Month: August 2024

Shaman Rises – Walker Papers #9 – By C.E. Walker

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Shaman Rises by C.E. Murphy

Title: Shaman Rises

Author: C.E. Murphy

Series: The Walker Papers

Sexual Content: suggested

Objectional Content: Violence, Language

Synopsis (from Goodreads):Joanne Walker has two choices:

Defeat the enemy…or lose her soul trying

For over a year, Joanne has been fighting the Master—the world’s most abiding evil entity. She’s sacrificed family, friendships, even watched potential futures fade away…and now the Master is bringing the final battle to Joanne’s beloved Seattle.

Lives will be lost as the repercussions of all Joanne’s final transformation into her full Shamanic abilities come to her doorstep. Before the end, she’ll mourn, rejoice—and surrender everything for the hope of the world’s survival. She’ll be a warrior and a healer. Because she is finally a Shaman Rising.

My Review

Going into Shaman Rises, I really didn’t know what to expect. There were a lot of elements that I felt needed to be tidied up. I wasn’t sure how it was all going to come together and I was apprehensive about how it would end.

Once I started Shaman Rises, I did not want to put this book down. There are so many twists and turns, I just had to keep reading. This book was so emotional. I admit I cried quite a bit. There were several times where I knew if I were Joanne, I would have just sat down and given up.

I’m a bit sad to see this series end as I’m sure there is more the author could do with it if she wanted. At the same time, I’m very satisfied with the ending and wouldn’t want to see it drag on and lose out on quality.

I honestly can’t recommend this series enough! If you are a fan of Urban Fantasy, I strongly suggest giving this series a read. My rating for Shaman Rises is 5 out of 5 stars, and my rating for the Walker Papers overall is 5 out of 5 stars. I think fans of Mercy Thompson would really like this series as there are similarities between the main characters.

Have you read the Walker Papers? Please let me know what you think!

And as always, thanks for reading!

Mountain Echoes – Walker Papers #8 – by C.E. Murhpy

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Mountain Echoes, Book 8 of the Walker Papers by C.E. Murphy

Title: Mountain Echoes

Author: C.E. Murphy

Series: The Walker Papers

Sexual Content: suggested

Objectional Content: Violence

Synopsis (from Goodreads): You can never go home again.

Joanne Walker has survived an encounter with the Master at great personal cost, but now her father is missing – stolen from the timeline. She must finally return to North Carolina to find him – and to meet Aidan, the son she left behind long ago. 

That would be enough for any shaman to face, but Joanne’s beloved Appalachians are being torn apart by an evil reaching forward from the distant past. Anything that gets in its way becomes tainted – or worse. 

And Aidan has gotten in the way. 

Only by calling on every aspect of her shamanic powers can Joanne pull the past apart and weave a better future. It will take everything she has – and more. 

Unless she can turn back time… 

My Review

After her adventures in Ireland, all Joanne Walker really wants is to sleep for about a week and maybe eat everything in sight. A phone call from an old friend sends her back to North Carolina. Her father is missing and whatever is going on is Joanne’s kind of problem.

Mountain Echoes, like Raven Calls before it, is basically non stop action. Joanne barely has any time to recover from her previous ordeal in Ireland when she’s thrust into another harrowing situation. And then another.

In previous books, we learn some of Joanne’s past, of how she grew up with her father, how she has twins when she was 15 and how the little girl didn’t survive and the boy was put up for adoption. Being back in Qualla Boundary, other things about Joanne’s past come to light. I really enjoyed learning all these things about her and seeing her look at her past from a new, more mature, perspective.

There was honestly nothing about this book I didn’t like. From beginning to end, I was riveted. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat and didn’t want to put the book down for a moment. C.E. Murphy has a knack for ending books on a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to start the final book in the series, Shaman Rises.

My rating for Mountain Echoes is 5 out of 5 stars. I would highly recommend reading the previous books if you haven’t already. I think anyone who enjoy Urban Fantasy would love this series.

Thanks for reading!

Raven Calls – Walker Papers #7 – by C.E. Murphy

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Raven Calls by C.E. Murphy

Title: Raven Calls

Author: C.E. Murphy

Series: The Walker Papers

Sexual Content: suggested

Objectional Content: Violence

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Something wicked this way comes…

Suddenly, being bitten by a werewolf is the least of Joanne Walker’s problems.

Her personal life in turmoil, her job as a cop over, she’s been called to Ireland by the magic within her. And though Joanne’s skills have grown by leaps and bounds, Ireland’s magic is old and very powerful…

In fact, this is a case of unfinished business. Because the woman Joanne has come to Ireland to rescue is the
woman who sacrificed everything for Joanne—the woman who died a year ago. Now, through a slip in time, she’s in thrall to a dark power and Joanne must battle darkness, time and the gods themselves to save her.

My Review

After the cliffhanger that Spirit Dancers left on, I couldn’t wait to start Raven Calls. I was devouring it, I couldn’t put it down! And then…I just stopped. And I don’t know why. This book is so good! It’s basically non stop action from start to finish. At some point I had to put it down and then I just didn’t pick it back up again for quite some time.

When I did pick it back up, I finished it in one session and honestly I’m kicking myself for not picking it up again sooner.

Joanne is in Ireland for this book, trying to find a cure for the werewolf bite she got at the end of Spirit Dances. Along the way, she ends up time travelling, meeting her own ancestor and joining up with a cousin in Ireland. Shennanigans ensue. It feels odd to say that, but it’s probably the best way to describe it. It’s all one thing after another and the entire book takes place in the span of about a day.

It’s hard to say much more about Raven Calls, as it’s the seventh book in the series. The characters are mostly established and the few new ones that come in aren’t necessarily going to be around for the next book.

I’m really excited to read the next book, and I really hope I don’t put it down for months at a time.

My rating for Raven Calls is 5 out of 5 stars and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves Urban Fantasy. Just don’t forget to read the previous books in the series.

5 Ways to Maximize Your Reading Time

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We all want to read more, right? There’s so many books out there just waiting for our attention. So, how do we get more words into the day? Here’s 5 way to maximize your reading time!

  1. Keep a book with you wherever you go. You never know when you’ll have some time to kill. If you find yourself waiting for any reason, instead of pulling out your phone, pull out your book and read.
  2. Audiobooks can be a good way to absorb a book. Listening while exercising, doing chores or driving can really increase the amount of books you get through.
  3. Replace TV time with reading time. It’s very easy to get home after a long day and just flop on the couch and watch random youtube videos. Grab a book instead and devour the written word!
  4. Forgo socialization. No need to spend time with your friends or family. They are only distracting you from more reading. Ignore those messages asking you to go out and have fun and bury your nose in a book instead.
  5. Don’t have children! Kids are the ultimate time consuming thing on this planet. They demand constant attention and supervision. Remain childfree and your reading time will never be cut short. Already have them? Well, they’re probably old enough to fend for themselves, right?

Have you tried any of these steps? How did they work for you? Were you able to maximize your reading time? Do you have any tips for cramming in more reading time in your day? Share them in the comments.

Note: this list is meant as satire and should be read as such