Tag: reading

Book Review: Miss Austen, by Gill Hornby

miss austen
Image belongs to Flatiron Books.

Title:  Miss Austen
Author:  Gill Hornby
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Rating:  4 out of 5

Whoever looked at an elderly lady and saw the young heroine she once was?

England, 1840. Two decades after the death of her beloved sister, Jane, Cassandra Austen returns to the village of Kintbury and the home of her family friends, the Fowles. In a dusty corner of the vicarage, there is a cache of Jane’s letters that Cassandra is desperate to find. Dodging her hostess and a meddlesome housemaid, Cassandra eventually hunts down the letters and confronts the secrets they hold, secrets not only about Jane but about Cassandra herself. Will Cassandra bare the most private details of her life to the world, or commit her sister’s legacy to the flames?

I love Jane Austen’s works, so this was a natural choice for me to read. It started off a bit slow—and, honestly, was never what I’d call fast-paced—but that’s fitting for this particular story. The reader is immersed in the lives of Cassandra and Jane as young ladies, but also experiences life with Jane via flashbacks and letters, and also Cassandra’s life as an older, single woman on her own.

This novel is rich in historical detail and will appeal to readers who are Austen fans and want to learn more about their literary heroine’s life. I found Cassandra’s life to be deeply sad—but she’s happy, and that’s what really matters.

Gill Hornby lives in England. Miss Austen is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Flatiron Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Secrets They Left Behind, by Lissa Marie Redmond

the secrets they left behind
Image belongs to Crooked Lane Books.

Title: The Secrets They Left Behind
Author:  Lissa Marie Redmond
Genre:  Thriller
Rating:  4.2 out of 5

Three college freshmen go missing from their rural hometown of Kelly’s Falls while on Christmas break. Their cell phones, coats, and purses are left behind, but the girls have disappeared without a trace. As the days turn into weeks and the investigation grows cold, twenty-three year old Buffalo police officer Shea O’Connor is called on to dig up leads undercover.

Still bearing the emotional and physical scars of a previous case, O’Connor infiltrates as eighteen-year-old Shea Anderson, a college freshman and the “niece” of the town’s police chief. As she begins to immerse herself in the missing girls’ world, befriending their friends and family, and doing whatever it takes to maintain her cover, O’Connor realizes the track is far colder than she initially thought. But whoever was behind the girls’ disappearance was only warming up, and they have set their crosshairs directly on her.

The heat is on for O’Connor as she closes in on the shocking truth about what really happened the night the girls vanished.

I enjoyed this thriller/murder mystery. I like reading police procedurals, and with Shea going undercover as a teenager, that just made this even more interesting. I might have figured out who did it, but that’s mainly because I usually pick the least likely suspect and go with that while reading mysteries or watching stuff like NCIS. But there were a lot of red herrings in this one.

Shea herself was an interesting character. I can’t imagine doing undercover work and how hard that would be, and Shae experiences the struggles as she comes to care about people who think she’s someone she’s not. And excellent pick to distract yourself from everything going on around you!

Lissa Marie Redmond is a retired detective. The Secrets They Left Behind is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour: We Didn’t Ask for This, by Adi Alsaid

night of the dragon blog tour

we didn't ask for this
Image belongs to Inkyard Press.

Title:  We Didn’t Ask for This
Author:  Adi Alsaid
Genre:  YA
Rating:  3 out of 5

Every year, lock-in night changes lives. This year, it might just change the world.

Central International School’s annual lock-in is legendary — and for six students, this year’s lock-in is the answer to their dreams. The chance to finally win the contest. Kiss the guy. Make a friend. Become the star of a story that will be passed down from student to student for years to come. But then a group of students, led by Marisa Cuevas, stage an eco-protest and chain themselves to the doors, vowing to keep everyone trapped inside until their list of demands is met. While some students rally to the cause, others are devastated as they watch their plans fall apart. And Marisa, once so certain of her goals, must now decide just how far she’ll go to attain them.

Alsaid writes quirky characters that I like but can’t always relate to. Which is fine. Everyone is different, and I like reading about people different from myself. The writing is solid, as is Alsaid’s writing in other books of his I’ve read, but one thing made this fall squarely on the unbelievable side of things:  a teenager is holding a bunch of kids hostage in a high school for a week, and the cops aren’t involved.

Even taking into account cultural differences—this story is set in an unnamed international location—this is so far-fetched as to make for a stumbling block I hit against roughly every three pages as I was reading it. The cops aren’t involved—and the parents who are all wealthy and important people—are okay with that? I find that highly unlikely, and if the basic premise of a story breaks the “rules” of the world the story in set in, well, that destroys the author’s credibility in my mind.

Adi Alsaid lives in Mexico City. We Didn’t Ask for This is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Lucky Ones, by Liz Lawson

the lucky ones
Image belongs to Random House/Delacorte Press.

Title:  The Lucky Ones
Author:  Liz Lawson
Genre:  YA
Rating:  4 out of 5

Almost a year ago, May lost her twin brother in a school shooting. People call her a survivor, but no one understand what May heard and saw that day. No one knows why she was the only one to walk out of the room that day. Even May doesn’t know. Her best friend is the only one who doesn’t try to push her, who tries to understand, and who drags her out of the house every now and then.

Zach lost everything when his mom decided to represent the shooter. His girlfriend dumped him, his friends dropped him, and his parents had already basically left him and his little sister to their own devices. But Zach’s best friend insists he go with him to band practice one night.

That’s where Zach meets May. And where May finally gets a hint that maybe, just maybe, she can start to live again.

The Lucky Ones deals with the emotional aftermath of a school shooting, with what those who survived must face. It doesn’t focus much on the violence and horror of the shooting, but on the gaping wounds the survivors bear.

May’s not sure she’ll ever get past the emotional scars and the guilt she has for being the one who lived. For the most part, both May’s parents and Zach’s parents are so wrapped up in their own issues they don’t even notice their children are suffering, except towards the end of the novel. This is a different view of a school shooting, of the damage done in the aftermath of violence, and I found it a compelling read.

Liz Lawson lives in California. The Lucky Ones is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House/Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Ruthless Gods, by Emily A. Duncan

ruthless gods
Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Ruthless Gods
Author:  Emily A. Duncan
Genre:  Fantasy
Rating:  5 out of 5

Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who–and what–he’s become.

As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. They’re pieces on a board, being orchestrated by someone… or something. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet―those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer.

A lot of second novels are less impressive than the books they follow, but Emily A. Duncan’s Ruthless Gods is not one of them! This novel continues the story of Nadya, Malachiasz, Serefin, and the rest of their friends. It’s dark, cold, and compelling.

There’s a lot of blood, violence, and despair here, but there is also hope, albeit a tiny, trembling flame. The characters finally start to realize—truly realize—that what they’ve always thought to be truth may not necessarily be so, Compelling, mesmerizing, riveting…whatever your synonym of choice for “I couldn’t put this down!” is, Ruthless Gods is it.

Emily A. Duncan is a New York Times bestselling author. Ruthless Gods, her newest novel, is the second book in the Something Dark and Holy series.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

The Best Books I Read in March (2020)

I read 22 books in March, bringing my total to 64 so far for the year. There were some less-than-stellar ones, but three books really stood out for me.

smoke bitten

Smoke Bitten, by Patricia Briggs. The Mercy Thompson series is phenomenal, and this was an excellent addition to it. Like, I read the entire thing straight through in about four hours on a Friday night, as my reward for making it through my first week working from home.

night of the dragon

Night of the Dragon, by Julie Kagawa.  I’m sad this series is over, but I was enthralled while it lasted. Loved the mythology and characters, the melding of magic and custom. Definitely read these books!

ruthless gods

Ruthless Gods, by Emily A. Duncan. The second book in the Something Dark and Holy series, and it was exceptional. Dark, cold, bloody…and absolutely mesmerizing.

Book Review and Blog Tour: Night of the Dragon, by Julie Kagawa

night of the dragon blog tour

night of the dragon
Image belongs to Inkyard Press.

Title:  Night of the Dragon
Author:  Julie Kagawa
Genre:  Fantasy
Rating:  5 out of 5

All is lost.

To save everyone she loves from imminent death, kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko gave up the final piece of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. Now she and her ragtag band of companions must make one desperate final effort to stop the Master of Demons from using the scroll to call the Great Kami Dragon and make the wish that will plunge the empire into chaos.

Shadow clan assassin Kage Tatsumi has regained control of his body and agreed to a true deal with the devil—the demon inside him, Hakaimono. They will share his body and work with Yumeko to stop a madman, and to separate Hakaimono from Tatsumi and the cursed sword that trapped the demon for nearly a millennium.

But even with their combined skills and powers, this unlikely team of heroes knows the forces of evil may be impossible to overcome. And there is another player in the battle for the scroll, a player who has been watching, waiting for the right moment to pull strings that no one even realized existed…until now.

Julie Kagawa is one of those authors that I just know when I pick up a book she wrote, I’m going to be enthralled. The Shadow of the Fox series is no exception, and Night of the Dragon was a fantastic conclusion to this story.

The stakes kept getting higher and higher with every new scene and the challenges seemed ever more impossible. Yumeko is a lovely character who truly discovers her strength in this novel—and embraces it. Tatsumi is one of the best conflicted characters I’ve ever read—I mean, he shares his body with a demon—and his struggles are vividly rendered. The culture truly makes this story sing, and I loved every page of this novel!

Julie Kagawa is the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey, Blood of Eden, Talon, and Shadow of the Fox series. She was born in Sacramento, California.

(Galley courtesy of Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.)

What I Read in March (2020)

Books Read in March:  22

Books Read for the Year: 64/200

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Don’t Give Up by Kyle Idleman (Spiritual/TBR). It turned out to be excellent timing for this read, considering the current state of the world.

Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier (classic). It’s been so long since I read this…apparently I was mentally mixing it up with Jane Eyre. Thoroughly enjoyed this re-read.

As Old as Time, by Liz Braswell (TBR). Loved this re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.

The Here and Now, by Ann (TBR) Brashares. This was an odd read. I enjoyed The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants much more.

Odd & True, by Cat Winters (TBR). This was a fairy tale, but not, about two strong sisters trying to determine truth from fiction.

For Review:

what the other 3 don't know

What the Other Three Don’t Know, by Spencer Hyde. I’m kind of on the fence on this one. I enjoyed it—and loved—the banter between the characters, but their almost-instant bonding felt like a stretch for me.

THE-DEEP-cover-final-678x1024

The Deep, by Alma Katsu. I love stories about The Titanic, so this was a natural pick for me. However, the narrative felt quite disjointed to me, making it a less-than-engrossing read.

the immortal conquistador

The Immortal Conquistador, by Carrie Vaughn. It’s been years since I read any of the Kitty books, but I enjoyed this tale of a vampire conquistador/Wild West citizen and some of his adventures.

the rome of fall

The Rome of Fall, by Chad Alan Gibbs. High school football in small-town Alabama—and the power wielded by those involved in it. I don’t even like football, and I enjoyed this. The whole times I was reading this, I kept thinking of Joshilyn Jackson’s gods in Alabama. “There are gods in Alabama…” (One of my favorite books ever.)

queen of the unwanted

Queen of the Unwanted, by Jenna Glass (review forthcoming). Okay, so I probably should have read the first book in The Women’s War series before reading this…but at the same time, I had no problems figuring out what was going on. I enjoyed this, although the culture was quite depressing.

the amish teacher's dilemma

The Amish Teacher’s Dilemma, by Patricia Davids. A sweet, uplifting romance, perfect for these trying times.

sparrow

Sparrow, by Mary Cecilia Jackson. Parts of this were very hard to read, but in the end it was inspiring as well as entertaining. I’m all for women learning how to be strong. And ballet.

tigers not daughters

Tigers, Not Daughters, by Samantha Mabry. This…was not an easy read. There are several POV characters, which can be confusing, although the sisters area all so distinct it was easy to keep them straight in my mind. One of them is pretty unlikable. And one of them is dead, so there’s that. I also didn’t get a good sense of the culture the book is touted for, either. It seemed like a secondary detail at best, and pretty generic in truth to me. (One of my closest friends is Latin-American, and this family and cultural surroundings just seem bland in comparison.)

the sea glass cottage

The Sea Glass Cottage, by RaeAnne Thayne. RaeAnne Thayne is one of the very few romance authors I’ll read without questions. This is another solid read from her.

the last human

The Last Human, by Zack Jordan. This was an okay read, but I didn’t love it. The author made me feel sympathy for a gigantic spider-alien, which really says something, considering my fear of spiders, but some of this just didn’t quite add up to me.

the darkness we hid

The Darkness We Hide, by Debra Webb. I enjoyed this, which seems to wrap up The Undertaker’s Daughter story. Lots of dark family secrets are unearthed here, and as always, I enjoyed every page.

jack kerouac

Jack Kerouac is Dead to me, by Gae Polisner. This book broke my heart. In a good way. It’s not bright and cheery, but is a strong coming-of-age story and I highly recommend it.

night of the dragon

Night of the Dragon, by Julie Kagawa (review forthcoming). I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series and I hate to see it end, but this was an excellent conclusion…even if it didn’t quite end how I hoped.

ruthless gods

Ruthless Gods, by Emily A. Duncan (review forthcoming).  The second dark and mesmerizing book in the Something Dark and Holy series. This may be dark and bloody and cold…but the writing is phenomenal and I am totally invested in these characters.

the lucky ones

The Lucky Ones, by Liz Lawson (review forthcoming). May’s twin brother was killed in a school shooting a year ago. She’s trying to get her life back together—and then she meets the boy whose mother is representing the killer in court. This is about survivors of a school shooting and what they go through. It doesn’t deal with the shooting itself much, just focuses on the devastating aftermath.

we didn't ask for this

We Didn’t Ask for This, by Aldi Alsaid (review forthcoming). I guess my main issue with this book—the one that niggled at the back of my mind the entire time I was reading—was how unbelievable it was to me that an entire high school of kids was basically being held hostage and the cops weren’t trying to get them out. That one thing was enough to make the book itself farfetched and unbelievable.

Just Because:

Smoke Bitten, by Patricia Briggs. Because the Mercy Thompson series is, hands-down, one of my favorite series ever. I read this straight through in one sitting, as my reward for Working From Home Week One.

 Left Unfinished:

The Earl Not Taken, by A.S. Fenichel. I wanted to enjoy this, but Poppy and Rhys seemed like caricatures to me, and some of the details and action felt completely unbelievable to me, aespecially in that setting/society.

The Red Lotus, by Chris Bohjalian. I think I read about 30% of this…but, honestly, if you don’t care about the characters, what’s the point of reading?

Privateers, by Charlie Newton. I barely started this one. The first scene felt like a bad action movie, and I just wasn’t in the right mindset for that.

The Rogue, by Lee W. Brainard (Planets Shaken). Lots of scientific jargon in this one and it felt like the characters were lecturing—“As you know, Bob…”—making it impossible for me to like them.

 

Book Review: Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me, by Gae Polisner

jack kerouac
Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books.

Title:  Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me
Author:  Gae Polisner
Genre:  YA
Rating:  4.5 out of 5 

Fifteen-year-old JL Markham’s life used to be filled with carnival nights and hot summer days spent giggling with her forever best friend Aubrey about their families and boys. Together, they were unstoppable. But they aren’t the friends they once were.

With JL’s father gone on long term business, and her mother struggling with her mental illness, JL takes solace in the tropical butterflies she raises, and in her new, older boyfriend, Max Gordon. Max may be rough on the outside, but he has the soul of a poet (something Aubrey will never understand). Only, Max is about to graduate, and he’s going to hit the road – with or without JL.

JL can’t bear being left behind again. But what if devoting herself to Max not only means betraying her parents, but permanently losing the love of her best friend? What becomes of loyalty, when no one is loyal to you?

This book. Seriously. I am not even sure what to say about it. It broke my heart—not because it was bad, but because it was so good! I felt for JL so much. She’s lost her best friend to whatever came between them, she’s lost her dad to business, her mom to dissociative disorder, her grandmother who seems to be in denial…she’s basically lost everyone in her life. Except Max, her new, older boyfriend…that everyone at school says horrible things about, including her in the rumors, too.

JL is on the verge of growing up. She wants to grow up—at least she thinks so—but she has no one to show her the way. She can’t even sort out what she wants in her own mind, she just knows she wants more. I was right there with her, experiencing everything—even the horrible stuff—and I loved every page. Even when it broke my heart.

GAE POLISNER is the award-winning author of In Sight of Stars, The Memory of Things, The Summer of Letting Go, The Pull of Gravity, and Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me. She lives on Long Island with her husband, two sons, and a suspiciously-fictional looking dog. When Gae isn’t writing, you can find her in a pool or the open waters off Long Island. She’s still hoping that one day her wetsuit will turn her into a superhero.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Darkness We Hide, by Debra Webb

the darkness we hid
Image belongs to Harlequin/MIRA.

Title:  The Darkness We Hide
Author: Debra Webb
Genre:  Suspense, thriller
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

For months, Doctor Rowan Dupont has been staring death in the face. It followed her back to her hometown of Winchester, Tennessee, ten months ago, cloaking the walls of her family’s Victorian funeral home like a shroud. In investigating the mysterious deaths of her loved ones, Rowan has unearthed enough family secrets to bury everything she’d previously thought true. But each shocking discovery has only led to more bodies and more questions; the rabbit hole is deeper than she ever imagined.

Despite settling into a comfortable life with Police Chief Billy Brannigan, Rowan knows dangerous serial killer Julian Addington is still out there. She can’t let her guard down now. Not when she’s this close to ending it once and for all. But with a storm brewing on the horizon, she’ll get only one shot before the impending darkness takes hold, threatening to wipe away every truth she’s uncovered—and everything she holds dear.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading the story of Rowan and the secrets she’s discovered about her life—and her family. In this novel, some of those secrets are finally revealed giving faithful readers a resolution. Rowan’s sometimes-blind loyalty drives her to take risks, but it’s for the right reasons, making her motivations understandable.

As always, I was drawn into the story from the very first page, and the action kept me reading straight through the entire novel, eager to find out how thing would play out. This book did not disappoint!

Debra Webb is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 130 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on a farm in Alabama.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/MIRA in exchange for an honest review.)