Rebel of the Sands

Rebel of the Sands had been sitting on my bookshelf for a while, I knew nothing about it when I finally picked it up and I highly regret putting it off so long. Once I started I could not stop reading and I was quickly drawn into Amani's desert world. 

Amani is a young girl desperate to escape her dead end desert town where her uncle is ruthless and cruel. Despite the risks Amani masquerades as a male and enters the shooting firing pit hoping to earn enough money to run away. Instead of winning the pot with her well honed gun skills Amani meets a young foreigner who changes her life and becomes her way out of Dustwalk. Embarking on a journey with the mysterious foreigner Amani learns about the world outside of her small town through trials and tribulations. I loved Amani she was so entertaining and felt real, her flaws, character, personality, and choices made her a well rounded developed character. 

Rebel of the Sands is written entirely in first person however I still felt like I got to know the vast array of side characters and enjoy their personality. The writing was quick, delicate, and perfect for the character of the story. I am already on the waiting list for Traitor to the Throne.

Stalking Jack the Ripper

Stalking Jack the Ripper drew me in with it's lovely cover and the Halloween feel it gave me reading the description. I loved the story, the writing, and Audrey Rose the main character.

Audrey Rose is everything society does not want her to be, smart, studious, adventurous, and determined to forge her own path in a society dominated by males. Learning from her Uncle Audrey Rose enjoying doing autopsies on cadavers while advancing the art of science. With a father determined to keep her safe and ladylike Audrey Rose learning to sneak around to fulfill her need to learn science, this goes well until someone starts killing women and mutilating them. Shoved into the middle of the chaos of the Ripper killings Audrey Rose must use all her wits to survive.

I could not get enough of the story and I am eagerly hoping the library will receive the next book in the series, this one had a clear ending despite being part of a series. The writing was lovely, witty, and elegant while painting a clear picture of the world Audrey Rose lived in.

The Houdini Spector

The Houdini Sector is the last book in the The Houdini Mysteries series. All the Harry Houdini mysteries seemed to start slow but they drew me and I could not put them down.

Determined to be successful as an escape artist Harry goes about pursuing someone who will hire him to entertain crowds with his daring acts. With the help of his brother Harry gets tangled up in proving that a seance is a fake. All goes well until one of the guests at the seance ends up dead. Confused and befuddled the two brothers work to figure out how and who committed the murder.

I will miss the Harry Houdini stories they were fun and I enjoyed Daniel Stashower's style of writing. While it seems no more Harry Houdini mysteries will happen I do plan on reading some other work by Daniel Stashower.