Tag: Novel

Warm Bodies

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Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Series Name: Warm Bodies
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Dystopia, Horror, Post-Apocalyptic, Romance, Sci-Fi, Zombies
Intended Age Group: YA
Publisher: Emily Bestler Books/Atria
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4767-1746-3
Rating: 3.5/5
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Description from the Book

R is having a no-life crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may occasionally eat people, but he’d rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization.

And then he meets a girl.

First as his captive, then his reluctant house guest, Julie is a blast of living color in R’s gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn’t want to eat this girl—although she looks delicious—he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can’t imagine, and their hopeless world won’t change without a fight.

Personal & Info

I saw the Warm Bodies movie back when it was new. I had no idea it was based on a book. Apparently, many don’t know it’s actually a series. The books seem relatively difficult to find after this one, especially the third and final volume. I suspect the advertising for them was poor. I only know about them because I was looking at this book online as a series listing.

There are no chapter numbers in this book. Each chapter gap has an anatomical picture instead of a number. There is text on the images, but most of it is small and hard to read. Aside from that, the book is divided into three parts that the book refers to as steps.

Characters

R is the main character. He is a zombie who lives in a 747 airplane at the airport. The story is told through his perspective.

Julie is the love interest. She is one of the few people around who still has any hope for the future.

Perry Kelvin is Julie’s ex-boyfriend who dies almost immediately. Despite that, he plays a large role in the story.

Nora is Julie’s best friend and roommate. She is also friends with Perry.

M is R’s best friend. He’s a tall zombie who, in my opinion, gives off some perverted vibes. He’s also one of the few who can speak with a decent vocabulary.

Colonel Rosso, I think, is second in command in the human settlement. He seems like a reasonable and capable man.

General Grigio is Julie’s father. He’s a strict military type in charge of the town’s security.

Story & Thoughts

I feel like this starts slow. It’s not long, but it takes a while to get going. It starts by integrating the reader into Dead society. The rules of how zombies work are kind of silly. Some of them can speak to a limited extent. They all seem to be able to understand human vocabulary. They have their own kind of church service. The Dead actually have a sense of community, if you don’t count the fact they don’t care when one of them dies. It’s all kind of weird compared to the usual zombie lore.

The story is a romance, but not in the sense of a typical romance novel. I guess you could say it’s a little bit Romeo and Juliet. Makes sense since they are a zombie and a human, but also because his name is R and hers is Julie. It’s a little on the nose. I’d categorize it as a slow burn.

More notably, the story is a philosophical delve into what makes a person human. There’s a lot of reflection about at what point someone stops being human. Julie obviously thinks of herself as human, but R also thinks of himself as human, despite being dead. The later insights into the theory of zombification’s origin are also based on the human condition. It’s an interesting spin.

I like the story. Once things got going, I was hooked. My only real complaint is that toward the end, when things were getting serious and urgent, they didn’t really know what to do. Things got a bit aimless, and the result was purely dumb luck. There is no real logic to what happens, but I don’t think it’s intended to make complete sense. If I liked it just a little bit more, I would have given it a four, instead.

The Wish List

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The Wish List by Eoin Colfer
Genres: Adventure, Demons, Fantasy, Ghosts, Supernatural
Intended Age Group: Middle Grade
Publisher: Hyperion
Edition: Hardcover
ISBN: 0-7868-1863-8
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Meg Finn is in trouble. Cast out of her home by her stepfather after her mom’s death, Meg is a wanderer, a troublemaker. But after her latest stunt, finding a place to sleep is the least of her worries. Belch, Meg’s partner in crime, has gotten her involved in the attempted robbery of an elderly man, Lowrie McCall. But things go horribly wrong. After an accidental explosion, Meg’s spirit is flung into limbo, and a race begins between the demonic and the divine to win Meg’s soul.

Meg’s really not a bad kid, but she hasn’t exactly been an angel either, so the tally of her good and evil deeds is dead even. Her only chance of tipping the scales to salvation is to go back to Earth and do good—specifically, to help Lowrie McCall. He’s got many regrets in his life to set right—a “wish list”— not much time left to do it. But even if Meg can persuade Lowrie to get mixed up with her, she’s going to have to deal with an even scarier, undead Belch—who’s now definitely on the side of the Devil.

A wild journey to the unexpected here-after, The Wish List is a heartwarming tale of a young girl’s last chance, and the love she will need to—quite literally—redeem herself.

Personal & Info

All I know about this book going into it is that it’s written by the same author as Artemis Fowl, which I have not read, but have heard good things about. This book seems almost out of print and is apparently not very popular, because it seems a little harder to find online. Barnes & Noble doesn’t even have it listed on their website as far as I can tell.

Characters

Meg Finn is the main character. The book has conflicting information about her age. She’s either twelve or fourteen. She has recently become known as a bit of a troublemaker.

Belch is kind of Meg’s associate or co-conspirator. He is sixteen, and a far worse troublemaker than she is, but he lacks intelligence. As the story progresses he becomes her enemy.

Franko Kelly is Meg’s step father. He reminds me a lot of “Smelly Gabe” from The Lightning Thief. If you’re not familiar with that, he’s basically a lazy mean slob.

Lowrie McCall is an old man with a heart condition with whom Meg must make amends with in order to save her soul.

Satan is, well, Satan. He’s the ruler of a hell and all that jazz.

Beelzebub is one of Satan’s senior demons. He takes orders directly from the devil himself and is under threat of losing his job.

Myishi is Satan’s tech support person. He wears designer suits and has a goatee similarly to his boss.

Elph is a computer program created by Myishi. His name stands for EctoLink and Personal Help Program. He appears as a floating hologram.

Saint Peter is the attendant who guards the Pearly Gates of Heaven. He basically makes the final decision on who gets in as far as this story is concerned.

Flit is a creature called a tunnel scraper or a mite. Mites are spirits of creatures who get stuck in limbo and must work a tedious job collecting baskets of soul residue in the spiritual tunnel system to earn a chance at reevaluation for entry to Heaven.

Story & Thoughts

I don’t have any strong feelings about this book. I like it well enough. It has all the traits and vibes for the age group. It’s corny in all the ways you would expect.

There are a few memorable things that might be worth mentioning. The main one, I think, is Belch. He has some body horror things happen to him. It’s not scary in the format of this book, but if seen on screen, I can see how it might be a bit frightening to some kids. The book wants Belch to be considered scary, an abomination, but it also wants him to be comic relief. It wasn’t funny to me, but I can understand how it would be to the intended age group.

The inconsistent age thing for Meg bugs me, and not just because of the age itself. So, first of all, there are several instances in the book where something is explained to her, and she is asked if she understands. In all of these instances, she says she doesn’t understand because she’s only fourteen.

It’s like a cop out response to avoid trying to understand, and at the same time making it sound like she is incapable of understanding due to her age. At least, that’s how I choose to interpret it. But, it seems unrealistic to me. I don’t think kids would bother with that kind of response. I have never heard of kids ever trying to make themselves seem less intelligent or inferior just because they are young. Realistically, it’s always the exact opposite.

As for the number of her age itself, I can’t help wondering if maybe she was including the two years she has been dead. That wouldn’t be right, because she can’t age if she’s dead, but it might feel more natural because it’s the number accurate to her birth. The main reason it bugs me is because she was supposedly fourteen for the whole book, but then the information way later about her time of death only adds up to twelve. I just don’t know if it was her counting from her birth while dead, or if something was overlooked in editing.

Aside from these few things, the book is good. I don’t know if I’ll bother reading it again, but it seems like a good children’s/middle grade book. There are demons in the story, and Saint Peter, but you don’t have to know a lot about the bible or anything to enjoy or comprehend the story.

Book Haul May-August 2024

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About

This haul encompasses the months of May through August. Obviously, I have not been buying many novels lately. Four out of five of these books are pre-owned. Three of them are from a local bookstore across town, one of them was given to me, and the fifth was ordered on sale from Amazon. Like my April book haul, most of these are by the same author with different pen names.

Miscellaneous

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Ultimate Guide

This book is multiple times pre-owned. A friend passed it along to me once they decided they no longer wanted it. It’s a bit battered and has some marker dots and smears on the cover, but the pages are clean. The design of the book itself is interesting. It has a lenticular banner image across the front, and a magnetic clip, kind of like a journal. The extra fold for the design choice will likely make it take more space on the shelf, so keep that in mind if you’re interested in getting a copy.

What is it?

The book is a companion guide for the Percy Jackson series. It’s is full of information about various characters and lore related things. There are also a few fun extra things, like Percy’s camp activity schedule. I’ve only done a quick flip through, but it seems like an interesting read to get more world building and reminders

Novels

Burning Cove, Vol. 6 by Amanda Quick

When She Dreams is the sixth volume in the Burning Cove series. Burning Cove is seven books long, and probably ongoing. The last volume released was in 2023.

I have the first book, but have not yet read it. I usually like about ninety percent of things by this author, so I grabbed this volume anyway. It saves me money in the long run, because I didn’t have to pay any shipping when buying from a local store that had it pre-owned.

What is it?

A historical romance mystery of some kind, possibly with paranormal aspects.

Eclipse Bay, Vol. 2 by Jayne Ann Krentz

Dawn in Eclipse Bay is volume two in the Eclipse Bay series. I have volume one in my TBR, and the series is only three books long. Amanda Quick and Jayne Ann Krentz are the same author, representing different time periods. This one is contemporary, while Quick is historical. It’s probably obvious by now that I tend to grab anything I see available written by this author. I found this as a pre-owned copy.

What is it?

A contemporary romance mystery of some kind.

Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick

Garden of Lies is a stand alone novel. I’ve only seen it around in hardcover until now. Normally hardcover would be fine, but paperback is cheaper and takes less space in the long run. Stand alone novels by this author make good comfort reads for me. As you can probably tell from the spine in the picture, this is a pre-owned copy.

What is it?

A historical romance mystery of some kind.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Vol. 6

The Chalice of the Gods is one of the newer books in the Percy Jackson universe. It’s book six in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Despite being new, it’s supposedly supposed to fit chronologically after the Heroes of Olympus series and before Trials of Apollo. I’m slowly going through a reread of all the Camp Half-Blood stuff, so I plan to incorporate this book, and Wrath of the Triple Goddess, into the chronological order.

What is it?

A modern adventure series focused around Greek mythology.

A Court of Silver Flames

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A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
Series Name: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Volume Number: 4
Genres: Enemies to Lovers, Fae, Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-63557-799-0
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Nesta Archeron has always been prickly—proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And since the war—since being made High Fae against her will—she’s struggled to forget the horrors she endured and find a place for herself within the strange and deadly Night Court.

The person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred, winged warrior who is there at Nesta’s every turn. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and it only burns hotter as they are forced to work closely together.

As the threat of war casts its shadow over them once again, Nesta and Cassian must battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance—and healing—in each other’s arms.

Personal & Info

This book is in two perspectives instead of just one. It’s a change from the rest of the series. The only other book in the series like this is A Court of Frost and Starlight, which has several perspectives. Nesta is the main character for this book, but the love interest, Cassian, also has his perspective included.

The map at the front of this book is much prettier than the maps in the other books.

The friend who gifted me the ACOTAR box set was on this book when I started the series. They fell into a reading slump, and I somehow managed to pass them and finish the last book in the set before them. Now I’m the one waiting on them to be able to talk about it. The tables have turned.

Content Warnings

-Depression
-Suicidal thoughts
-Sexual Assault
-Grief
-Abuse

Characters

Feyre is the High Lady of the Night Court, and commonly known as Feyre Cursebreaker. She likes to paint, and she doesn’t actually do much in this book, even though she has been the main character in the series until now.

Elain is the middle child in her family. She likes to garden, and is generally considered the pretty sister. She’s become more assertive as her character has developed, but her love life still has a long way to go.

Nesta is the eldest sister in her family, and the main character of this book. She tends to have an unsavory personality, and likes to read.

Rhysand is High Lord of the Night Court, and Feyre’s mate. His special skill involves mind manipulation.

Cassian is Rhysand’s general. He’s the love interest for the book, which is to be expected since he and Nesta have always had a sort of tension.

Amren is Rhysand’s second in command. She was Nesta’s friend after the dip in the cauldron, but as of ACOFAS, that is no longer the case.

Azriel is Rhysand’s Shadowsinger/Spy, and fills military based roles along with Cassian.

Mor is Rhysand’s third in command. She handles affairs regarding the Court of Nightmares when Rhys and Feyre are not present. She also functions as an envoy to other Fae nations.

Eris is the heir to the Autumn Court. He has a sordid history with Mor, and is a tentative ally to the Night Court.

Gwyn is a priestess who lives in the library under the House of Wind. She likes to sing, and befriends Nesta.

Emerie is an Illyrian female with clipped wings introduced in ACOSAF who runs her own store in Illyria. She is also Nesta’s friend.

Several priestesses from the library are mentioned throughout the book, but Gwyn is the most important.

Vassa, Lucien, and Jurian are not terribly important in this book.

Story & Thoughts

Let me start by saying I have always liked Nesta. She’s a complicated person, with a lot of baggage, who comes off as detestable. But that’s not why I like her. In the first book, something about the core of her character resonated with me.

In this book, Nesta is in a place where she needs to grow. She lacks trust and communication skills, and she falls into the idea that nobody can possibly understand what she’s going through, even though both of her sisters have also had to make the human to Fae adjustment. What it really comes down to is she doesn’t want to be happy. This book might hit close to home for some, because it covers feelings of depression and worthlessness, while still wanting to be loved, but feeling like it isn’t something deserved. The story is Nesta’s journey to recovery, and a heartwarming tale of sisterhood.

On the other side of things, there are so many sex scenes, and they are far more explicit than any of the other volumes. Nesta is a fan of smut novels, so I think it’s written that way to mesh with her personal perspective. Cassian is just as dirty as she is. Sometimes the book feels more like an erotica than a romance.

I enjoyed the story. It’s lengthy, and a bit slow to start, but the pace is what it needs to tell Nesta’s story properly. Her progress is slow, and at times feels like not much is happening, but it’s all important. It feels natural when you start to notice the growth and how it occurs.

I do have some gripes. My biggest one probably being that I think Nesta should be with someone else. After learning more about Nesta, I think Cassian is what she needs for her recovery, but not what she should have in a partner. They just don’t mesh in a way that interests me. I don’t think he is stimulating enough for her in some ways she might prefer. There’s a certain kind of banter that’s missing. It’s hard to explain.

There is no cliffhanger in this book. Everything is wrapped up nicely. I would have liked to see the aftermath of the Illyrian weirdness cleaned up at the end, but maybe that will be covered a in another book. Someone somewhere should be in trouble after all that.

A Court of Frost and Starlight

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A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
Series Name: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Volume Number: 3.5
Genres: Fae, Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-63557-562-0
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Feyre, Rhysand, and their friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly altered world beyond, recovering from the war that changed everything. But Winter Solstice is finally approaching, and, with it, the joy of a hard-earned reprieve.

Yet even the festive atmosphere can’t keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, her concern for those dearest to her deepens. They have more wounds than she anticipated—scars that will have a far-reaching impact on the future of their court.

Bridging the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin with the later books in the series, A Court of Frost and Starlight explores the long-lasting effects of a devastating war and the fierce love between friends.

Personal & Info

This book is written differently than the others. It has various perspectives from different characters. Feyre, Rhysand, Cassian, Mor, and Nesta all have at least one chapter in their perspective. The weird thing, in my opinion, is that only Feyre and Rhys are in first person. The rest are in third.

Characters

Feyre is the High Lady of the Night Court, and commonly known as Feyre Cursebreaker. She likes to paint.

Elain is the middle child in her family. She likes to garden as a hobby, and is generally considered the pretty sister.

Nesta is the eldest sister in her family. She tends to have an unsavory personality, and likes to read.

Rhysand is High Lord of the Night Court, and Feyre’s mate. His special skill involves mind manipulation.

Mor, Amren, Cassian, and Azriel are Rhys’ and Feyre’s friends and members of their Court inner circle. Amren is second in command. Mor is third, and handles affairs with the Court of Nightmares in Rhys and Feyre’s stead. Cassian and Azriel fill more military specialized roles.

Lucien is High Fae and no longer strictly connected to any one Court.

A few new characters appear in this book, but I don’t know how much they’ll come up later. Ressina and Aranea are Feyre’s new friends from the Rainbow. Ressina is a painter, and Aranea is a weaver.

Story & Thoughts

As the description implies, this is very much a transitional volume. It takes place during the holiday season of Winter Solstice, which is basically Christmas to the Night Court, minus any religious or Santa aspects. It also covers some unfinished details regarding A Court of Wings and Ruin. Some of the things it mentions are: where Jurian is and what he’s doing, whether or not they tried to break Vassa’s curse and if they were able, how kingdoms and armies are faring after the final battle, and verification that Bryaxis is still missing.

This book is a bit slow. The first seventy or so pages are not very interesting. It does pick up eventually and get back to the same feel as the other books. Romance is not a heavy aspect in this one, aside from some updates regarding Feyre and Rhys’ relationship. The plot mostly expresses that everyone is coping with the events of the war as best they can.

The idle time over the holiday highlights the group’s personalities and quirks both as individuals and teams. For example, one of my favorite scenes involves Feyre and Cassian decorating for the holiday and the reactions of others when they see it. It’s nothing super serious, but scenes like that one do well expressing how well they know each other and how well they mesh as friends. The different perspectives also give more insights into personal aspects of characters we’ve only seen from Feyre’s view, so far.

I can’t help being disappointed that several characters aren’t currently getting along. Some of them make sense because of bigger events that happened, but some of them are just because someone says the wrong thing with good intentions. I’m sure a lot of these things will be addressed or resolved in the next book.

A Court of Wings and Ruin

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A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
Series Name: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Volume Number: 3
Genres: Fae, Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-63557-560-6
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. One slip could bring doom not only for Feyre but for everything—and everyone—she holds dear.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre endeavors to take her place as one of the High Fae of the land, balancing her struggle to master her powers—both magical and political—and her love for her court and family. Amidst these struggles, Feyre and Rhysand must decide whom to trust among the cunning and lethal High Lords, and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series, the fate of Feyre’s world is at stake as armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy it.

Personal & Info

This book has some short perspective changes between Rhys and Feyre at the beginning and end portions. Aside from that, the main meat of the book is in Feyre’s perspective, as usual.

Characters

Feyre is still the main character. At this point in the story, she is a High Fae, a High Lady, and commonly known as Feyre Cursebreaker.

Elain is the middle child in Feyre’s family. She likes flowers and is considered the pretty sister.

Nesta is the eldest daughter in Feyre’s family. She comes off as snobby, selfish, and mean, but she would do anything to protect Elain.

Rhysand is the High Lord of the Night Court, and Feyre’s mate. His special skill involves mind manipulation.

Tamlin is the High Lord of the Spring Court. His special skill is shape changing, and his personality is beastly.

Mor, Amren, Cassian, and Azriel are Rhys’s friends and members of his inner circle for his court. Amren is his second in command. Mor is his third, who handles his affairs with the Court of Nightmares in his absence. Cassian and Azriel fill more military specialized roles.

Lucien is Tamlin’s emissary. He handles diplomatic relations between the seven kingdoms on Tamlin’s behalf, as well as any important tasks Tamlin needs handled.

Jurian is the human hero from the ancient war. Amarantha wore his conscious eye preserved on a ring, but he has since been restored to being human.

All of the High Lords appear in this volume, some with larger roles than others. The quick list (aside from Tamlin and Rhys) is as follows:
Helion – Day Court
Kallias – Winter Court
Thesan – Dawn Court
Beron – Autumn Court
Tarquin – Summer Court

Eris is the first son of Beron, and he has several fairly important appearances throughout the book.

Story & Thoughts

I like this volume more than the first, but less than the second. The events are more chaotic and messy. The politics between the courts and the pains of proper procedure take the stage as the Prythian prepares for war. There is a lot going on in this book, so much in fact, that it’s difficult to choose any one thing to talk about.

All of the significant characters have been mentioned at least once in the first and second books. That gives this volume plenty of freedom to focus more on relationships. I think that is my favorite thing about this one. Friendships, romances, sisterhoods, they all get more expansive coverage as relationships deepen or worsen. My one gripe with it is I want so much more for Lucien. I had high hopes in the early parts of book, but he doesn’t actually get much screen time compared to everyone else. His story seems to be a background overarching thing, so it progresses slowly.

I still love all the characters from A Court of Mist and Fury. The more I get to know them, the more I like them. After everything, I don’t hate Tamlin, but I still don’t find him likable. He’s not a lost cause, but he has a lot of growing to do.

When all was said and done, I had to take a few minutes to consider what to rate the book. The climax of the story in every volume seems to be where the series thrives, but the rest also has to be entertaining for me to give a high rating. There were a few things that didn’t quite meet my standards, which is why it’s not a five out of five.

Most of it was good, but I burned out on it around the last 150 pages, and had to work my way out of a reading slump. Sometimes the length of a book can be counterproductive. Some of the war scenes were a bit dull, and the ending seemed rushed to wrap up after the last battle. There are some other small things, but those are the main ones worth mentioning.

What guaranteed that it would not be lower than a four was how it made me feel. Before the book was over, I almost cried. There are a few things throughout the book that really tug on the heart. If I did not already know that all romances are guaranteed an H.E.A in order to even be categorized as romance, I probably would have bawled my eyes out.

The Clockwork War

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The Clockwork War by Adam Kline, Dan Whisker
Genres: Fantasy
Intended Age Group: Children
Publisher: Insight Editions
Edition: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-68383-236-2
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Beast friends Karlheinz Indergarten and Leopold Croak clash in an epic, imaginary battle waged in the branches of an enormous, ancient oak tree. But when lightning strikes young Leopold, he loses his imagination, and with it, his sense of right and wrong. The damaged boy grows to adulthood, treading a sinister path of industrial conquest. And Leopold’s thirst for power soon threatens the tree, the village, and worst of all, the children within.

But humble Karl discovers a gift for clockwork—the magic of gears and cogs—and assembles a mechanical army to fight back. Joined by the children themselves, Karl endeavors to save the village, the ancient oak, and maybe—just maybe—something more besides.

Personal & Info

This book is from an overstock discount store. I go there occasionally to find some new things to try. It looks like a cute and short stand alone story, so as long as it’s not terrible, it’s worth the purchase.

Characters

Karl Indergarten is the main character. He has a gifted imagination and owns the business K. Indergarten Clock and Watch Repair.

Leopold Croak is Karl’s childhood best friend.

Miss Understood is a kind woman who runs the local Preparatory School and Home for Orphaned Children. She has a habit of saying things that are not quite right, mostly in the case of common expressions.

Dr. Pimpledink is the village doctor.

Pim is Karl’s best friend after the incident, and a clockwork mouse.

Agatha Croak is Leopold’s daughter, who is allergic to everything, and thus lives isolated in a room at the top of a tower.

Toby, Stuart, and William are some of the kids who live at the orphanage once Karl and Leopold are grown up.

There are a few other minor characters, like Madeline, her grandmother, and the clockmaker.

Story & Thoughts

I actually forgot to read the description on the inside of the book jacket, so I had a misunderstanding of what the story was like going into it. It’s labelled as fantasy, there is a clockwork mouse on the cover, and the excerpt on the back describes a clockwork dragon defending a tree. These three things led me to believe it was a lot more fantasy than it actually was.

Don’t get me wrong, it is fantasy, just not the elves and spell casters kind. The world is a normal setting in an unspecified time. The fantasy aspect of the story comes from the fact the clockwork creations are fantastical to the point of actually being independently intelligent as if they have a heart or a soul.

Despite my misunderstanding, the story is cute. A little girl is afraid to go to Kindergarten, so her grandmother tells her a story about someone by the name of Karl Indergarten, which is supposed to be relevant to the origin of Kindergarten. But, the book is very clear, the story is not about the little girl. It’s about Karl Indergarten.

The book has the same feel as short stories kids would normally hear read aloud at a library. It even has the rhyming. The only differences are, it’s a bit longer and the vocabulary level might be a little higher. The recommended age group is closer to ten but I think kids around five might also enjoy it if read to them, and if they have a long enough attention span.

Overall, this book is not really my thing, but I think it’s a decent children’s book. My only issue with it is that Leopold’s logic has many flaws. The description says he loses his sense of right and wrong, though, so it makes sense. Children’s books don’t always have to make perfect sense anyway, either, so I don’t hold that against it.

A Court of Mist and Fury

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A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Series Name: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Volume Number: 2
Genres: Enemies to Lovers, Fae, Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-63557-558-3
Rating: 5/5
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Description from the Book

Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she’s now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.

As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre’s hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different people: one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world in turmoil.

Personal & Info

I was told to finish this volume, as the bare minimum, before making a judgement call about the series. The first book is not a good representation by itself. If you have not read the series and are interested in giving it a try, just know it’s about a thousand page time sink(combined count for volumes one and two) for the fair trial. The series is wildly popular, though, so you might find it worth your time.

Characters

Feyre is the main character. She is the youngest daughter in her family, and she has two older sisters. Her favorite hobby is painting, and she’s good at hunting. At this point in the story, she is now a High Fae, and everyone knows her as Feyre Cursebreaker.

Elain is the middle child in Feyre’s family. She likes flowers and is considered the pretty sister.

Nesta is the eldest daughter in Feyre’s family. She comes off as snobby, selfish, and mean, but she would do anything to protect Elain.

Tamlin is the High Fae Lord of the Spring Court. His special skill is shape changing, and his personality is beastly. Tamlin is Feyre’s love interest in the first book, and fiancee in this one.

Lucien is Tamlin’s emissary. He handles diplomatic relations between the seven kingdoms on Tamlin’s behalf, as well as any important tasks Tamlin needs handled. He can be snarky, but he usually means well.

Rhysand is the High Fae Lord of the Night Court. His special skill involves mind manipulation. He is disliked by generally everyone, because of his actions while Amarantha was in charge. He takes the stage as the lead male character in this book.

Mor, Amren, Cassian, and Azriel are Rhys’s friends and members of his inner circle for his court. Amren is his second in command. Mor is his third, who handles his affairs with the Court of Nightmares in his absence. Cassian and Azriel fill more military specialized roles.

Story & Thoughts

I am so glad I read this before deciding on committing to or abandoning the series. This is the best book I have read in a long time. It took me about four hours to get over the book hangover before I could do anything other than just stare off into space and process everything.

The first book is not my cup of tea, but it is extremely important to lay the foundations for everything. This one constantly references events from the first. It often explains other things that happened that Feyre and the reader could not possibly have known. There was so much more than what we actually saw going on. But don’t get me wrong, I still don’t like Tamlin as a love interest. Nothing in this book helps his case in my opinion.

Rhysand is the leading male in this volume, and the romance is so much better. He has way more personality and empathy than Tamlin. The build of this slow burn is so much more satisfying. It’s just so well done. Even the parts where not much is happening feel significant and engaging. I didn’t find a single moment of this entire lengthy book to be dull.

Even Feyre is better in this one. I liked her okay in the first book, but the growth and wisdom she gains in this one puts her leaps and bounds from where she started. She has a volatile temper, but she sees everything that I found myself thinking about the contents of the first book. I’m so proud of her.

There are so many things I feel like I can’t properly express with words, and things I liked about the book that I don’t want to say because they could be spoilers. What it really comes down to is the feeling that this book has so much more heart compared to the first. I can’t explain it any other way. I absolutely loved this book. If you’ve read the fist and did not enjoy it, please read this one. It is so much better. This review does not do this book justice. I do not have the words.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

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A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Series Name: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Enemies to Lovers, Fae, Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-63557-556-9
Rating: 2.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he’s not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Personal & Info

I originally added this book to my to-read list back in 2018. Not long after, I started to see the series explode all over the internet. It wasn’t a priority for me, though, so I thought nothing of it. More recently, one of my closest friends discovered it, and has been encouraging everyone to read it. Because of that, I’ve found myself with a free copy, which saves me some trouble, because it’s not likely to be available from my local library for a very long time.

This author is apparently known for using odd word choices and contradictory descriptions.

Characters

Some characters might contain spoilers or are more interesting if the book handles the introduction, so I’m only going to list the most important ones that are around for the beginning or majority of the story.

Feyre is the main character. The story is told in her perspective. She is the youngest daughter in her family, and she has two older sisters. Her favorite hobby is painting, and she’s good at hunting.

Elain is the middle child in Feyre’s family. She likes flowers and enjoys looking lovely when they can afford it.

Nesta is the eldest daughter in Feyre’s family. She comes off as snobby, selfish, and mean. I think the book says she is older than Feyre by three years.

Tamlin is the love interest. He is a High Fae Lord with a shape changing specialty and a beastly demeanor.

Lucien is Tamlin’s emissary. He handles diplomatic relations between the seven kingdoms on Tamlin’s behalf. His attitude is generally snarky.

Alis is a maid who tends to Feyre’s needs, and helps answer some of her day to day questions.

Story & Info

My thoughts about this book are a little complicated to put into words for a review, but I’m going to try. There are things I like about it. The world is interesting, and I can see plenty of promise for building off of it. Seven vastly different kingdoms based on the seasons and times of day with eternal weather is pretty appealing.

The book is written in first person. That’s a common thing I know many people tend not to like, but I think it’s done well here. It doesn’t feel like the writing is full of the word, “I,” constantly, and the writing has a nice flow to it. After a few paragraphs, I practically forgot about it being a first person perspective. The only negative things I noticed about the writing were the occasional indecisive contradictory descriptions, and some likely plot holes.

Characters are where things start to get messy for me. All of the characters that I like are side characters. The two lead characters for the romantic couple, Feyre and Tamlin, that’s where my biggest problem is. I don’t mind Feyre. She’s okay, but she has some personality traits that rub me the wrong way, and I don’t agree with some of her perspectives and wants. At the end of the day, I don’t mind her, but she isn’t my ideal of a main character.

Tamlin, on the other hand, he’s about as interesting as a rock. He is stereotype handsome and exotic, because of his beast traits, but that is literally all he has going for him. I can’t bring myself to care about him. If I don’t care about him, why would I want the main character to be with him? It takes so much away from the enjoyment of the story when the love interest is not interesting. It genuinely feels like the only reason Feyre falls for him is because he shows her kindness, which is something she hasn’t experienced much of in her short, sad life.

Aside from the characters, the other big issue is pacing. The book is a little over four hundred pages, but the whole thing is a slog. I couldn’t handle more than maybe thirty or so pages at a time before I had to put it down for a break.

The process of reading the book genuinely feels like a whole lot of nothing is happening for the majority of the story. It’s like a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but for the parts where that movie would do the cute and fun montages to show adapting to life living with the beast, we get a slogfest instead. Granted, I completely understand the process of events that had to occur, but it does not make the book fun to read.

For the majority of my reading, I felt like the book was a solid two. As the story progressed, and more characters were introduced, and I got to know them better, my opinion went up by a half. I like some of the side characters so much that they practically carried the book for me.

Based on this book alone, I probably wouldn’t be interested in reading more of the series. However, the whole series was gifted to me, and I have been recommended to at least read the first two books before making a final decision. So, I will be reading volume two at some point in the near future, before I decide if I want to commit to the entirety of the series.

Book Haul April 2024

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About

I didn’t plan on buying anything for a book haul in April, but put me in front of discount books and it’s hard for me to walk away with nothing. These four books are all from a fairly local store in pre-owned condition. All of the books are also by the same author. She has multiple pen names. The most popular of which are Amanda Quick, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Jayne Castle. Each name represents a different time period of past, present, or future for the setting of the book.

Burning Cove, Vol. 1 by Amanda Quick

The Girl Who Knew Too Much is volume one of a series called Burning Cove. The series has a total of seven volumes, with the last book released in 2023. I’ve seen this book around, but could only find hardcover copies, and therefore didn’t buy it. I know most readers prefer hardcovers, but space gets eaten up fast if everything is hardcover. I was glad to find this in paperback. My shelves are currently overpacked as it is.

Supposedly this series is in the same universe as the Arcane Society novels. I’ll find out for sure when I get around to reading it. It’s usually pretty obvious when anything crosses over with Arcane. I don’t have any reviews for Arcane Society posted, but I do plan to get some up eventually when I reread the series from the beginning. That’s a big time sink, so it’ll likely be a good while.

What is it?

A historical mystery romance.

Dangerous by Amanda Quick

This is one of Amanda Quick’s many stand alone stories. I don’t even read what they’re about before buying. I like all of her stuff.

What is it?

A historical mystery romance.

Vanza, Vol. 1 & 2 by Amanda Quick

With This Ring and I Thee Wed are both volumes of the Vanza series. I did not know this when i grabbed them. It’s kind of lucky that they turned out to be one and two. There are a total of four volumes in the series, so I managed to find half of it.

What is it?

A historical mystery romance.