The nitty-gritty: Flyaway is dripping with style and atmosphere, but the plot and characters fell flat for me. Howling wilderness, my mother had once called the bush beyond town. Dad had laughed. My heart sat high in my chest. I was more alive and more scared than I had been for years. Ahead of us, […]
The nitty-gritty: A lighthearted, humorous “found family” story with plenty of laughs and even a few sweet moments. I enjoyed this unexpectedly humorous and touching novella, even though it didn’t really rock my world. The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water is Zen Cho’s ode to the Chinese wuxia genre of martial arts […]
The nitty-gritty: Ambitious and complex, We Ride the Storm, although beloved by many readers, didn’t quite work for me. There has been a lot of hype surrounding We Ride the Storm, and tons of 4 and 5 star reviews on Goodreads. But this time the hype backfired for me, and I ended up really struggling […]
The nitty-gritty: Another winner from Grace Draven, full of magic, romance, danger and yes, a dragon. I really enjoyed this book, which is the second in Draven’s Fallen Empire series. The story follows a different set of characters from the first book, Phoenix Unbound, but several characters from that book cross over into Dragon Unleashed. […]
The nitty-gritty: This short novella was disappointing, unfortunately, due to a disjointed plot and bland characters. I’m afraid this book just didn’t work for me at all, which is a shame because I loved the idea and I was looking forward to reading something from Jeffrey Ford. Unfortunately, this novella reads almost like a first […]
The nitty-gritty: Thrilling and atmospheric, The Bone Ships is a rollicking sea adventure with heart, humor and a very large sea dragon. I’m not sure why I waited so long to read this book, but I guess I have Wyrd & Wonder to thank for kicking me in the butt and finally giving me the […]
The nitty-gritty: A thrilling standalone with heart and emotion, Race the Sands is guaranteed to satisfy both adult and YA readers. When fellow bloggers start raving about a book, I tend to sit up and listen. And there sure has been a lot of raving about Race the Sands! This is my second Sarah Beth […]
The nitty-gritty: Bennett’s complicated magic system dampened some of my enjoyment of this sequel, but the emotional connections between characters and exciting action sequences made up for it. If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that Robert Jackson Bennett always delivers a complex, entertaining and emotional story, and I’m happy to say that […]
The nitty-gritty: For fans of Christina Henry’s Alice books, this collection fills in some of the blanks and gives readers a peek into the emotional lives of her characters. Looking Glass is a collection of four interconnected novellas set in Christina Henry’s Alice world and gives readers some new glimpses into the lives of Alice […]
The nitty-gritty: History, witchcraft and romance collide in Louisa Morgan’s beautifully written story about a secret family lineage. I’m a big fan of Louisa Morgan’s “witch” books, and it’s a given that I’ll read every one she writes. The Age of Witches is another winner, with a wonderfully immersive story and solid writing. I fell […]