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All in Fiction
Rating: 4/5 | This book was really, really good. There was a good amount of world-building to do, so the first few chapters were complex and slower than the rest. But for good reason: Once I hit a certain point, I took off and never looked back until I hit the end of book 3 (only because book 4 isn't out yet). (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 4.5/5 | I. LOVE. RICK. RIORDAN. Every time I read one of his books, I vow to be more critical and resist giving him yet another high-star review. I don't know why I do this. He never disappoints me. I am always entertained and even a bit moved. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 3/5 | This book was good, although it didn't blow me away. I love retellings and stories told by strong female characters, and this was both. I think perhaps if I were a mother, it would have resonated more with me. Nevertheless, it was an entertaining read and I encourage you to give it a shot. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 5/5 | This review is brought to you in partnership with "I may never recover" and "Why did that have to end?" That was SO BEAUTIFUL! I finished it at 6:30 AM (I'm an early bird) and subsequently dissolved into a puddle as I got ready for work—in the best way, of course. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 5/5 | This book was absolutely beautiful—like music. The characters were lovable and flawed, the language was lyrical, the metaphors and themes were perfectly balanced. I didn't want it to end!
Rating: 4.5/5 | Furyborn was a really great read. The universe is unique and intriguing, and the women are strong and relatively complex. I never felt like the story was dragging, and I definitely didn't want it to end. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 5/5 | Circe was excellent. Miller's use of language is masterful, the story is unique and attention-grabbing, and the combination of the two is powerful. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 4.25/5 | Lincoln in the Bardo is unlike any novel I have ever read. In fact, the format is entirely unique. But it's perfectly suited to the story (or, perhaps more appropriately, stories) Saunders spins. It left me feeling a little hypnotized, somewhat reverent, entirely intrigued, and hungry for more. (Click the post to read more.)
Rating: 4/5 | Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine had been on my TBR list for so long that when it was my turn to read it, I had completely forgotten that I'd been on the library waitlist. I'm so glad to have finally experienced Eleanor! I was charmed by her in the first few pages, and by the end, she had my heart. (Click the post to read more.)
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.)
