Audio: Cursed - Keri Arthur

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Series: Kingdoms of Earth & Air Series, Book 2

Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 03-12-19

Language: English

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Fantasy

Thank you Tantor for this copy

My Thoughts

Books seldom make me want to pick the author's brain, but I just have so many questions! In a good way

These books feel so sci.fi. Like people went to a planet, forgot and started anew. It is fantasy with big guns. Now when I have read two books I have started to wonder, do they put all their energy and time into military tech (since they have no phones or well tv ;) They are constantly under attack and have been so for hundreds of years. Of course all they do then is military tech. See, I so want to ask the author these things.

Plus there is magic so why bother making things with tech  when you can use magic.

Such a fascinating world. I at once had to check if there is a blurb for book 3, nope, but a cool cover. See all these books takes place on different continents, but what they have in common are freaky things trying to kill and eat them.

I ave not even started with the story! Right, princess Nix, her family are aholes and should die die die! She is given away to a foreign lord and this is the best thing that could happen, cos like I said, her father and brother needs to burn burn BURN! Poor Nix, she bore her scars well.

Donal, the highlander was awesome too. He was witty, and flirty, without coming on too strong, or making her uncomfortable. 

This is military fantasy so there is a lot of fighting and trying to find the baddies.

Last thoughts

A really great and fun series! I can not wait for more. I do enjoy these. I also really liked the end of this one, it was so fitting.

Narration

The awesome Justine Eyre! I do love everything she does

Her voice for Earth is so fitting. I also like her other voices and as I am well aware of she does a great highlander brogue. 

She brings everything to a narration and it makes for a great listen.

Blurb

Whomsoever draws the sword from the ancient seat of this land shall rule it, and they shall bring peace and prosperity to its people.

For nearly a thousand years, the first-born son of every Cannamore King has drawn the sword, and the land and her people have indeed prospered.

Princess Nyx Bel-Hannon is neither male nor first-born, but it is her hand that draws the sword rather than her twin brother’s. As a reward, she is given a prison rather than a throne.

But a deep darkness now spreads across the Kingdom, and her borders are threatened by creatures capable of magic powerful enough to destroy mountains or split the land asunder. Without the true heir to wield the sword, Cannamore risks annihilation. The King and crown prince want nothing more than to be permanently rid of Nyx, but cannot afford her blood on their hands. Instead, they give her to a highland warlord in the hope he will do what they dare not. 

Nyx has no intention of letting the highlander get in the way of her thirst for revenge or the need to reclaim her throne. But it’s a quest that may well destroy the kingdom she loves.

Because Nyx has been cursed by the god of war. It is her destiny to save Cannamore.

Or utterly destroy it. 

Cursed - Sue Tingey

Lucky's being wooed by Jinx, the sexy Deathbringer and Jamie, the gorgeous Guardian, so the daemon world isn't too bad 

But before Lucky can really start to enjoy her new life in the Underlands, Kayla's men are slain and Kayla herself is kidnapped by the Sicarii, assassins-for-hire members of a death-cult.

Lucky's nemesis Henri le Dent has somehow escaped the Chambers of Rectification and court torturer Amaliel Cheriour is also missing . . . and daemon princess Kayla is just bait to catch Lucky.

For Lucky's own powers are growing, and Amaliel has his own nefarious paln to use her. But first, he has to get past her Guards, not to mention Lucky herself . . . 

My thoughts;

Ok so when I said book 1 was light, I never meant light as in the story is light. And the same goes for book 2. There is darkness, death and danger. But the writing feels light, it's not too long and it's one of those read in a book day.

Oh and there is romance now. And yes I have to confess, there is a triangle, but see, it does not bother me cos there is no triangle. There is never any oh who to choose? See this gal is all, f that, both are mine. And both are hers to do what she wants with. So no triangle, just 3 demon-humans falling for each other. Well, all I say you go girl and go for it.

But this was not a romance book, she thinks about her hotties, but there is no time for romance as her sister gets kidnapped. And someone is after her too. There are assassins to run from. A father growing mad. And the whole she can see dead people thing, and in the underlands that is not a good thing. The dead tell tales. 

I enjoyed it and like I said before I read it in a day. Once again it ended with a  cliffie that was not a cliffie. Everything is sort of good for now, but you know things will go down in the next one. I am also glad I have the next one so I can find out what will happen.

Conclusion:
Hottie demons, evil minions and a fun read. On to the next one at once

Paperback, 400 pages
Publication: May 5th 2016 by Jo Fletcher books
The Soulseer Chronicles #2
Fantasy
For review

DNF Reviews

Trouble, treachery, and magic just won't stop plaguing Cat Barahal. The Master of the Wild Hunt has stolen her husband Andevai. The ruler of the Taino kingdom blames her for his mother's murder. The infamous General Camjiata insists she join his army to help defeat the cold mages who rule Europa. An enraged fire mage wants to kill her. And Cat, her cousin Bee, and her half-brother Rory, aren't even back in Europa yet, where revolution is burning up the streets.

Revolutions to plot. Enemies to crush. Handsome men to rescue. Cat and Bee have their work cut out for them.

My thoughts on what I managed to finish:

I tried my best, I really did. I read 100 boring pages that were just plainly confusing. Then I tried to read more, then I tried to skim but I could not even skim! I could not be bothered to read almost 800 pages of this boring boring BORING book.

Such a disappointment, I LOVED book 1. Book 2 was not up to standard and this one I could not even finish. It reminded me of her fantasy book I tried to read and could not.

I had to check my review of book 2 and there I mentioned I was confused, but that it got better at the end. Still all I remember from that one is that I did not like it. I guess that last part swayed me.

Disappointing.

Paperback, 597 pages
Published June 25th 2013 by Orbit (first published January 1st 2013)
Spiritwalker #3

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. 

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. 

My thoughts on what I managed to finish:

I caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan't! I tried listening to it and I have no idea what I listened to it, fell asleep or drifted off in my mind at once.

Fail!

Audio CD, Unabridged Retail Edition, 14 pages
Published September 13th 2011 by Random House Audio

Emma Monroe is a Siren, cursed by the gods and bound to earth to atone for an ancient failure. She’s had many names and many lives, but only one mission: redemption. Now that she works missing persons cases for the FBI, it could be just a rescue away. Unless her new partner leads her astray.

Special Agent Zack Armstrong just transferred into the San Diego Field Office. He’s a werewolf, doing his best to beat back the demons from his dark and dangerous past. As a former Black Ops sniper, he’s taken enough lives. Now he’s doing penance by saving them. 

Emma and Zack’s very first case draws them deep into the realm of the paranormal, and forces them to use their own supernatural abilities. But that leaves each of them vulnerable, and there are lines partners should not cross. As secrets are revealed and more women go missing, one thing becomes clear: as they race to save the victims, Emma and Zack risk losing themselves.

What I read:

Honestly I think it was the 1st person POV that made me DNF it, I was just all meh, bleh bleh skim skim, ok DNF. it's a library book, I do not have the time.

Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages
Published October 1st 2013 by Roc
Fallen Siren #1
UF

When a small crew of scoundrels, would-be heroes, deviants, and ruffians discover a map that they believe will lead them to a fabled sword buried in the barrow of a long-dead wizard, they think they've struck it rich. But their hopes are dashed when the map turns out to be cursed and then is destroyed in a magical ritual. The loss of the map leaves them dreaming of what might have been, until they rediscover the map in a most unusual and unexpected place.

Stjepan Black-Heart, suspected murderer and renegade royal cartographer; Erim, a young woman masquerading as a man; Gilgwyr, brothel owner extraordinaire; Leigh, an exiled magus under an ignominious cloud; Godewyn Red-Hand, mercenary and troublemaker; Arduin Orwain, scion of a noble family brought low by scandal; and Arduin's sister Annwyn, the beautiful cause of that scandal: together they form a cross-section of the Middle Kingdoms of the Known World, brought together by accident and dark design, on a quest that will either get them all in the history books, or get them all killed.

From what I read:

I just can't go on. Why torment myself with a book that I will not like more than ok anyway...

Reasons for DNFing it:

I read 200 pages, from those pages all I remember is...someone died. They thought about F**'ing, they f***ed, a LOT of erect peens, honestly I was swimming in erect peens. I read romance but here were more. Incest. Perversions and MORE erect peens. I guess it was meant to be all dark and gritty and yes it was but all I can think of is that damn, so many erect peens. I want a story.

Paperback, 613 pages
Published March 4th 2014 by Pyr
Fantasy

The sun is setting on humanity. The night now belongs to voracious demons that arise as the sun sets, preying upon a dwindling population forced to cower behind ancient and half-forgotten symbols of power. These wards alone can keep the demons at bay, but legends tell of a Deliverer: a general-some would say prophet-who once bound all mankind into a single force that defeated the demons. Those times, if they ever existed, are long past. The demons are back, and the return of the Deliverer is just another myth . . . or is it?

From what I read:

I have tried to read it twice, and twice I have given up. I must just realize it wont happen. I really liked book 1, but here I just get nowhere. I hate the POV that it begins with and that is like the first 200 pages! So I will never make it past that.

Hardcover, 579 pages

Published April 13th 2010 by Del Rey (first published January 1st 2010)
Demon Cycle #2,
Fantasy