Celestial Academy: Essence

Title: Celestial Academy: Essence
Author: Olivia Pharos
Published: December 15, 2022 by Seventh Wonder Press
Format: Kindle, 422 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Afterworld #1

First Sentence: I squint up against the cloudy glare of another dreary morning, hoping for a glimpse of my latest victim.

Blurb: Orphan. Slave. Drug dealer.

As a Demon-Owned human, in an Afterworld that literally has Hell and Heaven on Earth, I'm the lowest a being can be. My life is one of drudgery, degradation—and mortal danger. And that's before I started dealing Angelescence. Unlike anything in existence, it's a drug only I can produce, and everyone would kill for.

With decommission and execution closing in, I'm desperate to buy out my and my best friend's Indentures. But upping my operations only gets me arrested, and my terrifying captor drags me to the Celestial Court—on a leash—to stand trial. My sentence?

Conscription to Celestial Academy.

As the most powerful nephilim in history, Godric is Heaven's most ruthless soldier and assassin. And he's been assigned with discovering the root of my unprecedented ability to capture Angel Essence.

We both hate our forced proximity—and each other. Especially since we're seething with explosive emotions and cravings that neither of us ever thought to experience, and can't possibly afford. Anything between us isn't only forbidden, it's disastrous. Potentially for all of existence.

But being embroiled in our passionate war becomes the least of our worries as he unearths even more terrible mysteries within me. Meanwhile, lethal trials loom at mid-term, and a devastating internal war as well as another Apocalypse are brewing...

...and I'm at the center of it all.

My Opinion: I almost put this book down. The first twenty percent was too manic and unfocused, and then boom something happened. That is where I found the rhythm since this book comes in waves. Slow sections have you trudging to get through, then a race to the next peak, all while watching the battle of good and evil playing out without truly knowing who is good and who is evil.

The age difference within this enemies to friends (they aren’t at the lover’s stage, yet) theme was a bit cringy. Wen is a mouthy sixteen full of insults and questions, Godric, all scowls, and growls, is somewhere between 30 and 30 thousand. For being an “inexperienced” teen girl, her thoughts are spicy with descriptions way beyond her years.

So many characters. There is a glossary at the end, but you might need to keep notes with both names and how they are related to the hierarchy. Lorcan and Gideon, cousins of Godric, bring humor and lighthearted parts that the book needs. Sarah, Wen’s only friend, is reminiscent of Enid Sinclair from the show Wednesday. Yet, there is more to her story, way more, and the reader is just getting to the tell me more parts with her. And the twenty or so others at the academy all vying for a place without dying first.

What carries this book is the banter. You will find yourself laughing and smirking. As far as I can tell, the plan is 7 books, but with the “oh, that’s interesting”, that carries the reader from one chapter to another, there is no telling how far this series can go.

I’m assuming Olivia Pharos is a pseudonym since the writer comes across as someone with more experience than the usual first-time indie author. Be careful while searching out this book, it appears there are a couple of different authors using the same book title.

With Wen’s spicy thoughts, the Celestial Academy falls firmly into the new adult fantasy realm.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

Title: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It
Author: Elle Cosimano
Published: February 2, 2021 by Minotaur Books
Format: Hardcover, 355 Pages
Genre: Women's Fiction
Series: Finlay Donovan #1

First Sentence: It’s a widely known fact that most moms are ready to kill someone by eight thirty a.m. on any given morning.

Blurb: Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moment, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from YA Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano.

My Opinion: From the first pages, this book is engaging and delightful, blending humor, suspense, and the everyday chaos of motherhood. The reader follows Finlay Donovan, a struggling novelist and single mother, who accidentally becomes involved in a real-life murder plot after being mistaken for a contract killer during a conversation with her literary agent at Panera.

Initially, I wasn’t sure if I was the target audience for this book, yet I found Finlay incredibly relatable. She juggles children, an ex-husband, a demanding job, bills, and putting groceries on the table. She is both endearing and resilient, making readers root for her and her messy life from the beginning.

The plot is fast-paced and filled with unexpected twists. Cosimano has found a balance between comedic situations and suspenseful moments, creating a story that keeps readers on the edge of their seats and makes them laugh out loud. The situations Finlay finds herself in are often absurd yet oddly believable, adding to her unique charm.

The supporting cast of characters is another highlight. From Finlay’s nanny Vero, to her ex-husband Steve, to detective Nicholas Anthony, their interactions are quirky and add multiple layers to the story.

Overall, the book is a quick and fun read. It’s often frantic and hilarious while also touching as it embraces friendship, inner strength, and the lengths one will go to protect their loved ones.

Assassins Anonymous

Title: Assassins Anonymous
Author: Rob Hart
Published: June 11, 2024 by G.P. Putnam's Sons
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 320 Pages
Genre: Thriller
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

First Sentence: Adrenaline is the ultimate painkiller.

Blurb: In this clever, surprising, page-turner, the world’s most lethal assassin gives up the violent life only to find himself under siege by mysterious assailants. It’s a kill-or-be-killed situation, but the first option is off the table. What’s a reformed hit man to do?

Mark was the most dangerous killer-for-hire in the world. But after learning the hard way that his life’s work made him more monster than man, he left all of that behind, and joined a twelve-step group for reformed killers.

When Mark is viciously attacked by an unknown assailant, he is forced on the run. From New York to Singapore to London, he chases after clues while dodging attacks and trying to solve the puzzle of who’s after him. All without killing anyone. Or getting killed himself. For an assassin, Mark learns, nonviolence is a real hassle.

My Opinion: Hart is an underappreciated author. Every time I read that he has a new book coming out, it shoots to the top of my wishlist. This is my third (The Warehouse (2019), The Paradox Hotel (2022)) Hart book, and I continue to tell people about them when they aren’t sure what to read and are tired of the same old thing.

Imagine you are a world-class lactose-intolerant killer for hire who has decided to give up your violent past. You have joined a twelve-step program and are days away from receiving your one-year coin from Assassins Anonymous (AA), but your past is catching up with you, and you are in a kill-or-be-killed situation. Feeling sorry for and cheering on a feared assassin is not what you think you would be doing on a Tuesday afternoon, but that is where you will find yourself.

Sure, there is a fair share of gruesome here, but there are also hysterically funny parts with heart and surprises. The reader will not be bored – I read this in two sittings – but what makes this a perfect read are the twists. So. Many. Twists. The reader is just finishing with the fallout of one before the next hits you in the solar plexus.

So, Mr. Hart, I look forward to what is coming next and will be waiting patiently for the next book that will knock me off my feet.

The Last Carolina Girl

Title: The Last Carolina Girl
Author: Meagan Church
Published: March 28, 2023 by Sourcebooks Landmark
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
Genre: Literary Fiction

First Sentence: The last time Daddy and I stood at the ocean’s edge together, there had been a storm most of the day.

Blurb: For fourteen-year-old Leah Payne, life in her beloved coastal Carolina town is as simple as it is free. Devoted to her lumberjack father and running through the wilds where the forest meets the shore, Leah's country life is as natural as the Loblolly pines that rise to greet the Southern sky.

When an accident takes her father's life, Leah is wrenched from her small community and cast into a family of strangers with a terrible secret. Separated from her only home, Leah is kept apart from the family and forced to act as a helpmate for the well-to-do household. When a moment of violence and prejudice thrusts Leah into the center of the state's shameful darkness, she must fight for her own future against a world that doesn't always value the wild spirit of a Carolina girl.

Set in 1935 against the very real backdrop of a recently formed state eugenics board, The Last Carolina Girl is a powerful and heart-wrenching story of fierce strength, forgotten history, autonomy, and the places and people we ultimately call home. (GoodReads)

My Opinion: Set in 1935, North Carolina tells a heartbreaking and redemptive story of Leah Payne, whose hard life with her father after her mother’s death changes in an instant when the only person who has always been there for her is suddenly killed in a storm.

When the family next door can’t take her in, Leah is placed in the foster system. That was the first lie; the family didn’t want a child, they wanted a help mate. A person that didn’t need to be educated or treated with dignity. But that is not all to their story; there is a stunning twist at the end that the reader could not see coming.

As heartbreaking as this story is, it is also redemptive. It has its disgustingly cruel and biased parts with eugenics and taking away a person’s rights. But what they can’t take away are Leah’s dreams. Dreams that she was told were too big for someone like her.

I couldn’t put this gripping book down and look away from Leah’s life. The strength of Leah and what she is willing to do and accept will stay with the reader long after the final page is turned.

Love & Saffron

Title: Love & Saffron
Author: Kim Fay
Published: February 8, 2022 by G.P. Putnam's Sons
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
Genre: Epistolary Fiction

First Sentence: October 1, 1962, Los Angeles, CA, Dear Mrs. Fortier, I hope this letter finds you well.

Blurb: This witty and tender novel follows two women in 1960s America as they discover that food really does connect us all, and that friendship and laughter are the best medicine. (GoodReads)

My Opinion: This book must be read in one sitting.

Love & Saffron is a sweet story encompassing all the best parts of friendship and food. What starts light with smiles and giggles follows the path of a warm friendship with shared recipes, secrets, and heartfelt advice and ends with a tear or two.

There is a deep feeling of humanity and non-judgment between these two women and the bond they share. Even though the world of the 1960s is ripe with bias and preconception, Imogen (59) and Joan (27) forge a friendship through letters in a way that many of us can learn from.

It may be a short book, but Kim Fay packs a big story (resilience, discovery, heartbreak, small moments, world change, wisdom, hope, and comfort) that you won’t soon forget.

The Last Word

Title: The Last Word
Author: Elly Griffiths
Published: April 23, 2024 by Mariner Books
Format: Hardcover, 338 Pages
Genre: Mystery
Series: Harbinder Kaur #4

First Sentence: Monday, 4 April 2022. There are some advantages to being the oldest sleuth in the country, thinks Edin.

Blurb: Natalka and Edwin, whom we met in The Postscript Murders, are running a detective agency in Shoreham, Sussex. Despite a steady stream of minor cases, Natalka is frustrated, longing for a big juicy case such as murder to come the agency's way. Natalka is now living with dreamer, Benedict. But her Ukrainian mother Valentyna has joined them from her war-torn country and three's a crowd. It's annoying to have Valentyna in the tiny flat, cooking borscht and cleaning things that are already clean. To add to Natalka's irritation, Benedict and her mother get on brilliantly.

Then a murder case turns up. Local writer, Melody Chambers, is found dead and her family are convinced it is murder. Edwin, a big fan of the obit pages, thinks there's a link to the writer of Melody's obituary who pre-deceased his subject.

The trail leads Benedict and Edwin to a slightly sinister writers' retreat. When another writer is found dead, Edwin thinks that the clue lies in the words.

Seeking professional help, the amateur investigators turn to their friend, detective Harbinder Kaur, to find that they have stumbled on a plot that is stranger than fiction. (GoodReads)

My Opinion: Disappointing even though it brings back much-loved characters. The Last Word should have been a DNF with a slow start and too many names to remember, but I persevered and realized too late that it would never live up to the previous books in the series. For a person who prefers the mystery and the namesake investigator to start in the first couple of pages, the “body” doesn’t appear until the reader is a third through the book.

For this being a Harbinder Kaur novel, even though the trio is branching out and investigating, she doesn’t appear until too late. Natalka, Benedict, and Edwin are great characters, but the reader also wants Harbinder’s ”dead pan humor and no-nonsense manner” when dealing with an investigation. She is sprinkled here and there but has no real presence. Unfortunately, the final twist was too little too late.

Being an Elly Griffiths fan makes it hard to recommend this book since it misses the mark and is a chore to get through.

See No Evil

Title: See No Evil
Author: Victoria Laurie
Published: May 18, 2023, Self-Published
Format: Kindle, 318 Pages
Genre: Paranormal
Series: Psychic Eye Mystery #17

First Sentence: Chapter 1: For a long, long moment, no one moved.

Blurb: When a true crime podcast turns into a true crime, Abby and her fellow FBI investigators are shocked when a young woman is murdered during a live broadcast. With no clue as to the victim’s identity or location, the team must rely on Abby’s intuition to hone in on the victim. When they discover the girl’s remains at the University of Texas, the team can barely catch their breath before another female student falls victim to the same killer. Knowing that it’s only a matter of time before her phone rings with another young coed’s pleas for help, Abby and her team must race to find a clue—any clue—that will lead them to the killer. Trouble is, Abby’s got a sinking feeling that she could be the next guest on the killer’s podcast.

My Opinion: At least this is better than A Ghoul’s Gotta Do -- then again -- that is not saying much.

One of the problems with a Victoria Laurie book is convenience. Instead of building out a story and using a reasonable timeline, her characters are doing the impossible. How can a person who, two days prior, had their femoral artery nicked and gone through two surgeries be back at work? The psychic parts are fun, which allows both the author and the main character to cut corners, but maybe it’s time to consult a medical professional about healing times.

By the end of the book, I liked it. There was intensity, drama, humor, and the final moments were not evident from the beginning. A couple of times, I side-eyed Victoria Laurie and wondered if she had thought out a plot outline or was throwing ideas at the wall to see what would stick. Yet, with all of my head tilts, I enjoyed my time with the book.

The Burning

Title: The Burning
Author: Linda Castillo
Published: July 9, 2024 by Minotaur Books
Format: Hardcover, 313 Pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Kate Burkholder #16

First Sentence: Prologue: Milan Swanz figured he’d chosen the wrong night to get drunk and walk home.

Blurb: Newlywed Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is awakened by an urgent midnight call summoning her to a suspicious fire in the woods. When she arrives at the scene, she discovers a charred body. According to the coroner, the deceased, an Amish man named Milan Swanz, was chained to a stake and burned alive. It is an appalling and eerily symbolic crime against an upstanding husband and father.

Kate knows all too well that the Amish prefer to handle their problems without interference from the outside world, and no one will speak about the murdered man. From what she’s able to piece together, Swanz led a deeply troubled life and had recently been excommunicated. But if that’s the case, why are the Amish so reluctant to talk about him? Are they protecting the memory of one of their own? Or are they afraid of something they dare not share?

When her own brother is implicated in the case, Kate finds herself not only at odds with the Amish, the world of which she was once a part, but also the English community and her counterparts in law enforcement. The investigation takes a violent turn when Kate’s life is threatened by a mysterious stranger.

To uncover the truth about the death of Milan Swanz, Kate must dive deep into the Anabaptist culture, peering into all the dark corners of its history, only to uncover a secret legacy that shatters everything she thought she knew about the Amish themselves―and her own roots.

My Opinion: Disappointing. Where the book was going was apparent from the first chapter. The reader might not have all the answers, but enough was revealed, so there were no surprises. The book is slow without the usual last-minute Castillo twist and could have benefited from a secondary plotline other than outside agencies not liking Kate and her investigation tactics. The only redeeming part was the dark history, which led to a Google dive into the Schwertler Anabaptists.

Police Chief Kate Burkholder knows the Amish prefer to keep their issues private, but when she is called out to the woods in response to a fire, she is not quite prepared for that fire to be a man tied to a stake and smoldering. No one liked excommunicated Milan Swanz, especially his ex-wife, but the Amish do not speak ill of the dead, which is a complication for the Painter’s Mill Police Department.

I enjoy this series, but there is a running theme in the books, and it is beginning to feel like a fill-in-the-blank series. Gruesome death; innocent Amish who turns out to be no different than the Englisher’s; people don’t like the police chief until they need her; Kate is severely injured; twist; the end.

A Ghoul's Gotta Do

Title: A Ghoul's Gotta Do
Author: Victoria Laurie
Published: May 16, 2024 by Laurie Press
Format: Kindle, 347 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Series: Ghost Hunter #11

First Sentence: I remember the moment before everything changed.

Blurb: M.J. Holliday, her husband Heath Whitefeather, and their visiting best friend Gilley Gillespie are attacked in the Whitefeather home by a pair of demons intent on robbing Heath of his very soul and killing anyone else who stands in the way.

The demons emerge from the portraits of Heath's Native American ancestors, and now the artist and driving force behind the demons' appearance--Will Morningstar--is on the run. Worse yet, a stream of subsequent attacks and murders among a few powerful members of the Santa Fe Pueblo Tribal Council tells the ghost hunters that there are more portraits, demons, and a nefarious mystery person's agenda to contend with.

As circumstances change and become even more deadly, the only thing the ghost-hunting crew can count on, besides each other, is that, where Will's portraits are hung, a demon and death quickly follow.

M.J., Heath, and Gilley must hunt Will down, get to the bottom of the mystery behind the targeted attacks, and lock the demons back in hell before the evil force behind their unleashing murders them all.

My Opinion: When you open the paperback, the reader is first confronted with quirky formatting. This is a self-published and possibly a published-on-demand paperback, so you must take that into consideration. The margins are wide, the paragraphs consist of one or two sentences, and there is just too much stark whiteness (if that makes sense). I wondered if everything was spread out to reach a page count. The editing is not atrocious, but there is room for improvement with wrong word order, incorrect words, and plot inconsistencies. Once again, self-published.

Now, on to the body. There are good bones here, but does the reader need five paragraphs on the magnetization of a hunk of metal? As for my favorite character in Victoria Laurie’s books, Gilly is front and center. In this book, he shows maturity, but there is still a squeaky side. There is a sentence or two regarding his life with Cat, but for the most part, that part of Gilly, or his relationships, is not mentioned, and considering MJ is his BFF, that seemed strange.

The book picks up in the final third, but it loses steam when the reasoning behind the haunting involves something out of left field. I wished that the author had done a little more research in this area since it does not ring true since they are on tribal land. Granted, this is a book of fiction, and people will possibly breeze over this, but it bothered me. That is saying a lot since there were multiple times when I would say out loud, “That doesn’t make sense.”

I am uncertain if this marks the conclusion of the series, but for me, this is where I jump off this train.