Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #222: These Vengeful Souls by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

England, 1883. On the run with the grieving Sebastian Braddock, Evelyn wants two things: to be reunited with her friends and to get revenge on the evil Captain Goode. Not only has he misused his and Sebastian's powers to rack up a terrible death toll, but he's also completely destroyed any hope of Evelyn or her friends regaining the life they once knew.

Evelyn is determined to make Captain Goode pay for what he's done, but is her revenge worth risking the lives of Sebastian and her friends? Or is it better to flee the city and focus on staying alive? And with the Captain spreading lies about Sebastian in an attempt to flush them out of hiding and turn the populace against them, does she even have a choice at all?

These Vengeful Souls by  Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas is due to be released February 20, 2018 from Swoon Reads.

Why am I waiting on this one? I've read the first two books in the trilogy and enjoyed them. The endings of the books were on the bleak side and I want to see where they go from there. 

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Review: These Ruthless Deeds by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

When I was approved to read These Ruthless Deeds by Swoon Books through NetGalley, I ordered book one, These Vicious Masks, to read as soon as possible. It was a good idea. Book #2 pretty much picks up where Book#1 leaves off,

Evelyn and Miss Grey are trying to find and help other people with powers. Things go awry as they try to rescue a young woman with telekinesis from an insane asylum. The Society of Aberrations steps in and helps to rescue them. In turn, the Society tries to recruit them.

Evelyn is seriously wary of the Society after events in book one with a rogue agent claiming to be working for the society, but engaging in repugnant acts on his own. While Captain Goode claims the society had nothing to do with the other's actions, Evelyn is still erring on the side of caution until she finds out there may be a way to help Mr. Braddock deal with his disastrous power of making those around him sick. This she thinks might be worth joining the Society.

Meanwhile, her parents have returned to London with money found by her father's accountant. It appears her reputation has been restored. A Lady Atherton comes forth with her son and suggests that Evelyn participates in the little season. And she appears to be involved with the Society of Aberrations as well.

Evelyn goes on missions for the society along with her friends and some of the other members of the Society. There are surprises in store both during the missions and aside from them.

Evelyn is as enjoyable as she was in the first book. She is caring, but snarky at times. She has a solid group of friends on which to rely. And there is a little bit of a love triangle between her, Mr. Kent, and Mr. Braddock. I enjoyed the characterization of her friends as well.

The pace of the book is faster than book one. It leads up to a major scene which both resolves some problems and introduces more, paving the way for a third book in the series.

Altogether, the book is well written. the emphasis is on the action rather than the romance. It still reads as book one advertises a bit like "Jane Austen meets the X-Men." There is fun, and there is tragedy. To say more would be spoilers.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I like the characters and the pacing as well as the mystery of just what the society is up to. There is also another mystery that becomes apparent after a while. I would recommend the book for people who enjoy a blend of science fiction/fantasy with their historical literature. A certain amount of suspension of disbelief is required, but not so much that it can't be done. I would recommend reading book one in the series before reading book two. And I am seriously looking forward to book three. The end of These Ruthless Deeds has a little bit of a cliffhanger to it. I want to see the situational troubles wrapped up and the interpersonal problems resolved.

Review: These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

The title reminds me of a line from the Billy Joel song, The Stranger: "We all have a face that we hide away forever." The only difference is that in the process of the book some of the masks are slowly stripped away.

Billed as "Jane Austen meets the X-men," the book pretty much lives up to its hype. It is a story set in the Victorian era, but with individuals with special powers. There are 3 groups. One is the group that doesn't know that much about their powers and is on the naive side. The second group knows, uses, and sometimes exploits their powers or the powers of others. And then there is a third group with no special powers.

Evelyn has come to London in search of her sister  Rosamund who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. On the way she meets Mr. Kent who arranges for her to stay with his sister and his parents and promises to aid in finding Rose. Evelyn meets Sebastian Braddock. Mr. Braddock claims that Evelyn and her sister both possess special healing powers. And he wants Evelyn to heal someone close to him. In return, he will help seek out Rosamund.

The book is very much a missing person mystery. Rosamund is gone and presumed in danger by Evelyn. After all wouldn't she take her medicine kit with her if she left voluntarily?

There is also a touch of romance. There is not quite a love triangle. The focus though is on finding Rose. There are dangers both mundane and extraordinary in the course of the search.

Evelyn especially is of interest. She doesn't care much for her role in society as a young unmarried woman. And she detests attending balls with her mother trying to set her up with some young man. She argues that there must be more to life. Her sister is milder in manner and appears to go along with her mother's designs at least at the ball in the beginning.

The ending was a surprise to me. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. It could be read as a standalone, but it will leave you wanting more. Thank goodness the second book in the trilogy comes out March 14, 2017 from Swoon Reads.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's a good mystery with a touch of romance and a touch of the gothic. It is a YA book, but I found it enjoyable as an adult as well.

Teaser Tuesday: These Ruthless Deeds by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• 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 so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Even after living with her for the two months where I was not ... the easiest houseguest, I still wasn't quite used to her limitless patience. "You don't wish to know what I was doing, mysteriously traveling to another country?"

She turned her gray eyes to meet mine. "I suspect it's rather important work, which leads me to believe that London society would have objections and a little discretion is necessary. I wouldn't want to cause any more trouble."

~ Evelyn talking to Mae about 11% into the book on my Kindle. The quotations come from an ARC of the book and may appear differently in the final copy.

What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• 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 so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Thank you for getting us out," I whispered to him. "I feared that would never end."

"The old bat detests being left out of a conversation. Sometimes when she's summoned me, I've resorted to talking to myself so I might be dismissed."

p.53-54 paperback edition

These Vicious Masks was published in February 2016 by Swoon Books. The sequel, These Ruthless Deeds, is due out March 14, 2017 from Swoon Books.

What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday # 113: These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

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

Expected publication: February 9, 2016
by Swoon Reads

This week the book I am waiting on is These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas. It's due out February 9, 2016 from Swoon Books. 

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Jane Austen meets X-­Men in this gripping and adventure-­filled paranormal romance set in Victorian London.

England, 1882. Evelyn is bored with society and its expectations. So when her beloved sister, Rose, mysteriously vanishes, she ignores her parents and travels to London to find her, accompanied by the dashing Mr. Kent. But they’re not the only ones looking for Rose. The reclusive, young gentleman Sebastian Braddock is also searching for her, claiming that both sisters have special healing powers. Evelyn is convinced that Sebastian must be mad, until she discovers that his strange tales of extraordinary people are true—and that her sister is in graver danger than she feared. 

Why am I waiting on this book? The first sentence of the synopsis intrigues me. It sounds like it will be an interesting read. 

You can read an interview with the authors at the Swoon Website.

What book are you waiting on this week? Please share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by!