An Imperfect Witch - Debora Geary

Title: An Imperfect Witch (Witch Central, #1)
Author: Debora Geary
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 250
Date read: September 2013, July 2014, March 2015, November 2016, June 2018, December 2021

Two years ago, Lizard Monroe was Berkeley's newest delinquent on parole. Now she's a hot young realtor with a great life, an awesome guy, and enough friends to chase away the ghosts of her past.

Almost.

The crystal ball has spoken - life isn't done messing with her yet. And neither is the need brewing in the eyes of the man she loves.

The eve of Halloween approaches. And whatever the sexy poet realtor wants to believe, moving beyond your past isn't the same as facing the future.

I've long since realized that the plot of Debora Geary's books really doesn't matter at all (well... that's probably an exaggeration, but it matters very little), because what really drives the book are the characters and their interaction - it's just so refreshing to read a series where people are generally kind and generous towards one another for once.

What struck me while reading this installment of the witch series is that though easily overlooked, Debora Geary has an amazing way with words. I'd constantly find myself paging back to reread some sentence of another. She's a poet in the truest sense of the word, putting together sentences such that the whole is so much more than the sum of its parts. An ability very rarely seen, and undeniably a big reason why her books resonate so with me.

Throne of Jade - Naomi Novik

Title: Thone of Jade (Temeraire #2)
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Fantasy, Historical fiction
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~12hrs
Date read: September, 2013

China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands - and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East - a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.

Unfortunately I wasn't quite as blown away by this sequel as by the first book in the series. It was still good, but somewhat repetitive. Guess I prefer their English exploits to their Chinese ones. We'll see where the next book takes us.