A Bookworm's Book Reviews

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Introduction

Hello all!

I am C.M. Mills, an avid book lover looking for the next good book. I usually read fantasy and historical fiction. I’ve started branching out into thrillers. I’m not the biggest fan of purely romantic books. Sure, put it in a book, but it shouldn’t take the place of a good plot. I am willing to give any book a try. I enjoy reading nonfiction, too. Most of the nonfiction books I’ve read are memoirs, but I’d be willing to give other types of nonfiction a try. I’ve slogged through terrible books and will put up with a lot before I give up on a book.

Some things that I love in a book: a map (if needed), a pronunciation guide (if needed), a reason to care about the characters, and suspense to keep me going. Give me a connection to the protagonist. Authors get brownie points if the villain has a relatable motive, or has a unique stance.

Some turn offs include: introducing too many characters at once (looking at you Game of Thrones), characters with difficult names to pronounce (a pronunciation guide can offset this), not enough character relatability, boring plot, not enough action, etc.

I do enjoy a sappy romance, but it drives me nuts when the characters won’t admit their feelings (yes I know it can be a plot point, but don’t let it be the main plot point), or have again off again relations (it can get annoying). Also too many steamy scenes cause me to skip or skim over book.

Some of my favorite books include The Book Thief (for its writing style and humor despite being a WW2 setting book), Redeeming Love (a slightly predicable romance/historical fiction set in during the California gold rush), The Last Sin Eater (a historical fiction focused on an unusual British Isle tradition) , Immanuel’s Veins (a unique take on vampirish/angelic lore set to a historical fiction book), The Lord of the Rings (a dense read but so unique), Harry Potter (magic, cause why not), and The Chronicles of Narnia (for the world within). These are the first that came to my mind. I have so many more that I’ve enjoyed.

Some of my favorite authors include Francine Rivers (for her takes on historical fiction interwoven with classic tales, also has some sappy romantic books), Ted Dekker (for his unique thrillers and ability to keep the reader interested), Paula Brackston (for her historical fiction and use of worldly magic), Arturo Perez-Reverte (for his descriptive historical fiction use of vocabulary), and Elizabeth Camden (for a sappy love story and use of historical fiction). These are the authors I usually gravitate towards.

Feel free to send me recommendations and requests. I’d love to hear about other genres, books, and authors. I’ll try my best to read those books as soon as I can. My room is a partial library of unread books. Also feel free to ask me questions. I’ll respond as soon as I can.

Hopeless Necromantic – Shiloh Briar

Title: Hopeless Necromantic

Author: Shiloh Briar

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Plot: Sikra Nikabod has been a small town necromancer for four years. He charges a small fee to bring back people’s loved ones, but makes them sign a contract saying he isn’t liable for not being able to fix their wounds when they’re alive again. A new recruit for the Red Sentinels, Helspira, has come to bring Sikra to the queen. She demands he help defeat Vessik, a former friend and fellow necromancer, and his undead army, or face jail time for tax evasion. Sikra’s skeleton friend, Benjamin convinces him to take the queen’s job. Sikra joins the Red Sentinals on the journey to Vessik’s layer. But the Red Sentinels have other plans for Sikra and Benjamin. They need Benjamin out of the way so Sikra has access to his full powers to defeat Vessik. They decide Helspira is the one to get Benjamin out of the way. Will she be able to do it without letting Sikra catch on? Will they be able to defeat Vessik and his undead army?

Rating: 3.5 – a different take on fantasy and romance

Opinion: This was a cute idea and I loved the premise of the book. But I couldn’t get into it. I would’ve loved more world building and a bigger threat from the villain. While the villain was threatening the kingdom, it didn’t feel like as big of a threat as it should have. It would’ve felt a higher stakes book if there had been more build up and tension with Sikra and Vessik. I would’ve loved more backstory of the characters. While I will admit some of the characters had some good character development. While I loved the banter between Sikra and Heslpira, it felt like more of a friendship than a romance. It would’ve been nice to see more relationship built instead of just friendly banter. Helpsira seemed to have better chemistry with Benjamin than Sikra. They bonded quicker than she and Sikra. I really wanted to love this book but it just fell flat for me. I’d recommend this book for anyone wants a different style of romantasy.

The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien

Title: The Hobbit

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Narrator: Andy Serkis

Genre: Fantasy, Children’s Chapter Book

Plot: Bilbo Baggins is a very respectable hobbit in Hobbiton. He and his family has never done anything unexpected or gone on any adventures. Except when Gandalf shows up after a long time and he’s up to something. Bilbo wants no part of it. After they talk, thirteen dwarves show up unexpectedly, for Bilbo that is. Their leader is Thorin Oakenshield. They immediately start feasting and talking of their quest. Thorin and the others want to take back the Lonely Mountain, their homeland, from the dragon Smaug. They need a burglar and Gandalf has recommended Bilbo for the job. The dwarves are skeptical but Gandalf convinces them. Bilbo eventually comes around and races to catch up with the dwarves the next morning. Their journey to the Lonely Mountain is filled with setbacks. They caught by trolls, stayed in Rivendale, get lost in Mirkwood and captured by Thranduill, the king of the woodland elves, and his people, fight off giant spiders, meet Beor, a shapeshifter, and pass through Dale and Laketown. Only then do they get to find a way into the Lonely Mountain and get rid of Smaug. Would it even be possible to kill a dragon? Can the dwarves keep their treasure? Or will everyone in nearby places try to take it for themselves?

Rating: 4.0 – a fun adventure of an unlikely hero

Opinion: This was a great book. I enjoyed listening to Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the movie versions of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, read the book. He has a very soothing voice and is great at creating different voices for each character. A few characters sounded similar so it was harder to keep them apart. It made so happy that he kept his Gollum voice for that character. I was impressed that he sang the songs in the book. His singing voice isn’t great, but isn’t horrible. I’d read the book in high school and decided to listen to it this time. I’d forgotten how much happens in the book. Parts happened so quick, that I was glad for the parts where the story slowed down. When the characters were first to pause and regroup was a nice break in the story. It kept the flow of the story going. The adventures to get to the Lonely Mountain took longer than I remembered. But I liked it because it gave Bilbo a lot of character growth. I was also glad that book didn’t focus on the battle at the end. The summery of the battle was much more fitting for the story. The fate of some of the characters saddened me. I’m glad I listened to the story this time. It gave the story a different feel, like a parent reading to me when I was a kid. I’d highly recommend this audiobook a try. Overall, I really liked this book. I’d recommend to anyone who needs a simple fantasy story.

Theo of Golden – Allen Levi

Title: Theo of Golden

Author: Allen Levi

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Plot: Theo is a recent arrival to the city of Golden, Georgia. He’s a quiet old soul who wanders around the Promenade most days. Theo wandered into a coffee shop called Chalice and notices the portraits on the wall. They’re portraits of residents of Golden painted by a local painter, Asher. Theo decides to take it upon himself to reunite the portraits with their owners. At first, people seem suspicious of Theo’s actions. Most people agree to meet Theo and realize what a kind man he is. He listens to their stories and they find it comforting. Over the next year, Theo meets with local Golden residents to personally give others their portraits. The more he wanders around town, the more friends he makes and the more stories he hears. As many people as Theo talks to, many people don’t know Theo. Who is Theo really? Why is he giving away the photos?

Rating:4.0 – a good story of true kindness without ego

Opinion: This was a sweet book. I enjoyed seeing how Theo brought a community together. He also fit into the community that that was already established so well. Everyone came together when it mattered. They truly cared about each other, even though not everyone showed it on the outside. I loved the fact that they cared for Ellen, one of the homeless women in town. She was a little odd, but bright. The community made sure she had what she needed. They made her feel accepted, as well as they could. I was afraid something worse would happen to her towards the end. All of the characters are well written. They were all written with distinct personalities. The author did a great job with explaining the characters motivations and actions. As well as making me love, or hate, certain characters. He did a great job making some interactions awkward, sweet, or cruel. The relationships felt natural. As much as I loved the book, I didn’t love what happened to Theo. It just didn’t feel right for the character. I feel like he deserved better. I had to reread some of the pages because I couldn’t figure out what happened. I gave up and kept reading. Only then did the book explain what happened. Though I did love how the community rallied around him. It showed what a great difference he made in a year in the community. He made everyone feel special. He took his time to get to know the community and they remembered that. Overall, I really liked this book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who needs a sweet book about community.

The Lion Women of Tehran – Marjan Kamali

Title: The Lion Women of Tehran

Author: Marjan Kamali

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Elaheh, Ellie for short, has moved to a poorer neighborhood in Tehran, capital of Iran, and started a new school. Her first friend is Homa, a girl who’s grown up in the poorer neighborhood. Despite Ellie’s mother’s protest, her and Homa remain close friends. Though they lose touch when Ellie and her mother move in with her uncle. Ellie and Homa reunite in high school when Homa gets a scholarship to Ellie’s high school. They rekindle their friendship like no time has passed. Homa encourages Ellie to pursue scholarly pursuits while a boy Ellie has a crush on pursues Ellie. Her crush, Mehrdad, encourages Ellie to continue on to college as well. Both girls get accepted to Tehran University. Ellie studies English and Homa studies pre-law. Homa also starts to get involved in the local communist movement. She wants all women in Iran to have equal rights. Then Homa is arrested and disappears. Ellie is disheartened that her closest friend is gone. She and her other friends continue on, but everything feels weird without Homa. Over the years, the two women meet by chance. Then Merhdad gets a university job in the United States. They can’t pass up the opportunity. Will Ellie and Homa find a way to get in touch again? Can their differences keep them apart? What will happen to Homa when the protests in Iran turn dangerous? Will Homa escape? Or keep fighting? And will Ellie and Mehrdad ever be able to return to Iran?

Rating: 4.5 – an incredible story of courage and friendship

Opinion: This was incredible story. I’d heard good things about this book from multiple people. I wanted to read it but kept getting distracted with other books. Then it was a book club book, so I finally got around to reading it. I was very impressed with the story. The characters are well written. They were all very fleshed out and very human. I loved seeing how their beliefs and actions affected the story. It made my heart ache or cheer with the characters. I loved reading about the history and culture of Iran. I remember learning a little about Iran in my US history classes, but it was brief. So I loved learning about the country. The author is Iranian so she knew what she was writing about. There was lots of Farsi words in the book, and I liked that the author found a way to include the definition of the words in English. Though a pronunciation guide would’ve been nice. I double checked with a coworker who’s Iranian on the pronunciation on the Farsi. I was impressed that my guess at the pronunciation was correct. I also talked with my coworker about the history and culture of Iran. She says that this book is pretty accurate. She was very gracious and answered the questions I had about the book. Overall, I really loved this book. This was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I can see why I’ve heard so many good things about it. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction.

In Stormy Weather – Chelsea Curto

Title: In Stormy Weather

Author: Chelsea Curto

Genre: Romance

Plot: Sebastian Dunn and Quincy Monroe are rival meteorologist. Quincy’s had to fight tooth and nail to gain any traction in her career, while Sebastian’s had it easy. She runs a weather program on Youtube, chasing storms and informing people about weather phenomena. Sebastian works for ABC as a weatherman. When Sebastian returns to Florida to make a short series about weather phenomena, he and Quincy have to learn to work together. Quincy is upset when Sebastian starts popping in her show. Then they find a storm cell near their location. The two find a way to catch rare tornado footage. Sebastian says they make a good team. Quincy is reluctant to agree. But she can see the value in teamwork. When the first hurricane of the season starts approaching, Quincy and Sebastian find a way to track the storm and go storm chasing. When Quincy realizes the hurricane is changing course, she’s desperate to alert the local news stations to the changes. Sebastian comes with to support and make sure the stations believe her. Then the hurricane’s increasing strength as it makes landfall. Quincy is bound and determined to get the footage she needs. Sebastian refuses to let her go alone. Can the two find the footage they need? Can they truly overcome their differences and fall in love? Will Quincy get her dream job? Will they survive the hurricane?

Rating: 3.5 – a cute weather related romance

Opinion: This was a cute book. The author did a great job with researching the weather phenomena in the book. It made it more believable. The characters are well written for the most part. Each character has their own personality. Their friendships felt well written as well. It really felt like everyone had been friends for a very long time. Though I feel like some friends got a little too sidelined for me. Some of Quincy and Sebastian’s choices felt a little questionable, like getting very romantic during a category five hurricane. Their relationship kind of felt sudden. Like there wasn’t enough tension and build up for me. Most of their tension seems to have happened before the book started. It would’ve felt a little more believable for me if there had been more tension while they worked together, instead of rushing into the relationship. I’m glad Quincy had a great support system with Sebastian but there were a few times I felt like he might’ve overstepped. Overall, this was a cute book. I’m glad everyone got their happy endings. I recommend this book for anyone who loves sappy romantic book.

The Scarlet Pimpernel – Baroness Orczy

Title: The Scarlet Pimpernel

Author: Baroness Orczy

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: A mysterious, masked figure named the Scarlet Pimpernel is sneaking aristocrats out of France during the French Revolution. Citizen Chauvelin is bound and determined to capture the Scarlet Pimpernel. All that most people know about him is that he’s tall and English. But the masked man always seems two steps ahead of the French authorities. Chauvelin forcibly recruits Marguerite St. Just, or Lady Blakeney, a French woman married to Englishman Lory Percy Blackeney. If Marguerite doesn’t help Chauvelin, he’ll make sure her brother is caught by the French Authorities who are putting aristocrats to death by guillotine. Will Chauvelin capture the Scarlet Pimpernel? Can Marguerite find a way to help her brother escape France and Chauvelin? And on top of everything, who is the Scarlet Pimpernel?

Rating: 3.5 – a different side of the French Revolution

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I enjoyed seeing a different side of the French Revolution. It makes sense that French Aristocrats had ways to escape the country. I don’t feel like there are a lot of books that talk about that. The ones I’ve found focus more on life inside of France during this time. The author did a great job researching this time period. Everything felt plausible during the time period. I liked the idea of a double identity. I’ve heard that this book helped pave the way for modern superhero comics. It almost felt like a Batman origin story, with less brooding and darkness. An English aristocrat wears a mask and dark clothing and saves people in danger, and always being two steps ahead of the bad guys. It took me a while to get into the book. It was slow to start with all of the character introductions and background information. Once it got going, it was interesting. I enjoyed seeing the escapades through different character perspectives. Though I wish the changes in perspectives were a little clearer. Overall, I really did like this book. It was a fun little save the day adventure. I recommend it to anyone who wants a shorter historical fiction.

The Witcher 1 – Andrzej Sapkowski

Title: The Witcher: The Last Wish

Author: Andrzej Sapkowski

Translator: Danusia Stok

Genre: Fantasy, Short Stories

Plot: Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher, a human with mutations that hunts monsters. These are the adventures of Geralt and some of his friends. He travels across the country, finding work and killing monsters. But work has become more and more scarce. People find some monsters can be useful. Others just want the monster’s curse broken. Others tried and failed, some died in the process, few laughed and walked away. Geralt may be up to the task. But sometimes his friends get hurt. Gerald must find a way to defeat the monster while trying to save his friend. Sometimes that means finding someone who’s only out for themselves. Join Geralt on some of his adventures.

Opinion: 4.0 – an interesting introduction to the Witcher

Rating: This was an interesting book. I wasn’t really expecting this to be a series of short stories. It made the book less dark than I thought it’d be. Maybe it was because I’d seen some of the tv show before I read the book. So I was expecting a darker book series. I was pleasantly surprised how accurate the show to the book. They took some of the stories and applied them directly to the show. They changed a couple things here and there, but overall, it was very accurate and I was okay with the changes. I liked how the author made it feel like Geralt was telling the stories, despite the stories being in third person. The short stories almost make it feel like I didn’t necessarily have to start with this book. I’ve heard it’s helpful to understand the characters better though if you start with this book. I do agree that this was a good introduction to the main characters and what their part is in the series. I’m hoping to read the other books in the series some time in the future. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes a little bit darker fantasy series.

What the Wind Knows – Amy Harmon

Title: What the Wind Knows

Author: Amy Harmon

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Anne Gallagher is a second generation Irish immigrant and well established author in 2001. Her grandfather, Eoin, raised her in America. His parents died in the fight for Irish independence from the British. Anne grew up hearing of their bravery and how they helped with the fight. Despite Anne’s pleading, Eoin wouldn’t take her to visit Ireland, saying it wasn’t safe for her. But when Eoin passes, he instructs Anne to take his ashes to Ireland and scatter them in Lough Gill, near his hometown of Sligo. When Anne goes to the lough, she suddenly finds herself in 1919 Ireland, and shot by a bullet. The local doctor, Thomas Smith, takes Anne in and tends to her wound. While she’s healing, she’s soon swept up in the fight for Irish independence. Thomas Smith was one of the prominent members for independence. She soon meets other members of the fight, like Micheal Collins and the O’Toole family. The more time Anne spends in the past, the more she comes to fall for Thomas and care for a young Eoin. And the longer she’s in the past, the more Anne wants to stay there. But she must tread carefully, as there are some people who think she’s a British spy. Will Anne be able to stay in the past? Can she find a way to stay with Thomas? Or will the past and present day separate them forever?

Rating: 4.0 – a sappy story of time travel

Opinion: This was a fascinating book. I haven’t really read any books about this time period. The author clearly did her research. There was a lot of interesting history. I enjoyed learning about the Irish side of the fight. Though, I’m sure the story was a little more sanitized than what actually happened. It was interesting how many Irish people wanted complete separation from England and the first treaty the Irish leaders didn’t feel like enough for lots of the people. It made me look up how much longer the Irish people fought for complete independence from England. I thought the characters in the book were well written and well developed. They had distinct personalities and motivations. I was really rooting for most of the characters in the book. I really wanted the best for them. I’m glad the author kept the scenes cleaner when characters fell in love. You know what the characters were doing, but there wasn’t a ton of details. This was a nice break from some of the other romance books I’ve read lately. The author also did a great job wrapping everything up in the book. I really wanted the characters together in the end and I was not disappointed. They tried to separate some of the characters and I begged the author while reading to bring them back together and I’m glad she did. I figured she wouldn’t keep them apart, but there was that slight doubt in the back of my mind. This book kind of reminded me of a cleaner, and Irish, version of Outlander. Overall, I’d highly recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction and Outlander.

Summer’s Never Over – Darby Bozeman

Title: Summer’s Never Over

Author: Darby Bozeman

Genre: Mystery

Plot: Five years ago, Greer left Dread’s Cove after a series of increasingly bizarre accidents caused by a local legend called the Phantom. Dread’s Cove, had to close early after a fire burned part of the camp. Greer is forced to return after her mother passed. Her mother owned and ran the camp. Now Greer is forced to decide if she wants to take over Dread’s Cove or leave it in the hands of her old friend Chelsea. To top it off, another old friend, Margo, shows up as a reporter. She wants to investigate the truth of what really happened to Stephanie the night of the fire. And what happened to Stephanie’s mother. Then strange things start to happen again. Greer wants to dismiss them, but then they start escalating. Greer refuses to believe the Phantom has returned. The more she helps Margo learn about Stephanie’s mother, the more she learns the dark secrets of the people she’s trusted the most. But who was really behind the Phantom’s accidents? It couldn’t really be one person, could it? And what really happened to Stephanie? And her mother?

Rating: 3.5 – a classic summertime mystery

Opinion: This was an interesting book. There was a lot of classic tropes of someone goes missing at a summer camp and there’s a mysterious figure lurking around camp. For the most part, I liked that the author kept it realistic, character wise. They’re well written in the fact that they have realistic reactions to the mysterious things that happen around the camp. They got overwhelmed when things got too much for them. Though I wish some of the characters grew up a little bit more. They still seem a little childish in the five years later parts. Also, I didn’t love some of the character’s motivation. It was hard for me to see the connection for their actions and motivation for their actions. It seemed like a stretch for me. I will give the author credit for doing a great job of keeping me guessing about who did it. I liked that she gave lots of good hints that it might not have been one person. It was nice that some of the accidents weren’t all connected to one person. It made it harder to figure out who did it. Overall, this wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t amazing. It was an easy read and an interesting mystery. There was enough going on to keep me interested. I recommend it for anyone who wants an easy, summer themed mystery.

The Last Contract of Isako – Fonda Lee

Title: The Last Contact of Isako

Author: Fonda Lee

Genre: Sci-Fi

Plot: Isako is a long time contractor, and swordswoman, for AstroCorp. She’s the CEO’s right hand man, taking care of the dirty work. When her boss suddenly retires, Isako assumes she’ll be forced to retire. Then her new boss offers her one more job before she leaves. Isako isn’t in a position to refuse. She needs to get the dirt on her boss’s competing company’s leader Director Uchi. Then she learns that her latest apprentice, Martim, is involved in Uchi’s schemes. She’s quick to help him. But he’s missing and no one has seen him in a week. Uchi claim he was fired and assumed dead. Isako doesn’t buy it. She searches for answers underground and with resistance fighters for answers. But Isako may not like the answers she finds. She may be in way over her head. Can she find out what really happened to her apprentice? Or will the other shadowy figures get in her way?

Rating: 3.7 – an interesting take on colonizing other worlds

Opinion: This was an interesting book. The author did a great job with world building. She did her research and everything felt plausible. This book had a realistic description of what terraforming would look like on a real scale timeline. There were a lot of intricacies in the world but it didn’t feel overwhelming. With sci-fi it can be easy to overwhelm the reader with world building but this author did a great job with not overwhelming the reader. At first it almost felt like Firefly, with more technology for everyone. I liked how the author split the story into thirds. I was curious to see how the author would bring the two stories together. She did a great job but the ending fell a little flat for me. It didn’t really feel like much changed from the beginning. Maybe that was the point but the ending didn’t do the book justice. Maybe it was the corporate politics that killed it for me. While I don’t mind politics in books, it just was a little too much for me. Overall, I did like this book, I just wished for a better ending. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves sci-fi.