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johnbreeden's review
5.0
Fun interlude in the world of Hellequin
This is a quick and eventful trek for Nate and Co.
The main characters are true to form. A recommend for a quick read.
This is a quick and eventful trek for Nate and Co.
The main characters are true to form. A recommend for a quick read.
kitvaria_sarene's review
5.0
Another fantastic tale about Nate and co!
A murder mystery, and a lot of bloody wearbear and swearing fox - a quick and entertaining reading feast!
MY only complaint was running out of story too quickly - a frequent problem with novellas, when they are just too good... I want more Nate!
A murder mystery, and a lot of bloody wearbear and swearing fox - a quick and entertaining reading feast!
MY only complaint was running out of story too quickly - a frequent problem with novellas, when they are just too good... I want more Nate!
dianabrito's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
janolen's review
5.0
Fantastic Read
Enjoyed every word. Although I am a massive fan.
It travels along at a great pace.
I loved seeing all the main characters doing what they do.
Enjoyed every word. Although I am a massive fan.
It travels along at a great pace.
I loved seeing all the main characters doing what they do.
kerrimcbooknerd's review
4.0
Thank you to Storytellers on Tour and the author for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
So I’m gonna come right out and say that I did not know that this was part of a series. Not only that, it’s number 6.5 in a series! I’m pretty sure that this information was part of the sign up but, apparently, my brain decided to skip over that information because it thought the cover was pretty.
(Which it totally is, btw)
That being said, I had a lot of fun with this little novella! We’re following a man named Nate Garrett, who has agreed to help with security at a wedding. But this isn’t a normal wedding… this is a wedding that is bringing together werewolves and werelions, two groups that have an uneasy truce at best. Hence the need for security. Nate thinks it’s going to be a blah weekend of breaking up petty fights… until three guests turn up dead and everything goes to hell.
This book was like an Agatha Christie whodunit, but make it fantasy! It’s a short book, but it definitely packs a punch. I will say that I was never bored as I ripped through the pages. There’s a lot going on and it keeps you completely engaged. I can’t really speak to the world-building as, ya know, this is the sixth(point five) book in this series, lol. I wouldn’t expect there to be a lot of world-building in here! Still, what I did learn of this world made me incredibly intrigued about the rest of the series. I need to know why Nate is such a badass!
Speaking of Nate, I really enjoyed the characters in this novella. You don’t get a lot of background because, again, this is a pretty late book in the series, but I still thought they were well-developed and interesting. You can tell that Nate and his group of friends have seen some things and I’m definitely getting that found family vibe. Again, another aspect that makes me interesting in the rest of the series. I suppose if you have read the rest of the books, this novella would be a fun and intense addition to the lore.
Final thoughts: This was a fast-paced, fun, and exciting novella that blends mystery with urban fantasy. As someone who has not read the rest of the series, I still had quite a bit of fun with this book. It made me want to read the rest of the series! Definitely recommend for people who are already fans of the Hellequin Chronicles but I think any urban fantasy lover would enjoy the ride.
So I’m gonna come right out and say that I did not know that this was part of a series. Not only that, it’s number 6.5 in a series! I’m pretty sure that this information was part of the sign up but, apparently, my brain decided to skip over that information because it thought the cover was pretty.
(Which it totally is, btw)
That being said, I had a lot of fun with this little novella! We’re following a man named Nate Garrett, who has agreed to help with security at a wedding. But this isn’t a normal wedding… this is a wedding that is bringing together werewolves and werelions, two groups that have an uneasy truce at best. Hence the need for security. Nate thinks it’s going to be a blah weekend of breaking up petty fights… until three guests turn up dead and everything goes to hell.
This book was like an Agatha Christie whodunit, but make it fantasy! It’s a short book, but it definitely packs a punch. I will say that I was never bored as I ripped through the pages. There’s a lot going on and it keeps you completely engaged. I can’t really speak to the world-building as, ya know, this is the sixth(point five) book in this series, lol. I wouldn’t expect there to be a lot of world-building in here! Still, what I did learn of this world made me incredibly intrigued about the rest of the series. I need to know why Nate is such a badass!
Speaking of Nate, I really enjoyed the characters in this novella. You don’t get a lot of background because, again, this is a pretty late book in the series, but I still thought they were well-developed and interesting. You can tell that Nate and his group of friends have seen some things and I’m definitely getting that found family vibe. Again, another aspect that makes me interesting in the rest of the series. I suppose if you have read the rest of the books, this novella would be a fun and intense addition to the lore.
Final thoughts: This was a fast-paced, fun, and exciting novella that blends mystery with urban fantasy. As someone who has not read the rest of the series, I still had quite a bit of fun with this book. It made me want to read the rest of the series! Definitely recommend for people who are already fans of the Hellequin Chronicles but I think any urban fantasy lover would enjoy the ride.
mclever's review
4.0
Fun, snarky, very Nate!
Exactly what you expect from a Hellequin story!
As always, well-written and easy to read. All the usual action and sassy dialog were compressed into a delightful murder mystery.
I think I'll read it again!
Exactly what you expect from a Hellequin story!
As always, well-written and easy to read. All the usual action and sassy dialog were compressed into a delightful murder mystery.
I think I'll read it again!
nick_borrelli's review
4.0
Have you ever been to one of those murder mystery dinners? You know, the ones you pay to attend and at some point during or after the dinner the lights cut out, someone gets "murdered", and it becomes an interactive experience from then on to try to find out who the killer is. Well, this book is kind of like that except way bloodier, it takes place in a medieval wilderness, the main players are werewolves and werelions, and it's way more satisfying in the end.
FROZEN RAGE is technically a standalone novella that falls between books 6 and 7 in Steve McHugh's Hellequin Chronicles series. And what a hard and quick-hitting bloody fantastic story it is. I was reminded of a few fantasy books that I've read before and loved while reading this novella. The one in particular that I couldn't help but draw parallels to is Matthew Woodring Stover's Heroes Die. For some reason this story and the characters in particular had that feel and made my enjoyment of FROZEN RAGE only that much better.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this book is that everything happens so quickly and there's no time to ponder too long over something before another revelation smacks you upside the head. The benefit of novellas, and this one especially, is that there's no real room for tortuous dialogue and slow spots. I'm happy to say that FROZEN RAGE does not dilly dally in the least and the murder mystery unfolds at a breakneck pace.
I don't want to give too much away, and the blurb did a pretty good job of laying out the plot. Suffice it to say that you won't be disappointed by Steve McHugh's brilliant novella FROZEN RAGE. It hits you from the jump and then rushes you through a quest to find the possible murderers with nothing short of an all out war being the result of failure. These are the best types of books to read, where the stakes are high, and everyone is a suspect. I really did like this one a lot and it makes me want to start at the very beginning of this series. It was that good!
FROZEN RAGE is technically a standalone novella that falls between books 6 and 7 in Steve McHugh's Hellequin Chronicles series. And what a hard and quick-hitting bloody fantastic story it is. I was reminded of a few fantasy books that I've read before and loved while reading this novella. The one in particular that I couldn't help but draw parallels to is Matthew Woodring Stover's Heroes Die. For some reason this story and the characters in particular had that feel and made my enjoyment of FROZEN RAGE only that much better.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this book is that everything happens so quickly and there's no time to ponder too long over something before another revelation smacks you upside the head. The benefit of novellas, and this one especially, is that there's no real room for tortuous dialogue and slow spots. I'm happy to say that FROZEN RAGE does not dilly dally in the least and the murder mystery unfolds at a breakneck pace.
I don't want to give too much away, and the blurb did a pretty good job of laying out the plot. Suffice it to say that you won't be disappointed by Steve McHugh's brilliant novella FROZEN RAGE. It hits you from the jump and then rushes you through a quest to find the possible murderers with nothing short of an all out war being the result of failure. These are the best types of books to read, where the stakes are high, and everyone is a suspect. I really did like this one a lot and it makes me want to start at the very beginning of this series. It was that good!
natrosette's review
3.0
I have to say that the book isn’t quite what I expected. It’s not so much a cozy supernatural murder mystery as it is a chaotic and fast-paced book in which people get murdered. Don’t get me wrong, the determination of who committed the (multiple) murders is a primary part of the plot. But it’s not so much that we’re following a list of clues as we are trying to keep up as all hell continued to break loose.
Of course, just because the book didn’t conform to the expectations I extracted from a single line of the synopsis, doesn’t make it bad. On the contrary, once I got settled in, I found the story quite enjoyable. At the same time though, I did feel like there were a few too many characters and outside events squeezed into this little novella for me to understand everyone’s motivations, which made it frustratingly difficult to make a good guess as to the murderer(s).
This seems like the perfect book (and possibly series) to sit down and read when you don’t want to think but rather just be sucked into a fun world. The snarky characters make for a great time, and the wide variety of supernatural beings (werebears, banshees, telepaths, and necromancers) also contributed to the entertainment.
If a chaotic, murdery wedding attended by werewolves, werelions, and a number of other supernatural creatures sounds like a fun time to you, I worry for your sanity. But if it sounds fun to read about, I definitely recommend you give Frozen Rage a try.
Find the full review on my blog!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Of course, just because the book didn’t conform to the expectations I extracted from a single line of the synopsis, doesn’t make it bad. On the contrary, once I got settled in, I found the story quite enjoyable. At the same time though, I did feel like there were a few too many characters and outside events squeezed into this little novella for me to understand everyone’s motivations, which made it frustratingly difficult to make a good guess as to the murderer(s).
This seems like the perfect book (and possibly series) to sit down and read when you don’t want to think but rather just be sucked into a fun world. The snarky characters make for a great time, and the wide variety of supernatural beings (werebears, banshees, telepaths, and necromancers) also contributed to the entertainment.
If a chaotic, murdery wedding attended by werewolves, werelions, and a number of other supernatural creatures sounds like a fun time to you, I worry for your sanity. But if it sounds fun to read about, I definitely recommend you give Frozen Rage a try.
Find the full review on my blog!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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