Mr. McCane
I finally got around to reading this book, and I’m ashamed it sat on my bookshelf for so long. This was an incredible read, a masterpiece that deserves far more attention.
We follow eight-year-old Caprice after she loses her mother and moves in with her grandmother, Gracie, and her uncle, Marcel. Unfortunately, it’s a horrible environment for her.
The only positive thing about this move is that one of her neighbors is a boy named Shaun. Their friendship and eventually their relationship were everything. We follow Caprice as she navigates through unimaginable child abuse, friendship, and ultimately adulthood.
The supporting characters are just as memorable. Kahfi, Ms. Sylvia, and Ms. Kelly are all beautifully written, and I won’t be forgetting them anytime soon. Yes, this book explores some incredibly heavy trauma, but it’s so much more than that. It’s also a deep coming of age story, a friends to lovers romance, and a beautiful contemporary romance.
As much as Caprice deserves every bit of the spotlight, the author’s storytelling completely blew me away. I am beyond impressed. Just when I thought I couldn’t become more invested in Caprice’s story, the author introduced Kahfi, who had me in a chokehold.
This book is fast-paced, emotional, and a beautiful love story. It has officially earned a place among my all-time favorite reads.
I finally got around to reading this book, and I’m ashamed it sat on my bookshelf for so long. This was an incredible read, a masterpiece that deserves far more attention.
We follow eight-year-old Caprice after she loses her mother and moves in with her grandmother, Gracie, and her uncle, Marcel. Unfortunately, it’s a horrible environment for her.
The only positive thing about this move is that one of her neighbors is a boy named Shaun. Their friendship and eventually their relationship were everything. We follow Caprice as she navigates through unimaginable child abuse, friendship, and ultimately adulthood.
The supporting characters are just as memorable. Kahfi, Ms. Sylvia, and Ms. Kelly are all beautifully written, and I won’t be forgetting them anytime soon. Yes, this book explores some incredibly heavy trauma, but it’s so much more than that. It’s also a deep coming of age story, a friends to lovers romance, and a beautiful contemporary romance.
As much as Caprice deserves every bit of the spotlight, the author’s storytelling completely blew me away. I am beyond impressed. Just when I thought I couldn’t become more invested in Caprice’s story, the author introduced Kahfi, who had me in a chokehold.
This book is fast-paced, emotional, and a beautiful love story. It has officially earned a place among my all-time favorite reads.
This is a fantastic legal thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. On the historic night of President Obama’s first election, four white Chicago police officers repeatedly shot a 53-year-old Black Metra police officer during a traffic stop.
Fortunately, Hollis Montrose survived the encounter, but the CPD still has plans for him. They want him to spend the rest of his life in prison. The CPD throws him in jail, and the judge sets an unreasonable bail.
We also meet Hollis’s attorney, Beau Lee Cooper. He’s a civil rights attorney who is determined to help. Can Cooper, his best friend Nelson “Nellie” Rivers, and Brent “Cape” Capers convince a jury that not everything is as it seems?
I loved the twists and turns in this one, and the suspense kept me glued to the pages. This is my second legal thriller of the year, the first being Judge Stone, and I have fallen in love with the genre.
This is a fantastic legal thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. On the historic night of President Obama’s first election, four white Chicago police officers repeatedly shot a 53-year-old Black Metra police officer during a traffic stop.
Fortunately, Hollis Montrose survived the encounter, but the CPD still has plans for him. They want him to spend the rest of his life in prison. The CPD throws him in jail, and the judge sets an unreasonable bail.
We also meet Hollis’s attorney, Beau Lee Cooper. He’s a civil rights attorney who is determined to help. Can Cooper, his best friend Nelson “Nellie” Rivers, and Brent “Cape” Capers convince a jury that not everything is as it seems?
I loved the twists and turns in this one, and the suspense kept me glued to the pages. This is my second legal thriller of the year, the first being Judge Stone, and I have fallen in love with the genre.
Wake of Deception is book one in The Genesis Key Trilogy. This is a YA sci-fi novel. In this world, the Ancient Ones are an alien race that has saved Earth from humans destroying each other and the planet. People regard them as Gods, and they enforce a long list of rules. The Ancient Ones do not allow dreaming, and they rehabilitate anyone who suffers from dysphoria. People who violate the rules are sent to the Flush, while everyone else on the planet is heavily monitored.
Sixteen-year-old Hanu is a dreamer, and he has been living in the Flush for the last seven years. While there, he has another dream. Someone or something, gives him a mission. He must find the Genesis Key. He convinces himself that finding the Genesis Key may be a way to take back the planet. Or was it just another dream?
Anyway, Hanu and a group of other young patients find themselves caught up in an interstellar, or perhaps intergalactic war.
I enjoyed this read. It’s a slow burn, unpredictable, and ends on a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to see what happens in book two.
If I had to critique anything, I would say that the chapters felt a little long at times, and I wanted more of the Genesis Key. However, I’m sure book two will take care of that.
This is my second read by this author. The first was a standalone novel titled God, Science, and a Really Dumb Experiment. That one was really good also. That one is also YA.
Wake of Deception is book one in The Genesis Key Trilogy. This is a YA sci-fi novel. In this world, the Ancient Ones are an alien race that has saved Earth from humans destroying each other and the planet. People regard them as Gods, and they enforce a long list of rules. The Ancient Ones do not allow dreaming, and they rehabilitate anyone who suffers from dysphoria. People who violate the rules are sent to the Flush, while everyone else on the planet is heavily monitored.
Sixteen-year-old Hanu is a dreamer, and he has been living in the Flush for the last seven years. While there, he has another dream. Someone or something, gives him a mission. He must find the Genesis Key. He convinces himself that finding the Genesis Key may be a way to take back the planet. Or was it just another dream?
Anyway, Hanu and a group of other young patients find themselves caught up in an interstellar, or perhaps intergalactic war.
I enjoyed this read. It’s a slow burn, unpredictable, and ends on a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to see what happens in book two.
If I had to critique anything, I would say that the chapters felt a little long at times, and I wanted more of the Genesis Key. However, I’m sure book two will take care of that.
This is my second read by this author. The first was a standalone novel titled God, Science, and a Really Dumb Experiment. That one was really good also. That one is also YA.
I had a good time with this one. I’d been looking for a dystopian sci-fi horror novel that would blow me away, and this one almost got it right. I’ll explain why later.
Let’s get this out of the way. This is nothing like the movie starring Will Smith. As a matter of fact, the movie should have been called something else.
The entire planet has suffered through a vampire bacteria pandemic. A new mutated race of people has emerged, and they’re vampires. I’m talking about the traditional vampires. The afraid of crosses, garlic, and sunlight type.
Robert Neville is the last man on Earth. He hunts vampires by day and tries to survive at night. He’s also researching what happened. But the more he discovers, the more he wishes he hadn’t.
This was a good read and almost exactly what I was looking for. It had intense monster scenes, the lone-survivor trope, and a thought-provoking twist at the end. It’s a quick read, and I could visualize everything clearly.
My biggest issue with the book is that our main character, Robert, has a horrible view of women. It’s really distracting and pretty hard to overlook. His thoughts and actions involving women don’t add anything to the story. In fact, they only hurt it.
The second half is far better than the first. Overall, I enjoyed the read, but I can’t give it anything higher than 3.75 stars for the reasons I mentioned above. I know we can’t choose our main characters, but if we had someone else in Robert’s place, this book could have been perfect.
It was written in 1954, though. 🤷🏾♂️
I had a good time with this one. I’d been looking for a dystopian sci-fi horror novel that would blow me away, and this one almost got it right. I’ll explain why later.
Let’s get this out of the way. This is nothing like the movie starring Will Smith. As a matter of fact, the movie should have been called something else.
The entire planet has suffered through a vampire bacteria pandemic. A new mutated race of people has emerged, and they’re vampires. I’m talking about the traditional vampires. The afraid of crosses, garlic, and sunlight type.
Robert Neville is the last man on Earth. He hunts vampires by day and tries to survive at night. He’s also researching what happened. But the more he discovers, the more he wishes he hadn’t.
This was a good read and almost exactly what I was looking for. It had intense monster scenes, the lone-survivor trope, and a thought-provoking twist at the end. It’s a quick read, and I could visualize everything clearly.
My biggest issue with the book is that our main character, Robert, has a horrible view of women. It’s really distracting and pretty hard to overlook. His thoughts and actions involving women don’t add anything to the story. In fact, they only hurt it.
The second half is far better than the first. Overall, I enjoyed the read, but I can’t give it anything higher than 3.75 stars for the reasons I mentioned above. I know we can’t choose our main characters, but if we had someone else in Robert’s place, this book could have been perfect.
It was written in 1954, though. 🤷🏾♂️
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
So, wow. I knew Hollywood was a different world, but this book gave me an inside look. I loved the historical references, and the main character rubbed shoulders with a lot of heavy hitters. One reason I picked up this book was because it’s Pride Month. It gave me a glimpse of what it was like to be both Black and queer while trying to survive in Hollywood.
The book was just okay for me. My main issue was the amount of spice. If you know me, I can only handle one or two spicy scenes. After that, I tend to lose my connection to the characters and the story. That said, I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second. If you’re the type of reader who enjoys a lot of spice, you’ll probably love this one. 3.25 Stars.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
So, wow. I knew Hollywood was a different world, but this book gave me an inside look. I loved the historical references, and the main character rubbed shoulders with a lot of heavy hitters. One reason I picked up this book was because it’s Pride Month. It gave me a glimpse of what it was like to be both Black and queer while trying to survive in Hollywood.
The book was just okay for me. My main issue was the amount of spice. If you know me, I can only handle one or two spicy scenes. After that, I tend to lose my connection to the characters and the story. That said, I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second. If you’re the type of reader who enjoys a lot of spice, you’ll probably love this one. 3.25 Stars.
What an incredibly thought-provoking novel about a dying father’s letters to his only son. Without giving too much away, Jacob, who hasn’t spoken to his son Isaac in years, has finally realized that he has been a horrible person. The letter is his attempt to explain it all, from stories about their ancestors to his personal feelings about the LGBTQ+ community.
This is one of the books I read for Pride Month, and it was a good one. It’s very well written and took me on an emotional journey from beginning to end. I couldn’t stand Jacob; for me, he took too long to wake up. Still, I understand that hurt people often hurt people. I can’t wait to read Isaac’s Song, the second book in the series.
What an incredibly thought-provoking novel about a dying father’s letters to his only son. Without giving too much away, Jacob, who hasn’t spoken to his son Isaac in years, has finally realized that he has been a horrible person. The letter is his attempt to explain it all, from stories about their ancestors to his personal feelings about the LGBTQ+ community.
This is one of the books I read for Pride Month, and it was a good one. It’s very well written and took me on an emotional journey from beginning to end. I couldn’t stand Jacob; for me, he took too long to wake up. Still, I understand that hurt people often hurt people. I can’t wait to read Isaac’s Song, the second book in the series.
This was one hell of a ride, and it’s not being talked about nearly enough. Juneteenth is an emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking thriller. We follow Marcus, a father who has lost everything, including his 12-year-old son, Jamal. When the justice system fails him, Marcus tries to mourn the best way he knows how. But when he learns that everything is not what it seems, he’s determined to uncover the truth and seek vengeance.
It felt as if I were watching a movie. Each character had a distinct voice and carried their scenes well. Some characters made me cheer for them, while others made my blood boil. Overall, I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone. This is incredible storytelling from a talented indie author, and I’m glad we’re no longer strangers.
With Juneteenth around the corner and given the current political climate, I can’t think of a more fitting time to read this book.
This was one hell of a ride, and it’s not being talked about nearly enough. Juneteenth is an emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking thriller. We follow Marcus, a father who has lost everything, including his 12-year-old son, Jamal. When the justice system fails him, Marcus tries to mourn the best way he knows how. But when he learns that everything is not what it seems, he’s determined to uncover the truth and seek vengeance.
It felt as if I were watching a movie. Each character had a distinct voice and carried their scenes well. Some characters made me cheer for them, while others made my blood boil. Overall, I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone. This is incredible storytelling from a talented indie author, and I’m glad we’re no longer strangers.
With Juneteenth around the corner and given the current political climate, I can’t think of a more fitting time to read this book.
This is one incredible memoir, and I’m ashamed that it sat on my shelf unread for so long. We follow Richard through every stage of his life: as a child, athlete, comedian, business owner, husband, father, and activist. It’s so well written and well structured that I felt as though I were viewing his life through his eyes.
Although I’m familiar with America’s horrible history of Black people living in America, there’s nothing like hearing individual voices of civil rights soldiers who had boots on the ground. The sacrifices made are unfathomable. Stop what you’re doing and read this book. Same fight, different quarter.
This is one incredible memoir, and I’m ashamed that it sat on my shelf unread for so long. We follow Richard through every stage of his life: as a child, athlete, comedian, business owner, husband, father, and activist. It’s so well written and well structured that I felt as though I were viewing his life through his eyes.
Although I’m familiar with America’s horrible history of Black people living in America, there’s nothing like hearing individual voices of civil rights soldiers who had boots on the ground. The sacrifices made are unfathomable. Stop what you’re doing and read this book. Same fight, different quarter.
This is my second read by Nguyen Phan Que Mai. I absolutely loved The Mountains Sing and had heard this one was even better, so I dove right in without even reading the synopsis.
During the Vietnam War, many American soldiers slept with Vietnamese women and then left, often leaving them pregnant. The mixed-race children who were left behind were called Amerasians. These children faced discrimination, teasing, and horrible insults because many Vietnamese people still hated Americans. One of the names they were called was “Dust Children.”
Many of these children spent their entire lives trying to locate their fathers. And on rare occasions, there were American soldiers trying to locate the children they had abandoned.
Dust Child takes place between 1969 and 2016 and follows three interconnected POVs.
First, we meet Phong, a half-Black, half-Vietnamese man who is desperately searching for his Black American father who resides in the United States.
Next, we follow 18-year-old Trang (Kim) and her 17-year-old sister, Quynh. The two sisters are trying to earn money for their parents by working as “bar girls,” which, of course, involves prostituting themselves to American soldiers.
Finally, we follow Dan, a white American soldier who returns to Vietnam in 2016 searching for the child he abandoned during the war.
I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t expecting any Black American representation, and then suddenly, boom, we’re in here too. This author is an incredible writer. I immersive read this book, and I highly recommend experiencing it the same way. It was deeply thought-provoking for me and an easy five stars.
This is my second read by Nguyen Phan Que Mai. I absolutely loved The Mountains Sing and had heard this one was even better, so I dove right in without even reading the synopsis.
During the Vietnam War, many American soldiers slept with Vietnamese women and then left, often leaving them pregnant. The mixed-race children who were left behind were called Amerasians. These children faced discrimination, teasing, and horrible insults because many Vietnamese people still hated Americans. One of the names they were called was “Dust Children.”
Many of these children spent their entire lives trying to locate their fathers. And on rare occasions, there were American soldiers trying to locate the children they had abandoned.
Dust Child takes place between 1969 and 2016 and follows three interconnected POVs.
First, we meet Phong, a half-Black, half-Vietnamese man who is desperately searching for his Black American father who resides in the United States.
Next, we follow 18-year-old Trang (Kim) and her 17-year-old sister, Quynh. The two sisters are trying to earn money for their parents by working as “bar girls,” which, of course, involves prostituting themselves to American soldiers.
Finally, we follow Dan, a white American soldier who returns to Vietnam in 2016 searching for the child he abandoned during the war.
I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t expecting any Black American representation, and then suddenly, boom, we’re in here too. This author is an incredible writer. I immersive read this book, and I highly recommend experiencing it the same way. It was deeply thought-provoking for me and an easy five stars.
Shen Tao did her thing with this one. It had me locked in. Five stars! Keep in mind that she’s a debut author. I rarely read fantasy, but since three of my favorite mutuals were raving about it (Claude, Dre Reads, and Smitty), I decided to give it a try. And yes, they were spot on!
This is not a romantasy, and it’s definitely not predictable. There are dragons, and this book will take your emotions all over the place!
The Poet Empress is a dark fantasy about a teenage girl named Wei Yin who lives in a small town within a large kingdom. Her town is poor, and her family is struggling financially. In an attempt to help out her family, Wei enters a selection competition to become a concubine for the crown prince.
The whole time, there are rumors that the prince is a cruel and horrible person. Wei has to decide if the benefits of being with the prince will outweigh the consequences. Keep in mind that people are competing not only to become the next emperor, but also the next empress. Everyone in the kingdom is shiesty and lowdown. You can’t trust anyone.
There’s also a magic system that’s easy to understand. The characters basically have to write poems to cast spells.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat, and the ending is straight fire. I loved this book! Check the trigger warnings because this story has a lot going on.
Shen Tao did her thing with this one. It had me locked in. Five stars! Keep in mind that she’s a debut author. I rarely read fantasy, but since three of my favorite mutuals were raving about it (Claude, Dre Reads, and Smitty), I decided to give it a try. And yes, they were spot on!
This is not a romantasy, and it’s definitely not predictable. There are dragons, and this book will take your emotions all over the place!
The Poet Empress is a dark fantasy about a teenage girl named Wei Yin who lives in a small town within a large kingdom. Her town is poor, and her family is struggling financially. In an attempt to help out her family, Wei enters a selection competition to become a concubine for the crown prince.
The whole time, there are rumors that the prince is a cruel and horrible person. Wei has to decide if the benefits of being with the prince will outweigh the consequences. Keep in mind that people are competing not only to become the next emperor, but also the next empress. Everyone in the kingdom is shiesty and lowdown. You can’t trust anyone.
There’s also a magic system that’s easy to understand. The characters basically have to write poems to cast spells.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat, and the ending is straight fire. I loved this book! Check the trigger warnings because this story has a lot going on.
I’m so glad I finally got to read this book.
The setting is the year 2023 in a fictional town (Padua Beach) down south in the Florida Panhandle. Down South is where many people send their pregnant girls. This book focuses on the POVs of three of them.
First, we have Simone, an African American 20-year-old who was kicked out of her parents’ home when she was 16 because she got pregnant. She now lives in the back of her boyfriend’s truck with her twin 4-year-old daughters. She’s like a big sister to a group of other girls who are in similar situations.
Next, we have Emory. She’s a 17-year-old high school Caucasian girl with a newborn. She lives with her grandparents, and they prohibit her boyfriend from entering their home. You can probably figure out why.
And finally, we meet Adela, a mixed-race pregnant 16-year-old from a wealthy family. Her parents sent her from Indiana to live with her grandparents until she had the baby. Apparently she was “embarrassing” the family.
There are other girls in this book, but the story mainly focuses on those three. The chapters are also divided by POV, which I enjoyed.
After being abandoned, all these girls have is each other. This was a good read about sisterhood and watching them band together in a world that does not have their best interests at heart.
You may ask yourself, “Why the hell are you reading a book about pregnant teenage girls?” First, mind your damn business. I don’t like your attitude. And second, I enjoy learning about different situations people go through in life. Pregnant teenagers are a new topic for me to explore in books.
It really bothers me that parents will throw their own children out onto the streets because they got pregnant. That’s a problem. Who throws away their children and grandchildren?
I kept thinking about my wife and I situation. We were both 20 years old when she became pregnant with our first child. Although it was rough, I can’t imagine her trying to navigate that alone. It’s a cold world out there, and I’m grateful we had each other.
I immersive-read this one and enjoyed the hell out of it.
That’s two books in a row I’ve read with horrible parents. (The Darkest Child.)
I’m so glad I finally got to read this book.
The setting is the year 2023 in a fictional town (Padua Beach) down south in the Florida Panhandle. Down South is where many people send their pregnant girls. This book focuses on the POVs of three of them.
First, we have Simone, an African American 20-year-old who was kicked out of her parents’ home when she was 16 because she got pregnant. She now lives in the back of her boyfriend’s truck with her twin 4-year-old daughters. She’s like a big sister to a group of other girls who are in similar situations.
Next, we have Emory. She’s a 17-year-old high school Caucasian girl with a newborn. She lives with her grandparents, and they prohibit her boyfriend from entering their home. You can probably figure out why.
And finally, we meet Adela, a mixed-race pregnant 16-year-old from a wealthy family. Her parents sent her from Indiana to live with her grandparents until she had the baby. Apparently she was “embarrassing” the family.
There are other girls in this book, but the story mainly focuses on those three. The chapters are also divided by POV, which I enjoyed.
After being abandoned, all these girls have is each other. This was a good read about sisterhood and watching them band together in a world that does not have their best interests at heart.
You may ask yourself, “Why the hell are you reading a book about pregnant teenage girls?” First, mind your damn business. I don’t like your attitude. And second, I enjoy learning about different situations people go through in life. Pregnant teenagers are a new topic for me to explore in books.
It really bothers me that parents will throw their own children out onto the streets because they got pregnant. That’s a problem. Who throws away their children and grandchildren?
I kept thinking about my wife and I situation. We were both 20 years old when she became pregnant with our first child. Although it was rough, I can’t imagine her trying to navigate that alone. It’s a cold world out there, and I’m grateful we had each other.
I immersive-read this one and enjoyed the hell out of it.
That’s two books in a row I’ve read with horrible parents. (The Darkest Child.)