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Zafia

My slice of heaven



2021 BOOKS

"It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone. " -- Rose Kennedy



“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. ”  -- Plato



“The life of the dead is set in the memory of the living. ”  -- Marcus Tullius Cicero



“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love. ”  -- Washington Irving



“We all wear masks and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing our own skin.”  -- André Berthiaume



“I am an invisible man. No I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allen Poe: Nor am I one of your Hollywood movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids - and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, simply because people refuse to see me.”  -- Ralph Ellison



“Without knowledge, life is no more than the shadow of death.”  -- Molière



“Everyone calls himself a friend, but only a fool relies on it: nothing is commoner than the name, nothing rarer than the thing.”  -- Jean de La Fontaine



“Beware, so long as you live, of judging men by their outward appearance.”  -- Jean de La Fontaine


 

Wild Card (Bite Back #3) by Mark Henwick

Wild Card - Mark Henwick

I really hope the author plans on writing more books for this series, because it really hits all the good buttons for me. I loved the action and the military stuff, along with the weapons and various fighting. Amber is great in this one and Jen absolutely shines through I think. Alex was nice. Kath was horrendous and I don't like her. I kinda missed Diana in this one. 

I found out who the rogue was 2/3 in. It didn't diminish the book for me. 

I hope more of my questions will be answered.

2

Hidden Trump (Bite Back #2) by Mark Henwick

Hidden Trump - Mark Henwick

I loved this book and I couldn't put it down. I'm so tired now, but it's was well worth it.

Amber was great and I like her personality a lot. Jen and Alex are great and I hope they can work the whole kin thing out with Amber. I think it's a very intriguing vampire system and I hope to learn more about both sides. I don't entirely trust Skylur. I think he is withholding way too much for my taste. The plot was really engaging and I can't wait to see what happens next. I hope the colonel is alright. And I'm also interested in Ingram.

3

Sleight of Hand (Bite Back, #1) by Mark Henwick

Sleight of Hand - Mark Henwick

I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing how Amber's PI gig went. I liked a lot of the side characters, but I think among my favorites was Tullah, Alex and Diana. Maybe Skylur as well, but he is a bit elusive.

I'm very interested in what Amber will become and what influence her heritage will be.

I'm not sure I like the army's leash on Amber nor the eager scientists. 

Very nice read overall and I can't wait to read the next.

1

Raw Deal (Bite Back 0.5) by Mark Henwick

Raw Deal - Mark Henwick

I really liked the premise of this book and I enjoyed reading it and getting to know Amber and her situation. Of course now I'm left with a desire to know even more. About her past and primarily what happened in the jungle. And what she really is or ain't.

I liked Knight as a sorta stepping stone partner, but I'm really interested in Morales.

Overall I think this SS was very nice and I'm looking forward to starting book 1.

4

Coveted (Coveted #1) by Shawntelle Madison

Coveted - Shawntelle Madison

I'm not sure I'll finish this trilogy. I'm not a fan of Thorn and I think he will end up being the leading man. I just don't like him. Nick on the other hand I'm much more interested in. 

I liked the quirkiness of Natalya and her flaws. That was what kept me entertained. 

I'm not sure I like the idea of Thorn being promised to another despite such matches seems the rule in that particular universe. 

Collected (Coveted 0.5) by Shawntelle Madison

Collected - Shawntelle Madison

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this SS, but after finishing it I was pleasantly surprised and very much interested in reading more about Natalya and her life. I think the premise was intriguing, but I was skeptical that I would like her brand of quirkiness.

Now I can't wait to start the next book. Very nice read.

Poison Fruit (Agent of Hel #3) by Jacqueline Carey

Poison Fruit: Agent of Hel - Jacqueline Carey

I must say that I didn't expect the ending. Although I can see that it makes sense, but it was just in parts just not what I thought was gonna happen. Maybe a bit rose colored. 

The fight was wicked, but short and I didn't care much for the court room battle that led to the fight, And maybe I'm slightly disappointed about the bargain she struck in the end. 

Overall I'm happy with this trilogy and that I read it. It certainly entertained me and a nice start to the new year. 

1
SPOILER ALERT!

Autumn Bones (Agent of Hel #2) by Jacqueline Carey

Autumn Bones - Jacqueline Carey

What a nice read this was. I really enjoyed reading more about Daisy and her friends.

The plot was interesting and a page turner for me. The ending was very nice with

Stefan and his offer,

(show spoiler)

although I still want something forever.

Looks like Cody is out,

(show spoiler)

which is a pity I think, but on the other hand it would be nice to not have Daisy pining over something that's impossible.

I can't wait to read the conclusion.

1

Dark Currents (Agent of Hel #1) by Jacqueline Carey

Dark Currents: Agent of Hel - Jacqueline Carey

I'm very glad that I chose this book to be my first read of 2015. It was really good and kept me entranced throughout. I like the world that the author has shown and the various supernaturals. I hope to see a lot more of these in the other books. I'm not so much a fan of the vampire queen. I think Daisy sounds intriguing and her friends almost as much.

I'm a fan of Lurine and I hope that there will be much more of her. I can't decide who I like the best of Cody, Stefan or Sinclair. But overall very nice read and I'm off to the next one.

2

Behemoth (Rifters #3) by Peter Watts

Behemoth - Peter Watts

The only reason it took me so long to finish this trilogy was because of Christmas coming up. I quite liked it and it's pretty dark in places and those I loved a lot. Desjardin's sadistic scenes were nicely written and really icky in a sorta fascination way.

I hope Clarke and Lubin can find some happiness and maybe I'll imagine them being together. I think they're both a bit screwed in the head.

I think all in all a pretty interesting trilogy.

Maelstrom (Rifters #2) by Peter Watts

Maelstrom - Peter Watts

This one had some twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I think it's a wildly fascinating world the author has created and I just can't wait to finally read the conclusion.

I feel sorry for Clarke though and I wonder who else might be like her?

I would not shed a tear if Patricia croaks though.

I liked what Alice did to the guilt trip - I think that might be interesting to read reg Lubin and how he reacts.

There were plenty of POVs and though I found myself looking forward to Clarke's I still didn't mind the others.

1
SPOILER ALERT!

Starfish (Rifters #1) by Peter Watts

Starfish  - Peter Watts

I'm not a fan of multi POVs, but I can honestly say that I was so engrossed in the book that I just didn't care - I just wanted to see what happened next. I loved the book - though it was pretty dark and full of less than savoury people. I think that's why it didn't bother me so much with the POVs.

Though I'm sad that Acton had to die. And Lubin killed him. I want to know all Lubin's secrets - one way or the other I hope to get a peek inside him.

(show spoiler)

I didn't care much for Yves, but I suppose he is in his own version of hell by now. 

I'm dying to start the next book, so I can see what happens after the ending. I rather like Clarke.

SPOILER ALERT!

Fortune's Pawn (Paradox #1) by Rachel Bach

Fortune's Pawn - Rachel Bach

I'm not particular happy about the ending.

In fact I'm really pissed off about it -

I loathe amnesia plots so much that I want to not read the series.

(show spoiler)

I've skimmed the reviews for the other books in the trilogy and I think I'm satisfied with that.

What I read in this book was very nice, except that spoiler one. I liked Devi's personality and that it was in her POV. Her suit and guns were awesome and I think it's a pity that there are so few of Devis likes in the sci fi genre.

2 2

On Silver Wings (Hayden War Cycle #1) by Evan C. Currie

On Silver Wings - Evan Currie

I think it was better than I expected in some areas. I loved the fighting and thought they were nicely written. Both the ground and space battles. I'm curious as to the goal of the invading aliens, what they seek and why and not to mention who they are.

I think Sorilla was a great character and I enjoyed her scenes. However I'm not a fan of dual, or in this case multi POVs and there was a lot, so I have subtracted ½ a star from my final rating. I can deal with a few POVs sometimes, but they were literally all over the place and galaxy. It helped that they were relative short. I'm very interested in book 2, some day.

Deserter (Kris Longknife #2) by Mike Shepherd

Deserter - Mike Shepherd

I has been over a year since I started this series by reading book 1 and I thought that I should give the series another shot. There's something about the writing style that makes the book a bit bland and I think at times boring. I liked Kris for the most parts, but I still don't like Tom however now that he might be hooking up with Penny, that leaves Kris to pursue other interests. I hope Jack will be a good candidate or Hank, but only if he is innocent in his father's scheming. Probably Jack will be better for her.

I'll maybe give book 3 a shot, but I'm not sure when.

Damnation (Theirs Not to Reason Why #5) by Jean Johnson

Damnation - Jean Johnson

That was quite the conclusion and I'm so torn right now. A part of me already knew that this was the way it would end, because of who Ia was and I don't mean her heritage, but her strength and her compassion and how she was portrayed throughout this series. And that is what has me so torn, because part of me wished she could have the traditional life. But I suppose that wouldn't have made her Ia at all. 

Reading this series is something I'll never forget.

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