Lord of the Rings : review

 Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

SUMMARY

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

Goodreads' link to the book!

Release Date: 1954

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Stars: ✦✦✦✦✧

You might be thinking that it was about time for me to read these books, and quite frankly you are correct - it has been years in the making. What pushed me to do it was the new audiobooks narrated by Andy Serkis that were recently released. And wow were they good. Serkis did a fantastic job narrating, bringing each character to life, and in a way that each character voice could be distinguished from one another, even with the amount of them in these titles.

Though this isn't a regular review where I go over each point I liked and did not care for, I simply want to point out that I really enjoyed these - actually more than I though I would. And yes, to say that I finally read/listened to them (having the e-books alongside listening to the audiobooks was the way to go for me). So maybe if you have yet to delve into these but have been planning to, maybe take this as your sign to do so.

Read on lovelies,

S

Shadows Between Us : review

Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

SUMMARY

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:

1) Woo the Shadow King.

2) Marry him.

3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

Goodreads' link to the author!

Release Dates: June 19th 2018, February 4th 2020 & February 2nd 2021

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Stars: ✦✦✦✦✦

So as usual, I'll tell 5.0 things I liked about the book and 0.0 thing I didn't care for.

+1 | The idea and plot

+1 | The world and setting

+1 | The style and writing

+1 | The characters

+1 | Ultimately the entertainment value

Read on lovelies,

S

Catana Comics : review

  Catana Comics by Catana Chetwynd

SUMMARY

What began as stray doodles on scraps of paper became an internet sensation when Catana Chetwynd’s boyfriend shared her drawings online. Now, Catana Comics touches millions of readers with its sweet, relatable humor.

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Snug and the bestselling Little Moments of Love comes an all-new collection, In Love & Pajamas by Catana Chetwynd of Catana Comics! 

Goodreads' link to the author!

Release Dates: June 19th 2018, February 4th 2020 & February 2nd 2021

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Stars: ✦✦✦✦✧

So as usual, I'll tell 4.0 things I liked about the book(s) and 1.0 thing I didn't care for.

I read the first one in January 2019, and the other two July 2021

Book #1: Little Moments of Love

          #2: Snug

          #3: In Love and Pajamas

+1 | The ideas for the strips focus on the relationship, but from multiple angles.

+1 | Simply put: the entertainment value.

+1 | The drawing style is simplistic and adorable, fitting the narrative.

+/-1  | The relatability factor. Either it hits or it doesn't, I think there's something for most people to find.

Read on lovelies,

S

Across the Green Grass Fields : review

 Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

SUMMARY

Wayward Children #6

With every other book being a kind of continuation to a previous book, this book is another fresh start book, though I still recommend you read the others!

A young girl discovers a portal to a land filled with centaurs and unicorns in Seanan McGuire's Across the Green Grass Fields, a standalone tale in the Hugo and Nebula Award-wining Wayward Children series.

Goodreads' link to the book!

Release Date: January 12th 2021

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Stars: ✦✦✦.5✧

So as usual, I'll tell 3.5 things I liked about the book and 1.5 thing I didn't care for.

I reviewed the very first book two years ago (link) and have since read the following 5 books which are currently out.

Book #1: Every Heart a Doorway - 4

          #2: Beneath the Sugar Sky - 3

          #3: In an Absent Dream - 3.5

          #4: Down Among the Sticks and Bones - 4.5

          #5: Come Tumbling Down - 4

          #6: Across the Green Grass Fields - 3.5

+1 | The idea and premise of the world. Finding doors to mysterious (sometimes whimsical, sometimes just brutal) lands? Yes please

+1 | Entertainment value. Not my favorite in the series, but still plenty entertaining

+1 | The writing from pace to style, I enjoy it

+/-0.5  | The characters. I don't know why, maybe because it only had new characters, but it just wasn't the same

-1  | This one felt just short, even though it didn't leave me wanting to know more which has been something I've commented about a previous one.

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NOTE:

You can choose to either read the whole series in order or other options for how to read the Wayward series:

#1 is a great starting point about Nancy and the Home for Wayward children, though some others can also work like that

#2 & #5 tell Jack and Jill's story, though I'd recommend reading #1 before them (even though it technically won't go chronologically this way)

#3 tells Rini's story, and acts like a sequel to #1 though can be read on it's own

#4 tells Lundy's story and is sort of like a prequel, so again I'd recommend reading #1

#6 tells Regan's story and can be read on it's own

Read on lovelies,

S

The Empress of Salt and Fortune : review

 The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

SUMMARY

The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a tightly and lushly written narrative about empire, storytelling, and the anger of women.

A young royal from the far north is sent south for a political marriage. Alone and sometimes reviled, she has only her servants on her side. This evocative debut chronicles her rise to power through the eyes of her handmaiden, at once feminist high fantasy and a thrilling indictment of monarchy.

Goodreads' link to the book!

Release Date: March 24th 2020

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Stars: ✦✦✦.5✧

So as usual, I'll tell 3.5 things I liked about the book and 1.5 things I didn't care for.

+1 | The idea and the way it is told is clever and intriguing

+1 | The writing and pace

+/- 0.5 | Though I liked the characters and how different they were, I wanted more from them

+/- 0.5 | The way it was made for the reader to make conclusions

+/- 0.5 | The condensedness made me feel like it was lacking something more that it could bring out, which is  confusing because at the same time I really enjoyed how short it was

Read on lovelies,

S

Winterborne Home of Vengeance and Valor : review

 Winterborne Home for

Vengeance and Valor

& Mayhem and Mystery

by Ally Carter

*eARC kindly provided by the publisher through NetFalley in exchange for an honest review!*

SUMMARY

April didn’t mean to start the fire. She wasn’t even the one who broke the vase.

She had absolutely no intention of becoming the only person who knows that Gabriel Winterborne, the missing-and-presumed-dead billionaire, is neither missing nor dead and is actually living in the basement of Winterborne House, sharpening his swords and looking for vengeance.

Now that April knows Gabriel Winterborne is alive, it’s up to her to keep him that way. But there’s only so much a twelve-year-old girl can do, so April must turn to the other orphans for help. Together, they’ll have to unravel the riddle of a missing heir and a creepy legend, and find a secret key, before the only home they’ve ever known is lost to them forever.

Goodreads' link to the book!

Release Date: March 3rd 2020 & March 2nd 2021

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Stars: ✦✦✦✦✦

So as usual, I'll tell 5 things I liked about the book and 0 things I didn't care for.

I don't think it's any secret that I really enjoy books by Ally Carter, with these literally being the 14th and 15th book I've read from her (excluding short stories, which I have also read).

The Gallagher Girls was the first series I remember being frustrated at since I had to wait a year for the next book, again and again - and yes this is a sign of a good series! And my 5th post - ever - was a review of that (though I don't recommend going back to read those first ones!).

My point here is, that when I heard of this new middle grade series by her I added it to my tbr without really know long what it's about, and it did not disappoint!

And it probably doesn't need to be said that when the next one comes, I'll be here for it!

+1 | The writing simply grips you along for a ride

+1 |It's whimsical like middle grade often is, but without being too whimsical

+1 | Adventure and actions galore

 +1 |The combination of characters all fleshed out with stories, dreams and fears

+1 | The interaction between friends and all the other types of relationships

Read on lovelies,

S

Solutions and Other Problems : review

 Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

SUMMARY

Solutions and Other Problems includes humorous stories from Allie Brosh’s childhood; the adventures of her very bad animals; merciless dissection of her own character flaws; incisive essays on grief, loneliness, and powerlessness; as well as reflections on the absurdity of modern life.

Goodreads' link to the book!

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Stars: ✦✦✦✦✧

I had been waiting to read this book ever since I heard about it after picking up her first one, Hyperbole and a Half, which I read and loved in 2016. And it was worth the wait. The author really dives into her life, and recent years and struggles which I appreciated, but it felt a bit odd reading something so personal. But the humor is still there, that is for sure!

Though I did give it a star rating I won’t be diving into each star review like I usually do, but instead wrote out my thought below.

‹ | The writing and pace resembled the first book and worked perfectly with the stories. Some were even split up between other ones, to really make the pacing work best.

‹ | The humor just hits the spot for me. The observational skills and the way she really paints the pictures is something I also loved in the first one and saw in this one again.

‹ | The artwork scattered throughout, with the style I’ve come to recognize as hers, with each individual character having personalities, really ties the stories together.

‹ | The rawness. Not just humor and jokes, but real stories about life and struggles - and it being okay.

Definitely recommend the first one if you haven’t picked it up, and then this one (though keep in mind it gets more serious).

Read on lovelies,

S

Burn : review

 Burn by Patrick Ness

*eARC kindly provided by the publisher HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review!*

SUMMARY

On a cold Sunday evening in early 1957, Sarah Dewhurst waited with her father in the parking lot of the Chevron gas station for the dragon he’d hired to help on the farm…

A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents in hot pursuit—and somehow, Sarah Dewhurst herself.

Goodreads' link to the book!

Release Date: June 2nd, 2020

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Stars: ✦✦✦.5✧

So as usual, I'll tell 3.5 things I liked about the book and 1.5 things I didn't care for.

+1 | It's different, new, and interesting.

+1 | The world and its fantasy elements were well executed, with dragons and magic galore.

+1 | Entertainment value. The pace and writing are gripping and keeps you reading.

+/-0.5 | The characters and relationships. Some were great, but some just didn't do it for me. With the split POVs I sometimes just wanted it to go back to another character.

-1 | There was some confusion from jumping around, I felt like I really had to focus at times to understand.

>> Overall I'd recommend it to anyone wanting a new and refreshing dragon tale, with some Patrick Ness quirks.

Read on lovelies,

S

Book Love : Review

Book Love by Debbie Tung

SUMMARY
Book Love is a gift book of comics tailor-made for tea-sipping, spine-sniffing, book-hoarding bibliophiles. Debbie Tung's comics are humorous and instantly recognizable - making readers laugh while precisely conveying the thoughts and habits of book nerds.

Goodreads' link to the book!
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Stars: ✦✦✦✦✧

So as usual, I'll tell 4.0 things I liked about the book and 1.0 thing I didn't like.

+1 | The idea is simple and cute

+1 | The illustrations fit perfectly into the story being told

+1 | At the same time quick and simple, but also thought-provoking

+/-1 | Entertainment value. It had some really great ones and some that weren't. It's a bit of a hit or miss, but I'd say every reader can find something they like from it!

Read on lovelies,

S

Unspeakable Acts : review

Unspeakable Acts by Sarah Weinman (editor)

*e-ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review!*

SUMMARY

A brilliant anthology of modern true-crime writing that illustrates the appeal of this powerful and popular genre, edited and curated by Sarah Weinman, the award-winning author of The Real Lolita.

Goodreads' link to the book!

Release Date: July 28th, 2020

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Honestly, I feel a bit weird giving this book a star rating, since it's an anthology accounting true stories.

I did give it one but didn't break it down, like I usually do, to how I came to that rating. Instead, I wrote out my opinions, and what to expect from the book!

Stars: ✦✦✦✦✧

• Though not all of the stories were new to me, I still got lots of new information. Though you might want to note, that these are all previously published pieces.

• The collection had vastly different types of cases and also reflects on why some became well known, and why people can be fascinated by them.

• Written by many different people; reporters and journalists, some with ties to the cases, it goes in-depth into 13 cases one by one. As with any anthology, you might end up really liking the style of one and really disliking the next, but fortunately, that didn't happen to me.

• Organized into clear sections separating different types, the book moves well (though you could just read a few here and there if you so choose). The first delves into four crime cases with classics features, the second goes further into cultural interaction related to crime, and the third being more broad and general about criminal justice.

! This book goes through real-life cases, and if you haven't figured it out yet, don't read the book if you are sensitive to reading about true crime cases. !

Read on lovelies,

S

How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips : review

How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips You Hope to Never Need: Survival Tricks for Hacking, Hurricanes, and Hazards Life Might Throw at You

by Judith Matloff

*ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review!*

SUMMARY

A seasoned war correspondent, Columbia University professor, and safety consultant provides practical, proven strategies for women that gives them the power and resources to take on almost any crisis, disaster, or challenge—from hurricanes to harassment and beyond.

Goodreads' link to the book!
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Honestly I feel a bit weird giving this book a star rating, since it's more of a how-to type book.

I did end up giving it one, but didn't break it down like I usually do to how I came to that rating. Instead I wrote out my opinions, and what to expect from the book!

Stars: ✦✦✦✦✧

• This book goes through real life scenarios, though some might seem extreme, with tips an tricks from experience. It's written by a war reporter, so you know she has seen things.

• It's quite a reality check to help you feel in control. Whether it's by reading a section that applies or going through the book cover to cover. Overall I'd say it's a healthy way of being prepared.

• It's not simply "this scenario has this answer, that one has that", but has some story telling aspects to it, with humor also interlaced.

• I worked as a guard for some months, and in training we go through some worst case scenarios and what to do. The reality is you can never be sure you know everything and are prepared for anything. So simply having a game plan of where to find information is a great start! For example which folders have blueprints, or where the emergency meeting areas are.

" As Confucius once said, “He who fails to prepare, prepares to fail.” "

Read on lovelies,

S