tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37820553193838516172024-03-05T05:47:11.317-08:00A Fangirls ViewA review blog by a booklover for booklovers.fantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.comBlogger2050125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-6275298722514942752018-12-17T20:38:00.001-08:002018-12-22T20:04:16.868-08:00FarewellI think it's safe to say, I've lost interest in keeping this journal up. I'm not sure why, it just is what it is. I am going to still be doing random reviews of all sorts of things over on Dreamwidth though. I made a new account after the Tumblr debacle was announced earlier this month. So if you still want to know what I'm reading and my thoughts you can follow me there. I'll also be chatting about tv, movies, and various other nerdy pursuits: https://fantasylover12001.dreamwidth.org/<br />
<br />
I'm also still on Goodreads if anyone just wants to follow me that way.fantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-14938006468656875302018-10-15T00:00:00.000-07:002018-10-15T00:00:05.254-07:00Book Review: The Grave's a Fine and Private Place<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1491882044l/34837078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1491882044l/34837078.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
TITLE: The Grave's a Fine and Private Place<br />
Book 9 in the Flavia de Luce series<br />
AUTHOR: Alan Bradley<br />
CATEGORY:often shelved as adult, I say it's middle-grade<br />
PUBLISHED: January 30th, 2018 (in the US)<br />
GENRE: Historical Fiction, Mystery<br />
PREMISE: While dealing with the death of her father, Flavia stumbles upon another mystery...<br />
MY REVIEW: I am a latecomer to the Flavia de Luce series. I read the first book around...two years ago, I believe. The series has been out for quite some time now. With the ninth book, it is coming to an end. I'm sorry to see it go, but I think it's just as well. I could tell the author was running out of ideas of what to do with the series. Some of the previous books wandered in plot a lot. The same happened with this book. But we do ultimately get a good conclusion for Flavia and everyone else in her life. For the record, I wouldn't be opposed to a series about adult Flavia de Luce. Just saying.<br />
It's always a bit bittersweet when a series comes to an end. On one hand...you get to know the characters are going to be okay in the end. On the other hand: no more books. Flavia, I'm going to miss you and your delight in stumbling upon dead bodies.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: those who've read books 1-8, cozy mystery fans<br />
MY RATING: Four out of Five series coming to an end<br />
RATING FOR SERIES: Four out of Fivefantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-158534946547847992018-10-14T00:00:00.000-07:002018-10-14T00:00:03.466-07:00Book Review: Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480286429l/31176294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="269" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480286429l/31176294.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
TITLE: Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? And Other Questions You Should Have the Answers to When You Work in the White House.<br />
AUTHOR: Alyssa Mastromonaco<br />
PUBLISHED: March 2017<br />
CATEGORY: Non-Fiction<br />
GENRE: Memoirs, Politics<br />
PREMISE: Obama's former Deputy Chief of Staff writes about her time in the White House and what it's like to work in politics.<br />
MY REVIEW: I'm honestly not sure how to rate this one. There's nothing really wrong with it. The writing is engaging, it explains things really well, there are some good stories in here. It's just...I feel like the book didn't know what it wanted to be.<br />
Part of it was a memoir, another part of it was life advice. It just kept switching and it was jarring when it would switch. That aspect of the book, I could have done without. But for the most part, I did enjoy it. It just was all over the place sometimes and needed a bit more focus. There were some excellent stories in here about Obama though. Those were fun.<br />
This is one of those niche kind of books, you either are going to be interested in it or you aren't. I was, so I liked it.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: those interested in politics<br />
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five funny stories about Obamafantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-60139750810709348092018-10-13T00:00:00.000-07:002018-10-13T00:00:03.923-07:00Book Review: Heroine Complex<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1460482959l/27209443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="295" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1460482959l/27209443.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
TITLE: Heroine Complex<br />
Book 1 in the Heroine Complex series<br />
AUTHOR: Sarah Kuhn<br />
CATEGORY: Adult<br />
PUBLISHED: 2016<br />
GENRE: Urban Fantasy, Romance, Superheros<br />
PREMISE: An assistant to a superhero struggles with new found super powers...<br />
MY REVIEW: I've been meaning to read this forever. I don't know why it took so long for me to get to it. It just did. I enjoyed this one a lot. I will warn, there's actually a lot of sex scenes in this. Way more then I was expecting, actually. I don't mind sex scenes, but I know that can be an issue with some readers.<br />
This was actually more romance focused then the summary let on. If you're a romance reader, you actually should probably like this. It follows a lot of the romance genre beats. There's some good character stuff in it as well. I love that it wasn't afraid to make all its characters flawed.<br />
If you want a really serious urban fantasy...this probably won't be for you. It's more character/romance focused then it is on world-building. But the character stuff is great and is what is going to keep me reading the series. The next book goes into another character and her romance and I actually am really looking forward to that. I found the character really interesting.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: superhero fans, romance fans, Marvel fans<br />
MY RATING: Four out of Five kick-ass women with powersfantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-41680690969318377842018-10-12T10:05:00.000-07:002018-10-12T10:05:07.730-07:00Book Review: The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444317771l/26114524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444317771l/26114524.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
TITLE: The Only Thing Worse Than Me is You<br />
AUTHOR: Lily Anderson<br />
CATEGORY: YA<br />
PUBLISHED: 2016<br />
GENRE: Contemporary, Romance<br />
PREMISE: When their friends start dating, two people who can't stand each other agree to try and get along for their friend's sake....<br />
MY REVIEW: After reading and enjoying Undead Girl Gang, I decided to just go ahead and read the author's other books. This one is different from Undead Girl Gang. It's a contemporary book with romance in it. Luckily for the author, I've been in a romance mood, thanks to Crazy Rich Asians and the To All the Boys I've Loved Before movie.<br />
This is one of those classic enemies to lovers kind of plots. It's honestly, just fun. It's also very nerdy. All the characters are geeks, so there are references to all sorts of things. The dialogue is great, there's a bit of a funny twist at the end and I liked all the friends.<br />
If you want ground-breaking, this book isn't it. But if you want just a cute and fluffy contemporary romance, with lots of geek references, it absolutely delivers. There's a companion book out there and I've already read that too, so a review will be coming soon.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: geeks, contemporary romance fans<br />
MY RATING: Four out of Five cute romancesfantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-71497738265531408272018-09-24T00:00:00.000-07:002018-09-24T00:00:02.787-07:00Book Review: Crazy Rich Asians<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1526735379l/18158562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1526735379l/18158562.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
TITLE: Crazy Rich Asians<br />
Book 1 in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy<br />
AUTHOR: Kevin Kwan<br />
PUBLISHED: 2013<br />
CATEGORY: Adult<br />
GENRE: Romance, Contemporary<br />
PREMISE: A woman finds out the man she is dating is in fact a member of one of the richest families in Singapore....<br />
MY REVIEW: Unless you've been living under a rock or something, chances are high you've at least heard about Crazy Rich Asians. The movie has been big this summer. I saw it, and honestly, I get the hype. Seriously, the movie is gold, go see it if you adore rom coms or any kind of family drama stuff.<br />
I read the book right before seeing the movie it was honestly just as delightful. I will warn, the writing...is not the best. It kind of jumps from POV to POV and is awkward in some places. But the characterization, the self-aware humor, and entertaining family drama all make up for it. There's also some pretty interesting commentary on things like classism, racism, and various other topics. I also actually liked the footnotes. They provided some interesting information that I wasn't aware of. So not only are you getting an entertaining read, you actually get some interesting tidbits about Singapore and its culture.<br />
So count me in on the Crazy Rich Asians hype train. I can't wait to read the rest of the books and see the sequel, whenever we get it. Also: if you have not seen the To All the Boys I've Loved Before movie yet....do so. It's wonderful.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: Rom com fans, Jenny Han fans<br />
MY RATING: Four out of Five wacky familiesfantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-79203841441856589712018-09-23T00:00:00.000-07:002018-09-23T00:00:08.059-07:00Book Review: Most Wanted<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518809651l/38600062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518809651l/38600062.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
TITLE: Most Wanted<br />
Part of the Star Wars canon books<br />
AUTHOR: Rae Carson<br />
PUBLISHED: May 25th, 2018<br />
CATEGORY: YA<br />
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Media tie-in<br />
PREMISE: Set before the Solo movie, this book goes into how Han and Qi'ra became partners...<br />
MY REVIEW: I saw the Solo movie a few months ago in theaters. It was perfectly decent movie. Completely unnecessary, as are most prequels, but it was a decent film.<br />
This book is pretty on par with most of the new Star Wars books: not necessary to read, but a good time if you're pining for more Star Wars in between the films/TV shows. They also give some nice supplemental info. I actually kind of feel like this gave us some better background on Han, then the movie did. It also gave Qi'ra some much better development, as well.<br />
If you read Star Wars books on regular basis, you know what to expect from this one: lots of action and adventure. It's very fast-paced (I finished it in like, two sittings). If you liked the Solo movie, but maybe wanted some more info on the characters, this is a good one to pick to pick up. There's also one out there about young Lando, so I'll probably look into that one as well.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: Star Wars fans<br />
MY RATING: Three out of Five space racesfantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-40456988247031195342018-09-22T16:43:00.000-07:002018-09-22T16:43:10.649-07:00Book Review: Undead Girl Gang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1511371881l/35707056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1511371881l/35707056.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
TITLE: Undead Girl Gang<br />
AUTHOR: Lily Anderson<br />
CATEGORY: YA<br />
PUBLISHED: May 8th, 2018<br />
GENRE: Urban Fantasy. Mystery<br />
PREMISE: A girl raises her best friend back from the dead to find out how she died, but...she winds up bringing back two other girls as well.<br />
MY REVIEW: I normally am not interested in zombies. I don't know why, but they just honestly bore me. There's usually not really much you can do with them. But this one interested me, because there was a mystery and female friendship attached to to it.<br />
For the most part, it's a fun ride. You have to suspend a lot of disbelief while reading it. The main character is a bit prickly, but I personally enjoyed her. But I find all the characters the YA crowd deem "unlikable", are characters whom I wind up liking a lot. Go figure. If you were picking this up because you heard rumblings about there being "great" LGBT rep...there really isn't. The rep is just two adult female side characters who barely get any screen time and it's just mentioned that they're in a relationship. I found them interesting, and would honestly love a book about them. But I'm not sure why it was advertised as great rep as honestly...the characters don't really do anything.<br />
That disappointing bit aside, this was a decent read. I particularly liked where the mystery went. After this, I went and picked up Lily Anderson's debut book, and wound up loving that one as well. The review is coming soon. I think I have a new author to enjoy now.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: Buffy fans, those looking for books with witches/zombies<br />
MY RATING: Four out of Five female friendshipsfantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-24830661099817725522018-09-13T16:19:00.000-07:002018-09-13T16:19:07.700-07:00Classic Book Review: A Separate Peace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528860889l/5148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528860889l/5148.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
TITLE: A Separate Peace<br />
AUTHOR: John Knowles<br />
PUBLISHED: 1959<br />
CATEGORY: Young Adult (sort of)<br />
GENRE: Historical Fiction<br />
PREMISE: A man remembers his time in school during WWII.<br />
MY THOUGHTS: Sigh. This is yet another book in what I'm beginning to think is a sub-genre: Old (usually white and straight) guy thinks back on one memorable thing from his childhood. I've stumbled across so many literature books that do this and...honestly dudes? I'm sorry, but your childhood is not as interesting as you think it is. This one had all the problems that books that do this idea have: mainly...it's dull.<br />
I get what the author was doing with it. War is hell, it effects us all, even those not in the war, etc. etc. Probably also some metaphors for losing your innocence as well. This is not a difficult novel to grasp or even to read. Which is probably why it winds up on reading lists for schools all the time. But personally, I suspect this is better read as an adult. I have no doubt that teenage me would have hated this. Adult me....didn't enjoy it, but appreciates what the author was trying to do.<br />
I just, for the life of me, couldn't get into this one. Yet another classic that is just not for me.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: literature fans, those that don't mind slow-paced booksfantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-91188227558791445622018-09-12T00:00:00.000-07:002018-09-12T00:00:05.223-07:00My Big Fat Recommendation List: J AuthorsHere are all the authors whose books I recommend whose last name starts with the letter J:<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Childrens/Middle-Grade</b><br />
<br />
Diane Wynne Jones<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/43763-chrestomanci">Chrestomanci series</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6764886-enchanted-glass">Enchanted Glass</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/378.The_Phantom_Tollbooth">The Phantom Tollbooth</a> by Norton Juster<br />
<br />
<b>Young Adult Fiction</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30037870-allegedly">Allegedly</a> by Tiffany D. Jackson<br />
<br />
Michele Jaffe<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/59884-bad-kitty">Bad Kitty duology</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7778996-rosebush">Rosebush</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11782157-ghost-flower">Ghost Flower</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079614-minders">Minders</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9972882-juliet-immortal">Juliet Immortal</a> by Stacey Jay (there is a second book, but it's honestly kind of bad. Just read the first)<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5266733-the-reformed-vampire-support-group">The Reformed Vampire Support Group</a> by Catherine Jinks<br />
<br />
Alaya Dawn Johnson<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13453104-the-summer-prince">The Summer Prince</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20894021-love-is-the-drug">Love is the Drug</a><br />
<br />
Maureen Johnson<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10150258-13-little-blue-envelopes">13 Little Blue Envelopes</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17005.Devilish">Devilish</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2328841.Suite_Scarlett">Suite Scarlett duology</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/52867-shades-of-london">Shades of London series</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/176421-truly-devious">Truly Devious series</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29749107-ahsoka">Star Wars: Ahsoka</a> by E.K. Johnston<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4070493-need">Need Series</a> by Carrie Jones<br />
<br />
Diane Wynne Jones<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/80111-howl-s-moving-castle">Howl's Moving Castle series</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47571.The_Game">The Game</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47587.Dark_Lord_of_Derkholm">Dark Lord of Derkholm</a><br />
<br />
<b>Adult Fiction</b><br />
<br />
Contemporary/Historical Fiction<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33590210-an-american-marriage">An American Marriage</a> by Tayari Jones<br />
<br />
Science-Fiction/Fantasy<br />
<br />
N. K. Jemisin<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/46971-inheritance-trilogy">Inheritance Trilogy</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/112296-the-broken-earth">Broken Earth Trilogy</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/114823-the-queen-of-the-tearling">Queen of the Tearling Trilogy</a> by Erika Johansen<br />
<br />
<b>Non-Fiction</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25733983-lab-girl">Lab Girl</a> by Hope Jahren<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17934655-the-empathy-exams">The Empathy Exams: Essays</a> by Leslie Jamison<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28587986-being-jazz">Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen</a> by Jazz Jennings<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30754000-here-we-are">Here We Are: Feminism For the Real World</a> by various authors, edited by Kelly Jenson<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32326006-this-will-be-my-undoing">This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America</a> by Morgan Jerkins<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47510.The_Tough_Guide_to_Fantasyland">The Tough Guide to Fantasyland</a> by Diane Wynne Jones<br />
<br />fantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-8662325685221354342018-09-11T00:00:00.000-07:002018-09-11T00:00:07.595-07:00Book Review: Not If I Save You First<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507647432l/35238072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507647432l/35238072.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
TITLE: Not If I Save You First<br />
AUTHOR: Ally Carter<br />
PUBLISHED: March 27th, 2018<br />
CATEGORY: YA<br />
GENRE: Contemporary/Romance<br />
PREMISE: A girl needs to save the President's son from getting kidnapped. Too bad she hates the boy's guts.<br />
MY REVIEW: I am pretty much always up for an Ally Carter book. Her books are just fun. This short standalone is no exception. It's a nice breezy pace, with lots of action, just enough detail, and a satisfying story.<br />
It just...wasn't as good as I've seen her do. It's not bad! Again, I enjoyed it. If you're looking for a quick, cute, read, it's a good pick. If you want something with a little more substance though....I'd look elsewhere. This also isn't as good as some of her previous work. I kind of get the sense that it was just written to meet a contract requirement. But at least it was fun. It also apparently takes place in the same world as Gallagher Girls/Heist Society as there's a bit of a reference to one of the spy schools.<br />
So, not the best book ever. But if you just want a quick read with a fun main character, this is a good one to pick up.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: Ally Carter fans<br />
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five bedazzled hammers<br />
<br />fantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-72594133380236162342018-09-10T00:00:00.000-07:002018-09-10T00:00:02.918-07:00Book Review: Aru Shah and the End of Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1506615949l/36222611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1506615949l/36222611.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
TITLE: Aru Shah and the End of Time<br />
Book 1 in the Pandava Quartet series<br />
AUTHOR: Rhoshani Chokshi<br />
PUBLISHED: March 27th, 2018<br />
CATEGORY: Middle-grade<br />
GENRE: Fantasy<br />
PREMISE: A girl goes on a quest after she accidentally causes time to freeze after lighting a lamp....<br />
MY REVIEW: I have been meaning to read this for awhile now. I adore Rick Riordan's books, and this new imprint he has going on with his publisher is frankly awesome. I want to read every book that he has previewed so far. Sadly, some of them don't come out until 2020 ;pouts;<br />
If they are anything like this though, we're in for some good stuff, guys. This is very Percy Jackson like, so I understand why Riordan picked it for his imprint. But it does its own thing. I confess...I don't really know anything about the poem that this book is drawing inspiration from. So I can't tell you how well Chokshi is using the mythology or anything like that. I can tell you, she spins an entertaining story, with delightful protagonists.<br />
This is a great start to a new series. The ending is very interesting and I can't wait to see what happens next.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: Percy Jackson fans, Rhoshani Chokshi fans<br />
MY RATING: Four out of Five sassy birdsfantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-76073239641623881472018-09-09T19:59:00.000-07:002018-09-09T19:59:54.852-07:00Book Review: Freshwater<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1500884500l/35412372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="306" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1500884500l/35412372.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
TITLE: Freshwater<br />
AUTHOR: Akwaeke Emezi<br />
CATEGORY: Adult<br />
PUBLISHED: February 13th, 2018<br />
GENRE: Er....Magical Realism...I guess?<br />
PREMISE: A young woman grows up with different selves living inside of her...<br />
MY REVIEW: You ever read a book, think to yourself "Like...I'm sensing this is a really good book...but I'm not getting it at all?" Well, that is me and Freshwater. I feel like I maybe needed more information on some sort of myths or something in order to enjoy this. Because I mostly just read this book, feeling confused as hell through out the whole thing.<br />
I'm honestly not sure if this is the fault of the book or just me not giving it the attention it needed or something. The writing is fine, I get what is going on. I just don't understand the why of what's going on. I feel like there's some sort of piece of the puzzle that I'm missing and that kept me from getting fully invested in the book.<br />
I will say, the writing is lovely. There are some gorgeous lines here and there in it. The story however is just weird and doesn't seem to go anywhere. But according to literature people, it did go somewhere. So...I guess I just missed something.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: Um....not sure, really, literature fans maybe?<br />
MY RATING: Three out of five I just don't get you books<br />
<br />fantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-16178531266558117692018-08-28T00:00:00.000-07:002018-08-28T00:00:03.673-07:00My Big Fat Recommendation List: H and I AuthorsHere are all the books by authors whose name starts with the letters H, and I, whose books I have read and recommend. I am putting I here, because there aren't many writers I've read whose name starts with I. So it's kind of silly for me to make a whole page for them when there'll be like...two authors there.<br />
<br />
<b>H Authors</b><br />
<br />
<b>Childrens</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/85990.Princess_Academy">Princess Academy books</a> by Shannon Hale<br />
<br />
Marguerite Henry<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/49669-misty">Misty of Chincoteague series </a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/423156.King_of_the_Wind">King of the Wind</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123196.Brighty_of_the_Grand_Canyon">Brighty of the Grand Canyon</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123190.Born_to_Trot">Born to Trot</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79667.Justin_Morgan_Had_a_Horse">Justin Morgan Had a Horse</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143534.The_Gift_of_the_Magi">The Gift of the Magi</a> by O. Henry<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/43326-bunnicula">Bunnicula series</a> by James Howe<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>YA</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/67153-gone-with-the-respiration">Gone With the Respiration Duology</a> by Lia Habel<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/71183-the-girl-is-murder">The Girl is Murder Duology</a> by Kathryn Miller Haines<br />
<br />
Shannon Hale<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/41718-the-books-of-bayern">Books of Bayern series</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/248484.Book_of_a_Thousand_Days">Book of a Thousand Days</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8585924-dangerous">Dangerous</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/144714-the-conspiracy-of-us">The Conspiracy of Us Trilogy</a> by Maggie Hall<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/68188-deadly-cool">Deadly Cool series</a> by Gemma Halliday<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/169683-rebel-of-the-sands">Rebel of the Sands series</a> by Alwyn Hamilton<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/121588-to-all-the-boys-i-ve-loved-before">To All the Boys I've Loved Before Trilogy</a> by Jenny Han<br />
<br />
Cynthia Hand<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/53763-unearthly">Unearthly Trilogy</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34322944-the-afterlife-of-holly-chase">The Afterlife of Holly Chase</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/199355-the-lady-janies">The Lady Janies series</a> co-written with Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows<br />
<br />
Kim Harrington<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/51130-clarity">Clarity Duology</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9396154-the-dead-and-buried">The Dead and Buried</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/82039-seraphina">Seraphina series</a> by Rachel Hartman<br />
<br />
Rachel Hawkins<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/46343-hex-hall">Hex Hall series</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/106669-rebel-belle">Rebel Belle Trilogy</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/161533-the-girl-from-everywhere">The Girl From Everywhere Duology</a> by Heidi Heilig<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14746310-the-fire-horse-girl">The Fire Horse Girl</a> by Kay Honeyman<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/98634-splintered">Splintered series</a> by A. G. Howard<br />
<br />
Shaun David Hutchinson<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23677341-we-are-the-ants">We Are the Ants</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28763240-at-the-edge-of-the-universe">At the Edge of the Universe</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35297386-the-apocalypse-of-elena-mendoza">The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza</a><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Adult Fiction</b><br />
<br />
Contemporary/Literary/Historical Fiction<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30688435-exit-west">Exit West</a> by Mohsin Hamid<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/321574.Chocolat">Chocolat</a> by Joanne Harris<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26245850-before-the-fall">Before the Fall</a> by Noah Hawley<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2165.The_Old_Man_and_the_Sea">The Old Man and the Sea</a> by Ernest Hemingway<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52036.Siddhartha">Siddhartha</a> by Herman Hesse<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52258.The_Price_of_Salt">The Price of Salt</a> by Patricia Highsmith<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30597.The_Hunchback_of_Notre_Dame">The Hunchback of Notre Dame</a> by Victor Hugo<br />
<br />
Fantasy<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/42636-sookie-stackhouse">Sookie Stackhouse series</a> by Charlaine Harris<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40628-the-hollows">The Hollows series </a> by Kim Harrison<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37034.The_Woman_in_Black">The Woman in Black</a> by Susan Hill<br />
<br />
Sci-Fi<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29090844-the-stars-are-legion">The Stars Are Legion</a> by Kameron Hurley<br />
<br />
Mystery<br />
<br />
Charlaine Harris<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/140091.Real_Murders">Aurora Teagarden series</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40640-lily-bard">Lily Bard series</a><br />
<br />
Romance<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32261.Tess_of_the_D_Urbervilles">Tess of the D'Urbervilles</a> by Thomas Hardy<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1847943.Cotillion">Cotillion</a> by Georgette Heyer<br />
<br />
<b>Plays</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/505483.A_Raisin_in_the_Sun">A Raisin in the Sun</a> by Lorraine Hansberry<br />
<br />
<b>Poetry</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/133906.The_Collected_Poems">The Collected Poems</a> by Langston Hughes<br />
<br />
<b>Non-Fiction</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29430742-around-the-way-girl">Around the Way Girl</a> by Taraji P. Henson<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26114477-the-geek-feminist-revolution">The Geek Feminist Revolution </a> by Kameron Hurley<br />
<br />
<b>I Authors</b><br />
<br />
YA<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13643222-vengeance-bound">Vengeance Bound</a> by Justina Ireland<br />
<br />
Adult Fiction<br />
<br />
Contemporary/Literature/Historical Fiction<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/93261.The_Legend_of_Sleepy_Hollow">The Legend of Sleepy Hollow</a> by Washington Irving<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28921.The_Remains_of_the_Day">The Remains of the Day</a> by Kazuo Ishiguro<br />
<br />
Plays<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37793.A_Doll_s_House">A Doll's House</a> by Henrik Ibsen<br />
<br />fantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-27037583899199946882018-08-27T00:00:00.000-07:002018-08-27T00:00:04.389-07:00Book Review: Heart of Iron<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498506185l/35181314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498506185l/35181314.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
TITLE: Heart of Iron<br />
Book 1 in a new series<br />
AUTHOR: Ashley Poston<br />
PUBLISHED: February 27th, 2018<br />
CATEGORY: YA<br />
GENRE: Science-Fiction<br />
PREMISE: A sci-fi retelling of Anastasia.<br />
MY REVIEW: So I got this book in my OwlCrate box awhile back. I wasn't really anticipating it or anything, but after enjoying Geekerella, I figured I would at least be reading it. For those wondering about the Anastasia factor...it is definitely there. If you're reading this for the hopes of some Russian inspired sci-fi or something though...you'll probably disappointed. It just takes the bare bones of the movie Anastasia and sets it in space and takes liberties.<br />
Luckily, I liked the liberties. World building wise...this isn't really hard sci-fi or anything. If you're someone who likes the science part of sci-fi, I guarantee the science in here will probably bug you. But story wise and character wise, it was pretty good. It's fast paced and entertaining. I don't mind the relationships that much either. There's a cute side M/M relationship as well as the main one. There's also quite a bit of diversity. I wish the book had advertised those facts more. I bet people looking for those things would like to know the book has it.<br />
Story wise...it goes pretty predictably. But there are some pretty good twists here and there. Particularly at the end. The characters are all enjoyable and it's very readable and entertaining. I'll probably be picking up the next book.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: Anastasia fans, sci-fi fans, fans of things like These Broken Stars<br />
MY RATING: Four out of Five lost princessesfantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-33948094673704158712018-08-26T00:00:00.000-07:002018-08-26T00:00:08.029-07:00Book Review: The Case for Jamie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498506342l/33810737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498506342l/33810737.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
TITLE: The Case for Jamie<br />
Book 3 in the Charlotte Holmes series<br />
AUTHOR: Brittany Cavallaro<br />
PUBLISHED: March 6th, 2018<br />
GENRE: Classic book referencing, Mystery<br />
PREMISE: Charlotte and Jamie get thrown together for another case...<br />
MY REVIEW: This series continues to be really enjoyable. I love what the author does with the characters of Charlotte and Jamie. Mystery wise...it's about average. But character development wise...it's top notch. I honestly wish this author had been put in charge of the BBC Sherlock show. I bet we would have gotten much better development for everyone. ;is still bitter about how that series turned out;<br />
I can't really go into much without spoiling a lot of the book. But this deals with the fallout of the last book and I love how it dealt with it. It didn't try to demonize anyone or make the reader pick sides or put any character on a pedestal. That was so refreshing, because that can often happen when there's a conflict in book series.<br />
So my feelings on this series are mostly the same. It's an enjoyable riff on Sherlock Holmes. It does gender-flipping well and does something new with the Sherlock Holmes stories. I can't wait to read the next book.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: those that have read the first two books, Sherlock Holmes fans<br />
MY RATING: Four out of Five excellent character developmentsfantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-83139752208262760432018-08-25T00:00:00.000-07:002018-08-25T00:00:00.447-07:00(Modern) Classic Book Review: The Neverending Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327871159l/27712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="290" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327871159l/27712.jpg" width="121" /></a></div>
TITLE: The Neverending Story<br />
AUTHOR: Michael Ende<br />
PUBLISHED: 1979<br />
CATEGORY: Middle-Grade<br />
GENRE: Fantasy<br />
PREMISE: A boy finds a book that magically transports him to a magical land.<br />
MY THOUGHTS: I have seen the Neverending Story movies a long time ago. I believe back in middle-school, actually. I enjoyed them well enough. That's kind of my reaction to the book: I enjoyed it well enough. It's not really life-changing or anything, though.<br />
Probably if I had read this as a tween, it'd be a different story. If you have a tween into fantasy, give them this book. They will probably at least get a kick out of it. Me, I just can't give it more then a shrug. Part of it is that it's predictable. Nothing happens that isn't really unexpected. It follows typical fantasy quest rules. It's wish-fulfillment for boys, basically. It is also frankly...a little dated. Female characters don't really do anything, the one PoC character is a horrible stereotype. He...kind of does stuff, but is quickly pushed aside, once Bastian goes into the book. Which...I get it, it's a wish-fulfillment book. So naturally, everyone is going to be focused on making Bastian the best hero he can be. It was still kind of annoying though.<br />
So...I get why it became a thing. It's a decent story and does the trick. There's some meta stuff in the beginning about reading that I really liked. For the age group it's aimed at, I recommend it. For older folks though...I suspect it might bore you. Especially if you're like me and have seen the movies, so you already know what happens.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: Tweens/Middle-school/early high school readers, fantasy fans<br />
<br />fantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-68705763576208270842018-08-24T12:51:00.000-07:002018-08-24T12:51:03.940-07:00Book Review: An American Marriage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1491493625l/33590210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1491493625l/33590210.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
TITLE: An American Marriage<br />
AUTHOR: Tayari Jones<br />
PUBLISHED: February 2018<br />
CATEGORY: Adult<br />
GENRE: Contemporary<br />
PREMISE: A detailed look at a marriage and its ups and downs as the husband gets convicted of a crime he didn't commit and goes to prison.<br />
MY REVIEW: I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. On one hand: the writing is great. There are a lot of topics brought up in this book that make you sit and think about things and I loved that aspect of it. The characters are well developed as well.<br />
On the other hand....it was really slow. And I really did not like the ending. I felt like there was all this big amazing build up that...just fizzled out at the end and I was just left there going "that's it? Really?". Which...is unfortunately a thing that often happens with me in literature books.<br />
So I'm torn on how to rate this. It was really good and I liked it. For the first two thirds of the book I thought I might have a five star read on my hand. But then the ending happened. But I don't want to rate a book low just because of the ending. The ending is just one factor of a book. I like to look at all the factors. For most of it...this book was really good. So...yeah, I'm not sure what to rate this one, really.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: Oprah's Book Club fans, those who like gut-punching kind of books<br />
MY RATING: Three and a half to four out of five troubled marriagesfantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-69403752968131926692018-08-17T12:29:00.000-07:002018-08-17T12:29:05.005-07:00Book Review: Anger is a Gift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519335416l/36142487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519335416l/36142487.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>
TITLE: Anger is a Gift<br />
AUTHOR: Mark Oshiro<br />
CATEGORY: YA<br />
GENRE: Contemporary<br />
PUBLISHED: May 22nd, 2018<br />
PREMISE: Moss' life gets turned upside down when his school starts getting metal detectors and a heavy police presence...<br />
MY REVIEW: Some of you may know Mark Oshiro from Mark Reads or Mark Watches or his general Mark Does Stuff website. I've been a fan of his for awhile now. I used to actually comment on his readalongs/watchalongs but stopped and now mostly just lurk. So I was pretty excited to hear that he had written a book.<br />
I am pleased to say: it is great. There are a lot of comparisons being made to The Hate U Give and that is definitely apt. This takes a lot of the issues brought up in that book (as well as the book Dear Martin) and builds on it in a wonderful way.<br />
This book does not play. To quote Mark himself: shit gets real. Very fast. There's a bit in the middle and end that is especially gut-punching. Basically, this book is just damn good. Read it. Especially if you need something to tide you over until THUG movie or Angie Thomas' new book in February.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: THUG fans, Dear Martin fans, Adam Silvera fans<br />
MY RATING: Five out of Five tear stained tissuesfantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-49985708328316251462018-08-06T20:12:00.000-07:002018-08-06T20:12:52.232-07:00Book Review Catch Up Part 3: The Second Half of July 2018Last of the review catch up posts, I promise. Here are all the things I read in the second half of July.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33785202-the-dreadful-tale-of-prosper-redding?ac=1&from_search=true">The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding Book 1</a> by Alexandra Bracken<br />
Category: Middle-Grade<br />
Published: September 2017<br />
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy<br />
Enjoyable read, as usual, from Alexandra Bracken. Turns out this is going to be made into a movie, so I read it just in time.<br />
Rating: Four out of Five snarky demons<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38474.Another_Country?ac=1&from_search=true">Another Country</a> by James Baldwin<br />
Category: Adult<br />
Published: 1962<br />
Genre: Contemporary<br />
Read mostly because it was on the Great American Read list. I'm kind of slowly going through the ones I haven't read. Not all of them, because there are some I'm just not interested in, at all (Atlas Shrugged, for instance). But most of them I will be reading....at some point.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35297531-robots-vs-fairies?ac=1&from_search=true">Robots VS Fairies anthology</a> by various authors<br />
Category: Adult<br />
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi<br />
Published: January 9th, 2018<br />
Fun short story anthology that had stories featuring either robots or fairies.<br />
Rating: Three and a half out of Five short stories that I wanted to be whole books<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36288143-brotopia?ac=1&from_search=true">Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley</a> by Emily Chang<br />
Category: Non-Fiction<br />
Genre: Social Commentary/Feminism<br />
Published: February 6th, 2018<br />
A deep look into the sexism of the tech industry. How bad it is, how we got there, why it persists, and how we can change the culture. The book is good and interesting...it's just draining, hearing about all these incidents and seeing all the indifference from some of the people in the industry.<br />
Rating: Three and a half out of Five informative, but sad books<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34927953-death-below-stairs?ac=1&from_search=true">Kat Holloway Book 1: Death Below Stairs</a> by Jennifer Ashley<br />
Category: Adult<br />
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery<br />
Published: January 2nd, 2018<br />
Okay historical mystery. Didn't really impress me, but didn't really fail me either. It's good for if you just want some Downton Abbey-esque feelings with a dash of mystery.<br />
Rating: Three and a half out of Five nosy maids getting shit done<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26244626-a-treacherous-curse?ac=1&from_search=true">Veronica Speedwell Book 3: A Treacherous Curse</a> by Deanna Raybourn<br />
Category: Adult<br />
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery<br />
Published: January 16th, 2018<br />
This series continues to be delightful. If you like slow burn romances, heroines who don't give a fuck about society's expectations, and snark, seriously pick this series up.<br />
Rating: Four out of Five awesome snarky heroines<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17250.The_Crucible?ac=1&from_search=true">The Crucible</a> by Arthur Miller<br />
Category: Play<br />
Genre: Historical Fiction<br />
Published: 1953<br />
I started to read this one, and it turns out I actually already have read it...way back in school. I just apparently forgot that. Oh well. If nothing else, it was a good refresher.<br />
<br />
Comics read:<br />
Captain America original 1940s series on Marvel Unlimited<br />
Heavy Vinyl vol. 1fantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-50097326703323291592018-08-02T12:00:00.000-07:002018-08-02T12:00:21.564-07:00Book Review Catch Up Post Part 2: First Half of July 2018Here are some of the things I read in the first half of July:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31445891-river-of-teeth?ac=1&from_search=true">River of Teeth Book 1</a> by Sarah Gailey<br />
Category: Adult<br />
Genre: Alternate History<br />
Published: May 2017<br />
This is a short novella that takes an interesting what if idea and just runs with it. The result is a really fun and fast adventure story. Need to get my hands on the second book.<br />
Rating: Four out of Five hippos (the reference will make sense when you read it)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33294200-the-poet-x?ac=1&from_search=true">The Poet X</a> by Elizabeth Acevedo<br />
Category: YA<br />
Genre: Verse/Contemporary<br />
Published: March 6th, 2018<br />
Contemporary verse novel about a girl finding her voice through slam poetry. I liked most of it, but the ending with the mother left a lot to be desired for me. If it wasn't for that, this would be five whole stars from me, because it's beautifully written.<br />
Rating: Four out of Five let down endings<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30288282-the-immortalists?ac=1&from_search=true">The Immortalists</a> by Chloe Benjamin<br />
Category: Adult<br />
Genre: Contemporary, literary fiction<br />
Published: January 9th, 2018<br />
Everyone and their mother has been raving about this book and honestly...I don't get it. Half of it was good, the other half...not so much. Also I was really not into the way it stereotyped people a lot.<br />
Rating: Three out of Five side-eyes<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36329818-legendary?ac=1&from_search=true">Caraval Book 2: Legendary</a> by Stephanie Garber<br />
Category: YA<br />
Genre: Fantasy<br />
Published: May 29th, 2018<br />
Oh Caraval, I have so many mixed feelings about this series. I gave the debut a four out of five, but after much reflection...I would probably rate it lower now. I enjoy this series, it's very readable and everything. There's nothing really bad in it...it's just not really good either. If you like it, I get it. I like it too. But...I also fully acknowledge that quality wise...it's not the best.<br />
Rating: Three and a half out of Five generic, but enjoyable fantasy reads<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35297380-american-panda?ac=1&from_search=true">American Panda</a> by Gloria Chao<br />
Category: YA<br />
Genre: Contemporary<br />
Published: February 6th, 2018<br />
Cute and fluffy contemporary about a girl finding her way while dealing with controlling parents.<br />
Rating: Four out of Five satisfying reads<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28107444-the-magic-misfits?ac=1&from_search=true">Magic Misfits Book 1: The Magic Misfits</a> by Neal Patrick Harris<br />
Category: Middle-Grade<br />
Genre: Contemporary/Adventure<br />
Published: November 2017<br />
Yes, NPH wrote a book. It was...just okay. The thing with middle-grade books is that there are two kinds: ones written with a general audience in mind...and one just written for tweens. This was written for tweens and they should be happy with it. I am not a tween, therefore, I was not really the target audience for the book.<br />
<br />
Graphic novels read:<br />
Generation X (2017) series (yes, the whole thing, I recently got a Marvel Unlimited subscription and have been putting it to use)<br />
America Vol. 1: The Life and Times of America Chavez<br />
Runaways (2017) Vol. 1fantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-35887454505063856552018-08-01T11:00:00.000-07:002018-08-01T11:00:51.237-07:00Book Review Catch-up Post Part 1: June 2018 ReadsYeah...I'm woefully behind on reviews on here. I have been reading...I just haven't been terribly motivated to post reviews. So I'm going to do a catch up and try to get back into the swing of reviewing/posting stuff this month.<br />
<br />
Here are the rest of the books that I read in June:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34603463-rebels-rising?ac=1&from_search=true">Rebel Mechanics Book 3: Rebels Rising</a> by Shanna Swenson<br />
Category: YA<br />
Genre: Steampunk/Historical Fantasy<br />
Published: April 2017<br />
Rating: Three and a half out of Five steampunk outfits<br />
Okay ending. Everything tied up a little too quickly and neatly for my taste. A bit of a let down after how great the second one was.<br />
Rating for series: Three and a half out of Five<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29748943-the-radical-element?ac=1&from_search=true">Tyranny of Petticoats Book 2: The Radical Element</a> by various authors<br />
Category: YA<br />
Genre: Historical Fiction/Historical Fantasy, Short Stories<br />
Published: March 13th, 2018<br />
Rating: Four out of Five awesome female leads<br />
If you've read Tyranny of Petticoats, this is just more of the same. Lots of good stories in this one.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35082445-a-land-of-permanent-goodbyes?ac=1&from_search=true">A Land of Permanent Goodbyes</a> by Atia Abawi<br />
Category:YA<br />
Genre: Contemporary<br />
Published: January 23rd, 2018<br />
Rating: Three and a half out of Five<br />
I like the overall message in this book, and there were some beautiful passages of writing in it. But the story overall...just fell a little flat for me for some reason.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17728.The_House_of_Mirth?ac=1&from_search=true">The House of Mirth</a> by Edith Wharton<br />
Category: Adult/Classics<br />
Genre: Contemporary<br />
Published: 1905<br />
This was...interesting. It was a bit slow for my taste, but overall I liked it. I find that Wharton's books tend to subvert expectations and I really like that aspect of her books.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17312156-tempests-and-slaughter?ac=1&from_search=true">Numair Chronicles Book 1: Tempests and Slaughter</a> by Tamora Pierce<br />
Category: YA<br />
Genre: Fantasy<br />
Published: February 6th, 2018<br />
Rating: Four out of Five<br />
I adore the Tortall books and pretty much everything Pierce writes. So it was a given, I was going to read and enjoy this. However, even as I enjoyed it...I think the series is unnecessary as most prequels are. It gives good insight to Numair's character...but that's honestly about all it does. But this was mostly just build-up, I think I suspect the next book will be where everything I actually care about happens. Such as Numair meeting Alanna and co.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/133906.The_Collected_Poems?ac=1&from_search=true">The Collected Poems</a> by Langston Hughes<br />
Category: Classics<br />
Genre: Poetry<br />
Published: This edition, was published in 1995. It includes all of Hughes poems written over the the years, going as far back as the 1930s.<br />
Still very new to poetry, so I can't comment on the quality. But I personally loved these. I also found some that were written over fifty years ago that are still relevant today. Part of me thinks it's because Hughes was just that good and part of me also thinks its because our society has not evolved as much as we like to claim.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28862.The_Prince?ac=1&from_search=true">The Prince</a> by Niccolo Machiavelli<br />
Category: Classics<br />
Genre: Non-Fiction/Philosophy/Politics<br />
Published: 1513<br />
If you're into history, you'll probably like this. As a lot of it is Machiavelli talking about politics and drawing from examples of history to back up his ideas. I just honestly found it dull.<br />
<br />
Graphic Novels read:<br />
Ms Marvel Vol.s 7 and 8<br />
Batman and the Outsiders Vol. 1<br />
Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe<br />
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Vol. 2fantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-37684141683926990622018-07-17T11:19:00.000-07:002018-07-17T11:19:33.047-07:00Book Review: Beanstalker and Other Hilarious Scary Tales<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475253009l/28822458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475253009l/28822458.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
TITLE: Beanstalker and Other Hilarious Scary Tales<br />
AUTHOR: Kiersten White<br />
CATEGORY: Middle-Grade<br />
PUBLISHED: July 2017<br />
GENRE: Fantasy, Fairy-tale mash-up<br />
PREMISE: A retelling of various fairy-tales with some twists here and there...<br />
MY REVIEW: I should probably give a bias warning: Kiersten White is a favorite author of mine. I've yet to read a book of hers I haven't enjoyed at least somewhat. Her stuff just kind of speaks to me, and this book is no exception. It is basically a fantasy parody with mash-ups of fairy tales with a slight horror bent. For instance, Goldilocks and the three bears. In this version, Goldilocks is a zombie hunter and the bears were actually zombies. Her breaking into the house was totally justified, guys!<br />
There's Snow White, who turns out to be a mind-controlling monster (hence why the queen really put her into the coffin). Red Riding Hood turns out to be a vampire and so on. It basically just twists fairy-tales in unconventional ways and ties all of the tales together. It's all told with an hilarious narrator.<br />
Because of the parody element, this probably won't appeal to everyone. But I personally loved it. If you know of tweens or anyone who enjoys middle-grade who is skeptical of the whole princess thing, they will probably like it too.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: fairy-tale mash-up fans, those who like fun twists on familiar stories<br />
MY RATING: Four out of Five fun twisted fairy-talesfantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-47726310915364580742018-07-10T00:00:00.000-07:002018-07-10T00:00:03.988-07:00My Big Fat Recommendation List: G AuthorsHere are all the books I recommend written by authors whose names start with the letter G:<br />
<br />
<b>Childrens/Middle-Grade Fiction</b><br />
<br />
Neil Gaiman<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17061.Coraline">Coraline</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2213661.The_Graveyard_Book">The Graveyard Book</a><br />
<b><br /></b>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/455933.I_Coriander">I, Coriander</a> by Sally Gardner<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5659.The_Wind_in_the_Willows">The Wind in the Willows</a> by Kenneth Grahame<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/118416-the-mapmakers-trilogy">The Mapmaker's Trilogy</a> by S. E. Grove<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Young Adult Fiction</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/130892-elusion">Elusion Duology</a> by Claudia Gabel<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/169095-caraval">Caraval Trilogy</a> by Stephanie Garber<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/46766-beautiful-creatures">Beautiful Creatures series</a> by Kami Garcia and Margeret Stohl<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/595375.Annie_on_My_Mind">Annie on my Mind</a> by Nancy Garden<br />
<br />
Whitney Gardner<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25701463-you-re-welcome-universe">You're Welcome, Universe</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29960656-chaotic-good">Chaotic Good</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/56682-the-princesses-of-westfalin-trilogy">Princesses of Westfallen Trilogy</a> by Jessica Day George<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/95994-stoker-holmes">Stoker and Holmes series</a> by Colleen Gleason<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31145133-i-believe-in-a-thing-called-love">I Believe in a Thing Called Love</a> by Maurene Goo<br />
<br />
Ryan Graudin<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18196040-the-walled-city">The Walled City</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/158071-wolf-by-wolf">Wolf by Wolf duology</a><br />
<br />
Claudia Gray<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/45406-evernight">Evernight series</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/94961-spellcaster">Spellcaster Trilogy</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/95183-firebird">Firebird series</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25067046-lost-stars">Star Wars: Lost Stars</a><br />
<b><br /></b>
John Green<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99561.Looking_for_Alaska">Looking for Alaska</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49750.An_Abundance_of_Katherines">An Abundance of Katherines</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2914097-paper-towns">Paper Towns</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6567017-will-grayson-will-grayson">Will Grayson, Will Grayson</a> (co-written with David Levithan)<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11870085-the-fault-in-our-stars">The Fault in Our Stars</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/126952-the-girl-at-midnight">The Girl at Midnight Trilogy</a> by Melissa Grey<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/78060-masque-of-the-red-death">Masque of the Red Death Duology</a> by Bethany Griffin<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6933138-warped">Warped</a> by Maurissa Guibord<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Adult Fiction</b><br />
<br />
<i>Contemporary/General Fiction</i><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28818921-difficult-women">Difficult Women</a> by Roxane Gay<br />
<br />
<i>Historical Fiction</i><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27071490-homegoing">Homegoing</a> by Yaa Gyasi<br />
<br />
<i>Science-Fiction/Fantasy</i><br />
<br />
Neil Gaiman<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22522808-trigger-warning">Trigger Warnings: Short Fictions and Disturbances</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14497.Neverwhere">Neverwhere</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/114135-american-gods">American Gods Duology</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16793.Stardust">Stardust</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15783514-the-ocean-at-the-end-of-the-lane">The Ocean at the End of the Lane</a><br />
<i><br /></i>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21787.The_Princess_Bride">The Princess Bride</a><i> </i>by William Goldman<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27209239-bloodline">Star Wars: Bloodline</a> by Claudia Gray<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Romance</i><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156538.North_and_South">North and South</a> by Elizabeth Gaskell<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Mystery/Thriller</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/108050-cormoran-strike">Cormoran Strike series</a><i> </i>by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40763-body-of-evidence">Body of Evidence series</a> by Christopher Golden (I think this series is out of print now, but you should be able to find it at used bookstores or libraries)<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40997-phryne-fisher">Phryne Fisher series</a> by Kerry Greenwood (also highly recommend the TV show version)<br />
<br />
<b>Non-Fiction</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Neil Gaiman<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24331386-the-view-from-the-cheap-seats">The View From the Cheap Seats: Selected Non-Fiction</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30809689-norse-mythology">Norse Mythology</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28965132-in-the-great-green-room">In the Great Green Room: The Brilliant Bold Life of Margaret Wise Brown</a> by Amy Gary<br />
<br />
Roxane Gay<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18813642-bad-feminist">Bad Feminist</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22813605-hunger">Hunger: A Memoir of My Body</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29635593-letters-to-a-young-muslim">Letters to a Young Muslim</a> by Omar Saif Ghobash<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29868604-my-own-words">My Own Words</a> by Ruth Bader Ginsburg<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3398625-the-lost-city-of-z">The Lost City of Z</a> by David Grann<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25666051-in-the-country-we-love">In the Country We Love: My Family Divided</a> by Diane Giuerrero with Michelle Bufordfantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3782055319383851617.post-54369416427905765672018-07-09T00:00:00.000-07:002018-07-09T00:00:12.301-07:00Book Review: Before the Devil Breaks You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498737891l/25985241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498737891l/25985241.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
TITLE: Before the Devil Breaks You<br />
Book 3 in the Diviners series<br />
AUTHOR: Libba Bray<br />
CATEGORY: YA<br />
PUBLISHED: October 2017<br />
GENRE: Historical Fantasy/Paranormal<br />
PREMISE: The Diviners all come together for their training as their lives become more difficult and the enemy comes closer and closer...<br />
MY REVIEW: I think I've been pretty up front about the fact that I adore this series. So it probably won't come as a surprise to any of you, that I adored this book.<br />
As with the other books, the characters in this series are the best. I love how they all come together. I love the snark, I love how their personalities clash and also mesh well. I love the setting in this. Far too many historical novels that take place in the twenties focus on the glamour part of it. This book does that, but also points out all the gross stuff that went on during this time as well such as deep racism that still existed well after slavery had ended, sexism, classism, and a whole bunch of other funky things we tend to try and brush under the rug when we go on about the "good old days".<br />
This was a phenomenal continuation. There were twists I wasn't expecting (and some that downright broke my heart, even though the twists were damn good), and it leaves on a big question mark. I'm sure we'll probably have to wait awhile for the next book in this series as well and I'm honestly okay with that. Just please, publishers: stop changing the damn covers.<br />
WHO SHOULD READ: Libba Bray fans, those that have read the first two books<br />
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five almost perfect books (it was a tad slow in the beginning, that's the only reason it's not getting five full stars from me)fantasylover12001http://www.blogger.com/profile/01143467052003907228noreply@blogger.com0