Staying Dead (Retrievers #1) by Laura Anne Gilman

Overall Rating: 3 Stars

Date Finished: November 14, 2016

I have had this book sitting on my to-read shelf for a couple years now. I remember reading Hard Magic and really liking the first book. So, I added the second book to my to-read list and also added this book to see if I liked the other series as well. The problem is, I got distracted with reading other series and never really got around to reading this one.

Now that it's been so long I am practically starting from scratch because I really don't remember much of anything from the first series.  I don't remember any of the world building or characters and it leaves wondering whether I might have enjoyed this book more if I could remember the other series better.

One of the biggest problems that I had with this book is that I feel like we come in somewhere in the middle. The relationship between Wren and Sergei was complicated but I feel like we already missed all of the important parts of it. We don't see the beginning, how and when they meet, we only get a general recap. Now, that does happen in books and that's okay, but we really don't get to see anything else either. By the time we come in Wren has already developed more-than-friends feelings for Sergei. So we didn't really get to see that change in their relationship, at least not really. There is some development between them but it's all very subtle and there was nothing exciting about their romance at all. 

Beyond that, the job itself was okay. The ending is a bit anticlimactic and even though they are able to finish the job, they don't get the big payout and they end up having to work for the secret organization they didn't want to work for, just to have their protection. So overall, it wasn't exactly a great ending for anyone. 

To be fair, it's not that I didn't enjoy this book, I just didn't love it. Everything about it was okay but not much more than that. The action and magic was okay. The romance was okay but not very memorable. And overall I just wanted a bit more from this book.

A Demon Bound (Imp #1) by Debra Dunbar

Overall Rating: 2 Stars

Date Finished: October 29, 2016

I will start by saying that I have never read any other Debra Dunbar books and I knew very little about this series going in. The premise itself was interesting but it just didn't live up to what I was hoping for. Having said that, there may be plenty of other people who loved this series and I could logically see why, but I just didn't work for me.

I've tried to figure out the best way to describe my reaction to this book and it was: Eh. I didn't hate the book, but I didn't particularly like it either

I will say that the main character was definitely snarky and that part of her was enjoyable but it was often too extreme and unbelievable. For example, she spent about 3/4 of this book being naked. Seriously. To cook, to clean, to examine dead bodies, and even to fight angels in the middle of the woods. Now, in some of those cases she did it for the shock value but let's be realistic, who in the world wants to do any kind of physical activity while nude? If she wants to strip all the time she could at least invest in a good sports bra she can keep on. It just felt too extreme and very unrealistic.

The other issue I had was all the focus on sex. Now, there is no sex in the book itself but the main character is constantly thinking about it, talking about it, fantasizing and it gets old real fast. And I get it, she is a demon and they are all about sensation and all of that and blah, blah, blah. But sometimes I felt like the main character was more like a creepy, horny cougar than anything else and that was not an enjoyable image.

And then they have the whole fight with the rogue angel and it all gets swallowed up by Sam's drama with Gregory. And it really was that, it was drama. It wasn't this tooth and nail fight to get away. It wasn't suspense. It was all, I hate you, no I don't hate you, wait yes I do hate you but yet for some reason I'm still strangely attracted to you but shouldn't be. And that also got very old. Especially when she finally gets away and yet still comes crawling back.(talk about some angst!)

So, there were some funny, enjoyable parts but also lots of drama, naked people and sexual fantasies. And in the end the bad outweighed the good for me.

Magic Binds (Kate Daniels #9) by Ilona Andrews

Overall Rating: 3 stars

Date Finished: October 18, 2016

I originally came into the Kate Daniels series very reluctantly and was skeptical that I would enjoy it. And yet, despite the romance section which I tend to avoid, I found myself really drawn in by the characters. There are very few series that I will keep reading this long (or at least keep enjoying). If I don't give up by book 2 or 3, I will sometimes continue but not enjoy the books as much. This series, on the other hand, has always done a good job of maintaining.

Now, after everything that has happened in this book comes the inevitable show down with her father. And while this is just one battle it what will most likely prove to be a long war, if they lose this battle it's game over. 

It all starts when Kate it showed a vision of the two possibilities for the war. In one version Curran dies, and in another, their son dies. And so Kate is desperate to make sure that neither one of those happen. 

For the most part Kate continues to be her same old self but the people she care about begin to doubt her. Mostly her ability to control her powers rather than letting them control her. And so, in order to learn to control her powers she does a crazy thing and resurrects her aunt. Granted, her aunt is only resurrected in spirit form but let's be honest, no one is overly happy to see her again. But she is able to convince her aunt to help and begins training to control her powers.

Now, I will say that there is a lot more planning and talking in this book than actual fighting so it can get a bit slow at times. And my only other complaint is that the ending of the battle seemed to be a little too easy. Now, I will admit that there was lots of planning that went into it and they had allies that her father couldn't have planned for, but her father is so much stronger than her and in the end he could have used his power to just flatten all of them instead of fleeing. Again, I understand the factors that affected that decision and I understand that this was just one battle of a long war but I just expected a little bit more from her father.

Either way in the end they are able to save the city and Kate and Curran finally get married. There are definitely some interesting things coming up for the next book and I must say I am interested to see a pregnant Kate because for some reason I don't see her being the glowing, cheerful type of pregnant woman. And I'm sure Curran's protective side with definitely cause some interesting relationship issues. 

And on a bit of a side note, can I just say that I am really excited about Christopher! He was always kind of a fun, quirky side character but now that he is whole again, I just can't wait to see that all play out!!!

Witchling (Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon #1) by Yasmine Galenorn

Overall Rating: 1 star

Date Finished: October 5, 2016

This book was a disappointment. I picked it up because it was on my Top 25 list of books that take place in Wa and I was curious. The idea could have been good but the execution just wasn't there. 

One of my biggest complaints is that the world building was sporadic and unclear. I mean, just the premise itself, three sisters with three very different powers. They describe weres as a separate race from the sidhe and yet their father is sidhe and her sister is a were. So is it another race or a manifestation of sidhe power, because you can't have it both ways. They also mention witches as being different from sidhe and one character's powers is being a witch. And while the third is now a vampire, the only comment on her beforehand is that her power was climbing walls. So just in that back story alone there's a lot of contradiction. All the characters are pretty stereotypical and uninteresting. 

And all the romance is lame. The main love interests in an arrogant, self-obsessed jerk and she sleeps with him despite the fact that she doesn't even like him. And while she does actually like the other guy, she still maintains an ongoing relationship with both. And both guys spend most of the book talking about how good they are in bed. It was just all so overdone and unrealistic. All the conversations seemed forced and none of it seemed like real people interacting but just shells of a character.

I also hated all the assumptions and random conclusions. They get a vague description from a drunk guy in the alley and yet she knows who he is immediately. Of course, it must be him! Then they go to Tom's and come across a female fey and she all of the sudden knows who it is, this must be Wisteria who was mentioned in one sentence in a diary even though I have no idea what she looks like but I just know it's her. And the whole book goes like that, from random conclusion to random conclusion with no leg work, no real investigation and not much of a fight anywhere. Camille cares more about her designer clothes and having sex and was just not a likable character.

Unfortunately, this was a big miss for me.

Discount Armageddon (InCryptid #1) by Seanan McGuire

Overall Rating: 2 Stars

Date Finished: September 15, 2016

This book has been on my to-read list for quite a while. I originally wasn’t going to read the book after reading the synopsis, but a number of my friends really enjoyed the series and so I decided to at least pick it up and give it a chance.

The one thing that I will say for it, this book had a lot of originality. The concept itself was very original. The Price family work as cryptozoologist or something to that effect, they basically study paranormal creatures and maintain the environment, which often involved protecting the paranormal creatures from hunters, or protecting humans from the creatures. The Price family was very quirky and there plenty of new paranormal creatures introduced, and there was a lot of potential here, but it just didn’t quite all come together for me

Verity was very frustrating in her decisions. Ignoring the fact that she works at a strip club, we expect her to make good, logical decisions, considering that it was all her childhood was spent training for. And yet…

She has been taught her whole life to avoid the Covenant at all costs. She gets caught by Dominic, a covenant hunter, and yet the first thing she does it blurt out her name! The covenant thinks they’re all dead! They’re basically in the clear! And not only did she now endanger herself, but her whole family. Having realized her error, she of course the kills him…right? No, she proceeds to invite him out to coffee and tell her all about her family and the dragon living beneath the city. You know, the dragons believed to be extinct because the covenant wiped them out? Yeah, that’s a good idea, let’s tell the covenant everything but trust Dominic not to tell his superiors because, hey, he’s hot.

And then there were the non-existent transitions in their relationship. After their little chat at coffee Dominic decides to track her down. He wants to make a point and let her know that he knows who her cover story. So he shows up at a dance competition. You expect the creepy face you keep seeing in the crowds as you spin, or some other scare tactic. But no, he knocks out her partner and gets on the floor and dances with her. First off, she is a professional dancer. No matter how good you are, you aren’t going to be able to keep up. Second, you have not only outed her but you have now put her face in the middle of a crowd, a crowd of elite dancers who probably all recognize each other, in a competition that is probably recorded. How did it make any sense for him to get on that dance floor, expect as some excuse for the author to get them to feel the attraction of having their bodies so close together.

And then later they are in an alley and Verity is considering running away while Dominic starts to reach for his weapon. And she thinks to herself, there is more than one way to fight a battle, and then she kisses him. Umm, what? No slow build of attraction (besides their random dance together), no leaning in, no small touch here and there, just a hey, we’re about to fight so let me kiss you instead. It was just so random and awkward and the whole progression of the relationship felt so forced.

The ending was also fairly predictable. Overall, I will say that I liked a lot of the new creatures introduced, I like the concept and the world building, but I just didn’t really like how it was executed. 

The Top 25 books that take place in Washington State

 

This week we took a day trip out to the Hoh rainforest which is located on the Washington coast.  We decided to do a loop around the whole peninsula and imagine my surprise as we’re driving north to find myself in the town of Forks, WA. I knew it was on the peninsula and I knew it was somewhere in that general area, I just didn’t realize how close it was. And while I am not a Twilight fan, you can’t help but at least stop and get a picture (right?). It was interesting to see how such a small, nondescript town could become so widely known on a national level, all because of a book (and I guess you have to count the movies too…). I am a born and raised Washingtonian and I love reading books that take place here so it got me thinking about all the other books that I had read that take place in Washington. And that got me curious as to whether there were other popular books that take place in Washington that I was missing out on. Now, whether you’re from Washington, have visited Washington, or still have it on your list of places to visit, I can say that there a plenty of beautiful places to visit and I’m am obviously not the only one who thinks so because that list of books that take place right here in Washington just kept getting longer and longer the more I looked into it. 

As I continued investigating the list got up there in the hundreds so I had to start cutting down. So I’ve stuck with the top 25 most popular books that take place in Washington. Now, I haven’t read all of these books and for those books that I haven’t read personally, I’ve included average ratings from other sites. I have organized books by popularity (based on total number of reviews for the first book on Goodreads). And for those of you who have read some of these books, leave me a quick note and let me know what you thought. Did I miss any of your favorites that also took place in Washington? Let me know and I’ll add it to the growing list!

1) Twilight Series by Stephenie Myers

   

Location: Forks, WA

My Overall Rating: 2 stars

Goodreads Average Rating for Book #1: 3.56 stars (3,496,184 ratings)

Genres: YA, Fanstasy, Romance, Teen angst (no offense)

As mentioned above, no list is truly complete without including this series. Now, by the time I got around to reading this series it was already hugely popular nationwide and the movies were already being filmed. One of my younger sisters had read the series and highly recommended it so I bit the bullet and read the first book. And, unfortunately, I didn’t like it (I know, I’m so sorry, please don’t hate me). I had a hard time getting through it but my sister insisted that the second book was much better. And so on and so forth until I’d finished the whole series (and really didn’t like any of them)! I know that a lot of people love this series, and there were some very passionate Edward vs Jacob teams. And if you are one of those people, Forks does a huge Twilight festival every September, so check it out sometime!

2)  Fifty Shades of Gray by E.L. James

   

Location: Vancouver and Seattle

Average Goodreads rating for Book #1: 3.68 stars (1.345,983 ratings)

Genre: Romance,

Now, I am not a fan of romance. I can take some very occasional romance mixed in with the plot as long as it doesn’t get too detailed, but just straight up romance is not something that I am the least bit interested in. And beyond that, the premise of this book, the whole domination aspect, is something that really grates on me. But, as you can see by the number of ratings this was a very popular book, and to each their own I guess.

3) The Art of racing in the rain by Garth Stein

Location: Seattle, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.18 stars (316,927 ratings)

Genres: Fiction, Animals

Having never heard of this book before, this one was a big surprise based on how many other books it beat out. This is a story on family, love, loyalty, and hope, all told from the perspective of Enzo the dog. He watches his master Denny very closely as loving Enzo tries to understand the complexity of human life and troubles.  While I have yet to read the book I have heard many good things about it.

4) Where’d you go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Location: Seattle, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.91 stars (220,352 ratings)

Genre: Fiction, Humor, Chick Lit

This is another book that I only heard about after some searching but is one that I fully intend to look into. From what I can tell this is a humorous story about Bernadette Fox, a quirky mother who is just done with life and her loving daughter who has planned a family trip to Antarctica of all places.  And now Bernadette (described as an eccentric genius) has disappeared and Bee is on a mission to find her. Have you read this one? Let me know what you think!

5) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Location: Seattle, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.97 stars (191, 376 ratings)

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, World War II

The story starts at the Panama Hotel in Seattle where belongings of Japanese families interned during World War II have been located, and Henry Lee reminisces on growing up during that time, and his first love, Keiko, a Japanese student who was interned with her family. It addresses both issues of the war and prejudice that Henry’s Chinese family had against Japanese. And in reminiscing Henry hopes to find what he needs to resolves not just the past but his present as well. I have yet to read this book as well, so any insights are much appreciated!

6) Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs

        

Location: Tri-cities, WA

My Overall Rating: 3.5 stars (some books were a 3, some were a 4, hence the 3.5)

Goodreads Average for book #1:  4.18 stars (121,135 ratings)

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Werewolves, Vampires, Native American

The Mercy Thompson series revolves around Mercy (yep, you guessed it) who is a mechanic, a coyote shapeshifter, and is overall awesome. She was raised by werewolves, is friends with local vampires, and works for the grumpiest fey you’ve ever met. I was reluctant coming into this series but I really enjoyed the first book and I have enjoyed each one after it. While not all the books in the series keep you on the edge of your seat, I love all the characters and this is one of those series that I will keep reading until they stop making books.  This series takes place in Eastern Washington, which is very different from our green, wet side of the state. Now there is a bit of rivalry between the Eastern and Western sides of our state. We are separated by mountains, have completely different weather, and us Westerners tend to think there’s nothing worth seeing in Eastern Washington (sorry guys!). But, this book proves there is plenty of exciting things happening in Eastern Washington (at least fictionally). 

7) Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

Location: San Piedro Island

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.77 stars (119,776 ratings)

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery

This is a historical novel that takes place on the fictional island of San Piedro (supposedly just off the coast of Washington) that revolves around a murder case set in 1954. A Japanese American man is accused of killing a respected fisherman from the community and the trial deals with the community, coming to terms with issues of race and justice. This book was adapted into a movie starring Ethan Hawke in 1999.

8) Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Location: Seattle, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.03 (116, 199 ratings)

Genres: Contemporary fiction,

This story follows the unlikely friendship of Kate and Tully. This stories follows their friendship from its beginning in the 8^th grade in 1974 and through the following three decades as they learn and grow and try and discover who they are and what they want in life. Their lives differ but their friendship endures.

9) With me in Seattle Series by Kristen Proby

       

Location: Seattle, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.95 (48,975 ratings)

Genres: Contemporary Romance

This is another romance series that takes place in Seattle that has become fairly popular. I will admit that I had never heard of it until I started researching. As previously mentioned, I don’t read romance but if you are someone who does, then here’s another one based out of good old Seattle.

10) Georgina Kincaid series by Richelle Mead

     

Location: Seattle, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.95 stars (44,567 ratings)

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Demons

So, I have not actually read this series. But here’s the gist. Georgina is a succubus who works for hell. She lives in Seattle and spends her time working at a local bookstore where she gets free books and white mochas and drools over local writer Seth. Now a local vampire has died and it is up to Georgina to figure out who (or what) did it. I can’t give you any helpful advice on this one so you’ll just have to check it out for yourself.

11) Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega #2) by Patricia Briggs

Location: Seattle, WA

My rating: 3 stars

Goodreads Average rating:  4.26 stars (43,983 ratings)

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Werewolves,

This is a spin off novel from the Mercy Thompson series. While most of the series takes place in their hometown in Colorado, this book takes place here in Washington. Anna is a rare Omega werewolf and the new mate of Charles (adopted brother to Mercy). Charles and Anna are sent to Washington to meet with werewolf leaders and, of course, chaos ensues. I liked this spin off series just as much as I liked the original Mercy Thompson series. I really like Anna as a character and I really like her relationship with Charles

12) The Body Finder Series by Kimberly Derting

   

                Location: Buckley, WA

My Rating: 3 Stars

                Average Goodreads Rating: 3.97 stars (42,341 ratings)

                Genres: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy

               

This book takes place in Buckley, WA, a small town that is just a hop, a skip and a jump away from where I currently live. What I liked most about this series it that it was very original. Violet can sense dead bodies. She feels an echo. Sometimes she’s sees colors, hears sounds but each death leaves behind a unique echo.  Finding the bodies is easy, the real question is can she find the killer? There is definitely some teen angst mixed in there but overall this is an interesting series.

13) True Colors by Kristin Hannah

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.88 stars (30,959 ratings)

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit

This story follows the lives of three sisters as they band together after their mother’s death.  The story follows them into adulthood where loyalties are tested, secrets are revealed and their relationship begins to fray at the edges. A shocking crime rocks both the family and their community and the sisters have to learn to come to terms with each other, their family, and find their own path to happiness.

14) Boneshaker (The clockwork Century #1) by Cherie Priest

Location: Seattle, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.50 stars (25,893 ratings)

Genres: Steampunk, Zombies, Alternate history

This steampunk novel provides an alternate version of 1860’s Seattle. While testing a Bone-shaking drill, Seattle is exposed to a blight gas that turns anyone who breaths it into the living dead. The city has been walled off but Ezekiel, the teenage son of the inventor who created the Bone-Shaker, is determined to rewrite his father’s part in history and will have to face zombies, pirates, and criminal overlords along the way.

15) Blossom Street series by Debbie Macomber

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Location: Seattle, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.04 stars (22,849 ratings)

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Crafts

When Lydia Hoffman, a cancer survivor and owner of A Good Yarn, starts a knitting class for her patrons, she forms a special friendship and bond with three extraordinary women--Jacqueline, Carol, and Alix--and together they share laughter, heartbreak, and dreams.

16) Microserfs by Douglas Coupland

Location: Redmond, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.87 stars (20,233 ratings)

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Humor, Technology

This humorous story follows the lives of six code-crunching computer whizzes who work for Microsoft. They call themselves Microserfs, and spend 16 hours a day writing code for their “Lord” Bill Gates. The story is a series of electronic diary entries and follows their lives and they grow, eventually branch out into their own company, and try to find balance in their highly computerized lives! 

17) The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

Location: Spokane, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.08 stars (18,277 ratings)

Genres:  Short stories, Fiction, Humor

This series of short stories revolves around the life of two characters as they grow up on the Spokane Indian Reservation, where author Sherman Alexie grew up himself. The stories are full of stark realism, irony, and quite a bit of humor.

18) The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

Location: Bainbridge Island, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.79 stars (17,513 ratings)

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Mystery

Emily’s life has taken a turn for the worst and so she accepts her aunt’s invitation to spend a month with her on Bainbridge Island in WA. While there she find a red velvet diary, dated in 1943, which has surprising connections to her own life.

19) Chinooks Hockey Team Series by Rachel Gibson

     

Location: Seattle, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.86 stars (17,280 ratings)

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Sports, Chick Lit

This Romance series follows the ups and downs in the love lives of the fictional Chinook Hockey Team. Each book focuses on a different member of the team and their misadventures in finding love and playing hockey.

20) Cedar Cove Series by Debbie Macomber

         

Location: Port Orchard, WA

Average Goodreads Rating for book #1: 4.08 stars (15,662 ratings)

Genres: Romance

This is a romance series that takes places in a fictional town in Washington State that is modeled after Port Orchard. The series became so popular that it was later developed into a hallmark channel TV show starring Andie MacDowell.

21) Blood and Roses series by Callie Hart

     

Location: Seattle, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.09 stars (12,441 ratings)

Genres: Romance, Adult Fiction, Dark,

This is another popular romance series that takes place here in Washington. All the book summaries are fairly vague so unfortunately I can’t give you too much to go on. From what I could find in the first book the main character is desperately looking for her missing sister and is willing to do anything to find her, including turning to bad boy Zeth for help.

22) Urban Shaman (Walker Papers #1) by C.E. Murphy

Location: Seattle, WA

My Rating: 3 Stars

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.72 Stars (11,978 ratings)

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic,

Joanne Walker is a police officer in the City of Seattle and she is also a Shaman. She’s been avoiding her paranormal side, but now she needs to learn to control her powers, and she’s running out of time if she wants to save her city from the Wild Hunt.  This is an odd mix of Celtic and Native American mythology. It is very similar to many other Urban Fantasies out there (including the Mercy Thompson series listed above), but… it was published a couple years before most of the other ones came out, so technically, it was still pretty original when it first came out. J

23) Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon series by Yasmine Galenorn

         

Location: Seattle, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.65 stars (11,141 ratings)

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Witches, Vampires

This series follows the D’Artigo sisters, three half-human, half-faerie sisters who work for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. At the Wayfarer Inn, a portal to the Otherworld, their job is to keep the things that go bump in the night from getting through the portal and into Earth. But their mixed heritage can make things interesting as their powers can often fix out at the worst possible times.

24) Hold me closer, necromancer by Lish McBride

Location: Seattle, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.97 stars (11,076 ratings)

Genres: YA, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Zombies, Humor,

Sam has just found out that he is necromance and he has only a week to figure out how to use his powers as he is roped in by Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak. Luckily, Seattle has as many paranormal types as it does coffee places. The one thing that most raters can agree on it is that this book will have you laughing out loud!

25) Greywalker Series by Kat Richardson

        

Location: Seattle, WA

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.43 stars (10,985 ratings)

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal

This is another series that I have not read but that has just recently found its way onto my to-read list. Harper is a Private Investigator and after a near death experience she finds that she is now a Greywalker, someone who can cross over from our world into the Grey world were vampires, ghost, and all the other monsters live.