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All in Fiction
Rating: 4.25/5 | The Last Equation of Isaac Severy was a masterfully done mystery. Somehow a relatively light read despite the dark subject matter, the book was really enjoyable and kept me guessing throughout. Jacobs' clues are perfect—some you pick up on right away and others are harder to spot—and I felt like I caught on exactly when she wanted me to. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 3.25/5 | This is your typical story featuring a girl who has lived her life as a misfit, was adopted because her parents "died in a car crash" when she was young, doesn't realize she has superpowers, gets to school to discover she has SUPER superpowers (hmmm...about those parents?), bands with a group of other misfits to solve a giant mystery...you know the type. That being said, as far as those stories go, this one was pretty good. So if those are your usual jam, you'll probably enjoy School for Psychics. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 4/5 | The Night Masquerade concludes the Binti trilogy, and I couldn't wait to read it. The first two books were engaging, entirely unique, and full of sociological depth. I was not disappointed by the third. It was an ending that I couldn't have predicted, although now it makes perfect sense. I felt like I grew alongside Binti, understanding her struggles and learning her lessons. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 4.5/5 | The City of Brass has absolutely everything you're looking for in the first book of a fantasy trilogy: a beautiful AU with rich history, languages, politics, magic systems, and longtime oppression; a willful female lead who comes from nothing to rise to badass-ness; a devilishly handsome, super strong warrior love interest who is maybe not the greatest person ever but oh gosh you love him; a corrupt but genius and conniving king who is hard to outsmart; and a young rebel prince who knows what's right and is bound to bust out of his shell soon to help save the world. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 3.75/5 | This book was not what I had expected; it was no Girl on the Train. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was more than cliffhangers and suspense; this is a thriller/mystery that also deals with the poignant topics of PTSD, mental illness, alcoholism, loneliness, grief, and more. I chose it as my Book of the Month February selection, and I don't regret it! (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 4/5 | If you are looking for a quick read in which every single word is incredibly carefully selected, a read that will really, really tug at your heart, this is a great choice. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 5/5 | The Power was not a light read; it was not comfortable. It was weighty and important composed of layers and layers just waiting to be peeled back. I went into it without any real expectations, but still, I never could have imagined this novel would turn out to be what it is. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 5/5 | The first Binti novella was excellent, and its sequel did not disappoint. I was hooked from the very beginning and remained at the edge of my proverbial seat the entire time. I fell more in love with Binti on every page, as she struggled to find herself and prove that she belongs with her people, all while she knows who she is deep down, and it's someone who can be put into a box. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 5/5 | I don't think it's possible for Nnedi Okorafor to write anything that I (and the rest of the world) don't absolutely love. Her storytelling ability and imagination are just excellent. Binti is no exception. Almost from the first sentence, I was drawn into her world and her character. Even though her time, culture, and experiences are firmly science fiction, they not foreign. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 4.5/5 | I chose this book as my December 2017 Book of the Month pick, and I'm so glad I did! (That was a tough choice, though.) I was looking for something that would hook me from the beginning and allow me to rip through it quickly. That's exactly what this book did. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 3.75/5 | Well, if you had told me when I finished Streaks of Blue (#1) how this trilogy was going to end, I would have looked at you like you had two heads. I still can't believe how much the story evolved and changed course! I never would have predicted that Nikki, whose focus was on averting a mass school shooting in book 1, would be in the place she is on the last page of book 3. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 3/5 | Wow. This book was so, so different from Streaks of Blue (#1), which told the story of Nicole Janicek as she befriended an outcast boy to try to stop him from committing a mass shooting at her high school. In that story, Nikki is a poised, self-confident, meritorious young woman who does the right thing because she knows it is right. In Nikki Blue, three years later, she is no longer that girl. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 5/5 | There is little I can say about this one that the rest of the world hasn't already said, and that speaks to how great it was. It absolutely lived up to the expectations set by Six of Crows, which was a tall order! Even though I knew twists and turns in the plot were coming, I never could have predicted what they would be. It kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing the entire time. That ending!!! (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 5/5 | When I finished this book on my way to work one morning, all I could think was, "UGH UGH UGH MY HEART UGH." I then started my workday as a blubbering ball of pure emotion. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 4/5 | To no one's surprise, Dan Brown has done it again. All his books follow exactly the same formula, but it's a formula that works and is entertaining every time. I sat down on Friday night intending to spend my weekend on a wild goose hunt with Robert Langdon, with some plot twists, some cryptic codes, a bunch of art history, and a heart-racing ending. And that's exactly what I got! I'm not going to pretend that the predictable formula made the journey any less enjoyable. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 3.75/5 | This is a very quick read that makes a quick impact. It almost reminds me of the style in which The Shack is written. The best part about this style is that you can read it quickly; I got through this book in one sitting on a Saturday evening. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 3/5 | My overall impression is that this book has a classic but compelling fantasy plot, but I wish everything had been more fully developed. There wasn't much world-building in the beginning and the characters are not very complex, but I can feel their potential. I hope that the second and third books in the series add to the world's depth more effectively and make the characters nice and round. However, the book's simplicity does make it a quick read. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 4/5 | I picked up this book because it contains one of my favorite quotes. In fact, I even chose it as a reading at my wedding (with a few omissions). I had high hopes that the rest of the book would contain passages as beautiful as this one, and I was not disappointed. Louis de Bernieres is a language artist. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 4.5/5 | This book was exactly the YA fantasy adventure I was looking for. It was exciting and fast-paced, with a captivating universe. The world-building did move quickly in the first chapter or two, but I know there are other books in this universe that chronologically precede Six of Crows, and I have not read them. I caught on fast enough, though. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 4/5 | As a general rule, I don't critique classics. I will, however, gladly offer commentary on my experiences reading them. I hadn't read anything by Kafka before, including "The Metamorphosis." Needless to say, Kafka is weird. (Click the post to read more.)
