Two Twisted Crowns

 

Two Twisted Crown is the second book in The Shepard King duology. I was on the waiting list from the library but a friend lent it to me. 

I had a lot of issues with the story line, the characters, and the overall flow of the story. Elspeth went from being a main character telling the story to an after thought. I HATED that immensely. The fear, the logic of dealing with an invasion in her mind, the acceptance of having magic but not able to use it freely, and her love for Ravyn. Writing out the main character to a side after thought really threw off the flow of the story then to make it worse Prince Elm was brought in with his point of view. I do not feel it was necessary. I would have preferred the whole story be written from Ravyn's point of view instead of Elm being made a character to carry the story. 

Several of the plot twists I saw coming. One major one I did not and I feel like it was forced. Just made to happen to be convenient and tie up character's stories. 

The overall story moves so slowly and it was not even important to the overall plot line. Took me weeks to get through part one. My friend said that part two speed up but I did not think so. I managed to slog through that. Finally when my library book came in I said I will finish and that is the only reason I even attempted part three. 

The ending was good. It had action, character conflict to some degree, and pretty cool magic but was not strong enough to carry the whole book. While I loved One Dark Window sadly Two Twisted Crowns missed the mark by a lot.

The Only One Left

 

The Only One Left was a random find when I could not sleep and was browsing the e-library for a book. Lucky for me I did not realize I had previously read work by Mr. Sager and did not enjoy it. 

Kit while seeming to be a meek and mild in home care aid is really a character with layers. The more I read the more complex I realized Kit was. At first she comes off as a nosy woman who is desperate for any job in the health care field that she can get after a horrible accident. 

Despite being unable to talk you get a feel for Lenora as she types out her story on an old typewriter. Plagued with polio and several strokes Lenora is silent but manages to comminute quickly with taps and her eyes which show she has a lot to say.

Even though I did not care for other work by Mr. Sager I did enjoy The Only One Left to consider other work by Mr. Sager. The story moved along at a brisk pace never leaving me bored with what was going on. The mysteries were many and several twists occurred. I figured out of some of the mysteries but not all of them. The ending also tied up every character's fate which I appreciate. 

One Dark Window

 

My friend recommended One Dark Window and I put myself on the wait list for it from the library.

Elspeth is a complex character and despite sharing head space with a monster I still got a good feel for who she is. Secretive, smart, and quiet has been Elspeth's armor for years. Unable to show anyone who she is for fear of being arrested Elspeth trusts no one and refuses to share her secrets with anyone. 

My biggest complaint was that the providence cards did not play as much of a role as I wanted them to. I wanted to know more about how they were made, how they were used over the years, and what cards the king carries with him if any. 

The writing is lovely and it is very gothic centered. My friend was generous enough lend me Two Twisted Crowns  but I a hesitant to read it. While anxious to know how the story ends I know my friends favorite thing is when a main character dies which is far from my favorite thing. 

Local Woman Missing

 

I saw Local Woman Missing at the bookstore a few months ago and liked the sound of it. I put myself on the library wait list and finally got it a few days ago. All I can say is I am glad I got it from the library. 

While I did finish the book I was not happy overall with the way things turned out. It was confusing, did not make sense, and the only reason I kept reading was due to how much I liked the first chapter of the book. The first chapter set up an amazing premises for a story then the story just sort of jumped into a volcano and had a super weak ending that glossed over the girl in chapter one. The writing style is not for me at all, it jumps around, each character's writing is portrayed differently giving each character a sense of identity but some are poorly written. 

The Perfect Escape

 

The Perfect Escape was a random choice from the e-library. 

I am not a fan of switching points of view normally but it worked out well in The Perfect Escape. Each woman seems to have their own issues with men. I liked getting to see how each woman handled their difficulties and their thoughts on what was going on when Diana disappears. 

The writing was fine and flowed well. I did not figure out all the twists and turns but I did figure out some. A chapters had me going just one more chapter but I was able to put the book down and at night and go to sleep. 

Digging Deeper

 

Digging Deeper is another book I got with the ones I paid .49 cents for. 

Thora is back in town and not as hidden from the public eye as she would like. Having helped catch a famous kill Thora is now teaching at the local university and ready for a change from her desk job at the FBI. Soon everything changes when Thora wakes up in a coffin and only has a small tube for air. 

I have never read a story about a woman being buried alive and I liked the idea too bad it was not planned out well. Clues were all over the place but not enough to point at anyone then the final suspect was so unbelievable I rolled my eyes at it. The writing was fine and easy to follow along to. 

The Red River Slayer

 

The Red River Slayer is another book I got from the .49 cent sale. I had no clue it was a series. Despite that the book read as a stand alone.

Char is trying to heal from being a victim of sex trafficking and just wants to feel safe while being useful. I like how she was timid but able to stand up for herself without sounding like a cold person. Life was hard for Char until she was freed from her horribly cycle of life and it shows in her demeanor. It was clear she was a person with many layers to her. 

Mack came off as harder and more tight lipped then Char which made since for his character development and jobs in his life. I do not feel like he was in the story as much and it was hard to get to know him.

The overall mystery of the story was nearly impossible to figure out until the end. I did not believe I missed any early clues as to who the Red River Slayer could be which was frustrating. Even if I cannot solve the mystery I like more of a chance to solve it. The writing was clear and easy to follow even with the few jumps around between characters.