Book Review: Blood Red by Mercedes Lackey

Blood Red by Mercedes Lackey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a very good retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, but with werewolves and Elemental Magic and fighting. I was honestly going into this book not really liking it, but after I read the whole entire thing, I was in love with how the story went, how Rosa is the Hunt Master and is always learning all the time about what’s going on before she judges, and also how they took down the shifter that was killing all of those people in that village.

I liked how Mercedes Lackey made sure she respects the romani people in the book (even though the characters uses the slur, I will not write said slur down) and I also liked how she showed Rosa taking the train and seeing how taking the train can affect her magic and how she dealt with people and how she was serviced on the train. Even though half the book she was at Count Graf’s home, I also love how comfortable she was as she went through the Graf’s tests (which was very weird, tbh). But when Dominic and Markos showed up, and Markos revealed that he’s a werewolf, but he shifts, I really enjoyed how Rosa asked questions and she kept getting reassured that he isn’t going to harm her in anyway.

When they went to the village to hunt down the shifter, I liked how they did it together, and when Markos left to hunt down the shifter and didn’t come back (after their whole ass argument about it) Rosa jumping into action immediately was a really good point in the book, and how she calls for the forest spirits to help her drag each and every werewolf out before going in and finding Markos and fighting the huge werewolf shifter.

I got worried when I thought Dominic was dead, but then I got scared when Rosa was almost killed. But they survived and now Rosa went back to Count Graf’s place and Markos and Dominic is staying in the village to make sure those shifters never come back to harm the village. Another thing I loved about this book was that Rosa showed the mayor of the town a tiny bit of magic, something simple and easy that even I could do if I ever lived in this world.

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Book Review: Closer to the Chest by Mercedes Lackey

Closer to the Chest by Mercedes Lackey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Closer to the Chest, though it was a good book, had some parts in it that were super slow. I felt like the story was dragging on and on and wasn't gonna get to the good parts, which came at the end of the story. But I really like the story, and the relationship between Mags and Amily. They are cute, loving, and they cared for one another, even when trying to figure out this mystery of the Poison Pen and the vandalism of stores ran by women, along with religious sects that are ran by women, like the Temple of Ardana. They try to link up why all of the misogynistic shit has been happening, and they linked it up to the Temple of Sethor, who are so, so misogynistic to women for no apparent reason.

The Temple of Sethor thinks that women should be listening to their husbands, keep their heads down and not speak, which, to me, is a bunch of bullshit. But they have been sending horrible letters to young ladies at the Colligate School, making them so afraid that one of them tried to kill themselves, but thanks to the quick work of the Heralds and the Companions, they pull the girl out before anything terrible happened to her, which I'm glad for. Then a Sister of the Ax I believe came to see the girl, and told her that she's going to join their order to get a spine, which is truly a really good thing.

But the defiling and sacrilegious temples ran by women and also kicking one out of their normal home was the most horrible thing I've ever read in the book, but at the same time, they do save the women and make sure they are taken care of, which is something I really liked as I read this book. But hearing what happened to that music teacher who did those horrible things to the girls that he was teaching was bad that I almost cried. But at the end, the Temple of Sethor was no more, and everything can go back to normal.

I actually enjoyed the book, even though there were some parts of it I really didn't like. I really like the relationship between Amily and Mags, especially when Mags changes identities-Harkon, Magnus, Parkler, and I also liked how Amily was involved with everything and make sure Mags was okay. I've never read the beginnings of their story, which is my bad, but they were so caring and loving to each other that I loved each and every bit of it, and reading the anger when Mags got his instruction to kill his own wife, which is fucked up by the way, but I'm glad they stopped the Temple of Sethor before anyone gets more hurt.

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One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey

When a dragon storms the castle, what should a (virgin) princess do? Why, turn to her studies, of course But nothing practical-minded Princess Andromeda of Acadia finds gives a definitive solution. The only Traditional answer, though, is soothing the marauding dragon by a virgin sacrifice. Things are going fairly smoothly with the lottery--except for the women chosen, of course--until Princess Andromeda herself is picked

But facing down the dragon doesn't go quite as planned, and now, with the help of her Champion, Sir George, Andromeda searches for the dragon's lair. But even--"especially"--in the Five Hundred Kingdoms, bucking Tradition isn't easy. It takes the strongest of wills, knowledge, quick wits and a refusal to give up, no matter what happens along the way.

Basically, this book is about a Princess named Andromeda or Andie for short, is sacrificed to a dragon thanks to the evil plan of her mother, Queen Cassiopeia of Acadia and her right hand man, Solon (who reminded me SO MUCH of Sir William Cecil, all except he's a magician). Cassiopeia asked Solon to erect a barrier to keep out Godmothers and Champions to face the dragon. 

But did they count on a female Champion? Did they also count on Andie and one of the dragons, Peri, to fall in love? Nope they did not. Did they also expect that the dragons don't eat the virgins that they sacrificed? *glares at Andie* Nope. 

The most shocking thing to me was the fact that Solon killed Cassiopeia and then turn into some huge Demon that scared the living crap out of Andie, and the other fact was that Andie's mother-HER OWN MOTHER-basically turned her into a ghost in the castle when Andie started doing reports and started treating her like a young lady even though Andromeda was a Princess, and wanted to get her out of the way. 

I did enjoy this book a whole lot and I really do reconmend it.