The nitty-gritty: A nail-biting, realistic portrayal of one of American history’s most influential events, the California Gold Rush, told by a girl with a talent for finding gold. I had seen so many glowing reviews of Walk on Earth a Stranger, that I knew I just had to fit this in before the end of […]
The nitty-gritty: A cleverly constructed story that blends contemporary and fantasy YA fiction in a completely new way. There’s so much crazy in this world, my counting and hand-washing and door-locking and checking and tapping can seem like raging mental health by comparison. Jared’s crazy is way crazier than mine, though I don’t think his […]
The nitty-gritty: A time travel story with loads of potential and an important message about feminism, which could have benefited from more editing. I’m always up for a good time travel story, and Weighing Shadows seemed like it was going to be a good one. And it was—to an extent. There were many things I enjoyed, […]
The nitty-gritty: A weird and wonderful trip to the stars and planets, a perplexing and unsettling mystery, and a rather frustrating—but ultimately rewarding—reading experience. Pluto and Charon in a verdant jungle embrace: between them grew vines as thick and long and mighty as the Mississippi river, great lily-lime leaves opening, curling toward the distant star […]
The nitty-gritty: An intense and fast-paced story, with several mysteries that aren’t revealed until the end, but with an unexpected turn of events that I found disorienting. Planetfall has been getting stellar reviews, and I’m definitely on board with this highly readable story that I literally could not put down. However, I also had a […]
The nitty-gritty: Full of the same surreal and desolate atmosphere that I loved in The Mad Scientist’s Daughter, Clarke brings us an irresistible story full of dangerous and desperate characters, in one of the most unique settings I’ve seen in some time. The doors screeched open and Eliana stepped out onto the abandoned platform. She […]
The nitty-gritty: A mind-blowing presentation of an exciting space adventure, and one of the most unique books I’ve ever read! I was lucky enough to land one of the nifty hardcover ARCs of Illuminae, and that made all the difference in my reading experience. This is definitely a book you’ll want to read in physical […]
Bat Out of Hell was one of those books that ended up in a much different place than it started, at least for me. The story gets off to a strong start as we witness a horrific outbreak of an Ebola-like virus in Indonesia, a virus that kills 100% of people who contract it only hours […]
The nitty-gritty: A sprawling adventure story filled with airships, magic crystals, military maneuvers and talking cats. Yes, I said talking cats! Despite the fact that it took me two weeks to read The Aeronaut’s Windlass, I had so much fun. This was my first Jim Butcher book, and I can see why he’s so popular. […]
The nitty-gritty: An atmospheric and stylish tale of family secrets written in blood, with elements of horror that weren’t quite scary enough for me. “Which way?” he asked as we stood in the center of the barren patch of earth. As if answering his question, the breeze whipped through the field, revealing a path and […]