tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62491123244400828572024-03-05T21:23:23.156-05:00A Bibliotaph's Reviews Bibliotaph (noun)
1. One who hides away books, as in a tomb.
2. A hoarder of booksKathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.comBlogger254125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-21508276322046309292024-01-19T09:00:00.001-05:002024-01-19T09:00:00.150-05:00[Review] A Cat Café Christmas by Codi Gary, narrated by Felicity Monroe<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/ljgi33bea4qoczwewes2lem8fpi4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/ljgi33bea4qoczwewes2lem8fpi4" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Cover image from the</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"> </span><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/f9418473-354f-46f5-9034-54beb1cb11e1" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;" target="_blank">TheStoryGraph Site</a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">.</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand-Alone</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b>4 October, 2022<br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Publisher: </b>Hachette Audio</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Contemporary Romance/Fiction</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">9781668612118</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Edition:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Audiobook (also available in paperback and eBook)
<div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">★</span></span>★★★☆ (4.75 stars over all)</div></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>13 January, 2024</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Content Warnings: </b>Mentions of Fraud, mentions of animal death (not depicted), mentions of infidelity</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Veterinarian and animal lover Kara Ingalls needs a Christmas miracle. Opening the Meow and Furrever Cat Café to find loving homes for adorable, adoptable cats was a dream come true—but with more cats than customers, it’s quickly turning into a nightmare. If Kara can’t figure out some way to get the café out of the red, it won’t last past the holidays.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Marketing guru Ben Reese may be annoyingly smart and frustratingly bossy, but when he hatches a plan to put the café in the “green” by Christmas, Kara realizes that she’d be a fool to turn down his help. And so what if he turns out to be an excellent problem solver and nerdy-hot—he can’t even handle fostering one little kitten. She needs to keep their relationship professional and focus on saving the cafe.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>But if Ben and Kara can set aside their differences—and find homes for all the cats by Christmas—they might discover that, by risking their hearts, they’ll have their own purr-fect holiday . . . together. </i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See more by Codi Gary on her <a href="http://www.codigarysbooks.com/">website.</a><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: justify;">This past year I found myself diving more into a genre I haven't touched since high school - Romance. Between a lack of romantic interest and honestly finding most of them cheesy to the point of losing interest, Romance novels have not been my preferred genre. this past year however I discovered a couple of niche romance genres that I truly found interesting, and thus I picked up more of them in 2023 than I have since 2006. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>A Cat Café Christmas</i> is a romantic comedy featuring Kara Ingalls and Ben Reese, both people who have been burned by romance before. Kara, a well meaning veterinarian and animal lover, was swept up into scandal after her previous fiancé Worthy stole personal information from the charity Kara was working for. Though proven innocent of all charges, Kara struggled to find a job after the scandal until she and her best friend Charity opened up the Meow and Furrever Cat Café. But now the Café is struggling, given Kara's hesitation to have social media of any kind. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile Ben has moved 3000 miles across the country to avoid dealing with the romantic betrayal that crashed his life. His brother and former fiancée have gotten married, and worst still, his brother is considering moving to San Francisco. Far too close for comfort given what they did. To top it off, when Ben stops by the Cat Café to see how the marketing ad worked, Kara lets loose on him due to being overwhelmed by the crowd response.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Slowly though, the pair begin to find more common ground when Ben (who is renovating his home) finds a kitten in his vents, and turns to Kara for help. True, he turned to her to try and leave the kitten with her, but he reluctantly agrees to foster the kitten until his FIV test comes back and Kara can find a more permanent foster for him. The kitten, eventually named Chaos, attaches himself to Ben, making it clear the cat distribution system is alive and well in this novel. Ben offers up a marketing scheme for the Café in hopes to help save it and allow it to expand to it's original purpose of offering a low-cost Veterinary clinic to the community. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hijinks ensue, which of course there's the classic trope of miscommunication. Kara's extremely personal need for honesty almost jeopardizes their relationship, as does her overly-cautious anxiety. There were times in the book I could relate to Kara's desire for cautiousness in relationships, having had several poor relationships myself (though never to the point of life-shattering). Even with those relatable moments, I found myself yelling at the audiobook occasionally for her to give Ben a chance. Of course the novel works out at the end with Kara finding a family in Ben's family, and Ben making up with his brother. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Overall, the cheesiness level of this book was just the right amount, and the tropes were nicely done. It helped tremendously that there were a large number of cats involved in the book. I'm interested in reading the upcoming sequel called <i>Finding Mr. Purrfect</i> featuring Kara's business partner and best friend, Charity. </div></span></span></div></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-35600791788577541882022-04-05T09:00:00.001-04:002022-04-05T09:00:00.185-04:00[Review] Katie the Catsitter by Colleen A.F. Venable with Stephanie Yue (Illustrator)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.thestorygraph.com/kjpynbt90dbiozotxqcb45qmjcul" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="300" height="425" src="https://images.thestorygraph.com/kjpynbt90dbiozotxqcb45qmjcul" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Cover image from the</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"> </span><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/0373d130-3883-452d-943a-4b7d13f45578" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;" target="_blank">TheStoryGraph Site</a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">.</span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Katie the Catsitter #1</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b>5 January, 2021<br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Random House Children's Books Publishing</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Juvenile Fiction/Graphic Novels/Middle Grade</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9781984895639</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edition:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Paperback (also available in Hardback and eBook)
<div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">★</span></span>★★★★</div></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>15 February, 2022</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Content Warnings: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">None</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>A new middle-grade graphic novel series about growing up, friendship, heroes, and cats (lots of cats!).</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Katie is dreading the boring summer ahead while her best friends are all away at camp--something that's way out of Katie and her mom's budget, UNLESS Katie can figure out a way earn the money for camp herself. But when Katie gets a job catsitting for her mysterious upstairs neighbor, life get interesting.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>First, Madeline has 217 cats (!) and they're not exactly . . . normal cats. Also, why is Madeline always out EXACTLY when the city's most notorious villain commits crimes?! Is it possible that Katie's upstairs neighbor is really a super villain?</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Can Katie wrangle a whole lot of wayward cats, save a best friendship (why is Beth barely writing back? And who's this boy she keeps talking about?!), AND crack the biggest story in the city's history? Some heroes have capes . . . Katie has cats!</i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Colleen A.F. Venable on her <a href="http://www.colleenaf.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll admit I'm a sucker for cats. Please see the numerous picture book round-ups that feature at least one cat themed book. So when this book popped up on the South Carolina Award Nominees List for 2022-2023, I was psyched. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Katie's your typical twelve-year-old, who's disappointed that her friends are off at camp. Though one friend tries to gift her a week at the camp, Katie's determined to earn the money herself. Enter a "get rich quick" scheme where she offers to carry groceries, plant sit, and other various odd jobs around her apartment complex. After several failed attempts (she can't carry her neighbor's groceries up the stairs, killing another neighbor's plants by accident), Katie is about to give up when her upstairs neighbor Madeline asks for her help in watching her 217 cats while she's at a work function.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Katie soon realizes that the cats are more than she bargained for as they create a lot of chaos until right before the clock strikes 12 a.m. (the time Madeline said she'd be home). There's a number of cute antics (like the cat's continually stealing the landlord's couch and causing her to believe there's a couch thief on the loose), before a night arrives where Madeline doesn't come home. It's up to Katie and the cats to pull off a rescue mission for Madeline. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This book is adorable, highlighting the struggles of middle school but bringing humor into the world. Katie and the cats are ridiculously fun to watch, especially in her power-struggles to have them behave. All in all this graphic novel will be fantastic for any would-be catsitter or just preteen. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can't wait to read the next installment in this series, <i>Best Friends for Never.</i></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-22318504242836301622022-03-22T09:00:00.001-04:002022-03-22T09:00:00.198-04:00[Series Review] Shadow Children 1-3 by Margaret Peterson Haddix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.thestorygraph.com/be7sipqkqjmfbfp9dpeh4htfmzcj" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="235" height="233" src="https://images.thestorygraph.com/be7sipqkqjmfbfp9dpeh4htfmzcj" width="156" /></a><a href="https://images.thestorygraph.com/htr1pnnhh1v3hmq9de958zyec8zn" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="269" height="236" src="https://images.thestorygraph.com/htr1pnnhh1v3hmq9de958zyec8zn" width="159" /></a><a href="https://images.thestorygraph.com/x1nu8t6gorbuel57q58cbbpy3s4e" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="266" height="236" src="https://images.thestorygraph.com/x1nu8t6gorbuel57q58cbbpy3s4e" width="157" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Cover image from the</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"> </span><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/39cb1c22-e1a8-479f-b8a6-185ed2e23d15" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;" target="_blank">TheStoryGraph Site</a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">.</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Shadow Children Series 1-3</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b>1998 - 2006<br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Simon & Schuster Publishing</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Juvenile Fiction/Dystopian/Science Fiction</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN:</b> Unavailable for Series</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edition:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Hardback & Paperback (also available in Paperback, Audiobook, and eBook)
<div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">★</span></span>★★☆ ☆ (2.5 over all)</div></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>10 February, 2022</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Content Warnings: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Child death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Police brutality</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>In a future society that allows only two children per family, all third children are in danger from the dreaded Population Police, and these forbidden kids must work together to survive. Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children books are a huge hit with today's young readers, and now fans can own all seven thrillers from the best-selling series. Kids won't be able to stop turning the pages of each gripping read! Includes: Among the Hidden, Among the Impostors, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, Among the Enemy, and Among the Free.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Margaret Peterson Haddix on her <a href="https://haddixbooks.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.</span></span></span></div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">This book series was picked by a tween book club at my place of work for their first book. So naturally, I had to pick up the first book to see what it was about. I'll also admit I was hoping for some of the nostalgia I had for Haddix's writing as I love her novel <i>Running Out of Time</i>. </span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">I have to say I was slightly disappointed in the first 3 novels of this 7 book series. Each book is roughly 150-200 pages, which is great for beginning readers. However, the titles give a lot away (Hidden - Main character is hidden al day, Imposters - Everyone is a 3rd child impersonating legitimate citizens, Betrayed - The main character is faced with the decision to betray a group of other children after being betrayed), and the action in the books is mostly contained to the last 25% of the book. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">The first two books (<i>Among the Hidden </i>and <i>Among the Imposters</i>) focuses around Luke, a third child to a family of farmers who isn't supposed to exist. In <i>Among the Hidden</i>, Luke loses what little freedom he had (going outside) due to the woods behind his home getting sold. The woods are torn down and a subdivision for government workers (mostly Barons, or wealthy people) is built. For months, Luke is confined to the second floor and attic of the house, especially after his mother takes a job at a processing plant to help pay the taxes on their house. Their farm is also hurt by the government ordering them to stop raising pigs because it was "unsightly". </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Luke eventually realizes (after months of watching) that one of the Baron families has a third child. Luke, stir crazy from being a prisoner in his own home, finally dares to cross the space between their yards and breaks in. Here he meets Jen, a third child of a Baron's family, who is desperate to change the rules. She wants to ensure that 3rd children no longer have to hide. Much of the book focuses on Jen's plan for a rally in front of the White House to bring attention to second children. Luke, though he debates it, decides not to go, and ultimately that saves his life. Jen dies, Luke gets found out for breaking into her house and being caught by her stepfather who works for the Population Police. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Luke is then gifted a new identity (Lee Grant), and moved to a boarding school for "troubled" Baron children with the thought that he's run away. The real Lee Grant died in a snowboarding accident. While at school, Luke has a bit of an identity crisis, wanting to stay true to who he is but also surviving under his new name. Though he's not used to school, Luke eventually finds his way out of the school and starts creating a garden. The garden however is trampled and he soon realizes that there are others sneaking out of the school at night and meeting with girls from the Girl Boarding School across the woods. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Luke gets sucked into the group, only to discover the leader is working for the Population Police, ready to betray his fellow students as quickly as he can. He ends up breaking up the plot and getting the betrayer at both schools (Nina and Jason) arrested. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Book three, <i>Among the Betrayed</i> shifts abruptly to following Nina's point of view as she's held captive by the Population Police. She's surprised to realize that they don't know she's a third child, but just think she's a traitor to the country due to her "false" reports. She's offered a chance to save herself by actually working for the Population Police in trying to get information from some recent captives of the Population Police. Nina is left to decide if she's going to betray this group of children or if she'll help them. In the end, she learns it's all a test and she is moved to a different school for 3rd children to keep her identity safe. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">While the series has some appeal and a decent plot line, each book felt like it ended very abruptly. The characters seemed extremely naïve in some regards, despite supposedly being teenagers. The abrupt shift in narrators is jarring, and it seemed rather cruel for Nina to be "tricked" the entire time she was working with the trio. Honestly, these books are good for the middle grade levels, but if you're looking for nostalgia perhaps it's best to stick to some of Haddix's other books. I don't know if I'll pick up the other 4 books in this series, each one seems like much of the same to me.</span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-4850084279892884062022-03-08T09:00:00.000-05:002022-03-08T09:00:00.210-05:00[Review] Me (Moth) by Amber McBride<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.thestorygraph.com/2mk3tmd26d76mkpyws1iqcgf3flg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="275" height="406" src="https://images.thestorygraph.com/2mk3tmd26d76mkpyws1iqcgf3flg" width="275" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cover image from the</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6f59fb02-a2b3-4fc7-9ffe-0907a73d88e1" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">TheStoryGraph Site</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b>17 August, 2021<br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Feiwel and Friends</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Young Adult/Contemporary/Romance/Magical Realism/Poetry</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9781250780362</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edition:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Hardback (also available in Audiobook, and eBook)
<div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">★</span></span>★★★★</div></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>11 February, 2022</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Content Warnings: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Death, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Child death, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Racism, Abandonment</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>A debut YA novel-in-verse by Amber McBride, Me (Moth) is about a teen girl who is grieving the deaths of her family, and a teen boy who crosses her path.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Moth has lost her family in an accident. Though she lives with her aunt, she feels alone and uprooted.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Until she meets Sani, a boy who is also searching for his roots. If he knows more about where he comes from, maybe he'll be able to understand his ongoing depression. And if Moth can help him feel grounded, then perhaps she too will discover the history she carries in her bones.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Moth and Sani take a road trip that has them chasing ghosts and searching for ancestors. The way each moves forward is surprising, powerful, and unforgettable.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Here is an exquisite and uplifting novel about identity, first love, and the ways that our memories and our roots steer us through the universe.</i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Amber McBride on her <a href="https://amber-mcbride.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A beautiful tragic story. Moth moved in with her aunt after the deaths of her family. Most days, she feels invisible in her own home, in her life. When Sani comes into her life, she's drawn to him because it feels like someone finally sees her. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a twist of fate, Moth's aunt leaves for the summer, not bothering to tell her goodbye to her face. After Moth witnesses Sani's step-father hitting him, the pair decide to road-trip back to Sani's home in the Navajo Reservation. Throughout the story, Moth and Sani slowly work their way through the Southern United States, pausing to look at the various sites along the way. At one point they stop at a graveyard where Moth and her grandfather buried a picture of themselves and a white feather under a tree.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This book destroyed me emotionally. I didn't expect the twist at the end (spoiler: </span><span style="background-color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moth turns out to be dead the entire time and Sani can see the dead</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">) and it absolutely devastated me. The book explores the topic of grief, which is often a twisting stumbling path we all take. Three of my grandparents died in 2018, and still 4 years later I still get overwhelmed with grief at times. <i>Me (Moth)</i> is a good reminder to not get swallowed up by our grief. We have to keep living and recognize that those we love aren't truly gone.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I look forward to seeing what else Ms. McBride comes up with in her future novels.</span></span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-84047262207111364142022-02-22T09:00:00.001-05:002022-02-22T09:00:00.196-05:00[Review] Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.thestorygraph.com/7aqmuzgri1ickot5ydmsnniaw8qf" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="400" src="https://images.thestorygraph.com/7aqmuzgri1ickot5ydmsnniaw8qf" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Cover image from the</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"> </span><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/39cb1c22-e1a8-479f-b8a6-185ed2e23d15" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;" target="_blank">TheStoryGraph Site</a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">.</span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b>7 July, 2020<br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>G.P. Putnam's Sons - an imprint of Random House</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Juvenile Fiction/Children's/Contemporary</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9781984816436</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edition:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Hardback (also available in Paperback, Audiobook, and eBook)
<div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">★</span></span>★★★★</div></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>9 February, 2022</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Content Warnings: </b>B</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">ody shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse (Vaping), Addiction, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Body shaming, Bullying, Racism, Sexism, Ableism, Transphobia</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>In this debut middle-grade girl-power friendship story, an eighth grader starts a podcast to protest the unfair dress code enforcement at her middle school and sparks a rebellion.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Molly Frost is FED UP...</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Because Olivia was yelled at for wearing a tank top.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Because Liza got dress coded and Molly didn't, even though they were wearing the exact same outfit.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Because when Jessica was pulled over by the principal and missed a math quiz, her teacher gave her an F.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Because it's impossible to find shorts that are longer than her fingertips.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Because girls' bodies are not a distraction.</i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Because middle school is hard enough.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>And so Molly starts a podcast where girls can tell their stories, and before long, her small rebellion swells into a revolution. Because now the girls are standing up for what's right, and they're not backing down.</i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Carrie Firestone on her <a href="https://twitter.com/cllfirestone" target="_blank">twitter</a>.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">All of us have had experiences with dress codes, whether in school or in our professional jobs. They're not fun, and sometimes they go a little too far. Molly Frost is done with her middle school's dress code. She feels that it's unfairly enforced against girls after her first day of 7th grade when her best friend Liza gets "coded" for her outfit when the pair are matching. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The book starts towards the end of Molly's 8th grade year, when the 8th grade camping trip has been cancelled because a student was "coded". Furious, Molly wants to set the record straight. The violation was unintentional, and the practice is causing a lot of body issues within the female population of the school. Determined to make a difference, Molly starts a podcast called "Dress Coded" to clear the air. Olivia got a dress code violation for a spaghetti strap top when she was trying to get a new pair of pants due to a period mishap. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">What Molly didn't anticipate was that her podcast was going to blow up. Soon she's got more stories than she knows what to do with, a hashtag that's full of the "violations" and a passion to change the dress code. Behind the scenes, Molly's family is struggling with her brother's vaping addiction, and his selling vaping supplies to middle schoolers. The dynamic of Molly's family slowly shifts over the course of the book from her parents being mostly inattentive to them actively participating in her movement. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I loved this novel because it is relatable to middle school. Dress codes are often unfairly strict against female students, citing that boys can't concentrate when there's skin showing. Each story was believable as to why they were dress coded. Some were given violations for showing too much skin (spaghetti straps), some were coded due to bra straps showing, some were simply coded for being more developed than their peers. One girl was given detention and coded for talking back when a boy kept touching her hair and her teacher blamed her. All of these scenarios are far too familiar to anyone who's worked in a school or been a middle school/high school girl themselves. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Ms. Firestone does a good job at balancing the story between Molly's dress code struggle and the struggle within her family over her brother's addiction. Smoking addictions are sadly common, and so are vaping concerns. At one point, Molly takes the wrap for vaping supplies in her closet (hidden by her brother Danny) in hopes of keeping her family from moving away to give her brother a new start. Eventually though, she comes clean and Danny starts to get treatment for his addiction. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">All told, this novel has several prominent messages that are crucial for middle schoolers to hear. You matter. You are beautiful. You are not a distraction. Your voice is heard. I highly recommend those with middle schoolers to read this novel and see where a discussion of it's topics lead. This novel has been selected for the South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominees for the school year of 2022-2023. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-86107228236452703922022-02-08T15:20:00.000-05:002022-02-08T15:20:00.194-05:00[Review] Cleo Porter and the Body Electric by Jake Burt<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.thestorygraph.com/tct7swmdumlxydq5o1j5szkeiqx3" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="258" height="400" src="https://images.thestorygraph.com/tct7swmdumlxydq5o1j5szkeiqx3" width="258" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cover image from the <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b0fd200d-3552-422d-8f5e-d5ba65ac1b46" target="_blank">TheStoryGraph Site</a>.</div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b>6 October, 2020<br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Squarefish, an imprint of Macmillan Kids</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Juvenile Fiction/Children's/Science Fiction</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9781250802729</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edition:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Paperback (also available in Hardback, Audiobook, and eBook)
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">★</span></span>★★★★</div></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>7 February, 2022</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Mentions of Death, Fire/Fire Injury, Animal Death, Minor Violence, Panic/Anxiety Attacks</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>A woman is dying. Cleo Porter has her medicine... and no way to get it to her.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Like everyone else, twelve-year-old Cleo and her parents are sealed in an apartment without windows or doors. They never leave. They never get visitors. Their food is dropped off by drones. So they're safe. Safe from the disease that nearly wiped humans from the earth. Safe from everything. The trade-off?</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>They're alone. Thus, when they receive a package clearly meant for someone else - a package containing a substance critical for a stranger's survival - Cleo is stuck. As a surgeon-in-training, she knows the clock is ticking. But people don't leave their units.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Not ever.</i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Until Now.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Jake Burt on his <a href="https://www.jburtbooks.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cleo Porter has always lived inside the same apartment, she's never been outside, and has only ever seen grass when it comes in for her father to study. Cleo's life is much like everyone else's that she knows, you don't go outside, you don't leave your comfortable home. There aren't even any windows or doors to allow for you to go. Everything is designed to keep you safe and prevent the end of humanity from Influenza D. Everything is fine... until it isn't. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cleo, who's been studying for her surgeon's exam since she was 6, finds a package delivered to their apartment for someone else. Something like this isn't supposed to happen. In vain she attempts to find a way to return or reorder a package to the person, worried because the medicine is designed to keep someone alive. And it's a month-long supply. Frustrated by the lack of help from her parents, Cleo sets out on a dangerous mission, to deliver the medicine herself when she sees no other option. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thus Cleo is thrust into a large number of unknowns. Getting out of her apartment was the first step, now she has to navigate the hallways of drones and avoid being hurt in the process as she works on finding her way to the correct recipient's apartment in time.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This novel was selected as one of the South Carolina Juvenile Book Award Nominees for the 2022-2023 school year. It was through this nomination that I first learned about this book. My initial thought from the description was this book sounded interesting, though I was a bit wary. Obviously at some point in the book's history, there was a pandemic - making this "pandemic fiction". With the burnout from the COVID-19 pandemic being real, I wasn't sure how I felt about the premise. It seemed almost a little too real with the thought of people sealing themselves up in their apartments and houses. Pandemic as a plot key can be very hit or miss, but Jake Burt does an excellent job in making sure that it is present but not the main feature.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of Cleo's plight seems a bit wild to me, but I know that I am much older than the target demographic of this book. It was good to see Cleo grow and learn with each new situation and she was very well-rounded. Mr. Burt also managed to pull off a twist at the end that I didn't see coming (a rarity for me, I tend to see plot twists coming). All in all, this book was an aptly chosen book, featuring a spunky twelve-year-old protagonist that will definitely pull on some heartstrings. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-56555439427982836152021-10-19T09:00:00.001-04:002021-10-19T09:00:00.187-04:00[Review] Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.thestorygraph.com/mxcks5tzmk1juj9zwm38wpp9y49c" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="525" height="640" src="https://images.thestorygraph.com/mxcks5tzmk1juj9zwm38wpp9y49c" width="420" /></a></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover image from the <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/bc16d23d-5b0d-41e3-9031-ae1757c4a360" target="_blank">TheStoryGraph Site</a>.</span></span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b>1 June, 2021<br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Feiwel & Friends, a division of Macmillan Publishing</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Young Adult Fiction/LGBTQIA+/Contemporary/Thriller</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9781250800817</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edition:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Hardback and Audiobook (also available in Paperback and eBook)</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">★</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>16 September, 2021</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Racism, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Bullying, Hate crime, Outing, Stalking, Car accident, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Murder, Blood, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, Police brutality, Cursing, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Grief, Biphobia, Gore, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Slavery, Torture, Alcohol, Injury/injury detail, Child death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Addiction, Confinement, Self harm, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>A compelling, incendiary, and unputdownable thriller with a shocking twist, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism with this compulsive debut.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Hello, Niveus High. It's me. Who am I? That's not important. All you need to know is...I'm here to divide and conquer. - Aces</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game...</i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé on her <a href="https://www.faridahabikeiyimide.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.<span><a name='more'></a>This book was intense and an eye opener because I could definitely see this happening within the US despite it being 2021. This story is told from 2 viewpoints: Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, the only two Black students at the private Niveus High School. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>It's their senior year, and Chiamaka has been named Head Prefect and Devon has been named a Prefect. And while things were looking up, they quickly spiral out of control as a mysterious Aces starts sending out mass text messages to everyone in the school about their secrets. And nothing is safe. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>This book gave me chills. I started out with the audiobook, which was very nicely done with a dual narrator set up for Chiamaka and Devon. Though I initially grew annoyed with Chiamaka's chapters (with her mean girl vibes), that swiftly changed as the secret of the supposed hit and run came out and the rumors started with Aces. Aces focuses on both of their secrets, outing Devon to the entire school, setting both of them up to look like they're trying to sabotage the other, and a hell of a lot of gaslighting. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>Perhaps the part that made me the angriest was Mr. Taylor's betrayal to Devon. Because he had been a constant "I'll help however I can" only to reveal that he's been screwing over Devon by not having made the arrangements for Devon to work on his composition piece for Julliard. I also loathed every adult in this book (besides Devon's mother) for their inattentiveness or their participation within the Aces Club in order to perform the social eugenics. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>I'll also admit I was very irritated with Belle's very obvious wrongness when she wouldn't let Chiamaka see the pictures of her family. Like that is super suspicious that you seem to clear off every personal effect when your friend/girlfriend comes over and you won't let her see the one picture you forgot to hide? Yeah, no that's sus as hell. My heart broke for Chiamaka when it turned out that the hit and run girl was Belle's older sister, Marla, and that she had been traumatized over a fake hit and run. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite all the discomfort this book gave me, I highly recommend it to be read. Use it as a discussion point in classrooms to bring up the Sundown Towns that still exist in America. Use it to discuss racism in the educational system (that's extremely broken anyways, which is a whole different rant), and use it to highly that we still have a lot of work to do to rid the world of people like the people of Niveus. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A+ to Ms. </span></span><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Àbíké-Íyímídé, I look forward to reading whatever she comes out with next.</span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-26293735240449077812021-10-05T09:00:00.001-04:002021-10-05T09:00:00.206-04:00[Review] Nightbooks by J.A. White<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600624578l/42079188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="269" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600624578l/42079188.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42079188-nightbooks" style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">goodreads website</a><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b> 24 June, 2018</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Katherine Tegan Books</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Middle Grade/Horror/Fantasy</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">978062560094</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edition:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Paperback (also available in Hardback, eBook, and Audiobook)</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">★★★★☆ (4.25)</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>19 August, 2021</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings: </b>Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury
</span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>A boy is imprisoned by a witch and must tell her a new scary story each night to stay alive. This thrilling contemporary fantasy from J. A. White, the acclaimed author of the Thickety series, brings to life the magic and craft of storytelling. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It's a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Alex's original hair-raising tales are the only thing keeping the witch Natacha happy, but soon he'll run out of pages to read from and be trapped forever. He's loved scary stories his whole life, and he knows most don't have a happily ever after. Now that Alex is trapped in a true terrifying tale, he's desperate for a different ending--and a way out of this twisted place.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>This modern spin on the Scheherazade story is perfect for fans of Coraline and A Tale Dark and Grimm. With interwoven tips on writing with suspense, adding in plot twists, hooks, interior logic, and dealing with writer's block, this is the ideal book for budding writers and all readers of delightfully just-dark-enough tales.</i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by J.A. White on his <a href="http://www.jawhitebooks.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.<span><a name='more'></a>I'll admit that I'm not personally a horror fan. Scary stories have to be read strictly during the day, if I want to watch a ghost hunting show, the sun must be out. Still, this book caught me with the description. And for the most part it was a cute middle-grade version of Scheherazade. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>Alex writes scary stories, they've always been his favorite thing. But because of reasons not revealed until later in the book, he decides he needs to burn his stories to try to become 'normal'. Unfortunately for Alex, he get lured into another apartment in his complex by the sound of his favorite scary movie playing on the television. From there, things go downhill very quickly. Natacha the witch has decided he will be her own personal storyteller, demanding that he write out a new scary story every day or he'll have outlived his usefulness and she'd be forced to dispose of him. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>So Alex writes... or he tries to write. Writing's hard when you get writer's block when you should be trying to write to save your life. Deciding he needs some extra boosts, Alex requests to be allowed to read some of the books in the witch's library (where he's conveniently set up to write) for inspiration. In truth, he's looking for ways to escape. The book provides some nice surprises towards the end of the book, and children who love scary stories will love this book. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>I did knock off a few points because the pace was extremely slow to me. Parts of the story dragged while others rushed. All in all, this book will be among the ones I offer up to my young horror enthusiast at work.</span></span></span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-15312776552363929452021-09-21T09:00:00.001-04:002021-09-21T09:00:00.194-04:00[Review] The Project by Courtney Summers<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1603587332l/55779650._SX318_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" height="318" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1603587332l/55779650._SX318_.jpg" width="318" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55779650-the-project" style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">goodreads website</a><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Stand Alone</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b> 2 February, 2021</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Macmillan Audio</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Young Adult/Thriller</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ASIN: </b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">B088KSMYJS</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edition:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Audiobook (also available in Hardback and eBook)</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">★★☆☆☆</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>29 July, 2021</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings: </b>Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Car accident, Suicide, Grief, Death, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Child abuse, Violence, Pregnancy, Body horror, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Gore, Infertility, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Cults</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>"THE UNITY PROJECT SAVED MY LIFE."</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died, Lo's sister, Bea, joined The Unity Project, leaving Lo in the care of their great aunt. Thanks to its extensive charitable work and community outreach, The Unity Project has won the hearts and minds of most in the Upstate New York region, but Lo knows there's more to the group than meets the eye. She's spent the last six years of her life trying - and failing - to prove it.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>"THE UNITY PROJECT MURDERED MY SON."</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>When a man shows up at the magazine Lo works for claiming The Unity Project killed his son, Lo sees the perfect opportunity to expose the group and reunite with Bea once and for all. When her investigation puts her in the direct path of its charismatic and mysterious leader, Lev Warren, he proposes a deal: if she can prove the worst of her suspicions about The Unity Project, she may expose them. If she can't, she must finally leave them alone.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>But as Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members, and spends more time with Lev, it upends everything she thought she knew about her sister, herself, cults, and the world around her - to the point she can no longer tell what's real or true. Lo never thought she could afford to believe in Lev Warren . . . but now she doesn't know if she can afford not to.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>WELCOME TO THE UNITY PROJECT.</i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Courtney Summers at her <a href="http://courtneysummers.ca/" target="_blank">website</a>.<span><a name='more'></a>This book was annoying. There's no other way for me to say it. It was repetitive, whiny, and mildly annoying. That said, I'm also in my early 30s and so jaded that I feel like most things with followings could be considered cults. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Unity Project is a project started by Lev Warren, a self-proclaimed prophet who claims to be able to heal people. And at least once, he's claimed to have brought people back from the brink of death. In exchange for saving Lo Denham, he entices her sister Bea (a 16 year old who has just lost both her parents in the car crash that injured her sister Lo) to join him in The Project. It starts slowly at first, but soon enough Lev has isolated Bea from what remains of her family, claiming that Lo is holding her back from her purpose of preaching to the world.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the next few years, Lo fights with the Project trying to reach Bea. And Bea continues to become more and more isolated within the Project, being singled out by Lev as "his girl" (never mind the fact that he's in his late 20s when they meet and promptly begins a relationship with a minor). She regularly suffers at his hand when she does things "wrong" as do all of the inner circle. Lev could rightly be compared to Jim Jones in his efforts to create a "utopia" of his own design and to be the leader over it. Things go astray when Bea sleeps with a different member of the community and ends up pregnant by a man name Foster. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The story bounces back and forth between the past and the present, trying to make the sisters stories meet in the middle. Lo with her determination to prove that the Unity Project isn't everything it claims, and Bea finally realizing that this is not the life she wants for her or her daughter. Unfortunately there's no happy ending for Bea, and Lo nearly gets dragged under due to Lev's charismatic personality. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Honestly, while this story is probably meant to be just a good mystery, it felt like it was trying to make the readers sympathize with Lev Warren. And darlin', I'm just not feeling it. Cults are bad kids, steer away from them. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately, this book has left a poor taste in my mouth and I don't see myself picking up another of Ms. Summers's books again.</span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-29713118936000378642021-09-07T09:00:00.001-04:002021-09-07T09:00:00.189-04:00[Review] Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594059624l/52339313._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="475" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594059624l/52339313._SY475_.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52339313-cemetery-boys" style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">goodreads website</a><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b>1 September, 2020</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Macmillan Publishing</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Young Adult Fiction/LGBTQIA+/Romance</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">97811250250469</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edition:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Hardback (also available in audio and eBook)</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">★</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>29 July, 2021</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings: </b>Blood, Transphobia, Death, Deadnaming, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gore, Child death, Body horror, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave. </i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Aiden Thomas on his <a href="http://www.aiden-thomas.com/">website</a>.<a name='more'></a>I absolutely loved this book. <i>Cemetery Boys</i> has been on my to read list since it first came out last fall and it absolutely did not disappoint. <span></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yadriel Flores just wants to be accepted as the brujo he is. The problem is, Yadriel's family isn't accepting of his gender and figure that if he can't fit into the role he was born as (a bruja to heal instead of a brujo to protect) then he isn't part of the community. Determined to prove everyone wrong, Yadriel performs his own binding ritual with the help of his cousin Maritza and receives the powers of the brujo from their patron, Lady Death.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The mysterious death and disappearance of his cousin Miguel leads Yadriel and Maritza into an abandoned part of the graveyard. There Yadriel finds an anchor, something holding a spirit between the land of the living and the land of the dead. Thinking it might be Miguel, Yadriel summons the ghost... only it's not Miguel. It's Julian Diaz, a guy from Yadriel's school who definitely isn't quite ready to be dead yet. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The trio end up teaming up to solve the mystery of where Julian and Miguel's bodies went, racing the clock to solve the mystery before Dia de Muertos arrives. Thomas's tale is a fast pace twist and turn through the city of Los Angeles, Yadriel learning to stand up for himself and to have courage in himself, and the budding romance between Julian and Yadriel. The surprising ending left me feeling fuzzy and warm, and I won't lie I almost cried when I read the ending. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I'd love to see more about the pair in the future, but for now I'll content myself with Aiden Thomas's next hit <i>Lost in the Woods</i> which promises to be a wonderful retelling of Peter Pan. I can't wait to see what other books come from this extremely talented writer.</span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-21157859938879317182021-08-24T09:00:00.001-04:002021-08-24T09:00:00.242-04:00Picture Book Round Up - Mid-2021 Edition<p> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Regularly I read a number of picture books for work. Sometimes they're a hit, and sometimes they're a dud. Here are some that I've read so far this year that I think are fantastic additions to anyone's collection.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">All pictures are from Goodreads unless otherwise stated.<br /></span></p><a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1604527379l/48690927._SX318_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1604527379l/48690927._SX318_.jpg" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><u><i>Rissy No Kissies</i> by Katey Howes</u> - Rissy is a little lovebird who doesn't like kisses. Which causes quite a stir in her community. How can she be a proper lovebird if she doesn't like kisses? But Mama reassures Rissy that she's still a lovebird even if she doesn't like kisses, and encourages her to show her love in other ways like wing-bumps and hugs. This story is fantastic for teaching children that it's okay to have boundaries and that they can express love and affection in more ways than one.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602646333l/55338917._SX318_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="318" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602646333l/55338917._SX318_.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><i>What Will You Be?</i> by Yamile Saied Mendez</u> - A cute little story about a child who dreams of what she could be when she gets older. Though many people have opinions, it's with the help of her Abuela (grandmother) that she truly explores all the possibilities. Children will be delighted with the colorful pictures and the many fantastical ideas of what they could be when they grow up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562025181l/44581496._SX318_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562025181l/44581496._SX318_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><u><i>We Are Water Protectors</i> by Carole Lindstrom</u> - A child friendly explanation of the the ongoing conflict between the Indigenous communities and large oil companies. Many native lands have been destroyed by oil pipelines due to leakage, destruction of sacred sites, and the destruction of habitats for the local wildlife. This book is very timely and a great way to start on a journey to help protect the land and communities.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600089809l/54501813._SX318_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="318" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600089809l/54501813._SX318_.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><u><i>Sam is my Sister</i> by Ashley Rhodes-Courter</u> - This story focuses on a family with three children, one who slowly transitions throughout the book from a boy to a girl. Though one of her brothers struggles with the idea at first, he quickly becomes her defender from bullies. Full of easy to understand language, this book is great for children of all ages to understand that there's no difference between cis and transgender people.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569887639l/52031625._SX318_SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="318" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569887639l/52031625._SX318_SY475_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><u><i>Can I Give You A Squish?</i> by Emily Neilson</u> - A cute story about a young mermaid that loves to give squishes (hugs). One day though he meets a fish who hates being hugged. Slowly, he learns that perhaps it's better to ask how someone likes to be greeted instead of just giving your default squish. A fantastic story that teaches readers that just like <i>Rissy No Kissies</i>, you should always ask how someone wants to be greeted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574328157l/49818211._SX318_SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="315" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574328157l/49818211._SX318_SY475_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><u><i>How Many Kittens Could Ride a Shark?</i> by Clara Celia</u> - This book is a great introduction to pre-k students on mathematical concepts dealing with length. Full of fun illustrations and silly questions, kids will love the challenge of guessing the answer to each new question present. (As for how many kittens can ride a shark? The answer's 12.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491386244l/34137126._SX318_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="255" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491386244l/34137126._SX318_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><u><i>Do NOT Take Your Dragon to Dinner</i> by Julie Gassman</u> - Returning with another hilarious book in her Do NOT take your dragon places series, Julie Gassman shows readers exactly why dragons aren't good dinner guests. This book is a fun way to point out bad manners at the dinner table in a humorous way. Children will be delighted by the colorful pages and just ridiculous notion that a dragon could possibly destroy the dining room before you even sit down to eat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529197598l/39983604._SX318_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="318" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529197598l/39983604._SX318_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><u><i>The Very Impatient Caterpillar</i> by Ross Burach</u> - Caterpillar is very impatient. He really wants to know what everyone is doing all the time, and wants to know if it's time to emerge yet. A fantastic way for young readers to learn about patience and about butterflies at the same time. Though the book is mostly humor, it does contain some real facts about the life cycle of a caterpillar and what it takes to become a butterfly. </div></span><p></p>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-50449937263209135462021-08-10T09:00:00.001-04:002021-08-10T09:00:00.189-04:00[Review] A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533072101l/34313931.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533072101l/34313931.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44333997-serpent-dove" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">goodreads website</a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b> 5 March, 2019</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>HarperCollins</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Adult Fiction/Contemporary/Literary</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9780062699763</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edition:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Audiobook (also available in Hardback and eBook)</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">★☆☆☆☆ (1.5)</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>27 July, 2021</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings: </b>Domestic abuse, Rape, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicide, Child abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Grief, Child death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Abortion, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Self harm, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Blood, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Hate crime, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Islamophobia, Medical trauma, Gaslighting</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>This debut novel by an Arab-American voice,takes us inside the lives of conservative Arab women living in America.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>In Brooklyn, eighteen-year-old Deya is starting to meet with suitors. Though she doesn’t want to get married, her grandparents give her no choice. History is repeating itself: Deya’s mother, Isra, also had no choice when she left Palestine as a teenager to marry Adam. Though Deya was raised to believe her parents died in a car accident, a secret note from a mysterious, yet familiar-looking woman makes Deya question everything she was told about her past. As the narrative alternates between the lives of Deya and Isra, she begins to understand the dark, complex secrets behind her community.</i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Etaf Rum on her <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16458196.Etaf_Rum" target="_blank">goodreads page</a>.<span><a name='more'></a>I picked this book up as a read from the #OwnVoices category on one of my libraries Overdrive section. I wasn't really certain what I was getting into when picking it up, but I can say I am highly disappointed in the results.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The story focuses on 3 generations of Palestinian-American women, two who are first generation (Isra and her mother-in-law Faridah) and one who is second generation (Deya). For much of the story, we are cycled between Deya and Isra's points of view, following Isra's engagement and marriage at the age of 17 to Adam (who was 10 years her senior at the time) and the immediate push for her to get pregnant. Though Isra hoped for a better life in America (not that she wanted to go in the first place), she found herself trapped in the same cycle as the women back in Palestine. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Isra endures pregnancy after pregnancy, having 3 children in quick succession while suffering from untreated PPD and the cultural shame of having girls. Not, that it's her fault that she's having girls, but most blame is placed upon her. She also has almost no help at home, and between her mother-in-law leaving a large amount of the housework to her and her husband never home (or being drunk when he is), Isra is isolated except for her friendship with Sara, Faridah's youngest child and supposedly only girl. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Deya mean while was informed at 7 that her parents died in a car crash, but she never really believed that. Now the cycle is repeating as Faridah attempts to find a match for Deya, pushing for marriage over college. Deya, frustrated by her grandmother's attitude and perplexed by a mysterious note left on the front steps, begins looking into her parents more. She meets her long estranged Aunt Sara, who shamed the family by running away from home. Worlds collide when Deya finally learns the truth: Her father beat her mother to death in a rage and then committed suicide by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The book ends with Deya going to college, though it's questionable how well she's broken the cycle given her grandparents are still focused on marriage. We're also left with Isra trying to leave with her daughters only to meet Adam. It's a vague ending for a book that continually plays on the persistent tropes within Arab American literature. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Perusing the reviews on Goodreads, I feel that perhaps this book had a good idea in it's original state, however it became very repetitive very quickly. Many of Isra's chapters had her brewing tea, reading books, and struggling. Deya's were much of her yelling about not wanting to be married. Perhaps the most interesting chapters in the book were from Faridah, giving hints into how she suffered from the cycle of marrying young. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall, I believe there are probably better books out there if you want to learn more about the Arab-American Community.</span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-47206634781792849012021-07-27T09:00:00.001-04:002021-07-27T09:00:00.190-04:00[Review] Legendborn by Tracy Deonn<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599400759l/50898167._SX318_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599400759l/50898167._SX318_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50898167-legendborn" style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">goodreads website</a><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Legendborn #1</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b> 6 October, 2020</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Simon Schuster Audio</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Young Adult Fiction/Science Fiction/Retellings</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">9781797113463</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edition:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Audiobook (also available in Hardback and eBook)</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">★★★★</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>22 March, 2021</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings:</b> Racism, Death of a Parent, Grief, Death, Slavery, Rape, Blood, Gore, Sexism, Bullying</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>A flying demon feeding on human energies.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight. </i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Tracy Deonn at her <a href="https://tracydeonn.com/">website</a>.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love Arthurian retellings. I love retellings of any kind honestly. Give me a good fairytale or legend retelling, and I'll sing the praises to the moon. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is perhaps one of the best takes on the Arthurian legend that I've read in a long while.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bree Matthews always wanted to go to UNC-Chapel Hill to follow in her mother's footsteps. Too bad it was the one thing her mother did not want her to do. So Bree does what she thinks will win her mother over, she goes behind her back and applies. If she gets accepted, she reasons, her mother won't be able to say no to her doing the residential program. Unfortunately, Bree's mother is killed in an accident right after they argue about the acceptance into the residential program. Left with a large amount of guilt and trauma, Bree struggles to find acceptance within the world without her mother. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Though she's not supposed to, Bree attends a party on her first night at the program and witnesses a demon feeding on human energies. Though she's bewitched by a Legendborn (a group of families who carry on a secret society based on the Round Table legend), Bree still remembers what happened. And she's not sure if that's a good thing or not. Since she has to join a club or society to show that she's serious about being on campus (and to keep her out of trouble), Bree convinces Nick, her on-campus student advisor and a self-exiled Legendborn, to sponsor her in the initiation of the society. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Things continue to go awry as Bree attempts to keep up with her studies, unlock the mystery of who she is and what her powers can do, and to learn what exactly the Legendborn society is doing. Everything completely falls apart as her life continues to unravel while she looks for the reason her mother was killed, and who she was to the Legendborn. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Bree is faced with many hard choices throughout the book, trying to hide secrets and struggling to make a balance between her revenge-fueled desire to bring her mother's killers to justice. There's a huge twist at the end <span style="background-color: black;">(Bree is Arthur's descendant)</span> that leaves everyone in shock. With the kidnapping of Nick, Bree is left to face that everything she knew to be true isn't. And she'll have to figure out a way to find Nick and rescue him before war breaks out.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I cannot wait to read what happens next in the next book in the series.</span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-49479298372919056972021-07-13T09:00:00.001-04:002021-07-13T09:00:00.196-04:00[Review] How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585143106l/50695683.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585143106l/50695683.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50695683-how-rory-thorne-destroyed-the-multiverse" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">goodreads website</a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Thorne Chronicles #1</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b> 8 October, 2019</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Daw Books</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Science Fiction/Fairytale Formula/Space Opera/Fantasy</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9780756417499</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Edition:</b> Paperback/Audio (also available in Hardcover and eBook)
</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Rating:</b> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>22 March, 2021</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings:</b> Confinement, Violence, Kidnapping, Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Xenophobia, Blood, Cursing, Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Now in mass market, the first in a duology that reimagines fairy tale tropes within a space opera--The Princess Bride meets Princess Leia.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she'd inherit her father's throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is a feminist reimagining of familiar fairytale tropes and a story of resistance and self-determination--how small acts of rebellion can lead a princess to not just save herself, but change the course of history.</i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by K. Eason at her <a href="https://www.mythistoria.com/2021/03/here-have-some-flowers.html">website</a>.<br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I won't lie, I loved this book. I enjoyed the challenge of Rory and her poor decision making. That said, is it really a multiverse if you're only including a small portion of the galaxy?</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rory Thorne is the first daughter in the Thorne line in 10 generations. As such, her father doesn't really know how to react to her birth. It doesn't help that when she's supposed to be christened, the thought to be mythos fairies show up and start bestowing gifts. While most are mostly benign (like skilled harp playing, kindness, etc); one gift allows Rory to know when she's being lied to. A gift helpful for one destined to be queen. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Except during Rory's sixth birthday, her father is caught in the crossfire of the assassination of his peer and the father of Rory's betrothed. Skip to when she's 16, and Rory is shipped off to her new planetary home (it's a space station with two very uninhabitable planets nearby). Now Rory has to figure out how to survive. I loved seeing the juxtapose between what someone said to Rory and what they really meant. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rory is a smart and mostly collected individual who has a very good knack for surviving. Even though she spends portions of the book confined to her rooms, Rory doesn't let herself be idle. She constantly plots how to reach her end goal, though she doesn't exactly know what comes next after her goal is achieved. </span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall this novel was a fun read, and great fun to see a lot of tropes turned on their heads. I will say that the title is a bit misleading. Multiverses often make me think of overlapping dimensions or worlds accessed through various means (i.e. Doors in the Thousand Doors of January). Still, this story was fun and I can't wait to read the sequel. </span></span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-78740644636888195532021-06-29T09:00:00.001-04:002021-06-29T09:00:00.201-04:00[Review] The Invisible life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1584633432l/50623864.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="526" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1584633432l/50623864.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50623864-the-invisible-life-of-addie-larue" style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">goodreads website</a><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Stand Alone</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date: </b> 6 October, 2020</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Tor books</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Fantasy/Romance</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9780765387561</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span><b style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edition:</b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Hardback (also available in audiobook and eBook)</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">★★★★☆</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>22 March, 2021</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings:</b> Suicidal Thoughts, Death of a Parent, Grief, Toxic Relationships, Mental Illness, Child Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Rape, Sexual Content</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.</i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by V.E. Schwab at her <a href="https://veschwab.com/">website</a>.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll be the first to admit I don't stray into adult fiction very often. I tend to stick to Young Adult/New Adult and Middle Grade fiction as much of my job entails knowing what's current in those areas. This however was introduced to me by my sister via Tiktok. Yes, I fell hard into Booktok. I have 0 regrets about falling into Tiktok's book fandoms, I'll admit I've found some stellar choices to read.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Adaline LaRue has never been one to follow the rules. As a child, her favorite thing to do was to attend market days with her woodworking father. She was forever drawing and sketching the world around her, and imagining far off lives and adventures. Unfortunately for her, 1700s France is not a place where a single woman can make a living in a trade. She is often ostracized in her small town and associated with the old "witch" who lives alone and still worships the old ways. Everything comes to a head when her parents accept a marriage proposal for her from a local widower. Having seen how her friend's life seems to have simply ceased being her own after marriage, Adaline prays to the old gods to free herself from this marriage. Unfortunately for her, she makes a deal with a god after dark - one that you're never supposed to pray to.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Adaline requests time, time to see the world and explore everything, to experience the world. And she's granted this time at the price of people remembering her. No one remembers her, the moment she steps out of sight, they won't remember who she is. And she cannot give her true name. In time she comes to view this more as a gift than the curse it was intended to be. Sure, she can't be caught on film, she can't write or leave a mark on the world by herself, but she can cause changes and bring forth ideas by whispering them into the ears of her paramours. Everything changes when she meets Henry. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Henry, a young man who never felt like enough, made a deal with the devil who stole Addie's name. And it's because of this that he can remember her, despite everything that's happened to Addie. Neither of these characters really have much dimension to them however. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Henry is constantly trying to find true validation within the eyes of his friends and family, but the deal he made makes him basically a magnet for everyone's desires. People see who they want to see instead of the true Henry. Addie hasn't seemed to learn much from her teenage years. For most of her 300 year existence she remains in France, floating like a ghost among the living. She doesn't seem to have many encounters with anything 'hard' like racism. She encounters a fair amount of sexism but that's pretty in line with her time period. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">For a book that took the author ten years to write, I was left wanting more. More detail about what Addie encountered, more representation within the book. The ending of the book left much to be desired, Henry's freed from his curse but Addie is just left hanging around with Death? She supposedly made a loop-hole for herself but honestly it seemed like another bad decision in a string of bad decisions. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">If you want a romance, check out this book. Otherwise, perhaps leave Addie and her seven-freckles to the fates of the old gods after dark.</span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-35627412793292269892021-06-15T09:00:00.001-04:002021-06-15T09:00:00.194-04:00[Review] Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1592365756l/53240817.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1592365756l/53240817.jpg" width="267" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53240817-amari-and-the-night-brothers">goodreads website</a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">.</span></span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Supernatural Investigations #1</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date:</b> 19 January, 2021</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Balzer + Bray</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Middle Grade Fiction/Supernatural/Spooky/Mystery</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9780062975164</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Edition:</b> Hardback (also available in audiobook and eBook)</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Rating:</b> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>22 March, 2021</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings:</b> Racism, Hate Crimes, Kidnapping, Grief, Bullying, Medical Trauma, Death</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton—if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Now she must compete for a spot against kids who’ve known about magic their whole lives. No matter how hard she tries, Amari can’t seem to escape their intense doubt and scrutiny—especially once her supernaturally enhanced talent is deemed “illegal.” With an evil magician threatening the supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she’s an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t stick it out and pass the tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.</i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by B.B. Alston at his <a href="http://www.twitter.com/bb_alston">twitter</a>.<span>
<span><a name='more'></a>This novel, oh man, this novel. I didn't know what I was getting into when I stepped into Amari's world, but I am glad I did. This book is perfect for anyone wanting a story with fantastic worldbuilding and a magical setting that isn't Hogwarts. </span></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span>Amari's world was turned upside-down when her older brother Quinton disappeared. Even though he had a job, the police are convinced he was on the wrong side of the law and is a victim of drug dealing. Add on some bullies in her school that cause Amari to be kicked out, it's fair to say that life isn't going great. That is until a mysterious delivery arrives for Amari, sent to her by her brother.</span></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span>Amari is introduced into the world of the </span></span></span></span></span><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Bureau of Supernatural Affairs via nomination from her brother. It's an intimidating thing, given that her brother is one of the best agents within the entire Bureau. And it's not easy going. Immediately Amari is thrown into the world of Supernatural affairs, to be gifted a bit of magic that will enhance one of her skills. But what skill does Amari have? Unfortunately, things go awry when she approaches to have her skill enhanced, revealing that Amari is a natural-born magician. This leads to more prejudices and bullying towards Amari to the point that her dorm room is vandalized. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Amidst all of this, she's also receiving texts from someone calling themselves "Magiciangirl82" who claims to be able to help. Discovering the identity of the mystery person causes more upset and brings more peril into Amari's life. When it's finally discovered what happened to Quinton, Amari must make a choice, save her brother or try to reason with her newfound partner and friend. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Alston's world is a rich, vibrant hue of various races and magical ideals. It shows the struggles of an average middle-schooler and how to rise above bullying. And it shows that ideals and prejudices can change with the times. This book left me wanting the sequel immediately after I finished, and I cannot wait to see where Amari's story goes from here. As mentioned earlier, I would highly recommend this as a good series to read for those wanting magical series with a strong lead, stellar sidekicks, and a plot-twist you won't see coming.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-37001368409825256422021-06-01T09:00:00.001-04:002021-06-01T09:00:00.196-04:00[Review] The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1601945491l/54985753.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="261" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1601945491l/54985753.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54985753-the-blackbird-girls" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">goodreads website</a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone: </b>Stand Alone</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date:</b> 10 March, 2020</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Puffin Books</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Juvenile Fiction/Friendship</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9781984837370</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Edition:</b> Paperback (Also available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook)</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Rating:</b> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>22 March, 2021</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings: </b>Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, Domestic abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Animal death mentioned</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Like Ruta Sepetys for middle grade, Anne Blankman pens a poignant and timeless story of friendship that twines together moments in underexplored history.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>On a spring morning, neighbors Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work--Chernobyl--has exploded. Before they know it, the two girls, who've always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina's estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna. In their new lives in Leningrad, they begin to learn what it means to trust another person. Oksana must face the lies her parents told her all her life. Valentina must keep her grandmother's secret, one that could put all their lives in danger. And both of them discover something they've wished for: a best friend. But how far would you go to save your best friend's life? Would you risk your own?</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Told in alternating perspectives among three girls--Valentina and Oksana in 1986 and Rifka in 1941--this story shows that hatred, intolerance, and oppression are no match for the power of true friendship.</i></span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Anne Blankman at her <a href="http://www.anneblankman.com/" target="_blank">website</a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><a name='more'></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll have to say I was mildly disappointed in this book despite knowing they'd have to go to Leningrad. The first third of the book describes in detail that faithful day where reactor #4 at Chernobyl exploded and released radiation into atmosphere. The rest of the book follows along with 2 girls who learn the world isn't always what it seems.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko are classmates and rivals in school, they're also neighbors. Unfortunately, because Valentina is of Jewish descent, she is mostly ostracized within their community of Pripyat. The pair wake up to a red sky and neither of their father's being home. Their day continues on as normal, attending their half day of school, and trying not to worry about the safety of their fathers. As the day progresses however, it becomes clear that not all is well at the powerplant where their fathers are working. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The first scenes of the book pays homage to the Chernobyl disaster and how the USSR attempted to downplay the meltdown. Many people were removed from Pripyat with the thought that it would just be for a few days before returning. The scene that crushed me was the teacher being forced to leave behind her cat. I know logically that it happened, but it completely crushed me inside to see that innocent animal being abandoned on the streets. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The rest of the book focuses around Valentina and Oksana learning that perhaps the other isn't as bad as initially thought. Intermixed throughout the book are flashback scenes (though you don't realize this until later in the book). It is revealed that Oksana's father was very abusive towards her and her mother has internalized that as Oksana being responsible. Throughout the book, Oksana and Valentina both grow close to Valentina's grandmother and they find a better rhythm. Oksana is eventually reunited with her mother, but quickly realizes that her mother has already found a new man who is just as violent. Worse yet, her mother who had never been violent before begins to beat her on the advice of her new beau.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The ending of the book is full of hope as Oksana escapes to live with friends of Valentina's Grandmother under a false identity. We aren't shown whether the girls ever reunite or if their friendship continues, though it is implied. All in all, this book is a feel good story if you can get past the initial heartbreak and trauma of the beginning of the book.</span></span></span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-28423648576845883462021-05-18T09:00:00.001-04:002021-05-18T09:00:00.201-04:00[Review] Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578934513l/49296032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="508" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578934513l/49296032.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49296032-kingdom-of-the-wicked" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">goodreads website</a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone: </b>Kingdom of the Wicked #1</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date:</b> 27 October, 2020</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Jimmy Patterson Books (Imprint of Little Brown)</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Young Adult/Fantasy/Romance</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9781549184055</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Edition:</b> Audiobook (also available in hardback and eBook)</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Rating:</b> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>22 March, 2021</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings: </b>graphic murder, abuse of a corpse, graphic depictions of dead bodies, witchcraft, demon summoning, deadly sins, religious bigotry, toxic relationships</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Two sisters.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>One brutal murder.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself…</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>And an intoxicating romance.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe—witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin… desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost—even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked Princes of Hell that she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems… </i></span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Kerri Maniscalco at her <a href="https://www.kerrimaniscalco.com/" target="_blank">website</a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.<span><a name='more'></a>I wanted to like this book, I really did. I even tried to ignore my own burning hatred of James Patterson (who arguably has absolutely nothing to do with this book except that it's published under his imprint), to enjoy this book. The simple truth of it is, I could not find enjoyment in this title.</span><span></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>Emilia and Vittoria are two streghe, witches, who are living in 19th century Sicily. Their biggest worries in life are trying to find a partner they can share their secret with and their goals of following their passions. Both girls seem to have an incredibly large amount of freedom for two 18 year-olds in this century. Both seem to be able to come and go as they please without any sort of escort, both bounce around their city without a care in the world until Vittoria becomes the third witch to be murdered. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>Emilia spirals down into depression, and I will give Maniscalco credit, she did a very good job at showcasing how grief and depression can drive someone to do reckless things. However, Emilia swears vengeance and after discovering strange grimoire pages in her sister's favorite hiding hole in the bedroom, she ends up summoning a demon. Not just any demon, however, she ends up summoning a demon prince of hell. How did she do it? She recovered his dagger when he fled after being caught standing above her sister's body. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>Emilia and Wrath begin an investigation, though both seem to try and undermine each other and claim hatred. Throughout the book there's a large amount of sexual tension between the pair, along with 3 of the other Princes of Hell (though there are 7 total, we only see 5 throughout the entire book, and one only in the possession of an individual). In the end Emilia decides the best way she can proceed with finding out who truly ordered the murder of her sister is to become the Queen of Hell. </span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Emilia's personality is truly infuriating throughout the entire book. She angers over the slightest things, lashing out and being woefully stupider than a sack of rocks. She constantly claims to have the upper hand while in reality being three-miles behind everyone else. <span style="background-color: white;">Spoiler: </span><span style="background-color: black;">She can't even guess that it's Antonio who is murdering everyone. Like really? Come on.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> Also infuriating is Nona. Emilia's grandmother seems to be in a deep denial about what the birth of twin witches means. She's convinced that as long as she teaches her granddaughters nothing of their heritage but insists on practicing light magic, everything will work out. While she has one badass moment towards the end of the book, Nona is little more than a prop who is supposed to give information but she does it haphazardly and without any reasonable info actually being passed along.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white;">All in all, this series is definitely not one I'll be following. If I really want to know what becomes of Emilia and her marriage to Pride, I'll check the wiki page. </span></span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-34657241279723558682021-05-04T09:00:00.001-04:002021-05-04T09:00:00.747-04:00[Review] The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCRFJLSUFFPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b5b375a7f93ce4667f9c8cc2b07310ad257c73ca/The%20Southern%20Book%20Club's%20Guide%20to%20Slaying%20Vampires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" src="https://app.thestorygraph.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCRFJLSUFFPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b5b375a7f93ce4667f9c8cc2b07310ad257c73ca/The%20Southern%20Book%20Club's%20Guide%20to%20Slaying%20Vampires.jpg" /></a></div></div></div></div></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52015476-the-southern-book-club-s-guide-to-slaying-vampires">goodreads website</a>.</span></div><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone: </b>Stand Alone</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date:</b> 7 April, 2020</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Blackstone Publishing</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9781094136943</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Edition:</b> Audiobook (also available in hardback, eBook, and paperback)</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Rating:</b> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>27 January, 2021</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings: </b>child death, child abuse, abuse of a corpse, rabid humans, death, vivid gore, attempted suicide, infidelity</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a real monster.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Patricia Campbell's life has never felt smaller. Her ambitious husband is too busy to give her a goodbye kiss in the morning, her kids have their own lives, her senile mother-in-law needs constant care, and she's always a step behind on thank-you notes and her endless list of chores. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a close-knit group of Charleston women united by their love of true crime and paperback fiction. At these meetings they're as likely to talk about the Manson family as they are marriage, motherhood, and neighborhood gossip.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>This predictable pattern is upended when Patricia meets James Harris, a handsome stranger who moves into the neighborhood to take care of his elderly aunt and ends up joining the book club. James is sensitive and well-read, and he makes Patricia feel things she hasn't felt in twenty years. But there's something off about him. He doesn't have a bank account, he doesn't like going out during the day, and Patricia's mother-in-law insists that she knew him when she was a girl--an impossibility.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>When local children go missing, Patricia and the book club members start to suspect James is more of a Bundy than a Beatnik--but no one outside of the book club believes them. Have they read too many true crime books, or have they invited a real monster into their homes?</i></span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Grady Hendrix at his <a href="http://www.gradyhendrix.com/" target="_blank">website</a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.<span><a name='more'></a></span><span>
</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">This book was recommended to me by a friend. I had been eyeing it for a while, but their praise for it got me to place myself on the online waiting list for the library's audiobook copy. Full of vivid descriptions of South Carolina, I was blasted around the state that I grew up in with enough force to knock my socks off. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Patricia Campbell is a housewife, somewhere between my grandparents generation and my parents. She's still lady enough to want to keep the house clean, see her kids grow up, and not to question her husband's dalliances elsewhere. But, given that she's got less to do now that the kids are in school most of the day (hah, yeah right), she decides that she's going to join a book club. Unfortunately, the one she initially joins is a very catty society of posh white ladies who want to read the "classics" (though for the life of me, none of the books mentioned were anything I'd touch with a ten foot pole). That book club swiftly falls apart, but a new one forms out of some of the members.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Patricia ends up becoming friends with Grace, Mary Ellen, Kitty, and Slick (Though is Slick her real name? There's no way it is, it can't be.). In their "Not a Book Club/Book Club", the women enjoy reading true crime novels and discussing them. It's during one of these book clubs that Grace notes that a man named James Harris had moved into a neighbor's house to help "care" for his elderly "aunt". </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">From there, things seem to take a strange turn as Patricia's Mother-in-Law, Ms. Mary, continually says that she can hear owls, bats, and rats in the roof at night. She's also claiming to have a photograph of James Harris from her childhood and claims he killed her father. While Carter, Ms. Mary's son and Patricia's husband, writes off the notion, Patricia tries to make sense of it. It doesn't help that she get's attacked by her elderly neighbor and ends up finding James Harris "looking like a corpse" on the bed in the house. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Things keep going crazy, with Ms. Mary being killed by a horde of rats and her caretaker not being much better off, Ms. Mary dying, and Patricia feeling like her family is slipping away. The first part of the book cumulates with Patricia being hospitalized after her attempts to raise awareness backfires. After a suicide attempt, Patricia sees no choice but to accept that she was wrong (but was she really?) and move on with her life.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Three years after her supposed breakdown, Patricia begins to see that things still aren't quite right. With the help of James Harris, all the families in her book club have profited tremendously, but it feels like something still isn't quite right. Her daughter's acting moodier than a normal teenager, and her son is traumatized from having found her after her attempted suicide. Both of her children seem attached at the hip to James Harris. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Patricia ends up visited by a vision of Ms. Mary telling her to contact her old nurse (Mrs. Greene, who lives in Six-Mile, where children continued to disappear). Things spiral out from there, with Slick getting attacked and growing sick quickly (and her husband fearing that somehow she's contracted AIDS), finding a dead body in the attic of James Harris's house, and finding James Harris in bed with Corey. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Finally, the Book Club/Not Book Club group realizes what they have to do. They have to kill James Harris to prevent him from destroying anyone else. That just proves harder to do than one would think.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">This book truly speaks to the feel of Southern Gothic (despite being set in the late 1990s), and plays upon the openness of the South with a two-faced edge. Hendrix manages to give a grimdark feel to the world at large and make us question: Which of our neighbors is a vampire? </span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-25567900075464184932021-04-20T09:00:00.001-04:002021-04-20T09:00:01.578-04:00[Review] Seveneves by Neil Stephenson<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrPxBvPvkV-HamgcsyhdWzInBXmz0mQyoWZkuMJ5onC8Dju80krtCnrLymyY6uMCrqOBbpHmbhCiRhTbBXRAhbPjfKpQTPuTBN77_Lp0bDNWQgKV5ZR9Npixc0myhvnMlPEr8O7LQh7l4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrPxBvPvkV-HamgcsyhdWzInBXmz0mQyoWZkuMJ5onC8Dju80krtCnrLymyY6uMCrqOBbpHmbhCiRhTbBXRAhbPjfKpQTPuTBN77_Lp0bDNWQgKV5ZR9Npixc0myhvnMlPEr8O7LQh7l4/" width="240" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25576718-seveneves">goodreads website</a>.</span></div><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone: </b>Stand Alone</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date:</b> 19 May, 2015</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Brilliance Audio</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Adult Science Fiction/Alternate Time Line</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ASIN: </b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">B00WNBHNWW</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Edition:</b> Audio CDs/Hardback (also available in audiobook, eBook, and paperback)</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Rating:</b> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>14 December, 2020</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings: </b>mass death, destruction of the moon, space race</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>What would happen if the world were ending?</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain...</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Five thousand years later, their progeny -- seven distinct races now three billion strong -- embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown ... to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.</i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Neal Stephenson at his <a href="http://www.nealstephenson.com/" target="_blank">website</a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Read for the Charlotte Sci-Fi Book Club, December 2020 meeting.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Seveneves</i> was an interesting book. Had I been left to my own devices, I don't know that I would have picked it up. The premise is interesting considering the current state of the world. What would happen if the world were ending? One would like to think that there'd be an effort to preserve humanity by shooting them into space or by finding homes below the surface of the earth. In reality, I'm convinced that we'd all be doomed and there'd be no nice unified effort to do anything but nuke each other off as it ends. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Anyways, <i>Seveneves</i> first portion spends a fair amount of time focusing on the very pretty, and idealistic view that perhaps the world could come together to save the human race. Upon the destruction of the moon by THE AGENT (which you never find out what THE AGENT is), a countdown is started on humanity's time left on Earth. Under the guidance of Doc Dubois, a celebrity scientist akin to Bill Nye, Earth's leaders are forced to face the facts and to accept that the Earth will be under the impact of "Hard Rain" or lunar debris impacting the surface for 5000 years. Which, let's face it, sucks. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">The solution? Shoot as much as you can into space and hope the human race survives. Starting with the current crew on the International Space Station, the ISS begins to grow into a massive network of tubes and modules to support the growing population in space. At the end of the part one, there are 1500 people in space ranging from older people established in their fields and "arkies" who are teenagers sent up to help with the bio-diversity of the population. Unfortunately, as things tend to follow Murphy's Law, things go terribly wrong. From the Former President of the United States (who I'm sorry, I just wanted to punch a witch in the face for the entire time she was present in the book) turning up in space when she wasn't supposed to be there, to her staging a coup with more than half of the Arkies, things go wrong. Towards the end of part two, there are only 8 people left, all women. Of them, 7 are of an age where they can still have children. With the help of Moira Crewe, a geneticist who becomes one of the Seven Eves, the seven fertile women create new races of human beings who live in space.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Fast-forwards 5000 years, and we have 7 distinct races in Space, each named after their "eve". 4 of the 7 get along well with each other, while the other 3 have banded together resulting in a cold-war like status among the Spacers. This section felt very disjointed from the rest of the book (could have been a novella?) and ultimately leads to the discovery of at least 2 races that survived on Earth, the diggers (descendants of Eve Dinah's family that were left on Earth) and the pingers (descendants of an underwater ark system similar to the space cloud-arc where Eve Ivy's former fiancé Cal was. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">I liked this book a lot, though again I feel like part 3 could have been it's own book. I did have a complaint with the audiobook. The narrator changes between parts 2 and 3, and it threw me off. While I loved the imagery of the book, many times the description of the situation took a bit too long for me. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would potentially read more of Neal Stephenson's books in the future.</span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-69562452154387524412021-04-06T09:00:00.001-04:002021-04-06T09:00:00.277-04:00[Review] Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzoL3Hiun-wcpKKNvA0NsQpFX7mvQ2mh9cP4rsjKH0Ut1O1r6YpLwlxNTlvc_zAiA6-_UplaQJ7zYbCjocKK-74CGdGj_Cu5y11og_J0LubAf7RNKZTyAmn1Ubb9TpQupr-blLH109sRv/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzoL3Hiun-wcpKKNvA0NsQpFX7mvQ2mh9cP4rsjKH0Ut1O1r6YpLwlxNTlvc_zAiA6-_UplaQJ7zYbCjocKK-74CGdGj_Cu5y11og_J0LubAf7RNKZTyAmn1Ubb9TpQupr-blLH109sRv/w265-h400/image.png" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51079282-cinderella-is-dead" style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">goodreads website</a>.</span></div><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone: </b>Stand Alone</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date:</b> 7 July, 2020</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Bloomsbury</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Young Adult/YA Fantasy/Fairytale Retellings/YA Romance/YA LGBTQIA+ Romance</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9781547603879</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Edition:</b> Hardback (available in audiobook and eBook)</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Rating:</b> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>14 December, 2020</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings:</b> instances of necromancy (and necrophilia? I'm not sure if that's the right warning or not), a lot of patriarchal bs, magic, rigid gender norms, spousal abuse, mild violence</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.</i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Kalynn Bayron at her <a href="https://www.kalynnbayron.com/" target="_blank">website</a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don't know if it's been abundantly clear on this blog of mine or not, but I really like fairy-tale retellings... provided that they're good. That said, when I caught sight of a book called <i>Cinderella is Dead, </i>my little librarian brain went "I need to read that."</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Cinderella is Dead</i> turns the story of Cinderella onto it's head with the thought process of "what if Prince Charming" is really evil. At the time the book is set, Cinderella has been dead for nearly 200 years but the people of Lille are still stuck in the same-old time worn tradition... well kind of. Cinderella's tale is basically a guideline for how girl's lives should be lived. And they're required to attend a ball at 16 to be picked or face a future of being forfeit. Being forfeit means never seeing your family again, and most likely being sent out of Lille. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Sophia Grimmins decidedly doesn't want this fate. She's been in love with her best friend, Erin, since they were children. But same-sex relationships aren't allowed, and the only purpose of a woman's life is to be married and produce children for the next generation. And Sophia ain't interested in that in the slightest. Several times throughout the opening chapters, Sophia attempts to convince Erin to run away with her and to avoid the fate of marrying a man. Sadly, Erin is too loyal to her family and forces herself to stay. On the night of the annual ball (you know, like the one Cinderella attended), Sophia watches her friend Liv be shamed for not having fancy attire and being sent away (supposedly), she decides she's had enough when an unpleasant sort of fellow tries to lay claim to her hand. After kicking him in the balls (go girl), she escapes out a bathroom window and runs. She's not sure where she's running to, but she ends up finding Cinderella's mausoleum.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There she meets Constance, a descendant of Gabrielle (Cinderella's oldest Step-sister), who's family has been outlaws since the days of Cinderella - not for being wicked but for stoking a rebellion. The pair seem to fall for each other rather quickly (Erin is just a footnote in Sophia's mind after meeting Constance), and Constance for some reason has a spare set of clothes in the mausoleum? That was a bit curious, but it works out by giving Sophia a change of clothes and a way out of the town. She attempts to go off with Constance, trying to form a rebellion of their own, and decide they need to go talk to the "Fairy Godmother" or the Witch of the Woods. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">After some hair-raising moments, the pair finally meet Amina - Cinderella's Not-So-Fairy Godmother who seemingly helped Prince Charming (aka the continuing to reign king) take the kingdom and turn it into what it is now. It's highly questionable to what her true role was, especially since she drugged Cinderella with a love potion on the night of the ball. Which, you know, isn't great when you're going to the ball to kill the King. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Hair-brain scheming occurs, the trio decides to resurrect Cinderella via necromancy. More shenanigans happen, and eventually they talk to Cinderella. Who tells them about a journal she was trying to get to Gabrielle. Which leads to more attempts at plans for killing the king. And then the king announced a Winter Ball as well, trying to lure Sophia back to the palace. Shenanigans ensue, and in the end, Sophia kills the king. I won't give away the twists that lead up to that, but really she does end him.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I will say, the excitement I felt for the book waned a little the further I got into the book. While the prose is lovely, the plot fell flat in several places with loose ends. Sophia and Constance's romance felt rushed in places (also mildly unrealistic since Sophia was apparently in love with Erin to the point of wanting to defy the patriarchy with her). There were also some really icky issues with the king. (Spoiler Alert: <span style="background-color: black;">The King turns out to be a dead man walking, so does that make his love of things necrophilia, I'm not sure.</span>) </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall, I enjoyed <i>Cinderella is Dead</i> despite some of the questionable points and the plot seeming to fall a little short/feeling rushed towards the end of the book. I'll definitely be looking into more books by Kalynn Bayron in the future.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-26872967820194489322021-03-23T09:00:00.001-04:002021-03-23T09:00:01.042-04:00[Review] Small Spaces by Katherine Arden<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoGl4teF9A7FD49R7ySRRY3wg29gaDZhZdgkp0hon7-XfV1c44qeX7VfxcpLDDjMl5-smJqBfJN6vRdXJfVo2QIosoBRu4Bu_OGqWHpbgSJI0egDm1eu2Qw5Lk2lTLCFewvwKkzxh6Cq_/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoGl4teF9A7FD49R7ySRRY3wg29gaDZhZdgkp0hon7-XfV1c44qeX7VfxcpLDDjMl5-smJqBfJN6vRdXJfVo2QIosoBRu4Bu_OGqWHpbgSJI0egDm1eu2Qw5Lk2lTLCFewvwKkzxh6Cq_/s16000/image.png" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28525188-columbus-day">goodreads website</a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">.</span></span></div><p></p><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone: </b>Small Spaces #1</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date:</b> 25 September, 2018</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Middle Grade Horror/Middle Grade Fiction/Supernatural/Spooky/Horror</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ASIN: </b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9780525515029</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Edition:</b> Paperback (available in Hardback, ebook, and audiobook)</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Rating:</b> ★</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>23 November, 2020</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings:</b> Mild body horror, themes of death, ghosts, spoilers past the cut.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie only finds solace in books. So when she happens upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book into the water, Ollie doesn't think--she just acts, stealing the book and running away. As she begins to read the slender volume, Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who both loved her, and a peculiar deal made with "the smiling man," a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price. </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Ollie is captivated by the tale until her school trip the next day to Smoke Hollow, a local farm with a haunting history all its own. There she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about. Could it be the story about the smiling man is true? Ollie doesn't have too long to think about the answer to that. On the way home, the school bus breaks down, sending their teacher back to the farm for help. But the strange bus driver has some advice for the kids left behind in his care: "Best get moving. At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you." Nightfall is, indeed, fast descending when Ollie's previously broken digital wristwatch, a keepsake reminder of better times, begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN. </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed the bus driver's warning. As the trio head out into the woods--bordered by a field of scarecrows that seem to be watching them--the bus driver has just one final piece of advice for Ollie and her friends: "Avoid large places. Keep to small." </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>And with that, a deliciously creepy and hair-raising adventure begins.</i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Katherine Arden at her <a href="http://katherinearden.com/" target="_blank">website</a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span></span><span><a name='more'></a></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let me frame this with I really love Katherine Arden's books. Despite not finishing <i>The Winter of the Witch</i> yet, I've been a fan of hers since I picked up <i>The Bear and the Nightingale. </i>The tales are woven in such a way that it feels organic and flows nicely. So imagine my delight upon realizing that Arden also writes Middle Grade fiction.</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Small Spaces, </i>while set in New England, invokes a small-town feeling. Ollie, or Olivia, is a 6th grader at the local middle school. Having suffered the tragic loss of her mother the year previous, Ollie has withdrawn into her own world without much room for anyone else. This include having quit the chess club and softball team. Deciding to seek solace in books, Ollie spends much of her time outdoors in hidden spots to read and enjoy her time away from places that remind her of her mother. It's in one of these places where she meets a woman. A woman who is threatening to throw a book into the water. Stealing the book away, Ollie flees to her home where she gets wrapped up in a book called <i>Small Spaces</i>. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As the description says, the next day is a trip to a local farm called Smoke Hollow. And this, is where everything starts to go wrong. There's a creepy bus driver, a lot of creepy scarecrows, and Ollie's watch keeps giving her life tips on how to survive. With the help of Coco and Brian, Ollie seeks a way to free their classmates and their friends. There are several twists and turns along the way, but many are slightly predictable to older readers. Still, there was enough surprises to keep children interested. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I would definitely recommend this book for upper elementary/lower middle school readers looking to branch out from Goosebumps. I look forward to reading the rest of the series as they come out.</span></span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-12395519840352246002021-03-09T09:00:00.002-05:002021-03-09T09:00:04.777-05:00[Review] Columbus Day by Craig Alanson<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1452629243l/28525188._SY475_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1452629243l/28525188._SY475_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28525188-columbus-day" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">goodreads website</a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div></div><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone: </b>Expeditionary Forces #1</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date:</b> 11 January, 2016</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Kindle/Independently Published</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Military Science-Fiction/Army in Space/Supposedly Science Fiction</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ASIN: </b></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">B01AIGC31E</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Edition:</b> Kindle and Audiobook (available in paperback)</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Rating:</b> ★</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Review Written: </b>9 October, 2020</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Warnings:</b> Military in Space, Old Boys Attitude, Sexism</span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>We were fighting on the wrong side, of a war we couldn't win. And that was the good news.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon come ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There go the good old days, when humans only got killed by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved. The UN Expeditionary Force hitched a ride on Kristang ships to fight the Ruhar, wherever our new allies thought we could be useful. So, I went from fighting with the US Army in Nigeria, to fighting in space. It was lies, all of it. We shouldn't even be fighting the Ruhar, they aren't our enemy, our allies are.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><i>I'd better start at the beginning....</i></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Craig Alanson at his <a href="https://www.craigalanson.com/" target="_blank">website</a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">I tried to read this book for the Charlotte Science Fiction Book Club. I say tried because I made it about halfway through and admitted that I just did not care about this book in the slightest. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">I give this book no stars, a rarity for me. Normally I try to find at least one thing I enjoyed about the books I read but I just couldn't. This book read like a fourteen-year-old boy wrote it, and it was about as entertaining as one. The main character is a mix between high school athlete who peaked in high school and military jar head who is too stupid to know anything. He's annoying, he's more than a little sexist, and at times he feels like a Gary Stu. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">This book starts out with an attack on Earth's major power networks... you know the places you would think to strike in order to take global defenses offline. Instead our main character is so shocked that it wasn't anything more than that. "I saw maps later on and besides the lack of streetlights, the major cities looked fine." We're off to a fine start. Our main hero starts out this step into the space war with an ego due to his quick thinking that allowed him to capture one of the Ruhar, a hamster bipedal alien race, who crashed into his home town. By using a Barney Themed ice cream truck, our intrepid lead finds himself with the nickname of Barney, and a string of bad luck.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">From here, we jump to when our main character is heading off to war. (Can you tell how little I care about this book since I didn't even bother to look up the main lead's name? It's Joe something or other, I can't be bothered to look.) He catches us up to date on things that happened between the initial attack on a very controversial holiday and several months later. He comments that the US Government got it's act together to help the people (I laughed extremely hard at that). He also makes a comment about the fact that the US is the greatest country on earth (not really), and that as a citizen from the greatest nation on earth, it was insulting to think that humanity was just a footnote in this eons old war (really dude). He also makes a lot of racist statements about his time in Kenya in the military.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Anyways, Joe, I'm just going to call him Joe, goes up the space elevator. This elevator takes him to a Kristang ship (Kristangs are lizard-like aliens, and who the Humans are allied with). This leads to a less than interesting side note about bathrooms on the ship, and how the bathrooms are unisex (spoiler, they're not the Kristang are super misogynistic) with an offhand quote about "Damn women take a long time in the bathroom". Cue me staring into space like I was on The Office for 10 minutes. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Joe, as stupid as he is, manages to survive until he reaches the training planet. A planet that has higher gravity than earth's (which makes me feel like it wouldn't be great for human bodies without protective gear but okay). He whines and moans about having to set up camp, and how he's outrun by a woman. He compares waiting on her to call him to every woman who's ever waited on a guy to call them. When they finally do hook up and have sex, this supposedly twenty-something man can't even say what he thinks about the sex other than it was a-w-e-s-o-m-e... yes he spells out the word awesome. My dude, please seek a therapist for your repressed inability to state that sex was awesome without spelling out the word. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">During this period, Joe gets elevated up to the head of a group of soldiers, and they get sent to their first assignment... where they end up on a Ruhar planet supposed to help with evacuation. Basically guard duty. Unfortunately, things happen, people die... blah blah blah. Joe gets sent to camp for treason against the Kristang for refusing to kill civilians (one of the few decent things he does), but somehow survives a direct strike to the prison. He survives a lot of direct strikes honestly, either he's extremely lucky or just has a good enough knack of not dying.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Finally, before I stopped reading, Joe gets taken by the Ruhar when they take back the planet, and he finds a supposedly eons old Artificial Intelligence who calls himself Skippy. Honestly, Skippy was the only one I liked, and that was because he was slightly less assholish than Joe. But honestly, I can't recommend this series. If you like Military Science Fiction with a hint of too much military terminology thrown in and jackass characters, this series might be for you.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">As for me, I'm bowing out of this one. </span></div>Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-60673696973733055682021-02-23T09:00:00.000-05:002021-02-23T09:00:00.676-05:00[Review] The Circus Rose by Betsy Cornwell<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="43261119" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560477054l/43261119.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover image from the </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43261119-the-circus-rose" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">goodreads website</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone: </b>Stand Alone</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date:</b> 16 June, 2020</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Clarion Books</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Young Adult Fiction/Fantasy and Folk Lore/Fairytell Retelling/LGBTQIA+ Fiction/Romance</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9781328639509</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Edition:</b> Hardback (available in audiobook, eBook, and paperback)</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Rating:</b> </span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">★★</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Review Written: </b>9 September, 2020</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Warnings:</b> Magic, Queer relationships, Depictions of Humans being turned into animals</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>A queer retelling of “Snow White and Rose Red” in which teenage twins battle evil religious extremists to save their loves and their circus family.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Twins Rosie and Ivory have grown up at their ringmaster mother’s knee, and after years on the road, they’re returning to Port End, the closest place to home they know. Yet something has changed in the bustling city: fundamentalist flyers paper the walls and preachers fill the squares, warning of shadows falling over the land. The circus prepares a triumphant homecoming show, full of lights and spectacle that could chase away even the darkest shadow. But during Rosie’s tightrope act, disaster strikes.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>In this lush, sensuous novel interwoven with themes of social justice and found family, it’s up to Ivory and her magician love—with the help of a dancing bear—to track down an evil priest and save their circus family before it’s too late.</i></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Betsy Cornwell at her <a href="http://betsycornwell.com/">website</a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll admit I have a slight fondness for the story of Snow White and Rose Red. It's one of the tales I can remember from childhood. My mother had a copy of the tale in a thin little paperback version (though bigger for illustrations), and while there were other stories in the set, that was my favorite. Perhaps it was the idea of a prince being cursed and changing into a bear, maybe it was the fantasy for wanting a twin (which was also a wild childhood fantasy, let me tell you). </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Either way, this book invoked a slight sense of nostalgia as I began reading it. The premise is simple, Ivory and Rosie's mother was in love with two men and had sex with both. She managed to conceive twins with different fathers (not impossible, though very rare). Instead of denying one of her children a father, Rosie's mother decided to part ways with both her lovers and instead created a circus. Given that she was a bearded lady, this seems like a pretty decent call. The novel is told between Logical Ivory and more Theatrical Rosie's points of view. Alternating within chapters, it can get a bit overwhelming, though each section is clearly marked and the prose vs poetry of the pair helps differentiate.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ivory hates the spotlight and chooses to be a stagehand within the circus. She does spend a year off at a female engineering school (which gave me many flashbacks to Gail Carriger's Finishing School series though with less assassin vibes), but leaves so that she can travel with the circus to Faerie. Faerie is the land of the Fey (shocker I know), which has become an independent country since the rise of the current king of Estinger. The real bulk of the story picks up as the circus returns from Faerie, with Tam (a nonbinary Fey) as part of their act. In their time away from Estinger, it seems the Brethren (this world's version of the church) has become more prevalent. Their first performance in Port's End ends in a fiery explosion that leaves many of the performers injured, especially Angela (Ivory and Rosie's mother), and Rosie herself. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Left alone to run the circus, Ivory struggles to step into the light and fill her mother's shoes. Meanwhile, people continue to go missing. Eventually things come to a head as Ivory and Rosie realize exactly who has their mother. With their faithful companion Bear, the girls set off to free the people who have been turned into animals by the Brethren. There's a twist at the ending that I truly enjoyed.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Though I truly enjoyed this novel, the switching between prose and poetry did throw me off slightly. Still, I'd recommend this book for anyone looking for a light, quick read with a lot of LGBTQIA+ content.</span></span></div>
Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249112324440082857.post-40322696244262209562021-02-09T09:00:00.000-05:002021-02-09T09:00:03.396-05:00[Review] Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="26114545" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1443106959l/26114545.jpg" /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Cover image from the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43784097-black-klansman">goodreads website</a>.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Series or Stand Alone: </b>Terra Ignota #1</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.76904; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Release Date:</b> 10 May, 2016</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Publisher: </b>Tor Books</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Genre: </b>Science Fiction/Futuristic/Political Science/Thriller/Suspense</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ISBN: </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">9780765378002</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.86546; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Edition:</b> Hardback (available in audiobook, eBook, and paperback)</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Rating:</b> </span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">★★</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">★</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">☆</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Review Written: </b>8 September, 2020</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Warnings:</b> Strong language, graphic description of violence and murder, cliffhanger</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Mycroft Canner is a convict. For his crimes he is required, as is the custom of the 25th century, to wander the world being as useful as he can to all he meets. Carlyle Foster is a sensayer--a spiritual counselor in a world that has outlawed the public practice of religion, but which also knows that the inner lives of humans cannot be wished away.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The world into which Mycroft and Carlyle have been born is as strange to our 21st-century eyes as ours would be to a native of the 1500s. It is a hard-won utopia built on technologically-generated abundance, and also on complex and mandatory systems of labeling all public writing and speech. What seem to us normal gender distinctions are now distinctly taboo in most social situations. And most of the world's population is affiliated with globe-girdling clans of the like-minded, whose endless economic and cultural competition is carefully managed by central planners of inestimable subtlety. To us it seems like a mad combination of heaven and hell. To them, it seems like normal life.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>And in this world, Mycroft and Carlyle have stumbled on the wild card that may destablize the system: the boy Bridger, who can effortlessly make his wishes come true. Who can, it would seem, bring inanimate objects to life... </i></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See more by Ada Palmer at her <a href="https://adapalmer.com/">website</a></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Read for the Charlotte Science Fiction Book Club.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wanted to like this novel, I really did. But it was just... very slow to slog through the first two-thirds of the book. If you like political thrillers, you might enjoy this, but then again probably not. Our main protagonist is Mycroft, a servicer (aka a criminal deemed non-lethal to the public) who works for the good of humanity. Mycroft, of dubious crimes, likes to hang out at the Weeksbooth-Saneer Bash (the replacement model for the nuclear family). Why is he hanging around this bash? They aren't officially allowed to claim him as a member, and he does have to go to other jobs throughout the world. It's because he's hiding a child with Thisbe Saneer, one of the bash members. The child's name is Bridger and he has the magical ability to do various "miracles" in bringing toys to life and turning anything imagined into food or reality. So... a proto-Jesus figure.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The whole first 270 pages were dull. There were tangents. So many tangents. Normally I don't mind tangents however there were just </span><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;">so many</i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. Particularly one that made me bang my head against the book was a tangent on page 27 discussing the dichotomy of gender. If not previously mentioned, this book takes places in the 25th century, but Mycroft is writing it like we're in the 29th century. Lovely. This tangent takes up half the page, going through how he (Mycroft) will be using the archaic "he" and "she" to describe people though in 25th century it's mostly a they/them society. Nobody ascribes to gender norms in the 25th century it seems... except for the world leaders. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Page 270 leads to the revelation that Mycroft (along with an accomplice named Saladin) murdered 17 people in a bash. A whole bash, since bash's tend to range from 10-20 people. Only one person escaped the massacre and was sent to live on the moon. Mycroft should have been put to death for his crimes, but it was deemed that death would be too swift a punishment for them and instead he has been made into a servicer. After a brief meeting with Saladin (who we learn was part of Mycroft's birth bash that was killed in an explosion when Mycroft was 8), Mycroft ends up in a whirlwind of events as Thisbe (remember Thisbe) and her new Sensayer (basically a priest, but oh yeah religion has been deemed illegal as well) Carlyle Foster start exploring secrets.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This secret reveals that all of the world's 7 hive leaders (hives replace nations) are part of a secret perverse club that is modeled after the 18th century. Part sex-club, part illegal life-style, this club offers a haven of sorts for the world leaders so they can all be on equal footing. Also apparently Carlyle is the son of Dante, who is wife of the Mitsubshi hive and sister to the Humanists vice president. It's such a nice little cluster-fuck honestly.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps my biggest complaint of this whole novel was the way it ended. Mycroft has been imprisoned, the head of the Cousins (people over the sensayers basically) is fucking the personal sensayer of the second Christ analogy in this story, and Bridger has been spirited away by Saladin. We find out that Bridger has an army of toys, however everything is shifted over to another Mycroft (this one going by Martin) who is basically a private investigator who is looking into the entire case that starts the whole book (you'll just have to read it yourself honestly). The last chapter is nothing but his case notes and a review with an outside police inspector who reveals that the Weeksbooth-Saneer bash has potentially been killing people for upwards of 5-7 years... and possibly even arranged for the death of all of their parents. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I would have liked a disclaimer in the front of this book letting me know that it's basically mandatory to read the second book to get the full story. I would have preferred less world building to more movement in the story. I'm going to end up reading the second book, hopefully it doesn't take me nearly as long to get through the story line this time.</span></span></div>
Kathryn P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18079796817494118399noreply@blogger.com0