Well, my 2017 Goodreads challenge was a bit of a bust. I pledged to read 100 books during 2017 and I didn’t even come close. Managed 62 (63 if you count the one I finished at 1:30 AM on January 1st). I spent the first half of 2017 working two jobs and taking one course towards my degree, while also attempting to enjoy life, travel, and simply have fun. I mostly only read for an hour or so before bed, which also cut a bit into my goal.

Alas, I tried and still managed to enjoy most of the books I read. Hopefully you enjoy the quick reviews of the remainder of my 2017 reading list.

Heidi’s List of Books She’s Read… Continued

Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines

A major literary theme of my reading list was urban fantasy, and this was a really interesting take on that theme. I loved it. I absolutely loved how Isaac could reach into books to pull out bits of magic, equipment, or whatever he wanted, really, to use against his enemies. The writing was really fast paced, the characters were interesting, and I really enjoyed the magic system. I’m definitely going to check out the rest of this series.

Check it out on Goodreads.

Hammered by Kevin Hearne

Again, I only ever bothered checking out this series because I read that the protagonist was an arrogant asshole and people hated reading it. I actually don’t mind it much. Atticus is definitely an arrogant asshole, and I’m really not a fan of Oberon (he’s really annoying), but it’s a readable series and I’m okay with that.

Check it out on Goodreads.

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

I am a sucker for libraries. Especially secret libraries that take you into different worlds. This book was really enjoyable and I’ll definitely continue the series. I liked Irene as the main character, I liked the supporting cast, and I liked just how weird the plot was. It was an easy read and I never found myself bored by it. It definitely kept my interest.

Check it out on Goodreads.

The Others Series (Written in Red, Murder of Crows, Vision in Silver, Marked in Flesh) by Anne Bishop

I think this was my major literary disappointment of the year, and even still, I read every book in the series. It’s just… it’s really bad, you guys. I love Anne Bishop. I love her Black Jewels series so, so much. But taking everything I loved from the Black Jewels series and trying to layer it over a really bad shapeshifter/paranormal romance plot just does not work. It actually makes it staggeringly bad. At one point, I was considering doing an entire blog post comparing this disappointment of a series to another series I picked up and read in entirety in 2017 (and I may still do this) just because I was so disappointed in this series. I don’t care about any of the characters, I don’t understand the world Bishop is using here (it’s Earth but… spelled bad?), I can’t figure out why she is still using all the cutesty, quaint language she uses in the Black Jewels series in this more modern story. It’s so jarring and stupid. There’s potential with the shifters (they’re animals who have a human form, not humans who have an animal form) and the cassandra sangue is an interesting trait, but the stories themselves are just bad. But, because I’m me, I’ll read the entire series (and I do really love Bishop’s other work) and hate myself for it the entire time.

Check it out on Goodreads.

Alex Verus Series (Cursed, Taken, Chosen, Hidden) by Benedict Jacka

I read the first of this series a while ago and really enjoyed it, so I decided to pick up the rest since I kept having this recommended to me during The Long Dresden Files Wait. It’s a great urban fantasy series and I quite like it. Verus is an interesting lead as he knows he should use his magic for good, but realizes that good is subjective. There’s really no inner struggle of good versus evil, it’s all very logical. The supporting characters are great (I especially love Luna and Arachne), I really enjoy Verus’s magical abilities, and the overall arc of the series is great. Will definitely continue this series.

Check it out on Goodreads.

October Daye Series (Rosemary and Rue, A Local Habitation, An Artificial Night, Late Eclipses, One Salt Sea, Ashes of Honor, Chimes at Midnight, The Winter Long, A Red Rose Chain, Once Broken Faith, Full of Briars) by Seanan McGuire

This was easily the best series of books I read all year. Easily. October is such an interesting protagonist, I love her companions, I love the world of Faerie that McGuire created. I love it all. THIS is what the LKH Merry Gentry series should be. The stories are easy and fast to read, the plots are all super intriguing, and I love all the characters. Especially the Luidaeg. And Tybalt. And April. I love all the Shakespeare and fairy tales and nursery rhymes. This series checks off all my interests and inspires me to create something just as good. I have a few series I like to read at least semi-annually and I’m sure this will become one of them.

Check it out on Goodreads.

Bayou Born by Hailey Edwards

This was a free book I picked up from some book list. It wasn’t bad. The writing itself was pretty weak, enough to somewhat take me out of the narration, but not the worst I’ve ever read. The plot was decent, though I thought it took a while to ramp up to the action, and once the reveal happened, it sort of just ended. If there’s ever a second book in the series, I’ll probably pick it up.

 Check it out on Goodreads.

Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding

I had this on my reading wishlist for a while, and once I finished the October Daye series I finally had time to check it out, and I’m glad I finally did. I’m normally not one who’s super into steampunk and sky pirates, but I really enjoyed this. The characters are great and I love the various flaws of the main group. Plus, golems! I love a good golem. This is another series I’d be happy to continue.

Check it out on Goodreads.

Sunglasses After Dark by Nancy A. Collins

This was… alright. It’s an interesting take on vampires and I didn’t think it was necessarily bad, just sort of poorly written. I caught a lot of spelling or grammatical errors that threw me from the narrative. Sonja is a pretty kickass heroine and I love a good morally ambiguous protagonist story. I don’t know if I’d continue this series or not, probably if I’m bored enough and run out of other series I enjoy more.

Check it out on Goodreads.

Half the World and Half a War by Joe Abercrombie

I read the first of the Shattered Sea trilogy, Half a King, a few years ago but never got around to picking up the remaining books, so when I noticed them available at my online library I snagged them right away. Abercrombie does such a good job creating these fantastical worlds that I get sucked right into his stories. I enjoyed these quite a bit. Thorn is probably one of my favorite characters I’ve discovered this year. She’s insane and stubborn and decisive and ruthless and strong and I really enjoyed her growth. My one complaint about this series is the overuse of “I reckon…”. I reckon this tore me away from the story and at times I really couldn’t focus on the actual story but on just how much I hate that phrase.

Check it out on Goodreads.

Double or Nothing by Craig Schaefer

I am so glad this series is on Kindle Unlimited. It’s yet another urban fantasy that helps to sate my thirst for the next Dresden novel. The books themselves aren’t the greatest and most of the characters are pretty archetypal of urban fantasy, but they’re an easy, quick read and Schaefer is a powerhouse of a novelist (dude releases so many books every year, jeez!) so you know the next in the series is coming shortly after you finish. I did enjoy the twist at the end and how Daniel and crew got out of it. It’s a decent series and so far I’ve liked everything Schaefer has done.

Check it out on Goodreads.