tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8633101977298531672024-03-05T03:55:54.509-05:00Confessions of a Book AddictMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.comBlogger216125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-2949613954187843262020-02-21T22:00:00.002-05:002020-02-21T22:00:51.695-05:00Review: The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35702241-the-shadows-between-us" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Shadows Between Us" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558027905l/35702241._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35702241-the-shadows-between-us">The Shadows Between Us</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14358948.Tricia_Levenseller">Tricia Levenseller</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3201164433">3 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
OK. I'm going to come at this from the angle that everyone (except Rhoda, Hestia, and Leandros' two friends) were absolutely abominable people and therefore it was a bit like watching a fantasy mystery romance with characters from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.<br />
<br />
That doesn't really make sense, but that's how I felt. Maybe the Gang could be considered Slytherins.<br />
<br />
Alessandra and Kallias are some pretty terrible people. As the author herself said, these characters have "questionable" morals and aren't exactly heroes. However, watching these two awful people fall in love and kind of learn to be a teensy bit "better" was fun. I enjoyed the ride, and found myself rooting for Alessandra and Kallias despite the shitty things they had planned for other people. Frankly, I thought it was hilarious when <a class="jsShowSpoiler spoilerAction" href="https://www.blogger.com/null">(view spoiler)</a><span class="spoilerContainer" style="display: none;">[Alessandra is finally accused of murdering her first boyfriend, and after sending the police away, Kallias laughs his ass off and says she's perfect for him. <a class="jsHideSpoiler spoilerAction" href="https://www.blogger.com/null">(hide spoiler)</a>]</span><br />
<br />
So overall this was a good read. Nothing mind-blowing, and honestly for all the talk about sex and being liberated it seriously missed the opportunity to put in a couple hot sex scenes, but I guess we can't win all the time.<br />
<br />
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. My opinions are my own.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-40007933510346635572020-01-25T23:07:00.000-05:002020-01-25T23:07:04.489-05:00Review: Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46322138-nameless-queen" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Nameless Queen" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560749548l/46322138._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46322138-nameless-queen">Nameless Queen</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17336929.Rebecca_McLaughlin">Rebecca McLaughlin</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3155065905">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
There is a severe lack of worldbuilding in this book, and I had absolutely no sense of place no matter where the characters went. I also had no idea what *anyone* looked like. BUT, despite those things (which are usually a big factor in whether I like a book or not), I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. I saw the "twist" coming a mile away, so it wasn't a surprise to be told why Coin was named queen. But I enjoyed seeing her building relationships with the people around her, learning about her powers, and figuring out who she really was and how she could help heal her country.<br />
<br />
Overall, a good read and recommended for fantasy readers even though it was more action than place.<br />
<br />
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. My opinions are my own.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-3107795072392782452019-11-25T09:18:00.000-05:002019-11-25T09:18:17.858-05:00Review: Song of the Crimson Flower by Julie C. Dao<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43911067-song-of-the-crimson-flower" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Song of the Crimson Flower" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552924855l/43911067._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43911067-song-of-the-crimson-flower">Song of the Crimson Flower</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15215228.Julie_C_Dao">Julie C. Dao</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2984454261">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
I finished this late at night in bed and did not want to get out of bed to write my review. So I let it sit and roll around in my head and I think I can get out what I took away from it. There are some spoilers in this review.<br />
<br />
First, to see where exactly I stood on the matter of Lan's behavior, I read a few reviews, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3001769466" rel="nofollow">positive</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2760336467" rel="nofollow">negative</a>. These were both pretty great reviews, and I guess I find myself right in the middle of them! The positive one I read after I finished, and I think it says a lot about how I felt about the book so I'm just linking to it instead of trying to rewrite all that in my own words.<br />
<br />
I had skimmed the negative one before going into the book (sometimes I like to read negative reviews before I read something just to get a feel for what I want to look for), and was waiting the entire time for Lan to be the horrible person that this reviewer read. The moments that were brought up in the review are definitely pretty bad ones for Lan - she's selfish and stuck-up, and demanding that Bao apologize to her for being rude to her after she shattered his heart is pretty damn rude itself. I get it. I did not like these parts of Lan's character, so in that respect I completely agree with the reviewer! But I think that, while that reviewer couldn't get over their dislike for Lan for how she treated Bao after he was cursed, I think I had a different interpretation of Lan's behavior. Hear me out.<br />
<br />
Bao had built Lan up in his mind to be perfect. He put her on a pedestal. This never ever turns out well for anyone, especially for the person put on said pedestal. When Bao confessed his role in the duplicity to her and then offered her his heart at the same time, she proved herself only human by lashing out at him and saying the most hurtful things she could. I understood this compulsion, and I did not hate Lan for it. But Bao could not reconcile what had happened with the woman he had built in his mind, and he was so shattered by it that he ran away. Also understandable. I felt horrible for both of them.<br />
<br />
Once Lan finds Bao after he's been cursed, she is still thinking only of redeeming herself because she doesn't want the guilt. Bao points this out, she dismisses it, but it's obviously right there in the forefront of her mind. We also need to consider that Lan was brought up wealthy, spoiled, and prepared to marry into another wealthy family and never have to worry about anything ever again. As a young child she was adventurous and excitable because of her grandmother, but her grandmother had died and Lan had put aside that part of her to become a wife. So she was still in "proper lady mode" when she set out with Bao. Her rudeness to him is a direct result of her upbringing, because he is being rude to her (well within his rights after her behavior, of course), and she feels affronted. But if you keep going and keep following Lan, you see that she does still have the trickster adventurous side that her grandmother nurtured. Lan picks up parts of that personality she laid aside, and realizes how much she has hurt Bao, and really how much Bao means to her. How much he has meant to her.<br />
<br />
Lan still has her bratty moments. At one point after a major upset, she's mad at Bao for not thanking her enough for saving his life. I think that, while we're watching the two of them actually fall in love, the author is reminding us that no one is perfect. I found myself slipping into the pedestal-placing myself while reading, because Lan had started to change her behavior and her thinking. Having these little moments of imperfection and rudeness brought me back to earth, and to the fact that Lan is not perfect. Neither is Bao. And at the end, when he finally sees <i>her</i> as she <i>is</i>, he realizes that even though he found out she's not perfect, he wouldn't want that perfect Lan anyway. They are both human, imperfect, and in love. I thought it was pretty damn beautiful.<br />
<br />
So in sum, loved the story, loved the characters, loved the development, and want to read more in this world. I see there are two books before this one, so I hope that I can get around to reading them someday. I'd like to read about Empress Jade and Xifeng, who were brought up (and one met) in this book, but there wasn't a ton of information about them. I'm looking forward to seeing more from this author.<br />
<br />
Thank you to Bookish First and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I received a free copy, but my opinions are my own.
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<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-16523065183538825902019-11-15T09:13:00.000-05:002019-11-15T09:13:17.558-05:00Review: All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38325332-all-the-stars-and-teeth" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="All the Stars and Teeth (All the Stars and Teeth, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562221314l/38325332._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38325332-all-the-stars-and-teeth">All the Stars and Teeth</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17671937.Adalyn_Grace">Adalyn Grace</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3021475946">3 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
The title of this book is...interesting. I don't love it. I don't quite connect it to anything besides teeth being what Amora uses for her soul magic. But teeth aren't the only things she uses, and stars are only really mentioned when they are sailing, so the title doesn't make much sense with what the story was about. Anyway.<br />
<br />
I was pretty ambivalent about everyone except maybe Vataea, who was bad-ass but still a bit not quite there as a character for me. I frequently forgot she existed. From the first chapter I absolutely hated Amora (I just finished the book and I actually had to go back to the last page and look up her name because for some reason I could not keep it in my head), her arrogance and surety was obviously a set-up for her to fail and it was too blatant for me. And the only thing I could think of when reading Bastian was Captain Hook from Once Upon A Time. He exudes sexy-pirate vibes with swagger and confidence, and it felt like that was the character Bastian was modeled after. While not a horrible thing, I still wish I'd been able to see him in my head as his own person.<br />
<br />
The story itself was interesting. I think that was what really kept me going. I was curious to see how the different islands worked, how Kaven was gaining hold, and who and what he really was. It was pretty clear from the moment Bastian broke Amora out of prison that they were going to fall for each other, but the romance wasn't too in-your-face. I thought the twist at the end was good, although I still don't understand <a class="jsShowSpoiler spoilerAction" href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3021475946" target="_blank">(view spoiler)</a><span class="spoilerContainer" style="display: none;">[how Bastian activated the curse, when he doesn't have soul magic and the king just killed himself. Shouldn't it have been the king who activated it? <br /> Or even Amora every time she killed someone? That part really didn't make sense. <a class="jsHideSpoiler spoilerAction" href="https://www.blogger.com/null">(hide spoiler)</a>]</span><br />
<br />
Poor Ferrick was just dead weight the whole time - the only thing he was good for was healing people and literally chopping off his own limbs so that Amora could kill other people. His shining moment at the end was a nice way to give him something to do, but I really wish he had been given that chance much earlier and wasn't such a bumbling idiot throughout the first half of the book. He seemed like a decent enough person, who wasn't all that stupid actually, but who was trying to help someone he cared about and was only treated with frustration and disdain (yet another reason I didn't like Amora).<br />
<br />
I'll still probably seek out book two because I want to know whether Amora can break her own curse, save soul magic, and save the kingdom. Hopefully the characters are a bit less unlike-able the next time around.<br />
<br />
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. My opinions are my own.
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<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-34111627426986280862019-11-12T12:17:00.000-05:002019-11-12T12:17:32.786-05:00Review: A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37538577-a-river-of-royal-blood" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="A River of Royal Blood (A River of Royal Blood, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552918615l/37538577._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37538577-a-river-of-royal-blood">A River of Royal Blood</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15947264.Amanda_Joy">Amanda Joy</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2967381490">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
I seriously blew through the last third of this book at 1am and was dying for more. I did not like how this book ended, but can't wait to read book 2!<br />
<br />
Eva has some good character development - at the beginning of the book she's pretty much resigned to the fact that her sister is going to murder her, and by the end she wants to fight for life and the Queendom and boy does she ever. Isa was hard to deal with - there were moments where I thought she'd crack and have some sisterly feelings for Eva again, but then her hard shell would close around her and she essentially made herself irredeemable. I'm hopeful for book 2 that there will be a way to end the Rival Heir system, because I really want Isa and Eva to have a happy ending together as sisters. Although if the author chooses not to go that way, I think that would be fine too.<br />
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Baccha was interesting and I didn't quite understand his love for/loyalty to Eva. And I wasn't so keen on Aketo either, just because he's so perfect. Falun's presence by about the midpoint, once Baccha and Aketo show up, becomes just as Eva's attendant and he's no longer an important presence in her life. I thought that was a shame, because he showed some real promise in the beginning as an important character.<br />
<br />
Thank you to Bookish First and the publisher for the review copy of this book. My opinions are my own. And I'll be looking out for book 2!
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<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-6109606413486098812019-11-05T16:24:00.000-05:002019-11-05T16:24:17.902-05:00Review: Weathernose by Maram Taibah<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47874833-weathernose" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Weathernose" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566360085l/47874833._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47874833-weathernose">Weathernose</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14987579.Maram_Taibah">Maram Taibah</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3021476305">3 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
Admittedly I didn't realize this was actually a novella, so I was a bit disconcerted when I looked down after a while and saw that I was 65% of the way through the book and it was going up with every page. There were some good points to this, I enjoyed seeing Tart and Cypress becoming friends, but I think it was a bit too easy to get there. Then again, I guess that's the point of it being a novella, eh? But I wish there had been more to it.<br />
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The character development is interesting. I had a serious dislike for Tart from the moment he was fired, and it only got worse until the last bit of the book. Even then, though, I didn't love him. I didn't really connect to any of the characters to be honest. But I did like that there were a few changes of heart as things went on, and I liked seeing Cypress express the desire to be "just a kid" at one point.<br />
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A cute little novella, good story, but really wish there was more to it.<br />
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Thank you to Book Sirens for the opportunity to read and review this book. My opinions are my own.
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<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-28685859742617665462019-10-29T12:23:00.000-04:002019-10-29T12:23:42.397-04:00Review: War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40580686-war-girls" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="War Girls (War Girls, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552511346l/40580686._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40580686-war-girls">War Girls</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7324271.Tochi_Onyebuchi">Tochi Onyebuchi</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3021476626">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
Wow.<br />
Wow.<br />
Wow.<br />
<br />
I feel like the star fairy here, I want to give all the stars for this book.<br />
<br />
Having been, up until this book, completely ignorant of the fact that there was a Nigerian civil war in the 1960s, I don't feel qualified to address the commentary this book is absolutely steeped in. I will, however, say that I *get* it. Even not knowing a damn thing about the war, I completely *get* what the author was arguing, what he was condemning, and what he was honoring.<br />
<br />
The story was engrossing. I read 400+ pages in the span of two and a half days. I was surprised and not surprised yesterday when I looked down at the page number I was reading and realized I'd just read 200 pages. I was sucked in immediately by Onyii and Ify, by the attack on their compound, and by everything they suffered in the years after. The relationship between them and everything that worked to tear them apart, it was exciting and horrible and absolutely devastating. The idea that maybe everything they went through later could have been avoided if Onyii had made a different decision as a child, or maybe it would have been just as bad but in a different way... There are so many ways the story could have gone, and I'm blown away by the direction it did take.<br />
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Everyone do yourselves a favor and read this book. If you love science fiction, if you love a gripping story, if you love fantastic writing, then go read this book.<br />
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Thank you to Bookish First and the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.
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<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-81671374083268448892019-10-25T13:10:00.000-04:002019-10-25T13:10:30.502-04:00Review: The Deep by Rivers Solomon<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43438782-the-deep" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Deep" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559996273l/43438782._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43438782-the-deep">The Deep</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16488815.Rivers_Solomon">Rivers Solomon</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2988272923">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
Can I give this 10 stars? Because I really want to give it 10 stars.<br />
<br />
There is so much to unpack in this novel(la?) that I honestly don't really know where to start. There is an afterword explaining where the idea came from and how it was transformed, and I had read in a few reviews about the song by clipping., The Deep, that inspired the book. I went and listened to the song and really absorbed the lyrics (you can find it on YT <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT1ujfuXFVo" rel="nofollow">here</a> and the lyrics <a href="https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/clipping/The-Deep" rel="nofollow">here</a>). <br />
<br />
The afterword explained how the gender and first-person narratives were stripped away in the song and "y'all" was used instead. In the book, many characters have a distinctly male or female gender, but several are referred to as "they." The characters we see in flashbacks, Zoti and Basha, are both non-gendered as "we." And Yetu explains to Oori at one point that the wajinru (the mer-folk) aren't truly gendered, as they can mate as male or female with anyone, and anyone can carry a child. I thought this was an interesting way to present the information, because we aren't focused on whether we're reading about a male or female mermaid, but rather that they are something different. These creatures were born of violence and necessity, and a little magic. What does gender matter?<br />
<br />
The question of identity outside of the self is explored quite well. The wajinru give up most of their memories to the Historian, who carries the memory of all wajinru since the beginning. They are then left as empty shells, who don't form meaningful memories, and don't carry their history with them. Then Yetu meets and becomes close to a "two-legs," Oori, whose sense of self is destroyed because she doesn't have a home anymore, she's the last of her people. Yetu can't understand how that kills a person, because she sees it every day with her people. The two come to an understanding after a lot of struggle and discussion.<br />
<br />
Yetu's adventure away from the wajinru gives her the inspiration and strength she needs to be part of her people and yet still maintain her sense of self. I loved how at the end she learns to harness her own power and use it to make an entirely new creature, and it's left a bit open for anything that may evolve from these artists in the future.<br />
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Seriously meaningful stuff, and I'm not even scratching the surface here. I am not a POC, and I don't carry their history inside me, so I don't want to impose my own meaning on something that may mean something entirely different. But I did appreciate and connect with the material and even if you're looking at it as pure fantasy, it is a spectacular read.<br />
<br />
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.
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<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-66046322255532264432019-09-19T16:34:00.000-04:002019-09-19T16:34:17.296-04:00Review: If Darkness Takes Us by Brenda Marie Smith<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46728545-if-darkness-takes-us" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="If Darkness Takes Us" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565496246l/46728545._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46728545-if-darkness-takes-us">If Darkness Takes Us</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7328277.Brenda_Marie_Smith">Brenda Marie Smith</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2973038213">2 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
This book frustrated me so much. There was so much that could have been done with this story, but it really just ended up as the inner monologue from a self-loathing bitter old woman. The one thing I thought the book got right was that there was mention at one point about all the post-apocalyptic stories that Bea had read, and how none of them really covered the grieving process for losing your entire life and having to start over. This book certainly focused on that aspect of it...to the point that nothing *really* happens. Sure, a few people die, someone gets knocked up, vagrants start coming to town trying to steal stuff, the usual perils when the world goes off the rails. But the vast majority of the book was about Bea painting herself as the town's savior, trying to fix everything, and screwing it all up horribly.<br />
<br />
I'm sure there was something in here that was supposed to make me feel like Bea redeemed herself by the end, but I really just did not feel that way at all. There was no conclusion, there was no progress, it was just <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2973038213" target="_blank">(view spoiler)</a><span class="spoilerContainer" style="display: none;">["Welp, had a stroke, my family's home and everyone's pissed at me, bye now!" <a class="jsHideSpoiler spoilerAction" href="https://www.blogger.com/null">(hide spoiler)</a>]</span><br />
<br />
Sorry, this seems dismissive. I know that there must have been some deep research into what it would take to grow food after the apocalypse, and how long batteries would last, and how to put bees into the walls of a house, and dig a cistern that would hold thousands of gallons of water, etc. It's just that...beyond the few upheavals, that's *all* that happened. They learned to live without refrigeration and electricity. They taught themselves how to build sheds and other things they'd need. They planted crops and harvested them. They screwed and buried and fought and that's it. I guess I'm just not sure where the actual story was supposed to be. And I really couldn't stand any of the people in it, especially Bea and her insufferable husband and children. (The grandkids, especially Keno, were ok.)<br />
<br />
There are a lot of 4- and 5-star reviews out there, so it looks like I'm in the minority. I just found it a bit of a bore and not interesting. Thank you to Book Sirens for the opportunity to read and review this book for free. My opinions are my own.
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<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-68008651169195755472019-09-12T17:04:00.000-04:002019-09-12T17:04:08.640-04:00Review: The Unicorn Anthology edited by Peter S. Beagle<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43228647-the-unicorn-anthology" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Unicorn Anthology" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544754401l/43228647._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43228647-the-unicorn-anthology">The Unicorn Anthology</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1067608.Peter_S_Beagle">Peter S. Beagle</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2952934307">3 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
As a lifetime fan of Peter Beagle, I jumped at the chance to read this (even though only one of the stories was his, and I had read it before). It turned out that I had actually read the last few - My Son Heydari and the Unicorn, The Unicorn Triangle, and The Transfigured Hart. Admittedly I'm not much of a fan of these three, they were good when I first read them but I don't love them as much as some of the other unicorn stories and books I've read.<br />
<br />
But there were a few gems in here. I liked Ghost Town, The Highest Justice, and A Thousand Flowers. The rest were kind of meh. I especially disliked the one about the unicorn horn dildo (gross - that one was up there for me with the story in another collection about a woman who sculpts dicks and has sex with the devil), and the one where the guy who buys his bait as a child then ends up with her, "taking her" against the side of a dead and bleeding unicorn (also gross). And I agree with most other reviewers who say that the stories all adhere to the tropes (virgins, etc.), nothing new is done here, and most of them barely feature unicorns at all.<br />
<br />
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this collection. Overall it's a meh dud for me. I'd much rather read actual books about unicorns, or at least something new and interesting done with the idea of unicorns.
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<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-26014437664866172152019-08-22T10:30:00.002-04:002019-08-22T10:30:56.689-04:00Review: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41093488-this-is-how-you-lose-the-time-war" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="This Is How You Lose the Time War" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543954148l/41093488._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41093488-this-is-how-you-lose-the-time-war">This Is How You Lose the Time War</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4175512.Amal_El_Mohtar">Amal El-Mohtar</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2943566162">2 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
The first "chapter" of this was so promising, interesting, and confusing, that I was really excited to get the book. The very first letter from Blue to Red was surprising, a mystery, I wanted to know what happened next. Unfortunately, it was not the book I expected, and I just really did not understand what the heck was happening here. I'm sure there's a lot of praise to be had for these two writers, but it will not be coming from me. The letters were so damn flowery, I couldn't get a single sense of place out of any of it, the characters were essentially blank slates, and nothing made any sense.<br />
<br />
I guess this kind of sci-fi is just not for me.<br />
<br />
Thanks to Bookish First and the publisher for the free review copy of this book. My opinions are my own.
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<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-2553226838770302012019-08-19T10:46:00.000-04:002019-08-19T10:46:11.687-04:00Review: The Absinthe Earl by Sharon Lynn Fisher<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44294578-the-absinthe-earl" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Absinthe Earl (The Faery Rehistory, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553486470l/44294578._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44294578-the-absinthe-earl">The Absinthe Earl</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5820827.Sharon_Lynn_Fisher">Sharon Lynn Fisher</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2938644460">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
Whooooo *fans self* If the cover hadn't given away that this was a bodice-ripper, there was no doubt in my mind pretty early on when there was so much tension between the two main characters that it was oozing into every aspect of the book. I don't normally request these things because I have so many other things to read but this sounded interesting at least.<br />
<br />
Overall, this is a fantasy book tangled up in Irish fairy folklore. Honestly, I'm not a scholar of Irish fairy stuff, but I've read a lot of different fey stories so I wasn't completely out of my depth here. We briefly meet WB Yeats (which frankly, I didn't see the point of, but I get the little homage there), we read about different folk heroes and fairy kings and queens, and all the while we're on a (sexy) adventure with two pretty attractive people ;) The naughty bits are definitely graphic, so if you're not up for that then steer clear. But if you are, have fun!<br />
<br />
4/5 stars because even though it was something I'd consider "fluff," even if you take out the bedroom romps it was still a great story with plot and character development.<br />
<br />
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.
<br />
<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-75274167342573705752019-08-15T13:59:00.000-04:002019-08-15T13:59:05.972-04:00Review: The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43263229-the-good-luck-girls" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Good Luck Girls (The Good Luck Girls, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559138525l/43263229._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43263229-the-good-luck-girls">The Good Luck Girls</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17521373.Charlotte_Nicole_Davis">Charlotte Nicole Davis</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2930355578">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
I've typed and erased and typed and erased and I just can't express how good this book was besides that it was soooooooo GOOOOOOOOOOOD. And since it's a debut, I'm doubly surprised and in love! Also, that cover - fierce Aster!<br />
<br />
There's so much to unpack with the nature of trauma, reactions to it, and the differences between the two girls who actually experienced being prostitutes and the three who were about to but escaped before it happened. Aster shrinks back from men, and Clementine is drawn immediately to one. Violet is cold and closed-off because she feels that's what she needs to be to survive. Take care of yourself first, is her motto. I really enjoyed watching her character progression as she got further away from the Welcome House. I wish we could have seen a little more into her head too.<br />
<br />
A couple characters fell flat (I felt like by the end Clementine was just kind of shrinking back into a tropey maiden in distress, and Tansy and Mallow seemed, admittedly, a bit superfluous after a while), and the ending happened to quickly after everything we've been through. So those were the downsides for me. But everything else was really really good. Like, the raveners are the only ones who can use magic, and it's all evil and used to torture people (or track people). They are mortals who eventually lose their souls because the work is so evil. And then there are the different types of "ghosts," some that are harmless and others that will rip you to shreds. And the setting itself - we're talking Wild Wild West saloon stuff, and even the cover gives off that vibe. I got very entrenched in the environment, hearing the voices in my head, seeing what was happening. The whole thing was very visual for me, very cinematic. I wasn't just reading it, I was experiencing a lot of it with the characters.<br />
<br />
I wish we had gotten a little closure on one of the characters, but since I see that it's book #1 of a series, I guess book #2 is going on my TBR list.<br />
<br />
Thank you to Bookish First and the publisher for a free ARC for review purposes. My opinions are my own.
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<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-90509076338567449002019-08-01T10:33:00.002-04:002019-08-01T10:33:38.204-04:00Review: The Harp of Kings by Juliet Marillier<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43316755-the-harp-of-kings" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Harp of Kings" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552128464l/43316755._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43316755-the-harp-of-kings">The Harp of Kings</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8649.Juliet_Marillier">Juliet Marillier</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2911858514">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
To be honest, I'm surprised I enjoyed this one so much. At the beginning of the Kindle edition is a list of names and their pronunciations, which threw me (I have no idea why but it sort of made me feel a little overwhelmed with all the different names and I knew approximately how they were pronounced anyway but there were SO MANY), and the opening few lines did not grab me at all. But I came on Goodreads to check out other reviews, and there were so many positive ones (that actually had some good info) that I decided to keep going. Good choice on my part.<br />
<br />
The story is interesting, although not one that we haven't seen before. The main characters start off on an island where they're training to be secretive fighters who apparently also do spy duties. There is a little tension set up in the beginning between Liobhan and Dau, and a bit of apprehension on the part of Brocc, but otherwise not much is gained through such a brief look at their training.<br />
<br />
I appreciated beyond belief that this was NOT a love story! There were no real hook-ups (outside of the ending, which made sense and I'm not going to spoil it), there was a little bit of attraction here and there but nothing overt. Instead we got an actual story free from the angsty teenage pining that tends to take over a lot of the fantasy I've read lately.<br />
<br />
The magic was subtle and explained well. I liked how some of it was a tad bit unpredictable (although I did guess at just about all of the "twists" and was not usually wrong). The relationships between the characters were done thoughtfully, with definite character evolution throughout. I think Brocc was the most wet-noodle character, though. He just sort of goes with the flow, although that can sort of be explained by his back story which is revealed as we go along.<br />
<br />
My favorite character though was Dau. He goes through such an emotional transformation that I was left feeling happy for him while still sad at all he had to endure to get there. He is definitely someone that I would like to read more about, maybe in book 2.<br />
<br />
Speaking of book 2, it's already on my TBR list even though it doesn't have a title or plot yet. So I definitely recommend this book for all lovers of fantasy. Like I said, it's nothing new or revolutionary, but it is a great tale and I enjoyed reading it a lot.<br />
<br />
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
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<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-90483083849974970762019-07-26T11:47:00.000-04:002019-07-26T11:47:13.198-04:00Review: There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41823536-there-will-come-a-darkness" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="There Will Come a Darkness (Age of Darkness, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552324202l/41823536._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41823536-there-will-come-a-darkness">There Will Come a Darkness</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18415774.Katy_Rose_Pool">Katy Rose Pool</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2906688385">3 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
If you are a habitual fantasy reader, there is a lot in this book you've read before. Magic ("Graces") which can only be wielded by certain people and in certain ways; prophecies that people are trying to make come true or prevent from happening; "the chosen one," who is supposed to save the world; mystical warriors who are out to help the chosen one; and a couple of unsuspecting kids trying to survive who inadvertently bring about the end of the world.<br />
<br />
It also was not unpredictable, in that I knew that the person who was supposed to be "chosen" wasn't actually the person people thought. And I also figured out that there would be a betrayal (and was not surprised in the least by who it was). There were a few surprises which I did appreciate (what Beru actually was, Mrs. Tappan's interest in the girls). <br />
<br />
The story-telling was good, not great. I felt like there was way too much teenage angst going on in these characters (a lot of whom are actual teenagers, but who read as older people acting like teenagers). At times we veered into purple prose territory. The whole thing with Hassan and Khepri threw me because he's only 16, and I'm pretty sure she's older - early 20s? Anton is also only 16, but when his age was revealed late in the book I was a bit startled because he read like someone in his early 20s as well. I did not connect with any of the characters - I couldn't picture any of them, their ages were confusing, and they didn't jump off the page as "real."<br />
<br />
Overall an interesting enough story to keep me reading, but I was not interested enough to pick up the next book.<br />
<br />
Many thanks to NetGalley for the e-copy to review.
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<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-79489497543446852522019-07-21T22:49:00.002-04:002019-07-21T22:49:53.664-04:00Review: The Swallows by Lisa Lutz<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43744294-the-swallows" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Swallows" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553520339l/43744294._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43744294-the-swallows">The Swallows</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/74189.Lisa_Lutz">Lisa Lutz</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2898182262">2 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
I'm not quite sure what I was expecting but it wasn't what I got. There are several different viewpoints and I hated them all. Yes, even the kids. The teachers were all assholes, the boys are all douchebags, and the girls are ridiculously overdone. The story wasn't that interesting and nothing super major happened until the end and by then there had been a whole lot of buildup for not much of an explosion.<br />
<br />
2 out of 5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
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<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-53009595428979754662019-07-16T09:29:00.000-04:002019-07-16T09:29:41.042-04:00Review: The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42739181-the-merciful-crow" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Merciful Crow (The Merciful Crow, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552154522l/42739181._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42739181-the-merciful-crow">The Merciful Crow</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17272080.Margaret_Owen">Margaret Owen</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2889649417">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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OK folks, buckle yourselves in, because if you pick up this book you're in for a wild ride.<br />
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(As an aside, I can't remember the last time I saw a fantasy book that was being hyped like this one that was actually this good. And I also can't remember the last time I saw a book like this with so many four- and five-star reviews that are actually genuine. So I think the hype was well warranted with this one. Although I'd market it more as adult fantasy than YA as another reviewer commented.)<br />
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There is a lot to love here - a badass female lead who is strong AF while still being able to admit to uncertainty and fear. Fie is the heroine we all need in this world of wispy girl leads who pine romantically for the prettiest boy they ever did see and everyone else be damned.<br />
<br />
One of the best things about this book is the magic system. Every caste (I'm still a bit confused about them but don't totally care) has their own "birthright," which was given to them by their own dead gods. The Crows have no birthright, and must take from others. They are called "bone thieves" as a slur by every other caste because they get their magic from other castes' teeth. Now, I am not a huge fan of this kind of thing, it's a little gross to think of someone holding onto a bunch of teeth, pulling them out of dead bodies, and carrying them around in a bag (or on a string around their neck). I admit to being squeamish. But this was so unique that I couldn't put it as a negative. It's seriously amazing to think that the person holding a tooth can see the entirety of the former owner's life and then harness that former owner's magic. Fie gets really good at using the Phoenix teeth (for fire) and the Sparrow teeth (to hide).<br />
<br />
The Crows are called "merciful" because they are the ones who answer the plague beacons. As the only caste who can't get sick from the plague, they are charged with finishing off the sick (mercifully slitting their throats) and then burning them away from the village so the plague doesn't infect everyone else there. If the crows don't answer a beacon they are supposedly punished by the Covenant, which I gathered is the magical "rules" which were settled when the gods died. <br />
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The rest of the castes really hate the Crows and go out of their way to make them miserable, even though the Crows help them with the plague. The Oleanders even hunt them down and kill them in terrible ways (Fie's mother was murdered when Fie was a little girl, and she found her body by following a trail of her fingers). No one ever does anything to help them against the Oleanders, and that is something that Fie wants to change.<br />
<br />
So when the two lordlings that are supposedly dead from the plague sit up in her cart, Fie sees her chance to change the Crows' fates. And after she forges that covenant vow with Jasimir, she is forced to live with everything that happens because of it.<br />
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There is a lot going on in this book between the Oleanders, the skinwitches trailing the band, the love story (which was pretty well done, actually), everyone out to kill them. A few times I thought I had pegged how the next bit was going to go and was wrong. And while I figured out the "big reveal" that comes at the end a long time before, admittedly it was still a bit of a surprise to be proven right.<br />
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I so love Fie's character development, and I even liked Tavin (although it was pretty obvious that the two of them were going to get together). Jasimir... I could take him or leave him. He's whiny and has a stick up his ass, but by the end he does have a new side to his personality that I warmed to.<br />
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The only thing that made this four stars for me was that sometimes the magic really didn't make sense, it felt like it was just being used to get them out of a scrape that they never would have escaped from otherwise, and wasn't well-thought-out. There was also at least one nick-of-time rescue that wasn't believable. Otherwise, this is fantastic, I loved it, and I highly recommend it.<br />
<br />
You know what, screw it, I'm giving it five stars anyway.<br />
<br />
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!
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<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-72901664174527278582019-07-09T16:53:00.000-04:002019-07-09T16:53:10.416-04:00Review: The Girl in Red by Christina Henry<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43064435-the-girl-in-red" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Girl in Red" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545249593l/43064435._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43064435-the-girl-in-red">The Girl in Red</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3409936.Christina_Henry">Christina Henry</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2794525043">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
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Guys. Go out and buy this book. It was freaking fantastic.<br />
<br />
I can't remember the last time a fairy tale retelling really blew my mind. This one was so well done it was almost unrecognizable from the original - except for the wolves, Red herself, and her grandma. There are a lot of dangers for a young woman traveling alone in the woods after a sickness wipes out huge numbers of the population. But it turns out that Red can handle herself - she's spent years reading apocalyptic sci-fi and studying horror movies. She knows where everything always goes wrong, and is determined to not make those same mistakes. Rule number one: Stay Together or Something Will Happen.<br />
<br />
If only it were that simple.<br />
<br />
Red's plan is to leave home with both of her parents and her brother. It's too bad that fate had different plans for them. When we first meet Red she is alone, no family left. We find out what happened to them over the course of several chapters labeled "Before," where we get the story leading up to the start of the book, interspersed with the story of what is going on "now." I really enjoyed the way the book was split back and forth, for once. This isn't a style I always love and isn't always done well, but Christina Henry did a great job. The story itself is gruesome - she doesn't pull any punches when talking about what Red does and sees, what she's afraid of and what she thinks may happen.<br />
<br />
There are a lot of unanswered questions, though I know those questions are essentially just tangents to the main story. The journey itself is the story here, while everything that happens on the sidelines just serves to propel Red forward. Red repeats over and over that she's not a "Chosen One," that she's not here to wonder what happened and figure it out and rescue humanity from what is happening. She's not here to protect anyone or stop anyone or any of that nonsense. She is here to make a journey to her grandmother's house. And no one is going to stop her.<br />
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The only thing I did not like was the ending. We've spent so much time with Red on the journey that it feels like the rest of the journey was cut. When the story is about that journey, and you jump forward 25 days with no further discussion, it feels like you're cutting your story off. I'm sure there are only so many ways that Red can get waylaid and put in danger, and I bet if Henry had told those 25 extra days she may have been tempted to steer the story away from the journey and focus more on the things happening around Red so I get the impulse to not rehash the same stuff over again. But it still felt rushed. I wanted so much more! But I am happy that it actually had an ending instead of just leaving things up in the air for possible sequels.<br />
<br />
I see that Henry has written several other fairy tale retellings, which I am apparently going to need to read now, so thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this one!
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<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-15405205207016897352019-07-05T16:09:00.000-04:002019-07-05T16:09:24.873-04:00Review: Wanderers by Chuck Wendig<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42445130-wanderers" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Wanderers" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1542215283i/42445130._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42445130-wanderers">Wanderers</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17152.Chuck_Wendig">Chuck Wendig</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2861437095">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
There are apparently 800 pages in this book. I've read books that long (and longer) many times before. That wasn't a stumbling block for me, but damn were those a long 800 pages.<br />
<br />
First, let me say how happy I am that this is NOT a series and that the story is wrapped up (mostly) in just the one book. I didn't have to wait for ten more sequels to come out to figure out what was happening. I didn't have to slog through thousands of pages of bullshit just so someone could drag out the story.<br />
<br />
A lot of other people have talked about the themes of this book and all the issues it explores in much more detail and probably better than I can. We have the fundamentalist Christian pastor who gets into bed with neo-Nazis, a female president who apparently most of the country hates, a kind of strange look at homosexuality, there's even a pretty brutal male-male rape scene that I was...seriously disturbed by. The sickness itself is disgusting, frankly. And there is a lot going on that is left up in the air as mystery for a very long time.<br />
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And I'll admit it - Wendig got me. I'm usually sitting here reading and picking out the "twists" that are supposedly so hidden but are actually pretty plain. Not with this one. At first I couldn't figure out the purpose of the walkers. When that was revealed, awesome, I was surprised (although looking back it's probably pretty easy to spot and I just missed it in all the science talk). There was a lot of blatant commentary on the people who weren't getting sick, so I figured that one out early enough. But the ending - I always suspected Black Swan of being more than just the "benevolent AI who wants to save the human race," and while I wasn't surprised about what happened, I can say I didn't see that exact scenario playing out. And Shana's part in the end of it all was definitely unexpected.<br />
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There were a few characters I grew "close" to - Marcy, Pete, and Benji. Once Pete got over his rockstar status and became an actual human I liked him very much. Benji was always just trying to do the best he could for everyone else. And Marcy was such a good-hearted person that it wasn't hard to love her. I do still wish we had been told exactly what had happened between her and the "glow" - Sadie mentioned that Marcy was a receiver because of the metal plates in her head, but how that made her more functional is beyond me.<br />
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There are two reasons this does not get a 5 star review - first, I am not one to shy away from swearing in books, but I feel like it was over the top in this one. There were a lot of random fucks interjected into conversations, thoughts, revelations, etc. It was too much for me to even feel like it was realistic. Second, the ending wasn't quite satisfying after all we went through to get where we were going. It came too quickly after all of that, and it felt cut off (although very sinister - good job at upping the creep factor at the end there).<br />
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Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. My opinions are my own.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-74016016755095655672019-05-28T22:27:00.002-04:002019-05-28T22:27:46.913-04:00Review: Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36637071-gravemaidens" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Gravemaidens (Gravemaidens #1)" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1552650101m/36637071.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36637071-gravemaidens">Gravemaidens</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17352433.Kelly_Coon">Kelly Coon</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2829201720">2 of 5 stars</a><br />
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This review is full of spoilers. Read at your own risk.<br />
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The idea of this book came out better than the finished product, I guess. Three young maidens are chosen to accompany the dying Lugal (king? emperor? same diff) to the netherworld as his brides. Kammani, the main character, is dismayed when her sister Nanaea is chosen as one of those maidens, even though Nanaea is positively gloating and excited about it. Kammani decides she has to heal the Lugal so that her sister doesn't have to die. This is a noble goal, but if Kammani were honest with herself, it really has nothing to do with her sister and everything to do with herself, and if she'd just listen to her sister instead of dislocating a shoulder patting herself on the back for all her sacrificing, maybe no one would have ended up in a tomb. A plot that only gets set into motion because of the main character's idiocy really doesn't float my boat.<br />
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Kammani is one of the most infuriating main characters I've ever read. She has a savior complex and will not accept help from anyone else. She's madly in love with Dagan but won't admit it because she doesn't want to be a wife and mother, because apparently you aren't allowed to be a wife and mother and still be a healer, even though Dagan's mother is a wife and mother and is perfectly capable of healing people too. Dagan is like a puppy around her, following her around with his tail wagging like she'll eventually turn around and acknowledge that she's really rather fond of him and of course she'll marry him... And after Kammani's mother dies (before the events of this book, even though the actual event is written out in detail later in the book) apparently Kammani takes her comment of "You're the only one" as meaning she's the only person in the entire world who could ever possibly help her family and no one else on the planet is as good at that or as self-sacrificing about it as she is. I wanted to smack her upside the head before she even got to the palace.<br />
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She is also incredibly gullible. Dagan makes an off-hand comment about how is she sure the Nin (the princess) isn't the one poisoning the Lugal, and suddenly she's all gung-ho that the Nin is the one to blame and she goes off on a crazy single-minded quest to accuse this woman in public. Never mind that Uruku and Gudanna are horrible villains and very obviously hate her guts. Never mind that the person who ordered her thrown out of the window didn't *actually* sound like the Nin. Nope, let's go after the girl whose father is dying and who has shown nothing but eagerness for him to be healed, just because one time she looked like she was enjoying herself at a festival.<br />
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And all of this is nothing compared to Kammani's hare-brained plan, hatched in about thirty seconds after she escapes the palace, to sneak back into the palace and onto a platform in front of hundreds of people to accuse the Nin with something she found in her chambers, as if her word and the word of a soldier would prove a damn thing! And on top of that, the Lugal dies anyway right in front of everyone.<br />
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Then we get to see her and the other three girls thrown into the tomb anyway. Some weird-ass scene with the Boatman happens, everyone gets poisoned, Kammani tries to save them all, yadda yadda, she wakes up safe at Dagan's farm and now like 10 people get to go into hiding in a giant caravan, as if no one would notice a huge cavalcade of people leaving the city in broad daylight on stolen horses and oh they all just happen to be fugitives.<br />
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I wish I had enjoyed it more and was less annoyed by the MC and her terrible ideas. This just did not work for me.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-37340087420096271542019-05-19T21:21:00.002-04:002019-05-19T21:21:51.310-04:00Review: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44321121-gods-of-jade-and-shadow" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Gods of Jade and Shadow" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1552223492m/44321121.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44321121-gods-of-jade-and-shadow">Gods of Jade and Shadow</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4088550.Silvia_Moreno_Garcia">Silvia Moreno-Garcia</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2823277280">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
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4.5/5 stars<br />
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This book was exhilarating. Our scene is set almost as a Cinderella story, but it goes so much further than that very quickly. Soon our heroine is on an adventure with a deposed Mayan god, and her pace almost feels breathless. I was sucked in quickly and inhaled the book over about a day and a half.<br />
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(SN: Anyone else have The Road to El Dorado stuck in their head the whole time? Every time I saw the word Xibalba I was tossed back into the movie and I'm sure that's terrible but eh that's life :P)<br />
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Anyway, Hun-Kame was not exactly likable as a god, but as he grew more and more human I sort of started falling for him too. Casiopea's longing for adventure finally caught up to her, and she got what she wanted, but not exactly as planned. Martin - I just wanted to slap him silly. And pretty much the entire rest of her family.<br />
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The reason I gave this 4.5 stars is because we don't get to see what happened to Casiopea's family after the final "game." I wanted to know what was going to happen to her grandfather, how her mother was affected, and all that. I wanted to know what kind of person Martin would become. And admittedly, even though the way it ended was actually kind of perfect, I was a little disappointed that it didn't end the way I half expected it to. I think it could have worked out either way, and I do like that the author was bold enough to end it with the outcome she chose.<br />
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this wonderful book.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-9237069240467790332019-05-03T20:05:00.000-04:002019-05-03T20:05:50.234-04:00Review: Vow of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41129067-vow-of-thieves" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Vow of Thieves" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1548909436m/41129067.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41129067-vow-of-thieves">Vow of Thieves</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/123463.Mary_E_Pearson">Mary E. Pearson</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2484610840">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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Ugh this was so great I was disappointed when it ended! Easily one of my favorite reads of the year so far. I really love it when I get so into a book my heart is actually racing with anxiety over what's going to happen, and I can feel myself getting super emotional at certain points. I inhaled this book over the course of two days, and probably would have finished it in one if I hadn't had to work. <a href="https://book--wyrm.blogspot.com/2018/07/review-dance-of-thieves-by-mary-pearson.html" target="_blank">The first book</a> was fantastic on its own, but this one really blew it out of the water. I am definitely going to be checking out more of Mary Pearson's books in the future.<br />
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Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-18433947145916658972019-05-02T10:43:00.000-04:002019-05-02T10:43:20.568-04:00Review: We Hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41139487-we-hunt-the-flame" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="We Hunt the Flame (We Hunt the Flame #1)" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1553013162m/41139487.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41139487-we-hunt-the-flame">We Hunt the Flame</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17276299.Hafsah_Faizal">Hafsah Faizal</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2796978466">3 of 5 stars</a><br />
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This is a solid 3 stars for me. I liked it, but it was not love. I had a lot of trouble with the language in the beginning - often words were used that had zero context, so I was left to assume. By about halfway in I noticed that there was more translation. The word would show up, and then in italics the character would think the translation. It was strange. There was also a lot of detail that seemed to be left out. For example, at the end, <a class="jsShowSpoiler spoilerAction" href="https://www.blogger.com/null">(view spoiler)</a><span class="spoilerContainer" style="display: none;">[when Benyamin whistled for the kaftar to come help in the battle against the Lion, I didn't see where the text actually said they showed up. But then later, when the fighting stopped for a moment, they were mentioned as stopping as well. <a class="jsHideSpoiler spoilerAction" href="https://www.blogger.com/null">(hide spoiler)</a>]</span><br />
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The story itself was interesting. We get a different perspective with this Middle Eastern-like setting. There was a bit of a culture adjustment for me, because I couldn't figure out why there was so much emphasis on men going shirtless until I realized that Zafira was uncomfortable around men who were revealing so much skin, not that she was romanticizing their gigantic muscles. There are a lot of twists and turns, which weren't wholly surprising. I could see where things were going well ahead of Zafira, who always seemed to be two steps behind. The adventure was similar to most other fantasy adventures, where someone is "the chosen" to go and retrieve something valuable, meets up with a troupe of people who don't trust each other, they eventually become friends, yadda yadda. The stereotypical handsome joker, the brooding but gorgeous prince, the chattering elf (who didn't chatter as much as you'd expect, but who still seemed to have all the answers), and the random warrior woman all join in with our self-conscious and unsure heroine. That is to say, there was a lot of trope, just in a new setting. But it was at least a good read.<br />
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I think that one of my major problems with the book overall is that Deen and Kulsum only existed to provide the possibility that Zafira and Nasir wouldn't fall in love (of course, both of those characters are expendable, and of course Zafira and Nasir fall in love but are way too stubborn to actually embrace it). These two characters are absolutely unnecessary in the grand scheme of things. Deen and Kulsum have no character development, provide no real impetus for anything, and serve only to provide an excuse for Zafira and Nasir to feel pain. It feels like more should have been done with them to provide them with better character arcs, make them actually have an impact on the story beyond passive actors.<br />
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Also, there was a lot of wandering in the desert of Sharr with no direction and no destination in sight. They are literally just wandering, following Zafira, looking for a book, and fighting ifrit and other dangerous characters who pop up now and then. Most of their trip seems uneventful. All they do is argue, wonder whether they can trust each other, will-they-won't-they, etc. Yes, we're building relationships here, but I think that comes a bit at the cost of the story.<br />
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So overall, a solid 3/5 stars. I enjoyed it enough to keep reading. I wanted to know what happened to everyone, I wanted to know if Zafira and Nasir would actually admit to loving each other, and whether they would succeed in finding the book and setting things right. We're left with a nice epilogue which sets up well for the next book. I hate cliff hangers and this one was far from it. I was glad that the sultan's plan to destroy the village after Zafira left was addressed instead of just leaving the mention there and not talking about it again. Overall I'm glad that there will be a second book instead of trying to fit everything into this one, because after 91 chapters I was pretty spent. If given the chance, I would be interested in picking up book two when it's released to see how the story ends. If it ends up bleeding into more books, I probably will not keep reading.<br />
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Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-21563182822832582492019-04-23T21:59:00.000-04:002019-04-23T22:00:37.206-04:00Review: The Book of Flora by Meg Elison<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41026414-the-book-of-flora" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Book of Flora (The Road to Nowhere, #3)" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1541700435m/41026414.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41026414-the-book-of-flora">The Book of Flora</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7793962.Meg_Elison">Meg Elison</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2760467496">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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I was going to say that this book must have been the shortest of the three, but it turns out it's actually the longest. I'm actually sad it's over. I *loved* it, I mean, as much as one can love such a brutal world. The series as a whole is so original and so well-written. I was reading through in this book and noticing (for the first time - how is this possible??) how the city and state names were all bastardizations of actual cities. Estiel - STL - St. Louis. Niyak - New York? Demons - Des Moines. Iwa - Iowa. I am guessing that Shy is Chicago (Chi-Town). And it keeps going and going and I was amazed at the sheer number of cities these people were able to make it to and through in their journeys. Also: No magical Mormons as many people feared!<br />
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The exploration of gender was very interesting. And the idea that humans were evolving so rapidly - literally in a generation or two - was a really compelling take. I think my main problem with the story line was what was happening with this army, and why. I guess I didn't understand the motivations of the army's leader, even though it seemed like it was explored and laid out in quite a bit of detail. It just didn't make a lot of sense to me.<br />
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Overall I loved the book, and I loved the entire series. I wish that this book had been longer! Even a little extra at the end with the army's arrival, and a longer epilogue with more detail would have been fantastic. But what a fitting end to the series. I'm looking forward to more Meg Elison in the future.<br />
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Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4855826-megan">View all my reviews</a>
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-863310197729853167.post-64205736781294067532019-04-19T12:07:00.000-04:002019-04-19T12:07:19.791-04:00Review: Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42747498-spin-the-dawn" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars #1)" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1542674179m/42747498.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42747498-spin-the-dawn">Spin the Dawn</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6926374.Elizabeth_Lim">Elizabeth Lim</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2746716065">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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Utterly predictable and tropey, but boy did I love it anyway. The only thing I wished was that Maia wasn't so stubborn and immature (although I know she's very young), and that she'd stop referring to Edan as a boy (he's a grown man, dammit!). Otherwise, the writing was well done, the story was compelling with a couple of interesting twists and turns, and I got seriously lost in the love story. I stayed up waaaaaaaaaaaaay too late two nights in a row because I didn't want to stop reading.<br />
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Can't wait to read book 2!<br />
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Thanks to NetGalley for providing this book for review purposes.
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04611565125975953606noreply@blogger.com0