Fantasy

Book review: The Sentence

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“I’d taken a pink eraser to my childhood and blurred the pain.”

As this tale of loss, grief, shame, and hope unfolds, the main character Tookie finds herself in the middle of a mystery that she didn’t sign up for. Working in a bookstore as a seller, she must try to solve the haunting of the bookstore from November 2019 to November 2020 by the store’s most annoying customer, Flora who won’t leave the store. While trying to sort out this mystery, she also has to come to terms with the mistakes that she’s made in the past in order to move on to a life full of content, happiness, and peace.

This book was so good. I was hooked from the beginning to the end, the plot was super interesting and how the author developed the story along way made me glued to the page. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, it went in a completely different direction. Tookie was an interesting character and one that I didn’t like right away but as the story developed, I started to warm up to her after reading her backstory and seeing her development through the book. It has to be very challenging to navigate life after being incarcerated for such a long time, there’s so much that changed while being locked up and it can be overwhelming for people being released and trying to form a new life. While confronting Fiona on why she refuses to leave, Tookie has to face her past memories that are filled with grief, shame, sorrow, and anger and begins to realize that maybe there’s a reason why she’s the one who is trying to solve the mystery. I enjoyed how the story progressed and nothing rushed and the writing was beautifully written and it made me feel like I was in the bookstore. This is a really interesting and unique tale that will make you glued to the page and wanting more. Oh before I end this, the story does intertwine with real life events going on at this time with the pandemic and the George Floyd protests so please keep that in mind if you plan to read it since that was a difficult time for many people.

Book Review: The Magic of Found Objects

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“Just take your place in the world with as much grace and gratitude as you can muster and try to see the best in us.”

Conceived at Woodstock in a serendipitous liaison between a free-spirited hippie and farmer’s son, Phronsie Linnelle was born with magical wonder flicking in her DNA and rationally knit into her bones. Torn between the two for most of her life and now that she’s been betrayed by both love and the the mother she once idolized, her rational is winning out. So when her childhood best friend proposes that they give up on romance and marry each other, she couldn’t think of a better idea. What’s better than spending the rest of your life with your best friend who you know won’t hurt you? But as fate has it, right when she’s about to embark on this journey, someone from her past makes a very convincing argument for revisiting romance, Phronsie must look at her own heart to find that the answers that have been there all along.

What a delightful and fun read from beginning to end! I was so invested in the story and had to force myself to sleep or I would’ve stayed up way too late to read more. This book was so wild and entertaining and that’s really what I loved the most because just when I thought I knew what was happening, it would go in the different direction. I really loved how well written the characters were even the secondary characters were fleshed out and felt so human. They were all so deeply flawed and complicated which is so nice to have in books. Phronsie was such a likable protagonist and I really felt for her while she was trying to sort out the events that transpired in her life and I really liked her growth. The plot and how everything tied up nicely in the end was so well done, I really enjoyed this one and I’m going to check out more of Dawson’s work. Highly recommend this!!

JULY TBR

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Hey everyone! I’m excited to share all my choices with you! This is gonna be a good month!

Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Bi: The Hidden Culture, History, and Science of Bisexuality by Julia Shaw
Genre: Adult, LGBT, Non-Fiction

The Donut Enemy by Sarah Adams
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Float Plan by Trish Coller
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction

The Magic of Found Objects by Maddie Dawson
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The Meeting Point by Olivia Lara
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

No Rings Attached by Rachel Lacey
Genre: Adult, LGBT, Romance

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Mythology

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The Wedding Game by Meghan Quinn
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Book Review

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“Maybe the universe is filled with introverts?”

Shizuka has made a deal with the devil and she only needs one more soul so she can trade their souls for success and she doesn’t have to wait long to find her final victim, Katrina Ngyuen as she can almost feel the curse lifting. But when chance and fate decide to intervene when she meets Lan Tran in a donuts shop, her mission soon moves to the back of her mind as she finds Lan Tran’s smile and personality are making her wonder if success is what she really wants and if not, is this finally the right time for her to open her heart? Follow the lives of Lan Tran, Katrina, and Shizuka as they find themselves connected through a journey of identity, hope, curses, magic and most importantly love.

This was such a fantastic book!!! I loved every bit of it, I wish I’d read it sooner as I found the plot, characters, and how it progressed very engaging. Lan Tran, Katrina, and Shizuka were all unique in their own way while also feeling so real and their dynamics were well done and that’s always a plus. It’s such a drag when the characters are so underdeveloped and for me it makes me less interested in the story. How the characters fit in with the plot and how it developed until the end flowed very nicely and nothing really felt out of place and I have always loved the found family trope and I felt that it was really well done in the book. There are times where it can be overdone and under developed but it wasn’t here so I was very happy about that. While the book does have a lot of heart-warming and fun moments, it also shows the unpleasant horrible, and dark moments especially for these characters. Lastly, the LGBT representation was fantastic and not used as plot devices but actually human beings because sometimes it can be disappointing when the rep is there but they’re only there as a plot device. So, this book was fantastic all around so I highly recommend it.

Book review

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“Maps are love letters written to times and places their makers had explored.”

For as long as Neil Young can remember cartography has long been her passion and it’s one she shared with her father, Dr. Daniel Young who is a legend in the field and Neil’s personal hero. But, the pair had a nasty falling out due to an old map that she had found and haven’t spoken since he fired her and destroyed her reputation. When Neil hears the tragic news that her father was murdered, she soon finds that out that map that drove them apart is incredibly rare and even if old wounds resurface, Neil knows it’s her duty to find out what happened to her father.

Finally got around to reading this and I’m glad that I did. While it did take sometime to get into story, I did enjoy the plot, characters, and how it developed until the end. I didn’t even really know what Cartography was in depth before this book and it actually made me more interested in it. The way that Shepard weaves into the writing added to the plot and it was very interesting to learn and read more about. What really made me invested into the book were the characters and the writing as I found it engaging and each character were well written with flaws, quirks, and I did enjoy the dynamics with each character. Overall, it was a very good read!

Book Review: Iron Widow

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“Men wants us so badly for our bodies, yet hate us so much for our minds.”

While the boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with the girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant robots that defeat the mecha ailens that lurk beyond the great wall where the girls dread it as they often die from mental strain. But, not all the girls dread pairing up with the boys, there is one girl who is more than ready to take on the challenge in an attempt to have her revenge on the man who killed her sister. When Zietan is chosen, she ends up getting more she’s bargained for as she is successful in killing the man who killed her sister but comes out of it unscathed thus dubbing her the iron widow. Now, she is set on understanding how the pilot system works in hopes of preventing more girls from being sacrificed.

This gave me pacific rim vibes as soon I read the summary on Goodreads and it did have that vibe while getting into the novel even though it started a little slow. But, I’ll get to that in a bit as I did enjoy the characters as they were all deeply flawed with good development to understand their motives even if I didn’t like the character. But, the big flaw that made me less invested in it was the lack of development with the magic system and world-building as there were times where I was confused and needed a little more information. I love good world-building and sadly this one didn’t have it and I do feel if the author had done more with the magic system then maybe I would’ve enjoyed it more than I did. The themes that are discussed throughout the novel are very relevant to what is happening now and I felt as though Zhao does a good job of connecting them to the plot. Overall, it was a good book even though I felt a little disappointed but feel free to check it out if it sounds enjoyable to you!

Book Review: She WHo BECAME THE SUN

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“However tired I am, however hard it is: I know I can keep going, because I’m alive.”

In 1345, China lives under harsh mongle rule and for the starving peasants of Central Plains, greatest is only found in stories.When the Choboga’s eight born son Zhu, is given a fate of greatness and while everyone is misfited by this fate, they aren’t surprised that his clever and capable sister is given a fate of nothingness. But, all that changes when tragedy hits and leaves the two siblings orphaned, it is Zhu who succumbed to despair and dies leaving his sister alone, afraid, and desperate to not die by the same fate. Propelled by her desire to survive, she will do whatever is necessary to stay alive no matter the cost to stay hidden from her fate.

I’m glad that I finally got around to reading this because I did really enjoy it even though it did have some flaws and issues regarding the pacing, writing, and too many characters so we’ll start with that. While I did enjoy how the story progressed, I had trouble with pacing and felt as though the story should’ve focused more on Zhu. It was hard to keep up at times because I had to backread and see if I had missed something when a new character was introduced. When there are so many characters in a book, it can be hard to stay invested because of the lack of development and can at times steer people away. The other stuff made up for it as I very much enjoyed Zhu’s character and how she progressed though the book. So even with the flaws, I did enjoy the book so if it sounds like something you’re interested in, please check it out for yourself!

BOok Review: The Girl WHO FELL BENEATH THE SEA

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“Nothing extraordinary is ever done out of reason or logic, but because it’s the only way for your soul to breathe.”

Not only have deadly storms impacted Mina’s homeland but bloody wars have ravished their lands leaving them very few resources. Her people believe that they have been cursed by the Sea God who was one their protector and savior but now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, her people have sacrifced a beautiful young maiden every year in hopes of finding his true bride and letting her people rebuild their city. Many believe the bride is her brother Joon’s beloved Shim Cheong and on the night she is to be sacrificed, Joon follows even though he knows it is a death sentence. In an effort to save her brother, Mina jumps into the water only to find thrust into an adventure that she never expected as the Sea God is fast asleep and there are those who wish that he remain asleep. Mina knows she has to act fast as humans can’t survive in the land of spirits for very long and the longer she goes, the more time is running out.

This was such a good retelling and the cover is absolutely gorgeous! That was what actually reeled me in and I enjoyed how the story developed, the characters, plot and felt that the pacing worked well for this book. It was such a charming, fun, beautiful, and enchanting story that reminded me of Spirited Away in a good way. Although this marketed towards young adults, I still enjoyed the story felt that it worked best for this specific audience. What I loved most was the world building as it was beautifully written and made me feel as if I was actually there in the world along with the characters. While I enjoyed mostly everything, it did feel a bit predictable at times but I was able to overlook the flaws and still enjoy the story and how it developed.

BOOK review: The Map of Salt and Stars

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“Stories are powerful, but gather too many of the words of others in your heart and they will drown out your own. Remember that.”

The Map of Salt and Stars tells the stories of Nour and Rawaya, two refugees who share similar paths even if years apart from one another. Having lost her father, Nour can’t imagine her life getting any worse but all that changes when her mother decides to move them from NYC to Syria so they can be closer to friends. But, the country that her mother once knew has changed and before they know it, they’re caught up in an ongoing war and soon their home is destroyed leaving them in a bind. They can either stay or flee with other refugees across parts of North Africa and the Middle East in search of safety. Nearly a thousand years earlier, Rawaya is a young sixteen year old who is running out of options to help her impoverished mother and while she doesn’t want to leave her mother, she knows it’s the only choice in order to give her a better life. Disguising herself as a boy, she eventually finds herself thrown into an epic journey across North African and the Middle East as an apprentice, for Al-Idrisi who has been commissioned by King Roger II of Italy to create a map of the world.

This is one of those stories where you may not want to read it but you need to read it as it was incredibly moving, powerful, heartbreaking while informative and educational. Not everyone will want to read this book simply because of the content discussed throughout the book as this is a very sensitive topic and one that can cause lots of discourse. The stories of Nour and Rawaya were moving, sad, and inspiring at the same time as the two both showed courage, resilience, and unwavering hope that kept them going even when they felt like they couldn’t. While reading this, it made me feel humbled that I have such privileges that I do and I will always have those and the struggles that I face seem so simple compared to what others face.

Along with this important content, The Map of Salt and Stars is also beautifully written so I highly recommend cheeking this out even if it’snot your usual genre because I think everyone needs to be more aware of this issue.