Nerdy Werewolf

Star Witch by Helen Harper My rating: 4 of 5 stars "Did I want a torrid love affair or did I want to catch an evil murderer? Both, of course, but given the choice between the two it was a tough call." Oh, man, I am really enjoying this series! It's not one of those dense ones you feel like you're asked to read for a school assignment. It's fun to read. The mystery was a quirky little thing, taking place during the filming of Ivy's favorite reality TV show in Scotland. Again, she's in The Order's crosshairs and even though she'd rather be at home dozing, she can't just let everything fall to pieces. I continue to enjoy her interactions with Winter, the Ipsissimus, Iqbal and of course, Brutus the talking cat. View all my reviews

Fairest, Volume 2: The Hidden Kingdom by Lauren Beukes My rating: 3 of 5 stars "You can't see the path in front of you. Only the one behind. You need to own it. Seize the future with both hands and eyes wide open." This story features an agony-torn Rapunzel in the search for her lost children that people have been trying to convince her are fictional for years. Switching back and forth between a modern, present-day timeline and flashbacks from feudal Japan, this story features many yokai, including kappas, kirin, tengu and tanuki. We also get Frau Totenkinder (the wicked witch from both the Rapunzel and Hansel & Gretel stories), a kitsune with hidden foxfire named Tokomo, Jack of the Fables universe, Mayumi, the slit-mouthed woman, and a whole lot of war. At the end, there's a short featuring Reynard the Fox at the Farm and a pretty Dryad named Princess Alder. Then, it ties into the Fables story in a really big way! View all my reviews

Wildfire by Ilona Andrews My rating: 5 of 5 stars "Vincent rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I have to say this. You there, dashing male secretary! Drop the frying pan.” Mad Rogan continues to be the ultimate alpha male with a heart of gold. Yes, IA has a type they write about. And while I agree with almost everyone on that point, Mad Rogan is still completely different from other IA alpha males. ::cough, cough CURRAN cough cough:: I love that. We finally found out more about both Catalina and Arabella. The Baylors are finally coming up in a world full of magical politics, Primes and Houses. We get more about Bern and Leon (the cousins) as well and I continue to love Rogan's adoption of Bug and his dog and how loyal his people are in general. So much progression in this installment! And even though the main plot is probably going to continue into Catalina's series (!!!) , I'm good with it. I feel like what needed to be resolved was and I'm st

DC Comics: Bombshells, Vol. 1: Enlisted by Marguerite Bennett My rating: 4 of 5 stars "Oh, 'undead' doesn't mean... can't be dead. 'Undead' just means they haven't met the death that's right for them yet- fortunately, we are problem solvers." This story introduces a new team of familiar superheroines reimagined to fit into the alternate history of WWII when women were needed in jobs that men used to dominate. It's quite the feminist story. This story features new incarnations of: Kate Kane (Batwoman, also featuring Maggie Sawyer) , Amanda Waller, Wonder Woman (along with Steve Trevor) , Supergirl and Stargirl (here Kara Starikov and Kortni Duginovna) , Mera (MERA!) , Joker's Daughter (that was a nice surprise!) , Zatanna (along with John Constantine and Brother Night) , Harper Row (Bluebird) , Kimiyo Hoshi (Dr. Light) , Big Barda, Catwoman (here La Contessa Selina Digatti, featuring Lex Luthor) , Harley Quinn (aw, Y

Fairest, Volume 1: Wide Awake by Bill Willingham My rating: 4 of 5 stars Original Review January 2013: It's like the 'Gotham City Sirens' of the Fables universe. Loved it. Re-Read July 2018: "Okay, help me out here. I'm running out of metaphors for crafty skulduggery." It was just as much fun to read the second time around. I love Bill Willingham's take on fairy tales. This particular volume ties a vulgar 'bottle imp' (aka Jonah), Sleeping Beauty (aka Briar Rose), the Evil Fairy (aka Hadeon the Destroyer), the Snow Queen (aka Lumi) and the legendary Ali Baba together in a new story following all of their previous original endings. After that, we get a nice little short set in the 40s featuring a noir-ish take on Beauty & the Beast in which Beast is a classic gumshoes on the case of a mysterious murdering woman. Genius. View all my reviews

White Hot by Ilona Andrews My rating: 5 of 5 stars “Does anybody else find this whole idea of a ferret heist mildly absurd?” Augustine looked around the room. I freaking love these books. The politics, the magic, the intrigue...the humor! Honestly, it was the covers that put me off but I'm starting to see I can't judge those bare-chested dudes. Thank you to everyone who recommended these to me. This one has a couple really subtle twists and references that I just adored. We learn a tad more about Nevada's wacky family and of course, there's epic fighting going down. We gain a few allies and make a few nasty enemies. Oh, and the romance is really, really top-notch. I love a slow burn. View all my reviews

Slouch Witch by Helen Harper My rating: 4 of 5 stars "One minute you are almost tolerable, the next I want to throttle you.’ ‘Most people feel that way about me,’ I said cheerfully. This book was a blast to read. The heroine is absolutely self-aware and constantly making decisions based on how she actually feels rather than trying to please everyone. It's refreshing. The mystery was a light except the few instances where it got a little intense, but it wasn't dense or hard to follow. I like how there are several different personalities and her talking cat is hilarious. I've already started the next one! View all my reviews

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse My rating: 4 of 5 stars “Let’s go, kids. The monsters aren’t going to kill themselves.” Rating: 3.9 Stars A post-apocolyptic world with a surly heroine and an assload of Native American mythology. I mean, I had to be in, right? I didn't too-much connect with the heroine, Maggie/Chíníbaá (girl who comes forth fighting). She was definitely interesting and she shared her thoughts just fine, but she's kind of determined to be a loner and doesn't really recognize signs of warmth. I'm hoping this is an opportunity for growth, because the story was awesome. The book starts out looking for a fight and delivers almost before we know what's going on. It establilshed a clear tone that was carried throughout. The longer you're in the story, the more the world opens up and you guys, it was a really cool world. The mythology and the the magic and the creatures...and the characters. It all made sense. it's one