Review: Honor's Knight by Rachel Bach

Series: Paradox Book #2
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 358
Rating: 5 Stars
How I Got It: Borrowed from Library
Genre: Sci-Fi, Futuristic, Space Opera
Publisher: Orbit

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

 

After a mysterious attack left her short several memories and one partner, she's determined to keep her head down, do her job, and get on with her life. But even though Devi's not actually looking for it -- trouble keeps finding her. She sees things no one else can, the black stain on her hands is growing, and she is entangled with the cook she's supposed to hate.

But when a deadly crisis exposes far more of the truth than she bargained for, Devi discovers there's worse fates than being shot, and sometimes the only people you can trust are the ones who want you dead.

Review

Why did I double you Rachel Bach? I was such a gool. For the first 100-150 pages I wasn't sure about what I was reading. But then she pulled it together. I'm still incredibly confused, but I completely trust Ms. Bach. And even that rough bit works for me now.

For the last two-thirds I couldn't put this down. All I wanted to do was read this. I was incredibly emotionally invested. And not just Devi-I care about Nova, Rupert, Rashid. And the story was paced well and had me on the edge of my seat. I don't often feel this way when reading a book written in first person.

The stakes were definitely raised in this one-for Devi and the world. Ms. Bach also expanded on her already fantastically built world. This whole story just comes alive in my mind. That's how great of a writer she is. She also does that thing I simultaneously love and hate: a lot of my questions were answered, but now I have even more. Some of them probably aren't even important, but I can't help but think every single word is meticulously crafted.

My biggest random question: Who is Nic and Nova's father? For some reason I can't help, but think this is an important thing. But there's so much left to explore.

Must pick up the next book now.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Review: One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron

Series: Heartstrikers Book #2

Format: Ebook

Rating: 5 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Futuristic, Dragons

Publisher: Self-Published

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

After barely escaping the machinations of his terrifying mother, two all knowing seers, and countless bloodthirsty siblings, the last thing Julius wants to see is another dragon. Unfortunately for him, the only thing more dangerous than being a useless Heartstriker is being a useful one, and now that he’s got an in with the Three Sisters, Julius has become a key pawn in Bethesda the Heartstriker’s gamble to put her clan on top.

Refusal to play along with his mother’s plans means death, but there’s more going on than even Bethesda knows, and with Estella back in the game with a vengeance, Heartstriker futures disappearing, and Algonquin’s dragon hunter closing in, the stakes are higher than even a seer can calculate. But when his most powerful family members start dropping like flies, it falls to Julius to defend the clan that never respected him and prove that, sometimes, the world’s worst dragon is the best one to have on your side.

 

Review

This book had a lot to live up to since I enjoyed the first one so much. And it definitely met my expectations. And it had more content than I expected. Ms. Aaron could’ve easily ended it in like three different places and I’m glad she didn’t.

Julius is still amazing. I really like that he’s learning and growing, but is still staying true to himself. It’s a very difficult balance to maintain. And I’m very eager to see what he does in the next story.

It was great getting to meet new characters and see their perspectives. Julius will always be my favorite, but it definitely flushed out the world and gave me a better understanding of the dragons.

The romance (or what I hope will be ones) is developing nicely. I think it’s going to be a slow burn, but Ms. Aaron threw us a couple bones which I appreciated. And I look forward to more of this plot line.

I enjoyed the main conflict of this book and definitely want to read what happens next. It was nice to get more information on how magic works and Marci more generally. Same with the Seers, although I am a little confused there. Ms. Aaron definitely explained things in great detail, but I usually struggle to get my head around things connected with time travel, free will, and fate.

I still don’t know how many books will be in this series, but I’m super excited to buy and read the next one when it comes out in 2016.

Thanks for reading!

Review: Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron

Series: Heartstrikers #1

Format: Ebook

Rating: 5 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

I don’t want to wait for the next book to come out. This was so good and definitely a genre departure for me. But I heard Ms. Aaron on the DBSA podcast and she sold her books to me with her passion and general awesomeness. She seems like a genuinely nice person which I personally like in an author.

I guess this is a post-apocalyptic urban fantasy with dragons and some romance. Obviously, I’ve read books with magic but I’ve never read one that details how the different forms work and are used. The world-building, in general, is very good. I don’t know how many books will be in this series, but there’s a lot of material there for a lengthy one.

Julius is the main character and he’s amazing. He’s definitely a beta (which I love) and he wants to be good instead of violent and manipulative. I love that even with all the magic and spiritual/paranormal creatures the primary conflict seems to be Julius’ personal struggles with good and evil.

Marci is also a great character and I like how feisty she is. She’s supportive and willing to fight for what she wants.

And I like their friendship. It’s nice and hopefully it continues. I also really want it to develop into more of a romance. They seem to complement each other and I’m curious how a human-dragon relationship would work (especially politically).

I don’t even want to wait the few weeks I have to for the second book. I want to spend more time with these characters and in the world. Ms. Aaron’s voice is also amazing and blends humor well so I definitely want to check out her other books.

Thanks for reading!

~Holly