Review - Black Heart by Christina Henry

Friday, January 3, 2014
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15808774-black-heart?ac=1

Black Heart by Christina Henry
Series: Black Wings #6
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: 29 October 2013
Genre: Mystery - Paranormal - Urban Fantasy
My Copy: bought

As a former Agent of Death, Madeline Black is no stranger to witnessing violent ends. But being the one to cause them is an entirely different story…

Despite her having saved Chicago from a vampire invasion, the Agency wants to get Maddy off their payroll—permanently. With the deadly Retrievers hot on her trail, she has no choice but to trust Nathaniel to port her to safety. But even the exotic and dangerous world that she winds up in is not as peaceful as she would have hoped. Caught in a turf war between a group of fae and a disturbingly familiar foe, Maddy soon discovers that the twisted plots of her grandfather, Lucifer, and his brothers extend even into this unknown realm.

Now, with enemies gathering on all sides, Maddy’s fate is looking darker than ever. And to protect her unborn son from her adversaries, she may have to tap into a power she hoped never to access…

Review:
*SPOILER WARNING: This is the 6th book in a series, so there may be spoilers from previous books.*

In the 6th book of the Black Wing series, we find Maddy on a new realm (or planet?). It's immediately apparent that she's learned quite a bit over last 5 books. She's more careful in her planning, although she admittedly still has a long way to go. She meets a new group of fae and a familiar group of creatures, but there's much more to both than there seems.

I LOVE this series, but unfortunately it's getting a little repetitive. I was looking forward to maybe more development in the love department for Maddy. Nothing really happened though. Most of the book is only Maddy. She gets sent to another realm, while all of her sidekicks stay back on Earth. I love Beezle, J.B., and Nathaniel, so it's disappointing to not have them in the story until close to the end. Samiel wasn't in the book at all. The author did introduce another one of Lucifer's brothers named Daharan. I really look forward to seeing how his role will play out in the series. I'm rather fond of him.

I was left with several questions, but mostly what is up with the pregnancy? I don't think the author is ready to pull that trigger on adding a baby to Maddy's life despite the fact that she threw the pregnancy into the story line. I'm also curious Henry is getting tired of writing books in the series. This one was shorter than the rest, and nothing much progressed. It seemed like a lot could have been left out, and then added the rest onto the end of the last book. I think that would have made more sense.

All in all, I was disappointed in this book, but I still have hope that the series can be redeemed. There are still many loose threads to tie up involving Lucifer's brothers, the baby, Maddy's romantic interests, and her learning control and more about her powers. Plus there's a new character added towards the end with unknown goals. I'm still interested in where this series might be going.


Rating Breakdown:
Plot: 3 hearts
Pacing: 2 hearts
Characters: 4 hearts
Ending: 3 hearts
Recommend: Maybe - It's worth reading if you've been keeping up with the series so far.

Read for these Challenges:
Outdo Yourself
Monthly Keyword
Seriously Series


Happy New Year! Let's talk resolutions.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014
I'm really excited for the new year. I feel like this is going to be a good one! Of course, with the beginning of a new year comes resolutions.

Reading Resolutions:
* read at least 2 books a week
* comment on at least 5 blog posts a week to start with, then increase each month
* write and publish at least 3 posts a week, then increase as possible
* complete my challenges!

General Resolutions:
* take pharmacy tech exam to be certified
* be at my goal weight at the end of the year
* find a job with stable hours
* move somewhere, I have several options, and I really want to take advantage of one

Do you have any reading resolutions for the year? Any resolutions in general?

January 2014 New Releases

NOTE: This is by no means a complete list of book or movie releases. These are books that I am personally interested in reading and keeping track of when they are published or movies I'm interested in seeing. Book titles link to Goodreads.


7 January

BOOKS:
Black Arts - Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock #7)
What I Had Before I Had You - Sarah Cornwell

The Line - J D Horn (Witching Savannah #1)
Forsaken - Jacquelyn Frank (World of Nightwalkers #3)
No One Else Can Have You - Kathleen Hale 
Cursed by Destiny - Cecy Robson (Weird Girls #3)
Secrets for Seducing a Royal Bodyguard - Vanessa Kelly (Renegade Royals #1)
The Descent - Alma Katsu (Taker #3)
Erased - Jennifer Rush (Altered #2)
The Impossible Knife of Memory - Laurie Halse Anderson
Being Sloane Jacobs - Lauren Morrill
Flame - Amy Kathleen Ryan (Sky Chasers #3)
Independent Study - Joelle Charbonneau (Testing #2)
Love Reborn - Yvonne Woon (Dead Beautiful #3)
The Killing Woods - Lucy Christopher
Passionaries - Tonya Hurley (Blessed #2)
The Ghoul Next Door - Victoria Laurie (Ghost Hunter #8)

MOVIES:
Thanks for Sharing
Duck Dynasty: Season 4
The Following: Season 1
 

14 January

BOOKS:
Vitro - Jessica Khoury (Origin #1)
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches - Alan Bradley (Flavia de Luce #6)

MOVIES:
Riddick 
The Spectacular Now
You're Next


21 January

BOOKS:
Dark Bites - Sherrilyn Kenyon (Hellchaser #1)
Evertrue - Brodi Ashton (Everneath #3)
Pandemic - Scott Sigler (Infected #3)

28 January

BOOKS:
Up From the Grave - Jeaniene Frost (Night Huntress #7)
Crimson Veil - Yasmine Galenorn (Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon #15)
Home to Seaview Key - Sherryl Woods (Seaview Key #2)
Why Earls Fall in Love - Manda Collins (Wicked Widows #2)
Into the Still Blue - Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky #3)
Uninvited - Sophie Jordan (Uninvited #1)
Cruel Beauty - Rosamund Hodge
Her Dark Curiosity - Megan Shepherd (Madman's Daughter #2)
Infinite - Jodi Meadows (Newsoul #3)

MOVIES:
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
Downton Abbey: Season 4

30 January

Minders - Michele Jaffe