The Gatekeeper's Son and The Fallen Gatekeepers By: C.R. Fladmark Reviews!

Thank you to Ryder Author Resources for providing a free copy of The Gatekeeper's Son By: C.R. Fladmark in exchange for an honest review. 

It took me a little bit of time to get into The Gatekeeper's Son. Partly because I have been so busy, but also because it was a little slow till about 100 pages in. However, once it got to that point it really picked up. Then once I hit about halfway it was really fast-paced and I couldn't put it down! The world building was a little slow for me, but it paid off because it was so well done. I couldn't wait to find out more about the world in the second book. 

#ReallyPicksUpHalfwayThrough

I liked the characters a lot, especially Shoko and Okaasan. They definitely aren't weak women and I always appreciate strong females in books. I did like Junya also, but not as much because the first half of the book he did annoy me a tad. That being said as the book went on he had some great character growth and I love that!

#GirlPower!

Overall I really enjoyed The Gatekeeper's Son, especially the last half when there is so much action! I was so glad I had the second book already because I couldn't wait to start it. 

#Yessssssss

I recommend The Gatekeeper's Son for all fans of urban fantasy. I think any fan of the genre would enjoy this one. 

#TryIt!

Thank you to Ryder Author Resources for providing a free copy of The Fallen Gatekeepers By: C.R. Fladmark in exchange for an honest review. 

I decided to do a shorter review for The Fallen Gatekeepers because I don't want to give away any spoilers for book 1. One thing I immensely enjoyed about this one is how it expanded on the world building. I am a sucker for great world building! I also liked how Junya and Shoko's relationship was more intriguing in this one. 

#WorldBuildingIsSoImportant!

Overall I liked The Fallen Gatekeepers just as much as The Gatekeeper's Son and I can't wait for book 3! I did read this one super slowly as well because things have been loco in my life. However, the book is great and the end really left me wanting more!!

#MoooooorePlease

I also recommend The Fallen Gatekeepers to all urban fantasy fans. This is a terrific series so far. 

#DefinitelyTryIt!

The Turn (The Hollows 0.1) By: Kim Harrison Review

Thank you to Gallery Books for providing a free copy of The Turn By: Kim Harrison in exchange for an honest review. 

The Hollows is a series that I have been wanting to try for a while. I own the first book in the series, but I still haven't read it yet. Still I was very intrigued to read this full length prequel novel since it sounded so great!

#SeriesI'veBeenMeaningToTry

Well even though I haven't read the other books I really enjoyed The Turn! I liked the MC Trisk quite a bit and I really felt for her throughout the whole book. Even when sometimes I thought she was making some dumb decisions, I still felt for her. Trisk is just very likeable and she really made the whole book for me. I also love that she is a dark elf because I don't read books about elves often. 

#LovedTrisk

Another thing I really enjoyed is all of the science and genetics in the novel. I think that is a very interesting take on a book about supernaturals. I feel like that is something that I normally wouldn't like, but it is so well done in this book. 

#VeryWellDone

Overall I liked The Turn quite a bit even though I haven't read any of the other books. After reading this one though I definitely need to read the first book in the series as soon as I can. 

#AddingTheFirstBookToMyOutrageousTBR!

I recommend The Turn for anyone interested in a supernatural book with a touch of science, even if you haven't read the rest of the series yet! Also, I think if you have read the other books in the series and enjoyed it then you would probably like this one as well.

#DefinitelyRecommend

Venom & Vanilla By: Shannon Mayer ARC DNF/MINI Review

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ebook copy of Venom & Vanilla By: Shannon Mayer in exchange for an honest review. 

Short Review Summary:

Not for me at all.

Well Venom & Vanilla is not what I was expecting, and not in a good way. I made it maybe about 60-70% through before I had to give up on it. I couldn't take it seriously! Some of the things that happened are too silly to be believable. I don't care for that at all.

#UmNo

Also, I found some parts to be a bit weird and there isn't enough world building to really support the weirdness. There isn't enough depth, venom, or action in the story for me and it didn't help that I did not like the brainless MC Alena. Part of that may have been her overuse of the term "super duper," which annoyed me to no end. Or perhaps it's how thanks to her supernatural change she's so beautiful now and has longer legs...blah blah. I'm really over supernatural changes making female characters go from plain to gorgeous, especially when it's done in a cheesy way. I have to admit that I'm pretty disappointed since I was looking forward to this one so much, but it just didn't do it for me.  

#NotSuperDuper

I can't personally recommend Venom & Vanilla, but if you like your urban fantasy books very vanilla then no harm in trying it!

#FantastyLight

Waiting on Wednesday- Venom & Vanilla By: Shannon Mayer

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature/meme hosted here at Breaking the Spine. The idea behind it is to share upcoming releases that we can't wait to get our hands on!

My pick for this week is Venom & Vanilla By: Shannon Mayer. I was just browsing Goodreads the other day and I came across this one. I don't think I've heard of this author before, but the title and cover caught my eye. Once I read the blurb I knew I would have to read this one. I just love stories where the MC goes from a regular human to something supernatural and has to adjust. This definitely sounds like a winner to me! 

Expected Publication Date: November 1, 2016

 Does Venom & Vanilla sound good to you as well? Do you also like stories where the MC goes from human to something supernatural? Have you read anything by Shannon Mayer before? I sure do love this cover and I can't wait to read it! What are you waiting on this Wednesday? 

Vincent, Survivor By: O.L. Eggert DNF Review

Thank you to the author for providing an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review!

#DNF

Well I had to DNF Vincent, Survivor. I really struggled with the decision to DNF this book. I don't like to DNF books, but we all know it's necessary sometimes. I had a harder time doing that with this one because it started off really strong for me. 

#StartedOffStrong

So why did I DNF? What happened? I lost interest. Plain and simple. I'm not even sure why really. One thing I can think of that I could say about it, is that the writing is a bit bland. I wanted a little bit of flair. Other than that I just don't know.

#NoFlair

I have to say I was really intrigued by the minotaurs. That's pretty unusual in an urban fantasy book and I really liked that. Maybe some of the reason I lost interest despite a good start is because I didn't connect to Vincent. I liked Vincent, but he was a bit dull. Grandma is a really interesting character though! 

#GoGrandmaGo

Overall, Vincent, Survivor is not a bad book. I just didn't connect with it like I was hoping to and I just couldn't finish it. I think there are some unique and interesting things going on here, but I just lost interest unfortunately. This book just isn't for me I guess. 

#NotBadButNoConnection

I can't personally recommend Vincent, Survivor, but I think if you are an urban fantasy fan there is no harm in giving it a try! It's worth a shot. 

#UrbanFantasyFans