Wyvernhail by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Spoiler Free Reread Review

Wyvernhail is the fastest paced of these five books. Hai's desperation to save the future from the flames of the unborn Keyi is palpable. She, no overt spoilers, does manage to save everything and tie a neat bow on the whole series. Wyvernhail is also a book of self-discovery for Hai, though I don't think she realizes it until the very end.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Wyvernhail personally. On the one hand, I am again frustrated by the way Wyvern's Court is still super segregated, though that is both less and more of an issue in Wyvernhail. I am annoyed by the falcon interference. I am pleased that Hai, despite being pulled this way and that by her magic, is able to have some adult relationships that are implied to be... well... less than healthy. And to be clear, I'm not pleased by the less-than-healthy aspects of this, but by the fact her character isn't infantilized.

Wyvernhail also does a lot of heavy lifting, as far as the World Building for the entire series. There's been bits a pieces of the past scattered throughout the series, but Wyvernhail comes right out and explains what happened with Maeve and Keisha and Alasdair and the falcons. It feels cathartic, but I also doubt Hai really explains any of this to her compatriots, so I'm not sure whether or not it's helpful to the people of Wyvern's Court.

I do like Wyvernhail well enough. Definitely not as up on it as I was on first read, but then, I've grown since then so... yeah.

Wolfcry by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

 Spoiler Free Reread Review

My feelings on Wolfcry are complicated, as, I think, is the entire story.

On the one hand, I really, really don't think the people of Wyvern's Court are forced to spend enough time together. Just hanging out in the Market isn't nearly enough. They should be celebrating their holidays together, going to school together, etc. It definitely feels as though the society here basically isn't trying hard enough.

On the other hand, the society of Wyvern's Court definitely mirrors real life. The way the USA (the only country I can speak about with any kind of authority and even that is from my priveleged-white-girl stand-point) has segregated itself despite having many more years than the fictional Wyvern's Court to come together. Plus, the societies are just so, so different, combining them is nigh impossible. The Falcons certainly did them a doozy as far as that goes. I'm finding it hard to come up with a more real-world equivalent and failing to come up with a combo that makes sense. But I digress.

Oliza's personal journey here was what actually took up the "runtime." I liked the continued world-building with the wolves and the Obsidian guild. I definitely liked the whole Betia thing, which I won't get into, but yeah... I think it was an interesting choice to have the sakkri tie everything together. Oliza is vaguely aware of the issues she's going to have to face, probably more aware than she realized, before the sakkri essentially woke her to the realities of the situation. She did voice at some stage how she has literally no one in her peer-group who embodies what she herself does, which I found both interesting and absolutely absurd... and proves my point that the societies really aren't trying to combine effectively if even those in their princess' inner circle are so divided.

So yeah... overall, the story hangs together well enough. I feel like Oliza's physical journey took forever, which... yes, the distance she apparently had to cover on foot would have. But it all culminates around the sakkri and Oliza deciding what to do about all that. Still heckin' complicated.

In Other News

I've been on vacation for the last week! I went to visit my family in Washington. If you'd like to see pictures from my trip, head over to my Facebook Page (link in the side bar) and take a look at my "Washington 2025" Album. There's a lot of beautiful tree photos from our walk through "The Hall of Mosses" in Hoh National Park, just as a highlight.

Falcondance by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

A Fairly Spoiler-Free Reread Review

So... Falcondance... honestly, entirely middling and actually a bit confusing. The main plot isn't really that confusing, though it does have some twists and turns, the confusing part is the magic system. Nicias is used and abused pretty much throughout the book, poor thing, really. He definitely wasn't aware or prepared for the kind of machinations going on in the court of Ahnmik... if you can even call it a court.

The magic system has a large focus here, though it is still not very concrete in the way things are explained. Nicias' magic wakes and he must learn to use it, though that use is pretty much glossed over. If this were a movie, Nicias' training sessions would have been montages where light flashed back and forth and nothing was explained. The spells are described as bands of light, eyes change color, and that's more-or-less it. We get some overview of how Ahnmik and Anhamirak's magics used to intertwine and more explanation of Ecl, but it's still all quite vague. Basically the backdrop to explaining why the Falcons did what they did and why the Serpiente and Avians will never and must never become one again.

The world-building aspect of Nicias' visit to the island city of Ahnmik was kind of neat and actually quite horrifying. The class structure is... problematic at best. More-or-less determined by how your magic decides to wake in you at the tender age of FOUR. I don't think I liked it on my first read and I definitely don't like it now. The way magic has permeated the island was the neat part. I kind of enjoy the idea of a semi-sentient city.

Remembering what I do about Wolfcry and Wyvernhail, Falcondance is undeniably setup and explanation for the events in those books.

Snakecharm by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

 A Semi-Spoilery Reread Review

So, of the 5 Keisha'ra books (and given, I've not reread the rest in a hot minute), Snakecharm is probably my least favorite. It does have a lot to enjoy, but it just kind of falls flat for me.

That said, if there is one thing Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is good at, it's creating vibes. The legend related in the Prologue is a chef's kiss of vibes. Might just be me recalling my Ancient Egyptian fixation from when I was a kid but... I felt like the vibes of an Ancient Egyptian cult were spot on.

Ultimately, I think Snakecharm suffers from reread-itus. I've reread it enough times that the answers to the mysteries have imprinted themselves on my brain and the "Happily Ever After" of it all just kill the tension. And yes, that is a mild spoiler, but I'm gonna let it be. After all, Snakecharm does have Romance elements and an HEA is demanded by the genre so... yeah. But anyway, the tension was just dead on arrival during this reread. I did, however, have a bit of rage.

I will fully admit that I spent entirely too long reading and sitting with the first couple of chapters and this may have colored my feelings on this issue buuuut... no one tells Danica she might be/probably is pregnant despite talking around it a bunch. Apparently she's too naive to realize this on her own, despite everyone else figuring it out... even Valene in a couple of seconds. Like WTF, ya'll. Just finish your dang questions and tell her already. Geez.

All of that stuff said, Snakecharm is really about expanding the Keisha'ra world. We got a little of it in Hawksong, but now it's in the aftermath and the "What do we do now?" stages. There is a much greater focus on Serpiente society, specifically the dancer's nest, Sha'Mehay. And I did love the looks into the past we got after the Falcons pushed them into research mode. We also get more background into the Falcon shapeshifters, who are much more relevant to the overall story later. It's enough to make us hopefully wary of them, at the very least, for Falcondance. Syfka and Araceli themselves are kind of "meh" characters at this point, though. Syfka mostly just comes off as a bitch and Araceli... well... also a bitch, but a to-the-point one.

But yeah... Snakecharm honestly just felt like filler. A necessary bit of filler, given the rest of the Keisha'ra story, but filler nonetheless.

Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Spoiler Free Reread Review

I'm usually not a fan of Romance and Hawksong is, first and foremost, an Enemies-to-Lovers Romance. However, Hawksong spends a lot more time in the realm of introspection than it does anywhere else, so it doesn't exactly feel like a Romance to me... if that makes any sense. We spend most of the book in Danica's head and she's not super focused on the Romance aspects of her life. She's definitely more concerned with simply stopping a war and keeping it stopped than she is on whether or not her love-interests are interested. Again... if I'm not making sense about this, it's probably because what I'm trying to say is mixed up in my own head.

Anyway, I like Danica as a character. She honestly comes across more Ace to me than anything else. Again, more concerned with stopping a war than the romantic side of things. This also might be because of the "Avian Reserve" aspect of her life sort of saps the outward manifestations of her emotional states. That's a fun bit of world-building that's brought to the fore once she spends more time with Zane among the Serpiente.

I also quite like how the world-building is done through how the people behave, rather than just their surroundings. The Avian Shapeshifters bottle up their emotions and act "properly" rather than, like the Serpents, be very open in thought and deed. I don't know how true this is, as the Hawk's Keep isn't really described in terms of building materials, but I've always kind of envisioned it as made of wood and plaster in contrast to the Serpiente's palace of stone. Not sure why that is, but yeah... Contrasts.

It's also really interesting how these writ-large Shapeshifter societies and kingdoms eventually get whittled down when moving from this series to the main Nyeusigrube series. Rise and fall of civilizations, I suppose. Just something fun to think about when reading and rereading these series.

Promises to Keep by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Mostly Spoiler-Free Reread Review

So, Promises to Keep is essentially where the Den of Shadows/Nyeusigrube series ends. It doesn't precisely feel like an ending, nor really a beginning... which will make more sense if you read it to the end. There ends up being a lot going on that both is and isn't properly explained. That's not a bad thing, but... does feel sort of rushed.

Promises to Keep combines all the elements from the stories that came before and the characters. It gives Token of Darkness an actual reason for being (which I had forgotten on my last reread) as, it turns out, Promises to Keep deals rather heavily in the Elementals that were more properly introduced in Token of Darkness. I was highly interested in the inner-workings of the Nyeusigrube magic system and Promises to Keep managed to explain it better than any of the other books. The power scaling from Token of Darkness's Samantha to what Jay deals with in Promises to Keep is all the more impressive considering Samantha was just a weak Elemental and nearly killed a girl.

I also quite enjoyed Jay as a character. He was a bright spot in All Just Glass and is definitely more fleshed out here. He's a relatively light, fun character, as Nyeusigrube characters go. Just what this story needed. His relationship with Brina was very interesting. I like them as a pair.

I do confess that I had a fondness for Xeke and Rikai from well before I read them in these pages. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' website in the early 2000's had some message boards in which she would essentially roleplay her characters with users. It was good fun and endeared me to Xeke and Rikai. It was definitely fun to finally see them in the pages of Nyeusigrube proper.

I am largely satisfied with the ending... or multiple endings. We get to check in on a few of the more prominent Nyeusigrube denizens, see how they're doing post-Elemental shenanigans. I won't spoil any of that. It really did feel like a good send off (or just a stopping point) for the world and its characters.

2014 Review

Favorite Lines

"Do not disturb except in case of unexplained life-threatening injuries. It would suck if the healers let him die because her left a badly worded note." - Jay Marinitch Narration

"You live comfortably in one of the wealthiest nations in the world," Brina said, voice clipped. "You live on the bones of your own ancestors, who were eradicated by the expanding white populations. The food you eat, the clothes you wear, the toys you buy are often made across the oceans by nameless, faceless workers living in conditions you would find intolerable." - Brina di'Birgetta

"Cat pee never lies." - Xeke

Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Token of Darkness is really just a whatever story. Although listed as a Den of Shadows book, it's pretty well divorced from the rest of the series. There are zero links back to any characters or settings. The only thing it has in common with the rest of the Den of Shadows is the world it inhabits. It doesn't even really feel like a Den of Shadows book, if that makes sense. Like... the feeling I get picking up any of the other books just isn't there with this one.

It was kind of fun getting to see how human sorcerers (those not born with innate magic) dealt with magic and the supernatural in this world. Kind of. It wasn't at all fleshed out. Elementals are apparently a thing. They can be summoned and maybe controlled but... eh. Human telepaths are also a thing... which I think we kind of knew but... again, eh.

Token of Darkness I guess satisfactorily ends, but really feels more like a petering out, which I never enjoy. I'm really not sure what, if anything, is going to end up happening with Cooper and Samantha. It's all up in the air and just... more eh.

Persistence of Memory by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Slight spoilers included. Nothing too specific.

I am forever conflicted when mental illness is conflated or caused by supernatural elements of a story. I don't really have a problem with the supernatural making whatever the mental illness is worse or better, but being the root cause... that's sticky for me. That said, how this is dealt with in Persistence of Memory at least feels like a good representation of that... mostly. Having never experienced something like DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), I don't feel qualified to discuss that aspect of the story, so I will try to stay away from it, despite it being a rather big part of the story.

I actually quite liked most of the characters here. Erin felt like a mostly blank slate, even though she is arguably the main character. Sassy and Adjila were quite good as the love-interest-types. Shevaun... well... Shevaun mainly comes together in the last third of the book. I mostly the the feel of her as a mothering character with a wild streak. Given how short Persistence of Memory is, I feel like the characterization was mostly well done.

I definitely feel like the plot elements all crashed into place at the end, rather than revealing themselves more slowly. I don't think Single Earth/Marissa's inclusion would have ever been revealed without Alexander just handing over the info... and Pandora... I really, really want some kind of Pandora character study. We're told how she operates, but aren't really shown much of that. She's basically shamed into helping at the end, but otherwise doesn't really contribute much.

I'm overall conflicted about how to feel about the whole thing. I did enjoy the story, right up until the very end, though that wasn't dissatisfying either. Add in the mental health stuff... I do understand that Nyeusigrube is a world in which the supernatural is hidden and can come out in sudden ways. The epilogue definitely didn't help with this feeling. Even Erin's acceptance of the events leading to her "current" life feels kind of rushed. It's fine. It's honestly par for the course of this era of Nyeusigrube. At least I actually cared about the characters this time around.

Poison Tree by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Poison Tree. I read it once before but have zero memory of doing so. I mean, I remembered some after I started reading, but otherwise... much meh. I think it's the amount of characters all set up enough to be interesting, but none really given time to really develop that's my issue.

The pace is quite quick and the story ultimately enjoyable. It also fleshes out some of the issues at play at SingleEarth, especially when they don't dig into the past of their employees as well as they should.

I really, really would have liked a more insular story around Sarik, since that's essentially where the main conflict ends up. But again, she's fleshed out enough to be interesting, but not enough for me to really connect with her on the level I think would have made her shine.

All Just Glass by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes - Reread

This is a short, mostly spoiler-free reread review. You can, and honestly probably should, read my last reread review of All Just Glass as it will inform on this one. You can find that HERE.

This time around, I really don't feel as annoyed at the sudden influx of characters. There are still a lot of them in play at any one moment, but it doesn't feel as overwhelming. I also feel like I paid more attention this time, despite reading it in about 24 hrs. Dominique's past was a bit more fleshed out than I thought originally, but it's still only completely revealed in the Epilogue, so it does feel somewhat tacked on.

I liked the whole bit where Nikolas took Sarah hunting for the first time. It was really well done and well explained. Other than this, I feel like Sarah's part of the story took more of a backseat to her "siblings," which I think annoyed me on the last reads. After all, Shattered Mirror was so focused on Sarah. It felt like All Just Glass should have, as well, but I see how that would have not worked as well.

I actually like Zachary a bit more, this time. His motivations make more sense to me, though they really do hammer home how much therapy these Hunters need. Zachary's story was another big nail in the coffin of the "Vida Perfection" thing all the Vidas cling to and ultimately don't hold to.

Favorite Lines

"And you've never said anything in a moment of anger that you couldn't follow through with?" - Kristopher Ravena

"The one thing I know for certain is that after you are gone, you lost any power to decide what other people do. Will they kill for you? Will they die for you? Will they fight to avenge you? That is never your choice." - Nikolas Ravena

Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

The first thing I wrote in my notes regarding Shattered Mirror was "My Twilight before Twilight." Completing my reread, I can't really say I'm wrong. The story beats are similar: girl meets vampire, they fall for each other, it's essentially doomed... but really, the similarities end there. Sarah and Christopher are both more fleshed out than Bella and Edward and the world around them is more complicated. I will also point out that Shattered Mirror was published 4 years before Twilight.

Sarah is a vampire hunter and a witch on top of that. Her family is dysfunctional as a family... Dominique is downright abusive in her quest to turn her daughters into perfect vampire hunting machines... though this is never actually "shown" "on screen." Just the story of what happened after Sarah found her father's body proves that. Sarah herself discovers that the world isn't as black and white as she thought it was.

I would explain more about Christopher's "fleshing out" but most of that would be a big spoiler, so, really best avoided in this review. He does spend most of the book leaving cringy poems for Sarah in her locker, though.

I honestly feel like Shattered Mirror moves a little too quickly. There isn't really any room to breathe. Sarah isn't really given time to sit with her changing feelings toward vampires... or at least toward Nissa and Christopher. Most of the relevant plot-info is info-dumped by the main vampires toward the end. Otherwise, it's just Sarah trying to navigate high school while not becoming too close (and failing) to Nissa and Christopher.

I think I appreciated the melodrama a lot more when I was a teenager. At my current 35-years, it's an engaging enough story with some rather terrifying implications hiding behind that YA label. 

Other Random Notes

• I was amused by the Volvo mention almost right after I noted the Twilight thing.
• I find it interesting that Sarah asserts she's know Nikolas on sight and yet runs into his twin and has nary a twinge... telling me there was a rewrite somewhere or Sarah was straight-up lying to herself.
• Another set of Southern Vampires. I highly recommend Princess Weekes' video on Confederate Vampires for understanding why I feel it needed to be noted.

Midnight Predator by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

I am fairly certain Midnight Predator was the first of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' books I ever read. If not, it's definitely the one that pulled me hook, line, and sinker into Atwater-Rhodes' Nyeusigrube universe. However, rereading it now... all the cringe.

So first, the slavery aspect. I know for a fact that I originally read this as more BDSM-coded than not. I think it is BDSM-coded, but it is definitely more than that. Make no mistake, humans are being bought and sold by vampires in this world. I'm not sure if, timeline-wise, it's gone back to a chattel-style thing, but Jaguar confirms it used to be that way. And the BDSM-coding? It's definitely a twisted version of what BDSM actually is. I think the last time I read a character using BDSM to twist his victims like Jaguar admits to doing in the past (and Jeshikah straight-up threatens to do to Turquoise), the character was a villain. That Jaguar ends up being something of a love-interest... cringe. Definite cringe.

I'm pretty sure Midnight Predator was where I fell in love with the idea of vampire hunters with organizations behind them. This doesn't exactly glamorize the idea, but it definitely planted it in my teenage head.

Turquoise definitely isn't the best representation of healthy coping. It makes sense, in this world, that the trauma she endured and escaped from would result in her chosen profession. But man, girl needs some therapy. She's not the deepest of main characters, either. Went from apparently perfect, upper-middle-class? life to slave to vampire hunter... but she has yet to have any motivations other than that. Even by the end.

So, yeah... Midnight Predator... so far in my Nyeusigrube reread, the cringey-est reread. 

Favorite Line

"A feeding vampire is as natural and simple as a wolf or lion. It's only when the human mind is in control that any creature has the desire to give pain." - Jaguar

Demon in My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

This is a reread review. I will attempt to keep it mostly spoiler-free, but there will be at least a couple minor spoilers... can't exactly discuss the vampires and witches without them. You've been warned.

So, Demon in My View has been one of my favorite books since I first read it in high-school. Almost 20 years later, the beginning chapters are a bit of a slog to get through, but the rest of the story flows well, I think. I'm still rather fond of it.

I was struck on this reread by just how straight-up bitchy Jessica is. I have a feeling I brushed all that off as a kid because, hey, I was at an age where bitchiness was a fact of life. Gotta be bitchy to everyone, at least internally, cuz life is a bitch. Now, it's honestly super cringy... as is the Mary-Sue-ness and self-insertion-ness of Jessica. She's super pretty (a big Mary-Sue quality), an already published author who's book is Atwater-Rhodes' first book with a different title, and is able to just breeze into vampire society like it's nothing. Again, I honestly had a hard time, this reread, getting through those first couple chapters, and this is largely why. Hindsight/Adult Sight is great.

But anyway, I still mostly enjoyed the story. I do feel like the magic system here isn't well-defined. What is defined is largely through Aubrey's abilities, but it's still rather up in the air as to which ones apply to all vampires and which are just because Aubrey is "strong." That "strength" thing is talked about a little, but also very ill-defined. Witch magic is barely touched upon and thereby much less defined. I feel like the whole magic system works on vibes and I don't think that's a bad thing. It works here.

I found the story-within-a-story thing revealing Jazlyn effective. I literally won't say anything more about that, as it would be a major spoiler.

Demon in My View also had me thinking about The Twilight Saga parallels, because I know I originally read Twilight around the same time and we could probably talk about Teen Vampire Romance these days without mentioning Twilight but... it was on my mind, so I won't. Aubrey is definitely not Edward Cullen, though they do the same kind of stalking of the main love-interest. I also feel like Jessica has more of a personality than Bella ever did, and Atwater-Rhodes managed to do that in many less pages. Jessica and Bella share the same kind of mind-shielding thingy that makes them that much more enticing to their boys. And finally, I'm pretty sure Aubrey is who I picture in my head every time I read The Twilight Saga instead of Edward... at least physically. I did read Demon in My View first so... yeah.

Twilight out of the way, I did still mostly enjoy Demon in My View and feel like it's a good gateway into both romance and vampire fiction. The romance part, I will admit, is mostly downplayed, which was nice. It also doesn't feel shoe-horned in. I definitely have a soft spot in my heart for Atwater-Rhodes' vampires, so it was kind of a given that wouldn't change.

Favorite Line

"I might die, but which one of us will hurt more tomorrow?" - Jessica Allodola

Reviews Batch 14 - Final Batch

Smoke: A Novel by Dan Vyleta
Originally Posted to GoodReads: December 1, 2017

Dense, mysterious, but really slow in parts. Still not quite sure what's actually going on with Thomas, but i'm also not quite sure it's altogether relevant.

It's interesting to see a story like this unfold from the perspective of relative outsiders. Usually it's those attempting to bring about change that get the spotlight. But Smoke turns those characters into antagonists, which I thought was interesting.

I did find the society built in this world to be really messed up. I would say something else about it, but spoilers... so I won't.

Bloodkin by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Originally Posted to GoodReads: December 17, 2015

A quick but wonderfully paced read, Bloodkin continues to delve into Midnight's past, placing players where they need to be for Midnight's eventual downfall.

I enjoyed the looks behind the scenes of Midnight's slave trade, the Shantel, and how Pet came to be in the hands of Midnight's trainers.

The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff
Originally Posted to GoodReads: December 23, 2020

I honestly have to say, I did not remember as much of this book as I thought I did. Got some of it mixed up with some Kelley Armstrong stuff.

Anyway, I very much love The Enchantment Emporium. I love the characters. I love the world building. I love the yoyos. I’m honestly not sure what else to say. If you liked The Keeper Chronicles, you’ll definitely love this. Not quite on the same vein with all the mythological references, but still super enjoyable. 

 

Sabriel by Garth Nix
Originally Posted to GoodReads: December 28, 2017

Every bit as good as I remember, even if the Sabriel/Touchstone thing is way rushed. I've been looking forward to rereading these books all year and I was not disappointed.

Bloodtraitor by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

An Apparently Spoilery Review

Originally Posted to GoodReads: May 30, 2016

THERE ARE POSSIBLY SPOILERS HERE. I DON'T REALLY CONSIDER THEM SPOILERS, BUT I'VE BEEN KNOWN TO BE WRONG. SO THERE'S YOUR WARNING.

So... I'm not sure exactly how to feel about Bloodtraitor. On the one hand, I liked the flashbacks/visions, I enjoyed the meetings setting up the fall of Midnight, I enjoyed the short references to the future of Nyeusigrube, and I liked the completely random glimpses of life outside of Midnight proper. On the other hand... Malachi was every inch the "second generation slave" he kept talking about, despite very few actions to the contrary. He was a blank slate who pretty much got shoved from one place to another so that the more major players in this little war could talk to each other. I would honestly have had a better time reading this story from someone else's point of view.

I've also come to the conclusion that The Maeve'ra Trilogy seriously suffers from being a prequel to everything but The Keisha'ra Series. The big players in those books put in appearances here but there's no tension because we all know they go on to all but star in other stories. Hell, no one even gets injured aside from the slave characters we don't even meet or care about... and the ever-boring Malachi. I honestly think there should have been a break in the first-person narrative style here to include, instead, a third-person omniscient narrative... or something. First-person just did not do this book, or perhaps even this trilogy, any favors.

I won't likely be rereading The Maeve'ra Trilogy any time soon.

All Just Glass by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

A Reread Review

Originally Posted to GoodReads: May 11, 2017

On first read, I didn't like this one. Didn't like it at all.

On second read, I figured out why:

This book is all over the place, no least of which because the characters are dealing with losing a family member. Also, there are just too many characters to keep adequate track of. Adia, Sarah, Zachary, Jay, Dominique, Christine, Heather, Kaleo, Kristopher, Nikolas, Kendra, etc... Just so many. So many differing viewpoints that the actual story gets rather lost.

The resolution... it's too quick. Too quick and too utterly easy. Everything just seems to collapse around two moments and then it's sort of explained what actually happened in the epilogue. I didn't feel connected to anyone in that room aside from Sarah and Jay and that's because of the previous and future books. There was no emotional resonance with any of the other characters. No real sense of relief. Too easy and too quick.

All that said, seeing the dissolution of the "Vida perfection" was nice. But that's all it was. We didn't really spend enough time with any Vidas besides Sarah and maybe, maybe Zachary but I wasn't at all invested in him so it ended up not mattering so much. Granted, there also aren't any other Vidas besides Dominique and Adia to try to connect to and I just don't to either of them.

It would have been nice to get maybe two books instead of this one or a longer book. Really deal with what was going on with the characters and Dominique's past, which is barely alluded to and barely explained and yet is really the lynch-pin to how the book ends up.

Short Reviews Batch 5

Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
Originally Posted to GoodReads: 4-20-21

Second Read-Through... I think.

Anyway, I had honestly forgotten everything in this book. Like, the last two I had vague remembrances of, but this one... nothing.

That said, I enjoyed it a lot. The pacing was pretty good, the characters were 100% themselves, and I even enjoyed the romance bits I normally roll my eyes at. Speaking of which: it’s so nice to have the “will they, won’t they” bullshit out of the way this early in a series. So refreshing. Kate and Curran are definitely up there on my completely biased and made up list of series power couples.

 

High Wizardry by Diane Duane
Originally Posted to GoodReads: 4-23-18

Not sure quite what to say about this one... I really loved the Mobiles and Dairine's journey and even the reveals at the end. The story zips along for the most part, I think the only halts were mine... but yeah. Good read. Interesting Ordeal. Interesting reveals. The poor Callahan adults though... 

Promises to Keep by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Originally Posted to GoodReads: 4-30-14

Yet another awesome addition to the Nyeusigrube library. Everything changes with this book and the stakes have never been higher. I enjoyed getting to know new characters, the cameos from some older ones, and the general expansion of the Nyeusigrube universe. I'd write more, but my first read was kind of a blur wrapped in some babysitting.

In Other News

I'm taking a short break from reading Collegium Chronicles to read a bunch of InCryptid short stories. Just FYI.

In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Reread Review

Itty-bitty spoiler in the second-to-last paragraph... kinda

This was probably my third foray into Nyeusigrube, as Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has dubbed her supernatural world. I read these books in an odd order originally, but I was in love immediately. These were the vampires I “grew up with” despite also reading Dracula and The Vampire Lestat around the same time. Atwater-Rhodes’ vampires remain my favorite iteration of the creature. Picking up one of her books is like stepping back into my teen angst… the less cringy parts of that, anyway.

In the Forests of the Night is a short, fairly easy read that really sucks you in. It’s the kind of atmospheric read that I love. I’m not sure I really felt the characters, but the atmosphere is definitely there. The world-building is straightforward, even blunt at times. There is no overtly flowery language or symbolism here. I actually quite enjoyed the way it was done here.

I’m realizing on this reread that Risika’s whole thing with Aubrey is an abuse storyline. Aubrey’s tactics are straight out of an abuser’s playbook: create a situation or situations where your target is weak. Keep them in that mindset. Keep them afraid of you. Risika overcomes all that, but only after 300 years. Even their fight at the end has Aubrey trying to intimidate her out of it rather than fighting her for most of it.

That was really my big revelation this time around… and now I find myself at a loss for words. Or at least, more coherent thought.

I enjoyed the way Risika’s turning was written. I am completely flummoxed at Alexander’s ultimate reaction to Risika. But other than that, no other insights.

I still really enjoy Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ writing. I enjoy revisiting Nyuseigrube every once in a while. It’s nice to come home to less complicated vampires.

The Raven Spell and Of the Abyss

The Raven Spell by Luanne G. Smith

A Spoiler Free First Read Review

Originally Posted on GoodReads: March 24, 2022

I thought this was pretty good and very well paced. I’m not sure exactly how to feel about the twists, but they served the story well enough, I think. Also not entirely sure how to feel about the cliff-hanger ending. Apparently we’ll be seeing about that later this year… assuming I remember to be on the lookout for the next book when it comes out.

I liked the magic system, as far as it was explained and shown. Would like to see more in terms of what different kinds of magical creatures there are in addition for Hob, perhaps even other elves like him. I’m kind of envisioning him as the furry council member guy from Arcane. Not sure how accurate that is, but that’s what he looks like in my head. Aside from Hob and the witches, I would definitely like to see more of the world going forward and explore Edwina’s family history that would have resulted in the twisty twist twist.

Anywho, overall, I found Raven Spell to be delightful. 

Of the Abyss by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

A Spoiler Free Semi-Reread Review

Originally Posted on GoodReads: April 4, 2022

I definitely had more fun reading this the second time around (and actually finishing it this time). I’m pretty sure my first read of colored by the fact that I’m an avid fan of Atwater-Rhodes’ earlier novels and apparently had expectations that this one would be similar to those. Boy was I wrong. This is very different from the Nyeusigrube set of books.

That said, I’m not super enthralled with the Mancer trilogy… like, enough not to go on to the next two. Maybe at some point, but not now. The ending was predictable enough that I was just like “eh, that’s what’s gonna happen” and it did, so yeah…

I did like the world-building for the most part. Would have liked some history on the Quin side of things, rather than just everyone else. It’s definitely more of a slow burn in terms of the world building, too. You get to feel things out with the characters rather than have things explained through exposition dumps. Which I liked overall.

That’s all I have to say for now, might think of more later. But yeah… there we go.