redhairedashreads's reviews
4667 reviews

Wind Whisperer by Anna Lowe

4.0

 

4 stars - It was really good

Erin dreams of becoming a hot air balloon pilot and only needs one more flight to reach that status. But her dreams are put on hold when three new paranormals arrive in Sedona. She has to deal with a new coworker, a charismatic warlock making offers that are too good to be true, and a vampiress with a thirst for power. Erin finds herself thrust in the middle of a paranormal showdown where she realizes the truth about herself, finds love, and fights for her future. 

This was an enjoyable new series that continues to expand this fantastic paranormal world that Lowe has created. Erin is a smart, capable, and determined woman who just wants to achieve her dream of being a hot air balloon pilot. I really liked her and how capable she was during everything that happened. Even when she didn’t know what she was doing she didn’t back down and never gave up. 

Nash is a dragon shifter who is burnt out and searching for peace again. He was sweet and a little bit protective but knew to trust Erin’s abilities with wind and a balloon.  I liked seeing him shed his depression-like state as the story progressed and come alive again. Nash and Erin’s relationship was fast paced and very sweet. This is a fated mates situation but it didn’t feel instantaneous, which I prefer. 

The villain in this was pretty straightforward but I still enjoyed the whole thing. While I have read a lot of Lowe’s series, warlocks and vampires are not usually main characters or even mentioned so it was cool to learn more about them in this paranormal world. Like I said, this was just a fun story overall and I didn’t mind that it was straightforward.

Overall, this was a good start for a new series and I look forward to reading the next book. Also, Sedona seems like a fascinating place with its blend of paranormals and humans. 

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*

 

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff

5.0

 

As someone who lived through this event and watched it happen on television, this was a hard book to listen to. This attack happened when I was in the fourth grade (9 years old). A teacher came into our class to notify us that an attack had a happend and told us to turn on the tv because we were one of the only classes that had a TV. The second plane had already hit and we sat there and watched what enfolded afterwards. While this memory is vivid, at the time I didn’t understand the full impact of what was happening. I knew it was bad but not the full extent of what it meant long term. I would of course learn more about that as I grew older and I saw how this impacted the world and the full details start to emerge over the next few years. 

Listening to this book as an adult, gave me a better sense of how chaotic this event was for NY and our country. It also gave me an idea of how people reacted at the time of the first plane hitting and how that changed as the situation unfolded. This goes over each aspect of the attack by each plane, the collapses, and the aftermath. It made it very easy to follow the sequence of events, especially as someone who only saw this from the news, which didn’t have the full picture at the time. 

The narration of this was wonderful and emotional. We get the story from actual interviews from the people who survived, the family left behind, reporters, government officials, students, and so many more people. The only issue with this audio format for people could be the fluctuation in audio because it is a bunch of different narrators, but it didn’t really bother me. It was worth it to hear the emotion in their voice and feel how much this event affected them, and still affects them today. I will say, a lot of the chapters were very hard to listen to because of people getting emotional describing what happened, like the jumper chapter. I got choked up quite a few times. 

Overall, I highly recommend this book because you get a well rounded sense of how this attack affected the world. I lived through this event but still learned a lot from this book. 

 

City of Souls by Mel Harding-Shaw

3.0

 

3 stars - I liked it

Bounty Hunter Hel’s life depends on staying below the radar and passing as human. But when the Lord of the City of Souls discovers she can help him locate someone, he reclaims her bond-debt and brings her into the spotlight. And when dark magic starts infecting the city, they find they only have each other to rely on. 

While I found this to be a very interesting story and world, it did take me a while to get into it. Harding-Shaw has created a very interesting world that is partially modern but also apocalyptic with its abandoned structures and monsters. It has elementals, angel-like people, who rule over the humans and have elemental abilities like fire, air, etc. I found the whole concept of this world to be fascinating and really captivating, even if I struggled a bit with the characters.

While I liked both Hel and Bast, I found their relationship to be a bit rough for me to believe. There is a power imbalance between them because Bast owns Hel’s debt and has basically enslaved her to work for him. This debt becomes a main discussion point throughout the whole book and Hel frequently brings up the imbalance. This is an enemy to lovers story and I think the tension between them was good and made sense because of the situation.  But, I just struggled with actually seeing these two as successful couple until almost the end of the book, and even then I am not sure how great they will be. They come across as a good working team more than a couple for me in this first book. 

I will say, I really liked Hel and how badass she was. She took no shit from Bast and it made me like her a whole lot. I do still want to know more about her heritage and why specifically she is on the run. Bast was a character that I liked more as the book progressed. I didn’t love him for the first 50% or so but by the end I found myself liking him. I am interested in seeing how their relationship goes and if they start feeling like a solid couple to me. 

Overall, this was an interesting world and characters. While I didn’t love the romance, I am interested in seeing where it goes and what will happen next after that cliffhanger. 

TW: indentured servant; past death of a loved one; 

 

Mr. Villain's Day Off, Vol. 3 by Yuu Morikawa

3.0

 

3 stars - I liked it

This was another fun bunch of comics featuring the General having some relaxing days off and visiting the pandas. I also like that we are starting to get some backstory on the Rangers and how they came together. 

 

A Masquerade With a Marquess by Tammy Andresen

2.0

This was ok. I didn’t hate it but I also didn’t really love it. These two would have a lot of chemistry but they refused to talk to each other or really get to know each other outside of sex. Because of this I felt like the relationship wasn’t very emotional and I struggle to envision these two having a happy future. Yes they did start talking at the end but it was too late for me to enjoy it at that point. 

TW: physically and emotionally abusive parent; PTSD;  mention of kidnapping and death; gun violence 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping

Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas

4.5

4.5 stars 

“You’re only a monster if you choose to be.” 

This book picks up right where The Sunbearer Trials ended and continue’s Teo’s story, but this time instead of trying to survive the trials he is trying to fix what he brought upon the world by not sacrificing Auristela to Sol.  Teo, Aurelio, and Niya have two weeks to stop the Obsidians before the Sol stones go out. 

Like the first book, I was instantly sucked into Teo’s story and seeing these characters overcome the challenges they face. Teo has really grown since he was first introduced. He is no longer the spoiled and unconfident Jade who is focused on pranks and having fun. He is now a fighter, protector, and is determined to protect his friends and people. I really loved seeing Teo become confident, be the unofficial leader, and argue for a better future. 

Another wonderful surprise about this book was that we actually get Xio’s POV as well. We ended the previous book with Xio betraying everyone to help resurrect the Obsidians. We see the progression of their feelings about the Obsidians and about themselves. Not only is Xio doubting his choices, we see them also looking at their gender and trying out new pronouns. I think this is the first book I have read where a character changes their pronouns halfway through and I want to read more of this in the future. 

For the other characters in this book, we see Aurelio struggle to work without his sister but also open up to Teo and Niya more. We see beneath the facade that he has put up for years and find a man who doesn’t really want to fight but continues to because of his mother’s demanding influence. We also see Teo and Aurelio finally admit their feelings and become a couple. I really loved the progression of their relationship during this story. 

My favorite character in this series is probably Niya though. She is brilliant, strong, and very amusing. I really love the friendship between her and Tio and how it grew to involve Xio and Aurelio over time. Also the friendly banter between Niya and Teo was always so good. Thomas does a wonderful job at creating a solid and beautiful friendship between these two that you can’t help but love. 

The character development for all of the characters is probably one of my favorite parts of this duology. When this story started they were all teenagers but by the end of this book they have become responsible young adults who are determined to make the world a better place. I loved how all the main characters questioned tradition and all fought to change the world for the better. Thomas really does a fantastic job at creating solid characters with great development over a story, even the villains are fantastic. 

Overall, I think this was a wonderful conclusion to this story. It was a fun and action packed read that I couldn’t put down. Also I love how queer inclusive and accepting this world is, and find I really want more fantasy like this. Also I really wish the real world could be this way. 

*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

 

Take by Anna Hackett

4.0

  

New Orleans is a new start for Frankie. She is setting up a new lab to work on her government funded project and is determined to enjoy the city. When she ends up at a party hosted by the Fury Brothers she finds herself sharing a kiss with a handsome stranger, only to find out later that he was her brother's best friend, Reath Fury.

This was an enjoyable and action packed story. Frankie was a smart, confident, and determined woman who wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. I really liked her from the very beginning. When things start going down and she finds herself in danger, she calls for help but also fights back. She has a brown belt and actually uses it. 

Reath is a protective and closed off man. He spent his childhood bouncing around foster homes until he met his brothers and didn't let anyone in because of it. He doesn’t think he needs or wants a relationship, but having Frankie crash into his life changes that. I liked Reath and how protective he was, especially since he didn’t get overbearing with it. 

These two had instant attraction and a lot of chemistry. Their relationship starts as a brief fling to try and get their lust out of the way before they focus back on work, but that doesn’t stick. With each dangerous moment these two grow closer together and quickly realize they don’t want it to end. Their relationship was enjoyable and I liked how they learned to lean on each other with each situation that came up. 

Overall, this was a fast paced story with lots of action and a great romance. I really enjoy these brothers and look forward to seeing the next one fall. 

TW: abusive foster families; kidnapping; death; sibling injured during combat

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Death

Minor: Child abuse

Dandadan, Vol. 7 by Yukinobu Tatsu

4.0

 

4 stars - It was really good

In this volume the gang goes back to school while trying to figure out how to deal with Evil Eye in Jiji’s body. I enjoyed this volume. It was interesting to see how all the different people change into their forms. Jiji’s is very interesting because it's so easy for him to switch to Evil Eye. I am very interested in seeing how he progresses in controlling Evil Eye.

This volume ends with Turbo Granny and Ikarun sneaking into a building so she can train him to be stronger. It will be interesting to see where this battle leads. 

 

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Long Night at Goloski Station by Mike Mignola

3.0

This was an interesting story about a werewolf hunter who refuses to die. I could have read more about this hunter.

Dandadan, Vol. 6 by Yukinobu Tatsu

4.0

4 stars - It was really good

This volume continues the fight against the Mongolian Death Worm and Evil Eye. This was a very interesting battle because they were fighting on multiple fronts and things just kept popping up. Since the backstory for these monsters were in the previous volume, this one was mostly fighting, but it was still a great battle. 

This volume really shows how far Momo and Okarun have come since that first chapter. They now are fighting to protect each other and the city, not just focusing on surviving a yokai or alien. Seeing them deal with repeated attacks from the Worm and Evil Eye really just shows how strong they have gotten. 

Evil Eye continues to be an interesting yokai that I am curious to see how they deal with, especially since they now know what triggers him.