Tag: reading

Book Review:  A Language of Dragons, by S. F. Williamson

Image belongs to HarperCollins.

Title:  A Language of Dragons  
Author:  S. F. Williamson        
Genre:  Fantasy       
Rating:  5 out of 5

Welcome to Bletchley Park… with dragons.

London, 1923. Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivian Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules, get an internship studying dragon languages, and make sure her little sister never has to risk growing up Third Class. By midnight, Viv has started a civil war.

With her parents arrested and her sister missing, all the safety Viv has worked for is collapsing around her. So when a lifeline is offered in the form of a mysterious ‘job’, she grabs it. Arriving at Bletchley Park, Viv discovers that she has been recruited as a codebreaker helping the war effort – if she succeeds, she and her family can all go home again. If she doesn’t, they’ll all die.

At first Viv believes that her challenge, of discovering the secrets of a hidden dragon language, is doable. But the more she learns, the more she realizes that the bubble she’s grown up in isn’t as safe as she thought, and eventually Viv must What war is she really fighting?

Viv is a great character, and I liked her from the first page! Granted, she was generally clueless about reality and quite gullible when it came to believing everything the government said—but at least she eventually learned better. I found the world fascinating and I really liked all the characters and the complexities of human-dragon relations.

S. F. Williamson lives in France. A Language of Dragons is her debut novel.

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

Book Review:  The Stolen Queen, by Fiona Davis

Image belongs to Penguin Group Dutton.

Title:  The Stolen Queen  
Author:  Fiona Davis        
Genre: Historical fiction, mystery        
Rating:  4 out of 5

Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same.

New York City, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.” Though Annie soon realizes she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing . . . and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening.

As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.

This was a fascinating read! I loved both timelines. The 1930s storyline was so interesting to me, showing the history of the field of archaeology and what a struggle it was to be a woman in the field. The 1970s storyline was also intriguing. Still a struggle to be a woman in the field of archeology, but also showing the behind-the-scenes details of the Met. Charlotte was a great character, and I loved seeing her story come full circle.

Fiona Davis is a best-selling author. The Stolen Queen is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Group Dutton in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #310

Last year, my goal was to get in five fiction sessions a week. Which I did except maybe three times. That sounds positive, but in the end, I ended up rehashing a lot of words and not accomplishing a lot, so I decided to make my goal a bit different this year: write every day (same as last year), but it can be any kind of writing. Fiction, book reviews, prayers, journaling (Yeah, that’s the headspace I’m in right now.)

This week, I’ve gotten a ton of writing done! I did get in one fiction session, but I also wrote my December reading post, my best books I read in December, What I Read in 2024, and four book reviews: Here Beside the Rising Tide, by Emily Jane, A Sea of Unspoken Things, by Adrienne Young, Capitana, by Cassandra James, and All Better Now, by Neal Shusterman (all forthcoming).

I also did three journaling sessions, so there was a ton of writing happening over here. How about you?

What I Read in 2024

My goal for the year was to read 215 books. I read 238.

January: 15 books.
February: 12 books.
March: 20 books.
April: 22 books.
May: 21 books.
June: 20 books.
July: 17 books.
August: 23 books.
September: 19 books.
October: 24 books.
November: 20 books.
December: 25 books.

The Best Books I Read in December (2024)

In December, I finished 25 books, bringing my total for the year to 238 books. Of those, several were just okay, most were good, and a few were excellent.

The Metempsychosis Collection, by Nicholas Conley. I don’t generally read short story collections, but these were all engaging and unique, and I enjoyed reading them.

The Stolen Queen, by Fiona Davis. I thoroughly enjoyed both timelines of this archeological/finding yourself novel, and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.

A Language of Dragons, by S. F. Williamson. The dragon/human politics and dynamics were fascinating to me, and the culture just kept getting more interesting the further I read. The MC was completely clueless about reality at the beginning, but soon got a clue or two.

What I Read in December (2024)

Books Read in December: 25
Books Read for the Year:  238/215

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Blue Parakeet, by Scott McKnight (audio, TBR): Audio wasn’t the best choice for me with this.
The Hexed and the Hunted, by Melissa Marr (TBR): I enjoyed this read.
Silent on the Moor, by Deanna Rayburn (TBR): Still loving this series!
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, by Joya Goffney (TBR): I DNFed this very quickly, because the MC wasn’t a likable person, and there wasn’t any reason for so much animosity between her and the main guy character. Just ugly to each other.
Totally Folked, by Penny Reid (TBR): This was a solid read.
I Heard God Laugh, by Matthew Kelly (TBR): I enjoyed this a lot!
Unleashing Echoes, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR): Quite an ending for this trilogy.
The Eyes of Tamburah, by Maria V. Snyder (TBR): Loved the world/setting of this.
For Review:

The Metempsychosis Collection, by Nicholas Conley. I don’t usually read scifi or short story collections, but these tales were al unique and kept me engaged. This was a good read!

The Last Fashion House in Paris, by Renee Ryan. I do love WWII historical fiction, and I really enjoyed this. Even the fashion parts were fascinating!

The Stolen Queen, by Fiona Davis (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this a lot! Both timelines were fascinating.

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange  (review forthcoming). This should have felt slow, but it didn’t. Instead, I was drawn into the characters’ lives and histories from the very first page.


A Language of Dragons, by S. F. Williamson (review forthcoming). Really enjoyed this military/alternate history fantasy adventure.

Work in Progress, by Kat Mackenzie (review forthcoming). The MC was really a terrible person for a long time–for no discernible reason–but she eventually improved.

Earl Crush, by Alexandra Vasti (review forthcoming). This was a sweet, fun read, perfect for a weekend or a long afternoon.

Only in Your Dreams, by Ellie K Wilde (review forthcoming). This steamy second-chance romance was a solid read.

Brewing Up a Bad Boy, by Katherine Garbera (review forthcoming). Don’t bother. This was solidly in the meh category, and needed another in-depth editing pass to make it consistent.

Here Beside the Rising Tide, by Emily Jane (review forthcoming). I can’t say that I recommend this. It was like a bad B-rate movie.

A Sea of Unspoken Things, by Adrienne Young (review forthcoming). This was a wonderfully-written story, and I read it straight through in one sitting.

Just Because:

Blessed Endings, Beautiful Beginnings, by Nicki Koziark.
The Tony Evans Study Bible
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
God is with You Every Day, by Max Lucado.
Bedtime Blessings, by Charles Swindoll
Champagne and Commitments, by Melissa Marr. I enjoyed this novella.
Lowcountry Lost, by T.I. Lowe. Sweet Southern fiction.

Left Unfinished:
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, by Joya Goffney (TBR): I DNFed this very quickly, because the MC wasn’t a likable person, and there wasn’t any reason for so much animosity between her and the main guy character. Just ugly to each other.

Ex Marks the Spot, by Gloria Chao. I didn’t make it very far in this, because the characters just didn’t interest me, and the animosity between Gemma and Xander just seemed to be pointless.

All the Water in the World, by Erin Caffall. I made it about 20% of the way into this, but it felt so slow. My attention completely wandered.

The Lost House, by Melissa Larsen. I read over a third of this, but it just dragged, and the MC wasn’t very likable to me.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue, by Jenny Elder Moke. Is it bad that I read 12% of this, and didn’t realize it was a romcom? Kate just seemed like a bumbling idiot, and things kept slipping side3ways into her MC’s POV with no warning. If found this jarring and off-putting.

Book Review:  The Last Fashion House in Paris, by Renee Ryan

Image belongs to Harlequin.

Title:  The Last Fashion House in Paris  
Author:  Renee Ryan        
Genre:  Historical fiction       
Rating:  4 out of 5

France, 1942

Once, Paulette Leblanc spent her days flirting, shopping and drawing elegant dresses in her sketch pad. Then German tanks rolled into France, and a reckless romance turned into deep betrayal. Blaming herself for her mother’s arrest by the Gestapo, Paulette is sent away to begin a new life in Paris, working as apprentice to fashion designer Sabine Ballard.

But Maison de Ballard is no ordinary fashion house. While seamstresses create the perfect couture gowns, clandestine deals and secrets take place out of sight. Mademoiselle Ballard is head of a vast network of resistance fighters—including Paulette’s coworker and friend Nicolle Cadieux—who help escort downed military men and Jewish families to safety.

Soon Paulette is recruited as a spy. Working as a seamstress by day, gathering information at glamorous parties by night, Paulette at last has a chance to earn the redemption she craves. But as the SS closes in, and Nicolle goes missing, Paulette must make life-and-death decisions about who to trust, who to love and who to leave behind…

I really enjoyed this read! I felt so sorry for Paulette from the very first page. Yes, what she did was horrible, but I can’t imagine living with such guilt. The goings-on at the fashion house were fascinating, and the clandestine errands were riveting. I loved all the main characters, and really enjoyed how it tied in Ryan’s other book.

Renee Ryan is from Florida. The Last Fashion House in Paris is her newest novel.

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

Sundays are for Writing #308

This was a decent writing week. I got in five fiction sessions, and two book reviews, What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange and A Language of Dragons, by S. F. Williamson (both reviews forthcoming).

Happy writing!

Book Review: A Monsoon Rising, by Thea Guanzon

Image belongs to Avon and Harper Voyager.

Title: A Monsoon Rising    
Author:  Thea Guanzon
Genre: Fantasy, romance      
Rating: 5 out of 5

After a lifetime of war, Alaric and Talasyn were thrust into an alliance between their homelands that was supposed to end the fighting; however, being married to their sworn foe feels far from peaceful. Now Talasyn must play the part of Alaric’s willing empress while her allies secretly plot to overthrow his reign. But the longer the couple are forced together, the harder it becomes to deny the feelings crackling like lightning between them. When the time comes to act, can she trust him, or must she ignore her heart for the sake of so many others?

As the master of the Shadowforged Legion, Alaric has trained for battle all his life, but marrying a Lightweaver might be his most dangerous challenge yet. With tensions between nations churning, he needs to focus on the greater threat—the Moonless Dark, a cataclysmic magical event that could devour everything. Only he and Talasyn can stop it, with a powerful merging of light and shadow that they alone can create together. But saving their world from this disaster is a mere preface to his father’s more sinister schemes, and his wife is a burning flame in the darkness, tempting both his loyalties and his desires.

The Hurricane Wars aren’t over. It’s time to choose what—and who—to fight for. The world holds its breath amidst a whirlwind of new magic and old secrets that could change everything.

I’m still loving these books! The world and mythology are fascinating to me, and I really like the two main characters. They actually start trusting each other a little bit here, but there are so many obstacles! And they can’t really trust anyone around them, adding another level of conflict. I found it very hard to put this book down!

Thea Guanzon is a bestselling author. A Monsoon Rising is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.)

 

Book Review: Booked for Murder, by P. J. Nelson

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Booked for Murder  
Author: P. J. Nelson      
Genre:  Mystery
Rating:  3.5 out of 5

Madeline Brimley left small town Georgia many years ago to go to college and pursue her dreams on the stage. Her dramatic escapades are many but success has eluded her, leaving her at loose ends. But then she gets word that not only has her beloved, eccentric Aunt Rose passed, but she’s left Madeline her equally eccentric bookstore housed in an old Victorian mansion in the small college town of Enigma. But when she arrives in her beat-up Fiat to claim The Old Juniper Bookstore, and restart her life, Madeline is faced with unexpected challenges. The gazebo in the back yard is set ablaze and a late night caller threatens to burn the whole store down if she doesn’t leave immediately.

But Madeline Brimley, not one to be intimidated, ignores the threats and soldiers on. Until there’s another fire and a murder in the store itself. Now with a cloud of suspicion falling over her, it’s up to Madeline to untangle the skein of secrets and find the killer before she herself is the next victim.

I need the main character of cozy mysteries to be believable and not go running off after every crazy, fleeting thought they have. This one did not deliver. Madeline changed her mind about every 35 seconds. About everything. The insta-friendship between her, her “aunt”, and the reverend did not feel realistic, and the rest of the characters felt like barely-sketched caricatures.

P. J. Nelson lives in Decatur, Georgia. Booked for Murder is his newest novel.

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