So far, I am ahead of schedule for my reading goal. I challenged myself to read at least one book a month, not counting audiobooks. In the first three months of the year, I have finished 7 books. Below are my reviews of the audiobooks I listened to while I walked and washed dishes. Below those reviews are my reviews on the 7 books I’ve read. These reviews are listed in the order I finished them.

Audiobook Reviews

1. “American Gods” by Neil Gaimon
   • 4/5 stars
   • This book follows the story of Shadow after he has been released from prison and is pulled into employment by a mysterious man calling himself Wednesday. The story has a slow pace that is really great for walking to, and the reader knows about as much as the main character about what is going on and who everyone is. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook and look forward to listening to some of the related books.
2. “The Awakening” by Nora Roberts
   • 3/5 stars
   • This story centers around the character Breen as she learns more about her forgotten past in the magical world of Talamh and her destiny to help save it. The story was really, really slow to get started, and Breen is incredibly whiny. In addition to her whining, she is also miraculously good at everything she does, so the only struggle she faces throughout the story is overcoming her lack of self-confidence. As a result, I struggled to stay interested in the story. The story ends in a cliffhanger (I was told that is typical of Nora Roberts’ work) so I started the sequel thinking maybe it would get better. It did not. I gave up on the sequel after only a few hours of listening.
3. “The Maleficent Seven” by Cameron Johnston
   • 2/5 stars
   • Right before completing their conquest of the entire continent/world, the great general “Black Herran” vanishes, and her 7 generals fail to complete the task, falling into disarray. 40 years later, she resurfaces and “gets the band back together” to stop a different group from doing the same thing. In theory, the idea is pretty great. You get to see villains act out the role of heroes. However, none of the heroes are all that interesting. Most of the book is just the “getting the band back together” phase, which drags on without any of the characters facing any challenges they cannot easily overcome because they are notorious, powerful generals. Each time something came up, I was reminded of the Pitch Meeting youtube channel’s classic line “super easy, barely an inconvenience.”

Book Reviews

1. “Grave Peril” by Jim Butcher
   • 3/5 stars
   • The third entry in the Dresden Files series. I can’t say the writing is getting any better, but it isn’t getting worse. This will probably be the last book in the series that I bother to read as the storytelling is just OK, and the characters bore me.
2. “The Thorn of Dentonhill” by Marshall Ryan Maresca
   • 5/5 stars
   • The first of the series, this book introduces Veranix Calbert as “The Thorn.” The Thorn is a masked vigilante bent on stopping the drug trade in Dentonhill. He has magic powers and is incredibly acrobatic. It reads like a typical super-hero story, and is genuinely fun to read. The characters are fun, witty, and distinct.
3. “The Alchemy of Chaos” by Marshall Ryan Maresca
   • 5/5 stars
   • A continuation of the first and picking up right where it left off, this story focuses on a new challenge facing The Thorn; someone is setting off “magic bombs” around the school and neighborhood. Again, this book is a light and fun read that I didn’t want to put down.
4. “The Imposters of Aventil” by Marshall Ryan Maresca
   • 5/5 stars
   • The third installment following the adventures and mishaps of The Thorn, this story breaks away from the original structure of the first two novels by introducing characters from one of the author’s concurrent series that takes place in the same universe. I really enjoyed meeting these new characters and seeing them interact.
5. “Empire of the Vampire” Jay Kristoff
   • 5/5 stars
   • I love the way this story is told. It starts at the end, with the main character, Gabriel, captured by what we can only assume is the enemy. We interact with the story as Gabriel tells it to his jailer and we get to jump back and forth in time slowly learning how he got to this point. The whole thing is really well structured and I struggled to out the book down. If you like the way the story is told, “The Ruin of Kings” by Jenn Lyons is very similar (I highly recommend listening to this as an audiobook as the story telling is more immersive that way).
   • My favorite book of the year so far. I cannot wait for the sequel.
6. “The Shadow of What Was Lost” by James Islington
   • 5/5 stars
   • I don’t know how to explain this book. All I can say is, I love the story telling. All of the characters are interesting and the story sucks you in. I love how we are strung along with the characters, following the strings of fate and trying to fgure out who is evil and why everything is happening the way it is. The reader is rewarded consistently for continuing to read and I hated putting the book down.
7. “An Echo of Things to Come” by James Islington
   • 5/5 stars
   • Building off the acheivements of the first, the sequel to “The Shadow of What Was Lost” is even better. I love learning more about the characters’ pasts and gleaning glimpses of their futures. Everything is connected and it’s so great seeing the author’s vision slowly unfold. I wille be devouring the final book as soon as I can.