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.

Skin – Ted Dekker

Title: Skin

Author: Ted Dekker

Narrator: Adam Verner

Genre: Thriller

Plot: Wendy is driving through the Nevada desert to meet her mom in Utah. It’s pouring outside and she can hardly see the road. Suddenly there’s a pickup truck. She crashes. Wendy goes to see what happened to the truck. But no one’s there and the truck’s been shot. When someone down the road calls for help, Wendy goes to help. She meets Carey and Nicole, brother and sister. Nicole was bitten by a snake. Wendy offers to help. They take Nicole to the closest town, Summerville. Colt is a cop in Summerville. He’s dealing with a gunman, who calls himself Sterling Red, who’s taking down cops when Carey, Nicole, and Wendy drive into town. The three of them beg Colt for help. Colt reluctantly agrees and takes them to find the town doctor. There, they’re forced to hunker down when the storm gets worse with Nicole getting worse. Morning comes and they can leave. But Colt’s car is dead and phones are down, so they’re forced to stay. Then Sterling Red finds them. He demands they play his sick game. The ugliest dies, or he kills seven more people. But who really is Red? What does he really want? How do they escape? Play his game? Or beat him? Is that really possible? Whatever the case, they have six hours to figure it out.

Rating: 4.0 – an interesting case of who done it

Opinion: I thought this was an interesting book. It’d been awhile since I’ve read anything by Ted Dekker, and I wanted to give this one a try. And I wanted to see if his audiobooks were just as creepy. I wouldn’t call it creepy, but more of a psychological thriller. It makes a really good case for a who’s really pulling the strings? and can I really trust my neighbor/partner/friend? The more the characters learned, the deeper you realize the rabbit hole is. They realize who they can really trust, and who’s really who they say they are. The technology and video game addition was a nice touch. It was a nice that the mysteries were slowly revealed. The way the author wrote the ending made me wonder if the author wrote a sequel. He didn’t but it drove the point home of can I trust what’s going on inside my head? The book did a great job of making the characters question their reality. The little bit of romance in this book made more sense than in other Ted Dekker books I’ve read, but still felt unnecessary. I could see it coming and I just rolled my eyes. I get that it helped some of the characters overcome their past hurts, but it still didn’t feel completely necessary. I’ll give Ted Dekker credit for weaving this romance in better and not forcing it as much this time. I also enjoyed the narrator in the book. He did a good job giving each character their own voice and inflections. I also liked that the narrator played with the sounds in the book. He put in a good effort to make the sounds realistic. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I’d recommend this book for anyone looking for a good psychological thriller.

Hemlock & Silver – T. Kingfisher

Title: Hemlock & Silver

Author: T. Kingfisher

Narrator: Jennifer Pickens

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Anja is local poison expert. She’s dedicated years of her life to saving those who’ve been poisoned. The one day the king appears in her doorway, asking for help. His daughter, Snow, is sick and he thinks she’s being poisoned. Anja agrees but makes no promises of a cure. Two guards, Aaron and Javier escort her to the desert city for privacy. There she meets Snow and sees how sick she is. Anja runs every test she knows to see what kinds of poison it could be. When all else fails, she searches the castle for answers. In a garden, she sees Snow eat a mysterious apple. Anja knows this is the key to all the answers, but it doesn’t easily give up its answers. Until she stumbles into the mirror, literally. With all of her scientific knowledge, Anja struggles with the idea that the answer could be magic. But will Anja find an answer and a cure for Snow in time? Or will whoever is behind Snow’s ailment get her out of the picture first?

Rating: 4.0 – a different kind of fairy tale

Opinion: I decided to give another audiobook a try. I liked this one so much more. I think it helped the narrator didn’t have as much of a monotone as the last one. The narrator did character voices, not great but she did try. I also listened to the book at a slightly faster pace, which might’ve also helped. The book itself was more my style anyway. But the characters were well written and witty. I liked that Anja wasn’t your typical protagonist. She was a little older, not small and petite, and knew her strengths and weaknesses. Anja knew she might not be the best at comforting, but did it the best way she knew how. She was willing to help and was willing to admit that she might not have a cure. She was okay with asking for help when she needed it. I liked that when she didn’t know something, she sought answers scientifically. When someone challenged her ideas, she was willing to look at things in a new way, and consider new possibilities, as scientific as she was. I also that this was a new tales of the magic mirror and poisoned apple story of Snow White. The author wasn’t afraid to make it her own and make it a little darker. It wasn’t as dark as the original Grimm’s Fairy Tale but darker than Disney’s Snow White. I liked this author’s writing style. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book with a sarcastic narrator. It made everything a little brighter, made me smile. I found some lines that made me laugh out loud. It helped me listen to and enjoy the story better. Even when things got a little creepy. The story’s plot took a little to pick up, but was still interesting throughout the whole thing. The romance could’ve developed a little more in the first half, but the author still made it work. Overall, I really liked this book. I’d highly recommend it for anyone who wants a new twist on a classic fantasy book.

James – Percival Everett

Title: James

Author: Percival Everett

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: James is a slave in Missouri. Two local white boys, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, like James because he’ll ‘play’ with the boys. One day, James hears rumors that his master is going to sell him. So he makes the brave decision to runaway. While James hides out on Jefferson Island, Huck Finn finds him. Huck says he’s running away from his abusive father and says he faked his death. At first, James is upset because the white people will think James killed Huck. But allows Huck to tag along when they’re finally able to make a break for freedom. They follow the Mississippi River to freedom. Along the way, they meet two conmen, the Duke and the King, and are separated after a con goes wrong. The story follows James as he keeps getting passed from white person to white person. Through everything, he keeps his head up and keeps his hopes to free his family with whatever money he earns. When he finds Huck again, he must make some difficult choices. Can he save his new friends? Will he be able to save his family? Or will James and Huck have to keep running?

Rating: 4.5 – a great retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Opinion: I found this book interesting. I’d read parts of Huck Finn in high school. I never got around to finishing it though. From what I remember, James follows the original book well, but puts his own twist on it. I’m glad they made James smarter than in the original book, but he had to hide it because of the white people’s ideas of what black people could and couldn’t do. This makes sense considering the historical context. The book does a good job with the fact that slaves were much smarter than white people thought. I found it interesting that some slaves were ‘brainwashed’ into thinking they had a good life as a slave. I could see why that would happen, but still found it strange. It helps that the book was written by a black author. He was better able to give an insider’s perspective about what really went on during that time. He was better able to understand what happened during that time and find more accurate information about what went on during that time. The story was well written and well paced. It was easy to see that the author did his research. It kept me interested even when things got slow. I enjoyed seeing a classic tale retold in a new, and probably more accurate, way. This is the second book about this time period that I’ve read this year that is written by a black person. It makes me very happy that this stories are being written and doing well. Overall, I really liked this book. I’d highly recommend this book for anyone who’s read Huck Finn and/or likes historical fiction.

You Like it Darker – Stephen King

Title: You Like it Darker

Author: Stephen King

Genre: Short Stories, Thriller

Plot: This is a collection of short stories. The main ones are Two Talented Bastids, Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream, Rattlesnakes, The Dreamers, and The Answer Man. Two Talented Bastids is about how a reporter learns how two old friends became so popular in their respective fields. What really happened? And why are they no longer friends? Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream is about Danny’s dream about a murder victim turns his life upside down. When his dream turns out to be true, the police think he did it. But did he really do it? Or was it someone else? Rattlesnakes is about Vic Trenton forty years after the events of Cujo and his time at his friend’s house in Florida. But when the neighbor is pushing an empty stroller and saying her twins are there, what is really going on? The Dreamers is about what happened to a Vietnam vet turned stenographer sees something he shouldn’t have. The Answer Man is about a man who meets someone with all the answers. The answers will cost him, but what?

Rating: 3.5 – an interesting collection of short stories

Opinion: This was a good collection of stories. I wish I would’ve read the first couple short stories when I was more awake. I was super tired when I started the book. The two shortest stories didn’t really capture my attention as much as the other ones did. I might go try to reread them someday. But they were a little too short for me to get to know the characters. Rattlesnakes was my favorite short story. It was the sequel to Cujo. It talked about grief, loss, and forgiving yourself. This one was also the most typical Stephen King story. Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream was a little annoying for me. It was about all consuming obsession. I kept thinking there’d be a huge fight at the end. I was presently surprised when it ended fairly smoothly and with an unanswered question. I find it interesting that Stephen King finds ways to connect most, or all, of his stories. Maybe I’ll reread the shorter stories again, when I’m more in the mood for a short story. Overall, I’d recommend this collection of short stories to anyone who enjoys Stephen King’s books.

Daindreth’s Series 1 & 2- Elisabeth Wheatley

Titles: Book 1 – Daindreth’s Assassin, Book 2 – Daindreth’s Outlaw

Author: Elisabeth Wheatley

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Book 1 – Ever since Amira’s been thrown aside by her father and her mother and her people have been cast out of the kingdom, she’s been cursed to be her father’s assassin. Sent out to get rid of whomever her father deems a threat to the kingdom. When her latest assignment fails, she has to flea for her life. Then her assignment shows up at the castle, as the archduke Daindreth, and heir to the empire. The archduke has asked for her sister’s hand in marriage. Then the archduke throws a wrench in the plans and asks for Amira’s hand in marriage instead. Her father agrees. On their way back to the Daindreth’s castle, Amira learns why she had to flea. Daindreth has a curse of his own. He has a demon attached to him, and is fighting to control him. For some reason, Amira makes the demon go quiet. Daindreth wants to know why. While they try to figure out why, his mother has other ideas. Can they figure out their curses, and how to break them? Or with Daindreth’s mother complete her plans first?

Book 2 – Daindreth and Amira have escaped his mother’s clutches with his cousin Thadred. The three of them decide to travel to the Istovari’s, Amira’s mother’s people, last holdout, in the Curse Wood. But getting there is almost impossible. If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll be lost forever. Amira knows someone in her father’s kingdom who may know someone who can help. But getting there without getting caught by Daindreth’s mother’s forces will be a challenge. And if Amira’s contact might not be able, or willing, to help. But everything goes sideways when Thadred gets captured by an Istovari, and Daidreth’s mother’s forces find Amira and Daindreth. The safest thing to save everyone is to go into the Curse Wood. Will they able to find their way? Can everyone be united safely? Or will everyone be lost for good?

Rating: 4.0 – a great start to a high fantasy series

Opinion: This was a great start to a fantasy series. The magic in the system is really good. There are well established rules and limits to the magic. I liked that people have a natural ability to sense magic, and some people can sense it better than others. Those who have magic have the ability to learn how to control their magic, no matter how little magic they have. I like that the author found a use with those who had little magic ability, it’s not a great use, but it’s a use. Though it’s interesting that magic is generally frowned upon. The magic users were banished from the empire because they wouldn’t submit to the emperor. I wonder if they’ll be welcomed back into the kingdom by the end of the series. I also liked how the characters learn how to work together. Each character is well written with a distinct personality. They use their strengths to help in the other’s faults. The main couple are a great sunshine and grumpy couple. I liked that they find healthy ways to work together. They have a very healthy relationship and want to work through their problems. They listen to each other and okay if someone says no and help the other if they have a plan. The plot carries over nicely between books. There’s enough plot, descriptions, and actions to keep everything interesting. There are parts that are a little slow where some of the mellow drama and could’ve been cut out. But I just rolled my eyes at the drama and kept reading. Overall, I really liked the start of the series. I’ll probably finish the series when I read some of the other books on my shelves. I’d highly recommend this series for anyone who wants a well written magic fantasy series.

How to Stop Time – Matt Haig

Title: How to Stop Time

Author: Matt Haig

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Plot: Tom Hazard is an anomaly. He’s been alive for over four hundred years. Thanks to the Albatross Society and its leader Hiendrich, he’s had a comfortable life moving around every eight years. So long as Tom helps recruit new long lived people into the society. And the most important thing is to never fall in love. For most of his life, Tom follows the rules. Throughout the years, Heindrich promises to look for Tom’s daughter Marion, who’s long lived like them. Then things happen when he returns to London after a few lifetimes. He becomes a high school history teacher. He starts becoming more involved in his coworkers and students lives. Then he starts to develop feelings for a coworker. Tom begins to question all the rules he’s followed. Especially when he’s asked to find an old friend, Omai. Will Tom continue to follow the Albatross Society’s rules? Or will he finally be able to find a life of his own?

Rating: 4.0 – an interesting tale of how to live your own life

Opinion: This was an interesting book. The author did a great job with this version of longevity. I liked that idea that people like Tom still age, but at a much slower rate and that they’re not invincible. It made sense that the people throughout history would be weary of those who are different. It’s easy to fear them or want to study them like lab rats. The author did a good job what it was like for characters to be feared. I was curious to see the other side of the coin and have known more of the people went through if they were truly studied. I’m sure it would’ve been horrible and I was okay without this plot line. It would’ve distracted from the true storyline. I found the plot slow and steady, but not boring. The ending action picked up a lot, but didn’t feel rushed. On the historical side, I liked the fact that the author focused on the poorer people of history. It’s easy when writing historical fiction, to focus more on royalty and military people. It’s nice to read a book about the different classes. I also liked that the author touched on the themes of living in fear and finding what you want to do with your life. On a bonus note, I finally found a quote in a book that really stood out to me after so long. Overall, I really liked this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction.

Tea with Elephants – Robin Jones Gunn

Title: Tea with Elephants

Author: Robin Jones Gunn

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Christian Fiction

Plot: Lily and Fern have been friends since childhood. They’ve moved away and grown up but remained close. Both have started families and had to postpone their dreams of traveling the world. When Lily’s gifted a trip to Africa, she can’t pass up the opportunity to go with Fern. Fern is hesitant at first, but her husband persuades her. The two women are excited to meet up and have their first adventure together since childhood. As they travel, the women see wonderful things and meet wonderful people. But they also have their hurts they’re working through. The more they travel, the more they work through their issues. But will they be able to work through all their problems? And are they willing to hear the answers?

Rating: 4.0 – a great story of friendship

Opinion: This was a really cute story. This was a great story of friendship. It’s great to have good friends like this and that they can have deep and meaningful conversations. More people need these types of friendships. Even though it would focus on the adventures in Africa, I’m glad it was a story about friendship and family. I’m glad the story focused on deep, meaningful solutions to the women’s issues, instead of superficial ones. I’m also glad the author talked about faith and how faith can help give an extra support in times of hardship. I agree that it’s hard to imagine going through hard times without faith. What do they hold onto during those times? While I loved this story, I the whole trip went a little too easy. I thought there’d be a few more bumps in the road. But I understand that it could’ve distracted from the story and it could’ve forced them talk about other things instead of focusing on the bigger issues. And maybe I’m too used to things going wrong on traveling with friends stories. Overall, this was a really sweet story. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves deep and meaningful friendship stories.

Dewey – Vicki Myron

Title: Dewey

Author: Vicki Myron

Genre: Memoir

Plot: In the small town of Spencer, Iowa, there was a tight knit community. Most of the community was based around the farmers who lived life together. Head librarian, Vicki Myron, shares her experiences growing up in Spencer and how she became a librarian. That was all before meeting Dewey. Someone had put him the library’s book drop off bin in the middle of a bad Iowa winter. Vicki of course took him in and let him wander around the library and snuggle with the other library staff. Everyone fell in love with him. With the city council’s permission, he became the official library cat. Dewey spent most of his days wandering the library, joining the kid’s book time, and sitting in people’s laps. He was the perfect cat and knew how to treat all of his adoring fans. After appearing a show about library cats, Dewey became famous. He met even more adoring fans from around the world. He treated each and every fan with respect and gave them the attention they needed. When he started getting old, he still lived his best life at the library and received the best send off a cat could dream of.

Rating: 4.5 – a sweet story about how a community came together for a cat

Opinion: This was a really sweet book. I loved how the tiny town bonded over their little library cat. It broke my heart how the author found Dewey. I was presently surprised how mild mannered Dewey was and how attuned to people he was. Dewey was the perfect gentleman with all of the library patrons. But he still had his silly cat quirks, like his love of rubber bands, catnip, and playing chase with the author after library hours. It made me happy that the author and Dewey bonded over their medical issues. They had a deep understanding of each other’s needs. It was really bittersweet when Dewey passed. You know going into the book that he probably will pass away, especially since the book was published almost twenty years ago. But it still made me sad when it happened, I teared up when I read it. I’m sure I would’ve cried if I hadn’t been at work when I read that part. The sweet part is what the community did for Dewey when he passed. I’m glad that the author talked about how he’ll live on in the community’s memories. While I really did love the book, parts felt a little disconnected and not entirely related to the story. But the author did her best to keep it relevant. Overall, I loved this book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves pets, cats, and stories of community coming together.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil – V.E. Schwab

Title: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

Author: V.E. Schwab

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Three women are bound by fate. One choses her fate for control, one for love, and third has her fate chosen for her. María is the oldest of the three. She’s born in 1532 in a small town in Spain. She’s a free spirit and longs for better things in life. When María catches the eye of a viscount, she’s pressured into marrying him. There she meets the widow for the second time and teaches María about tonics. Then the widow offers her a chance for freedom, to change her life. What will María choose? What will she do with her new freedom? Charlotte is the next oldest, and was born in 1827 in London. She’s new to society life in the city and struggling to fit in. Charlotte wants to fit in but is unsure of herself. Then she meets Sabine. Sabine becomes the best help for Charlotte to teach Charlotte how to fit in. But Sabine makes Charlotte question what she really wants from life. She says she can offer Charlotte something better. But what is it really? Will it be worth it? Alice is the youngest. She’s a new student at Harvard, trying to escape her small town in Scotland. A chance encounter with pretty stranger at a college party changes her life forever. Outraged with what happened, Alice demands answers to what happened that night and demands the person responsible take accountability. Will Alice’s quest for answers be worth it? Can Alice really change what happened to her?

Rating: 4.5 – a different take on vampires, love, and humanity

Opinion: This was a great book. I’ve heard good things about this author and was not disappointed. I really enjoy her style of writing. She describes things without distracting from the plot and doesn’t overwhelm the reader with info dumps. I found it really interesting that she describes vampires without actually saying they’re vampires. She describes classic vampire traits and lets the reader come to the conclusion that that they’re vampires. But I like that the author makes her own twits about vampire lore. There are also some good points about humanity and what it means to be human. The author also did a really good job of slowly weaving the character’s stories together. They all had their own well written individual back stories and slowly weaving their stories together throughout the book. I was about halfway through the book when I realized I hadn’t read anything about one of the main characters and two pages later, she entered the scene. It made it a little nicer because the other two main characters had great backstories and would’ve been a little overwhelming with the third introduced at the beginning. Part of me wished that Alice’s sister had been more connected to the main story and not just memories. I get that it was part of Alice’s childhood development but I thought it would be a little more connected to her new life, like her sister would show up somehow. It did kind of distract from the main story for me. I did like the slight plot twist at the end of the story. I’m not entirely surprised at what happened, but I am glad it ended like that. I feel like everyone got the ending they deserved. Overall, I really liked this book. It’s been a while since I really, truly got into a book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a different style of vampire story and don’t mind a little bit of queer romance.

The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown

Title: The Da Vinci Code

Author: Dan Brown

Genre: Mystery

Plot: Symbology expert, Robert Langdon is called into the Louvre in Paris in the middle of the night. He had a late night at a work function and isn’t up for it, but he can’t refuse the French Judicial Police, especially the chief Bezu Fache. An associate of Robert’s, Jacques Saunière, has been murdered inside the Louvre. Chief Fache has found a clue linking Jacques and Robert. He wants Robert to figure out the other clues Jacques left behind at his murder scene. In steps cypher expert, Sophie Neveu to help solve the clues. She and Robert must stay two steps ahead of the police, who think Robert and Sophie are behind the murder, and the organizations who are afraid the pair will discover the truth and tell the whole world. But who is really behind the murder? Can Robert and Sophie figure out the clues in time? Or will they be stoped before they discover what’s really going on?

Rating: 3.5 – an unusual take on a murder mystery

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I can see why there was so much hype about the book when it first came out. It’s different than most of the other murder mystery books. While I love a good follow the clues mysteries, I can also see why it made people mad. While I applaud the author for his bold takes on some plot points, I can’t say I agree with them. It really rubbed me the wrong way that lots of the facts in the books are widely considered as conspiracy theories and untrue. The way the author wrote the conspiracies as facts just didn’t sit well with me. Like everyone who believes in the mainstream ideas as the biggest idiots for falling for the leaders are selling. I thought some of the ideas about Da Vinci were interesting, so I double checked some facts about Da Vinci that are stated in the book with a coworker who studied him and said most of them are false. Also, it was hard for me to connect with the characters. There wasn’t enough backstory or enough about the characters motivation for me to care about them too much. They glossed over too much of the characters motivations for me. Also some of the character’s stories also fell flat for me. They didn’t really add much to the story. It felt like the story wouldn’t have changed too much without them, or someone else could’ve done the same things without changing the story too much. Lastly, the time it took for the characters places felt too quick. Most of the book takes place within twelve hours. While I don’t know how close all of these things are in Paris, I still feel like it should’ve taken more time, especially flying to London. Overall, this wasn’t the book for me. I’d recommend it to someone who wants a different style murder mystery.