Review of Keeping Long Island by Courtney Peppernell

Keeping Long Island by Courtney Peppernell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was wonderful. I usually don't like the conceit of a book written in diary entries, but wow. This one was so well done. Kayden is a broken young woman whose therapist suggested she keep a diary to help her learn how to share her feelings. She writes each entry as if she were talking to someone she calls "Keeper" as in Secret Keeper. And it felt like she was talking to me.

I haven't highlighted so many passages in a Kindle book before in my life. There are awkwards turns of phrase, but that feels authentic to Kayden's voice.

I was afraid that the immediacy of the story would be lost as we are reading about it "after the fact" so to speak, but that didn't happen. And Kayden's friends and family felt real to me.

There is little action here. This is a book about feelings, about sadness and depression and love and happiness. It's about family and friendship. It's slow paced and thoughtful. It's amazing.



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Review of Lead Me Not by Ann Gallagher

Lead Me Not by Ann Gallagher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Warning for homophobia and homophobic language.

When I started into Lead Me Not, I was hesitant. This is not the first LGBT book I have read, but it is the first Christian LGBT book I have read. And when Isaac is first introduced, his thoughts and actions are harsh and homophobic. This was the protagonist we’re supposed to cheer for? Not likely. But then, Isaac slowly began to grow on me. I realized that he was actually in the closet himself, so deep he couldn’t see his way out, couldn’t see much of anything. He was blind.

Isaac’s family and the environment he grew up in are incredibly toxic. Ann Gallagher paints a masterful picture of the way these so-called Christians twist the Scriptures to condemn homosexuality. Isaac’s brother William is especially hateful, while Isaac himself sincerely just wants to help people—although he is very wrong in how he tries to do so. Isaac’s father has already disowned two of his children for not believing exactly as he does. Scenes with Isaac’s family are not easy to read.

The premise of the plot gave me pause as well. Isaac’s twin sister Ruth suggests that they make a documentary to prove that you can choose to be gay—by Isaac “choosing” to be gay, then “choosing” to be straight again. Of course, the problem is that he is not straight and never has been. And never will be.

Then Colton—a bartender at a gay club—saves Isaac from getting beaten in the alley behind the club, beaten by homophobic thugs who probably believe a lot of the same bs Isaac believes. Colton drives him to the hospital and stays with him and drives him home. That a stranger, a gay stranger, would do that for him shakes Isaac’s worldview to its core. Then Isaac finds out that Colton is a Christian and that he volunteers at a local church helping save LGBT teenagers from the streets, and his world tips on its axis again. There is a crack in his closet door, letting in just a bit of light.

It’s not easy of course. While Isaac “lives the gay lifestyle” for the documentary, telling everyone around him that he is gay, he still very much believes that he is not. The closet door might be ajar, but he is still huddled inside, trying to hide from the light. This changes slowly, but he fights it every step of the way.

Despite the harsh language and rhetoric, this really is a very uplifting book. Isaac’s family is shown clearly to be wrong. There is no insistence on forgiving someone like that either. Sometimes the best thing to do is to put distance between yourself and that toxic relationship. I’m used to romance novels being rather shallow in theme and content, but this one surprised me. I would highly recommend it, and I will likely read it again.



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Review of The Thirteenth Hour by Joshua Blum

The Thirteenth Hour by Joshua Blum

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

In a lot of ways, this book is cool and different, taking overused fantasy tropes and turning them on their heads. However, it is also quite tell-y. Some of that could just be the style, but it always rubs me the wrong way while reading something that tells me instead of showing me. The spelling and grammar are mostly smooth and well-done, with a few typos scattered throughout, however the characters don’t talk like real people. Huge sections of beautiful prose are interspersed with awkward, poorly written, sections.

Each time the POV changes, the text colour changes too. While this makes it much easier to follow than some books I’ve read that are full of annoying head jumping, I personally found the different coloured text to be distracting and affected. Also, several times pages end in the middle of a scene… or even a sentence. This tells me that whoever formatted this into an ebook needs to do a bit more work making it read smoothly.

Besides the dialogue sounding like they’re constantly quoting something, many of the conversations are very difficult to follow. With only dialogue and no ‘stage directions’ it’s hard to keep track of who’s saying what, especially if there’s more than two characters in the scene. However, there are a few lines that I really liked. For example: ‘he held up a finger as if to say, “I’m not finished yet,” which had always seemed like an asshole move to me.’ Yes, I’ve always thought that’s an asshole thing to do.

The epilogue is pretty much an elongated moral like at the end of Aesop’s fables. I think the story would be better if the epilogue was cut back a lot or trashed completely. This could be simply personal taste, though. Maybe there are people who like to read a long moral at the end of a book. I found it boring.

Overall, this was a pretty good story, though it could use a good edit to tighten it up and cut a lot of the words. It took me a lot longer to read than a book of this length usually does, and I think a good cut would make it easier and faster to read. However, if you like a fantasy but are sick of the tired old tropes, this would be a good choice.




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Review of The Dragon King and I by Adrianne Brooks

The Dragon King and I by Adrianne Brooks

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


There were things about this book that I really liked, but so much more that I didn't. I want to give it 2.5 stars, but it's not good enough for 3 so I've given it 2.

First off, I want to give a warning that wasn't given in the blurb. This book contains a lot of references to rape: fear of rape, attempted rape, possible rape. It wasn't clear if Alex was ever actually raped, but the threat is there on nearly every page. See, Alex is cursed: every man she comes in contact with falls under her spell and wants to be with her. This affects them in different ways: some want to protect her and just be near her, while others want to possess her, body and soul. This means that some of them want to rape her. At least one tries to do so in the text, and there is reference to this happening to her in the past as well.

Now, for what I liked. Adrianne Brooks sometimes really has a way with words. I really feel a connection to lines like "The main thing that I loved about living alone was the silence. Sometimes simply talking to people was like listening to white noise." I'm an introvert, so I strongly relate to this.

Unfortunately, even though I started off relating to her, I didn't like Alex very much. I can understand why she is antisocial and hates leaving her house—every time she ventures outside, she feels like she is going to be raped—but I don't understand why she fights Flo to get inside Clarabell's house. What the hell changed? Also, Alex's voice is very annoying. Maybe other readers would like the "modern" feel, but I just wanted to slap her or choke her or both.

And, you know, there's a reason why writing advice tells writers not to have a character look into a mirror and describe themselves. It's stupid and feels really forced and unreal. Yes, there is a such a scene in The Dragon King and I. Ugh. So annoying.

While reading, I kept wondering if an editor had even looked over this manuscript. If so, Adrianne really should hire a better editor next time. So many grammar errors. Yikes. For example: 'jealously' is an adverb; 'jealousy' is a noun. They are not the same word and cannot be used interchangeably. Also, continuity is important, kids. In one scene, Alex is gripping Sam's shirt with both hands, and then she tightens her arms around him. When did she go from one position to another? This kind of thing is really disconcerting.

Oh, and this book is in first person from Alex's POV so we really shouldn't be seeing lines like, "My eyes (view spoiler)[began to glow and I knew that they were neither the white of my mother’s power nor the purest black of another supernatural’s. They (hide spoiler)] were gray, like my father’s" since, how the hell would Alex know what colour her own eyes are? She's not even looking into a mirror in this scene!

This is definitely not the worst book I've ever read, but it's not very good either. I wouldn't recommend buying it, but if you find it for free like I did, you might want to give it a try.



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Review of Before Midnight by Jennifer Blackstream

Before Midnight by Jennifer Blackstream

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I really want to give this book 2.5 stars, but since that's not an option, I went back and forth on whether to give it 2 or 3. I finally settled on 3 to be nice.

It's not a terrible book, but it's not very good either. The writing is quite repetitive and tell-y (and full of so many typos), with sentences like, "he opened his mouth to bare a mouthful of sharp teeth too sharp to be human." Ok, so they're sharp then? Wait, are they sharp? I'm guessing they must be sharp. And it really feels like I'm being told to feel sorry for this girl who constantly feels sorry for herself. Well, I do what I want, not what I'm told. So there.

And, ugh, Loupe is so annoying. She drives me nuts. She acts pathetic and, though we're told she's really tough and won't give up, we don't see that; we see her giving up. Then she goes from weak and pathetic to strong and determined with nothing in between just because she's in love. It's the Power of Love! Give me a break.

Speaking of giving me a break, what's with all the purple prose? Like this: "Her jaw dropped. The most gorgeous man she’d ever seen was standing at the edge of the lake. From her angle, she couldn’t tell how tall he was, but he radiated strength. His soft brown hair and clear grey eyes, paired with a lean, muscled body, conspired to heat her blood. She wondered that the lake wasn’t boiling around her." So, I guess he's hot? Oh, and also, "Arabelle’s red hair fell like curling fountains of blood to the puffed sleeves of her dress." As a redhead, I think I might be offended or something (since Arabelle is EEEEVIL).

Why oh why is it always love at first sight? (Or, lust at first sight, maybe.) Loupe and Etienne don't even know each other—they've spoken twice!—when he confesses his love. I don't wanna say love at first sight never happens, I just don't think this is a very good way to begin a relationship. What if she doesn't like the way he chews his food? What if he doesn't like the way she rearranges the furniture?

And everything is so emotionally overdone, overwrought, and exhausting. (SPOILER: The sex scene wasn't even sexy it was so overdone.)

Am I allowed to request some realism even though this is fantasy? For example: (SPOILER: Loupe's stepsister shoots her with a crossbow while Loupe is in wolf form and shoots her toe off. This is her actual line: “Wow, I really shot your toe clean off. What a shot. There isn’t even any bone from the toe left, just a hole. I must have taken it off at the joint.”/ENDSPOILER) Are you kidding me? I don't think that's even remotely possible.

But I did enjoy the plotline, and I couldn't actually abandon it since I wanted to know what happened next. So it wasn't all bad.



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Review of Seaborn by S.A. Bolich

Seaborn by S.A. Bolich

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I feel as if I was carried on a wave of adventure and excitement with Nes as she journeyed with Jetta, Settak, Sheshan, and the others. This book was just as good as the first two, and now I cannot wait to read the fourth in the series.

The world S. A. Bolich has created is so rich and complex, and we learn of it slowly as the series progresses. Seaborn gives us insight into the fascinating world of the Water folk, and a few glimpses of the abilities of the Delvers. The romance here nearly felt tacked on, but I like it anyway. Finally, (view spoiler)[Settak gets a life partner (hide spoiler)].

I highly recommend this book (and the whole series) to everyone who reads fantasy. It's simply amazing.



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Review of Reborn by Cherie Reich

Reborn by Cherie Reich

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I just couldn't get into it. Unfortunately, my 'to read' pile is huge, and my life is busy, so books like this that I might have slogged through years ago just get abandoned now.

The plot looked interesting, but the execution was dry and difficult to read. I don't care enough about the characters to force myself through it. Sorry.



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Review of Strength by Carrie Butler

Strength by Carrie Butler

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I really wanted to like this book, and there were parts that I really enjoyed. The beginning is engaging, with Rena meeting Wallace and finding out that he is nothing like her preconceived notions. The idea of a race of superpowered people has been done to death, but that's okay. I like fantasy, and just because something is cliché, that doesn't necessarily make it bad. Unfortunately, the promise at the beginning of Strength was empty. The last half or so of the book just fell apart.

My first peeve came early on, though. Can anyone tell me why Carrie Butler felt the need to invent a new word that means the same as another perfectly good word? The non-word in question: 'confliction.' What the hell? That's not a real word, and 'conflict' is already a noun so why on God's green earth would you add 'ion' to the end of it? It just sounds so incredibly stupid. And it's not just once, either. 'Confliction' shows up over and over and over in the text. I wanted to scream. The word you're looking for, Carrie, is 'conflict.' That's the word you want.

One of the things that is a deal-breaker for me when reading a story is when a character does something they would never ever do. Well, that didn't quite happen here, because the characters kept changing. I couldn't tell you about Rena's character, besides that she's stubborn (and stupid), because I have no idea who she is. She's all over the place. What's her motivation? And Wallace: he goes to church but he's not above killing someone, and the only reason he won't fornicate (which is kind of a no-no by church standards) is because he's afraid he'll hurt the girl. The only characters I really got a handle on are Aiden and Gabby, and they're a stereotypical geek/nerd and a stereotypical slut. Ugh.

At one point, Rena's wrist gets broken. I'm not going to say how, in case anyone cares about spoilers. Anyway, she continues on blithely in spite of the excruciating pain, even using her wrist to push herself up at one point, though to be fair, that does hurt... just not as much as it should.

Speaking of Rena: it is possible to write an unlikable main character and keep the reader engaged, but it's not easy, and it's a huge risk. I don't think that was the goal here, but it was a big fail whether I was supposed to dislike Rena and still want to keep reading or... was I supposed to like Rena? Because I didn't. She was so annoying. I wanted to reach into the page and slap her... hard.

The big showdown with the villains is one of the most boring I've ever read. Most of it is a bunch of exposition where the villains explain what they're up to and why they're doing it in an attempt to get the heroes to join them. I understand that they're trying to get their support, but my eyes glazed over. I really don't care about your stupid plans, villains! I want some action and internal conflict and emotional angst.

I gave the book 2 stars because of the potential promised in the first little bit. Unfortunately, I can't give it more than 2 stars, because the last bit didn't live up to that potential. I'm disappointed.



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Review of The Three Little Pigs Get an Extreme Home Makeover & other Modern Mash-ups by Caprice Hokstad

The Three Little Pigs Get an Extreme Home Makeover & other Modern Mash-ups by Caprice Hokstad

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Disclosure: I was given a free review copy of this book as the author is a friend of mine.

This book is actually a collection of short stories—modernized rewrites of classic fairy tales. They include “The Three Little Pigs Get an Extreme Home Makeover”(The Three Little Pigs), “The Plaid Pipers of Hamelin Elementary”(The Pied Piper), “The Flaxen-Haired Freeloader”(Goldilocks), “Don’t Eat the House!”(Hansel and Gretel), “Jack and the Genetically Modified Beanstalk”(Jack and the Beanstalk), and “Always a Bad Hair Day”(Rapunzel).

The little pigs on reality tv is clever and funny, and I really liked the “wee wee wee, all the way home” nod to the other famous little piggies. Also, the ending was very cute. This story was very well-done.

The lecture from the writer to the reader at the beginning of the Goldilocks story bored and annoyed me. I understand that it is aimed at children, but the best children’s books are also enjoyed by adults (eg: The Hobbit, Alice in Wonderland, etc). However the “bear-germs” made me smile. I did have to wonder why Mama Bear and Papa Bear sleep in separate beds, and I’m sure there are some precocious children who would ask that question. And then, the teaser at the end for the next story annoyed me.

“Don’t Eat the House!” was a decent retelling of Hansel and Gretel with some important lessons for children. However, the witch being blind surprised me as it wasn’t mentioned before it was suddenly a major plot point.

Jack made me laugh. It was a very good retelling of the story, even though the giant was left out. The plot here had no need for silliness like giants and magic. Really. It didn’t.

The narrative commentary on Gothel’s stupidity in dealing with Rapunzel, and on Rapunzel’s annoyance with her hair is very clever. It made me smile several times. I used to have long, curly hair, and I completely agree that long hair is annoying. I can only imagine the difficulties Rapunzel would have with hair long enough to be a ladder.

The last story about the Pipers was way too short. Nothing really happened. I was left feeling cheated.

Over all, this was a good and clever retelling of the classic tales. I kind of wanted more, but I usually do.



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Review of Stones of Remembrance by Julie Presley

Stones of Remembrance by Julie Presley

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I’ll start by saying that I don’t usually read books that have no fantasy or sci-fi elements to them, but I picked this one up because I used to know the author years ago when we were teenagers, and it’s her first novel, and I believe in supporting new authors.

There is a lot to like in this book. I really wanted to love it; I really wish I could rave about it. Unfortunately, it falls prey to first novel syndrome. A good editor could make this book shine, but right now it’s a bit of a mess.

Allaya (or Ally) is trying to recover after the death of her sister, who was also her best friend. As my sister is also my best friend, I found this hard to read, but very real. I can only imagine what it would be like to lose her, but it might be a lot like when Ally says it was “torture trying to function like a normal person.”

Finnegan (or Finn) is running from God. This bothers me. I dated a guy who was running from God, and it was awful. He said I was his “angel” and I felt like I was the only reason he wanted to have anything to do with God. It was not a healthy relationship. The Bible says, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers,” (2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV) and I learned first-hand what this means: if a team of two are yoked—or harnessed—together, but pulling in opposing directions, nothing gets done and everybody is frustrated and exhausted.

You may have heard the maxim, “Show; don’t tell.” It’s oft misunderstood and there is much argument over it. Many a new writer either doesn’t know how to show, or simply gives up. However, the point is to pull the reader in, and telling feels distant. Showing makes the reader feel. I didn’t feel much in Stones of Remembrance. Julie Presley tells us what her characters are feeling rather than showing it through actions and body language. After reading “Ally was sad” a few times, I don’t care anymore. I want to feel her grief.

Omniscience is great—if you’re a god. Harder to pull off in a novel. Experienced authors get around this by writing each chapter from a different character’s point of view. This works well for a really long story where not everything can be shown from one character’s POV. Even though Stones of Remembrance isn’t epic-length, if Julie Presley wrote each chapter from either Ally’s or Finn’s POV, this would have worked quite well. She didn’t. The POV switches within a chapter—often, within a scene—sometimes, within a sentence. This doesn’t work. At all. It’s called head-jumping, and it’s very confusing for the reader. Who’s doing what now?

Awkward wording is hard to put a finger on, but there’s a flow to well-written prose that I just didn’t feel here. Also, consistency is key. When Ally makes coffee for Finn, he shouldn’t be sipping decaf, then taking a drink of tea minutes later. Where did he get the tea? She made coffee. Proofreading is important, kids.

Let’s talk dialogue tags for a minute. Some people like the tried and true “said.” Some people think that’s boring, and opt for the more colourful “yelled,” “screeched,” “murmured,” etc. Whatever floats your boat, but please don’t use words that aren’t dialogue tags in place of dialogue tags. Ally and Finn “resign” and “blush” their lines of dialogue. How on earth do you “blush” a sentence? You can’t. Not in English. This could easily be fixed by making it into two separate sentences: “Hi,” she blushed becomes “Hi.” She blushed. Remember, dialogue tags are not always needed.

And the voice of God? While I do believe that He can communicate in many ways, and a voice in my head—or even an audible voice—is definitely within His abilities, I don’t think He does that very often. In this novel, He does it all the time, and I don’t see that as very realistic, especially since Finn doesn’t want to hear Him. God doesn’t force people to hear His voice.

The ending feels rushed and way too easy to me. It’s not exactly a spoiler to tell you that they get married, right? It is a romance novel, after all. While their wedding vows made me smile, the wedding itself came way too quickly for my tastes. Maybe it’s just me. After all, I knew my husband for a few years before we even started dating, and then we were engaged for a year and a half before we got married. Ally and Finn may have been childhood friends, but they haven’t seen each other for years at the beginning of this novel, and they’ve changed a lot in that time. They need more time to get to know each other again, and they don’t get that time. I don’t see this as a very good basis for a relationship.

I really wish I could recommend this book, but I just can’t. Unless you really don’t care about anything I just laid out, and you just want a feel-good read, this is not the book for you. It is a feel-good read, though; no doubt about that. I just wanted more.



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Review of Rescuing Lacey by Rebecca Heflin

Rescuing Lacey by Rebecca Heflin

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Why are the main leads in a romantic novel always "irresistible" to each other? I understand that there is a formula, and I can live with that, but sometimes it just makes me groan. Too much predictability bores me.

The very first word of this book is "f***ing." The very first word! Nothing in the summary warned me of this, and I don't like foul language, so it really bothered me. I almost put the book down right there. I probably should have. Strangely, f*** is the only swear I noticed, and it was used a few more times, but not as often as I expected after that opening. Did Rebecca Heflin think this was a good way to hook readers? Well, it just made me angry.

When Luke and Lacey meet, they feel an immediate sexual attraction to each other. Now, I guess this happens sometimes in real life, but it just seems unrealistic to me that it would happen so often as it does in fiction. When I met my husband, I didn't feel an instant connection; the attraction slowly developed over time.

Luke is described from Lacey's POV as "über masculine." Lacey is described from Luke's POV as "almost boyish." This is another trope I see a lot in romantic fiction that really bothers me. Why is every female lead slim and small-breasted? Where are the curvy, voluptuous, plus-size women? Why don't we get to be romantic leads? And why is every male lead tall, muscular, and, well, an alpha male? Where are the geeks? Where are the non-athletes?

Speaking of POV, there's a lot of head-jumping in this book. I don't mind changing POVs, but there's no warning here. It often happens in the middle of a paragraph. And then, near the end of the book, after I got used to jumping back and forth between Luke and Lacey, suddenly we're in Luke's friend Tony's head. That really threw me for a loop.

Another thing that threw me for a loop was the overuse of obscure words. Now, I'm the first one to love a cool word. I've been accused of using too many big words myself. But when I have to stop every couple of pages to look up the definition, that's a little much. Thank God Kindle has a built-in dictionary. But then, I came across this little gem: proprioception." Kindle says "No definition found." I had to close the book and look it up on Dictionary.com. Not cool.

My final beef with this book includes spoilers:
(view spoiler)[When Lacey tries to seduce Luke, he refuses her because he wants her to tell him about her past. He thinks she doesn't trust him, and he doesn't want just a fling. He wants her to be open and honest with him, and she won't do that. She won't let down her guard and tell him about her experiences in war zones. Then, just a day or two later, he forgets all about this and beds her anyway when she hasn't told him anything yet. This really bothers me, because it ruins his character, making him compromise his morals just for a little sex. Oh, wait. I forgot. She's irresistible. Gag me. (hide spoiler)]

To be fair, it isn't all bad. The sentences were mostly well-crafted, with few grammar and spelling errors. Ms. Heflin is a competent writer. I just wanted something more than competence.



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Review of The Orb of Truth by Brae Wyckoff

The Orb of Truth by Brae Wyckoff

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I downloaded this book because I heard that it was similar to The Hobbit. Well, it does have Elves and Dwarves, and the main character is a halfling. And they go on some kind of quest. I guess that's similar. But J.R.R. Tolkien was a good writer. Brae Wyckoff, unfortunately, isn't.

I couldn't finish this book. It was painful to read. It really needs a professional editor. The grammar is so wrong I cannot help but wonder if English is Mr. Wyckoff's second language. If so, it is understandable, but I still need some serious editing before I will be able to force myself to read this.



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Review of The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I highly recommend reading The False Prince before reading this book. Not because the story cannot stand on its own; because the "big reveal" in the first book is ruined if you read this one first.

In this book, Sage is now king and nothing is going right. You'd think that winning the throne and convincing everyone he is the lost prince Jaron would be the end of the battle, but no. His troubles have only begun.

Sage is a wonderful character; Jennifer A. Nielsen has done an amazing job of of crafting him. Although I didn't always agree with his choices (sometimes I wanted to reach into the pages and shake him), I always understood his motivations. Supporting characters are well-done too. We don't see their motivations as clearly, but that's because we are seeing everything from Sage's point of view. There is one character who switches side without enough motivation in my opinion, and Sage trusts him, which I wouldn't do if I were him.

The plot isn't too predictable, although the ending isn't quite as much of a surprise as the first book was. But really, what is?



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Review of The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"There is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9b

I have been reading since I was four years old, and sometimes it seems I've seen it all. There are no plot twists that are new to me. This isn't always a bad thing, as there are authors who can take old, tired ideas and create something fresh and new out of them. Jennifer A. Nielsen has done this in The False Prince.

Sage is living in an orphanage when he is purchased by a noble as an indentured servant. It soon becomes apparent that his duties will not be what you might expect, however. Conner doesn't ask Sage to scrub floors or peel vegetables. He's looking for a prince. It turns out that the entire royal family has recently been poisoned; but the youngest son, Prince Jaron, was lost at sea years earlier. Conner has proof that Jaron is dead as well, but rather than share that information with anyone, he has a plan to find a new Prince Jaron, and it seems that Sage and two other boys look a lot like Jaron would now. All that remains is to see which one of the three will win the title.

Sounds like a cliché? The Prince and the Pauper comes to mind, of course. And yes, the plot does borrow from stories like that. However, there are twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I found myself grinning like an idiot as I read the "big reveal," and I often roll my eyes and sigh at those.

The characters are very real, each with their own personality and motivations. Conner, especially, is fascinating. He maintains that he is a patriot who is only trying to avoid civil war: if there is no heir to the throne, the regents will fight over which of them rules. However, his methods are suspect at best. Sage's two rivals for the position of false prince have engrossing character arcs; and Sage himself learns and grows a lot along the way.

I really enjoyed this story, and I will definitely be looking for the next book in The Ascendance Trilogy: The Runaway King.



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Review of A Thread of Truth by Marie Bostwick

A Thread of Truth by Marie Bostwick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Since I loved the first Cobbled Quilt novel, I had to pick this one up as well. And while it was very good, it didn't grab me like A Single Thread did.

The characters are wonderful. I already loved Evelyn, Abigail, Margot, and Liza (and, of course, Garret, Franklin, and Charlie), and I was delighted to revisit them. Ivy was a great addition to the circle, with a poignantly powerful backstory. Some of the best writing in the novel was Ivy's story.

However, there were times when Ivy's POV slipped into long paragraphs of telling and exposition where nothing happened. I found myself skimming these, wanting to get back to the action. It wasn't bad enough to make me even consider abandoning the book though, and I still highly recommend reading it.

I should warn that there are some themes that may be disturbing to some, and this is definitely not a story for children. Ivy is an abused woman, running from her abusive husband. It is an important story, though, and very worth reading.



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Review of Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith

Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Magical. Incredible. I loved every word, every sentence. The concept of doubles and mistaken identity may have been a little cliched, but I don't care. The characters are so real I wept and laughed along with them.

Kim is an engaging narrator/POV character/protagonist. I love a strong female lead, and she is definitely that. A ballerina/fencer who loves old movies and Beatles music, she appeals to me in so many ways. She never allows anyone to rule her, even the handsome Prince she meets in her travels. :)

Alec is a fascinating mystery; Tony is a handsome dangerous contradiction; Ruli is more than she seems; and Sisi... well, I don't want to say too much.

Is it fantasy? Sort of. Not really. But it will appeal to fans of fantasy. Highly recommended.



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Review of A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick

A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book so much. It almost makes me want to learn quilting. Not that I need another hobby.

I laughed, and I cried, and I cheered along with the wonderfully crafted characters. The plotline where a main character is diagnosed with breast cancer struck close to home for me, as I lost my mother to that last year.

The romances grew so organically out of the relationships Marie Bostwick introduced. I like romance well enough, but I roll my eyes at contrived love stories. No eye-rolling here, though; only smiles from me.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read character-driven stories. It's not my usual fare: most of the time, I prefer stories full of magic and such, but it doesn't need any of that. It's simply beautiful. Well-crafted, like a handmade quilt.



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Review of Sasha by Joel Shepherd

Sasha by Joel Shepherd

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Sasha made me grin like an idiot, laugh, and cry. However, there were also parts that made me yawn in boredom, or rage at the grammar. Mostly, though, it was a very enjoyable read.

The main character, Sashandra Lenayin, is the daughter of the Varenthane king, but she has renounced that life, and is living in a small town with the "uncivilized" Goeren-yai, practicing swordwork. She doesn't know it, but she is destined to become a hero, a saviour, of both peoples. Yes, it is that cliched. But I didn't really mind.

The characters are well-drawn for the most part. My favourites are Jaryd Nyvar, the pampered nobleman's son; and Sasha's sister Sofy, the spoiled princess. Both surprised and impressed me with their growth over the course of the story. Sasha herself is unfortunately not as interesting; I've seen this character before.

There is one race of nonhumans in this world: the serrin. Unfortunately, we aren't told much about them, except that many Varenthanes think they are demons. The only serrinim who appear as characters show up very near the end, are described as incredibly beautiful, and are deadly fighters. They are nearly perfect in every way. I found myself imagining Tolkien's Elves.

It seems that Joel Shepherd has no idea that comma splices are incorrect grammar. Or he doesn't care. The text is riddled with them. I would probably not be exaggerating if I said that every single page has at least one. There were very few grammar issues besides. In one place, Sasha muses that "her plan trap worked." This jarred me since I've never seen that phrase used before. Another time, Sasha sees a friend and instead of "saying" his name, "'Andreyis?' she recognized." As far as I am aware, "recognized" is not a dialogue tag.

I found that the plot took a long time to get moving for me. It took me over a week to read the first half, then a day or two to finish. I prefer books that I can read faster than that. I used to read everything, no matter what, but I no longer have the time or the energy to do that.



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Review of Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


A main character should act, not be acted upon. Princess Una is the most pathetic, passive main character I've read in quite a while. But she's not the only passive one here. The only characters who really act are Aethelbald and the Dragon.

The plot is bizarrely strange too. For some reason, dragon's breath--while poisonous to the point of killing people--can turn someone into a dragon. Oh, and all dragons are evil, just because. The language used to describe them is over-the-top, beating you on the head that they are evil. And ugly too. Because everybody knows that dragons can't be beautiful right?

I wanted to like this book; I really did. But I just couldn't.



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Review of Windrider by S.A. Bolich

Windrider by S.A. Bolich

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Just as wonderful as Firedancer. I blew through it in a couple of days and I want more.

I love how, while the Firedancers use dance to control the Flame, the Windriders use song to control the Wind. I'm intrigued to see how the Seaborn work. (Gotta wait until spring. Boo.)

Like the previous book, the world and characters are wonderfully real. I especially enjoyed getting into Sheshan's head this time, and learning more about Clan Heshth, and by extension, what it means to be a Windrider, and how they are treated by those they try to protect. Some thought-provoking stuff here.

The writing is clean and mostly free from errors, which makes for an easier read. I highly recommend this book. Although, for continuity, I would read Firedancer first.



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