Andrea Ward
I liked visiting this world again. I liked how Kianthe and Reyna discover a problem that they need to fix while looking for the dragon eggs. I liked seeing Kianthe stand up to the bad guys as the Arcandor. I liked to see Reyna being able to use her protection and fighting skills. I loved the pirate ship stuff!
My only complaint is that it seemed a little long at times. But maybe I just didn't read it at the right time. If you like pirate ships and making things right for society, pick this one up. You will like it.
A new favorite!!
This book is a modern Dracula and hits all the story bests that important to me. The vampire is an unknown scare lurking behind the odd events. The more we find out about this mysterious person and the group they surround themselves with, the more terrifying and grotesque he became.
The main character in this version is Mina. She is dealing with her own trauma while trying to council other women who have trauma. In the midst of that her friend, Lucy, calls her home. Mina sees Lucy at home and a new patient in the city and connects the two. Now she is off to investigate what the police are ignoring. She is going to find a way to recuse the women who are tossed aside by society. Mina is vulnerable and determined and willing to learn. Those that come around her to support her investigation are amazing! I loved seeing how the characters I knew from the original showed up in this one.
I genuinely cannot say enough good things about this book! The vampires, the fear, the women, the determination. It was all so excellently done. This is a new all time favorite.
Positives:
The magic that they possess and the way it works is interesting. Blake did a good job managing all of the different points of view. I never got lost as I was listening. I love the way Blake writes. It is more purple that most other books I read, but it works for the stories that she tells.
Negatives:
The twist at the end came out of nowhere and wasn't foreshadowed enough. The library at Alexandria didn't feel important enough for there to be a thousands of years old secret society based around it.
This was so cute! The challenges and reality TV aspect were done well and added a lot to the characters and character development. Natalie and Finn are flawed and fabulous. I really appreciate how Natalie started out as a girly girl who is too good for the woods and turned into a girly girl who is totally capable in the woods.
I liked the creepy house/ school. The back then and now timelines are done well. The characters are interesting with their traumatic backgrounds. We get the information about that in good time throughout the novel. The very ending solution felt a little obvious. It wasn't 100% what I expected, but mostly it was. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't a surprise. The only other minor complaint was that the setting of Maine could have been used better. But that is a tiny complaint.
OMG! I was angry and sad and maybe the tiniest bit of hopeful. There was so much packed into this book. The micro aggressions and then that turned into bigger aggressions. There were secrets and horrible decisions by awful people. I was just so emotional throughout most of the book. Tiffany D Jackson is amazing!
This is my favorite adult T. Kingfisher book! I love the way that Simon and Kara work together. I love the way they figure out the ‘rules' for this new world that they found. I liked the way we got a glimpse into a world(s) that are just a little different than ours. I thought the solution was good even if it took Kara awhile to get there. But even if she was slow on the uptake, it led to some really great scenes, so I'm not mad about it. There are a few of the images from the book that will stick with me for a while. I also liked the little glimpse we get into Kara getting back into a ‘normal' life. The ex-husband parts weren't my favorite, but I can see the benefit of him showing up also. I can see myself reading this book again sometime.
I loved all the magical creatures in this book! I like that Tori didn't just go on the quest. She had to think of different lies to tell different people, so she could go. And she still felt bad about it later and that affected some of her decisions. I also liked how Tori used some of the things she had learned about the people and animals around her to help her interact with the magical creatures.
Some of the dialogue was stilted and it is really a bright happy story for a quest novel. However, I think it fits in with lots of other fun fantasy middle grade novels. I may not be the target audience, but I enjoyed the quest and the magical creatures none the less.
I liked the concept of prehistoric horror and the setting of tiny rural English village, but there were times I struggled to believe the characters. Sometimes it seemed like their backstory was extra dramatic without actual events in their past to back it up. Sometimes their actions didn't seem to mesh with the story that we were told about them, especially with the ‘bad guys.' In the end, I wanted a little more detail about everything, especially in how the ‘bad guys', the money, and the history were all tied up together.
I wasn't sure how I felt about Mara at first, but she grew on me. The wood carving she did to keep her hands busy played a bigger role than I expected. I liked how quickly Mara took to her job with the reality TV show. It was nice to see her feel competent at something. The haunting part and the explanation was not done as well as I would have liked. I listened to it on audio and I think that helped increase the creepy feeling of the locations where the filming was done.
Overall I liked the feel of this creepy little story.
If you loved The Nightmare Before Christmas, you will love this one! We have an almost creepy Halloween village, the Pumpkin King, and a secretly nefarious character that is causing problems. I loved the character of Eve and the way The Pumpkin King accepted her just as she was. She was strong and smart, but still needed help from others and sometimes made mistakes. Her best friends are a vampire and a witch. This is kind of Halloween story that feels cozy and homey. I adored this book.
The family, the legends, the friendship and the artwork that I loved from the first one are back! And you add in the lessons that Lucia learns, it really makes this book amazing. This is the right book for so many people, but especially for kids learning to navigate friendship and other responsibilities. This duology is a favorite graphic novel series. Amazing!
I like the cozy home feeling of place in this book. I liked the way that Mummy-ji was helping him secretly. And even though there was a cozy home feeling to most of it, the book addresses Partition and the trauma from it as well as the modern day affects of suspicion against the other. So it feels homey, but also deals with hard stuff. The mustache mystery and weight loss antics also helped lighten the feel of the book. Very enjoyable read!
I had no clue I wanted to read a zookeeper romance, but it was exactly what I wanted. There is so much information about the animals, plus their personalities. It is easy to fall in love with the animals, but especially the birds. Aila has so much social anxiety to overcome, but in the process she finds people she can count on as well as those that challenge her. I was pretty sure of the bad guy early on and it made sense that Aila didn't see it coming. I loved the way she was able to use her skills to keep all the animals safe. Overall it was wonderful to spend time at this special zoo.
Grumpy lobsterman in Canada! Yes please. The small town setting is wonderful. Both Evan and Mel are strong personalities and obviously would begin being annoyed by each other, but the way they learn to care about each other feels accurate and not rushed. I loved the family around both of them. I liked the interior work Mel had to do on herself as well. The getting back together part was a fun surprise, but the ending wasn't my favorite.
I was prepared for another investigation that made me wonder what is natural and what supernatural. I was not prepared for a book that made me care so deeply about several of these characters. This was more than just an enigmologist mystery thriller. It brought up questions about privacy and science and illness. I think this is my favorite Jeremy Logan book, so far.
Ooh! I loved the way the gods were built into the war and the world. We get bits and pieces because that is all Iris and Roman know. The twist at the end was disheartening and changed my guess about what book 2 would be about. I think it made me less excited to read it. So maybe I will pick up book 2 in a few months instead of right away.