REVIEW: Tart of Darkness by Denise Swanson

*Thank you to Netgalley & Sourcebooks for an ARC in exchange for a review*

Expected publication: April 1, 2018

Publisher's Summary:
Right when Dani thinks she’s hit a dead-end in her career, she unexpectedly inherits an enormous old house in a quaint college town. This gives her the perfect opportunity to pursue her true passion—cooking! So Dani opens Chef-to-Go, preparing delicious, ready-made meals for hungry students attending the nearby university, as well as providing personal chef services and catering events for the local community. To help support her new business, she opens her home to a few students, renting them rooms and becoming almost like a big sister figure in their lives.

But just as Dani is relishing her sweet new life, the friend of one of her boarders is murdered, and Dani becomes one of the primary suspects! She’ll have to scramble to clear her name and save her business before the killer reappears—perhaps to silence the new chef forever.

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I have a passion for 'food mysteries' so I was excited about a new series.  This first book is likable--Dani is an interesting female protagonist, down on her luck with new opportunities for a career and love on the horizon.  I thought it was funny that she essentially becomes a den mother to college girls but it the basis for a good premise.

General assessment--the plot works but felt a little clunky at times, especially with the suspect development, the investigation and the wrap up.  It all felt a little forced and as a reader I wanted more finesse. I also think I'd prefer the POV from one character rather than shifts from time to time.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: Paris Adrift by E.J. Swift

*Thank you to Netgalley and Solaris for an ARC in exchange for a review*

Publisher's Summary:

Determined to escape her old life, misfit and student geologist Hallie packs up her life in England and heads to Paris. She falls in with the eclectic expat community as a bartender at the notorious Millie’s, located next to the Moulin Rouge.

Here she meets Gabriela, a bartender who guides her through this strange nocturnal world, and begins to find a new family. But Millie’s is not all that it seems: a bird warns Hallie to get her feathers in order, a mysterious woman shows up claiming to be a chronometrist, and Gabriela is inexplicably unable to leave Paris.

Then Hallie discovers a time portal located in the keg room. Over the next nine months, irate customers will be the least of her concerns, as she navigates time-faring through the city’s turbulent past and future, falling in love, and coming to terms with her own precarious sense of self.

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The cover is what drew me to this book.  I liked the concept. The novel begins with a bleak glimpse at the future.  The world as we know it is in ruins and the humans left have little hope.  Their only chance is one last mission go back in time, find a particular person and hope that they can re-write history.

Time travel books have a tendency to get messy and often complicated.  In general, I enjoyed Paris Adrift.  The story was engaging and I liked Hallie as the main protagonist.  I did; however, find fault with a few aspects.  Some reviewers argue that the pacing was off.  I did not have to slog through, per se, but I will agree that I wold have liked to see the writing tightened a bit for general aesthetic. The whole purpose for the mission is revealed and wrapped up far too quickly. 

Overall, the general characterization could have been polished, giving more depth to some of the secondary characters and I wanted significantly more world-building for the futuristic premise.  I do not believe that readers need to constant hand holding for science fiction; however, there are a significant amount of undefined terms which need better definitions to round out the reader's experience.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: The Rogue Queen by Emily R. King

*Thank you to Netgalley & Skyscape for an ARC in exchange for a review*

Publisher's Summary:
Despite the odds, Kalinda has survived it all: Marriage to a tyrant. Tournaments to the death. The forbidden power to rule fire. The icy touch of a demon.

That same demon now disguises itself as Rajah Tarek, Kalinda’s late husband and a man who has never stopped haunting her. Upon taking control of the palace and the army, the demon brands Kalinda and her companions as traitors to the empire. They flee across the sea, seeking haven in the Southern Isles.

In Lestari, Kalinda’s powers are not condemned, as they are in her land. Now free to use them to protect those she loves, Kalinda soon realizes that the demon has tainted her with a cold poison, rendering her fire uncontrollable. But the lack of control may be just what she needs to send the demon back to the darkest depths of the Void.

To take back the empire, Kalinda will ally with those she distrusts—and risk losing those most loyal to her—to defeat the demon and bring peace to a divided nation.

Thoughts:
The Rogue Queen is an action packed adventure full of peril, uncertainty, betrayals and heartbreak. The novel is another strong addition to the series. King excels at world-building of a fantasy realm with loosely inspired ties to Sumerian and Indian cultures. Kalinda is an admirable female protagonist and readers connect with her readily on her journey for her strength and vulnerability.  She is quickly learning that sometimes to right choices are the hardest ones.  

King continues to alternate voices by assigning chapters and the parallel story to Deven.  He does his fair share of soul searching throughout the book and fans of his and Kali's romance must weather the storm of their relationship once again.  Fair warning, have tissues handy near the end.  Here's hoping that fairer skies might be on the horizon for these two after more BIG challenges must be faced in book 4, The Warrior Queen, due out in August 2018.

The narrative benefits from its host of well developed secondary characters as well as a really great villain with clear world domination goals and good dialogue with some YA books often lack.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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Also recommended...

Publisher's Summary:
As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she’s an unlikely candidate for even a servant’s position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood’s mountain temple.

But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda’s life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek, and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah’s ninety-nine wives and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik.

Faced with the danger of a tournament to the death—and her growing affection for Deven—Kalinda has only one hope for escape, and it lies in an arcane, forbidden power buried within her. 

Thoughts:
This first book of Kalinda's journey had me spellbound from beginning to end.  She begins naive and rather fragile but blossoms to embrace newly discovered abilities all to save herself, her best friend and her newfound love. 

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Publisher's Summary:
Though the tyrant rajah she was forced to marry is dead, Kalinda’s troubles are far from over. A warlord has invaded the imperial city, and now she’s in exile. But she isn’t alone. Kalinda has the allegiance of Captain Deven Naik, her guard and beloved, imprisoned for treason and stripped of command. With the empire at war, their best hope is to find Prince Ashwin, the rajah’s son, who has promised Deven’s freedom on one condition: that Kalinda will fight and defeat three formidable opponents.

But as Kalinda’s tournament strengths are once again challenged, so too is her relationship with Deven. While Deven fears her powers, Ashwin reveres them—as well as the courageous woman who wields them. Kalinda comes to regard Ashwin as the only man who can repair a warring world and finds herself torn between her allegiance to Deven and a newly found respect for the young prince.

With both the responsibility to protect her people and the fate of those she loves weighing heavily upon her, Kalinda is forced again to compete. She must test the limits of her fire powers and her hard-won wisdom. But will that be enough to unite the empire without sacrificing all she holds dear? 

Thoughts:
Kalinda's journey is far from over despite the death of her tyrant husband.  While her powers seem to grow, she learns even more secrets about her ancestry, finds new allies and must participate in another trial to secure her freedom and those she holds most dear.  Well written with an intricate, fast paced plot and good characterization. I did like the addition of Deven's POV in alternate chapters to add depth to the story.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: The Crown's Game Series by Evelyn Skye

Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.

And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.

Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?

For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip-smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.

And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love…or be killed himself.

Russia is on the brink of great change. Pasha’s coronation approaches, and Vika is now the Imperial Enchanter, but the role she once coveted may be more difficult—and dangerous—than she ever expected.

Pasha is grappling with his own problems—his legitimacy is in doubt, the girl he loves loathes him, and he believes his best friend is dead. When a challenger to the throne emerges—and with the magic in Russia growing rapidly—Pasha must do whatever it takes to keep his position and protect his kingdom.

For Nikolai, the ending of the Crown’s Game stung deeply. Although he just managed to escape death, Nikolai remains alone, a shadow hidden in a not-quite-real world of his own creation. But when he’s given a second chance at life—tied to a dark price—Nikolai must decide just how far he’s willing to go to return to the world.

With revolution on the rise, dangerous new magic rearing up, and a tsardom up for the taking, Vika, Nikolai, and Pasha must fight—or face the destruction of not only their world but also themselves. 

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Overall, I enjoyed this duology and it is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo's The Greisha Verse and the Six of Crows duology. There is a lovely blend of historic Russia steeped with a fantastic sense of world-building and attention to detail.  Skye adeptly incorporates fantasy with the introduction of magic.  I loved the premise that there is essentially a battle to the death game of magical wits to declare who will be the next Imperial Enchanter. 

Of course there is a love triangle, plenty of dark, revealed secrets, family sparing and political unrest.  I was admittedly surprised by Nikolai's dark turn but pleased with the narrative conclusion of The Crown's Fate.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: Phantom of Oz by Cindy Brown

*Thank you to Netgalley and Henery Press for a copy in exchange for a review*

Publisher's Summary:

Creepy munchkins. A mysterious phantom. And a real Wicked Witch. Are you ready for it? 

Actress and part-time PI Ivy Meadows has been hired to uncover the cause of the creepy accidents that plague the roadshow The Wizard: A Space OZpera and find out who dropped a chandelier on the Wicked Witch of the East. 

Was it the ghost who haunts the Grand Phoenician Theatre? A “wicked witch” in the cast? Or is it someone—or something—more sinister? 

It’s Ivy’s most personal case so far. 

Her best friend Candy, who’s touring with the show, is caught in a downward spiral of self-destruction, and is in more danger than she knows. 

To save her friend and the show, Ivy must answer even tougher questions: Do spirits really exist? What is real beauty? What does friendship mean? 

Ivy needs to learn the answers, and fast—before Candy reaches the point of no return. 

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I am a sucker for anything with a Wizard of Oz twist!  This book was my first foray into the Ivy Meadows mystery series, although it is the fifth book!  I enjoyed the Oz theme and joke mixed with dashes of Phantom of the Opera.  I found this to be a strong mystery where I was engaged and entertained. I did not find the whodunnit overtly obvious and Brown's writing is clever with interesting character detail nuggets interspersed throughout each chapter.

I also enjoyed the play between reality and a touch of the paranormal.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: Deadly Sweet by Lola Dodge

*Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a review*

Publisher's Summary:
Anise Wise loves three things: baking, potion making, and reading her spellbooks in blissful silence. She might not be the most powerful witch, but enchantment is a rare skill, and her ability to bake with magic is even rarer. Too bad no one wants witchcraft on their campus. Anise’s dream of attending pastry school crumbles with rejection letter after rejection letter.

Desperate to escape her dead-end future, Anise contacts the long-lost relative she’s not supposed to know about. Great Aunt Agatha owns the only magic bakery in the US, and she suddenly needs a new apprentice. Anise is so excited she books it to New Mexico without thinking to ask what happened to the last girl.

The Spellwork Syndicate rules the local witches in Taos, but as “accidents” turn into full-out attacks on Anise’s life, their promises to keep her safe are less and less reassuring. Her cranky bodyguard is doing his best, but it’s hard to fight back when she has no idea who’s the enemy. Or why she became their target.

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Deadly Sweet is a fun read with wide appeal for more just a YA audience. Anise is a hoot and I have a feeling that she is going to end up far more powerful than even she realizes now. It is more than apparent that her mother has hidden a lot about her heritage from her and that subsequent books will explore this.

I enjoyed the almost cozy food mystery aspect to Anise's love of baking. The concept of working spells into pastry reminded me of one of my Sarah Michelle Gellar favs Simply Irresistible. Dodge does well as building an interesting world centered around its own magical rules as well as incorporate a fair number of memorable characters in addition to her female protagonist. Great Aunt Agatha is intriguing as are the other adults and I enjoyed Anise's new friendships forged with girls with their own unique talents.

Fans of a good angsty romance will like Wynn, Anise's grumpy bodyguard.  I adored their hate-hate relationship. I'm sure there is a good reason why he remains to distant but I can't blame him for being annoyed with some of Anise's choices. They have great, snarky dialogue exchanges but my predictions following the events of this first book it that smoochies are definitely in their future.

Overall, they mystery element kept me engaged but I found the villain a bit predictable and lacking dept.  The whole reasoning for all the mayhem did not quite dazzle me but I think it is perfect for a target teen audience.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars