Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas review (Throne of Glass #7)

WOW WHAT AN ENDING!  I cried so many times reading this book.  It wasn't always sad tears either, sometimes it was tears of "You go girl, you are amazing and can do anything" for my beloved Aelin and Manon.  I can't put into words how much I absolutely loved this series and I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to the people who pushed me to keep reading after I wanted to give up after the first book.  These books will forever be some of my favorites now and will hold a special place on my bookshelf of fame front and center with Daughter of Smoke and Bone and The Dark Tower series.  If you like fantasy at all you MUST read these books!  They are like Game of Thrones, but better (and yes, I've read those too so don't come at me with the "if you'd read GOT you wouldn't say that, blah, blah, blah).  READ IT, JUST DO IT!!!

Vicious by V.E. Schwab review

I thought I loved A Darker Shade of Magic.  Then I read this book and it's like when you fall in love for the first time ever but then years down the road find your soul mate and realize it was just puppy love anytime before that.  This book is my soul mate read to ADSoM's puppy love.  I adore the writing style, the characters are flawed and amazing and it's easy to see both sides of the rivalry and feel bad for both (and hate them both at times too).  After reading this one I had to immediately buy Vengeful and even though I want to devour it I also don't want the story to end so I just stare at it sitting on my bedside table and don't allow myself to read more than a few pages at a time because it's just THAT good and I can't bear the thought of waiting 10 more years or however long it was between this first book and that one without anything this amazing to keep me satisfied in between.  READ IT, even if you don't like Victoria's YA books (which I don't) I think anyone would love this one who likes any hint of magic in their books.  It reminded me a lot of the movie Chronicle except with a waaaay better plot.

5 out of 5 stars

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas review

I wanted to like this, I really did. I enjoyed the Court of Thorns and Roses series tremendously so I had high hopes for this, but I couldn't get past how shallow and unlikable Celaena was. I expected a book that goes through each of the "tests" in great detail a bit like The Hunger Games (even more so because the cover said the book was for fans of Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games), but instead I got descriptions that were like "trials 2 and 3 passed without any effort, but Celaena's dress was the real star with it's flowing gray beauty, shining like stars on a summer's night".....not an exact quote but you get the picture. There was more descriptiveness for what she was wearing and how she was feeling than anything about the actual trials. Don't even get me started on her diva-ness! "fetch me my slippers" "train this dog that was a gift for me because I'm too good to do it myself" blah blah blah. I've heard that the next books are much better and from seeing the summary of the second books plot it does seem that way but if this "master assassin who never assassinates anyone" is the protagonist I don't think I can handle reading them to find out. 2 out of 5 stars

From Twinkle With Love by Sandhya Menon review

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36373464-from-twinkle-with-love

I totally get all the 3 star reviews I've been seeing on Goodreads now. Definitely a "middle of the road" book; not great but not bad either. The writing was good and kept me engaged the whole time but the plot was pretty weak and it was obvious who the secret admirer was before it was even close to being revealed. I think teens will like this one because of the love story but as an adult it wasn't something I enjoyed very much. 2.5 out of 5 stars

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young review

      

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34726469-sky-in-the-deep

     I enjoyed this one much more than I thought I would.  I received it in my Owlcrate box this month and I was very "meh" about reading it after seeing the summary, but not wanting to lose that new book smell I dove in without any expectations and surprisingly it kept me hooked from the moment I started it.  

     I say surprisingly because this is not the type of book I've been reading lately.  I've been reading much more adult suspense/thriller because YA has felt very same ol' same ol' the past few months for me;  strong lead character who saves the day even if they're kind of dumb, token love interest (or three), snarky side character who turns out to be a sweetie, overbearing parents....you get the picture.       Even though this book had all the same elements as those aforementioned books the action was so incredible that it still kept me reading though.  

     Eelyn is part of a tribe called the Aska that has been at war with another tribe called the Riki for....I don't even remember how long, let's just say a long fricken time.  They go to war because their gods don't like each other.  Yup, you heard that right, just because their gods don't like each other these people constantly kill each other and play the part of pawns in a larger game.  

      This seemed pretty silly to me when I first started reading, but then when comparing it to different wars throughout history that started because of religious beliefs....yeah, not so silly after all, happens all the time. 

     I don't want to say this book was "action-packed" since that's such a cliche term, but yeah it was totally action packed.  Something new was always happening rather than dragging out a boring scenario until it was beating a dead horse like so many other recent YA books.

     Yes it has instalove, yes it has the token bad guy, the overbearing parent and also a pretty strong stockholm syndrome vibe but the action scenes feel super realistic and at least Eelyn holds her own in a fight instead of just relying on her allies to do all the dirty work. Doesn't hurt that I just finished Horizon Zero Dawn and I totally get an Aloy vibe from this girl and since Aloy kicks ass it made me like Eelyn even more.  

       I don't think this book will be part of a series, the ending seems pretty well wrapped up and it did have a good ending even though nobody died.  I know that sounds morbid but come on! They're in the middle of a huge war and NONE of the main characters die.  It's a bit too convenient for my taste but then again I'm used to Game of Thrones so I may be a bit more inclined to root for death than most.  

     All around it is a pretty good book, I definitely recommend if you're into vikings since this had a strong viking feel to it. Be forewarned though that there is a love story and it is one of those that has the classic beauty and the beast scenario hidden behind some armor and fancy axe throwing.

Rating:  3 out of 5

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo review

     Okay, I know I am so late to the party on this one but now I see why it has such a following.  The characters absolutely make you fall in love with them.  I am particularly fond of Inej but there wasn't a single character that I was like "please can we just get back to the other person's story!" Nope, they are all great and equally as unique.  

      I got a lot of "The Night Circus" vibes from it with the different types of magic and the time period it seems to be set in but I felt that it was more well written and thought out than that book was, plus there's more than just magic at play; it includes badass ninja thieves who are amazing at hand to hand combat so yeah, much more exciting than Night Circus was for me!

     My one sadness is that the book ended on such a cliffhanger.  I knew there was a second book but for some reason I thought it was more of a prequel than a sequel, so of course I had to immediately buy the second one from Amazon!  I bought Six of Crows in a softcover so I'm not sure what the hardcover variant looks like but OMG book 2 is GORGEOUS in hardcover!  The edges of the pages are red and yes, it smells realllllly good (you guys know I'm a sucker for a good book smell haha)!

     Anyways, all I can say about this book is READ IT! So many twists and turns I was always kept guessing and wondering who's good and who's evil and where the plot was leading, and then once it happens you're like "wait, WHAT!"  

     The author does an incredible job with the world building too, I felt like I could truly see the cities she describes in my head and I can still picture them clearly even a few days after finishing.  As I was reading it I kept thinking of that movie "Now You See Me", i.e lots of heist stuff with magic thrown in.  I know a lot of people didn't like that movie so I'm sorry to make that comparison, but rest assured that I believe this was written waaaaaaay better than the plot of that movie with much more interesting characters too.  I can't wait to start the 2nd book!  

4.5 out of 5 stars

     

     

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah review

This book broke me.  I thought I was getting into a wilderness survival story but it was so much more.  I've never been to Alaska or the Pacific Northwest but Kristin Hannah's writing brought me there.  I feel like I can actually still smell the trees and see the lakes and feel the cold and it amazes me.  It's very rare that I come across an author anymore that I'm like "oh my God, I have to find everything they've ever written and I need it NOW" but this book did that to me. 

It's also pretty rare that I cry when reading books.  A few have gotten me before but never like this.  I didn't feel like I was reading about a character, I felt like I was living it.  I related to this story in a way I didn't think I would.  Yes, my mom was in an abusive relationship with my dad which I've talked about previously and that was another theme in this book, but that's not what I'm talking about this time.  It was the bond between daughter and mother that really made me feel part of it.  I've always been close to my mom, but reading about the journey Lenora and her mom went through and their ending reminded me so much of the bond with my mom that I cried like a little baby for the last 75 pages or so. 

I can't say much more without giving away a lot of stuff, but if this book isn't made into a movie within the next few years I will be highly surprised.  Gorgeous gorgeous writing from Kristin Hannah, I'm so glad I decided to pick this one up at the bookstore a few days ago.  An absolute must read and now on my favorites list.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman review

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31434883-eleanor-oliphant-is-completely-fine

I really liked this! Reading the blurb I was like, "Yes, I am so Eleanor. My mom is my best friend, I avoid human interaction at all costs, and I love me some vodka!" 

Once I got into the story I realized I am so not Eleanor (I like my fashion and makeup too much and I'm much more a dog person) but it didn't make the book any less enjoyable. 

Until I got used to Eleanor's demeanor I thought she was quite rude to people, but halfway through the novel my opinion changed and I began rooting for her when I realized that this her persona and she doesn't even realize how she comes across to people which made some of her interactions even more enjoyable, i.e "who's Zumba?"

I always try to say I enjoy books without a love interest but I did so want Eleanor and Raymond to live happily ever after. She deserved it! No spoilers as to whether it happened or not though, you'll have to read it to find out yourself because Eleanor Oliphant is soooooo not fine and her story is amazing and you have to experience it yourself!

4 out of 5 stars

Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia review

The first half of this book was 4 stars for me but it quickly went downhill.      I wanted to slap Eliza through the last half of this book, not because of her anxiety disorder, I get that and I understand it, but for how disrespectful she always was to her parents.      I know what you're going to say: "all teenagers act like that", but she took it to a whole new level. She wouldn't even ANSWER her parents when they asked a question and would instead roll her eyes or just walk away from them while they were still talking. Call me old fashioned, but my mama would've skinned my hide if I did something like that to her!      Sure, my teen daughter has off days where she's moody but she's never as bad as Eliza and never gets a super condescending tone with me and I can't help but think that a young impressionable girl might read this book and think that this behavior is okay.      Isn't it hard enough to raise a teen without an author making someone as bratty as Eliza a "heroine" in a book?      Should her parents have posted what they did? Absolutely not. Should they have made more of an effort to learn about what she was doing online? Absolutely.      This book made it seem like everything that happened to Eliza was her parents fault though, when in all reality Eliza pushed them away enough to where they had given up and just let her be so as to avoid her super emo behavior and uncalled for outbursts.      I know that everything can't be a John Green novel where the parents are best buds with the kids, but this was too much. Eliza got a happy ending when I think she should've been grounded instead to be honest. 2 out of 5 stars

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen review

     This is not the type of book I typically read but after the first plot twist I was so sucked in that I had to know what happened and then there were even more twists after that! 
     I'm usually pretty good at predicting what might happen in a book plot but each time it caught me so off guard that I would have to go back and re-read the last few pages because I would have one of those "what just happened" moments. 
     I absolutely loved it, so good down to the very last page! 
     I especially loved how this book was able to show how an abusive relationship can come to be and why a woman doesn't just "get out". 
     I hate it when people say that about women in abusive relationships and I think everyone who tries to play know it all and say "why don't they just leave" should read this to get some understanding.       My mom went through this and the scenarios in this book really hit home because it's a lot of the same things she would describe to me; how my dad could be the most amazing person and she would think he was truly sorry but then things would be good for a while and it would start all over again....it's heartwrenching to know that Nellie/Vanessa's story isn't technically true but for so many women it is something they DO go through on a daily basis. 
     I highly recommend this book to anyone.  Like I said, I'm usually a reader of scifi/dystopian and I still thought it was incredible!

5 out of 5 stars

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green review

I've come to the conclusion that John Green books just don't affect me the way they do other people.  The writing was good, I think he did an excellent job of capturing the things that go through your mind when you have a mental illness, and I loved all the characters as I usually do with his books....but I always feel like there's not really a plot.  These kids just go about their daily lives and it's a biography of what they experience each day rather than there being an "endgame" and it's been this way with every one of his books for me.  I'd give this one 3.5 stars simply for how beautifully he did capture Aza's thoughts and illness, but the story as a whole only gets about a 2.5 out of 5 because it was kinda boring.

Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan review

I had my hopes set way too high.  That's what I get for reading 5 million reviews before deciding to pick this up thinking it would be the best thing since Ready Player One.  I should have known the bar had been set way too high to try to compare it to that book since it is one of my favorites, but I kept seeing comparisons to Ready Player One and so I was vibrating with anticipation to read this and stalked my mailman all day long while I waited for it to arrive from Amazon.

I really liked the writing in this book, but I think I would have enjoyed it a whole lot more if I understood more about "tech" stuff.  Some of the references were way over my head, which is why I may not have enjoyed it as much as Ready Player One since it was all video game and 80's references and that was right up my alley.  Still an enjoyable read though.  I wish there had been more to the puzzle solution but the fact that it wasn't anything "heavy" made it feel more realistic. 

Not a life-changing book by any means but still a fast enjoyable read, just don't expect as intricate of a game as RP1 has.  I think the comparisons between these two books revolve more around the easy to read, geeky writing than the plot itself.  If you go in knowing that you will still enjoy this book.

3 out of 5 stars

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern review

     Okay, so first let me say that I'm not trying to be different in my opinion of this book just to be "different".  I truly wanted to enjoy it since all my friends did, but I didn't and I couldn't.  Is the circus magical and amazing and just as awesome as every other book reviewer in the world seems to think it is?  Absolutely!  The problem lies in that this is where the magic stopped for me.  

     I cared nothing about the characters, to me they were all just skeevy and conniving (maybe this is why I didn't like them, since I prefer to always try to see the good in people). I felt no connection to the "love story", the ending was very "meh", and we never get a good enough sense of the characters emotions and personalities since so much of the book is spent explaining the different intricacies of the circus itself.  

      After I read a book that I don't like, I try to go back and think about what the author could have done differently (for me, I know that others adore this book and I'm in the minority) that might have made me like it, and with this book it's a problem I don't think could be fixed, because the only way the magic of the circus would still be there and yet the character development become better would be if it was another 150-200 pages long to give a more in-depth look at the characters lives outside the circus.  

     This would present a huge problem as by the end I was already bored and just wanted to be done with it, so if I had to slough through another 150 pages it might have become a DNF rather than just a book I didn't enjoy but did at least complete.  

     So with all that being said, I'm torn.  I love the atmosphere and the descriptions of this amazing place, but it was definitely very forgettable and I feel like in a couple months time someone could try to discuss a plot point in the book and I won't even remember what they're talking about because I've pushed it to the back of my brain in favor of other, better books.  Like I said, I'm definitely in the minority, but just because a book is about magic doesn't mean that it IS magic like a lot of people had led me to believe.

Rating:  2 out of 5 stars

American War by Omar El Akkad review

I feel like I've been on a 4 star kick lately, but that's because I've had amazing luck of the draw and found fabulous books that I wouldn't even have thought to read based only on their summaries. This is not as I first suspected it would be (a post-apocalyptic type world at war, although the war does play a huge role); it's moreso a story about one family, even moreso one girl who changes this world forever and gives us an insight as to the why through her eyes. I'm not usually a fan of war books, but Sarat's story touched me. All she wants is to protect her family, sometimes making terrible choices in the process, but then that's just the way of life. Sometimes you want to protect something so much you end up hurting it/them in the process, and this helped me relate to her on a deep personal level and I think a lot of other people will too. It's not a beach read by any means, there is a lot of depth to this story and you can sometimes get so caught up in this depressing world that you'll need to come back to reality for a while before you dive back in, but that is a great testament to the author's world building. From what I've seen this is a debut novel from him, so if his first is this captivating I can't wait to see where he goes from here. Highly recommend!

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon review

Okay, so this would have definitely been 5 stars if some things that happened weren't a little too "romance comedy movie", but it was still a VERY enjoyable book with a super sweet ending.  I haven't read a book that fast in a long time, so if I absolutely DEVOUR one like that I know it has to be pretty captivating.  If you are a fan of books like "The Fault in our Stars", "The Probability of Miracles", and anything teen romance I know you would definitely love this.  Heck, I loved it and I'm a 32 year old woman so maybe it's good for adults too!

4 out of 5 stars

Brother by Ania Ahlborn review

I waited two weeks after finishing this book to give my final opinion on it because I really needed to think about how I wanted to rate it.  First off I should say that it's very predictable, and that's why I had such a hard time with my star rating on it (hovering between two to four at any given time as I thought about what I'd read) but the storytelling overrides the predictability by a mile.  Hell, even when I knew who you know who turned out to be to Michael I was still rooting for them to get together when I know I shouldn't have been(maybe I've been watching too much Game of Thrones).  I want to give a true and proper review of everything I felt while reading this but I know that spoilers would be flying out of me like geese going south for the winter since everything about the book is what you FEEL for these characters so I'm going to avoid that and just say this:  this family is JACKED up in the best/worst possible way and you will never have rooted for a cannibal before the way you will if you read this book.  I'm off now to go purchase everything that Ania Ahlborn has ever written :)

4 out of 5 stars

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer review

     I'm not sure where to begin with this review.  I think the book was good??  I know that sounds strange, to not understand whether I actually liked it or not, but the last 50 pages still have my head spinning trying to wrap myself around what happened.
   
*Spoilers ahead and I dunno how to make a spoiler tag so you've been warned!*

     I guess what's confusing me is that I still don't understand WHO the characters were or WHAT they were other than Rachel and Borne.  When it's revealed that Wick isn't human, it's not explained (at least I don't remember an explanation) for what his purpose actually is.  Is he just a piece of biotech built at the Company who's purpose is to be an assistant to the other scientists?  Was he made as a scientist to transcend the capabilities of human thinking in order to complete the "fish project" and therefore Mord?  WHAT ABOUT THE FOXES???? Are they the people who had worked in the Company and then were turned into tech? So many questions!
     Also, what the HECK is up with the Magician?  I thought that who she was would be fully revealed but then she just gets her head bashed in.  Throughout the whole book she didn't really seem that bad; I mean, she was just trying to get allies to kill Mord and bring the city back to life and that's why she wanted Rachel and Wick isn't it?  Why were they so adamant against that?  Why did Rachel kill her?  Because she led the proxies and the weirdo kids to them?  Was it something to do with that portal thing?
    The portal thing is another reason I'm so confused.  I don't know if I was just too tired or what while I was reading last night, but I'm soooo out of the loop when it comes to what that painting/portal thing was supposed to be.  I'm going to go back and re-read that section again tonight once I get home and I'll update if it becomes more clear, but right now I'm just kind of wtf on it.  If anybody can explain that scenario I would be very grateful.
     Maybe I've just been reading Stephen King and YA for too long and this book is too advanced for my little brain or something lol.
     I did love Borne just like he was my own little alien squid pet, but I also understand why Rachel did what she did.
     Say you have a dog who is extremely vicious and bites everyone it sees except for you and even the best trainers can't correct it; you still love that dog with all your heart but you know you have to give it up and get rid of it, that's just how it is.  I think that's what happened to Rachel and Borne.  A terribly sad result but it couldn't be helped and I completely agree with her decision.
     If he had stayed with them he would have eventually "sampled" them or if that didn't happen, then once the rest of the city figured out what he was doing they would have come after him and he would have led them right to Wick and Rachel.
     So anyways, as it sits I give this book about 3.5 stars just because I'm still so confused even after the ending and I feel there could have been less time spent describing Rachel's torn feelings and more time going into detail about the Magician and that portal doohickey.  If I go back and re-read tonight and have a light bulb moment I'll immediately reverse my decision and give it a solid 4 to 4.5.

Rabbit in Red by Joe Chianakas review (or lack thereof)

I'm not one to dnf books most of the time unless I just don't have the time to finish them but that wasn't the case with this book. I was really excited to read this book since it was based on a game and the author was a fan of Ready Player One (one of my faves) and took inspiration from it, but instead I got a very cliche "name-dropper" which mentioned other books/movies/shows/popular media every 5 seconds. I made it to page 46 and that was as far as I can convince myself to read. I have many other books on hand waiting to be read and I won't be wasting any more time on a book that feels more like it was written for a tween than an adult. I give it two stars because the concept seems interesting but I can't handle the writing anymore to be able to find out if the actual "game" is good or not.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood review

 WARNING: LOTS OF SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK AND THE TV SHOW AHEAD!


   Yes, I'm going to be one of those people.  You know, the "the book was way better" type of people, except it's in reverse for me.  It was definitely a first for me; I actually liked the show better than the book.  In the show, I related a lot more to Offred, but in the book she just seems weak.  Would I have done the same things if put in the same situations? Probably, but I'm one of those people who also hates myself for my weaknesses so that's to be expected.
     In the show, I was rooting for Offred to succeed in getting away from this horrible place but after reading the story, I felt kind of bitter that she is the one who escaped rather than Ofglen, who was actually taking the initiative to help the women stuck in Gilead while Offred was trying to avoid it and just have her fun with Nick.
     The story with Moira is also much more intricate in the show so I was really disappointed to see that both she and Luke are hardly mentioned in the novel.
     I will say one thing for the book, the world-building is very good.  You feel like you are there with Offred as she walks past what used to be major landmarks but are now reduced to only abandoned or military outpost buildings, and you feel her suffering as she looks at those hanged or forced into servitude.
     I do also appreciate the fact that in the book the Commanders and their wives are painted as older couples.  I understand why the show picked "beautiful people" to play the parts for better ratings, but it did feel more realistic that Offred was forced to be a surrogate for someone she wouldn't willingly be with if things were different.
    Again, if I had read the book before seeing the show I would probably be right there with the others in rating it as a 4 to 5 star book, but having seen how much the show expanded on the idea of Gilead I have to only give it about a 3 now.

Little Heaven by Nick Cutter review

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29430791-little-heaven?from_search=true

3 stars out of 5

Okay, so here's the thing: my low star rating may make it seem like I didn't enjoy this book but I really did. I absolutely devoured it in just a few days, which is really saying something considering I've been in one of those "reading ruts" where I look at my books and I want to read but then get distracted with work, cleaning, life....and just don't finish  more than a couple pages at a time before I get bored. Surely it's not just me that does that, right?      The writing and world building was excellent and I really came to feel for the characters. So why the 3 stars? Well, I found myself skimming a lot. I honestly think this book could have been about 50 pages shorter and nothing have detracted from it. After the 4th time of the "things" in the woods being described down to every minute detail I began skipping over the constant reiterations. I guess the detail was a little bit TOO good in it.      Also, this has nothing to do with the level of writing or the greatness of the story but that ending pissed me off. I get that characters get killed off in books but he totally could've thrown that shiz from outside the cave and still escaped. I know that's vague, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers here, just trying to express my displeasure with said person's death grr. Overall, definitely worth reading for the horror fan, but it's not exactly one for the ages that will haunt me in my sleep