Ink of Blood

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

This book was quite a short, easy read. I really liked the front cover of it and it was nice that the title of the book was taken from a quote one of the characters said in the book.

I’d imagine it’s quite hard to create a truly atmospheric story with a book of this length, but I felt the author did a really good job of that. There were some really quite creepy moments and although I would have liked to see more of the ghost/s, what I did see was really effective.

I would have liked to see a bit more about the two main characters who went into the house. There were bits and pieces shown about them, but it would have been nice to see a bit more background and the relationship between the two of them.

I did think that this book was really well-written. The house itself was really well-described and the ghostly appearance was suitably creepy. There was at least one thing that I didn’t see an explanation for, but it wasn’t clear if that was just in their imaginations or if it was part of the general haunting.

Although learning things through a diary isn’t a unique plot device, it was still interesting to see the entries and learn what did happen in the house. This was a really easy story to read and although I would have liked to see it expanded a bit more, it was still an entertaining read and I would probably read more books by this author if given the opportunity in the future.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I really did like the cover of this book. As covers go, this one was a really pretty one and definitely drew me into the book, so it did the job it was meant to.

I was a bit unclear about when this book was set at first, but I was drawn into the storyline really easily. Of course, I really liked that the author kept to one first person POV and found this book really easy and actually quite quick to read.

I really liked the concept of this story. It was interesting to see the fae working to protect the royal family. I also found it a really unique idea for the technology to affect Emrys and her kind. It was an interesting weakness.

I liked seeing the different types of fairy creatures there were and it was interesting to learn how and why Emrys and the rest of her kind took on physical form.

Speaking of Emrys… I did actually really like her as a character. Her relationship with Richard was quite an interesting one and although it did move a bit too fast (considering Emrys has lived much longer than Richard, who was a seventeen-year-old party boy), I did find it quite believable by the end.

I also really liked seeing and learning about the different characters from fairy legends, such as Mab and Titania. Also, it was really cool to see Herne the Huntsman.

I felt that the author did a good job of building the world of the mortals and the world of the fae. They both felt really real to me and it was interesting to see where the worlds collided with each other. I found myself feeling sorry for Mab by the end of the book.

Although the romance did take up a lot of the book, I did think that there was quite a lot of action, too, and a number of quite tense scenes. I found this book really well-written and I read it really easily and quickly. I have the second book ready to read and I would definitely read more books by this author in the future. I’d also like to see more of the minor characters and what their histories and relationships have been like over time.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Due to various personal reasons, this book took me longer than it should have to read, but that wasn’t anything to do with the book itself. When I was able to pick it up today, I was drawn into the book really easily, despite it being an already-existing world with established characters.

I may have mentioned, several times, that I like books with different types of mythology in. And this one was no exception. It was a refreshing change to read a book that had Artemis closer to her mythological counterpart, unlike one series that paints her as a sadistic villain.

It was nice to see how Artemis’ relationship with Evan began, but I would have liked a bit more background on them falling in love, since it did seem to move quite fast.

It was nice to see the interactions between Artemis and Zeus, though it wasn’t made that clear why Zeus had banished Evan in the first place. I suspect, though, that Ashylnns’ book might have more detail in regards to that.

There were a few things in this book that made me think of the Dark-Hunter series… but it was really only something that one of the characters said. I liked seeing Apollo’s brief appearance in this novella, too, but I would have liked to see more of him.

It was good to see Ashlynn and Ty in this book and I would have liked to meet some of the other characters, too. I did think this book didn’t have quite the level of danger in it I was expecting… but I still enjoyed reading it and the romance between Artemis and Evan was really quite sweet.

In the future, I would really like to read the other books in this series and meet more of the characters, as well as see how Ashylnn and Ty’s relationship formed. And I would like to see more of Artemis and Evan, too. This worked really well as an introduction to this series (at least for me) and I would definitely love to see what else the author has done in this world and with these characters.

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Having read (and quite enjoyed) book one in this trilogy, I was quite happy when I also won book two and could find out what happened next to the characters.

I do really like the styles of the front covers. This one was quite a pretty one, but book one did have a nice cover, too.

For the most part, I did find this book easy to read, apart from the fact that it kept slipping between first and third person POV. That shifting always makes books hard to read and I would have much preferred the author to use limited third person.

Despite the fact that it’s been quite a while since I read book one, I didn’t have too much confusion when I was reading this book. I found it interesting to see how the different characters each handled the situation they found themselves in. I had some very mixed feelings about Moira. In many ways, despite glimpsing her in the past, I felt sorry for her. I wasn’t too keen on past-Gwen, I have to say. I could understand why she acted the way she did, but compared to present-Gwen, she seemed to care more about her own happiness.

I liked the fact that the characters came across as quite different people, even though there were some similarities with their present-day counterparts. I was a bit disappointed not to see Kian and Seth’s interactions, though. Since I like brother relationships, it would have been nice to get something of a glimpse of how they now viewed each other.

Seeing some of the interactions their past selves had were pretty cool, especially given Gwen’s relationship with Kian as a child. It was good to learn more about Kian’s past and how he came to be working with the villains of the piece.

I liked seeing how Seth took to his role as King, both in his interactions with the magicians and with Moira. I also liked seeing Michael, though I would have liked to see more of him in the past and his relationship with the others.

I definitely hope to read book three when it comes out. I’m eager to see how the author will end this trilogy and what will happen with the characters. Plus, this book kind of ended on a cliffhanger.

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I’d like to say, first of all, that I absolutely love the front cover of this book. It’s really pretty and definitely caught my eye when I first looked at this book on the giveaway list.

I did feel like a lot of this book came across as almost dreamy and mysterious. The edges around the reality were blurred, so it didn’t feel quite real. I didn’t find Helen a very likable character, unfortunately, and although she did grow up somewhat by the end of part two, I found her quite lacking in compassion, something I think should have been an integral part of her faith.

It was interesting to see how the other characters viewed the people they kept as slaves. That was probably the biggest problem I had with Helen and her father. Even though it was valid for that time, I felt the characters would have been more likable if there’d been empathy towards their fellow humans.

I liked the first part of the book, with Tabitha and her father. I would have liked to hear the stories of Tabitha’s mother along with her and then see how Helen was different or similar to John’s memories. I could relate to John’s desperation to try anything when Tabitha falls ill.

I felt that the author did a good job of showing the time period, even if I did feel like I was viewing the events through a blurred reflection. Some parts of the writing were quite moving, but others, I found myself confused about what the author was trying to impart.

I found Moll a difficult character to relate to. I suspect that, if it had only been Davy in the picture, she would have come across as much better, rather than a mother who was ambivalent and almost hostile towards her other children.

The ending of the book was poignant and sad and I can’t really say that I enjoyed this. There was a lot of sadness in the book and some pretty bad things that happened. I did find myself smiling at Davy’s letters he sent back to his mother, though.