AimeeKim

Amazing, amazing, amaaaazing!
I want to cry over the fact that this will be the last time we'll see Lucien and Stephen. This goes down as one of my favorite series ever with some of my favorite characters ever.
Overall, great end to the series! I loved the magic, their relationship development, all the fleshed out old and new side characters. I LOVED EVERYTHING, KAY.

Now I guess I will have to wait for Jackdaw to get my next KJ fix. :(

Started this immediately after book 4, and will likely barge on ahead to book 6 after I finish typing. I think I'm just going to from now on ignore the lackluster reviews from old disappointed fans of the Nightrunners series. I just don't feel the same way. Yes, these new books have a different feel from the first three, with a lot more emphasis on the magic. However, I found it all really fascinating, this new change in their adventuring, and couldn't stop reading. We finally find out about the self-exile of Alec's clan and their closely guarded secret. The whole idea of the tayan'gil, or the white child, was really interesting and Sebrahn just became an even more creepy and adorable character. I became really fond of the little guy and 

 The writing is definitely a lot stronger than in book 4 and so it feels like the writer's finally getting her groove back after that long hiatus. I agree with Ayanna-some reviewers are relieved that Alec and Seregril seem to be heading back to their roots and nightrunning antics at the end of this book, but I really enjoyed this whole magic-centered arc. But I'm also curious to see what new twists and ideas are next and to see what will happen when they return to the web of distrust and suspicion at court.(

I'm sitting here still feeling absolutely stunned from what happened, so this will be short and simple and incoherent. I'll probably rewrite everything when I'm more awake. I can't even discuss anything because trust me, you do not want to be spoilered for this book. It's almost 5am now, that's how late I stayed up to read this. Seriously, it is unreal and just thank gosh I have no class tomorrow....well, today now. Clever, humorous, brilliantly thought out. Like another reviewer said, think James Bond in space. Twists that left me fooled and with an urge to go back and look at everything with fresh eyes now. The only niggle I had was the small editing errors, but the story was just too good to let those really detract from it. I would recommend this to anyone in search of an absorbing and thrilling book, whether you like sci-fi or not, whether you read lgbt or not. I'm boggled that this author escaped my attention for so long. 

There just better be more Royce Ree to come.

Note: Get the omnibus edition, which has all five installments in one volume. 

This was one of the most difficult books I have ever had to go through; thank gosh for the chapter by chapter discussions I found on LiveJournal, or else I probably would have given up. I was so utterly lost from a lot of the assumed knowledge of cultural slang and historical context. But. I was hanging on to every interaction, going back to reread and realize the subtle moments and meanings that were taking place that I had completely missed. The prose was gorgeous. Even though I had to work extremely hard to understand it. Ralph and Laurie were worth it. They made my heart sigh, yes. 

I just need some veeery light and brainless reading now. 

Reblog from KatieMc

 I voted for Captive Prince and so should you.  Final DABWAHA championship round, polls are open until 10 PM CST. http://dabwaha.com/. 

Decided to post this sort of checklist for my own use and to hold myself accountable. I'm saving my usual monthly book budgets for other expenses, so I won't be buying any new ones for awhile after my last gift card runs out. Nor have I been reading as much lately anyways. 

Some of these I've already pre-ordered, bought but never read, or will be kindly loaned to me. I tried to mix MF and MM because I've been trying to get back into MF. :) 

1) We Won't Feel a Thing - J.C. Lillis  ~YA (author of the much-loved How To Repair A Mechanical Heart) 

2) Spirit by John Inman ~ M/M paranormal (Hate that the cover is not showing up)

3) Truly (The New York Series): A Loveswept Contemporary Romance - Ruthie Knox ~M/F contemporary 

4) Her Best Laid Plans - Cara McKenna  ~M/F contemporary (Hopeful about this bc her book Backwoods, which featured a MM couple but did have some MFM scenes, was really steamy) 

5) The Yearning - AJ Rose ~M/M paranormal short 

6) Arrival (Hybrids) - Chris O'Guinn ~lgbt sc-fi (I really like his YA books) or the sequel to Vivaldi in the Dark - Matthew J. Metzger (The first book was at once one of the most sweetest and honest YA stories for me, with a realistic depiction of teenage depression, but the sequel, which the blurb states deals with suicide attempt, might be too triggery for me) 

7) My One and Only (Hqn) - Kristan Higgins ~M/F contemporary 

8) Jellicoe Road - Melina Marchetta or Non-Stop Till Tokyo by K.J. Charles

9) Bloodline - Barbara Elsborg ~M/M paranormal

10) Possible Josh Lanyon release or sequel to Don't... by Jack L. Pyke

11) Haunting Mr. Darcy - A Spirited Courtship - Karalynne Mackrory ~BR with Steelwhisper sometime in May 

And that's it. I still wish I could have found a fantasy M/F, but I don't want to have to buy a whole series, looking for a stand-alone-any suggestions will be much appreciated :) Any kind of YA recs also welcome. 

Didn't think I would finish this in one day. Guess I was more absorbed than I thought. It's 2 am now!!

But....I had a lot of issues with this. I can't help feeling it didn't reach its potential-I was expecting it to amaze me. It could have gone a lot deeper. It was still a very unique story, and I obviously couldn't put it down and I will be buying the sequel asap, but I can't make myself give this more than 3 stars. In the end, the only person I still liked was the MC.

I'm mad at D (shortening his name to keep it vague-ish), perhaps unfairly. He's not the one I should be mad at. I guess this makes his character more intriguing and complex, and I am willing to wait and see what terrible secrets he has that might help explain (but not excuse) some of his actions. Especially as it looks like he's going to play a big role in the next book. I hate/like the moral ambiguity. But...no longer a fan of him right now. I also got -very- frustrated with the circus's attitude about Bil, knowing what he was doing. And while the alternating chapters of the past did help me understand his character more, I don't think they were ALL necessary, or could at least have been cut shorter. I wanted to stay in the present.

I knew there was a cliffhanger ending, but I'm okay with how it ended. Part of me feels like I need to take a break anyway instead of diving into book 2...l probably won't be able to help myself though, despite my conflicted feelings.

The writing is just okay, but still very, very interesting story. I love circus-themed stories. :) And I can't even talk about the MC without spoiling the apparent big reveal of the book, but I will say the blurb is indeed -completely- misleading....I was spoilered beforehand and it was what actually made me want to try the book. And this might just be wishful thinking, because I always end up rooting for the wrong or losing guy, but I am liking the clown for a (possible) love interest...

Oh my godddd!!! >___< Mindblown. I thought this would be like an extended epilogue to my favorite series ever, In the Company of Shadows (which is free online!). A reassuring glimpse into what exactly happened to my favorite characters in the aftermath of the end of the series and that foreboding epilogue. I got all that and sooo....much....more. So many new questions, possibilities, and can I just say I feel smug/relieved that my predictions about what path they would take after Fade were justified?! I remember there was a poll and it seemed a lot of people held a more cynical view,

Thank you Sonny and Ais for releasing this, but I can't help but feel so selfish because I still wish for MORE! Of Hsin and Boyd, Ryan and Kassian (weren't there plans of a spin-off with them?), Emilio and Carhart, JEFFREY, Owen, Doug, maybe not Vivienne, but even scary Bex (that ending filled me with so much trepidation...

No other series has me so invested in practically every one of the characters. I spin my own stories about them in my head. x)

And it's looking like that wish might not be so far-off.....?? Which just makes me so happy and excited all over again for this series =D Just have to find my patience (argh) 

Someone described this as "basically every gay pirate AU ever". So of course, I've been dying to read this series forever x) But it took awhile for my paperback copy to come. Now I have to wait some more for the second and third books. Sigh.  

I love pirates. One of my favorite series through middle school, high school, and still continuing now, is the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer. About a girl who disguises herself as a ship boy and eventually roams the seas as the infamous pirate queen. 

So I was really super excited to stumble upon this series, and even more that it was listed under MM romance. It's like someone heard my prayers lol. 

This book was addicting. I was sneak-reading it between my study breaks. Some will probably find the beginning set up slow, but I never ever found myself bored throughout the entire book. The writing isn't even particularly astounding or anything, there are some editing errors. But I still loved it, flaws and all, and it was just everything together that held me captivated. I loved the world-building, which yeah, just maybeeee stretches beliefs a little, I mean, pirates who mate together for life? And it did get slightly over the top at the end. But well, that's what made it even more fun for me x) 

I liked how the issue of mental illness was developed and handled with some care in the main characters. I loved their very intricate and complex relationship with each other, the runaway nobleman Will and the literally mad Gaston. I liked their philosophical discussions together and their one step forward, two step backs relationship dynamic. And I loved that I loved all of the side characters (well, except for Bradley) who all had their own colorful and unique personalities, especially Pete and Striker. 

I think objectively speaking, this book deserves at best 3.5 stars. Because of the slow set-up, the small editing errors, and the sometimes over-the-topness you just have to embrace (which I very happily did) when you have a story about openly gay pirates gallivanting around this time period and occasionally declaring their love for one another. 

But for me, it all just worked! I was thoroughly immersed, entertained, addicted. x) So, 4 stars for pure enjoyment and guilty pleasure factor. I don't know if I can wait another few weeks for the next book to arrive.

Finally finished with this! Gosh. This book dragged me down for the last couple of days. 

And I only cheated a tiny bit, just skimmed a few pages, but read most of the ending.

I'll probably just write a super short review later. I really want to move onto more exciting books already. 

I'll just say for now that this book had a nice set-up, with a young, angry MC in grief over his father's death, and the annoyingly talkative Native American boy he meets. But it sadly fell into such dull territory for me for the majority of the book and I remained utterly unmoved. :( And I'm usually a total crybaby when it comes to books.