Book Review: Heir to the Shadows by Anne Bishop

Heir to the Shadows
Author: Anne Bishop
Series: Black Jewels, Book 2
Publication: Roc; Reprint edition (August 7, 2007)

Description: In the second novel set in the “darkly fascinating world” (SF Site) of Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels Trilogy, ambitions unfurl as the realm’s dreams of a liberator have finally been made flesh...

The Blood have waited centuries for the coming of Witch, the living embodiment of magic. But Jaenelle, the young girl singled out by prophecy, is haunted by the cruel battles fought over her—for not all the Blood await her as their Savior. Some dismiss her as a myth. Some refuse to believe. And still others look forward to using her, making her a pawn to their shadowy devices.

Only time and the devotion of her loyal guardians have healed Jaenelle’s physical wounds. But her mind is fragile, barely able to protect her from the horrifying memories of her childhood. Nothing, however, can deflect her from her destiny—and the day of reckoning looms near. When her memories return. When her magic matures. When she is forced to accept her fate.

On that day, the dark Realms will know what it means to be ruled by Witch.

My Thoughts: This is the second book in the Black Jewels series. It covers about eight hears of Jaenelle Angelline's life as she goes from a raped and traumatized twelve-year-old to a twenty year old high Queen. It also continues the story of two of the men who will be important to her: Daemon Sadi who is lost with a fragmented mind and Lucivar Yaslana who is an Eyrien Warlord Prince imprisoned in a salt mine.

Jaenelle is under the guardianship of Saetan who is the High Lord of Hell. He petitioned the Council for that right but now has to deal with a Dark Council that is being subtly manipulated by an old enemy of his who will do anything to bring him down and gain control of Jaenelle.

Meanwhile, Jaenelle is healing and learning and gathering her friends together. She is also driving Saetan crazy with her enthusiastic actions. Whatever she does though is done from a kind heart and a desire to do well by her people. She doesn't want to form her own court which is the fate of most young Queens once they embrace their jewels. She doesn't want control over other people's lives.

Jaenelle is a very, very powerful witch, black widow, and queen who controls the most powerful black jewels. She does things no other witches or magic users know how to do. However, she has trouble with the basic things that most young magic users learn to do first.

I loved watching Jaenelle grow into herself and her powers. I loved her relationship with her guardian Saetan. This is a well-crafted world filled with interesting creatures.

Favorite Quote:

"You're the High Lord."

Saetan put a hand over his heart and sighed dramatically. "Ah, someone who remembers." He sipped his yarbarah. "Actually, if you want to know how things are going, you should ask Beale or Helene or Mrs. Beale. They're the triangle who run the Hall."

"A Blood triangle always has a fourth side."

"Yes, and whenever something comes up that requires 'Authority.' they prop me up, dust me off, and plunk me in the great hall to deal with it."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

YA Book Review: The Gilded Wolves

The Gilded Wolves
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Publication: Wednesday Books (January 15, 2019)

Description: From New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi comes a novel set in Paris during a time of extraordinary change--one that is full of mystery, decadence, and dangerous desires...

No one believes in them. But soon no one will forget them.

It's 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood.

Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history--but only if they can stay alive.

My Thoughts: This fantasy is set in France in 1889 on the cusp of the Exposition Universelle when things are changing. It is a time of decadence and change and magic. It is the story of six teens who all have different reasons to be striving.

Severin Montagnet-Alarie is the leader of a band of misfits. He was supposed to be the heir of one of the magical houses of Paris but was denied his heritage and thrown into the "care" of those who wanted to use and abuse him. He is determined to get his heritage back. He inherited the money from his family and has opened an exclusive hotel.

Severin has gather a crew. Laila is Indian, a dancer, a pastry chef, and a person who was made by magic and doubts that she is real. She needs to find a certain magical book believed to be in the control of the Order of Babel. Tristan was one of the children met when Severin was traveling from one father to another after the death of his parents. Tristan is fragile and damaged and an extraordinary gardener who work is sought by the elite of Paris. He is also the proud owner of a large tarantula he calls Goliath. Zofia has strong magic having to do with metals and an unique affinity with numbers. She is also unable to interact with people lacking an understanding of jokes and a difficulty in processing speech. She was kicked out of school and needs to make money to pay her debt and help her family. Enrique is a gifted historian and researcher. He is also Spanish-Philippine and rejected from the revolutionaries who want to free the Philippines because he looks to Spanish. He also has a not-so-deeply buried goal of becoming a hero.

Added to this crew is Hypnos who is a patriarch of a house and who was one of Severin's childhood friends before his parents died. He is achingly lonely and without friends until he barges his way into Severin's gang.

The story reminded my of Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows in that it was partially a heist story set in a lush fantasy world. It was also a story with action and adventure as the crew tries to find missing artifacts and encounters an evil crew that has its own goals. The story was filled with emotional intensity and intriguing characters..

The startling ending - which isn't quite a cliffhanger - will have readers eager for the next book in this series.

Favorite Quote:

"I wish that this was enough for you."

Severin closed his eyes. It wasn't about enough. Tristan would never understand. He had never felt the pulse of an entirely different future only to see it ripped from his grasp and smothered in front of him. He didn't understand that sometimes the only way to take down what had destroyed you was to disguise yourself as part of it.

"It's not about enough," said Severin. "It's about balancing the scales. Fairness."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

The Matriarch of House Kore was running late for a dinner. In the normal course of things, she did not care for punctuality. Punctuality, with its unseemly whiff of eagerness, was for peasants. And she was neither a peasant nor eager to endure a meal with the mongrel heir of House Nyx.

Friday 56 (56%):

Zofia quickly shook her head no, and Roux-Joubert pulled her into the dance. The man's hands were somehow freezing and damp with sweat. She tried to pull back, but the man, for all that he looked weak and ill, held tight.

This week I am spotlighting The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi from my YA review stack. Here is the description from Amazon:

From New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi comes a novel set in Paris during a time of extraordinary change--one that is full of mystery, decadence, and dangerous desires...

No one believes in them. But soon no one will forget them.

It's 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood.

Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history--but only if they can stay alive.

ARC Review: Tear It Down by Nick Petrie

Tear It Down
Author: Nick Petrie
Series: A Peter Ash Novel (Book 4)
Publication: G.P. Putnam's Sons (January 15, 2019)

Description: In the new edge-of-your-seat adventure from national bestselling author Nick Petrie, Peter Ash pursues one case--and stumbles into another--in the City of the Blues.

Iraq war veteran Peter Ash is restless in the home he shares with June Cassidy in Washington State. June knows Peter needs to be on the move, so she sends him to Memphis to help her friend Wanda Wyatt, a photographer and war correspondent who's been receiving peculiar threats. When Peter arrives in Memphis, however, he finds the situation has gone downhill fast--someone has just driven a dump truck into Wanda's living room. But neither Wanda nor Peter can figure out why.

At the same time, a young homeless street musician finds himself roped into a plan to rob a jewelry store. The heist doesn't go as planned, and the young man finds himself holding a sack full of Rolexes and running for his life. When his getaway car breaks down, he steals a new one at gunpoint--Peter's 1968 green Chevrolet pickup truck.

Peter likes the skinny kid's smarts and attitude, but he soon discovers that the desperate musician is in far worse trouble than he knows. And Wanda's troubles are only beginning. Peter finds himself stuck between Memphis gangsters--looking for Rolexes and revenge--and a Mississippi ex-con and his hog-butcher brother looking for a valuable piece of family history that goes all the way back to the Civil War.

My Thoughts: This story starts with four homeless teens planning to rob a jewelry store. The viewpoint character is Ellison Bell, called Eli, who has been on the streets since he was nine. His father disappeared, his mother died of a drug overdose, his older brother was shot in the face, his grandmother died of a stroke. Eli has only one possession - a guitar he received as a gift. He us a talented musician who plays the Blues and has a mathematical gift. He's the planner of the heist but only because his friends threatened his beloved guitar.

Things go wrong. Eli manages to escape with a bag of Rolexes. He knows two of his friends are dead and his best friend is missing. Now, he's on the run from King Robbie who runs all the crime in Memphis. It was his friend who had the plan to get on King Robbie's right side.

The next section of the book introduces Peter Ash who's an Iraq war veteran, a former Marine, who came home with claustrophobia and a need to right wrongs. His girlfriend recognizes that he's restless and sends him to Memphis to help out a friend. War photographer Wanda Wyatt has come home to Memphis to get some photos together for a show and bought an old house at auction. Now someone is either trying to kill her or force her out of her new house. The latest big of harassment involved driving a dump truck through the front of her house.

Eli and Peter meet when Eli hijacks Peter's beloved 1968 Chevy pickup from a gas station. Peter could have stopped him but chose to recover the truck later when he sees the desperation in Eli's eyes. But there's Peter coming to help Wanda and now without his truck, his tools, his ID and cellphone - and the kevlar vest his girlfriend gave him to keep him safe.

This was a gritty mystery with all sorts of violence. It deals with race and poverty, drugs and violence. It takes place mostly in the part of Memphis that is a War Zone controlled by drug lords and steeped in violence. The characters in this one are vivid. Peter reminds me of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee in that he's also a knight errant in rusty armor going around trying to help people who need it and not afraid to use violence to make things right. Wanda is messed up from her time taking pictures in war zones. She using too much alcohol and too many pills to try to cover her pain. Eli is a kid without much hope and with no dreams of a future since he doesn't expect to live to have one.

I really enjoyed this thriller. I loved the characters and the descriptive writing. This is the fourth book in the Peter Ash series and you can bet I'm going to read the first three as soon as possible. 

Favorite Quote:

"June was right," she said. "I told her I didn't want a big dumb guy here, some bubba I don't even know getting in my way, telling me what to do. She said you weren't like that."

"Give me time," Peter smiled. "I'm dumber than I look."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Edelweiss. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Untouchable by Jayne Ann Krentz

Untouchable
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Cutler, Sutter & Salinas (Book 3)
Publication: Berkley (January 8, 2019)

Description: A man's quest to find answers for those who are haunted by the past leads him deeper into the shadows in this electrifying novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Promise Not to Tell.

Quinton Zane is back.

Jack Lancaster, consultant to the FBI, has always been drawn to the coldest of cold cases, the kind that law enforcement either considers unsolvable or else has chalked up to accidents or suicides. As a survivor of a fire, he finds himself uniquely compelled by arson cases. His almost preternatural ability to get inside the killer's head has garnered him a reputation in some circles--and complicated his personal life. The more cases Jack solves, the closer he slips into the darkness. His only solace is Winter Meadows, a meditation therapist. After particularly grisly cases, Winter can lead Jack back to peace.

But as long as Quinton Zane is alive, Jack will not be at peace for long. Having solidified his position as the power behind the throne of his biological family's hedge fund, Zane sets out to get rid of Anson Salinas's foster sons, starting with Jack.

My Thoughts: Winter Meadows has set herself up in Eclipse Bay as a meditation therapist. She was orphaned at fourteen, placed in foster care, and used the skills she learned from her mother and grandmother to keep herself safe from the predators who were foster parents. She is a very skilled hypnotist which came in handy when she needed to protect another young orphan named Alice from a foster dad. The two of them took to the street until Alice's aunts managed to catch up with them. then Winter became part of their family.

She is finding it difficult deciding on a career path that uses her skills and winds up in Eclipse Bay when she is running from a stalker. Jack Lancaster is also in Eclipse Bay. He is having trouble with his lucid dreaming and goes to Winter for help. Jack has been a college professor, an author, and a person who solves cold cases. The coldest of all is the location of Quinton Zane, the man who killed his mother, when he was cleaning up at a commune he started as a money-making scheme. Jack, his foster brothers Max and Cabot, and some other children were rescued from a locked barn by Anson Salinas. Together Anson, Cabot and Max have formed a detective agency. Among their cases is always tracking down Quinton Zane.

When Winter's stalker finds her, Jack is sure that he was put on her trail by Quinton. Together the two of them begin tracking him down. Jack's ability to connect small bits of information and predict outcomes and Winter's ability to hypnotize work together as they put the clues together. They also fall in love.

This is the final book in the Cutler, Sutter & Salinas trilogy and finally brings the search for Zane to a satisfying conclusion. It was also a great romance as two people found in each other the acceptance that had been missing in their other romantic relationships. I liked the fast pace and the crisp dialog. Krentz is always a satisfying read for me and this story was no exception.

Favorite Quote:

"Okay, so you don't solve those cold cases with a gun," she said, a little exasperated. "Instead you use your ability to collect a lot of seemingly unrelated facts and link them together in a logical fashion."

"Some people would say that what you just described is the working definition of a conspiracy theorist."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: A Merciful Fate by Kendra Elliot

A Merciful Fate
Author: Kendra Elliot
Series: Mercy Kilpatrick (Book 5)
Publication: Montlake Romance (January 15, 2019)

Description: Raised by preppers, survivalist and FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick has a deep-rooted need for a safe place. Her getaway in the Cascade Foothills is her secret. But when skeletal remains are unearthed—those of a murdered man linked to a notorious heist—Mercy realizes she isn’t the only one with something to hide.

Thirty years ago, an armored-car robbery turned deadly. The mastermind was captured. Four conspirators vanished with a fortune. One of them, it appears, never made it out of the woods alive. For Mercy and her fiancé, Police Chief Truman Daly, their investigation opens old wounds in Eagle’s Nest that cut deeper than they imagined. Especially when a reckless tabloid reporter draws fresh blood. It’s clear to Mercy that somebody in this close-knit community is not who they seem to be.

Some are still shattered by the heist. Some still have reason to be afraid. But which one will kill again and again to hide three decades of secrets? To land this case, it’s up to Mercy to unmask a familiar stranger before someone else dies.

My Thoughts: This story begins when Ollie's dog Shep finds a bone when the two of them are out on a wilderness walk. Ollie is quick to call Truman who alerts the county cops. When it is discovered that the bones are with some empty bank bags, Mercy is called in - bank robbery being a federal crime.

Suspicions are quickly confirmed that the body was probably one of the Gamble-Helmet killers. There was an armored car robbery some thirty years earlier in which one of the guards was killed and one of the robbers shot and left at the scene. However, the other four robbers and the $2 million they stole disappeared without a trace. Now it appears that one has been found and has likely been dead since very shortly after the robbery.

Shane Gamble is the one robber that was caught. He has been in prison since the robbery and will be there for the rest of his life since he killed another prisoner inside. Mercy goes to see him to see if he can shed any light on the new discovery. However, Gamble is a game player and sees no reason to do anything but mess with Mercy's mind.

Meanwhile, other things are happening in town. There have been incidents where a couple of the locals - Sandra who runs the B&B and Bree who is an English teacher - have reported vandalism. Both women have sort of shady pasts. Sandra reinvented herself when she came to town ten years earlier after a past with an abusive husband. Bree's secrets are more deeply hidden

When a young female reporter from a tabloid shows up wanting more information about the newly discovered body, Mercy wonders how she found out about the discovery and wonders what she is trying to find as she interviews many people in town including Bree and Sandra. Things get even more confusing for Mercy and Truman when the reporter is found murdered.

Because the Bend FBI office is small, Mercy is glad when Art Juergen is called in. He is retired now but was deeply involved in the original Gamble-Helmet Heist and is an expert on what was done and who was looked at. Mercy has worked with him before and liked him. He, Mercy and her partner Eddie are shot at and Eddie hit while they are pursuing some information from Victor Diehl who could be a witness. Art kills him when he almost gets the drop on Mercy and Eddie while Mercy is trying to treat Eddie's wound. Things get even more complicated when Mercy learns that two of his recent phone calls were to her semi-estranged father Karl. 

As Mercy continues to try to find out what happened to the other robbers, she begins to have questions about some of the new friends and neighbors that she has met since she came back to Bend. Then her niece Kaylie is shot and Bree is assaulted in her home and the investigation really heats up.

This was a fast-paced enjoyable mystery with engaging characters and a well-developed plot. I love Mercy and Truman's relationship and I love the way Mercy is letting more people into her life. I like that the story begins and ends with Ollie who is one of the new people in Truman and Mercy's life.

Favorite Quote:

"What can you tell me about the remains?" Tabitha showed no fear, tilting her head in interest as she held Mercy's gaze.

Why are reporters so pushy?

"Nothing. Go bug a Kardashian." Mercy didn't take the card, yet the woman continued to hold it in front of her. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

YA Book Review: This Promise of Change by Jo Ann Allen Boyce & Debbie Levy

This Promise of Change
Subtitle: One Girl's Fight for School Equality
Author: Jo Ann Allen Boyce & Debbie Levy
Publication: Bloomsbury Children's Books (January 8, 2019)

Description: In 1956, one year before federal troops escorted the Little Rock 9 into Central High School, fourteen year old Jo Ann Allen was one of twelve African-American students who broke the color barrier and integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee. At first things went smoothly for the Clinton 12, but then outside agitators interfered, pitting the townspeople against one another. Uneasiness turned into anger, and even the Clinton Twelve themselves wondered if the easier thing to do would be to go back to their old school. Jo Ann--clear-eyed, practical, tolerant, and popular among both black and white students---found herself called on as the spokesperson of the group. But what about just being a regular teen? This is the heartbreaking and relatable story of her four months thrust into the national spotlight and as a trailblazer in history. Based on original research and interviews and featuring backmatter with archival materials and notes from the authors on the co-writing process.

My Thoughts: This is the story of a little known (now) part of the Civil Rights Movement. In the fall of 1956, twelve black students entered Clinton (Tennessee) High School as the first desegregated high school in the South. Jo Ann Allen Boyce was fifteen and one of those students.

She lasted through an eventful semester with riots, Ku Klux Klan cross burnings, and national attention. She also personally dealt with harassment from other students and a strong sense of isolation and fear as she went to school.

Finally, her family gave up and moved to California both for a better education for their children and for better job opportunities for the parents too. Jo Ann was interviewed a number of times during the months she was attending school in Tennessee and after she moved to California too. She continued, and continues, to visit schools and speak about her time as one of the Clinton 12.

Her story is told in verse in quite a number of formats including forms from free verse to haiku to a variety of rhyme schemes. The use of poetry really highlighted the intense emotions of the time and the trials Jo Ann and the other Clinton 12 faced. Through it all, Jo Ann's faith and optimism shine through despite all the obstacles she faced.

The timeline of the Civil Rights Movement at the end marks the milestone of desegregation but ends with the depressing note that segregation still exists in many parts of the United States.

Favorite Quote:

John Kasper
is a stranger to Clinton,
a man from up North,
a young man
not so many years out of high school himself.

John Kasper
came to town last week
to tell white folks
that integration is un-American and un-Christian.

**************

The story of the Clinton 12 is the story of doing something hard to help people who will follow in your footsteps. It's about doing something that is deeply uncomfortable to you but that you know is right. It's about the choice between being a follower and being a leader. And it's about maintaining dignity and pride under duress. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. You can buy your copy here.