A Bookworm's Book Reviews

Uprooted – Naomi Novik

Title: Uprooted

Author: Naomi Novik

Genre: Fantasy

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.

The Keeper of Night – Kylie Lee Baker

Title: The Keeper of Night

Author: Kylie Lee Baker

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

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.

Pirate of My Heart – Jamie Carie

Title: Pirate of My Heart

Author: Jamie Carie

Genre: Historical Fiction

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.

The Woman in the Green Dress – Tea Cooper

Title: The Woman in the Green Dress

Author: Tea Cooper

Genre: 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.

Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir

Title: Project Hail Mary

Author: Andy Weir

Genre: Sci-Fi

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.

Artemis 4-6 – Lindsey Stirling

Here are Artemis Issues 1-2, and 3

Titles: Artemis Issues 4-6

Author: Lindsey Stirling

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.

The Lost Apothecary – Sarah Penner

Title: The Lost Apothecary

Author: Sarah Penner

Genre: Historical Fiction

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.

A Dream Within a Dream – Mike Nappa & Melissa Kosci

This is book 3 of the Coffey and Hill series.

Title: A Dream Within a Dream

Authors: Mike Nappa & Melissa Kosci

Genre: Thriller

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.

Found Things Series – Paula Brackston

Book 4 is available now.

Titles: Book 1 – The Little Shop of Found Things, Book 2 – Secrets of the Chocolate House, Book 3 – The Garden of Promises and Lies

Author: Paula Brackston

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Plot: Book 1 – Xanthe and her mother, Flora, have just moved to Marlborough to start a new life with their own little antique shop. Xanthe has always had a connection with some of the items in their antique shop. While exploring their new back yard and garden, Xanthe discovers a little shed like building. When she steps inside, she’s transported back in time. Xanthe soon learns she must help an innocent girl escape her fate in jail. But how can she help? Is there anyone she can trust? Can she return to her own time?

Book 2 – Xanthe’s learned she can time travel. She finds a new object, an centuries old chocolate pot, not long after she’s settled back into normal life that calls to her. When she returns home with the chocolate pot, she sees a vision of an old friend in trouble. Xanthe returns to the past to help him. But he’s not there, but in jail. In the past she also meets new friends and makes some enemies. Can her new found friendship help defeat her new enemy to save her old friend?

Book 3 – Xanthe’s been working on her time travel skills while she waits for the next object to call to her. She’s also preparing to meet Fairfax again. He’s becoming stronger since their last meeting. Xanthe can only guess at what Fairfax wants. But when he starts attacking Xanthe’s family and friends, she has no choice but to tell them what’s really been going on. Then Xanthe finds a wedding dress that calls to her. It could be the clue to help stop Fairfax. With the help of her family and friends, Xanthe may finally have all the pieces she needs to stop Fairfax once and for all. But will it be enough? Or will Fairfax achieve all he desires?

Rating: 4.3 – a good time travel series

Opinion: This was a great series. This has a great combo of fantasy, historical fiction, and sappy romance. The time travel doesn’t too technical or too detailed but gives the reader a good sense of how the time travel works. It’s never overwhelming with details or info dumps at certain points. The romance in the series is sweet and sappy. It’s meant to look like a real relationship. I wish the ex-boyfriend had more of a tie in to book two. He just shows up at the beginning, appears once in a while, then disappears at the end of the book. I enjoyed the historical fiction parts cause it’s about different times than what I’ve read about. It talks about the daily lives of more ordinary people instead of the nobility. This is a slow building series that ends in some sort of cliffhanger at the end of every book. There’s a fourth book in the series and I’m having a hard time waiting for it to come out. I’m curious to see how the authors ties everything up. I really enjoyed this series so far and would recommend this series to anyone who likes historical fiction and fantasy.

My Wish for You – Katheryn Hahn

Title: My Wish for You

Author: Kathryn Hahn

Illustrator: Brigette Barrager

Genre: Children’s Book, Picture Book

Plot: A mother dreams of all the things she wishes for her daughter. She dreams of all the life lessons her daughter will learn and how she can comfort her daughter. The mother wishes her daughter to have courage, believe in herself no matter what the world says, stay curious, and for so many more things.

Rating: 4.5 – a sweet book about a mother’s love

Opinion: This was a super sweet about about a mother’s love. It’s what every mother would want for her daughters. The pictures are super beautiful, too. I was looking through some of the classroom books when I found this book. I flipped through it when I had a moment and found the beautiful message inside. It talks of so many things that mother’s wish for their daughters and lessons they’d like to teach them. I’d recommend this book for any mother or any classroom.