Book reviews – OneReadingNurse.com

Book Review: Cracked Coffins by Beronika Keres

Thank you so much to the author for the review copy of Cracked Coffins in exchange for an honest review! I was originally supposed to be on a book tour that was cancelled so I really appreciate her sending the book anyway.

Quick Facts:

Title: Cracked Coffins
Series: Book #1
Author: Beronika Keres
Publisher & Release: Immortal Woods Books, 10/24/20
Length: 470 pages
Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for 18+

Here is the synopsis from GoodReads:

**Cracked Coffins contains profanity, mature themes, sexual violence, and general violence. It is recommended for a mature 17+ audience.**

THE PAST HAS RISEN

After Marianna Cortez overdoses on the eve of her seventeenth birthday, the strange circumstances surrounding her survival make her doubt that the normal life she desperately wants will ever be within reach. Yet, when Denendrius Sovetta steps out from the shadows of her past, he brings with him the hope that things could be different.

But Denendrius is a twisted vampire from Ancient Rome with a chaotic past of his own. Marianna can’t ignore the cracks in his sweet façade for long. As she discovers her connection to him, she learns more about his dark past and its influence on hers.

With his claims that they’re meant to be together and his brutal means to keep her from leaving him, Marianna seeks to find the truth and escape Denendrius’s grasp before her history has a chance to kill her future.

So yeah – this is a DARK dark dark thriller / paranormal / not-romance that happens to have vampires. Stalking, abuse, drugs, gangs, all of the above and more – and I read it in just about two sittings! I couldn’t put it down if you paid me to, because the action and suspense is just nonstop.

The twisted mind of the Vampire, Denendrius, was unbelievably sadistic at times. What is he going to do next? How much can I possibly hate one character? The whole plot kept twisting like his mind! I kind of at least had a begrudging respect for Marianna, what a terrible life she was raised in and what do you do when you’re trapped by a monster like she is?? I had to keep flipping pages to see if she would even live or not. I never felt like there was a good stopping point because I had to know what happened next!

I would have liked to see more from Carol, but maybe in book two? The whole ending confused me a bit, a whole new sect of characters were thrown into the mix without a whole lot of backstory, and I am very confused as to why the women weren’t using that knife to saw off a certain vampire’s head while he was down 😳

This is definitely not a YA book but the main character is 16-17. Would recommend for anyone looking for a paranormal domestic thriller that is absolutely impossible to put down.

Thank you again to the author for the review copy, all opinions are my own!

Book Review: Night Terrors by Tim Waggoner

Thank you so much to Angry Robot Books for the finished copy of Night Terrors in exchange for an honest review! This is a perfect Halloween time book.

Quick Facts:

Title: Night Terrors
Series: Shadow Watch, #1
Author: Tim Waggoner
Publisher & Release: Angry Robot Books – 2014, reissued October, 2020
Length: 352 pages
Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ yes for Urban Fantasy fans!

Here is the synopsis from Amazon:

When you dream, you visit the Maelstrom. Dream long enough and hard enough, and your dreams can break through into the living world.

So can your nightmares.

And who’s there to catch the dreams and nightmares as they fall into reality?

Meet the Shadow Watch. Pray you never need them…

I am usually not an urban fantasy reader at all, but Night Terrors was an absolutely perfect #Spooktober read. Certain humans are able to dream their nightmares into creation, and then become ideators. No longer needing sleep, the humans and their dreams – called incubus/incubi) – tend to stay together in the real world. With violent tastes at night time and a desire to live freely on Earth, an agency called the Shadow Watch has developed to keep the order in both Earth and Nod, the alternate realm.

This book kept me flying through the pages. There isn’t much info dumping so you get to learn the world while experiencing the action. Audra is a Shadow Watch agent and her partner is her incubus, a delightfully homicidal clown named Mr Jinx. During the day these creations take on normal aspects, and Jinx turns into an art loving papa bear. At night though he wreaks havoc on rogue Incubi with Audra and an arsenal of funny weapons.

Or they try anyway. They completely botch a case and end up going rogue to foil a plot against the two realms. Jinx and Audra are both funny and interesting characters, so are the other host of humans and Incubi in the book. A giant dog and pirate man, some terror being called The Darkness, and a living hearse are some of the other awesome characters. The banter is about as amazing as you’d expect from this group.

Add in some psycho villains, sci fi level weapons, and a Circus Psychosis complete with a group of insane clowns, and you have Night Terrors. It’s probably the most fun I’ve had reading a detective type novel since Men In Black, and oddly enough I was getting some Daughter of Smoke and Bone vibes, in the creation and alternate world aspects as well as ridiculous looking chimaera/Incubi.

I wish the end was a little less easily resolved, but I am 100% on board for book 2 to find out more.

Thank you again so much to Angry Robot Books for the review copy! As always, all opinions are my own 🖤