February Reading Wrap-up and Mini-Reviews

1) NO PARM NO FOUL BY LINDA REILLY (Adult Cozy Mystery) (303 pages) (3.75⭐️)

This is the second book in the Grilled Cheese Mystery series about Carly, the owner of a grilled cheese eatery and an amateur sleuth. In this book, a local sub shop owner is murdered and Carly’s boyfriend, Ari, is a prime suspect. The characters in this series are (for the most part) really likeable. I had a fun time trying to solve the mystery – I was constantly changing my mind.  I was confused as to why the novel begins with a Halloween cooking competition when that really played no part in the actual mystery.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8326812706

2) THE SERIAL KILLER GUIDE TO SAN FRANCISCO BY MICHELLE CHOINARD (Adult Mystery) (336 pages) (3.5⭐️)

Capri is the granddaughter of a believed serial killer – Overkill Bill. When her mother-in-law is murdered in the same style as her grandfather’s murders, Capri tries to solve the current case while also exonerating her grandfather. This novel wasn’t at all what I expected. The story ended up being a lot more focused on rich people problems and white collar crimes than I anticipated, which is not something that interests me personally. That being said, I think it’s a well written book so that’s why I still gave it a relatively good rating. I just won’t be continuing with the series.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8316593512

3) IN THE VEINS OF THE DROWNING BY KALIE CASSIDY (Adult Romantasy) (349 pages) (3.25⭐️)

Imogen is a siren living as a ward of the cruel King Nemea. When the foreign King Theo comes to visit, she implores him to save her. They form a magical bond in exchange for Imogen hunting down and killing a dangerous siren. The premise of this novel intrigued me, but the writing let me down. It was compared to two of my favorite authors’ works (Rachel Gillig and Ava Reid), but Cassidy is not up to par with them. The core world building ideas are there, but not executed well. The romance, by contrast, is much better written.

FULL REVIEW: Coming soon to the blog!

4) MIDNIGHT EXPOSURE BY MELINDA LEIGH (Adult Thriller) (306 pages) (3.5⭐️)

A tabloid photographer (Jayne Sullivan) and a former homicide detective (Reed Kimball) meet when Jayne arrives in Reed’s small town shortly after the disappearance of two hikers. When Jayne is stalked by a stranger, she and Reed must discover the culprit. This book’s strength is its atmosphere which was dark and creepy. The entire time I was reading I was filled with anticipatory anxiety. The novel’s weakness is how it pretty much hands you the answer rather than making you work for it. There’s also a romance between Jayne and Reed which feels misplaced in a thriller setting.

FULL REVIEW: Coming soon to the blog!

5) SECRETS TYPED IN BLOOD BY STEPHEN SPOTSWOOD (Adult Historical Mystery) (384 pages) (4.25⭐️)

This is the third installment of the Pentecost and Parker mystery series taking place in the 1940s and following detective Lillian Pentecost and her protégé Will Parker. The book takes the concept of a copycat killer, but in this case the killer is replicating fictional murders published in a crime magazine. As a female writer myself, the part of this book I enjoyed the most was reading about the publishing process for a female writer in this time period. The mystery was fine, but didn’t grip me as much as the past ones in this series. I have grown very attached to the characters in this story – specifically Will and Lillian.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8354177712

6) THE JASMINE THRONE BY TASHA SURI (Adult Fantasy) (533 pages) (4.75⭐️)

This Indian inspired fantasy follows a captive princess (Malini) and a maidservant with forbidden magic (Priya) who become allies in their mission to free the empire from the princess’s evil emperor brother. The novel has slow pacing, but don’t mistake that for it being boring. This novel is full of political/court intrigue and terrifying elemental magic. Both the world and the numerous characters are all well developed. I am a huge fan of morally gray characters, and that’s how I’d describe pretty much every character in this novel. There is a romance, but it is a quite minor part of the story. If you liked the YA Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy by Natasha Ngan then I’d recommend this book to you.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8371947412

DNFS

1) WHEN THEY BURNED THE BUTTERFLY BY WEN-YI LEE (Adult Historical Fantasy) (read 120 pages – 25.97%)

Set in Singapore in 1972, this novel follows Adeline Siow who can summon fire on her fingertips at will. After her mother is murdered, she discovers a gang of women with butterfly tattoos who all share her ability. The synopsis of this book sounded so promising and I REALLY wanted to love this book. I probably should have DNF’d it sooner than I did. Adeline was the most unlikable character – she’s rude and bratty. The novel’s pacing is also painfully slow, and I just wasn’t gripped enough to continue to put up with such a protagonist for another 400 some pages.

2) CRIME RANGOON BY VIVIEN CHIEN (Adult Cozy Mystery) (read 117 pages – 36.56%)

This is the 12^th book in the Noodle Shop Mystery series about an amateur sleuth (Lana Lee) who manages her family’s restaurant. It’s made me supremely sad as this was my first cozy mystery series and I’ve read the previous 11 books. So, I’ve been quite invested in this series. Because of that, I am considering giving this book another try at some point. I think maybe I’m just outgrowing the series, though. The characters have stayed pretty stagnant which is what frustrates me.

TOTAL BOOKS READ (JAN-FEB): 13

TOTAL PAGES READ (JAN-FEB): 5,093

AVG. BOOK LENGTH (JAN-FEB): 391.77 Pages

AVG. RATING (JAN-FEB):4.02⭐️