What is a girl supposed to do when the a grandTW: gaslighting, kidnapping, parental death, toxic parental relationships, language, blood, animal death
What is a girl supposed to do when the a grandmother she has met once in her life leaves her a house and land with a mysterious set of instructions? This is the situation Jo finds herself in at just 16 years old. With a very pregnant mother who is weeks away from giving birth and has patience to match Jo’s teenaged hormones and her mother’s partner, Robert, who is the worst as far as Jo can see, it’s a fight to get them to even go see the place Jo barely remembers from her one traumatic visit years ago. When she and her mother arrive, they find standoff-ish townsfolk, a house that’s falling apart, and two tenants that are just strange.
This book was a bit of an acquired taste when it came to many parts. The writing was choppy, the descriptions and characters felt awkward and not super fleshed out, and the decisions made were questionable at best much of the time. But it’s a YA horror, so I expect to be uncomfortable reading it, I expect it to be a bit difficult to get through because while trying to not give away the sort of twist (which the cover already has) the author makes the book simply an awkward tale of a teenager who is dissatisfied with her life.
That being said, once I settled into the writing style and the awkwardness and remembered that teenagers in general are stupid and make bad decisions and are stubborn all the time, it was a pretty good story. I did predict what happened, but I have spent a lot of time looking at folklore and studying it, so the signs were mostly there not to mention as a paranormal horror, there was really only one way for it to go. Overall, it was fine and I gave it 3 out of 5....more
This series of short stories following two characters on a continuous journey through the fantastical land is a great read for those wishing for wittyThis series of short stories following two characters on a continuous journey through the fantastical land is a great read for those wishing for witty, smart, and fun fantasy stories one at a time. This isn’t a new series of stories, but this is where all of them are contained in one spot. Following the same characters throughout this book makes for a fun journey we can go on with them. There are different terms that we learn along the way and conveniently they are around characters who require an explanation.
Overall, I really did enjoy this short story collection and I would highly recommend this for fans of fantasy and those willing to not get extensive, full-length novels but do expect world-building and fun stories!
I received this book in exchange for an honest review and would like to thank the publisher....more
No matter if you waited months after finishing the first book or mere minutes, Bennett pulls no punches in throwing us back into the action that has dNo matter if you waited months after finishing the first book or mere minutes, Bennett pulls no punches in throwing us back into the action that has defined this series so far. We pick up the story three years after the end of the first book and much has changed. The book starts us off directly with attention grabbing action as our four Foundrysiders - Sancia, Berenice, Gregor and Orso - attempt to try and make the world into a place that the see as better than it was. However, their first adventure on the high seas doesn’t go as they had anticipated and they are faced with the emergence of a power that is even larger and more dangerous than they could have expected.
Thrown together with a cast of interesting side characters, the main try four attempt to figure out how to save their world and prevent the explosion of god-like powers that are suddenly ravaging the city. Add in a revolutionary set on saving all former slaves, old rivals rearing their heads, and so many new problems, the crew is back to their unusual ways of solving problems.
This book started with a heist, much like the first one did, and even as the first section comes to an end, it feels like the climax only to realize it’s less than halfway into the book. This book was almost consistent action that made it incredibly difficult to put down and very enjoyable.
While it was announced at the beginning that three years had passed, I found myself continually forgetting and wishing that we had seen the development of the relationships between the various characters. That being said, reading about the group again had me realizing that I had missed them and their antics.
I highly recommend this book and ended up giving it nearly 5 of 5 stars. I can’t wait to finish the series next month!...more
I received this book in exchange for an honest review, which has not altered my opinion of this book. I would like to thank NetGalley and No Box BooksI received this book in exchange for an honest review, which has not altered my opinion of this book. I would like to thank NetGalley and No Box Books for the ARC copy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was cute and I enjoyed the fact that the majority of it was them communicating, it's one of the few that doesn't have the miscommunication trope. Which is my LEAST favorite trope of all of them. These two were just the cutest. Justine is just adorable and is getting taken advantage of from bother her family and her boss, and makes a surprising friend with her downstairs neighbor, Xavier, who is a thoughtful person who is more than willing to be a good friend to his attractive neighbor. I love how their romance was shown, explore, and expanded upon.
The side characters were wonderful, and I enjoyed Katie and can't wait for her story!! Auggie was a true delight once I got used to her manner and I enjoyed the fact that the two of them were twins, it made the dynamics that much more interesting. All the inhabitants of the apartment building were so much fun, I loved Top and Sam were probably my favorite.
I highly recommend this book! There are several spicy scenes and I thought they were well done. The book was a sweet love story about two adults who have been burned in the past and are attempting to move beyond this. This book gets a 4 out of 5 from me....more
I received this book in exchange for an honest review, which has not altered my opinion of this book. I would like to thank NetGalley and Berkley for I received this book in exchange for an honest review, which has not altered my opinion of this book. I would like to thank NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC copy.
I need a physical copy of this book because it made me cry. This was such a heartfelt and emotionally character driven story, that captured my heart and has held it hostage. The characters are fun, different, and just sweet! Libby is a young woman who loves to have everything planned out, and when things got belly up at home, she is forced to leave for the big city of London, where her sister lives. Tense family dynamics mean that she spends as much time out of the house as she can, where she ends up meeting Frank, the sweetest old man ever and his carer, Dylan, the sweetest punk I've ever read about. Frank has been on a mission for over 60 years trying to find the woman he missed a connection with.
The story itself is full of sweet moments along with heartbreaking ones as Frank starts to slip farther and farther away due to his growing dementia. As someone who has had relatives with dementia, this was one of my favorite depictions of it in fiction writing. I've read some books that simply talk about dementia as forgetting small things or randomly forgetting everything, but this actually showed the progression of the disease and the ramifications. There's also other factors at play, but that would be spoilers.
Overall, this book made me cry, it made me laugh, and it made me smile. I give it a 4.5 out of 5 only because it took me a solid few chapters to get into it. HIGHLY recommend!!...more
Every time I listen to a new book about dinosaurs I am so amazed by the amount we keep earning about these creatures. I do appreciate that this one atEvery time I listen to a new book about dinosaurs I am so amazed by the amount we keep earning about these creatures. I do appreciate that this one at least had names that I remembered and recognized along with some new ones that I didn't know. It definitely reminded me as to why I had a childhood obsession with these animals.
The narration style wasn't my favorite, but I still appreciated what it was trying to do. 4 out of 5....more
I received this book in exchange for an honest review which has not altered my opinion of this book.
As someone born and raised in the state of WisconsI received this book in exchange for an honest review which has not altered my opinion of this book.
As someone born and raised in the state of Wisconsin, I was quite surprised to learn that the immersive game I play once a week friends was developed here in my home state. The fact that this is a game that has a very dramatic history (which fits) matches the fact that the company who developed it has just as crazy of a history, if not more. I appreciated everything that this book taught me about what happens when we get a little too ambitious and forget what is really important to the consumer. That and the fact that a game such as D&D really isn't the best business since you only have to buy it once. Huh, never really thought about that from a business sense.
While this book is obviously a history of D&D, it more looks at the history of the company that developed it, TSR. Without getting into too many details, TSR was a company that has tried to fit into so many niche markets that it seems to have lost its identity along the way, at least that's what it seems like. They have done everything from game creation to publishing and according to Riggs and his research they have done it in the really the best way possible. The book was well organized and the information in it was interesting and researched using actually quotes from people who were there.
As far as the narration went, I think it was very well done and easy to follow. His voice, while portraying emotion did so without bias as is expected for a non-fiction book. It was a little slow to listen to, so I had it playing at 1.75 speed for most of the duration.
Overall, highly recommend this book as it was fun to listen to and very interesting as well. I learned a lot about the history of D&D as well as found a few authors that I have pinaly picked up to read. 4.5 out of 5....more
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher, which has not altered my opinion of this book. I would like to thank NetGallI received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher, which has not altered my opinion of this book. I would like to thank NetGalley and Inkshares for the advanced copy.
The whole concept of this book was so fascinating to me and sounded so interesting, I was very excited to read it when I got approved for a copy. However, right off the bat, within the first few chapters, I knew that this book would not be receiving any more than a 3 out of 5 from me. Unfortunately, between the pacing, the scientific info dumping, and the main character, this book was all over the place as far as what age it was written for and the intended audience.
It is obvious from reading the beginning that the author has some experience with actually participating in digs, which is awesome! They went into details and I really did enjoy that, however, for the ya genre I think it got a bit too wordy.
I also don’t know if it was because my version is an ARC, but there was nothing to indicate that there was going to be a POV change until it happened and it took me a second to figure out what was going on. I assume that will be changing in the final version, but for me it was confusing and took me several switches to get used to....more
I received this book in exchange for an honest review which has not altered my opinion of this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the I received this book in exchange for an honest review which has not altered my opinion of this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. I gave it 50 pages to draw me in but I didn't get the mystery I was hoping for. I think it's a great idea for a book but unfortunately this book is just not for me....more
I dnfed this book at 25% percent because honestly I was bored. The concept for this story was excellent and I really appreciated it and was sympathetiI dnfed this book at 25% percent because honestly I was bored. The concept for this story was excellent and I really appreciated it and was sympathetic towards the main character for her position. However, as the pages dragged on, I felt that the exposition and the amount of details and name dropping and just sheer amount of info dumping was just unnecessary and excessive to the point that I got annoyed. So, this gets a dnf from me sadly....more
I absolutely adored this book! Was it perfect? No. Was it exactly what I wanted and needed? Absolutely! This book discussed death and grief in such a I absolutely adored this book! Was it perfect? No. Was it exactly what I wanted and needed? Absolutely! This book discussed death and grief in such a tender way that had me nearly in tears(which never happens) and had me laughing and smiling along the way. The bittersweet romance was touching and so cute, I loved seeing not just the two love interests connect, but also watching as she reconnected with her family and the town she was born in. So many sweet moments that made the story into something that examined life and death, moving on and moving forward in a beautiful way. Highly recommend and I will be reading more by this author!...more
DNF at 35% I’m not a fan of how this book makes the creepy person into the hero, hoping for the death of a crush’s husband? That’s not something I realDNF at 35% I’m not a fan of how this book makes the creepy person into the hero, hoping for the death of a crush’s husband? That’s not something I really want to read...more
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