Monthly Archives: May 2026

books, Fantasy, Reviews, Urban fantasy

Cold Iron Task (The Unorthodox Chronicles 3) by James J. Butcher

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Stars: 4.5 out of 5

This is an excellent story. Both Mayflower and Grimsby are put through the wringer here, but both come out on the other side with some significant character growth.

What I like about Grimsby is that he is genuinely a good guy. Life really tried to beat him down time and time again, but that didn’t make him bitter or jaded. He isn’t trying to lash out at a world that frankly put him through hell. He chooses compassion and believes in treating people right. He cares about his friends, even too much sometimes.

My only complaint is that he seems to be a little too trusting for someone who’s had such a hard upbringing. I mean, I understand that he feels guilty for what happened to his friend and wants to help, but he could have asked a few more questions before agreeing to the heist, don’t you think?

But it’s also wonderful to see how much of a positive influence he is on his friends, even if he doesn’t realize it. The fact that Mayflower turned to him when he needed support is very telling. Mayflower from book 1 would have laughed at the mere idea of it, then punched you in the face for even suggesting it.

I’m glad that Grimsby finally learned a new spell, and OMG it is so fitting of his character! Hopefully, now that he has found peace with himself and realized that his magic isn’t damaged, that the burns are an intrinsic part of him, he will be able to advance as a magic user.

This book also raises more questions about who his mother was and what really happened during that apartment fire. Hopefully, we will get more answers in the next book.

books, Dark fantasy, Fantasy, Reviews

The Five Faces (Markhat 8) by Frank Tuttle

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Stars: 3.5 out of 5

Don’t get me wrong, I love Markhat and his friends, and the beginning of the story tugs at my heartstrings. I am a dog lover, and I work in animal rescue, so any mention of dog fighting makes me see red. So I was right there with Markhat when he went Hulk Smash on the b&%tards in that warehouse.

I really wanted more of that plotline, but unfortunately, it gets dropped almost immediately. Sure, we find Cornbread by the end of the book, but it’s almost a side note. We don’t even get to see the reunion with Saffie, which was a bit disappointing.

Instead, we get a story about yet another ancient would-be big bad crawling out of the nether and into Ranith. And while it was a fun ride, the stakes didn’t seem as personal as the previous books. Which is weird, considering the fate of the whole city was on the line.

There were also a lot of unanswered questions. Like, what was the point of taking over the drug trade in the city or beating up other members of Ranith’s underground, if the big bad was playing host to a literal Death god who was going to kill everyone anyway? That was the end goal, so why go into all the trouble with the rest?

Also, the whole jumping in and out of time, into the future and back, was a bit confusing. And it lowered the stakes in the end. Yes, Markhat made a sacrifice in the end to defeat the death god, but Markhat is also here and unhurt at the end of the book, so it cheapens what happened.

Don’t get me wrong, it was still a really good book, and I’m still loving this series. It was just a bit less enjoyable than the previous ones.

books, Horror, Reviews

The Murmors (Annie Jackson Mysteries 1) by Michael J Malone

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Stars: 2 out of 5

This book started very strongly – Annie has no memories of her childhood due to a terrible accident that killed her mom and landed her in a coma, and on top of that, she starts hearing murmurs and sees how people will die when their death is imminent enough. What would she do with this strange ability? Especially since she just started working in a nursing home.

Well, turns out, nothing at all. Annie quits after the first day there, and her ability doesn’t really come into play at all during the rest of the book.

I felt cheated. Like the blurb was a bait and switch. I came for a woman with a strange ability, not a generational drama and a plot that ground to a halt after the initial setup and then proceeded to creep towards an ending at a snail’s pace.

It doesn’t help that the actual plot of the book is not interesting, at least not to me. Any of the supposed twists were telegraphed way in advance, so I didn’t even have any aha moments to look forward to. And, as I mentioned, the plot went into a completely different direction than I expected.

I also couldn’t connect with Annie at all, even though I tried. To me, she just reads as very immature and full of herself. She only thinks of how things impact her and never even tries to consider how her actions impact those closest to her. And everyone tiptoes around her as if walking on eggshells, even before her curse manifests.

I also wasn’t particularly invested in the other timelines we follow in this story – the one of Annie’s mother and her sisters, and the one of the original twins who brought the curse into being.

Mostly, it was a slog to read and left me rather underwhelmed. I honestly am confused where all the raving reviews are coming from. Did I read a different book than everyone else? I will not be continuing with the series.

PS: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a review copy.