REVIEW The Dragon Conspiracy (SPI Files Book 2) by Lisa Shearin

The Dragon Conspiracy (SPI Files Book 2) by Lisa Shearin
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date:
Format: eBook and Audiobook (Personal Library)
Publisher: Ace 

Makenna Fraser’s adventures continue in the second book of the SPI Files series, The Dragon Conspiracy by Lisa Shearin, and narrator Johanna Parker does an excellent job bringing said adventures (more like shenanigans) to life in the audiobook. 

At the start of the book, SPI seer Mac and partner Ian are at the museum showing of ‘The Dragon Eggs’, a cursed collection of diamonds famous for various appearances throughout history. They think their presence is just to keep an eye on the owner, a villainous dragon who’s rumored to be selling the Dragon Eggs, but it turns into a heist investigation after a group of supernaturals makes off with the gems. Things get even more interesting when a young gem appraiser sent to the showing seems to have caught everyone’s eye, and Mac and Ian are once again forced to intervene before the diamonds can be used against every supernatural in the Tri-State area. 

In terms of worldbuilding, the SPI Files series is top-notch. I’ve always been a big fan of mythology and folklore, and Ms. Shearin has a whole host of different species and beings that make an appearance. For example, some of the supernaturals you can expect in this book are mages, gorgons, harpies, and even an ogre serving as backup. I’ve always appreciated how each book in this series builds upon each other, and how readers are introduced to the various supernatural beings mostly through Makenna’s eyes in her capacity as a seer. 

Speaking of Makenna - she’s always been a hilarious character and I enjoy getting to see the world through her eyes. She’s definitely not as well trained as her commando coworkers, but she’s by no means a damsel in distress. While Mac is the undisputed star of the show, there is a full cast of side characters that make the series what it is. SPI is quite a large organization made up of many different moving parts; in many ways, it's reminiscent of a fantasy version of Men in Black. Each character the author introduces has a purpose in the story, and many of them were surprisingly memorable given how little page time they had. Yasha has always been one of my favorites; if and when the series finishes I hope the author crafts some side stories in the same universe that follows him and his adventures.    

Overall, another great book from Lisa Shearin. If you enjoy laugh-out-loud urban fantasy novels with fast-paced action, a dynamic ensemble of characters, and unique worldbuilding, then I suspect you’ll be a fan of this book (and the series overall). Additionally, I want to note that audiobook lovers (or just anyone who wants a good laugh) should check out the audiobook version of The Dragon Conspiracy; Johanna Parker is one of my favorite narrators ever, and she did an excellent job bringing the story ad Makenna’s humor to life with her performance. 

About the Book

A gala opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has attracted the upper crust of Manhattan—and thieves. A trio of vile harpies attacks the crowd and steals the stars of the exhibition: a colorful cluster of seven cursed diamonds known as the Dragon Eggs.
In the right mage’s hands, each stone can pack a magical wallop. Together they have the power to “cure” the supernaturals of the tristate area—but for many of those vampires and werewolves, that means turning into dust.

I’m Makenna Fraser, a seer for SPI. With the help of my partner, Ian, and the other agents, I have twenty-four hours to prevent total global panic, find the diamonds, and save the supernatural community. No biggie...

About the Author

Lisa is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Raine Benares novels and The SPI Files.

Lisa is a voracious collector of fountain pens, teapots & teacups both vintage and modern. She lives on a small farm in North Carolina with her husband, four spoiled-rotten retired racing greyhounds, and enough deer and woodland creatures to fill a Disney movie.

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REVIEW A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses Book 1) by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses Book 1) by Sarah J. Maas 

Rating: 3 Stars
Release Date: May 5, 2015
Format: Audiobook (Personal Library)
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's

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After years of hearing the hype about Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses series, I finally succumbed and read the first book. I can safely say that I understand (most of) the hype now - there are still a couple of aspects of the book I don’t get the frenzy over. 

First of all, the worldbuilding for the series is amazing. Incredibly detailed, yet also incredibly easy to understand. I had no issues envisioning Prythia and the various areas of the world that Feyre traveled to. After finishing this book, I’m excited to travel to the courts of the other High Lords. 

The Beauty and the Beast retelling aspect didn’t really click for me until the end of the book. I guessed initially that it was related to the masks that are forcefully bonded to the fae's faces, but it took a long time for the truth to be revealed. With this in mind, I have to say I’m also not sure who the final love interest for Feyre is. The Tamlin/Feyre romance feels very forced and is definitely not something I could get behind. I’ve been told that the storyline gets better in the next book, so I will hold out hope that the romance improves by then.

There’s so much to admire about Feyre - she’s fiercely determined to protect her family (despite the lack of care they show her). She’s also very scrappy and headstrong. Feyre reminded me of another one of the author’s female heroines - Aelin from Throne of Glass is very similar to her. I haven’t really seen anything to make any of her family members redeemable (her older sisters couldn’t even be bothered to teach her to read), but I’m curious on whether or not that will change in subsequent books. 

Jennifer Ikeda gave a solid performance for the audiobook narration. If you’re already an audiobook fan, then it's worth giving a listen. If you’re not a fan of audiobooks, then it's up to you about which format you read the book in (you’re not missing anything by not listening to the audiobook). 

I will definitely be reading A Court of Mist and Fury because I’m curious about the storyline, but I’m not in any particular rush to do so. If you’re like me and questioned whether you should keep reading, I recommend that you keep going! The ending of the book does make the confusion of the first part more bearable. 

About the Book

Feyre is a huntress. And when she sees a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she kills the predator and takes its prey to feed herself and her family.

But the wolf was not what it seemed, and Feyre cannot predict the high price she will have to pay for its death...

Dragged away from her family for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding even more than his piercing green eyes suggest.

As Feyre's feelings for Tamlin turn from hostility to passion, she learns that the faerie lands are a far more dangerous place than she realized. And Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

About the Author

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City series. Her books have sold millions of copies and are published in thirty-seven languages.

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Sarah J. Maas Author Photo Credit: Beowulf Sheehan

The Glass Gauntlet (The Blood Guard #2) by Carter Roy

The Glass Gauntlet (The Blood Guard #2) by Carter Roy
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Release Date: August 18, 2015
Format: eBook + Audiobook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: Two Lions (eBook) + Brilliance Audio (Audiobook)

Check out my review of the first book, The Blood Guard!

Check out my review of the third book, The Blazing Bridge!

The Glass Gauntlet by Carter Roy is the sequel to The Blood Guard and it’s just as zany and action-packed. It picks up where the first book left off (plus a couple of weeks or so), and it does take longer for the action to pick up. However, once the action does pick it up it’s well worth it and quite exciting. 

While this book is most commonly compared to Percy Jackson, I also got some vibes that reminded me of The Hunger Games or Indiana Jones. There’s the competition aspect (in which the kids are in way over their head) that reminds me of The Hunger Games. The hunt for lost artifacts and the secret society reminded me of Indiana Jones. I especially enjoyed learning about the Glass Gauntlet (both the competition and the item), and it’s cool how the author built on the history of the Blood Guard that they introduced in the first book. 

The characters and their relationships were a highlight of this book (and the series overall).  Jack Dawkins is definitely the comedic relief in the group. I enjoyed the narrator’s performance of his character. This book goes into his backstory a bit more, and I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about how he became the person we see in the books. The growth of the friendship between the trio was a key point in the book’s storyline. I’m really fond of their dynamic. Despite enjoying romance in the books I read that are aimed at older audiences, I’m quite happy that there is seemingly no budding romance in this book. It isn’t necessary at this level, and sometimes it is nice to just have the main characters be best friends. 

Altogether, The Glass Gauntlet is an entertaining adventure-filled fantasy read. It doesn’t have quite as much wow factor as the first book, but I would still happily recommend it to those who enjoy books like Percy Jackson.

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About the Author

Carter Roy has painted houses and worked on construction sites; waited tables and driven delivery trucks; been a stage hand for rock bands and a videographer on a cruise ship; worked as a line cook in a kitchen, a projectionist in a movie theater, and a rhetoric teacher at a university. He has been a reference librarian and a bookseller, edited hundreds of books for major publishers, and written award-winning short-stories for adult readers that appeared in a half-dozen journals and anthologies.
He is the author of The Blood Guard and its sequel, The Glass Gauntlet. He lives in New York City.

A Whole New World (Twisted Tales Book 1) by Liz Braswell

A Whole New World (Twisted Tales Book 1) by Liz Braswell

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Release Date: September 1, 2015

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

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The Twisted Tales series explores alternate, darker versions of Disney’s most famous fairy tales. In A Whole New World, Liz Braswell takes us through what would happen if Aladdin never rubbed the lamp in the Cave of Wonders. 

It was kind of weird to me how the book seemed to copy parts of the movie exactly (I think parts of the dialogue were the same word for word). The storyline diverges at around a quarter of the way into the book into the “What if” scenario. I can see where people are coming from when they remarked that this book reads like a fanfiction of the movie. 

My favorite part of this book is how Aladdin never pretends to be something he’s not (Jasmine knows he’s a street rat/commoner from start to finish). My issues with the book (and why the rating is so low) stem from the age difference in the plot and violence level versus the character interactions and writing. Violence and the plot were YA-level while character interactions and writing were middle-grade level. For example, there were multiple scenes filled with humorous banter and sarcastic remarks which didn’t really fit the mood and what was happening in the scene.  

With this in mind, I don’t think I would be comfortable recommending it to younger middle-grade readers. I think it would be more suitable for an audience of young adults. I’m unsure whether or not I’ll be reading the other books in the Twisted Tales series if they turn out similar to this one.