Tag: action

Review: The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

When a princess is kidnapped by an alpha , war rages between the humans and the wolves. But soon, forbidden attraction starts to grow. . .

Princess Aurora longs to escape the castle and the marriage that has been arranged for her.

But on the night before her wedding, at a dog fight where captured werewolves are made to fight for sport, she spares the life of a young wolf. It puts her on the radar of the powerful alpha who was going to kill him. And it changes everything.

That night, when the alpha escapes, he kidnaps her and takes her to the rugged lands north of the border — where the once warring werewolf clans are beginning to unite. He thinks that she is the key to winning the war against the humans.

Only, as they spend time around one another, forbidden attraction starts to grow. And as Aurora learns that not all wolves are bad, the alpha discovers that she is in danger from both his enemies, and those he once considered friends.

With monsters on both sides, a bloodthirsty war between humans and wolves raging, and undeniable passion growing between them — will their story end in love? Or tragedy?

And will Aurora ever get home?

Does she even want to?

Favorite Lines:

“I am envious of the Northlands winds that rattle the window and howl against the stone walls. How good it would feel to unleash that rage with no thought to the consequences.”

My Opinion:

I saw this book on social media and decided to read it on a whim with low expectations because other werewolf books that I have read have always been kind of meh but I was pleasantly surprised with this book and ended up devouring it in one sitting.

As a warning, this is an NSFW book so consider yourselves warned. The story follows Aurora as she is taken from her human home and dropped into the wild world of (were)wolves. What starts as an escape from an arranged marriage transforms into her questioning everything she knows about the world she grew up in and where her allegiances lie.

I thought this book was well written, had an interesting and addictive plot, and left me wanting more. It flowed nicely and I found myself turning page after page needing more until I was at the end and realized I may have to wait another year for the next book. This book has strong ACOTAR vibes and I hope the potential love triangle comes to fruition with my ship coming out on top. Once question I do have is who decided werewolves are Scottish and their packs are clans? Who makes these decisions?

Summary:

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am excited to see where the author takes it next. If you like fiction, paranormal romances specific to werewolves, action, and some mystery then this book is for you. Happy reading!

The Wolf King

 

Review: Hounds of Gaia by Sean M. Tirman

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

Foxhound doesn’t care about the gaps in her memory. Being a Contractor, a kind of spacefaring mercenary, keeps her occupied enough. Rather than dwelling, she rockets around the farthest reaches of the solar system, earning a steady paycheck hunting down ne’er-do-wells and enjoying a semblance of freedom most folks in the outer colonies can’t dream of.

So when she receives an urgent prisoner transfer request from a cult starship, she accepts the gig. She figures that transporting a bone marrow-eating serial killer from the cult’s colony back to Earth is just another well-paying job that’ll keep her mind off things. Upon discovering that the suspect in custody is an orphan girl—one that could pass for her much younger doppelgänger—she decides it’s time to get some answers.

But before she can piece together who the girl is, how their lives intertwine, and who orchestrated their implausible rendezvous, a group of violent prisoners aboard Foxhound’s starship breaks free. As the once-peaceful cultists take up arms in response, Foxhound teams up with her mechanized AI assistant and two of the cult’s wayward members to stop the barbaric escapees, elude the grasp of the cult’s radicalized leader, and protect and extract the mysterious, potentially dangerous girl.

Favorite Lines:

“We can’t change humanity but we can do our best to help as many in need as possible, especially those who cannot ask for it themselves.”

“Yet for all our goodness, all the wonderful things we created, it was not enough. Or perhaps a better way to put it was that it was too much. Our avarice, our greed, our wanton desires were killing the Earth, the only place we had to call home.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

I will start this review off by saying that sci-fi is not a usual genre for me, at least when it comes to books. I am, however, a sucker for sci-fi movies/tv shows and I think this book could make a great TV show/movie with multiple points of view coming together but we will get to that in a moment.

The beginning took a bit to get used to because there were a lot of character introductions and point of view changes. I felt like the scenes were flashing from one to the next at a rapid pace and somehow, they carried both a lot of detail and not enough at the same time. This is what made me think it could translate to the big screen well – if you wanted to keep viewers at the edge of their seats, you could dangle the carrot and leave them wanting more of that piece of the puzzle. 

I actually really enjoyed the background story of Earth’s history and how civilization came to be beyond Earth’s atmosphere. It is almost exactly how I imagine the future of the human race explores the stars.

There is a lot of mystery around Foxhound and Leila with Tirman ending the book on a somewhat foreseeable cliffhanger but somehow, I still wanted more. Tirman did a great job of answering some questions but leaving you with more. I would love more background on Foxhound’s backstory and how they got to where they are. What were their origins? Who are the hounds in Hounds of Gaia? 

Summary:

Overall, this was a really creative story that left me wanting answers to several questions I have after being left on a cliffhanger. If you like sci-fi, mystery, action, and adventure then this book could be for you.

Hounds of Gaia

Review: The Essence of Magic by Michelle Ermens

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

Hunted by strange creatures,

Desperate to protect her family,

Will finding magic help her keep them safe?

Thera has always known that she’s different from her loving human family. However, that would mean that she’s one of the specials, beings of legends – but how could it be, when no human has seen them for hundreds of years?

A visit from a masked stranger who warns her of danger, and an attack on her village shatter the life that she knew. She’s forced to flee with her mother and younger siblings and has no other choice but to enter special territory – a very dangerous place for humans to be.

They find temporary shelter in the home of a special named Raven, but they need more than temporary shelter. She needs a way to keep her family truly safe, she needs to be strong enough to be the one to protect them. The only way to do that might be to find the Magic’s Source and get some magic of her own.

Will she dare to seek it out? And if she does, what kind of magic will she receive? And will it be enough to keep her family safe?

Favorite Lines:

“I can sit in a library and learn from books whenever I want, but right now, I want to learn more about life and who I want to be, and I feel I can do that a lot better if I go with you.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book  from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m a sucker for fantasy stories and this book was no exception. Featuring a strong, brave main character with other lively, unique characters scattered throughout, Ermens did a good job bringing this story to life. There was also a major emphasis on family throughout the book which I think can get lost in other books but Ermens did a great job at holding true to the theme of family and the dynamics that take place in them.

This book had me hooked pretty early on; it doesn’t waste time introducing you to some action and mystery However, I will admit that this book wasn’t quite what I thought it was going to be, especially with more emphasis on character dynamics than I am used to but it was still an interesting story nonetheless. I also felt that the ending was a bit abrupt. The ending left room for more in the series but I felt like the scene was cut short mid-thought almost.

Summary:

Overall, if you like fantasy, magic, mystery, action, strong main characters, and family, then this book may be for  you. Happy reading!

The Essence of Magic