Monthly Archives: October 2018

October 26, 2018 · 2:47 pm

Resurrection of the Phoenix’s Grace by LRW Lee

After a frustrating year with no contact from his father and friends, Andy begins to be hunted by zolt crossing into his world. When he finally is transported back to Oomaldee, he must find the next ingredient to break the spell: a phoenix feather.

Resurrection of the Phoenix’s Grace is just as good as the previous three Andy Smithson books. My 10- and 12-year-old boys and I all loved it and of course will continue reading the series. I highly recommend this book and the whole series. It makes a great family read-aloud!

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 120
Pages Read in 2018: 31,157
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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Filed under Fantasy, Middle Grades, Reason: Bedtime Story for the Boys

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October 19, 2018 · 4:18 pm

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

When April May stumbles across a giant sculpture in the middle of the night she has no idea how crazy her life is about to get. She is catapulted to the heights of internet fame and thrown right into the mystery of the Carls.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a very strange, yet very engrossing book. I was completely sucked in rather quickly and it thoroughly kept my attention if only because I really wasn’t sure where in the world the story was going. It kept springing crazy things on me that I wasn’t expecting. So that’s really good. But then there were the negatives. The first tenth of the book contains so many cuss words. After the first tenth, the number dramatically decreases, though when the storyline gets a bit thin the f-words and s-words appear in large numbers again. I kind of felt like the author was trying to capture people’s interest through overuse of the f-word (totally unnecessary as the story itself captures interest and, at least for me, the ridiculous number of cuss words made me less interested in continuing to read). The end is a cliffhanger and it really annoys me when books end like that. Almost like the author is saying, “ha, ha, now you get to buy another book when I write it.” Will I buy it and read it? Yup. Because, while it was super weird, I did like the book. I recommend it to late teens and up who like to read weird sci-fi.

3 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 119
Pages Read in 2018: 30,948
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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Filed under Reason: It sounded interesting, Science Fiction

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October 17, 2018 · 12:07 pm

A Thief Consumed by Heather Sunseri

It’s been a year since Dimitri disappeared from Lola’s life. Interpol is closing in on her and Reynard just may be setting her up to fail. When Dimitri swoops in to save her, he may just find she doesn’t want to be saved.

A Thief Consumed is the second in the International Thief series. I liked it even better than the first. It’s very well edited and is filled with surprises that I never expected. There are clearly more books coming in the series, but the end of this one was at a very good point. I highly recommend this book (and the first in the series as well) to adults who like romantic thrillers.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 118
Pages Read in 2018: 30,596
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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Filed under Reason: I Like the Series, Thriller

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October 15, 2018 · 12:51 pm

Lullaby by LRW Lee

Ali the Sand Maiden has made it to Wake Realm, but all is not as simple as she expected it to be. First she has to convince Kovis (and Kennan) that her story is true and she means them no harm. Then the Council discovers she has powerful magic and decides to eliminate her in the Ninety-Eight. Meanwhile, Ali’s father is still after her and trying take over Wake Realm by controlling people in their sleep.

Lullaby blends excitement and romance to weave a story that draws you in and makes it hard to put down at night (I lied to myself so many times when I said “just one more chapter”). It is also a story of overcoming abuse, coming out stronger than thought to be possible. I loved how the story unfolded, usually from Ali’s viewpoint, but occasionally from Kovis’s. The character development of Ali, Kovis, and even Kennan is extremely well done. I really found myself caring about what happened to the characters and really rooting for a happy ending. The end is clearly a set up for a third book in the series, but still is satisfying… for now. I highly recommend reading this book to older teens and up.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 117
Pages Read in 2018: 30,386
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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Filed under Fantasy, Reason: I Like the Series

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October 8, 2018 · 11:17 am

Disgrace of the Unicorn’s Honor by LRW Lee

After learning who his mother is and the truth of who he is, Andy is very happy to return to Oomaldee when Daisy arrives to fly him there. His assignment this time is to retrieve a unicorn’s horn which is much easier said than done. After being caught by the unhealthy Abaddon, Andy, along with Alden and Hannah, must track down the unicorns to save their family and friends.

As with the previous two Andy Smithson books, my 10- and 12-year-old boys and I really enjoyed Disgrace of the Unicorn’s Honor. It’s exciting without being too scary. The character development that has continued throughout the series is excellent. I highly recommend this book (and the whole series) to middle grade age kids and up. It makes a great family read aloud!

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 116
Pages Read in 2018: 29,906
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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Filed under Fantasy, Middle Grades, Reason: Bedtime Story for the Boys, Reason: I Like the Series

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October 5, 2018 · 5:57 pm

Fear by Bob Woodward

If even half of what those Woodward interviewed for Fear said is true, that’s one crazy administration we’ve got there in Washington. Mostly, the book just confirms what we’ve been hearing since the election and stitches it together in a basic timeline. The writing style is engaging. Sometimes it’s hard to read, though, because it can be repetitive and also makes you sad about the current leadership of the country. I only recommend reading this book if you do not have high blood pressure.

4 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 115
Pages Read in 2018: 29,652
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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Filed under Non-Fiction, Reason: It sounded interesting

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