A Strange Hymn

"4.5⭐ Such a great book! Didn't love it quite as much as the first one, but it was far from disappointing! Love Callie and Des! Definitely worth checking out!"

"Really 4.5 stars! I loved this book! We got to see so much more of Desmond and I LOVE THEM TOGETHER!! I did not know who the thief of souls was going to be up until the very end and that EPILOGUE !!!"

"Honestly? This had too much plot and not enough romance for me. I thought the series would be like the first book but this one was still enjoyable."

"A great easy-to-read continuation in the series. The twists were largely expected, but still an enjoyable time."

"5th book of 2025"

"This book suffered the fate of a filler stalling the plot of the story. Callie is all over the place in this one with her inability to trust Des. Nothing really happened with the plot until the very end, making me wish it were shorter or simply did not exist at all"

"This was hard to get through the first 3/4, but then it was much better and I couldn’t put it down. I’m excited for the next one."

"The second book to The Bargainer Series. <br/>Listen, I stand by my comment about the first book ~ It's not perfect, but don't dismiss it either. <br/>It follows the story of Callie and Des (swoooon). Des is still a bargaining chaotic wildcard with a bigger heart than he cares to admit. Callie is an unfiltered supernatural badass human who is finding her footing after going through some cha cha cha <i>changes</i> (I wouldn't want to spoil the first book for ya). They're building their relationship, while dealing with the same BS from the last book ~ that Thief of Souls bastard, weird dreams, scary fae children with a weird appetite... the ushe. <br/><br/><i>"Our relationship was forged on bloodshed and solidified through deception. I am the dark creature that craves sex and destruction, and he is the king of it."</i><br/><br/>The aesthetics. Man, the aesthetics still get me *chefs kisses* It's dark and broody and everything my dark soul vibes with. <br/>The characters are different from each other, layered with tons of trauma, quirks and personality, and they're just overall interesting. <i>Listen, Callie CAN get a little whiney, but, like, who isn't these days?</i> She's hilarious, and says the things I think: <i>"“Sacred Gardens,” I murmur as we walk under a flowering trellis and enter the wooded clearing. “That sounds like something teenage me would call my ******.”"</i> I'm invested in these characters.<br/><br/>Does it still have some issues with the story? Yes. BUT, there's just a wee bit more flow to it. And MOST of the twists aren't groundbreaking. It's more like it "hmm, I knew it" type of reveal. Ya know?<br/>Is the writing still a little off? Just a smiiiidge. But, listen, it's not enough to put me off of this story.<br/><br/>ANNNDDDD Callie is a full-grown ass adult, so the love between her and Des is, like, normal? ish."

"4.5<br/>I don't know how I feel when she died."

"DNF @ 56% <a href="https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2017/07/04/a-strange-hymn-by-laura-thalassa/">You can also read it on my blog!</a><br/><br/>I have no desire to go back to this book at all after reading half of the book yesterday.....<br/><br/>After enjoying the first book,this was a complete let down to the max. Instead of everything and everyone getting better,everyone but Temper got worse. <br/><br/>Caillie went from being a straight badass siren P.I. to this whiny special snowflake who can't put two and two together and whines about training even tho she said she wants to learn how to be a nightmare... . Guys I can't tell you how much it ignores me when I figure out something like two pages before the MC does and I have to keep myself from saying " duh" aloud. I did this a couple times with Callie and it's madding. <br/><br/>Des went from being an ok dude who respected Callie wishes and saw her as an equal to a overbearing ,protective ,who can't tell her **** about about his past, and would rather bang her on a cloud or tree horndog.. Their realtionship went from having some substance to straight up to an unhealthy dose of "how many places can we bang and talk nasty?" God I hate alpha males. Especially when they found who their mates are and go 0 to 100 if someone breathes on their girl wrong. I'm really starting to dislike the whole mate thing as well. <br/><br/>The plot was still nonexistent and still wasn't enough side characters to help the plot along.It still to much of Caillie and Des trying to get it on in different places and not really nothing each other like they thought they did in book one and not enough about them solving the case or the missing men soldiers and comatose woman soldiers. Yes It was some world building but it was just enough to say that it were some. <br/><br/>So in all honestly, just read the first one and don't even think about reading the second one."