Category: Reviews

Book Review: Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

This book is the sequel in the Strange the Dreamer series. You should definitely read the first book Strange the Dreamer before picking up Muse of Nightmares. The first leaves the reader with so many questions and this one is the answer key. In fact, this book leaves off right where the first one ends. I’ll try to leave this review spoiler free so it is thin on book summary.

What can I say about this book other than it is amazing. It ripped out my heart and then fix it back into my chest and filled it again almost to bursting. I finished reading this book before bed and I couldn’t go to sleep because I was just so happy. I feel like I was on a journey right along with the characters feeling everything they feel. Laini is a words smith. She makes the reader understand how characters can be good and bad by creating the clearest, realist picture of people. The magic and the world are huge and detailed but not confusing. Plus, shout out to an epilogue I needed to read. Perfect closure to a story leaving me satisfied and dreamy.

In this book, we follow the same cast of characters but even a few new ones, Nova and Kova, enter the fold becoming a critical point of the story. Lazlo returns but we spend less time in his head. Sarai also returns and as the title of the book leads you to believe, yes this is her book. She is sweet, strong, and instead of breaking people down she is learning to use her magic to help people. Rudy, Feral, and Sparrow are back. I think Sparrow gets a little more magical growth in the story but Rudy and Feral set the perfect teenage tone. Minya is a marvelously complex character. All the pain she holds and knowing every decision made was to protect the others. Even though I disagreed with her so many times, it is so easy to understand her position completely. The character with probably the most unexpected arc is Thyron. I don’t want to give anything away but at first, I was a little confused why he was getting page time. Let’s be honest he isn’t the best person in the first book but it made me so happy to see him develop. (Squeal!) Lastly, Eril-Fane and Azareen. Sigh. So much emotion.

Yes, these books are considered young adult but the themes in this book are ones we are constantly facing throughout life. How grief can be blinding and holding on to pain is such a negative weight. Learning to let go of hurt and learning from mistakes and after all that knowledge, you can still do good. Moving on from the ugliness. Thank you Laini Taylor.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.  Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor will be published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on October 2nd, 2018.

Purchase Muse of Nightmares through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Book Depository.

Purchase the first book in the series, Strange the Dreamer, through Amazon, eBooks.com, Barnes & Noble, or Book Depository.

Book Review: (Don’t) Call Me Crazy by Kelly Jensen

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation About Mental Health edited by Kelly Jensen is a collection of essays, poems, and art on how bestselling authors, actors, and artist have coped and thrived with mental illness. This is a very important anthology. It covers mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, trichotillomania, eating disorders, bipolar issues, PTSD, and many more.
This isn’t about the science or trying to find a cure. This is more about experiences. Everyone writes about their struggle with their illness. Some of it is how their illness has affected their lives, from misdiagnosis to popular stigmas. There are discussions about defining words, the language used by others, not letting words define you as a person, and how you are not your mental illness. Also, how people found help, and how they still work with their health today. There are authors that recommend other titles, fiction or non-fiction if the reader would like to continue their education and learn more. And even some helpful meditations.
This was a tough review to write and I don’t know if I have given it the proper write up it deserves. I highlighted many phrases or descriptions that clicked. Some of the most relatable works in this anthology for me were, The Train of Overthinking by Gemma Correll; this cartoon, for me, perfectly represents getting stuck in the loop of negative thoughts and Black Hole by Victoria V. E. Schwab which just made me feel less alone about getting stuck inside my head.
I wish I had something like this when I was a teen. Some books and movies put a Hollywood spin on some illness or just completely got it wrong. This anthology allows realistic representation and helps suffer feel less alone. You don’t have a mental illness but maybe you know someone who has or is currently going through some stuff and all I can ask is read this. It can help you have a better understanding, a little more compassion, and start conversations.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. (Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation About Mental Health edited by Kelly Jensen will be published by Algonquin Young Readers on October 2nd, 2018.

 

Purchase this title through Amazon, Book Depository, or Barnes & Noble.

Book Review: How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

Tom Hazard looks 41-years-old but he has a rare condition. He ages at a slower rate and is actually four-hundred-and-thirty-nine-years old. Tom is protected by a secret society for people like him and with their help, he must move around every 8 years to not create suspension. The number one rule to this secret club, don’t fall in love which hasn’t been a problem for Tom. This time around he decides he will move back to his old stomping grounds, London, to become a high school history teacher but when he meets a woman at work he starts to remember the fulfillment and hurt that comes with any life. Now, Tom’s current life is haunted by his past experiences and he must decide if he will stay stuck in his former memories or finally begin living in the present.

How to Stop Time alternates between present-day London and Tom’s many past memories but I was never confused. Haig does a good job of keeping the story moving but not disorganized. The synopsis of the book will have you think this is a love story between two people but I think it is about following Tom during a time when he feels his life is spent and is questioning his place not only in the world but in the secret society. There is a love story but it’s not the novel’s main focus like the movie, “The Age of Adeline” or the book, The Time Traveler’s Wife. The romance is slow burning and a reader may be confused when they start reading and find nothing happens with this present day romance until the last half of the book. It takes Tom a long time to accept his feelings. I think the main theme of the book was more about the heaviness of being alive. How a group of people you thought was protecting and helping you may have been hurting you? Also, seeing the good, “to love food and music and champagne and rare sunny afternoons in October. You can love the sight of waterfalls and the smell of old books.”

I really enjoyed this book. I found myself marking many passages that stuck with me. The read can be a little slow at times (what life is always exciting?) but it was quite thrilling by the end.

Some favorite quotes:

“That’s the thing with time, isn’t it? It’s not all the same. Some days – some years – some decades – are empty. There is nothing to them. It’s just flat water. And then you come across a year, or even a day, or an afternoon. And it is everything. It is the whole thing.”

“And, just as it only takes a moment to die, it only takes a moment to live. You just close your eyes and let every futile fear slip away. And then, in this new state, free from fear, you ask yourself: who am I? If I could live without doubt what would I do? If I could be kind without the fear of being fucked over? If I could love without fear of being hurt? If I could taste the sweetness of today without thinking of how I will miss that taste tomorrow? If I could not fear the passing of time and the people it will steal? Yes. What would I do? Who would I care for? What battle would I fight? Which paths would I step down? What joys would I allow myself? What internal mysteries would I solve? How, in short, would I live?”

Purchase this title through Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble, or Ebooks.com.

Book Review: City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab is a middle school, paranormal novel and the first book in the Cassidy Black series. Cassidy must go to Edinburgh, Scotland when her parents, ghost hunters, get a TV show. Her parents can’t see ghosts but Cass can. Ever since her drowning Cass can pull back the Veil that separates the living from the ghost but she is not alone. She is joined by her best friend Jacob, the ghost who saved her that day in the river. In Edinburgh Cass meets Lara, a girl that can also see the dead, and learns she has a lot more responsibility but can Cass keep herself safe in a city with many more ghost, a veil grabbing at her, and an evil woman in red known to snatch children’s life force.

I am not the intended age group however, ten-year-old me ate this up. I loved reading the way the Scottish history and superstitions were spun into the story. Schwab does a great job with the book’s atmosphere. It felt as if Edinburgh was another character and the description of the Veil left me with a vivid picture of the in-between. Schwab was able to make a creepy, chilling setting without being gruesome. Also, through their interactions, rules, and secrets, I really enjoyed Cassidy’s relationship with her best friend, Jacob.

My negative, there is a great deal of background before the subplot takes over. The story falls into the first book in a series flaw, a slow beginning and an over too soon ending but I still found myself invested. The end gifts the reader with nagging little questions about what haunted city setting could possibly be next (I have my mind set on Paris) and the ending’s ominous undertone with certain characters.

I enjoyed this novel as an adult reader and if you know middle school readers with a pension for ghost stories, look no farther then City of Ghosts.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab will be published by Scholastic Press on August 28th, 2018.

Purchase this title through Amazon and Book Depository.

 

Book Review: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren.

After a few embarrassing meetups in college Josh Im and Hazel Bradford reunite years later. Josh is sweet, thoughtful, and sensible while Hazel it quirky, funny, and straightforward. After Josh’s last relationship ends horribly Hazel convinces Josh to go on double dates with her. The dates they pick for each other don’t always work out but they have fun spending time together and the more time spent together the stronger the romantic tension.

This is the first novel I’ve read by the writing duo Christina Lauren and it was such an entertaining rom-com read. There were even parts that made me laugh out loud.

Hazel may lack a filter and be a bit zany but she has a big heart and doesn’t come across too over the top. I thought she was clearly believable and likable. Josh is a sweet straight man which makes it easy to fall in love with him. I was never left believing these characters would never work. Their friendship/romance was a little the opposite attract trope but didn’t feel thrown together or so contradicting to feel stretch thin. Instead, the relationship between Josh and Hazel was a slow burn, a lovely way to build tension, and with the feeling of a well-suited pair. Christina Lauren also does a great job of making the characters’ responsible adults talking about real-world topics like sex, testing, and bleeding without any shame, or guilt.

My only negative with the book was with the ending. I won’t give anything away but it felt rush. I would gladly pick up another novel by Christina Lauren in the future. They can paint clear scenes and deep characters without heavy fluff. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes contemporary romance and is looking for an energetic and cheerful read.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren will be published by Gallery Books on Tuesday, September 4th, 2018.

Purchase this title through Amazon or Book Depository.

Book Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris is a very powerful read. Based on a true story the book is about Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, sent to the concentration camp, Auschwitz, in April 1942. Determined to survive he uses his charm, and ability to speak several languages and works at keeping useful. Eventually, he is put to work as the tattooist of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Struggling with the moral integrity of the job, being the tattooist has more rations, better sleeping arraignments, and more freedom to move around the camp. Lale uses his fortunate position helping his fellow prisoners stay alive exchanging money and jewels from murdered Jews for food and medicine. While tattooing one day he meets Gita and instantly falls for her. He swears they will survive the camp and marry. This is their story.

This book is a story of resilience and love. While we are familiar with the horrific time period and the conditions endured by so many, Morris’s retelling of Lale’s story is a reminder of the strength, courage, and fight for life and love. It is a hard book to review. This book was well-written, stirring up so many emotions and Lale’s story will stay with me. At times, hard to read, but impossible to put down. Thank you Heather Morris for helping bring Lale and Gita’s story to light.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris will be published by Harper Paperbacks on September 4th, 2018.

Purchase this title through Amazon, Book Depository, or eBooks.com.

Book Review: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Spinning Silver is much more than the retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. It incorporates fantasy, myth, and dark retellings making it a lush layered novel with flushes out characters and worlds.

The story starts with Miryem, daughter, and granddaughter to a moneylender. Her family is poor since her father repeatedly fails at collecting dues. When her mother becomes ill and Miryem has grown sick herself from constant poverty she goes out to collect the funds owed. She soon finds she is good at the job and over time turns more silver into gold. But this causes the notice of the Staryk, a terrible being who brings the winter and wants gold above all else.

The story includes a woman hired to pay her (physical) abuse father’s debt and take care of her siblings. There is also the story of a noble girl, considered plain and useless to her father but who must fight for her life and those she loves after she is married to a cruel tsar cursed with a fire demon in his body.

The world building is seemingly simple. The introduction to the world builds on the people’s stories and fears till the magic is more than just under the surface but true and an increment part of these women’s everyday lives.

Novik has a talent for presenting multiple character point of views with complex sub-plots weaving everything into a single brimming tale. I didn’t find it hard to follow the different perspectives. Each character had a distinct voice but the book also uses a corresponding symbol for each character at page breaks or beginning chapters. I loved the strong empowering female theme throughout. Another thing to note is Miryem and her family is Jewish. The novel touches on the importance of her Jewish identity as well as with small-town prejudices, and anti-Semitism making it more relevant to today’s world.

Spinning Silver has a way of taking historical and present topics of discussions, mixing in myths and fairytales, and making everything relatable. Overall, Naomi Novik can transport you to a time and place you can believe without a doubt is real and that is real magic.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. Spinning Silver by Noami Novik will be published by Del Rey on Tuesday, July 10th 2018.

Purchase this title through Amazon, Book Depository, or Ebooks.com.

Book Review: Someday My Prince Will Come by Jerramy Fine

“Someday My Prince Will Come” is a true-life story about a girl who has the courage to purse her childhood dreams.

I wrote this review for The Celebrity Cafe probably about seven years ago. I have notice they have clean their website of my writings so, over time, I’ve been posting some of my past work here.
Jerramy Fine grew up wanting to be a princess. Born in Colorado to hippie parents that named her a boy’s name, she takes the reader through her hippie, farm town childhood. She feeds chickens and never really fits in at school for her royal ways. At the age of six she picks her husband, Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips. She even writes letters to Peter in care of Buckingham Palace.
Fine grows up planning her life around going to England and fitting in among royalty. While most girls grow out of Disney fairy tales (her parents never allowed her to watch) she holds on to her dreams. She travels to London for grad-school, meets Princess Anne, and Earl Spencer. She spends a holiday in India, has struggles with flat-mates, expenses of London, and dating.
Fine’s insensitivity to her parents and small town did become a little tiresome half way through the book. If people compromise I guess there would be no book. At times she sounded a little naïve in romance and men. I felt she was trying hard to keep the fairy tale princess theme going and sometimes it came off flat. But she kept the story flowing with her humorist voice and dramatic adventures.
Jerramy Fine’s memoir is a very light and funny read. I found it refreshing to read a memoir that wasn’t all doom and gloom. She is witty and entertaining. I found myself laughing out loud many times. I admire Fine for her determination and endurance setting out and staying true to her goals.

3 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Buffering by Hannah Hart 

I first learned about Hannah Hart on her YouTube show, “My Drunk Kitchen,” and I introduced her videos to many of my friends and family. I was hooked by her creativity, funny cooking puns, and life morals after every episode. On film she is a positive force. I didn’t know that from the comedy came a hard and trying life. She is an inspiring person with a story everyone needs to read.

Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded is a collection of journal entries, essays, and memories of Hart’s life experiences which lead her to who she is today.

This book is incredibly moving. She talks about growing up with a mother who struggled with mental illness. She talks about her sisters and her slow understanding they weren’t living like others. Her complicated relationship with her father and step-father. How that realization still affects them today. But she also still tries to help others by showing how she has overcome her battles with self-harm and stress. I felt a close connection to Hart’s struggles with depression. And was making mental notes to try some of the exercises she uses to work through tough times.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom. Hart did a great job of mixing the sad with the funny. It was nice to learn the beginnings of “My Drunk Kitchen,” the work that went into creating the business and the content she does today. Also, the meaningful friendships she has developed and the honesty of learning to embrace her sexuality, faith, and self worth.

She is an excellent writer. Her voice is strong and comes through as completely authentic through her writing. It reads as if Hart is sitting with you sharing her story. It takes a lot of courage to open up but by doing so she will help many others.

Thank you to Dey Street Books, HarperCollins, and Edelweiss for the ARC in exchange for this review which had no weight on the outcome of the rating.

Expected publishing date for Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded by Hannah Hart is October 18, 2016.

Throwback Thursday: Italian Survival Guide by Elizabeth Bingham Book Review

I worked for an online website CelebrityCafe.com back in 2009. I wrote celebrity news, TV recaps, and reviews. Recently I noticed my articles have disappeared off the site so I’m taking some of my favorite work, and posting it on this page. Below is one of my book reviews.

Italian Survival Guide: The Language and Culture You Need to Travel with Confidence in Italy

Elizabeth Bingham Ph.D.

0970373449

World Prospect Press

A crash course for new travelers to Italy. Learn culture and very basic language to help travel with confidence through a foreign country.

“Italian Survival Guide: The Language and Culture You Need to Travel with Confidence in Italy” is Elizabeth Bingham, Ph.D. second published book, the first book being “German Survival Guide.” Bingham’s “Italian Survival Guild” intentions are to help the reader learn the basics of travel, language, and culture in a little amount of time.

This is not a travel guide for landmarks to see or restaurants to eat at. This is a travel guide for language and culture. Bingham’s book is in seven sections each one on an important topic of traveling. The topics are sorted well and in a useful order. Bingham separates the proper vocabulary in the accurate sections.

The vocabulary is bare basics and all of it essentials. Bingham doesn’t riddle the book with “the dog is on the chair” examples. The terminology is what a person would use when traveling. If you are fluent in Italian, you may find this book ineffective. This book doesn’t come with a CD and I don’t think it needs one. Every term comes with the meaning and the phonetics so there is no question on how a word should be pronounce.

The end of every lesson, chapter, and the book is a review test to help keep what was just read in the head. Short on time Bingham says you can skip the quizzes but I feel you can’t really learn and retain the words without proper time on the subject.

It doesn’t look like this book would be hard to use in Italy either. On the front and back covers is a survival summary of all the vocabulary, meaning, and phonetics all neatly characterize in labeled columns. Located in the back of the book it also a small Italian-English and English-Italian dictionary.

I did skim over some of the sections when I felt they didn’t apply to me and I didn’t feel I really missed anything. If there is anything she had mention in an early section Bingham feels you should review she does tell the reader where to refer back.

The Italian culture was also separated into each section under the appropriate terms. Bingham has made the culture sections easy to read throughout the book and made the tips very practical. She talks about the differences that may be experienced between American and Italian culture. She teaches woman not to be shocked at hollering men, differences in coffee, and money. She gives safety tips to help the traveler stay aware of crime. Sometimes I wish she would have elaborated on certain subjects. For me the currency only made me more confused and worried about what I may face in Italy or what attire is suitable for travel since I cannot change what is in my closet. Also I didn’t feel confident on the directions given on church attire.

Bingham’s book set out to give confidence to a new traveler with limited time to learn language and culture of a foreign country. I think you do need at least a month’s time of everyday study to be confident in a foreign language completely. I do feel see taught a different culture with understanding and ease. I do feel a little bit better traveling to Italy with some of the knowledge and words I have grasp from this book.