Ride the Storm by Karen Chance

Rating: 4.5 stars

Series: Cassie Palmer #8

Three things happened that I have been desperately hoping would happen since book 4, and it was about damn time. I would love to discuss those things in detail, but it would give away some major plot points. I was beginning to lose my faith and thought that some of these issues would be dragged out forever, but good things come to those who wait!

I’ve got to be honest the first half was aggravating and too chaotic without any real progress being made. Cassie was time jumping from one place to the next and dealing with many issues. All of those issues were the same ones from the last book. I really didn’t think it was necessary for two books to be devoted to Pritkin’s sojourn in the past.

The other pythias were irritating. They didn’t add much to the story and were a constant distraction causing the resolution to Pritkin’s situation to take too long. Cassie never had formal training with her pythia powers, but shouldn’t she be more powerful than the average pythia? One parent was a goddess and the other was a necromancer. She should be a badass from that alone. Throwing pythia powers into the mix should make her extremely powerful. Despite her ability to do things others can’t, it always seems like other pythias can overtake her too easily.

Finally the time came for Cassie and Mircea to have a talk. Cassie found out something about him, and he was forced to explain the situation. It turned out much better than I thought it would have. He revealed much more than I would have expected. Well it turns out what I always thought about him was true.

The end was great! The final showdown with Ares happened. The way that got settled was completely unexpected and fantastic! The best part was that Cassie finally made a choice, and it was the one I wanted her to make. No more love triangle drama, hopefully anyway. The other guy isn’t going let Cassie go easily. There was a cliffhanger at the end, but it was one I can deal with.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for giving me this in exchange for an honest review!

Scorpion Trap by Pippa DaCosta

Rating: 5 stars

Series: Soul Eater #4

Isis conned Ace into going to Egypt for an unknown purpose. She promised to reveal who he really is if he helped her. Another motivating factor was she wouldn’t tell Osiris anything. Of course Shu had to come with, but it put their relationship to the test. Nothing went smoothly. That’s just the way his life works.

Isis is devious as hell. It was obvious she was using Ace, but I actually felt slightly bad for her when she told Ace her story. Sometimes I wished he had listened to Shu’s advice and avoided the situation. OTOH he needed to know who he is. I’d probably do something crazy if my past was a mystery too.

Ace and Shu have a fascinating love/hate relationship. It’s understandable why Ace has trust issues with Shu. I’m not sure she is really there, but it doesn’t appear that she genuinely hates him.

I loved the end! Ace finally learned who he is!!! I’m so excited! I’m dying to know what happens next! This really changes things.

See No Evil by Pippa DaCosta

Rating: 4.5 stars

Series: Soul Eater #3

These keep getting better and better. Ace the godkiller has made a few enemies. They won’t let what he has done or what they believe he has done go without punishment. Various enemies keep popping out of the woodwork to get him.

The journey into Duat was awesome. It was fascinating to learn more about Ace’s homeland. He discovered some surprising things about himself there, but nothing that gave him the answers he really wanted. Obviously there is something special about him. I am curious about why Osiris has punished Ace in the way he has. Why didn’t he simply kill him like the other gods would have done?

Ace seems to have accepted that he has actually changed. The problem is almost no one else believes it. The one person who does is the last person he would have expected to. Shu showed her true colors, but all it did was confirm my suspicions about her. Cat is great! She can seriously kick ass. She and Ace would make a good couple. The whole situation with Bastet is likely to put a damper on things. I wonder if she’ll believe him when the time comes.

Witches’ Bane by Pippa DaCosta

Rating: 4 stars

Series: Soul Eater #2

Ace Dante is awesome! I love how conflicted he is. There’s a constant struggle between being good and bad although for the most part good seems to be winning out. In this not only is he conflicted but slightly confused. It’s like he’s on the verge of remembering what happened in Hidden Blade but the memories are resurfacing. You know they will and there will be hell to pay (probably from Cat) when they do.

I am more curious than ever as to who he really is. Is he even part of the Egyptian pantheon? Why is who he is being kept secret? Is it dangerous for him if he knows or is it too dangerous for the other gods if he knows?

There was more character development in this than in Hidden Blade. I really enjoyed the addition of Cat. She and Shu are awesome sidekicks. Shu was way more likeable this time around. The budding friendship with her and Ace is a good thing. They’re stuck together anyway. It’ll be beneficial to them to be friends rather than reluctant adversaries.

I have mixed feelings about the end. Did Ace do the right thing? It seems like all of this is going to come back and bite him in the ass. Thoth alluded to a prophecy. He may not have interpreted it correctly. That alone could have consequences for Ace’s actions. Chances are things will get worse for Ace before they get better.

Hidden Blade by Pippa DaCosta

Rating: 4 stars

Series: Soul Eater #1

Ace, the nameless one, is stuck in a rather unfortunate situation. He’s a powerful being but his life isn’t his own. By nature he’s a bad guy. It can’t be helped. Eating souls is what he does. He’s also forced to do bad things because of his situation with Osiris. At heart he wants to be good, but it doesn’t come easily. I love characters that are as conflicted as Ace is. 

All of the other characters were interesting, but it was hard to get attached to them. The world building was good. The use of Egyptian gods was cool. I definitely want to know more about Ace’s past and about what was going on with his mother. There is a lot more to explore in this world, and I definitely want to read the rest of the series.

So this was probably worth somewhat less than 4 stars, but it was too good to give it less than 4. Something was missing for me, but I’m not sure what. Nothing was wrong with this, but for some reason I just didn’t love it.

Born in Fire by K.F. Breene

Rating: 3 stars

Series: Fire and Ice Trilogy #1

I felt like this book tried to be more than it was. It had a little of all the classic UF stuff i.e. snarky heroine, heroine with special powers, unexpected sidekicks, hidden background. None of it melded into anything unique. 

Reagan had too much attitude. It was practically impossible for her to be serious no matter how dire the consequences. Sometimes it worked to her advantage because her behavior surprised others. Other times she seemed immature. Maybe it was just me but for about the first half of the book I had to remind myself that she was a woman. Her behaviors and actions made me think of a man.

Vampires are awesome, but these were fairly average vampires. Darius was the only one with considerable page time. I liked him but didn’t love him. He was the only potential love interest not that it was much of a romance.

Something about the writing style didn’t work well for me. I could follow the plot easily enough, but certain minor things didn’t flow well at times. Reagan’s secret was revealed at the end. I hadn’t figured out what she was but didn’t find it particularly shocking either.