A Bookworm's Book Reviews

Once Upon A River – Diane Setterfield

Title: Once Upon A River

Author: Diane Setterfield

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Plot: There’s a town on the River Thames with a tavern that specializes in storytelling. Then one night, a new story starts. A little girl is found drowned in the Thames. She’s got no pulse at first, then moments later, she does. Three different family say that the girl is their daughter. Now everyone at tavern is telling the story and each time the story changes. But who is right? Who’s daughter is she? How did the girl survive the river? Will anyone get the answers they seek?

Rating: 3.0 – an interesting tale

Opinion: This was an okay book. It felt disjointed, especially at first. There were also too many characters introduced at once. And with the disjointedness of the beginning of the book, I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. The book was also slow paced and didn’t have a ton of plot. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style of the book either. It seemed too philosophical for me. There were times I wanted to give up on the book because of all the stated things but I wanted to see if the book would get better and because it’s a book club book. But this wasn’t one of my favorite books but if you wanna give it a try, go ahead.

As Old as Time – Liz Braswell

Title: As Old as Time – A Twisted Tale

Author: Liz Braswell

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Plot: If you know the story of Beauty and the Beast, think again. This time there are a few changes to Belle’s story. Belle’s mom is the enchantress who cursed the Beast. Her mom, Rosalind, is on the of the les charmantes (magical people), who are feared for being different. Rosalind and Maurice fall in love, get married, and have Belle. When Belle is little, Rosalind goes to ask the king and queen for help when the les charmantes start disappearing. She never comes back. When Belle is older, Maurice goes off to sell his inventions in another town. You know what happens next right? Maurice gets captured by the Beast, Belle takes his place, etc. But what if Belle touches the rose? What happens to the curse when she does? Can she still find a way to help break the curse? What will happen to the Beast now? And what happened to Belle’s mom?

Rating: 4.5 – a different take on Beauty and the Beast

Opinion: This was a great book. As Belle is my favorite Disney Princess, I figured I’d like it but I didn’t expect to throughly enjoy it as much as I did. I wasn’t sure what changes the book would make, but the changes were really well done and well written. My only slight complaint was that Belle was a little too whiny for me. But she outgrew that pretty quickly. I really liked that LaFou and the other villagers had more of a brain and thought for themselves more, instead of always blindly following Gaston. There’s a lot more depth to all of the characters this time. I had a hard time putting the book down. This is a great book for anyone who loves Disney movies and wants a new take on a classic Disney Princess.

Followed by Frost – Charlie N. Holmberg

Title: Followed by Frost

Author: Charlie N. Holmberg

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Smitha is a vain young girl in a small village in Euwan. Mordan, a kind man from far away, asks Smitha out. She turns him down and he curses her to be as cold as her heart. From then on out, Smith is permanently followed by a snow cloud. Her skin turns anything to ice with a touch. Smitha is forced to flea her village out of fear of what others say. She hides in the nearby mountains, but is chased away by hunters and their dogs. A neighboring country, Zareed, hears about Smitha. The people there think that Smitha with her icy powers can help their desert country. Some people are weary of her, but are willing to let her help. With every step of her journey, Sadriel follows her. Sadriel wants Smitha to join him. Each time he asks, she refuses. But Sadriel is patient. Can Smitha break her curse? Can she really help the people of Zareed? Will she join Sadriel? Or stay with her adopted people?

Rating: 4.0 – a good curse breaking fantasy

Opinion: This was a great book. I enjoyed it took a new twist on a classic curse. I liked that Smitha made peace with her curse by the end of the book. Most other characters don’t handle that kind of curse that well. She had hard moments but remembers something to keep her going. I’m impressed with the Smitha’s character development. She changed a lot and for the better. I’m glad she saw her mistakes and looked to change her behavior. I also liked how the author made her own fantasy world based off the real world. This is a great, easy read. It’s great for anyone who likes fantasy and needs a quick read.

When Crickets Cry – Charles Martin

Title: When Crickets Cry

Author: Charles Martin

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Plot: Reese is a lonely man trying to hide from the world. Then he meets Annie, who’s selling lemonade. She’s saving money for a new heart. Something inside Reese starts to change after he saves Annie when she’s hit by a car. Reese starts spending more and more time with Annie and her aunt, Cindi. With their help (and his friend Charlie’s help), he starts to open up to everyone again. He starts to want to return to his old life before his loss. But that’s not easy as Annie’s heart condition as the same as someone Reese held dear. Can Reese learn to let go of his past and help Annie? Or will it be too late?

Rating: 3.5 – a good book about love and forgiveness

Opinion: This was an interesting book. It was slow to start and part of me thought that it was part of a series when I first started. It felt like I was missing a piece of information about Reese like there was another book that had more of his backstory. I was wrong and his story gets explained as the story goes on. There’s also a lot of medical jargon in the book. Most of it is explained very nicely and seems accurate for what I’ve seen so far from the vet med perspective (I know it’s similar but not the same). For anyone who cries over books, I’d recommend some tissues. Overall I found this book very heartwarming and enjoyable. It’s a slow and steady ready. I recommend this book for anyone who loves a sweet book.

Ana María and the Fox – Liana de la Rosa

Title: Ana María and the Fox

Author: Liana de la Rosa

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Ana María Luna and her sisters, Isabela and Gabriela, have been sent to London to keep them safe. Their father is a high ranking politician in the Mexican government. The French have taken control of Mexico and the Luna family is in trouble, hence why Ana María and her sisters are in London. The girls have to keep their identities a secret to keep them safe from possible spies. Gideon Fox is an up and coming member of Parliament. He meets the Luna sisters while their finding their host’s dog who’d escaped. Over time, Gideon and the Luna sisters keep bumping into each other. Gideon and Ana María start to fall in love. But Ana María is promised to a Mexican politician back home. Then, there’s rumors of French spies in London. They know about the Luna sisters true identity. The Luna sisters go to the countryside until the rumors disappear. Will the Luna sisters ever be able to return to Mexico? Are there truly French spies in London? What will become of Gideon and Ana María’s relationship?

Rating: 4.0 – a Pride and Prejudice type romance and history

Opinion: This was a sweet and sappy romance. It felt a little like Pride and Prejudice style romance, but with some twists. There is one or two steamy scenes in the book, so be aware. I enjoyed the historical parts of the book. The book touches on different parts of history that people don’t learn as much about. The book talks about the French and Mexican war when Napoleon Bonaparte tries to take over Mexico. The characters are well written. All of the main characters have different personalities and quirks which is great. The ending was a little rushed but I feel like it’s going to connect with the other books in the series. Overall I loved this book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction and sappy romance books.

The Priest’s Graveyard – Ted Dekker

Title: The Priest’s Graveyard

Author: Ted Dekker

Genre: Thriller

Plot: Danny is an immigrant searching for redemption after what happened to his family in Bosnia. He wants to help rid the world of the ‘scum of the world’ by his own means. He wants to see justice done when the law fails. Then there’s Renee. Renee was captive in a man named Lamont’s house for a year. She thought it was love and would do anything to please Lamont. When Lamont disappears, Renee goes searching for him and demands justice for the man she thinks killed Lamont. Danny and Renee meet when their target for revenge is the same man, Jonathan Bourque. Together they train and find a way to get their revenge. The more they learn about their man, the more they learn about each other’s past. Will their past hinder or help them? Or will their emotions get the better of them? Can their past ever be forgiven? Or be the death of them?

Rating: 3.7 – an interesting take on forgiveness, judgment and grace

Opinion: This was a good book. I liked how the book talked about judgment, forgiveness, and grace. All of the characters had difficult pasts and had to make the best of their situations. Each did what they thought was right and had to learn from their mistakes. They learned how to work together and how to trust others. There were one or twos in the plot that I guessed correctly. It bug me as much as other times I’ve guessed things right because the book was well written. The romance that the author tends to write feels forced and out of place in other books. It didn’t feel like that in this book. I enjoyed this book and recommend it for anyone who loves thrillers.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi – Shannon Chakraborty

Title: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi

Author: Shannon Chakraborty

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Anima Al-Sirafi is the former captain, or nadhuka, of the ship Marawati. Ten years into Amina’s retirement a local noble lady tracks her down and threaten’s her family if Amina doesn’t take the job. The job is to bring back the lady’s granddaughter from a Frankish pirate. So Amina takes the job to keep her daughter safe. But not everything is as it seems. Everyone has their secrets. The Frank is more than what he seems. The granddaughter may not have been kidnapped. With magic involved, can Amina save the granddaughter, her crew, and her own daughter? Or lose everyone in the process?

Rating: 4.0 – a unique magical adventure

Opinion: This was a great book. The world was well built and well done. I liked that the more Amina dove deeper into the world of magic, the more we learned about magic. It wasn’t known from the beginning which was a nice change. It was also nice that magic wasn’t necessarily a good thing. It seemed to cause more problems than it solved. The characters weren’t always the always the best people, but they were the best people for the job. There were some parts of the book that felt a little unnecessary, but overall it was a great book. With the ending the way it was, I hope there’s a sequel to this book. This is a great book for anyone who loves a different kind of magical fantasy.

River Sing Me Home – Eleanor Shearer

Title: River Sing Me Home

Author: Eleanor Shearer

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Rachel is a field hand slave on a plantation in Barbados. She and the other workers have been told they’re free but still have to work for their master. Rachel made the decision to run. She had children stolen from her and now has the opportunity to search for them. With help from some of the local people in nearby towns and islands, Rachel looks for her children. But are any of her children still alive? How will she find them? Will Rachel be caught? Does anyone truly want to help a runaway slave?

Rating: 4.0 – a good tale of family and resilience

Opinion: This was a good book. I enjoyed learning about slavery from another perspective. Most of the time, you read books from the plantation owner’s perspective. This time it was the slave’s. It was a nice change. It was sad to see what the people had to go through during those times. I’m glad that Rachel got to find her children with some difficulty but not too much. This was a slow and steady read. I had no real issues with the book. I enjoyed the history and relationships between the characters. I recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction.

The Writing Retreat – Julia Bartz

Title: The Writing Retreat

Author: Julia Bartz

Genre: Thriller

Plot: Alex has had writer’s block for the past year. She blames it on a bad ending with a former friend, Wren. But when a mutual friend of Alex and Wren signs them both up for a writer’s retreat with their favorite author, Roza Vallo, neither of them can pass it up. But the stakes at the retreat are high. Alex, Wren, and four others must compete for an amazing publishing deal. In order of win, they must write 80,000 words and make it unique. While they are there, things get weird. Roza is fickle and almost rude one moment, then sweet the next. Who will win the contest? Can they everyone survive the retreat?

Rating: 4.0 – an interesting, creepy thriller

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I wasn’t expecting it to be kinda creepy, but it worked. It wasn’t a gross creepy, but an ‘oh (insert your word of choice) no’ kinda creepy. All the characters have some sort of flaw that make them unlikeable. It was a nice change. The ending was a little confusing, but it explained itself. It wasn’t the happiest of endings but it made sense for the book. Just an FYI, this book has some LBGTQ themes in it. The themes don’t bother me, but I just thought I’d say something. I recommend this book for anyone who loves thrillers.

Queen of Thieves – Beezy Marsh

Title: Queen of Thieves

Author: Beezy Marsh

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Nell is down on her luck in post WW2 London. She got pregnant by a man who was sweet on her, Jimmy. Alice Diamond noticed and decides to take Nell under her wing. Alice is the leader of an all woman’s gang called the Fourth Thieves. The gang steals from high end stores. But when Nell’s first heist goes bad, Nell goes to jail. While in jail, Nell plots her revenge. Nell’s plan for revenge won’t be easy and will take time. Can Nell get her revenge? Or will her plan be foiled? Or will Alice find out and do something even worse?

Rating: 3 – an interesting historical fiction

Opinion: This was an interesting book, but it wasn’t one of my favorites. I enjoyed learning about post WW2 London and the lower classes during that time. But I did not like the writing style. It felt like the author was trying to combine modern writing style with 40’s slang. The plot was pretty slow for most of the book. The description of the book made it seem like there’d be more plotting or scheming. But there’s not. Some of the characters felt wishy-washy with what they wanted out of life. They didn’t seem to know what exactly they wanted to do. I wasn’t sure if that was the point to confuse the other characters or the author was unsure how the characters would react. Overall I thought the book had great history, just not a lot of plot, unsure characters, and not the best writing style. An interesting read for anyone who likes historical fiction.