Review: Pirate Vishnu by Gigi Pandian

Pirate Vishnu by Gigi Pandian was released February 11, 2014 by Henery Press. This is the second book in the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery series.

Treasure hunts seem to find History professor Jaya Jones. This one involves an old treasure map that appears to be of San Francisco's Barbary Coast written in the Indian dialect of Tamil and a familial connection to the mapmaker for Jaya.

The man who brings her the map is brutally murdered. Soon she is on the trail of the treasure. From San Francisco to India, Jaya pieces together the puzzle of this revered treasure while dodging a killer.

The book painted an interesting picture of what India was like back in the day as well as San Francisco just prior to the Great Earthquake. The details about the different cultures were great. My only wish was that some of the parts that were set in the past were longer.

Chapters alternate between past and present. Present day chapters also can't help but have information on culture since Jaya is half Indian and the mystery involves India and her family's past. The present day chapters are also told in her voice. This narration works well.

The mystery itself was handled well for the most part. I found, however, that I wasn't really satisfied with the resolution. I don't want to say more than that because it would be a spoiler.

There is a bit of a love triangle developing in this book, but it is not really a major issue yet. It's introduced and left to brew. It will be interesting to see what happens with it in the next book.

The quality of the writing up until the end was 4 stars, but the ending made me bring it down half a star. So, I gave this book 3.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Waiting on Wednesday #32 - Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past by Sharyn McCrumb

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

I know this one is way early in the year to post, but I am so excited to see it that I had to share it right away. It's due out October 7, 2014 from Abingdon Press. I love Sharyn McCrumb's Ballad novels. This novella takes place in the same area and with some of the same characters at Christmas time. I love the way she is able to tie together past and present and folklore or folksong to make a great story. I look forward to it even at novella length. 

From the publisher:

When someone buys the old Honeycutt house, Nora Bonesteel is glad to see some life brought back to the old mansion, even if it is by summer people. But when they decide to stay through Christmas, they find more than old memories in the walls.

On Christmas Eve, Sheriff Spencer Arrowwood and Deputy Joe LeDonne find themselves on an unwelcome call to arrest an elderly man for a minor offense. As they attempt to do their duty, while doing the right thing for a neighbor, it begins to look like they may all spend Christmas away from home.

In a story of spirits, memories, and angels unaware, Sharyn McCrumb revisits her most loved characters who know there is more to this world than the eye can see, especially at Christmastime.

What book are you waiting on this week?

Waiting on Wednesday #31 - The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

This week I am looking forward to getting my hands on The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore. In fact I've already put in a request for it as a birthday present this year. Signed copies have been available at  Barnes and Noble online. There is a free preview available on Christopher Moore's blog as well.

From Goodreads.com:
New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore channels William Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe in this satiric Venetian gothic that brings back the Pocket of Dog Snogging, the eponymous hero of Fool, along with his sidekick, Drool, and pet monkey, Jeff

Venice, a long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy of Britain and France, and widower of the murdered Queen Cordelia: the rascal-Fool Pocket.

This trio of cunning plotters-the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago-have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising an evening of sprits and debauchery with a rare Amontillado sherry and Brabantio's beautiful daughter, Portia.

But their invitation is, of course, bogus. The wine is drugged. The girl isn't even in the city limits. Desperate to rid themselves once and for all of the man who has consistently foiled their grand quest for power and wealth, they have lured him to his death. (How can such a small man, be such a huge obstacle?). But this Fool is no fool . . . and he's got more than a few tricks (and hand gestures) up his sleeve.

Pocket does tend to be a little lewd and profane in his speech,  but still the book will most likely be well plotted, characters well developed, funny and worth the read. The average rating on Goodreads so far is about 4 stars.

So, What book are you waiting on this week?

Teaser Tuesday - Hunting Shadows by Charles Todd

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 

Should Be Reading. 

Rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week my teaser comes from Hunting Shadows by Charles Todd. It was released January 21, 2014 from William Morrow and Company. It's #16 in the Inspector Ian Rutledge series. 

From p.192:

"There was something about the man that put Rutledge off. He wasn't sure if it was the light eyes that seemed as cold as icy water, or if it was the rat."


What's your teaser this week?

Waiting on Wednesday #30 - Conversion by Katherine Howe

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

I've long been fascinated by all things witchy. And since I took a field trip with my parents to Salem when I was in third grade (many years ago), I became fascinated also with what happened there to those poor people in 1692. The hysteria, accusations, hangings etc that began with Tituba only seemed to end when the Governer's wife was accused of being a witch.

Conversion by Katherine Howe is due to be released July 1, 2014 by Putnam Juvenile. As best I can tell, the conversion in the title refers to the psychological conversion disorder where anxiety and stressful situations result in neurological symptoms with no physical causes.

Summary from Goodreads.com 

It’s senior year at St. Joan’s Academy, and school is a pressure cooker. College applications, the battle for valedictorian, deciphering boys’ texts: Through it all, Colleen Rowley and her friends are expected to keep it together. Until they can’t.
 
First it’s the school’s queen bee, Clara Rutherford, who suddenly falls into uncontrollable tics in the middle of class. Her mystery illness quickly spreads to her closest clique of friends, then more students and symptoms follow: seizures, hair loss, violent coughing fits. St. Joan’s buzzes with rumor; rumor blossoms into full-blown panic.
 
Soon the media descends on Danvers, Massachusetts, as everyone scrambles to find something, or someone, to blame. Pollution? Stress? Or are the girls faking? Only Colleen—who’s been reading The Crucible for extra credit—comes to realize what nobody else has: Danvers was once Salem Village, where another group of girls suffered from a similarly bizarre epidemic three centuries ago . . .
 
Inspired by true events—from seventeenth-century colonial life to the halls of a modern-day high school—Conversion casts a spell. With her signature wit and passion, New York Times bestselling author Katherine Howe delivers an exciting and suspenseful novel, a chilling mystery that raises the question, what’s really happening to the girls at St. Joan’s?

What book are you waiting on this week?

Teaser Tuesday - Quoth the Raven by Jane Haddam

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 

Should Be Reading. 

Rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week my teaser comes from Quoth the Raven by Jane Haddam. It's #4 in the Gregor Demarkian mysteries.  It was released in paperback in 1991 by Crimeline Books, but has just been released in ebook versions, including Kindle, March 5, 2014 by Mysterious Press. I am reading the Kindle edition.

"Suddenly was definitely the best word for Halloween. Unexpectedly was the second-best one."

Location 728, 16% through

It is Gregor Demarkian, former FBI agent,  who is thinking the above quote.

What's your teaser this week?

Review: Widow's Web (Elemental Assassin #7) by Jennifer Estep

Widow's Web by Jennifer Estep is #7 in the Elemental Assassin series. It was published August 21, 2012 by Pocket Books. I read the ebook edition on BookShout.

Gin Blanco, aka the Spider, is an elemental with Ice and Stone powers. These helped her in the past when she acted as an assassin. These days her powers help to keep her alive as it seems every criminal who wants to move up the ladder has come after her since she killed Mab.

As if that wasn't enough, Salina comes to town. On the surface, she's a sweet southern belle. But underneath, she is as dangerous as uncharted waters. Salina is a Water elemental and Owen's (Gin's boyfriend's) former fiancee. It seems Salina has come back with 2 things on her mind: revenge on those who wronged her when she was last in town and Owen. What did they do to her? How many people will Salina have to kill before she is satisfied? Will Owen chose Salina over Gin? Gin is determined to find out just what this widow is doing and save Owen and her friends even at the cost of her relationship with Owen.

This novel could be classified as paranormal or urban fantasy. I lean a little bit more towards the urban fantasy myself. After all the world is mostly normal but with fantastical people inhabiting it along with humans.

As for the characters, some are more developed than others. That's normal. Characters that don't have a big role, don't have a lot of development. Major characters however are developed beautifully, especially the character of Gin Blanco. The novel is told from her point of view. So we get quite a bit into her head. This makes for a very sympathetic heroine. There are other characters that are significantly developed such as, but not limited to, Owen (her boyfriend), Eva (Owen's little sister), and Phillip (childhood friend of Eva and Owen).

The pacing of the book is good. It makes you want to read more. I read the book in 2 days, which is kind of rare for me lately. And I still want more of Gin. So I will probably look into other books in the series.

I think you will like this book if you like urban fantasy. Particularly if you also like books by Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more about the characters in other books in the series.

Waiting on Wednesday #29 - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

This week the book I am anticipating is The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. It's due to be published April 1, 2014 from Algonquin Books. 

From Goodreads.com :

On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto "No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World." A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means.

A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island-from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who's always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It's a small package, but large in weight. It's that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn't see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.

Why does it appeal to me? It's about a book lover, his life, and his bookstore. Sounds pretty good to me. 

What book are you waiting on this week?

Teaser Tuesday - I See You Made an Effort by Annabelle Gurwitch

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 

Should Be Reading. 

Rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser comes from I See You Made an Effort: Compliments, Indignities, and Survival Stories from the edge of 50 by Annabelle Gurwitch. It's being released March 6, 2014 from Blue Rider Press. 

"Doing my best to walk while staring at my feet was difficult enough, but I once made the unforgivable mistake of waving hello, a gesture that was deemed way too enthusiastic. It caused so much distress I could only surmise it was the teenage equivalent of waterboarding."

Location 395 at 15% in my Kindle

So far, this is a funny book. It's poking fun at what it's like for women to get older, and in the case of the quote, with a middle school age son. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it.

What are your teasers this week?

In honor of Dr. Seuss' Birthday

The Original appears at http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4150/30-Dr-Seuss-Quotes-That-Can-Change-Your-Life.html

Review: Sacrificed in Shadow by S.M. Reine

Sacrificed in Shadow by S.M. Reine is book 1 in the Ascension Series. It's a paranormal action novel wherein good and evil blur the lines. It's published by Red Iris Books. This edition was published January 5, 2014.

Sometimes, you need a demon to fight demons. ~ Goodreads.com

Elise Kavanagh is many things: preternatural investigator, exorcist, and a powerful demon. She is the expert when things go bump in the night and people suffer violent deaths at the hands of evil.

Deputy Lincoln Marshall seeks out Elise after several people from his small town church turn up dead apparently killed by a rogue werewolf. One of the names of the victims, though, is the same as a girl from one of her earlier cases. It seems someone is trying to make sure that Elise comes to Northgate. Is it a trap?

Elise accepts the case. She wants to know who wants her there so badly and why. And she will have to work together with the last surviving werewolf pack. Only together will they be able to stop the killings and uncover the secrets in Northgate.

I liked this book a lot. The characters were interesting and well developed. There were a few big twists to the plot. One was sort of predictable. The others were more surprising. Who was good and who was evil was unpredictable as well. You can't always judge by appearances. The book was well paced. It kept you reading. And for those who want to know these things, there were sex scenes. I know that some people want to avoid them or are choosing books for YA readers and don't want them to read them. So, there you have it. Overall I would recommend this book. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.