kari_marie's reviews
482 reviews

The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

 The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs is the 20th book in the Temperance Brennan series. A past case of Tempe's is coming back in full force. The only issue is one took place in Canada and the other in United States. Can Tempe convince people that these cases are connected and solve them? Oh and she also has to avoid a deadly bacteria that is eating human flesh. 
 
Honestly I am writing this review a little late again but I remember this book pretty clearly. This is the sign of a good book. I thought the mystery was fun. I have just started the series after being in love with the show and I was struggling to get into it. This book pulled me in to the series. It was fast paced and interesting. 
 
Four stars for a read that got me into murder mystery again. Definitely recommend this series. Thank you to NetGalley, Scribner and Kathy Reichs for the free copy. This was an honest review. 
Kingdom of Shadows and Dust by Sherry D. Ficklin

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adventurous medium-paced

3.0

 Kingdom of Shadows and Dust by Sherry D Ficklin brings us into a world of political maneuvering, betrayals, and love. Ava, the daughter of the King, wants nothing more than to fight along her father's armies. Her father and others want her to behave as a proper Princess and follow their traditions. Ava decides to sneak out and fight. Soon reality hits that war is horrible. Ava broken meets two different men while recovering and along the way discovers that maybe her righteousness is not deserved. 
 
Forewarning I read this three months ago so everything is a little hazy. Things I liked were… an interesting world and character growth. In all honesty I am having a hard time remembering this book. It took me 30 minutes after the synopsis to remember it. I do not recall liking or disliking this book really. I disliked the instant love connection. 
 
3 Stars because overall I do not think this was a bad read but it is forgettable. Thank you to NetGalley, Independent Book Publishers Association and Sherry D Ficklin for a free copy. This was an honest review. 
Last Guard by Nalini Singh

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

 Last Guard by Nalini Singh is the next story in the Psy-Changeling world. This book revolves around a Canto and Payal. Canto is a powerful Psy which is why he is still alive because he has a spinal injury and is unable to walk. Payal is the daughter stopping her psychopathic brother from taking over. Will these two come together to save the Net? 
 
So that was a short synopsis because I read this book back in July and I have a hard time remembering anything. I do remember enjoying the book but this was not the strongest Singh book. I will say I enjoyed that there was a main character in a chair and the focus was not on his inability to walk or that it made him weak. 
 
Would I recommend this book? Yes probably. I would not recommend it if it's your first book in the series but do recommend it otherwise. I think was a good addition to the series if a little bit forgettable. I enjoyed reading it at the time and I know that it is a story continuing the overall plot.  
 
Three stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and Nalini Singh for the free copy. This was an honest review. 
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix is about the ladies who survived 80's major cases.  They are all messed up with good reason. Now someone is hunting them. Can they survive another killer? 
 
At first I had trouble getting into this book. The writing did not pull me in right away but when I got going this was a good book. You could feel the struggle of the characters to adjust to society. Even the "functioning" members had viable struggles. Even not liking any of the characters, you root for them. Specifically Lynnette, the main character, has some really good growth. This was an enjoyable read showing how trauma affects everybody differently. The twists were things I saw coming but they were well done. 
 
Four stars for an enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and Grady Hendrix for the free copy. This was an honest review. 
Bodies: A Romantic Bloodbath by Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

1.5

 
Bodies: A Romantic Bloodbath by Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev is a story about cloning and playing God. What are the consequences? 
 
Ok I DNF so I cannot write a proper synopsis. The opening was great and I was super excited to read this book. I quickly changed my mind. I am not saying the author is an incel but I had no desire to delve into the mind of an incel and I think the author did a great job of doing that. What really drove me nuts is not what most people would expect. The initial "perfect" murder is what I keep focusing on and I could not move on from it. If you shoot someone through a window there will be at least a hole through the window. Supposedly nobody noticed this hole? Or this hole did not exist? In all truthfulness once I noticed that I could not focus on anything else and I finally gave up. 
 
1.5 star. I think the cloning aspects and the science fiction was great and the opening was fantastic but I found diving into the brain of an incel too much for me. Plus that hole. Thank you to BookSirens and Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyevfor the free copy. This was an honest review. 
 
Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

 Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone is mystery thriller. Cat and El are twins who have gone no contact for years. Cat returns home when El disappears and is believed to be lost at sea. Back in the house she grew up in where her and El created Mirrorland. Cat must deal delve back into her history to solve the mystery of El. 
 
This was an intriguing novel. Parts were great and page turning. Parts were confusing. Some parts dragged. Overall I think this was a solid novel. The twists were interesting but I never really found a character I really liked. 
 
Three stars for a solid thriller, but I never felt any connection to the characters which meant I felt disconnected from the story. Thank you to NetGalley, Scribner and Carole Johnstone for the free copy. This was an honest review. 
Legacy by Nora Roberts

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emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

 Legacy by Nora Roberts is the story of Adrian Rizzo. As a child Adrian was almost killed by her father but was saved by her mother, Lina. To recover she spent the summer with her grandparents. Years later Adrian returns to her sanctuary but sadly her stalker is getting closer. 
 
Another mystery thriller from Nora Roberts. This was a fun simple read that was forgettable. I read it two months ago and had no memory. I had to read the synopsis to recall the book. If you like Roberts you will enjoy this book but it is not her best work. 
 
Three stars for being an enjoyable and solid book. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Nora Roberts for the free copy. This was an honest review. 
The Serpent's Curse by Lisa Maxwell

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adventurous tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

 The Serpent's Curse by Lisa Maxwell is the third book in The Last Magician Trilogy (not a trilogy anymore).  Esta and Harte are separated and they are trying to stop a goddess. While trying to stop her they make enemies everywhere they go. 
 
How can this story be dragged out any longer? Seriously they get an item and then they lose it. Every single time. The most interesting characters are Jianyu and Viola and even this book I felt like they were missing something. This should have been the end and Maxwell has managed to drag it out. I will not be picking up the next book because at this point I am bored of the repetition and nothing being accomplished. 
 
Two stars because this book is too long and it feels like nothing happened.  Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and Lisa Maxwell for the free copy. This was an honest review. 
The Widow Queen by Elżbieta Cherezińska

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adventurous dark emotional informative sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

 
The Widow Queen By Elzbieta Cherezinska is a historical fiction novel. The story follows a Polish princess and her siblings as their father uses all them to spread and take over Europe. 
 
This is a super informative book about a family that really was an important part of European history. I liked learning about this family but this book was a little big and too informative at times. It was hard to continue. I think this book could have been split. The siblings point of view would have worked better as their own novellas or novels. Putting everything together made for a long read. 
 
Three stars for just an interesting story but this needed to be shortened. Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Elzbieta Cherezinska for the free copy. This was an honest review. 
The Lady Has a Past by Amanda Quick

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

 
The Lady has a Past is the 5th book in the Burning Cove series. Lyra is the new person in town and has just a started training to be a private investigator when her boss, Raina ups and leaves. Being a brand new investigator, Simon is brought in to help her. As they work together, they find that their skills complement each and brings them still closer. 
 
This was probably my favorite of the Burning Cove books. The book was fast paced and fun. I do not think this is the best book by Amanda Quick but still was an enjoyable read. A predictable story but still enjoyable. 
 
Three stars for being a good solid read. Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and Amanda Quick for the free book. This was an honest review.