Hana has inherited a pawn shop from her father, although it's not just a regular pawnshop; it's one that people can only find if they have need of it,Hana has inherited a pawn shop from her father, although it's not just a regular pawnshop; it's one that people can only find if they have need of it, and they accept people's regrets. When Hana takes over upon her father's retirement, she discovers that the place is a mess, and both one of their acquisitions and her father himself are missing.
This had a strong premise, and I really loved the concept in here. The idea of a pawnshop where people are selling regrets instead of items is so clever, and I enjoyed the way that the author portrayed these regrets. The writing and plot both had a dreamlike feel to them, and I read this as if sifting through the layers of someone's dream. Clearly the author has a good imagination!
That said, I had a hard time connecting to the story and felt like I was waiting for something more to happen. I don't know if it was the pacing or the characters that kept me from ever feeling fully immersed in this world, but as much as I was interested in seeing how the author would depict the rest of this story, I kind of lost interest in reading this. It felt like there was a lot of potential but the story itself just didn't quite have the kind of delivery that was necessary to keep it going. I feel like the author had an excellent idea for this, but the execution just wasn't for me....more
Mullory is worried about money and has a memory of her mom telling her to beware the strange, right before her mom left. The strange finds her, thoughMullory is worried about money and has a memory of her mom telling her to beware the strange, right before her mom left. The strange finds her, though, in the form of magical letters that appear and invite her to participate in a game to inherit the magical fortune of Xavier Stoutmire by solving the mystery of his murder. She's one of only two participants invited from the outside and do not understand magic, but she's determined to win and get the monetary prize, while others competing are mostly focused on the prize of inheriting his magic.
This had an interesting premise. I liked the magic and mystery blend. It sounded like a lot of fun to have a magical game where the winner will inherit not just money but magic, kind of like The Westing Game (a book I loved as a kid) but with magic. This comparison alone sold me on reading it. However, the actual reading experience didn't fully resonate for me. The narration goes around between the different characters, which is fine, but I never connected with any and the magic felt like it was always on the verge of being explained and becoming interesting but never actually reaching that point. I wanted there to be more character development, more complex characters, and a fully captivating story. All these elements were present, but they just didn't feel fully realized. Additionally, there were multiple parts where something would be written on a paper and the font used for this handwriting/script was really hard to read and continually took me out of the story as I tried to decipher it.
I read about half of this book but seemed to be less and less enthused every time I picked it up again, so eventually I decided I just wasn't going to finish. I feel like this had so much potential; perhaps others would feel completely captivated by this story. Despite there being a lot of "showing" as far as the magical world was concerned, because Mullory didn't know anything about the world, there was also a lot of "telling" to her from other characters. This might have been the main reason I never fully got into the story. Interesting idea, but this just wasn't for me. ...more
This is the follow-up book to Frigg's Journey to Anasgar, which was a lot of fun. This book focuses on Ping, a faery who grew up in a dwarf colony, alThis is the follow-up book to Frigg's Journey to Anasgar, which was a lot of fun. This book focuses on Ping, a faery who grew up in a dwarf colony, always wondering if there were other pixies out there but not knowing how to find them. One day, a stranger finds her and tells her that not only does the mythical faery kingdom of Pixiandria exist, Ping is the princess and her mother, the queen, has gone missing! With help from her friends, Ping has to return to her homeland, find her mother, and figure out where she fits in.
This was such a cute story! It started off engaging enough, but the real excitement began when Ping's journey got underway. I loved the kingdom of Pixiandria and all the details about how faeries lived. Even the names of their meals sounded magical! Ping really seemed to come into her own in this book, and I enjoyed learning about her history and meeting other magical creatures as she learned about the new world. The new characters were engaging, and the way faery magic developed was interesting. There were also a handful of fun callbacks to the first book in this series; while you don't need to have read the first book to enjoy this one, I would recommend it for maximum enjoyment.
While there were a few threads in here that didn't feel completely resolved or explained, it's possible that they will get picked up in the next book (which I'm excited for!) and I liked the story enough that a few loose threads didn't affect my enjoyment of the book overall. I think I would have loved this when I was younger, and I hope this book finds those readers because it was such a fun journey! If you like magical creatures and want to read a tale of adventure and friendship, this is the perfect series!...more
2.5 stars. This book starts off with a clever idea: humanity has created robots to serve them, and one of these robots, called Charles while he's serv2.5 stars. This book starts off with a clever idea: humanity has created robots to serve them, and one of these robots, called Charles while he's serving his master, performs all his tasks exactly as programmed. One day, while shaving his master, he is slightly off in his distance calculations and ends up murdering his master. He continues following all his programming (setting out food for his master, dressing him, etc.) because he doesn't know anything else. Eventually, this is investigated and Charles confirms that he murdered his master. This should mean he'll be decommissioned, but he ends up finding out that he can run away and discovers other robots who aren't just there to serve masters.
This book was very clever. I liked the way the author detailed Charles's programming and the way the absurdity of some of it was portrayed. For example, at the very beginning, Charles checks his master's travel schedule even though he hasn't traveled for years, just because his master once told him to always check it and this order was never rescinded, so he has to keep doing it. The author did a great job of demonstrating how the "minds" of robots work and doing so in an engaging way.
My complaint about the book is that this cleverness only goes so far. I read about a third of the book before deciding I didn't want to continue, mostly because it seemed to continually rely on this cleverness instead of a compelling plot or characters. It felt tedious to get through, every bit of cleverness dragging on much longer than needed to get the point across. This is clearly mostly philosophy disguised as a novel, and it didn't keep my interest. I feel like this could have been a solid novella; it definitely lost me as it dragged on....more
This is the sequel to Divine Rivals, which I read a few months ago and absolutely loved, making me eager to read the conclusion to the saga! If you haThis is the sequel to Divine Rivals, which I read a few months ago and absolutely loved, making me eager to read the conclusion to the saga! If you haven't read the first one, you should absolutely do so before reading this one (and before reading my review, since there may be spoilers for the first book in here).
This book picks up shortly after the first book ends, with the gods Dacre and Enva still warring and Iris, a journalist who'd been injured while reporting on the war, separated from Roman, her love interest and fellow journalist. Iris heads back to the frontlines to report on the war and hopefully find news about Roman's whereabouts. Roman's been captured, healed, and had his memory erased by Dacre. Iris starts writing letters to him, as she had previously, and they're magically delivered to him. Roman doesn't remember her but her letters begin jogging his memory as the war heats up all around them.
This was such an exciting conclusion to the series. I loved that it wasn't just a retelling of the first book, although it continued the same magical universe and had the same kind of feel to it, and I appreciated the author's ability to keep the Iris/Roman love story feeling fresh and swoon worthy instead of getting stale. The plot moved along at an excellent pace, and I loved the way this felt like a blend of fantasy and historical fiction due to the existence of magic but the equal existence of things like typewriters. There were plenty of moments about the relationship between Iris and Roman (especially with their continued letters to each other!), but overall, the plot kept its focus on the war and how it was affecting everyone in the vicinity. The mythology was nicely explained, and the legends about the gods made this feel like such a well-rounded universe.
I had hoped that this book would be a solid conclusion to the story started in Divine Rivals, and I was not disappointed. This is absolutely a book (along with its predecessor) that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a magical read. The characters were so well depicted and three-dimensional, the plot was interesting, and the romance was perfectly portrayed. What a great read! I wish there were more books in this world, but I'm also happy that it ended so perfectly....more
I didn't get far enough into this book to fairly give it a starred rating. The writing in here was sooo off-putting and gave off the vibe of trying waI didn't get far enough into this book to fairly give it a starred rating. The writing in here was sooo off-putting and gave off the vibe of trying way too hard to be clever or funny but not succeeding at either. I couldn't handle reading more than a chapter and really couldn't imagine trying to slog my way through the entire book. I felt like perhaps the author was going for funny, quirky, or snarky... but in reality, the character just came off as unlikable and nothing about it was funny because I couldn't get past my annoyance about the writing to even vaguely enjoy (or follow) the plot. Based on the fact that this has overall high ratings on Goodreads, I assume that there is an audience with an appetite for this kind of book. I'm just not part of that group. ...more
Carter works at a company with a particle accelerator and after an accident one day, he becomes stuck in the same four-day time loop. Eventually a neuCarter works at a company with a particle accelerator and after an accident one day, he becomes stuck in the same four-day time loop. Eventually a neuroscientist named Mariana gets stuck there with him, and they both start trying to figure out what's happened and how to get out of it. There are some benefits to everything resetting (like being able to splurge on expensive meals and then have their bank accounts reset), but no one ever remembers anything that happens in a loop except the two of them. Then things start changing, and their need to find out what's going on becomes even more urgent.
I liked this book but didn't love it. It had so much potential, but the book only ever felt kind of superficial, which is especially strange considering how complex the plot had to be. I enjoyed bits about this, like the things that they did to try to figure out what was going on, but so much of this just felt like it dragged and I think I lost the plot a few times because my interest waned. The characters were fine but didn't especially endear me to them and I just wanted there to be more. Also, the end seemed to leave some threads unresolved, the technology in here wasn't always well explained (to me, anyway; maybe I just didn't fully understand the world), and I finished this not understanding everything that had happened. Perhaps this just wasn't for me. ...more
3.5 stars. WellPods have just debuted and the first people are setting out on voyages in them. These pods float in the ocean and are designed to conta3.5 stars. WellPods have just debuted and the first people are setting out on voyages in them. These pods float in the ocean and are designed to contain everything a person needs for a 6-week refresh, after which they can return to their technology-heavy lives. Maggie is one such person. She applied to be in a pod after finding out she was pregnant; her partner, Noa, works for the company that created the pods and doesn’t know Maggie is pregnant with someone else’s baby. Noa is also keeping secrets of her own. When Noa starts to believe the company is shadier than the public knows and that Maggie is in danger, she starts doing whatever she can to keep Maggie safe.
This was a strange book. The author had some really interesting ideas about technology and did a good job building a world that was believable, its technology all-encompassing and different from what’s available now, yet the lure very similar. I thoroughly enjoyed the technology world building in here. The narration jumped between a few individuals (Maggie, Noa, and Emmett, who founded the company) and also jumped back and forth in time. I had no problem keeping the characters straight and found their individual stories equally interesting. Although I felt like the characters had interesting stories and journeys, I felt like the character development could have been deepened and improved a bit more, since the backstory was complicated but didn’t feel complex. I wanted to know more about the characters than what I was shown. I also feel like the world building outside of the company that created the WellPods (and the area where all its employees live) could have been better developed as well, as the reader is shown glimpses of it but its history and current status was harder to comprehend.
The WellPods were an interesting concept. I couldn’t fully see the attraction to them the way that I could see why other technology had become so popular in this world. At times, it felt like more of a plot device than an actual thing that would be well-received in the world. I don’t know if I fully understood what the WellPod looked and felt like, although I feel like the author described it well. Perhaps the problem was that I didn’t get the appeal of it.
As the story went on, the intrigue about the company and the secrets each character was keeping got more and more interesting to me. I wanted to find out how things would resolve, and whether certain people would outsmart the others who were clearly using them as pawns. I also was invested in finding out what would happen with Maggie on the WellPod. However, the ending fell flat for me. It resolved things, but not in a way that felt fully satisfying. I think I wanted the characters to have more agency of their own and to make more decisions. So, while the book was good overall and I imagine I’ll think about a lot of the concepts in here for months to come, I finished this feeling ambivalent about the book as a whole. ...more
Jason is a married physics professor who's happy with his life but gave up his research years ago to be with his wife and son. While out one night, heJason is a married physics professor who's happy with his life but gave up his research years ago to be with his wife and son. While out one night, he's kidnapped and made unconscious. When he wakes up, he's surrounded by people in hazmat suits, thrilled to see him. It's a completely different world, where he's still Jason but he has no wife or son and instead had spent years on his research, which created something that is completely upending his life. Now, he's desperate to get back to his family but doesn't know how to find them or how to make them believe what's going on.
This was great! The writing felt a little basic, but the story was so good and well told that I was hooked almost immediately and barely noticed the writing after that because I was so invested in the story. I don't want to spoil this for anyone who hasn't read it, so I'll just say that the plot in here was not just clever but really well thought out. I was riveted by the story and kept needing to read on to find out what would happen next. There was a nice twist along the way that made complete sense in hindsight but I didn't see coming, making the story even more fascinating and well-plotted. I'd easily recommend this to those who like sci-fi thrillers. So much of this story continues to run through my mind despite me finishing the book a few days ago! Definitely a good one....more
Luzia is a servant with a talent for small magic in the Spanish Golden Age. She’s managed to keep it under the radar so far, but after her mistress seLuzia is a servant with a talent for small magic in the Spanish Golden Age. She’s managed to keep it under the radar so far, but after her mistress sees what she’s capable of, she quickly enlists Luzia to perform additional tasks in an effort to improve her own social standing. Soon, Luzia’s talents have attracted the attention of others and is recruited to perform for the king and perhaps assist the country in its war against England.
I liked the concept of this novel. The author did a nice job drawing the setting. Luzia’s plight seemed intriguing, the magic could have been interesting, and the backdrop gave the story an additional gothic feel to it.
That said, I had a hard time getting into this book. It started off decently enough, but then Luzia seemed really careless with her magic (which is why the story really kicked into high gear) and it felt more forced than anything else. The magic didn’t seem fully explained and I got tired of Luzia worrying about what might happen to her if the origins of her magic were questioned. I also had a hard time with the characters, who were numerous and kind of seemed to blend together. I never felt a particular affinity for anyone. All the characters were pretty flat, and the writing, while perfectly fine, didn’t fully bring the world or characters to life. Also, the romance (from what I read of it; it was just starting to develop when I set this aside) was meh. I got bored as the story went on and ultimately decided it wasn’t worth continuing to read because my mind kept wandering and I didn’t care what happened next. This had potential but, for me, it was unrealized. ...more
This book is set in the near future, when embryos can be created so long as you have DNA from two people. This has resulted in a black market platformThis book is set in the near future, when embryos can be created so long as you have DNA from two people. This has resulted in a black market platform called The Vault where celebrity DNA sells for a premium, and people can have babies with a celebrity so long as they're willing to pay for it and don't care about ethics. One celebrity, a singer named Thorne, hires a bio-security bodyguard named Ember to make sure he never leaves any DNA behind anywhere and that his DNA will never be up for sale. Then a woman shows up claiming to possibly be carrying a baby made from Thorne's DNA, and they start scrambling to figure out if this is true.
The premise of this book was so good. I was sucked into the story from the very start. There are three main characters and narrators in here: Ember, Quinn (the woman potentially carrying Thorne's baby), and Lily (a recent grad trying to become a journalist). I knew from the start that all the stories would intersect at some point, and they did so in such a great manner. I was riveted by the story and by each character, and I thought each had an equally strong narrative. The main story in here was strong, but each character also had secrets of their own or was dealing with others who were obviously keeping secrets, and I loved the way that all the mysteries unfolded. I had a really hard time putting this book down and just wanted to keep reading so I could find out what would happen next! ...more
4.5 stars. Tia is a head-hopper/immersionist, able to transfer her consciousness into someone else's body if they allow it. There are a number of peop4.5 stars. Tia is a head-hopper/immersionist, able to transfer her consciousness into someone else's body if they allow it. There are a number of people with this ability in the world, but she's kept hers relatively quiet and hasn't registered with the government as required. Instead, she uses it to help others and gets hired by people who want her to do something that they lack the confidence to do themselves. She makes sure her own (empty) body is safe while she does the job, then returns and everyone's happy. After doing a job one day, before returning to her own body, she sees breaking news on the TV that someone wearing her own body just murdered the District Attorney. She has no idea how someone managed to steal her unattended body, or even knew it was going to be empty during that time, but she now needs to prove her own innocence and figure out who used her body to commit this crime, especially since they now want her (as the only "witness") dead too.
This was such a great book and engaging story! I'd read a few previous books by this author and enjoyed them, but I'm pretty sure this book is her best yet. Tia was such a great main character. I loved her narration and how resourceful she was trying to figure everything out. I enjoyed her friendships and the supporting characters in here as well, all of whom seemed like three-dimensional people instead of just characters. The mystery in here was so well done and kept me guessing until the very end; I had no idea who the guilty party would be until it was revealed, which made total sense and also was very exciting because I hate it when I figure out a mystery well before anyone in the book!
The premise in here reminded me of John Scalzi's Lock In, except this is YA instead of adult, and with a Veronica Mars like vibe to the main character and the story. What a fun mash up! There were so many side mysteries, as lots of supporting characters had their own secrets and kept Tia's investigation interesting as she looked into what everyone else wants to keep hidden. I thoroughly enjoyed this. The story wrapped up neatly, but it felt like there was potential for a follow-up book, which I'd easily read if written. ...more
Ivy is a journalist who’s struggling with the absence of her brother, who’s enlisted to fight in a war between the gods Enva and Dacre and has not wriIvy is a journalist who’s struggling with the absence of her brother, who’s enlisted to fight in a war between the gods Enva and Dacre and has not written to her since he left. The war seems faraway but Ivy knows it will eventually get closer to home. She writes letters to her brother and slips them under a door… where they magically end up in the hands of Roman, her rival at the newspaper and soon her anonymous penpal that she falls in love with. As the war drags on, Ivy signs up to become a war correspondent and gets closer to the front lines, trying to better understand the truth of the war and find out what happened to her brother.
This book was so good! The author created such an intricate world, complete with its own mythology and history. I loved the world building in here and the way the myths slowly were revealed to the reader. The idea of letters being magically directed between the two journalists was clever, and I fell in love with both characters through their writings. All the characters in here felt very real, and the story moved forward at such a perfect pace. I had no idea where the plot would go but continually wanted to read on and find out more.
One thing I found interesting about this book is that the author didn’t spend time trying to explain the world in here to the reader; instead, the reader is just dropped into the world and information is slowly revealed as the book goes on to further round the story out and fill in the blanks. It was so well done. The writing was beautiful, the characters engaging, and the story was so interesting. This felt like a blend of fantasy and history. The book ended in a good spot, but there was enough left unsaid that I feel the need to pick up the sequel to this as soon as possible. I’m so happy to see that it’s already out!...more
Esther and Joanna are sisters who grew up with the knowledge that their family owns books that contain magic when read. For some reason, Esther is comEsther and Joanna are sisters who grew up with the knowledge that their family owns books that contain magic when read. For some reason, Esther is completely unaffected by the magic, and as an adult, she's roaming the world while Esther stays at their family's house, guarding the books. After their father mysteriously dies from a dangerous book and Esther makes a decision that puts both sisters in danger, they reunite for the first time in years and start learning more about the history of the library and their own powers to defeat those who wish to harm them.
This book started off interestingly enough, albeit in a bit of a confusing way since I didn't know how the magic in the world worked. The story jumps around between the two sisters as well as a man named Nicholas, who's part of another library in the world. I was intrigued by the story to start, but it took me a while to fully understand what was going on in all three stories.
This book was enjoyable overall, but it really piqued my interest after a twist that made me very curious to read on and find out more! The characters were interesting, and I loved how they all had secrets being kept from them. It was portrayed in a way that felt realistic and interesting as a reader. I had no idea how this book would resolve, but the author did such a good job bringing it all together by the end. The scope of the plot in here was really complex, but it really was brought together well.
This is technically a fantasy novel due to the magic in here, but it reads like a contemporary fiction because the role of magic is minor and the story is otherwise set in the real world. I feel like you don't have to be a fantasy reader to enjoy this. It has a sort of gothic feel to it and definitely captured a mood! Once the story picked up steam, it kept me hooked and I was not disappointed by the end. A solid read overall!...more
This was a book club pick that I'd never heard of before but is apparently the book that a new TV show is based on. All over the world, girls have sudThis was a book club pick that I'd never heard of before but is apparently the book that a new TV show is based on. All over the world, girls have suddenly gained the ability to cause pain using their hands, kind of like an eel gives an electric shock. The book follows a handful of girls across the globe as they wrestle with their new power and how this affects their self-confidence, their interactions with others and the fear that such power brings.
I thought the premise of the book was interesting (probably the only reason I'm giving this two stars instead of one), but the book did not live up to the hype. I'm shocked there are so many rave reviews for this. I couldn't get into it at all and didn't especially care about any of the characters, especially because the action jumps between characters each chapter before I ever felt attached to one. It seemed choppy and unbalanced. I know this was supposed to show how different people in different circumstances reacted to the changes, but it wasn't very interesting. I think the writing also didn't especially resonate with me. It was polished but felt kind of basic in a way that's hard to describe.
Clearly there are those who loved this book, since it does have great reviews and was turned into a show. I wish I'd read the same book as all those reviewers! Oh well. I gave up on this book about a quarter of the way in, when I couldn't bring myself to read any more. There are too many other books I'd like to read to waste more time on one I'm not enjoying....more
Lilith is a woman who's chosen by an alien race, the Oankali, to lead other human survivors as they prepare to return to Earth, which was nearly destrLilith is a woman who's chosen by an alien race, the Oankali, to lead other human survivors as they prepare to return to Earth, which was nearly destroyed by humans years ago as they waged wars and the few survivors were saved by the Oankali. Lilith feels unprepared for her role, and she is frustrated by the occasional lack of answers and attitude from the Oankali, who assume they know better than she does about how to handle the reintroduction of humans to Earth and the future of humanity.
I'd heard of Octavia E. Butler, but this is the first book of hers that I've read. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it lived up to whatever subconscious expectations I had! I was drawn into the story almost immediately and eager to read on, wanting to find out what would happen next. The pace of this book was somewhat slow in that not a lot happened, but it was so thoughtful and interesting that I didn't mind. There were some parts of the alien world that really made me pause to think; for example, the whole concept of being able to remember everything you've ever learned, anytime, instead of having trouble recalling stuff you know you know was interesting. I also really enjoyed seeing how the human interacted with each other once additional people were awakened and learned that they had been saved and chosen to return to Earth. It was almost comical to see how the Oankali miscalculated human emotions and how unfortunately typical some of the reactions were.
Apparently this is the start of a trilogy. I think this wrapped up well and I don't think it "needs" additional books, but I will likely continue reading to see how the rest of this world unfolds as the story goes on. Definitely a well done book, and based on this alone, I can see why the author is so famous!...more
2.5 stars. Prospera is an island where everyone lives quite happy lives until the monitors implanted in their arms say their health has deteriorated e2.5 stars. Prospera is an island where everyone lives quite happy lives until the monitors implanted in their arms say their health has deteriorated enough that they should "retire," at which point they board a ferry to the Nursery, where their memories are wiped and they're put in the body of a child so they can start again fresh. Proctor Bennett is a ferryman whose responsibility is to help guide retiring people from their old life into the next. All is going well until the day he escorts his father, who gives him a warning that immediately sets off alarms in the minds of others, who start inquiring about what Proctor knows. He knows something is not right with the world but isn't yet sure what.
This book started off so strongly and then devolved into confusion. By the end of the book, I wasn't fully sure what had happened and wondered if I had missed something or if it was just that confusing. I really liked the start of this book, which is the main reason I rounded this up to 3 stars. It was interesting to read about the world and wonder about the mysteries in it. I liked the set up a lot and was really curious to know what was actually going on. I'd set the book down and be eager to pick it up again because it was such a strange place and I had so many questions.
While the first half or so of the book was interesting, it started to get more and more involved and confusing after that. There were many times when I had to go back and reread passages because I wasn't sure if I'd missed something. It felt like this was massive in scope and could have been mind-blowing, but it felt jumbled and confusing and left me wishing it had been more streamlined and understandable. There were for sure some interesting concepts in here and I liked how it started off, but this was overall a strange book that left me more confused than satisfied by the end....more
Mallory feels like she's cursed; murders just happen around here. She can't explain why, but she can (and does) help solve them, although she now mostMallory feels like she's cursed; murders just happen around here. She can't explain why, but she can (and does) help solve them, although she now mostly just tries to stay away from people since that way everyone will be safe. She takes refuge on Station Eternity, a space station where she's mostly surrounded by aliens while humans try to negotiate their inclusion aboard. When she gets word that a shuttle full of humans is on their way to the station, Mallory knows that murders can't be far behind. She's right. Mallory starts trying to investigate who's behind the new murders and why, getting help from both human and alien alike, as she tries to protect everyone from future murders.
I read the author's previous book Six Wakes and really enjoyed that, so I was hoping that this one would be every bit as good. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting interested in this book and felt like it was just slogging along, showing scene after scene, without me feeling any real sense of urgency or excitement (despite Mallory's continual insistence that things were urgent). I liked the descriptions of some the aliens aboard the station that Mallory interacts with, and I liked the alien technology that got used. There was definitely creativity in here at times, but it was balanced out by the actual characters seeming underdeveloped, despite there being a lot of backstory about the major characters. The story jumped around in narration, and despite the premise sounding good, the main mystery in here was lacking.
I read almost half of this, and it felt like it was incredibly slow going because I just wasn't that engaged despite wanting to be. I looked at some reviews on here and saw that a good number of readers didn't finish this because they, too, felt like this was a slog. So, I suppose I'm in good company. So disappointing, since the actual premise was interesting and there was so much potential but the execution was just so-so. I am vaguely curious to know what happened in the rest of the book, but not curious enough to finish. ...more
Frigg is a young female dwarf who dreams of more adventure than she'll ever be allowed, thanks to the rules for the roles of males and females in NadaFrigg is a young female dwarf who dreams of more adventure than she'll ever be allowed, thanks to the rules for the roles of males and females in Nadavir, her underground dwarf colony, which is rapidly expanding thanks to all the magical creatures seeking refuge there. After trolls attack the colony and capture all the males, Frigg narrowly escapes with a few friends and they set off on a journey to find a legendary dwarf colony called Anasgar in the hopes that the dwarfs there will help them defeat the trolls and recapture Nadavir.
This is such a fun book! It reminded me a lot of the Oz books, especially with the group of different magical creatures (a dwarf, an elf, a faery, and a unicorn) banding together to travel toward a place they've only heard of in myths, hoping it still exists and that its inhabitants will be helpful. I liked the friendships between the four main characters, who all sparkled with their own personalities, and I loved the way Frigg was searching for assistance while also recognizing the strength and ingenuity already inside herself.
The story moved forward at a nice pace, and I really enjoyed Frigg's journey. The characters she met along the way were fun, the world was entertainingly magical, and the dialogue between the characters was very engaging. This is definitely a book that will be enjoyed by middle grade readers! I enjoyed it as an adult, but I think reading it when younger would have been even more enjoyable. Looking forward to the next installment in this series!
I received a free copy of this book to review. ...more
4.5 stars. Ryland Grace wakes up aboard a spaceship to find his two crew members dead and he has no memory of how he got there or what he's doing. As 4.5 stars. Ryland Grace wakes up aboard a spaceship to find his two crew members dead and he has no memory of how he got there or what he's doing. As his memories gradually start to return, he realizes that Earth is being threatened by an organism that's dimming the sun, and he's Earth's only hope, on a mission to figure out the source of the problem and a potential solution. There's a lot more to the plot too, but I won't spoil it, since it was fun to dive into the book without knowing what else would happen.
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to! I liked The Martian but the author's second book hadn't appealed to me and I remembered The Martian being very science-heavy, to the point where I occasionally skimmed to get through the detailed descriptions of why things worked, so I think I expected this to be similar. And in part, it was: there were a number of long passages about the science behind what was going on. Much of this went over my head and I just moved on, figuring that I didn't need to fully understand the "how" of it and could just accept that things worked as described. I told someone this book was science fiction, heavy on the science, and I think that's an apt description.
That said, the story in here was very good! The author did such a great job putting this together and explaining the main character's backstory in little chunks. I loved how we found things out at the same time Grace did and how it all perfectly made sense in the end, coming together seamlessly and occasionally in ways that surprised me. I really enjoyed seeing how he figured out things for himself because he had no one else to rely on and couldn't communicate with Earth, and it was fascinating to read about him figuring out new communication methods. The plot in here was so well done, and I grew to care about the characters a lot.
The ending in here surprised me a bit, both in the flashbacks (some of the plot points I didn't see coming!) and in the actual end of the book and what happens with his mission, but it was a really solid ending and one that I continued to think about a lot afterward. Definitely a thought-provoking book ripe for discussion!...more