A Bookworm's Book Reviews

The Sunlit Lands Trilogy – Matt Mikalatos

Titles: 1 – The Crescent Stone, 2 – The Heartwood Crown, 3 – The Story King

Author: Matt Mikalatos

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Plot: 1 – Madeline is a junior in high school, and she’s dying. Every day she finds it harder to breath. One day in class, Madeline collapses. Her friends Wu Song, nickname Jason, and Darius rush her to the hospital. When she’s more stable, time freezes and a strange looking man named Hanali steps into her room. Hanali explains that he’s an Elenil and can cure her if he serves the Elenil in the Sunlit Lands for a year on Earth. Madeline reluctantly agrees. Jason overhears and demands Hanali that he goes with Madeline to protect her. Hanali begrudgingly accepts. Hanali gives them a bracelet that acts like a contract. Jason tells Darius what they’re doing and where they’re going. Darius promises to find them again. When Jason and Madeline arrive in the Sunlit lands, they’re amazed by everything. They’re given duties to preform and rules to learn. Then they meet the Skim. They’re the sworn enemies of the Elenil. When Madeline helps the Elenil heal those injured, something unsettles her. She and Jason start to dig deeper about the magic system, the more they want to change things. But what can two humans do?

2 – Darius has found Madeline and Jason. Darius has been fighting with the Skim. He understands things from the Skim’s perspective. He’s explained that to Madeline and Jason and they want to help Darius. Now the three of them are on run. A new friend, Shula, wants to help the three of them. Together they travel the Sunlit lands looking for a way to make things right. But they pursued on every side. The group seeks refuge with the Aluvereans. They tell them the story of the Heartwood Queen. After they tell the group that someone must take the Queen’s place. This will help reset the magic and make it more equal for everyone. All have a reason to do it. Madeline has the biggest reason. Will Madeline do it? Or will someone else take the Queen’s place?

3 – Madeline took the Heartwood Queen’s place. Her friends are grieving. Now it’s been a year and there is plenty of turmoil in the Sunlit Lands. The Elenil still want total control. Hanali has taken control charge of the Elenil. The Skim want their freedom and fight for it. They’ve gone their own ways to do so. Jason’s been broken up with and kidnapped. Darius finds his way back to the Sunlit Lands after being banished. Shula has been living peacefully on the shore with Madeline’s mother and a Skim named Yenil. Jason, Darius, and Shula must find a way to unit the Sunlit Lands. They have their missions and will do what it takes to unite the Sunlit Lands. But they must overcome their past obstacles and traumas to see things clearly. When they finally reunite they know what needs to be done. They’re going to do this together and bring the peace and unit the lands. What is the cost? Will the Elenil agree to peace? Or fight to the death?

Rating: 4.0 – a well built fantasy that tackles deep issues

Opinion: I loved the world building in this trilogy. It was really well done. It was spread out so there wasn’t too much of an info dump. The magic system was well done, too. It made sense and was believable. I found it interesting that the trilogy tackled deep issues with today’s society and made it understandable for everyone, especially for the target audience. The author wove it into both worlds beautifully. I also liked that the ideas presented at the end. The ending was done well and different. I liked that it was a different kind of ending, especially for a fantasy book with a slightly dystopian feel. The one thing I didn’t love was all of the stories. It kind of felt distracting to the main story. While I understand it was necessary to the story, I didn’t think all of them were completely necessary.

The Postscript Murders – Elly Griffiths

Title: The Postscript Murders

Author: Elly Griffiths

Genre: Mystery

Plot: Natalka is a senior caretaker in a seaside town in England. One evening, she goes to check on one of her patients, Peggy Smith, is dead. Something about her death doesn’t seem right to Natalka. She talks with Edwin and Benedict, Peggy’s two friends, and discuss the options. They find Detective Harbjnder Kaur, show her a note from Peggy Smitj, and let her know their suspicions and that someone threatened them with a gun. Detective Kaur decides to take the case. The more they learn about Peggy Smith, the more they learn how well connected she was to the mystery writers in the area and what they’ll do to keep a secret. But who’s behind Peggy’s death? What secrets do they keep?

Rating: 3.5 – a different kind of mystery

Opinion: This was an interesting book. The mystery was good, but there wasn’t a lot of action to support it. The book held a steady pace that kept it all interesting. I liked that it was more ordinary people that took charge of the mystery. While they may not have made the smartest decisions, they three non-detectives did a good job with helping the case. The author did a good job with the character switches in the book. Though the loops thrown at you towards the end of the book made it harder to follow. I would’ve liked to see them spread out a little bit more. The surprises all at once almost took the fun out of the book for me. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I recommend this book for anyone who likes a simpler mystery,

Angels of Music – Kim Newman

Title: Angels of Music

Author: Kim Newman

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery

Plot: The Phantom of the Opera has a new line of business. He employs women down on their luck to infiltrate shady businesses and bring them down. He calls the women he employs his Angels. The women work in groups of three. Each woman in the group has a certain set of skills to help with the missions. Some of the Angels include Christine Daee and Irene Adler. The groups of Angels must find out who is behind the shady organizations and bring them to justice, the Phantom’s version of justice. Who are the behind these organizations? Will the Angels be able to find and help the innocents in time?

Rating: 4.0 – an interesting twist on Phantom of the Opera

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I enjoy the Phantom of the Opera book, play, and movie. This book was an interesting take on that. It takes place after the events of the original book, and during the rest of Christine’s life. I enjoyed that there were different mysteries to solve with different characters. And that they were all brought together to solve a mystery together. The only think I didn’t love about the book was that it was a dense read. It was written closer to the style of the original book. So it took me a little longer to read, but it’s not a big deal. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction, mystery, and fantasy.

The King’s Feather – Amy Earls

Title: The King’s Feather

Author: Amy Earls

Genre: Fantasy, Christian, Young Adult

Plot: Pero has been hiding for the past 12 years. She has a secret talent that she needs to hide from Dr. Carper, who took her mom for the same reason 12 years ago and why she’s been hiding. If Pero wears her mother’s feather necklace, he’ll find her. On her 17th birthday, she puts it on, and he magically appears, forcing her best friend Henry to turn her in. Dr. Caper takes her to Moon City where he can use her talents to stop the Lesaries from destroying the city. But the Lesaries are the good guys and follow the guidance of Elohim. Pero knows she must help the Lesaries and follow Elohim. But Elohim wants Pero to protect Dr. Carper. What will Pero do? Will she protect Dr. Carper? Or let the Lesaries destroy him?

Rating: 3.5 – a good take on the story of Jericho

Opinion: I enjoyed the overall story, and enjoyed the ideas and themes. My main concern with the book was that there wasn’t enough world building. Most of the things that I feel like are normally explained with fantasy aren’t explained well or are glossed over. There is some explanation for most things but it wasn’t explained well, to me at least. Maybe I was looking too deep into it, cause the book is too young for me. For whatever reason, I didn’t love the lack of world building. On the other hand, I really liked the characters. They were realistic and relatable. I feel like they acted reasonable for the situations they were in. Overall, this was a good book, just not the right one for me. It’d be a great book for a teenager.

Vampires of el Norte – Isabel Cañas

Title: Vampire of el Norte

Author: Isabel Cañas

Genre: Thriller, Historical Fiction

Plot: Nena and Néstor were childhood friends on a rancho in northern Mexico in the mid-1800’s. Nena’s the daughter of the rancho owner. Néstor’s one of the ranch hands. The two of them sneak away most nights to find silver so Néstor can buy his own land. One night, a strange creature attacks Nena and leaves her for dead. Néstor brings her back. Nena’s family declares her dead. Néstor fleas. Some years later, Néstor is forced to return to help Nena’s father protect his rancho. When he returns, he sees Nena alive and well. But what really happened that night? What was the creature that attacked them? When the time comes for Néstor and the other ranch hands to protect the rancho from Americans, they see the same creature again. Nena and Néstor are separated from everyone and must find their own way back. Can they make it back safely? Or will the creatures get them?

Rating: 4.3 – a different take on vampires

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I enjoyed the mix of history mixed with local legends and myths. It was interesting to learn more the similarities between different cultures. It’s easy to see the European influences in Mexico in high society. This book has some scary moments, but it’s evenly spaced out in the book so you have a little time to calm down. Just a little FYI, there was a lot of Spanish words mixed into the book. Most can be guessed based on context. The rest are explained in the book. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend this book for anyone who loves history and thrillers.

The Clockmaker’s Daughter – Kate Morton

Title: The Clockmaker’s Daughter

Author: Kate Morton

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Elodie is an archivist in London. Her boss asked her to sort through some boxes. In one of the boxes is a satchel. In the satchel there a sketch book and portrait of a young woman. Elodie uses all of her resources to find the connection between the objects. The more Elodie learns about the objects, the more she learns of a connection to her past. The house where the objects came from is the house of a childhood story. Birch wood Manor has a long and sad story. Edward Radcliffe was an up and coming artist. He’s engaged when he takes a new model, Millie. Sparks fly between Edward and Millie. During the summer, the two of them go to Birchwood Manor for the summer with some of Edward’s friends. Then something happens and Edward is left alone and depressed. What really happened that summer? What’s the connection between the items in the satchel?

Rating: 3.3 – an interesting historical fiction

Opinion: This book started out well. But there were so many characters introduced and so many time jumps at the beginning that I lost interest quickly. The book also had a slow pace. I read some of the other reviews and I agree that the ending of this book was anticlimactic. I was also a little confused about what exactly happened. While I enjoyed the idea of the book and the mystery of it, the slowness of the book and the characters made it hard for me to read. This was a good book but I couldn’t get into it. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a slow and steady historical fiction and mystery.

The Wishing Game – Meg Shaffer

Title: The Wishing Game

Author: Meg Shaffer

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Plot: Lucy is a kindergarten aide with a love for reading. She’s been tutoring a kid named Christopher since she fostered him for a few weeks. She passed on her love of reading to him as it was one of the few things that could calm him down. Their favorite books are the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Lucy has grown fond of Christopher and wants to adopt him, but she can’t afford to and doesn’t have stable enough housing according to the fostering coordinator. Lucy and Christopher’s wish is to be able to be a family. A chance to be a family is answered in the form of a contest. The author of their favorite book series is offering the chance to win his newest book that hasn’t been published yet. All they have to do is answer the riddle to enter. Lucy’s answer is accepted and now she’s in the contest on the actual Clock Island. The author, Jack Masterson, has a series of challenges for Lucy and three other contestants. If they can win the challenges, they win the book. But the challenges bring up some painful memories for Lucy. Can she win? Or will one of other contestants win? Or will it all be too much for everyone?

Rating: 4.2 – a sweet story about family

Opinion: This was a sweet book. I liked how it talked so much about non-traditional families and foster care. I understand why there are so many restrictions in place, but at the same time I wish it wasn’t so hard for other families to foster and adopt. The characters in the book are well written and different in their own ways. I liked how they all connected to Jack Masterson’s books in different ways through their own pasts. The contest is different, too. There are different sort of challenges that force the characters to think in different ways and do things in ways that make them overcome things in a respectful and positive way. The way the competition was different than how I expected, too. It was nice to see something end in a way that was fair for everyone, in a sense. It was also nice for some of the characters to find a sense of peace through everything that happened to them. This book was a nice change of pace for me. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves books about the love of reading, overcoming obstacles, and good old fashioned competition.

Flesh and False Gods #1 – Chloe Gong

The second book, Vilest Things, is now available.

Title: Immortal Longings

Author: Chloe Gong

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Calla is a disgraced princess who everyone in San-Er is dead. She killed her parents, the king and queen, of Er in cold blood. Calla fled and was presumed dead. She knows that the crown is corrupt. Crown Prince August knows better. He’s required her help with the city’s underground in exchange for help in the ‘games.’ The anual games are a contest for 84 individuals to kill each other for a chance for fame and riches. When most of the city is poor and desperate, lots of people enter for a chance to win. The trick is that people in San-Er can ‘jump.’ Their souls can jump from body to another. Some can do it better than others. Jumping is not without its risks, too. Calla enters for the chance to win and kill the king. She needs to rid the city of the other corrupt royalty. While competing, she meets Anton, another ex-royal. He’s been disillusioned and knows of the corruption. They join together so they have a better chance of winning. August disapproves. He insists that the only way to get rid of the corruption is to win alone. But who will win? Will Calla get her chance to finish her job? Can Anton and Calla work together long enough? Or will everyone’s secrets get the better of them?

Rating: 4.0 – a different kind of dystopian fantasy

Opinion: This book was better than I was expecting. It looked interesting and I was curious. I’ve read another book by this author and liked that one, but didn’t love it. This one was much better. There was a part of the book that gave me Hunger Games vibes, but it was different enough that I could really enjoy the book. I liked that the book kept more of its focus on the competition and the different goals of the characters. The world was well built and the jumping abilities had plenty of realistic rules and restrictions. It almost seemed plausible. There’s definitely going to be another book. Near the ending of the book, you realize there’s too much stuff to wrap up before the book ends. I hope the second one comes out soon. This book was too good to not know what happens in the next book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and dystopian future.

The Lost Sisterhood – Anne Fortier

Title: The Lost Sisterhood

Author: Anne Fortier

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Diana Morgan is a philologist at Oxford when she gets a message from a friend about an ancient language discovered in Algeria. The thing about this ancient language is that she’s seen it before in her Granny’s journal. The problem is that this ancient language hasn’t been seen before. When Diana gets to the dig site in Algeria, she finds a well funded site. The leader of the site is Nick and is unsure of her help at first. Then he has no choice when he sees the jackal bracelet on Diana as in the tomb on a high priestess. Together, they start looking into this ‘new’ ancient language and how it’s connected to Diana’s area of expertise, the Amazon women. But there are those who don’t want them to know about the Amazons and others who do anything to control the Amazons.

Rating: 4.0 – an interesting take on the Amazons

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I liked how the author turned the idea of the Amazons and worked the women into actual historical fiction. There’s lots of details and good historical world building and things that could’ve happened and been included in history. The books makes a good point about our dependence on technology. It makes sense and helps with some plot points of the books. I enjoyed the dual story line and both plots were well written. This is a great book so long as you don’t mind a longer book. I recommend this book for any who enjoy historical fiction.

Time and Again – Jack Finney

Title: Time and Again

Author: Jack Finney

Genre: Historical Fiction, Sci-Fi

Plot: Simon Morley is an artist with a local magazine when an old friend, Rube, offers him a different sort of job. It’s a secret government job that involves time travel. The lead scientist, Dr. Danziger, explains how to time travel. Simon seems to understand and agrees to take the job. His assignment is to observe and not interfere with someone delivering a letter in 1882. It takes Simon to find the right mindset to time travel, but he manages to do so with help from Kate. Together they watch the man deliver the letter. When Simon reports to his superiors, he learns that nothing has changed. Then he’s given a new assignment. This time, Simon must learn more about the person delivering the letter. He must go alone this time. The second time Simon goes, he meets Julia at the boarding house he’s staying at. She’s Jake Pickering’s girlfriend. Jake is the man who delivered the letter. The more Simon learns about Jake, the more he falls for Julia. But can they be together with all that Jake is up to?

Rating: 3.5 – an interesting take on time travel

Opinion: It’s easy to tell that this book was written in a different time. The original publication was in 1970. There’s a lot of unnecessary description. Everything that Simon saw was described in detail, the time travel was described in detail, and events were described in detail. It was annoying to me because it took away from the plot. There wasn’t a ton of plot anyway. The character development was slow, if at all. It felt like the standard ‘no one listens to the smart scientist’ plot we see a lot of nowadays. Overall, this wasn’t my favorite book. I recommend it if you like descriptive books.