#March2021BookReview2

Title: A Thousand Ships
Author: Natalie Haynes
Age Group/sub-genre/genre: Adult historical fiction
Source: Library
# of pages: 368

Review: I adored A Thousand Ships, which tells the story of the women from both sides of The Trojan War from the points of view of the women, this is their untold story.  I loved reading all the stories but my favorite was by far the story of Penelope.  The way that Penelope’s story was written was unique as it was letters addressed to Odysseus, her husband.  The stories are heartbreaking but beautifully written.  A Thousand Ships is a great take on The Trojan War.  If you want to read a different story about the war, I highly recommend this book.

#March2021BookReview1

Today I bring you an eARC review of What Beauty There Is by Corey Anderson.

This book was out of my comfort zone.  I normally don’t read books like What Beauty There Is because I don’t usually read mystery/thriller.  I’m so glad that I read this book.  What Beauty There Is kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happens next.  There are a lot of things that happen in this book, but they’re easy to keep track of.  The things and events that occur are all interconnected.  There are quite a few characters in this book, and the new characters were introduced perfectly.  While there are questions that were unanswered in this book, I’m very excited to read the sequel to see what happens next.

#February2021Review3

Today’s review is for Everything That Burns by Gita Trelease.

This book was just beautiful and magical.  I loved seeing the growth of the characters, especially Camille.  I also loved seeing Camille and Lazare’s relationship develop and Sophie come into her own with her dress shop.  Everything That Burns takes place during the French Revolution where magic is persecuted.  Speaking of magic, Camille, who no longer wants to do magic, uses it unintentionally when printing pamphlets using her father’s old printing press to tell the stories of a group of girls that she meets called The Lost Girls.  The Lost Girls were an intriguing group of characters, each with their own special talent.  I loved reading about The Lost Girls and their stories.  I loved how the story ended, it wasn’t rushed and everything came together nicely.  I can’t wait to read more from this author. 

#February2021Review2

Today’s review is for Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire.

Yet another masterpiece in the Wayward Children Series.  McGuire created such a unique world with this book with Centaurs, Unicorns, Kelpies, and other mythical creatures.  As for the characters, I loved Regan and the Centaur herd that found her when she went through the door.  Regan’s friendship with Chicory, one of the Centaurs was so pure and heartwarming.  While reading, I found myself being able to relate to Regan just wanting to belong with a group of friends.  I also found that I could relate to Heather too, feeling unaccepted because she liked different things than the other girls.  Across the Green Grass Fields is very much a unique character-driven story, and I loved it.  I can’t wait to read Where the Drowned Girls Go.

#February2021Review1

Today’s review is for Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho.

If you haven’t watched Emmanuel’s video series of the same name as the book, I highly suggest you do.  Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man is a book that you need to take your time reading, so you can fully digest the information.  While a lot is unpacked, the book is very readable and accessible, meaning that young adults could read this book. There is a lot of important history that I never knew.  Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man touches on the importance of language, context, and origins.  The book also discusses enslavement, how racism is a virus, white privilege, implicit bias, and how reverse racism doesn’t exist.  I learned so much from reading Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, it’s such an important book that needs to be read.

#January2021Review4

Today’s book review is for The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman. It is the seventh book in The Invisible Library Series.

I was very happy when I found out that the eighth book of this series is in the works because the epilogue of this book left me wicked confused.  Other than the confusing epilogue, I enjoyed this book.  I loved seeing Irene and Kai’s relationship develop more, and I loved seeing how the dynamic of Catherine as Irene’s apprentice played out.  Speaking of Catherine, I loved her as a character, and how flawed she is, I also loved how she knew exactly what she wanted, and as the story went on how she matured and developed.  I can’t wait to read more from this series, which has become one of my favorites.

#January2021BookReview3

Today’s review is for D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar Porin D’Aulaire.

I wish I had read this book before reading Percy Jackson.  After reading this, I have a much deeper appreciation for the myths of Ancient Greece.  This book is a masterpiece and should be read by anyone interested in Greek Mythology.  I think this book is a great springboard to do further research into some of the stories, and then reading the classics from which some of the myths are drawn, like the story of Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece which is a classic myth written by Apollonius of Rhodes.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

#January2021BookReview2

Today’s review is for Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle ClaytonShiny Broken Pieces is the sequel to Tiny Pretty Things.

*CW: Racism, Bullying, Eating Disorders, Self Harm, Drug Use

This was a great ending to the duology. I loved seeing how much the characters had changed between Tiny Pretty Things and this book, especially GiGi. I also loved how much Bette was invested in figuring out what really happened to GiGi and who really did it. The ending wasn’t rushed, and each character’s arc along with the whole story was wrapped up very nicely.

#January2021BookReview1

Today’s book review is for Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton.

CW: bullying, eating disorders, drug use, alcoholism

This book is filled with drama and it was entertaining. It was also dark and gritty, and I really enjoyed that aspect. I loved how diverse the cast of characters are in this book. This book was so different than anything that I have ever read and I enjoyed it.

#May2020BookReview3

Review

Today’s book review will be for The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen.  This review can also be found on Goodreads.

This is the first Sarah Dessen book I’ve ever read and I absolutely loved it. It’s the perfect book for summer. I loved the story, and I especially love how Emma Saylor wanted to learn more about her mother. I also really loved how this book was family-centered, and I loved all the relationships. Another thing that I loved about this book is how Emma grew as a person. This was a book that I really enjoyed reading.