Latest and Greatest from Vicki Pettersson and Richelle Mead

So I've finished "Cheat the Grave: The Fifth Sign of the Zodiac" by Vicki Pettersson and it was entertaining. It wasn't as dramatic and "thrilling" as the rest of the series. I really felt like this was just a book to connect the previous storyline to the conclusion of the series. I really think the last quarter of the book is what drew me in and had me on the edge of my seat. Basically, as soon as I finally got hooked it was just about over and I have to wait until the next book. It's still entertaining though.


I also finished "Spirit Bound" by Richelle Mead. This is the latest book in the Vampire Academy series. I was really hooked on Blood Promise and Spirit Bound wasn't as well laid out as Blood Promise. This was also a connector book. The next book due out in Dec is the final book in the series and Spirit Bound is connecting the storylines and not really laying out too much new storyline. I also really hate when an author does a major cliffhanger. Most of the new storyline takes place at the end of the book and then it ends in the middle of a major conflict. If I had to wait more than a few months before the next installment came out I would be more irritated than I am with it.

Catch up time! Several books/series to review

So, I have a few additions to series and new series that I've read over the last month (almost 2).

Moon Sworn by Keri Arthur
I really love this series. It's a urban fantasy with a touch of romance. I really like all the characters and Arthur's writing style. This book is picking up where Bound By Shadows left off after Riley's coma. She is working through her issues, returning to work, deciding what her next move might be when she's kidnapped and her memories of who and what she is is wiped from her. She remains the strong character even in a state of limbo. I highly recommend this series. It's very well written.

Allie Beckstrom novels by Devon Monk

As far as I can tell Monk is a part time author and this is her only series but I really liked it. I would classify this as an Urban Fantasy and not the type I tend to read. I picked it up based on the cover art (I do this from time to time and usually I'm spot on). The world is fueled by magic. Everyone uses it for personal and business uses. It's also used in parts of crimes where Hounds (a person with stronger magic instincts) tracks what type of magic was used and who cast it. Allie Beckstrom is a Hound and the estranged daughter to Portland's most powerful, financially and magically, business man. There are lots of twists and turns in the storyline and characters that you wonder the whole way through whether they are friend or foe. I recommend this series.

Magic in the Bone
Magic in the Blood
Magic in the Shadows
Magic on the Storm
a new installment due in November.

Tales of an Urban Werewolf series by Karen MacInerney
Howling at the Moon
On the Prowl
Leader of the Pack

This is a light reading series. It's got some touches of mystery to it but it's got a lot of humor. I liked it and was kinda disappointed when I finished Leader in The Pack. I'm on the lookout for another installment to this series.