Dan

Imagine being bequeathed your uncle's supervillain empire—sounds cool, right? Prepare for undersea lairs, an army of minions, and a globe-trotting game of ‘who-wants-you-gone.' But the real twist? The top brass are tech-savvy cats that hold board meetings. Yup, you read that right!

Starter Villain? Hands down, the most delightful misadventure I've delved into this year. From sentient feline bosses to dolphins with agendas, and that quintessential villainous volcano lair, it's a rollicking romp that had me side-eyeing my own cat, wondering about her double life. Bursting with humor and lightheartedness, it's a one-sit, chuckle-a-minute, sci-fi frolic. Dive in and thank me later!

Synopsis: Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she's packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk—so far from the action that she worries she'll never be able to return to it. What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do? Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn't possibly imagine.

My Thoughts: The prose in the book is solid, and it's clear that it has been edited with care. There's an attempt to recapture the cozy and comfortable atmosphere of the first book, though it's only somewhat successful. I personally would have preferred a stronger emphasis on either more dynamic action sequences or more charming, bookshop-related scenes. Unfortunately, both elements seemed lacking, leaving the story feeling somewhat incomplete. The inclusion of a necromancer plot offered potential for an interesting twist, but instead, the narrative unexpectedly veered into exploring a romantic subplot between an Orc and a Dwarf, which felt out of place to me. The storyline also hinted at involving a rat female character in this dynamic, contributing to a sense that I was delving into someone's personal and rather unconventional fantasy. Overall, the book is an average read – it's not entirely unenjoyable, but it's not something I'd be keen on revisiting

My Thoughts: The writing of the book was commendable. However, the narrative's frequent shifts across various timelines occasionally disrupted the flow and coherence of the plot. While at times these transitions were clearly indicated, at other instances they were not, leading to moments of confusion. Among the characters, Luc emerged as particularly intriguing. In contrast, I found Addie, the main character, to lack significant development, making her character arc somewhat unsatisfying. Henry's character was even less appealing to me; his personality neither evolved nor seemed to align with the overall tone of the book. The plot itself was initially captivating but lost momentum due to the stagnant development of the characters. While the book was a decent read overall, I couldn't quite connect with the characters as I had hoped. 3.5 rounded to 4

Synopsis: Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish.Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that's been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it's up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.
Thoughts: This captivating novel immediately grabs your attention and sustains it throughout. The relatable and quirky characters add depth to this hard science fiction story, making it appealing to those who enjoy the genre without delving too much into fantasy. While some may find the occasional spelling and grammatical issues distracting, others may see them as contributing to the overall atmosphere. The well-executed world-building and character challenges enhance the engaging story arc, with notable strength in the personal journeys of the characters. The plot twists, centered around the characters, contribute to the novel's appeal, and the story concludes satisfactorily. I wholeheartedly recommend this novel, especially for enthusiasts of hard science fiction.