3.5, round up

I generally enjoyed this. I liked the way Elizabeth thought things through and was able to hold multiple facts to be true at once. I liked her, as a character, and thought her adventure to save everyone was a fun one. I did think some of the Hail Mary saves actually working were a little too convenient to believe and the plot drags a little in the middle. But I always enjoy supernaturals who aren't human and therefore don't follow human logic or mores. And we have that in spades here. So, all in all, it's a thumbs up from me and I'll be looking for the rest of the series when it comes out.

I didn't think I'd like this book upon starting it, but it grew on me. I did enjoy it. It starts out slowly but it's certainly worth the ride. It's an unusual story and I'd like to know where it ends up in the future. #AGrimoireforGamblers #NetGalley

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of A GRIMOIRE FOR GAMBLERS (Book 1 of the Trove Arbitrations Urban Fantasy Series) by Amanda Creiglow in exchange for an honest review. Elizabeth has taken a leave of absence from her job as the mayor’s assistance after her father’s suicide. Elizabeth finally manages to open the attic door, and what she finds there sets off a series of events she never saw coming. Magic, magic users, mythical creatures, and curses . . . . Elizabeth’s journey into the fantastical will yield revelations about her father’s death that will give her some closure. However, in uncovering that information, Elizabeth finds herself facing the same situation that eventually ended her father’s life. Can Elizabeth survive what her father couldn’t ,or will she die and drag the rest of her family with her?

I liked this book and though it was a great start to an urban fantasy series. Elizabeth’s already in a long-term relationship, so, hopefully, this series will manage to stay urban fantasy instead of drifting into that other genre-you know the one. I recommend this book to fans of urban fantasy.

#AGrimoireforGamblers #NetGalley

Elizabeth (Beth) is mourning her father. In fact she’s been doing that for 8 years, since he was committed to a psychiatric hospital, where he had steadily been trying to kill himself, finally succeeding. Then a series of suicides start making the news. Beth makes a discovery in the attic of her fathers house, and things take a magical and dangerous twist. It’s a race against time to find out what had driven her father to his actions, and it’s nothing like she thought.

This is an interesting read, one I took a little while to get into, but once I had, it had me hooked. There are creatures from fairy tales, who walk among us, like trolls and wizards, but you can’t always see them as they really are. They aren’t all cuddly and friendly, but view humans with disdain. Max is developing nicely but I’d have liked to know more of his back story, and also Faisal, Beths partner. This is the first book in the series, and I’m looking forward to see where these characters go next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.