Monthly Archives: January 2019

Her Cyborg (Bound by Her #1) by Nellie C. Lind

CAN’T FIND MR. RIGHT? WHY NOT CREATE HIM? MedAct is the company that can make all your dreams come true! Just give them a call and let them create the perfect man for you. But remember, you can never give him up. It will kill him, literally. 

Loneliness and failed relationships made Phoebe want a cyborg of her own. With him, she would never be heartbroken again, but getting a cyborg is not easy. So when she turned to the medical and scientific company MedAct, she never expected to become one of the few people who passed their tests to be able to apply for one. 

Now, months later, his creation is complete, and they are about to come face to face for the very first time. The day she has waited for has finally arrived, and it is about to change everything.  (via Goodreads)

Her Cyborg is one of those books where the premise was very interesting but the actual execution ended up being somewhat lacking.

First off, all the cyborgs mentioned in the book are male. There is no mention of female cyborgs either having been created or even considered for creation. This means that the only individuals who can create their “perfect” mate are heterosexual women or homosexual men, and while the former are mentioned numerous times, the latter are not mentioned as being candidates at all.

Second, the “bond” that is created between cyborg and human is mentioned to the point of being ridiculous. Practically every page there is some mention of this bond, of how it is part of the core programming of the cyborg and should the female they are bonded to sever it, how the cyborg will die or go insane. Every character, whether human or not, talks of this bond – of its importance – and it gets tiring pretty quickly.

Third, there is almost no character development to speak of. We are given so little background on Phoebe or any of her friends that I found it difficult to actually care about them. Even when certain events came to pass and lives were in danger, it was hard to be concerned.

Lastly, and I think most importantly, was a detail I noticed that might make some readers uncomfortable. It’s mentioned that when a cyborg first awakens the bond between him and his human is particularly strong. So much so that the two of them must be practically isolated for their first month together. The way Lind describes Shade’s thoughts and actions during this time, it borders on the obsessive and could be triggering for some readers. And while his possessiveness is dismissed as part of his programming and will lessen with time, it was still troublesome to read.

Sadly, as promising as the premise of Her Cyborg is, the book itself is as one reviewer put it “A hot mess.” There is a second and third book in the series that continues the story with characters introduced in the first book. If they are anything like this one, it is not worth the money or time. Something which makes me sad because I really wanted to like this one.

The Fall of the House of Cabal (Johannes Cabal #5) by Jonathan L. Howard

Johannes Cabal, a necromancer of some little infamy, has come into possession of a vital clue that may lead him to his ultimate goal: a cure for death. The path is vague, however, and certainly treacherous as it takes him into strange territories that, quite literally, no one has ever seen before. The task is too dangerous to venture upon alone, so he must seek assistance, comrades for the coming travails.

So assisted–ably and otherwise–by his vampiric brother, Horst, and by the kindly accompaniment of a criminologist and a devil, he will encounter ruins and diableries, mystery and murder, the depths of the lowest pit and a city of horrors. London, to be exact.

Yet even though Cabal has risked such peril believing he understands the dangers he faces, he is still underestimating them. He is walking into a trap of such arcane complexity that even the one who drew him there has no idea of its true terrors. As the snare closes slowly and subtly around them, it may be that there will be no survivors at all. (via Goodreads)

The Johannes Cabal series is one I have read and enjoyed from the first book to (sadly) the last. Like any series there were books I enjoyed more than others. And like most series I’ve read, I am sad to see this one end.

The one thing I have loved most in reading the Cabal series is watching how Johannes has grown as an individual. From the self-centered, self-serving necromancer in the first book, to the man who willingly gives his brother an incredibly valuable gift; Johannes has come a long way. And with Howard’s writing, his growth is believable.

In this fifth and final book, Cabal believes he has found the one thing he has searched for for numerous years – a way to bring the dead back to life. An esoteric tome of unknown origin promises treasures untold and though Johannes has his doubts, it is the thought of what he could do if the stories were true that drives him on.

And drive him on it does, to a rather fire-y conclusion.

I am sad that this is the final book in the Cabal series because I have greatly enjoyed it. Fortunately, Howard has left the ending open so it is possible that one day he will return to the Cabal brothers. I certainly hope he does.

Provided for Review: The Harbinger by Candace Wondrack

This book was provided for review by the author herself. Thank you!

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Back in the sixties, the gateways between Earth and the Second – a land of myth and magic – were thrown open. Humanity grew and changed accordingly and eventually the Division (along with the Academy) was formed. The Division handles what most law enforcement can’t, such as the smuggling of goods between worlds. And to join the Division, one must first graduate from the Academy.

Faith is in her fifth year of the Academy. With two years left until she graduates, she is intent on joining the Division and following in her mother’s footsteps. The one path she doesn’t intend to follow though is her mother’s – and grandmother’s – awful luck with men.

On a class field trip to the Second, Faith is startled to learn her path is taking her on a far different journey. She is the Harbinger, the first female to take the title, and it is her destiny to fight the Dread King. To the death.

Faith is going to have to step up and be a hero. Whether she likes it or not.

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I’ve followed Candace on Twitter for some time, but this is the first time I’ve actually read any of her books. Because of this I decided to go in blind and not look at what others have thought of the book before reading it myself. And while some might think this foolish, I’m rather glad I did because while numerous other reviewers enjoyed The Harbinger, sadly I did not.

The world that Candace has created is an interesting one. It is one where the mythical creatures of fairy tales are real to an extent. Creatures such as the fae, shapeshifters, etc. They all inhabit this fictional world even though they do not always live side by side peacefully.

Unfortunately, my issue comes with the actual characters themselves.

The main character, Faith, I found quite hard to like. She is brash to the point of recklessness, a trait that gets her in trouble both before the book begins as well as during it. She does not think her actions through, does not care for consequences, and certainly doesn’t seem to care if what she does causes anyone around her to be hurt. She also claims that she does not want to be a hero, yet she is working towards being just that. Graduates of the Academy and members of the Division are protectors, heroes in a sense. If Faith does not want to be a hero, as she claims, then what is she even doing there?

Another person I had issue with was another main character; Weylon Lightfoot, an elf Faith meets during her school trip to the Second. From his introduction he claims to not like humans, and yet it doesn’t take long for him to get rather close to Faith. I found myself questioning his actions on more than one occasion, something he himself doesn’t seem to do.

Two other male characters are introduced at the very end of the book, and it is my understanding that they too will be drawn to Faith. That in the end, she will have to contend not only with her status as a Chosen One, but also with the small harem she gathers.

As fascinating as the world is that Candace has created for The Harbinger series, I unfortunately do not see myself reading the rest of it. For me, the characters were hard to relate to and I was rolling my eyes in exasperation on more than one occasion. That does not mean I don’t recommend this one to my readers – my opinion is only one among many. I do advise my readers to at the very least try this particular book. Perhaps they will enjoy it more than me.