INTO THE DROWNING DEEP by Mira Grant

Rolling in the Deep Series

Orbit Publishing

November 14^th, 2017

978-0-316-37940-3

Science Fiction, Dystopian, Mythological Creatures, Fantasy

Hardcover

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Library

5 hearts

The ocean has many mysteries and when the ship Atargatis left to search for mermaids for a mockumentary, it did so with lots of fan fair. Until it came back with no crew and no bodies. What happened to that ship is a mystery that has haunted the families and in particular, Victoria Stewart, who lost her sister that fateful day. Now Imagine Entertainment has assembled a crew, a top-notch ship and is going back to the one place that has haunted many- the Mariana Trench. A place where legends already haunt the place, of missing boats and people, of secrets in the depths that are out of reach to the humans. Are mermaids real? The new voyage to this cursed place will answer yes or no but woe to those who disturb what’s in the darkness….

Sweet lord, this new book by author Mira Grant left me reeling as well as having nightmares over mermaids, death and more. It’s a book that will draw you in right off the bat, keep you glued to the pages into the wee hours and cause you to dream about creatures that are not like Ariel in the Little Mermaid story/movie. INTO THE DROWNING DEEP is a fast-paced thriller that left me reeling-in a good way- and one that I had to stop reading at 1 am just so I could get some sleep. It’s a story that has intriguing characters, a unique storyline that will enthrall you and a new take on mermaids. If you think these are busty female sirens than you got another thing coming. These are deadly creatures and Mira Grant delivers a fresh unique take on the mermaid myth that literally had me in its grasp. The story flows swiftly and I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough to see what would happen next.

INTO THE DROWNING DEEP is the first full length book in the new series by the author & it was also one of the first books I read of hers. The story centers on the missing crew of the Atargatis and what, exactly, happened those years before. What should have been a routine voyage to film a mockumentary about mermaids turned into something else. Victoria Stewart lost her sister on that voyage and she is determined to find out the truth of the matter, even if it kills her. But things in the Mariana Trench stay hidden…until they don’t. What a great character Victoria was and it added a personal portion of the story that called to me. She was feisty, interesting and determined. You couldn’t help but feel for the girl as she searched for answers about that horror of a voyage. Add in some other great characters that you get to fall for and you got the earmark of a great story going on. What I love about INTO THE DROWNING DEEP was how different many of the characters were and it helped keep the story moving along nicely. Once they get to the Mariana Trench, things move even faster and as danger mounts, the reader is on the edge of their seat with bated breath, waiting to see what is down there and what it will do once it sees us. The characters are very well written, almost life like and there were some I really hope the author expands on in more books in this series.

Mira Grant delivers some of the best work here in her latest novel, filled with characters that fairly brim with life and step out of the pages, a creature only found in myths and legends (and an occasional Disney movie) and one so different that the reader will shudder with horror as they take center stage in the book. This is an author who knows how to keep her readers glued to the pages of the book, with a fast-paced storyline that will leave you breathless even as you take a breath from the horror of the last few chapters. If you enjoy new takes on mythological creatures, an edge of the seat ride from start to finish, then try INTO THE DROWNING DEEP and I recommend not reading in the wee hours of the night, you just might dream of mermaids that are not like what you though t they should be. I can’t wait to check out this author’s other books to see what else they tease my imagination with and I am really hoping after that ambiguous ending that book two is coming soon.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

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DIRTY MAGIC by Jaye Wells

Prospero’s War Book One
Orbit Books
January 21^st, 2014
978-0-316-22843-5
Urban Fantasy
Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)
Obtained by self-purchase
4 Hearts



For patrol cop Kate Prospero, it was just any other night while on patrol. When she tries to take down a snitch, she finds herself facing a monster that leaves her no choice but to kill it. But after that incident she is brought in to explain herself over the shooting and in the process makes the Magical Enforcement Agency (MEA) take notice of her. When Kate hears about this deadly blend of dirty magic, she wants in but can Kate handle that her past as once a dirty magic user when it is used against her. Now racing against the clock, Kate must rely on her wits, her new team of MEA agents and her past in order to save the one she loves as well as figure out who is behind the deadly blend of dirty magic out in the streets. Because Kate pissed off the wrong wizard and now it’s payback time.

I have to admit, I absolutely loved DIRTY MAGIC. The world building was phenomenal and the characters were quite diverse as well as unique in some cases. The first book in a new series is always fraught with information dumping as an author tries to make sure the reader gets to know all the players and the setting. Ms. Wells is an author who just lets it flow and doesn’t give so much information at one time. She draws it out smoothly and I just ate it up. DIRTY MAGIC combines police procedural and magic along with some paranormal thrown in to keep things interesting. I loved how the author set up the covens, the distinction between good magic and dirty magic and made sure that there were some interesting characters to enjoy as well.

Meet Kate Prospero. A former dirty magic protégé for her uncle and head of the Votary Coven before he was taken down by the federal government and Kate walked away from ever using dirty magic again. Add in an old boyfriend, a younger brother eager to figure out if being an adept means magic time and trying to save her job, Kate is pulled in so many directions it is a wonder she hasn’t snapped. I loved the dynamics of Kate with her brother Danny. Who hasn’t had a child or known one who fights or chafes against the rules an authority figure puts down? Those scenes were interesting and very life-like. Add in some colorful secondary characters like Baba, a dirty old woman concerned with Kate’s lack of a love life, Mary with little man who I swear had shades of a character from both goonies and roger rabbit. I loved Kate very much. She was multi-dimensional, dealing with trying to stay away from magic all together, raise her brother and try to move up in her job. She is at times brash, determined and can be vulnerable as well. Those scenes where she is fighting for her brother were just plain awesome. Who hasn’t done something for their child or family when your back is to the wall? All the characters are well written, quite eclectic and very intriguing. I really liked the setting of this series- down on its luck Babylon and deliver a real life look at how a down and out city tries to stay in the game. The writing is fast paced, story moves at times like a speed of light though there were some pages where I wanted the author to hurry up already and move on to the next thing but overall it was quite enjoyable nonetheless.

DIRTY MAGIC is truly a gritty gem to discover if you like kick butt heroines, a unique take on magic and crime as well as some of the most interesting cast of characters around. I am eager to see what happens next for Kate, Danny and everyone we met in DIRTY MAGIC in the next book, Cursed Magic. If you enjoy Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series or Kim Harrison’s Hollows books, then you just might enjoy Jaye Well’s Prospero’s War series. I think this author is right up there with these two wonderful urban fantasy authors. So run-don’t walk- to grab this first book in what looks to be one action packed ride into a new series by the author of the Sabina Kane series.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

ICE FORGED by Gail Z. Martin

The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, Book One
Orbit Books
January 8^th, 2013
978-0-316-09358-3
Paperback
Fantasy
Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)
Obtained by Self-Purchase
4.5 Hearts


For Lord Blaine McFadden, life as he knew it was over the day he killed his father. Exiled to the penal colony of Velant, he has lived the last six years as well as he could with no hope to return to his family and Dondareth. But times have changed as the magic that runs through the world explodes, leaving behind chaos and catastrophe in it’s wake. Now Blaine has to decide, does he go back to where he came from or stay in Velant? For time is coming when survival is just one thing the survivors have to deal with as the world’s magic runs wild and the world as they knew it is gone into the ashes.

Wow is all I can say when I started this new introduction from one of my favorite fantasy authors out there. ICE FORGED is the introduction to a world where magic was commonplace, war was eminent and life on the outer reaches of the kingdom in ice and snow was bleak at best. Ms. Martin delivers a wild ride into her new series, The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga and delivers a story that will leave you breathless. The story moves slowly at times so be warned there is quite a lot of plot setting up within the story though I have to admit I really enjoyed the slowness at times as it gave me time to absorb what happened in the pages before. The cast of characters is an intriguing mix of lords, courtesans, military, vampires and more that help move the story along at a nice pace even as the author tosses in a few twists that leave you gasping in disbelief. There are several stories intertwined with Blaine’s quest and that kept me on the edge of my seat even as the author left hints here and there throughout the first book to tease the readers with.

Meet Blain ‘Mick’ McFadden. Former heir to the Lord of Glenreith and after murdering his father in defense of his youngest sister, he finds himself exiled and alone. After meeting Blaine in the beginning of the book, I was hoping I would find him much more hardened after his time on Velant and the penal colony. With one stroke of her pen, or keystroke in this case, Ms. Martin delivers a hero that is as flawed as a human can be, afraid to hope for more than what he manages to make or receive. Blaine is a hero that I would come to fall in love with as the story moved on, the twists and turns keeping me glued to the pages and I found myself wondering if Blaine would get his happy ever after in the end. His band of cohorts are as varied as can be-a former courtesan/assassin, vampires, prisoners of Velant he forged bonds of friendship and family with, additional survivors from the war that Dondareth was fighting as well as the magic that caused the future they are seeing. All these wonderful characters delivered something to the story and left me looking forward to seeing more of them in the future books. As with her other fantasy series, The Chronicles of the Necromancer, Ms. Martin delivers a storyline that has many sweeping arms that spin the reader this way and that as well as the cast of characters. I was glued to the edge of the seat as I found myself rooting for Blaine and his friends to succeed even as the mysterious people after Blaine come out of the shadows and into the pages. The characters are well written and with such a wide variety to follow, I was thrilled to see some new faces pop up every now and again within the story.

ICE FORGED is one of those fantasy books that leave you reeling at the end and wanting more. I am just so glad I managed to grab book two since I need to know what happens next for Blaine and his band of survivors. Now I can’t wait to see what happens next for these wonderful characters and look forward to more in this fabulous series.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement