Audiobook: Carry On

Carry On is written by Rainbow Rowell and narrated by Euan Morton.

Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who's ever been chosen.

That's what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he's probably right.

Half the time, Simon can't even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor's avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there's a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon's face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here — it's their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon's infuriating nemesis didn't even bother to show up.

The Breakdown:
1. I decided on this book because my favorite Harry Potter podcast, Witch Please, does an episode on the book. Full disclaimer, I did not read Fangirl before reading this book.   Okay, now with those out of the way on to the meat of the review.

2. While I did enjoy the book, it does strongly feel like a Drarry (Draco-Harry) fanfiction, only the names changed to protect the innocent.  I do like that it is written from several characters perspectives and not just Simon's.   I, also, very much enjoyed Morton as the narrated.  He did a fantastic job of giving each character their own voice.

3. I just want to talk about how amazing Simon and Penny's friendship is.  There is absolutely no romantic undertones, yea!, and the lengths they go to to help each other is amazing.  I love that Penny wants nothing more than to save Simon, and is willing to uproot her life to make sure he is okay.

4.  Baz is probably my favorite character.  I kind of love his sarcasm and that boy definitely has style. I am sad there was not more Baz-Simon kissing scenes.

5. It does bother me that as the reader we know who Simon's parents are and why he is so powerful, but Simon never discovers this.  He never learns that he has a mother that loved him, and others never learn of Lucy and her fate. Oh, and for the record, I disliked The Mage from the beginning.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Legion

Legion by Julie Kagawa is the third book in the Talon Saga.

The legions are about to be unleashed, and no human, rogue dragon or former dragon slayer can stand against the coming horde.

Dragon hatchling Ember Hill was never prepared to find love at all--dragons do not suffer human emotions--let alone the love of a human and a former dragonslayer, at that. With ex-soldier Garret dying at her feet after sacrificing his freedom and his life to expose the deepest of betrayals, Ember knows only that nothing she was taught by dragon organization Talon is true. About humans, about rogue dragons, about herself and what she's capable of doing and feeling.

In the face of great loss, Ember vows to stand with rogue dragon Riley against the dragon-slaying Order of St. George and her own twin brother Dante--the heir apparent to all of Talon, and the boy who will soon unleash the greatest threat and terror dragonkind has ever known.

Talon is poised to take over the world, and the abominations they have created will soon take to the skies, darkening the world with the promise of blood and death to those who refuse to yield.

The Breakdown:
1. I put off reading this book for almost a year.  It really has been sitting on my shelf since it came out.  I as just worried about the fate of Garret, but quick spoiler that happens in the first chapter, Garret lives.   So this book picks up right where Soldier  ended.  This book also gives more Dante chapters than the previous books.

2.  Kagawa uses is book to set up for the ending of the series.  In this book, Kagawa reveals not only Talon's plans in this book, but why the Elder Wyrm wants Ember so badly.

3. So, I just need a minute to talk about Garrett's near death at the beginning.  I was dying a little on the inside as Ember held him crying.  Then, when Riley stepped in to save him, wow, I was a little amazed.  That leads to so interesting results with Garrett as the book progresses.

4.  Ember has some interesting developments in this story.  She finally comes to terms with her dragon.  Both the girl and the dragon declaring their loved for Garrett. And now, they are not fighting each other for control. 

5.   I interested to see where Kagawa is going to take the series finale.  One thing is I wonder what side Dante will landed on in the end.  There is so much going on that he still does not understand about Talon.  Plus there are hints of a war possibly brewing within Talon itself.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

A Court of Frost and Starlight

A Court of Frost and Starligh by Sarah J. Maas is the newest story from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

The Winter Solstice. In a week. I was still new enough to being High Lady that I had no idea what my formal role was to be. If we'd have a High Priestess do some odious ceremony, as lanthe had done the year before. A year. Gods, nearly a year since Rhys had called in his bargain, desperate to get me away from the poison of the Spring Court to save me from my despair. Had he been only a minute later, the Mother knew what would have happened. Where I'd now be. Snow swirled and eddied in the garden, catching in the brown fibers of the burlap covering the shrubs My mate who had worked so hard and so selflessly, all without hope that I would ever be with him We had both fought for that love, bled for it. Rhys had died for it. 

The Breakdown:
1. Anyone who reads this blog knows I am a huge SJM fan, and this is my favorite series.  This story, not quite a novel but a little long to be a novella,  not only gives a glimpse of our favorite Court of Dreams post Hybern war, but also is setting up for the next part of the series that is going to focus on the Court members other than Feyre and Rhysand.

2.  I may have squealed with excitement to see Cassian get his own chapters.  I loved getting more of him and his back story about his mom.  I love him so much, I named my Bassett Hound after him, and this book proved I named my dog after the right character.  There is a section of a chapter were he brings pine boughs and leaves them on the floor of Feyre and Rhys's home, and my dog loves to bring in pine branches to my living room.

3.   I love that this story shows just because the war is over does not mean everything is perfect.  There are still struggles to deal with, and that people have wounds that still need to heal even if they are not visible.

4.  There is so much to love about this story.  The start of healing.  The hints on the next stories.  And more importantly, SJM finally gives us the much promised wall scene, so hot!

To Read or Not to Read:
Must Read

Midnight at the Electric

Midnight at the Electric is by Jodi Lynn Anderson.

Kansas, 2065. Adri has secured a slot as a Colonist—one of the lucky few handpicked to live on Mars. But weeks before launch, she discovers the journal of a girl who lived in her house over a hundred years ago, and is immediately drawn into the mystery surrounding her fate. While Adri knows she must focus on the mission ahead, she becomes captivated by a life that’s been lost in time…and how it might be inextricably tied to her own. 

Oklahoma, 1934. Amidst the fear and uncertainty of the Dust Bowl, Catherine fantasizes about her family’s farmhand, and longs for the immortality promised by a professor at a traveling show called the Electric. But as her family’s situation becomes more dire—and the suffocating dust threatens her sister’s life—Catherine must find the courage to sacrifice everything she loves in order to save the one person she loves most. 

England, 1919. In the recovery following the First World War, Lenore struggles with her grief for her brother, a fallen British soldier, and plans to sail to America in pursuit of a childhood friend. But even if she makes it that far, will her friend be the person she remembers, and the one who can bring her back to herself? 

While their stories spans thousands of miles and multiple generations, Lenore, Catherine, and Adri’s fates are entwined.

The Breakdown:
1. I was fascinated with the concept of this book.  Multiple generations of women linked together.  In the end the story fell a little short to me.  By time the book was finished, I felt that overall the Anderson was grasping to tie the characters fate together.

2.  I did like that each of the women was very distinct in their personality, and I liked each of their stories individually.  I think that I liked Lenore's story the best.  Plus, her tie to Catherine was much stronger than Catherine or her tie to Adri's. 

3.  I think my favorite part of Adri's story is her developing relationship with her long lost cousin, Lily.  Despite large age difference, they work out a nice relationship.  I like that Lily accepts Adri for who she is and does not try to change her, but still calls her out when she is being harsh.

4.  While I enjoyed the individual stories of the characters, I felt the overall tie between them was very weak.  When described as fates entwined, I want it to be a very strong connection.

To Read or Not to Read:
Skip

The Hazel Wood

The Hazel Wood is by Melissa Albert and is the first book of a series of the same name.

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

The Breakdown:
1. I was apparently on a creepy book kick because this was the book I picked after Before the Devil Breaks You.  There are some very creepy happenings in this book, and some seriously disturbing characters.

2. I have to be honest, I was not crazy about Alice.  I found her to be very abrasive and at times a little unstable.  I get that as the story progresses, it better explains why she can be like that, but it made it very hard to connect with her as a character.

3. I found Alice and Ellery's relationship to be strange.  At times it felt like Albert was trying to set a romance between them, but they did not seem to have much chemistry.  Other times it felt like a friendship or just two people who needed each other without really liking each other.  I just could not decide where that relationship was suppose to be going.

4. I did like the stories from Hinterland, despite how dark and creepy they are.  It reminded me of the original fairy tales before made kid friendly.  I would love to read a whole book of just those tales.  I also enjoyed the time in Hazel Wood and the secrets that Alice learns about herself and the stories.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read- because I have hopes that as the series continues it will get better.

Before the Devil Breaks You

Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray is the third Diviners novel.

New York City.
1927.
Lights are bright.
Jazz is king.
Parties are wild.
And the dead are coming...

After battling a supernatural sleeping sickness that early claimed two of their own, the Diviners have had enough of lies. They're more determined than ever to uncover the mystery behind their extraordinary powers, even as they face off against an all-new terror. Out on Ward's Island, far from the city's bustle, sits a mental hospital haunted by the lost souls of people long forgotten--ghosts who have unusual and dangerous ties to the man in the stovepipe hat, also known as the King of Crows.

With terrible accounts of murder and possession flooding in from all over, and New York City on the verge of panic, the Diviners must band together and brave the sinister ghosts invading the asylum, a fight that will bring them fact-to-face with the King of Crows. But as the explosive secrets of the past come to light, loyalties and friendships will be tested, love will hang in the balance, and the Diviners will question all that they've ever known. All the while, malevolent forces gather from every corner in a battle for the very soul of a nation--a fight that could claim the Diviners themselves.

The Breakdown:
1. Bray gave me so many feelings in this book.  I went from laughing to crying, and so many, many times, totally creeped out by things in this book.  This definitely has some serious sleep with the lights on moments in this book.  And honestly, the ghost where not the scariest parts of this book, it was often the humans and their deeds that frightened me the most.

2. I love that this book gets deeper in the main characters back stories like Theta and Sam, along with Evie's dreams coming together.  I was especially intrigued by Theta's story.  Her life before New York, and her past coming back to haunt her.

3. I want to take a minute to talk about Jake Marlow, and how much I despise him.  He treats others horribly.  He discredits the Diviners, but also wants to use them for his own nefarious plans.  Oh, and it is definitely a "Make America Great Again" guy who basically whats to get rid of anyone who is not WASP in heritage.

4. I will admit that I find the King of Crows extremely creepy.  It makes it worse when it is revealed early in the book that he is created from humanities worse traits. 

5. There are some serious feels in this book.  I am not ashamed to admit that I cried at least once during my reading.  Also, when I started the book, I did not realize this was not the last book in the series.  I was getting stressed the closer I got to the end and the more I realize that there were not enough pages to wrap up the story.  I am now jonesing (is that still a term people use, or did I really date myself) for the next book.

To Read or Not to Read:
Must Read

Starfish

Starfish is by Akemi Dawn Bowman.

Kiko Himura has always had a hard time saying exactly what she’s thinking. With a mother who makes her feel unremarkable and a half-Japanese heritage she doesn’t quite understand, Kiko prefers to keep her head down, certain that once she makes it into her dream art school, Prism, her real life will begin.

But then Kiko doesn’t get into Prism, at the same time her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the west coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back. And now that she is finally free to be her own person outside the constricting walls of her home life, Kiko learns life-changing truths about herself, her past, and how to be brave.

The Breakdown:
1. This book deals with some very heavy subject matters including sexual assault and an emotionally abusive parent.   If you can deal with the heavy subject matter, this is a beautifully written book.  I liked the story and the character development amazing.

2.   Kiko has one best character journeys.  She is the target of much of her mother's abuse and as a young girl was sexually assaulted by her uncle, which her mother refuses to believe.   I am so proud of her when she gets herself free from her mother.  I also like that while she likes a boy, she is determined to make  her own life without him to know that she can rely on herself.

3.   I pretty much adore Kiko's mentor in California.  He is what her parents should have been for her. 

4. I know this has nothing to do with the story, but I am disturbed by the fact that the book is Starfish, and the cover has a jellyfish.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Audiobook: The Bear and the Nightingale

The Bear and the Nightingale is written by Katherine Arden and narrated by Kathleen Gati and is the first book of the Winternight trilogy.

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind--she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed--this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.

The Breakdown:
1. So this book has a lot of critical acclaim, and I kind of have a love of Russian based or Russian influenced books.  I was disappointed with the book in general.  I book is very slow in building the story.   Plus, I listening on audiobook, I was not impressed with Gati as the narrator.   I found her reading when not doing the characters speaking to be very monotone.

2.  I found the character of Vasilisa to be a little meh.  I had no strong feelings for her either way.  I liked her the most with her interactions with the Winter King.

3. The thing I liked the best about this book is the household spirits and old gods, and the struggle between them and encroaching Christianity into the lives of the people.  I find the old traditions fascinating and the idea that things are lost when a new religion stamps them out.

4. I did enjoy the Winter King the most as a character.  I found him interesting and wished that he was in more of the book.  I especially liked his strange relationship with his horse, and how she seemed to part adviser to him.

5. In the end, I found the book overall boring.  I could not bring myself to really care about the characters and their fates.  I am not even bothering with the rest of the trilogy.

To Read or Not to Read:
Skip this one.

The Language of Thorns

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic is by Leigh Bardugo and is a set of Grishaverse short stories.

Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

The Breakdown:
1. So this is actually going to be a fairly short review.  This book is a collection of stories/legends set in the Grisha-verse.  Some of the stories are recognizable in they are tells we have heard a version of before.

2. I think my favorite tale was The Soldier Prince.  It had deep ties to the Nutcracker story, but it did its own thing.  It was a far more interesting progression of the characters that the actually story of the Nutcracker.   I also really enjoyed When Water Sang Fire, which was basically Ursula from The Little Mermaid origin story.

3. One on the best things about this book was the gorgeous artwork that accompanied each story. The artwork starts in the margins of each story, and becomes more elaborate as it progresses and at the end of story has a full spread of the artwork.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Batman: Nightwalker

Batman: Nightwalker is by Marie Lu and is the second book of the DC icons series.

Before he was Batman, he was Bruce Wayne. A reckless boy willing to break the rules for a girl who may be his worst enemy.is b

The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list.

One by one, the city's elites are being executed as their mansions' security systems turn against them, trapping them like prey. Meanwhile, Bruce is turning eighteen and about to inherit his family's fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Enterprises and all the tech gadgetry his heart could ever desire. But after a run-in with the police, he's forced to do community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison that holds the city's most brutal criminals.

Madeleine Wallace is a brilliant killer . . . and Bruce's only hope.

In Arkham, Bruce meets Madeleine, a brilliant girl with ties to the Nightwalkers. What is she hiding? And why will she speak only to Bruce? Madeleine is the mystery Bruce must unravel. But is he getting her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees? Bruce will walk the dark line between trust and betrayal as the Nightwalkers circle closer.

The Breakdown:
1. I promise I am trying to catch up in my reviews.  This is the second book of DC icons series.  Lu takes Bruce Wayne before he ever becomes The Batman.  She images his introduction to crime fighting in this book.   I love that there are many characters that we have met through the various Batman series that are seen in this book, even if it is not the way we know them in the series.

2.  In this book, Lu proves that Bruce has had a thing for the bad-girls from a young age.  His crush on Madeleine Wallace, one learns, is the first in a long line of bad girls that any fan of Batman knows.  It is interesting to see him shaping his moral compass and drawing lines about which to cross and which to not at his age.  Lu definitely does a great job of showing the Batman that will Bruce will become.

3.  Speaking of Madeleine, she is an intriguing character.  A definite bad girls as she is locked in Arkham for her crimes at a young age.  She is a girl with many secrets, and in a way like Bruce, with her own strange moral compass.

4. There is an interesting story line about the lines between the classes in Gotham and the hypocrites that make them.   I liked the story line and the characters, but I enjoyed first DC icons book, Wonderwoman: Warbringer  by Leigh Bardugo a little more.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Audiobook: The Dark Calling

The Dark Calling is written by Kresely Cole and narrated by Emma Gavin and is the fifth book in The Arcana Chronicles.

In a world teetering on the edge . . .
When Evie receives life-changing—and possibly game-changing—news, she has trouble believing it. Why doesn’t she feel any different? Is it possible someone she trusts might be lying?

With enemies at every turn . . .
Tensions seethe inside the castle of lost time as Evie starts to doubt her own sanity. Answers can be found outside their stronghold, but will Death help her find them—or prevent her from learning the truth about her future and Jack’s possible survival?

Darkness beckons. 
A mysterious, sinister power begins to affect the Arcana in its path. Forced out into the wasteland alone, Evie must depend on unexpected allies. But as a battle with Richter looms, can her new alliance defeat the Dark Calling before hell reigns on earth?

The Breakdown:
1. First, apologies for being so behind in my reviews.  Next is a little warning about this review.  There are definitely major spoilers for the last book, and there will be a minor spoiler at the end for this book.  Also, at the very bottom, I will included a updated list of the Arcana, who is who and who is dead, so don't read if you don't want to know.  It will be below my to read or not to read section.

2.  I am so glad that Cole gets to the point of proving that Evie is not crazy.  She is definitely pregnant with Death's child.  It is amazing this things she goes through during this pregnancy during the book.  And her powers are still unpredictable during this book. 

3. I just want to do a little happy dance for Jack's return.   The way his cares for Evie and does everything to ensure her and the baby will provided for is so heart warming.  Plus the charisma he has is amazing, especially at winning other Arcana to his side despite being human.

4.   Speaking of other Arcana, we finally meet Kentarch in person.  He definitely has some serious issues with finding his missing wife.  Also loved getting to know Joules better in this book.  He maybe my favorite supporting character of the Arcana.  In other news in that world, Cole introduces the first suit of Minor Arcana in this book.  They are every bit as crazy as some of the Majors, with a little less power.

5.   You may have noticed not much mention of Death/Aric.  He gets his crazy flipped for much of this book due to The Hanged Man.  A card that reverses other cards.  While under his influence, he tries to kill Evie, and chases her out of the castle.

6. Okay, here is the spoiler for this book.  I was surprised with the Hanged Man was revealed.  I was not expecting to be Paul, the medic.  I thought he would be a Minor, but no idea that he was the hidden card.  Just blew my theories out of the water.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read



List of Arcana:
0. The Fool, Gamekeeper of Old- Matthew
I. The Magician, Master of Illusions- Finneas
II. The Priestess, Ruler of the Deep- Circe
III. The Empress, Our Lady of Thorns- Evie
IV. The Emperor, Stone Overlord- Richter
V. The Hierophant, He of the Dark Rites- Guthrie 
VI. The Lovers, Duke & Duchess Most Perverse- Vincent and Violet
VII. The Centurion, Wicked Champion- Kentarch
VIiI. Strength, Mistress of Fauna- Lark
IX. The Hermit, Master of Alchemy- Arthur
X. Fortune, Lady of Chance- Zara
XI. The Fury, She Who Harrows- Spite
XII. The Hanged Man, Our Lord Uncanny- Paul
XIII. Death, the Endless Knight- Aric
XIV. Temperance, Collectress of Sins- Calanthe
XV. The Devil, Foul Desecrator- Ogen
XVI. The Tower, Lord of Lightning- Joules
XVII. The Star, Arcane Navigator- Stellan
XVII. The Moon, Bringer of Doubt- Selena
XIX. The Sun, Hail the Glorious Illuminator-Sol
XX. Judgement, the Archangel- Gabriel
XXI. The World, The Unearthly One- Tess