This novel brings the series to a close in an engaging and complicated way. The plot thickens and moves along at a steady pace and more characters are introduced as others re-emerge from previous stories. Everyone is involved at some stage and not all of them survive. This has been a rewarding and unusual fantasy series which we have really enjoyed. Highly recommended for fantasy lovers.

Kind of enjoyable. The snark, as always is there, but this story is a little convoluted.  I feel sorry for Charley, this chick just can’t get a break, bad and worse are always happening to her. This so far is my least favorite of the series.  Charley has to live in a old convent (sacred ground), has Beep, takes a trip down below, loses Beep, mentally breaks and ends up in Sleepy Hollow, NY, where a really bad and previously dead guy resides. And then we have the “God’s”, turns out Charley is a God, there are ghost gods, seven gods, etc. my head is spinning. 

My AF library is losing subscriptions to a number of databases/ebook services due to budget issues at USAFE HQ, so my Halloween Bingo list went to crap. I had hoped to use much of my library's eboo/digital audiobook stock to get my card to black out, but now I am combing through my own books to replace those that I lost access to.

This week I DNF'd two books for Halloween Bingo (Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury and In the Woods by Tana French). I have an alternative for the carnival square, but I am just not cut out to read Noir, so I am leaving this square blank. I've read The Siren by Kiera Cass (Drowning Deep square) last week and Presumed Guilty by Tess Gerritsen (Diverse Voices), so reviews to follow.

This weekend is the our Cub Scouts pack's Rain Gutter Regatta, and the kids and my husband had a lot of fun building their boats for tomorrow. On Sunday, I am pulling babysitting duties for friends' so they can have a kid-free trip to the Harry Potter Studio tour, the last "To Do" item on their UK list before they move back to the States next month. 

So this weekend's/upcoming week reading:

1. Touch of Midnight by Lara Adrian (Relics and Curiosities)

2. Kiss Me Hard Before You Go by Shannon McCrimmon (Creepy Carnivals)

3. Fairest by Marissa Meyer (Grimm Tale)

4. Croc's Return by Eve Langlais (Shifters)

5. Eighth Grade Bites by Tony Lee et al (Dead Lands)

I have Seduction in Death (#13) for the Unlucky 13 square and Leverage in Death (#47) by JD Robb for the New Release square on request/wait list at the library. Fingers crossed they come into my possession sometime this week.

Continued good luck to those participating in Halloween Bingo and Happy Reading to all!

Re-Read:
March 21 - March 25 2018

Oh Charley, even on sacred ground you can get into so much mischief. I’m glad I am doing a re-read. I had completely forgotten the drama that surrounded BEP’s birth. I still experienced a wealth of heartache at the end of the book. I knew it was coming but it still didn’t stop me. I am so ready for book nine and beyond. I’m serious, I’m ready for book 99.

The Eight King was a difficult book for me. I wanted to like it so bad. It was original fantasy, set against a Chinese background, but maybe because it featured so many different and special elements, I found it hard to follow and to concentrate on the book.

As I'm always reading multiple books at the same time, I had to cut down the portions I read of The Eight King because I noticed the reading always haltered there. Which I think might be due to the writing which was to say the least special. Told from the all knowing third person perspective, the characters always feel far away, and with the characters each carrying multiple names (many of which have some sort of Ape in it) it was difficult to connect to them (or tell them all apart at times). At times the writing felt slightly condescending towards the characters.

It was a shame, because I loved the way magic was interwoven in the world. It was very whimsical, mainly providing problems rather than easy solutions. The politics involved were also really nice. I would like to know where the world is going, but I hope the writing would change a bit.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!