As an author I find it hard, many times, to find books that I think are worth reading. They seem to either be poorly written, plot is all over the place, or just flat out boring. Dhampir was not one of those.

This book pulled me in from the start. I, for the first time in a good long time, I found myself not wanting to go to sleep. Heck, I didn't even want to write! All I wanted to do is go pick up the book, and keep reading!

I wanted to walk, run, and fight alongside Magiere, but then again she already has a partner. There is action and danger around each corner. This book is a thrill ride!

BUT THEN...

Sadly, I finished it. I did excited that there was a couple more books in the series. It is the first time I went out and purchased the rest of the series, and I realized soon after I did that I had made a mistake.

I have never finished book two. For me it just did not have the same draw. I felt so let down.

So, here is what I will say. Dhampir is well worth the read as a stand alone book, but I personally felt that it should have been exactly that; a stand alone.

REMINDER:  booklikes has scheduled maintenance next Tuesday so posting early.

See https://www.fictfact.com/BookReleaseCalendar for all the books.  Usually more than 80% of the new releases shown will need to be added to booklikes (maybe something Tuesday's maintenance will help resolve?).

In the New York Times bestselling Noble Dead saga, Barb and J.C. Hendee created an engrossing mix of intrigue, epic fantasy, and horror. Now, they present a bold new series set in the same world, where the destinies of two hunters shaped by the shadows of their pasts are about to collide... 

In the dark reaches of the eastern continent, Tris Vishal travels from village to village, using his power to put unsettled spirits to rest. He works alone, having learned that letting people close only leads to more death.

Still, he finds himself accepting the help of the Mondyalitko woman who saves his life a woman whose gifts are as much a burden as his own.
Mari Kaleja thirsted for vengeance since the night her family was taken from her. She has searched far and wide for the one she thinks responsible, known only as The Dead s Man.

But before she can kill him, she has to be sure. Mari hopes traveling with Tris will confirm her suspicions.

But as they embark on a hunt where the living are just as dangerous as the dead, she learns the risks of keeping your enemy close...
Because it s no longer clear who is predator and who is prey.

The Dead Seekers is the first book in the Dead Seekers series and a fantastic introduction to this world.

Hendee's stories are so much character driven - that's what I love most about her work her cast feels alive and jumps out of the pages at you.

I loved that our leads are two people who appear to be bound without really knowing for sure what took place in the past or how they connect other than their pasts that keep them moving forward.

I have to admit that I was surprised by the twist - which I love because I hate stories being predictable.. I do however anticipate more intense plotting in the second installment. I enjoyed the sort of innocent until proven guilty theme that carried through this book and how the truth isn't as cut and dry as people would like to believe.

I really enjoyed this book, I loved the story, I love the cast and I love the cover art. Win one for Hendee!

Barb Hendee, J.C. Hendee

 This title will be available January 3rd 2016!

Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews received a digital copy. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review from the publisher via Netgalley.

If any of Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews has been helpful please stop by to like my post or leave a comment to let me know what you think. I love hearing from followers!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

I hope everyone had a good time around the holidays and maybe even received some new awesome books from Santa ;) 

December was rather busy reading wise, I tried to get as many ARCs done as I could plus read a couple "fun" reads as well.

But of course with the holidays time just gets away and I never get as many books in as I liked to. But I still got plenty of books in. 

For next year my goal is about the same as last years. 50 Books a year , maybe more, maybe less not sure yet. 

So far I have review copies lined up until at least March -April of 2017 . After that I would like to concentrate on some of the books I have sitting here on my shelve forever. I will still do ARCs of course but maybe just one a month, maybe two. Plus of course all the ones I have been reading anyways of a author or series. 

January looks like it will be a great month. Some great books coming out I been waiting for. Breath of Fire by Amanda Bouchet January 3rd. Eleventh Grave in Moonlight by Darynda Jones on January 24th and The Turn by Kim Harrison January 26th . 

Also Feversong by KMM  on January 17th, but that will have to wait for me since sadly I have not even read Feverborn yet. I hope I can get o eat least a couple of those right away in January . 

Anyways here are my December books, as always you will find the buy links in the reviews that are linked. 

Again thank you so much for your continued support and hope to see you all in 2017 :) 

Moonlight Falling by Karissa Laurel

**Moonlight Falling is a prequel novella to Midnight Burning; Book One of The Norse Chronicles.**

Before he moved to Alaska, Chapman “Mani” Mundy promised his twin sister he would find out why shadows seemed to follow him and why ice sometimes formed in his footsteps. For nearly three years, he has failed to keep that promise, but a budding romance with co-worker, Skyla Ramirez, inspires him to renew his investigation.

If Mani has any hope for a real relationship with Skyla, there can be no secrets or mysteries between them, but as he hunts for the source of his peculiar abilities, sinister adversaries with dangerous motives will emerge from the shadows to conspire against him.

4 ½ ★

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha — one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.

2 ★

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

5 ★

Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland

Angel Crawford is finally starting to get used to life as a brain-eating zombie, but her problems are far from over. Her felony record is coming back to haunt her, more zombie hunters are popping up, and she’s beginning to wonder if her hunky cop-boyfriend is involved with the zombie mafia. Yeah, that’s right—the zombie mafia.

Throw in a secret lab and a lot of conspiracy, and Angel’s going to need all of her brainpower—and maybe a brain smoothie as well—in order to get through it without falling apart.

4 ½ ★

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.

3 ★

White Trash Zombie Apocalypse by Diana Rowland

Our favorite white trash zombie, Angel Crawford, has enough problems of her own, what with dealing with her alcoholic, deadbeat dad, issues with her not-quite boyfriend, the zombie mafia, industrial espionage and evil corporations. Oh, and it’s raining, and won’t let up.

But things get even crazier when a zombie movie starts filming in town, and Angel begins to suspect that it’s not just the plot of the movie that’s rotten. Soon she’s fighting her way through mud, blood, bullets and intrigue, even as zombies, both real and fake, prowl the streets.

Angel’s been through more than her share of crap, but this time she’s in way over her head. She’ll need plenty of brainpower to fit all the pieces—and body parts—together in order to save herself, her town, and quite possibly the human race.

4 ★

The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

Nemesis is a Diabolic. Created to protect a galactic Senator’s daughter, Sidonia. The girl who has grown up by her side and who is as much as sister as a master. There’s no one Nemesis wouldn’t kill to keep her safe. But when the power-mad Emperor summons Sidonia to the galactic court as a hostage, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia.

She must become her.

Now one of the galaxy’s most dangerous weapons is masquerading in a world of corruption and Nemesis has to hide her true abilities or risk everything. As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns that there is something stronger than her deadly force: the one thing she’s been told she doesn’t have – humanity. And, amidst all the danger, action and intrigue, her humanity might be the only thing that can save her, Sidonia and the entire Empire…

4 ★

The Dead Seekers by Barb Hendee and J.C. Hendee

In the New York Times bestselling Noble Dead saga, Barb and J.C. Hendee created an engrossing mix of “intrigue, epic fantasy, and horror.”* Now, they present a bold new series set in the same world, where the destinies of two hunters shaped by the shadows of their pasts are about to collide…

In the dark reaches of the eastern continent, Tris Vishal travels from village to village, using his power to put unsettled spirits to rest. He works alone, having learned that letting people close only leads to more death. Still, he finds himself accepting the help of the Móndyalítko woman who saves his life—a woman whose gifts are as much a burden as his own.

Mari Kaleja thirsted for vengeance since the night her family was taken from her. She has searched far and wide for the one she thinks responsible, known only as “The Dead’s Man.” But before she can kill him, she has to be sure. Mari hopes traveling with Tris will confirm her suspicions. But as they embark on a hunt where the living are just as dangerous as the dead, she learns the risks of keeping your enemy close…

Because it’s no longer clear who is predator and who is prey.

4 ★ 

Phantom Kiss by Chloe Neill

In this all-new novella from the New York Times bestselling author of Midnight Marked, Merit, Ethan, and the rest of Cadogan House crew discover that not all undead creatures are kindred spirits…

Vampires generally aren’t afraid of things that go bump in the night, but Merit and Ethan are extra jumpy after a recent attack by a dark sorcerer. So when they learn that someone is messing with graves in Chicago’s cemeteries, stealing skulls and snatching souls, they fear that their powerful foe might be back for even more magical vengeance.

But after a specter begins haunting Cadogan House—and targeting vampires—they realize that their being taunted by an altogether different sort of monster. A ghoulish villain straight out of the Windy City’s urban legends is on the prowl—and he won’t stop until he’s killed again…

4 ★

How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back by  Diana Rowland

It’s zombie versus zombie as the Saberton Corporation declares war against the Zombie Mafia, kidnapping several of their party. It falls to Angel to lead the remnants of her gang halfway across the country to claw their way through corporate intrigue, zombie drugs, and undead trafficking to rescue her friends—and expose the traitor responsible for their abduction…

4 ½★