Vamps and the City by Kerrelyn Sparks

A pleasant surprise! I was expecting the lead couple would jump into bed immediately but I liked how the author took time to let the relationship develop. I also appreciated how they were willing to sacrifice their vamp/human nature for each other but decided on a compromise. I will definitely be reading the others.

Undead and Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson

Funny and sad as usual. Funny because Betsy is so not what everyone expects her to be. She is a monarch who doesn’t wanna control the lives of her subjects. She doesn’t judge people based on their race, gender, sexual orientation etc. Hell, she is friends with the Devil’s daughter. Sad because she remains lonely or “unwelcome” almost everywhere. She is willing to put her trust in people and learns otherwise after they have hurt her (or tried to kill her). Her husband is the king of vampires and even though he loves her, he is still a cold bloodsucking…well vamp! Betsy is a misfit and I like her all the more for it.

Overwinter by David Wellington

I don’t do why I keep doing this to myself. These books scare the heck outta me but I just can’t stop reading anything written by David Wellington. The Laura Caxton series was the same way and I finished it. Then, I went after this duology. There is another about zombies I think. I am going to die trying and I don’t even like horror! Oh, and the covers are so delicious.

Unseen by Rachel Caine

Like it used to be with Jo from the Weather Warden series, Cas is a punching bag. Everybody thinks they can use her and then throw her away. She also doesn’t know when to quit or give up on people. She manages to be a kickass even when she had all her Djinn powers taken away from her. It won’t be a surprise if I said those were also the reasons why I like her so much.

Another good thing about this series is how violent things get. The big bad is brainwashing kids, arming them with the power to control the elements, and unleashing them on the world. That means there needs to be violence at a level that suits the events. It horrifies you and makes you sad at the same time. Cas does her best to remember that these kids might be mindless soldiers but they are still kids. Tough line to walk!

Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan

I love books that show us how love for your family gives strength to face the world. My family has always been my rock, so it figures. This book is about a girl who does her best to protect her family from a supernatural threat. She almost loses the man she loves because of it.

I also like the light steampunkish vibes that this series has. In this particular installment, the main characters can’t decide if they actually felt something for each other or if it was due to a demonic deal the guy struck. It was fun to see how they untangled that mess. Oh, and the bad guys are really bad, so that was good too!

Truth by Julia Karr

Just as cringe-inducing as the first one and I mean it in a good way. Even so, the writing could have been better. Like the whole feminist agenda could have been handled in a more subtle way. The author promised a third book sometime ago but I don’t think its coming. Well, another series wrapped up…good enough for me!

Saving the Sammi by Frank Tuttle

A short story set in the same world as the previous book. The protag is a headstrong girl with a chip on her shoulder. She sets off to rescue a family who are in danger of being smashed to bits when their airship crashes. Not bad I’d say.

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

This YA series is more about sexual awakening than fantasy. It just doesn’t resonate with me the way I thought it would. The sense of foreboding created doesn’t let up until the very end. But I felt like nothing major happened that would qualify. The main character is constantly bombarded with visions and she fails to connect the dots until she is betrayed by a person she trusts. What I did like was the authentic portrayal of class differences and how vicious teenage girls can be to each other. If you’ve read this series, it won’t surprise you when I say that I didn’t sympathize with any of the characters, including the protagonist. However, I think that was deliberately done and made her feel more real to me. It is the same with her friends: one is rich, shallow, and dealing with effects of sexual abuse; the other is poor, unsure of herself, and constantly dreading her future. I will be reading the next one soon.

The Beauty, Vol. 1 & 2 by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley

Imagine a viral STD that leaves half of the population looking model-like beautiful. Then imagine the rest protesting it as unreligious and unnatural. Sometime later, it is discovered that the virus is causing people to implode. That is the world these comics are set in. They are also full of gory deaths and an evil government. The art is pretty and the message about superficial perfection isn’t subtle. I like it!

So, this is what I did in May. What did you read?

Originally published at midureads.wordpress.com on June 4, 2018.