Here at Chapter Break, we don’t always write a full review of every book we read. Well, now we decided to do these monthly wrap-up posts with roundups of our reviews this month and mini-reviews to fill in the gaps. Enjoy!
Moving is rough. Still trying to catch up.
Infernal Magic (Shadows & Flame Series Book 1) This book started off super exciting and got me wanting to keep reading/listening for several reasons. One, the audiobook narrator is one I already love for a different few series. Two, the main character is kind of crazy and stuff. So the MC is someone who can’t remember her past, which is a common trope in fantasy/urban fantasy. But this girl, she turns out to have some hellhound tracking her for her soul for a deal her former self made. And she calls her former self – FU! It stands for Former Ursula, but it’s hilarious. The story starts in the UK which is a change from all the USA urban fantasy I’ve read, but then moves over to familiar territory. Our MC only has a note from FU saying on your 18th birthday demand a trial. So she goes through a trial, is the victor, and becomes a hell collector herself. FABULOUS start. The rest is kind of ho-hum with her figuring out her new life and being so sucky at it. There are really cool and interesting characters that I’d love to get to know more in future books. I think I’ll have to keep reading. Solid 3.5 stars.
The Spies That Bind: A Gallagher Girls Prequel This was a cute Audible original. I haven’t read any of the series so have no connection with the characters yet, but I really enjoyed getting to meet them and watch them build quick friendship “ties” in that first week of spy school. I also enjoyed that the narrator was someone I have listened to for other books and enjoy her voices and cadence. Definitely curious to read/listen to some of the books in this series.
The Rose Garden: I FINALLY read a Shelf Love Book. This one, I purchased in 2016. Whoops! I generally enjoy the timey-whimey of Ms. Kearsley’s books. This one is good, but not outstanding. I liked the historical characters. They were a lot more interesting than the modern characters. And really did not see the twist coming at the end. But I could have used more explanation as to how the time slipping worked.
The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent #1: Ah. Another great find from the Audible Originals files. Short (YAY FOR THAT). Pretty clever and funny. Adam Baldwin makes a great narrator (and president!). And I love the Firefly and Bear Grylls connections. Well worth checking out. Not too sci-fi-y if that’s not your thing. I’ll certainly be checking out more of this series.
Six of Crows: Good heist story. Characters that I really enjoyed. Some great fan art! But I struggled with paying attention to words I couldn’t pronounce without the audio help, let alone spell.
Books we reviewed this month:
