This is an early release I picked from Book of the Month. It’s going to be released January 11.
Title: A Flicker in the Dark
Author: Stacy Willinghan
Genre: Thriller
Plot: Dr. Chole Briggs is a physiologist who’s finally starting to feel comfortable with her life. When Chole was 12, her family was turned upside down when they learned her father was a serial killer in their hometown. A news reporter starts to make her nervous when he wants a 20th anniversary of her father’s spree. Then more teenage girls start to disappear. It looks similar to what her father did. But her father’s in jail, so who is behind the murders? Chole wants to help find the killer but the police don’t want her help. Then she finds some evidence around her house and work place. Chole is running out of people to trust. Who can she trust? Can the police find who’s behind the murders? Who will the killer outwit them?
Rating: 4.3 – a good thriller
Opinion:This was a great book. I kept me on edge the whole time. Especially towards the end, I couldn’t put the book down. I wanted to know if my suspicions were true. Though I had my suspicions of two or three of the characters. In different ways, my suspicions came true. There were good plot twists throughout the book. And a few other plot points to throw suspicions on other characters. Two parts of the ending kind of confused me. I had to reread it to make sure I understood what was going on. Even though some of my suspicions were confirmed, it was different than I expected. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves thriller.
Thank you Mick Nash of Good to You for this review.
Title: Acid For The Children
Author: Michael Peter Balzary aka “Flea”, a popular bass player for the band Red Hot Chili Peppers
Genre: Autobiography, Memoir
Plot: A read about Flea’s childhood and formative years. The book dives into his adventures in Los Angeles, Southern California, Australia, and everywhere else in between. It focuses on his unconventional childhood, moving from “normal” New York to “bohemian lifestyle” Los Angeles, where anything goes. He writes about the characters he meets along the way (like his jazz playing stepfather), and the years before he was in the ultra-popular SoCal band you might have heard of, RHCP. As Flea himself describes it, it is his origin story that “ends where the Red Hot Chili Peppers begins.” His coming-of-age story chronicles his experiences through poetry, humorous anecdotes, and stories of danger, mayhem, & chaos. While trying to escape his turbulent home life, he finds family in communities of punk kids, outcasts, musicians, and artists who live on the edge. This leads to him finding music, himself, and friends, past and present, who he fondly remembers throughout the book in a witty, raw, entertaining way.
Opinion: Acid For The Children is one hell of a read. It takes you on a wild ride through the mind and life of Flea. This book is one of the most raw and honest books that I have had the privilege to read. Seeing the title and knowing the guy who wrote it, I did not know what to expect. When it comes to Flea, who does? It is 400 pages, which is long. But it is an easy read because of the way it is written and with some chapters being only a page or two. The book is written in sporadic thought, stream of consciousness, with a lot of humor (and humility), and with unwavering honesty. Flea does not make excuses for the life he has lived, the person he is, or the things he has done. He does not sugarcoat or write it to paint himself in a positive light only. He showcases and talks about his best days but more often, his worst. The book was extremely relatable to people who have struggled which is all of us. Talking about his parents’ divorce, his dad leaving, the effect on him, his struggles with fitting in, finding himself, and the adventures he got into running around unsupervised at a young age were all very relatable to me personally. Some of the stories he told mirrored my personal experiences detail by detail. It was scary but refreshing to know that somebody else knows exactly how I feel and was affected by it in similar ways that I was. We are doing what people call “trauma bonding” and Flea does not even know it…. yet. A theme early on and throughout is that he feels most comfortable by himself, in his own thoughts, and has always struggled with feeling like he fit in with groups of people, no matter who those people were. That hit home for me and can resonate with many others too. The book is so entertaining to read and really digs into every aspect of his childhood and young adulthood. He mentions so many characters he has met along the way that left an impression on him no matter how quick the interaction was with them. It made me think of all the crazy, random adults I met throughout my childhood & life and the little sayings, wisdom, & things that I have taken from them. I might have never saw them again, but they left me with memories that I still think about to this day. At the end, he even gives us a rundown of memorable albums, concerts, movies, and more that he enjoyed throughout his life. The title of the book might scare some away but even it has a purpose and meaning that is laid out by the end of the book. Acid For The Children is full of gems, life lessons, and vulnerability. This book is one that a seasoned reader or somebody who barely reads could pick up, get through, and enjoy. Those are always the best books to me, the ones that appeal to any and everybody.
Plot: Every ten years, the Dragon picks a girl to be his servant. When the girl’s ten years are up, they’re free to go. Agnieska is eigible but everyone thinks her close friend Kasia will be chosen. Instead, the Dragon chooses Agnieska. The Dragon is a stern master. At his tower, she learns she has a magical ability. Though it’s hard for to learn, she has a true talent. The more Agnieska learns, the more she learns of the Wood’s dark intent. The Wood is sentient and plans on taking over Agnieska’s county. Does she have enough power to stop the Wood? Can anyone help her? Can she convince anyone of the truth?
Rating: 4.0 – a different type of fairy tale
Opinion: This was an interesting book. I did some research and learned this book was based off real fairy tales. Some of the words and all the names were based of Eastern European languages. The author offered the pronunciation of Agnieska’s name in her acknowledgment at the end of book, but no one else’s . I enjoyed the magic of the book and thought it was really well built. It’s really nice when the magic has limits and costs. It makes it feel a little more realistic. The book has super smooth transitions and fast paced. It took me a second to catch up to all of transitions. Fortunately, or unfortunately, lots of the transitions happened at chapter breaks. Even though it was fast paced, it had steady pace. There were very few slumps in the book. There ending wasn’t as happy as I expected it to be. Though it was a good ending. I do wish everything had been wrapped up a little more. I enjoyed the book more than I thought I would. I recommend this book to everyone who loves a different style of fairy tale.
Plot: Ren is a Grim Reaper, but only half. Her mother was a Japanese Shinigami, her father was a Reaper. She lives in London with the Reapers. Her brother Neven is the only one who doesn’t torment her because she’s half Shinigami. When she loses control and hurts a High Reaper, Ren and Neven flea. They travel to Japan and meet Hiro. He’s an outcast like Ren. Hiro takes them to Izanami’s palace. Izamami is the ruler of the Shinigami and Yomi, the Japanese underworld. Izanami gives Ren three tasks in order to become a true Shinigami. Hiro offers to help so he can get back in good standing with Izanami. Neven is unsure but Ren trusts him. Should Hiro be trusted? Can Ren complete her tasks? Will she ever be truly accepted in either society?
Rating: 3.8 – a different take on Grim Reapers
Opinion: This was a great book. I loved learning about a different culture. I don’t know much about Japanese culture. It was great to learn more about that culture and their take on death. The idea of a whole society of Grim Reapers was really interesting. The world building was well done. The characters were interesting and relatable. The one thing I don’t love about this book was that the ending seemed a little rushed. It kind of felt disconnected with the rest of the book. Ren’s character development went a different way than most main characters arcs. I’m glad that there’s a second book in the works. I hope Ren finds a way to redeem herself. I did like the change in chapter titles. It’s in a more Japanese style. The cover art for the book is amazing. It made me curious about the book in the first place. This is a good book for anyone who wants to learn about a new culture and a different kind of main character arc.
Plot: Lady Kendra Townsend has wanted for nothing. Then her uncle shows up asking for help saving him from financial ruin, Kendra’s father reluctant helps. It leaves them almost destitute. Then her father dies, and her uncle tries his best to marry her off to save the family. Her uncle demands she marry or be shipped off to the newly freed colonies. Kendra chooses the later. The captain, Dorian Colburn, on the ship is a stern man, who’s used to having his orders followed. Kendra’s ways make him question himself. Slowly, they start forming a bond. Everything is shaken again when Angeline shows up on shore, obviously flirting with him. Dorian delivers Kendra to her aunt and uncle. But even then not everything is as it seems. Can Kendra find out what’s going on with her aunt and uncle? Can Kendra and Dorian save their relationship?
Rating: 4.0 – a sweet and sappy historical fiction
Opinion: This was a surprisingly good book. It’s been sitting on my Kindle for years but I never got around to reading. I got it when I was super into reading sappy romantic historical fiction books. I still enjoy them but not as much as I did. I finally gave it a chance and really enjoyed it. It was still sappy but Kendra and Dorian’s relationship grew over the course of the book. They fell in love slowly, which I enjoy more. Though the last little hitch in the book could’ve been avoided if they’d communicated but where’s the fun in that? I suspected something that happened in the book was a prominent character’s fault and was right, but was hinted at strongly through the book. I loved the Christian faith intertwined in the book, too. I wasn’t expecting it to be as involved with the book as it was. It was a very happy surprise. This is a great book for anyone who loves sappy romance and historical fiction.
Plot: Fleur has just received the news that her husband, Hugh Richards. has died on Armistice Day of WW1. A Mr. Littlyton has informed her that Fluer’s inherited all of Hugh’s properties and money. She’s slow to accept the inheritance because she thinks Hugh’s still alive. Fleur decides to go claim Hugh’s things in Australia. But all is not what it seems. The more Fleur learns about Hugh’s past, the more mysteries she uncovers. What happened to Hugh’s properties? Was Hugh really who he said he was? Can Fleur uncover all of the secrets of the past?
Rating: 3.5 – a slow start but interesting historical fiction
Opinion: This was an interesting historical fiction. It took me a while to figure all of the characters out. Some of the names are similar and are introduced pretty quickly. It was fine once I got all the characters sorted out in my head. The book also started out slowly. It took a while for the plot to get going. Part of the reason was the plot jumps back and forth between 1919 and 1853 and had two different stories. It took me a while to figure out how much the stories connected. It ended up being a lot more than I thought it would. Overall this was a good book, a little confusing at first, but a good book. It was interesting to learn more about a different country’s past and origins. This is a good book for anyone who loves history.
Plot: Dr. Ryland Grace is humanity’s last hope. He just can’t remember it yet. He wakes up from a coma lost and confused in a spaceship. Dr. Grace starts doing some tests to see what’s going on. He learns he’s not only in space, but in another galaxy entirely. As his memories return, he learns he’s on a mission to find out why a different star isn’t reacting to the Astrophage, what people are calling space algae that’s causing our sun to dim. He needs to find out what to do about the Astrophage in order to save humanity. Soon Dr. Grace learns he’s not alone by the sun. There’s an alien spaceship right next to him. But is the alien friendly or aggressive? Can Dr. Grace still find a way to save humanity?
Rating: 4.3 – an accurate sci-fi with lots of humor
Opinion: This was a great book. This author is fast becoming one of my favorites. He combines accurate, and could be possible, with humor. Some of the humor is sometimes language learning based, not the stupid kind, but the funny relatable kind. The rest of the humor is sarcastic, which I love. There’s lots of science (and from what I stand it’s very accurate) but it’s easy to understand. There’s some humor mixed into the book as well. The alien race doesn’t have good eyesight and has evolved to use music and sound to learn about its environment and to communicate. I found it interesting that, before the characters learn to communicate, that all of the alien’s speech is written as music notes. I wish there could’ve been music lines to go with it so I could know which sounds where being made. I could figure out the rhythms and see that some sounds went up or down but not which sounds were being made. I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend this book for anyone who loves sci-fi and humor.
Artists: Emily Chow, Rodrigo Luff, Damination, Anna Maria Navaja, Yato, Matt Krotzer, Zeablast
Genre: Fantasy, Comic Books
Plot: Issue 4 – Artemis has been captured by the goddess, Nyx. She’s convinced Artemis that if she helps Nyx she’ll really be helping everyone. If Artemis doesn’t help, she’ll kill her Uncle Sol. Artemis resigns and helps Nyx round up the rebellion leaders. Artemis knows where the rebellion is located and takes Nyx’s army there. While she is rounding everyone up, she finds their leader who happens to be her best friend. What will Artemis do next?
Issue 5 – Artemis has found hope again. She’s decided to help the rebellion. She frees her friend, Cece, and others. Together they start looking for the gulag where the rest of the rebellion is being held. But Nyx’s army is there blocking their escape from the gulag. Will Artemis and her friends be able to escape?
Issue 6 – Artemis and her friends have escaped the gulag. Now she must figure out how to defeat Nyx. Luckily, she’s learned about her past. She knows who she truly is. Nyx tries hard to keep her power, and her plan is nearly complete. Artemis’s power has grown and soon overwhelm Nyx. Her family able to rejoin her and helps trap Nyx so the true balance can be returned to the world.
Rating: 4.0 – a good conclusion to the series
Opinion: This was a great ending to the Artemis series. This has been a great series about learning about self worth. There will be people who knock you down, but there will be friends who still see your worth. There’s also been leaning that it’s not always about destroying the bad guys but finding a balance in life. Light can’t exist without dark. Good still conquered evil, but didn’t destroy it. I loved the artwork in this book. It was very beautiful. I found it interesting that each type of person has their own color of speech bubble. It made knowing who was talking easier to figure out. This series is great for anyone who enjoys comic books and enjoys Lindsey Stirling’s music.
Plot: Caroline finds an old apothecary bottle while searching through the mud of the Thames during a failed anniversary trip. That sends her on a search for the original owner of bottle. During this time her husband shows up out of the blue. He tries to talk to through what happened and earn her favor. When he gets hospitalized, the police suspect Caroline because of what they find in her notebook. Will her husband pull through? Did she poison her husband? Can Caroline and her husband work things through?
Nella is an apothecary who specializes in poisons. She once helped heal people but after a betrayal, she’s turned to poison. Eliza, a maid asks for help for her mistress. During her mistress’s vacation, Ella asks to apprentice under Nella. She’s hesitant to accept Eliza’s help. Eliza tried to help with a lady with a mistress problem. When the poisoning goes wrong. The police start searching. Nella and Eliza panic. Both look for solutions for ways out in different ways. Will either of the solutions work? Or will the police find them first?
Rating: 3.5 – a good historical fiction book
Opinion: This was a good historical fiction. It wasn’t one of my favorites. While it was interesting, I wasn’t too interested in the story. Part of me wishes it had been two separate stories. That way the author could’ve dove deeper into both stories more. I wish I could’ve learned more about Nella and her past and learned more about what to Eliza at the end of the story. Caroline’s was well done but I wish I had a little more back story for her, too. While this story was interesting I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I normally would like. I loved the idea but wished I could’ve learned more about the characters. This is a good book for anyone who loves a different side of history.
Plot: Samuel Hill has gone missing. Trudi Coffey knows he’s on a mission, but nothing outside of that. An FBI agent, police chief, and a traitor CIA agent all seem to think Trudi knows what Samuel’s up to and where he is. She tells them all no, but they’re keeping tabs on her. Out of the blue, Samuel appears and tells Trudi he’s after a art forger, called Dream, who knows where some stolen art was hidden. Dream was forced into the business by the Irish mob. Then starts the game of cat and mouse. Who’s going to find Dream first? Who can help him figure out the missing pieces of his memory? Who will find the missing art first? Did Dream really commit the crime he’s accused of? Or was he framed?
Rating: 4.0 – a good thriller of cat and mouse
Opinion: This was a good continuation of the Coffee and Hill series. Though I wish I’d reviewed the first two books before I read this one. The main characters referenced some characters in the first two a couple times. But the more they talked about the past cases, the more pieces I remembered. This book was more steady paced with less lulls than the first two books. There were flashbacks thrown in which threw me for a loop at first. Most chapters have character viewpoint switches. Each chapter backtracks a moment from the last chapter. That bugged me a little at first, but then I enjoyed it because it let me follow along easier as things got more complicated. I wish the ending wrapped everything nicer. The ending seemed a little messy to me. Most things were wrapped up, but I’m not sure I believe the endings. I hope there’s another book in the works that answers the few questions I still have.
A Bookworm's Book Reviews 