A Bookworm's Book Reviews

Say You’ll Remember Me – Abby Jimenez

Title: Say You’ll Remember Me

Author: Abby Jimenez

Narrators: Christine Lakin, Matt Lanter

Genre: Romance

Plot: Xavier Rush is a young veterinarian running his own clinic in Minnesota. Samantha is the social media manager for local company. They meet by chance when she brings a rescue kitten to his clinic. They make a rash decision to start dating after she returns. The only thing is that Samantha is moving to California to help take care of her mom, who has dementia. The two of them try to make it work long distance. But between Samantha and her family’s care of her mom, and Xavier running his own business, it’s almost impossible for the two of them to find time to talk, let alone to meet up. Xavier picks up extra hours at a local ER vet clinic to help save up to fly out to California. Samantha saves up whatever she can to fly to Minnesota. Each time they meet, the harder it is for them to leave. As much as they want to make it work, the distances and their commitments might be too much for them. Will they find a way to make it work? Or will the distance and their lives make it impossible?

Rating: 4.3 – a cute and sappy romance

Opinion: This was a great book. It was very sappy and romantic while being realistic. I loved that Samantha and Xavier fought tooth and nail to make their relationship work. But they didn’t let it take them away from their responsibilities to their families, work, and friends. They still make sure that they had their priorities in line while falling deeper and deeper in love. They found ways to stay connected and communicated very well despite their troubles and difficulties. Despite everything, they still found ways to support each other from halfway across the US. I’m glad they talked through things and were able to tell each other when the stress of their relationship was threatening their health. They were able to listen and understand where the other one was coming from and respect each other’s decisions. The one thing that I was unsure about was some of the ‘retired’ veterinarians being able to Xavier keep his clinic going even when they weren’t being paid. Though, I’m sure it’d be okay if they kept their license up to date. But it still seems a little sketchy for me. I got a chuckle out of the Christine Lakin’s attempt at a Latin Spanish accent. It sounded more like a Russian accent to me. Maybe I’ve heard a Latin Spanish accent enough that I know what an accurate one sounds like, but I couldn’t quite believe her accent. I was also nervous about listening to a romance book. I’ve gotten better about keeping a straight face when I’ve read smut in public, and wasn’t sure if I could keep a straight face while listening to it. I’ve read other books by this author and know she usually writes one or two steamy scenes. Surprisingly, this was the tamest book I’ve read/listened to. So it was easy to keep a straight face through those scenes. Overall, I really liked this book. I highly recommend this book who wants a super sappy romance book with minimal spice.

Oath of the Wolf – Elisabeth Wheatley

This is book 2 in the Wrath and Weeping Series. Book 1 is Tears of the Wolf

Title: Oath of the Wolf

Author: Elisabeth Wheatley

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: After settling down, Cenric and Brynn have started a life in Ombra. Then Cenric gets orders from the Valdari king, Ovrek. He wants Cenric to return to Istra. Cenric is reluctant to leave Ombra. Brynn convinces him to go and she’ll go with him. They set off. Brynn is instantly met with suspicion. It doesn’t help that she’s charged with killing Ovrek’s concubine. Brynn had gone to help the concubine when she was hurt. The next day, the concubine is dead. Cenric tries to clear her name, but no one believes him. Brynn flees to the forest when Ovrek’s son attacks her. Cenric’s cousin Hroar follows her to bring her back. They find secrets and monsters that were long thought buried. Now they’re coming to life again. There’s also threats from the people around Brynn and Cenric. Will Brynn and Cenric be able to help Ovrek and his men? What is Ovrek and his family hiding? And what does Ovrek really want? Will be able to keep his kingdom? Or will the human and monster threats overwhelm him?

Rating: 4.0 – a great sequel

Opinion: This was a great book. There was a lot more plot in this one. While the first one did a great job with world building, it felt like there wasn’t as much plot. With the world building out of the way, it could focus more on plot. While there was a different culture in there, it’s better woven into the story. The story was a lot better paced than the first one. While I enjoyed the first book, I loved the second one. The author did a great job showing and not telling. Everything described plenty but not too distracting from the story. It was easy to feel what the characters were doing and seeing. The characters were well written. The author did a great job with character descriptions and motivations. The slow reveals for the character’s motivations was amazing. I’m glad the characters didn’t automatically trust each other again, even after all they went through. It made it feel more realistic. It was interesting that she used a lot of Nordic Mythology for this book. I wonder how much she used of Loki’s actual mythology for this book. The monsters in the book reminded me of his children from actually Nordic Mythology. I was wondering how much of Ragnorok she used for the book as well. All of these things made the book so much fun to read. I really enjoyed this book. I’d highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a Viking inspired series.

The Prophet – Frank Peretti

Title: The Prophet

Author: Frank Peretti

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Plot: John Barnet is a well loved news anchor for Chanel 6 News. When his father disappears after protesting at an election campaign, John chalks it up to him lying low after stirring up trouble since he was on an anti abortion protest. Then his father turns up dead. John uses his news reporter powers to look into what really happened to his father. The more John looks into his father’s disappearance and death, the more it looks like it’s connected to the governor. But the governor doesn’t want his secrets coming to light. Then John is torn to what’s right and true and what society wants him to do. So the more John looks into what really happened to the governor and his father, the more the world pushes back. Will John be able to find the truth? Will he be able to share it with the world? Or will the governor stop everyone for good?

Rating: 3.5 – an honest side of government of reporting

Opinion: This was an interesting book. The author did his research into how reporters did their job. I hadn’t thought much about how reporters do their Jobe before reading this book. So it was interesting to learn more about being a reporter. I enjoyed learning about a different side of campaigns. It’s unfortunate that it’s the darker side of the government. This is an older book, published in 1992, and it’s unfortunate that not much has changed since then. While I learned a lot about campaigns and reporting, it was kind of boring. It was a slow and not a lot of action. I was hoping for a little bit more supernatural elements in the book. I was a little upset when there wasn’t much of a supernatural part of the book. It helped get the plot going then was dropped. I’ve enjoyed other books by the author because of the supernatural elements between good and evil. This was more of a real world, real consequences book. It was a good lesson on doing what’s right vs doing what the world wants you to do. This was an interesting book, but not the book for me. I’d recommend this book for anyone who wants a book about right and wrong.

Yellowface – R.F. Kuang

Title: Yellowface

Author: R.F. Kuang

Narrator: Helen Laser

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Plot: Junie Hayward has always been jealous of her friend Athena Liu. Athena’s gotten lucky in the book publishing world. She’s had book deal after book deal. Junie’s first book barely made a blip in the book world. After a freak accident while Athena and Juniper are celebrating Athena’s newest book deal, Junie impulsively decides to take Athena’s latest manuscript. The book is about the Chinese labor camps in Europe during World War 1. Junie decides to edit the manuscript so it sounds more like her work. She tells the publishing companies she wrote it all by herself. They instantly love the book. In order to market everything better, Junie updates everything, social media, author pages, and even her author picture, to make her look more ethnically ambiguous. The problems start as soon as the book is published. Most people love the book, but the negative reviews start gaining notoriety. Readers want Asian stories told authentically by Asian voices, not white people. Junie tries to convince herself that it doesn’t matter who tells the stories, so long as they’re told, right? She tells it often enough that she starts to believe it. Then, people start making comparisons between Junie’s work and Athena’s. People start speculating that Junie stole Athena’s work. But there’s no concrete proof of any of those claims, right? But every time Junie tries to write, all she sees is Athena. Can Junie break from Athena’s shadow? Will she ever come clean and say it was Athena’s manuscript? Or will everything drive her over the edge?

Rating: 4.3 – a great story of good intentions gone wrong

Opinion: This was an interesting book. The characters are very well written. It was easy to see Juniper’s decent into madness. It was the first time in a while I’ve read a book with an unreliable narrator. It annoyed me that she never seemed to learn any lessons. She thought she was the victim the entire time. She did a lot to prove she’d done nothing wrong. Though it couldn’t be farther from the truth. There were so many ways she could’ve come clean and saved face, but she couldn’t face the fact that she’d done so many wrongs. Even when she tried to give back to the community, her guilt still overrode everything. The author did an amazing job writing from inside the publishing industry. It was understandable, at first, of why Juniper was frustrated with the industry. And Athena and other minority characters made their points about the industry very clear. Their points are a lot more valid than Juniper’s. And Juniper’s actions and justifications made it impossible to like her. All her justifications came from a point of privilege. I wanted to believe she would see the light and come clean, but she couldn’t get past her ego and sense of self preservation. I really wanted more justice to come for Juniper at the end or her to come clean in a more honorable way. The ending left me feeling frustrated that there was no happy ending for anyone. I believe that was the author’s intent. Part of me hopes there’s a sequel to see if the characters get their true justice. Another part of me understands not everyone gets their fitting end. The narrator did a great job of describing the character’s emotions and inner thoughts. She does a great job with the accents and different voices of the characters. I hope I listen to more books by her. Overall, I really liked this book. It does a great job describing coming from places of privilege and how minority cultures are treated in major industries. I highly recommend this book for anyone who needs a realistic fiction book that makes you think about the world in a different way.

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.