110:115 The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

The 2nd book in the Millennium trilogy.  Salander has taken over a year to satisfy some wanderlust and travel abroad after stealing a few billion in the last book.  While she is gone tho, her Advocate has decided that he has had enough of her interference in his life and wants his life back.  Meanwhile, Blomkvist and Millennium are getting ready to print an expose on the extensive sex-trafficking operations in Sweden.  Just before things can get published Salander's Advocate, the journalist writing the piece, and his girlfriend who was doing her thesis on sex-trafficking are all murdered and Salander's fingerprints on found on the murder weapon.  With her history, Blomkvist is one of the few people who believes her innocent but can he prove it and can she survive long enough for him to do so?

Another fast-paced incredible tale.  This is really not a series that I would generally have picked up but I'm so glad I did as it has been an amazing read.  Highly recommended.

Page count: 630p/37,226p ytd

110:114 The Snow Queen by Mercedes Lackey

The fourth book in the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms.  Aleksia is growing tired of her role as Godmother in the frozen territories, aka The Snow Queen.  Then she learns that someone calling herself The Snow Queen is killing off whole villages and abducting young men.  Now instead of doing as a Godmother usually does by helping to steer Tradition for another's tale, she finds herself in the thick of it trying to find the impostor and clear her name.

This one was a bit slower and not my favorite so far.  Not bad but it felt like the snow of the story had chilled the words and it was just harder to finish it.  Or maybe that was just my move that did that...

Page count: 408p/36,596p ytd

110:113 Fortune's Fool by Mercedes Lackey

The third book in the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms.  Sasha is the seventh son of king in a small, peaceful kingdom.  To protect his child, the king learned of the Tradition and molded the Tradition around Sasha to allow him to become The Fool but one that brings luck and protects the kingdom.  Ekaterina is the seventh daughter of the Sea King and has been trained as her father's observer on dry land.  Once they meet the attraction is instantaneous but nothing in the Five Hundred Kingdoms could be that simple, especially with The Tradition always around.

Ekaterina is sent by her father to investigate some disappearances that have come to his attention but her only chance to investigate requires her being kidnapped as well.  Now she must try to find a way to stop the djinn who has her and several other girls.  Sasha knows only that she went off by her father's command and will stop at nothing to find her.  With this be a Traditional path with a happy ending or not?


Another fabulous tale.  I am really enjoying this series and all the twists and turns and how the characters are learning how to work within the Tradition to make happier endings.  Absolute fluff but well-written and completely enjoyable after a long day.

Page count: 395p/36,188p ytd

110:112 One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey

The 2nd in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series.  Andromeda is a plain and simple princess under a selfish and vain queen mother but even she never thought that her mother would go along with feeding her to the dragon that has taken up residence in their kingdom.  When The Champion, George, shows up to slay the dragon and rescue the Princess, Tradition would have been thrilled to pull them together but neither the Champion or the Princess is about to let that happen.  But Tradition likes things to stick to a Traditional path and straying from that will take a lot more than they know.

Really, really enjoying this series.  The different twists on the old, familiar fairy tales makes these absolutely delightful.

Page count: 393p/35,793p ytd