All Book Reviews

In a town of thieves and murderers, one man is feared as the most brutal, the most wicked, and the most intelligent: Kaz Brekker. Willing to kill as much as he needs to, and able to pick any lock, Kaz is the perfect man for the greatest heist ever: Stealing a hostage from the high security Ice Palace. He gathers a crew to help take on the toughest challenge he’s ever faced. Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows follows the viewpoints of a vicious leader, a spider-like assassin, a gunslinger, a disgraced soldier, a heartrending mage, and a runaway rich boy to create a wonderful story where death is around every corner and only the strong survive.

Nova, one of the few gifted with powers after their emergence, struggles in the societal aftershock and ruin left behind by the collapse. Now in the place of the governments that once stood, is a new organization, The Renegades, that provides stability and safety through the use of powers.

Before them was a time when groups of “villains” reigned over the weak, Nova was a member one of the most powerful groups referred to as the Anarchists. Now she attempts to infiltrate the Renegades to help bring back the waning power of the Anarchists, and along the way meets many who teach her just how vast the moral grey area is.

I enjoyed this book, given its science fiction/dystopian world that Marissa Meyers gives to her audience and the surprises that might come from just turning a page.

Darrow was captured and his identity revealed, the leader of the Sons of Ares was killed, and now the future of rebellion looks bleak. Darrow, now in a state of grief and failure, his body withering away as he waits for his execution, is rescued and given a second chance to realize Eo’s dream; to topple the corrupt society that stole everything from him. Now the leading force and face of the rebellion, Darrow has many struggles that await him in the final book in the Red Rising Trilogy. I greatly enjoyed this book due to how the many underlying plots are tied off in the end of the series as well as the resolution of each character’s internal struggles. Pierce Brown builds on many previous sub plots that as the reader you might forget, marvelously tying this book in with the rest of the series.

Darrow, having rose through the ranks of the Golds at the academy, becomes a member of the house of Mars. Having made enemies at the Academy, Darrow must prove his worth at the the Naval Institute; to attain a fleet for his house and in the future, the rebellion. Faced by his many adversaries, Darrow gets caught up in a civil war between the Gold’s houses. Darrow leads his audience through the corrupted society, with a view both from the bottom of society and the top, all the while exploring the concepts of grief, hatred, and what it means to fully understand your enemy. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction and stories on societal struggles. I enjoyed the world Peirce Brown created in this series as well as the dynamic characters and their internal struggles.

Yellowstone national park holds a super volcano with the potential to end the world. Mike Mullin explores the disastrous scenario of that volcano exploding with enough force to plunge the world into a nuclear winter in his debut novel, Ashfall. Following the story of 15-year old Alex, we see how the world transforms suddenly with the volcano’s explosion. After leaving the riots and looting of the city, Alex leaves for the countryside where he meets a farmhand named Darla. After unexpected complications arise at the farm, Alex and Darla are forced to leave. Now they must support each other as they face the biting cold of this new world as they face off against bandits, cannibals, and the military in order to survive and find Alex’s parents.

Review: Darrow, a lowly “Red” , the bottom rung of the hierarchical ladder in a society divided by “Colors”, mines Helium 3 far below the surface of Mars. This mining community is where he and his family have worked for generations, under the duress and harsh conditions that come with living underground in the mines. The Reds are always told that they will one day be able to return to the surface once they mine enough of the Helium 3, which is vital to the terraforming efforts. This lie shatters when one day he loses everything he loves to this society and learns the truth, that a vast civilization sits atop these mines; a civilization run by the cruel tyranny of the top class, the Golds. In this amazing work of science fiction, Darrow infiltrates the Golds in an attempt to bring down this rotting society that stole so much from him. During this journey, Pierce Brown brings you along with his protagonist, identifying many moral concepts, as he illustrates a living, breathing world within this complex story of a growing revolution. I really enjoyed this book, I felt that the book created an alternate world for its audience to get lost in; the world and how the author portrays it is something I look at when looking for a good book.

In a world of giant roaming cities, London is greatest. Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines explores a post-apocalyptic world where cities roam on wheels and survival of the fittest reigns supreme. The novel follows Tom Natsworthy, an orphan who has become an apprentice historian, and his fateful encounter with Hester Shaw, a girl with a disfigured face who tries to kill Head Historian, Thaddeus Valentine. The two are thrown out of London, where they must reconcile their differences to overcome the harsh wasteland. From outwitting pirates, outrunning murderous cyborgs, to stopping a weapon that could destroy an already broken world, this book is a truly awesome experience.

"Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio" by Peg Kehret is an interesting autobiography that gives insight to what people with Polio experienced. The main character, Peg, faints one day during school and has a high temperature so she is taken to the hospital. There she is diagnosed with Polio. This news is devastating to Peg and her family but Peg's family decides to stay positive while Peg is sad. Throughout her journey Peg gets better with the support of her parents.

I would recommend this book. "Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio" is sad but also heartwarming at times. I read this book because it is a battle book. I couldn't relate to any of the characters, however the emotions Peg felt could be related to a lot of other people. The book isn't predictable at all. It is not the best book I have read this year but I would still recommend this book as it is still good.

Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind is a beautifully written coming-of-age tale about a boy named Kvothe, a member of a group of traveling performers, and his journey towards becoming a master namer. Experiencing intense hardship and sorrow at a young age, Kvothe is forced to become strong and fend for himself. Eventually, he escapes his life of pain and charms his way into the world’s greatest academy of science and magics where he gains many friends and just as many enemies. With his trusty lute in his hand and his quick wit, Kvothe is ready to take on any threat his ugly world has to throw at him.

The Last Holiday Concert is an okay book. It tries to address themes of popularity and leadership, but doesn’t do a good job of it. The characters are all bland, and the conflict is generic. Although it's a children’s book, I felt like the author could have done a way better job in all aspects. Overall, I wouldn’t really recommend this book to anyone.

The book, Every Day, by David Levithan is wonderful. The book has a genius concept, and it's brilliantly written. The premise of the book is that the protagonist becomes a different person every single day. The author does a great job of writing about the difficulty of taking on the lives of others. The protagonist's own personality isn't developed a whole lot, but each new character is somewhat unique and interesting. The book is a decent read, but it is definitely worth it. Overall, I would recommend this book to people who like intriguing concepts and adventures.

In Cassandra Clare’s “Queen of Air and Darkness”, even though it is a lengthy book, the author really uses their plotline and writing style to suck you into the story and get you invested. I highly reccommend the Shadowhunters Chronicles for people who enjoy a fantasy world that is not too hard to wrap your head around.

A boy by the name of Will is eager to become a knight, but he has a very scrawny build and is very short. He is refused knighthood. Then someone gives the person who is testing him a note. The man hides the note and Will, who is very curious about said note, sneeks into the place where the note is being kept. He then is caught by Halt and because he was so stealthy he is told that if he wishes he may work towards becoming a ranger. I loved this book, the author John Flanagan, uses great word choice and is always keeping you thinking what is going to happen next. Will is very relate-able to me because he is scrawny but very strong in the mind. This is a great book to keep a dictionary out because it is always shooting new words at you. One of my friends has read multiple books in this series and encouraged me to try the book, I was happy I did.

Kingdom of Copper is the sequel to City of Brass, and there are spoilers for that book ahead.

Kingdom of Copper picks up about five years after the events of City of Brass. Nahri is married to Muntadhir and is navigating court politics and learning to use her skills as magical healer. Ali, after getting exiled from Daevabad following the events of City of Brass, has managed to survive several assassination attempts and has made a life for himself in a small village. Forced to return to Daevabad, Ali quickly returns to his post as resident trouble maker/possible emir (which in this case means heir to the throne), and Nahri finds her world rocked once again.

The complex, Middle Eastern inspired world and world-building that were the best part of City of Brass are still present in this book, while they are less of a focal point. Overall, I much preferred Kingdom of Copper to City of Brass. My short review of City of Brass read as something like: "great worldbuilding, annoying characters, promising ending." But because we had that time jump of five years, our characters have separated, matured (at least a bit), and the love triangle that brought down the first book died a satisfying death. The worst part of the first book to me was the romantic angst, and little of that exists in this sequel to the betterment of the book.

TLDR: If you liked the first book, you’ll love this one. If you were on the fence about City of Brass as I was, know that the sequel is much improved.

Kingdom of Copper would appeal young, new and other adults and fantasy readers who like rich world building and a unique setting. 3.5 stars.

Thanks to HarperVoyager for the advance edition, which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. Kingdom of Copper is available now!

This book was not for me, but I think a lot of young adults will really love it. The following is essentially a laundry list of my issues. First, the worldbuilding was pretty weak. The fours quadrants are fairly reminiscent of those in Divergent, but they rarely interact and the farming sector basically works on Amish rules while the technological sector has holographs and advanced biosuits and all sorts of stuff. It does not make a ton of sense. And neither does the “queenly law” or really anything to do with the rules the palace or kingdom operates under – it all seemed pretty transparently created to serve the story that was written. Moving along. The characters really left something to be desired. Most were one-dimensional. The main character, Keralie, couldn’t make a good decision if her life depended on it and falls squarely into the snarky and ostensibly clever thief trope. We do get to hear from the queens a bit, but as I knew they’d end up dead and we only spent a little time with each of them, I didn’t find that it added to the story. And, of course, there is instalove between Keralie and our extremely boring male lead, Varin.

Some components of the book are pretty enjoyable. I think the premise is really cool (if executed poorly). The first queen’s murder took me a bit by surprise, and was deliciously gruesome. There were a few twists that I didn’t see coming. I quite liked the last 50 pages or so – the author, a debut, clearly has some really great ideas. Unfortunately, they didn’t come together in this book, though I’d try another book by this author pending favorable reviews.

TLDR: Readers who loved The Red Queen and Divergent will probably enjoy this one as well. I couldn’t get past the weak characters and worldbuilding, but I think a lot of readers will likely devour this one nonetheless. For me, it was just ok. 2 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and G. Putnam’s Sons for the advance copy which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. Four Dead Queens will be released on 26 February.

I usually like this author. I mean, she's not Harper Lee and it's not To Kill a Mockingbird lit, but generally entertaining. This book was an exception. Poor plot, unlikable characters, an unbelievable storyline (and not in a cool Harry Potter way), and a weak ending. Without giving away too much, it's about nine strangers (title spoiler alert) who go to a swanky health spa in rural Australia. That sounds kinda sweet, right? Well, the spa is run by a Russian psychopath who gives them illegal hallucinogenics and that's where the story jumps the shark. Skip this one and read one of her other novels instead.

The Golden Compass is about a little girl named Lyra, and her animal companion that can change form. They want to find her friend that has been kidnapped by really bad people. On her way she meets witches, gets captured, rides an armored ice bear, starts a war, and discovers who past family members were. And it all starts with a particle they call, “Dust”!

This book is for the historian who wants to know more about what happened in the world in the 1930-1940's. We all know about WWII. Most of know about the Nazi Concentration camps. A few know of the human experiments done by the Nazi's. But did you know that Japan was doing human experimentation as well? Did anyone know that Imperial Japan was active in Bacteriological and Chemical Warfare? This is an in depth look at the people behind the atrocities and those behind the cover-up. The author even talks a little about why we know little about Japanese human experimentation and a lot about Nazi Concentration camps.

I found this book enlightening and thorough. My overall view of the world during this time period is filling out and becoming more complete.

Do you like mystery stories with a bit of payback! well then this is the book for you. and the best part is this book has ghosts and magic! so please read about this epic quest to find the one clock that was once lost long ago. Magic!

There is evil afoot in this book about a fat young boy whose parents both died in a car accident leaving him to live with his strange uncle who lives in a mansion with secrets. An uncle being driven insane by a clock's incessant ticking countered by a strange neighbor who makes excellent chocolate chip cookies. The adventure is just beginning. Into a cemetery, are the dead rising? A car chase all across the county and an eclipse of the moon. A house that grows defenses? Windows that change on their own? Read this book and find out not just what the evil is, but to determine which is better, the book or the movie?