19:100 Last Strand by Jennifer Estep

Mason Mitchell is the head of the Circle, the super secret group that has been pulling the strings of Ashland's criminal underground for ages, and also Gin's uncle, the twin brother of her father. He has never let family get in his way, obviously since he had Gin's family murdered although she and her sister Bria managed to get away, has a plan to tear down the Pork Pit while making himself tons of money, and holds some serious grudges against Fletcher and Gin. With Fletcher gone, Gin is the one who must deal with his wrath but not alone as he will target her friends to get under her skin.

Gin has to stop him and keep her friends safe, as always.

I've enjoyed the series and find the world interesting with it's use of elemental magic. Never count Gin out but this feels like a good spot for things to end. We've gotten Gin's backstory, she has killed the ghosts from her past, and it's a good time for her to hopefully be able to rest. While Ms. Estep hasn't said that the series is officially over, the last few books were self-published and she has been moving forward with other series while saying that Gin's story is told "for now" but she is wanting to do the occasional short story highlighting some of the other characters which I will be looking forward to. 

Page count: 368p/5,59p ytd/352,649p lifetime

72:100 Winter's Web by Jennifer Estep

A novella between Venom in the Veins and Sharpest Sting.  Owen has won tickets to go to the local winter Ren Faire and Gin, Bria, Finn, and Sophia are all coming along and have been talked into volunteering for part of the time.  Gin notices a lot of giant guards around and that raises her suspicions, especially when a trio always seems to be camping out near her.  However, after she draws them away and deals with them in her usual way, she finds that they were just trying to get her out of the way so their friends could snatch Owen.  Gin is not about to let anything happen to him and she has the skills to make sure Owen will walk away and the others won't.

I read it out of order but it didn't really matter.  A fun Ren Faire story set in that world but no actual character development or critical insights for the main plot of the books.



Page count: 86p/18,901p ytd/327,596p lifetime

71:100 Sharpest Sting by Jennifer Estep

The 18th book in the Elemental Assassin series.  Gin has a name for the leader of The Circle, Mason, and even more than that, she knows that it's her uncle although she knows nothing else, not even his last name.  Now she has to find a way to stop him and keep her friends safe but she also needs to get her bridesmaid dress for the wedding of Stuart & Malloy.  An assassin's job is never as simple as it seems but during the fitting, her sister Bria is kidnapped and Gin and Lorelei are as well when they intervene to try and save Bria.  Gin has so many enemies even she can't figure out which one it is until they end up sitting across from Uncle Mason.  He wants something that Fletcher stole from him and he wants Gin to find and return it or else.  She's got a few short days to find something she has never seen and has no idea where it might be or her friends will start dying in horribly painful ways. She's the spider and has always found ways to win before but this one may break her heart in ways she never imagined.

Less of the constant, repetitive internal monologue (although we get a bit at the beginning in case anyone is picking up book 18 and reading before any others I guess) but this has now been replaced with constant adoration of Owen and their sex scenes which are basically the same in every single book. I'm not a prude and I don't have a problem with sex scenes but these are not particularly well written and are almost identical to the ones in previous books so they are just boring, especially the line in every single one about how she takes the pill but they still use a condom.  Every. Single. Time.  Get back to the killing scenes.  Those descriptions are better.  Heck, I enjoy the pages of what she is cooking as they make my mouth water and I would love Fletcher's super secret bbq sauce recipe as well as some of the others that are mentioned but please, stop trying to shove the sex scenes in.  They can just have a look, a kiss, and close the door and that is just fine.


Page count: 351p/18,815p ytd/327,510p lifetime

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 4th Quarter 2019

My usual disclaimer:

Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

Well, adding school to my already hectic life has definitely been challenging.  I'm still trying to figure out how to balance work, homeschooling, college, housework, all the kid activities (bowling, archery, soccer, and gymnastics currently), family life, social life, and down time for things like reading.  Not gonna lie, it's been hard but there are always books to look forward to that I will some day find the time to read.

Starting this list off with what looks to be an amazing anthology of women writers spinning tales of witches and witchcraft, both the good and the evil with Hex Life.  It caught my attention since it has Kelley Armstrong and Rachel Caine whom I enjoy and of course, opens me up to several new writers as well.  Can't wait!

Release date - October 1

Next up is Sharpest Sting by Jennifer Estep, the 18th book in the Elemental Assassin series.  Gin is still trying to figure out what the heck is up with the Circle and dear old Uncle Mason but as she digs deeper, she will uncover secrets that may have been better left off buried.

Release date - October 8

October is just filled with fun stuff coming out as Kelley Armstrong releases Wolf's Bane which is the first of a YA duology featuring Kate and Logan Danvers.  The twins are now 16 and have been sent off to a supernatural teen leadership conference but of course, something is terribly amiss and the twins are going to get to the bottom of it.  I'm excited to return to this universe.

Release date - October 15

I'm so far behind on the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter but I'm still looking forward to Shattered Bonds because it lets me know that Jane is still going strong and waiting for me to find time to read her adventures.  The synposis doesn't look good with her going off to the mountains to grieve the loss of friends (please not Molly!) and sick from a disease brought about by her magic though.

Release date - October 29

And the month wraps up with the biggest present ever from Seanan McGuire with Laughter at the Academy.  A collection of tons of her short pieces from all different genres spanning more than a decade. I love her patreon stuff (even if some of it scares the crap out of me) and I'm super excited to read what she has put together.

Release date - October 31

This list ends with the release of Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer.  This book looks incredibly bizarre with a messianic fox, a huge fish, band of rebels, a homeless woman, and many more unlikely characters trying to save Earth but I'm very intrigued.

Release date - December 3

96:100 Haints and Hobwebs by Jennifer Estep

Gin is talking to Fletcher at his grave.  He's gone but she still needs him from time to time and even if he can't answer, at least she can talk.  This time though, she is not alone as she spies a Haint and one who seems to want something from her.  Since Gin has been speaking to Fletcher, she can only assume the Haint wants revenge on someone and Gin has always been good at that.

This story was just short on everything.  Characters fell a bit flat, the plot was even simpler than usual, but there was still plenty of inner monologue going on.

Page count: 30p/17,942p ytd/309,958p lifetime

46:100 Venom in the Veins by Jennifer Estep

Someone seems to be targeting Stuart Mosely, president of the First Trust Bank, for a world of hurt and since no one messes with Gin's friends, she is trying to figure out what it's about.  While Stuart has been around for a long time, he generally doesn't have much in the way of enemies so of course Gin suspects that it has something to do with the Circle and her own past. 

Of course she's right and it's the daughter of someone she killed previously who doesn't feel like Stuart treated her well enough after her mother's death.  Basic petty reason, no real plot movement in the whole Circle thing other than a name.  While I like the world, I'm starting to get really bored with just how predictable and boring the plots have become. 



Page count: 342p/8,241p ytd/300,258p lifetime

76:120 Snared by Jennifer Estep

The 16th book in the Elemental Assassin series.  Gin has finally found a member of the Circle from whom she might be able to get some information on the elusive group and it's leader but it hasn't been easy.  It's been preying on her mind but when Jade comes to her for a favor, she also can't say no.  She owes Jade and a missing girl in this town will probably not end well as they both know but Gin also knows how to deal out her own brand of justice. Following the trail of Jade's sister though, proves to be more elusive than The Spider anticipated and much more deadly as it appears she may be the latest victim of a new serial killer, one who now seems to have his sights set on Gin.

The constant inner monologue has gotten better but it's now been replaced with memory flashbacks that tie directly into whatever it is Gin needs to make the leap to solve the latest crisis which I feel is a lazy way of dealing with things rather than setting things up enough in advance that you know it was all well thought out and planned.  I still enjoy the world even if its fairly shallow because the characters are entertaining and I like their interactions with each other and there are books where there is less reliance on tired tropes. This just wasn't one of them.

Page count: 371p/15,596p ytd/286,728p lifetime

21:120 Unraveled by Jennifer Estep

15th book in the Elemental Assassin series.  Finn still has questions about what happened with his mother so when he suddenly finds himself inheriting her Wild West theme park and hotel, he's suspicious but it seems like too good an opportunity to pass up to possibly get some answers about her.  Gin is extremely suspicious but since she has hit nothing but dead ends in her search for information on The Circle, she agrees to go along.  Of course that means that Bria and Owen come along as well.  It doesn't take long before the real game has been sussed out by Gin and her friends and the deadly stakes are known.  Now Bria, Finn, and Owen have been drugged and kidnapped and Gin has just barely escaped with the help of an unexpected ally. She will need friends and allies if she wants to save them and live to fight another day.

A fun, quick read.  The basic plot was pretty standard for the series and not much headway was made on the overarching Circle plot but there was a bit of expose of Gin's mother's past and much less of her usual repetitive drivel so that made for an overall better reading experience.

Page count: 373p/4,385p ytd/278,860p lifetime

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 2nd Quarter 2017

My usual disclaimer:
Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

So I'm still massively behind in reading the new books that I keep buying.  Life has gotten so much busier although I'm not altogether sure how but I think it's been spending a lot more time with friends and now with our new dog there is a LOT of time spent outside walking her which is definitely not helping me get more reading done.  That doesn't mean that I'm not going to find time to start getting to some of these books that I post about. Thankfully there isn't a ton coming out this quarter so maybe I can start making a dent in the backlog.

Legend Has It by Elliot James is first up.  The fifth book in the Pax Arcana series.  I'm a book behind right now but this one definitely looks cool with the villain reading a magic book that is changing the world around him to match his fantasies.  Hmmm...

Release date: April 18


Next up is Snared by Jennifer Estep, book 16 in the Elemental Assassin series.  I've just started reading book 15 and it looks like the new long term plot line with the Circle will be continuing for a bit.

Release Date: April 25


Cold Reign by Faith Hunter kicks off the next month.  Again, I'm a book behind in the series *sigh* but this next one looks to be seriously a** kickin'.  Leo is under threat (again) but this time from revenants that should never have risen which means there is much more magical mojo going on than Jane has ever dealt with before.

Release date: May 2


The second book in the Hidden Legacy series, White Hot by Ilona Andrews, ended up being delayed a while so it's nice to see that not only is it coming out this year but the third will be coming out a few months after.  This is definitely a paranormal romance series but the world is intriguing and they are definitely working to have a reason for the characters to have a relationship which is something I definitely appreciate.

Release date: May 30


Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire wraps up this quarter's new releases.  A follow-up to Every Heart a Doorway, this is the backstory of the twin girls, Jack and Jill, who found that love isn't always enough and choices can be tricky things.

Release date: June 13

109:120 Nice Guys Bite by Jennifer Estep

A novella set in the Elemental Assassin universe.  Silvio takes his job as Gin's assistant much more seriously than his boss does but even he is finally starting to see the light in trying to start up a new relationship so on the day of Gin's holiday party, he decides to take the plunge and go out for coffee with the handsome man that has been hanging around the Pork Pit.  However, while they are out he realizes that there are giants lurking around almost every corner and since he works for the Underworld's boss, he can only assume they are after him.  Now to find a way out of the trouble without ruining his date...

Nice to see a bit more about Silvio and I'm enjoying the side stories with the male members of the group.


Page count: 100p/26,318p ytd/275,475p lifetime

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 1st Quarter 2017

My usual disclaimer:
Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

So I'm trying desperately to find time to read and finish up at least one of my reading goals for the year.  I'm really not sure what has happened to all my time this year but apparently it wasn't spent reading and even though this past quarter had less new books in it, and this year seemed down a bit from previous years, I'm pretty sure I've managed to add more books to my to-read pile than I've read.  The first quarter of 2017 looks to be pretty typical in terms of quantity and pretty awesome in terms of content.

The kicks off with a new standalone novella, Dusk or Dawn or Dark or Day by Seanan McGuire.  Jenna is dead and as a ghost, she must make amends for the time debt so she does this by volunteering at a suicide prevention hotline but now there is something that coming for the ghosts of New York City and now Jenna must make a stand.

Release date: Jan 10

The Turn by Kim Harrison takes us into the past of the Hollows series with Rachel Morgan, the kick-ass witch, and shows us how that world came to be.  This promises to be fabulous!

Release date: Feb 7

After two months of single releases, March packs three into one day.  Magic for Nothing by Seanan McGuire is the 6th book in the Incryptid series and the first time for Antimony to be the lead.  Now that Verity has declared war on the Covenant of St. George the Price family needs to know what they are up against and since Annie doesn't carry the family resemblance she is being packed off to London as their spy.  Good luck kiddo!

Release date: March 7


We also get the new Mercy Thompson book, Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs.  Mercy has been kidnapped (again?!) by the most powerful vampire to serve as a message to Adam and the werewolves.  Being able to change into a coyote lets her escape but now she is trapped in Prague and unable to contact Adam or her friends so she must find her own way home.

Release date: March 7

Lastly is the first book in the new Lily Bound series by Yasmine Galenorn, Souljacker.  A succubus who runs an elite sex salon, a souljacker who wants his artwork (re: tattoos) back of which she has one, and a chaos-demon PI all come together in this new work.  Looks like it could be interesting.

Release date: March 7

70:120 Unwanted by Jennifer Estep

Novella set in the Elemental Assassin world from Finn's POV right after Bitter Bite.

Finn screwed up royally and a lot of people, good people, are dead now because of it.  He wanted to badly to believe that his mother was a good and wonderful person that he was blinded to what she really was and refused to listen to Gin or his other friends as they tried to warn him. Now he is having to live with the guilt and the desire to make amends to people who want nothing to do with him.  One of them is the widow of one of the guards his mother killed.  His boss is making him attend all the funerals and in the course of things, Finn finds out that that the widow's BIL owes money to a very bad man who will not hesitate to take it out on her and her son.  Now that at least is a problem that Finn is capable of dealing with.

It was nice to get a story from Finn as he deals with the aftermath of the last book.  Going straight back to another Gin story without dealing with Finn's emotional state would have been a disservice to that character.  I will even go so far as to give a slight pass on the constant repetitive inner dialog but only a slight one.  I felt like it was more in keeping with what he was going through but even with that, I would have to say that probably 20% of the novella is him rehashing the same thing over and over again and the wording on it is barely changed.  I would probably not have been bothered by it at all if it weren't for the fact that this is a consistent problem with Ms. Estep's writing and generally to the detriment of the story's pacing.  I gave up one of her series because of it and refuse to try any of her others at this point because of it and only stick with this series because the world is quite intriguing.


Page count: 100p/19,135p ytd/268,285p lifetime

19:120 Bitter Bite by Jennifer Estep

Book 14 in the Elemental Assassin series.  Gin knows the other shoe is getting ready to drop after finding Fletcher's file on Finn's mother, Deirdre.  She just never expected just how far ahead of her Mama Dee, and how fitting her broken ice heart ruin, would be. Gin has just decided to be upfront with Finn about everything she has found out before Deirdre can come to town only to find out that the new client Finn has been shmoozing, unbeknownst to him, is his long lost mother. Before Gin can tell him, Dee spills the beans herself and starts truly snaring Finn in her web.  Gin wonders if she might be for real but her gut says absolutely not.  The only problem is how to get Finn to listen to her when he finally has his mother.

I felt this was one of the more powerful plots in a while for this series.  Much less of the constant repetitive inner monologing which was nice and much more info gathering and world expanding which looks to be opening up a whole new huge plot for Gin and her friends to deal with. I'm really looking forward to this series again!


Page count: 374p/5,471p ytd/255,518p lifetime

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 1st Quarter 2016

My usual disclaimer:
Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

Still running behind in a few series but less than earlier this year.  Two in high school English this year is definitely cramping my reading time.  Next semester gets even more fun by adding in American Government.  *breathe*  I can do this!  Honestly, I'm looking forward to the three weeks of Winter Break as a time to finish Don Quixote for English 12 and then do some reading of my own.  The extra time between new releases I want for myself has helped but this next quarter ramps things back up again.  Time to get reading!

I get a few weeks into the new year before releases start coming out but then it's fast and furious starting with Otherworld Secrets by Kelley Armstong.  I'm a total sucker for her Otherworld works and can't wait for this one. We get new stories about Cassandra, Savannah, and Adam plus a new novella (please be about Clay and Elena!).  This is the second of three books of short stories and novellas that will come out for the Otherworld fans.

Release Date: Jan 26

Just a few days later, Driven by Kelley Armstrong is due out from Subterranean Press.  Davis Cain is part of a pack of mutts that are being hunted down and killed but when he comes to the Pack for help, Elena can't turn him away.  Besides, she has Malcolm Danvers in the Pack now so she might as well make some use of him.  Really hoping that decision doesn't come back to bite her in the butt.

Release Date: Jan 31

February kicks off with three releases on the same day in series that I'm very excited about.  First is Blood in Her Veins by Faith Hunter.  Jane Yellowrock is always an amazing read.  This is a collection of 19 stories in Jane's universe, some previously published and some brand-new just for this anthology.

Release Date: Feb 2

Next is Darkness Raging by Yasmine Galenorn. The next book in her Otherworld series, this one told from Menolly's pov.  It sounds like the war with demons is really heating up and we are finally getting back to dealing with that.  On the eve of war, Menolly's wife Nerrisa is captured by the demons who are demanding the spirit seals in exchange for her life.  Menolly will do anything to keep Nerissa safe and I have a feeling a pissed off Menolly is not what the demons are going to want to see coming.

Release Date: Feb 2

It also looks like Grave Visions by Kalayna Price will be coming out at long last.  The last installment in this series was back in 2012 and fans have been chomping on the bit for this one.  Alex is a grave witch and now that she has been outed as part Fae, she must choose a side in Faerie to come in on.  Now she has to try and figure out how to make the best of this situation.

Release Date: Feb 2

A few weeks break and then Bitter Bite by Jennifer Estep comes out.  A long lost relative of Finn's has come into town and Finn turns from Gin's steady right-hand man to a starry-eyed doe.  Gin doesn't trust the interloper (big surprise) but Finn will hear none of it.  All she can do is stand-by and be ready to end this in a deadly fashion if anyone tries to hurt her brother.

Release Date: Feb 23

The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home by Catherynne Valente is the 5th book in the series and I'm ashamed to say I haven't gotten past the first book yet.  The first one was amazing and I'm looking forward to them but just trying to find the time to read them has been difficult.  Hopefully this coming year!

Release Date: Mar 1

The quarter's new releases ends for me with Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs, the new Mercy Thompson book.  Mercy and Adam have been tasked to go deal with a troll but they also find a fire-touched human boy stolen by the fae many years ago. They are determined to protect him but doing so means defying everyone.

Release Date: Mar 8

So some really good reads by many of my favorite authors coming out to start my new year off right in terms of things to read.  Now to find more time to read!

83:120 Spider's Trap by Jennifer Estep

The 13th book in the Elemental Assassin series. Gin is in the worst possible place she could ever imagine, the big boss of Ashland which means not only is everyone still gunning for her but now she has to listen to their problems and come up with solutions as well.  Sitting in meetings listening to them is a bigger torture than anything she has ever experienced before so she was almost happy when she spotted the average man who seemed to have brought a bomb on board the River Queen.  Now she has the mystery of who wants her dead this time and why were they so willing to take out innocent bystanders with a bomb there?

Less repetitive inner monologuing in this one which was nice but I felt that some of the ways she remembered the information seemed a bit contrived when their were easier plot devices that were shown but then abandoned to go with dream sequences instead. Also, the end fight sequence where again it was luck and not her skill or magic that saved her again felt very contrived.  Other than that, I thought it was a good book and changed up the usual cliched plots.  The premise being laid out for the next installment also looks really intriguing and I'm excited to see where it goes.

Page count: 384p/21,606p ytd/236,540p lifetime

39:120 Black Widow by Jennifer Estep

Elemental Assassin Book 12.  Madeline Monroe has finally decided it's time to take Gin out but not in a frontal assault kind of way like her mother tried.  Madeline is more about wrecking havoc and using the 'law' of Ashland to get Gin and her friends out of her way and that was her biggest mistake.  Going after Gin directly is one thing and she can take that but going after her friends, their businesses, and then the Pork Pit?!  Yeah, that is taking things several steps too far and Gin is about to rain all over Madeline's parade.

A good installment in the series. It started out a touch slow but ramped up quickly and didn't stop.  Less repetition of the interior monologue variety this time although it was till present, just not annoyingly so.  Nice use of flashbacks as foreshadowing without hitting you over the head too heavily with the portent.  I'm really hoping that the Monroe saga is over now and we can move in a new direction.  The preview chapter for the next book was hilarious and watching Gin trying to be the big, bad yet diplomatic crime boss may end up being her hardest challenge ever (and hilarious to read).

Page count: 357p/8,162p ytd/223,096p lifetime

82:120 Poison Promise by Jennifer Estep

The eleventh book in the Elemental Assassin series.  Gin keeps waiting for things to settle down but that has yet to happen.  This time however, it's not so much the would-be killers coming after her but that the drug dealers are messing with one of her staff and she happened to be a witness to it and of course, Gin was not going to let that stand.  Now she is going up against the King of Southtown, Beauregard Benson, who is not only a vampire but also an air elemental and dealing the newest drug, Burn.  But more than him, it seems like there is someone behind the scenes pulling the strings and that could be prove to be the most deadly of all.

A good installment of the story.  Lots of action, some actual character growth, a bit of backstory we hadn't heard to death and that actually showed a bit more of how her character came to be, and the best of all the constant internal monogloging was a bare fraction of it's usual which meant the book was mostly plot and not just filler!  It was such a wonderful change of pace and I hope it continues as I do like the world and the characters but that always bugged me.

Page count: 400p/20,924p ytd/201,962p lifetime

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 2nd & 3rd Quarters 2014

My usual disclaimer:
Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

Yeah, this is kind of late for the second quarter so I figured I'd combo it with the 3rd and be early on that one.  2nd quarter is pretty slow in terms of the authors I put up on my calendar so it just sort of slipped my mind until now when I had a few minutes to sit down and update it so here goes:

With nothing on my book release calendar for April, May started off in a lovely way with Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire.  A new book that may be a standalone or may eventually be part of a series, we follow the tale of Rose, a 16-year-old girl killed in 1952 who has been searching for a way to be free of her haunting existence for 60 years.

Release Date: May 6

That it pairs up with Authority by Jeff Vandermeer makes for strange looks at the bookstore since honestly I'm not sure they could be that much different from each other.  Authority is the second in the Southern Reach trilogy and I'm hoping it answers at least some of the questions that Annihilation brought up because that was one incredibly freaky, disturbing, but amazing book but dang it, I want some answers!!!

Release Date: May 6

On a weird Wednesday release, my friend Amy Sprenger's new book came out.  Yes Mommy: The Mayhem and Madness of Not Saying No is her story of going an entire month without saying no to her three children (ages 7, 5, 3) and how everyone survived.

Release Date: May 7

Odin's Ravens is the second in a YA series by Armstrong and Marr.  I haven't read the first one yet but my third son completely loved it and bought this one with his own money so he could have it NOW!  I think that says something.  He is also insisting that I read both of them so that will be on my summer reading list but hey, any book where you combining Thor's hammer, modern day kids, and a whole lot of Valkyries to start the description sounds pretty awesome and with those authors I'm quite happy to accede to my kid's wishes.

Release Date:  May 13

Skin Game by Jim Butcher is one where I'm on the fence about it.  I mean, I know I'll buy it and read it but I still can't get over my disappointment that he brought Harry back completely from the dead.  I get that you can't have Dresden's Files without Harry Dresden but I get a little tired of books where they keep making the baddies bigger and bigger but you always know that the hero is going to win through some deus ex machina.  Butcher had the balls to kill off his main character and bring him back as a ghost for a whole book and Holy Cow that was BRILLIANT!!!  And then he ruined it all by bringing him back fully although in service to the Winter Fae Queen. There's only been one book since that happened so I'm reserving judgement on if this series has just become unreadable for me (as the Drizzt books did after Wulfgar was brought back) or if Mr. Butcher will find a way to keep my interest.

Release Date: May 27

June is quiet again but July opens HUGE with Night's End by Yasmine Galenorn which sees the end of the Indigo Court series.  Cicely and Rhiannon have been crowned and in charge but Myst is by no means willing to roll over and die.  She is gathering her power and her army and there will be more blood spilled before this war is over.

Release Date: July 1

And to pair up with that is How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back by Diana Rowland.  This series is just fun but it looks like sh*t's about to get real as it's zombie v. zombie when Saberton tries to take on the Zombie Maffia and Angel will end up in the middle, we can be sure.

Release Date: July 1

Deborah Harkness's All Souls trilogy will wrap up with the release of The Book of Life.  The last one was a little slow with a lot of time travel stuff going on but apparently this one is back in present day with a lot more action as Matthew and Diana have to find the missing pages of Ashmole 782 in order to protect not only the present but the future as well.

Release Date: July 15

Poison Promise by Jennifer Estep comes out just a week later so I've got something light to read mid-summer.  Gin is always a great character (if she could just stop with the constant repetitive monologueing) and I continue to enjoy the series.  I'm really hoping that things are going to go somewhere with Owen as well because I loved them together.  While the write-up for this one is all about some new drug coming into Ashland I'm also hoping that there is more development in the mysterious villain that has been being hinted at for several books now.

Release Date: July 22

July ends with as big a bang it started with Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews.  The first time in hardback for this series and it looks to be amazing!  Kate's relationship with Roland is out in the open and that battle seems to be coming down the pipes fast, probably not in this book but my guess would be sooner rather than later.

Release Date: July 29

August is another big month and kicks off with Revenant by Kat Richardson.  I admit that I'm a few books behind in this series so again, that is a project for this summer so I can be ready to read this when it comes out because it looks to be intense with secret cults and bone yards and ghost armies.

Release Date: August 5

Cursed Moon by Jaye Wells is the sequel to Dirty Magic which came out earlier this year and was just fantastic.  A gritty world where magic is all around but there is both legal and illegal magic and now with a rare Blue Moon about to occur, magic will be unpredictable and it's up to Kate and her team to help the local law enforcement keep things from exploding....literally.

Release Date: August 12

Robin Hobb has a new trilogy starting up with Fool's Assassin which means I need to step it up and finish reading the Fool's trilogy this summer (hmmmm...there are apparently several series that need my time, darn you Game of Thrones!) as it looks like this series will take place after that one (and I seriously hope has nothing to do with the Dragon series she just finished up or I'm SERIOUSLY behind).  I loved the Farseer trilogy and the first book in the Fool's trilogy as Ms. Hobb has such a rich world and the characters are wonderfully flawed and believable.

Release Date: August 12

Visions by Kelley Armstrong also comes out and is another one where I'm behind in the series but in my defense, I wasn't sure I was going to start this series before my Book Pusher/Dealer at the local bookstore said the first one was wonderful and I would like it.  I'm hoping to have the first one read before this one comes out to see if the series is one I'm going to like.  It looks interesting enough and I've loved her other works that I've read so here's hoping.

Release Date: August 19

September starts with three great new releases and I'm going to have a hard time to figure out which to read first.  My guess is it will be The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire as it's been almost a year since I last got a Toby fix and I'm jonesing.  Not much in the way of details has been hinted at about this one except that Toby is going to have to learn the truth of her own past and considering what has been hinted at about that, oh boy!

Release Date: September 2

Next I'll curl up with Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs.  I just got a Mercy and Adam fix so I can hold off briefly but this short story collection looks to be wonderful and I hope that we get to learn more about other characters as well...so long as I still get some Mercy and Adam (let's not get crazy and cut them out completely).

Release Date: September 2

Then I have to hope I can find the time for Acceptance by Jeff Vandermeer as the Southern Reach trilogy is closed out.  Since I have just barely gotten the 2nd book in the trilogy and haven't had a chance to read it yet (darn end of school stuff getting in the way of my reading time!) I don't even know what to hope for with this one.  The Amazon write-up talks about a new expedition into Area X and the threat to the world being greater than they imagined so it sounds just dreamy.

Release Date: September 2

And as if those weren't enough, it's recently been revealed that the last of Kim Harrison's the Hollow's series will be coming out in September as well instead of torturing us all and making us wait until next year.  The Witch With No Name will finally see Rachel getting her happily ever after but we all know that it can't be simple with Rachel and really, what will that even end up meaning for her?  Settling down to play Suzie Homemaker doesn't seem quite her style.

Release Date: September 9

I get a few weeks off to try and catch-up with all those new releases before the release of Priestess Dreaming by Yasmine Galenorn comes out and I get my dose Camille and her sisters.  The war has been heating up big time and it looks like Aveal is sending Camille on a mission to wake up Merlin with Morgaine as a traveling companion.  Camille's not so sure if that is a good idea and I'm with her on that one since they have not exactly been buddies to this point.

Release Date: September 30

So you can easily see why the 2nd quarter round-up didn't happen since there were only a few books in May but good golly there is a lot of reading to be done in the 3rd quarter (and 4th too since I just looked at how that is shaping up) so I need to get cracking on catching up with some of these series in June when it's quiet and school is out if I'm to have any hope because I know me and I'll want to be reading every book on this list as soon as I get my hands on it!