Dead Letters - Caite Dolan-Leach

Ava doesn't believe it when the email arrives to say that her twin sister is dead. It's not grief or denial that causes her scepticism - it just feels too perfect to be anything other than Zelda's usual manipulative scheming. And Ava knows her twin.

Two years after she left, vowing never to speak to Zelda again after the ultimate betrayal, Ava must return home to retrace her errant sister's last steps. She soon finds notes that lead her on a twisted scavenger-hunt of her twin's making.

Letter by letter, Ava unearths clues to her sister's disappearance: and unveils harrowing truths of her own. A is for Ava, and Z is for Zelda, but deciphering the letters in-between is not so simple... 

My thoughts:

I enjoyed the mystery in this one, it did make it hard to out it down.

Sure, the characters all had issues, but why would I mind that. They were all alcoholics even if Ava was in denial. I like unreliable narrators. 

Ava comes back to her parent's vineyard after her sister has died...or has she? She keeps getting these emails and I could honestly not tell, was Zelda really dead? Was she hiding? Was this revenge or some sort of effed up way of messing with the sister that left? I needed to know. 

'

The book is about Ava finding clues and trying to figure out what is going on. All while dealing with their messy vineyard, her mother and the betrayal that made her leave in the first place. And I did like Ava, though she should stay away from the booze and pills. A vineyard was so not the best place for them to grow up with a mum like that.

And Zelda was a piece of work, she was a mess. The flashbacks of them growing up shows her calculating side.

Conclusion:
The book was a fast read and it kept me wondering what was really going on. Oh I had some insane theories to be sure ;)

Paperback, 352 pages
Expected publication: May 4th 2017 by Corvus
Thriller /Fiction
For review

Alien Education - Gini Koch

As if learning as much as possible about every alien race in the galaxy, fending off the advances both business and personal from a variety of Hollywood types, dealing with the assimilation of various alien races, and navigating the Embassy Daycare kids' first day of "real" school wasn't bad enough, President and First Lady Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini must now deal with new robotic attacks that endanger every alien child on Earth, the resurgence of a bigger, nastier Club 51, and a variety of murders, all while facing the most truly terrifying organization they've ever encountered -- the school's Parent-Teacher Association. 

My thoughts:

Kitty does deal with a new scary big bad here, PTA. Dang those women, well woman ;), are scary!

One thing that I am very happy that have changed is that there were less music talk. 500+ pages of constant music references can be tiresome so this book was a total improvement.

Right, to the book then! Book 15, omg I know! When did that happen? Did I not just start reading these?! Now she has 2 kids and her husband is president. And she has a lot more animals ;)

There is always something bad coming. It's like you take down one tentacle and then 2 more come out. Arms that sends out robots, aliens, you never know who to trust. And then there are those stupid Humans first idiots too. They hate all aliens and want them gone. 

And then there was the PTA at the new school Jamie is going too. That will give her some trouble too, but then when is Kitty not in trouble? Luckily she is kick-ass and has great friends.

Conclusion:
Action, aliens and I need another A! I can't think of a good ending. Dang. Lol. 

I read it fast. It felt light and fun.

Cover
cool

Kindle Edition, 496 pages
Expected publication: May 2nd 2017 by DAW
Katherine "Kitty" Katt #15
Sci-fi
For review

Tell me something Tuesday: How do you keep up with commenting?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post here on Rainy Day Ramblings where Rainy discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

This week's conversation starter: 
May 2nd: How do you keep up with commenting?

I used to have this awesome system where I did commenting before work and then late at night. But that totally fell apart during this fall when I was too tired to comment. I still got it done, but I was usually 2 days late ;)

And since I need to be doing a lot at the same time, I tend to comment on blogs while watching tv. Or just procrastinate, and then realise that I should be in bed and comment like crazy in a few minutes. Maybe not my best commenting, but at least I get something done.

I am also really bad at long comments. I have tabs open for 2 hours and then when I get to commenting I have forgotten what I just read in the review. I always feel like my comments should be longer, but I have given up, I think short is me. I just can not seem to shake it.

How I will keep up commenting in the future, we will see. Maybe I can shake that, looking at tv and commenting ;)

And I do tend to skip a few posts sometimes if I have too many, mostly spotlights and such...eh.

Luci in February when I wrote this

City of Miracles - Robert Jackson Bennett

Sigrud je Harkvaldsson is back, and this time he's out for vengeance. 'Astonishingly good ...a deep, powerful novel that's worth reading and rereading - Publishers Weekly The awesome climax to the fantasy thrillers City of Stairs and City of Blades: perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman, Brent Weeks and China Mieville. Shara Komayd, once Prime Minister of Saypur, has been assassinated. News travels fast and far, even to a remote logging town somewhere northwest of Bulikov, where the silent, shaven-headed Dreyling worker 'Bjorn' picks up the newspaper and walks out. He is shocked and grieved and furious; he's been waiting thirteen years for Shara, his closest friend, to reach out to him - to tell him to come home. He's always believed she was running a long operation, that there would be a role for him at the right time. Now he has no one else in his life, and nothing to live for - except to find the people who did this. Sigrud wasn't there for the death of his daughter Signe, and he wasn't there when Shara was murdered. Now Bjorn is dead and Sigrud is back. And he will find answers, for Shara, and for himself. He's made a promise ... 

My thoughts:

These books do connect, the same players are there. It's just stretch out over a longer period of time. I can't remember exactly how much time has passed since the events in the last books. They said it, and I forgot it. Was it 10 years? Less? The previous books have been about strong women, now we get a man, but he sure is surrounded by women still. The book does have some great side characters.

Shara is dead. What? Come on. That was not nice. I liked her and she did so much for this country! This is a revenge book. Sigrud is a wanted man but he sets out like the devil is behind him. He is gonna kill those bastards that took her down. Nothing stops this man, he is pretty awesome. But there is also something strange about him.

The mystery of who killed her takes him on another route. To find her daughter, to find who the player behind it all is (that person grrrrrrr.)

And what would the book be without a few revelations. And that end! Ha, I did NOT see that coming. Omg, so many, Oh I can not say a thing without spoiling it. It was an epic conclusion. I could leave it at that. But it also showed how the world will continue to grow and change. Epic.

I like how the world is created. Those dead or hidden gods. The miracles they created that crumbled or still stand. It's a fascinating world. Not a medieval fantasy, but a world with magic and industrialization that now has brought us cars. It's such a nice mix of things and the books has taken the reader to different cities, all strange, all interesting.

Book 2 is still my fav cos that one was intense! This one had a different but excellent vibe. An I do recommend this series. I am sad to see the trilogy end, and I hope, hope, he will write more in this world.

Conclusion:
Mystery, danger, revenge and quite a few miracles. A good series ending.

Cover
ok

Paperback, 448 pages
Expected publication: May 4th 2017 by Quercus Publishing
The Divine Cities #3
Fantasy
For review