Blog Tour: Review of Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Author; Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Date of publication: June 2019

Eighteen-year-old Trinity Marrow may be going blind, but she can see and communicate with ghosts and spirits. Her unique gift is part of a secret so dangerous that she’s been in hiding for years in an isolated compound fiercely guarded by Wardens—gargoyle shape-shifters who protect humankind from demons. If the demons discover the truth about Trinity, they’ll devour her, flesh and bone, to enhance their own powers.

When Wardens from another clan arrive with disturbing reports that something out there is killing both demons and Wardens, Trinity’s safe world implodes. Not the least because one of the outsiders is the most annoying and fascinating person she’s ever met. Zayne has secrets of his own that will upend her world yet again—but working together becomes imperative once demons breach the compound and Trinity’s secret comes to light. To save her family and maybe the world, she’ll have to put her trust in Zayne. But all bets are off as a supernatural war is unleashed…

My thoughts:

Storm and Fury is the first book in a new spin-off series that takes place dark Elements world.  The one thing that I did like was I didn't feel it was necessary to to have read the Dark Elements trilogy before reading this one.  I was able to pick up on the world and how it worked fairly easily.  That being said, this ended up be just OK for me.  I had a hard time connecting with the writing.  I found some of the dialogue a bit cheesy and that kept taking me out of the story.  I also found Trinity to be a bit annoying.  Maybe I'm just over reading about characters who keep pushing the boundaries at the expense of other peoples safety.  I think fans of this author's fantasy series will enjoy this one.  So, I encourage you to give it a try.  It just wasn't for me.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

About Jennifer L. Armentrout

# 1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. Find her on Twitter @JLArmentrout or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.

Connect with Jennifer

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Instagram tour:

Monday, June 10th: @bookclubwithbite

Tuesday, June 11th: @theliteraryllama

Wednesday, June 12th: @superspacechick

Wednesday, June 12th: @girlsinbooks

Friday, June 14th: @thegraduatedbookworm

Saturday, June 15th: @lovelyreadergirl

Sunday, June 16th: @amberafterglowreads

Monday, June 17th: @theshybooks

Review tour:

Monday, June 10th: Sincerely Karen Jo

Tuesday, June 11th: @bookishly_tiff

Wednesday, June 12th: Becca Leighan

Thursday, June 13th: Treestand Book Reviews

Friday, June 14th: Book by Book

Monday, June 17th: @iam.caryn

Tuesday, June 18th: Audio Killed the Bookmark and @beritaudiokilledthebookmark

Wednesday, June 19th: @thecityofdarkclockwork

Thursday, June 20th: Inky Moments

Friday, June 21st: Lori’s Reading Corner – spotlight

Monday, June 24th: @booksandjil

Tuesday, June 25th: Moonlight Rendezvous and @moonlight_rendezvous

Wednesday, June 26th: @booktwinsreview1

Thursday, June 27th: From the TBR Pile

Monday, July 1st: Read Love Blog

Tuesday, July 2nd: Book Fidelity

Monday, July 8th: Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile

Thursday, July 11th: @thebibliolife

Blog Tour: Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman

Author: Laura Lippman
Publisher: William Morrow
Date of publication: May 2016

Luisa “Lu” Brant is the newly elected state’s attorney of Howard County, Maryland, a job in which her widower father famously served. Fiercely intelligent and ambitious, she sees an opportunity to burnish her reputation by trying a homeless man accused of beating a woman to death in her home. It’s not the kind of case that makes national headlines, but peaceful Howard County doesn’t see many homicides.

As Lu prepares for the trial, the case dredges up painful memories, reminding her small but tight-knit family of the night when her brother, AJ, saved his best friend at the cost of another man’s life. Only eighteen at the time, AJ was found to have acted in self-defense. Now Lu wonders if the events of 1980 happened as she remembers them. Long discrete memories begin to fit together, revealing connections and secrets that Lu never suspected.

The more she learns about her new case, the more questions arise about the past. Why was her brother’s friend attacked? Who was the true victim? Lu discovers that the legal system, the bedrock of her entire life, can no longer provide comfort or even reliable answers. If there is such a thing as the whole truth, Lu realizes—possibly too late—that she would be better off not knowing what it is.

Wilde Lake is is the latest stand alone by Laura Lippman.   Lu has just been elected as state's attorney for her county.  As she prepares for her first murder case while in office, she reflects back on her time growing up with her father and brother in Columbia, Maryland.  I have read other books by Ms. Lippman and have really enjoyed them, so I was eager to read this latest stand alone.  While I liked the overall story, it also ended up being a bit disappointing for me as well. I think I was expecting more of a thriller and that isn't really what I got.  The story is told in dual time-lines: the past told by Lu and the present told in present third person.  I'm not too sure that the constant change in tenses worked for me.  The changes seemed awkward and didn't flow well.

I ended up connecting most with the parts about Lu's childhood and the things that she remembered about growing up. I really enjoyed those passages in the book.  The present murder case she was working on was not very interesting. Ultimately, the two story-lines converge to make sense, but it just took too long to get there.  Once it became clear what was going on, I was bored with it and really didn't care. I also found the reveal at the end just kind of so-so for the amount of time it took to get to the point.  There were a few twists in the end, but not spectacular enough for me to love the book.

The story definitely make you think about how the stories we retell about our childhood are actually true or not.  Are we telling the truth or just the truth that we have told ourselves over and over? While not my favorite book by this author, I do recommend giving it a try.

About Laura Lippman

Since Laura Lippman’s debut, she has won multiple awards and critical acclaim for provocative, timely crime novels set in her beloved hometown of Baltimore. Now a perennial New York Times bestselling author, she lives in Baltimore and New Orleans with her family.

Connect with Laura on her website, Facebook, or Twitter.

Tour Stops

Tuesday, May 3rd: Reading Reality

Wednesday, May 4rd: she treads softly

Friday, May 6th: A Bookworm’s World

Monday, May 9th: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Tuesday, May 10th: Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World

Wednesday, May 11th: Jenn’s Bookshelves

Thursday, May 12th: bookchickdi

Friday, May 13th: 5 Minutes For Books

Monday, May 16th: Back Porchervations

Tuesday, May 17th: From the TBR Pile

Thursday, May 19th: Luxury Reading