The Unknown Man by Natalie Hanson

 

The Unknown Man by Natalie Hanson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this thriller a freelance FBI agent is tasked with finding the missing children of the FBI's special informant. All the evidence seems to point her to one man, but this conclusion is too asymmetrical much like her own body so the agent starts to question everything this investigation leads her to some disturbing revelations. Even though everything seems lopsided can she discover the identity of the unknown man before it is too late? You will just have to read this unique story to find out.
This book is a journey of deep self discovery packaged into a mystery thriller. It has a unique plot, unusual characters, and an overall unexpected outcome. It almost reads as if the author wrote it backwards they had an idea for a dramatic ending then they worked their way towards the why and the how. The agent was disabled, but she used those disabilities to solve the case so it made sense in the end. The trip took a long time because before any action could take place several paragraphs were dedicated to either her physical or mental state. This is understandable due to the growth required, but the repetitiveness of the statements had a tendency to be tedious. How many times can one read about a sweaty chicken cutlet stuffed into a bra? I enjoyed reading this book despite this and would recommend it to anyone who likes characters archiving self discovery, thrillers, mystery, or unusual suspects.

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Witches, Spiders, and Schemes by Elizabeth Pantley

Witches, Spiders, and Schemes by Elizabeth Pantley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

    Story maybe magical in total, but singly it leaves something to be desired.
    This is a story about a town that requires a conduit to filter the good and bad magic. The honor of being the conduit transfers from one generation to the next. Han was brought from San Francisco to a magical town where her family lived. The question is will she take over the job from her father?
     My first impressions of this book were unfavorable but I read the whole thing because I thought my poor feelings were unfair due to the fact that I have not read the rest of the books in the series, and have no rapport with the characters. While the underlying plot is interesting, the characters are undefined and are hard to relate to. The overall descriptions of the people and places are repetitive and unimaginative and the climax of the story is undramatic. The two most interesting characters are the ghost king and the albino Olm and they are in the story limited amounts. I really wanted to like the characters but they did not grab my attention their plots were all over the place with hints to past events that I had no knowledge of and it was like reading a flash fiction instead of an entire novel. This confusion may be elevated by reading the rest of the series. If you like magic that seems to only be in the fabric of the town making the buildings enchanted, a Ghost King, who can stop time and transport people into a wood to tell them a story, a talking amphibious lizard walking on land, and a sassy cat whom has her own mystery solving club. Then this book is for you, but make sure you read the other books in the series first or you will be very confused. If you are looking for an action packed fantasy adventure with magical elements, then I would recommend looking elsewhere.

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