Priceless: A Rylee Adamson Novel (Book 1) - Shannon Mayer

Shannon Mayer is such a good writer. I've been a fan for a while now. Priceless has been on my reading list since it came out. And though I have at least a dozen books I planned to read first, I pulled it up on my phone and dove in.

Priceless is a fun new adventure into urban fantasy. The main character, Rylee Adamson, is a woman on a mission. She finds lost children when no one else can. Mayer quickly defines the genre without beating me, the delighted reader, over the head with world building details. Character back story, descriptions, and motivation flow easily making the reading experience pure enjoyment. The pace of the story is superbly managed.

I see a cast of characters that will rock the rest of the books in this series. If you like books by Ilona Andrews, you will enjoy reading this one by Shannon Mayer.

Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1) - Jim Butcher

I found the combination of magic and detective work hard to resist. At the very beginning of the story, Jim Butcher sets a tone that is laced with humor. The main character, Harry Dresden, has kind of a tongue in cheek acceptance of how the non wizarding world views him. The rules of magic are explained as necessary and do not slow down the story. At the same time, I felt the world Butcher created was
consistent and suspending disbelief was natural and easy.

 Harry Dresden's back story becomes more interesting throughout the story, until you realize he is a force to be reckoned with. This was important to me because Dresden is faced with murderous crime lords, a demon summoning sorcerer,
and the White Council, which has him on probation for murdering his instructor. His problems escalate because in order to exonerate himself, he must venture down a dark path that does not exactly make him appear innocent. His  finances and love life are five star disasters, though he is always so close to making a breakthrough.

I listened to Storm Front as an audible book, narrated by James Masters, who did an excellent job.

Storm Front, by Jim Butcher, was an enjoyable read/listen. I will continue with the other books in the series.

Conclusion: 546 other reviews can't be wrong. Storm Front is a good, fun book.

Sundered - Shannon Mayer (The Nevermore Trilogy Book 1)

As the author of Dragon Badge, I am always looking for something original in urban fantasy and paranormal suspense. SUNDERED, by Shannon Mayer is hard to put down. I read 99 percent of it in one sitting. It is a post apocalyptic story and delivers exactly what you would expect. She is a master of moving the tale forward, upping the stakes, and creating characters you want to make it (and you can take make it a couple of different ways).

SUNDERED has a strong romance theme, but an unusual one. Of the few romance novels I have read, the woman and man seem unlikely to get together (though you know the will). Mayer broke this formula perfectly. Since I have only just now bought the second book, I am not sure how everything works out, but I have some theories.

Mayer did a good job breathing life into what is now a very popular theme in fiction, so I would recommend buying this book. But if you are someone who buys a lot of books in this price range, make sure you put this one at the top of your reading list. Especially if you are a new author, because she knows how to get a story started and push it on down the road. Note: I really hate giving 5 star reviews and normally reserve them for books by George R.R. Martin, but this is a totally different kind of  book and how can you not give a high review for something that you read straight through without a break? I am in reviewer’s agony; even now I don’t know how many stars to click.

Not every review can be perfect. I’m a writer, I know. So here it is. In some places, the story moved so fast that opportunities for deepening aspects of the story were missed. I struggled with whether or not to include this criticism, because even as I read these portions, I did not want to slow down, and I bet Mayer did not want to slow down writing. And I am not sure such elaboration was needed or would be desired in the story. You will have to figure it out yourself. I did not notice any grammatical or spelling errors, which normally stand out in indie books, but again, I stopped looking for such things very early in the story. So my only real criticism is the length of the book; take it as you will. I am now rambling, so I will stop. Go forth and read like a rock star (and remember that writers dearly love feedback, so write a review for
everything you read).

Bound - Shannon Mayer (The Nevermore Trilogy Book 2)

The second book of this trilogy by Mayer entertains and takes risks. The protagonist, Mara, faces increasingly dangerous obstacles to remain with Sebastian, whose time is running out. Readers learn more about the Nevermore crisis, but the characters have questions about what is happening on the mainland. The relationship between Mara and Sebastian seems doomed to failure; but they are hanging together. I wonder what Sebastian is thinking? How is he fighting the drug? The answer seems to be a love story between a strong woman and her feral, almost zombie husband.

I enjoyed Bound, by Shannon Mayer, and look forward to more stories from her.

1Q84 - Haruki Murakami

1Q84 is the first book I have experienced by Haruki Murakami. I say experienced, rather than read, because I listened to the audio book version after seeing the title on the Audible.com tournament of books. A little research showed me that Murakami is a well known Japanese author.

The book is very long. I listened to a large portion of the story on a three day motorcycle trip through Colorado. The trip and the book were full of wonder.Though I found myself thinking the book does not need to be this long, I was drawn through the entire story by my interest in the characters, who seemed very life like--probably due to the exhaustive detail of their every movement but also because I understood and cared about their wants and needs.

The book was made longer because a third point of view was added late in the book. This character then investigated and slowly revealed what we (the readers) had already seen the two main characters do. That said, this third POV character
was, or had the potential to be, my favorite protagonist / antagonist.

Murakami spent a lot of time describing nudity and sex that was not strictly necessary to advance the story, but was a lot of fun and full of great visuals. Still it did add to the prodigious length of the novel. Murakami writes with great style and understands how to create tension. That, in my opinion, is great fiction.

I would recommend this novel to people who read fast or are looking to spend a lot of time with it. I googled musical composers, literary authors, and geography many times as I listened, which was rewarding. I did enjoy 1Q84.

Magic Bites- Ilona Andrew (Book 1)

Kate Daniels is a magic wielding mercenary with a mysterious lineage that is hinted at throughout the book. She is extraordinary in many ways and made for a fun heroine of this quick paced urban fantasy. The setting is Atlanta at some point in the future after magic and technology have collided. Certain buildings from the technology era have either been destroyed or eaten away by the persistent magic waves, while others undergo interesting changes. Magic comes and magic goes, causing problems and creating opportunities for the characters (though the majority of the story is about magic). Magic is explained throughout the book, enough for the story to make sense. I liked the way vampires and werewolves were handled in this story as well. There are some sexual references and profanity, so parents should read the book before giving it to young adults. I listened to the audio book version read by Renee Raudman. She did a great job. I plan to read/listen to the next book in the series as soon as I have some more Audible.com credits.

Magic Burns- Ilona Andrews (Book 2)

Magic Burns, the second book in the Kate Daniels series, takes the reader deeper into the world of post magic wave Atlanta. The relationship between Kate and Curran the beast lord intensifies and promises to be a major pet of stories to come. Secondary characters from the first become are more interesting. Derek seemed a bit like an add on character in the first book, but has a solid role in this book. The boy named Red, who Kate gave a business card and promises to help in the first book, shows up as well which initially did not grab me.

Most of the male characters seem  to be hot for Kate, and the main antagonist of this story, Bran, is no  exception. I thought I was going to like Bran by the end and was not  disappointed.

Magic Burns was satisfying because more details about the world Kate lives in are filled in. The characters are fun, the dialogue well written, and the plot engaging. Overall, I thought this was a good second book in a series.

Magic Strikes - Ilona Andrews (Book 3)

At first, I found myself thinking this book is my favorite Kate Daniels book so far, but my enthusiasm tapered to normal by the end--not necessarily a bad thing. I was surprised with the development of Saiman's character. The scene where he reveals himself and enters the fight could have gone horribly wrong, because Saiman could have become too powerful to exist in the story, but the author(s) handle him deftly.

Kate's back story grows larger and more ominous, though Kate may be in danger of "leveling up" if she is going to handle Roland, but so far she has not grown too powerful. My main fear at this point is that Roland will be a huge disappointment when he finally appears, but I plan to keep reading/ listening to this series. I have many favorite characters now and the Ilona Andrews team delivers consistently entertaining stories.

The courtship rituals of the pack are interesting. There were a few more scenes with Kate drooling over Curran than I needed. And Kate is always “remembering to breathe.” By the end of the book, I was not as intrigued by the bad guys as I was at the beginning, but still wanted Kate and her friends to hammer them. Having said that, and even though I was not looking for romance, I enjoyed this story from start to finish.

My favorite scene, though it is not a major scene, is when Kate goes to pick up Julie at boarding school.

Magic Strikes is another good Kate Daniels book.

Magic Bleeds - Ilona Andrews (Book 4)

Magic Bleeds, book four of the Kate Daniels urban fantasy series, takes Kate one step closer to her final confrontation with Roland. At this point in the story there is no way she can return to her regular life as a merc. I cannot say much more, because it would be a spoiler. Let’s just say the stakes continue to rise.

A lot of Magic Bleeds is about Kate and Curran, and is less G-rated. The authors do a decent job of keeping this fresh and interesting, though the situation between them has been a long time coming. I wished there had been more of Derek, Julie, and Andrea and their stories. I have grown attached to them from previous books. Andrea has more show time than Derek and Julie.

The authors have built an interesting setting where technology and magic blend, with emphasis on the magic. The characters are fun. The dialogue is great, especially Kate's internal dialogue. There are a lot of slightly contrived fight scenes that are drawn out more than is generally my taste, but all in all, I recommend this book for fans of urban fantasy. The reader of the audio book has the characters voices exactly as I would imagine them.