Chuckles Mini Reviews Catchup

I review everything I read, on my blog and on Goodreads. Most reviews are of a decent length but sometimes you don't have much to say about the book because of its length or you DNFed it or various other reasons. In cases like that it makes sense to write a few mini reviews in one post and clear them out your way! So lets catch up with some reviews from June and July!

1) John Lee Schneider-White Pointer 
Great White Sharks were once hunted to near extinction. But now they're back. And in the resort town of Surf Shore, people are dying. Carson Sheridan has dedicated her life to shark conservation, but can't deny the horrific series of attacks that point unerringly to a massive Great White – all off the same beach – all at the same time of year. Great Whites in California are in historically large numbers and record sizes. But the waters off Surf Shore are particularly deadly and Carson is about to discover why. Is it a single killer? A big aggressive shark, returning every season? Or, even worse, is it an exploding population – an ocean full of twenty-foot monsters? And why here at Surf Shore? Again and Again? Carson is determined to find the reason... and the answer just might cost her life.  

It was the cover that attracted me to the book and I was hoping to get a scary, bloody sharky creature feature from it but it didn't turn out that way. We follow the story with rebellious daredevil Carson who likes doing dumb things like following sharks in a tiny unsafe boat and riding on the back of great white sharks to get attention for herself, one of thereasons why her relationship with her boyfriend fell apart. Cody is a surfer who dislikes the risks she takes and she refuses to care what he thinks. We also see the story following Carson's best friend Lauren who also studies sharks and is curious about a change in their migration habits. Lauren has heard bad things about Cody so she is less than thrilled when unexpected circumstances throw them together.

This story was more of an emotional drama concerning Carson, Cody and Lauren but not in a love triangle way. The strained truce between Cody and Lauren is not a romantic one which I was glad of but the focus was more on them and their issues, along with a snide journalist who is annoying Cody for imput for a story. It is Cody's annoyance that leads to Lauren's fateful decision to get involved in a shark diving with the journalist that leads several people to a dangerous shark encounter. There just wasn't enough shark in it for me! There is a good shark scene at the start of the book which sets the scene but basically it goes into the issues of Lauren and Cody's connections to Carson for most of the book, before a good shark encounter at the end of the book. That ending was tense and interesting but for me the book lacked much of interest in the middle. The writing was decent overall and I might still try the author again but it wasn't the plot I was expecting so a little disappointed. Decent enough read.

Read June 2019
2.5 stars. 

2) Nazri Noor-Penumbra (Darkling Mage #0.5)
Dustin Graves was a jack of all trades, a directionless dreamer until the day he found his purpose: as a ritual sacrifice. Transformed in death, Dust awakens to the eldritch mysteries behind the grit and glamor of the city of Valero – and to the wellspring of dark magic that lives inside his very bones.

After a fight with his dad about his latest dumb business idea, Dustin is attacked in the park and killed in a ritual sacrifice by a cult. However, Dustin wakes up, sore but alive and finds himself rescued by The Lorica, who help victims of magic related crime and protect both the normal and arcane worlds. Now Dustin is being given a chance to work for them as a Hound, someone who uses his newly awakened magic to help him seek out and rescue magical items that are being misused or in the wrong hands.

I got this book free from the author for taking his newsletter and used this to see what the writing was like and whether I might be interested in continuing with the series. I liked Dustin as a character. He was a bit of a loser with a poor relationship with his dad, who suddenly realises he is not only meant to have died in the attack, but has woken up with the ability to travel through shadows. His skills are actually cooler than they sound as he can literally drop into his shadow and travel under buildings and things. His both Thea was interesting as were his partners on his first case-Prudence and Bastion. But my favourite character was the talking sword Vanitas which I hope we see more of in the series. I liked this enough to take a look at at least the first book in the series to see what happens next.

Read July 2019
3.5 stars.

3)  Hugo Navikov-The Found World
A powerful global cabal wants adventurer Brett Russell to retrieve a superweapon stolen by the scientist who built it. To entice him to travel underneath one of the most dangerous volcanoes on Earth to find the scientist, this shadowy organization will pay him the only thing he cares about: information that will allow him to avenge his family's murder. But before he can get paid, he and his team must enter an underground hellscape of killer plants, giant insects, terrifying dinosaurs, and an army of other predators never previously seen by man. At the end of this journey awaits a revelation that could alter the fate of mankind ... if they can make it back from this horrifying found world.

This is a sequel of sorts to Spinosaurus, following Brett after that adventure as he wrestles snakes and alligators for money in a jungle town. The Organization, who were responsible for the death of his family, now need him to lead an expedition to an island lost world in search of a missing scientist and the weapon that the group paid him to build. In return, Brett demands the name of the person who killed his family, but can he trust that he will get the correct information? Are The Organization going to double-cross him? But more importantly, are any of them going to survive the horrors on the island?

I hoped this would be good but it felt like a bad B movie in reality. It was like a monster would attack and kill someone, Brett would find a solution or the soldiers would kill it, then they moved on down the path until something new attacked and that pattern repeated over and over for the whole book. I'm not saying that there isn't something enjoyable about man eating plants, dinosaurs and mutant insects because they ARE fun, but it seemed like the monsters attacked a small bit of path, then didn't follow when the group moved on so the next monster could have a go at them. It felt a bit repetitive and like a conveyor belt taking them through the various monsters to reach the mad scientist. The whole story once they met him went a bit dumb and the abrupt ending was disappointing. Brett was a normal guy in Spinosaurus but now he is built like The Rock, is an arrogant arse and is obsessed with getting his ex back all through the expedition. A bit of focus, eh Brett? I didn't like him at all in this book. There is also the constant childish sniping and bitching between characters which was annoying, the soldiers were the dumbest idiots you could ever meet, the reunited lovers story was a side plot we really didn't need and the scientific babble from the scientist went way over my head. The best character goes off on his own mission as soon as they arrive on the island and isn't mentioned again until the very end, which was also annoying!

I just didn't really enjoy the book at all. Spinosaurus was ok but this follow up was lacking in many ways in comparison. The writing wasn't great and the plot just lacked the real tension and scares I wanted as it was too predictable. You knew who was going to die next and that as they escaped one thing, the next was waiting on the next page. In the end I was just glad to get it over with and move on to something else. I think this will be the last book I read by the author. Disappointing! 2 stars because so many annoying characters were eaten.

Read June 2019
2 stars.

4) Jaye Wells-Rusted Veins (Sabina Kane #5.5)
Halloween in New Orleans is usually a treat. But for Sabina Kane and the rest of Team Awesome, this year's celebration has its share of nasty tricks. When Brooks's new waitress goes missing, the Changeling asks Sabina to help him find her. The problem? The missing mage is one of Adam Lazaru's old flames, and having her show up in their lives is giving Sabina heartburn. Plus saving her may also threaten the fragile peace Sabina's achieved for the Dark Races. Luckily for Adam's ex—but unlucky for her kidnappers—Sabina Kane isn't easily spooked.

This short story comes in after the complete five book series. I'm actually surprised that it was written to be honest as the story finishes nicely at the end of book five. It was nice to see Giguhl as a father and his literal demon spawn running mad around Sabina's house and trying to bite everyone. That was amusing. I enjoyed seeing Brooks again. I also loved the side plot of the prediction of Erron's heart stopping. That was much more interesting than the main plot of the story and I actually wish that it was the focus, having Sabina and friends trying to save Erron. I liked the resolution of that plot very much. I did find it annoying that we had to have more of Sabina's insecurity over Adam with his ex being the missing girl. Overall it was a decent story with moments of drama and humour and I did still enjoy it.

Read July 2019
3 stars.