Monthly Archives: October 2017

October 29, 2017 · 7:27 pm

August Fortress (rewrite) by Andrea Pearson

It’s time to get the Shiengols out of August Fortress, but the Lorkon traps are very dangerous, taking away one sense at a time as they near their destination. Meanwhile, in his own world, Jacob must work hard in his attempt to make the varsity basketball team and deal with Aloren’s feelings for Kevin.

August Fortress starts off with a bang and keeps right on going until the very end. It gets kind of intense in places. There are a handful of editing errors, but nothing too bothersome. I highly recommend reading this book (though reading the first two books first is a must)!

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2017: 146
Pages Read in 2017: 39,833
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)
Reason I Chose It: I really enjoyed the “younger” version

Leave a comment

Filed under Fantasy

Tagged as

October 27, 2017 · 6:25 pm

Ember Gods (rewrite) by Andrea Pearson


Jacob is anxious to rescue Aloren from Maivoryl City, but the Makalos keep telling him to be patient and wait for the Fat Lady to finish making a batch of potions before attempting to find her. While waiting, Jacob is super busy with school, basketball, pulling people from the scented air, and learning how to fight.

Ember Gods has been rewritten for a slightly older audience. The result is a book that is faster paced and a little more edge of your seat while still staying within the framework of the original version of the book. It’s well-written and the editing is excellent. I highly recommend reading Ember Gods even if you’ve already read the “younger” version (but read Forsaken Prince first)!

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2017: 145
Pages Read in 2017: 39,505
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)
Reason I Chose It: I really enjoyed the “younger” version

Leave a comment

Filed under Fantasy

Tagged as

October 24, 2017 · 9:46 am

Forsaken Prince by Andrea Pearson

In a matter of minutes, Jacob goes from just a typical kid getting ready to start his junior year of high school to embarking on a quest in another world – a world where he is somehow a prince – to save his father and sister from the evil Lorkon and retrieve the key of Kilenya. Joining him on the way are Seden, a soldier, Aloren, a rather irritating girl Jacob’s age, and Akeno, a Makalo. Along the way, they encounter an infected forest, mud bubbles, eetu fish, Lirone and his storm bombs, a seemingly impenetrable wall, and much more.

Forsaken Prince is a significant rewrite of The Key of Kilenya. The basic story is the same and most of what the travelers encounter is the same, but it happens at a faster pace with more sophisticated vocabulary as it is intended for a more mature audience (young adult vs. middle grades). From the very first page, the story just takes off. Even though I basically know what was going to happen having read The Key of Kilenya a few months ago, I was still sucked right in and could barely put the book down. The editing is perfect. I didn’t notice a single typo or other mistake. I very highly recommend reading Forsaken Prince even if you’ve read The Key of Kilenya in the past. It’s totally worth it!

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2017: 144
Pages Read in 2017: 39,223
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)
Reason I Chose It: I really enjoyed the “younger” version

Leave a comment

Filed under Fantasy

Tagged as

October 20, 2017 · 8:43 am

Wifey by Judy Blume

Sandy is a bored 32-year-old housewife. Her children are at camp for the summer and her husband is just terribly predictable. A man from her past encourages her to make life a little more exciting, but dangerous.

If Wifey is at all accurate in depicting housewives of the 1970s, that is very unfortunate. The book is pretty much entirely about masturbation and sexual affairs. I suspect it’s one of the books that contributed a lot to Judy Blume’s (not always positive) reputation as an author. While the book does draw you into the story (possibly due to the train wreck value, possibly due to the talent of the author), it’s not a book I would really recommend reading.

3 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2017: 143
Pages Read in 2017: 38,919
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)
Reason I Chose It: Randomly Chosen from To Read Folder

Leave a comment

Filed under Realistic Fiction

Tagged as

October 17, 2017 · 9:05 pm

Dear World by Bana Alabed

Eight-year-old Bana Alabed spent six years in a warzone. Known for tweeting during the siege of Aleppo, Dear World is her story of growing up in Syria. It’s written quite simply, sometimes with an overabundance of optimism (she is only 8 after all!). Every once in a while there is a bit written by her mother inserted that explains things Bana didn’t know or understand. Her mother’s parts are written as if it was a letter to Bana. Dear World is heartbreaking and horrifying and also hopeful all at the same time. I highly recommend reading it.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2017: 142
Pages Read in 2017: 38,615
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)
Reason I Chose It: 52 Books Bingo (Debut Author)

Leave a comment

Filed under Memoir

Tagged as

October 17, 2017 · 8:07 pm

Forsake by Andrea Pearson

Before she had to save the world, Nicole was just an 18-year-old anxiously awaiting her restart. At a party thrown by her parents, she learns there is a prophecy about her best friend and then she gets accused of murder. In order to put off the evil Hounds of Tindalos from destroying Lizzie, she must travel to England accompanied by her new boyfriend, Conor, to find a magical object.

Forsake is the prequel to the Mosaic Chronicles. It sets up the upcoming series set in the world with Aretes, but focusing on Lizzie this time. I could barely put the book down, finishing it in just two sittings. It is full of action and is very well-written. I only noticed a handful of mistakes (usually a short missing word so it was easy to tell what was meant). I very highly recommend Forsake and the entire Mosaic Chronicles series! This one can be read alone or either before or after reading the rest of the series.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2017: 141
Pages Read in 2017: 38,390
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)
Reason I Chose It: I really like the Moasic Chronicles

Leave a comment

Filed under Fantasy

Tagged as

October 17, 2017 · 7:26 pm

Don’t You Know Who I Am? by Tony James Slater

Tony James Slater travels around the world and writes books about his crazy (always so crazy) adventures. But before he got the travel bug, he tried to become an actor. That didn’t work out so well, but he, of course, had some crazy adventures along the way. Don’t You Know Who I Am? is full of typical self-deprecating Tony humor. He has a way of telling a story that makes you literally laugh out loud. It is well-edited with just a handful of typos (though American readers may “see” more than that since British English and American English have quite a lot of differences). I highly recommend reading this book and all of Tony’s other books, too. You won’t be sorry (though you may have to explain, repeatedly, why you are laughing)!

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2017: 140
Pages Read in 2017: 38,240
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)
Reason I Chose It: I like Tony’s books

2 Comments

Filed under Memoir

Tagged as

October 17, 2017 · 7:14 pm

Last Shot by Mike Faricy

Dev Haskell is a private investigator who is more interested in beautiful women and drinking than investigating most of the time. After he refuses to take Desi on as a client and then she’s found shot to death, he decides to find out what is really going on even though he won’t be paid for it.

I always grab the Dev Haskell mysteries when they are free on Kindle. They are pretty funny, though quite repetitive. I found this one to be rather boring, though, and often chose to read something else instead. It’s decent enough as a mind vacation, but I don’t really recommend this one. There are other books in the series that are much better.

2 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2017: 139
Pages Read in 2017: 37,755
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)
Reason I Chose It: Birthstone Bookology (L in OPAL)

Leave a comment

Filed under Realistic Fiction

Tagged as

October 13, 2017 · 7:17 pm

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Aza has OCD. She gets stuck in thought spirals and had trouble doing normal teen stuff. Daisy is her best friend. She writes Rey-Chewbacca fanfic. Davis is the son of a missing billionaire. He met Aza at a camp for kids who had lost a parent. Turtles All the Way Down is a snapshot of a few months in their lives.

Ever since Turtles All the Way Down was announced, I’ve been looking forward to it. I can honestly say it did not disappoint and was totally worth the wait. My best friend shares some characteristics with Aza, particularly the health-related thought spirals. Because of this, I really identified with Daisy. In fact, I highlighted this quote and shared it with my best friend:

“…What I want to say to you, Holmesy, is that yes, you are exhausting, and yes, being your friend is work. But you are also the most fascinating person I have ever known, and you are not like mustard. You are like pizza, which is the highest compliment I can pay a person.”

That is exactly how I feel. It is work to have a best friend dealing with mental illness, but it’s totally and completely worth it.

Unlike some of John Green’s other books, Turtles All the Way Down wasn’t overly heart in a blendery (the end is kind of heartbreaking, but not on a TFiOS or Looking for Alaska level). It was, however, raw and honest. I don’t think an author without OCD himself could’ve written those thought spirals and Aza’s actions to be so real. I highly recommend this book to YA fans and pretty much everyone else. It’s really an excellent book.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2017: 138
Pages Read in 2017: 37,489
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)
Reason I Chose It: Because… John Green

1 Comment

Filed under Realistic Fiction

October 13, 2017 · 6:59 pm

Outcry by Manny Steinberg

Manny Steinberg spent 6 years, from age 13 to age 19, in a ghetto in Poland and then in various concentration camps. Outcry is his story. I’ve read a lot of Holocaust survivor memoirs and I always ask myself how in the world did they survive. There are two common threads. One, they are determined to make it to liberation for some specific reason. For some that is to help a younger sibling, for others, like Mr. Steinberg, it is to be a witness about what happened. Two, there is always a kind German. A German who was only a Nazi because of the country where he was born. A German who disagreed with the Nazi philosophy, but knew they’d be shot, and maybe their family, too, if that was made known. And, so, they gave a few extra crumbs of bread or stopped a beating when no more could be withstood. I think that’s one of the most important takeaway from these memoirs and why they are so important. We need to be that kind German. In writing Outcry, Mr. Steinberg succeeded in his goal to be a witness. Well-written and quick to read, this is a book everyone should read so we will remember and never let such a thing happen again.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2017: 137
Pages Read in 2017: 37,185
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)
Reason I Chose It: Birthstone Bookology (O in OPAL)

Leave a comment

Filed under Memoir

Tagged as