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!
A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time (Magic Tree House (R) Merlin Mission) This was a read about with my kiddo, a real big kids book. We picked it up at a local Little Free Library and it took us several weeks to read it, a chapter at a time over the weekends, since he still has leveled readers he reads each night for school. It was cute how the kids helped Charles Dickens continue to be a writer and even used his future A Christmas Carol plot line to help him get past his sad memories and continue his path to greatness.
Ravenite: Vengeance and Vampires, Book 1 I got this as a freebie on Kindle and I read it in two sittings. I really liked the characters, all their backstories, and similar tragedies that brought them together. I did feel like some of it was rushed, we only briefly get introduced to the important vamps before the showdown, but this quick-paced short read was what I needed. Rachel was kick-ass yet a stubborn barely adult. I’m glad she uses her head and heart to make decisions. I liked her growth in the story, and am curious to see what else she can learn to do. I might be continuing the series. The series story arc is introduced, and only the first step is accomplished in this book. So we know more fights and magic attempts are to come.
Lore: In a complete shock to me, I actually enjoyed this book. I’ve not had a lot of recent luck reading Urban Fantasy. The twist of Greek Mythology is actually helping keep me interested. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the characters and the moral ambiguity of the gods. And giant plus to the satisfactory ending and the fact that this novel is a standalone, not the first in a never-ending series. I’m not impressed by the audio narration, though. It’s not bad enough to stop me from listening. But there is not a lot of differentiation or inflection to tell the characters apart.
The Recovery Agent: I am always down for a Janet Evanovich book. And a break from the Stephanie > Morelli > Ranger love triangle is an added plus. This is the start of a new series; we learn all about Gabriela and her treasure hunting lifestyle. I enjoyed the globe-trotting story and the humorous banter. Trigger warning if you don’t like snakes! I did find all the brand name dropping irritating. Loads of product placement, including a $500 La Perla bra used as a tourniquet. Another great narration by Lorelei King. Overall, short and fun read. Recommended!
Judas Strain: Honestly, probably not the best idea to read a book about a global pandemic during a pandemic. But that’s what I get for going with next in the series and not bothering to read the description. 🤷 Anyway! On with the review. I do enjoy the adventures of the Sigma Force team. Generally enjoyable. With lots of death defying action. I did enjoy the addition of a new character – Kowalski. (What’s up with Kowalski being a common character name? Off the top of my head: SG-1, Madagascar, Fantastic Beasts. I feel like there are more.) He’s got that gruff, no BS, attitude that I really enjoy. Nothing overly remarkable about this book. But nothing bad to say, either. It is what it is – an action\adventure.
The Sea in the Sky: In the category of Audible Original Production, this one is a sure winner. I was surprised by how quickly I became attached to the characters in this story. There were a couple of scenes that really had me verklempt! The story is great – the search for life on one of Saturn’s moons. And the ‘Sea in the Sky’ title is very accurate, with a submersible going into the moon’s oceans. But what stands out for me here is the audio production. From the hydrophones, sonar beeps, space-age-y music, and especially the switch in tonality in the daily dispatches depending on who is speaking or listening, I really enjoyed the full audio book experience. Check this one out while it’s free with your Audible subscription.
Books we reviewed this month:
The Sea in the Sky sounds really fascinating. I just checked it out and was surprised to see that it’s in a podcast format where there are 12 “episodes”. I haven’t seen any Audible Originals like that. (To be fair, I’ve only listened to a couple of them at all, and I’m pretty sure they were middle grade books.) My interest is definitely piqued!
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction recently posted…April 2022 Wrap-Up & Best of the Bunch
Glad to hear, Nicole! I’ve found a bunch of others in the podcast format to also check out!