Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Seven years ago, the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a “mockumentary” bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy.

Now, a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life’s work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves.

But the secrets of the deep come with a price."

My Thoughts:

Yes!  This book was just as good as I had hoped that it would be - actually I would say it was even better.  I'm going to start off by stating for the record that I love, love, love Grant's Newsflesh trilogy (of which I've read each book multiple times minus Feedback which I haven't read yet).  Because I love those three books so much, I've been very hesitant to pick up anything else by her.  Not because I don't expect to love everything that she writes.  At this point I actually do expect to love all of her books.  But more because I remember clearly the first time that I read Feed and how it managed to rip my heart out after I had come to care about the characters so much.  That might sound slightly like a spoiler so I won't say more than that.  I just knew that there was a good chance that anything else I read by her would either not live up to my very high expectations or would also rip my heart out.  I told myself though that I wasn't waiting to read this one and I'm so glad that I didn't.  It was absolutely fantastic!  Yet again I found myself completely immersed in this world that Grant has created.  This time though there was a creepy horror movie vibe to the book that I just couldn't get enough of.  Killer mermaids folks.....that should tell you everything that you need to know.  

One of the things that I really loved about this book was the characters.  Grant has a knack for creating characters that I really come to care about.  These characters were no different and I grew to care for them at my own peril.  As soon as you start reading this book, you basically know that things may not turn out well for everyone.  In fact, just from reading the summary you can see that they are heading straight into the danger zone in the attempt to determine what actually happened to the Atargatis so long ago.  Cue the creepy horror music from here on out.  The author starts dropping hints from the very beginning that things may not go as planned.  It adds this layer of tension to the story that made for quite the reading experience.  I won't say too much more but the comparisons to horror movies should tell you all you need to know.  And yet again I say, killer mermaids folks.  This book was everything I wanted to read and didn't even know it!  I basically couldn't stop reading this book.  I ended up finishing it late in the night because I just needed to know how it was all going to end.  I was thrilled when after finishing I realized that it looked like this is going to be part of a series.  I can't wait to read more!  Also, there is a prequel that I need to check out as soon as possible because I just can't get enough of this world that Grant has created!

Overall, I can tell you that this book will easily be on my best reads of 2017 list!  It was such a great reading experience and just writing up my thoughts has me so excited to read everything else that Grant has written.  I've always wished that they would have made a movie (or movies) based off of the Newsflesh trilogy.  I have to say that this book would make an amazing horror movie as well!  I will always sing Grant's praises because her books are just that good!  The worlds that she creates are just so unique and complex - I just can't say enough good things about her or her books.  This book was dark, tense, and so flipping good that I can't even talk coherently about it.  I'm going to need a copy of this one for my own shelves for sure!  Highly, highly recommended!  Readers of horror, science fiction, everyone really....check this one out!

Bottom Line:  One of the best books that I have read in 2017!  I don't need to say more than that!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.       

Winter Halo by Keri Arthur (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:
When the bombs that stopped the species war tore holes in the veil between worlds, they allowed entry to the Others. Now, a hundred years later, humans and shifters alike live in artificially lit cities designed to keep the darkness at bay....

The humanoid supersoldiers known as the déchet were almost eradicated by the war. Ever since, Tiger has tried to live her life in peace in hiding. But in the wake of her discovery that Central City’s children are being kidnapped and experimented on, Tiger’s conscience won’t let her look the other way.

The key to saving them lies within the walls of a pharmaceutical company called Winter Halo. But as she learns more about the facility, Tiger’s mission is derailed by a complication: Winter Halo’s female security guards are being systematically attacked by an unknown force.

Now Tiger must summon all her gifts to stop those responsible for both atrocities—no matter the cost to herself...

My Thoughts:

I am loving this series so much! I read the first book in this series, City of Light, earlier this year and just adored it. I've been pining for this book every since I finished and was so excited to finally get the chance to read this one. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the first book. What a mark of a great series (and author)! One of the things that I love most about this series is how original and unique it feels. Tiger is a déchet which is both a very rare and dangerous thing to be in this new world. Tiger was created in a laboratory and created for a specific purpose which gives her many special skills and abilities. The entire world that Arthur has created with shifters, vampires, wraiths, and all kinds of other supernatural creatures just feels so fresh to me. I can't seem to get enough of it! Then you add in a fast paced storyline where Tiger constantly gets herself into trouble and I found myself flying through this book as fast as I could.

This might be slightly spoiler-ly (there is your warning) but I really liked that with this book we got to see more of Tiger's relationship with Jonas. I like that the characters are starting to trust Tiger more and find that I'm anxious for more of that in the third book. My one and only complaint with this book was that it definitely had a build up to the next book feel. There was resolution at the end so don't get me wrong but there was also a lot of set up for book three. It didn't bother me too much though as now I'm absolutely chomping at the bit to get my hands on that next book. The wait is going to be the hardest part!! I'm going to have to move on to one of Arthur's other series while I wait for this next book to be released. The ending of this book was completely intense! I got to a point where I just couldn't see how it was all going to end and the author had me on the edge of my seat. It was completely worth the ride and I am left eager for more.

Overall, this is by far one of my favorite new series that I have found in 2016. It is pretty rare that I'm caught up with a series but when the books are this good...well, how could I not be? I think that fans of science fiction and urban fantasy would both enjoy these books. I do think that you should start with book one first just so that you get the full back story as this second book continues on after events from the first. You don't have to as the author does a pretty great job of refreshing the reader on everything that happened but I just think the reading experience would be better reading in order. I would highly recommend this book and the series. I can't say enough good things about it!

Bottom Line: Such a great follow-up to book one! I need more!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher courtesy of NetGalley.

My thoughts on City of Lights are here if you are interested.

The Drafter by Kim Harrison (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Detroit 2030. Double-crossed by the person she loved and betrayed by the covert government organization that trained her to use her body as a weapon, Peri Reed is a renegade on the run.

Don’t forgive and never forget has always been Peri’s creed. But her day job makes it difficult: she is a drafter, possessed of a rare, invaluable skill for altering time, yet destined to forget both the history she changed and the history she rewrote.

When Peri discovers her name on a list of corrupt operatives, she realizes that her own life has been manipulated by the agency. She joins forces with a mysterious rogue soldier in a deadly race to piece together the truth about her final task, unable to trust even herself."

My Thoughts:

The Drafter is one of the most original  science fiction/urban fantasy series that I've read in a long time.  I loved the world that Harrison created with this book and am very eager for more.  I always talk about those books that you can just sink down into and that is exactly what I found myself doing with this book.  It wasn't one of those books that I could set down so instead I found myself reading and saying "one more chapter" for long stretches at a time.  I really liked the fact that this book is so completely different from any other book that I've read.  The idea of being able to alter time but then to just forget what they have altered while also losing stretches of time was so unique to any other books that I've read.  The author used this to add such a thrilling layer of intensity to the book and it was just one of the reasons that I couldn't set this book down.

I'm trying very hard not to give too much away here but warning now for a slight spoiler.  One of the things that I loved most about this book is that the author wasn't afraid to make difficult choices in regards to her characters and the overall plot.  There were times that I was so frustrated but just made me want to keep reading even more.  It felt like a must to see how this would all play out and end.  Would Peri be able to figure everything out in time?  That was the question and it is what kept me reading late into the night.  I loved both her character and also Silas' character as well.  I liked that there is a hint of something more there and am hoping that we get to see more of it in future books.  I really don't think that we have learned fully all about Peri's abilities and that is also something that I'm hoping the author will explore more.  Excellent secondary characters also helped to make this book stand out for me.  The ending of this book left me unready to see it end.  I am absolutely pining for the second book at this point.  I'm also kicking myself a bit for waiting so long to read this one.  I loved the way the author ended this book and won't say more than that (other than it fit perfectly with the book in my opinion).

Final thoughts can be summed up as "Read it!"  A page turning read would be the perfect way to describe this book as well.  Obviously I don't have anything but good things to say about it.  I would love to find more books like this so I'm thinking that I need to stick my toes more in the science fiction genre.  I'm also planning on reading this author's Rachel Morgan series while I wait for book two to release in this one.  It is another series that I've always meant to read and put off but no longer.  If that series is half as good as this book was, then I'm in for a real treat!

Bottom Line:  A thrilling and great beginning to this new series!  I need more!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book for the publisher.

City of Light by Keri Arthur (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"When the bombs that stopped the species war tore holes in the veil between this world and the next, they allowed entry to the Others—demons, wraiths, and death spirits who turned the shadows into their hunting grounds. Now, a hundred years later, humans and shifters alike live in artificially lit cities designed to keep the darkness at bay....

As a déchet—a breed of humanoid super-soldiers almost eradicated by the war—Tiger has spent her life in hiding. But when she risks her life to save a little girl on the outskirts of Central City, she discovers that the child is one of many abducted in broad daylight by a wraith-like being—an impossibility with dangerous implications for everyone on earth.

Because if the light is no longer enough to protect them, nowhere is safe..."

My Thoughts:

I really loved book a lot so I feel like that should be a warning:  do not read review if you aren't open to lots of gushing about this series, book, etc.  Ha!  In all seriousness though, there is a very good chance that this book could make my top reads list for 2016 and the year has only just begun.  It was just that good for me and I basically loved everything about this book!  I loved how fresh this book felt with this unique world that Arthur has created that is unlike anything I've ever read.  This book felt like a mix between urban fantasy and science fiction which turned into a really great combination.  The book itself was action packed while still detailed enough that the author was able to really bring this new world to life.  

I loved how the author used light as a sign of safety.  In this world it is the shadows and dark that are the most dangerous as that is where all of the dangerous creatures lay in wait.  Entire cities are constantly in light at all times to keep these creatures at bay.  Tiger is a déchet which in this world is both a unique (due to the fact that the rest of her kind were killed off) and bad thing to be.  She lives alone in an empty bunker with only the ghosts of other déchet's to keep her company.  But then she is pulled into this mystery involving disappearing children and her life will never be the same.  Everything about Tiger's character intrigued me from the very beginning!  I loved that we don't know all of her experiences from the war but we do know very early on how dangerous it is for her to be a déchet.  When she is drawn into the investigation for the missing children, she is forced to lie and pretend to be something that she is not.  This hidden secret plays such an important part of this story because those people that she is working with would look at her as lesser if they truly knew what she was.  This book was filled with both twists and turns that kept me reading late into the night.  I just couldn't read fast enough!  And I cannot emphasize enough how unique this world that Arthur has created felt!  The ending of this book just about killed me and left me seriously pining for the second book.  Which doesn't release until later this year!  Gah!  What am I going to do until then??

Overall, this was one of the freshest and best beginnings to an urban fantasy/science fiction series that I have read in a very long time.  It was filled with both intrigue and action....and I just couldn't get enough!  I need more books like this in my life.  I will definitely be continuing on with this series (Winter Halo is the name of book two if you are wondering) and just pining away for book two until it releases.  This was one of those books that left me with a bookish hangover that I just didn't want to get over.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  An amazing beginning to this new series!  Second book please?

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.