Of Silver and Shadow by Jennifer Gruenke

Thank you #NetGalley and publisher #Flux for an opportunity to read Of Silver and Shadow by Jennifer Gruenke.
A fabulous, magical story about a young woman, Ren Colins,  a commoner who can wield silver. In the land Erdis, magic is banned for the commoners and saved for the king and his family. The King kills all the people that can wield magic. 
Ren Collins struggles day to day to survive in a poverty stricken community. She uses her magic secretly to help support herself and those she cares for. Since magic is banned,  she needs to be quiet and secretive. One evening, two men tell her they know her secret. 
After an evening of playing cards, Ren is followed by the two men, both members of a rebellion. They ask her to join the group to free the people. Ren, who has struggled all her life, agrees to help the group, but for profit only. 
The first half of the story, author Jennifer Gruenke, does well with character buildup and narration. The first few chapters help us understand why Ren is loveless and cares for no one but herself. 
 The second half of the story happens so fast, it felt like it ended abruptly. While I enjoyed the ending of the story, I felt it could have used more ‘magic’. It felt rushed and empty. 
However, the ending left a bit of a cliffhanger and I hope to read a second book!
This review can also be found at my personal blog theundeadreader.blogspot.com

Nightmare City by P.S. Newman

I received a copy of Nightmare City by P.S. Newman from #NetGalley for an honest review.

An event happens in Los Angeles that changes reality drastically. Everyone that dreams or has nightmares, has them come true.  Eden Maybrey is a hunter of the "shades" that people dream of. She has the ability to find and capture the creatures that become real from people's nightmares. This is Maybrey's story of how she started hunting shades and the inner turmoil  from hunting these creatures. Her actions and her past come to a head in Nightmare City.

This is a nice change in the regular sci-fi genre that I usually read. For one, the lead character already knows her past. Second, there are no specific creatures that are evil. The evil is from peoples dreams and nightmares.

From the very start of the book, I was hooked. The writing is well paced, I cared for the characters, and I did read nonstop for hours. Newman has a vivid imagination and it shows with the details in Nightmare City.

Nightmare City by P.S. Newman

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

I would have to say Becky Chambers is a new favorite author. Her elegant and theatrical writing style is a nice change in other style's of sci-fi writing.

This story is of four astronauts traveling to four planets to investigate and research. Astronaut Ariadne journals their experiences.

Each planet has new experiences for all four astronauts. Some are harsh and psychologically damning; while others are beautiful and wistful. As with each changing planet, the astronauts change.

During all this time, Earth is changing too.

When they complete the mission of four specific planets,  new questions are asked.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate

Undying Witch by B. Austin

I received a copy of Undying Witch through Netgalley and publisher Xpress Book Tours for an honest review.

Dima is an old gypsy witch who has the ability to live forever. This is the story of how she became immortal. Her travels through out many countries to find the one thing to keep her young forever. Like with any magical gifts, there is a price to be paid.

During her travels for immortality, Dima becomes pregnant. Her daughter Medea, has some magic as well. Toward the end of the story, we read about Medea growing up and learning of her abilities.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It is very well written, it flowed perfectly and I ended up caring about the characters. It is hard to find a book of this quality! Well done B. Austin, and thank you!
#UndyingWitch  #NetGalley

Undying Witch by B. Austin

Shadow City by Anna Mocikat

This is a post - apocalyptic, fast paced and exciting thrill of a ride for a good die-hard science fiction fan. If you like mutants, humans, vampires, and other evil creatures that you can only imagine coming from a place you never want to visit, this is a story for you. There is torture, death, friendship and love.
Set in Los Angeles, the story follows four main characters, with many side characters that round this story out nicely. There is a vampire, a cyborg, a human with inhuman abilities, and a creature unknown possessing a human. They fight for the right to live in the horrible aftermath of a cataclysmic event. What kind of a creature could possibly be a threat to all of these characters with their combined skills? The only way to know who wins and who dies, is to read this book. 

Shadow City by Anna Mocikat