The Undoing (Call of Crows Book 2)

As I read this book, I kept thinking, how does this keep getting better? This might be my favorite of all her books that I’ve read so far, which as Shelly Laurenston, is all but two now. I thought her Honey badger series was awesome, but this is just as good. This storyline is fantastic and every character is well written. The book has lots of action, laughs and love. All women need a clan of sisters to stand by them, and a good man is just the icing on the cake.

I loved this book! I just love it when two book loving nerds find love together. It means there is hope out there for the rest of us.It has been awhile since I read the “Unleashing” and I forgot so many of the things about the Crows, Ravens and Protectors. But in a good way it was cool because I rediscovered how much I loved this series. I won’t however spoil those things and leave you to rediscover them for your selves or discover them for the first time.Jace is definitely one the most misunderstood Crows in the murder and after reading this book I totally got her. The life she lived before becoming a crow was not pleasant. She was force to act, say and do things she didn’t want. So I get why she stays quiet and keeps to herself (introvert) after she became a Crow. She is extreme intelligent and hates chit chat with a passion. She’ll bale on you using any means necessary to get away from you and your small talk. She is versed in a dozen different languages and prefers to be left alone with her puppy Lev. Jace is a heavy reader and can usually be found doing so in odd places where her sister Crows wouldn’t think to find her.Danski ‘Ski” is second in command of the Protectors. He is also known as the “Keeper of the Word”. Ski is a swoon worthy guy not just because he is handsome and built but because he is nerdy looking especially with his glasses and he is full of 80’s movie clichés. He has a big heart and he is a worrier. He is an over thinker and he is constantly taking care of the other Protectors and Jace. Ski turned into a Jewish mother more than a few times during the story “Are you hungry?” “No.” “Ok I feed you” so so funny. Ski also wants to help Jace anyway he can. He isn’t shy about his intentions and he is bold and can be playful in his pursuit. Jace just might be in trouble.What both Jace and Ski have in common is a love for books and they also both prefer alone time with themselves with exception of their pets. Ski has a cat named Salka (mean little thing except to Jace). I found it weird that Jace despises chit chat but had some of the oddest/weirdest, funniest and most alarming off the wall conversation with Ski and seemed perfectly fine. It shows just how odd they are and how much they have in common that they can talk about this stuff and find it interesting.I liked that the Crows, Ravens and Protectors have pets though it seems a little odd. I know that they are human (ish) but it’s hard to see pets in their crazy world though they seem to managing just fine. But I love Brodie Hawaii and her wings and Salka and Nikolayevich Tolstoy “Lev”. It definitely makes for a fun story when Bear gets involved.Jace fits in more with the Protectors than she does the Crows. The Protectors leave her to work and don’t bug her. They seem to understand her better. Something that struck me as weird was that even though the Protectors were keepers of knowledge none of them knew Russian. Shouldn’t they all be well versed in speaking, reading and writing in multiple languages and dialects? Jace is being more open with the Protectors than she is with crows though they never really asked. She feels a kinship to them and she shares her past with Protectors. Jace wants the Protectors to be more social with Crows and Ravens and for them all to get along. This means there will be more fun and shenanigans in the future when all three get together.Bear is hilarious and I think I fell in love with him during this book. It’s like he had his nose stuck in a book his whole life and just now looked up and is discovering things for the first time. Everything from woman, courting customs, pets and their care to Shifters. It’s all new and foreign to him and he can’t seem to compute it. And I love his OCD and his care/worry for the books. He is definitely holds a place in my heart. I hope he gets his own story it will be hilarious and so sweet…maybe not for the girl but for the readers yes or at least this one.There is more things I want to talk about but it would all be spoilers and I don’t want to spoil this story anymore than I already have for anyone it’s that good.

These books are an animated, sometimes hilarious and often irreverent depiction of a wide variety of characters and an entire pantheon of Gods.

Shelly Laurenston has a great sense of humor if you enjoy reading series where you get a plot you enjoy unfolding that is good through out there is none of the just get past this boring bit when reading. More than once on Shelly Laurenston books I've read the description thought oh ok got nothing else new at the moment and then end up really enjoying the books as well as looking forward to the next one. I'd thought nothing would be as enjoyable as her Badgers especially when saw this incorporated using gods of myths but I was wrong the Badgers are my favorite but I'm so looking forward to more books from this series, Bear, Erin, Annalise, Steig are just a few of the characters I'm waiting for their own books though I suppose since some are Protectors some Ravens etc, the different clans may be different series with cross overs however Ms Laurenston develops the series its going to be enjoyablecombine a good sense of reality, compassion for the strife trouble in world people face in their lives, a strong sense of ridiculous, creativeness [its true there are limits to plots a genuine need to be able to creative new development of characters makes Shelly Laurenston a must read]

What happens when you take trademark Laurenston humor and action, mixed with a ton of Norse mythology and a dash of romance? This series is what happens. Ms. Laurenston’s latest urban fantasy series is hard to describe but a hoot to read.The premise: The second book in the series begins a few weeks after the first book ends. The Crows, a group of women who have been given a second chance at life by serving the nordic goddess Skuld, are just finding out that Gullveig, the big Bad introduced in the first book, isn’t as vanquished as they thought she was. There are nine Clans that were formed by various gods and goddesses to work towards preventing Ragnarok, aka the apocalypse, or at least an incredibly bad day. The Crows are one of the Clans, but they all play a part in this story, as well as cameos by several gods including (dumb as a hammer) Thor, Odin, Tyr and Freyja. This is the overarching storyline that drives it all, and while there’s plenty of exposition given to get the reader up to speed when necessary, I do recommend reading the first book.Jace is my soul sister-Crow: Jacinda “Jace” Berisha, is the sister-Crow at the heart of this entry and we get a glimpse of her first Life as the wife of a crazy bastard cult leader. From the prologue on, I was solidly in Jace’s corner. It also didn’t hurt that Jace is an anti-social introvert who will take a good book and her dog Lev over (most) people. Frankly, she’s a girl after my own heart.Ski’s hot and nerdy, just like I like ‘em: Danski “Ski” Eriksen, one of the Protectors, wears glasses, is just as into books as his bethren but a better at the social game than anyone else. He’s nerdy but self-aware, a great combination. He also needs Jace’s help in translating some old Russian books he and his Protector brothers found. Jace captivates him but she’s a bit oblivious and I liked that alot. Ski’s a great gamma type of hero - as essentially the protector of his Protector brothers, he’s perfectly equipped to deal with their introverted, absent-minded professor ways. This also makes him the perfect man to love Jace.That dash of romance: I think that going into this read with the mindset of urban fantasy rather than a more traditional paranormal romance helped my enjoyment because my expectations were tempered. When I say a dash, while each book is anchored by a love story, it’s the big picture and the day-to-day lives and interactions between all these different warriors and gods that drives the narrative. The romance is like a tasty, sexy garnish rather than the meat of the tale.This story is clearly unfolding over several books, and there’s alot of moving parts at work. It can make some scenes with alot of explanations of the Gods and their relationship a bit unwieldy. That said, I truly enjoyed getting to see more of the ‘verse, the different characters, as well as deepening the relationships established in the first book.The Bottom LineI always enjoy a chance to visit one of Ms. Laurenston’s diverse and hella-funny worlds, and The Undoing builds and expands on the first book so well, I can’t wait to see what’s next. The Crows are moving up my list of favorites and if you’re into urban fantasy/paranormal romances, I encourage you to give Ms. Laurenston’s (who also publishes under the name G.A. Aiken) books a shot.**ARC provided by publisher via netgalley for review**For more reviews, visit [...]

If I had to compile a list of favourite Kindle authors, Shelly Laurenston/G A Aiken would be at the top. She's that good!The Undoing continues the story of the LA Crows, more or less following on from where The Unleashing finished, and I was giggling well before the end of the first chapter. That's what I love about this writer: her stories are immersive and extremely well written, and the characters are almost off-the-wall crazy but in a completely believable way. And through all of the books runs that thread of humour which makes you love (and care for) how the plot and characters develop.I also can't imagine how much research went into this - I feel I'm becoming quite an expert in Nordic (and other) mythology, just through reading about the Crows, Ravens, Protectors et al.If I had one wish it would be that Shelly could write faster. I can't wait for the next instalment of this series. Or for the next instalment of the Dragon Kin either!

Didn’t think this series could beat the authors previous one but omg I am just loving it. Not as overtly funny, but loving the dark humour and gods themes with the clans. Highly recommend as this author knows how to spin a good tale and these are full proper novels that you don’t skip pages as too long and worth every penny .

This second book is really good, as apposed to the first book which was oddly, very confusing and totally "un-Shelly" in style. This went on throughout the majority of the book, from shortly after the first couple of chapters, right up to the last couple of chapters of the book - most disappointing.I only have one comment to Shelly about her second book, you need to check half way through the middle of the book, Jace's ex-husband's name went from Braddock to Haddock and then back to Braddock again.If you are going to charge £9.99 for your novels, then your book should not only be 100% written by you but perfect.

Brilliant humour, and strange relationships that work between the Crows and all the other Clans. Unlike others serials where you have to wait along time for the next book and try and remember what happened before, this writer gives you gentle reminders and more in your face reminders of what went on before. I love the sarcastic humour of many of the characters, and the seriousness of others, it really works well. Can't wait for the next one.

I love this author, so I wanted to love this book. It was however hard going through the first half... Bitty, dare I say too much information. I do understand when you start a new series you have to explain and set things up... But this detracted from the storyline. She also kept changing people names calling people by the surname then by Christian name... Up to the point, I was getting confused.