened in general. Before the last third of the book I felt it somewhere below 4 stars but the last part totally made up for a solid 4 stars read.In White Witch, Black Curse Rachel is mostly in a state of personal gloom. She needs to find Kisten's killer, to tag down a banshee who thinks she rules the world, to deal with a friend/possible boyfriend(of course :)) and to take care of Al's last manifestation ;). I liked the banshee story and I'm eager for the next book where Mia will be the major antagonist. I'm also happy that Kisten finally can rest in peace and Rachel is ready to let go of him. Although this plot ended a little bit anticlimactic it was very emotional. I loved how Rachel/Ivy relationship got stronger through this.And if you took the time to read all of those Hollows short stories it's worth it for this book. Just about every short story associated with the series comes into play here. And I like that a lot. Especially the parts with Pierce. But this parts were just a few. I want more of him and also more of Al and the other demons and Trent. That's why I like the end so very much! Another presence I enjoyed was Ford. He is a very interesting character. I look forward to book 8.Audio Note: I can't describe how happy I am that Marguerite Gavin is back for this instalment and for all the next books!
Solid 4 stars, it may even round up to 4.5 for at least third of the chapters. Something like review to come in the future.
Short and sexy. Yeah, Al, the bastard, is sexy! But he is not short. Actually I don't remember any details of his height :).In this short story we learn how Ceri actually ended up as Al’s familiar. Al is naughty demonic and Ceri is not much of an angel herself. Kids, don't play with demons or you will get burned!
Actual rating 3.5 stars.In her intro, Kim Harrison describes this story as a farewell to Kisten. It is probably set chronologically just before the beginning of [b:For a Few Demons More|30259|For a Few Demons More (The Hollows, #5)|Kim Harrison|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1319592584s/30259.jpg|477836]. In it Rachel and Kisten help out Kisten’s sister Chrissie in her ongoing custody battle for her cute son Audric. The story starts with a short interlude with Rachel and Kisten and finishes with a god action. We see Kisten at his best - troubled but strong and sweet. It is very bittersweet and makes you miss Kist all over again.
Quite an interesting novella with great sense of humour and very inspiring. We are back in time when Rachel is eighteen and is still living at home with her great and crazy Mom. We meet her big brother Robbie who's coming home for the Solstice after being at the West Coast since their father died. Rachel goal is to start working for the I.S. despite the fact she is too young. She just wants to smear the pavement with bad guys and to win her independence. Robbie loves her but he doesn't think this is a good idea. He wants to protect her in his own way. So they struck a deal. Rachel has to stir a spell which will summon their Dad's ghost and if she manages to do it right she'll ask for his permission to join the I.S. Of course everything goes wrong and instead of her Dad's ghost, Rachel summons Pierce's ghost. For me the main draw of this novella is Pierce's character and the interaction between him and Rachel. He is a real 19th century gentleman. So charming and funny with his manner of speaking. Smart, sensitive and caring. And as a bonus he shows up for the first time with absolutely nothing on him ;). He helps Rachel and Rachel helps him. They even share a passionate kiss! The story shows how strong was the relationship between Rachel and her Dad. We see the Rachel beyond the tough, capable witch she is now, the one who came from the fragile, weak, and death-row childhood. It's important for understanding her choices in the present. Totally worth the read!
Me Before You: A Novel
It was a hard decision to give this book such rating. May be I'll write a proper review sometime in the future. I need time to think it through because I'm still feeling raw and very emotional about it!
Review to come soon.
Actual rating 3.5 stars.I enjoyed this but not as much as the previous books in the series. That's why I'm rating it this way.My biggest complaint is that a big part of the book is devoted to the relationship between Rachel and Ivy and although I like Ivy enough I don't love her ;).But I love big Jenks. The best parts in the book include him. Also the Were fights and the action in general were amazing!I missed Trent and Al but considering the title of the next book in the series this will change soon. Looking forward to [b:For a Few Demons More|30259|For a Few Demons More (The Hollows, #5)|Kim Harrison|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1319592584s/30259.jpg|477836].
