Ink by Jobie Baldwin is an intriguing read, and I thouroughly enjoyed reading it. The characters are cute and quirky that will have you falling in love with them in no time. The plot is well paced and has enough twists and turns to make readers want to keep reading.
My only problem with this story is it felt a little too preachy about the environment, and I could tell it is something the author felt strongly about before I even read her author profile. At some times it felt like the story was following something the author was addressing and not something that was needed to be focused on the story.
I loved how people hated the Settlers because they thought they were something else, but it turns out to be a lot more complicated than that. I can't wait to read the second book and get my Raven fix. Also, I really want to know what happens to Ben and his stupidity of trying to be one of the Tribe.
It is obvious the writer did a lot of research in her story and I love the fact that it could be any type of religion or belief that could be a tattoo. I wonder what kind of tattoo would chose us?
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Highly recommend you read this.
Sunday, May 5, 2019
No Damsel-in-distress Here
Swords, Sorcery & Self-Rescuing Damsels by Lee French and other authors certainly lives up to it's name.
I will not say much because you all should read this, but there is no damsels-in-distress here, and it was refreshing to read.
I actually enjoyed reading all the stories in this collection and found some of the stories hilarious with how they portrayed females helping themselves. I mean there are no words for how epic it was reading stories where a woman does not need a man unless she needs to use him for something.
Ladies take notes when reading these stories because it feels empowering, and maybe we don't always have to let the men save us.
5 out of 5 stars.
I will not say much because you all should read this, but there is no damsels-in-distress here, and it was refreshing to read.
I actually enjoyed reading all the stories in this collection and found some of the stories hilarious with how they portrayed females helping themselves. I mean there are no words for how epic it was reading stories where a woman does not need a man unless she needs to use him for something.
Ladies take notes when reading these stories because it feels empowering, and maybe we don't always have to let the men save us.
5 out of 5 stars.
Arcana: an Escapism?
I am a firm believer that books should allow readers the chance to escape reality and their troubles. Where they can feel like their problems aren't so bad and if these characters can handle their situations then so can we. However, Arcana by Paul Kane did not give me that feeling.
I feel like the story could be so much better without the prologue because it did not drag me in and make me hold my breath wanting to know why the world is the way it is. Instead, it had me asking why I was reading this story.
I still don't get why the group bombed a shopping mall or why magic is the way it is or what the heck they used to take out a bit of the mall? Or even why it went from a mall bombing to a blind man reading tarot cards? Then it went to something completely different with who I am guessing was supposed to be the main guy. I kind of gave up reading after that point because like I said earlier the prologue turned me off.
1.5 out of 5 stars.
I'm giving it an extra half star because it was great detail just not enough to really wow me.
I feel like the story could be so much better without the prologue because it did not drag me in and make me hold my breath wanting to know why the world is the way it is. Instead, it had me asking why I was reading this story.
I still don't get why the group bombed a shopping mall or why magic is the way it is or what the heck they used to take out a bit of the mall? Or even why it went from a mall bombing to a blind man reading tarot cards? Then it went to something completely different with who I am guessing was supposed to be the main guy. I kind of gave up reading after that point because like I said earlier the prologue turned me off.
1.5 out of 5 stars.
I'm giving it an extra half star because it was great detail just not enough to really wow me.
Almost Harry Potter like
The Oath by Michael L. Lewis reminded me too much of Harry Potter and so many other books that are set in the UK. I ended up stopping reading it because I just could not get into the story like I wanted to do.
The prologue was interesting, but confusing and I had no clue why it would be relevant to the story or why the character acted the way he did. I feel like I would have needed more backstory before being told that seeing a dead boy meant they were both going to die. Then it moves onto the first chapter with a boy on a train going to a boarding school and trying to act all cool in front of his mum while hoping no one would enter his compartment. I kind of lost interest once a group of older kids joined him and started to talk to each other. I know it was done to build more into the world, but I started predicting things that would happen especially when they start naming names.
Maybe I'm just being weird or too picky on stories, but the train had me feeling like I was going to start reading a Harry Potter book and the prologue had me feel like I was watching the show The Alieniest (I think I spelled it wrong, but the one that starts with a boy is dead. and he helps people that tend to be alienated from society because they don't fit into society's norms).
2 out of 5 stars.
The prologue was interesting, but confusing and I had no clue why it would be relevant to the story or why the character acted the way he did. I feel like I would have needed more backstory before being told that seeing a dead boy meant they were both going to die. Then it moves onto the first chapter with a boy on a train going to a boarding school and trying to act all cool in front of his mum while hoping no one would enter his compartment. I kind of lost interest once a group of older kids joined him and started to talk to each other. I know it was done to build more into the world, but I started predicting things that would happen especially when they start naming names.
Maybe I'm just being weird or too picky on stories, but the train had me feeling like I was going to start reading a Harry Potter book and the prologue had me feel like I was watching the show The Alieniest (I think I spelled it wrong, but the one that starts with a boy is dead. and he helps people that tend to be alienated from society because they don't fit into society's norms).
2 out of 5 stars.
A Book with not much light
Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell is one of those books that give me conflicting emotions. In the beginning, I loved certain characters and could not stand some (Allouette), but at the end of the book I ended up despising all the characters because their arcs just downgraded for me. Sure they did what they thought was best at the time, but as a reader I wanted certain aspects to be together, and people told me that if you have read or seen Les Miserables then you know it does not end the way you want it.
I think my main issue was being told it's a Les Miserables retelling because the beginning first six chapters were incredible and even if you are like me and have no clue about what's going on having never seen or read the entirety of Les Miserables you will feel like you are there. However, I could not stand Allouette or more accurately when she met Marcellus. I kind of lost respect for Marcellus after that because there is more to a girl than looks. I don't give a damn that you think she looks beautiful and is too blindsided and pigheaded to see anything else.
Chataine (I hope I spelled her name right) started to annoy me at the end because she chose to dress like a boy, so don't go throwing yourself a pity party when no one recognizes you as a girl.
I can go into length about my thoughts on the characters, but I will let others decide what they think without coloring over the lines.
4 out of 5 stars.
Feel free to let me know what you think of this book in the comments and whether you agree or disagree with me. I would love to start a book discussion with people.
I think my main issue was being told it's a Les Miserables retelling because the beginning first six chapters were incredible and even if you are like me and have no clue about what's going on having never seen or read the entirety of Les Miserables you will feel like you are there. However, I could not stand Allouette or more accurately when she met Marcellus. I kind of lost respect for Marcellus after that because there is more to a girl than looks. I don't give a damn that you think she looks beautiful and is too blindsided and pigheaded to see anything else.
Chataine (I hope I spelled her name right) started to annoy me at the end because she chose to dress like a boy, so don't go throwing yourself a pity party when no one recognizes you as a girl.
I can go into length about my thoughts on the characters, but I will let others decide what they think without coloring over the lines.
4 out of 5 stars.
Feel free to let me know what you think of this book in the comments and whether you agree or disagree with me. I would love to start a book discussion with people.
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
And another Alpha Mate Book
If you love books where the girl falls for alpha, then this is the book for you. Blood & Magic Series (Books 1-3) by Danielle Annett held a lot of promise to be original and not become the typical strong girl winds up being the Alpha's mate. In fact, I was hoping it would continue because I loved the chemistry between James and Aria (James was not the Alpha, but a Hunter an equally dominant position in the Pack. Points for the book). However, after the first book, it went downhill pretty fast, and I was starting to get tired of Aria's sh*t pretty quickly.
Don't get me wrong the first book was terrific although I wound up hating who Aria wound up with because his character came on a little too loud and I know he is supposed to be an Alpha who has never been challenged in 9 years, I wanted him dead the moment I met him. The chemistry between them felt false especially at the end of the first book where he is thinking about how his beast acts when Aria is around. That is when the "oh no, it's going to be one of those books" kicked in and here I was hoping I had finally picked a book where a strong female ends up with someone who is not the Alpha *ahem* like with James *cough, cough*.
To make it even more fun, I don't think the author remembered what she wrote in the first book, and you want to know how I know? In the first book, the Compound -the home of the shifters- is ten stories from the roof to the ground and Declan the Alpha has snowy white hair. However, in book two, the Compound is eight stories high, and Declan has blond eyebrows all of a sudden. Oh, and he looked like he was in his fifties and should be in his fifties in the first book, but the other two books Declan looks like he's in his thirties. There might be other more discrepancies that can be passed off as magical, but I gave up caring about the book at around that time.
What made me quit the book was the magical two words in chapter 65: "Alpha's mate". Eff you. I mean, why? Does it somehow validate females as being strong if they are with the alphas or something? Why must females always be with the alphas or the betas? Does it demean them in some way if they do not become the mate of someone influential in the pack?
It got old pretty quickly especially when Aria is all "oh, I must resist my attraction" to almost every guy she met. When she is with Declan, it felt forced because she is all I must not let him know I am attracted to him. I must show him how strong and tough I am. When she is with Inarus it was an instant attraction until lo and behold, he turns out to be working for the "enemy," and that makes him the enemy. So, you always know when Inarus is showing up because she is always chucking her daggers at him while being all I cannot let him know I still find him attractive because he betrayed me. As for the chemistry with James, well, it is all but forgotten.
So, can I please kill Declan and Inarus? Those two annoyed the hell out of me. Heck, the only reason I read as far as I did was that I really liked James and Aria together because their relationship felt natural and not forced like all the other relationships except for when she was with Mike or Marion.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Don't get me wrong the first book was terrific although I wound up hating who Aria wound up with because his character came on a little too loud and I know he is supposed to be an Alpha who has never been challenged in 9 years, I wanted him dead the moment I met him. The chemistry between them felt false especially at the end of the first book where he is thinking about how his beast acts when Aria is around. That is when the "oh no, it's going to be one of those books" kicked in and here I was hoping I had finally picked a book where a strong female ends up with someone who is not the Alpha *ahem* like with James *cough, cough*.
To make it even more fun, I don't think the author remembered what she wrote in the first book, and you want to know how I know? In the first book, the Compound -the home of the shifters- is ten stories from the roof to the ground and Declan the Alpha has snowy white hair. However, in book two, the Compound is eight stories high, and Declan has blond eyebrows all of a sudden. Oh, and he looked like he was in his fifties and should be in his fifties in the first book, but the other two books Declan looks like he's in his thirties. There might be other more discrepancies that can be passed off as magical, but I gave up caring about the book at around that time.
What made me quit the book was the magical two words in chapter 65: "Alpha's mate". Eff you. I mean, why? Does it somehow validate females as being strong if they are with the alphas or something? Why must females always be with the alphas or the betas? Does it demean them in some way if they do not become the mate of someone influential in the pack?
It got old pretty quickly especially when Aria is all "oh, I must resist my attraction" to almost every guy she met. When she is with Declan, it felt forced because she is all I must not let him know I am attracted to him. I must show him how strong and tough I am. When she is with Inarus it was an instant attraction until lo and behold, he turns out to be working for the "enemy," and that makes him the enemy. So, you always know when Inarus is showing up because she is always chucking her daggers at him while being all I cannot let him know I still find him attractive because he betrayed me. As for the chemistry with James, well, it is all but forgotten.
So, can I please kill Declan and Inarus? Those two annoyed the hell out of me. Heck, the only reason I read as far as I did was that I really liked James and Aria together because their relationship felt natural and not forced like all the other relationships except for when she was with Mike or Marion.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Friday, March 1, 2019
Darkly Disappointing
Pale Wolves by Thomas Hulse sounded so intriguing and dark. The cover was spectacular, and it had armies of the dead that grew claws and fangs. I so wanted to read this, but the publishers approving my request on NetGalley not even five minutes after I requested it should have been my first clue of disappointment.
Don't ask me what the opening sentence was because even though I just read it three hours ago, I could not tell you. There were so many fragmented sentences and no varieties to the sentence structure. I wanted to give up on this book after the first page but decided to give it a chance. Maybe there will be more showing and less telling later on, but no. The on;y reason I DNFed this at 14% instead of 1% was that my Kindle refused to let me read any other book.
If the author had just varied the sentences and showed me more of what the characters were doing maybe I could have loved the story. However, I could not connect to any of the characters, and suddenly two of the main characters are having sex with each other, and he is married to a pregnant wife that is when I was like "yeah no."
1 star.
Don't ask me what the opening sentence was because even though I just read it three hours ago, I could not tell you. There were so many fragmented sentences and no varieties to the sentence structure. I wanted to give up on this book after the first page but decided to give it a chance. Maybe there will be more showing and less telling later on, but no. The on;y reason I DNFed this at 14% instead of 1% was that my Kindle refused to let me read any other book.
If the author had just varied the sentences and showed me more of what the characters were doing maybe I could have loved the story. However, I could not connect to any of the characters, and suddenly two of the main characters are having sex with each other, and he is married to a pregnant wife that is when I was like "yeah no."
1 star.
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