Aside from writing I was able to finish 1 adult fiction, 2 YA fantasies, 1 adult fantasy, 6 children's books, and 1 romance novel. Below are some details on each book as well as quick reviews for the books I read for myself. All are in the order I read them in!
I primarily read the children's books to get recommendations for my younger family members and enjoyed all of them. I would most highly recommend Thelma the Unicorn and The Velveteen Rabbit for readers primarily interested in picture books.
Junie B Jones and Magic Tree House were two of my favorite series when I was just getting into books with more words than pictures and I would recommend them for early elementary students for sure.
Check out my other reviews below!
Title: The Female PersuasionAuthor: Meg Wolitzer
Page Count: 454
Rating: F
Format Read: Hardcover
Genre: Fiction
Keywords: Feminism, relationships, mentors
Kid Appropriate: No
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Greer Kadetsky is a shy college freshman when she meets the woman she hopes will change her life. Faith Frank, dazzlingly persuasive and elegant at sixty-three, has been a central pillar of the women's movement for decades, a figure who inspires others to influence the world. Upon hearing Faith speak for the first time, Greer--madly in love with her boyfriend, Cory, but still full of longing for an ambition that she can't quite place--feels her inner world light up. Then, astonishingly, Faith invites Greer to make something out of that sense of purpose, leading Greer down the most exciting path of her life as it winds toward and away from her meant-to-be love story with Cory and the future she'd always imagined.
My Review:
This is not a book I would have picked up on my own. I was not drawn to the cover and the story just did not interest me, but I decided I wanted to try and be more involved in my local community and took part in the Barnes & Noble book club that was held in May 2018. Unfortunately, I could not stand this book and had to force myself to finish it. I was one of two out of six that actually forced themselves to do so for the meeting. Many others tried to start and just could not do it. So what was bad about this book?
Our discussion kept coming around to how incredibly slow this book is as well as there is no real story. The longer you read the more it feels as if the characters don't truly matter and the political messages are being preached at you endlessly. There is little to no character development apart from the character of Cory and most of the time the cast of characters fills cliche roles. Greer is often whiny and immature, despite the many years this book spans. Morally corrupt characters that you hope will redeem themselves never do. Only look at this book if you're up for battling your way through a long, rambling narrative.
Title: Rebel of the Sands
Author: Alwyn Hamilton
Page Count: 314
Rating: A
Format Read: Paperback
Genre: YA Fantasy
Keywords: Magic, desert, guns
Kid Appropriate: Teen and older
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mythical beasts still roam the wild and remote areas, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinn still perform their magic. For humans, it’s an unforgiving place, especially if you’re poor, orphaned, or female.
Amani Al’Hiza is all three. She’s a gifted gunslinger with perfect aim, but she can’t shoot her way out of Dustwalk, the back-country town where she’s destined to wind up wed or dead.
Then she meets Jin, a rakish foreigner, in a shooting contest, and sees him as the perfect escape route. But though she’s spent years dreaming of leaving Dustwalk, she never imagined she’d gallop away on mythical horse—or that it would take a foreign fugitive to show her the heart of the desert she thought she knew.
Rebel of the Sands reveals what happens when a dream deferred explodes—in the fires of rebellion, of romantic passion, and the all-consuming inferno of a girl finally, at long last, embracing her power.
My Review:
While I do not think this is the best book that I have ever read I was taken by surprise by just how much fun it was. It was a fast paced adventure story with elements of Middle Eastern culture, fantasy, and western gun slinging mixed in. It was fast paced and set up the characters for great progression not only in this book but in the remainder of the series. This was great after the reading slump I found myself in with The Female Persuasion.
Check it out if you are looking for a read that is fun and easy to get lost in.
Title: A Court of Frost and Starlight
Author: Sarah J. MaasPage Count: 272
Rating: A
Format Read: Hardcover
Genre: YA Fantasy Novella
Keywords: Fae, love, family
Kid Appropriate: Teen and older
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve.
Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated--scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.
My Review:
A lot of people that were already Sarah J Maas fans were disappointed with this one. First, it is not a full length novel in the series. It is just a novella bridging the two halves of the series. That being said there was not as much room for an epic fantasy tale to build and resolve itself the way it has with Mass's 500+ page books.
Now, if you take this for what it is you may very well enjoy it. The best description I heard while watching reviews on BookTube was that this is like an episode of Friends but populated by the ACOTAR characters. It is easy to skim and you get a much calmer glimpse of the characters you grew to love in the first three books.
I will fully admit the major flaw that most people seem to agree on: the dialogue during the smut scenes. Be ready to cringe. It is absolutely awkward and unrealistic.
Pick it up if you're a fan though. I enjoyed my time in the story and can't wait to pick up book four next year, which there is an excerpt for in the back of this volume. There will be three more books in this series while her Throne of Glass series is concluding this fall. Though it was announced that she will be releasing a new adult fantasy series next year.
Title: Nate the Great and the Lost List
Author: Marjorie Weinman
Page Count: 80
Rating: B
Format Read: Audiobook
Genre: Children's
Keywords: Friends, mystery, early readers
Kid Appropriate: Yes
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Although Nate the Great and his dog, Sludge, are on vacation, they just can't resist a new case. When his friend Claude's grocery list is lost, Nate sets out to find it before lunch. But lunch draws nearer and the list is still missing. Nate the Great is worried: his reputation is at stake. It looks as if list has vanished--unless Rosamond's strange cat pancakes are somehow at the heart of the mystery.
Title: The Velveteen Rabbit
Author: Margery Williams Bianco
Page Count: 96
Rating: A
Format Read: Audiobook
Genre: Children's
Keywords: Toys, bunnies, growing up
Kid Appropriate: Yes
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.
Like the Skin Horse, Margery Williams understood how toys--and people--become real through the wisdom and experience of love. This reissue of a favorite classic, with the original story and illustrations as they first appeared in 1922, will work its magic for all who read it.
Title: Clifford the Big Red Dog
Author: Norman Bridwell
Page Count: 32
Rating: C
Format Read: Audiobook
Genre: Children's
Keywords: Dogs, giants, kids
Kid Appropriate: Yes
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Emily Elizabeth describes the activities she enjoys with her very big red dog and how they take care of each other.
Title: Dinosaurs Before Dark
Author: Mary Pope OsbornePage Count: 68
Rating: B
Format Read: Audiobook
Genre: Children's
Keywords: Magic, siblings, dinosaurs
Kid Appropriate: Yes
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Jack and Annie's very first fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series—the Magic Tree House!
Where did the tree house come from?
Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it before dark . . . or will they become a dinosaur's dinner?
Title: Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
Author: Barbara Park
Page Count: 69
Rating: B
Format Read: Audiobook
Genre: Children's
Keywords: Lost, school, family
Kid Appropriate: Yes
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Meet Junie B. who tells in her own words the hilarious story of how she gets locked in school after her first day of kindergarten.
Title: Easy Come
Author: Tess OliverPage Count: 164
Rating: C+
Format Read: Kindle
Genre: Romance/erotica
Keywords: Reporter, love, adult
Kid Appropriate: No
Synopsis from Goodreads:
At Plaything, your pleasure is our business.
This month’s box: Easy Come, Easy O
"I wanted to teach this reporter a lesson in more ways than one."
Trey Armstrong is a self-made millionaire and notorious playboy who can only be described as all man. He prides himself on living up to his player reputation. That is until one incredible woman crosses the threshold into his life. Has Trey finally met his match?
"Trey wasn't just any man, he was a man who made a business out of pleasure, and he was giving that pleasure to me good."
When Georgie Dempsey is assigned to write an article on Plaything—the multi-million dollar pleasure subscription service, she has no idea that she’ll end up being the star. The brainy, understatedly sexy journalist sets off on a journey of sexual self-discovery led by none other than the master himself, Trey Armstrong.
My Review:
This was a free book on Kindle that I picked up last month. As you can tell from the synopsis (or the cover or the title) this is a romance novel. Yes it is unrealistic, cheesy, and even a bit cringey at times. But it is also a fun read that you can get through in one sitting if you're looking for something to pick up for fun.
Title: Thelma the Unicorn
Author: Aaron Blabey
Page Count: 32
Rating: A
Format Read: Hardcover
Genre: Children's picture book
Keywords: Fame, self, unicorns
Kid Appropriate: Yes
Synopsis from Goodreads:
From the best-selling author of Pig the Pug comes this joyful book about learning to love who you are... even if you don't have sparkles.
Thelma dreams of being a glamorous unicorn. Then in a rare pink and glitter-filled moment of fate, Thelma's wish comes true.
She rises to instant international stardom, but at an unexpected cost. After a while, Thelma realizes that she was happier as her ordinary, sparkle-free self. So she ditches her horn, scrubs off her sparkles, and returns home, where her best friend is waiting for her with a hug.
From award-winning author Aaron Blabey comes this joyful book about learning to love who you are...even if you don't have sparkles
Title: The Poppy War
Author: R. F. Kuang
Page Count: 544
Rating: B
Format Read: Hardcover
Genre: Fantasy
Keywords: China, Gods, War
Kid Appropriate: No, possible older teen
Synopsis from Goodreads:
When Rin aced the Keju, the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies, it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard, the most elite military school in Nikan, was even more surprising.
But surprises aren’t always good.
Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.
For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .
Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.
My Review:
I picked this one up after hearing Piera Forde raving about it on her YouTube channel and seeing it nearly sold out at my local bookstore.
This is undoubtedly an enjoyable read in terms of fantasy and war reads. I enjoyed the flawed yet strong lead, Rin. There were times I wanted to scream at her in frustration as I was reading but never did I stop rooting for her. The secondary characters were interesting as well and none of them felt overly like they were just filler to populate the world.
There was plenty of action, growing up, and teen angst going on in this book and it was fun. To be sure there was also a great deal of politics and warfare. There were moments where Rin reminded me of Eona from Alison Goodman's series. While this kept me reading it also ultimately left me missing Goodman's series more than I was being drawn into Kuang's. I am hoping that the rest of the series will add to my interest here and that my lukewarm feelings are due to this only being the first book because I did truly love the world and want to see where Rin goes after this.
I did like this book, but I did not feel the intense love for it that other readers did which left me with feelings of disappointment. First, this is a debut novel and at times the writing felt as young as the author, who was in her late teens when she wrote this. There is nothing wrong with this, but it was odd when at times I distinctly remember feeling older than not only the character but the writer. Being drawn out of the story by this more than once was distracting.
Second, there was a massive debate going on when this first came out about whether this was strictly adult fantasy or if it was actually YA. The author and most readers agree that this is an adult only book and R. F. Kuang has even provided an entire list of trigger warnings from her website. I can agree with the reasoning that this book does have some truly brutal scenes. However, I felt when I was reading that the tone was very similar to many YA books I have read in the past and I personally would have read this as a teenager and not been affected. That being said, I studied forensic anthropology and international security in college. I was surrounded by some truly disturbing human actions regularly. My tolerance for certain content is higher than most people.
Some teenagers, those that are particularly mature and not easily fazed, would be able to read this. I read books with more disturbing content then. However, teenagers that maybe are not as mature and can be sensitive to brutal subjects should stay away from this one because they would be in for more than they are prepared for around half way to two thirds of the way through this book. I cannot think of many youngsters I would feel were able to read this without having to stop or becoming distressed. Even some of the adults I know would be unable to finish this.
So, take into consideration the trigger warnings as well as whether or not this story would even interest you. If you feel up for it, I would definitely recommend giving this one a go.
